Xander strolled casually through the cemetery. Since returning to Sunnydale two weeks ago, he had patrolled every night, as he no longer had to worry overly about dying a horrible death. The Force gave him far more power than any vampire had, but he had to be careful when using it, in case what had happened to Dooku happened to him.
A telephone conversation with Giles proved to be useless, as he adamantly refused to return to the US unless Buffy was back. And as they all knew that Buffy was dead, and there was nothing they could do about it, Giles resolutely stayed in Britain.
Dawn was none too impressed at Xander's insistence to patrol, but after he showed her what the two silver rods he carried could do, she stopped saying that Slayage was a bad idea and kept clamouring for Xander to make her a light-saber of her own, or give her one of his. Xander certainly wasn't going to make her one, and neither of his blades were ever going to leave his side again.
After his sudden and unexpected return, Xander tried to get round the fact that he thought he had been gone for a year, and hardly any time had passed in Sunnydale. It was a paradox even his Jedi enhanced mind could not get around. He still kept up with his Jedi meditations and training, however, and this was how he came to be wandering through a dark and cold graveyard at 2am. His Jedi abilities allowed him to survive on less than an hour of sleep a night, giving plenty of time for him to dwell on his dilemma. When with Yoda and Obi-Wan, he had felt the need to return to Sunnydale and protect Dawn, although he had to admit, for a lot of the time, it was masked by the sheer wonder of where he was. Now he was back in Sunnydale, he felt the need to return to Coruscant.
Unfortunately for Xander, his internal debate had allowed several vampires to sneak up on him. As they were dead, they had little, if any presence in the Force. Only the ripples in the Force of something not alive would register, and vampires did have a slight amount of life in them, due to the inhabitation of the demon in the host.
"Oh, guys, look at the idiot in the fancy robe!" The lead vampire spoke from behind Xander's back, voice full of bravado, his vampirism assuring him of an easy kill. He was going to be disappointed.
"Yeah, don't he look cool!" The vamp that had approached to the left of Xander spoke up. He was wearing bright pink flares, and a neon green top that seemed about three sizes too small.
Xander looked at him. "You can talk, fang-face. You look like a reject from the Village People."
The only response he got was a growl of anger. Vampires don't like insults from food. It seems to give them indigestion.
The leader spoke again. "I think its time to show our friend here that it's a mistake to go out after dark."
A chorus of 'Yeah!'s' and <growls> followed the comment, allowing Xander, who had been falling into the Force since the second the lead vampire spoke, to gauge their numbers perfectly.
Damn, there are shit-loads of them! There were nine vampires, all ready, hungry, and out hunting for dinner. I might be a Jedi, but this is too much right now.
As the first charged, Xander spun with the vamp, away from the centre, and while still spinning, whipped out one of his light-sabers and got to work. The blade ignited with a <snap hiss> and filled the night with a golden glow.
Xander continued his spin, and decapitated three vampires before coming to rest with the blade in a classic guard position, ready for the coming assault.
The angered vampires didn't disappoint. The leader hung back, as leaders often do, and ordered his subordinates forward. One moved off to either side, in an attempt to flank him, while two others stepped forward. The fifth; a black haired woman, held back to the leaders side. The first of the vamps to charge again got a fist squarely in the jaw, which did little more than piss it off more. The fist was closely followed by a light-saber in the gut. Instead of stopping and howling in pain, as expected, or trying to run away, the vamp gripped Xander's hand and held it in place. His light-saber was going nowhere for the time being.
The next thing Xander knew was his neck was being gripped from behind and the leader was approaching, gloating over the seemingly easy victory.
"Such a pity. You had promise to be an interesting meal, and as you managed to take out three of my followers, well." He smiled viciously. "That deserves extra pain as you die."
"I don't think so." Said Xander; pulling all the energy he could in. The only change the vampires noticed was the air temperature dropping a few degrees, and wrote that off as imagination rather than a great deal of pain about to come their way.
"Oh? Why is that?" The leader seemed to be genuinely puzzled at Xander's response.
"This." Xander smiled slightly and bent his legs. Putting all the power he could behind it; he launched himself up into the air fifty or sixty feet. As soon as the vampires realised their feet were no longer on the ground, they panicked and let go, nearly fatal considering the distance.
The sick <crunch> of breaking bone and rupturing or punctured organs met Xander's ears as he continued to float in the air, watching the vampires. They all stared back with wide eyes.
"Shit! A warlock! We should have known from his dress!"
Xander landed, re-igniting his light saber as he did so. "I'm not a warlock. Just someone who knows a few tricks." His smile was wide, toying. While his Jedi instincts were telling him not to enjoy this, the part that was the vampire punch-bag for so many years felt the elation of being able to turn the tables for once.
Starting forward, he activated the second phase of his light-saber; bring it from one metre to three in a fraction of a second. All except the leader and his female companion had been reduced to dust before they could even blink. Xander had used the Force to move faster than the eye could follow.
Xander looked at the pile of dust in disgust, and winced at the pink flares that had not joined their owner in becoming one with the particulate universe. "Figures they stay behind."
The leader realised he would join his minions in dust-hood if he didn't think of something fast. Fear seems to make all creatures use tactics they wouldn't if they were in normal conditions. But then, vampires are hardly normal.
"So. you hide behind a weapon, but can't fight man to man." He hoped the jibe would get to Xander.
Xander knew what the vampire wanted him to do, and decided to play, again causing his Jedi mind to rail in concern. It might be fun. He thumbed the blade of his light-saber off, and it disappeared back into his robe, as if it had never been more than a bad dream.
"So you want to play, eh?" Xander smirked and tilted his head to the side, teasing the vampires with a view of his neck.
The two remaining vampires growled.
And charged.
Xander used the Force to enhance his somersault over their heads, landing twenty feet behind them, and spun round, ready to receive again. The female vamp recovered faster than her lover, and returned to hit Xander in the face.
Xander staggered back under the hit, and tripped on a rock. Lying on his back, he watched as the two vampires approached, both wary of what this morsel would do next.
As they hit the five feet mark, Xander used the Force to spin in place, righting himself as he went, to land back on his feet. Pulling his first blade from his robe, he whipped the female in the face with the butt of his light-saber, causing her to be sent flying away from the fight, and into a gravestone.
Leader growled at the harm of his mate, and lunged, only to pull back just as quickly when Xander ignited the light-saber and poked it at him, warning him to keep his distance.
It was at this time, however, that Xander should have remembered that vampires are dead.
The female recovered far faster than any vampire Buffy ever fought, due to Xander not being a Slayer, even if he was a Jedi. The first time Xander thought of the female after her visit to the gravestone, was when a lump of that gravestone collided with his head.
Xander, concentrating more on the leader, was unprepared for the sudden surprise, and dropped like a stone.
Dammit. forgot about her.
The next thing he knew, the leader was standing over him, a big grin on his features. The female vampire was holding by the back of his neck.
"So. the wise guy finally wakes up." leader seemed pleased. "Could you tell me how you did that please?"
"Drop dead." Snarled Xander, venom in his voice.
"Already have done." riposted the vampire.
"Encore." Xander kept his face straight, but the leader obviously found his little crack less than amusing.
"Very funny, smart guy. You should be fun to feed off of."
Shaking his head violently, Xander contested that idea, "I'm not good to eat. Too much gristle and fat."
"Don't worry about it," the vampire smiled evilly, and Xander suddenly felt very worried, "I'm only after the sauce anyway."
Xander sighed gently. Centring his mind from the almost overwhelming fear of being in a vamp lair that choked his connection to the Force, he again pulled in as much power as was freely available. When he opened his eyes again, the lead vampire backed away in fear, causing the female to grip tighter.
Xander's eyes glowed with power. Unlike the black eyes of a dark-sider or a black magic practitioner, they had a golden glow, similar to his light saber blades.
An invisible Force fist gripped the lead vampire and plucked him, nearly gently, off the floor. Xander's feet had been on the floor, and he chose that second to go dead weight on the grip, surprising the vamp enough to get her to let go. The second he was free Xander plucked the second vamp in a Force grip. Both vampires imploded as the Force grip tightened and turned them both to dust from the sheer pressure.
Xander collapsed on the ground, in the dust, willing himself to get up and get out of wherever he had been taken.
Struggling to his feet, Xander limped out of the warehouse, one of the standard fare for Sunnydale, and back to Dawn's, sorry, his, house.
When Xander slowly limped his way back to the Summers residence, Dawn was waiting by the door with a scowl on her face, and worry in her eyes.
"Xan." she whined, knowing full well that the tone of voice would probably get Xander to agree to whatever she was going to suggest, "you promised you wouldn't be out after midnight."
Xander managed to hide his pain quite well considering what he had been through not half an hour before. Waking up in a vampire's lair, especially after having pissed the head honcho off like he had used to be a ticket for instant death, and possibly eternal torment at the hands of a demon. If it hadn't been for his ability to tap into the Force, which Dawn did still not fully understand, Xander would have been quite dead, or far worse, turned and preying on the girl he was meant to be protecting.
"Yeah, Dawn, I know I promised, but I encountered this big group of vampires, and well, it took a while to take them all out." Xander couldn't help but wince at the obvious half-truth. He knew Dawn would see through it almost as soon as he started with the feeble excuse.
Dawn knew it too. With an 'I'm amused now but soon I'm gonna be pissed off' smile on her face, she stepped up to Xander and dragged him inside like a naughty child. In some ways, he was.
After expending so much energy on escaping, Xander was in no position to fight her, and followed her in meekly like a kitten, albeit one who whined at the treatment of his ear. If Dawn was allowed that tone of voice, so was he. Dawn had a hold on Xander that no one had had before, be it Willow, Buffy or Anya. None of them could read him as well as Dawn, and none had been through the shared pain of losing a sister, combined with a best friend. Buffy may not have been all that while Dawn was not in trouble, but once the target of Glory's anger and mad attacks had been determined, not even Xander had guarded Dawn as jealously as Buffy. The sisterly bond the two had only increased when their mother died.
And then Buffy died as well.
Dawn dumped Xander unceremoniously on the couch, and went to find the first aid kit. Well, 'find' was the wrong word, the first aid kit in the Summers house got such a workout that it needed to be replenished regularly. Xander nearly told her not to bother, as with a few hours in a healing trance, he would be better than he was when he went out, but the look on her face told him not to argue, and not to let her come back to find him in a coma for an hour or more.
Twenty minutes later, when Dawn had finished patching Xander up, she was grinning like a kid on their first date, with the most attractive guy in school. As far as Dawn was concerned, Xander was far better than anyone she knew at school, and she still had her crush on him. The only difference now was, with them living together under the same roof, she couldn't act on her crush in case she forced him out, and she was left alone, properly alone, for the rest of her natural. Or un-natural, whatever, given that she was the key, and technically not alive.
Dawn looked hard at Xander, who was, in turn, happily in the realm of the firmly doped on painkillers. He didn't seem to quite be able to turn off his nerves; it ended up with similar results to how most stoners looked. A silly grin spread all over their face, and a complete lethargy. Dawn knew it to be deceptive, as his mind was still working nineteen to the dozen, but fine control of minor muscles seemed beyond his capabilities when in a pain reducing state. It might improve with time and practice, but Dawn was unhappy with seeing Xander like this.
"Xander?" Dawn asked.
Xander's face instantly lost the glazed expression and became serious. "Yeah, Dawn?"
Dawn was momentarily put off of the rapid 'recovery'. "You can tell me what happened tomorrow. You can tell it all tomorrow. For now, just sit and listen."
Xander sat up completely straight. "I'm listening."
Dawn took a deep breath. "I think I can get Buffy back."
Xander face remained passive. This was not the reaction Dawn had been expacting. Joy, yes. Elation, yes. Not the passive response she did receive, almost as if he had not heard her.
"Are you listening?" Dawn raised her voice. "I THINK I CAN GET BUFFY BACK!"
Xander shook his head. "Have you been drinking while I was out?"
Dawn looked angry, and hurt at the accusation. Xander hid his teasing too well sometimes. "No. Of course not." She replied indignantly.
"Juts checking. So that means the drinks cabinet is still chock full, right?"
Dawn didn't know where this was going. "Yeah."
"Good, cause I need a drink. And you need one too. Then tomorrow, once we get over the hangovers, it's time to get Buffy back." A grin accompanied this statement.
Dawn just grinned back, and stood up with Xander.
They headed for the drinks cabinet.
"Xander?" asked Dawn as Xander raided the drinks cabinet.
"Yeah, Dawn?" he replied, voice muffled by the glass.
"I haven't told you everything we need to do yet. To get Buffy back I mean."
"Right. You haven't. Are you gonna? Do I want to know? Is it gross?" Xander joked.
"No, it isn't gross, but it may be quite difficult. We need Willow, and Giles. We need the new Slayer as well. Or Faith, whichever will be easiest to get."
"OK. What do you want?" asked Xander suddenly.
"What?" asked Dawn, confused.
"Whiskey? Tequila? Or some slightly less lethal stuff?"
"Uh. I'll stick to the soda I think Xand. Don't wanna get you in trouble."
Xander looked thoughtful. "Alright, Dawn."
A few hours later, Dawn was still completely sober, having avoided the alcohol offered, while Xander was more than slightly merry. When Dawn complained, Xander realised just how close to getting drunk he was and spent the next few minutes purging his body with a meditative technique Yoda taught him.
"Your no fun, Dawn." Xander complained when he had finished.
Dawn's smile was nearly evil. "One of us has to act like an adult here Xand." She said sweetly.
Xander grimaced. "You know acting my age was never one of my strong points."
Dawn grinned at the opening. "Too true."
Xander just smiled himself as he realised the opportunity for attack he had left. He felt glad Dawn left it at that. "So, how do we get Giles and Will back to good old' Sunnydale? Giles wont come back in a hurry. Willow will want to stay with Tara and away from the place that nearly killed both of them. And Faith? She's still in a coma."
"We could always get the new Slayer."
"How do we do that? Dress me up as some big bad demon and piss the Council off enough to get them to send her? No thank you."
Dawn looked speculative. "Maybe not dress you up. Maybe just, I don't know, send some reports through the right channels? Willy actually works for the Council. That's why he stays alive, even though almost every demon he's ever sold out wants him dead. And that's a lot of demons."
"That is a distinct possibility. Not a bad idea. But lets worry about getting Giles and Willow here first. If we get them back, then we can worry about finding the Slayer."
"OK. Xand?"
"Yeah, Dawn?"
"Why haven't you told me about what happened yet? What happened when you disappeared? I want to know."
Xander sighed. "If Will and Giles come, I'll tell you all then. If not, I'll tell you after we know that they aren't. But Dawn, I'm not proud of some of the things I did while away. I had a year to live, and make mistakes. I learnt a lot, and found a power I never knew I had, but for the life of me, it would be easier if I hadn't." Xander trailed off, thinking of the problems he caused.
Dawn looked at his sad expression, and got up to hug him. "Come on, Xander. Lets go phone Will and Giles."
"Willy! Good to see you again!" Xander walked into Willy's Place, large grin splitting his face, and in normal clothes. In other words, Xander had forgone the Jedi robes, an obvious target, for his usual pre-weird-travel-thing clothes, consisting of garishly bright Hawaiian shirt in orange, blue and the most disgusting vomit green he had ever seen, and khaki trousers. Xander loved the shirt, when he saw it in a shop one day as a kid; he had saved up until he had enough to buy it. It was originally a sort of revenge on Cordelia, who, at the time verbally savaged Xander for anything he wore. So he decided to give her a reason to do it that day.
Yoda would have been proud of his star pupil. Even as powerful as he was, Xander still had the ability to dress like a Rancor chew toy.
"Oh, bloody hell! Not one of you again!" Willy 'the Snitch' cowered back from the bar, unsure of who was going to walk in next. He heard the stories about the Slayer dying in the huge fight with Glorificus that had occurred a few months ago, but in Sunnydale, you took nothing at face value. She might walk in next. Hell, two of her might walk in next. And if the 'Xander' kid was in here, something was up.
"Oh, don't be so scared, I only want some information." Leaning on the bar, Xander smiled, attempting to be charming, but failing. Mainly because of the shirt.
"That's exactly the problem, kid. When one of you lot asks for information, it usually gives me grief later. But while were being pleasant, how much info?" Willy was still nervous, shifting his gaze between Xander and the other patrons.
Xander smiled conspiratorially. "Just a bit." Xander had three rolls of twenties in his pocket, each $200, but didn't want to use them if he didn't have to. He tried the 'Mind Trick', a power he never fully controlled when under Yoda's tutelage, and one he avoided usually because of the fine line it walked next to the Dark side.
"Where is the new Slayer, Willy?" Xander put all the influence he could behind it, knowing it wasn't his greatest strength.
"Oh, is that all? She's still training in Britain."
"What's her name?"
Willy looked suspicious, but answered anyway. "Crystal."
Xander was beside himself. It works! His mind sang joyfully while his face showed nothing more than polite interest to Willy.
"Who do you work for?"
Willy was starting to look really nervous, weasel eyes shifting quickly backwards and forwards between the boy, no. man in front of him and the decidedly unfriendly looking demons showing interest in making Xander a meal. "I own this bar. I don't work for nobody."
Xander leaned forward. "Willy, we both know that's not true, and I know that there are a lot of demons you've sold out to your employers over the years that would be dying to get their hands on you." Xander's smile turned icy. "In fact, I believe the." Xander tilted his head, puzzled for a second, before continuing, "'son' would be the wrong word. maybe offspring, of one of them is sitting over in that corner. You know, the really spiky bastard who looks as if he's either cruising for a whore or eyeing up my neck. Wouldn't want me to tell them, eh?"
Willy's face sagged, and the colour drained quickly out of his face. "You wouldn't." he managed to squeak.
"I would."
Willy shrank in on himself, as he thought of the great pain non-compliance would bring. From both Xander and from the demons. He whispered, no louder than the beat a knat's wing, "the Council."
Xander nodded in satisfaction at a question answered without having to resort to his threat. "I've got a favour to ask Willy."
Willy's head snapped up. "Favour? I don't do favours."
Xander nodded. "Yeah, but you will do this one. I want you to get the Slayer here."
"Why?" Willy's voice became suspicious again.
"None of your business. Unless you want those demons." Xander trailed off, the threat making Willy readjust his attitude. "Just get her here. I don't care what you tell the Council. There will be a new big bad around when she arrives, have no worries." Xander didn't add, it'll be me.
Xander lay on his bed in the Summers house, wide awake. Dawn had fallen asleep hours ago, and Xander had tucked her up in bed. He could do that if she fell asleep, he was, since Joyce's and Buffy's death's, now the girl's official guardian. That thought made Xander think back to more carefree days, days with Buffy and Willow outside Sunnydale High, no worries, no bills, no taxes.
Just demon after demon, every night.
But for some reason, fighting demons and other things that went bump in the night was more real than getting a paycheque, or paying taxes. Xander's thoughts slipped to what happened to him when with Yoda and Obi-Wan.
