In a world doomed by it's Champions
In a Plane gone askew
After the retreat of those who would be Gods
One will rise through the fall of many
And with him, bring light from the darkness
– Orio Macurn, Discredited Seer, Circa 970 AD
"This plane is lost to us."
"Agreed." The response, though in the affirmative, was non-committal in tone.
There was a deep pause, "We must withdraw."
"Agreed." Again the same reluctant tone.
"We have no choice, Sister."
"I am aware of that." The female entity replied. "The Slayer Champion has fallen for the ploy of the first, and the Vampire has allowed himself to be ensnared in the web of corruption. We must leave, else the corruption may consume us and through us skip to other planes."
The male entity heard all the right words in his sister's voice, but could sense the displeasure and reluctance in her voice. "What would you have us do?"
There was another long, deep silence.
"We should activate him."
Silence.
"That is an extreme response, my sister. He could kill *us*."
"We are leaving."
"This is True."
Silence.
"They deserve a chance. However slim."
"DO they?" The male's voice was bitter. "We gave them every chance. THEY made their choices. Free Will, their free will, led them to this end."
"I know my Brother." The female entity said soothingly. "We did what we were allowed, and they made their choices. But the least we can do is give them, some of them, one more choice?"
The male grimaced, pain and hurt coursing through him with such power that the female almost gasped at the emanations. "Perhaps."
"We had no choice, my brother." She said, still trying to sooth his pain at failure. "You know that HE insists on Free Will. It is the one law that no one is above."
"I am aware of that." The Male said, closing his eyes. "It merely galls me that they did not choose evil. They chose stupidity."
"That too is their choice." The Female said sadly, "But he didn't choose stupidity..."
"No. He elected to allow it however," The Male snarled, "so he is no better then any of the others."
"Perhaps. But it is a small thing..." The Female said, "And will not cost us anything."
"Not now, perhaps. But if he chooses evil?"
"He will not." The female said confidently. "He can not."
The male breathed deeply, and finally nodded. "Very well. Activate him... then we go. This world is now without our support. We can not risk letting this single plane become a bridge to a Pillar Dimension."
"Agreed." The Female responded sadly. "I hate this part of the job."
"I know." The Male responded. "No plane should be abandoned by the Light."
The Female nodded, silent as she reached out with her mind. As she touched her target she gave a little cry of shock. "Oh!"
"What is it?"
"We are too late."
"He is dead?"
"No." Her face turned to her brother, a mask of shock and wonder. "He is already active. He activated himself."
Again the deep silence echoed around them. Finally the Male shook off the shock and his instinctive questions.
"Then we go. We can do no more for them now. This Plane stands or falls on it's own."
"Buffy, where's Xander?"
"I don't know." The blond Slayer said tiredly as she looked up, "I haven't seen much of him for days."
Willow nodded, her face perplexed. "Me neither. We should tell him that we've got a planning session tonight..."
Buffy nodded, but didn't speak.
"What is it?"
Buffy looked down, then up again. "We've lost a lot of people, Willow."
"I kinda know that, Buff." Willow forced a slight smile, but it was plastic and fake.
"I don't want to lose anymore."
"Uh oh." Willow took a seat at the table, looking across at her friend. "Every time you say that, Xander winds up depressed."
"He lost his eye because of me." Buffy said, "Why does he keep following me around??"
"I don't know." Willow said, lying through her teeth. "But it's his choice, isn't it?"
"Maybe." Buffy conceded reluctantly, "But I'm going to give him another one. I hope he'll take it."
"Like what?" Willow asked hesitantly.
Buffy took a deep breath, "I'm going to ask him to look after Dawn."
"Oh." Willow shrugged, "Well that's not so bad."
"And keep her away from Cleveland."
"Ouch." Willow winced, "That's not something they're gonna like."
"I know." Buffy shook her head, "But I can't lose Dawn... She's my only family now. She needs a normal school... a normal life. Xander can look after her until she's eighteen anyway... And I know that he'll protect her."
"Aren't we doing this to protect him?"
Buffy sighed internally, a slight smile on her face. Will had said *we*, she knew now that she wasn't alone in this. "Yeah. But I meant from the normal problems a girl has."
"Ooooh...." Willow smiled back, "Those old things. Funny, I can't remember what those are."
"I can." Buffy grimaced, "And I don't want them to happen to Dawn."
"Alright... How do you want to go about this?"
Xander looked up at the garish neon sign above him and took a fortifying breath.
He'd been in town over two weeks, and this was the first time he came here. It was... impolite of him. He smiled weakly, his finger tracing the patch over his left eye as he took another breath and walked into the club.
The Bouncer at the door glared at him, but he ignored him. He didn't recognize the guy, but that was understandable, the job had one of the highest turnover rates in the state. It was even worse then a construction foreman in Sunnydale.
And that was saying something.
He walked through the club, pushing his way through the press. Oxnard was just south of San Fran and this club had been in place long enough to pull in a heavy crowd of the big city types. He excused himself politely, smiled at the right times, and kept moving no matter what until he reached the bar.
"Tequila." He said to the bartender, a brunette with tired eyes but a figure that hadn't faded in the slightest despite doing one of the roughest jobs around for over a decade.
"You got it." She responded, dropping the glass to the bar and pouring a shot.
"Leave the bottle." He said, dropping a fifty on the bar.
Something in his voice caused her to pause and look closer at the man standing in front of her. He was wearing a loose fitting shirt that made him look soft, but his arms were big enough to make the sleeves wrap tight around him. Her eyes climbed up and she saw his strong, solid, neck and jaw, and finally she looked into his eyes.
His eye.
Her hand came up to her mouth as he recognized him.
"Xander!"
He smiled, nodding. "Hey, Sonya. How've you been?"
She stared at him dumbly. "Me?? Me?? What happened to you! Your face, your eye! My God, Xander... Alex... Who did this to you??"
Xander shrugged, "Same old, same old. Some psycho with an axe to grind."
She closed her mouth, then opened it again, then blinked as she looked at him with pain and shock in her face. "My God, Alex..."
"Hey..." He smiled at her slightly, "It's ok. I'll live."
"And the one who did this to you?"
"Friend of mine got him. He won't."
"Good." She spat. "I will buy this friend a drink when I see him."
"Her." Xander smiled, "And this isn't her kind of place."
Sonya was still frowning, and Xander reached out gently and brushed her face. "You shouldn't frown like that... gives you the wrong kind of lines, Sonya."
She let out a surprised laugh, relief and emotion fogging the sound, then reached out and grabbed Xander by the head and pulled him closer. She kissed him on both cheeks, then on the lips. "My GOD Alex! We thought you were dead when we heard about Sunnydale!"
"Me too." Xander smiled back, "Me too."
"Hey..." Andrew looked around nervously, "Has anyone seen Xander?"
No one looked up, or bothered to respond.
"Guys? Come on... someone must have seen him?"
"No." Kennedy sighed, "No one has. Now go away... We're watching TV."
Andrew looked over at the television and grimaced, "Survivor? Must you contribute to the cultural cess pool that is reality TV?"
"Get out!" The newly called Slayers yelled, throwing all manner of things at Andrew.
"Alright! Alright! I'm going! Stop throwing stuff!" Andrew grumbled, ducking out the door. "No one appreciates good TV... Why does crap like that get on season after season and good shows like Crusade get the axe??"
"Andrew?"
He looked over, chagrined at being caught talking to himself. "Hi Dawn..."
"What's with you?"
He jerked his head back, motioning to the TV room. "Slayers kicked me out while they watch Survior."
"Oh Gag." Dawn stuck her tongue out. "Don't we get enough of that in real life?"
Andrew laughed nervously. "Yeah. I mean, it's not like anything on that show is going to compare to Sunnyd...."
He trailed off, rubbing his head in embarrassment, "Well.... You know what I mean."
"Yeah." Dawn nodded, smiling softly. "I know what you mean."
The stood in awkward silence for a while, then Dawn spoke again. "Have you seen Xander? I'm trying to find him."
"No..." Andrew frowned, "I'm afraid not. I was looking too."
"Damn."
"Yeah."
"What happened, Alex?" Sonya asked as she joined Xander in a booth away from the music and jeers of the crowd.
Xander shrugged, "You know the nightlife, Sonya... some of it decided to put up a big fight this time."
"But you won."
Xander just shrugged again. "We survived. Beyond that, I don't know. The world is still here, so maybe we won."
"Maybe?"
Xander let out a long breath. "Too many compromises this time, Sonya. I... I think we became as bad as the thing we fought."
Sonya frowned, not understanding. "Xander... you couldn't..."
Xander put up his hand as he downed another shot of tequila. "You don't know me, Sonya... not really. You don't know what I'd do if I decided it was necessary. I've lied, murdered, cheated, and stole... all for the 'greater good'. I've hurt good people, bad people... even my friends."
"Xander..." Sonya smiled softly, "I can't believe that. You are.... you have been... a classic Knight in shining armor..."
"Don't call me that." Xander snapped, then grimaced. "Sorry Sonya. You didn't deserve that."
"It's alright." Sonya sighed, then reached out and took his hand before he could pour himself yet another shot. "Tell me."
Xander hesitated. Then he slowly lowered the drink to the table, "I don't know where to start... I don't even know where it started..."
"Just... tell me something then."
Xander snorted. "What would you say if I told you that I'd helped *rape* countless young girls of their innocence?"
Sonya flinched, snapping back in her chair. Her face became a mask of confusion, "What? Xander I... You..."
"Not physically." Xander said. "Mentally. Spiritually. I was party to a spell that filled I don't know how many girls with a *demon* spirit. Dragged them into my nightmare so they could die on the Altar of this god forsaken war."
Sonya leaned forward again, not understanding, but knowing that whatever it was, Xander thought it was very bad. "Why?"
"Good question." Xander sighed. "I don't know."
"What??"
Xander shook his head, "Looking back... I. Don't. Know."
Sonya was silent for a long time.
Xander poured himself another shot of tequila, downed it, and poured yet another. Before he could down that one too he looked at her, tears streaming from his single eye. "As God is my witness, Sonya, if I could have taken the responsibility... the spirit... the *evil* into myself instead of them I would have. I would have..."
He started crying, the liqueur breaking down the normally powerful walls that he had built. Sonya slid around the table and held him as he collapsed. "Shhh.... Shhh... I know you, Alex. Xander. I know you. And I know you would have. And God knows it too, I'm certain."
"Does He?" Xander asked bitterly, "Does he even know we exist? I'm not so sure anymore."
Sonya was silent, holding him as he shuddered.
"I used to be, you know." He said finally. "I used to believe. Even after seeing the evil around me... I was comforted by the fact that if Evil like this exists... then good must as well? Shouldn't it??"
Sonya just held him as he continued to talk.
"Have you ever read Mike Hammer?" He asked suddenly, out of the blue. "Or The Shadow?"
Sonya shook her head, "No..."
He drew in a shuddering breath, "In one of the Hammer novels... He killed a man and a Judge let him off with it. Self defense or something like that. Mike brooded on it. He didn't like the idea of murder sanctioned by law... not even when he felt it had to be done. He considered himself the evil that faced the greater evil."
Xander took a deep breath, closing his eye against the images that were assaulting him. "The Shadow was the same. A tainted soul... who used the darkness he had known to fight criminals on their own level."
Sonya found herself staring into Xander's sole eye, almost losing herself in the pain that was floating in that brown orb.
Xander swallowed, "That's all I've ever seen, Sonya. I don't know any good guys. Just bad guys wearing white hats."
"You're drunk." Sonya declared after an emotionally charged moment.
Xander nodded slowly, his whole body moving with the motion. "Yep-puh.... but I'm also right. And in the morning, I'm going to be sober... but I'm still going to be right."
Sonya didn't say anything, just motioned one of her bouncers over as Xander slumped down to the table and fell unconscious.
"You want him tossed, Sonya?"
"No." She glared at the man, "Carry him upstairs... put him in one of the rooms and put an occupied sign on the door."
The man looked at her in consternation, "Sonya... those rooms go for two hundred an hour. You gonna just let some drunk sleep it off up there?"
"This isn't some drunk, Mike." Sonya said, looking down at him. "Half the girls in this place owe him their lives personally... and everyone else owes him even more then that indirectly. Take him to a room."
"Yes Ma'am." The big black man said, shrugging as he lifted Xander up and slung an arm over his shoulder. "Huh. He's heavier then he looks."
"He's a lot more then he looks, Mike." Sonya said, heading for the bar and the backstage area. "You best remember that."
"I will, Ma'am."
"Hey, have you two seen Xander?"
Willow and Buffy looked up guiltily as Dawn walked in, looking around nervously. <Oookay... what are they up too?>
"Uh... no. You Buff?"
Buffy shook her head, "No... not for a while. Maybe he went out for a walk?"
"Maybe." Dawn frowned, "But where too? It's not like he knows anybody around here..."
Buffy frowned, "Actually I think I remember him saying that he broke down here when he was on his road trip..."
"Oh." Dawn looked surprised. "Then maybe he does know someone."
"Maybe."
The three of them shifted a bit, until finally Dawn shrugged. "Ok... well I'll go back to my room then."
"Ok... night." Buffy replied.
Dawn nodded, "night." And walked out.
Willow looked at Buffy, "do you think she overheard?"
"I hope not..." Buffy frowned, "It'll be better if we don't give either of them time to prepare arguments..."
"Yeah..."
Xander opened his eyes slowly, groaning as the light hit him and the Tequila induced migraine clobbered him with an assault on his mental flanks. He groaned again as he rolled out of bed and onto his knees on the warm hardwood floor.
<Where am I?> He wondered briefly, but then recognized the furnishings. <Oh.>
"Ohhhhh damn..." He muttered, climbing to his feet and reaching blindly for what he knew would be waiting on the end table.
"Sonya, you're an Angel." He whispered, palming the small shot glass and downing it's contents in a single gulp.
It only took about fifteen seconds for the combination of tequila and pain killers to hit him, and he slumped back into the bed. In his last moments of consciousness he flipped the finger to the rising sun and pulled the blanket back over him.
"Xander! Xander! Open up!" Buffy banged on the door.
Across the hall a door opened up slowly, "Bloody hell, Buffy... what are you doing??"
"Trying to talk to Xander." She said, but he's ignoring me."
"He's probably bloody well trying to sleep!" Giles muttered coming out of his room.
"I need to talk to him."
"Alright, alright..." Giles muttered, reaching back in and grabbing a key off the end table. "Here."
Buffy caught the spare key, "Thanks."
"Don't mention it. Please." Giles said as he turned back to his room.
Buffy opened the door and took one look in before yelping. "Giles!"
"What now?" Giles turned back, groggily rubbing his hair.
"He's not here! His bed isn't slept in..."
Giles wandered over and looked in, frowning. "Perhaps he slept somewhere else..."
"Where?" Buffy looked at Giles sarcastically. "Unless you think we should spot check the Slayer's rooms?"
"Knowing Xander's taste in women that might be a good idea." Giles muttered under his breath.
"What!?"
"Nothing... Nothing." Giles shook his head, "I'll get dressed, you get the gang together... we'll find him."
"Right." Buffy nodded.
"Right." Giles shook his head and went back into his own room, shutting the door.
"Ok," Buffy looked around the group. "Who's seen Xander?"
Everyone looked around, shrugging, except Dawn and Andrew who looked relieved that someone had finally noticed him missing.
"No one?"
"That's what we've been trying to tell you, Buffy." Dawn said finally. "No one has seen him much, if at all, for days."
"Well... what has he been doing??" Buffy asked.
Again the long silence.
Buffy sighed, "Alright... Oxnard isn't a huge place... We'll get out and look for him."
"Hey, not to be a downer here, but uh..." Kennedy frowned, "What if he went to San Francisco?"
"Let's worry about that if the search doesn't pan out." Buffy said.
"Excuse me, Buffy..." Robin Wood interjected, "but is this really necessary? Xander's a grown man, and a pretty decent fighter... He can tale care of himself, and... as much as I hate to say this, if he run into something he couldn't handle... then it's over by now. He'll either walk back in here under his own power, or not at all."
Buffy and Willow looked sick at that, and Buffy shook her head. "No. We're going to search."
Faith frowned, "I gotta go with Woody here, B. Xan can handle himself... and if he slipped, well then it's too late. If you gotta do something, then call the emergency rooms and see if they've got any one eyed patients... But a street to street is way useless."
Wood eyed Faith with a look of distaste as she talked, "Woody?"
Faith looked at him and shrugged, "You'd prefer Robin Hood maybe?"
"Oh like I've never heard that one before." The black man pursed his lips in annoyance. "You and I need to have a long talk, Faith."
Faith shrugged, "Whatever."
"Would you two cut that out?" Buffy demanded, shaking her head. "Giles... call the Emergency Rooms... The rest of us, let's go."
As everyone filed out, Faith and Wood looked at each other and then at Dawn who was the only other straggler. The three of them shrugged, and Faith spoke first. "I guess we could get some sightseeing in."
When Xander woke the second time he was headache free and only slightly groggy. His hand slowly snaked to the end table and he smiled sleepily as he felt his hand close around the hot mug of black coffee.
He drew it back to his mouth and slowly sipped at the steaming beverage until he felt ready to open his eyes.
"Well, you look like hell."
"Thanks, Sonya." Xander muttered with a quirked smile, "Just what a guy wants to hear from a beautiful woman when he wakes up. Want to come up here and kick me in the balls to complete the greeting?"
"I'll pass this time." She smiled at him, shaking her head. "But you've got to get up."
"Why?" Xander asked, puzzled. "You don't rent the rooms out during the day do you?"
"No, you numbskull." Sonya glared at him, "but you have about twelve ladies out here who want to say hello to an old friend."
Xander smiled involuntarily, and took a couple heavy gulps of the coffee before he moved to get up. Abruptly he realized that he was naked.
"Uh... Sonya..." He hesitated, holding his blanket up just far enough to check under it. <Yep. Definitely naked.>
"You got nothing I haven't seen, Alex." Sonya smirked at him.
Xander groaned, "Sure, but on stage isn't the same thing. Cut me some slack here... I've been out of this place for years, I'm not accustomed."
Which was a flat out lie if he'd ever told one, Xander considered, and he had of course. Anya had stripped him of all hints of modesty, around her at least. But that didn't transfer to others. <Thank God. I'd probably have wound up getting raped by some of the Slayers after patrol if I'd been too casual.>
"Fine." Sonya shrugged, "But you'd better be out in a minute."
Xander nodded and she left the room. As the door clicked behind her he threw the blankets off and grabbed for his underwear where it was cleanly pressed and waiting on a chair.
<I should never have gone back to Sunnydale in the first place.> Xander smiled, genuinely content for a moment. <This place is like living in a palace.>
He pulled on his jeans and buttoned them up over his white T-shirt, then threw on the loose cotton shirt without buttoning it. Finally he took another gulp of the coffee and headed for the door.
"Man, what a rat hole." Faith said after an hour's walking around the town.
Robin shrugged, "I've seen worse."
"I've lived in worse." Dawn smiled slightly.
"And you both need to get out more." Faith sighed, "But who am I to talk? I'm Miss Solitary Confinement 2000 to 20003..."
"Really?" Dawn asked innocently, "And just what did you do for the talent portion of the pageant?"
Faith paused in mid-step, doing a double take as she stared in shock at the younger girl. "Whoa. Meow from the Slayer's Sis."
"Don't call me that." Dawn grimaced, "I have my own name."
Faith shrugged, "Alright. But I ain't calling you Dawnie."
Dawn laughed involuntarily at the sound of that nickname coming from that particular mouth, then she nodded. "Thank you."
"Vicki! Maria..." Xander grinned, giving and receiving light hugs and kisses as he moved around the room and greeted old friends. "How have you guys been?"
The women, most of them under twenty five, smiled and greeted him like a lost family member and Xander reveled in it for a while. Inwardly he marveled at how he always seemed to surround himself with women who'd make any normal guy drop to their knees in awe. This bunch were much the same as far as he was concerned, and he had missed them.
A sharp smack on his shoulder startled him out of his reverie. "You said you'd come back!"
He turned to see deep blue eyes glaring at him and smiled deeply, "I'm sorry Nance... You know I planned on it... But I got caught up... Things to do..."
"Monsters to kill." The girl smirked at him.
"That too." Xander shrugged, "but I mostly just watched and fetched donuts."
"Right." Nancy nodded, "I'll believe that when I see it. How many times did you save my life?"
"Once."
"Twice!" She corrected him, "I was in here that night too, remember."
"Twice." He conceded, then shrugged. "I don't count. You know that."
"I do." She smiled, then pulled him down to her and kissed him on the forehead. "And you know that."
Xander shrugged, "Well... I guess someone has too."
Sonya took that moment to interrupt, "Come on you too... back to the party. Nancy, you should know better then to monopolize the guest of honor..."
Nancy laughed and pulled him back into the crowd as they got ready to sit down for breakfast.
The impromptu search parties straggled back by around noon hour, with various looks of dejection or uncaring nonchelance.
"Nothing?" Buffy asked as she saw Willow and Kennedy walk hand in hand into the lobby.
Willow shook her head.
"Damn." Buffy frowned, "I just checked his room... he's still gone. Giles?"
Willow looked over her shoulder, surprised, as Giles walked up.
"I'm afraid I didn't see any sign of him."
"Same here." Faith announced, dropping into a chair beside Buffy with a boneless flop. "Damned town is as boring as it gets. Waste of time."
Buffy closed her eyes, "What if he's hurt?"
"Buffy, the hospitals haven't anyone checked in under his name or matching his description..." Giles said, "I really believe that he's just off on his own somewhere..."
"I'm with the brit." Faith shrugged, "It's not like X hasn't had plenty of scrapes before, Buff. He'll turn up."
Buffy frowned, but nodded. "Yeah... you're probably right."
Then she grabbed Willow and pulled the red head out of the room and up the halls. Giles frowned, then followed the two of them.
"Willow, we need to find him." Buffy said.
"I know, Buffy, but what..."
"Cast a locator spell." Buffy said evenly, "You've done it before."
"No. Bad idea. Really bad plan, Buffy..." Willow protested, "I mean a really scary black eyed black hair bad kinda plan."
"Willow... this is Xander."
"I know that, Buffy." Willow protested again, "but this just isn't a good idea..."
"I would have to concur, Buffy." Giles said as he walked in, frowning.
"Giles. This is a private conversation." Buffy glared at him.
"No. This is a lunatic conversation." Giles said stiffly, "You can not be seriously planning on casting a locator spell for someone who probably spent the night with old friends."
There was a long silence.
"Old friends!?" Willow suddenly blew, "Who does Xander know around here? How do you know that he knows anyone??"
Buffy frowned, looking at Giles. "He told you too, huh?"
Willow looked between Giles and Buffy, her expression hurt. "Buffy?"
Giles just nodded, "He spent several weeks here at least. That would indicate that he probably made some acquaintances. Give him time, he'll be back on his own."
"What if he isn't?" Buffy asked, her voice dropping. "Then what...?"
"Then we will deal with that when we come to it." Giles said firmly. "No magic."
Buffy nodded, "No magic."
Willow was still staring between the two of them, "Who does Xander know around here??"
Xander walked back into the hotel lobby at about three o'clock, and was instantly greeted by a chorus of glares and stares. He blinked, stopped in mid step, then looked over his shoulder. There was no one there, so he figured that they must have been looking at him.
"Ummm... Hi?"
"Where have you been!?" Kennedy snapped at him.
"Uh... At a friends." Xander stammered, "I uh... didn't know you cared."
"I don't. But 'Buffy'," Kennedy grimaced at the name, "Had us all out canvassing the town looking for you!"
"Ah..." Xander nodded, "No one thought to check the strip club, huh?"
Everyone lost their glares as they stared in shock.
"Well..." Faith shrugged, "I wanted to check it out, but we had Dawn with us."
"You were at a strip club!?"
Xander shook his head, not believing that he had actually said that. "Look, I'll be in my..."
"Oh no you don't!" Two of the Slayers intercepted him, "You go nowhere until Queen Slayer sees that your alive!"
"Huh? Wait a...." Xander protested as the two Slayer's drug him out of the lobby and up the stairs.
At the stairs he'd had enough and dug his heels in.
"Oh!" The two Slayer's yelped as they were jarred to a stop.
"Put me down!" He glared at them, his arms grabbing onto the banister as they tugged harder. "Now."
Annoyed they let him go and Xander kept glaring at them as he rubbed his arms. "Now I'm going to my room. If Buffy wants me, she can find me there for the next few hours."
Then he brushed past them and walked up the stairs.
"Whoa." Faith smirked, "And here I thought X would bend over backward for *any* Slayer. Guess it's just me and B."
The two Slayers glared back at her but didn't say anything.
"Xander!"
Xander looked up as Buffy burst into the room, yanking his pants of fast as she blushed and turned away. "Jeez Buff! Door? Knock??"
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She resolutely faced the door.
Xander pulled on a loose flannel shirt. "I'm decent, what's up?"
"Where have you been!?"
Xander shrugged, "At a friends place."
"You couldn't have told us?"
Xander looked at Buffy, his one eye glaring. "The last time I checked I was a grown man, Buffy. With my own life."
"Yeah... but..." Buffy stammered in response, "we're here as a group..."
"Buffy..." Xander finished buttoning up his shirt and walked over to her. "I love you... you know that, right?"
Shocked by the turn of conversation, Buffy started stammering again. "Xander... I... We..."
"But I'm a grown man. I've made my own life," Xander continued, then grimaced, "And even if it was all washed away with Sunnydale, I'm going to live my own life."
"I wouldn't want you to do anything else, Xander..." Buffy objected, "But you should have let us know that you were going to be gone all night."
Xander shrugged, "I didn't know I would be when I left. I just went to see some friends, and then crashed in a spare room when it got late."
"Xander..." Buffy frowned, "I know it sounds like some overprotective paranoid deal... but considering what we do every night, it really would have been... nice... if you'd called."
Xander sighed, then nodded. "Alright. If I'm not going to be back around, I'll call. Ok?"
Buffy smiled at him, "Thanks."
Xander shook his head as she turned and walked out. "No problem, mom."
Buffy snapped back around, "What!?"
"Nothing."
"Better not be." Buffy smirked, then left.
"The withdrawal is nearing completion."
"Have the Elders been recalled?"
"They have."
"The Light is already fading from the land, My Sister."
The female entity winced, but nodded. "I know. This night shall be blacker then any before it."
"And none will know it until it is too late. Far too late."
"Perhaps. Perhaps not. It is no longer out concern."
The Male entity shuddered, closing his eyes. "This is not right, My Sister."
"No. But it is our only choice. This plane is lost to us... If we do not cut the bridge now, then it will be used as a link to other planes."
"I know." The male opened his eyes, and they glittered with soft tones of light and sound.
"It is time."
The Male nodded. "Seal the portals."
One by one, across the world and the entire dimension, portals of light began to close. They were the hearts of heaven, portals of power that rested in the skies and fed power to the Army of Light as it waged it's eternal war across all of creation.
But now, without the army to defend them, those portals each feel dark as their pure light was closed off. By the time the sun was ready to set on Oxnard California, the portals of light were gone and all that remained were their counterparts.
The Hellmouths.
The sun had set an hour earlier when Xander left his room again. He walked down to the common room that had been taken over by their group, barely glancing at the assembled people as he headed for the door.
"Where are you going?"
He paused, looking back at Kennedy, and shrugged. "Out?"
"Back to the strip club?" Faith smirked.
Xander closed his eyes, counted to ten really really quickly, then nodded. "As a matter of fact."
Faith grinned, and jumped up. "Count me in."
"Tonight's not ladies night." Xander smirked back, "You show up in there and you'll likely be mistaken for an employee."
Faith shrugged, "What's your point?"
Xander was about to respond, then suddenly smiled. "Why I don't seem to remember. I'd be pleased to have you along, Faith."
Faith paused, looking at him oddly. <It's not like the X-man to invite anyone anywhere like that...>
Xander just kept staring at her with a challenging grin on his face. <God I can't wait to introduce her to Sonya. It'll be a riot.>
Faith stiffened at the look in his eyes and spoke before thinking. "Well good. Cause I'm not gonna miss this, Boytoy."
Xander smile just grew wider and wider as he motioned to the door. Faith grabbed her coat and walked past him, and he vanished behind her. In the common room, everyone stared at each other in shock for a moment, then a small riot broke loose.
"Kennedy! Where are you going!? Stop stepping on my toes!!"
"Hey Mike," Xander nodded to the bouncer as he walked up.
The big black man nodded back, smiling slightly. "Xander. Good to see you again. You gonna crash again tonight?"
"Naw man," Xander smiled, "Not in a tequila mood."
"Good for you." Mike grinned, "And for my back. You've got a lot of weight packed in there somewhere."
Xander chuckled and walked in with Faith and Robin Wood behind him.
He led them across the club, ignoring the dancer who was up on stage and headed straight for the bar. "Hey Sonya,"
"Alex." She smiled as she looked up from the bar, "Good to see you again... even if you did just leave."
Xander chuckled, glancing around the club. "Big business tonight..."
Sonya nodded, "Has been every night for weeks. But tonight is something else, I've been slinging drinks like I was a decade younger."
Xander smiled, then hopped over the bar. "I'll take over for a bit, Sonya... Why don't you grab a seat for a while?"
"Don't mind if I do." Sonya smiled, taking a more sedate walk around the bar and coming around to sit next to Robin and Faith. "Who are your friends?"
Xander flipped out a couple glasses and set them down, already pouring drinks. "Sonya, I'd like you to meet Robin Wood and Faith. Demon hunter's extrodinaire."
Robin gave him a startled look, but Faith just shrugged the statement off.
"Pleased to meet you." Sonya said, not batting an eye. Then she frowned at Faith, "Faith...?"
Xander nodded, a smile forming on his lips. "That Faith."
Sonya nodded slowly, pursing her lips. "You weren't kidding, Alex... She'd make a great addition..."
Faith's eyes widened as she stared between Sonya and Xander in shock. Xander just smirked at her and topped off a drink before sliding it down the bar. Then he looked back, shrugging. "When I was here the first time I had a lot of drunken confessions to get out."
"Musta been some confession." Faith muttered.
Sonya, meanwhile, was still eyeing the dark slayer. "You know, I could get you a good price and the tips would be..."
"Don't!" Faith held a hand up, "Say it."
Sonya shrugged, "Whatever you say..."
Xander silently ticked off a count in his mind. When he got to five he shrugged, "I told you Sonya..."
Sonya shot him a startled look, but then recovered. "Yeah... I guess you did."
"Huh? What?" Faith looked at Xander, "Just what did you tell her about me??"
Xander shrugged, "I said that you were all talk."
"All what!?" Faith raged at him.
"Well, all that talk about slaying in the nude... and all the bikers..." Xander ticked off the old stories, smiling wider and wider as Faith got madder and madder.
"Who do you think you're talking too!?"
"Xander..." Robin started, his face remarkably pale. "What are you..."
Xander winked at him, cutting him off as he turned back to Faith. "I tell you what... I've got..." Xander pulled a bill from his pocket and snapped it twice in his hand. "Ten of these that say you haven't got the nerve."
Faith stared, rather shocked, at the hundred dollar bill in his hand.
"What the hell is all the ruckus about!?" Buffy growled as she stalked into the center of the group, Willow just behind her.
"Xander took Faith to a strip club..." One of the Slayer's said.
"I think he was going to get her to dance..."
"The way Kennedy almost trampled us, I think she thought the same thing."
"Wait, wait, wait!" Buffy held up her hands.
"Yeah..." Dawn frowned, "Xander went to a *strip* club??"
Buffy shot her sister a dirty look, but then was struck with an odd look. "Ummm... I wonder if it's the same club he..."
Willow caught her sudden flush and speared her with a look, "He what??"
"Ummm... Thathekindadancedatonce..." Buffy forced out.
Everyone in the room was struck silent for a moment.
"Whoa." Dawn mumbled, then grabbed her coat.
"DAWN!" Buffy screeched, "just where do you think you're going??"
"Same place we are, luv." One of the Slayer's said as they all grabbed their things. "We've got to see this."
"You are NOT. None of you are even 18 yet!" Buffy hollered.
"Niether's Ken..." One of the shrugged, "We're Slayers, remember? You know any Bouncer that can keep us out?"
They all filed out as Buffy stared after them in shock.
"This is not for the Good." She mumbled.
"That," Giles said coldly as he stepped in, "Was an understatement of extreme proportions."
"Let me get this straight..." Faith drawled slowly. "You want me to shake my moneymaker up on stage... and you'll pay be a cool grand."
"No." Xander smiled, "You dance and you win the bet. The payoff is a thousand dollars. Sonya... what's the going rate for dancers?"
Sonya smiled, realizing that Xander was still baiting the play. She shrugged, "For a new kid? Couple hundred for the night. But I'll put up another hundred for this one... She's got the look. Not counting tips."
"Tips?"
"You keep whatever you can shake loose from their pockets." Xander glanced around the club.
Faith turned around, leaning back against the bar and smirked as she considered it. Stripping, for pay at least, was new to her. Not that she had any moral quams about it, but she wasn't certain if it went with her new 'reformed' persona.
<Fuck it if it can take a joke.> She decided, turning back. "You got a bet."
Xander resisted the urge to scream and pump his fists in the air, barely managing to keep a straight face as his eye gleamed.
"Now wait a minute, Faith... don't you think we should..." Robin started.
"Should what? You want to join me up there?" Faith smirked at him.
Sonya looked at the tall black man who was dressed in impeccable clothing. "Hmmm... We could always grease him down... He'd be a big hit with..."
"Hey!" Robin held up his hands, "Back off. I'm not a side of beef."
"Says you, Beefcake." Faith smirked, having decided on a better nickname then 'woody'. "But if you won't keep me company..."
"Faith! He's manipulating you!" Robin practically shouted.
"Well duh." Faith shrugged, "Do I look like Buffy? Of course he is. But a grand is a grand. I'm just out of prison and I could use the folding money."
Xander studiously avoided her gaze then, not wanting her to see the thoughts that may have been echoed through his eyes. Faith was a proud, aggravating, and above all Stubborn, woman. She'd been hurting for cash since she came back, and didn't like living off him, the scoobies, or Robin. But she wouldn't accept anything at all beyond bare sustenance, and Xander knew that she was hurting for some new clothes since hers were rapidly suffering battle fatigue.
He didn't think that stripping would go much against her grain, nor that she would lose any sleep over it. And a thousand bucks out of his pocket were a drop in the bucket now that his insurance had paid off for his damaged eye. He'd have made the bet even more, but he figured she'd see through it if he went too high.
Still, maybe he had gone too far in his challenging tone. Pushed her into a corner with any way out.
"It's your call, Faith." Xander forced a smirk, "I know that I said you don't have the nerve... but we both know that was a load of crap... No pressure."
"Backing out are you?" Faith smirked right back, "Lay the dough on the table, wise ass. You've got yourself a bet."
Mike's eyebrows rose toward the crown of his bald head as he watched the troupe of attractive *young* ladies approaching his position. On any night but ladies night this was an extremely unusual sight for him to say the least. As they came to a stop in front of him, the lead girl crossed her arms and looked up at him.
"We're here to see some friends."
Mike shrugged, he wasn't letting anyone through that easily. "ID please."
The lead fished out her identification and handed it to him. He compared the picture to her face, then looked at the date. Several long moments later he nodded, "Ok. You can go in. The rest of you, ID's."
The lead girl looked him in the eyes, "They're with me."
"No ID, no entrance."
Mike gurgled in surprise as the girl lunged forward, picking him up bodily, and shoved him back against the wall. "They are with me." She repeated.
One by one the troupe marched in, smirking at him as he tried to get free. When they were all in, the girl let him drop, and he fell to his knees in surprise. She leaned down, smiling almost sweetly, "Do yourself a favor big guy... don't make a fuss. They're also as strong and fast as I am and you don't want the load of us pissed off in here."
She tapped him lightly on the face, then turned her back and walked calmly into the club.
Xander's eyes widened as he watched the Slayer's march into the club, looking around them distastefully, with Kennedy taking up the rear. "Oh shit."
"What?" Sonya asked as she and Wood turned around to see what he was looking at.
"Crap." Wood muttered.
"Who are they?" Sonya growled, "And why didn't Mike stop them?? There is no way that they are all eighteen."
"They aren't." Xander said, walking around the bar toward the group. "But I doubt Mike had much choice."
"Huh? Why??"
"Slayers. All of them." Xander said as he moved to confront the group.
Sonya looked lost for a moment, the confused. "I thought that there could only be two??"
"You." Xander pointed to Kennedy. "Can stay. The rest of you, back to your beds."
"You gonna make us??" Rona asked belligerently. "We can to have a little fun."
"Have your fun somewhere legal." Xander said, noting that Mike was moving up behind them, rubbing his throat gingerly. "And do it without attacking a man who's just doing his job."
Some of them looked down at the floor over that, but Kennedy just smirked. "Hey. We've saved the world, you think we don't deserve a little party?"
"I think you don't deserve to be above the law." Xander returned, "And I know for damned sure that Mike back there didn't deserve coming under fire from you just for doing his job."
"He's right." Wood stepped up beside Xander, glaring at the girls. "You have no right to abuse your gifts. This is no place for the younger Slayers."
By this time, however, a sizable crowd was growing along their fringes. Mostly boozed up club goers who thought they were looking at a fresh shift change.
"Hot stuff!"
"Shake it gals! Come on and shake it for us!"
"Come on... take it off..."
"Take it ALL off!!"
One of the patrons of the club got a little too close and fresh, and Ronda reacted fast enough that there was a loud snap and a scream before anyone else could move. "Hands off ugly!"
Xander winced, swallowing as he saw the crowd start to get ugly. He put his hands up, "Everyone back off! Mike?"
The big black man nodded, and followed his lead, starting to push the crowd back as Xander turned on the girls. "Listen to me, all of you. This is not the place for you, what's more you are messing with the business of a very good friend of mine and I'm not going to let you get her in trouble with the authorities."
Xander paused a moment, letting that sink in. "Alright... Now those of you who are under eighteen have to leave. I'm sorry, but that's the way it is."
"Hey! Screw that." Ronda snapped. "We're hear and we're not going anywhere. Right girls?"
She looked around for support.
Both she and Xander were surprised that there was a serious fissure in the group. Some of them were belligerently backing Ronda's statement, but more of them were suddenly remembering that Xander was, afterall, one of them as well. Maybe not a Slayer, maybe not even the same gender, but a comrade in arms who had stood by their sides through the worst events of their lives.
"Come on, girls!" Kennedy stuck her nose in, "Are you going to let them run you out of here? Why? Just cause you're a little too young? You've fought and killed for these people! Don't you deserve a little break??"
"Not this break." Xander stated coldly. "Not here. Not now."
"Says who!?" Ronda, stalking up to Xander and challenging him.
"Says me." Xander said, not moving an inch. He was protecting his friend's business by god and no one had the right to threaten that.
The tension between them rose fast, and it became obvious that neither was willing to back down.
"And me." The new voice came from behind them, and everyone turned to see Buffy, Willow, and Giles standing behind them.
Caught between the disapproval of both the man in front of them and the elder Slayer behind them, the group began to break apart.
"Ken..." Willow whispered almost too quietly to hear, "What are you doing?"
"Hey, I'm just looking to relax." The Slayer defended herself, smiling at her lover. "We saved the world... Don't we get anything for it?"
"Not in my experience." Buffy said simply. "We don't do it for recognition. We do it because it's our job."
"Hey, last time I checked, the pay sucked." Ronda snapped, trying to rally the rapidly fading support for her position. "We got drafted into this gig, remember? I don't remember signing any contracts."
"That's true." Xander said quietly, his voice low. "That's absolutely true."
"Xander!" Buffy objected, "What are you..."
Xander ignored her, looking over the girls with a single stern eye. "You think that makes any of you better then the rest of us? That you deserve extra slack cause life isn't fair? Let me tell you something right here and now, and you'd better get this through that extra thick Slayer Skulls of yours... Life sucks. The world is totally fucked up. And you are standing on the front line of a war that no one knows about... But you're heros. All of you. So grow up and act like it. Because right now you're acting like *Vamps*."
