Assault

Author: QuickSilver Knight <quick_silver_knight[at]yahoo.com>

Hello All, I just received this from PJ (QSK) and I decided to post it immediately. For those who care: Darkness Calls is still in progress and he promises to finish it. He's been dealing with a cranky computer, uncertain power supply and a case of writer's block.

This is set either late season one or early season two, well before Xander and Willow's characters went south for Joss' vision.

Oh… They don't belong to me either. Though I really wish Willow did. (Don't worry Pol, I'd share)


Buffy was highly concerned seeing as how she couldn't find Xander. She knew where he'd been, that was obvious. All she had to do was follow the piles of Vampire dust and the occasional liquefying Demon corpse and she'd eventually catch up with him. She couldn't quite believe the sheer amount of damage to the local night-life that Xander was inflicting.

Striding along at her side, Angel was intermittently shaking his head and cursing in a low voice. The boy… well, he didn't scare him. He… concerned him. Yea, that was it, Xander concerned him. That bit with being threatened by the boy in order to save Buffy… that was a fluke wasn't it?

They came across three more dust piles and two more demon bodies a couple of minutes later. "Damn, your boy is really on a roll here Buffy."

"What do you expect? Willow is in the hospital and in bad shape. Xander's going to find the monster that did it." Her face turned even paler at that thought. "Come on, we've got to save him."

"Save him from what?"

"From the Demon that hurt Willow. Xander's normal, it'll tear him apart."

Angel just looked at her in disbelief and then looked at the carnage around him. "Riiight."

Ten minutes later found the two of them approaching 'La Bon Ton Roulle' a hoity-toity French restaurant that had opened in Sunnydale just three weeks earlier.

"Holy…" Buffy started to say.

"Shit." Angel finished for her.

The inside of the restaurant was trashed. That was the only way to describe it. Tables and chairs were strewn everywhere amidst the occasional Demon corpse. One was literally nailed to a wall with Xander's favorite axe. Speaking of Xander, he was in the almost exact center of the devastation beating large green Demon to a pulp with what appeared to be a three foot long giant pepper mill.

"And that's for the bruise on her left cheek!" They could hear him snarl as he brought the pepper mill down with a sickening thud. "And this one's for the bruise on her…" He started to say as he brought his impromptu mace up overhead yet again.

"Xander."  Buffy called out "Xander!" Still no reply as he brought his weapon down again on the Demon.

"Damn it! XANDER!!"

"Huh? What? Oh hey Buff, Deadboy. Watcha want? Me and Laguinas here are just having a small discussion on how my Wills should be treated." That comment was accompanied by another  sickening crunch/thud.

"Xander…" Buffy started to approach him cautiously, much the same way one would a pit-bull that was foaming at the mouth. "Uhmm… Willow's awake and asking for you, why don't you go see her and we'll finish up in here for you?"

Xander's eyes shone for a moment in almost-tears when he heard that Willow was awake. Shaking his head for a moment he glared down at the mewling thing that used to be a formidable Demon. "Damn, I guess you lucked out." He said as he pulled the knife out of the sheath on his hip and stabbed it directly through the Demon's right eye and into its brain putting the beast out of its misery. "If she hadn't woken up I'd a had to have gotten… imaginative."

Buffy and Angel both shuddered at the completely cold tone in Xander's voice as he said this while heading towards the door.

Hefting the battered mill over his shoulder he headed resolutely towards the hospital leaving a gaping Slayer and Vampire in his wake.

*****

"Hey funny face." He drawled as he plopped down into the chair next to Willow's hospital bed and reached out to gently take her hand in his.

"H-Hi you." Came her subdued response.

"Shhhh… It's okay Wills. Bad guy fall down, go boom."

Her eyes started to shine she smiled up at him and then frowned a trifle. "What's with the pepper mill Xan?" She asked clearly referring to the still ichor-dripping item at his side.

Grinning broadly the youth squeezed her hand a little and then smiled his lopsided smile at her. "Well, you see, therein lays the story…" And all was well in the world as he began to regal her with an obviously (to her) embellished story of 'Xander's Great Demon Raid and the Assault with a Deadly Peppa'.

The End