Xander realised that he must, at some point, return, because the Force told him in the vision he received that the events he had seen would only happen if he was there, and if he wasn't there, they would be much, much worse.
He reached out into the Force, spreading his consciousness across Sunnydale. All the people; sleeping, crying, making love so many things being done, so many different emotions, all entering Xander and revitalising him though the Force. It was indescribable. Xander thought to Anya, wondering where she was, how she was doing. Willow and Tara, who ran away from Sunnydale to deal with Willow's magic addiction. Giles, safe in his British bed, sleeping like all people tired after a hard day working. Xander lost himself in the marvel of being able to feel every person, for hundreds of miles, or if he knew them, the other side of the globe.
Of course, Yoda had been able to reach across a galaxy with that power, but Yoda had many centuries more of knowledge than Xander. Drawing his consciousness back to himself, Xander felt the twist as something powerful found him, and registered his location. A twinge of fear swept though his mind, scared that something would hunt him out and kill either him or Dawn. Either was disastrous. Slamming his mental shielding down as firmly as he could, Xander felt the presence probe for him, even from within his shell.
Whoever was searching for him was not bothered about being found. That meant either the Watchers or some other, equally powerful organisation. Chastising himself for being careless, Xander checked his immediate area and fixed his consciousness at a twenty-metre radius. That would give him an early warning system without being painfully obvious to any searchers. The world was a big place, after all, and the Hellmouth may mask his position well.
Either that or it works like a great big neon sign, saying something on the lines of: "Here I am, come get me!"
Finally, as the sun crept over the horizon, Xander slipped into the realm of dreams and visions.
Dawn stretched and yawned. She didn't remember falling asleep in bed, in fact the last thing she remembered was Xander walking through the door with a large smile and a slightly creased forehead. Seemed his meeting with Willy went pretty well, but he was still worried. The Watchers Council was tricky. They might do what he wanted, or they might do the opposite, and send a 'cleansing' team instead of the Slayer.
Pulling the duvet off, Dawn looked down and was relieved to see that Xander had just dumped her in bed and covered her up. But then, if she had woken up in pyjama's it would have been Xander fantasy fodder for months. Dawn was pretty keen on living with Xander, similar to her friend's thoughts, though she would never tell them that, but it left her unable to tease him or mock-flirt, as she had been able to do when Buffy was at home, and Xander was just one of her sisters friends. She still had a little calendar that she ticked the days off of, counting down the days until she was legal. But over the months after Buffy saving her, and dying in the process, her crush had matured into something deeper, something far more like a brother/sister or twin relationship.
Getting out of bed, Dawn pulled off her jeans and changed into a clean pair. Examining her calves as she peeled her slept in pair off, she shook her head. Sleeping in jeans wasn't to be recommended; it left funny red crease marks down your legs. Walking into Xander's room, what had been the guest room, she stood in the doorway and her mouth dropped open.
Xander was already awake. But that wasn't what was surprising.
He was standing.
On the CEILING!
Light-saber in hand, with the other floating in front of him. He was sparring against the floating light-saber. Dawn watched as Xander completed the exercise and thumbed off the light-saber he was holding and the other in front of him with the Force. Only when Xander had both attached again to his belt did Dawn speak.
"Xan?"
Xander's eyes opened and he looked around. "Huh?"
The next thing Dawn knew, Xander was a heap on the floor, moaning as his back complained at being landed on so hard. Xander uncovered his face and raised a pained eyebrow at Dawn. "Did you have to?"
Dawn smiled sweetly. "Did I have to what?"
"You know full well, Dawn. Don't disturb me when I'm on the ceiling." Xander's brow creased suddenly. "I was on the ceiling again?"
Dawn nodded. "Yeah."
"Oh, man, I'm gonna break my neck landing one of these days."
Dawn held out a hand, offering to help Xander up, and smiled as he pointedly ignored it and spun to his feet.
"I still think it's so cool when you do that. Like some super hero or something."
"I'm afraid I couldn't be a super hero Dawn. No hero I've every heard of ever had my dress sense." Xander walked out of his room.
Following him slowly, Dawn muttered to herself, "Ain't it the truth."
Xander's voice floated back to her. "I heard that!"
Xander sat on the stairs, talking to the phone, or more accurately, arguing with Tara who was on the other end of the line.
"Tara, we may have a way to get Buffy back, and we need Willow and your help with it."
Tara sounded suspicious. ˜Is it a spell?˜
Xander shook his head, and then stopped, feeling a fool and remembering he was on the phone. "No, it's not a spell. Dawn can open that portal again."
˜Is it safe? I don't want Willow hurt.˜
"Tara, Willow will be perfectly safe, so will you and Giles. The only risk is to Buffy, and a little to Dawn. I'm not happy about it, but Dawn is adamant about trying it. She says she'll try it with or without our help, and. frankly. I believe her. If she is going to do it regardless, I want to help her."
˜OK, Xander. I trust you, but I'm not very happy about having to come back to Sunnydale. That chapter of both Willow's life and mine is shut. I don't want it reopened.˜
"That's fine, Tara, and I respect you for your decision. If it wasn't for Dawn, I'd be staying where I found a purpose." Xander was deliberately cryptic.
˜Yeah. You can explain that when we get there. Xan. it may be a few days, both Will and I have jobs, we can't just pick up and leave, although we may be able to get some holiday time on short notice.˜
"Thanks Tara, you're the best."
˜Don't I know it.˜
Xander laughed. "Bye, Tara, see you and Willow soon."
"See you, Xander."
Xander hung the phone back on the hook. "Two down. Giles to go."
"But Giles, we have a way to get Buffy back, and we need your help!"
Giles, on the other side of the long distance call, sounded tired and impatient. Hardly surprising, it was 3am in London. ˜And? Unless you have Buffy back when I arrive, I'm not coming. I have a life here now.˜
Xander had one night found Giles' Force presence and read him. It danced close to the dark side, but he needed the advantage of knowing what Giles was thinking. "What sort of a life is cleaner in a library, Giles. You don't even have control of the books now."
Giles turned suspicious. ˜How did you know that?˜ Indignation getting the better of him, he didn't even bother to deny it.
"Uh. lucky guess. look, enough of this. Giles, we need you back in Sunnydale. It's as simple as that." Xander decided to play the emotional blackmail card. "Dawn needs you. After Buffy's death, well, you were always close to Buffy. The last few years, because of Slayage, she hardly knew her own sister."
˜Oh. Pack the bags, we're going on a guilt trip.˜ Giles was obviously ready for that one, his voice laced with heavy sarcasm.
Xander didn't want to do this, but it had worked on Willy. "Look Giles. You' re coming back to Sunnydale."
˜I'm coming back to Sunnydale?˜
"That's right."
˜That's right, I am. Coming back to Sunnydale.˜
Xander was practically jumping up and down. Yeah!
Giles cut in ˜Why the hell would I want to come back to Sunnydale? Get a grip boy!˜
Shit! It didn't work! Xander was getting desperate. "Look, Giles. I'll pay your travelling costs. Both ways. Just come, please?"
Xander heard Giles sigh heavily down the phone. ˜Alright. Fine. I'll come. But your paying. Everything.˜
"Of course." Xander winced. This was gonna cost a lot of money.
˜I'll see you in a week, Xander. Then perhaps we can talk about emotional blackmail.˜
"Yeah, Giles. Sorry." Xander wasn't in the least bit sorry. "See you in a week. Bye."
Xander hung up and turned to Dawn. "This better work, cause I'll be paying for the tickets for the next twenty years. Something tells me Giles is gonna fly first class."
Dawn looked apologetically at Xander. "You made the offer." she smiled wickedly at Xander's obvious misgivings.
"Dawn, come on, we're gonna be late picking Giles up from the airport." Shouted Xander up the stairs. He was dressed in relatively subdued colours, with a pale blue being the lightest, and only real colour he was wearing. Dawn came down the stair wearing her usual jeans and t-shirt combination.
"OK, Xander. I'll just be a minute. Dawn was rummaging around the draw of the bureau for her hairbrush. It seemed to be in a new place every time she looked. Maybe that was just her imagination, though, or possibly forgetfulness.
Quickly running the brush through her brown hair, Dawn turned back to Xander and randomly flung the brush down on the couch. "OK! I'm ready!"
Xander smiled at Dawn's eagerness to see Giles again. "Right. Lets go then." The two headed out of the front door, Dawn heading for the car on the drive and Xander turning around to lock the house up.
A minute later they pulled off the drive and headed for the airport.
[British Airways flight BA206, from London, Heathrow, has landed. Passengers are advised to take all items of personal luggage with them as they leave the plane.] The cool mechanical voice of the computer cut into Giles pleasant dream about finding and cataloguing a new form of demon, and becoming a world renowned expert on demonology, rather than just a cleaner.
Unbuckling his belt, Giles stood and stretched, the trip far less strenuous than the return to Britain, mainly as he had flown first class, a luxury he had not allowed himself as he returned to Britain. If Xander was footing the bill, why the hell not? Reaching into the overhead luggage compartment, Giles grabbed his only luggage and headed for the exit. Nodding at the stewardess as he exited the plane, he was rewarded with a dazzling smile and a slight blush, showing that he wasn't completely out of time yet.
Giles shook the thought off as he climbed out of the plane, and looked around at the bright lights of California for the second time of his life. Nothing like good old Britain, where regardless of the season you had to carry an umbrella with you in case the weather decided to play tricks. No, in California, you could count on the weather being bright, sunny and altogether far too cheerful for any sane person as late as early December. Snow? What was that?
Ignoring the sign to baggage claim, as he hadn't brought any other luggage, Giles headed to the pick up point.
Looking about, he could see a lot of cabbies waiting for fares, and a few old people, waiting for their children and grandchildren to come for holidays. Over near the exit, he saw Dawn and Xander, with the two holding a sign, one holding each side, reading: "Stuffy Brit." In brackets, it had underneath, "(Rupert Giles)"
Giles smiled slightly, glad that even with the group disbanding like it had, that Xander hadn't lost his innate sense of humour. Of course, as soon as he neared them, his smile dropped and he roared, "Stuffy Brit, indeed! Don't you have any respect, Mr. Harris?"
Xander turned at the sound of Giles shout and shot him a grin. Dawn dropped her side of the notice, causing it to drop on Xander's foot, and launched herself at Giles, enveloping him in a bear hug.
As Giles pried the ecstatic teen off of him, he whispered to her, "Hello Dawn."
Xander approached more slowly. "Good to see you, G-Man." He stuck out his hand, which Giles gripped firmly and shook twice, before letting go to hug Dawn back. His grin turning lopsided, Xander answered Giles question. "You should know full well by now that I have absolutely no respect for authority. I'm disappointed that you forgot."
Giles just shook his head and motioned to the exit of the airport. "Shall we go?"
Xander nodded. "Yeah, sure. Will and Tara should be here in a few days."
As it transpired, when Xander, Dawn and Giles pulled into Revello Drive, Willow and Tara were already sitting outside their house.
With the gang all assembled again, the inevitable questions followed. How had everyone been? What were they doing now? And the whopper: what was Dawn planning to do?
For Giles, Willow and Tara, the answers were pretty standard. Giles had found a job, and a girlfriend, news that caused Xander to choke on his Twinkie when he thought of the possibility of little Giles' running around. It turned out that Giles girlfriend, Catherine, was none to pleased at his sudden 'business trip' to America. But he was doing pretty well for himself.
Willow and Tara had likewise been doing well, although the other side of the Atlantic. They had been living in New York, and as such, had lost the 'small town' side effects of Sunnydale. Willow had almost got over her magic addiction, but Tara was still strict about its usage, something she had learned to become, otherwise Willow would just spiral out of control for a second time. The two had had some success in the 'dot com' business world, and had pulled out before their company nose-dived, as, inevitably, all dot com's did. The result was having several million in the bank, and being able to live in comfort without having to work.
When it came to Dawn and Xander's turn, Dawn moved away from snuggling into his shoulder and joined Giles, Willow and Tara on their side of the room. It caused Giles to raise an eyebrow in question, but Xander shook his head.
"I haven't told Dawn about what happened, and I have no intention of not telling her. I just wanted to wait until you all arrived so I didn't have to repeat myself."
Xander sighed heavily.
"Go on, Dawn. Ask."
Dawn looked at the other three. "I think we had better tell them what happened here first."
Xander nodded. "That makes sense. Sorry. Didn't think."
Dawn started. "I was spending a lot of time researching dimensional portals, and well, I found one which liked Xander a little too much. He got sucked in. It was pretty cool, actually. He looked kind of like Superman with the portal sucking him in feet first."
"Yeah, thank you for that, Dawn. That is one thing I never, ever want to go through again." Xander sounded part amused and part hurt.
Dawn continued after pulling a face at Xander's interruption. "Less than a minute later, the portal reopened and Xander fell out, dressed in weird clothes and burned all over. Very badly burned. It looked like radiation burns, but they faded very quickly. He also looked older."
Giles Willow and Tara all looked curiously at Xander. Xander grinned back at them disarmingly. "Yeah, noticed that did you? Wanna know how we've been apart like, four months, and I've got over a years hair growth? Sit, and be amazed."
Xander stood up, and started pacing the room. "Well, where do I start? The beginning sounds like a good place. When the dimensional portal closed, with me on the wrong side, I was dumped on the wrong side of a nightmare. Aliens? They are real. At least, they were where I was sent. But that doesn't matter. Not really anyway."
Willow felt the need to cut in. "Xander, you're babbling."
Xander looked at he gratefully. "Yeah, I know, but I don't know how to explain this. It will probably be a little easier if someone asks questions, cause I don't know where to start."
Dawn looked up. "Xander, when you came back through, you spent some time saying you'd been gone a year. How is that possible?"
"That's because, as far as I was concerned, Dawn, I was gone a year. A year in which I did a hell of a lot, including becoming a Jedi, and building two light-sabers."
Giles looked confused. "What's a Jedi? As far as I knew, they were a Hindu sect. From what you have said, I presume that I am wrong."
Willow asked, "What's a light-saber?"
Xander looked at the two. "Will, I'll answer your question first, since it's easier." Xander brought a silver rod out of his jacket, which he was still wearing. "This," he said, gesturing at the rod, "is a light-saber." He pulled out another one, identical in all respects. "So is this." Xander tossed one to Giles, and the other to Willow and Tara.
"Don't I get one?" Dawn pouted.
"Extraordinary." Breathed Giles.
Willow and Tara just looked at each other. "Wow."
Giles looked up. "You say you built this?"
Xander nodded. "Yeah."
"You can't have," Giles denied vehemently, "the technology in this is beyond anything I have ever seen. Did you get this off a demon? I must get this to the Council! This find is unprecedented!"
Xander's look turned dangerous. "You will not, now or ever again, even think of giving the council either of these blades. I made them; they are mine! Like I will not give Dawn to the council, I will not give these to the council! They are not ready for such knowledge!"
Giles started to rise, and slipped the light-saber in his pocket. "You don't know what this will mean, Xander! I will get my job back, and become a power in the Coun."
Xander motioned at the blade Willow and Tara were examining, and it leapt out of their hands, as if by magic, and ignited as it landed in Xander's grasp. The only sound in the suddenly quiet room was the hiss and crackle of the light-saber as it neared Giles throat. It was so close, the unshaven hairs on his neck smoked as the beam of light caught them.
"Put the light-saber on the table Giles, and sit down. I don't care about your job, and after that display, I don't much care for you, but I want Buffy back." Xander motioned at the second blade as Giles placed it on the table with a gentle <click>, and it flew into his other hand and ignited, "and I am prepared to do nearly anything to get her back."
Giles nodded very carefully, mindful of the beam of light under his chin, and sat back. Xander nodded and said "passport please."
Giles eyes widened, but he reached out and handed Xander his passport. "You' ll get this back when we have Buffy back. Until then, I want to make sure you wont go running to the Council." Xander thumbed off his light-saber and re-hid both.
Dawn, Willow and Tara just watched the exchange with wide eyes, not entirely sure of what had happened. Giles looked as if he would blow a gasket with the loss of his escape route back to Britain, and Xander was desperately trying to calm down.
Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to the dark side. "No." he whispered.
Dawn, realising she had to rescue a very fragile situation, leapt up. "Who wants a drink?"
The dark side. Xander's mind was showing him what the Dark-sider had promised.
.power beyond all comprehension.
.the death of his enemies.
.fear.
.revulsion.
.terror incarnate.
The light side. .the pain of losing friends through evil.
.calm.
.peace.
.utter damnation as the dark fuel used him for its own ends.
.
.
.Buffy.
Xander sat up from his slumped position as Dawn walked in with the drinks she had made.
"We haven't got time to screw about. Lets get this over with. We don't need the Slayer."
Dawn shook her head. "We do, Xander. Put your worries of Giles aside. He is more scared of you now than he is of the council. He wont do anything."
Xander looked at Giles, who was sitting in his chair, obviously terrified. "I'm sorry Giles. I shouldn't have snapped like that. I have brought myself closer than I ever wanted to go to the dark side of the Force."
Giles nodded weakly. "I. apologise for my actions as well. They were ill thought out, and I feel embarrassed that I would have ever acted like that."
Willow looked over. "The Force? What's the Force?"
Tara did likewise, "What's the dark side?"
Xander sighed, and realised in the flood of anger at Giles he hadn't finished explaining. "In the dimension I spent a year, there is this. Force. That is the only way to explain it. It is created by all living things. It is created here as well, but to not quite such the same degree, as it comes from one planet, not thousands. There are effectively. two sides to the Force. The light, and the dark. The light side is fuelled by benevolent emotions, while malevolent ones fuel the dark side. For the Jedi, a fellowship, although that isn't quite the right word, of Force sensitive people, they use the light side as their power source. As a Jedi, the worse thing you can ever do is to touch the dark side, even in defence. I spent seven months training with the greatest light side master that has ever been born, Yoda. He's kind of like a little green gremlin, while just goes to show, appearances can be deceptive. I made those light-sabers when he thought I was ready."
Dawn sounded wistful as she spoke. "Sounds like magic."
Willow and Tara nodded. "Yeah."
Xander inclined his head, thinking. "I suppose, to those who could not use the Force, it would be magical."
Tara spoke up. "Does it feel like magic when you use it?"
Xander shook his head in wonder. "I don't know. I've never used magic. But the Force. well. its hard to describe. If you use the light, it feels wonderful, like you touch every living thing at once, and feel its pleasure at being alive. It's an indescribable feeling of well-being. like everything is right in the world. It's incredible. The dark. well. I've touched it, and lets just say. if I never touch it again, it will be too soon."
"Ouch." Said Willow.
"Yeah." Xander shook himself free of the unpleasant memories. "Well, I'm sure Giles is tired from the flight, and you and Tara, Wills, must be knackered after coming on the trans-continental train. I'll let Dawn show you to your rooms, and talk to you about the ritual to get Buffy back."