Xander spat that last word out and they all winced at the accusation. "You want to come in here and take what you want just cause you got a few gifts no one else does? You attacked a man who was just doing his job?? I've seen vampires with more civility... you're supposed to be the good guys..."
They all looked down, swallowing.
"Act like it."
That was all it took to finish the job that he and Buffy had started, as even Ronda looked down and backed away. Unfortunately, it wasn't the next bit of trouble didn't come from the Slayers.
"You bitch!" The man with the broken finger managed to get passed Mike as he was forcing back another group, and he managed to tag Ronda hard enough to stagger the young Slayer and drop her to her knees.
He was pulling back for another swing when Xander intercepted his arm in mid air, holding it with ease as he looked over his right shoulder. "Ronda? You ok?"
"Oh yeah." The black Slayer rose to her feet, wiping a line of blood from her lip as she glared at the man.
Xander hesitated, considering what to do. Finally he looked at her as he held the man back, "You want to deal with this?"
Ronda hesitated herself, almost saying 'hell yes' right off. But she stopped, then shook her head. "No. I figure I had that one coming... You're right, Xander... I want to be a hero, I guess I better act like one."
Xander smiled at her, then turned back to the man he was holding. "Go back to your seat, Sir. There's a show about to start..."
The man was about to argue, but his face paled as he looked into the single eye that was ordering him to back off. Finally he nodded and let himself be drawn back.
Xander turned to the group, "Alright... Anyone under eighteen has to go. Now."
He and Buffy locked eyes and she nodded, gathering the group together and guiding them toward the door. Xander looked over the remaining people, Robin, Willow, Giles, and Kennedy, and smirked. "Next, anyone who isn't interested in Faith's show had better follow suit. She's up next."
Giles paled noticeably, and nodded. "Yes well, I think that's my cue to withdraw..."
"Come on Ken..." Willow said, blushing a little. "We should..."
"You can't be serious." Kennedy blurted, "Come on, Willow... tell me you aren't curious. Or turned on, at least a little bit!"
"Ken... this isn't..."
"The place? Where else??" Kennedy grinned, grabbing her arm. "Come on, let's get a booth."
"B-b-but..." Willow protested as she was dragged off.
Xander chuckled, imaging the look on Willow's face when Faith came out. Then was pulled around by Giles. "What the bloody hell do you think you're doing??"
Xander pulled an arm loose, "Nothing much. What's up your butt, G-man?"
"You're getting Faith to strip is what. Of all the irresponsible, stupid...."
Xander interrupted him, "Chill. You think she hasn't done worse? Besides, I happen to have a few friends who are strippers here, and I don't think it'll hurt her at all. She's a big girl, Giles, relax. Besides, It's the only way I could think to get her to take some money from me."
"Money??" Giles blinked.
"Christ, Giles... Haven't you seen her clothes?" Xander asked. "She's wearing leather rags, G-man."
"Even so, that doesn't..." Giles started, but was cut off by the announcer.
"Welcome, patrons of the Kitty Kat Lounge..." A smooth voice came as the music died. "Tonight, one dance only, we have a special treat for all of you... A newcomer to the scene, but one scorching hot gal... Everyone clasp your hands together and pray... for Faith."
"Oh dear lord." Giles blanched as he turned to the stage in shock and fright as slow music started and Faith emerged from backstage, strutting up the runway like she owned it.
The music was powerful, but low, she moved and Faith could feel it along with the easy thump of her heart as she gaged her strut carefully to arrive at the end of the runway along with a pause in the rhythm.
The tight leather wrapped around her legs felt great as she walked, the black material gleaming in the strobes with every motion. She also wore a short biker jacket that hugged every curve with impressive bulges where they were purposely tight.
She reached the end of the runway, pausing by the pole just as the slow music died down and a smirk reached her eyes as she saw Kennedy and Willow staring up at her. The Red headed witch's eyes were wide with shock.
Then the music came back, strong and fast, and she spread her jacket wide, rotating her hips as she moved with the hard rock beat, her head whipping back and forth as her hair flowed like a flag in the wind.
<Oh my god.> Willow moaned internally as she stared into Faith's eyes. <She saw me... she's... what is she doing?? She's actually going to.... ohmygod!>
"She's a natural." Sonya smiled as she came up to Xander's side.
Xander didn't take his eyes off Faith, but nodded as he stared pensively. "I knew she would be."
"You don't sound happy about it."
"I'm... afraid of why she's a natural." Xander admitted. "I shouldn't have put her up there..."
"She didn't have to do it." Sonya said.
Xander shrugged, non-committal. His eyes widened as Faith folded herself in half, her hair sweeping along the floor as she looked back at the patrons behind her through her own spread legs. Then he whistled silently as she grasped the breakaway leathers and straightened up, ripping them clear off her legs and exposing her powerful calves and thighs, as well as they thong she was wearing underneath.
The air pressure of the club actually seemed to drop as everyone took a breath at that magnificent sight, then the temperature rose several degrees as she spun around, clutching the jacket to her for a moment, before shrugging it off to expose her muscled midrift and the bikini top that matched the thong.
<Wow.> Xander thought, glancing to one side to see an expression of almost horror of Wood's face. At first he though the man was looking at Faith, but when he followed his gaze, Xander's expression shifted to match.
Across the way, at least twenty figures were coming through the door, shoving a battered and bleeding Mike ahead of them. And every single one of them was in full vampire game face.
The music was the only sound as everyone in the club froze in place for a long moment, staring at the intrusion.
Some were in shock, some were terrified, and some were simply pissed off.
The first to move, ironically enough, were those least capable of it.
"Hey!" One drunk slurred after the long tense moment, throwing this empty glass at the lead vampire. "Can cha shee that we're wachin the show??"
That was the signal that started the riot.
The lead vampire was across the room before anyone could blink and easily snapped the drunks neck, the heavy body hitting the ground in a boneless thud. Then he turned around and motioned to his minions, "Kill the drunks... save the girls... Keep that bouncer for me... He'll replace the ones he dusted."
As he was speaking, though, certain people in the place were already moving.
"Sonya," Xander whispered urgently, "Is the stuff still in place?"
Sonya nodded, "Of course."
Xander spun around, slapping his hand down on the counter of the bar. Two sections popped open on spring loaded hinges, exposing a small compartment underneath. Xander ignored the stakes and crosses on the underside of the sections, reaching down and drawing out two small hand crossbows.
He turned around, leveling the crossbows at the main group of vamps, where there was no threat of hitting a bystander. The bows twanged, almost silent, as they slung their small bolts through the air.
Two vamps were momentarily shocked by the odd pressure in their chests, then they both vanished into dust before the shocked obscenities on their lips could be uttered.
As the twin pillars of dust drifted to the ground, another moment of silence passed over the club as the vampires were in turn shocked by the resistance.
Xander didn't pause, he tossed both empty crossbows aside and reached behind him, grabbing a pair of stakes. "Faith!" He shouted, then tossed the two slim weapons through the air to the stage.
On stage, Faith glowered at the vamps. She'd been getting into the dance, enjoying the power she had over the audience. Even Willow had been wide eyed and swallowing hard, she smirked inwardly at that thought. Then those undead scum bags had interrupted.
Bastards.
She idly slid her hand along the smooth metal of the dancer's pole, considering whether it could make a worthwhile weapon. Then two of the vampires vanished into dust and she turned in the direction of their sudden glares.
When she saw Xander's hands whip two objects through the air, and heard her name on his lips, she nodded and flung herself into the air. In those moments she relished the change that came over her, feeling the world fall away and the movement of time became a sluggishly thick fluid motion. In the air she twisted, spinning as she tucked her arms into her chest, only reaching out once to pluck the twin stakes from the air as she flew.
Then time sped up again and she flashed down, lightly touching down on one foot as she continued the spin and jammed her right stake down into the leader's heart. As he stared in shock, she ripped the stake back out, smirking as he vanished into dust.
Then the bikini clad Slayer smirked and slipped easily into a challenging martial pose as she looked at the other vampires. "Come on, uglies. I feel like dancing tonight."
"Giles!" Xander snapped out, pulling a hefty crossbow from the compartment. He checked the compound weapon, then tossed it across the space separating him from the Watcher.
Giles caught it easily, eyeing the weapon only briefly before cranking the lower slide back once, causing a bolt to lock into place from a hidden magazine within the weapon. He didn't bother to think much about the weapon, just leveled it on a target and squeezed the trigger.
The weapon bucked slightly, surprising Giles, as it flung the bolt across the hall. It's bolt slammed through a vampire's chest with enough force to stagger it back several steps before it dusted, the compound rig already loading another bolt in response to Giles' working the action.
That vampire was descending into dust as a bestial war cry rose up among the survivors, and they charged into the club, seething in raw rage.
Robin Wood slipped his hands smoothing into each sleeve of his tailored suit jacket. The expensive looking jacket actually cost several times what it appeared, carefully designed to hide the weapons he kept under it's folds and to allow him a full range of motions.
He led with the shurikens he kept in pouches strapped to his forearms, the glittering steel digging into throats and eyes as he wounded no less the three of the charging vampires, dropping them to their knees from the pain of the wounds.
Next he flexed his forearms and the two stakes rigged up his sleeves slid out where he could palm them, and he dropped into a martial stance as he prepared to meet the charge.
Willow and Kennedy shared a shocked look before they scrambled clear of the booth, each digging for the weapons they always carried. Willow drew her cross and stake, while Kennedy palmed her two stakes and prepared for the fight.
Both of them shivered as the vampires spread rapidly through the club, but they prepared to fight with the smoothness of experience and the resignation of veterans.
The vampires were throwing themselves at the defenders, and the patrons of the club with a ferocity that reminded Xander of such special occasions as the Harvest as well as other not-so-fond memories.
He grimaced, drawing a stake, bottle of holy water, and cross for himself from the mini-armory, then launched himself into the fight.
He planted a foot on the edge of the stage in mid run, kicking off and out to intercept a running vampire. His foot nailed the vampire in the face, blowing it off it's feet and onto it's back, and Xander landed beside it. He came down awkwardly, to his knee, and drove a stake into the vamp's chest, then rose again as quickly as he could.
Before he was all the way up, two more vampires had accosted him from either side. Xander flung up his cross in one direction, then stabbed out with the stake in the other. He felt the rewarding resistance of the stake striking home, and jerked his hand free as he turned back to the second.
The vampire had recoiled automatically from the cross, but by the time Xander had turned back was laughing as he came closer and closer without being affected by the holy icon.
Xander paled, not certain what was going on, and drove the cross closer. He placed it square on the vamp's forehead, expecting to hear the sizzling sound of it burning as the vampire shrieked. Instead he just heard a wild laughter.
The vampire reached up, grabbing the cross at the point where the two lines intersected, and casually smashed the holy icon into splinters. "You're fucked, *boy*."
Xander's eyes were wide with shock as he hesitated for a brief second. During that time he was saved only by the fact that the vampire was still gloating. Then the second passed and Xander growled, his face contorted with fury, as he drove the remains of the splinted cross into the vampire's chest.
The vamp's eyes widened in shock as it felt the wood slam home, and before it dusted it snarled and belted out at Xander. The blow took him by surprise, rocking his head back and drawing blood from his lip, but he held his place and turned back in time to see the vamp fall into dust.
He stared down at the splintered piece of wood in his hand, his heart thumping in his ears. "Oh fuck. What the hell was that!?"
Sonya pushed her girls back as she held up her cross and kept her own body between the monsters and her girls. It was a tactic that had worked before, allowing her to protect them while her bouncers like Mike got to the weapons cache and dealt with the occasional vampire incursion.
This time it was failing miserably.
Instead of backing off fromt he holy icon the vampire's just laughed in her face and walked through it, grabbing her and yanking her to it. She could smell the curdled blood on it's breath as he laughed again, then she smashed a bottle of holy water on it's head.
At first it seemed to work, the vampire yelped in shock at the smash, but then it just got mad.
"You got me *wet* BITCH!"
Giles worked the slide again, squeezing off another bolt at the closest vampire, his eyes widening as the powerful weapon drove the slim bolt through one vampire, dusting it, and skewering another behind it.
Then the next one was upon him.
Giles stepped back, barely realizing that the crossbow he had was equipped with a sharpened wooden 'bayonet'. As the vamp charged, he thrust home, catching the surprised creature with a blow that pierced it's heart easily and seconds later reduced it to dust.
Giles looked around, realizing with some shock, that the vampire's were on the losing end of this fight. Despite their numbers they had obviously bitten off more then they could chew.
Xander was standing some distance away, amidst a thick layer of dust, staring in shock at a broken piece of wood in his hands, causing Giles to frown.
"Xander!"
Xander looked back, flushed guiltily for a moment, then he shouted back. "Crosses don't work! Giles, something BIG is going down here!"
Giles stared back, uncomprehending, then looked around the club.
Where they had been met with force, the vampires were being forced back and dusted. Where they had been met with classic defenses, the crosses and even holy water, as near as Giles could tell from the wet vampires that were stalking in at a frightened huddle of women, they were moving with impunity.
The implications hit Giles before anyone else, and he paled in shock and sheer horror.
"Oh my dear lord above."
Two vampire's took advantage of Xander's shock, double teaming him as they tackled him back into the bar. He grunted in pain as his back was bent over the bar, one hand shuddering with the force of trying to keep a vamp's fangs off his throat while his other hand felt it's way along the bar.
He closed his hand on a bottle, and slammed it across the head of the lead vampire, showering both of them with the contents. They stumbled back, blinking in surprise as Xander straightened up, then grinned at him.
"Holy water don't work anymore, blood bag."
Xander lifted a pack of matches from the bowel on the bar, "That wasn't holy water."
He lit the entire pack with a simple motion then held up another to it, as they sniffed at the liquid, their eyes widening.
"It's Vodka." He said, snarling as he flung both packs of matches at them.
Both of them screamed in pain and shock as the fires caught and their vampiric natures caused them to spread furiously over their bodies. Shortly, so shortly in fact that the fires never had a chance to spread to anything else, they vanished into dust.
Xander looked around, eyes widening as he saw something that chilled him to the bone. "Sonya!!"
"Sonya!"
Sonya looked up, her eyes wavering as she felt the blood flow from her body, and saw Xander charging toward her as if from a distance. Her head lolled in the vampire's grip, her life blood flowing from her as her heart hammered in her chest. "Alex........."
The vampire holding her never looked up, didn't even listen to her last word, and paid the price for it as a stake slammed through his back and pierced his heart. His head jerked up, ripping his teeth from the delectable throat as he roared in pain and rage.
Then he was dust, and strong arms cut through drifting remains to catch his prey before she hit the ground.
"Sonya..." Xander dropped to one knee as he lowered his friend to the ground.
Her face was pale, her skin clamy, and her eyes closed. But Xander felt her heart beating, ever so slowly. "Sonya..."
He ripped his shirt off, tearing the sleeve clear off the loose garment and bunching it up. He quickly pressed it to Sonya's throat and looked up, eyes wild. "Nancy! Come here, put pressure on this!"
The almost mousy brunette stripper nodded dumbly, but moved quickly. She dropped to her knees beside him and put her hands over her boss's injury.
"Don't smother her." Xander ordered, "But keep the pressure as firmly as you dare on that wound. I'll be back as fast as I can."
She nodded, again silently, as her wide and expressive eyes stared around her at the carnage that was growing.
Faith spun around, dropping a vamp with a spinning heel strike that shattered bones, then dropped into a squat across his waist as she drove the stake home.
She smirked down at the dust outline for a second, "That's the trouble with you vamps... no staying power when a girl wants a ride."
A spark of noise behind her caused Faith to power her way up, leaping from her crouching position and back flipping over another vampire as it charged her position. She came down as he passed under her, driving her feet into his back and driving the vampire to the floor in a rough, hard, slide.
As the vampire skidded to a stop, Faith stepped up on his neck, casually twisting with her feet until it's neck snapped. Then she moved on to dust another vampire that was close by, leaving the vampire behind her alive but paralyzed by the spinal injury.
Willow stood calmly behind Kennedy, allowing the Slayer to shield her from any Vampire's that got too close, while she focused her attention on those that were still some distance away.
"Inciendre." She whispered, her voice dark and cold.
Nothing happened.
She hesitated, frowning, then lifted her hand and thrusting it out. "Inciendre!"
Again, nothing.
"Willow??" Kennedy grunted, tangling with a vampire. "What's going on??"
"I... I... I don't know!"
Willow frowned, digging deep within herself as she searched for magic. Her eyes suddenly flashed open as she found some, but they weren't relieved. Her eyes were filled with loathing terror as she found nothing but a dark pit of power within her. She couldn't feel the airy power she had learned to tap while in England, it was gone as if it had never been.
"Oh... God..." She whispered in terror, her eyes still shocked wide open as she swallowed even though her mouth was dry.
"Willow! DO SOMETHING!!" Kennedy screamed as another vampire joined the local fray.
Xander's attempt to get across the club to help another group of civilians had ended in a bone jarring tackle that drove him, once again, back into the bar.
His back screamed it's pain and dismay as it was again slammed into the edge of the solidly built object, but he was too busy to pay much attention. Xander struck out as hard as he could, catching the Vampire across the jaw hard enough to elicit a sickening crack and a yelp of pain from the Vampire in question.
The vampire glared at him in voiceless rage, and struck back with both fists.
The power of the blow knocked Xander back over the bar, sending him crashing to the narrow area behind it. He landed hard, his feet smashing over a multitude of bottles and glasses as he tried to roll back to his feet.
Stunned and dazed, Xander made it to his knees in time to look up and see the vampire leaning over the bar to grab at him. Xander ducked under the clawed hands, his eyes lighting on the shotgun that Xander knew Sonya kept under the bar for more 'normal' intruders.
He grabbed at it, racking the slide to chamber a round, then pointed it up under the bar and gently squeezed the trigger.
The world seemed to dim out as he did, and briefly Xander panicked, thinking he was blacking out. But then the sensation passed and the shotgun roared once, loudly in the confined space, and the buckshot ripped through the bar.
The force lifted the vampire off the bar, flinging the shocked creature back over a dozen feet through the air, only to dust before it could tumble to the ground, dead from thousands of oaken splinters perforating it's heart.
Xander rose up, his ears ringing, and racked another round into the chamber of the mossberg 'shorty' twelve gage. The weapon boomed once more, decapitating a vampire who had made the mistake of staring in shock for one second too long, and then a deafening silence fell.
Xander jumped up, climbing smoothly onto the bar as everyone in the place stared at him in surprise and shock, and snarled. Then he leveled the twelve gage on another vampire and triggered the imposing weapon once more.
Boom.
The weapon belched flame and steel, the pattern holding tight over the short distance to the vampire, and ripped into the soft flesh and bone of the immortal creature with absolute disregard for any claims said demon may have had for whether guns could harm him.
The vampire was blown backward off it's feet and sent skidding along the floor, eventually tumbling over onto it's stomach as it bled out over the deep red carpet. After a long moment the hapless demon vanished into dust, leaving a shocked silence behind.
The surviving Vampires, and there were damned few of those, stared up at the man on the bar with eyes full of fear and awe. Around them, so did their opponents.
He stood tall, wearing an old pair of faded blue jeans, a dark brown belt that was wrapped tight around a white t-shirt that hid nothing of the man's powerful physique. His arms were bulged out, the muscles tensed and primed by the fight, and the tendons on his neck stood out white in contrast to the flushed look of his face.
His face, was another matter.
The man was glaring around th club, and the sight of the black patch over his left eye only enhanced the sheer rage of his expression beyond all limits.
Everyone swallowed, watching as he calmly pumped the action of the pistol grip twelve gage once more, then looked at the few vampire's remaining and spoke coldly and clearly.
"No Heartbeat, No Soul... NO SERVICE!"
The he leveled the short gun again and the echoing boom shook everyone from their stunned reverie.
The fight was over shortly afterwards, the remaining vamps having been taken out as they tried to run. The club was in ruins, chairs and tables smashed, scorch marks on the rugs, blood and bile staining everything and almost everyone.
The bar had been holed in several places, by both gunfire and melee strikes, and there was probably a thousand dollars or more in damage to the liqueur stores. But all of that was nothing compared to the shattering loss of the club's owner.
Sonya Marie Bujold had died of massive blood loss mere moments after Xander had left her side.
Xander was slumped at the bar, the mossberg laid out in the open, smoke still rising from it's barrel, staring at a bottle of tequila.
"X..." Faith came up behind him, not really knowing what to say but unable to stand the silence any longer.
Xander didn't say anything, he just shivered as she touched his shoulder. Then he quietly poured himself a shot of tequila.
Faith nodded, and took a seat at the stool beside him and just stared at him through the mirror behind the bar. She accepted the glass he poured her just as silently, and sipped lightly at it.
Robin Wood walked over quietly and sat down beside Faith as Giles came up and sat on Xander's other side. "The bouncer's going to live... just has some lacerations and nasty bruises... Looks like they broke his nose though."
Xander nodded slowly, then spoke. His voice was lethally quiet, his tone cold. "What happened?"
There was no response for a short while, then Giles spoke in a lot tone. "I don't know, Xander. I'll have to research..."
"Then get to it." Xander growled low. "Cause I can only think of two things... and neither of them are any damned good, G-man."
"Yes... well... I'm afraid I have to concur with that." Giles nodded slowly. "I'll put in a call to my colleagues who survived..."
"Less talk here," Xander said, turning to look at the older man. "More talk there."
Giles nodded, getting off the stool. "Yes... I'll let you know as soon..."
"Do that."
Giles nodded again, embarrassedly. Then turned and walked away.
"Don't you think you were a little harsh on the tweed man, X?" Faith asked slowly.
Xander didn't look at her, he just down the shot and poured another. Then he looked over to where Sonya's body was covered by a red velvet drape and his face grew cold and hard as steel. "No. I don't think so, Faith... Crosses didn't affect them. Holy water didn't burn them. Why do you think that is, Faith?"
Faith shook her head, "I dunno... maybe this group were old ones?"
Xander snorted, shaking his head. "Nope. These were just a bunch of newbies, Faith. You know that as well as I do. No... it's something much more serious."
"Yeah..." Faith looked down at her drink, then downed it and grabbed Xander's bottle. "Yeah. I know."
Xander turned around, sliding off the stool. He paused for a moment, then slapped a hand into Faith's. She reflexively closed her grip around his warm fingers and stared up at him as he pulled his hand free. She looked down and saw a wad of bill in her hand and stared back, confused for a moment.
He forced a smile, "It was a damned great start to a really lousy night, Faith. You won the bet."
"Will?"
Willow looked up from where she was huddled against the softly padded seat of the booth. Kennedy stopped rubbing her back long enough to look up, for once her eyes greeted Xander with a kind of gratitude and a warmth in her welcome.
"What's wrong?" He asked, as gently as he could.
"M-m-m-my m-m-magic..." Willow sobbed out, her eyes filled with a fear that he hadn't seen in years. "It's all b-b-b-black..."
"What?" Xander frowned, confused. "I don't..."
"I can't find the white magic." She gasped out, "All I can find is this pit of black... oily power inside me. There used to be more... But it's gone."
"Will... Willow. Look at me." Xander ordered as her her eyes dipped down, "I need you to do something for me..."
"W-w-what?" She sobbed out, reminding him of a much younger version of herself.
"Don't use any magic for a little while... don't even try to find the white magic, ok?" Xander said softly, his single eye earnest. "Something is really wrong right now. Vampires unaffected by cross and holy water... Your magic gone dark side... We're going to figure it out, I promise... but for now..."
Willow stared at him and shivered at the sheer thought of touching that oily black ball of power. The temptation to do so was utterly overpowering in one sense, but she couldn't bring herself to even consider it from another. It was horrible, she couldn't even think about magic right now without feeling... dirty.
"Don't worry." She whispered.
Xander forced another smile, pushing past his own problems as he looked at Willow. "Good Girl."
Then he gently patted her on the back and nodded to Kennedy, mouthing the words 'take care of her' over Willow's head. Kennedy nodded and moved closer again.
"Xander!"
Xander looked around, seeing Vicki motioning him over. He steeled himself, and went to where Sonya's body was. "What is it, Vicki?"
"I tried to call 911 and report this..." Viccki said, whispering urgently, "But the system is swamped."
Xander blinked, not understanding for a moment, then he paled as comprehension flooded over him. "What's the local channel?"
"What?"
"The local cable channel." He demanded, already moving toward the TV set that was set high in the corner of the bar.
"Channel 213..." Vicki said, eyes wide. "Xander... you're scaring me,,,"
"Join the club." Xander said as he found the remote and flipped on the tv.
"Riots broke out tonight locally as well as nationally as..."
<Nationally??> Xander paled, flipping the channel.
"Fires continue to burn throughout downtown Boston, Chicago, and New York tonight as police and fire officials struggle to respond to the intense rise in..."
<Shit.> Xander flipped the channel again.
"Across the country a completely unanticipated wave of violence has spread from state to state as police and national guard units work feverishly to maintain order. Cities hardest struck have been on the eastern seaboard, while many west coast cities, like LA and San Francisco, are almost completely unscathed. Experts believe..."
"Jesus fuck." Someone said softly from behind him and Xander nodded dumbly.
After listening to the constant reports for another few minutes, Xander finally shut the TV off and turned around. Behind him a crowd had gathered, including his friends as well as the various employees and even a few of the Patrons that hadn't run out of here as soon as the attack was over.
"No one goes home." Xander said, his voice just barely steady. "No one leaves here until the sun comes up tomorrow. Everyone got that?"
Some of the nods came instantly, some were a little slower, but eventually everyone had gotten the message.
"Wood, grab the crossbow and feed a fresh cartridge into it. You and Faith take firs watch. Kennedy and I will spell you in an hour. Ok?"
"Right." Faith answered instantly, then smirked. "Mind if I get dressed first?"
"Only if you don't mind dropping my morale in the toilette." Xander smirked back.
"You'll live."
He sighed theatrically, but nodded. "Alright... Hey... Vicki?"
"What?" The stripper hugged herself against the news.
"I need you to go back and shut off all the outside lights..." Xander said, "All of them. We're closed for the night, got that?"
She nodded and took off.
"Mike!"
"Yeah?" The big guy got up, a little stiffly, but he got up.
Xander walked over to him, grimacing. "I need your help here... You know the cooler in the back?"
"Yeah?"
"Help me get Sonya and the others in there... ok?" Xander said softly.
Mike nodded slowly, swallowing. "Ok."
The two of them went about the grisly task of rolling up the bodies and then lugging them back into the large cooler in the back.
Rupert Giles moved quickly, jogging from one shelter to another, and questioned his decision to leave the strip club and return to the hotel. It would have been safer to make his calls from there, then to traverse this night alone.
But he had other worries. Buffy had taken the young Slayer's back to their hotel, and the Watcher had to know what happened to his Slayer. Not that he was seriously worried about Buffy, she was too experienced to be caught flatfooted, even by this insanity.
<I should have kept the crossbow...> Giles mourned the powerful weapon as he moved, staying in the shadows as he heard a sudden rush of action from a near by street.
As he watched, a cope unloaded eight rounds from a police issue shotgun into an advancing horde of vampires, covering the retreat of his partner, and then turned and ran himself. Giles cursed softly as the vampires gave pursuit, but knew that he was in no position to help.
After they moved past, Giles left hiding and sprinted down the next stretch, getting closer to his objective in small but steady steps.
Xander walked around the dimmed interior of the club, idly checking the steel grating that had been installed into motorized segments over the parts of the building that were vulnerable to break in. Xander snorted quietly as he checked the locks, considering it ironic that they were benefitting from being in a bad neighborhood.
As he walked his 'beat', Xander shifted the shotgun he had slung over his shoulder and kept his eye open for any motion in the shadows.
At this point, he didn't expect trouble, the night had quieted down in this area and the worst of the trouble had moved down into the downtown core of the town and he could hear the sound of gunshots and screams coming from the distance.
Xander again felt an urge to go, run to the screams, to help. And again he ruthlessly suppressed it. He had people to protect here, and they wouldn't be served by him running off.
Not even to find Giles. Not even to find Buffy.
"Giles!"
Giles tiredly came in through the window, bypassing the sentry that Buffy had apparently set near the door. He glanced around the room, nodding at the Slayers who were there, and then at Buffy. "How many?"
Buffy looked around, shrugging. "All our group except for Kennedy, Xander, Wood, Faith, and Willow.... and about thirty civilians."
Giles nodded, "Are the phones working?"
Buffy frowned, "Not reliably. We tried to call out a few times, mostly to get ahold of you guys... but we never got through."
Giles frowned, "Alright. I'm going to try to call my colleagues who survived the attack on the council."
"What's going on, Giles? What happened?" Buffy asked.
"I don't know, Buffy." Giles hesitated, "But... Crosses and Holy water are now ineffective against Vampires."
"What? How?"
"I don't know." Giles repeated, his face grim. "But as Xander said... I can only think of so many reasons... and none of them are good."
"H... How are they, Giles?" Buffy asked.
"They're alright." Giles said, "We were attacked, but we managed to defeat them... there were... casualties. But not among our group."
Buffy relaxed, sighing in relief. "That's good..."
"Perhaps. But Xander lost a friend." Giles closed his eyes, "Now if you'll pardon me, I have to try to make some calls."
"Hey."
Xander turned around to see Faith approach him. He checked his watch, then nodded back. "Hey."
"Grab some sleep, X." Faith said, "Wood and I will handle the guard until sun rise."
Xander nodded, slipping the shotgun off his shoulder and handing it off to Mike as he passed. "I'm going upstairs. I'll be in Sonya's room if you need me."
Mike looked for a moment like he was going to object, but then just nodded as Xander went up the stairs.
After letting himself into Sonya's room, Xander stood there for a long moment, his face darkly shadowed by the inner emotions. He walked across the room, softly touching a stuffed bear that was set up on a chair and smiling slightly as a memory struck him.
After a long moment he walked to the foot of Sonya's bed and picked up the remote for the TV that was there and flipped it on.
After a few moments of watching the local events, Xander changed the channel over to CNN and set the remote aside.
As the dark of the night droned on around him, Xander stared and watched as the world burned.
There was a gently tapping that penetrated the tired fog of Xander's mind, causing him to open his eyes to the glaring brilliance of the morning sun.
"Ohhhh.... damn." He rolled over, blinking away the afterimages. "Yeah??"
"Alex... Some people are here to see you."
Xander recognized Nany's voice and rolled out of bed. As his senses returned to him he recognized the room around him and memories of the night before flooded back.
He struggled to maintain a steady voice as he responded. "Ok... I'll be done in a few."
Nancy said something, but Xander didn't hear her through the sudden rush of emotion that hit him. Dimly, in the distance, he knew that she had left and Xander just went down to his knees on the solid hardwood floor and cried. He didn't wail, he didn't sob, he just sat there and tears streamed down his cheeks.
Finally, several minutes later he forced himself to calm down, just jamming the urge to cry so far down into his gut that he almost forgot it was there. Then he calmly went about cleaning himself up and getting dressed.
Downstairs, Xander was greeted by the sight of Giles, Buffy, and the Slayers waiting for him. He looked around, nodding to Mike as the big man waved slightly at him. Faith and Robin were crashing in a couple booths near the runway, neither asleep but both looking tired. He waved in their direction, "Faith... Rob, go upstairs and grab a bunk. Mike, show them to a room, will you?"
The big man nodded, rising to his feet as Faith and Robin tiredly nodded and got to their feet.
Only then did Xander turn to Giles. "What's up, G-Man?"
Giles hesitated, not looking very happy, then spoke. "We're still not certain. What we do know is this... The effects we noticed last night... appear to be world wide."
Xander winced, closing his eyes. "God damn."
"Those may be more appropriate words then you guess." Giles sighed.
Xander nodded, his face tense.
"What?" Buffy looked between them, "What are you too talking about?"
Neither of them answered for a long time, both trying to work through the implications. Finally Xander spoke up, "Giles... Willow says that she... can't find her magic. At least not the good stuff. She says that the black power is still there."
Giles closed his eyes, wincing. "I was afraid of that."
Xander shook his head, "We've been abandoned, haven't we?"
"Abandoned?" Buffy stared between them, "What are.... no... no we can't. Why??"
Giles shook his head, "I don't know, Buffy. But it would appear that many of our traditional defenses have been rendered worthless... and some of our most potent powers as well. It would appear that Xander is correct. We have been left to our own devices."
"But... why!? We *beat* the First Evil! We won!" Buffy said, her eyes wide.
Xander and Giles looked at each other and a question passed between them. <Did we?> But niether of them spoke aloud, instead Giles shook his head. "I don't know, Buffy. Perhaps something elsewhere has caused this... withdrawal."
"Vietnam." Xander sighed suddenly, slumping down in his chair.
"What?"
"Vietnam." Xander repeated. "Only this time... instead of committing more and more troops to a losing war, our side cut it's losses and withdrew support."
"But we WON!!"
Giles nodded, "Indeed. I fear that may prove to be an apt comparison, Xander."
"Would you two stop that!" Buffy glared between them, "We WON. We aren't losing the war... we're winning! We killed all those Turok'han!!"
Xander shook his head, "The First sacrificed them, Buffy... They were pawns. Nothing particularly special... certainly nothing that the earth couldn't have handled..."
Buffy stared at him, disbelief etched on her face. "Xander! There were thousands of them! And they were stronger then vampires! Harder to kill!"
"And stupid as a post, and impossible to hide in a crowd." Xander finished. "Buffy... Vampire's strength isn't their physical powers.. It's the fact that they can infiltrate into our groups... kill and disrupt from within. The Turok'han would have been fodder for any well equipped para-military unit. They were worthless except as shock troops... If the First was planning an invasion then they were usefull..."
"But it was!"
"Perhaps." Giles sighed. "Perhaps. But perhaps we were mistaken in that assumption."
"What else could it have been doing??"
"Shuck and jive." Xander twisted his lips, "Rope a dope..."
"What??"
"The First got us so tensed about one threat, that maybe it snuck something worse past us... something... subtle." Giles said.
"No... NO." Buffy shook her head, "We WON. I know we did! Didn't we shut the hellmouth??"
Giles nodded, "Yes we did. Which only implies that if the first was willing to sacrifice the hellmouth, then it's goal was much more valuable."
Xander nodded, but Buffy would only shaker her head.
After a moment, Xander got up. "I'm going to check the news... see how bad it is out there."
Giles nodded, "I'll try to contact some other colleagues... perhaps they'll know more."
Buffy watched them leave, her face still shocked. "But... we won."
Xander finally turned off the news about an hour later, shaking his head. He didn't know if he was relieved, or if he was worried about what was yet to come.
National Guard units and Police departments across the nation had gotten the situation under control a few hours before dawn, allowing the fire fighters to finally extinguish most of the flames by early morning. The country was on a pretty steep alert at the moment, and Xander had a feeling that any spontaneous riots in the next couple weeks were going to get quashed. Hard.
That wasn't what worried him, though.
If he and Giles were right, then the Demon's were unopposed now. At least by any organized resistance. And that meant that they would be able to turn their focus to creating a *planned* attack, or series of attacks.
Xander prayed that they weren't right.
But at the same time, he flipped off the TV and looked around the club. "Ok, guys... I'm going out for a while. Mike, try to get the police down here and give them the low down on what happened... You know the standard story?"
Mike nodded, "Gang... hmmm, I guess last night it was rioters on PCP huh?"
Xander chuckled weakly, "Yeah. Something like that. Tell them... tell them we had casualties."
Mike nodded again, "You got it."
Abruptly he looked around, frowning. "Hey... I don't know how to ask this... but uh... as we closed permanently?"
Xander watched, concerned, as the girls looked suddenly worried. Sonya had protected them from a lot of crap they may have had to put up with in other areas. She paid them well, and didn't judge them if they decided to go a bit further then the law allowed. She even provided them with protection and rooms if that's what they wanted to do.
Xander knew all this, remembering it from when he had worked there before. He hesitated a moment, then shrugged. "We are for tonight at least. Sonya's Wake."
Slowly everyone nodded soberly, some tears forming.
"After that..." Xander shrugged, "We'll see."
Then he left.
Xander walked for a few blocks before he managed to flag down a taxi. The man was leery about stopping, but a fare was a fare he suppposed.
"Where too?"
Xander thought about it for a bit, "Take me up to Red Head... 443."
"You got it, Pal."
Xander road the cab up to the quiet street that was lined with identical white houses and nice little picket fences. He paid the cabby off, then flipped him another twenty. "Wait a bit, ok?"
"You got ten minutes."
"Thanks."
Xander walked up to the house, stepping up on the walk and knocking.
At first there was no response, so Xander pounded again.
Finally there was a muffled yell from inside and then a clattering sound as someone made their way to the door. The door was flung open and a bleery eyed head thrust itself out, "You better have a good fuckin reason to wake me up after the shitty night I went through... Harris?? When did you get back in town?"
Xander looked at the man in question, his face sober. "Sonya's dead."
The man blinked.
"Shit."
After a long moment of staring at each other, the man nodded and stepped aside. "You'd better come in."
Xander nodded, then waved the cab away before he stepped into the house. "Hey Frank... How's the SFPD been treating you?"
"Like fuck." Inspector Frank Kohanek muttered, "Same as always."
Frank tossed Xander a can of beer as they sat down in the spacious living room, "What the fuck happened to your eye?"
Xander's hand involuntarily went to his patch, and he shivered. "Battle scar."
Frank snorted, then frowned. "What happened to Sonya?"
Xander looked down, then took a chug of the beer. "About twenty vamps ripped through the club last night. Sonya and a couple others didn't make it."
"The vamps?"
"Burning in hell."
"Good." Frank shook his head, brushing his hair back with one hand. "Jesus. What a fuckin night."
Xander nodded, "I caught CNN. And there's more..."
"More?" Kohanek moaned, "Jeses. Couldn't you let me get some sleep first?"
Xander shook his head, "Fraid not. I've got to get some things before nightfall."
"Alright... Spill."
"First off, the Vampires..." Xander paused, forcing himself to remember old words, "The Tainted who attacked us were immune to crosses and holy water. That's what cost Sonya her life."
"What? How?" Frank straightened up.
"We don't know yet, but whatever it is... it seems to be worldwide." Xander sighed. "And it gets worse."
"Worse?? You're tell me that those monsters are immune to crosses and holy water, and now it gets worse??"
Xander nodded, "Things seem to be pointing to our losing the support of the 'good guys'. Holy icons losing power, blessings becoming ineffective, white magic seems to have curled up and vanished too."
"Jesus, Xander!" Frank exclaimed, "What are you trying to do to me?? Don't you know I have enough trouble just keeping the peace on the streets now? The Brujah are still making their bi-annual runs on Julian, and those fucking Gangrels have so many rogues in their ranks that my job just plain sucks! And now you bring me this??"
"I didn't bring it, Frank." Xander sighed, "It showed up on it's own."
Frank calmed down, "What do you want me to do about it?"
"I need to speak with Julian."
"Hey man, I don't know..." Frank muttered, "The last time you saw Luna you tried to drive a stake through his chest... Probably wouldn't have made it too if Cash hadn't folded you in half and tried to stuff you in a breadbox."
Xander winced, "He'd have done just that if Julian hadn't stopped him. I promise, no trouble this time... but I need to see him."
Frank sighed, looking from side to side as if for an escape, but finally nodded. "I'll set something up for tonight."
"No." Xander said quickly, "Now. Today."
"Come ON Xander!" Frank objected, "Julian Luna is the Prince of this city!"
"You can do it, Frank. No one else can, but you can do it."
Frank closed his eyes, looking from side to side. Finally he shook his head, "Alright. Fine. I'll see what I can do."
"Thanks Frank."
Giles slammed down the phone, shaking his head. "Bloody hell."
"What is it, G?" Faith asked, walking up behind him.
Giles jumped slightly, then put a hand over his chest. "Don't DO that."
"Sorry G." Faith smirked, "But I figured if your heart could take last night, then it could handle anything I could dish out."
"Er, well yes... last night was rather horrific." Giles responded.
"Nah, G. I didn't mean the vamps. I meant my dance." Faith grinned wide.
"So did I."
Faith shot him a wide eyed stare of shock, but Giles was already walking away.
"Are you sure this is a good idea, Julian?"
