Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except for Kersey and a few other little add-ons. Buffy and Co. belong to Joss Whedon, the WB network, and Mutant Enemy.
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Part Nine
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"Afternoon Oliver," Kersey said lightly as he walked into the bar and pulled a stool up next to a man dressed in a neatly pressed dark suit.
"Doc," Oliver replied with a slight accent that Kersey traced as being probably British in origin. Oliver lifted up a shot of tequila and then knocked it back with a simple flick of his wrist. Kersey offered him the mug of beer and Oliver chased it.
"We've been over this, Chief, I'm not a doctor..yet." Kersey said with a grin. He turned to the bartender and ordered a whiskey.
"Ah, we go over many a thing, my friend..you call Oliver Chief..Oliver call Shawn Doc." Oliver replied, his accent getting heavier as it often did when he spoke long sentences. English was still new to the man and it was somewhat amusing for Kersey to watch Oliver stumble over the words.
"Right you are..I would assume you've spoken with Issac..yes?" Kersey asked easily, almost as if he didn't care. He'd learned long ago that while doing business, even while dealing with friends, you had keep your guard up and your tone nonchalant.
Oliver nodded, "I have..the boss gives the go. You have a deal. We get the Slayer..you get your usual pay plus if she no trouble." The bar-tender moved over and refilled the foreigners' shot glass and Oliver thanked him with a slight nod.
"I wouldn't worry about that but I will offer you something that the boss might find interesting, Chief." Kersey replied as he lifted his drink to his lips. Once Oliver had lifted an eyebrow to show that he was listening, Kersey plunged ahead,"The drug I gave the Slayer..to blind and disoriente her has had one hell of a side effect."
"Side-effect?" Oliver asked, his brow crinkling in confusion. "How do you mean?"
"I mean..the drug has produced a psychotic reaction..in other words..Buffy's taken a mental break from reality." Kersey said with a smile. He shook his head and then looked into his glass. After swirling the liquid around for a moment he chuckled, "It's acutually quite beautiful, Chief. A thing of beauty." He laughed again, this time louder and then he declared, "Bottoms up, Chief." And with that both men drained their glasses.
* * *
"She's unconsious," Giles had said. Angel had added that she would probably sleep well into the next afternoon. Well what the hell did they know anyways. They weren't the ones standing in the middle of a smashed-up kitchen with the blinded and majorly pissed off Slayer standing less than five feet away from them. With a knife in her hand no-less.
Giles, Calendar and Willow had all gone to the video store for movies and God only knew where Angel had gone to but that didn't really matter. All that did was the fact that somehow or another, Buffy had every intention of using the butcher knife she was holding in her badly lacerated left hand on something. Presumably him.
Xander swallowed hard. This wasn't what he'd been expecting to see when he'd been roused out of his sleep by a crash from the kitchen. He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting but seeing Buffy standing barefoot in the middle of the kitchen with glass and plates broken around her feet had not been it. He could only guess that she'd grabbed the butcher knife by the blade from the blood that gushed down her hand. At least now she was holding it by the handle. Yeah..that made him feel a lot better.
"Buffy..it's me..Xander."The male Slayerette said softly as he tried to decide whether he should run or try to disarm her before she did any further harm to herself..or to him.
She pointed the blade in his direction with a dramatic jab, "Liar...God, I swear if you've done anything to him or any of them..I'll kill you and I'll make it hurt." Her voice was vicious and so full of anger and hatred that it stung him. She was far too young to know such extreme emotions as well as she did.
"Buff..it's me..c'mon..you gotta remember..ya know..I'm the one who ate six big macs in two minutes flat..and then puked all over your shoes. Y'know..ick factor?"
"Xander?" Buffy asked with uncertainty and for a moment her hand faltered and the knife fell. A moment was all it took for him to spring into action. He crossed the floor quickly and wrapped his arms tightly around her. Spinning around, he pulled her to the floor, ignoring the shot of pain that rushed through him as a piece of glass cut into his leg.