Dawn could tell Xander was hiding something. "What are you gonna do, Xand?"
Xander looked innocently down at the sitting Dawn. "Me? I'm gonna go visit Willy, see if I can scare us up one Slayer."
Xander cautiously entered the dive Willy wanted to be known as a 'bar', but to be honest, even calling it a dive was an insult to dives everywhere, even the infamous Mos Eisley sounded better than this place.
He frowned at the lack of the usual clientele, but couldn't complain, because it made what he had to do easier, and meant that he didn't have to threaten under his breath. After Giles display of Council fervour earlier, Xander was in no hurry to leave any of his Jedi equipment behind, and so had gone in his Jedi robe, with both of his light-sabers on display on his belt.
For this, he had got a weird look from a police cruiser as they went past, but the cops in Sunnydale had learned that ignorance is bliss, and so just floored it away from him. When a vampire had challenged him, Xander merely drew his first blade, and thumbing it on, split him down the middle from neck to groin.
Xander never even broke his stride.
This was far too important.
Xander saw Willy cleaning a glass behind the bar, and walked over slowly. The sickly smile Willy gave him told Xander that while he didn't have to expect too much trouble, he could be sure Willy would put up a fight this time.
"Hello, Willy. Still running this dive? I would have thought you might have learnt better from my last visit."
Willy laughed nervously. "Yeah, well, you know me. takes me a while to get anything into my head!"
Xander nodded in understanding. "Quite. Now, how about you give me an update on how that side order of Slayer is coming?"
A noise sounded quietly behind Xander, but he chose to ignore it. Willy seemed to look behind Xander's head for a second, and tilted his head to the side. "Why don't you ask her yourself?" he smirked.
Xander turned on his barstool, and looked at the strawberry blonde soon-to-be-goddess-when-she-grew-up standing a few yards behind him. She was holding a large and decidedly lethal looking crossbow, and an older man was standing to the side, just behind her. Xander decided that the man must be her Watcher; after all, he was wearing tweed.
"Good evening." Why do all Slayers have to be potential hotties? Is it some sort of prerequisite?
The Slayer and her Watcher just looked confused at the greeting. Crystal looked at Willy. "I thought you said he was a demon?"
Willy looked sheepish. "Well, he wanted a Slayer here. And I knew that the Council would never send one unless there was a severe emergency. So I made one up. An emergency, that is."
Crystal's watcher was incensed. "You told the Council a deliberate lie to get a Slayer to Sunnydale! Who do you work for now, Willy, you little worm?"
Xander stepped in. "He works for who he wishes to work for, dickhead. So unless you want this meeting to be rather less pleasant than it has to be, shut up."
Crystal stepped forward, brandishing the crossbow. "Don't talk to my watcher like that!"
Xander raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.
Willy tried to step in. "Could we calm down people!"
"No." replied Crystal and pulled the trigger on the crossbow, aimed at Xander. "He's the demon, he has to be!"
The crossbow bolt flew through the air, and time slowed, at least for Xander. When it was about three feet from hitting him in the chest, his hand started to move, and as it was mere inches from piercing skin, gripped it tightly, stopping its movement.
Time sped back up, and Xander flung the bolt back at the shocked Slayer. "Piece of advice, girl, for next time! The heart is on the left!"
Crystals watcher stood dumbstruck as the event played out, then as Xander sank back onto the barstool, pulled out a short sword and charged, screaming, "DIE DEMON!"
Xander, heartily sick of the whole affair, gripped the sword with the Force and ripped it from the watchers hands. "Get this through your thick heads! I AM NOT A DEMON!"
With that remark, he used a solid Force blow to knock out the watcher, and gripped Crystal by the wrist, dragging her out of the bar and into the night.
"Let go of me!"
Xander stopped, and released her wrist. "Your watcher is an idiot. He probably gave you the whole speech that 'Slayers have no friends, no family, no emotional attachments' yes?"
Crystal nodded dumbly, not sure where this was going.
"Well, its bull. I was a friend to a Slayer, and the only reason she survived past the first master vamp she found was because of friends. Without friends, Slayers have a shelf life of about five minutes!"
Crystal seemed to be tearing up. "He lied to me?"
Xander shook his head. "No, not really. It isn't really a lie if you believe it totally. And unfortunately, the Watchers are indoctrinated into those beliefs. They are a part of who they are. they could no more change those than they could stop wearing tweed."
Crystal giggled a bit at that, and Xander felt his heart start to melt again. What is it with Slayers and me? Do I like getting beaten up on a date or what?
Xander started to talk again. "Crystal, the reason I asked Willy to get you here was that my friend, the Slayer, Buffy."
Crystal broke in, "Buffy? She was the best Slayer of all time! She defeated Glory, a hellgod! But in the Watcher archives, she didn't have any help other than her Watcher."
Xander frowned. "That's wrong. I was there, I should know. Anyway, that isn' t really important right now. We need your help, I need your help, to get Buffy back."
"Why?"
"She's in hell, Glory's dimension, and we, my friends and I want to get her out. After all the good Buffy has done, she deserves to be rescued."
"OK."
"OK? That's it? You don't want to know what you have to do?"
"No. OK."
"You've got more faith than I have, kiddo."
"I am not a kid! I'm nearly 15!" Crystal said indignantly.
Xander shook his head. Fifteen. God, the Council call them younger and younger every time.
Dawn looked out of the window as Xander's footsteps echoed on the porch. He opened the door and indicated Crystal should precede him. She looked at the door speculatively, as if it might attack her, but did as Xander asked her to.
Xander slammed the door behind him. With a big grin on his face, he called out, "Honey, I'm home!"
Dawn popped her head out of the front room where Giles, Tara and Willow were still sitting, catching up on old times. "Yeah, Xand. I heard you come onto the porch." Dawn's eyes fixed onto Crystal. "Aren't you going to introduce us?"
Crystal smiled at Dawn nervously, but she stepped forward and extended a hand. "Hi, I'm Crystal."
Dawn smiled and forwent the handshake in favour of pulling the older girl into a hug. She whispered in her ear, "Please say you'll help us."
Crystal looked puzzled at the request, but nodded unsurely. "If it will do what Xander explained on the way here, I will certainly help you."
Dawn squealed, a noise that set Xander's teeth on edge, but he said nothing. "GREAT! I'll go get the stuff and we can do it in about an hour! Then you can go home, and so can the others!" Dawn shot a deliberate look at Xander. "Giles is still shitting himself about you, you know! You very naughty!" An impish grin spread on her face as she finished the reprimand.
As Dawn belted upstairs to get everything ready, Xander and Crystal looked at one another. "Nothing to do but wait until she's ready, I suppose." said Xander. As one, the two turned and headed into the lounge.
Dawn sat in the middle of the room, which had been cleared of everything by manual work rather than Xander's Force abilities. Willow seemed to be surprised that Xander did not use the Force for every little job, like she had done with magic. Xander spent several minutes, and a lot of effort before he succeeded in explaining this to her.
"Will, I love you dearly, but you got addicted to magic, remember? You are still struggling with the after effects of near constant use. It got to the point where you were using magic to turn lights on and off because you were too lazy to get up and do it. Magic wasn't designed for use like that. Only the purest of intentions can stop magic from eating away at your soul. Even with the very best of intentions, it still does it, but far more slowly." Shaking his head, Xander continued, "Constant use of power is dangerous, not least of all because it reaches a point where your usual magic no longer works to your satisfaction, and you go looking for more power. In a witch, this can make a Wiccan, one who is effectively a 'nature mage' into a Hecatian or even worse, a Black mage. As you know," Xander cut a piercing look at her, "black magic is very dangerous."
Willow made a face at Xander's insistence of running over the past and sighed. "I know all that, Xander."
Xander nodded slowly at the red headed girl standing in front of him with a 'humour-the-lunatic' expression on her face. "Yes, you know all that," he put the same condescending inflection that Willow had on the words, "and yet, you still don't seem to realise it, even after all this time."
Willow snapped her head up, a look of outrage on her face, at what she took as betrayal from her closest childhood friend. "I don't have to take this!" She began mumbling a spell, one that Tara, who was still moving stuff out of the room recognised from a book they had found a few weeks ago, and feared. Her eyes widened at the sound of the final syllable slipping Willow's lips, and cringed as the spell shot at Xander.
Xander just held his hand up, and the spell dissipated in front of him like it had never been anything more than a trick done by a party magician. "See, Will?" he asked gently. He sighed heavily, the weight of the world suddenly on his shoulders, and continued. "Now imagine if that had been me. That spell you cast will probably mean that you're a bit tired, or maybe you might need some sugar or something to get your energy reserves back up to full. I managed to stop it without even trying. What if I had tried that? The power of the Jedi is much more than that of witches, because Jedi draw power from every living thing at once. The more things alive, the more power a Jedi has. It is far harder to sever a Jedi's connection with the Force than it is to bind a witch's power. If I used the Force for every little whim, I would inevitably burn out my ability to touch the light side, and I would be forced to start using the dark. That is something I promised Yoda I would never do. The dark side is far too dangerous for any person to survive using it for long, it eats you whole, feeding on your soul, and eventually corrupting your body as well.. but, to me, it isn't that that is the only reason; I promised. I promised Master Yoda that I would not fall to the Dark side. I will honour that promise."
Xander trailed off and turned, picking up a box as he went. With one last glance around the room, and a "We have to move the carpet." he left the room and headed up the stairs.
Willow turned to Tara. "What did I do?" she asked in a small, pitiful voice, face full of regret.
Tara moved over to hug her lover. "You did exactly what Xander wanted you to do, I think."
Willow buried her face in Tara's shoulder. "What?" she mumbled in shock.
Tara gently peeled Willow off her, and cupped her chin with one hand. "Xander single-handedly showed you what would happen if you got out of control again," Tara hugged Willow tight again, "after we get back to New York, neither of us are going to use magic ever again, OK?"
Willow looked shocked, but just nodded.
Tara stood, Willow in her arms, thinking to herself. That was foolish, Xander Harris! What if you had not been strong enough? I know that spell, and you would not have had enough flesh left to fill a thimble.
As Xander let the box he was carrying drop to the ground, Giles stepped up next to him, and put his own box on the floor.
"That was very dangerous, Xander." Giles said reprovingly.
Xander nodded. "I know, Giles, but Willow needed to be shown what could happen if she gets out of control again."
Crystal moved up to the other side of Xander, before putting her box on top of Xander's. "And what if she had been to powerful? You would have died, and I'd have to explain it to my watcher."
"Yeah, Crys, I know," Xander turned to Giles, "Say, G-Man," Xander's trademark grin crept back, and the nickname hinted that Xander had begun to forgive Giles for his Council related zealousness, "you wouldn't do me the favour of looking in on Tara and Wills from time to time, would you? You know, make sure that they both stick to their promises?"
Giles looked shocked. "Won't you be able to do it?"
Xander shook his head. "I don't fit in here anymore, Giles." His tone was sad, but sure. "I want Buffy back, and then I'm getting the hell out of dodge. Life is too fast around here for me now. I want to find somewhere quiet, and go hide. The Force is too strong for this planet yet."
Giles looked away, and Crystal looked sadly at Xander. In the few days they had known each other, Crystal had got to look up to him greatly. Xander snapped out of the introspective mood, and smiled again. "Come on, we need to move the carpet, and I'm glad I've got a Slayer to help!"
Crystal laughed, caught up in the sudden change of attitude that Xander had, and Giles merely nodded, the implications of Xander leaving hitting him hard.
In the corridor, Dawn thought over the snippets of conversation she heard, and fought back tears.
Dawn sat in the middle of the completely cleared room. Willow and Tara stood either side of her, facing where Dawn had said she wanted the portal to appear. Crystal stood off to the side, with Giles, and Xander stood by himself, ready to do anything necessary if anything went wrong. That included jumping in to save the others, killing anything other than Buffy that fell out, and generally acting the hero.
A large tome rested on Dawn's knees, open approximately in the middle. Willow stood with her eyes shut, and Tara glanced nervously over at Xander.
Dawn started the incantation, and a chill swept through the room, making everyone shiver. Dawn ignored the cold, and kept chanting. Willow opened her eyes, and looked at Dawn. Tara was already looking at the girl.
As Willow and Tara fed Dawn the power she needed, both felt the floodgate open, and power flowed out in a rush. The portal formed in the air, and the chill in the room instantly left; replaced by a hellish heat from the portal mouth.
Dawn called over to Crystal. "Crystal! Come over here! Hold my hand!" Crystal did as was asked, and Dawn felt the power of the Slayer flow into her as well.
"Buffy!" Dawn cried out loud. "Use this as a beacon!"
A green bipedal monster fell through the portal, and Xander stepped forward, neatly decapitating it, then stepping back to watch fascinated as the body dissolved and was sucked back into the portal.
"Buffy! Use this as a beacon!" Dawn cried again, and the portal moaned.
All the assembled people stared at the portal, willing this to work. HOPING this would work.
Seconds later, a second body fell through the portal. Bruised, bloody, and beaten, with long hair matted down over its head, and a wild, feral look in its eyes.
Xander was raising the blade to strike again, when Dawn called out; "NO, Xander! Its Buffy!"
She was home.
"Xander?" Dawn called out, "Where's Buffy?"
Xander poked his head down the stairs and grinned. "Shh! I just got her to sleep! Don't wake her up."
"Really?" asked Dawn, since Buffy's return from Hell, Xander and Dawn had had a hell of a time ever trying to get her to fall asleep. Time flows differently in Hell, as Angel discovered when he had his little trip there. Buffy had discovered it also. She now stayed up, and active, until collapsing from exhaustion every 36 hours or so.
This was a problem, but there was a more serious one to worry about for the time being. None of her wounds were healing, and Buffy showed no signs of becoming the person she had been before she leapt into the portal initially to save Dawn. The animalistic instincts of the Slayer, as well as the human animal had taken over he mind, keeping her alive in a place that no human should have survived for more than a few minutes.
Giles, shocked and disheartened by the fate that Buffy had encountered left almost immediately for Britain again, running from the memories that haunted him of his Slayer, while Willow and Tara left when Buffy attacked Willow for hurting Dawn.
Dawn was beginning to feel that bringing Buffy back at all was not a good idea, and that it was one more in a long line of mistakes that she would not have made if she had merely thought them through a bit more.
"Yes, really, Dawn." Said Xander. "Now, come on, it's your bed time too."
"Oh, Xan," Dawn pouted, "do I have to?"
"Have you got school tomorrow?" was the response as Xander reached the bottom of the stairs.
Dawn sighed theatrically. "Yeah, Xander. You know full well I have."
"Well, no staying up late then. Come on, get upstairs!" Xander waved in the direction of them, and stepped aside so Dawn could go up them.
"Fine." huffed Dawn, and trudged wearily up the stairs. It was no use arguing with Xander when he was like this.
Crystal approached Xander. "Aren't you gonna moan at me, too? After all, I am nearly as young as her."
Xander shook his head, "No, you're a Slayer, which despite being a sucky job, means you don't have to get more than a couple of hours sleep a night. Slayer physiology, you know?" Xander smirked, "besides, you have to patrol, and I have to do something for a while, otherwise I'll never get to sleep."
Crystal just laughed quietly and shook her head, before picking up her jacket and a few stakes. Xander sighed at what life on the Hellmouth was like, and followed the Slayer out into the night.
Xander and Crystal walked in silence through each graveyard in Sunnydale, one after the other. Neither felt the need to say anything, and both were comfortable with the silence that covered them. Besides, it's a lot easier to hear vampires coming when you aren't bemoaning the general unfairness of the universe as Buffy always did. Or always did before she went to hell.
At a noise behind them, Xander spun, with Crystal only a fraction of a second behind him. A lone vampire approached confidently, obviously a fledgling from the tux he was still wearing, and obviously some sort of football player from the sheer bulk he had.
"Do you want to take him or shall I?" asked Xander quietly.
Crystal smirked, a most unladylike expression on her features. "Oh, please, you go ahead. It's been a long time since I could watch someone else do the work. Like, never."
Xander nodded and closed the distance between him and the fledgling vampire. On the five-yard mark, the vampire charged, holding his arms out wide, hoping to catch his first meal through pure, unadulterated violence.
Knowing that if the vampire got in close and grappled him to the floor he was screwed, Xander fell back as the vampire charged. The vampire continued to get nearer, and Xander decided that distance was the order of the day, and somersaulted backwards, propelling himself a good 15 feet up in the air and landing a considerable distance from the vampire, who had stopped charging in shock from the move his prospective meal had just performed.
Crystal called over to Xander, "You call that dealing with him? Running away? Jeez."
Xander glanced over, annoyed at the comment. "No, I call this," Xander pulled out his light-saber and thumbed it on, "dealing with him."
Using the Force, Xander flung his light-saber at the vampire, and watched as the blade spun slowly in the air. His Force control was not as fine as it should have been, and the blade began to drop slowly toward the ground as it spun. When it reached the vampire, who was standing, both petrified and fascinated at the circle of light coming for him, it was at ankle level.
On the first spin, it took the vampire through the ankles, severing both feet and causing the vampire to begin collapsing. The second spin went through its knees, then continued round and severed its legs at the waist.
As the vampire collapsed completely, the blade spun once final time and went obliquely through the vampire's neck. The gut wrenching screams cut off abruptly as it burst into dust.
Crystal looked over at Xander speculatively. "Was that intentional?"
Xander took the look of fascinated horror off his face and nodded, albeit unconvincingly. "Yep. One hundred per cent in-ten-tion-al." he paused slightly in between each syllable.
Crystal nodded back at him. "Right. if it was intentional, do it again!"
Xander looked at her. "Huh? There aren't any more vampires left."
Crystal pointed. "Uh, Xand. look behind you!"
Xander turned, and saw a group of vampires watching the show with interest.
The first stepped forward a fraction. "That was cool, man! How'd ya do that?"
Xander just stared in shock. Vampires? Standing and not attacking? What was the world coming to?
The vamp continued. "Well, never mind, eh? That was one we wanted, to increase our gang, ya know?" He waved at the seven or so vampires with him. "So." his face shifted into the game face Xander had got so used to. "You'll just have to replace him!"
Crystal was standing next to Xander. "Not without going through a Slayer, you wont!"
The leader looked at her as if she was stupid, "The Slayer is DEAD, sweets! That's why there are so many of us around here now."
Xander laughed. "You think a vampire would have enough brains to recognise the new Slayer, wouldn't you, Crystal?"
She looked sideways at him. "Yeah."
Xander shrugged, and smiled at the average intelligence of a vampire. "Never mind."
Using the Force, Xander pulled up his first blade from where it was still lying on the grass, and pulled out his second. Both were on in the blink of an eye, the twin <snap hiss> filling the graveyard. Throwing caution to the wind, he charged the group.
Crystal was a fraction behind him, pulling a stake as she went.