Julian shrugged slowly, looking out over the long drive as Frank Kohanek's car slowly climbed the road.
"He did try to kill you once."
"But he didn't."
"Only because Cash stopped him."
Julian smiled slightly, "Do you have that little faith in my abilities to protect myself, Lillie?"
"Of course not, Julian." The head of the Toreador clan smiled silkily. "But the fact is, he did try."
"And failed."
"He is a hunter. Self confessed."
Julian nodded, watching the car park and pursed his lips as the two men got out. "He is no threat. He can barely stand against Tremere neophytes... I am the progeny of a sixth generation Kindred. Besides, he has never killed Kindred."
"That we know of."
"Yes. That we know of." Julian's lips twitched into a smile, "I happen to like the tenant of Innocent until proven guilty..."
"You would." Lillie said with some level of disgust in her voice.
A solid knock sounded at the door and Julian turned around. "Come. We'll meet them in the council chamber."
Rupert Giles poured himself a drink from one of the bottles that had survived the previous nights violence. As he sipped at the strong, crude, alcohol he grimaced and stared at himself in the mirror.
"What is it?" Robin Wood asked as he took a seat beside Giles.
"It would appear... That Xander was correct earlier. We have been... left to our own devices." Giles said.
"What?"
"The Oracles are gone. All of them. Crosses and Holy Icons are now useless against vampires and demons..." Giles looked down, "It would appear that they no longer require invitation to enter a home, though that is a somewhat confusing matter..."
Robin, who had been becoming more and more pasty faced despite his coloring, looked over. "Huh?"
"It would appear that some homes are still protected..." Giles frowned, "We don't know how or why yet. My contacts in the magic community in England say that all the normal conduits to 'white' magic have been sealed... or rather, no longer exist."
Robin looked over his shoulder, "Willow?"
Giles nodded.
"Great."
"It gets worse." Giles muttered.
"How can it get worse??"
"Did you notice nothing odd about the vampires last night?" Giles asked, taking another long drink of the harsh liquid.
Robin frowned, "No... Not that I..."
He trailed off and Giles smiled slightly, "You did, didn't you?"
"They seemed a little stronger then usual I guess... but..." Robin frowned, "But they were all..."
"Showing their vampiric visage." Giles finished. "And were all in a blood lust. The demon has grown stronger, and it's taking control of them... turning Vampire's across the entire planet into a mob ruled by *it's* desires."
"Oh hell."
Frank and Xander paused in mid-step as they walked into the large room, staring in surprise at the reception waiting them.
Neither man had expected a full convocation of clans to meet them.
Xander swallowed, noting the glare that Cash sent his way, and the subtle amusement from Lille and Julian. He shivered under the gaze of a pasty disfigured creature who sat beside Cash, and the glare from the one he presumed was the new Brujah Clan Leader.
<Definitely not what I expected.>
"Alexander Harris." Julian spoke after a long moment, "You asked for an audience."
Xander hesitated, then stepped forward and nodded. "I did."
"Why?"
Xander looked them over, "You know what happened last night. Maybe better then I do..."
It was a statement, not a question, but Julian answered anyway. "Most likely."
"If it's what I'm afraid it is..." Xander hesitated, then resolutely stepped forward until he was directly in front of Julian. He placed his hands on the table and leaned forward until he was right in the man's face.
Cash made a move to intercept him, but Julian stopped him.
As the Gangrel slowly sat back down, Julian leveled his gaze at Xander as Xander stared back.
For long moments, neither moved. Then Xander straightened back, taking in the convocation that was gathered around him. There was a long awkward silence as he realized that they were all waiting for him to do something, anything.
So Xander did the one thing that none of them expected.
He reached forward, took Julian Luna's hand in his, and then bent over and kissed the ring on his finger.
"I wish to ask a Favor..." Xander hesitated, "my Prince."
Julian and Lille stood along as they watched the small convoy leave the ground, then looked out over the view of the harbor that Julian had.
"I thought... I truly believed for a moment there, that he was asking..."
"To be embraced?" Julian smiled, "I didn't. He hates the Tremere too much for that. But he is a smart one, that much I'll give him."
"What do you mean?"
"He saw the convocation and knew that if he didn't offer something, I may well have been forced to kill him." Julian responded. "He offered his allegiance... At least for the time being."
"You think he'll betray you?"
"No." Julian shook his head, "Not unless he feels that I have betrayed him. But he is about to enter a very dangerous era... and things will be most... chaotic from now on."
Lillie nodded, and they stood in silence for a long moment.
"Are you insane!?" Frank demanded, staring at Xander as the two rode away.
Xander didn't answer immediately, instead he just watched the road as it went by.
"Harris! Answer me! Do you have some kind of death wish??"
Xander looked at him sharply, "Of course not. Why do you think I did it?"
"Cause you want to be one of them!"
Xander grimaced, "Not going to happen, Frank. I can stand them... tolerate them... but I'm not going to join them."
"Then why in gods name did you kiss his ring!?"
"Because the others there, that Brujah especially, would have pressured Julian against helping me... maybe even tried to get him to kill me... if I didn't give up something." Xander said evenly. "I can't let a pissing contest distract Julian now... not with all the shit that's coming down."
"I don't kiss his goddamned ring, and I'm doing ok!"
"You're doing ok cause they've gotten used to you." Xander replied heatedly, "You're the dangerous pet that Julian tamed! I'm still a wild animal to them, and they can't let wild animals live if they want to keep the Masquerade going, Frank... and I don't think they realize that the Masquerade is over."
"Hey, G!" Faith shouted. "Some trucks just pulled up outside!"
Giles and Wood walked over to the front of the club, looking out to see three large cube trucks pull up to the club along with two cars and a Harley Davidson motorcycle.
"What the..." Wood muttered, but then he saw Xander climb out of one of the cars and start talking to the people who were now milling about.
He and Giles looked at each other and then wordlessly went outside.
"Ok guys, get that material and tools inside will you? We've got some damage to fix up." Xander said before turning to the guys in the security truck. "Ok, We need to get the new shutters installed by tonight. Rush job, got it? Good."
"Xander, what are you doing here??"
"Oh, hey Giles... Wood." Xander shrugged, "Just getting this place put back together and fortified. Give me a hand with the cases in the third truck, will you?"
The two men followed him around to the back of the white cube truck and watched in confusion as he pulled out a couple cases and handed one apiece to them. "Take this in and tell Mike that they're going up to the third floor."
"He left."
"What?" Xander frowned, "Ok... Just bring them into the club and we'll get it straightened out later."
"Right..." Giles said, looking confused but he grabbed a case and started carrying it into the club.
The Slayers and other members of the Sunnydale gang watched as Xander snapped orders to the workmen who came in with him, "Ok, I want the new flooring in the freight elevator... Yeah, over there. But first get someone up to the third floor to check the old floor boards."
Some of the men nodded, heading to the old fashioned freight elevator, while Xander directed others to the bar and club proper. "Get the counter top replaced, and see what you can do about the panels that got kicked in."
Two men came in with a section of carpeting that matched the one already on the floor, and Xander motioned them over to where two patrons had died and a vampire had bled out. "I want those sections ripped up and replaced..."
"Xander..." Buffy walked forward, "What's going on?"
"I'm fixing the damage we caused her, Buff." Xander replied, shrugging. "This place is the life's blood of some good friends of mine. I'm not going to leave it in a shambles."
"Oh..." Buffy frowned, then nodded. "Ok... Xander... we've been watching the news... things are bad out there."
Xander nodded, "I know, Buff."
Buffy hesitated, "Cleveland... The Hellmouth there must be strong, there's a lot of violence around there."
Xander nodded again, grabbing a long chunk of material and helping a man haul it in. "I know. I watched last night... They had a real bad time of it, but the national guard will probably be able to keep it in check for a couple weeks."
Buffy nodded, "Giles and Robin think so too. I'm not so sure. We have to get out there as soon as we can."
Xander paused, hesitating. "Buffy, I...."
"Please. Let me speak." Buffy said, her tone earnest. "Xander... I don't think you should come with us?"
Xander blinked, wondering why he was surprised at that turn of events. "Oh?"
"Please... don't argue with me on this..." Buffy went on, not even looking at him now. "I want you to look after Dawn... she isn't ready for that kind of warfare, Xander... I don't want her to die."
"Buffy... this isn't a local problem in Cleveland." Xander objected, for a moment wondering why he WAS objecting. "This is worldwide."
"You don't know that." Buffy objected, "Maybe it's just the Hellmouth out there causing trouble. But it doesn't matter, it's worse there then anywhere else right now. And it's almost safe here."
<Only because Julian runs this city,> Xander thought savagely, <and he doesn't allow vamps anywhere within his protectorate. Not the tainted ones anyway.> "Buffy, I really think you should..."
"Don't argue with me, Xander!" Buffy said forcefully. "We're going into a warzone... We won't be able to protect you..."
Xander almost argued right back, but then just shrugged. Truth was, he had no intention of leaving just yet anyway. Sonya's death had left some of his friends without her protection, and at a time when they desperately needed something. Someone.
So, instead he just smirked and shrugged. "I'd kindly ask you to remember what happened the last time you asked me to take Dawn off away from Danger. I don't much want 50,000 volts tenderizing my insides."
"I'll handle that." Buffy promised. "Just tell me that you'll take care of her?"
Xander shook his head, then sighed. "You don't even need to ask, Buff. Of course I'll take care of her."
"Thank you." Buffy said gratefully.
"What is this stuff??" Wood asked, frowning as he dropped the last case onto the pile.
"Just some gear that I thought would come in handy." Xander responded. "Thanks for helping drag it in. Mostly it's just to replace the equipment I lost when Sunnydale with boom."
"Equipment? What kind of equipment?"
Xander shrugged, "nothing much. We never really used any of it... but I feel better having access to it."
Wood stared at him for a bit, but then just shrugged. "Ok... whatever you say, man."
"Dawn..." Buffy walked up to her sister.
"No." Dawn said, recognizing the tone. "Whatever it is, forget it."
"I didn't say anything!" Buffy protested.
"You were going too." Dawn said pointedly, crossing her arms.
"Well... Yes." Buffy admitted.
"Well forget it."
"Dawn," Buffy said, sounding annoyed and patient at once. "We're going to Cleveland as soon as Giles can get transport..."
"Ok," Dawn hid a grimace. Cleveland wasn't her idea of a great place to live. And that was before she knew it had a Hellmouth.
"Xander's not going."
"What!?"
Buffy took a breath, "Dawn... I want you to stay with him."
"What!?" Dawn's jaw dropped, "Buffy I thought we'd settled this. I'm not going to let you push me aside!"
"It's not about that!" Buffy protested. "Damn it Dawn... I'm worried about you. And about Xander."
"What about Xander?"
"He just lost an awful lot, Dawn... Anya's dead... now this friend of his, Sonya...." Buffy frowned, "I'm just... worried."
Dawn hesitated, looking over her shoulder to where she knew Xander was, then looked down.
"I'm not trying to keep you out of anything..." Buffy paused, then shook her head. "Ok. Yes I am. I don't want you to die, Dawn. You're my family... my only family now. Cleveland is going to be hard... there's stuff going on there, and then there's training the new students, and setting up the new council, and finding more Slayers... I'm not going to have any time, Dawn... I'd just... feel better if I knew that you and Xander were safe and looking out for each other."
Dawn started to speak, then stopped, looking around as if for help. "Buffy... don't ask me too..."
"I don't want to, Dawn... I really don't." Buffy told her, "But I have to."
Dawn just shook her head, a play of emotions evident across her face until she finally turned away and left Buffy alone.
The sun was just starting to set when Xander sent the crews home, satisfied that the most urgent of the work had been completed and the rest would wait until the morning. Each of them had gone off with strict 'orders' from Xander to get home, lock the damned doors, and leave em that way no matter who was knocking.
Mike had returned well before sundown, surprising Xander to some extent when he brought his wife and twelve year old daughter along. He looked rather apologetic when he faced the girls, not for bringing them, but for never introducing them before that.
The girls had all left at some point during the day as well, but were also back well before dark, knowing more then most how dangerous the dark was. Some of them too brought their family, but most of them were on their own in this part of the country. Xander knew from talking to them before that at lot of the girls were nomads, and even the ones who did settle down here with Sonya weren't the most likely candidates for the all American family.
That didn't drop them any in his respect though, the all American family was a dream that Xander's mind really wasn't the best equipped to grasp.
That said, by the time the sunset and the last people had trickled in, Xander found himself playing host and protector to almost fifty people. That wasn't something he'd been prepared for.
"Hey Giles," He walked over to the older man, "We're going to need to set up some sentries... You mind taking first shift with a couple of the younger Slayers?"
Giles shook his head, "not at all."
"Thanks." Xander said, "I'm going to be at the bar with Mike and the girls... Sonya... Sonya was special to us."
"Go ahead, Xander." Giles said softly. "You don't have to explain anything to me."
"I know." Xander said, "But I choose to."
Giles nodded, smiling, and Xander turned and headed for the group.
"So you asked him?" Willow asked, wincing. "And he said?"
"He wasn't happy... but he said he'd do it." Buffy confirmed.
Willow looked down, "And Dawn?"
"She's still fighting it... but I'll convince her." Buffy said confidently.
"Buffy..." Willow hesitated, looking scared. "I... I..."
"What?"
"I don't have any magic anymore, Buffy... I can't help you now..." Willow said, looking utterly terrified.
Buffy fell back, shocked. It didn't last long though before she leaned forward, "You'll find it again, Willow... I know you will. With Giles and you doing research, you'll find a way."
Willow bit her lip, still scared, but looked relieved that Buffy wasn't going to dump her as well. "Thanks Buffy."
"Hey... You're family, Willow." Buffy smiled encouragingly, giving the red headed witch a hug.
Xander stood behind the bar, smiling sadly as he listened to old stories about Sonya and shared a few little tidbits himself.
"I first met Sonya on a night that..." Xander's lips quirked into a smile, "Well I'll never forget. I'd just drove up into town here, and things were looking pretty bright to me... but then, I'd just left a battle to prevent the apocalypse... *again*... so I guess anything would seem pretty bright."
Soft laughs echoed around the bar as Xander leaned on the oak counter and shook his head. "I should have guessed that thinking like that was just asking for a kick in the ass."
Again a round of sober chuckles went around, and Xander himself laughed slightly. "Anyway... I saw some vamps... uh, excuse me, some gangbangers on *pcp*..."
The Girls laughed, louder this time, and Mike was nodding his head while his laughs reached a louder level then anything previously. That had become such a running joke at the club since Xander had left, and had somehow managed to keep it's humor over time.
"Right." Xander grinned, his one good eye gleaming wickedly, "So anyway, these 'gangbangers' were attack a few ladies and I, in my usual moment of idiocy, thought that ramming them with my car would be a good plan."
"Suffice to say it worked," Xander smirked, "But it cost me my car, got me the living crap beat out of me by the one vamp I missed, and... introduced me to Sonya."
He stopped for a moment, considering. "All in all... a bargain."
"Hear hear." Mike rumbled, tapping his glass lightly. Everyone nodded around the circle as Xander nodded in agreement.
"She took me in, cleaned me up, gave me a job..." Xander flushed a little, "Two jobs actually... but I digress."
This time it was only the girls who laughed and, some of them, wolf whistled as Xander flushed.
"Alright... enough of that." He groused with a light smile before turning serious. "I guess what I'm trying to say is..."
He paused, lifting his glass and waiting as the others lifted theirs. "Wherever Sonya is, I personally know that she is still looking out for each and every one of us... That's just the kind of person she was, and I'm going to miss her more then I care to admit even to you all... To Sonya!"
"Sonya!" Everyone in the little circle replied, then they all downed their drinks together.
Faith sat along side Wood, the two of them watching Xander thoughtfully from a distance as he drank with the small group. "X seems hit pretty bad by this..."
Wood shrugged, "Probably because he's taken a lot of hits over the past few weeks... this just tops the list."
Faith nodded, pursing her lips. "Still... That Sonya lady seemed cool."
Wood raised an eyebrow, looking over at Faith. "She helped Xander talk you into stripping."
Faith fixed him with a mocking look, "You're just sore cause she didn't fight harder to get you on stage."
"Faith." Wood said seriously.
"Beefcake." Faith smirked.
"Faith, don't."
"Don't what?"
"Don't play like that." Wood responded, "It doesn't suit you."
Faith frowned, then was about to reply when a noise distracted her.
It was a low rumbling coming from outside. Faith frowned instantly, recognizing the sound.
"What is it?" Wood looked around.
"Harleys." Faith replied, "Lots of em."
Just then one of the Slayers on Sentry duty came running back, "There's a bunch of lights coming this way!"
Xander was moving before the Slayer, Vi, came running in. He pulled the shotgun from under the counter, checking the breech briefly before cranking a round into it. "Girls, you'd better get upstairs... Mike, get your family up there too."
The group broke up, and Xander hopped over the bar and went immediately to the window. He was looking out when Buffy came running up, crossbow in hand. "What's the situation?"
Xander frowned, "Stand down... but stay ready. Looks like someone I know."
Xander walked around to the door while Buffy stared after him. "Who do you know stupid enough to be out this late after all that's happened!?"
Xander didn't respond, instead he shouted to Giles and the other Slayer. "G-Man, stand down. I know these guys!"
Giles rose from where he was crouched, his crossbow lifting enough so it wasn't *quite* pointed at the gathering of bikers. "Interesting friends you have, Xander."
"I never said they were friends." Xander muttered as he stepped out into the night to meet them. "Hey Cash. What brings you here?"
The Primogen of the Gangrel Clan slid off his bike calmly, then looked around. "Julian wants to come in."
Xander glanced back, suddenly nervous. "Cash... I don't know if that's a good idea. I've got some very jumpy demon hunters holed up here with me. And none of them have the slightest clue you guys exist."
Cash twisted his mouth, looking from side to side. "Yeah well, Julian makes his own decisions."
Which, Xander translated, meant that the Kindred already knew precisely who was holed up here and why. Xander sighed, "Alright."
No sooner had he said that then a black Mercedes slid smoothly around the corner and into the parking lot. Xander watched as the driver opened the side door, letting Julian out and then Julian leaned in and extended a hand to Lillie as she slid out of the luxury sedan.
The two of them walked up to Xander and he hesitated, uncertain whether showing respect and allegiance to the Prince was a good idea at this point with his friends watching.
Julian answered that for him, extending his hand yes, but sideways to be shaken not kissed. "Alexander."
"Mr Luna."
Julian smiled, "Please... Julian. And this is Lillie..."
Xander inclined his head to her respectfully.
"Lillie knew Miss Bujold." Luna said unexpectedly, "and was distressed to hear of her death."
Lillie nodded, her face solemn. "I respected Sonya deeply. She protected many of my clan in her time, though she never knew it."
"I didn't know." Xander said, letting out a nervous breath. "Would you like to come in? We're have a... quiet wake in her honor."
"I would be honored." Lillie responded.
Xander stepped back, extending his hand to the door. "I'm afraid it might not be a good idea if you're... entourage came in. Trouble would be a foregone conclusion."
Julian nodded, "Cash... deploy your people around the club. No one disturbs this building."
"Yes Sir." Cash nodded, then turned back to his Gangrels.
Inside, Xander found himself faced with a very tense meeting. He tried to focus on projecting calm himself, then nodded to those waiting. "You can relax. These are... friends."
"They came in after dark, X." Faith pointed out. "You sure they're... still... friends?"
Xander nodded. "Sure."
None of the Slayers looked happy but they did settle back down, and Xander turned to Mike. "You want to bring the Girls back down here? Lillie came to pay her respects."
Mike nodded, slowly, then head up the short flight of stairs to the second floor.
It wasn't too long before the employees of the club were back downstairs, looking a little nervous but otherwise ok.
"Girls, this is Lillie..." Xander said evenly, "Lillie, these are Sonya's employees... Vicki, Maria, Nancy,..."
He went on, introducing each of them in turn until he was finished. The he introduced Mike as the only surviving bouncer from the night before.
"I'm pleased to meet each of you." Lillie said easily, smiling warmly at them. "I was saddened to hear of Sonya's death. She and I had met on a few occasions and I found her to be a warm, compassionate woman. The world is lesser for her passing."
Everyone nodded, and some murmurs of agreement were heard from the girls who knew her.
Mike came back around a few moments later, a bottle of wine in his hand and glasses on a tray.
"To Sonya." Was once again the toast, this time joined by Julian Luna and Lillie.
Giles watched as Xander saw off their impromptu late night visitors, his eyes narrowing as Xander walked back inside. "Xander. Do you know who that was??"
Xander smiled slightly, "Why do I have the feeling that you're about to tell me?"
"That was Julian Luna!"
Xander glanced aside at Faith, "See? I knew he was about to tell me."
Faith smirked at him, but Giles didn't find it amusing.
"Xander!" Giles snapped to regain Xander's attention. When it worked he continued, "Julian Luna is one of the richest men in the state! The Luna foundation funds the Legacy projects... Teams of supernatural 'detectives' across the planet!"
Xander nodded, "I know."
"Xander!" Buffy jumped in, "How do you know a guy like that??"
Xander shook his head, "I do. Isn't that enough?"
"Not hardly!"
Xander shook his head, "Look, it's not like we're friends. Julian just has a lot of business interests around here."
"You're telling me that Julian Luna has business 'interests' in a strip club?" Giles looked at him in disbelief.
Xander shrugged, heading back to the girls and Mike, and left the others staring after him.
"Hey guys..." He spoke softly, "I guess the Wake's over."
They nodded slowly, reluctantly, and with more then a few tears.
"Get some sleep..." Xander said, "I think we've got a big day tomorrow."
"Interesting human, that one." Lillie said as she and Luna drove away.
"Yes." Julian replied. "Though I don't think much of the company he keeps."
"Oh?" Lillie frowned, "And just what was wrong with those girls?"
Julian quirked a smile, "Not the girls. I meant the Slayers, The Watcher, and Robin Wood."
"Wood? He was there??" Lillie's eyes widened, "Are you insane? He's killed a dozen Kindred at least!"
Julian smiled, "True. But only those we steered him towards. He's not particularly bright."
"Mad dogs rarely are." Lillie said testily.
"Oh, he's hardly a mad dog..." Julian shrugged, "not by human standards at least. Merely the son of a Slayer and brought up by a Watcher."
Lillie snorted, "Explain to me the difference. Slayers and Watchers are Mad Dogs generally."
Luna shrugged, "Perhaps. But they've been useful."
"Only for the last thousand years or so." Lillie muttered.
"Longer then we've been alive." Julian responded, "Kindred learned to control them a long time ago."
"Control is too powerful a word, Julian." Lillie warned. "We learned to point them in a general direction and stay the hell out of the way."
Julian shrugged, "Semantics."
"You play dangerous games, Julian. You endanger the masquerade with them."
Julian turned to look Lillie evenly in the eyes, "Do you truly believe that the Masquerade will survive what is coming?"
Lillie shivered, but didn't respond.
"Hey Beefcake." Faith greeted Wood as she stared after the departing motorcycle gang. "Got a jones for a Harley between your thighs?"
"Hardly." Wood replied coldly. Then he looked over his shoulder at Xander. "How well do you know Xander?"
Faith shrugged, "I suppose that depends on how you define 'know'. Why?"
Wood looked back out at the street. "No reason."
Xander hefted the twelve gage again, emptying the weapon round by round with calm movements. Then he retrieved eight fiery red twelve gage rounds from an unmarked box and slowly loaded them into the stubby weapon. When he was done he set the Mossberg down on the bar and hefted a Colt 1911A .45 caliber pistol, checking the action briefly before loading a clip of hollow points into the steel blue weapon.
When he was done he racked a round into the chamber, the safetied the pistol and slid it into his belt at the small of his back. Finally he picked up the shotgun and headed for the door.
Faith intercepted him before he got halfway there, being the only one who was looking in his direction. "Where do you think you're going, X?"
"Just going to do a couple rounds of the club." Xander replied, "Just to make sure we don't have anything lurking around outside."
Faith looked at him oddly, then nodded. "Ok, but I'm coming with."
Xander shrugged, "Sure. You can wear this then."
Faith caught the small item he tossed her way reflexively, then looked at the odd device for a second. "What the hell is it?"
"Fifth generation nightscope." Xander replied, "It's got a light gathering mode with an infrared overlay display."
"Say what??"
Xander smiled, "That means that you can see in the dark AND tell how hot something is. I asked for a favor to get a few of these... I figure that if we can't use crosses and holy water to tell if someone is a vamp anymore...."
"Then something like this could be real handy in a pinch." Faith nodded, understanding. "Good thinking, X. So why aren't you wearing it?"
"I was going to," Xander said, shrugging. "But it would screw up my peripheral vision. You've got two good eyes, so it won't affect you as badly."
Faith nodded, then lifted the small monocular device. "How does it work?"
"Here," Xander took it from her, then set the monocular section over her right eye while looping the neck brace over her ear, around behind her head, and back around the left ear. "Fit the earpiece in your ear..." While she did that he wrapped a black nylon collar around her throat, securing it with a velcro strap.
"Kinky, boytoy." Faith smirked at him, "but I'm sort of involved."
"Cute." Xander smiled slightly without thinking. "It's a throat mic. Part of the system... You know what, I'll get another system for myself and we'll be able to talk if we get out of sight."
Faith rubbed the collar lightly, smirking slightly. "You think of everything."
Xander shook his head, "No... not everything."
When he'd retrieved another system and wrapped the mic around his own neck he showed Faith how to turn on the scope.
"Whoa..." She blinked furiously, shaking her head.
"Hang on, you'll get used to it." Xander said. "Here... follow my hand."
She looked up and he lifted his hand, two fingers extended. "Check."
She nodded, following the movements as he slid his hand in and away from her as well as around.
"Check... Check... Check..." He said as he paused the motion, waiting for her to focus.
Finally she shook her head, "Whoa. This thing is freaky... It's like I can see through your hand sometimes..."
Xander nodded, "That's the thermal overlay... it's sensitive enough to pick out heat differences in my bone structure."
"Damn." She smiled, "And here I thought it had an X-Ray mode."
Xander chuckled, "If it had that then I'd be wearing lead underpants."
Involuntarily her eyes roamed lower, and her open eye widened as she realized that she could see a *very* suggestive outline through his pants. "Damn."
"Cut that out!" Xander snapped, flushing furiously as he pushed her head back up.
"Sorry X." Faith smirked at him.
Xander shook his head and slipped the rest of his night vision system around his head, only leaving the monocular device flipped in the 'open' position rather then closing it over his eye. Then he hefted the shot gun and glanced at Faith, "You need a better weapon?"
Faith calmly lifted the crossbow she had been using and shook her head, "I got stakes, bolts, and a backup knife just in case."
Xander nodded, "Alright... Let's go."
"Hey, whoa!" Wood interrupted. "Where are you guys going?"
"Just a quick patrol around the area." Xander replied. "Don't want anyone sneaking up."
"I'll come with you."
"Nah." Faith responded, looking Wood up and down with a smirk on her face. "We won't be long, Beefcake. Just watch out for the civilians. K?"
Wood frowned, but nodded. "Fine. Be careful."
"You betcha."
The two of them circled the building once to make sure that there wasn't anything trying to sneak up on the occupants, then started to range a little further afield.
"Quiet tonight."
Xander nodded, "I figured it would be."
"How come?"
"Last night was just something that happened, Faith." Xander said, "no planning... just a bunch of vamps everywhere decided it was time to party."
"How come?" Faith repeated, not certain she understood.
"That's the million dollar question." Xander replied. "But the point is, tonight we have cops, national guard, and... others... watching for trouble. It'll be quieter."
"Others?"
"Like us, Faith." Xander replied. "Others like us."
Faith was silent for a moment, then started to respond, but a scream a short way off stopped her. She and Xander looked at each other for a moment, then broke into a run in the direction of the disturbance.
Faith and Xander rounded a corner and almost simultaneously skidded to a stop. Both of them swallowed, their weapons coming up out of reflex.
"Whoa."
About fifty feet down the road from them they saw no less then fifteen vampires, all in full game face, pounding into three people they couldn't quite make out. The Vampires, unfortunately, saw them.
"Uh... X... Something's wonky with the vics." Faith stammered, "they look almost the same as the vamps on the doodad you gave me here..."
Xander frowned, swallowing as some of the vamps looked up. He flicked his head forward, snapping the monocular scope down over his good eye and quickly confirmed what Faith was seeing. It only took him a few seconds to tell two things.
First, the victims weren't human.
Second, they weren't Tainted.
<Oh Shit.> Xander groaned internally. <Julian must have left some of his gangrels to watch this part of town.>
Out loud he snapped an order, "Only take the ugly ones, Faith."
"Xander... they're...!"
"I said only the uglies!" He snapped again, leveling the shotgun on the group as the first few of the vamps started to come there way. He brought one arm up, holding the pistol grip of the Mossberg in the other as he flipped up the nightvision scope. "Better flip up your scope, Faith!" He snapped, squeezing the trigger of the shotgun.
The Mossberg boomed once, a sound that almost didn't seem quite real, and belched flame. The dragon's breath slug ripped into the lead vamp, taking the arrogant creature by surprise as the lethal phosphorous round roasted him alive.
Faith's eyes widened as she watched the lead vamp go down, *screaming*. She barely had time to recognize the smoke rising from the hole in it's chest before the vampire's torso became a blaze of white on the thermal scope, and then vanished into dust.
"Whoa! What the...!?" She started to gasp out, blinking furiously as she flipped the scope off her eye, but Xander cut her off.
"Later! More slaughter, less talk."
"Right." Faith shook her head, then carefully aimed her crossbow as she heard Xander's shotgun roar again.
Her bolt flew straight and true, piercing the heart of the next closest Vamp, and rendered it to dust. Meanwhile, Xander had gotten off another shot and Faith saw a third vamp get knocked back on it's ass while smoke poured from the gaping wound in it's stomach.
She cranked another bolt into her crossbow, quickly letting fly as she determined that Xander wanted to race she'd be willing to give him a run.
The two of them started moving forward, weapons alternately roaring and whispering as they unleashed on the gathering of vampires.
The first round of the battle was over in a flash, staggering Xander and Faith almost as much as their foes by the sheer speed and brutality of it.
When his shotgun clicked on a dry chamber, Xander glanced down briefly. The barrel was on fire and glowed a dull orange, sulfur and phosphorous clouding the air. His eye flicked back up as one of the surviving Vampire's tried to take advantage of the situation and charged him.
Xander brought the barrell of the empty weapon up, slamming it into the vamp's throat and repressed a wince as the metal sizzled against the undead flesh as he thrust hard. The vampire screamed for a brief second, then was silenced as the muzzle of the twelve gage burned through it's throat and the remaining combination of phosphorous and sulfur ignited it's necrotized flesh.
Xander let the Mossberg go as the vampire fell, leaving the stubby weapon to stick out of the dying vampire's throat as flames began to lick from it's mouth. He stepped carefully over the pitiful creature, eying the surviving three vampires.
Two, Xander corrected as the sharp twang of Faith's crossbow heralded the death of another one.
"Out!" Faith snapped, already cracking the custom designed crossbow open and pulling a long cartridge from behind her back.
Xander whipped the Colt from his belt, bringing it up in a motion practiced by someone who had seen far too many Stallone movies.
Normally the sight of a pistol wouldn't frighten a vampire in the slightest. The best that could be expected from such would be a stinging pain, and perhaps enough concussion to put a vamp on it's back for a few seconds.
Now, however, these vampires had seen a firearm wreak incredible havoc on their numbers, and didn't feel like taking any chances. They broke and ran.
"I got the left!" Faith announced, snapping her crossbow shut and cranking a bolt into the feed.
"Right." Xander whispered, shifting his aim and squeezing the trigger as fast as the bucking recoil would allow him.
Faith's shot wasn't even a whisper in that cacophony, but her bolt found it's mark and the vampire vanished with an agonized squeal. She shifted her aim to the other, but it was already around the corner, clutching at the wounds inflicted by Xander's pistol.
"After him!" Xander ordered, breaking into a run.
Bad night.
That was the only thought besides sheer pain that passed through Ray Frakes mind as he staggered around the corner. The screaming pain from the bullets was the most horrific pain he'd felt since the attack that had taken his life the first time.
"After him!"
Definitely a BAD Night. He tried to run, he really did, but instead he fell to the ground as he started coughing up blood.
As he bled out over the sidewalk, Ray heard the sound of footsteps on the cement and knew his time was up.
He was right, but he had even less time then he thought.
Ray Frakes vanished into dust, the ash soaking into the pool of blood he had left, just as his pursuers came around the corner.
"Fuck!" Xander raged, "He got away!"
Faith looked around nervously, checking the buildings around her, but as unable to see anything threatening. "I don't see him, X."
"You don't think I noticed?" Xander turned back, kicking the ground in disgust. "Damn it. I let that bastard get away."
Faith lowered her crossbow, shrugging. "You did wicked good, X. You got at least... what? Nine?"
"Something like that." Xander frowned, "I lost count. Come on, let's check on the... victims."
"Victims hell!" Faith snorted, "Those were vamps, X. And you know it."
Xander shook his head and headed back around the corner. Faith looked exasperated, but quickly followed.
"Raze... come on, get up... get up!" Janna muttered under her breath, trying to encourage one of her companions to get the hell up. "The hunters are coming back!"
Raze could barely moved, his injuries aggravated by the savage attack of the Tremere who had assaulted them. Janna spared a glance to her other companion, but could tell from the way his throat had been ripped out and his chest buckled that he wasn't getting up again.
She wasn't in great shape herself, in fact could barely move to crawl over to Raze. If it weren't for the fact that he was unconscious, Janna figured that he probably could have gotten them both out of here before the hunters came back.
But then it was too late.
The man and woman reappeared, emerging from the darkness like wraiths. <Or Kindred.> Janna thought almost hopefully, but she knew it was a false hope because the man moved all too much like a mortal.
He was putting away his pistol as he approached, fitting it into his belt behind his back, leaving it on top of his shirt though. For a second Janna approved of that intellectually, it meant that he'd be able to draw it faster if the Tremere regrouped or had friends nearby. Then a dark voice reminded her that it also let him draw it faster to kill her and Raze when he figured out that she was Kindred.
Briefly she wondered how he lost the eye, and whether that had something to do with his status as a hunter.
He walked up calmly, dropping to one knee beside her, while his companion tensed up behind him.
"Fuck, X! I'm telling you, these two are vamps!" The woman spat, "What the fuck is the point of using these things if you're going to ignore them??"
Janna's gaze flickered back to the man, though it had briefly jumped to the woman who had her covered carefully with a crossbow. He smiled softly at her, nodding as he reached out his hand slowly. She didn't move.
As he got closer, she heard him whisper so low that it was hard for even her to make out. "Forgive her. She thinks you're Tremere. She doesn't know about the clans."
Janna's eyes widened at that, but by then she felt him heft her into the air. "Raze..."
"Faith," the man half turned, "bring him. *Gently*."
Faith's definition of 'gentle' wasn't anything to brag about, but she slung the injured Gangrel over her shoulder and then started after Xander.
"Christ, X. If you're this hard up just ask. I'll give you a roll." Faith muttered in disgust, looking at the young woman in Xander's arms.
"Watch it, Faith." Xander snapped. "You're stepping."
"Damn right I am." Faith cursed him, "You know these are vamps. *I* know these are vamps. So if you ain't pulling a B, then why the hell aren't we dusting them??"
"Because they won't dust." Xander snapped, then sighed. "Look. Trust me... ok? Just trust me for now. Please?"
Faith swallowed hard. Trust was one thing she didn't do easy. In fact there were maybe only two people alive that she would even consider extending that too right now. One of them was Angel. The other was walking just in front of her, holding a vampire babe as gently as a lover. Xander had cared to try to reach her, at least at first. Faith wasn't certain how much she trusted him, but she also knew that he wasn't soft on Vamps.
"Fine." She muttered, "But you are so going to explain to B and England what the fuck we're doing taking a pair of vamps back to the building."
"No." Xander said, "I won't. And neither will you."
"What?"
They were nearing the club now, and Xander paused to glare back at her. "Not a word. You got that, *F*?"
Faith glared at him, shifting her crossbow slightly in her free hand. "Fine. But they make one fuckin toward anyone in the club and I stick this so far up *your* ass you'll think *ate* it. Got that??"
Xander actually smiled at her, the flickering light of the streetlamps echoing eerily in his good eye, "I got that, Faith.."
"Good." Faith growled, then nodded her head. "Let's go then."
"Xander! What...?"
"No time, Dawn." Xander said hurridly as he and Faith made a beeline for the freight elevator. "Toss the first aid kit in here will you? It's behind the bar."
Dawn, eyes wide, turned and ran for the bar. Seconds later she was running for the elevator, only to be stopped by an outstretched hand from Faith. "No way, kiddo. Just the kit, you wait down here."
"What!? Why!?" The seventeen year old protested loudly.
Faith just grabbed the kit from her, while shooting Xander a dirty look. "Trust me."
Then she pulled the wooden framework down between them and Xander operated the lift controls.
On the empty third floor of the old building, Xander and Faith trooped out of the elevator and deposited their packages of the ground with varying degrees of gentility. That is to say, Janna was set very carefully on the floor, and her companion hit the unpolished boards like a sack of potatoes from thirty feet.
"ARRRRRGGH!"
Janna shot up, her eyes glowing with rage. "Raze!"
"Faith!" Xander snapped, his own eyes glaring at her.
Faith shrugged, "He's a vamp. He'll 'live'."
"God dammit, Faith!" Xander snapped, moving over to check Raze.
Now that he was awake, he was in better shape then Janna was, and that was bad news for Xander.
He grabbed Xander by the shirt, pulling him close as his eyes blazed and his teeth flashed.
Xander barely had time to gurgle in shock.
Faith was already moving, stake palmed in her hand.
But, luckily for everyone present, Janna reacted first. "Raze! No!"
The Gangrel paused, looking over at her in shock and confusion, his head tilting slightly, "Janna?"
Faith saw the change, but was already committed to her action. Still she changed her move at the last second and merely nailed the vamp with a full power punch. The Gangrel went down again, lights out.
"Faith!"
"Raze!"
Faith stared at Xander, annoyance in her eyes. "Will you get with the program, X? Jeeez! You'd think you were B the way you keep whining over these vamps. But I gotta tell you, the fact that one of them is a guy is really creeping me out."
Xander pried the unconscious Gangrel's hands from his shirt and got up, he poked Faith in the chest, pushing her back. "You. Stay. In. THE. CORNER!"
Surprised and shocked, Faith stumbled back with each word until her back was to a wall. When he finished the looked at him an Irate Rage burning in her eyes. "What? DO I look like I'm ten years old!?"
"No, but you sure act like it sometimes." Xander muttered, turning away as he shook his head. "Slayers."
He walked back over to Janna, pausing only once to turn back and hold a hand up when Faith tried to leave the corner. "Ah ah ah! Stay!"
Faith growled, leaning back against the wall. "Woof."
Xander abruptly lost his anger at that, actually laughing slightly as he glanced back at her. He shook his head and then turned back to Janna. "Your friend looks like he'll live. He just got his lights knocked out a couple times. If he were human I'd be worried about a concussion after the way Faith nailed him, but he should be ok. I'm going to check you out now, ok?"
Janna nodded, still shooting untrusting glares at Faith.
Xander winced as he saw the blood running free from under her biker leathers, shaking his head. "Not getting fresh here, but these are gonna have to come off."
"Here... I'll.... AH!" Janna hissed through her teeth as she tried to shift.
"Sorry..." Xander saigh, pulling a knife. "But I'm going to have to cut them."
Janna winced, but then shrugged. Clothes were clothes, nothing more. So he cut the leathers off her, exposing the wounds to the air and drawing more hisses of pain from the young Gangrel.
"Why aren't these healing?" He asked after a moment. "I've seen you guys take automatic fire from assault weapons and still rip the shooter apart..."
"Kindred claw wounds..." She hissed, "Even Tremere... don't heal normally."
"Shit." Xander muttered, snapping open the first aid kit and ripping the sterilized packages off packets of Gauze and slapped a couple bundles over her leg wound. Then he wrapped them fast and tight with bandages. On anyone else he'd have cleaned the wounds, but on a Kindred it was more important to prevent as much blood loss as possible. He hoped.
