A black leather clad figure stood outside a popular dance club. Waiting for the right time. And that time is now. He spotted an unspecting victim being led inside. A blonde haired, blue-eyed woman is about to be led to the slaughter.
Not if I can handle it. He thought with vengeance. He jumped to across the street. Landing perfectly next to the skylight. He dropped into the chaos, taking the shotgun attached to his right calf.
Remembering his training, he lined up each one that came for him. That's right. Come to me you fuckers. Come and get it. Each shot counted. All aimed for the heart or the head. And each one falling, nothing left but a charred skeleton. No matter how many times I see that, I still get a kick out of it.
A voice caught his attention. "Come on guys! Let's get him! Jack this freak up real good!" He shouted. Unaware of the quiver in his lip.
They all surrounded him, each wielding a deadly weapon.
He surveyed the entire room. A gladiator sword. A broad spear. A spiked mace. A kitana. And a Glock. This is best they can do. Pathetic. He put the shotgun back in his holster. And reached for his own patented sword. Passed down to from his predecessor. Titanium blade and acid etched.
The others charged him enmass. With the grace and fluidity from his mentor, he took them out one by one. Leaving only the vampire holding the Glock.
Out of fear, he dropped his weapon and fled. "You won't be able to stop me, freak!" He yelled.
The man only smirked. He raised is right arm and clenched is fist. A silver stake shot out and pinned him to a nearby wall. He tried to remove it, but only got singed in the process.
Raising his left arm, he did the same. Another stake shot out and imbolized the other shoulder. "Edward. I'm getting tired of this old song and dance routine. What were you hoping to accomplish, bloodsucker? Kill me? You've got to do a lot better than that." He mocked the vampire.
Edward struggled against the silver pining him against the wall. "That is something you'll never live to see, freak!" He insulted.
He shook his head. "Didn't your mother ever teach you manners?" The hunter asked rhetorically. He reached in one of his trench coat pockets and revealed a silver lighter. He opened it and lit it. "I thought I would try something out of the ordinary. I always wondered what would happen if a vampire were caught between fire and silver nitrate. Guess I'll find out in a few seconds." With that, the man threw the lighter at Edward.
"LETHAL!" Edward shouted to the heavens. Lethal just left with a smirk on his face. He tracked down the woman and checked her for marks. None.
With that, Lethal left without being noticed by the EMT's and local police.
Doctor Elizabeth Giles was studying a sample of blood given to her from the City Morgue. She pulled away from the electronic microscope. She sighed. "Listen Walter, I'm very tired of your pranks. I have also been working at getting very close to developing a vaccine. So I don't need this." She said sternly.
Walter held his hands up in defence. "No joke. I'm serious. The cadaver is in the morgue right now. Honest. I just dropped this down to get your opinion. That's all." He said in defiance.
She sighed. "All right. I believe you. But I'm going down to the City Morgue. I have to check this out for myself." Dr. Giles said firmly. She grabbed her coat and purse and headed out to the morgue. "And before you get any ideas, I'm going alone."
The determined woman made it to her car. She inherited it from her step-father. Rupert Giles. She turned the ignition and was brought to life.
Along the way her thoughts turned to her high school years. Of Willow, Oz, Angel, her mother, Giles and even Cordelia. But the one person that she kept in mind the most, was a dark haired boy that always stood by her.
AleXander Lavelle Harris. He said that he would return from his road trip before they enrolled in college, but he never did. There have been several males that made a move for her. But the young woman once known as Buffy Summers, pushed them away.
Upon arrival, she noticed something wrong. The front doors were wide open. Which was strange, because Walter always locked them after he left.
The former slayer made a closer inspection. The doors were broken from the inside.
After years of being a slayer, it taught Buffy to be careful. Just as she entered, something grabbed her. She whirled around to a walking cadaver. All covered in soot and charcoal. It bent down to drain her of her blood. Suddenly, flashbacks came to her.
The Master draining her blood. Then dumping her in a pool. Only to have Xander to save her life.
Angel driking from her to save his own life. Xander lashing out, verbally, at him later.
All these thoughts came to her and one thing remained constant. I wish Xander was here to save me. She thought meekly.
Just then she caught sight of a man decked out in black leather and kevlar to match. Caucasion and very strong.
Lethal ran right up and landed an elbow smash at Edward. The impact sent him flying out the doors. And in the way of a moving van. Lethal was about to move when he heard her voice.
"Xander. Save me. Please save me." She whispered softly.
He knelt down and picked her up. Then carried her to his car. Also inherrited from his predecessor. Lethal then headed off to 'home'.
Lethal pulled into the abandoned warehouse. The first thing he heard was the same old song. Doesn't he ever play anything different? Guess Blade had the same problems. He thought irritatantly. "Whistler! Whistler! Turn off that damn music and get over here! NOW!" He yelled above the song.
Whistler turned off his 8-track and went to his protege. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw what was before him. "Not you, too." He groaned. "It was bad enough when Blade did it. Now you." Whistler said in an accusitory voice.
Lethal just dropped her off at the table. "Get the vampire cure out and save her. She has had enough vampires biting her to last a life time." He ordered his mentor.
Whistler left and returned with a syringe filled with the 'hominus nocturnus anti-virus' concoction. "Hold her down. And don't hold back." He demanded.
Lethal did as told. Memories flooded back. From the three years he had known her. He cradled her left hand with his own. Missing the death glare from Whistler.
"Dr. Elizabeth Giles. I need you to listen to me. I am injecting you with an anti hominus nocturnus serum. It will take some time to take effect. It would help if you would relax." The elder man instructed firmly.