The two worked in concert, making it look as if they had worked together for years, each in tune with what the other was doing. When Xander spun, Crystal ducked so that she wouldn't be decapitated as well. When she leg sweeped a vampire, Xander hopped over it so he didn't fall as well.
One vampire broke away from the group, and Crystal followed, leaving Xander against the rest of the vampires. It wasn't a problem with the way he fought.
Crystal jump kicked the vamp in the middle of his back, and winced as the <crack> of its spine accompanied the move. The vampire collapsed on the ground with its back broken. Crystal stood over it. "Cool." She plunged the stake down, through the vampire's heart and watched as it burst into dust. She leapt up excitedly. "Hey, Xand! I got one!"
Xander glanced over and grinned from the middle of the vampire cluster he was stuck in. "That's great, Crys!" then turned away and continued the fight. His light-saber cut through a vampire as he turned, not severing its waist completely, but gutting it and causing the vamp to fall down screaming.
Ducking under a wild roundhouse, Xander swung his second blade up through the vampire, splitting it through the middle, hip to shoulder.
A vampire got a lucky hit in as he straightened from the duck, and struck Xander in the face with its fist, full force. Xander was sent spinning from the force of the blow, and whipped his saber around to decapitate the cause of the spin. The vampire burst into dust.
Xander regained his balance and spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva. Feeling around his mouth with his tongue to see if any teeth were loose, he cursed himself silently. When he found a loose tooth, he started cursing the vampires.
Damn it! I'm fighting vampires, not sabers, and I got careless! Vamps might not be light-saber artistes, but they can still pack a punch. Sloppy!
The three remaining vampires split up, one heading for Crystal, who was standing watching the show, and two closing again on Xander. They both lunged.
Lindsey stood at the entrance to the graveyard, watching the fight with interest. To his left, stood a demon bodyguard, and his right, William the Bloody. The beached blond vampire was cursing in his eloquent way. Lindsey merely smiled at the litany of swear words the vampire was reeling off. Harris was proving to be quite a surprise. Not even Wolfram and Harts seers had expected this much power.
As the two vamps lunged for him, Xander spun away, taking one vampire in the throat in the process. Tearing the light-saber out of the vampire's neck severed it the rest of the way and he burst into dust.
Realising that the odds were no longer in its favour, the now lone vampire attacking Xander chickened out. It turned and ran.
Pulling into his reserves of the Force, Xander watched the vampire run, and then went after him. Using the Force to accelerate his movements propelled Xander past the vampire and stopped him yards in front of the fleeing vamp.
The vampire ground to a halt as he realised the person he was running from was now in front of him.
"Hi." Said Xander.
"Err."
Xander smiled and thrust forward with both light-sabers. Drawing both out and back round, Xander decapitated the vampire smoothly. As it dusted, Xander smirked, "It slices, it dices. your handy dandy kitchen tool!"
Hearing a shout, Xander took off in the direction of Crystal.
When Xander had run off so fast he was a blur, Spike had decided to help the vampire attacking the Slayer. Lindsey and his bodyguard stood and watched impassively, evaluating Harris' threat to Wolfram and Hart if he chose to fight them, and his usefulness if he was persuaded to work for them.
"Spike?" mouthed Xander as he approached the two vampires attacking Crystal. Spike's head snapped up. "Shit! 'arris!" He turned and ran, back in the direction of Lindsey.
Xander was too busy to follow him. Crystal flung the vampire off of her, and stood up shakily. Xander looked at her worriedly. "You OK?"
She nodded, trying to get her breath back. "Yeah, fine. She moved her shoulder. "Ow! That's gonna hurt in the morning."
Xander shook his head. "You're a Slayer. You'll be fine by the morning."
The vampire just lay on the floor. "Hey, err. yeah. you do know I'm still here, don't ya?"
Xander looked down at him. "Oh. Yeah. Sorry. Big bad vamp needs dusting, Crystal."
She smiled. "Check!"
Aiming, Crystal threw a stake at the vampire, and watched as it burst into dust. "Way cool. That's three."
Xander frowned, confused. "Three what?"
Crystal looked at him as if he had grown a second head. "Three vampires, idiot."
Xander raised an eyebrow. "By my count, you only got two tonight."
"Yeah, exactly. I've dusted three vampires. Two tonight, and one when training back in jolly olde England."
Xander looked at her in shock. "You ONLY dusted THREE vampires?"
"Yeah! What's wrong? That's loads!"
"Uh. Crystal. on the Hellmouth, if you only get three a night, it's kinda considered an easy night."
The two walked back out of the graveyard, and Xander cringed as Crystal screamed, "WHAT?"
Lindsey looked speculative. "We must get Spike to distract them. Then, the senior partners can do what they wish."
Xander, Dawn and Crystal sat in the lounge of the Summers household. Xander was explaining something to the two of them.
"Dawn, Buffy isn't the same person she was before she went into that portal. She's become an animal, one with the strength and speed of a slayer, with the intelligence of a human. She might not be able to utilise it all at the minute, but it wont be long before she does get some of her human mental capabilities back, and then we're in trouble if she goes nuts."
Dawn shook her head, unwilling to hear that they had brought back her sister from Hell, only to have her as an animal they would have to guard day and night, both to stop others from hurting her, and her hurting others. "Can't we do anything, Xand?"
Crystal sat silently watching the two talk about the future of the greatest Slayer ever to be born.
Xander frowned, an alien expression on his features. He sat back slowly, thinking. "Well. I could." he tailed off, "no. That is wrong. I couldn't do that."
"Do what, Xander?" asked Dawn. "If it might help Buffy, do it."
Crystal stood up, stretching. "If you don't mind, I'll go check on Buffy and then go to bed. It's getting late."
Xander nodded, "OK, Crys." Dawn smiled gratefully. She didn't like seeing Buffy as she was now. It hurt the memory of her, even though she was back, and memories were not the only thing left to hold on to.
Crystal headed up the stairs after returning Dawn's smile.
"So what do you want to do, Xander?" asked Dawn again.
Xander pulled a face, but answered. "I could go into her mind, and try to find out what is wrong. But Dawn."
"Yeah?" Dawn could tell that Xander was torn about this. "Xander? What's wrong?" Dawn got up from the chair she was sitting in and sat next to him on the couch, wrapping an arm around him. "Xander?"
Xander straightened, and stood up suddenly. If he had turned round, he would have seen the hurt look on Dawn's face as he did so. "Dawn. I explained about the dark side, remember?" Dawn nodded, and Xander continued. "Well, going into another's mind is dancing very close to that. Far closer than I want to go, after my brush during my trip. If so much as one thing goes wrong, I will fail, and it could kill her. Could kill Buffy."
Dawn looked up, tears in her eyes.
"Do you want Buffy to die if I screw up again?" Xander whispered quietly.
Dawn hugged Xander from behind, as he didn't want to face her. Couldn't face her. "Xand. Buffy wouldn't want to be like she is now. Even Cave-Slayer was brighter than this. And you said it yourself. Buffy is dangerous like this. If you try, and it doesn't work. well, at least you tried. but if you don't try, you'll never know, right?" Dawn tried to force a cheerful tone, but the tears welling in her eyes made it difficult.
Xander turned and wrapped Dawn in his arms, so the two shared a hug. "OK, Dawn. I'll try it tomorrow. That OK?"
"Yeah, Xander." Dawn smiled through tears. "Xan."
"XANDER! HELP!" Crystal shrieked from up the stairs.
"SHIT!" was all Xander could think to say as he raced for the stairs.
Crystal looked in on Buffy as she walked past to have a shower. Xander and Dawn had extended their hospitality to her, and said that if she wanted a shower, she could have one. That she didn't have to ask. It was a far cry from the council, who had penny pinched on every aspect of her living comforts, both when training, and when in the field with her watcher. She al most expected the old faggot to suggest 'saving water' with her. The mere thought of that sent her screaming. It was true that in centuries past, watchers and Slayer often had 'relationships' but at those times, travel was far more difficult, and the relationship was often out of mutual necessity. While some watchers and Slayers fell in 'love' most just lived together as it was a method of releasing tension, saving money when travelling (only one bed needed) and keeping warm in the often-shitty weather that so many areas seemed to have in those years.
Think of that, Crystal had not heard from, or seen her watcher since she walked out of the bar with Xander, leaving him unconscious on the floor. That didn't bother her though, not really, cause the guy was a stiff arse even for a Brit.
Stepping into the shower, Crystal dropped the robe she had had on, and turned on the taps. The sound of the water cascading down his the creak of the door opening as Buffy followed the person who had woken her up.
In the primitive part of her mind that had been left over since her return from Hell, one thought was running. Her Slayer instinct found the Slayer instinct of Crystal, and recognised it as a competitor. The thought running was:
KILL.
Crystal turned at the sound of the shower curtain moving open. Gasping in shock at the obviously angry person standing the other side, Crystal reacted when Buffy lunged at her, aiming for her throat.
Holding up her hands, trying to stop the claw like fingers grasping for her.
"XANDER! HELP!"
Xander and Dawn got to the top of the stairs just in time to see Crystal slip over and crack her head hard on the tiles in the shower. Buffy's head shot up at the sudden intrusion and growled at the two arrivals, before letting go of Crystal and charging out of the shower, water flying everywhere from her clothes.
Xander saw the charging Slayer and pushed Dawn roughly back down the stairs, calling out, "Dawn, MOVE!" She didn't fall down, but was propelled far harder down them than she would have liked. Xander stood and waited until Buffy got very close then side stepped.
Buffy, angry as she was couldn't properly recognise that her quarry had moved, and so ran full tilt into the wall. Sagging down, she hissed as Xander approached. "Buffy, you all right?" he asked.
Waiting until he was close enough, Slayer instinct taking over, memories of the tortures in Hell fuelling her rage, Buffy pushed off the wall and launched at Xander.
"I don't want to have to do this, Buff." Xander looked vaguely guilty as he dived into the Force and took her in a gentle but firm Force grip. Suddenly trapped in a vice she couldn't see, Buffy, or her Slayer instincts at least, started to struggle violently. As she struggled, Xander realised that his Force grip was slipping, and that if she got free, she wouldn't just hurt him now. She would kill him, no questions thought of, let alone asked.
Xander tightened his Grip on the maddened Slayer.
"Crystal, you OK?" Xander called over his shoulder. "Crystal?"
There was no response.
"Dammit. OK, Buff, sleepy time." Xander fixed her with a mesmerising stare, making the Slayer lose her anger in his eyes, watching as time and space swallowed the torment. "Sleep, Buff. Sleep."
Buffy slowly stopped struggling, and her eyes drooped as Xander's Force command overrode her body. Seconds later, Buffy collapsed in the Grip, completely unconscious. Slackening his control, Xander let Buffy slip slowly to the floor, as he turned to check on Crystal.
"Dawn! Get up here!" Xander's call was loud and decidedly embarrassed.
Dawn bolted up the stairs, only to reach the top and discover a deeply crimson Xander Harris at the entrance to the bathroom.
He pointed to the shower. "She's. uh. naked."
Dawn raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, Xand. Convention dictates that people having a shower have no clothes on. Your point is?"
Xander blushed deeper. "My point is that she is. well. naked."
Dawn rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Xand. Are you saying that you want me to look after her?"
"Uh. yeah, please. I'll get Buffy."
"OK." Dawn was smirking at Xander's discomfort.
Dawn sat next to the bed she had managed to get Crystal into. The Slayer had yet to regain consciousness, but that wasn't what was worrying her. Dawn wanted to know what Crystal would do to Buffy when she woke up.
Xander stepped through the door and sighed. "She hasn't woken up yet?"
Dawn shook her head. "No. Why? What's wrong?"
Xander sat on the bed, and brushed a lock of hair off Crystal's face. Dawn felt a pang of jealousy at the move, but buried it quickly. She didn't own Xander, and he wasn't about to go after either of them. Jailbait, remember? "The longer it is before she wakes up, the less likely it is."
"Yeah, what about Buffy?"
"I put her in a healing trance after she was unconscious. It isn't usually possible to do it to a non-Jedi, or someone who does not wish to be, but her mind is so messed up, it worked. If her Slayer physiology doesn't speed it up, she should wake in about," he looked at his watch, "seven and a half hours."
"Oh."
"No, the question is, what do we do about this? Buffy attacked another person. What if she had attacked you? Or me, and I wasn't ready?"
Dawn sat silent.
Xander looked down. "I'm gonna have to go in. before she wakes up, and hope I can find whatever is wrong."
"Xand." Dawn put a hand on his shoulder. "Why don't you call Angel, and the rest, or Giles and Willow again? Maybe they can help?"
Xander shook his head. "No. I don't want any of them seeing Buffy like this. They have memories of her, and I don't want them damaged if something goes wrong. If I can't heal Buffy, not even Willow and Tara's most effective, and dangerous spells will be able to do anything."
Xander looked hard at Dawn. "There is one more thing. Dawn, I need to go back, but I don't know how. So much will go wrong if I'm not there. not that it will be a bed of roses if I am there. but if I'm not, all the life, on all the planets in that galaxy will fall to a menace that even now is working toward them. I can feel it in me, like an itch I can't scratch."
Xander put his head in his hands. ".I don't know how!"
"But. Xand." said Dawn in a small voice, "you've. you've only just come back."
"I know." Xander's voice was hollow. "We'll wait until midnight, and if Crystal hasn't woken, I'll wake her up."
"Xan. it's midnight."
"I know, Dawn, be there in a second."
Xander took the stairs two at a time until he reached the top of the stairs, and then slowed as he passed Buffy's room and entered Crystal's.
"Nothing?" he asked.
"No." Dawn shook her head. "She hasn't even stirred."
"OK." Xander walked over to the bed and held his hand out at Crystal's forehead, finger pointed right between her eyes, mere millimetres away. Closing his eyes, Xander pushed the Force into her, kick starting her mind, and waking her up.
He pulled his hand back violently as Crystal sat bolt upright. "That bitch." came out of her mouth. "That hurt!" She rubbed the back of her head, to discover a large lump there. "Ow."
"You OK, Crys?" asked Xander with a concerned look.
"Yeah, I'll be doubly better when I get Buffy though."
Dawn squeaked at that, and Crystal looked at her apologetically. "Sorry, Dawn, but that hurt."
Xander smiled. "You already said that."
"Yeah, so what? Its true!"
"Fine. OK!" Xander held his hands up in supplication. "Don't hurt me! Or Buffy! Please?"
Crystal rolled her in exactly the same way Dawn did, and Dawn giggled. "What?" asked Crystal nonplussed.
Dawn broke out laughing even louder, and it was Xander's turn to roll his eyes. "Oh, brother."
When Dawn and Crystal woke the next morning, they found a note from Xander. It read:
Hey gals.
Thought I'd do it without worrying either of you, but if you've found this, I'm still in. don't worry about Buffy waking up, while I'm in her mind, she' ll spend most of her energy trying to repel me, wont be enough left to wake her up.
A little smiley face had been drawn, followed by his name.
Xander.
The two hurriedly pulled on some clothes and ran into the room where Xander had left Buffy.
They found them both in the room, Buffy lying on her bed, and Xander slumped in a chair pulled up right close to the bed, and his hand resting on Buffy's arm.
Crystal pulled Dawn back. "Lets leave him alone. We don't know exactly what he's doing anyway."
Dawn nodded, and the two headed downstairs.
Xander had used the Force to worm his way into Buffy's mind. The unconscious Slayer had enough of the Slayer instinct still functioning to be aware that someone was forcing his or her way in without her permission. Her defences were on overdrive trying to repel the invader.
The first thing Xander encountered was, due to a lack of comparable instances, likened by the Jedi to a Holocron's Gate Guardian. It proved to be an admirable comparison, except for one thing.
This guardian didn't ask you to leave nicely.
This one kicked your spiritual butt.
The first thing that let Xander know he was under attack was the 'boot' to the back of his head. He rolled with the fall, and used the momentum gained to get back up. Turning, a picture perfect image of Buffy faced him, except for one thing.
Buffy didn't dress in tight leather. And she didn't scream 'DIE, DEMON!" to her closest friend.
"Oh, man. it's the bloody watcher all over again."
Xander turned and ran.
Xander reached the centre of Buffy's mind in short order. He had avoided most of the guardians that most people have in their heads: the indoctrinations of religion or society, their own personal consciences, ethics and morals, and had been aided by a very pissed off Slayer essence.
It didn't like being invaded.
In a burnt clearing in the mental landscape Buffy had created, was sitting Buffy the girl. Not the slayer. Not the hell survivor. The girl. What she had been before becoming the slayer, what had matured into the blonde goddess that Xander had worshipped since he met her, but begun to hide in fear of rejection.
Some people say its better to let feelings out in the open, and see what happens. Xander didn't believe a bit of it, and his Jedi training had only emphasised that point. If no one knew, no one could hurt you, no matter how had it was to go through the day seeing that person all the time. Inevitably, if you let someone in, they stab you in the back.
Standing and seeing the Buffy he had known, Xander's repressed feelings came to the fore once again.
"Buffy." Xander didn't realise he had spoken out loud until her head rose with a quizzical expression.
"Who are you?" she asked, still sitting on the floor, arms wrapped around her legs, head only raised slightly from the resting place it had had on her knees.
"Buff. I'm Xander. you know. friend Xander." Xander spoke softly, while thinking to himself; great, Harris, talk to her in her mind and regress to caveman language.
Buffy tilted her head, as if listening to someone. Suddenly, her eyes widened, and she shot up, screaming, "LOOK OUT! BEHIND YOU!"
Xander spun at the warning and turned just in time to miss having his spine snapped by a Slayer instincts boot. It still caught him on the shoulder, and sent him spinning violently to the floor. "Ow. dammit. I thought I lost you?"
Xander got carefully to his feet, in time to see two Buffy's fighting each other, perfectly matched.
Except for one thing.
The Slayer instinct was winning. It fought dirty, while Buffy didn't. And two even opponents will always have only one victor if one fights dirty. The one that doesn't follow the rules will win. Every time.
Something Sidious had whispered into his mind when he had been fighting Dooku popped into his mind. Honour is only an effective shield against those who carry the same shield. Against one who has no honour, it is but another weapon for them to batter you with. Good luck, boy.Xander shook himself as Sidious' laugh echoed around Buffy's mind.
"Oh, God, no. not again."
The two Buffy's looked over at Xander, and with a twin movement, sent him spiralling back into his body.
Xander sat upright in his chair suddenly, muscles complaining at having been in the same position for. Xander looked at the clock on the wall. His eyes bulged at the position of the hands.
"Fourteen hours!" the exclamation was at the top of his voice, causing a shout to come from downstairs.
Xander stood up, stretched and looked down at Buffy.
It was her fight now.
When she woke up, whether she was a person or an animal was no longer in his hands.
"Where did he go?" Obi-Wan asked with fear.
"Know that, I do not, Obi-Wan. Disappeared, Xander has." Yoda looked down from his Council chair at the young Jedi Knight that had become friends with the near unknown child from another world.