By the time he was finished, Janna was looking worse, not better. Beads of sweat were forming on her forehead and she was being hit alternately with shivers of cold and waves of feverish heat.
"God dammit." Xander muttered, holding her head. "Come on, Gangrel... Don't you die on me... Cash already hates my guts."
The weak eyes of the stricken Gangrel looked up at him with an amused air, "Well... in that case I suppose I should just get better then..."
"You bet your ass you should." Xander muttered with a quirked mouth, "That guy scares me."
"C... Cash is a s-s-scary guy."
Xander shrugged, "Maybe... but then again, I run screaming from bunny rabbits too."
Janna looked up at him, her eyes utterly confused.
Xander just shrugged. "What can I say? My ex rubbed off on me."
Janna shook her head, then started to say something, but whatever it was was quickly lost as she began to shudder and shake uncontrollably.
"Shit!" Xander snapped, holding on to her as she shook across the floor.
Behind him, Faith was approaching cautiously, curious despite herself. She'd never seen a vamp hurt like this before. Usually, not always, but usually a vamp was either lethal or dust. There wasn't much room in between the two. This one, though, was looking almost human. She was sweating, shaking, and *bleeding* profusely.
"Damn, X." Faith whispered from over his shoulder, "What the hell is going on here?"
Xander started, not having hear her come up behind him. "She's dying."
Faith swallowed, "She's just a Vamp... right?"
Xander shook his head, "no. She's Kindred."
"What?"
"Gangrel Clan..." Xander spoke, almost on automatic as he ripped his shirt off and bundled it under Janna's head. "Local enforcers for the Prince of San Francisco."
"Prince? Ri-ght..."
"Look," Xander snapped without turning around. "Kindred are... complicated. Some of them are killers and assholes, but then again so are some humans. They have their own laws, and they don't do the serial killer thing as a rule."
Faith frowned, watching as Xander once again hefted the knife he'd used earlier. "So they ain't vamps?"
"I didn't say that." Xander growled, holding the knife to his wrist.
"Hey, what do you...!?" Faith started as her hand flashed forward to stop him.
Before she could grab him, Xander had already slit his wrist and the blood was starting to trickle down his arm.
"Jesus fucking Christ, X!" Faith raged, grabbing his arm and pulling him around. "Have you completely lost it!?"
Xander ripped his arm back, surprising Faith with the force of the move. "I don't have time for this, Faith. I'll answer any questions afterwards!"
Faith stood there, stricken dumb, as Xander placed his wrist over the Gangrel's mouth and let the blood drip in. At first there was no reaction, then the girl's eyes flickered and she moaned. Finally her arm came up, locking onto Xander's as she brought his wrist tight against her mouth.
Xander groaned a moment later as he felt the blood being drawn from him, his eye rolling back in his head as he grimaced against the sensations. He couldn't quite call it pain, nor even pleasure, but for a brief instant he knew what Riley had found so addictive.
Then it was done, the Gangrel had reflexively let go of his arm and he fell back into Faith's arms.
"Jesus! X!?"
"Whoa..." Xander said slowly, "Remind me not to do that too damned often."
"You do it again and I'll kick your ass!" Faith growled as she looked over to where the Gangrel was rolling on the floor.
"Didn't... know... you... cared." He smiled up at her as she let him down gently on the floor.
"Who says I do?" Faith responded automatically as she checked his wrist. Instantly she frowned, "What the...?"
There was no sign of the cut under the rusty red stain of blood.
"Tired..." Xander said. "Really... really... tired."
"Then get some sleep..." Faith responded, "I'll watch them."
Xander shook his head, "Watch out for them, Faith. No one else up here... no one."
"Alright, X." Faith conceded, not knowing what else to do. "Alright."
Xander nodded, closing his eyes.
Faith sighed, then set him down gently on the rough floor. And sat at his head, staring at his pale features for a long moment. She'd do as he asked, if only because he'd put too much into protecting these two, into saving them, for Faith to get them killed. Too much invested to betray him like that, at least without some cause.
Still, she shifted around so her eyes were on the two vamps. She couldn't leave them here alone to bring X down to one of the rooms, and she sure as hell couldn't leave him alone with them while she went down to get some stuff to force feed her stubborn friend.
Faith stared at the two vampires, frowning as she took in their clothes. Denim and leather mostly, their hair looked mostly clean but not what B would consider well kept. They had a wild look about them, but not wild in the way that most vamps did.
Most vamps had this... psychotic deal going. Their eyes were wild with the inability to control their darker impulses.
These two, Faith decided, had a different look. They still looked wild, but it was a Nature kind of wild. Like they belonged in the fields and trees.
<Or on the open road.> Faith suddenly remembered the group of bikers that had escorted Xander's 'friends' in earlier.
Her eyes widened, and she looked down at the sleeping figure by her knees. "You got some explaining to do, boytoy. Bigtime."
Faith was still sitting there a couple hours later, idly wondering why no one had come up yet to check on them, when Xander shifted in his sleep and moaned.
Faith looked down, her face a mixed bag of concern and aggravation. She let out a slow growl of aggravation that reverberated off the walls of the single immense room that made up the third floor of the strip club.
"He'll live."
Faith looked up, coming to her feet in a single fluid motion. Somehow the female vamp, Gangrel she belatedly corrected herself, had managed to get to her feet without Faith noticing. "What?"
"You're boyfriend." Janna said, nodding to Xander, "he'll live."
"He's not my boyfriend." Faith shrugged off handedly, "And I know he'll live. Xander's tough."
Janna nodded slowly, remembering what had happened earlier. "Yeah. Good with a Dragon's Breath too."
"A what?"
"The shotgun." She replied, walking over to Raze. "Jesus. You really clocked him one."
"I'm a Slayer. It's what I do." Faith said, mildly defensively.
"Slayer?"
"Vampire hunter." Faith said, "Destiny deal."
Janna shot her a look, but remained in place. "Then why am I breathing?"
"Vamp's don't breath." Faith smirked.
"Who fed you that line of bullshit?" Janna asked, then shrugged, "Never mind. I meant, why am I still intact?"
Faith shrugged, "Because X said so. What are you? You aren't a normal vamp."
Janna hesitated, "I can't tell you that. You already know too much. Human's aren't permitted to know about us."
"X is the most human person I know." Faith said easily, "And he obviously knows."
Janna looked down at the sleeping body and shrugged, "The Prince likes him for some reason. That's all I know... we were told to watch over you because he asked the Prince for a favor."
Faith rolled her eyes, "Xander doesn't deal with vamps. He hates them."
Janna looked at the man asleep on the floor and nodded, "I'm sure he does."
Faith shot he a dirty look, shaking her head. "Tell me what the fuck is going on here!"
"I can't tell you anything." Janna insisted, "You already know..."
"Too much." Faith curled her lips, "Yeah, Yeah. So you say. Doesn't explain why X knows."
"When someone knows about us... there are only two ways it can end." Janna said evenly. "And you wouldn't like either one. Just leave it be."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean??" Faith demanded.
"Would the two of you, just SHUT UP." Xander groaned and rolled over before starting to climb to his feet. "I'd get more rest sleeping with Willow and Kennedy."
"Only cause Ken would knock yer head off for even suggesting that." Faith smirked.
Xander groaned, standing a little unsteadily as he looked over at Janna. "Glad to see that you're up and about. How's your friend?"
"Dozing." Janna quirked her lips. "Your gal there has a mean left hook."
Xander nodded, "Don't I know it. Ok... I'll get a hold of Cash somehow and let him know what happened to you guys..."
"I can do that myself."
"Not downstairs you don't." Xander said evenly, "No offense, but the only way you leave this floor is when you head right out the front door. Mixing with the group downstairs would be bad for your health."
"He's got a point about that." Faith nodded, "The group downstairs would be a little rough on ya."
"You mean they'd kill me." Janna said simply.
"Nah, probably not." Faith conceded, "But they definitely take in under consideration... You know, X... the way things go now they'd probably talk us all to death before deciding to do anything..."
Xander shrugged, "That's Buffy when she's not in crisis mode..."
"Better that then kill mode." faith shrugged, "And that's coming from the ex-con."
Suddenly Faith frowned, "Hey... Why the hell aren't they up here anyway? I've been here for hours and you know that B and Beefcake aren't much on letting us out of their sight..."
Xander smiled, "Sonya had the third floor walled up years ago. She couldn't afford to fix this floor, so the only way up here is the freight elevator that they put in back in the forties. And that can only be controlled from inside the lift."
"So they're probably down there banging on the walls?" Faith's eyes widened in realization.
"Probably." Xander smirked.
Faith looked around the huge room she was in. It was immense, taking up the entire floor with the sole exception of the central pillar that housed the lift. Other then the lights that Xander had put in earlier in the day, there was nothing else anywhere. "No windows?"
"Not anymore." Xander responded, "Bricked up at the same time... They leaked. Sonya used it for basic storage for years..."
"Why you fixing it up now?" Faith asked.
Xander hesitated, then shrugged. "I'm not going to Cleveland, Faith. I'm staying here."
"What!?"
"Buffy asked me to stay." Xander quirked his lip, "She doesn't me around... I think she considers me a liability in a fight."
"Fuck." Faith muttered to one side.
Janna eyed the two of them but, uncharacteristically for a Gangrel, kept her mouth shut.
"Not her official reason though." Xander conceded, "She's going to try to convince Dawn to stay with me... she asked me to look after her sister."
Faith shook her head, "Five will get you ten she lays the same line on the kiddo."
Xander shrugged, "Probably. Doesn't matter anyway."
Faith frowned, "Of course it matters, X! You're part of the team. Hell, you're damned near the only part of the team that hasn't tried to kill at least *one* other member of it."
"That's me." Xander grinned, "The overachiever. Seriously though, I wasn't going anyway."
"Why not?"
"Because Sonya's dead, Faith. And her girls... my friends..." Xander paused slowly, "Need some help. Maybe not much, but I can at least get this place back into ship shape for them... It's the least I can do for her."
To that, at least, Faith didn't have a response.
Finally she just shook her head, "Damn, X..."
Xander shrugged, quirking a grin. "Hey, It's not so bad."
"Not for you, maybe." Faith grinned back slightly, "How the hell am I supposed to deal with Red, Kenny, B, and the Geek without a little dose of reality?"
"You've got Robin."
Faith shrugged, "yeah. I guess I do."
Janna frowned, finally speaking up. "Look... this is touching and all that... but I've got to get out of here. I've got duties to attend..."
Xander glanced at her, "You feeling better?"
She nodded.
Xander nodded behind him, "There's a roof access over here... You'll have to pull hard on it cause..."
Janna had found it by then and easily wrenched the trap door out of the ceiling by it's rusted hinges. "Sorry."
Xander shook his head, "No problem. It's on the fixit list for tomorrow anyway."
She nodded, looking up at the clear sky above. "I'll be back soon to check on Raze."
"Just come back the way you came." Xander said, "It's going to be hard enough to explain."
The Gangrel nodded, then jumped up and vanished into the night.
Faith looked up at the black hole in the ceiling, then back at Xander. "And you're SURE we shouldn't have staked her?"
Xander rolled her eyes, "Stop acting like Buffy."
"Hey! I'm not the one bringing stray vamps home to nurse back to health." Faith said pointedly.
"And I'm not the one who wants to kill everything and hope God sorts through the mess to be sure we got the right one."
Faith shrugged, "Point."
Xander walked over and knelt by the other Gangrel, checking the unconscious vampire for a moment before frowning. "He should have woken up by now..."
"I hit him pretty hard..."
"Yeah, but he's Kindred." Xander said, "They recover fast..."
"Don't you even think of feeding this one too." Faith said flatly.
"Don't worry." Xander breathed, "I'm a quart low already."
"Come on..." Xander said after a moment, "Let's go downstairs and face the inquisition."
Faith snorted, "You get to do that. Drop me off on the second floor. I'm going to sleep."
Xander groaned silently, but nodded.
As expected, he was immediately accosted by Dawn, Buffy, and perhaps oddly, Wood when he opened the lift to the ground floor.
"Xander!" Buffy snapped, "Where were you?? What's going on?"
"Who did you bring in? Are they alright?"
Wood frowned, "Where's Faith?"
Xander sighed, "I was on the third floor, nothing's going on, I brought in a couple friends, and they'll be fine, and Faith is catching some sleep in her room."
That got rid of one of his questioners, at least. Wood headed for the stairs while Buffy turned back on him. "Alright, Spill."
"Nothing to spill, Buff. Just ran into a couple of people who needed help on Patrol." Xander replied.
"Then why didn't you look after them down here??"
"Because they don't like to deal with people they don't know." Xander said flatly. "And neither does their Boss."
"Boss?" Buffy frowned, "Does this have anything to do with that guy who was here earlier?"
Xander shrugged, "In a way."
"Xander..." She growled warningly.
Xander was about to respond, when a rumbling broke in the distance and started to come closer.
"What now??" Buffy complained to the ceiling as Xander pushed past her to get to the bar.
Xander pulled his pistol from behind his back, ejecting the clip to the ground and slapping a fresh one home. Or rather he tried to, and wound up fumbling with it for a few seconds before it slid in. <God dammit. Just four years ago I could have done this in my sleep.>
He grabbed a couple stakes from under the bar and headed for the door, hot on Buffy's heels.
The two of them made it to the door just in time to see a dozen bikes pull into the lot.
Xander sighed instantly, pointing his gun up and away from the bikes as he recognized the lead biker.
"Godammit Cash," Xander growled, "Do you have any idea how freaky it is to see a dozen harleys roar into the lot after all the shit we've been through??"
The Gangrel Primogen shrugged and smiled. "Yep."
The he turned serious as Xander saw Janna get off the back of his bike. "Where's Raze?"
Xander nodded behind him, "Upstairs. As I'm sure you've been told."
"Take us."
Xander nodded, "Come on."
Buffy looked over the group, not having moved the whole time. "Xander... this is a bad idea."
"Buff... Just..." Xander shook his head, "Never mind. Come on, Cash."
The Gangrel Primogen followed Xander into the club, Janna and three other Gangrels staying close behind. As they passed, Buffy stepped back, out of their reach and stared at them suspiciously.
Xander led them into the club, then into the back while everyone stared at them. When they reached the elevator, Xander frowned. "What the hell..."
"What?" Cash demanded.
"Someone took the lift up." Xander frowned, turning around and heading back. "Come on."
He led the group up the stairs, double timing the whole way, to the second floor and immediately ran for the lift. It wasn't there either.
"Shit!" Xander cursed.
"What's gong on??" Cash demanded angrily.
"Someone took the lift up to the third floor!" Xander said, "That's where your friend is!"
Cash turned to Janna, "Take Brian and Joey and go back the way you got out. Now!"
Janna turned, tapping two of the Gangrels on her way past and they spun to follow her, moving down the stairs in a blur. By the time Cash turned back to Xander, he was already tracing a section of wall with his hands.
"What? What is it?"
"Shh...." Xander said, his face focused on the wall.
"Here." He said finally.
"Where? What?"
"The stairwell is behind this wall." Xander said.
"How can you tell?"
"I worked construction." Xander said, "I *know*."
"So... knock it down?"
"Right."
Cash nodded, his lips twisting. "Stand back."
The Gangrel snarled, his irises glowing a greenish hue, and slammed his hands through the gyp rock, throwing a cloud of dust into the air.
"RAAAARRRRRRGGGHHH!" He snarled, hooking his hands into the two by four braces and ripping the first one out through the wall in one ripping motion.
Xander hopped back, barely ducking the flying two by four, and pressed himself against the wall.
"What the FUCK is going on out here!?!?"
Xander's head snapped up to see Faith storm out of her room, pulling a white tank top down as she did. "Go back to bed."
She stopped and looked between him and Cash, then just stared at him as if he were insane. "What the fuck are you doing??"
Others were starting to come out of their rooms, and Xander frowned. "Back in your rooms! Trust me ladies, you do NOT want to be out here right now!"
Most of the girls just took one look at Cash and vanished back, those few that didn't only paused to look at Xander before nodding and vanishing. A few moments later, only Faith and Mike were still there.
"Xander..." Mike started, eying the wild eyed Cash carefully.
"Go one back to your wife and daughter, Mike. I've got this handled."
Mike nodded, backing away.
When he was gone, Xander nodded to Cash. "Go on, take the rest down."
"What about her?" Cash eyed Faith.
"Slayer." Xander replied, "She already knows something's funky anyway."
"Right." Cash just nodded then started ripping through the wall again.
"What. The. Fuck. Is going on here!?" Faith demanded as she stalked up to him.
Xander looked at her, annoyed, but answered. "Someone took the lift up to the third."
Faith looked up involuntarily, "Oh shit."
"Right."
"Christ, X! You left a freaking vampire up there and then let someone wander in on it!? Are you trying to get our people killed!?"
"Hey!" Cash spun around, "That 'freaking vampire' is one of my clan! And at last count was unconscious up there... so pardon me if I'm not worried for some freaking HUNTER wandering around."
With that Cash ripped the last two by four out of the wall and then run through the gap.
Xander and Faith barely looked at each other before chasing him up the old stairs that were hidden behind.
By the top of the stairwell Cash had been forced to slow down, but only for a moment, when he ran into a locked door.
"Ahhhhh!" He grunted, slamming into the door without pausing.
It held, but barely, so he hit it again.
Again, it buckled but didn't go down.
"Faith, give the man a hand." Xander said, stepping back.
Faith glared at him, but stepped up and nodded curtly at Cash. "On two. One..."
"Two!" The both yelled as Cash flung himself at the steel fire door and Faith unleashed a full power kick.
The hinges gave before the door and it was flung into the large room that made up the third floor.
The three of them rushed out of the stairwell, staggering to a stop as soon as they came into the open.
For two of them it was shock that brought them up, for the third it was concern.
"Back off!"
"Robin?" Faith frowned in confusion.
Robin Wood turned half way from where he was standing down Janna by holding a heavy blade to Raze's neck, and spotted Faith. "Faith! Give me a hand here. They're vampires!"
"Robin..." Xander stepped forward calmly, "You need to step back now."
"You brought them in here, you idiot!" Robin snapped at Xander, the edge of the blade in his hand cutting the, now barely conscious, Gangrel. "You brought vampires into our sanctuary!"
"Robin..." Xander brought his hands up empty, still speaking in the tone usually reserved for children. "This is insane. You have to let him go. If you kill him, I won't be able to do anything to keep you alive. You have to know that."
"C'mon, Rob..." Faith stammered out uneasily, "Relax. I mean, I ain't no fan of vamps, but even I can tell that these aren't the Sunnydale variety..."
"So what?" Robin asked flatly. "A vampire is a vampire. They still drink blood, and that means that they feed on US."
"Hey!" Xander snapped, "Think! This isn't about vamps now. This is about us getting you out of here in one piece. You're surrounded... outnumbered... and have zero place to go. You cannot kill them all, Rob. Stand down!"
"I wouldn't be in this position if you hadn't brought them in here!"
"You wouldn't be in this position if you had gone up to Faith's room and spent some time with her like any SANE person would do!" Xander snapped right back. "Christ, Rob. You hate vamps, I GET that. Jesus, I really do! But come on!"
Xander watched Robin's eyes, and thought for a moment that he was getting through. He saw the uncertainty there, then the knife began to drop.
And then Buffy came raging up the stairs and into the middle of things with Kennedy and two other Slayers behind her.
<Fuck!> Xander raged internally as Robin's grip on the knife tightened and he turned to Buffy.
"Buffy, these are vampires! Help me!"
Stakes came out in an instant, and Xander saw the gangrels eyes flare as they tensed for a fight.
"Jesus H Christ, I Do NOT have time for this!" Xander shouted, attracting the attention of everyone present.
Taking advantage of that he suddenly whipped the Colt from his belt and strode across the room, closing the gap between him and Robin before the man could move. He pressed the barrell of the gun to the black man's head and growled, "Let the man go before I kill you myself!"
A moment of shocked silence reigned over the room, the air thick with the surprise and shock of nearly every person there.
There were, in fact, only two people who weren't in a state of shock.
The first was Xander Harris.
This was hardly surprising as he was the one who was the source of the shocking actions.
The second, however, was surprising as Robin Wood was the target of said action. But all he head was laugh lightly in the face of Xander's threat.
During that low chuckling laughter everyone glanced back at a noise to see Dawn come coughing through the dust filled stairwell. "Hey, what's going.... whoa..."
There was another deep silence as everyone looked at Xander and Wood.
"What is it with you Sunnydale people?" Robin asked after a moment. "First Buffy over there tells me she'll stand back and watch Spike kill me if I tried to avenge my mother, and now you put a gun to my head and say that you'll blow my brains out?? Jesus! Choose a team and stick with it!"
"I have." Xander said coldly into the silence that followed Robin's statement. "And you're on the wrong side of the line."
"It must be something with the Hellmouth." Robin spat, "You're all vamp lovers!"
"The difference," Xander said, still reasonably. "Between me and Buffy is simple. She liked having monsters around cause she thought they were useful, that she could tame them. They could do things she couldn't. Me? I do my own dirty work. Now let him go."
"Xander... what?" Buffy started, still staring in shock at the gun in his hand, but Xander cut her off.
"I'm sorry, Buff. But I don't have the time... or the desire to explain. Just stay right there and don't start anything."
"I think you've pretty much got that handled, X." Faith said, her voice tense with anger. "I like you, I really do, but if you pull that trigger I'm going to have to rip you in half."
"You do what you gotta do, Faith." Xander said, his one eye still locked with Robin's. "Come on, Rob... Let him go... Let him go."
Robin broke eye contact and looked over Xander's shoulder to Buffy. "Come on, Slayer! These are *vampires* inside our current sanctuary!"
Buffy looked side to side, uncertain what to do. Behind her the three Slayers tensed, weapons coming up. Buffy nodded, her own short sword climbing as she slipped into a fighting stance.
"Don't do it, Buff." Xander said, not looking back. "Leave this to me."
"You aren't handling it too well, Xand." Buffy snapped.
"You still planning on leaving me behind when you go, Buff?" Xander asked almost casually.
Buffy stammered in surprise, "Xan... Xander... It's not like that, and you know it."
"Am I, or am I not going to Cleveland with you?" Xander said easily, "It's a pretty simple question."
Buffy swallowed, "You're not."
"Right." Xander said, smiling slightly. "So this is my domain now. Do me a favor, let me handle this."
"Xander... you're protecting a vampire!"
"He's my guest." Xander said, "I brought him in here... I'm responsible for him. Just TRUST me for once, dammit!"
"Xander... I..." Buffy hesitated, looking around for help that wasn't forthcoming. "I do trust you, Xander... but this... You're threatening a man's life!"
Xander snorted, "The same man you were going to feed to Spike?"
"That's not fair!"
"Buffy, I'm holding a gun to the head of a man I fought beside less then a month ago." Xander said, his tone twisted with irony. "What makes you think fair play matters much to me right now?"
Buffy shook her head, "I'm sorry Xander... I just can't."
Buffy brought her sword back up, and the Slayers behind her did the same. Across the room, the Five Gangrels tensed, their eyes glowing green as they brought out their inner beasts.
"Stop it!!"
Everyone, even Xander and Robin blinked and glanced toward the source of the voice in surprise. Dawn glared all around the room, even at the Gangrels who were eyeing her in surprise.
"Everyone of you! Just.... Stop it!" She shouted, "God! Are you all morons!?"
"Dawn... go back downstairs..." Buffy ordered briskly. "This isn't the place for you."
"Hell no." Xander smirked suddenly, "I want to hear what she has to say. Personally I agree with her, this situation is idiotic."
Dawn eyed him with an expression of disgust. "Buffy was right. You do need someone to look after you."
Xander suddenly laughed, nodding to Faith. "You win that one, Faith."
Everyone looked confused while Faith actually chuckled, "Told ya."
"Do I *need* a translator??" Buffy growled, looking between them.
Xander shrugged, "Faith bet me that you'd feed Dawn the same line you fed me about how we need someone to look after us."
Buffy's sword dropped as she blushed bright red and Dawn glared at her.
"Never mind that now." Dawn muttered, "Now what the hell is going on here!?"
"Xander has a gun to Robin's head." Buffy snapped in a 'duh' tone of voice.
"No shit." Dawn muttered, "Why??"
"Dawn!" Buffy and Xander both snapped, "Watch your language!"
Dawn sighed, and repeated the question. "Why?"
"Because Robin wants to stake a vamp."
Dawn frowned, "What kind of stupid..."
"Exactly!" Buffy said.
"I was talking about you!" Dawn snapped. "Have you EVER known Xander to protect a Vampire!?"
There was silence.
"Well... no... but..."
"But what? This is Xander Harris, Buffy! The guy you had to hold back from staking Spike! The guy who tried to get you to stake Angel for YEARS. He doesn't protect Vampires."
"But he is!"
Dawn looked around, "They're not human... that's for sure. But I don't see a vamp face in the lot."
Buffy and the Slayer's looked around, hesitantly gauging the figures ranged around them.
"Uhh... You know..." Rona muttered, looking around. "Dawn's got a point. Don't know what them glowing eyes is all about, but that ain't like any Vamp I've seen..."
Buffy hesitated again, then her sword dropped until the point was touching the floor. "Then what the hell is going on here?"
"They're vampires!" Robin snapped. "Believe me! They ARE vampires!"
"You, shut up!" Xander said, rapping him once on the forehead with the barrel of the .45. "And let him go for Christsakes, I want to grab a drink and go to bed!"
Robin switched his gaze back to Xander, glaring at him. "You can't trust these animals! They'll come back now that they know how to get in!"
"Who are you calling animal!?" One of the Gangrels snapped, taking a step forward.
"Ah ah..." Faith said, stepping in front of him. "You don't want to take me on, biker boy."
"Oh yeah? Maybe I do..."
"Brian!" Cash snapped. "Back off."
"Cash! That bastard has a knife to Raze's throat!"
"And that's why you're going to back off." Cash snapped again, "Or by god I'll put a knife to YOUR throat!"
Xander looked straight at Robin, but spoke to the others. "You ever know a Vamp to care for anyone? Even one of his own?"
One by one the Slayer's hesitantly let their weapons down slightly, but remained tense.
"Put the knife down, Rob." Xander urged, looking over the iron sights of the .45, "Put the knife down, then you and Faith can take a bottle of wine to your room and just relax..."
Wood hesitated again, but the blade wavered. "What makes you think they'll let any of us walk out of here if I do?"
"I can't tell you that, Rob." Xander said evenly. "You just got to take some things on faith."
"You're asking a lot, you know that, right?"
Xander nodded, backing off slightly so that the barrel of the gun was about a foot from Wood. "I know."
Robin nodded, taking a deep breath. "Just so you know."
Then he abruptly flipped the blade away, and shoved the injured Gangrel across the room. One of his fellows caught him just before he hit the floor and Xander heard a feral cry from behind him.
He turned just in time to intercept Cash in mid air, bodily bringing the Gangrel to a jarring stop and holding him against all attempts to get forward. "Cash! Back off! Don't make this worse!!"
The growling Gangrel glared at him, "He threatened my Clan. No one gets away with that."
"My domain, Cash!" Xander snapped, still holding the Gangrel in place. "My responsibility. He's under my protection, just as much as your man was!"
Cash seethed, but stepped back. As he backed off, he pointed at Robin. "You keep him in check, Harris! If he tries this again, I will have his head."
"He's leaving town, Cash..." Xander said, "No worries."
Cash nodded, glaring at Wood as he did, then turned away. "Fine. You deal with him... Your domain. Just keep him off MY domain."
"I will."
Cash nodded, then looked at his Gangrels. "Let's go."
The Gangrels nodded, then one by one vanished up through the hole in the roof, even Raze managing to vanish easily into the night.
Xander slumped against the wall and let out a log shuddering sigh. "God dammit Julian... I'd rather have taken on the vamps that were stalking around here.... Why did you have to leave your Gangrels to sweep the area??"
After a moment, Xander got up and shakily safetied his pistol, then slid the 1911 into his belt. Around him the shock was starting to wear off, and the others were turning to him in anger.
"Just what the HELL was that about, Xander?" Buffy started first.
Xander shook his head, walking past her and into the old stairwell. He paused at the fire door, looking at it speculatively for a moment before he continued down the stairs. Within seconds he had everyone except Robin and Faith on his heels.
At the bottom of the stairs he saw heads looking out of the rooms and nodded, forcing a smile. "Excitements over... You can relax."
He saw relieved smiles as heads ducked back into the doors, and then continued downstairs. When he got down there he found Giles and a few of the Slayers looking at him curiously. He ignored them as the troop behind him came storming in, and just poured himself a glass of brandy from Sonya's private stock, hidden under the bar.
He sighed as he saw the look on their faces, then shrugged and retrieved a bottle of Wine from the cooler and handed it to Dawn with a couple glasses. "Do me a favor? Run this up to Faith and Wood?"
Dawn looked ready to object, but Xander cut her off. "You won't miss anything, I promise. You can come back down."
She didn't looked happy, but nodded and walked out.
Xander took a sip of the brandy, looking around as Buffy continued to Glare at him. Finally he sighed, "Buffy... You have no idea how close you and Wood just came to getting us all killed. Including the civilians upstairs."
"Oh? So why don't you tell me?"
Xander snorted, taking another sip, and Giles looked between them in concern. "What happened, Buffy?"
"That's what I want to know." Buffy said coldly.
"What happened..." Xander started, but then shook his head. "No. Wait for Dawn to come back. I promised her."
"Xander...!"
"I promised her." Xander repeated, taking another sip.
"Fine." Buffy grumbled, sitting down on a stool and glared at Xander.
A few minutes later, Dawn returned to find that the temperature of the room was most certainly sub-zero. "Brrrr... You guys need to knock the ice ships off your shoulders."
Xander smiled, chuckling slightly, but Buffy just kept glaring. "NOW why don't you tell me how close *I* came to getting us all killed?"
Xander didn't respond to the sarcasm, he just shrugged. "You know what happens when you hurt a member of a biker gang?"
Buffy looked confused. "Huh?"
"What he means," Dawn smirked, "Is that the rest of the gang comes over to your place and stomps you into the ground."
"Bingo." Xander grinned, "Beyond the Law?"
"Great movie." Dawn grinned back.
"What the hell are you two talking about??"
Xander fixed her with a glare from his one good eye, "I'm talking about fifty more of them coming in here and killing everyone in the place if you had somehow managed to kill Cash, Buffy. And if they weren't enough, then another fifty after that. And fifty more after THAT."
"Good lord, what ARE you talking about??" Giles pushed in.
Xander shook his head, "We had a little incident, Giles. Buffy and her pet Slayers..."
The Slayers in question bristled at that, but Xander continued.
"Almost got into a fight with the leader of the local Gangrel clan." Xander said evenly, his mind racing fast as he tried to fabricate a story on the fly.
"The what??"
"Gangrels." Xander repeated, "They're shape shifters... Sort of like Werewolves. They like to travel in packs and they look out for their own. Faith and I ran across a couple who had nearly been killed by vamps while we were out earlier."
"Why did Wood say they were vampires??" Buffy demanded.
Xander shrugged, "It's not that hard a mistake to make, Buffy. They look human, got a lot of the advantages of being a vamp too. And they sure aren't vegetarians."
Xander smiled lightly at that, but Buffy bristled.
"They eat... people??"
Xander shrugged, "As a rule? No. In fact they have laws against it... Killing a human means a death sentence, Buff. And they DO enforce the laws. You can't ask for better then that."
"Indeed." Giles nodded, "I would have to agree... provided that your information is correct, of course."
Xander smiled and nodded, "Of course."
After a moment Xander looked at Buffy evenly, "I think it would be best if you left for Cleveland as soon as possible. Give them time to cool down, they tend to hot headed."
Buffy looked taken aback by that, "You... you want us to leave?"
"Someone has to get Wood out of here as soon as possible, Buffy." Xander said, "Before one of the Gangrels decide to come after him."
"I thought you said they have laws against that."
"They do, but they're also a biker gang, Buff." Xander quirked a smile. "Sometimes is doesn't pay to tempt fate."
"Quite." Giles said easily, "As it happens I have arraigned transport to the coast."
Xander swallowed, a sudden lump forming against his will. "I'll miss you guys."
"You're not coming?" Giles asked in sudden confusion.
Dawn frowned, "Buffy told us not too."
"Both of you??" Giles looked between them oddly.
Buffy suddenly spoke up, "Dawn I don't think you staying is such a good..."
"What? Now you change your mind?" Dawn asked indignantly.
"Xander is playing a dangerous game, Dawn." Buffy said defensively.
"More dangerous then the games you play?"
"I don't play games, Dawn." Buffy glared.
"Niether do I, Buffy." Xander said cooly.
"Then why are you associating with these... Gangrels?" Buffy asked sarcastically.
Xander sighed, "Buffy... Have you looked at the news lately?"
"Of course! Why do you think we're going to Cleveland so soon??"
"And have you noticed how quiet San Francisco has been?" Xander asked, almost casually.
"Of course." Giles said, his eyes widening.
Buffy looked between then, confused. "What?"
Xander shook his head, "Well *someone* is protecting the city, Buffy... and I know it's not us. Who do you think it is?"
"Well how should I..." Buffy trailed off. "Them?"
"Them." Xander said evenly. "So I'll thank you to keep your Slayers off their case."
"Xander! None of this would have happened if you had just told us the truth from the start!"
"Buffy... Do you announce that you're the Slayer to every one who comes into town?" Xander asked evenly. "Do you tell them that Willow is a Witch? That Giles is your Watcher?"
"No but..."
"Then don't expect others to announce their secrets to you."
"*YOU* aren't 'others' Xander!" Buffy snapped, her expression hurt. "You aren't supposed to hide things from me!"
Xander looked at her evenly for a moment, then looked at Giles. "I think it would be best if you got everyone who's going out of here by tomorrow."
Giles eyes widened, looking between Xander and Buffy in shock. He could see the shock and hurt in Buffy's eyes, something that would have ripped through him just one short year earlier. Now it was merely a dull sting, and he could tell that Xander felt the same and nothing more.
So he just nodded, "very well. I'll miss you, Xander."
Xander nodded, "I'll miss you too, Giles."
Then, almost as an afterthought, "I'll miss all of you."
Julian Luna stood at the front windows of his mansion, staring stolidly out at the incredibly dark night that surrounded his city.
There was a whisper of motion, then he felt a presence at his side, though he'd heard nothing approach. "So how bad is the damage, old friend?"
Daedalus spoke softly, evenly. "Not as bad as it could have been, Julian. Harris concocted a rather amusing tale to explain the Gangrels."
"Oh?"
"Yes, Nosferatu scouts were listening when he explained that the Gangrels were shapeshifters... werewolves, he compared them too."
Julian laughed lightly, "I should hate to imagine Cash's reaction to that."
Daedalus smiled, then shrugged. "One never knows with the Gangrels, Julian... Sometimes I think they admire the Lupines... other times I know it."
"True." Julian sighed, "I underestimated Wood's perception. He should never have recognized any of us."
"Perhaps he didn't. Perhaps he was merely being... careful."
"It hardly matters." Julian shook his head.
"No. It doesn't." Daedalus said, "But we may not have to act."
"Oh?"
"Harris has... strongly advised them to take Wood and leave the city at the earliest opportunity." The Nosferatu said, "And they are going to Cleveland."
"Ah." Julian nodded, "Well, in that case I don't see any reason to enforce the law at this junction. They'll need everyone they can get if they hope to have an impact there."
"Indeed."
"Still... dispatch someone to watch over them... and to make certain that Wood gets on that flight."
"As you will, My Prince."
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
The sounds reverberated through the stairwell, each snapping sound causing Andrew to jump slightly, as if his own skin were trying to skip around on it's own. He walked slowly up the old and dusty stairwell, toward the source of the sound that had awakened him.
He was an early riser, counter to his 'geek' stereotype, something that had often driven Warren insane, or so he had been told on enough occasions. So when he'd heard the noises echoing down into his small room he had followed them.
When he stepped out onto the third floor of the club he found Xander steadily pumping nails into the floor as he moved along the length of the room.
Andrew stood there for a long time, watching. He really admired anyone who could do something *right*. As much as he hated to even think it, he knew that he was a screwup. Hell, everyone he'd ever associated with was a screw up.
But damned if Xander couldn't BUILD things well.
He'd have stood there longer without being noticed except that the air compressor for the nail gun kicked in at that moment and he yelped in fright.
Xander glanced back, not missing a beat with the tool in his hand. "Hey, Andrew. What's up?"
"Oh... uh... well... I heard the noses and umm... well... you know."
Xander shrugged and continued to slap the nail gun down along the boards as he worked his way along the floor.
"Hey Xander...." Andrew started, only to pause when Xander turned to look at him.
"What?"
"Well... Uh... You know, I was wondering if you thought I might be able to... well, you know..."
Xander looked around the room with his single eye, confused as hell. "Uh... No, I don't."
That only made Andrew look even more flustered. "Well, you see I really don't want to..."
"To...?" Xander tried to edge him along.
"Go to Cleveland?" Andrew said for tremulously that Xander almost laughed.
"You want to stay here?" Xander said after he regained control. "Hey, Andrew... You're old enough to make your own decisions, but I've got to tell you... I don't even know where I'm staying... Don't know what you'll do..."
"I could help!"
"Help what??"
"I don't know... whatever you're doing."
Xander laughed, causing Andrew to flush and look down at his feet. "Hey... don't look so down, man. The thing is, I don't know what I'm doing. Once I get this job done I'm going to look for a job at the local construction sites, but unless you're better with a hammer then you are with a jet pack I don't think that'll suit you."
Andrew winced, "Buffy told you about that, huh?"
Xander nodded.
"Oh... well... I guess I'll just go pack then..."
As the young man turned to walk away, Xander closed his eyes and sighed. Andrew wasn't going to be much use to Buffy, he knew that for a fact. Truth was, he would probably get himself killed in Cleveland, and maybe take someone with him. Besides, Xander had to admit he remembered feeling a lot like Andrew seemed to now. "Hey..."
"Yeah?" Andrew looked back.
"I can't guarantee anything, but you can stay."
"Even when you know about the jet pack?" Andrew brightened up.
Xander chuckled, laying the nail gun down after popping the air hose from it, "Come on... I need a Coffee and I'll tell you a story about a boy and his skateboard."
Dawn was up early as well, or it might be more appropriate to say that she hadn't gotten any sleep the night before.
Two images rolled around in her mind, constantly warring with each other and driving her to distraction. The first was going to Cleveland with Buffy, her sister. Buffy was the only blood family she had anymore, maybe the only blood family she ever did have.
Dawn shivered at that though, remembering Joyce's words.
<She won't choose you.>
<Well maybe I have to start choosing me then." Dawn though, viciously stabbing at the previous thought.
The second image was staying here. Watching out for Xander while he watched out for her. And she knew that Xander, of all people, would watch out for her. Of course, he needed someone to watch out for him just as bad, she smirked to herself.
But Buffy was her FAMILY.
<Isn't Xander?>
<It's not the same!> She told herself fiercely, frowning as she looked at the bags she had packed the previous night.
<Isn't it?>
Dawn growled, a low vibrating sound that curled around the room, trying to escape the snide little voice that kept interjecting it's own thoughts into her inner debate.
<ok, FINE. Xander is family. But he doesn't need me.> Dawn told herself, <Xander knows how to take care of himself... he knows how to live... Buffy only knows how to fight.>
That silenced the voice for a while, but then it turned right around and snipped at her yet again. <And that's all Buffy is going to BE doing. Cleveland is going to be Sunnydale all over again.>
Dawn sat down on her bed, rubbing her face painfully. She shook her head, "I can't leave her. She needs me."
Vocalizing the statement seemed to make it true, because Dawn soon found that the snippy inner voice had fallen silent.
Faith sat up, silent, in the bed she shared with Robin Wood. On the nightstand next to her was an unopened bottle of wine, a gift from Xander that Robin had all but thrown back in Dawn's face the night before.
He was beside her, sleeping soundly after a fitful night, a scowl still on his face.