"It's me, Buffy." Xander said softly as he reached his hand out for the knife. Unfortunately even as out of it as she was..she was still quicker. In a move that she should have been physically incapable of doing, Buffy spun out of his arms and sent the blade into his hand.
His first instinct was to howl in pain but amazement took center stage and for a moment all he could do was stare at the blade pertruding from his hand. It was the bizarre thing he'd ever seen and ever since Buffy had come to town..he's seen some pretty twisted things. This took the proverbial cake. It was like some crazy sculture and it all seemed so distant..like it wasn't really a part of him. None of it..not that pain that rushed outwards like radio waves or the bright crimson fluid that was now seeping down his hand and pooling on the floor. Well, on the bright side..at least the blade hadn't gone all the way through. Opposite hand trembling, he pulled the knife out and listened as the blade clinked against the glass on the floor.
"Buffy?" Xander asked in astonishment, his eyes still glued to his hand. Hesistantly he looked up at her and was somewhat suprised to see her readying herself for another attack. His survival instincts kicked in and the pain in his hand vanished as he grabbed her by her shirt and slammed her to the floor. He winced and apologized when the Slayer allowed an angonized moan to escape her lips. He reminded himself with a mental slap that she was already badly hurt..unfortunately she was also completely delusional not to mention slightly insane.
"Buffy..c'mon..get a grip here..it's Xander.."
She tried to push against him, "No...no..." What she lacked in strength she more than made up for in effort as she continued to try to struggle her way out of Xander's pin. He was stronger though and his anger, fear and pain was only helping him along.
When she reached out and squeezed his hand, that did it. He howled in pain and then slammed her roughly against the floor. She cried out in pain and a tear trickled down her cheek but he reminded himself to be strong. She wasn't thinking clearly and that made her extremely dangerous. He had to get through to her even if that meant causing her a little more anguish.He just hoped that somewhere in that beautiful head of hers, she realized that hurting her was just about the last thing he ever wanted to do to her.
"Buffy, listen to me." He hissed, "You've got to get a grip..you're out of control.." she started to push against him again so he flattened his body against hers. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a little voice said, "Well Xand-man, you're on-top of Buffy." Needless to say he ignored the voice and made sure that he was only slightly pinning her. Her ribs were broken and the doc had said that it wouldn't take much for her internal stiching to break open. A klaxon went off in his head..what if their struggle had already broken open the stitching? Xander took a deep breath..it'd be okay..Kersey was due back soon..he could check her out. But for now, he needed to either calm her or well..knock her out. He rather preferred the former rather than the latter.
Glancing down at his hand, he wondered why he wasn't feeling anything. "You're juiced," he told himself in a whisper.The mental voice whispered, "Try shock, brother-man." Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to Buffy who was still struggling. "Please, Buff..I don't want to hurt you..you've been through enough.."
Abruptly she stopped and stared sightlessly up at him, "Why should I trust you?"
"Because," Xander said, "If I was a blood-sucking reject from the land of the dead, I'd have killed you already for stabbing me."
Her lip trembled and her struggles ceased. A moment later she fell bonelessly into arms. She curled herself against his chest and just lay there shaking. She'd already cried so much earlier that it didn't much suprise him that she was all cried out and only capable of trembling. She started speaking but her voice was so weak and low that he had to curl closer to her in order to hear.
"My head is so confused..I don't understand..there is never any light but sometimes I can see..sometimes..Xander..what's happening to me..voices...it hurts so much.." she continued to speak but her sentences quickly lost all pretense of coherency as she lapsed back into a rambling but seemingly harmless wave of delirium.
He held her for a few moments longer and then he picked her up and carried her back to her bed. Lying her down very gently, he reached over to the desk and grabbed the first aide kit that Kersey had left in the room. More calmly than he could quite believe, he took her lacerated hand and began to clean and disinfect it. A voice in his head told him to make sure to look over her feet, arms and legs to ensure that none of the glass from the floor had cut her. After wrapping a bandage around her hand, he crossed over to the bathroom, wet a rag and then placed it on her feverish temple. He kissed her lightly on the cheek and then left the room, shutting the door behind him.