"But."
Yoda shook his head, and spoke in a gentle but firm tone, "Obi-Wan; omnipotent, I am not, and the Force, as strong in it as I am, does not tell me all. Tell me what the Force has planned. it does not. But planned, something, it has. And Xander is in the middle of the plan." Yoda seemed sad. This Council was a Council of war, a last ditch attempt to stop the Sith from forcing their way into the Jedi stronghold on Coruscant.
Yoda continued, almost to himself. "When Dooku, Xander defeated, reminded Dooku's master that invulnerable in the Force, he is not. Forced a hand he has. Whether this proves to destroy or aid us, we must wait and see."
Obi-Wan was almost chafing at the bit to get into the fight, but Yoda had requested a guard, and a guard he must have. Obi-Wan smiled despite himself. After seeing Yoda's defeat of Dooku, Obi-Wan knew that Yoda needed no guard. It was all for display. The younger Jedi and those in training expected Yoda to be weak. After all, he was nearly 800, and he was barely even two feet tall.
But there was one thing that Yoda had impressed into Obi-Wan, and that had been further reinforced by Xander.
Appearances can be deceptive.
.
A radio crackled. Yoda pushed the receive button with the Force, and listened as Mace Windu told of a total Sith victory in the auditorium. Several Jedi were injured, and more were dead. The last of the defence points were coming under fire, and the great library seemed to be the Sith's main target.
Yoda seemed to be pushed into near violent action when he heard the news. "No! Take the Archives, they cannot! Destroy millennia of Jedi history they will, because they no not what they seek!"
Yoda jumped up from his chair, seeming to grow in stature and strength as he did so. "Obi-Wan. Come. The Archives, defend, we must."
Obi-Wan followed Yoda, and pulled his light-saber as he did. "Yes, master Yoda."
"Retreat to the Archives!" Mace Windu called above the fighting in the corridors outside the Auditorium, a room that was beyond scale, as it could hold every Jedi at once, with room to spare.
"Yes, sir!" came the response from near him, and the call to retreat was echoed to comrades down the rest of the corridors, too far away to hear. Tens of Jedi disengaged their Sith opponents and ran, some playing cover, others supporting the retreat with mental tricks and confusion.
Adi Gallia and her apprentice were two of these. The female Jedi Master blocked and parried Sith strikes, fighting desperately not only for her survival, but for the survival of the Jedi around her. Nevertheless, even she was fighting a loosing battle. For every Sith she struck down, two more leapt to take his place.
Then, something she never expected to happen occurred. Her apprentice stepped in front of her. The girl had little more than a few months of light-saber knowledge, and she took command of the battle. In fact, she was driving the Sith back.
Adi was seconds away from following her; after all, a master should be with her apprentice, but Mace grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back.
"No!" he shouted. "If she's got a death wish, there is nothing we can do about it right now! We have to get to the Archives before we get cut off!"
Adi nodded her head sharply, once. "Fine, but that does mean I have to like it!" she turned back to watch her apprentice cutting swathes in the Sith warriors. "Ta'ania! Take care! Come back alive!"
The only response she got was the dying scream of a Sith that had got too close to her apprentices light-saber blade.
Ta'ania, Adi's apprentice, was in a haze of battle lust. Almost unaware of her surroundings, striking at anything moving near her. Detachedly, part of her mind thanked Mace for getting Adi out of the fight. Someone needed to hold the Sith back, and no one Jedi would leave any other Jedi to do it. Unless someone did, and then paid the price, all the Jedi in the area would be slaughtered.
Red blade.
Spin.
Turn.
Parry.
Block.
STRIKE!
Three heads rolled as the blade whipped through what had been the Sith followers necks.
Red blade.
Dodge.
STRIKE!
Another head fell, and one Sith went down with a leg missing from an overextension of her blade.
That was a near fatal mistake. The recovery time allowed a Sith to swipe at her, cutting into her robe, and leaving a painful saber scar down her side. The next thing she knew, her saber was flying through the air with her hand still holding it.
One of the Sith had cut off her hand.
Ta'ania went down screaming, gripping the stump of her wrist. Too late, she recognised her failure. and then a voice spoke above the fight.
"HOLD!"
It was a. man? In dark robes, with a cowl over his head, completely hiding his features. "So, young Jedi. you know how to use your anger."
He paused for a second. "Excellent. This will be most sweet for the end of the Jedi."
"What?" she whispered, barely above a breath in volume.
He smiled down at her, as reptilian a smile as she had ever seen on a face. "The end of the Jedi. Tell me. do you wish to live, and see the fall of those who taught you, or die, like the dog you are?"
"I will not. betray those who showed me friendship."
Saber's snapped back on, the loud hiss of dozens of blades suddenly sounded so loud in the enclosed space.
"Really? Pity." He sneered, and raised a hand. "Then die."
Lightning arced, and Ta'ania curled in pain. The electricity tore through her body, making nerves overload and muscles strain to the point of breaking.
"Ready to die?" asked Sidious with disinterest.
"No." the word was said quietly, as she struggled to her feet. "NO! NO!" launching herself at Sidious, Ta'ania clawed for him with her one remaining hand, totally careless of the light-saber's so close, and ready to defend their master.
At her assault, Sidious did nothing more than laugh. "Excellent! Bravo! You show spirit, girl! Ready to die for what you believe in. But. tell me. what is it that you believe in?"
Seeing her offence causing little more than amusement, Ta'ania stopped. Head bowed, she near goggled when Sidious asked, "Do you wish to serve me?"
Ta'ania remained silent.
Sidious took this as a sign to continue. "You have a dark core. much like that boy."
He seemed lost for a second. "Serve. or die. those are your choices at this time."
A Sith stepped forward. "You cannot allow a Jedi." he spat the word, "into our ranks so easily! She will betray us!"
Sidious looked coolly at the Sith apprentice that had spoken. "Girl. your willingness will be measured on how you kill this. fool. kill him, and you live. Fail. and. well, you will be dead already."
Ta'ania stared at the Sith that had spoken. He was a short boy, but rather handsome. He had the sort of open face you would not expect a Dark sider to wear. Altogether, not a great loss for the Sith.
"Fine. Give me a blade." She sounded almost gleeful. In her mind warred two voices, the one her Master had told her to listen to, and the dark voice, the one that had caused so much trouble for people as she was growing.
The voice Adi counselled spoke. Do not do this! Once your heart starts on the dark path, forever will it dominate your will!
The Dark voice spoke eagerly. Do it! Only then will your true capabilities be reached! You know you are more powerful than the measly Jedi. Prove it to everyone!
Ta'ania swallowed, and winced as the saber was placed in her one remaining hand. The Sith boy spotted it, and pounced. "She is afraid! She cannot do it! Come on, little Jedi. prove your abilities!"
Ta'ania closed her eyes, and thumbed on the blade. Then her eyes opened, and the blade whipped forward, to impale the Sith. The apprentice's eyes widened as he felt the blade pierce his chest, before collapsing to the floor.
Ta'ania stared down at the body, and stepped toward Sidious, deliberately grinding her heel into the dead bodies face as she did so.
Sidious chuckled, and gripped her shoulder before turning away. "Excellent, Jedi you are, no longer. come with me, we have much to do."
Sidious left, with his latest acquisition. His Sith apprentices could capture the Holocron for him.
For with a new Apprentice, Sidious had much to do.
And many lives to destroy.
Xander looked down at the blonde head resting on his shoulder. Sighing, he still couldn't believe it. Buffy was snuggling up to him, of her own accord. Granted, she was currently asleep, and the rest of the house was freezing. He was probably only the snuggle-buddy because of his body warmth. Dawn was hiding in her room, trying to figure out what had gone wrong. Her self-imposed imprisonment was part embarrassment and a healthy dose of irritation that she had screwed up.
It was simple really. In trying to find other dimensions, Dawn had located one that was a bit on the chilly side. It wasn't just cold. It was COLD. And Xander had spent nearly all of the past two days re-lagging the merely frozen pipes and replacing the fractured ones. His skills in construction hadn't been used in a long time, but they were still there.
It hadn't only been their house that was affected; the whole block had been frozen solid. But the rest of the block didn't need to know it was the Summers residence that had caused the unseasonably cold snap.
And so, Xander sat on the sofa, with Buffy wrapping herself around him, and trying to watch the TV and think of anything other than Buffy right now. He was failing.
Dawn sat in her room, staring angrily at the portal that had caused so much trouble. She had currently focused it on a dimension that she knew no one lived in, and was basically just an empty wasteland.
Suddenly, an object fell through the portal, and thudded to the floor. Dawn stared at it, and hurriedly shut the tear. The glow diminished and finally ended abruptly as the split was sealed. Dawn got to her feet and picked up the object. It was cube shaped, and glowed from some inner power source.
"Pretty." whispered Dawn, entranced by the sheer beauty of what she was looking at.
Dawn placed it gently on the table nearby and went downstairs for a drink. She would investigate it later. Right now, she was parched.
Aruno Baas felt the power echoing from the person who had hold of his corporeal form. The spirit of a Jedi, entrapped in the Crystalline Holocron, lost millennia ago in a Sith raid on the Jedi Temple, wondered how the Key had got to Earth, and how he was here, now.
Then the presence he felt, a power fuller that any Jedi he had ever met, came to his attention. It echoed in the Force like ones who had disappeared generations before he was lost to the void. How had the Arii'Marr found their way here?
Crystal was on patrol around Sunnydale. She had gotten over the cave-Buffy attack on her in short order, but was still wary. It was only natural. So when Dawn froze the house, she offered to go on patrol and leave Buffy and Xander to have some 'quality time' together. She wasn't certain how much of it would be 'quality' and how much would just be awkward conversation. After all, Buffy had been in hell, and no matter how much Xander tried to be there for her, he didn't know what that was like.
But then again, did anyone really know what Hell was like?
One of the books the Council always tried to get her to read was by some stuffy French guy, and the line he was most remembered for was 'hell is being locked in a room forever with your friends.' or something like that. Crystal didn't quite know what to think, but she imagined that hell would be subjective. It was whatever you wanted it to be.
Crystal was snapped out of her reverie when a voice penetrated the darkness. "Well. I did wonder when I would find a Slayer that was as poor as you. I nearly thought that you would hide at home."
A vampire stepped out of the darkness, and it wore the face of her Watcher. Despite her dislike, Crystal felt almost sorry for the man. To fight a fight for the whole of your life, and then to become what you were fighting. A terrible fate.
"Nothing to say, little girl?" he sneered. "What a shame, it seems that I will have to kill you, though. Can't have you telling the Council one of their own has joined the ranks of the damned."
Crystal shook herself out of the fog her mind seemed to have buried itself in. "No. You will find me a much harder target than you expect."
"Really?" the scorn dripped like poison from his mouth, lacing Crystal's self-confidence with a hint of fear. She steadied herself and pulled out a stake.
"Really."
With that, she charged forward.
Lindsey and Spike stood not far from the fight between vampiric watcher and Slayer. Lindsey seemed almost lethargic, while Spike was chafing at the bit to join in the fight, a sort of belated make up for the interruption by Harris a few days ago.
"You don't want her dead, do you?" asked Spike.
Lindsey seemed to think for a second. "No." he shook his head, "not really. If she is alive, it will be a much better bait for that. what was his name again? Harris boy."
Spike shook his head. "Right." Sighing, he saw Crystal beating her watcher, but being hit almost as often as she hit him. "You know, the way Harris was the other night, if we piss him off, we'll be scraping our own arses off the pavement."
"Maybe."
Spike snorted. "Great."
"You're still green, little girl!"
"So I am. That seems to be a problem with Slayers, doesn't it?" Crystal didn 't let her watcher jibes put her off, but he was a technically proficient opponent, unlike the majority of the vampires she had encountered with Xander, and this time, she didn't have backup if he got to be too much. She was having a hard time keeping up with him as it was, a few more hits and she knew she would be in trouble. The blows she managed to land looked as if they hurt, but they did little more than make him take a fraction of a step back.
In comparison, every blow he landed slowed her down, and made her wince in pain as she moved. Crystal was pretty sure that she had broken something in her shoulder the last time she had swung, because a loud <crack> had resounded in the air.
"You are slowing down, little girl. You were a truly awful Slayer. Never did what you were told. Not at all like the Slayers of old."
Crystal decided it was final gambit time. Stepping as close in as she could, her good hand drifted down a bit, and her hurt shoulder rolled in private preparation for pain.
"No, I'm not a slayer of old, am I? I'm a teenage girl, who has had a lot of rubbish force-fed her by stuffy idiots in tweed. And it ends NOW!" the last was a shout, as her elbow was brought up violently, into the vampires face, jerking his head back with the force of the blow, and then ramming her shoulder into the wide open chest, Crystal gripped with her good hand, and the vampire let out an unholy shriek of pain.
"Hurts, does it?" asked Crystal rhetorically. She had the vampiric watcher by the crotch, and used her strength to hoist the vampire through the air, over her head and into a nearby gravestone.
As the vampire hit the slab of granite, it broke with a loud <crunch> noise, and the Watcher collapsed to the dirt, his head mangled beyond easy repair by vampiric powers by the forced meeting of it and six inch thick rock.
"Nice." Said Crystal, and then her eyes rolled up into her head as Spike smashed her over the head with a large rock.
Spike smirked down at the unconscious Slayer. "You thought that was nice? Wait an' see what we 'ave for you where we're goin', honey."
The Sith had enclosed them in the Great Library. The Archives were hidden within the Library, and the great doors that held the Sith out were being slowly destroyed by the constant Force assaults that Sith were using on them. Jedi were working to reinforce them, but materials were scarce and time short.
Yoda and the Masters, along with Obi-Wan, had retreated into the Archives. Several Jedi threw questioning looks, among them Obi-Wan himself when he was told to follow the Masters.
"Time for external reinforcements, we do not have. Any Jedi outside of the Temple must fend for themselves if we fall." Yoda's voice held a tinge of sadness, and more than a little apprehension. He had seen the Jedi order build itself up over nearly 800 years, and he had had a hand in a lot of them. The Jedi order had survived the galaxy for five times five millennia, and now they were to wiped out by a renegade splinter group of themselves.
It was a dark time.
Yoda looked speculatively down a corridor, which seemed to be sealed with many Force wards. Obi-Wan could barely make out anything other than the first ward, a ward designed to confuse the mind. Merely looking at it made his mind wander, and he shook his head in amazement at the sheer power that must have gone into its creation.
Seeming to come to an end of whatever internal argument raged, Yoda hopped down from his perch on one of the large bookshelves. "Obi-Wan, come."
Obi-Wan followed without question, and watched as Yoda waved away the wards and shuffled through. He turned when Obi-Wan froze at the cusp of the entrance. "A luxury we cannot afford, time is, Obi-Wan. Come."
"Yes, master." Obi-Wan stared in amazement as the wards and seals reformed behind him. It reminded him of the laser fields that had been in the reactor core on Naboo during the defeat of the Trade Federation. A slight moment of sadness passed through him at that thought, as it brought memories of his master, Qui-Gon Jinn, dead at the hands of the Sith.
Mace Windu watched with interest as Yoda collapsed wards and seals he had not known existed there. Yoda's voice floated back to him. "Mace. Find the suits, you must. Protection, they grant you, from a light-saber. Of a degree."
Adi stepped up to him. "Come, they are this way."
Mace followed her, and was soon brought to a doorway, sealed by time and the Force.
"You must open the door. You have more power than I, and, other than Yoda, only you may open it."
Mace took a deep breath, and began to investigate what protected the door.
If he screwed this up, it might kill him.
But if he didn't do it, it would kill everyone.
Yoda led Obi-Wan through several small rooms, each packed full of trinkets and treasures collected by the Jedi over thousands of years. Holocrons lined the walls, in their hundreds. Strange and archaic light-saber designs were held on racks, in many different shapes and sizes. One was as big as Obi-Wan 's arm, another, so small that even one of Yoda's fingers was larger than it was.
Yoda stopped, and gestured for Obi-Wan to reach up to a shelf high above his head. He pulled down what he found, and handed one to Yoda, before putting a few more in his pocket at Yoda's urging.
"What are they, master?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Glow-globes, they are, Obi-Wan. The forerunner of the glow-rods; they are the standard now. Soft, is the light they give out, but no less bright for that." Yoda demonstrated by gently squeezing the globe, and moving off as the globe glowed a dull white.
Obi-Wan could not conceal his amazement at small spheres.
Mace Windu had succeeded in getting to the prize that Yoda had told him to find. He stared in awe at the racks of suits. Rack after rack, armour after armour, continuing for further than the eye could see. It seemed almost impossible that this room could be hidden in the archives, but when he thought about it, Mace now understood why the Archives had so many corners and walls in odd places that were unexplained. It hid rooms like this one.
"Get as many of these suits out as possible!" he turned to give orders to those waiting behind him. "I want all Jedi to be vested within the hour!" he suited words to action by lifting down a dozen or more suits and carrying them out of the room, to be distributed. Adi raised a questioning eyebrow at his manual labour, but he smiled back. "If we do not show the Knights and Padawans that we ourselves must work, as well as them, we have as good as lost."
Adi nodded to his logic and followed his example.
Mace and Adi stood in front of the massed ranks of the Jedi, and stared in awe at the sight of hundreds, perhaps thousands of armoured warriors. Mace rolled his shoulders and looked over to Adi. His own suit was comfortable enough, and allowed an only slightly restricted movement zone, but if what he had heard about this material were true, the slightly diminished movement would not prove a disability. The tight suit looked stunning on Adi, and Mace spent several seconds trying not to show his stupor. Adi felt his approval in the Force, and gave him a slight smirk. Jedi were not meant to entertain such feelings.
The suits were a composite material, made of flexible fibres and reinforced with other substances. One of these was a threadlike weaving of Cortosis Ore, a mineral that resisted light-saber's and created an infinity loop within the power unit, causing a catastrophic power failure. It wasn't a particularly impressive mineral, useless for just about everything else, but for this one thing, it excelled. The second material was not so much woven into the suits as woven onto. It was a fine crystal structure, caked between two layers of Cortosis and then on top of the fibres themselves. It was found on a deserted world parsecs from the Galactic Centre, and it was found to have strange Force related properties. The exact nature of what it did was still not fully understood, but it seemed to warp any Force influences directed at it, weakening them, if not nullifying them completely.
Mace raised his light-saber and spoke quietly, the Force amplifying his words, sending them to the ears of every person in the room. "We. Will. Endure!"
A screaming cry went up from the haggard Jedi Knights, and the Padawans and others joined in moments later.
"The Sith Will NOT Win!" Was Mace's second call.
It seemed impossible to Mace and Adi, standing at the front of it all, but the cheers got louder.
"To your positions!" Mace finally shouted after a few seconds. "When the gates fall, be ready!"
The only reply was yet another increase in volume.