Faith looked down at him, wondering about the night before. He'd been angry when they screwed, and not of much use to her in the least. But that wasn't really his fault, she figured, not after the night before. She had also pushed him to have sex, thinking it would calm the man.
It hadn't, but at least it had distracted him for a while.
The rest of the night he'd turned and grumbled under his breath, stealing sleep from her with every passing moment.
So Faith sighed as she considered how she'd come to be involved with him. Not that he was a bad catch, she figured, at least not my the usual standards. He was good looking enough, hell he was downright handsome. Better then most of her former 'conquests' by several degrees of magnitude. He was also nice, and a good fighter, and not completely screwed up inside.
All in all, Faith couldn't figure out why *he* hadn't walked away from her after the first couple tumbles in bed. She was the ex-con 'slut bomb' after all.
But, really, that wasn't what bothered her.
The simple fact was, he wasn't her type. Hell, she didn't even know if she HAD a type. Love em and leave em took on knew meaning where she was concerned.
And she'd been so damned horny when she got out of prison, it had been all she could handle to keep from jumping Angel's son for Christ sakes. Faith shivered at that thought, reflecting that at an earlier point in her life she undoubtedly *would* have.
Faith turned to look at where Wood was sleeping next to her and shivered again, an ugly thought hitting her. Wood had been the only guy around who didn't have some serious impediment to her giving them a Roll.
Spike was a vamp... and the only reason she'd even consider touching that would be to give B a rise.
Andrew was just about the geekiest thing she'd ever seen, and the way he acted would have made her feel like a cradle robber anyway. IF the little turd had even been interested, which Faith wasn't certain he would have been since he seemed to consider Xander more his type.
She smirked at that thought, but then became serious again because that thought brought her to the next one in line.
Xander.
She had to admit, he was a good guy. But she'd tried to kill him, and she didn't know how to broach the subject with him. Angel had forced it on her, ripped her apology from her through sheer persistant force of personality. Xander just acted like she didn't need to apologize. It was already forgiven.
But without getting that out, she couldn't bring herself to talk to him. Couldn't even go near him really. Then came Robin.
Faith looked down at the man dozing beside her, wondering if maybe he was just a one night stand that she was afraid to walk away from. If maybe, deep down, she thought if she didn't wak away from this one, that it would mean that she hadn't changed at all.
That she was still worthless, and no matter how long she spent in prison, she'd never be able to be any better then she was before.
A slut.
A murderer.
Faith.
"Hey..."
Faith looked down to see Wood smiling sleepily up at her and smiled back despite all her thoughts. "Hey..."
"What are you think about?"
Faith hesitated, then lied through her teeth. "Cleveland."
Wood nodded, "It'll be rough. But we'll manage."
Faith forced a smile, "Yeah. I know."
"Good. What time is it?"
"Six."
Robin groaned, "I'm going to catch another couple hours sleep, ok? Our plane isn't due to leave until two anyway."
"Go right ahead.... lover." Faith said without much inflection.
Robin smiled up at her, "You going to join me?"
"Nah." Faith shook her head, "I'm used to prison time. Time for a morning workout."
"Ok..." He rolled over, "I'll see you later."
"You got it, beefcake."
Faith followed the sound of voices and found herself standing in a small kitchen area tucked away on the first floor of the club. Xander and Andrew were talking and laughing about something, and for once even Andrew's nervous laugh wasn't riding on her nerves.
"Hey, what's so funny?" She asked, announcing her presence as she grabbed a mug and poured herself some coffee.
Xander shrugged, "Just swapping embarrassing stories."
Faith smirked, straddling a chair as she sat down at the table. "Sounds like fun. But there's no way that eithe of you have any *really* embarrassing stories to tell."
"Right." Xander just shrugged, "And you, of course, have all sorts."
Faith shrugged, "Embarrassing for more people? Yep. For me they're just another day in the life."
Xander nodded, "Sure."
"Don't believe me??" Faith smiled challengingly, "You already know I did the whole Slaying in the nude deal, right?"
Xander nodded while Andrew's eyes bugged out. "What??"
"Oh yeah," Faith shrugged, "hey, when you sleep in the buff and do the whole camping thing... well, things are bound to happen."
"Oh wow." Andrew grinned, "That is pretty bad..."
Xander shrugged, "Eh."
"Oh, you think you can top it do ya?" Faith grinned challengingly, "How about it I raise the stakes by telling you I saved a baptist minister that time... and he gave me a hug before he realized I was 'au naturale'."
Xander nodded slowly, his mouth curled appreciatively. "Not bad... Not too bad at all."
"Still think you can do better?" Faith asked in disbelief.
"If I wanted too." Xander smiled as he took a sip of his coffee.
"Oh, now you got me curious, X." Faith grinned, "Gotta spill now, or I'll have to kick your ass."
"That a promise?" Xander grinned.
"Xander..."
Xander kept smiling, then just shrugged. "What the hell. It doesn't really matter anymore I guess... Back when I was in town before, I told you I used to work here?"
"Yeah... I figured you tended bar."
"I did spend most of my time behind the bar, of course." Xander said, "but Sonya did the same play on me that I pulled on you."
Faith's eyes widened, "you didn't."
Xander nodded, smiling wide.
"You did!" Faith said in shock, but then shook her head. "Doesn't matter... still not as bad."
"I was dressed as a Fireman actually," Xander went on, not bothering to acknowledge her statement. "And that first time I was so nervous that I got halfway down the runway, then the axe got jammed up in my legs and I tripped."
Faith gasped in laughter, her hand flying to her mouth. Beside her Andrew's eyes bugged out and he looked like he wanted to laugh too, but was turning purple instead.
"I did two summersaults and three cartwheels before crashing into the pole and knocking myself out." Xander said, his smile gone. "Sonya trained me for three weeks on how to dance before she even considered asking me to do that again."
"You...." Faith gasped out between wails of laughter, "You win, X!"
Xander watched as Faith rolled around on the table, barely able to keep herself off the floor, and Andrew kept turning an alarm puce color. Then he just nodded sagely, "Yeah. I know."
A few hours later, everyone was up and milling around as they got packed and prepared to move.
"Is everyone ready??" Buffy asked as she moved through the halls, checking on the Slayers.
The answers came back in the affirmative, so she moved on. She came up to a halt a moment later as Xander appeared in front of her, "Oh... Hi, Xander..."
"Hey, Buff." He said affably, as if the night before hadn't happened. "I wanted to let you know that Andrew has decided not to go the Cleveland."
"What??" Buffy looked confused.
"Andrew? Little guy? Weird sense of humor? Star Trek geek?" Xander prompted, "Any of these ringing a bell?"
"Yeah, I know who you mean, Xander." Buffy said irritably. "Why does he want to stay?"
Xander shrugged, "How should I know? Maybe he isn't keen on Drew Carey?"
"What!?"
"Never mind." Xander shook his head, "I already let Giles know, so I'm just giving you the heads up on the current situation. It's not like he'd be a major asset in a warzone, Buff."
Buffy nodded reluctantly, "But we were supposed to watch him... you know, in case he tries to kill anyone else??"
"Buff," Xander smiled slightly, "You aren't part of the prison system... that's not your job."
"Yeah but..."
"Buffy." Xander frowned, "Don't you have enough on your plate?? Just let it go."
Buffy reluctantly nodded, then shrugged. "You're right. You sure you want him around here though?"
Xander shrugged, "I'll see if I can't find something for him to do... A big part of his problem before was that he and the other two had way too much time on their hands. Idle hands and all that."
"Yeah. I guess." Buffy's expression cleared up, "Anyone else?"
"I don't know... Dawn is the only one outstanding that I know of... but hey, Andrew took me by surprise." Xander replied, "Have you talked to her?"
Buffy shook her head, "No... Not yet."
"Don't you think you should? The time is coming up." Xander replied, "After last night..."
Reluctantly, Buffy nodded. "Yeah... you're right Xander..."
Then she sighed, "You know I'm going to rally miss you, right?"
Xander smiled at her, "I'll miss you too Buffy."
"I never thought that we'd break up the scoobies, Xander..." Buffy said as her eyes searched his face and her lips quivered. "I always thought that we'd be... well together until..."
"Until we died." Xander finished for her. "Yeah, I know the feeling. But I'll always be with you, Buffy. From now until the end..."
Xander reached out and gently hugged her while she reached around and hugged him back. In seconds tears were streaming down her cheeks, "Oh Xander..."
"Always." Xander promised, "I'll always be there... just like I know you will be."
"I will." She vowed, squeezing him with all her strength as she mentally repeated the vow in her head. "If you ever need me..."
"I know, Buff. Same here." Xander said, releasing her and smiling warmly. He reached up and brushed the tears away, cleaning her cheeks. "Hey... none of that now... You've got to look good for the flight..."
She laughed lightly, pushing back her hair. "Thanks Xander."
"No problem." Xander said easily, "Now go on and talk to your sister."
Buffy nodded, "ok."
"Hey."
Dawn looked up from her packing to see her Sister standing in the doorway. "Hey."
"Decided to come I guess?"
Dawn nodded, "Yeah."
Buffy took a breath, "Are you sure?"
Dawn hesitated, but then nodded again. "Yeah."
Buffy nodded, "ok."
"Ok?" Dawn looked up, "That's it?"
"Yeah, that's it." Buffy forced a smile, "I'm not going to lie. I wish you weren't... I'm scared for you... But it's your choice. And I guess I have to respect that."
"It was Xander's choice too." Dawn muttered, mollified but still aggravated. "And you pushed him into staying, didn't you?"
Buffy nodded, her face clouding. "Yeah. I did. Or I think I did."
"You think?"
"I wanted Xander to watch out for you... and for you both to be safe." Buffy said after a moment. "It was the best I could offer you both. Don't you see that??"
"No, Buffy. I don't see that." Dawn snapped. "Xander gave you seven years of his life. He gave you his EYE. And you kept trying to throw all his sacrifices back in his face."
"I want him to live, Dawn." Buffy said, closing the door behind her as she stepped in. "God, I just wanted him to LIVE."
Dawn smiled sadly, "Don't you see, Buffy? He's the only one of us who HAS lived. He never let the crap of Sunnydale get to him... he always bounced back. Even now, he's lost everything, and what is he doing? He's helping some friends back to their feet... and you know what? He LOVES it."
Buffy took a breath, "I know, Dawn. I know. And sometimes I wonder what Xander might have been able to do if not for me dragging him down..."
Dawn shrugged, "I don't suppose you've considered that if not for you, if not for the ideal that he fights by your side for, then Xander might have become his dad?"
Buffy's eyes widened, "Dawn! No!"
"I'm serious, Buffy." Dawn said, "Oh he might not have become abusive, but then again he might have. He could have jumped from job to job, then started drinking... who knows? But he didn't. And part of that is because you showed him that there was real evil in the world... and real good too."
Buffy shook her head.
"Dammit, Sis!" Dawn raged suddenly, "Do you really think that Xander would have done as well in construction if he hadn't been striving to prove something? Or do you really think that all the times he's saved your ass haven't let him build up a little ego? Xander..."
Dawn hesitated, "Xander once told me that he knows what it's like to be the normal guy... like me. No powers, having to watch as his friends kept getting more and more powerful... He told me that he thought that made me all the more special... And you know, Buffy... He's right. And he was talking about himself too..."
Buffy nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks for the second time oft he day.
But Dawn wasn't finished, "He's done at least as much as you, Buffy... Saved us all just as many times. And he did it not because it's his destiny... he did it because he loved us."
"Alright, everybody, stay together now..." Giles urged his 'wards' as they made their way down the concourse toward their boarding gate.
Xander was walking along with him, checking the ticket numbers against the signs when something caused him to look up.
When he did his eyes opened in shock and he stumbled a step, quickly slowing down to a crawl as he stared. There in a corner a short distance away was a pasty faced figure in a black robe, staring at the group as they walked.
<Nosferatu.> Xander thought, his eyes locked on the figure as he watched dozens of milling people walk right past the creature without so much as glancing in it's direction.
Xander kept slowing down for a moment, stunned by the sight, and noted that the Nosferatu was equally stunned by the fact that it had been spotted. Xander lifted a hand, "wha...?"
And was struck from behind when three Slayers tried to march over him.
They stumbled a bit, barely keeping their balance, and Rona snapped out. "Hey! Watch what your doing!"
Xander half turned back to them, "Did you guys see..."
He turned back, but the Nosferatu was gone as if it had never existed.
"See what?"
Xander shook his head, "Never mind. Come on, I think your terminal is up here."
The group continued on, coming up to the right terminal, and fell into a shocked silence that brought Xander's head up again.
He groaned instantly, recognizing the reason.
There, ahead of them, bathing in the sun coming through the huge south facing windows, was Cash and several of his Gangrels including Raze and Janna. They were smirking wide at Wood as everyone walked up to the gate.
<God save me.> Xander groaned, shaking his head. Outwardly he forced a smile, and nodded at Cash. "Cash."
"Harris." The Gangrel pushed himself off the glass and walked up, being joined by his gang.
Some of the Slayers were already giving Wood a dirty look, while Faith was alternating between goggling at the Gangrels and glaring at Xander.
Cash ignored it all, "Just thought we see your 'friends' off."
Xander smothered a snort and nodded, "That's... nice of you."
Cash shrugged, grinning nastily. "Well, you know...sometimes it's just nice to get out and catch some *sun*."
Wood flinched at that, still staring in shock at the people he could have sworn were vampires.
Xander smiled, nodding. "You're looking a little extra scruffy today... forget clean up this morning?"
Cash paused, then grinned widely as he made a show of checking his reflection in the glass while brushing the stubble on his cheeks. "Well... it was a busy night."
Xander just barely kept from laughing, then nodded. "Well we have to get these guys checked through..."
"Don't let us stop you." Cash shrugged. "We certainly wouldn't want 'them' to miss their flight."
Xander shivered, deciding that getting Wood out of town today had been the best idea he'd had in a long time. So he and Giles quickly got the Slayers processed through while Buffy helped Dawn and Willow with their stuff. It didn't take too long, then it was time for the final goodbyes.
Willow was biting her lip when she looked up at Xander, and he just smiled warmly back at her. "Hey... it'll be ok, Will... you'll see."
Willow nodded, "I'm just gonna miss you... that's all."
Xander smiled, "I'll miss you too, Will. But we'll keep in touch... and you know that you just need to call and I'll come running... right?"
"R...right." She said as firmly as possible with emotion choking her voice.
"C'mere." Xander said, pulling the red head into a hug. She smiled in relief and hugged him back for a while then they broke apart. "You'll be fine."
Willow nodded, "I... I think so. SO will you."
Xander nodded, "Yeah. I get by."
"You do more then that, Xander." Dawn said, coming up to them.
"Dawnie..." Xander smiled, looking over. "I'll miss you fierce, kiddo."
"Don't call me that." Dawn said sternly, but ruined the effect by smiling.
Xander laughed, "You watch out for them..."
He leaned in, mock whispering, "These super powered types have a little problem dealing with this little thing the rest of us call reality..."
Dawn giggled a bit, then nodded and hugged him tightly around the neck while whispering to him. "I know. Why do you think I'm going?"
Buffy scowled at them both, her eyes lit with just a little humor. "I should be insulted I'm sure, but I guess the 'reality' of it hasn't sunk in yet."
Both of them laughed at her and Xander reached over and pulled her closer. "Be careful, Buffy. Cleveland isn't going to be easy."
She nodded, "I know. But we have to go."
Xander nodded, "Look... I'm going to come out there..."
"No! Please... Xander," Buffy swallowed, "I need to know that *someone* I love is safe."
<Nowhere is safe...> Xander thought to himself, but then shrugged. "Buffy... When I'm done here, I'm going to see about what to do next. Whatever it is, it'll be my choice... And I think I can safely say that we'll see each other again."
Buffy bit her lower lip, but nodded. "Be safe, Xander... please."
Xander smiled softly, shaking his head. "If I can."
Buffy looked down, gathering her emotions before nodding. Then Giles came along, gathering everyone up. "Our flight is boarding soon... please, everyone to the boarding line now..."
The girls all trudged away, heading for the first of the security checks. Giles stayed behind a moment, "Be careful, Xander."
"You too, Gman." Xander smiled, "Don't let Cleveland wear you down."
Giles smiled slightly, shaking his head. "I'm not foolish enough to believe that you intend to do nothing while we're gone... but take care, and don't be foolish. Well... no more foolish then usual at least."
Xander chuckled, "Gee thanks, I'll try to keep that in mind."
Giles nodded and the two just shifted for a moment. Finally Xander stuck out his hand and Giles grasped it and they shook firmly. "Good bye, Xander."
"Adios G-man." Xander said, then grinned as he pulled Giles' arm and clasped the older man around the back. "Good luck with the Slayers... You do know that you are gonna need it right?"
Giles pulled back after delivering a clap of his own, nodding. "Quite."
"Go on," Xander nodded to the line. "I'll catch you all again."
Giles nodded, then walked over to the line.
Cash and his group were still waiting when Xander walked back up to them, all of them grinning like they'd just stomped some Brujah.
Xander shook his head, glaring at Cash, but without any real bite to it. "Why didn't you just kick him in the balls, Cash? It's be less painful then dealing with that bunch from now on."
Cash shrugged, "Bastard had it coming."
Xander sighed, looking back to where practically all the people he cared about in the world had just vanished. "I suppose."
"I understand that they're going out to Cleveland."
Xander nodded, still watching the plane through the windows.
"That's a hot part of the country right now."
Xander nodded again, "Active Hellmouths usually are."
"It's worse then before."
"I know."
"They might not make it." Cash said evenly, "In fact, some of them almost certainly won't."
"I know that too."
"Why aren't you going with them?" Cash asked, genuinely curious.
"Because if I'm right, Cleveland is going to fall, Cash." Xander took a deep breath, "And when it does, they are all going to need a fall back point that's ready to defend."
Cash shook his head, "No wonder Julian likes you."
"Huh?"
"You both think way too far ahead." Cash muttered in disgust, but then shrugged. "Come on."
Xander glanced at him. "Come on where?"
"Julian wants to see you."
In the city of San Francisco many things happened at once.
On this day, three particularly pivotal things occured.
First, A dozen Slayers, Two Watchers, A Witch, and a seemingly normal girl got on a plane heading east.
Second, a small group of Grangrels escorted a young man whose future was clouded in an impenetrable mist to see their Prince.
A third, a delivery was made to an innocuous house on a middle class street in a quiet suburb.
Interestingly enough, it was the third event that would shatter the world, while the other two tried desperately to hold the fragments together.
"It's here, Sir."
"Well... it's about time."
"There aren't many of these left... not after Sunnydale..."
"I know. I know. If it weren't for electronic copies I wouldn't even have the books... Wilkins was rather... thorough in his destruction of these things."
"Yes Sir."
"Well, don't just stand there... give me the box."
Xander stepped into one of the Den's in the Luna Mansion and looked around. Cash had closed the door behind him, then vanished, leaving him alone. "Hello?"
"Hello, Alexander."
Xander almost jumped out of his skin as the soft voice came from right behind him. He spun around, glaring at Lillie, "Jesus! Don't DO that!"
"I'm terribly sorry." She said, a light smile touching her lips as she brushed past him.
Xander breathed out, "It's alright... Where's Julian?"
"He's out."
"What?" Xander frowned, "Cash said that Julian wanted to see me?"
"No. I asked Julian to tell Cash to bring you by."
"Ah Oh." Xander said, a little dumbly as Lillie poured a glass of brandy from the wet bar.
"Would you like a glass?" She asked, lifting the glass up.
"Uh... No. Thanks. Too early in the day for me."
Lillie shrugged, "As you will."
"Look... I don't mean to be..." Xander paused, then shrugged, "Ah hell with it. Why am I here?"
Lillie smiled at him for a moment, "Straight down to business then... Perhaps I should have left it to Julian after all..."
"What business?" Xander looked around in confusion.
"Miss Bujold... Sonya," Lillie said, "and I had a certain arraignment."
Xander's face dropped, locking into a serious stare. "What sort of arraignment?"
Sonya waved her glass casually to one side, "Oh nothing terribly pedantic, I assure you. I own many clubs throughout the state, and though you may not realize it, many of my business interests coincided with Sonya's."
"Meaning?"
"Some of her dancers came from my ranks." Lillie said evenly, then corrected herself as Xander's eyes widened. "Oh, they weren't Kindred. I mean that sometimes dancers in other areas occasionally needed extra money... or became disillusioned with their careers. It's a sad fact of life that not everyone makes it in show business."
Xander shivered, but nodded. "Ok. So what does this have to do with me?"
Sonya shrugged, "Maybe nothing. Maybe everything."
"I'm not sure I follow you."
"Sonya died with a lot debts, Alexander." Lillie finally said, "Her club is going to be in delinquency by this time next month. And with Sonya's death, I'm afraid that there isn't a clear title... The bank fully intends to foreclose... especially given the current state of unrest throughout the country."
Xander swallowed, he hadn't thought much beyond getting the place fixed up. "Sonya... didn't she have a Will?"
"I'm afraid not." Lillie shrugged. "Ironic really... You human's tend to think that your immortal, while we immortals tend to feel Death all the more."
Xander sat down, "Great. Jesus... what's going to happen to the dancers?"
Lillie hid a smile, but shrugged. "They'll probably be picked up by other establishments. I know several places owned by the Brujah that are always looking for more... talent."
Xander shot her a dirty look, coming back to his feet. "If you think I'm going to let Cameron run roughshod over my friends...!"
Lillie laughed, "Calm down. Calm down... I'm pleased to hear you say that."
As Xander frowned, Lillie continued. "The reason that there isn't a clear title is because I, through various corporate holdings of Julian's, own forty nine percent interest in Sonya's club. I have for years... And it's always been an excellent investment."
Xander swallowed again, sighing. "Great. What's the deal?"
"No deal. No strings." Lillie assured him, "I'm willing to front you the capital to purchase Sonya's fifty one percent from the bank. Free and clear. I only ask that you do one thing."
Xander closed his eyes, "What's that?"
"The same thing you did last night." Lillie shrugged, "The same thing that Sonya did often for me, without ever knowing precisely what she was doing. Give shelter and aid to any Kindred... or certainly to any Toreador, that require it."
Xander sat down again, now starting to feel like a jack in the box. He frowned for a long while, finally looking Lillie in the eyes again, "I won't shelter killers... If I find out that you're hiding murders or Kindred who've embraced people against their will..."
"Understood."
Xander sighed, still thinking. "You assure me that you'll keep the Brujah out of the club. I know they run protection rackets in the area..."
"You will have the same protection Sonya had." Lillie said evenly, "Plus I believe that you are capable of dealing with the occasional... shall we say... rowdy Brujah?"
Xander nodded, "Yeah. Yeah, that I can handle. You keep the clan off me, I can handle the rogues."
"I expected as much." Lillie smiled, "Then we have an arraignment?"
"Not yet." Xander said, frowning. "Why aren't you offering this to one of the girls? They've been working there for years some of them. They know the deal."
"This is true." Lillie conceded, "But the bank won't willingly back them, and for you I can get Julian to pull some strings... for them?"
Xander frowned as Lillie shrugged. "It's their club. Sonya would want it that way."
"So run it for *them*." Lillie shrugged, "I expect as much anyway. They know their business, you're job will be to stay out of their way and to protect them... as, I believe, you were going to do anyway?"
Xander shook his head, "I'll have to talk it over with them."
"Of course." Lillie smiled, clasping her hands together. "You know how to get a hold of me."
Xander nodded, then got up.
"Thank you for time, Alexander. I do hope to be hearing fro you soon. I have a driver waiting outside to take you back to the club."
"Thank you, Lillie," Xander said, then promised. "I'll call you just as soon as I've considered your offer."
With that, Lillie showed him to the door and Xander walked down to the waiting car, spending the drive back to Oxnard in silence.
It was almost four o'clock when Xander got back to the club, and he found the full team working hard to get it ready to reopen for the night.
"Hey... can I get everyone over here for a bit?" He asked, fairly loudly as he pulled a chair around and took a seat at one of the large tables.
"What's up, Xander?" Mike asked, coming over.
"Just hang on until all the girls are here, ok Mike?"
"Sure." The big man shrugged, taking a seat.
A little while later the girls were crowded around, looking on curiously as Xander stared at the table. Finally he looked up, "I've got something to talk to you guys about..."
"The box of Gavrock." The man sighed happily as he eyed the ugly black box.
"The last one in existence." A sour faced woman said.
The man shrugged, "They say that about every thing of power... yet another one always turns up."
"Anyway," The man continued after a moment. "Now that I've entered my 90 days of invulnerability, this is last thing I require to complete the ascension ritual."
"It better be," The woman said, "It cost us a fortune."
The man shrugged, "No great loss. The way things are going now, money isn't going to be worth a whole lot soon anyway. The Dark has won this plane, my dear... that means that the time of human's is over."
"They just don't know it yet."
"... So that's the story." Xander sighed. "What do you guys think?"
There was a long silence.
"Go for it." Nancy said after almost no thought.
Around her several of the girls who knew Xander nodded their agreement, and then slowly did some of those who didn't.
"Yeah..." Said Maria, after a long thought. "None of us will qualify to get that kinda cash. If you can do it... then go for it. Better then having the place sold out from under us, I mean."
Xander smirked slightly, "thanks for the vote of confidence."
"Now, I didn't mean it like that..."
"No, no, I know you didn't Maria," Xander said, "But it's also a fact... I don't know how to run a strip club. Hell, about the only thing I'm good at is building and fixing stuff."
"That's a good start in a joint like this." Maria smirked.
Xander rolled his eyes, "You know what I mean..."
"Yeah, I do." The twenty seven year old stripper said easily, "and I'm here to tell you that *we* know the business. We can help you out there."
"Things are getting rough out there," Nancy said after some thought, "And that means it could get rough in here."
Xander nodded, "Yeah... it's likely that will happen."
"Well then... You know that part of the job," Maria smiled, "You've done it before."
Xander sat back, sighing, "I think Mike makes the more imposing bouncer."
Mike smiled, "We can always use someone who knows their way around the floor."
"Alright..." Xander smiled reluctantly, shaking his head. "I'll accept the offer.
At the Luna mansion the phone rang only twice before it was answered.
"Hello?"
"Lillie?"
"Yes..."
"I'm in."
"Excellent, Alexander. I'll have Julian send by a Lawyer..."
Two weeks later found Xander pouring over the books, trying to determine if he was doing a decent job of managing the place or not. The insurance claim on the damage had finally come through, so he wasn't personally out of pocket any more for the repairs he'd put on the Club floor, but had still put just under ten grand of his own money into fixing the, still unused, third floor.
Other then that the books were all in the black as far as he could tell, the club had quickly become a popular stop once the patrols in the area had calmed out the violence. Especially once the few incidents that did happen in the are turned into a rout for the 'rioters'.
Xander considered it comical, but even the cops on this beat tended to stop in to chat with Mike about any recent happenings. The fact that the big black man was legally licenced now to carry firearms apparently elevated him to the status of 'brother officer' or something similar in their eyes, especially after he had helped two beat cops put down a vampire who was trying to chow down on their throats.
So now, on top of the regular clientele of debauched guys, Sonya's club was something of a police hangout as well after a certain hour.
Which, Xander reflected, had both good and bad points.
The good side is that, paradoxically, the cops presence assured the regulars to some degree. Which was a sign of how tense the world outside was becoming really, because normally the last thing anyone in a strip club wanted was a dozen uniforms sitting at the next table.
On the other hand, Xander smiled slightly, the Cops were cheap SOBs when taken as a group. And a night never went by without at least one of the girls bitching about the cops tips, or lack there of.
That and the fact that their presence was sorely cutting into some of the girls less then legal activities. Something that didn't bother Xander overly on one level, but he understood that they wanted to do things their own way.
"Hey Xan?"
Xander looked up from his reverie to notice Andrew stepping in hesitantly. "Yeah?"
"We're running low on lemons..."
"Just grab some from the cooler back here," Xander said, a note of irritation floating up in his voice.
Andrew had learned the basics of tending bar pretty quick, and in fact had a certain flair for the job that surprised Xander. Unfortunately the guy had zero initiative. Even to the point of still asking permission to fetch lemons from the cooler after two weeks.
On one level, Xander didn't find it terribly surprising really. Anytime he'd tried to do something on his own while he was with them in Sunnydale, someone had shouted him down. Of course, he had a tendency to do some very strange things, but that wasn't the point and Xander would bet dollars to donuts that Warren had been pretty much the same.
Xander shook that off, and turned back to his books, missing the computerized system he had used in the construction firm. "Damn."
"What is it, Xander?" Andrew asked as he walked past again.
Xander shook his head, "I just miss the computer inventory and books system I had back in Sunnydale. I'm no good at this numbers by hand crap. Maybe I'll go out and see if I can't find an old computer to slip the books on..."
"Old computer??" Andrew's voice was very nearly quivering with indignation. "You can't do that!"
"Why not?" Xander looked up, puzzled.
"What about upgrades? Memory? Networking?" Andrew rattled off without stammering once, "Compatibility!"
"What the deuce does any of that have to do with the books??" Xander looked even more lost.
Andrew dropped into the chair opposite him, "What about security? Did you know that you could rig up thermal cameras to detect vamps? We, the Trio I mean, had some all around our lair..."
"You mean your parents basement..."
Andrew glared at him, "If you want to put it that way..."
Xander shook his head, "Come on, Andrew... That stuff would cost a fortune..."
Andrew shrugged, "Not really... Warren had all sorts of contacts all over the state... I'm sure that I can find some that... ummm..."
"Fell off the back of a truck?" Xander asked sarcastically.
"Ummm... yeah, something like that." Andrew muttered, embarrassed.
Xander sighed, "Look... I'll tell you what, why don't you jot down what you think we could use... I'll run it past some contacts of my own and see what it'll take to get it. Then we'll talk."
Andrew nodded, grinning wide. "Cool."
"Yeah... Now Andrew?"
"Yeah??"
"Get back to work." Xander said with a grin.
Why he was surprised when, two days later, Andrew dropped a small *novel* in his lap and proudly announced that he was finished designing the system, Xander would never know.
"What the hell is all this??"
Andrew shrugged, "Just some of the basics..."
"Basics..." Xander muttered, flipping the book open and looking at the long list of computer parts. "What the hell? What are you building here?? This is greek to me.. No, scratch that, I can actually READ a little greek now thanks to Giles... this stuff.."
Andrew frowned, "It's the components for an interlinked computer server... it'll run at over fifteen gigahertz..."
"Fifteen WHAT??"
"Gigahertz..." Andrew replied patiently, "It's modeled on the same idea that the Cray computers use... on a much smaller level of course."
Xander blinked. "Cray?? What the hell are you trying to do to me, Andrew!?"
"Well... it doesn't have the liquid nitrogen cooling system..." Andrew said apologetically. "I didn't think that was really necessary..."
Xander flipped another page, eyes widening. "How many cameras do you have listed here??"
"Thirty three." Andrew replied without thinking about it, "That's enough to cover every section of the club... plus the entire perimeter."
Ok, now that was something that Xander could understand. "Thermal?"
"Of course." Andrew sniffed as if Xander had insulted him. "Complete spectrum actually... there are some demons that emit oddly in the ultraviolet wavelength you know..."
Xander blinked, then shook his head as he flipped to anther page. "What's all this stuff?"
"Basic X10 home automation stuff... You know, if we wanted to we could control the club from any computer in the building."
"Why would we want to?" Xander asked, confused.
Andrew shrugged, "I don't know..."
Xander buried his head in his hands, groaning, "Andrew..."
"Well... there has to be SOME reason for it..." Andrew shrugged, "Anyway, you said you'd consider it..."
Xander sighed and nodded, shrugging. "Alright... I'll see what I can do. I've probably got some of this stuff around here already."
"You do!?"
"Yeah. I've been installing a lot of security gear since I started the repairs." Xander said, "There are already cameras covering all the main entrances... I just never considered hooking them into a computer system."
"Oh, it's much more effective!" Andrew pronounced gravely, "Plus the computer can use the pictures for all sorts of things..."
"Like what?"
Andrew shrugged, "Database searches? I could probably create a pretty cool demon database and use the computer to match any known demons automatically..."
"You can do that?" Xander asked skeptically.
"Sure... I mean, the police do it all the time with facial and fingerprint recognition stuff..." Andrew shrugged.
Xander shrugged, then nodded. "Alright. I'll price out the system."
Andrew basically lit up like a Christmas tree. "Cool!"
"Wow." Andrew muttered as he stepped back and admired the results of their work.
He'd planned the system, but the truth was he'd planned lots of things in the past and this was possibly the first time any of them had ever gotten done.
"What?" Xander looked confused. "Is something wrong? I did it according to your specs..."
"No no no!" Andrew said quickly, "It's perfect... I've just never..."
"Never what?"
"Never seen one of my plans get done before..." Andrew admitted sheepishly. "Warren always made us do his stuff..."
"Oh..."
"I..." Andrew shrugged, "I don't know, I guess I figured that you'd say it wasn't possible."
Xander looked over the remodeled third floor, which now housed the new security section of the club. That and a lot more. "Why? There's nothing here that's tough to do... I've done more complicated stuff repairing Buffy's house."
Andrew just stared at Xander in pretty much undisguised admiration.
"Now, if the computer stuff works, we're in business." Xander said.
Andrew lost the admiration and gained a look of indignation. "Hey! It'll work!"
He went over to a back of monitors, lovely silver flat panels that Andrew wasn't sure he wanted to know how Xander had paid for, and slid out a matching keyboard and tapped lightly on the keys. In moments the monitors showed activities all through the club and the public areas of the second floor, as well as the roof and all around the outside.
Xander nodded, he'd installed the cameras himself and knew that they were nearly impossible to find, and heavily shielded if they were turned up.
"Uh oh." Andrew muttered.
"What is it?"
Andrew pointed the club camera just as Xander watched several regulars walk in, men that Xander had just talked to the night before. That was normal, the thing that caused Xander's heart to drop was the thermal overlay on a second screen that showed all four of them to be the same temperature as the outside air.
"Shit." Xander said flatly. "I know those guys... bought one of them a drink two nights ago."
Andrew shrugged, "Looks like they had a bad night last night."
"No shit." Xander muttered, pushing away from the bank of monitors. "Put on the headset, Andrew... and watch them I don't want them going anywhere without knowing about it."
Andrew nodded, pulling on a computer headset as Xander opened an equipment cabinet and pulled out a throat mic and earpiece.
Xander fitted those on, and then unlocked another cabinet and opened it to reveal a weapons cache that even Andrew hadn't seen yet.
"Whoa!"
"Watch the monitors!" Xander snapped without turning around.
As Andrew turned back, Xander retrieved the 1911 and slipped it into his waistband, under his shirt this time. And then pulled a cloth bandolier that contained a half dozen stakes and tossed that over his shoulder. Before closing the cabinet, Xander pulled out a silenced MP5K and slung it over his other shoulder.
After locking the cabinet he grabbed a jacket and flipped it over his shoulders as he headed for the lift. "Is Mike wearing his earpiece?"
"Ummm..." Andrew checked, "Yeah."
"Good. Give him a sitrep." Xander said, "And tell him not to do anything in public unless they move first."
"Got it." Andrew said, then suddenly grinned. "This is SO cool!"
Xander groaned as he closed the lift, hearing Andrew humming the mission impossible theme over the channel.
Mike frowned, his hand automatically going to his ear as he heard Andrew's voice through the earpiece for the first time. <I guess the system's working...>
He frowned deeper, turning around quickly and searching the room. When his eyes alighted on the four regulars he nodded at one of the cameras, "Got it."
"Hey Joey!" Mike called over to one of the new bouncers, "Take the door for a bit."
The stern faced body builder nodded, leaving his position by the runway and ambled confidently over as Mike moved to cover the floor and keep an eye on the vampires.
"Xander," Andrew's voice came over the earpiece, "It looks like they're picking up some of the girls... four girls and the vamps are heading for the stairs."
"Shit!" Xander muttered, reversing the lift and heading back up to the second floor. "They're not wasting any time. Tell Mike to follow them up, warn him to keep clear until trouble breaks out."
"You got it, Xander."
The lift hit the second floor a few seconds later and Xander pulled up the old wooden lattice work that enclosed it, stepping out into the main hall. He could hear giggling and talking coming up the stairs.
Quickly composing himself, Xander walked as calmly up the hall as he could until he came face to face with the group. He forced a smile, nodding to everyone, and racked his mind for the name of the lead guy.
"Bill..." He smiled, genuinely now as his mind disgorged the name. "How's it going?"
"Pretty good, Xan," The vampire returned genially. "Feeling better then ever."
Xander nodded, remembering Jessie telling him much the same thing once. "Having a good time?"
Bill grinned, hugging Maria who was beside him. "You know it."
Xander nodded again, "You guys know that we've got some cops downstairs, right?"
"Come on, Xander..." Maria smiled, "It's only Eric and his partner... They know what goes on in here... Sonya worked on them for years to break in just right for here."
Xander's smile remained. But it became slightly brittle as he nodded. "Ok... No problem. Hey, Bill, could you do me a favor?"
The vampire shrugged, "Sure. What is it?"
"We had a scum bag up here a couple nights ago who tried to sneak in a rather nasty assortment of knives..." Xander lied glibly, "I know you guys and it's stupid and all that, but would you mind just opening your coats?"
The four vampires looked at each other, shrugging.
"Just a precaution." Xander said easily.
"Sure..." Bill said, still smiling. "No problem."
"Cool, thanks."
They stepped aside slightly from the girls, unzipping their jackets. As soon as Xander figured he had the clearest shot he was going to get he went for a stake and triggered the throat mic, all while charging forward. "Now!"
Mic was waiting just down th stares slightly when he heard Xander yell 'Now!, and then Andrew's voice came over the earpiece. "Go! Go now!"
He was already moving, drawing the stake he always kept under his immaculate jacket. "On the move!"
He came up the stairs just as Xander hit the first vamp high in the chest with a tackle. Before the two of them could hit the floor the vampire in question dusted, so Mike figured that the boss had led with a stake. He hit the rear most vamp as fast as he could, which was quite fast for someone with his impressive bulk, his carved stake slicing through the nylon jacket and into the vamp's heart with a smooth motion.
It dusted just as the next vampire realized that things were seriously wrong and moved like lightning toward Xander. Mike charged through the dust, tackling the vamp with a perfect block that sent them both tumbling to the ground some distance further up the hall.
Xander hit the ground hard, sliding along the smooth surface for a foot, then rolling over onto his back as he spotted a vamp coming for him. Before it could reach him a blur hit it high and knocked it clear down the hall in a tumbling roll. Xander belatedly recognized Mike as the two began to wrestle along the ground, but before he could move to help he spotted the last Vampire leaping at him.
He rolled up onto his back, catching the vampire with his feet, then kicked out as hard as he could.
The undead creature hit the wall a short distance away, bouncing off heavily and coming down to it's knees, a streak of stolen blood marring the cream wall where it slid. As it shook it's head, Xander took advantage of it's distraction by rolling to his feet and charging it. He hit it first with a raised knee that mashed it's nose in, then followed through with a stake through it's chest.
It vanished into dust and Xander paused for a brief instant to gather his breath.
"Xander!"
He spun around in time to see Mike lose his grip on the vampire he was tangling with and for the vamp in question to look around and count up the odds. It broke and ran down the hall toward the lift.
Xander pulled the MP5K from under his jacket and leveled it on the creature, his finger almost gently caressing the trigger of the submachine gun. The quiet little weapon chattered almost silently as it unloaded it's thirty five round clip completely into the running vampire.
Eerily silent strikes caused it's body to dance as it began to lose forward momentum, it's arms flying up in reflex. Still Xander kept the fire up until the slide of the MP5 locked back on an empty chamber.
Only then did the vampire fall forward onto it's face, and shortly thereafter vanish into dust.
Xander slumped against the wall, looking from the weapon to the dusted vamp and frowning. "Whoa..."
Only then did the screams penetrate his thoughts.
Xander's head snapped around quickly, and he saw that it was one of the newer girls who was screaming. "Quiet her down, Maria!"
Maria nodded, pulling the girl into a free room and shutting the door.
The other two looked at the dust on the floor, then back up to where Xander and Mike were now sitting on the floor.