Whistler injected the syringe into her neck, missing all vital arteries. Just as he did, the bite marks healed over. Whistler was suprised by this development. That's never happened before. He thought intently. "I'm not totally sure if this serum will work. Those damn suckheads have changed on a genetic level. If a miracle isn't pulled out soon, we'll have LaMagra on our hands all over again." He looked hard and mean at Lethal. "And I WON'T live through THAT again!" Whistler turned to go back to his metalsmithing. He stopped and turned. "If she doesn't make it. If she turns, you finish the job. Or I will." Whistler turned back on the 8-track player and went back to work on new body armor.
Lethal placed Dr. Giles on his own bed. The vampire hunter stroked her hair. Gently. Just like all those years ago. He thought with feelings long dormant. Sometimes I wonder what it would've been like. If I stayed. Buffy and I would've probably ended up with one another. God, help me. Because I am still in love with her. Lethal thought intently.
Whistler walked up. "Taking up a collection, kid?" He asked sarcastically. "Have you forgotten everything I've drilled into that head of yours? You cannot allow your heart to cloud your mission." The elder man bellowed.
Lethal bent down and place a kiss on her forehead. He then walked out and shut the door. "Who are you trying to convince, Whistler? Me or you?" He retaliated. "If you hadn't been pulled that crap on Blade, he'd still be doing this 'mission'. And I'd be with the woman I love." The hunter looked daggers at Whistler. "But, instead, I'm doing this crap. And I may have to destroy the woman I love. And if I do that, I destroy myself." He muttered the last sentence.
Whistler merely nodded. "You're right, kid. I didn't drag you into this. It was those 'Powers That Be' you mentioned. And you couldn't return because of your cosmic tap on the shoulder. Maybe you are right, kid. Maybe if I wasn't so hard on Blade, he would have never left." He confessed.
Lethal sighed. "And you're pulling this on me. If you don't let go, you'll lose me too." He left to work on his katas. Lethal stopped and turned. "Just let it be." He begged. The man left to the gym.
His words echoed in Whistler's mind. What could it hurt if I 'just let it be'? Nothing and everything. That's what. Whistler left to do what he does best. Doing anything to eradicate the vampires.
Dr. Elizabeth Giles awoke in pain. I should be grateful, that means I'm still alive. She thought sardonically. She then heard voices coming from downstairs. She went down to see what was going on.
A full-grown man was being strapped in a chair. An older man was assisting. "I'm beginning to think that your're right after all. Turns out, she could be a major asset to us." He mentioned cryptically.
The other man's curiosity peaked. "What do you mean?" He asked.
The older man winced do to the pulling straps tight. "She's a genetic scientist, who specializes in rare blood diseases. I also had a look at her notes. Her's is about almost 50 years ahead of Dr. Jensen's. With her research, a better cure could be developed and a better serum for you." He mentioned with interest. "Speaking of which, you can't live on this forever." He injected it into the neck.
The spasms started small. Then grew to the point where the chair shook violently. After if subsided, Lethal looked up to the doctor.
Dr. Giles made a run for it. I don't know what the hell's going on, but I'm not going to be a part of it.
Whistler unstrapped the one supporting Lethal's right hand. And ran after the young geneticist. Although he was older, Whistler knew this place like the back of his hand. He finally caught up with her. "Seems you've gotten yourself lost in Wonderland, Doc." He said in humor.
She was not in the mood for jokes. "What's going on? Where am I? Who are you people?" She demanded.
"My name is Abraham Whistler. Lethal, here, you already know." He motioned behind her.
Dr. Giles whirled around to see the same man from before. How did he sneak up on me, like that? She asked herself. She found herself staring at him. He looks like....No. That couldn't be. Still curiosity was stronger. She reached up and removed the glasses.
At what stared back at her were the same one's she commited to memory. "Xander?" She asked out of disbelief.
"Xander?" She repeated. "What happened? How did you get like this?" Buffy asked out of concern. "When you never came back, I was heart broken. I thought that you did that to hurt me. To get back at me." A tear came down from her right eye. "I missed you so much. After that, I realized that I'm in love with you. Still am." She confessed.
"After I left, I was almost ready to come home. About the same time, someone was about to do the same. Blade, my predesessor, decided to take his girlfriend's miracle cure. After defeating LaMagra and the Reapers, he was emotionally drained of vamire hunting. He took the cure, and lost his vampire half." Xander explained in detail.
"The Powers That Be decided that they still needed a Daywalker. So they chose me. I went to bed one night, and awoke a hybrid the next. I got everything Blade had, including, unfortunately, his blood lust. That's why I have to take the serum, Buffy. To calm the lust inside me." He summed up.
Despite her love for him, she remained skeptical. "There are no more vampires left. Or demons for that matter. There hasn't been any since the hellmouths blew up." Buffy said in defiance.
Whistler spoke up this time. "That may be so, young lady. But there are more than one type of vampire." He mentioned somewhat cryptically. "The hominus nocturnus. Forget whatever you may have learned as a slayer. The following won't work. Crosses, holy water, the enter thing and the hypnosis doesn't apply here. However, the others remain the same. Sunlight, garlic, silver and decapitation still works. Also, a broken neck can kill them. These suckheads are like an STD. They're a disease." He relayed into her mind.
Buffy shook her head. "Even if I buy it, why should I believe you?" She returned.
Xander grunted. "You already met Barbeque Bill at the morgue. What do you think?" He countered.
Buffy chuckled at that comment. I'm glad somethings never change. "I see that you still have your sense of humour, Xander. That's one of the qualities that I've always been atracted to." Buffy said honestly.
For the first time in years, Xander Harris blushed.