Yoda stood back from a small fighter, one of the prototype fighters used by Adi Gallia and several of the other masters. But Adi was the chief technician amount the Masters, and as such, it fell to her to test any new equipment.
Obi-Wan was sat, somewhat apprehensive, in the cockpit. "Uh. Master Yoda. are you sure about this?"
Yoda nodded, and hit a button on the console near him, opening a blast door in front of the fighters nose. "Sure, I am, Obi-Wan. Find the Sons of Freedom you must, lest we fail."
Obi-Wan didn't want to entertain the idea of the Jedi finally loosing against the Sith, but he knew in his mind that it could happen.
"Yes, Master. Are the coordinates that you gave me complete?"
"Complete, they are, Obi-Wan. Go, Jedi Knight, and with speed bring us aid."
Obi-Wan nodded and hit the canopy button, taking his last breath of Coruscant air for a time, before the fighter was sent hurtling through the blast door and out of the bay built into the side of the Jedi Temple.
Obi-Wan pulled back on the stick, and leaned the craft sky-wards. As it reached vertical, he nudged the stick, and was sent spiralling into Coruscants pollution leaden sky.
No one was near enough to hear Obi-Wan's scream, part exhilaration, and part fear.
As the fighter left the bay, Yoda turned away. He had to prepare the Sanctuary for the Arrival.
And ship out all that the Sith would want to get their hands on.
Gimmer stick clicking on the polished metal of the hidden fighter bay, an echo in the Force from his departed student told him two things.
Xander was the first of the new Jedi. If he survived where he was. But, what weighed on Yoda's mind was not that. It was the fact that.
He would be the last of the old Jedi.
The new order would soon be here.
"Ah. I see we have a visitor." Hart looked to the bound form of the latest Slayer to be called, and one who was far too engrossed in matters of a material nature to pay attention to her calling. The seers had seen inside her deepest centre, saw the dark secrets the girl kept hidden from all, most of all herself.
Fortunately for Hart, Crystal was still unconscious. He was sure that she would be formidable when she was awake, and that it would take all of his bodyguards to keep her under control. Bonds work well, but mere leather cannot hold forever against an angry Slayer.
"Beautiful, ain't she?" asked Spike. He stood not far from the slayer, watching her. Hart sneered at the weak vampire, but refrained from any insulting comments.
"Indeed she is, vampire. And perfect bait." Hart spun on his heel and stalked out of the room. Preparations needed to be made for his visitor.
Spike leaned toward the unconscious Crystal. "You know, I always wanted a blonde slayer. I thought I might make it with Buffy, but then. well, she went to hell. That does something to a chick, you know? And I want to find out if it's true. do blondes have more fun? I can guarantee you wont when all your blood is in my veins."
He stood upright again. "But that Hart pisses me off. He's way too full of himself."
Spike snarled at the bodyguard as he stiffed at the insult to his master.
Xander woke up the next morning with an uncomfortable ache in his shoulder. Buffy had monopolised it all night, and it had left his muscles aching and stiff. Coupled with a vision from the Force, Xander had not had a good night.
The first indication that Crystal had not made it home was when Dawn came downstairs to ask if he had seen her. When he replied that he hadn't, Dawn had merely nodded and walked off.
But not before Buffy moaned in her sleep and shifted. Xander saw something. jealousy? .rear up in Dawn's eyes before she turned away.
Xander quickly extricated himself from Buffy's unaware embrace, and went to talk to Dawn.
The Holocron gatekeeper, Aruno Baas, watched through the Force in solemn interest as the Arii'Marr went to comfort the Key.
Their greatest strength was always their compassion. Despite the use of the Dark Side, they never managed to fall the way Jedi often did. Nevertheless, this boy does not know what he is. Unless.
The ethereal head of the Insectoid Jedi shook in his cubic prison.
No. the Jedi would never have taught him that. If they even have the knowledge at all any more. It was too dangerous to reveal any more than the Jedi already have. He loves his friends too fiercely.
The Holocron began to float a short distance above the table, but no one was there to see it. When it was tipped with one point toward the table, it began to rotate slowly upon its axis.
The ghostly form of Aruno Baas was displayed in the air above the Holocron. A sad and lonely voice whispered to the room, "The Arii'Marr must find his own path. it is too dangerous for another to choose it for him."
"Dawn, what's wrong?" Xander was confused by the quick exit Dawn had made. Sure, Crystal not making it home was bad, but it needed thought as to how to go about finding out where she was.
Dawn turned round as Xander entered the kitchen to hide her face. From the movements her shoulders were making, Xander knew that she was crying.
"Dawn, hon. why are you crying?"
Dawn's voice was choked and angry as she spoke, still refusing to turn round and face him. "Why? We spent months alone. and yet. when. when Buffy comes back, you let her. let her into your arms and your heart faster than anyone I've ever known you to."
"Dawn. your fourteen." Xander didn't know how to continue, "it's. it's. I don't know. I'm twenty. So is Buffy. We're adults. Heard the term 'jailbait' recently?" he tried to inject some humour in, but it didn't work.
Dawn shook her head. "I wasn't asking for anything like that, Xander. Just the chance to know you as you rather than some older brother figure." Her voice turned wistful. "Always looking after poor defenceless little Dawn."
"It's not like that at all."
"Oh? It isn't? Since when? You have always seen me as someone to protect, never as your equal. I know I'm younger, I know that I'm the 'Key', whatever the hell that is." Dawn sniffed suddenly, "you always treat me the exact way Buffy treated you, and you hated it, well; so do I!"
As she nearly shouted the sentence, she swung round, and Xander saw how red and puffy her eyes were. "Oh, Dawn. I'm sorry. I never thought."
"No. you never thought." Dawn seemed to loose the energy that had sustained her anger, and she rushed in for a hug, not as anything more than just emotional support for both parties.
Xander stroked her hair, and Dawn hugged him tighter. The comforting presence of the end of the confrontation was broken when Xander spoke. "Dawn. We need to find Crystal."
Dawn nodded into his shirt, and sniffed one last time.
Crystal woke, groggy and disoriented, almost completely unaware of where she was. Then a voice spoke.
"'Bout time you woke up, pet. I been looking after you real good."
"Where am I?" asked Crystal.
"Don't worry about that. Just worry about how you're gonna get out of here. cause there ain't no help coming from that 'arris kid."
"Xander?"
"Ah.yes. Xander. Always knew I hated that little snot."
"Who are you?"
"Me, pet? You don't have to worry your pretty little head about that. I'll tell you for free, my name's William."
"William?"
"Yes, love. William. Once named 'the bloody' but that's a bit passé now. I preferred 'Spike' anyhow. And I'll give you a front row screening of how I got that name."
Crystal leaned her head up, and saw William. if that was his name, holding a large railway spike, and heating it in a brazier. She watched in fascination as it got hotter and hotter, glowing a dull red, then slowly, a ruddy blue.
Spike grinned as he approached with the spike, and as he neared, Crystal, for the first time in years.
.
.Screamed.
The car screamed round the corner at high speed, the rubber of the tyres complaining at the brutal treatment they were receiving. It slowed slightly outside the Summers house, and a brick was launched from the passenger door by a horned demon. It was wrapped in something, and flew through the air.
Xander shot into the front room as an almighty <crash> resounded. Sprinting through the door, he stopped dead as he surveyed the room. Dawn was two steps behind him.
"Dawn, get back. find Buffy. go upstairs."
She looked ready to argue, but Xander cut her off, "No arguments!"
Glass lay everywhere, and in the middle of it was a brick, wrapped in paper.
Removing the elastic band that held the note to the brick, Xander stared out of the window at the car outside. A demon grinned at him from behind darkened glass, and then the car tore off.
Looking down, he read the note:
Mr. Harris,
We have your new friend
Our employer wishes a meeting with you
In LA.
Come if you want, but if you don't.
SHE DIES.
Lindsey, W&H.
Xander read the note through several times, and then hefted the brick twice. He launched it at the window, sending it through the pane of glass next to the already broken one. Before it had landed, he was halfway up the stairs, already mentally preparing for his trip.
Four words slipped from his lips as the brick was flung back out. "Son. of. a. BITCH!"
Ta'ania knelt at the foot of Sidious' throne. "Your wish, my master?" she asked.
"Ah. our latest Jedi convert. such a pool of power and knowledge of the Jedi ways. tell me. will you follow the path set before you, or try to maintain the morals." he sneered the word, "of the Jedi?"
"Tell me what you wish, master, and I will do it."
A commotion was heard behind her, but she refused to look around, as it would displease her master.
Sidious smiled evilly, and gestured behind her, to where the noises had come from. "Prove your choice."
Ta'ania looked around, and her dark grey robes swished as she moved. In her mind, she screamed. Oh Force! They have captured a Jedi! And they wish me to kill him!
Two Sith held the Jedi by each arm, and a third looked to be working hard to create a barrier to the Jedi's Force assaults on his captors.
Ta'ania looked hard at him. A boy of medium height, she vaguely remembered him a one of the other problem Jedi, like she had been before Adi had taken her under her wing. The thought of Adi Gallia brought a momentary tear to her eye, but she blinked it away quickly. Weakness could not be displayed as a Sith.
"Stop struggling, boy." Her voice was harsh, no sorrow or compassion showing. "Your death will be quick if you face it like a man."
Sidious looked to be about to say something, but Ta'ania held up her hand, asking for silence. Instead, she felt a probing of her mind, an invasion that was completely alien and incredibly nauseating. Then the tendril pulled back and she felt a wave of amusement wash over her from Sidious.
Excellent. Showing fine control, Ta'ania sent a single bolt of Force lightning at the captured Jedi.
He convulsed violently as the electricity hit his body and arced through him to the metal floor. The two Sith holding him seemed to ignore the electricity, and gripped him tighter to stop him from escaping their grasp as he shook.
Ta'ania could not help but feel slightly sorry for him. But better that he die now than face torture at the hands of Sidious. That would be never-ending.
Gathering her Force power, Ta'ania aimed a Force fist at the Jedi's chest, and let it fly. She was using the trick that Xander had displayed so well when angered by the Sith assassin.
The Jedi was flung out of the grasp of the two Sith by the blow, and as they rushed to pick him up, one turned away to vomit while the other turned a deathly white.
The Jedi had a six-inch hole in his chest.
Sidious stalked over and patted Ta'ania on the shoulder. "Excellent, my dear. you have passed the test. But you," he waived at the two Sith that had been holding the Jedi, "have failed. Die." Fingers contorted, he shot his own Force lightning at the two, and they fell twitching to the floor. Turning away from the two failures, Sidious motioned for them to be taken away. They were not dead, but they would soon wish they were.
Ta'ania followed her new master, and hoped that this would soon be over.
She would hope in vain.
Obi-Wan had reached the rendezvous point for contact with 'Freedom's Sons'. He wasn't still quite sure of what would happen if they chose not to help, after all, mercenaries were mercenaries, and they normally went where the money was.
Well, every mercenary he had ever met followed that rule, and he didn't think Freedom's Sons would be any different.
He flicked a switch to activate his IFF transponder, and chose the primary IFF code. The Republic wouldn't be overly pleased if they discovered Jedi ships had multiple IFF codes built in as standard, but then, if they didn't find out.?
Realising there was nothing he could do but wait, Obi-Wan settled back in his seat and thought of the wild ride he had had out of the Jedi temple. That had been some rush, and while it was kind of enjoyable, he would rather not do that again in a hurry.
The Sith were seconds away from breaking through the sealed Great Doors of the Archive. Mace looked at the assembled Jedi, all ready and willing to fight, and maybe die, for what they believed in.
Who would have believed that the Sith numbered so many?
Old tales of the Sith told of merely two; a master, and an apprentice. It seemed that with the changing times, the Sith had changed as well. Mace shook his head. He ignited his light-saber, and as the first of the Sith broke through the door, summoned the Force to him and somersaulted into the fray.
Adi was in her own world as the Great Doors were breached. What has happened to my Padawan? She wondered in fear. I can only hope that she has not been killed. but if she hasn't. then it can only mean that she has fallen, or is under torture. Both are equally.
Her thoughts broke off as the red light-saber's of the first Sith charged into the room.
Shifting her shoulders, and spinning her already lit blade round her fingers in a challenge, she followed Mace's example, and landed in the middle of the fight, bringing her light-saber down upon a Sith that was just unfortunate enough to be standing where she was going to land.
Standing with legs spread either side of the fallen Sith, she parried an attack from the Red bladed figure now in front of her, then cut savagely into his neck.
"No quarter!" she cried, echoes of the call running around the Jedi fighting with her. "And may the Force be with us!"
Completely unaware of the slaughter begun back on Coruscant, Obi-Wan was meditating in the cockpit of his fighter. The R3 unit beeped at him as it detected a fluctuation in the space nearby, and Obi-Wan sat bolt upright as a large cruiser popped out of hyperspace and drifted toward him.
Obi-Wan shook himself out of the surprise, and asked his R3, "distance?"
The R3 tweeted, and warbled a string of tones at him, and Obi-Wan smiled. "OK, there 2,000 clicks away, and closing. How long before they're in firing range?"
The R3 warbled again, and then shrieked as a shockwave rolled over the ship.
Obi-Wan rubbed his head from where it had hit the Plexiglas view-screen, and calmly demanded, "What was that?"
The R3 again, tweeted, and then made a ticking noise, as if counting. After a few seconds of that, it warbled once more and fell silent.
Obi-Wan shook his head. "You don't know? And. they've already got us in firing solution? How? No craft I know of has a range of anything over ten clicks on a fighter!"
Just then, a voice crackled on the comms unit. "This is. <hiss>. Son's, hailing the unknown fighter. <hiss>.y are you using a Jedi IFF?"
Obi-Wan hit the 'send' key, and nearly shouted back, "This is Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi! What the hell was that?"
The comms unit crackled again, and the voice spoke again, clearer this time. "Sorry about that, Jedi Kenobi. were testing out some new equipment, and some of it doesn't like hyperspace travel."
"Why don't you leave it behind then?"
The voice was indignant. "Are you freakin' insane? You have any idea how much this stuff COSTS?"
"Um. no? No. no I don't."
"Let me tell you." the angry voice cut off. Another came back on. "Sorry about that, Obi-Wan. If you just swing about and head into our main bay. we' ll have someone there to greet you."
"OK. thanks. and how do you know my name?"
The voice laughed. "You'll see when you get in, Obi-Wan." A chuckle was evident. ". in a few, Obi-Wan."
"Right," said Obi-Wan, swinging his fighter about and pushing forward on the throttle. "In a few."
His mind was working overtime while his ship was headed for the cruiser. Who would know me in a mercenary corps?
The only answer he could come up with did not fill him full of joy.
"Oh no." moaned Obi-Wan. "Not him. please. not him!"
Yoda saw the battle begin. The Force would not allow a Master such as he to not witness the beginning of a battle between light and dark such as the galaxy had never seen. Even in the days of Ulic Qel-Droma and Nomi Sunrider, the Sith had never been so strong. Clearly, they had worked hard to form a power base that would be unbreakable.
Yoda nearly wept at the sight of Mace Windu and Adi Gallia being swamped by Sith.
.and then his vision was ended.
Only terror and fear for those who had become his friends remained.
Fear leads to Anger.
Anger leads to Hate.
Hate leads to the Dark Side.
His mind whispered to him. Not since his duel with Dooku had Yoda been so concerned.
Gripping his gimmer stick tightly, Yoda made a firm decision. He would have to help his Knights.
.for all the help they could give themselves would but cause their downfall.
Mace and Adi were back to back, surrounded by Sith warriors. The Jedi had quickly been pushed back, and the Sith now had a solid foothold in the Archives. The Armour that Mace had found on Yoda's urging gave the Jedi and edge, but it was one that was quickly being blunted by fatigue and sheer, unrelenting numbers.
The Jedi were trying valiantly to break through the press of Sith to get to Adi and Mace, but as fast as they made headway, they were pushed back.
Mace was sent spinning as a mass charge by Sith took him by surprise, leaving Adi Gallia's back unprotected. Of course, with no one at her back, she was again allowed full range of movement and used it.
Having learnt from her duel with Xander that two light-sabers were better than one, she cast her eyes about, looking for a blade. The only ones freely available were those of the fallen Sith, and she felt physically ill as the dark siders blade touched her hand.
The blade spat and hummed to life as she thumbed the power switch, and watched as it burnt its way through a Sith who was standing too close. He screamed as the blade burned its way through his stomach, and it abruptly ended as Adi yanked it out.
Red and Yellow, in a swirling mix fought its way through the Sith. Like a deadly spinning top, one which had it's own power source and would never run out, Adi ducked in and out of large groups of Sith, leaving bodies and limbs, separate in her wake.
A light-saber kissed her armour, and she prepared for the painful sting of the blade on her flesh.
It would be hard to tell who was more surprised, Adi, or the young Sith who had attacked her, when the blade flickered and died on contact with the cortosis ore within the suit. The sudden loss of the blade, and the resistance to forward movement that the contact would have given threw the Sith off balance. Adi looked at the young Sith, and saw nothing but hard, unrelenting hatred toward the Jedi burning in her blue eyes.
Her? Adi risked a look down, and was surprised to see it was indeed a she. No time for that now.
Continuing her dervish like spinning, Adi whipped the blade through the Sith 's neck, and moved on before the head hit the floor of the Archive.
For the rest of the battle, Adi continued to see the eyes of that girl in her mind. The look in her eyes, no fear, only anger and rage, as she stared into the face of her executioner.
No one in the battle saw a single tear wend its way down Adi's cheek, before it too was gone into the maelstrom of violence that the Archive had become.
Mace Windu, taken by surprise, was forced to abandon his position at Adi's back. He was quickly swamped by Sith, who, like him realised that in such close quarters, lightsabers would be just as dangerous to them as to the Jedi they were trying to take down.
Where Mace had fallen soon became a great pile of living, attacking bodies, all intent on being the one to kill a master such as Windu.
Mace for himself, was merely struggling to breath, knowing full well that the sheer number of bodies piled on top of him would soon be his downfall.
He groaned in pain, before managing to squeeze out a few painful words to the Sith grinning down at him with dark red stained teeth. It wasn't blood, as a normal person might have thought, but a statement to all who saw that he served the Dark side of the force.
"You're an ugly bastard, you know that?" hissed Mace as the Sith's hand came clawing for his eyes.
He turned his face away as the hand got too close, but found the fingers forcing their way into his mouth. Mace bit down hard, and was rewarded by an anguished scream and the hand being swiftly withdrawn.
Perhaps too swiftly, as Mace spat out the small amount of flesh that was left in his mouth.
"Urgh. You taste worse than you look!" He took as deep a breath as he could with all the weight on his chest. "Now, GET OFF ME!"
The Force explosion flung the pile of Sith in all directions, flinging them high enough in the air to come into contact with the ceiling of the Archives high above.
Sith and Jedi alike stopped for a fraction of a second at the sudden occurrence, and the sight of either their comrades or enemies being hurled in all directions.