"T... thanks..."
Xander shook his head, waving the thanks off. Mike just smiled, "That's what we get paid for."
Xander nodded, taking a shaky breath. "We need to work out a signal to let the girls know if it's safe to be alone with people..."
Mike nodded tiredly, "Yeah."
Xander chuckled softly, "So... How's the wife and kid?"
Mike slowly started laughing, his laughter growing into big booming sounds like rang through the halls for several long minutes before falling silent.
Inspector Frank Kohanek sighed as he looked over the scene. It wasn't Kindred, he was next to certain of that, but anything weird usually came to his desk. In this precinct at least.
This one was a weird one, alright.
The body of a young girl was splayed out in the center of a pentagram drawn in her own blood.
And that, unfortunately, wasn't the weird part.
Frank winced as he looked over the objects that had been placed at the corners of the pentagram, trying to decide if he wanted to be sick now, or wait until he got home. Someone had placed the girls organs at each of the points of the star, then traced the lines with what Frank was pretty certain was her intestines.
"Oh my God."
Frank half turned, nodding a greeting to the man who had appeared behind him. "Hey Darrel."
"Frank." Inspector Morris nodded, "What the hell happened here?"
Frank Kohanek shrugged, "Damned if I know... Looks like a cult deal to me."
"Right." Morris shuddered, "Got I hate getting these calls."
Frank nodded, "Tell me about it. Flip your lid for a little while and think you see vampires and the boys at the station brand you for life."
Frank had given up trying to convince people that vampire's existed year ago, and didn't see any reason to start up again now. Not even to fellow Pariah, Darrel Morris. Julian has assured him that Morris had no knowledge of the Kindred, and had asked rather politely that Frank not bring it up with the man.
Frank had reluctantly agreed, but most of that reluctance was just for show. He'd learned a long time ago that even the ones who have the screw reputations were less then likely to accept the world he saw every night.
"I've got to make a phone call." Frank said, heading for the door.
Morris nodded as he walked out, the softly whispered. "Yeah. Me too."
"Andrew!" Xander roared as he lifted the lattice and stepped off the lift with Mike right behind him.
"What!?" Andrew spun around, half frightened.
"What did you do to my guns!?"
"Nothing! I swear!"
Xander walked over, "Call up the video of the fight again."
Andrew swallowed, tapping a few keys. He quickly played back the fight from different angles on the screens.
Xander stared at the screens until the fight was over, "Rewind to where I started shooting."
"Yeah! That was cool wasn't it??" Andrew grinned.
"Now."
"Oh, uh... yeah. Ok."
Xander watched the scene again, shaking his head. "What the hell is going on??"
"What?" Andrew asked, confused.
"The gun, Andrew. The gun." Xander said, "Bullets do NOT kill vampires. I've tested it. I emptied a full thirty five rounds from an M-16 into a vampire once, just to see how it went..."
"And?" Mike nudged him.
"And it knocked the bastard flat on his ass, but he was up and moving a few seconds later." Xander replied. "Bullets do not kill vampires."
"So... what happened?" Andrew asked.
"That's a really good question." Xander frowned at the screen.
"Isn't this a good thing?" Mike asked tentatively.
"I don't like anything new jumping me unless I know it's coming, Mike." Xander shook his head.
Mike shrugged, "Don't know what it means, Boss. Can't help ya there."
Xander nodded, "I know... Go on back downstairs, Mike... and make sure that all the new guys have their ears on."
Mike nodded, heading back out, "you got it, Boss."
"Ok," Xander frowned, pulling up a chair. "Play it again, Sam.."
"What is this madness, Julian??" Daedalus asked in shock as he stared at the crime scene photos Luna had just handed him.
"Frank Kohanek delivered them to me earlier," Luna shrugged, "He apparently decided that this mind be something I should worry about."
Daedalus looked up, "You don't believe this was Nosferatu do you, Julian?"
"No, old friend." Luna shook his head, "But I know for certain that the other Clans don't have the talent to meddle in the Arcane... nor do they have the knowledge to tell me just who may be doing this."
Daedalus frowned, his disfigured face melding into an expression of lethal focus. After a moment he shrugged and relaxed his expression, "This is not Nosferatu."
"That's not precisely what I mean," Julian said, "Some one still slaughtered this girl..."
"And it is a tragedy," Daedalus agreed, "But the Nosferatu clan will not involve themselves in human affairs. Leave it to your human agents."
Julian sighed, "I don't know if I can. The Legacy team is upstate, investigating a town that went insane three nights ago... Men, Women, Children... they just start killing each other for no apparent reason."
Daedalus sighed, looking tired. "It's getting worse."
Julian nodded, "There is no hope left in the world, old friend. Or, if there is, it's being held back in tight reserve."
"You do have human agents other then the Legacy teams, Julian."
"You mean Frank? He's already working on it. But he doesn't have enough experience with true demonic..." Julian trailed off, "You mean Xander."
Deadalus nodded.
Luna hesitated, then nodded himself. "Very well, I'll ask him to lend his experience to Frank's investigation."
Xander was still watching the video clip replay on one of the monitors when the phone rang. He picked up the line, noting that it was the main club line, "Kitty Kat Lounge, how may I help you?"
"Alexander."
"Julian." Xander returned in the same flat tone.
"I have a job for you."
"Call a contractor." Xander said, "I don't work for you."
Julian smiled, "That may be, but this is up your alley, as it were... and you do owe me a favor or two for the weapons, permits, and help with the bank..."
Xander groaned, "Alright, what is it?"
"There appears to have been a cult killing downtown. It's not Kindred related, but I don't like anything of this nature in my city, Alexander." Julian said. "Especially now."
Xander nodded absently, Luna had a point. Anything like that had to be handled quickly, before things had a chance to get out of hand like it had a few days earlier. "I don't have a car."
"I'll send one of mine."
Xander snorted, giving in, "Alright. When and where?"
"I'll have Frank meet you at the scene. I do hope your demonic instincts aren't rusty."
Xander snorted, "What I hope is that I have enough reference material to cover this. Why don't you see if you can get me some research backup?"
"I can do you one better then that, Mr Harris." Luna said mysteriously. "I assume that you have your computer setup in place?"
"Yeah?" Xander said uneasily.
"Direct your operator to the following DNS address..." Julian said with a smile as he rattled of a list of numbers, "The login is Legacy, the password... Luna Vee dash One Nine Four Oh One One Zero. Good luck Mr Harris."
An hour later found Xander standing outside one of San Francisco's classic downtown brownstones. He nodded as he recognized Frank Kohanek, "Hey Frank."
"Xander." Frank nodded, "You think you can give us anything on this?"
Xander shrugged, absently toying with the strap around his throat, "I guess we'll see."
Frank nodded, "Come on, I've cleared you as a consultant on cult psychology... Julian must have had one of his 'people' downtown slip some credentials into your file."
Xander groaned.
"What's wrong?"
"If he did that, he plans on having me do this more often."
Frank shrugged, "The way the country is looking right now, there might be some hefty job security in this line."
"I've been doing it for seven years, Frank." Xander sighed as they climbed the stairs. "There's always been job security in this sort of thing. Too bad the pay sucks."
Frank shot him an odd look, "You don't know?"
"Know what?"
"You're listed as an official consultant... hired by the city." Frank said, "The pay rating is upwards of a hundred and fifty an hour... with future rates determined by the outcome of cases."
Xander paused in mid step, "You're kidding?"
"Nope."
Xander shook his head, laughing dryly. "I guess it really is who you know, no what you can do. No one ever paid Buffy for this crap."
Frank shrugged, not knowing what to say. "Brace yourself... it's pretty bad in there."
Xander nodded, "Let' go."
Frank nodded and opened the door, motioning Xander in.
The first thing that struck Xander was the smell.
It wasn't the worst he'd ever smelled, but it was up there. He quickly suppressed the urge to gag with an iron stomach tested and developed through life on the Hellmouth.
The second thing was the fact that there was a very pretty brunette in the room, kneeling over the body.
"Huh?" Xander blurted, his eye widening slightly.
"Darrel!?" Frank snapped from behind him, "Who the hell is this?"
Darrell stammered slightly, obviously surprised to see Frank, then returned the favor. "I may as well ask who that is!?"
Frank smirked, "Alexander Harris, official consultant on Cult lore and psychology."
"Oh."
"Now it's your turn." Frank said pointedly.
Xander ignored them, walking calmly around the body. "Hi."
The brunette looked up, smiling a little nervously. "Hi."
"Could you move out of the way for a sec?" Xander asked. "Just need to snap a picture."
"Huh? Oh... ok." She moved back.
"Thanks." Xander snapped a picture off, then frowned as he looked over the LCD screen on the camera Andrew had insisted they buy, blabbering something about blue teeth.
Xander shrugged, then hit the transmit button on the device and thumbed his mic. "Hey, Andrew... pic coming in."
Then he nodded back to the girl, "You can go back to whatever you were doing now."
"Ummm... thanks." She looked at him oddly.
"No prob." Xander shrugged, "Xander Harris by the way."
"Oh... Um, Phoebe... Phoebe Halliwell."
Andrew waited, practically hopping in his seat, as the photo downloaded. As it smoothly appeared on his screen, the young man grew whiter and whiter as the blood and gore was revealed. For a brief moment he thanked god that Xander was the one on the other side, not him.
He shook his head, groaning as he directed the computer to trace the pentagram and offering into a digital sketch. Then he set it searching through his own data base for any matches.
That only took seconds, and nothing came up.
"Alright... Let's see what that DNS address holds." Andrew muttered, logging on to the number he had jotted down on his desk.
Andrew's eyes widened as the title screen came up, prompting him for a password.
The Legacy.
Xander stepped lightly around the body, being careful not to step over or to smudge the circle. "Nasty one."
"Nasty what?" Phoebe looked up at him.
He shrugged, "Whoever did this."
"Oh." She nodded, "Have you seen this before?"
Xander nodded, "I've been into this scene for about seven years now. Seen this, and worse."
"How sad is that?" Inspector Morris asked, looking disturbed as he rejoined the conversation.
Xander glanced back, "You two work out your differences?"
Frank rolled his eyes, "Yeah. Darrel here brought his pet 'psychic' to dig up some information."
Xander flinched back as Phoebe's eyes flared at Frank, but he only smirked and shook his head.
"Watch who you're calling a 'pet', flatfoot!"
Frank blinked in shock while Darrel hid his laughter under a bout of fake coughs.
Xander grinned, walking past Frank and clapping him on the shoulder. "Word to the wise man, if the lady isn't losing her cookies around this mess, you so don't want to piss her off."
Frank flinched back from the glare as Xander circled around him, and started examining the rest of the room.
Darrell interrupted Phoebe's impending rant by pulling her aside and whispering urgently, "Did you get anything?"
"No," She whispered back, "they came in too soon."
Darrel muttered a short cursed, then looked back appraisingly, "ok... I'll try to distract them... you get to one the scene and do your thing."
Phoebe nodded.
Darrell focused on Frank, walking up with a smile. "Hey Frank, you mind if we talk? You me and your consultant?"
Frank looked around, smirking slightly. "Sure, why not?"
Xander looked back, "you two go ahead. I'm going to take another couple shots. Never know if something like this might turn up useful later on."
Morris looked at him, crossed between annoyance and being disturbed that anyone would want more then one photo of the scene. He sighed, taking Kohanek aside.
Xander glanced over, half smiling at Phoebe. "I think that you're supposed to be doing something now, aren't you?"
Pheobe stared at him in shock, "How..."
Xander just shrugged as she trailed off, "Secrets have been a part of my life for seven years. I know how to keep them, I know how to spot them. Do whatever you can, if I'm not getting in the way."
Phoebe hesitated, but finally stepped forward and looked over the scene again.
Xander stepped back, just watching as she looked over the scene and finally kneeled down and laid a hand gently on an unblemished arm of the slain girl. She flinched, as if struck by a physical blow, then abruptly let go and stared in shock.
"What is it?" Darrell came straight over, as if he'd been waiting and watching for it, and hissed almost too low for Xander to hear. "What did you see?"
She looked up at him, terror in her eyes, and just mutely shook her head.
"That's it, Come on, Pheobe... I'm going to get you back to your sisters." Darrell said as he hustled her from the room.
Xander watched after them until Frank came up behind him. "You think she really saw something?"
Xander pursed his lips, then shrugged. "Could be. Not as unlikely as it seems, but I think that most so called psychics are probably frauds."
Frank nodded, "Just enough truth to be scary, right?"
"Right." Xander confirmed, then frowned as a little voice came over his ear. "Go ahead, Andrew."
Frank watched for a few seconds as Xander listed to his earpiece, then abruptly paled in shock. "That's not possible, Andrew. There are no more books of ascension. They don't exist. We destroyed them."
Xander's eye opened wide, fear reflecting in them. "No, I won't listen to this! It can't be, alright! I've seen an ascension, Andrew! There were no sacrifices like this..."
Abruptly, Xander slumped against the wall. "Different kind of ascension? Please tell me that this joker is going to ascend into something harmless?"
Frank watched, paling himself as Xander shook his head. "Of course he isn't."
Xander dropped his hand from the mic and straightened up.
"What is it??" Frank asked, worried as Xander started past him.
"We're in deep shit, Pal." Xander replied, "Deeper then deep. You think Julian has enough pull to get the National Guard in on this?"
"WHAT!?"
"An ascension ritual, Julian..." Daedalus frowned. "This is not good, My Prince."
"You don't think I know that?" Julian asked in irritation. "Some one... some *human* out there is planning to wreak havoc on MY city. It'll disrupt everything!"
Daedalus nodded.
"It could," Julian said pointedly, "even endanger the masquerade."
Daedalus nodded slowly, "If the... individual should ascend in downtown San Francisco or some other highly populated area... the human may start to look deeper into the Shadows."
Julian nodded tensely, his face set in stone. "Exactly. I'm calling a conclave meeting, Daedalus. This person... this human, has to die."
"Agreed."
"Talk to us, Andrew." Xander said as he and Frank Kohaneck stepped off the old lift and onto the third floor.
Andrew wheeled around in his office chair, doing a full 360 before glancing back at them. "I've got some stuff here that might be interesting..."
"Stuff?" Frank asked rolling his eyes.
"Yeah," Andrew said, "Stuff... this guy is into some really powerful stuff. He doesn't want to be a storm trooper, he'd got his eyes on the Crimson Guard."
"Huh??"
Xander shook his head, "Star Wars reference... The guy wants to be elite... powerful. Just being a demon isn't enough for him."
"Oh great." Frank threw up his hands. "Well of course, who does want to be some shmoe on the street??"
Xander just shrugged, "What else do you have, Andrew?"
"Fingerprint matches from the crime scene," Andrew said, "Most belonged to the victim... I think they used her apartment."
"Hey, hey! Wait a second, how did you get that information!?" Frank blurted.
"I hacked into the SFPD database." Andrew shrugged as if that was obvious.
"Settle down, Frank." Xander smiled, "This is strictly SOP."
"Breaking into police computers is your standard methods??"
Xander shrugged, "misspent youth."
"Right." Frank muttered.
"Go on, Andrew..." Xander urged.
The young man shrugged, "There was one other set of prints. No information on him in the local or national database..."
"Shit." Frank muttered.
"Calm down." Andrew rolled his eyes, "I found him in the CIA files."
"You hacked the CIA!?"
"Well..." Andrew flinched, "It seemed like a good idea..."
"What did you find, Andrew?" Xander asked, smiling.
Andrew beamed proudly, and hit a key. On the screen a face appeared with a file. Xander and Frank leaned over Andrew's shoulder to read it.
"Tracy Hanes..." Frank read aloud, his eyes widening. "She's an Agent!?"
"Was." Andrew said, pointing out a notation. "She was discharged for medical reasons. She failed a psych evaluation. Too unstable for the Agency..."
Andrew frowned, half turning to look at Xander, "Is that possible?"
Xander let out a short laugh and shook his head, ""I don't know. What else do you have on her?"
"She's an expert in four martial arts, small arms, and was the Agency specialist in..." Andrew frowned, "What does Executive Action mean?"
Xander groaned, lowering his head. "Shit."
Frank nodded, "A government assassin... the crime scene from hell... literally. And some freak who wants to be a demon. Can this get any worse?"
Andrew and Xander stared at him in shock, niether saying anything for a long moment.
"What?" Frank looked around nervously. "What!?"
"Dammit, Frank..." Xander said, "One thing you learn on the Hellmouth... NEVER ask that question."
Andrew nodded, swallowing hard. "Because someone always answers..."
"I need to get a car." Xander sighed as he closed the door to Julian's Mercedes and waved to the driver. "I'll be back soon."
Frank smirked, "Most people wouldn't complain about having a chauffeur."
"Yeah, well. I like to drive." Xander shrugged, looking up at the unobtrusive house sitting in front of them.
"This the place?"
Xander nodded, "Yeah. This is Hanes' place of residence according to the IRS."
"I still can't believe you hacked the IRS," Frank grinned, "Doesn't anything scare you guys?"
"Funny." Xander said evenly, a light smile touching his lips, but the hint of it was gone in a moment and he stared at the house with his single eye.
"What?"
Xander shrugged, "Nothing. Let's go."
The two men walked up the path to the front door of the suburban house, rapping lightly on the door a few seconds later.
For a long moment there was no response, so Frank knocked again.
They heard movement from inside, and then the door moved open slowly and a hesitant face looked out. "Yes?"
"Excuse me, Ma'am." Frank said to the elderly lady as he lifted his badge, "But do you know a Tracy Hanes?"
The lady thought for a moment, then shrugged. "No... Why?"
Frank looked at Xander, who checked the print out in his hand. "This is the place..."
Frank frowned, "Are you sure, Ma'am? This address is listed as her place of residence."
"Of course I'm sure, young man..." The woman said, a little indignantly. "I'll have you know that my mind is as sharp as it ever was! I should know who lives in my own home."
Frank and Xander looked at each other and shrugged. "Sorry to bother you Ma'am."
The old lady closed the door and they started to walk away.
"So, what do you think?" Frank asked
Xander shrugged, "She should have known better then to open the door..."
"That's not what I meant." Frank muttered.
"I know that, but I'm not sure. She could be telling the truth..."
Frank nodded, sighing. "Ok. I'll get a couple units to watch over this place... see if anything turns up. Until then, we have a backup plan?"
Xander thought about it, then nodded. "Yeah. Let's check out her employer."
"If her tax records were screwed up on the home address, it's not likely that they got the employer right."
Xander nodded, "I know. But I think we can narrow things down a bit in that case."
"How?"
"Ascension rituals take a LONG time to setup, Frank." Xander said, "and a big investment of time and money. We're talking long term here... someone who's been in town for a few generations at least."
Frank snorted, "Sounds like Julian Luna."
"Exactly."
Frank shot Xander a startled look, but Xander just got back into the car and leaned forward while Frank scrambled to follow.
"Luna's Mansion... and step on it."
"I'm not certain I like your insinuations." Julian Luna frowned at Xander as the other man laid his cards on the table.
"Frankly," Xander shrugged, "I don't give a damn. But I don't think that you're following me."
"You just implied that one of my Ventrue is the murdering bastard who's trying to wreak havok on my city!" Julian snapped.
"I'm saying that we may not be looking for a human after all." Xander snapped back, "but even if we are, there's a good chance that he's known to you, Luna! The Mayor spent generations preparing Sunnydale for his ascension... if this guy has had to do the same, you probably have invited him to a dinner party or two in the past."
Julian stared at him for a moment, his face turning thoughtful. Finally he glanced over to where Daedalus had been standing, silently listening in. The Nosferatu nodded silently.
Julian growled low in his throat, but nodded. "Very well. What do you need?"
Xander produced a picture, "Do you know this woman?"
Luna looked at the image for a long moment, then shook his head. "No, I... wait..."
"What is it??" Kohanek asked, entering the conversation quickly.
"Daedalus, could you ask Lillie to join us, please?"
The Nosferatu half bowed as he nodded, then vanished from sight. It only took a few moments before both he and Lillie entered from the opposite side of the room.
Frank shivered, whispering, "How does he do that??"
Daedalus smiled at him, speaking normally. "Pray you never find out, Inspector."
Frank just shivered again.
"Julian? What is it?" Lille frowned at the white rage pouring off Luna's face.
"Here." Luna snapped, handing Lillie the sheet of paper.
Lillie looked at it for a long moment, then paled herself. "My god."
"What?" Frank looked between them, "What is it??"
"Change the blonde to brunette..." Julian ground out.
Lillie nodded, "It's her."
"Who??"
"An Assassin who killed no less then eight Kindred in her time." Julian ground out. "She was hired by a business rival of mine... He was human, or so I thought... but ruthless enough to be Brujah."
"Where do we find him?" Xander leaned forward.
"You can't." Julian said, "He was killed in an explosion over three years ago..."
"Except, my prince," Daedalus said calmly, "that she supposedly died with him."
Julian nodded slowly, "Some pests refuse to die."
"Are you sure this is the place?" Piper Halliwell asked, looking at the bombed out pit that had once been one of the areas most opulent mansions.
Pheobe nodded, half turning to her younger sister. "Did you bring the potions?"
"Got them right here." Paige smiled, dishing out the small vials to her sisters.
"Good." Phoebe said grimly. "I want this son of a bitch roasting in hell."
"Hey hey hey..." Piper protested slightly, "Let's lay off the potty talk... I don't want you to start talking like that around Wyatt."
"You didn't see what they did to that girl." Phoebe muttered grimly, "Let's go..."
"Alright... wait! Down!" Paige snapped as lights passed over them from an approaching car. The three sisters hit the ground, hiding among the tall grass of the once immaculate grounds.
"Who the hell is this??" Piper snapped in irritation.
"Ah ah ah, watch the potty mouth Piper... My nephew has such sensitive ears." Phoebe hissed back softly.
"Ah shut up." Piper growled back at her, smiling against her will.
"Both of you shut up." Paige hissed urgently, "The car is stopping here!"
"Some place." Frank muttered, slamming the door on the car Xander had borrowed from Julian. He casually let the shotgun in his hand point down to the ground as he looked around calmly.
Xander nodded tensely, looking over the wreckage of the mansion as he fitted his pistol into his belt and pulled his newly recondition Mossberg from the car. "Looks like my highschool."
Frank looked over at his eyebrows raised, "Grow up in a tough neighborhood did we?"
"The toughest." Xander said with a light smile as he and Kohanek walked toward the wreckage.
"Damn." Phoebe whispered, "How did they figure out to come here??"
"Who are *they*?" Piper growled.
"An Inspector with the police and one of the department's consultants on cult psychology." Phoebe hissed. "They were investigating the scene of the crime when Darrel snuck me in."
"Great," Piper griped, "Just what we need... cops getting in the way."
Paige shrugged, "They must be pretty good to get here so fast."
"Good enough to get themselves killed."
Paige shrugged, "That too."
Frank and Xander approached the wreckage slowly, weapons raised but held casually.
"So, you think we'll find anything here?" Frank asked calmly.
Xander shrugged, "Never know. Lots of the power monger types like to hide out in the wierdest places."
"Oh?"
"Yeah... Caves are really popular back home..." Xander grinned. "Crypts too."
Frank shook his head, "I see... So your hometown was what? Stupid bad guy central??"
Xander shrugged, smiling grimly. "Stupidity wasn't something the bad guys had a monopoly on."
Frank was about to inquire, but was interrupted by a voice from behind them that made the hair at the back of his head stand on end.
"You two are living proof of that."
Both of them spun around, paling as they came face to face with a man who was wearing dark robes and was surrounded by vampires and at least two species of demon.
"Oh." Xander muttered.
"Shit." Frank finished.
The man smiled, almost politely. "Indeed."
"Well..." Kohanek said, staring at the opposition. "This is awkward."
"Yeah..." Xander pumped his shotgun once, cranking a Dragon's Breath into the chamber. "Here I am wearing Jeans and a Tee, and this party looks all formal like."
"Yeah..." Frank nodded, cranking his own shotgun slide once, "A real black... robe? Affair... Hey, why IS our host wearing a dress anyway?"
Xander shrugged, "Hey you live in San Francisco and you have to ask that?"
Frank shot him a dirty look, "Like I haven't heard THAT joke before. I'll have you know that this town is no more screwed up then anywhere else."
"No," Xander conceded, "The people here are just proud if it."
Through the banter the two were swapping back and forth the robed figure in the center had growned redder and redder until his face threatened to explode under the seeming pressure. "Kill Them! Hurt them! Bury them for all I care, just shut them UP!!"
Frank and Xander glanced at each other, then shifted their aim and opened fire.
"Well... that was stupid." Piper observed dryly as the fight broke out.
Paige shrugged, "I don't know... it's not like we never tick off the bad guy."
"Yeah, but we're the charmed ones... we have the power to back it up." Phoebe said with a grin, "Now come on... we have to get this spell ready."
"Right." Piper said, then sighed. "You two do that... I'm going to help those two out..."
"You sure they need it?" Paige asked, her eyes widening as she spoke over the gunfire. "So far the body count is in their favor..."
"What??" Piper stuck her head back up, eyes widening as she saw the demons going down under fire from the cops.
Two of the smaller demons went down screaming in pain as they writhed under the fire from the two cop's shotguns. But neither man paid any attention to that, they just shifted aim and kept firing with a speed borne of adrenaline, but a calm focus that impressed Piper despite herself.
"Whoa." She ducked back down. "Nice to see my tax dollars at work. You think we could get these two to include P3 in their beat?"
Phoebe laughed slightly, "I doubt that they're beat cops, Piper."
"Too bad." Piper shrugged, "So how's the process going?"
"Almost done." Paige said.
"Hurry up," Piper commanded, "I'll make sure that our friendly neighborhood cops don't get ripped into little police shreds while we wait."
"Gee thanks for the imagery." Paige stuck out her tongue as Piper rose from their place of concealment and began to stride toward the fight.
<Eight.> Xander announced to himself, deliberately not cranking the shotgun because he knew he was out.
The barrel of the stubby weapon was actually burning, residual phosphorus and sulfur igniting off the barrel and giving him a frightening appearance in the wan light. Beside him he heard Frank pause in his shots and knew that the Inspector was out as well.
Eight rounds apiece. Sixteen dead and dying vampires.
Those were odds that dug into even the dense demonic skulls of their adversaries. All but one of them.
The man in the robe clapped lightly, smiling. "Impressive. Most impressive. I don't suppose I could interest either of you in a position in the new order I intend to usher in?"
Frank and Xander looked at each other, their faces masked in consternation. Both shrugged, grinned, and then turned back to the robed figure. "Go shove it up your ass."
"I assumed as much." The man shrugged, then snarled. "Kill them!"
The remaining vampires looked back at him in shock, "Are you nuts? They've got some kind of vamp killer ammo!"
"Those are pump shotguns, you idiots." A brunnette woman snarled, stepping up beside the robed figure. "They're out."
"The may be." Another female voice said, it's tone lethally soft. "But I'm not."
Abruptly one of the vampires simply blew apart, dust exploding outward in a cloud that covered his compatriots, and everyone turned to see a woman striding toward them with her hands outstretched. She made another motion and another vampire exploded into dust, sending thrills of terror through the rest of them and driving those few surviving vamps to break and run.
"Well." The robed figure sighed, "It is so hard to find reliable vampires these days. You know, I remember once as a child I had the pleasure of meeting Angelus himself..."
Xander blinked, "You call that fruitcake reliable? He can't even decide if he wants his soul or not."
"Ah, you've met him then?"
Xander smiled, the moonlight gleaming in his eye as he dropped the empty twelve gauge and returned the man's stare, "Yeah."
"I'm impressed that you're still alive." The man shrugged, turning to the approaching woman. "And who might you be young lady?"
The woman shrugged, "You can call me Piper... at least while you can still talk."
"Ah..." The man smiled deeply, "One of the charmed ones... I suppose that means that your sisters are around here as well? No doubt preparing some potion or power of three spell to 'vanquish' me?"
Piper paled, her hands flashing upward as she reacted to the implication that she and her sisters had been expected. Her power reached out and lightly grazed the robed figure, doing nothing more then causing his robe to flutter as if in a stiff breeze.
"Wha?"
Xander drew his pistol from his belt, "He's in his time of invulnerability. He's untouchable."
"Astute observation, young man." The robed figure smiled, turning toward Xander. "And how, may I ask, did you discern that?"
"Because I helped kill the last son of a bitch who tried this crap." Xander said coldly, his 1911 pistol pointed at the ground.
The man actually paled, swallowing. "You mean Mayor Wilkins of Sunnydale?"
Xander nodded slowly, brushing his nose. "Oh yeah. That's exactly who I mean."
"I suppose I *should* thank you then... My dear old friend Bernie outsmarted me in our little race. He used the hellmouth to accelerate his preparations... If not for the retreat of the Light, I would still have another century to prepare." The robed man shrugged, then lifted his hands. "Thank you."
As he uttered those words, tendrils of black and blue-white lightning reached out and slammed into Xander. The impact of the energy jolted his body off the ground, throwing him back several feet and casting him roughly to the ground.
"Xander!" Frank muttered, bringing up two weapons. He fired first with the Dragon's Breath pistol in his left hand, the burning round slamming into the Black Mage's robe and igniting it even as his right hand squeezed off rounds from his service Glock as fast as he could pull the trigger.
At the range in question, missing wasn't likely, and didn't happen. Yet the only effect that Frank could see was the plucking of the bullets at the burning robes.
The man lowered his arms, the lightning halting, and turned his attention on the flames licking at his robes. "Tsk tsk tsk... if I allow this I'll soon be nude out here..."
He sighed and pushed his hands down, causing the flames to die out on command. "I can't have that. What would the neighbors think?"
Xander rolled over, groaning as residual pain shot through his system. "Probably that you were a pervert in addition to be a psychotic asshole."
"How very Droll." The man smirked lightly, then lifted his hands again.
This time the lightning reached out and ensnared both Xander and Frank in it's burning embrace, knocking Kohanek to the ground and causing Xander to writhe under the influx of energy.
"NOOO!" Piper screamed, bringing her hands up again and freezing the scene in place.
The lightning froze as if in still motion, the rigor of pain apparent on the faces of the two men, and Piper turned behind her to see if her sisters were ready yet.
Then, a gently clapping sound chilled her blood and she turned to see the robed man smiling lightly at her as he applauded her efforts. "Very nice, very nice indeed. I bet this power is so very handy when you need a little 'me' time?"
Piper, shocked, let her arms drop down as she watched the man laugh lightly and wave his arm across the scene.
Life suddenly returned to the world, the lighning crackling and the screams burning her ears and mind.
"No..." Piper whispered, paling even further as the robed figure turned his attention back to his targets, ignoring her. "NO!"
She turned around, "Paige! Phoebe! Get your butts up here!!"
"Coming, coming!" Paige griped as she finished off the last preparations for the potion and jumped up along with Phoebe.
The two Charmed Ones rushed forward, vials in hand, and tossed on of the precious bottles to Piper.
"Power of three spell!" Phoebe shouted over the screams and crackling. "We'll need everything we've got!"
"You've got it." Piper snarled, catching her part of the three piece spell.
"On three!"
"Three!" The Charmed Ones yelled together, throwing the three vials at the robed figure, letting them shatter and splash at his feet.
A wisp of smoke was the forerunner of the spell, climbing up and entwining the Mage's body. Then a new crackle of lightning flickered up and over him, until the power of the spell had enveloped him.
The sisters looked on, knowing the spell was working, but were shocked when it suddenly just faded away.
"What happened?? What went wrong??" Piper demanded.
"I don't know!!" Paige wailed, "It should have worked!"
Phoebe just stared at the agonized faces of the two men under attack, her face paling. "We have to help them!"
"I think not." The Mage uttered, expanding his attack to them now that he had enjoyed their futile attempts and crushing failure. The lightning reached out and drive the sisters to the ground, though they did fight it back with their own power.
Fire was boiling his blood when Xander heard the screams of the young witches add to the cacaphony of pain that had surrounded him. He forced himself to look up, his eyes squinted against the pain even as his teeth gnashed and the tendons in his neck stood out.
"Nooo!" He groaned out, watching the three women shudder and fall to their knees under the attack, knowing just what pain they were feeling.
He forced himself to one knee, gasping out in a desperate effort to be heard, "I..."
"Won't." His teeth were clenched tight, his mouth stretched back in a twisted leer of pain and determination.
"Let you!" He snapped out, gasping against the pain as he brought up his only, futile, weapon.
The cold iron sights of the Colt 1911 dropped into place as he fought against his jumping muscles and tried to keep the weapon steady. He knew that the gun was worthless, he knew that it would certainly fail to do anything of value, but he didn't care. Maybe, just maybe, he could distract the mage long enough for the girls to rally their attack, or even to escape.
That would be enough.
That would be more then enough.
That wasn't the card Fate had dealt him.
The world dimmed as he squeezed the trigger, sights and sounds muted for an interminable instant. The pistol bucked in his hand, moving in slow motion as the barrel spat out it's .45 caliber slug.
Then everything sped up again, the bullet reaching across the space between them and boring through the mage's robes and into the man's shoulder.
Before he could discern what was happening, the Mage was thrown off his feet in a twisting roll that sent him sprawling and the lightning died.
A shock spread over the field, and the Mage rose slowly to his knees while clutching at his shoulder. He looked down at his hand and saw that it was red with the blood being pumped from the gaping wound, then back at Xander in utter shock. "What? Not possible..."
Frank Kohanek was gasping in pain as he rolled over onto his back, staring at the sky. The three witches were barely able to keep from dropping to the ground in relief. Only Xander was on his feet.
Xander, and one other.
"Tracy! Kill him!" The mage gasped. "You have to kill him!"
The woman didn't question the order, she just threw herself at Xander. Xander twisted to aim at her, already squeezing off a round by the time his weapon leveled on her, but it was too late. She hit hard and low, her booted feet slamming into his shins.
"Ahhh!" Xander screamed, stumbling from the pain, only to be staggered as a knife hand blow struck his wrist and shook the gun from his grasp.
Her next blow would have killed him, but he shifted slightly, taking the stiff hand chop on his chin instead of his throat. He groaned again in pain as the blow cracked his jaw in two places and loosened several teeth.
He struck back, trying to defend himself, but she twisted aside and staggered him with a kick to the head that caused his broken jaw to flare with redoubled agony. Xander dropped back barely in time to avoid her follow up, which would have snapped his neck, then stumbled as his injured legs gave out.
She stomped after him, forcing him to roll desperately away to avoid each strike.
Behind the two fighters, the others were coming to their feet. And Frank was leveling his gun on the woman attacking Xander, while the Charmed Ones focused their attention on the mage.
"Freeze!" Frank shouted.
Tracy Hanes did freeze, but only for a millisecond, and only to determine the situation. Once she had done that, she moved again.
Frank fired reflexively, letting two shots go before the slide clicked back empty, but the woman was gone into the night. "What the hell? Where'd she go??"
"Same place her boss did." Piper announced behind him and he turned to see that the field was now empty except for him, Xander, and the three women.
"We failed." One of the women said tiredly.
"You alright, Xan?"
Xander moaned, pain shooting through his jaw as he tried to speak.
"What's wrong with him?" Paige winced sympathetically.
"I think that bitch broke his jaw." Frank muttered, lightly running a hand along Xander jawline.
Xander screamed.
"Yep. She broke his jaw."
"Ow." Phoebe shuddered.
"He's damn well lucky that's all she broke." Frank muttered, gently pulling on Xander's arm and helping him up. "Tangling with a CIA assassin isn't the brightest thing to do."
Xander groaned again, whether in agreement or because he was trying to make some smart ass remark, Frank didn't know. He decided to assume the latter.
"Don't get smart with me, Kid." Frank muttered, "You saw her jacket as clearly as I did. She could have chewed you up and spit you out."
No response from Xander. Frank figured that this time it was because the other man had finally figured out that talking equaled pain. So he shrugged and grinned, "Still She's a hot one, you know. Getting knocked around by her isn't all bad."
*THIS* Time there was a response. And this time it was Frank who yelped in pain.
"Ow! What the hell was that for??" He asked, holding his jaw where Xander had clocked him one.
"Sounds like he's getting the hang of communicating with sign language." Piper said dryly, "Still I think we should probably help him out anyway. Chris!!"
A shower of white light appeared from thin air, depositing a young man by their side, "You rang?"
Frank almost jumped out of his skin, while Xander just watched the man with suspicious interest.
"What the motherfuck is THAT!?"
Chris scowled at Kohanek, "*That* has a name, thank you very much." Then he turned to Piper, "What's up with the yokels?"
Frank scowled at him, but Piper merely shrugged. "Could you heal the quiet one?"
Chrus shrugged and walked over to Xander, frowning when Xander backed off. "Come on... this won't hurt..."
Xander reluctantly let the man approach, and a golden glow emmitted from his hands, knitting bones and tissue back together. A moment later Chris backed off and Xander gingerly tested his jaw.
"Hey... not bad. Thanks."
"No problem." Chris said, nodding.
Piper scowled at the two of them, "Now... who the hell are you two and why were you able to hurt that guy while we couldn't??"
Xander frowned as everyone stared at him, "How should I know? I just shot him!"
"SO did I, Xan." Frank frowned in puzzlement. "Almost a full clip from my Glock and a Dragon's Breath round too. He didn't even flinch."
"And we hit him with a full Power of three spell with potions, and nada." Phoebe added helpfully. "So what's your power? Magic bullets?"
"Power? Me? Get real." Xander snorted, "I'm just an out of work construction worker."
"Who happens to own a strip club." Frank added helpfully.
Xander winced, "Gee thanks for reminding me, Frank."
The three girls looked at him oddly for a minute without speaking, so the young man named Chris spoke for them. "A strip club huh? And just where would this club be?"
"Chris!" Piper snapped, while the Whitelighter shrugged. "Can we get back to the matter at hand?"
Xander shrugged himself, then reached down and picked up his shotgun. "No time. We have to get back on Mr Wannabe Demon's trail before the ascension."
"What do you know about the ascension?" Phoebe asked instantly, her eyes narrowing. The Book of Shadows hadn't been terribly forthcoming.
Xander paused in midstep, glancing back. Finally he nodded to the car, "You want more info, come on."
Then he and Frank headed for the borrowed Mercedes.
The Sisters looked at each other for a moment, frowning. "Do we trust him?"
Phoebe considered the question, then nodded. "Yeah. At least long enough to call Darrel and get the low down on them."
"Dial." Piper ordered as they started to walk toward the car.
"Arrrrrrhhhh!"
"Jeez, geta grip, boss." Tracy Hanes muttered as she wrapped the bandage around the gushing wound in her employer's 'invulnerable' shoulder. "It's a clean hit. You'll live..."
"Easy for you to say." The man groaned out, "You're not the one bleeding all over my Limo."
Tracy shrugged, tightening the gauze wrap.
"AHHH!!"
"How'd this happen anyway, Boss?" Tracy asked after a moment, slowly fitting a loose silk shirt over her boss's shoulder.
He groaned lightly, grimacing. "He's an Archon."
"A what?"
"An Archon." He groaned out again, shifting in an attempt to ease the pain. "They're... Ancient legends."
"So?" Tracy shrugged, "Like everything about you isn't an ancient Legend, Jer?"
Jeremy Givens shook his head, "Not like me. Older. You remember how I told you the world started?"
"Yeah. Demon haven. Garden of hell, not eden." Tracy nodded. "Then the Slayers came and kicked the demons out."
Jeremy laughed, then groaned. "I never said THAT. What gave you that Idea?"
She shrugged, "I don't know... you said that The Slayers started around then or something."
"Yes," Givens nodded, "That's true enough. They did. But they didn't drive out the demons. Slayer's aren't that powerful. The demons who roamed the earth back then would have eaten a hundred Slayers and had room left over for desert."
"Then how?" Tracy frowned, "What chased them out?"
"Humans." Givens hissed slowly, "Lowly, pitiful, worthless... humans."
Hanes blinked, "How??"
"The Archon."
"Oh, so the Archons did it, not humans..."
"Archons ARE human, Tracy." Givens said as the Limo drove through the city, away from his old home and to his backup base. "And it was one Archon. Singular."
"You lost me, Sir." Hanes admitted.