Still completely calm, he walked into the kitchen and started to sweep the floor. He even started whistling. When the front door opened, he was completely oblivious to it. A female voice called out his name but he didn't even it.
"Xander?" Willow asked, stepping into the kitchen with Giles and Calendar on her heels. Her eyes widened in alarm as she took in the blood tinted pile of broken glass he had swept together. Giles pushed forward.
"My God, Xander..what happened?" he asked, deeply concerned for the boy who appeared so calm that he was almost lethargic. That was acutually more troubling than the glass.
"Xander, you're bleeding!" Willow practically screamed as she caught site of his hand. He blinked and brought the hand up to eye-level.
Nodding as if it were perfectally normal to see a hole in one's hand, he murmured, "So I am." And then he collapsed.
* * *
Giles took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes thoughtfully, "A delusional.. almost psychotic reaction."
"Almost?" Xander said from where he was propped up on pillows on the couch. Willow sat next to him, hovering over him like she was afraid he would drop dead if she moved even an inch away from him. Xander rather liked the intention. The pain on the other hand..
"So we're talking fever induced delirium mixed with fears from the dream-world," Angel said thoughtfully. He made it sound like a sixteen year old girl brandishing a knife against one of her best friends was something he dealt with everyday.
Giles dipped his head for a moment as he considered Angels' words and then slowly he nodded, "Yes..uh..I..I..yes."
"Well now that we have a positive answer," Calendar teased lightly from Giles side. The Watcher was sitting on the couch opposite Xander and Willow. Only Angel stood.
A door opened and Kersey stepped through. He moved into the center of the room, "I've got some good news and bad news. Good first..the stitching hasn't broken open..bad news..her fever is rising again." His tone was so casual that it made Angel want to grab his head and start smashing it against a wall. Not like he didn't already wnat to do that anyways..there was something about Kersey that he just couldn't quite put his finger on..
"So..what can we do?" Willow asked.
"My advice..take her back to the hospital..."Kersey began easily. As Giles started to speak, he held up a hand, "I know..not an option..so my advice is to keep her sedated. Her fever seems to temper when she's unconsious and that will keep her from having any further psychotic reactions like you described." He sighed dramatically as the other looked at him doubtfully. "Look, Mr. Giles..your daughter is in a lot of pain and not suprisingly, it's affecting her mind. Add all that to the fact that she's just been told that she's sightless and you've got a recipe for diaster."
"Sedated..for how long?" Giles asked.
"Until you're ready to allow her to get proper medical treatment. Look, I overheard you guys speaking..you have to wait seven days..now I don't know what that means..if whoever is looking for her will be gone then or what but I'll tell you this..after seven days she'll still be hurt and in need of proper medical attention. I'm talking gurney, bed, IV..the works." He took a deep breath, "So my official recommendation is that you keep her sedated until then. Or at least most of the time."
Giles nodded, "Right." He glanced up helplessly at Angel who was still starring at Kersey with the oddest expression. Kersey saw the look, crinkled his eyebrow and then excused himself, saying that he was expected back at the Med-conference and should he be needed, he would be available by pager.
After he was gone, Giles turned to the other, "We have fives days let until.."
"He had alcohol on his breath," Angel cut in abruptly.
Everyone turned to look at him, all wearing matching expression of confusing.
"To quote the Buffster, I think I speak for all of us when I say huh?" Xander exclaimed, sitting up. Willow quickly flattened a restraining hand against his chest. When he didn't immediately fall backwards, she favored him with a look and he relented.
"I smelled alcohol on Kersey' breath. He's been drinking." Angel said tensely.
"What are you saying?" Calendar queried.
Angel shook his head. "I don't know yet but I damn-well intend to find out."
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