Mace stood, unsteadily, and breathed deeply for a second, before his eyes widened and he ducked as one of his ex-students brought his saber across at Mace's head height. He spun on the balls of his feet to see the now headless corpse of a Sith warrior behind him, balancing unsteadily before collapsing to the ground.
Mace looked back. "Thanks." He swallowed. "I thought you were going to take my head off for a second there."
The nameless student smiled, before calmly running through another Sith that got too close. "Nah. I might have hated your constant lectures, but you weren't that bad."
"And here was I all this time, thought I was interesting!" Mace laughed despite the situation, and his saber leapt up to his hand and casually blocked a slash aimed at the other Jedi.
"Thanks." Was the only thing he said before moving off back into the press of bodies.
Mace surveyed the scene. There seemed to be as many bodies as there were live fighters now, but still more Sith were pouring in through the breached Archive doors. Surprisingly few of the bodies were Jedi, however. The only Jedi casualty that Mace could see lay at his feet, his deactivated lightsaber inches from his hand. Mace recognised the face, but couldn't put a name to it.
Turning his mind back to the battle, Mace gestured to the fallen Jedi's saber, and it sprung to hand. Flexing his fist around it, to get a feel for a blade he did not make himself, Mace noticed a small dial on the blade.
It was dual phase. Mace smiled grimly. That would give him the edge over any Sith he encountered.
Perfect.
"Xander, you are not walking into an obvious trap like that! Not for one girl!" Buffy was incensed that Xander would even consider that course of action. She should have known better.
Xander's conscience spoke into his mind: She isn't just a girl; she is the.a. new Slayer.
Xander, however, was calm and centred, as the Force required him to be in times of crisis. His earlier outburst had just proved to him how far he had strayed from the Jedi Path, and he was trying to remain objective.
He was failing.
Buffy's outright order was slowly getting on his nerves to the point where he would do it just to prove he could. Buffy might not disclose everything that happened to her in hell, but Xander was damned if he was going to tell her everything that had happened to him in the time she had been 'dead'. If she acted like this now, how would she react to discover that Xander got taken to a place beyond his control, and taught to control a power that no one on earth had ever seen.
It would just make her go on one of her 'I am the chosen one, yadda yadda yadda.' crusades again.
"Buffy, I am not in the mood for an argument. I am going to get Crystal back. She helped us a lot while you were." Xander trailed off as he realised what he was about to say.
Buffy snarled at him, and then got a pained look on her face. "You can say it Xander. while I was dead!" a sniff followed the final word.
Xander shook his head slowly, knowing what was coming. "Oh, Buffy. I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking."
The next thing he knew, Xander had his arms full of a sobbing blonde, as she practically bawled her eyes out. "Xander. it's not your fault. I just. it hurts so much."
Xander hugged her, and patted one hand on her back. "Shh. I know. I know." the comforting noises continued for a while, before Buffy managed to compose herself and pull away.
Deep inside of her heart, a little voice spoke: How can you know? Do you realise that you sucked me out of Heaven? Haven't I suffered enough? Instead, you had to pull me back here for another tour of duty? Didn't I save the world enough? Is a little rest too much to ask?
In Dawn's room, the Holocron of Aruno Baas stared into space above Dawn's sleeping form. He thought quietly to himself, if a. him it really was, anymore.
Slayer. it has been generations since one was Called such as you. Do not begrudge the path that has been decided for you. but aid the Arii'Marr, for he is far and away the most important playing piece.
It paused for a second to consider. Yes, Slayer. Your soul might have been removed from its Oneness with the Force, but your body was most certainly in what you call Hell.and the Force would not have allowed you back unless you were needed.
Realising the futility of speaking when no one was there to listen, Aruno Baas fell into silence, watching the girl who slept so peacefully in front of him.
Dark times are ahead for you, too, little one. What has passed is nothing compared to what could. and what may if your 'brother' fails.
Crystal whimpered quietly as Spike stalked around her. The vampire had tortured her endlessly for the past few hours, and seemed only to stop when she finally succumbed to the pain and passed out.
When she came to, he started all over again.
"W.why are you doing this?" Crystal managed to whisper, without her voice cracking.
Spike smiled at her. "This, pet? This is just a diversion until Harris arrives. Then the real fun begins."
Crystal closed her eyes and prayed to anything that would listen. Please. please let Xander be alright.
Angel walked through the corridors to one of the back rooms in the Hyperion hotel. His coat 'swished' quietly as he walked, and his hands and mind were full of a book. It had just been rescued from Wolfram and Hart a few days before and seemed to have a lot of prophecies in relating to him. In numerous places it mentioned 'the one with the Angelic face' the name he had used when evil, and in others it had vague mentions of a vampire with a soul.
As far as he knew, he was the only vampire that fit that particular mould, and was particularly interested in why Wolfram and Hart would need a book on him.
Flicking over a page gently, as the book was very old and fragile, Angel found what he had been looking for. It told of his loosing his soul, and described in detail all that would happen if it were gone for a second time.
Then his keen vampire hearing caught the phone ringing in the office, and listened as Cordelia answered.
"Angel Investigations, we help the hopeless. how can I help you?" Cordelia's bright voice cut down the line, and made Xander wince.
˜Hi, Cordy. This is gonna seem like a big surprise, but we've got a problem.˜
Cordelia smiled despite herself. "So what else is new? Want us to gather the forces, and ride to the rescue again?"
˜Uh. no. We've got a problem, and it's in LA. I just called to ask if it would be alright to crash at your Hotel while we sorted it out.˜
Cordelia was a little taken aback. "Um. yeah, sure! OK. Just don't make a mess, and don't give us any more enemies. We have enough here already with Wolfram and Hart."
Xander laughed and coughed into his hand. ˜Yeah, Cordy. Well, you needn't worry on the more enemies' front. My problem is with Wolfram and Hart. They need to be taught that Kidnapping isn't polite.˜
Before Cordelia could reply, she heard the phone click as it was hung up, and the dial tone.
"Oh, Xander." moaned Cordelia. "What have you gotten yourself into now?"
Angel's voice cut through her thoughts. "And how is he going to teach Wolfram and Hart anything?"
Cordelia looked up. "Y'know. that's a very good point."
Xander had all that he needed packed. He was in his usual clothes, but with slightly more subdued colours than normal. An incredibly baggy shirt was left out of his jeans and covered the twin light-saber's in his belt. He had still not shown them to Buffy, and had sworn Dawn and Crystal, at least before she went missing, to silence. He would tell her when the time was right. Not before.
He had no one to worry about except for himself. Willow and Tara were well out of range, being in New York, and Giles was back in merry olde England, where the only thing he had to worry about was the weather. Xander, admittedly was taking Buffy and Dawn with him to LA, but they would stay safe with Angel and Cordelia, while he went to find Crystal.
"Dawn!" he called up the stairs. "Dawn, we're ready to go!"
No response.
"Dawn! Buffy's waiting in the car. Dawn?"
Still no response.
Xander ran up the stairs and stopped as he reached her door. It was shut, but not locked, so he just pushed it open with his hand and entered, while saying, "Dawn? You alright?"
As he entered, Dawn looked up from what she had been doing. In her lap sat a Holocron.
"Oh, hi, Xan." Dawn said as he opened the door wide. "This is sooo cool."
Xander just stared. He blinked several times, and then tore his eyes away from the thing that couldn't be what he thought it was.
Xander phrased the question carefully, anxious not to sound too freaked out. "Dawn. where did you get a Holocron?"
"Is that what this is? Weird, isn't it?"
"Where?" Xander's voice became more insistant.
"Oh. yeah. sorry. It fell out of a portal that I opened. You know, just after I froze the neighbourhood."
Xander nodded, indicating he did indeed remember. "But that doesn't tell me an awful lot, Dawnie. How did you find it?"
Dawn shook her head. "I'm. not sure. It just kind of. plopped out."
"OK, Dawn. Just pick it up and let's go."
Dawn stood up and put the Holocron into her rucksack. Xander aimed a thought at the Holocron, and was surprised when he received a mental shrug in response.
The question he asked was: Where did you come from?
Buffy, Dawn and Xander were in Xander's 'it has seen better days' car. Unfortunately, with the regularity he had had to take days off of work because of the latest apocalypse, he barely had enough for a car at all, let alone a good one.
Xander was driving, because he had seen Buffy's driving, and frankly, he didn't want to ever have to experience that again. Buffy's driving ability scared him more that any Sith did. And that was saying a lot, because Dooku and his Master had terrified him.
Fear leads to the Dark Side. Fear for Crystal. "I know." whispered Xander, and forgot that a Slayer with ultra sensitive hearing was sitting next to him.
"What was that, Xan?" Buffy looked over in interest.
"Nothing, Buff. nothing."
"There is something you are not telling me, Xander. And I will find out what it is. How do you plan to get Crystal back? It's not like we can just march in and ask politely, 'excuse me, but do you happen to know where Hart is keeping a Slayer captive?'"
Xander smirked, and took the off ramp to LA. "Actually, Buffy, that was exactly what I was planning to do."
Buffy gave him a 'come again?' look but returned her attention to the road ahead. The route to Angel Investigations was not easy to remember.
In the back of the car, Dawn made a gagging motion with her hand, but remained silent. In her pack, the Holocron glowed briefly before becoming once more silent.
Xander stopped the car outside of the Hyperion hotel, and opened the door. Buffy looked at him across the car, and frowned at him, before opening her mouth. and quickly shutting it again.
"You're not going to have a fight with Angel, are you?" Buffy asked nervously.
Xander leaned back inside the car, and smirked. "As long as he remains civil, so will I Buff."
Dawn looked at the two of them. Despite Buffy's obvious disapproval of this little adventure, there seemed to be some sort of undercurrent running between the two of them. It freaked her out. Xander was hers since the entire group disbanded after Buffy's death. She wouldn't let him be taken from her again: not like he was when he vanished.
He had been gone a minute, two at the most; but he came back. changed. It wasn't right. Something had happened, and despite all of Xander's reassurances, Dawn wasn't sure that it was for the better.
Her brooding ended as Xander opened the door and grabbed her hand, pulling her out as if she was nothing more than feather light. He smirked at her as he reached in a pulled out all the stuff she had had in the back of the car with her.
He paused when he gripped her rucksack. That was where she had hidden that artefact. The one Xander seemed scared. or at the very least wary of.
"Everything alright, Xandman?" Dawn tried to remain chipper, but couldn't help but think that he was going to take it away from her. It was hers. She found it.
Xander shook his head violently, as if to clear it. "Yeah, Dawnie. I'm fine. Just. thought of something."
Dawn looked at her bag pointedly. "Can I have my rucksack, please?" She tapped her foot on the tarmac for emphasis.
Xander looked blackly at her, then at the bag. "Oh. Yeah. sure, here ya go."
"Thanks." Dawn trotted off to the door of the Hyperion, following her sister.
Xander looked up at the sky. "Wherever the Hell you are, Yoda. I could sure use some help." tapping his hip, to assure himself that his light-saber's were still attached, he hoisted the remaining bags and slammed the door shut.
"Xander."
"Deadboy."
Not the most warm welcome ever, but given the history between the two men, an understandable one. All that was necessary was said in those two words: that they both respected the abilities of the other; that they did not want to fight at a time that may be crucial. That, despite their differences, they were willing to work together.
"So. what brings you to LA?" Angel decided to get the niceties out of the way, so that they could get what they needed done, and gone again.
Xander started to speak, but Dawn butted in. "Wolfram and Hart have the new Slayer. Spike got her. He's working for them." Simple, direct; telling all the information that was needed.
Angel looked at Buffy. "And you brought Xander and Dawn along on a rescue mission?"
Buffy looked at the ground. "Uh. no. Xander and Dawn brought me."
Angel looked non-plussed for a second. "Come again?"
"Crystal's my friend." Dawn announced. "I don't want Spike to hurt her. That's why I came." She looked at Xander. "That and Xander doesn't trust me not to open a portal to a world that makes the Antarctic look like the Costa del Sol." She pulled a moue at Xander as she said this.
"I died, Angel," Buffy said quietly. "I was. while maybe not in Hell exactly, in a. not good place. I don't want to be left alone, and neither Xander or Dawn think that it's a good idea anyhow."
"But." Angel wondered, "if you're not going into Wolfram and Hart, who?"
Xander coughed to himself, and Angel's attention was drawn to him. "You?" Angel asked incredulously. "You might have been able to face down Angelus, boy, but these people aren't going to back away from a fight!"
Buffy frowned. "Xander faced down Angelus?"
Xander shook his head quickly. "Let's not get into this now, Buffy. We haven't got time."
Buffy nodded, and just as Angel was about to speak again, Cordelia, Wesley and Gunn marched through the door, covered in slime and having a heated conversation about how Cordelia should have ducked if she thought her dress was so valuable.
Cordelia stopped dead as she saw her ex. "Oh, look guys. It's the Zeppo."
Xander smiled ruefully. "Hi, Cordy."
Cordelia nodded, glad that she seemed to have settled the matter, smiled widely and launched herself at Xander, engulfing him in a hug.
Much to the disgust of both Summers' sisters.
Dawn stepped up to the Seer. "Hey, let him go, Cordy! He needs to breathe!"
Cordelia smiled harder, hearing the jealousy in the teen's voice, and broke the hug, stepping away from Xander as if it was the hardest thing in the world to do.
She grinned. "Looking good, Xand. Although that isn't difficult. You've done some working out, if I'm not mistaken."
Xander grinned back. "Kinda had to, Cordy. Liked the welcome, although." he looked down at his now slimed clothes. "I'd've settled for a handshake."
"Where's the fun in that?" Cordelia asked.
Angel coughed. "The Slayer?"
Xander had the good grace to look embarrassed. "Oh, yeah. right. Crystal. Need to get her back."
Wesley frowned. "Is she missing, then?"
Xander's grin vanished. "Yeah. Wolfram and Hart. And Spike."
Wesley paled, and Cordelia's eyes widened. "How are you going to manage that?" Gunn asked in amazement. "They don't just let anyone walk in! Angel's a no-go, seeing as how they have vamp alarms. But none of us are exactly. welcome there."
Xander's eyes hardened. "You don't have to go. I just want somewhere safe for Buffy and Dawn, seeing as how they 'insisted' that they come. I'll do this myself."
Cordelia's opinion of Xander may have improved since the fluke, but she still looked him up and down slowly. "You and what army, Xand? That building is impenetrable."
"Nothing's impenetrable, Cordy."
Cordelia shook her head. "Says you. We, on the other hand, know different."
Angel spoke, his voice heavy, "Wolfram and Hart are a terror, Xander. You can't just go in there and ask nicely. you wouldn't even walk out again. You need a plan. You need help."
"I work best alone. Others get hurt, I can't help them." Xander spoke of his one 'mission'; what was considered to be a blue-milk run, but in fact turned out to be as much a test of his at-the-time new abilities as any he had ever faced, bar the battle with Dooku.
"It's suicide, Xander!" Angel might not have liked the boy. man, he corrected himself, but he didn't want to see him die. He made eye contact with Wesley and Gunn, and the two moved to restrain Xander. He was obviously not playing with a full deck any more. If he had been close to the new Slayer, before Buffy was brought back, Angel could understand it.
Wesley's hand fell on Xander's shoulder first. "Xander," he spoke calmly, soothingly. "We understand how difficult this must be for you. loosing the Slayer is never easy. I remember how I felt when Faith went bad."
Xander turned round to face him, eyes blazing. "This is nothing alike!" He fought to calm himself, visibly loosing his anger as he succeeded. "Faith went bad. Crystal has been captured! By Spike! SPIKE! And he will be dust by the time I have finished, and Wolfram and Hart nothing more than a bad dream!"
Angel came out from behind his desk, and Dawn stood between him and Xander. Dawn spoke quietly. "What, I ask, do you think you're doing?"
"Xander's needs rest. He wont listen to reason." Angel told her.
"Xander is in perfect control. You don't know what he can do, now."
Xander stepped around to observe the verbal battle between the two and a half century old vampire, and the sixteen year old.
"Now?" Angel asked with a perplexed expression.
Dawn shrugged, and looked askance at Xander. "They might as well know." she said.
Xander shrugged back. "I don't mind. I can even demonstrate."
"When Buffy was. missing. I started experimenting with heavy duty Portal stuff. trying to get her back, any way I could." Dawn sighed; she didn't like this. "I found this new one, one day, and it had a. reaction. to Xander."
"Reaction?"
"He got sucked in. it would have been pretty funny if it wasn't so terrifying. he looked like Superman as it was sucking him into the portal, and he's trying to hold on to the wall. but he vanished into the portal, and it then closed up again."
Angel looked at Xander. "How long were you gone?" He knew the horror of having spent a century in hell, and then coming back to discover less than a year had passed.
Xander looked bored. "A year, maybe a bit more."
Dawn butted back in. "This is my story, Xand."
Xander smirked. "Sorry."
Dawn shot him a mock angry look. "Anyway. when he fell back out of the portal, which opened up not a lot longer after it had closed, he was all burnt and dressed funny. He had radiation burns. He'd been 'gone' less than a minute, although I was panicking way too much to actually count the time."
"Radiation burns?" Wesley asked.
Xander nodded. "Yeah. I was in the middle of a nebulous sector that had massive radiation levels. I barely survived."
Wesley looked worried. "You say it like you were in space. How is that possible?"
"Because I was." Xander shrugged again. This was water under the bridge to him, but the others might need to know.
"What sort of clothes?" Cordelia asked, pinning down what she considered to be the central point.
Xander smiled. "I doubt you'd like them, Cordy. Although I did bring them with me. I'll have to change into them, now, because these are distinctly." he held up one arm to his nose where the slime was. ". pungent."
Buffy sat down heavily. "Well, I'm sorry, but this is too much for me. I know that you told me some stuff, Xand, but this?"
Xander moved to the bags. "How about those of us that need to change," he looked playful daggers at Cordelia, "change, and we can get back to this."
Angel nodded reluctantly, and four of the seven people moved out of the room.
Xander paused at the door. "Deadboy?"
Angel looked up at Xander, his weariness with that name clear. "Yeah?"
"What room?"
Angel shook his head. "Turn left, up the stairs, second of the left."
Xander nodded. "Right. Thanks."
Xander stepped out, completely at ease with his Jedi robe. His light-saber's were still concealed, but were easy to access if he needed them. No point in giving the Angel crew any more things to worry about that absolutely necessary.
Although, if this went as he thought it might. he would be giving someone a first hand view of a sparkling golden blade.
Dawn looked at the doorway as he walked through. "You fixed them."
Xander nodded. "Yeah. Can't have burn holes in them, can I?"
Dawn shrugged. "Like, 'em, Xander. Look good on you."
Xander paused for a second. Was Buffy's younger sister commenting on his clothes? Was she, in fact, flirting with him? He shook the thought from his mind. No. Of course not.