"Not surprising." Givens replied contemptuously. "But try to keep your limited brain power on target for a moment will you?"
"Yes Sir." She replied calmly, no hint of anger at his comment in her face or voice.
"Good," Givens winced as he leaned back.
"So..." Hanes urged after a moment.
Givens sighed, "The Archon is... Humanity's War Leader. Anything he faces loses all of it's mystical abilities. ALL of them. Demons, Angels, Witches, whatever... if they face off against him, they do it as Mortals."
Tracy blinked, her mind quickly factoring that in. It only took moments to come to a conclusion, and she shrugged. "No big deal, Sir. Not unless he's got some way to stop a bullet?"
"No..." Givens smiled weakly. "He's completely mortal himself. Almost pitifully so."
"Then we don't have a problem." Tracy said confidently, "We suck him in... somewhere he can't resist showing up... and we kill him."
"How?"
Hanes thought about it for a moment longer, "The Ascension. I'll setup on one of the nearby buildings with a good rifle. When he shows up..."
Givens nodded as he considered it. "Good. This man *HAS* to die."
Tracy nodded, "You got it, Sir... but..."
"But??" Givens asked sharply.
"But why, Sir?" Tracy asked, "He's just one man... Even with that ability it won't seriously impact on the outcome."
Givens gave her a look of pure contempt, "Please try not to act quite so... human. An Archon isn't just one man, Tracy.."
"I don't understand, Sir..."
"You don't have to."
Tracy Hanes didn't ask any more, recognizing the order to shut up for what it was.
"Hey Boss." Mike nodded once as Xander approached the club door.
Xander nodded back, "hey Mike. They're with me."
The big man looked over the three girls briefly, then glanced at Xander. "New girls?"
Xander half smiled, shaking his head. "Nope. Heading upstairs."
Mike nodded, stepping aside for them. "Pity."
Xander smiled as he walked through, but didn't look back. Either seeing the glares he could feel on the back of his neck or letting them see his smirk would be a bad thing. Instead he led the small group through the club to the freight lift in the back.
"New Girls?"
Xander sighed, glancing back after all, and saw that only one of them was actually irritated. The other two seemed mildly amused, if not flattered. He shrugged, "It IS a strip club. And except on ladies nights, we don't get a lot of female clientele."
"I'll bet." Piper muttered sarcastically.
"Ladies night?" Phoebe asked, smiling.
"Phoebe!"
"Leave her alone," Paige admonished Piper, "Nothing wrong with a visit to a strip club on special occasions."
"Right." Phoebe said, looking at her older sister smugly.
"Like Mondays..." Paige continued, "Or tuesdays... or the occasional day that ends in 'y'..."
"Paige!"
Xander masked a chuckle, careful not to look at Frank because he knew he'd break out laughing if he saw the SFPD Inspector trying to hold in his laughter as Xander himself was doing. "Going up."
"Hey Xan," Andrew said, not looking over his shoulder as Xander lifted the old wooden lattice and led the small group off the lift. "In case you're wondering, I got some clear shots of the fight..."
"Oh?" Xander asked, interested, as he walked over. "Let's see."
Andrew punched up a couple shots, showing a mask of lightning crossing the screen, and then one where the reflected light garishly lit up the robed figure's face. "His name is Jeremy Givens. Millionaire, made most of his money after the crash in 29... no records of where he dug up his nest egg though."
Xander blinked, "29?"
"Yeah..." Andrew shrugged, "Oh he was using his 'grandfathers' title then... but I'm pretty sure it's the same guy."
"Probably. Wilkins did the same thing." Xander conceded. Then he frowned as he looked at the motion video on the screen. "What's up with the quality?"
"Well it IS only a cellular network, Xander." Andrew said as if to an idiot. "Don't worry. I can work with this."
Xander shrugged, "If you say so. Andrew, these are..."
"The Halliwell Sisters." Andrew finished, reddening slightly as everyone looked at him. "I did a search of the police database..."
"You can do that??" Phoebe asked, eyes wide.
"Oh yeah." Andrew grinned, "I'm tied into the national crime database too, and if I have to I can go further..."
"Wow."
"So this is how you tracked down this... Givens fellow?" Piper asked.
"More or less." Xander shrugged, not about to tell them about the Kindred angle. "And it is how we're going to find him again. Andrew?"
"Yeah?"
"Givens." Xander stated, rolling his eye.
"Oh. Yeah. One sec."
Andrew turned around on his chair and rapped on the keyboard as quickly as he could. In moments the monitors began to light up with photos and information. "This is what I've got. He owns a lot of stuff for a guy who was declared dead last year."
Xander frowned, looking over the screens. "Anything obvious that he might use as a secondary base?"
"Obvious isn't really this guys style." Frank corrected, leaning over Andrew's other shoulder. "I mean he WAS hiding under the wreckage of his mansion..."
"Which was the first place we looked." Xander reminded him. "And I meant obvious from Sunnydale eyes."
"Sunnydale??" Phoebe perked up fast, "You're from Sunnydale!?"
Xander nodded, "Yeah. Andrew and I are two of the survivors. We got lucky."
Phoebe nodded, suddenly catching a chill from his voice. "Oh."
Piper leaned over, whispering. "What's the deal with Sunnydale?"
Phoebe rolled her eyes, "If you'd stop moping up in your room then you'd know that Sunnydale became a sinkhole a few weeks ago. The entire town just vanished."
Piper's eyes widened.
"Yeah," Paige nodded, "No one really knows what happened... just that a lot of people came out of there babbling about monsters and demons."
"Sunnydale was o a Hellmouth." Xander said, not looking back as the three sisters blushed at being overheard. "Big Bad tried to close the hellmouth, we stopped it. Hellmouth ate Sunnydale. End of story. Can we get back to the problem at hand?"
"Umm... sure." Paige said uncertainly.
Xander nodded brusquely, ignoring the itch under his patch as he fought to control his emotions. Sunnydale was the last thing he wanted to think about right now. "What about it Andrew?"
Andrew scrolled through the information available, quickly filing probables away. A few moments later the printer whirred quietly and turned out a sheet with addresses on it. "These are the most likely ones I think, Xan."
Xander nodded, taking the paper and looking it over.
"Uh... Xander? There's something else..."
"What?"
"He'll be ready to ascend in two weeks."
"How do you know that?" Piper asked sharply.
"Well I'm just guessing... but..." Andrew hesitated.
"But what?"
"But there's a really big evnt being thrown in remembrance of the first anniversery of his 'death'... there's be hundreds of people there..."
Xander nodded, "Andrew's right. That's when he'll do it."
"Where is this?" Piper asked.
Phoebe spoke, eyes wide, before Andrew could answer. "Golden gate park. The paper is covering it. All the media will be there..."
"Oh damn." Piper cursed.
Xander shook his head disgustedly, "Of course they will. We'll have to get him first. Come on, Frank... let's move."
"Hey! What about us??" Paige objected instantly.
Xander glanced back at them, hesitating. "Look. You guys did ok earlier... but you weren't able to do him any damage... and, frankly, I don't know you. I've had bad experiences with Witches I *trust*... so I got to tell ya, I'm not sure I want unknowns with that level of power at my back."
"You need us." Phoebe said, determined. "I can help you find things that you'll never see... and even if we can't touch Givens, we can nail anyone else he's got working for him."
Xander breathed out, annoyed. For a moment he rode the edge of rejecting the offer out of hand, but finally nodded. "Alright. You can come."
But then he stopped and lifted up one finger, "But I'll give you fair warning... You go black eyed on me and I'll shoot first, not wait to see who you're aiming at."
The three sisters looked at each other in confusion, their eyes communicating the same question. <Black eyed??>
"Would you relax?" Givens asked, annoyed. "This place is impossible to trace. I don't even own it, afterall."
Tracy Hanes glanced back, reluctantly nodding as she sat down. "Why aren't we in the town house?"
"Because I don't want the Archon finding me before the trap is set."
"He's still only human." Hanes insisted, "I can take him."
"Undoubtedly." Givens agreed, "However, that is no reason to be careless. Besides, if he is aware of his abilities... things are much more dangerous."
"Why??" Hanes pressed. "If I'm to continue as your employee and bodyguard, though I had thought that part of my job was over, I need to know what makes this man so dangerous?"
"I already told you."
"Yes, he can kill you despite your invulnerability..." Hanes conceded, "Alright. But his powers don't affect me. Let me go after him, I'll bring you this... Archon's head on a platter."
"No." Givens said for the hundredth time of the evening. "Though I appreciate your enthusiasm for my defense. But it simply isn't practical. We don't have anything to go on in order to find him, and besides which he may have allies."
Hanes scowled as she leaned forward, "You're afraid of him."
"Of course I'm afraid of him my dear." Givens replied calmly. "He is a wild factor in my plans. There hasn't been an Archon in millenia... with good cause."
"Huh?"
Givens sighed, "The Archon were the trump cards of the army of light... They could singlehandedly shift the tide of an entire war... And they were the Light's answer to the Vampire menace."
"What? I thought that was the Slayers?"
"Hardly." Givens snorted, "The Slayers are the result of mortals meddling in powers the were incapable of comprehending. Slayers are, more often then not, pawns for *our* side of the war. Very few of them ever accomplish anything particularly 'good' in their lives... though I suppose thinning out the vampire herds may qualify."
"May?" Hanes asked, her voice curious.
Givens shrugged, still a little uncomfortable from the wound. "It's rather debatable actually. Slayers rarely take out any intelligent vampire, so it's really a matter of culling out the weak and stupid. Those that survive wreak havoc beyond what their weaker brethren may have been able. Also the more intelligent ones are generally better able to cause their damage without the blatant overtures that create such creatures as Van Helsing and his lot."
"Helsing was real??"
"Oh yes, still is I suppose." Givens shrugged again, and winced. "He's tracked Vlad across the planet so many times by now that I suppose even he may find it funny... in a twisted way of course."
"Vlad?" Hanes looked shocked, "Dracula exists??"
Givens snorted, "Now there is one vampire that should have fallen to a Slayer at his rising. That fool created more effective hunters then any religious order or council of watchers ever could have. He and his idiotic penchant for drama... Give me Angelus or Spike any day. At least when THEY create hunters through their actions the hunters don't come after the rest of the demonic community."
Givens laughed lightly, as if at some private joke that Tracy didn't get. She sighed and tried to turn the conversation back to the issue at hand, "But how did the Slayers become the chosen demon hunters then?"
"The powers that govern..." Givens chuckled, "Excuse me... *Governed* this plane are nothing if not opportunistic. They take any champion then can, when and where they can. They have too, ever since they crippled this worlds defenses by suppressing the Archons."
"Why on earth would they do that?"
"Too powerful my dear." Givens smiled beatifically, his painkillers finally nudging through his system. "Far far too powerful for them to risk having around... especially when one of them went bad... so long ago..."
"Went bad? How are they too powerful??"
Givens closed his eyes, drifting in the relaxing sensation of the powerful pain killers. "One of them almost made it to the gates of heaven itself... Too bad he failed."
"How? How could one man, even with that power do something like that??" Hanes pressed, knowing that her best chance to understand her enemy was right now.
"How?" Givens chuckled softly, "How indeed. You poor pitiful human... You still haven't figured it out have you?"
"How? Please. Tell me how??" Hanes leaned forward, pressing hard.
Unfortunately, Givens was already fast asleep from the drugs.
Xander flopped down on his bed, the sun already high in the sky, exhausted by the long search. He, Frank, Andrew, and the Halliwells had been at it for over a week now. A week without the slightest hint of the man they searched for. A week of dead ends and long nights.
A week of counting down the days until the son of a bitch prepared to ascend in front of a media storm.
Xander groaned at the thought, wondering how many people would die at the open air gathering. So far they hadn't even been able to determine why his bullet had harmed the man.
Luck like that was something that Xander couldn't count on. If it had been a one time thing, relying on a second instance would result in the certain deaths of hundreds of people, maybe thousands.
It was a nightmare of the highest proportions, because he didn't have even the same reserves of people that he and Buffy had rallied at their graduation.
The bright side, he considered, was that he was considerably better armed.
Julian's contacts had gotten him police weapons, and even some highly restricted assault weapons. No anti-armor unfortunately, which was what Xander was leaning heavily on him for.
Julian could do it, of that Xander was certain. The problem was how much time it would take. Establishing new contacts in that sort of area took time, and the weapons that he had gotten so far had been lifted from police armories and other quasi-legal sources.
Cops simply didn't have what Xander was counting on needing.
He groaned, levering himself out of bed, suddenly knowing precisely where to get the weapons he needed. He fumbled along the floor, pulling his pants to him and fishing the cell phone out of his pocket. He pressed a speed dial number and waited.
A calm, cool voice sounded on the other side. "Hello?"
"Lillie. It's Xander. I need a favor."
Tracy Hanes moved silently through the quiet house, knowing that her boss was a light sleeper and not wanting to wake him.
She had tried to convince him that she needed to know everything if she was going to protect him properly, but he insisted on keeping this to himself. All his frustrating hints about the foe they faced grating at her nerves, and had forced her to this extreme.
She silently slid the door to his 'study' open, slipping in before closing it again.
Inside the sequestered room, she found herself surrounded by ancient books, some of them so old that they seemed ready to collapse into dust like a staked vamp. Smoothly she moved across the room, quickly skimming through the bindings until she found the tome in question.
She slid an old, black, leather bound book from the shelf and laid it softly on the table.
She froze for a moment, her eyes darting to the door before breathing again as she recognized the sound she'd heard as something outside. Silently she turned her focus back to the book as she opened it's pages and let it fall open to the place marker Givens had left their the night before.
She smiled in spite of herself for a moment, knowing that Givens would have a fit if he knew how much she really knew about him and his business. He couldn't accept that her job required it of her, and being a professional was what kept her alive.
She examined the old script, scowling as she realized that it wasn't in english. She sighed, nodding softly to herself, and produced a tiny camera.
Click. Click. Click.
When she had the pages in question, she closed up the book and returned it to it's place.
"Well well well, look who's come begging for *my* help."
"Stuff it Cameron." Xander growled, "You know as well as I do that I could get Julian to do this. But I think it'll be faster if I do it myself, so let's get this done."
The Brujah Primogen smirked softly, not showing any sign of irritation with Xander's attitude. "State your business then."
"You know what's coming?"
Cameron nodded.
"You know it has to be stopped." Xander said calmly, but not as a question this time.
"Of course." Cameron smiled softly, "Armageddon is bad for business."
Xander snorted, but nodded.
"So what can I..." Cameron paused, smiling again, "do to help?"
"Weapons. I need them, and I know you can get them." Xander said pointedly.
"Perhaps." Cameron shrugged, "What kind?"
"Anti-tank weapons. LAWS, a recoilless rifle, hell I'd take an M1A1 Abrams if you could swing it."
Cameron chuckled softly, "I think that might be pushing even my contacts. But I can get you some of what you want. If you can pay the price."
"How much?" Xander asked cooly.
Cameron shrugged, "Money... no, not money. I'll get you what you need... and you will *owe* me."
Xander stiffened.
Beside him, Lillie frowned. "Cameron..."
"Stay out of this, Toreador." Cameron said cooly. "This is between men."
Lille scowled at him, but a motion from Xander silenced her.
Xander leaned forward, "I'll owe you one," He agreed.
Cameron smiled, but Xander wasn't finished.
"But don't ask too much when you call in the marker, Cameron..." Xander warned, "I agree with the Brujah on one point..."
"And what would that be?"
"Honor is a fine thing... if you can afford it." Xander said, smiling dangerously as he stared at Cameron with his single eye. "But... if you cant..."
Cameron actually had to suppress a shiver when he felt a moment of odd weakness run through him. But then it was gone and Xander had leaned back, apparently relaxing. The Brujah Primogen nodded slowly, then smiled himself. "I like that. Alright, I'll fill your order *boy*..."
Xander nodded, rising. He extended his hand, and the mildly surprised Brujah reached out and clasped it. The two men shook hands for a moment, their eyes glinting as they took each others measure.
"We have an understanding." Cameron said as they let go. "The items will be delivered to your club."
Xander nodded slowly, "Agreed. Just so you remember what I said."
"I will. You remember this," Cameron's voice took on a steel edge. "Cross me and the Brujah will hunt you down... maybe we'll even embrace you."
Xander scowled, leaning close and hissing. "I'll die first, Brujah... and so will the bastard who tries to feed off me."
Then he turned and lift, Lillie following behind him.
Cameron smiled as the door closed, then half turned to the Brujah on his left hand. "You know... I almost think I believe him."
"That was dangerous." Lillie said as she drove the heavily tinted automobile back through San Francisco midday traffic.
Xander shrugged, "He had to know I was serious."
"It was also brave I suppose." Lillie conceded with a soft, sly smile.
"Thank you."
"Of course, bravery and stupidity are often extremely difficult to tell apart."
Xander scowled humorously, "That sounds like my life."
"I don't wonder." Lillie said easily, pulling into the lot of Xander's club. "You're home."
Xander nodded looking at the garish building. "So I am."
"Tell me something..." Lillie asked, her voice quiet and somber.
"What?"
She looked over, and reached up, her hand softly brushing his eyepatch. "How you got this?"
Xander shivered at the conducted sensation of her fingers, and looked away. "It's not much of a story..."
"I don't believe you." She whispered, reaching out and placing her hand on his cheek to turn his face back to her.
Xander stared at her for a long moment, the dark humor in her eyes glinting at him even as her entire being remained somber. He felt the heat of her hand against his cheek and again wondered at the differences between the Kindred and their tainted cousins, wondering just how deeply those differences really went.
He broke free of her grasp, opening the door and slipping out. "I have to go."
Lillie smiled and waved genially at him as he closed the door, and Xander had the eerie feeling that she was laughing at him as he headed for the club.
Back in the car, Lillie was indeed laughing, but there was no bite to it. "Sleep well, young one. You'll need your strength."
Then she chuckled appreciatively, enjoying her own humor, as she started the car and left the parking lot.
The sun was setting when the soft knock woke Xander up and he lifted his head blearily from the pillow and moaned, "Wha hiss itt?"
"Xander?" Andrew's voice came through the door, "The Halliwells are here..."
Xander groaned, rolling over in bed and tossing the covers off. "Okaaayyy.... I'm up... I'm up..."
There was no further response so he staggered out of the bed.
"Pants... pants... pants.." Xander spun around, looking for his clothes with sleep filled eyes. "Damn it... where are they?"
He turned around, checking the same place on the floor for the fifth time and blinked as he found them. He shook his head, cleared his eyes, then shrugged. "Damn I need more sleep."
Xander pulled the pants on, then grabbed his patch from the night table and fitted it lightly over his face, pausing to glance in the mirror before throwing a shirt on and heading for the door.
"Pheoebe, Piper, Paige..." Xander smiled through his fatigue, nodding at each of them. "Anything new?"
The sisters shook their head, "No. You?"
Xander shook his own, "Nope. Damn. This guy has gone to ground... we'll never find him in time."
"What can we do?" Piper shrugged fatalistically.
"In Sunnydale we blew up the last guy trying this... his invulnerability only lasts until the transformation begins." Xander explained.
"Yeah, but that means facing this thing down on local news... probably being bumped up to national affiliates." Phoebe scowled.
Xander nodded, thinking about all the crap going on in the world now, and made a decision. "If that's what it takes... then that's what we do."
"Easy for you to say." Piper growled, "You're not a witch. You know what'll happen if people realize who and what we are?"
Xander nodded, "Yeah. But what if they find out about the supernatural from a demon that gobbling down half the city and don't see the flip side? What if they don't see any supernatural fighters opposing it?"
"He's got a point." Phoebe sighed, thinking about the alternate future she had seen once. There had been nothing like THIS in is, but it had been black enough. Witch burning had been back in style, and that was just the tip of the iceberg.
"I know dammit." Piper agreed. "But I don't have to like it."
"I don't think any of us like it." Xander said, "But I'll be honest and say that I'm more worried about the panic it's likely to create then future backlashes. Things are getting worse out there, you know... The East Coast is basically under Martial Law now, and I don't know if you guys realize it, but it isn't terrorist activity that's causing it."
"What?" Phoebe asked, her eyes narrowing.
Xander sighed, "The line in the news about terrorists is bogus. It's vampires and demons causing the uprising."
"How do you know that??"
"I still have contact with a few people who headed out there to try and help calm things down." Xander said soberly, "Things aren't going well for them."
"Oh God." Piper said, her face wooden. Suddenly she looked up, "Wait a minute! You mean all the stuff on the news now is demonic in origin?"
"Most of it seems to be lately." Xander nodded. "I'm not sure about the overseas stuff... but the riots in Europe sound suspicious... and the sudden isolationism of China is telling. They've never been forward with what's happening in their borders, but what is coming out is scary."
"Wait a minute... are you talking about those refugees that were picked up by the navy last week?" Pheobe asked.
Xander nodded.
Phoebe paled, "You mean... you don't think they're crazy?"
"I'm afraid not." Xander sighed. "Tell them Andrew..."
Andrew shifted nervously, "Umm well... Xander was suspicious about that and asked me to check some stuff for him... and well..."
"What?" Paige asked impatiently.
"Everything going in and out of China is under a military blockade." Andrew shook his head, "Even information. Civilian satellites that usually sell photos of the ground anywhere in the world have been barred from taking any images of China and a lot of the surrounding area. In fact, the *only* information coming out of China right now that isn't secured, encrypted, and put under lock and key... is from a few internet providers that haven't been taken offline or 'acquired' by various agencies... and there are less of them every day."
"What's going on over there??" Phoebe pressed harder.
Andrew swallowed, looking to Xander for help.
Xander sighed, "China is an old country... with a lot of legends..."
"So?"
"So... it looks like some of those legends... aren't legends afterall." Xander said, closing his eyes. Beijing... isn't there anymore by all reports."
"What!?"
Xander let out a chuff of breath, "Look we don't know much more then you, ok? We just know that all contact with the city of Beijing was cut off four days ago... The last information from Andrew's net contacts was insane... even by our standards."
"What did they say?" Paige asked softly.
Andrew shivered, "Dragons. They said, Here there be Dragons."
With less then a week to his ascension, Hanes found that her boss was growing more and more excited. Acting like a child by times, all but hopping around as if waiting for permission to open the presents under the tree.
She, on the other hand, was growing more tense with each passing moment. Even as he relaxed, she couldn't force her mind from the dangers that were approaching. And from the mysterious Archon that still had the power to spook Givens even through his euphoria. She'd still been unable to get him to tell her more about the legend, and had even less luck getting him to speak of the reality.
She didn't like that in the least, needless to say, and had gone about getting a little independent research done on the subject.
The world was going to hell all around her, but Hanes only knew how to deal with one thing at a time. Once the Ascension was done then she would worry about the rest of the planet, not that it seemed to have much to worry about. Givens' allies were doing a bangup job of dealing with the human militaries, and even where the human forces were putting up a good fight it was still a losing proposition.
Jeffery seemed certain that only this Archon could ruin things for them, and he was quite determined to see the man dead as the crowning touch of his ascension.
If only he would stop HIDING tactical data from her!
Tracy growled, hating the fact that the enemy she was supposed to face had resources she didn't know about. And hating even more that her boss DID know about them and wasn't sharing.
She'd been going through this for days, running back on herself each time, and each time being more frustrated by her inability to deal with it.
Just as she was about to destroy something in frustration, her small satellite phone chimed. "Hanes. Talk to me."
The voice on the other end spoke quickly, urgently.
"Right. Archon. That's what he said." Tracy said, frowning. "Did you translate the pages?"
Another bit of urgent words.
"Well? Tell me already!" Hanes hissed.
The voice was silent for a moment, then came back, still urgent, but slowly and calmly as possible.
Tracy Hanes listened in shock as the truth uncovered from those pages were laid out for her in minute detail. She swallowed, "Wait a second... You say that the power I've seen... that's one of his MINOR powers? What in the hell is his Major one??"
As the voice spoke her eyes widened until it seemed they would bulge from her head.
"Oh my good god." She whispered in shock, the phone dropping nervelessly from her hand and smacking into the tile floor, sending pieces of plastic and wiring scattering across the floor.
Tracy Hanes didn't notice, she just stared at the wall ahead of her in shock as her mind tried desperately to piece together what she had just learned.
Xander Harris looked over the heavy anti-tank weapon carefully, remembering the memory of how to use the device. He haltingly flipped open the targeting reticule and punched in the diagnostics code he'd retrieved from the manual. When the lights flashed back green across the board he nodded and deactivated the weapon, carefully repacking it in it's crate.
He looked up, "It checks out."
"Of course it does." The Brujah Primogen smiled calmly. "I'm not Eddie Fiore, you know. If I wanted you dead, I'd have done it by now."
Xander nodded, "Likewise."
Cameron chuckled slightly, nodding. "Good. Then our... business is concluded?"
Xander nodded again, "Yeah."
"I'll be seeing you then." Cameron turned to leave. Halfway to the door he paused and glanced back. "Give them hell... Literally if possible."
Xander just shook his head as the Brujah Primogen walked out. He had less the three days to the Ascension and things simply were not looking up.
The world situation was going from bad to worse, especially now that the news about China had finally broke to the public. The entire Chinese coast was under naval blockade by American AND Chinese surface ships. A U.S. Carrier flight group was actually flying sorties into Chinese territory to cover Chinese ground troops.
All and all, things were NOT looking up in the world Xander mused as he started pulling the weapons from their crates and breaking them down one by one before reassembling them and fitting them into the armory cabinets he'd built in the basement of the club for the heavier stuff.
"God, if Sonya knew what I was doing to her club..." Xander shook his head, "She'd skin me alive."
With that cheerful thought in mind, Xander reached back without looking to grab his cleaning kit. When he didn't feel it right away he felt around blindly for a moment, but was just about to give up when he could have sworn he felt the something slide into his hand.
He jumped, but not to far as he quickly realized that it was just his kit. <Damn. I'm getting way too jumpy.>
He opened the kit and went back to work.
"Nervous aren't we?" A liquid voice filled the room, causing Xander to jump again.
He half turned, barely stopping short of drawing his pistol. "Jesus, Lillie... don't DO that."
She just smiled at him and he paused, then frowned. "How did you get in here anyway?"
She didn't answer him, instead choosing to walk slowly over to him and take a seat just across from him. She looked at his weapons and grimaced ever so delivately, sighing. "What is it with you boys and all the toys?"
Xander shrugged, "What is it with you Toreador and all the parties?"
"We enjoy them." She shrugged.
Xander just shrugged back.
"Do not tell me that you enjoy killing, Xander." Lillie admonished, "I know better."
"You're right." Xander said, breaking down a CAR-15 with slow, halting, movements. "I don't. But I accept that not everything that has to be done is meant to be enjoyed."
Lillie rolled her eyes, "If that is a 'dig' at my lifestyle, I'd like to point out that if everyone shared my priorities then no one would ever need to resort to such... extremes."
"You can't tell me that you don't consider violence a viable option, Lillie." Xander said, looking up. "I know better, remember?"
Lillie actually broke eye contact first, looking down as she nodded slowly. "So you do."
Xander nodded, examining the weapon in the silence that followed, then reassembled the gun with a slightly surer pace. When he was finished he flipped the assault weapon over his shoulder and picked up a rucksack from the ground, slinging it over his shoulder. "So why are you here, Lillie? Surely the Toreador Primogen has better places to spend her time then the basement of a strip club?"
Lillie smiled as she followed him, "You would be surprised where you find the latest talent."
Xander paused at the open door to the lift, turning back with a frown. "Leave my girls alone, Lillie. They don't need your life."
"Not what I meant, Xander." The Toreador frowned softly, "I mean that I've found talent for my agencies in odder places."
Xander nodded as she stepped into the lift, then he got in himself and brought the door down. "Just so you know I'm not kidding."
"Relax." She told him, "You know our rules. No embracing people who aren't willing."
"I also know that those rules have been broken by times," Xander said, then looked at Lillie archly and finished, "or shall we say heavily bent?"
Lillie casually smiled and placed a hand on his chest, "Please. We've all made our mistakes. And Julian would probably kill even me if I did such a thing... especially after Sasha."
Xander frowned, he'd heard bits about this 'Sasha' from Frank and a couple others, but no one really spoke about it in detail. Still, he had the impression that whatever happened had hit Julian pretty hard. "Who's Sasha?"
Lillie arched an eyebrow almost instantly, "You've never met her?"
Xander shook his head and Lillie laughed, a peal of pleasure. "Oh my... you have no idea what you're missing. Sasha is... well, she was born to be Kindred. Not surprising since she is one of Julian's descendants."
Xander's eyes widened in surprise, but Lillie's smile became sad. "How she became Kindred is a tragedy worthy of the Bard himself, however... She, born to be Gangrel... Embraced into the Brujah. She and Cash have a decidedly Romeo and Juliet deal going even now."
Xander winced. That had to hurt, if Lillie was serious. He'd seen Cash and the Brujah circling each other like rottweilers when he had spent some time in Lillie's Haven. The two went together like gas and matches.
Before he could say anything the lift reached the third floor and Xander pulled up the wooden gate, sliding it out of the way so they could step off.
"Hey Xander, I think I've... whoa...." Andrew paused, blinking and swallowing as he spotted Lillie step off the lift.
Xander nodded, "Andrew, I don't think you've met Lillie yet."
"Uh... no." Andrew admitted, eyeing the beautiful dark haired woman.
"Well, This is she." Xander smiled, "Lillie, this is Andrew. Resident computer genius."
"Really? How fascinating." Lillie said, managing to sound interested and serious despite her amusement at the young man's reactions.
"Well... really I'm not a genius or anything... I mean, I just like computers... you know?" Andrew said, all but kicking the floor with one floor and muttering an 'aw shucks'.
Xander shrugged, "Close enough for my money. What do you have for me?"
"Huh? Oh..." Andrew turned around, "Look at this."
Xander frowned, looking over the computer screens. "Ok... I give. What am I looking at?"
Andrew leaned forward, bumping him in his eagerness. "I got the layout for the park!"
"So?" Xander asked, puzzled. "We already have that..."
"Not the one the Secret Service drew up for the President's speech last month." Andrew smiled widely. "Not the one with all the sniper positions marked and the hand reported evaluation of every place that could be used to mount an attack on the President."
Xander blinked. Or winked, perhaps. Then his jaw dropped as he started to actually read the information that was scrawled across the hastily scanned documents. "Jesus. Andrew... how the hell did you get this??"
Andrew smiled, "One of the detectives in town thought it would make a good reference in the future... so he put it on his computer."
Xander blinked, "Andrew... there have to be hundreds of computers in the PD... you dug through all of them to find this??"
"Of course now." Andrew scoffed, "I just wrote a simple search engine and used some keywords."
"Oh." Xander shook his head, no better off. He shrugged it off, and sat down in front of the screens. "Can you get me a print out of this? A big one?"
"Sure." Andrew smiled, eager to please.
"Good." Xander said absently as he started looking over the notes marked on the screens.
Behind him Lillie, slightly miffed at being completely forgotten, rolled her eyes and shook her head. She finally smiled slightly and slipped from the room as silent as the falling night.
"How go the preparations?"
Tracy stood up slowly and turned around to greet her boss, nodding as she straightened her attire. "As planned. There will be at least six hundred people on sight... Sir... are you sure about this?"
"Why? Has something new come up my dear?" Givens asked.
"No." Tracy said calmly, "But the news cameras... that's dangerous, Sir."
"Nonsense." Givens smiled confidently. "If I'm going to rule what's left of this pitiful place, my wonderful subjects really should see my big day."
Tracy swallowed, but nodded. "Very well."
"Oh, do relax my dear." Givens smiled, "You think too much like a CIA Assassin... The days of hiding in the shadows are over. We're winning now."
"Yes Sir."
Givens became serious a moment later, "And preparations to handle the Archon?"
"Three snipers." Tracy said easily, "Triangulating rooftops, good view of the entire area. If shows his head... we'll blow it off."
"Ah... excellent." Givens grinned, clasping his hands together. "Then I suppose that just leaves the local minions?"
"Handled." Tracy replied professionally. "Fifty vampires, twenty demons, and two squads drawn from your contacts to the south. Gunfighters, all. We can handle anything up to the national guard."
"Excellent." Givens smirked, breathing deeply. "It's been so long you know... What DOES one say to the people who show up at one's memorial party?"
"Surprise, I'm not dead?" Tracy suggested dryly.
Givens chuckled freely, nodding as he smiled. "That would be almost perfect, My Dear... but perhaps I should go for something a little more... eloquent?"
"The Buffet is open?"
That one earned her little more then a mild glare, so Tracy elected to stop offering comments and return to her plans.
Behind her Givens kept pacing and mubling to hismelf. "Oh, I'm just no good at this. Wilkins, damn his soul, was always the better public speaker. I wonder if he left any scraps of his speech around that I might find?"
Xander cleared and checked the breech on the MP5-SD6 he's just stripped and reassembled, then slid it shut and placed the weapon down in the gun tote on the workbench on front of him. His 1911 was already cocked and locked, riding low on his hip in preparation for the day ahead.
Demon Day, as Andrew had jokingly called it, was upon him, and Xander still didn't know what the hell he was doing. Not really at least, despite all the preparation. His plan was just one side of suicidal, and what scared Xander was that he didn't know which damn side that was.
At least this time he could count on his weapons, rather then being forced to rely on bathtub mixed AMFO and jury rigged detonators. His hand unconsciously slipped out and came to rest on one of the five anti-tank rockets he'd gathered for the job. The military grade HE warheads would pack a considerably more powerful, and more focused, punch then they'd ever been able to achieve by using the school to contain the blast.
A noise behind him caused Xander to turn around. He frowned when he saw Mike checking the breech on one of the combat shotguns and pulling a colt that matched Xander's own from the armory cabinet.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Xander asked, frowning.
"Boss, if you think you're doing this alone, you've lost what was little mind you had." The big black man said with a grin that flashed his impossibly white teeth.
"Mike," Xander said patiently, "You've got a wife and daughter."
"Damn right." The bouncer said as he started slipping Dragon's Breath slugs into the breech of the shotgun. "And what's going to happen to them if you miss?"
Xander took a breath, not liking it, but bowing to the man's logic. Mike had as much at stake here as anyone else, and more then Xander himself. "Fine. But for God's Sake Mike... be careful."
"You got it, Boss." The man said with a smirk and nod as he closed the breech on the shotgun, then cranked one into the chamber.
Xander nodded, then stood up and walked around the central pillar of the huge room, until he came to stand by Andrew's station. "How's it going?"
Andrew shrugged, "I've got police and National Guard frequencies covered, looks like your friend Luna managed to get the guard on alert at least... but the cops seem to have found some other things to interest them... they're not going anywhere near the park if they can help it."
Xander nodded, "Good. Julian did as I asked him."
Andrew half turned around, "Uh... Xander... I don't mean to sound stupid but..."
Xander waited for a while, but finally grew impatient enough to prod the younger man. "Yes?"
"Well... wouldn't the police be helpful?" Andrew asked, flinching as if he expected to be berated.
Xander looked thoughtful, but shook his head. "No. Not until after things have gone to hell. If they get in my way before they understand the situation..."
Xander let the implication stand as he trailed off and Andrew nodded, "Right. Ok."
Xander nodded soberly, then clapped Andrew's shoulder to redirect his attention. "Is everything else set?"
"Set." Andrew confirmed. "I've got the cameras we... well, you planted... online and ready to go. Everything according to the Secret Service's plans... Xander, are you sure..."
"If I can trust the competency of the guys who protect the president, who can I trust?" Xander asked with a light grin. "Relax, they'll work."
"I was more worried about me." Andrew said with a guilty air of confession. "Xander I don't know if I'm up for this... I'm a screwup, Xander. I know it, and you need better then this."
Xander paused for a moment, giving Andrew the impression that he agreed, but when he spoke his voice was firm. "I've got no one else for the job, Andrew... even if I thought you were right."
Andrew opened his mouth to object, but Xander silenced him with a look and continued. "Yes, you're a screwup."
The younger man flinched, but Xander didn't pause. "But that has nothing to do with your basic competency, Andrew. You're a screwup because you made the wrong choices in the past... not because you're unable to make the right ones. Andrew..."
The younger man looked up at him, eyes wide.
"I trust you to make the right ones now." Xander said, then gave him a slight smile before turning around and heading back to the other side of the floor.
Andrew watched him walk away, swallowing hard, then turned back to his station with a resolute expression as he called up the system diagnostics just one last time.
"I'm actually nervous." Givens said with an air of wonder as he looked around him.
"I'm so happy for you." Hanes muttered, rolling her eyes as she checked the action of the L96 sniper rifle cradled in her arms.
Givens frowned thoughtfully, "It's really a very irritating feeling."
Hanes nodded in agreement, forcing her own nerves down as she went over the plan one last time in her mind. Finally she worked the action of her rifle one last time before placing it carefully in the carry system bag and picking up the Heckler and Koch G36 Compact from the table. She began to professionally strip the assault weapon down to it's frame while checking that each part had been properly oiled and maintained.
"You, young lady, have no sense of wonder." Givens chided her mildly as he went over his prepared speech yet again.
Hanes just shrugged and nodded again as she worked on her backup weapon.
Xander had rented a white panel van for the occasion and between them, he and Mike had loaded it to the teeth with whatever they thought might be needed for the battle ahead. Xander had driven them and they'd parked within site of the podium that Xander presumed the arrogant bastard was going to ascend on.
They'd been parked for less then three minutes when two cop cars pulled up around them on both sides.
Xander and Mike exchanged nervous glances as the officers got out and walked around their vehicles toward him.
"Oh fuck." Mike muttered, "We're going to jail forever."
Xander, for his part, had thought much the same thing until he saw Frank Kohanek approaching in his mirror, a canary eating grin on his face. Xander shook his head and opened the door, "God damn it, Frank. Don't DO that."
Frank chuckled, "Darrel and I found a few friends in the PD who we thought could help."
Xander shook his head for a second before smiling and nodding to the assembled SFPD officers. "Good to have you aboard. How many of you know the score?"
"Everyone." Frank said, "I was surprised how many people we were able to convince..."
"You mean you TRIED?" Xander looked shocked. "Damn, Frank. I thought you gave up on that after the last time."
That comment elicited some chuckles from the group and a scowl from Frank, "Morris talked me into it. Turns out that not everyone is as blind as I thought."
"No," One of the cops grinned, "but most of us aren't stupid enough to advertise it and put a target on *our* foreheads either."
Xander grinned, nodding. "Alright. Glad to have you aboard. Check your handcuffs at the door though, people. This guy isn't going to come peacefully."
"You can say that again."
Xander half turned to see the three Halliwell sisters approaching the group and he nodded to them. "Good to see you."
They smiled at him, then at Morris before looking around at the group uncertainly. "Uh... Darrel?"
"These guys know the score." Darrel said. "They're here to help."
Piper nodded, scowling slightly as he did, but accepted that.
"Whoa." Phoebe said, looking around. "This is bigger then we thought isn't it?"
Xander just shrugged, looking almost miserable. Finally he just shrugged and did a quick head count, "Six of you, Frank?"
Frank shook his head, "Nope. Got another six in a SWAT van around the corner. What's the plan?"
<Twelve cops... three witches... Mike, and Me.> Xander thought to himself. Things were looking up, but it was still going to hurt. He nodded to himself, then looked up again. "We don't touch the bastard until after he changes. Then we hit him with everything we've got, don't hold anything back... if he feeds, he gets stronger and we're fucked. Ok?"
The cops nodded, one of them holding up his hand. "What about the civilians?"
"We hope to hell they can get clear." Xander said, noticing that that didn't go over well. He sighed, "Look, I don't like it either, but we're going to have a lot more on our minds by that point."
"Why not just take the bastard out before it happens?"
"Can't do it." Xander said, "Let's forget for the moment that we'd all go to jail for murder, he's still got the invulnerability deal going until the change happens. Frank emptied his service piece into the SOB without any effect."
The cops winced, but Frank spoke up. "He bled when you shot him."
"Yeah..." Xander conceded, "But I'll be damned if I know why. And not knowing that, I'm not willing to risk tipping him off before I get the guaranteed kill."
The cops nodded reluctantly, accepting that.
Xander looked them over, "Ok. Who on your team can fire a rocket launcher?"
Tracy Hanes slipped into place on her chosen rooftop, resting on the unfolded carry system as she popped the caps off the high power scope of the L96. She calmly swept the field, checking the arraignments as she waited for the ceremony to start.
People were just starting to trickle in, lured by the free food and drink that had been paid for by the Givens Foundation. <Rats to the cheese.>
As the crowds began to thicken she stepped up her search, now looking for her target in the morass sea of faces below.
Xander's group split up as they moved into the ground, they were the lead element and had their weapons slung inside duffel bags, or hidden under wrapped blankets or long coats. They were about as inconspicuous as Andrew was in the strip club, but in the crowd they were traversing it hardly mattered. The press was too tight to really be noticed anyway.
Behind them the bulk of the team, the six SWAT officers and four beat cops, were waiting for the shit to hit before coming in. Their job was going to be a mix of getting as many civilians clear and handling the minions that Givens would undoubtedly have in the area.
Xander glanced up at the sky, noting the dark shadow of the moon as it began it's approach. He triggered his throat mic a second later, "Check the sky. It's time."
Jeremy Givens hid a smile as he appeared on the podium, much to the shock of the people who had actually gathered to 'mourn' his passing. He nodded at the distinguished speakers, smirking insufferably at the man who had thought he controlled the Givens Foundation fortune, and stepped up to the microphone.
He tapped it twice, wincing at the feedback, and then leaned in.
"Good day to you all, some of you undoubtedly know me... and are probably wondering how that's possible. For those of you who don't, I'm Jeremy Givens." He paused, savoring the moment for a long breath. "Welcome to my memorial service."
Xander ignored the shocked words and hushed gasps that erupted around him, he focused on keeping an eye on his target without appearing too obvious. He stayed low in the crowd and went with the motions around him, not fighting the current. His precise position mattered very little compared to the need to remain hidden.
As Givens continued to talk, Xander had to smile as he heard a comment over the radio.
"Jesus Christ! He's actually giving a SPEECH?? The bastard is evil."
Xander suppressed the urge to laugh, instead hitting his com with a single long beep transmission to remind the others of radio discipline. When no further comments came, he risked a glance up to the sky again, watching as the moon began to cross the sun.
He hit his com again, "It's starting."
Givens lurched, feeling the change come upon him, and he smiled in a sickly manner at the crowd. "Well, since I'm sure most of you are wishing to get to the buffet portion of the day..."
His eyes bugged as he grabbed for the podium again, steadying himself. "I suppose that all that's left to say...."
He abruptly fell forward, eliciting a gasp from the crowd as the podium toppled and he sprawled to the floor of the elevated stand. With obvious focus he reached out and grabbed the microphone from where it had fallen.
"Let's eat."
Then he dropped the mic and began to shudder and shake.
The crowd stared in shocked fascination as his body began to metamorphose, their eyes wide with an almost morbid interest. That moment of hesitance cost them as a ring of vampires and demons appeared around them, as well as men wielding automatic weapons, who fired into the air.
The first screams occurred as people hit the ground with an involuntary motion, ducking to avoid the sound of gunfire. The noises from the podium were forgotten as the lead gunman shouted out his orders. "Everyone freeze! If you don't move, you won't get hurt!"
Xander scoffed mentally at the bald faced lie, but it had served it's purpose in causing the crowd to forget about running. For the most part at least. Some ran, and were put down instantly with precise gunfire, and the rest gave up any notions of sprinting.
Xander and his group were among the few who neither panicked, nor ducked under cover. Instead, they lifted weapons of their own while the majority of the gunmen were still firing into the air.
Xander MP5 whispered from inside the black nylon bag he'd covered it with, the 9mm parabellum rounds ripping through four of the gunmen who had grouped far to close together, their silent flight carrying death on wings of steel.
The next to react were the police, Frank and Darrel both instantly coming up with their service pistols as the SWAT team outside the gunmen's cordon opened fire with assault weapons.
The reaction was dangerous, potentially disasterous, for the civilians around them, but each person in the group understood that the threat the gunmen presented was minor at best. The true threat was still contained, but would soon erupt to kill ALL of the civilians present.
So, when the massive firefight suddenly broke out, the Beat Cops in uniform rushed into the crowds, no guns in their hands, and started to evacuate those caught in the crossfire.
Tracy Hanes missed the start of the gunfight and had to sweep the crowd again to be certain of where the fire was coming from. The heaviest counter fire to the hired guns was from *outside* the Cordon, and was extremely precise despite the blaring sound of automatic weapons. The rate at which the gunmen were falling seemed to indicate controlled bursts, which were at odds with the sheer volume of sound that she could hear from even her isolated position.
She found her answer a moment later and smiled at the simple brilliance of the move. One gun on full auto fire was being fired into the air, much for the same reason that the gunmen originally did the same thing, just to attract attention.
No less then four other weapons were firing single shots and controlled bursts into the gunmen, taking them out with a cool professional methodology that Tracy had to admire.
Still, she ignored them when she spotted them. They weren't her objective.
"Where are you?" Tracy whispered softly as she began to sweep the scene again.
Behind her a shadow detached from the lee of the rooftop access, softly crossing the rooftop in the artificial darkness afforded by the eclipse.
"Xander! Behind you, Man!"
Andrew's voice crackled over his earpiece, causing Xander to twist around in reflex as he threw himself to one side. A man with an AK 74 had appeared through the crowd, his weapon swinging side to side as it cracked the skulls of any civilian unlucky enough to cross his path. Xander pivoted and aimed on the fly, his finger barely caressing the trigger of his silenced MP5 as he lifted it from the shredded nylon bag.
The weapon whispered once, the soft sound heralding a plume of blood that erupted from the gunman's chest as he went down hard. The crowd around him screamed as they were splattered with the gore, but Xander ignored them as he turned his attention back to the podium and swallowed in revulsion and fear.
Jeremy Givens shook from the change, his mortal body being ripped asunder as every part of him began to shift and metamorphose.
Unlike his dearly departed friend, Givens hadn't gone for being a 'mere' demon. He'd chosen his ascent carefully, going to lengths that even Wilkins himself would have found abhorrent. And that, Givens thought through the pain, was truly saying something.
The skin on his arms split apart as hugely powerful limbs replaced them, the tearing of his flesh setting free the demon that had been developing within. His scream of pain became an unearthly howl that deafened everyone in the area and brought a stunned silence to the fierce gunfight.
"Whoooo Daddy." Xander whispered, keying his com. "Artillery to the front."
In front of him the demonic figure that was crushing the speaking stand under it's weight bore about as much resemblance to the Mayor's snake as Xander himself did. It was a squat, but immense, creature covered in a slimy hide that looked as tough as one might expect despite the massive quantity of blood that was dripping from it's every surface.
The creature raised it's head to the eclipse above and howled with a sound that sent shivers up Xander's spine. He could hear the things agonized joy at it's new body, but what really frightened him was the look of undeniable intelligence in the glistening black eyes when it looked back down at the crowd.
"AS I WAS SAYING," The Demon boomed, it's voice unearthly, "LET'S EAT!"
With that it took a stride forward and grasped one of the closest people in it's powerful talons, literally shoveling the hapless victim into it's multi-hinged jaws.
The awed silence was broken, and the screaming began anew.
Frank Kohanek and Darrel Morris had formed a triangle with Mike Preston as the three of them moved back to back with shotguns and pistols blazing. The gunmen in their area had began to pull back, much to their surprise, at least until the unearth howl forced them to turn in shock toward the sound.
"Dear God." Darrel whispered. He'd seen a lot of things since becoming entangled with the Charmed Ones, but an eighteen foot monster gobbling up people wholesale wasn't even in the same area code.
"Holy fuck." Frank muttered, leveling his shotgun at the monster.
"Don't bother." Mike advised him, shivering with the tension that had descended on all three of them. "Remember what the Boss said. Leave it to the rockets."
"Right." Frank shook from the shock, but nodded. Slowly he forced himself back to the job of clearing the way to evacuate the civilians as the heavier armed people moved into place.
"Move move move!" Willian 'Tank' Clarkson ordered quickly, his disciplined mind shutting out the horror that awaited them. His men had paused only briefly in their shock, but he wasn't going to allow even that. "We need this ordinance in position yesterday ladies!"
The men of his SWAT unit nodded instantly, ingrained instincts and training taking over as they moved according to the plan, setting up a triangulated fire zone.
Inwardly each man flinched as they saw the civilians still close to the target, and they all prayed for a miracle as they went about the business of preparing their weapons for deployment.
"The SWAT dudes are almost done, Xander." Andrew's voice crackled to him again, "But there are a lot of innocent people really close to the demon."
Xander nodded, hurtling one of the aforementioned 'innocent' people as he charged toward the immense thing like a complete idiot.
His MP-5 came up, firing on full auto as he did, the 9mm bullets stitching the demon from flank to sternum as he emptied it's magazine. He hadn't expected it to do much, but the creature formerly known as Jeremy Givens howled in pain and anger and turned his attention on Xander himself.
"AH... THE INTREPID ARCHON!" The Creture growled out, "I KNEW YOU WOULD COME HERE."
Xander swallowed his fear as the creature turned to face him directly. <Ok. Not eating people... GOOD. Not eating me? Would be very damned nice too.>
Outwardly he hit the ejector on his MP5 and snarled up at the immense creature, "Oh yeah, Ugly? It's nice of you to think of me, but I gotta tell you... the party sucks!"
The demon may have laughed at that, Xander wasn't sure what the noise actually meant, but whatever it was it ended quickly. "I EVEN WENT SO FAR AS TO PREPARE AN APPROPRIATE GREETING FOR YOU, ARCHON!"
Xander replaced the clip quickly, swallowing as he considered the creature's words. Whatever they meant, he did not like the sound of them. He noted with some worry that he was being surrounded now, the demons and vampires here to support Givens were appearing from the carnage like wraiths from the night.
"INDEED. IT IS FITTING, ARCHON, THAT YOU BE KILLED BY ONE OF THOSE YOU WERE DESTINED TO SAVE!" The creature said with unhuman delight. "KILL HIM!"
Xander swept around, his MP5 seeking the first target that would move against him, but no own moved. Suddenly a chill went up his spine, the sensation someone once told him meant that someone had just walked over his grave, and Xander looked up.
The glint reflecting off glass from a nearby rooftop told him everything he needed to know.
In desperation he hit his com, screaming into the throat mic. "SNIPER! Hit the demon and it's minions now! Now! NOW!"
"KILL HIM!" The demon roared again.
Tracy Hanes heard her boss's order clearly as she adjusted her crosshairs until they floated just over the young man that was her target.
As she eyeballed him for the first time she saw him shiver and suddenly turn to look straight at her, and a cold knot formed in her gut as she remembered her sniper training.
<Never look directly at a target. Human's always know when they are being watched, even if most never pay attention to the feeling. Until you are ready to squeeze the trigger, keep track of the target with peripheral vision only. Because the you will be sent to kill won't be the fools who ignore their inner senses.>
Tracy now knew that to be true as she saw the man in her crosshairs. He wasn't moving, he knew it would be futile at this range, most likely. But she could read his lips as he screamed his last orders, then she heard Given's last screamed order to her.
"You got it... boss." She whispered, her finger tightening on the trigger until the powerful rifle bucked into her shoulder and the deadly projectile sliced the warm air to it's target.
Daedalus approached his target slowly, eying the prone figure on the rooftop. Only a few seconds more and she would be dead.
Then he froze.
Her rifle barked once, and the Nosferatu snapped his head up to look down at the scene of horror below. His eyes widened in shock a second later, and the powerful Kindred's mind whirred as he tried to decide what to do.
Xander flinched when he saw the muzzle flash, and his eyes slammed shut as he waited for death. But when the rolling thunder of the high velocity rifle swept over him, he opened his eyes again as a whispered memory surfaced. <If you can hear the shot, it wasn't aimed at you.>
A gurgling cry from right behind him caused Xander to pivot fast, his MP5 coming up in a lightning fast motion, only to see a Vampire hit the ground with blood pouring from a gurgling throat wound. He stared, watching as the undead creasture bled for a couple seconds, and then vanished into dust.
"What the...?" He managed to get out, but then the rifle roared again and another demon went down from a precision shot, and suddenly the moment of shock broke,
"TRAITORESS BITCH!" The Ascended Demon screamed out, then turned to his focus to his remaining minions, who were still standing in shock. "KILL THEM! KILL THEM ALL!!"
And then the fight was on again.
Tracy Hanes calmly and professionally worked the bolt of her rifle, shifting aim carefully and blowing away another 'immortal' vampire with the 7.62 NATO round. As she worked the action again, her mind went back to the conversation she'd had on the phone just a few days earlier.
"Wait a second... You say that the power I've seen... that's one of his MINOR powers? What in the hell is his Major one??"
"Now calm down, Sid. That's what I've been trying to tell you... This guy isn't just some Slayer or other champion. He's the original, the prototype. This guy's REAL power isn't the fact that he can kill anything, supernatural or not... His real power is that anyone who FOLLOWS him, gains the SAME power. Anyone who accepts him as their commander and follows his orders..." Her contact let the conclusion speak for itself.
"Oh my good god." She whispered in shock, suddenly understanding why Givens was scared of this man. Alone, he was nothing more then a Slayer in reality. One man, no matter how easily he could kill demons, was vulnerable to bad luck if nothing else. Lord knew it took Slayers to their deaths often enough.
But a man who could empower his troops... THAT was *power*.
Tracy had to shake her head as her contact continued speaking.
"We think that we've finally solved the original mystery, Tracy... Now we know how humans drove the demons out. We always knew that it wasn't the Slayers... they didn't show up until AFTER the final battle... Now we know what it was."
"The Archon." Tracy whispered.
"Exactly. And if one of them can empower tribesmen with stones and spears to destroy and rout the true demons... Imagine what this one can do with a modern army?"
"Jesus."
"Keep him alive, Sid. We're coming as fast as we can."
Piper Halliwell snarled as she destroyed another minor demon, rending it to ash as it tried to attack an Innocent. Beside her she could feel the presence of her sisters and drew power and comfort from their mere proximity.
Paige was hesitant, but she and Phoebe were fighting hard as some of the lesser demons came in too close. Both of them had vanquishing spells on their lips, though occasionally they resorted to more traditional methods.
"Hiyaaa!" Phoebe snapped, grinning as she levitated and spun kick a demon into the ground. "Nothing like a little personal touch!"
Tracy came back to herself as she fired the last shot from the sniper rifle and tossed it aside. The mess below was becoming too tangled for that now, so she grabbed the strap of her G36C and dropped over the side of the building, down onto the fire escape, and prepared to enter the fray a little closer up.
Behind her a shadow watched her leave, wondering if he'd down the right thing by letting her live. Finally he frowned, and pulled out a cell phone.
He let it ring once, and it was instantly picked up. "It's done, Julian."
Then he closed the phone and tossed it away.
Daedalus hated those contraptions, even when he sometimes needed to use them.
Julian Luna nodded to Cash. "Do it."
Cash smiled, turning around as he kicked the rear doors of the black van open and yelled, "All right, Gangrels! Let's bag us some Tremere!"
Hordes of Gangrel Kindred appeared from around the area, armed with shotguns and pistols loaded with Dragon's Breath rounds. Their Kindred senses easily picked out the Tainted Tremere Clan from the ground and their first withering barrage of fire cut the enemies rank by half in a single instant.
Julian Luna nodded, then looked at the black man seated beside him and nodded.
Frank Kohanek's Partner smiled and nodded back, pulling a radio from his belt and keying it open. "Alright, Ventrue. Our turn."
From the crowd of victims itself, arose nearly thirty men and women from their 'terrified' positions. Dressed like professionals from all walks of life, these people at first appeared to be panicking and trying to run.
Unfortunately for the demons assigned to prevent that, they were only running just as far as they had to in order to tighten their clawed grips around their targets throats.
The Ventrue had slid into the crowd, easily passing undetected in the group of people who had come to pay their respects to the great philanthropist, Jeremy Givens. When they made their presence known, no demon stood against them for long.
Xander spun around, spotting the approaching Gangrels. He waved a hand in the air as he fired a short burst from his MP5 into a charging demon. "Cash! Over here!"
Cash spotted him and was at his side in an instant. "What is it?"
"We need to clear those people from around Givens!" Xander shouted, still firing as quickly as he could.
Cash nodded, "Got it."
Then the Gangrel lunged away, shifting into his wolf form as he did, and mauled a demon that lay between him and his desitination. One by one and in pairs, the closest Gangrels joined him and they cleared a path through the demons and vampires right to Givens huge taloned feet.
"Frank! Morris! Mike! With me!" Xander yelled over the fight, charging through the cleared path as he watched the Gangrels shift back and started helping the injured people away from the rampaging demon. Xander, Mike, and the two cops emptied their weapons as they screamed over the roar and general noise.
They held their position, pelting the enormous demon with stinging bullets as they slowly fell back from it's halting advance. After what seemed like an eternity, Xander glanced back to see Cash drag the last of the victims from the vicinity. "Fall Back!"
He and his group backed away as they fired the very last of their ammunition into the demons and vampires around them, and Xander keyed his mic to the SWAT frequency and screamed an order. "NOW! DO IT NOW!"
Then he turned, slapping Mike on the chest and screaming at all three of them. "Hit the dirt!!"
The four of them spun and sprinted a few meters as they saw and heard the sudden rush of anti-tank rockets flash through the air. When the concussion hit them from behind, they were thrown through the air, their weapons flying from their grips as they flew like rag dolls and landed like broken men.
After the echoing noise finally died down, a deathly silence fell over the field and the SWAT men dropped their launchers and grabbed up their backup weapons. The six man team stood slowly and started moving through the moaning bodies that littered the ground, at this range there were many injured by shrapnel and others severely disoriented by the concussion.
The six of them, five men and a woman, moved slowly through the settling smoke with weapons up and ready. They swallowed as they saw the carnage they had helped cause, but didn't let it stop them.
"Clear. Hostiles down in Q2."
"Roger. Q1 is clear."
There was a short burst of autofire that was followed by another report. "Q4 clear... now."
"Q3 Clear."
At the last report the team relaxed slightly, but not completely as they moved. Clarkson keyed his mic, "Rescue and EMT's to the scene. Repeat, rescue and EMT units to the scene."
Sirens suddenly blazed to life from all side of the park and ambulances raced around the corners from where they had been hiding, racing for the park. The big vans skidded to a stop all around the area as their crews leapt out and charged into the mix with medical kits and stretchers.
The Swat men nodded at each other over the carnage and kept moving, still watching for any hostiles that were left but also with new purpose.
"Morris! Kohanek!"
"Harris! Preston!"
They started combing through the blood soaked muck, pulling bodies up and flipping them over while covering one another. It took several more minutes before they got their answer.
Xander groaned as light returned to his world, and then he rolled over. "Oh fuck. If anyone finds my head I want it back."
"No you don't." Frank Kohanek muttered from beside him as he too moved, his hands coming up to cup his head gently. "Trust me. I've got mine and wish I didn't."
"Will both of you shut up?" Morris groaned out, "I'm trying to get some sleep here."
"Mike?" Xander groaned again, pushing the big black man over. "Mike?"
The big man groaned, and Xander drooped in relief. "Thank God. I didn't want to tell your wife you were dead, Mike."
The man grinned, "Don't blame you. She'd have sent you to get me back."
Xander chuckled weakly as the first EMT units reached his area and started checking the four of them out. After a moment he frowned, lifting his head again. "Did we get it?"
"I fucking hope so." Frank muttered, propping himself up as well and looking around with Xander.
Just a few dozen meters away they could see the slumped legs and lower torso of Jeremy Givens ascended form, demonic slime and bile draining onto the manicured park grasses.
"This is Marcia Kenny for CNN news..."
The woman on the screen hesitated, looking off screen for a moment as if for help, then looked back while trying to regain her professionalism as she swallowed. "In San Francisco today there was a... an incident involving apparently... demonic powers."
She stopped and look off camera again, "I can't say this. Do you have any idea how *insane* this sounds??"
There was a moment of argument that wasn't quite clear enough to make out, then Ms Kenny rolled her eyes. "I don't CARE what happened on the damn tape!"
Another murmured exchange later and the woman took a breath, shaking her head. "Alright. Fine. Just play the damned tape then!"
The screen flickered and changed, and millions of people around the world watched curiously as a bored reporter started talking.
"Behind me you can see the gathering of people who came here today to pay their respects at this, the one year anniversary of the terrorist attack that took the life of Jeremy Givens, noted philanthropist."
The reporter glanced back, noticing a slight commotion, and nodded to the camera which moved closer. "It would seem that the first speaker is going to... holy <bleeep>! That's Givens!!"
From there the report went downhill in an extraordinarily rapid fashion, screams suddenly blanking out the reporters shocked words as armed gunmen appeared from around the edge, firing into the air.
Then the reporter was back, face white but holding his position as he yelled into his mic. "There seems to be another terrorist incident here... I'm not sure what's going on, but there are armed gunmen... Oh my god! There's some of them in the crowd as well!!"
Then the camera jerked, the scene moving crazily for a moment, until it finally settled again ont he reporter who was down on one knee, still screaming into the mic he held. "There appears to be a police presence INSIDE the crowd! Shots are being fired from inside the crowd of people and a police SWAT team has moved into position to engage the terrorists!! It's incredible here, shots are flying about but I don't think that any bystanders have been...."
The reporter paused for a lingering moment as an unhuman roar blanketed the area and rumbled over the transmission. The reporter looked over his left shoulder and his eyes widened. "Holy <bleeep>... what the <bleeep> is that?"
The camera jerked again, and then focused on a horrifying scene straight out of a slasher flick. On the podium a man was writhing in pain as his skin bulged and *ripped* as something inside him tried to get out.
The reporter managed to regain his composure, "Something is happening on the podium... I can't quite see what it is..."
"Like hell!" A snort came from offscreen, barely audible, and the reporter glared at the camera but then turned right back to the scene.
"Some men are challenging the gunmen and their... what in the name of God are those thing!?"
The camera swept around, showing figures with distorted brows and sickly yellow eyes as they prevented the screaming bystanders from escaping. Then it focused on a man who was wearing a long coat, eye patch, and cradling a mean looking gun in one arm while he screamed and waved the other to rally the men behind him.
The man was two far away to hear what he was yelling, but his expression was fierce as he fired a long burst into the podium. When the camera moved back to see his target, it jerked and hit the ground.
"Goddamn it, Frank! Pick up the camera!!"
The camera suddenly moved and jumped again, and this time focused on the podium where an immense creature was lumbering forward as it snarled at the man with the eyepatch as he stood off against it. The reporter thrust his microphone out, desperately trying to get any hint of the words the man was saying.
He didn't, of course, but the monster's words came through loud and clear.
The reporter shivered, staring in shock at the huge creature and the man who was standing right in front of it. Then the words sunk in and he half turned, "I don't know what this 'Archon' name is, but that man seems to be standing the monster off... I don't know how..."
"Wait..." The reporter half turned back, "What did he say??"
The Camera focused on the man with the eyepatch as he spun around and looked straight up above them, and the reporter followed his gaze. The camera watched as he paled and pointed above. "Oh my God. Sniper!!"
The camera jerked, quickly focusing on the rooftop. It zoomed in quickly and the home audience could easily make out the ugly barrel of a rifle. Then there was a flash, and a scream, and the camera jerked again as a commotion erupted around it.
There was nothing for a long moment except feet and screaming, and then the reporter hit the ground in front of the camera and it was propped up to properly frame him once more. "The sniper seems to be a SWAT member! More people have entered this fight on the side of the police... my god! One of them... I MUST be seeing things, it looked like one of them just turned into a WOLF!!"
The camera swept up again, the cameraman apparently climbing to his feet again. A few seconds later it focused on a group of individuals charging the 'terrorists' and shifting to a wolf state as they leapt into battle.
Behind them ran four men, guns blazing into the mass of targets as they helped clear a path for the victims closest to the lumbering monster. They could be seen screaming and yelling above the noise while the shoved, threw, and dragged people away by their collars.
"They seem to be yelling something as they run..." The reporter said from his crouched position, "I can't quite make it out, but their courage is incredible! That thing has eaten at least a dozen people... just swallowing them like some... snake!! The men are running now... pushing the victims ahead of them... they looked scared, but are still working to save... OH MY GOD!!"
The camera blitzed out as an explosive glare enveloped it and it was thrown to the ground. A second later the screen went dead.
The screen flickered again and Maricia Kenny reappeared on the screen, white with shock. "Is that for real??"
"Turn it off." Julian Luna rubbed his nose as the CNN correspondent started talking again.
The tv clicked off and the group that had gathered at the Luna Mansion were silent.
"We knew it was going to be caught on camera." Lillie said after a moment.
Julian nodded, shaking his head. "True... but this... this is..."
"This is a breech of the masquerade Julian. And a betrayal of your responsibilities." Cameron spoke, his voice biting as he stared at the Ventrue Prince. "Kindred should have been nowhere NEAR that area."
"What did you want us to do, *Brujah*?? Let a fully ascended demon rampage through the city??"
"Yes." Cameron said simply, "So long as the Kindred were warned to stay clear there was no cause for us to get involved."
"You cowardly SCUM!" Cash rose from his position, snarling at Cameron, but was dragged back down by Deadalus.
Julian waited a moment for the calm to return, looking around the table before turning his cold gaze on Cameron. "And what is it, precisely, that you are trying to say... Cameron?"
"I'm saying that you betrayed your kind, *Julian*. I'm saying that you should step down as Prince and let someone who cares for kindred lead the city... not some pitiful human lover."
Julian smiled thinly, "Someone like yourself, no doubt?"
"I abide the decisions of the council." Cameron returned the humorless smile.
"As do it." Julian said, looking around the table. "What do you say, Primogen?"
Cash smirked, "The Gangrel stand by our Prince."
Lillie paused thoughtfully, "Clan Toreador acknowledges the truth in Cameron's claims..."
Cameron's smile widened.
"But is forced to side with the Prince." Lillie finished, to Cameron's shock. "The damage Givens would have caused would have been far too great to allow."
"Clan Nosferatu also stands with our Prince." Deadalus said evenly as all eyes turned to him "This event was certainly going to expose the supernatural to a great many people... Givens actions have doomed the masquerade by association. Better that we show ourselves as defenders of the humans... rather then just one more demon to be killed in the streets."
Cameron sneered, but reluctantly nodded as he fell back and glared at Julian.
Luna just nodded, looking around the table again. "I believe that out time would be well used if we began to consider ways to reduce the public's reaction to our involvement today."
"Well... that's it." Xander sighed, looking at the TV as he sipped at a beer from the bar. Beside him the volunteers from the fight had gathered, and he had covered their drinks from his pocket as a subdued clientele gathered on the other side of the club to watch the shows.
Frank Kohanek nodded, "Yep. I never thought it would end up like this you know... When I first learned about vampires... Even as I tried to get people to listen, I never really believed that anyone would..."
"Tell me about it." Darrel Morris snorted, taking a long pull of his drink as he glanced over the mug at the Charmed Sisters where they sat with their own drinks.
Various cops and EMT people were seated around the place, some of them veterans to the dark side of the world, others newly initiated. And most of them were just listening to the talk from those more experienced, trying to piece together what had really happened.
Xander looked around, noting once more that there were some faces missing from the volunteers and he lifted his glass.
Everyone saw the motion and their glasses came up as a silence sort of hushed through the club, even the regular patrons staring curiously at them rather then the strippers. The girls paused in their dances, turning to watch.
"We lost some good people." Xander said, smiling sadly. "Some friends I wish I'd gotten to know a little better... But I knew them well enough. They came, though they didn't have to. They fought, because it was their choice. And they died... that others would live. Yeah. I knew them well enough to be proud to have stood beside them today. To absent friends."
"Absent friends!" The cops, especially the SWAT team survivors roared out, sadly used to that kind of toast.
Around the bar, the gathered patrons grabbed up their drinks and held them aloft for a moment, each of them nodding as they took their drinks.
Absent Friends.
"Buffy! Buffy!"
Buffy Summers looked up tiredly, the sun was just coming up in the distance and that meant that she was just about due for a bit of sleep. They mostly came at night.
Mostly.
The Slayers were gathered in an old office building that they'd rented when they arrived in Cleveland. It had been dirt cheap, mostly because the owner needed cash to get a ticket out of town.
One Way.
He'd been one of the smart ones, Buffy reflected. The city was still inhabited, but the ratio of demons to humans was starting to shift balance in a direction that she didn't want to consider. Even though they'd swelled their numbers, the Slayers were being run ragged just keeping the line against the encroaching dark.
So Buffy looked up only briefly when Dawn came running in. It wasn't that she didn't care, or was ignoring her sister, it was just that she was really really tired.
"What is it Dawn?"
"There was an Ascension in San Francisco!!" Dawn blurted fast, waving a video tape in the air.
Buffy bolted up, "What!? Oh my god. Xander..."
"He's fine." Dawn said quickly, going over to a TV and slamming the tape into the old VCR.
"How do you know? Did Willow get through??"
Dawn shook her head, "All the telecommunications links are dead for a hundred miles around us."
"Then how do you know that Xander is ok?"
"Watch." Dawn ordered as she pressed play and the tape began.
Buffy sat down and watched.
When it was done she stared at the screen for a long time, shock rolling off her. "My God... What have I done?"
"Hey... Xander's ok, Sis... he's fine."
"He shouldn't have been alone." Buffy whispered softly. "He shouldn't have been alone."
"He wasn't." Dawn said, shaking her sister slightly. "Hey. He's fine, and he stopped the ascension. I just showed you this so you'd know he was fine."
Buffy shook herself and nodded. "Right... right..."
"Besides," Dawn said reasonably, "We've got enough trouble here."
"Right." Buffy swallowed, then slumped. "God. I'm so tired, Dawn..."
"Get some sleep." Dawn said seriously, "I'll let you know when Faith gets back."
Buffy nodded tiredly, "Has Willow seen the tape?"
Dawn nodded, "Yeah. She watched it earlier... she was the one who managed to snag it from on of CNN's satellite feeds."
Buffy nodded. "Alright. Show it to Faith and Wood when they get back... Giles?"
"He saw it."
"Ok. Dawn, go tell him that we need a meet this afternoon." Buffy swallowed, "It's past time we... *I* admitted that the situation is a lot worse then I thought it ever could be.
Xander was wiping down the bar after the 'celebration', most of the guests long since gone, when *she* walked in the door.
The G36 Compact was still slung over her shoulder, and the blonde looked like she'd been through a small war. Which, of course, she had been.
A tension passed through the room, everyone's eyes looking from Xander to Her, waiting for a signal.
Xander set down the rag, laying both hands flat on the table, and looked her in the eyes. "What's your poison?"
Sydney Bristow reached up and pulled her blond wig off, shaking her light brown hair flowed free. She smirked at the man behind the bar and tossed her G36 to the bartop and straddled a stool. "Wine... White, if you have it?"
Xander calmly poured the woman her wine while he watched Frank Kohanek and the three Halliwell sisters edge around her in a defensive pattern.
<Good instincts on those three.> Xander thought to himself, half smiling.
That was when he noticed a similar sparkle in the eyes of the woman he knew as Tracy Hanes.
"So, Miss Hanes." He said conversationally, "What brings an ex-CIA assassin to my little gin joint?"
Sidney laughed out loud, forcing herself to relax as she felt the noose tighten around her. It wasn't that she objected to the tension and security mindedness of the people, in fact considering what she knew about the man in front of her she applauded it. Still, it wasn't easy to force herself to ignore instincts born from a desperate drive to simply *survive*.
"My name isn't Tracy Hanes." She said simply, "And I'm not an Ex-anything. My name is Sidney Bristow, I work deep cover operations for Langley."
Xander eyed her for a moment, listening to the quick chirp in his ear.
<Checking now.> Andrew's voice spoke to him silently and Xander resisted the urge to smile. He didn't know if Andrew had always been as competent as he seemed now, and merely hidden it away through his insecurities, or if the boy was simply a voyeur at heart and just loved watching video cameras.
He was leaning toward the latter, but Andrew was actually starting to shift him to the former.
To cover the wait while the Hacker up stairs did his work. "Really? That must be very interesting work, if you can get it Miss Bristow."
Sidney smiled, more politely then anything, not bothering to comment on how she'd rather be an analyst or maybe a business major. She'd gotten involved in this line of work when she was a lot younger, and sometimes the hurt it had caused her simply didn't bear thinking on. "Something like that."
"So, again," Xander said evenly, the smile gone from his voice. "Not that I'm ungrateful for the shift of your aim this afternoon, but why are you here?"
Sidney took a sip of her wine, considering what she was going to tell the man in front of her. The catch was a nasty one, in her estimation. She could tell him the truth, but that would be overstepping her authority with the Agency and perhaps the Government of the U.S.A., or she could lie to him. Lying to the man, though, had it's own dangers.
For one, if her information was correct, knowingly lying to the Archon was tantamount to resigning from his command. Which wasn't a serious problem, of course, unless she wanted to give up the ability to harm the supernatural. Which had *become* a serious problem, given what she knew about what was happening on the East Coast.
For another, lying to a man that she knew was going to be needed in the future simply wasn't the best foot to get off on.
So Sidney Bristow sighed, and shrugged. "You remember what he called you during the fight?"
"You mean Givens?" Xander asked, mostly to cover his thoughts.
She nodded.
Xander thought about it, but finally shook his head. "No I..."
<Archon.> Andrew's voice popped into his ear again, <I've got the recording of the fight playing up here. He called you, Archon.>
Xander frowned, "Archon? What the hell is an Archon??"
Sidney looked at him, confused for a moment until she spotted the tiny ear bug. Then she smiled, "An Archon is a very old legend. Something so old that the only mention of it that we've found are in books written in demonic languages."
Xander was about to ask how the CIA had the slightest clue about demonic languages, but his own mind instantly sniped back at him. <Of course they do. Someone had to be backing the Initiative, and where there is a military force there are spooks in their shadows.> "Still doesn't tell me what an Archon is, Miss Bristow. Or why a demon should call me one."
Sidney nodded, "Let's lay our cards on the table, shall we?"
"Let's." Xander smiled in return.
"An Archon is a name for a human... champion..." Sydney spoke the word uncertainly, as if she wasn't certain it fit, but couldn't find anything better. "For lack of a better term..."
"A champion." Xander snorted, "I've seen 'Champions' lady. I ain't one."
"Like I said, for lack of a better term." She sighed, "Archon's don't have any physical powers. They don't get super strength, they aren't ensouled vampires..."
Xander looked at her sharply at that, but she continued unfazed. "They don't heal faster then humans, and they don't get visions."
"So what do they do?" Xander asked with a quirked grin.
Sidney looked at him evenly, "They can kill any supernatural creature like it was a mortal. Vampire's, demons, even invulnerable soon to ascend demon wannabes."
There was a certain shocked silence that descended around their corner of the club, as everyone turned to stare at Xander.
"That explains a lot." Piper said dryly.
Xander himself swallowed hard, looking around. His eyes found the security camera hidden in the corner, and instantly Andrew's oice was in his ear. <Looking now, Xan. I've got the Legacy files wide open and am running searches through every language I know...>
Xander nodded imperceptibly, then turned back to the woman in front of him. "That's... an interesting story."
"It's not over yet." Sidney smiled slightly, "You see... that's one of the minor abilities of the fabled Archon."
Xander's face tensed, he wasn't certain why but he knew that there was a hammer coming down. "Minor?"
The CIA agent's eyes sparkled at his apparently calm voice, "Minor."
"What, pray tell, would his major ability be?" Phoebe Halliwell spoke up softly.
"The Archon extends all of his minor abilities to the troops under his command."Sidney said simply, "Or didn't you wonder how I was killing vampires and demons with a sniper rifle?"
"Holy fuck." Frank Kohanek muttered in shock.
"Jeeez." Paige Halliwell rejoined.
Darrel Morris frowned, "Let me absolutely clear on this... If I follow this guy into a fight against demons... my service pistol will actually work??"
"Not necessarily." Sidney cautioned. "For one thing, his power only strips them of all *supernatural* abilities. Some demons, like our dear friend Givens, are still roughly the size of an elephant and have some pretty tough and purely natural armor. A 9mm against that isn't the best weapon you could use."
"But what you're saying is that guns *work*??" Morris pushed.
Sidney nodded, "As we proved today. Guns work."
Xander was mildly surprised that he was still standing, his mind was caught in a nasty loop as it tried to deny the story, and at the same time elated in the fact that finally HE had a power. Then it wrapped back around as he remembered what power DID to people, and he started trying to deny it again.
"No... you've got to be wrong." Xander said finally, shaking his head. "I don't have any powers. Hell, after the last seven years, I don't WANT any powers."
"That's good. Because you don't have them." Sidney smiled.
"Huh?"
"You're... gift..." Sidney said slowly, "Isn't power. It's the ability to bypass power. To strike right to the heart of an enemy, not because you overpowered him... but because his defenses simply never saw you coming. And furthermore, you extend that ability to the people who follow you. Otherwise, today would have been a bloodbath. Unless you really think that Givens would have been taken out by a few rockets?"
"Why not?" Xander said instantly, "We nailed Wilkins with an AMFO bomb... less power there."
"Less power is right." Sidney muttered, "Wilkins went for a full demon, true... but it wasn't a really powerful one. Givens learned from Wilkins' mistakes... He wasn't going to choose a form that could be taken out so easily. Without you're presence, without you're command to the SWAT officers... he would have shrugged those rockets off like firecrackers."
The group swallowed again, looking around at each other in shock, and Xander slumped onto the bar, his face white. "Oh my god. I almost got everyone killed."
Sydney frowned, "What are you talking about? You saved everyone..."
"No. Don't you see? It was MY plan. I didn't know anything about this Archon deal! Jesus, I led us all into a suicide mission..."
"Hey..." Phoebe spoke up again, "We made it... we're all alive."
"No thanks to me." Xander said, shaking his head. "This whole situation was a major fuck up. Only luck got us out of it... Jesus..."
Sidney was silent for a moment, not certain of what to say about that.
<Xander,> Andrew's voice whispered a moment later, causing Xander to return his focus from his self recriminations. <I've got the scoop on Bristow. She's legit, near as I can tell.>
Xander nodded dully.
<And there are some hits on the Archon legend too...> Andrew continued, <Mostly confirms what she said, but she missed some of the nuances of the position... But I can tell you this much... Demons curse the title. And demons have some very *interesting* curse words. You know, I didn't even consider the possibility of committing incest with the reincarnated *animal* form of your mother...."
Xander's face screwed up in disgust as he looked up at the camera in shock. "Jesus, Andrew! That's disgusting!!"
Everyone looked at him in confusion as Andrew's voice came back with a verbal shrug. <That's demons.>
Some time later, after the club had closed, Xander tiredly sat down in his room and stared at himself in the mirror.
Sidney had left, along with all the others, but had promised to return. And, Xander figured, she'd be bringing friends. He'd known since he met Buffy that this fight was his own. He knew that deep down, deeper then he'd ever felt anything. And now, now he knew why.
It was still somewhat horrific, though. Not only was he a 'champion', albeit one that hadn't existed in thousands upon thousands of years and one that no longer had anybody to answer too if Sydney's other intel was correct, but unlike Buffy he WAS a leader caste. He wasn't some front line soldier anymore, though from what Andrew could tell he wasn't rear echelon either, he was responsible for troops.
People, maybe a lot of people, were going to rely on him. Not to save their lives, but to *spend* their lives as wisely as possible.
Xander shuddered, cupping his head in his hands as his body wracked itself with dry sobs. <What the hell am I going to do?? I can't handle this!!>
As he thought that, a cool breeze wafted over him and he looked up, frowning.
There was water running in the bathroom.
Xander frowned and got up, walking over to the bathroom and going in.
The tub was filling with steaming water, and the room was warming up to a nice, steamy temperature. Xander frowned, jerking around as they door closed behind him. "What the?"
The big full length mirror suddenly attracted his attention as letters began to appear in the steam.
Told ya you were special,
Alex.
Xander blinked, his blood running cold with shock.
After a long moment he finally spoke, a low hoarse whisper.
"Sonya?"