Xander sat on the edge of Angel's desk, much to the dismay of the souled Vampire. "Mind if I sit here, Angie?" Xander asked rhetorically.
Angel looked even sicker at the new nickname than he had at the old one. "Deadboys' fine."
Xander just grinned widely at him.
Cordelia stepped through the same door that Xander had come from, expecting to see Wesley and Gunn already in the room. The two, however, had decided that five's company, seven's a crowd, and had discretely vanished. Angel smiled, when he realised what they had done.
Looking Xander over critically, Cordelia smirked. "Well, I can see where you went: obviously to some monastery somewhere. The monk look is soooo not you, Xand."
"These are the robes of a Knight, Cordelia." Xander's tone was terse, showing that he had no time for people putting down what he considered to be extremely important.
"Night? What, you sleep in them?" Cordelia tone was sharp, but held no real malice in it.
Xander sighed. "No, Cordy."
Angel spoke quietly. "He meant Knight. With a K, Cordelia. As in 'of Old'."
Xander laughed. "Definitely 'of Old' Deadboy. Although not in the way you think."
"Huh?" Cordelia asked.
"The Order has existed for close to 20 millennia, Cordelia. Twenty. Thousand. Years. That is no joke."
"The Order of what?"
"The Jedi Order spans worlds, and systems. They are the protectors, the Guardians, if you will, the enforcers. The final judge. The Arbiters of Justice."
Cordelia snorted in a most unladylike fashion. "They sound like a jumped up police force."
"Anything but, Cordy. Anything but. We protect. We protect the weak from the strong. Those who are incapable of surviving against impossible odds, we aid. One such situation has recently been. half dealt with. Unfortunately, it isn't ended yet."
Angel leaned forward in his chair. "You make it sounds as if you are so much more than a simple group of people with a common mindset."
Xander looked at him, amused. "We are not. All are individuals within the Order, Angel. We work for a common goal. the betterment of the galaxy. We. the Scoobies, that is, never had similar mindsets. but we worked together to do what we needed to do."
Buffy held up a hand, "You keep saying 'we' all the time. Are you a full member, or are you just helping them?"
Xander smiled. No put down. How much Buffy had changed. No longer assuming that he was helpless. "There are many tests to become a Knight. Children with the ability are taken, with their parent's consent, of course. but to be a Jedi is a great honour. Few, if any, would ever refuse. The Apprenticeship. it can take years, or decades. It took me about 8 months. I. was different. Many in the council wanted me killed as an abomination. Four did not."
He smirked.
"Fortunately, one of them has the final say."
Dawn shifted in her seat, wanting to ask a question, but not able to work up the courage. Xander looked at her with a grin. "Yeah, Dawn?"
Dawn's enthusiasm caught him off guard for a second. "Show them, Xander! Show them!"
Angel looked at Dawn's eager face, and wondered just what it was that Xander had to show them. "What is this secret, then?" Angel asked without really wanting to know.
Xander drew a cylinder out of his robe. "This."
Cordelia looked at the rod, and burst out laughing. "THAT's the secret? A metal dildo? Hah!"
Xander's scowl was so intense; Cordelia noticed it despite her eyes being closed from laughing so hard.
"This is a light-saber, Cordelia." Xander spoke with a reverence that disquieted the small group. "The Apprentice constructing his saber is the final test to become a Jedi."
He punched the activation stud, and the weapons one metre blade burst into existence, shocking the unprepared trio of Buffy, Cordelia and Angel. Angel reached for the blade, but Xander quickly snapped the blade off.
"Ah ah, Angie. You touch that, and you're gonna be minus a few fingers. The blade is pure energy. it cuts through anything."
Xander heard a not too well concealed snicker from behind him, and then heard Buffy, Dawn and Cordelia all crack up at the nickname. The first time might have been survivable, but the second? And the sick look that Angel gave Xander was just too priceless.
Xander shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I really need to get Crystal back. You needed filling in, but I may have wasted too much time already." He hid the light-saber back among his robes, turned, and walked out before anyone could stop him.
Angel leaned back in his chair, looking uncomfortably at Cordelia, Buffy and Dawn. "Good luck, Xander."
The three girls nodded.
Xander walked purposefully down the edge of the Wolfram and Hart building. He had only one chance to do this: so he had to do it right.
Finally, he found a wall that seemed to be to his liking. It was cloaked in shadow, and not easily visible from the street. Unfortunately, it also had two vampires standing next to it.
Xander frowned. Change that: one vampire, and one human. The vampire appeared to be a drug dealer, or a pimp. One of the two.
He did something he was sure would get him in trouble. Well, if Yoda ever found out, anyway. He delved into the mind of the human, taking his name.
The vampire hadn't noticed anyone else nearby. He had already finished his deal with the human, and was currently waiting for the snivelling little rat to shoot up so that he could get his own fix.
He wasn't addicted. no. Vampires couldn't get addicted to drugs any more than they could get a tan. Alone among his compatriots, he liked the taste. Something. vital. Something. thunderous. about a human who was in the midst of a heroin high.
That and as long as you didn't kill them, they just thought that they were coming off when they woke up the next morning pale and shaking. They never realised that it was from loss of blood.
The spectre congealed out of the night itself. A beam of pure, scorching light grasped in its hands, like Zeus and his lightning come to earth.
Then the spectre spoke. "You'd better go home, Stu. And check yourself into a clinic in the morning. I'll be checking."
Stu nodded in a combination of amazement and drugged stupor. "Y.. ye.es sir!" He stuttered as he ran from the wrath of God himself.
The vampire was not so impressed. "You just cost me my meal, asshole!"
"Aww." Xander sounded sad for a second. "That's too bad. Why not use me instead?"
The vamp goggled. "Serious? Cheers, man!" As he got nearer, Xander lashed out with his light-saber.
The vampire looked frightened for all of a second, before he burst into dust.
Xander shook his head. "No. I wasn't serious."
Cordelia was pacing the room that Xander had not long ago departed. "You cannot be serious, Angel! Xander's not a fighter! He'll just get himself killed!" She calmed down for a few breaths. "Alright. it's not like I don't think he's capable. just that going alone into Wolfram and Hart is suicide! He must really feel strongly about that Slayer, what's her name?"
"Crystal," Dawn said with a sigh.
"We can't leave him to get himself killed!"
Angel looked hard at Cordelia. "Cor. there is one thing that you've never been able to do. You might be a seer, and you might have seen Xander for what he was in high school, rather than a dork, but you will never be able to look into someone's eyes, and see how much they've changed." He sighed. "I've seen Xander as a boy, when I was myself. I've seen him as a boy, when I was. not. myself. I've seen him again now. I can only say that whatever happened to him when he went missing. he's now powerful. Very powerful. And he knows it. It's been drilled into him. By someone who he holds in very high regard. He knows exactly what he's capable of. And I think. I think that he might just be capable of more that he thinks he is."
"But even so!" Cordelia exclaimed, "we have to help him!"
Angel shook his head. "If Xander, as powerful as he is can't free her. we don't stand a chance."
With that sobering thought, the room descended into silence again.
Xander lunged down with his blade, and stabbed his saber into the rim of a rusted shut manhole cover, before running it around the edge, causing the metal plate to drop into the sewer below.
He followed it down a couple of second later, allowing the glowing blade to light his way.
If the sewers followed the normal routes, the weakest wall should be. Xander talked to himself in his head as he walked, running one hand along the wall as he did so, his other hand allowing the tip of his saber to trail in the water of the sewer, raising a cloud of foul smelling steam as he walked.
This served two purposes: it masked his smell, if there was anything resembling the swamp dwellers of Dagobah in the water or around. He knew no Dagobah creature would be here, but demons might, and old habits died hard. The second purpose was to create a vapour in the air. What he was going to do next was going to cause some serious heat. and he didn't want to get par-boiled down here. Even though it wouldn't do much, the mist would at least help to keep him cooler. He stopped, suddenly.
Here. He nodded to himself, and drew his second light-saber, igniting it with the normal <snap-hiss>. The twin blades plunged into the brickwork as if it was nothing more than paper. Seconds later, Xander could see the brick start to slough off as it superheated.
"Hold on, Crys. Hold on."
The first thing that alerted Spike to the fact that something was wrong was when the wall began to glow.
It didn't fade, it continued to glow hotter and stronger until the brickwork itself was sloughing off in sheets, so white hot that it began to melt the floor that it touched.
Then Spike saw the glowing centre of the ever expanding circle of melting wall.
This quickly became the tip of glowing fire, a colour that Spike had become familiar with while he watched in the darkness of Sunnydale. He knew who was on the other end.
And he knew, too, that he was going to be far from happy.
"Guards!" Spike yelled, "get in here, now!"
Half a dozen demons bowled into the room, axes raised ready for a fight. Spike pointed at the wall.
"Kill him when he enters!"
The demons growled acknowledgement, and moved to prepare for the intruder. Spike ran out of the room and down a corridor to where Crystal was currently unconscious.
"It looks as if you and me, darlin', are going for a little drive."
Spike slashed the ropes that bound her down, and quickly unhooked the chains that made certain she couldn't escape. Hauling her up none too gently, he threw her over his shoulder, and headed off toward the exit of the basement.
He tried to block out the screams of the guards as they died. Spike had seen what those beams of light could do. He had no wish to experience that firsthand.
Xander charged through the hole in the wall with a silent battle cry on his lips. His twin blades arced and weaved, disarming. literally, decapitating, and dismembering any opponent who stood in his way. The first demon ducked under one wide arc of a blow, but got caught when the second blade was lower, and a fraction behind the first. Instead of being taken at the waist, it lost its head.
The second died almost as quickly, its demise bringing a whole new meaning to the words "a little off the top."
The third and fourth had the joy of being victims to a flung blade, which cart-wheeled through the air, driven by Xander's Force manipulations. Both were split from forehead to crotch, each half falling in opposite directions.
The fifth heard two words "Hold this," before the light-saber was driven into its skull. The now standing demon corpse wavered for a few seconds, before tipping over backwards, the blade of the saber snapping off automatically.
The sixth ran at the sight of its compatriots dying so swiftly, and Xander reached out and gripped it with all the strength he could muster. It convulsed once as every bone in its body was atomised at once, and fell to the floor in a messy heap.
Xander's twin blades returned to his hand as he surveyed the carnage. He swore to himself before stalking off down the corridor. He knew Spike had been here. He just knew it! He could practically smell the peroxide now.
Spike skidded to a halt, staring with hatred at the sunlight pouring down outside, not realising that it was just an illusion. He was just seconds from running out of the hidden exit of Wolfram and Hart. Swearing loud enough to make a sailor blush, he spun on his heel and headed back the way he came. Hopefully, if he was quick, he could still get somewhere safe.
Hart smiled as he watched Spikes mad dash through the building, looking for an exit. He wouldn't find one. This was far too amusing to let it end so soon.
But.
Maybe he should up the ante, slightly. Hart pressed a button on his desk, and it flashed once as the countermeasures throughout the building were turned on.
This was to be a most interesting evening.
Xander stabbed his light-saber into the ceiling of the basement. It was no longer the time for subtlety: he was now running on a strict time limit.
His saber cut through the concrete and steel of the ground floor at an angle. This left the little plug sitting inside the rest of the floor, preventing it from falling on Xander. He focussed; using the Force seemed to be getting more difficult as time went by. Almost as if he was becoming detached from the part he was most familiar with.
The plug of floor fired into the air as Xander pushed it upwards, before flipping once and coming to rest next to the hole it had just come from. Then Xander jumped through, somersaulting just before he landed.
At the sound of a mocking clapping, Xander spun; his saber up at guard. As he saw the originator of the clap, his guard tensed more.
"Well done, Mr. Harris. Well done. I have need of a man with your. skills."
Xander growled. "I'm not for sale."
"Come, now." the man smiled, "every person has a price. What is yours? Riches? Eternal fame? Or. ah, yes. your dream girl. But who is it now? Who do you dream of? Your precious Buffy? Or is it the other? What's her name.? Ta'ania?"
Xander snarled. "You leave her out of this."
"What? You're not even going to ask how I know about her? That is rather foolish, is it not, Mr. Harris?"
"It doesn't matter. She's safe."
A scathing laugh was his response. "Oh, Mr. Harris. she is far from safe!"
Xander's hands tightened on his saber's hilt, his eyes hardening. "Tell me. Now."
"You are in no position to demand anything, Mr. Harris." The man smiled disarmingly. "Perhaps you need the proper motivation."
Xander blinked as blinding light engulfed the man, and as he looked again, he saw a mirror of himself. A fraction later, he felt his saber being torn out of his grip as his double approached with a twisted smile on his face.
"You're good, boy." the double whispered, "but let's see how good you are against." The double swung with vicious abandon as he screamed, "yourself!"
Xander's second saber flicked up to block the strike barely in time. The shock of seeing himself. but twisted. darker, had numbed his mind. "No!" Xander shouted as he ducked a slice designed to take his head off, before a sneaky lunge allowed the tip of his saber to kiss his doubles ribs.
The two backed off from each other, the double hissing in pain as he held a hand over the already cauterised wound. It spoke venomously, dangerously. "You'll pay for that."
Xander shrugged. "No more than I will for anything else, I imagine."
Suddenly, the doubles eyes became charged. A receptionists chair picked itself up and flew through the air, aiming straight for Xander.
Rolling out of the way, Xander watched the chair crash into the opposite wall, and smirked at his opponent. "You'll have to do better than that."
"Oh, I intend to, believe me," the double said before launching himself at Xander again. Strike after strike was blocked, parried or riposted, as Xander fought to maintain a balance between him and his opponent. Xander had the same skill as his opponent, the same techniques, and the same power. But his double had one thing Xander did not.
Ferocity. Sheer, unbridled ferocity. And that one trait was winning the fight.
Pushing himself off the ground, Xander boosted his jump with the Force, before landing safely twenty or thirty yards from his double. This slight breathing space gave him the time needed to play just that little bit dirty. Instead of blocking the next attack as his double obviously expected, Xander executed an awkward standing jump over the blade, before turning the blade to its second, longer phase.
The double screamed in agony as the saber took his arm off at the shoulder. Xander held his hand outstretched to the saber still gripped in the severed hand, and thumbed it on as it landed in his palm.
The double backed away in fear as it looked into Xander's eyes. "You. you can't. you can't kill an unarmed opponent!" Its voice was almost hysterical.
Xander's eyes were like pools of darkness, as he allowed himself to become fully one with his anger. "You," he spat, "of all people, know what I am capable of!"
The two light-saber blades seemed to bend as Xander whipped them through the neck of his double, so vicious was the twin assault.
The now headless body exploded in a cataclysm of rage.
Xander collapsed to his knees as the storm raged around him. "There is no anger. There is serenity. There is no death. There is only the Force."
The Jedi Code.
Such simple words.
So deep a meaning.
A voice sounded over the intercom. "Most impressive. Few have managed to overcome their counterpart in our mind game. The vampire you seek and his visitor are currently on the 23rd floor. His is beginning to get quite desperate. I suggest that you do not take too long in reaching him."
Xander, his anger now calmed again, spoke softly, as if he still couldn't quite believe what he had done. "Who are you?"
"I? I am merely an interested third party. Spike wished our protection, but unfortunately, he has too many powerful enemies for us to protect him. His isn't paying enough."
"This is all down to money?" Xander couldn't keep the amazement out of his voice.
"Of course." The voice sounded surprised. "It all is, in the end."
Xander sounded almost plaintive. "There must still be some honour left in the world?"
The voice laughed. "Oh, there is. You are one of the few who have that spark, and yet remain entertaining. So, therefore, I give you this one chance: you may have your Slayer, she is of little import, in the final equation. You may even have the insufferable William the Bloody, to do with as you wish. But remember this:" The voice turned sharp and deadly. "The next time you come here, there will be no 'get out of Jail free.'"
Xander nodded. "I'll remember."
The jovial voice was back. "Good. I look forward to seeing what you do to Spike, Mr. Harris. Au revoir..."
Xander stood in the reception, looking at the ceiling. "This is too weird."
Spike rounded the corner several levels above Xander, and shouted to a group of demons guarding a doorway as he ran past. "There'll be a human coming past in a few minutes! Make sure he doesn't survive!"
He felt the still unconscious form of Crystal slipping off his shoulder, and paused to reposition. Then he took off again. If he could get to the Executive offices, he stood a chance.
Xander listened to the sounds of an argument in the corridor a little way away from him. There seemed to be a lot of demons.
This was bad.
Looking around, Xander saw a grate in the wall, and smiled.
The first warning any of the demons had that their target had arrived was when one of them died from a thrown saber. It arced through the air, and cleaved the head off of one of the demons, before falling to the floor, the dead man switch cutting the blade out.
The remaining demons roared, and charged the figure standing at the end of their killing zone. The man remained unmoving, his one remaining saber held at ease by his side.
As the charge drew them within a pace or two at most from him, he moved. The step sideways brought the light-saber blade level with a demons waist, and it was calmly and dispassionately cut in two.
A gesture, nothing more, and another three were flung backwards as if they had been hit by a fully loaded 18-wheeler. They landed in a painful heap of broken bones, but still fought to regain their feet and attack once more.
A flip, and the figure was in the midst of the demons, his blade cutting through bone armour like it wasn't there, the smell of burnt flesh assaulting the noses of everyone present.
One of the two remaining demons successfully regained his feet, and pulled an evil looking axe from a strap on its back. With an inhuman roar, it buried it in the man's skull.
He went down on his knees, a pained, but above all shocked look on his features. The saber dropped from limp fingers as the body fell forward onto the carpet.
The first demon looked at the second. It grunted something, before asking, "Shouldn't humans bleed?"
The other grunted once, and shrugged. Neither noticed the two light-saber's twitching on the floor, as if something was perfecting its control of them.
They didn't have the chance to do so much as blink before both turned on with a painfully loud <snap-hiss> and impaled them both through the chests, before whipping up and cleaving their heads in two.
Then the saber's dropped to the floor again. There was one thing to be said for weapons that cauterise wounds: there isn't any blood to clean up.
The grate in the ceiling moved a fraction of an inch, before it shook with an impact of some unknown thing, and fell out, hitting a demonic corpse as it landed.
A pair of legs appeared, then a body, before finally Xander emerged fully from the air conditioning vent. He bent his legs as he landed, but still he folded over in fatigue and pain.
"Oh." Xander moaned quietly, "that took more than I thought it would." maintaining the illusory Xander hadn't been difficult, if he had only had to do that one thing. Neither was telekinetically manipulating his twin light-saber's.
The killer had been to do them both at the same time, and maintain the image that he was a person, with how a person moved. He could have jumped the image around, but that would have let the demons know that something was wrong with what they were seeing.
He took a calming breath, and steadied himself on his feet, moving to retrieve his light-saber's manually, rather than by calling them to him.
Xander swore as he walked down the corridor to the elevator at the end. "Spike, you are going to experience some serious pain when I get through with you."