The Wizard? Willow thought, Who the hell was the wizard?
"Xander!" Buffy scolded, hitting him on the shoulder. Even though she hadn't put anything near her full strength into the blow, he still yelped and grabbed his shoulder.
Sending Buffy a look that could kill he asked indignantly, "What was that for?"
She grinned.
"Just for being you." He upgraded his look to one that could bend, burn and bury almost anything. The slayer, as ever, wasn't even fazed, "And for confusing Willow," she amended.
"So there isn't a wizard?" Willow asked, even more confused than before. "And we're not going...?"
"No." Angel answered before she'd even finished the question.
"We are, however," added Xander, "gonna dust some of dead-boy here's relatives."
Angel growled under his breath.
Xander pretended not to notice; though he took a small step away from the vampire.
"Look, Willow." Buffy said, trying to ignore the blatant hostility that was resurfacing between the two guys, "I need to know if you can walk."
Willow, in answer, threw back the covers and swung her legs round to the edge of the bed. She tried to resist the urge to stare at her no-longer-bruised legs and although failing miserably, managed to push herself to her feet.
Simultaneously Xander and Angel each took a step towards her, both wary of a repeat performance.
Almost unconsciously she waved them away, and just stood for a moment, staring at her legs. They didn't even have the same yellow tint as her arms, the same creamy white skin as ever, stared back at her perfectly healed. Not even a smudge of a bruise or line of a cut sullied them.
"Good stuff that healing thing," Xander commented, "remind me to get the recipe."
"I'll mail it to you."
Willow didn't realise until she looked up that Xander was staring at her legs. Angel was too, though he was less obvious about it, and looked away when he saw her notice. And Buffy was just grinning.
"Here," she said, picking up a bag and passing it to her friend, "I brought you some clothes. Now, all you need is for these two louts," she winked at Willow, "to control their base instincts and we should be fine."
"You can get changed over there," Angel indicated a screen across the room.
"Thanks" Willow replied, then took him up on his offer.
* * *
When she emerged ten minutes later she was feeling infinitely better.
She had perfect balance, complete control over her limbs and if anything felt better than she'd done before last night. She decided she felt good enough to…to…to dust some vamps! Kicking the air in a self-defence move that Buffy had taught her gave her a feeling of power. And, despite the plain jeans and grey sweater that Buffy had supplied she felt almost…pretty. Probably there were some happy drugs in Angel's magic mixture, but, she decided, she didn't care. She felt ready to take on the world.
"Hey!" Xander called to her from the couch, "Someone's looking feisty."
Willow grinned at him.
"What's the plan?" she yelled back as she bounded across to him, simulating kicks and punches against the air.
"Buffy and 'the-one-with-the-angelic-face' are out scouting the streets for anything unusual…"
Willow snorted.
"This is Sunnydale, " she said, "Everything's unusual in Sunnydale."
"Believe me I know. But anyway, we meet them in the graveyard in just under," he checked his watch, "twenty six minutes and thirty five seconds."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Trust me," he said, his face a mask of earnestness, "Timing is crucial."
"Okay," Willow said as she sat down beside him, and checked his watch, "that should give you just under twenty five minutes and fifty four seconds to explain tome what's going on."
He leaned forward, intent on her face.
"You don't have to come, you know. I can get you home and you'll be safe." He took her hands in his and looked at her, worry obvious on his face. "I don't want anything to happen to you…not again. Once was enough, I don't think I could...." He smiled weakly, "It almost killed me the last time."
"Xander," Willow said, reaching up to hug him, "nothing's going to happen to me." He really does care about me! "But I'm not going home, I need to ride along on this one." I need to be there. "And I need to know the plan."
"Sure thing," he said, letting go of her as gently as if she were still bruised and battered. He stood up and fetched a cloth-bound object from the table. "Here" he continued, handing it to her, "Buffy left this for you. She said Giles has been teaching you it, and you're not a bad shot."
Willow looked down at the heavy crossbow she held.
"Do I take this to mean that I'm coming along?"
"Yeah."
"And the plan…?"
"I'll tell you on the way." He grinned, "And hurry up, we only have twenty two minutes and forty five seconds before the ronda-vu."
"I think you mean rendezvous."
"Whatever."
Willow armed the crossbow, as Xander shouldered his bag. "Ready?" he asked.
"As I'll ever be."
"Fine then cliché-girl, let's go."
* * *
It was a typical Saturday night for Sunnydale. Teenagers and vampires danced at the Bronze, dated, drank. Couples and small groups from the High school passed Buffy and Angel as they patrolled, murmuring as they did so that there was that Summers girl.
Man, wasn't she intense?
Y'know I heard that she beat up one of the teachers.
Really? Jeez.
Well I heard that when that gang attacked at like parent-teacher night she like beat them all up.
Who told you that?
My dad; he was there.
What else he say?
That I was failing Chem class.
Sorry man that's really bad luck.
I know, and I thought I was doing so well.
Well y'know that teacher's like evil on grading; he gave me like a D.
Man that's bad. Hey wait…you always get D's.
No I don't. Not always, I get some C-'s.
Yeah, right.
No really, I just don't apply myself….
Angel passed by, hearing the words but uninterested in the content. He was mildly amused to learn that Buffy was supposed to have attacked the Mayor, the Police Chief and the owner of the local Ben and Jerry's. She was also it seemed some kind of psychotic nymphomaniac and had been seen many times in the graveyard so it was assumed that she was some kind of religious nut. The kind, it turned out, that dug up bodies to eat.
Buffy was more upset to learn that someone thought she had gone totally wrong with her outfit on Friday. Someone thought that it was just so over it was painful.
She sulked for a while at this news. Then perked up when it was revealed that she was a local gang lord, who ruled half the town like her own personal kingdom. It was even thought she had links with Chicago, and was the daughter of some high up mob-boss, being raised away from the city to avoid kidnapping. And also to set up a power base in Sunnydale.
"Remind me why anyone would think that you're an escaped convict who's had a face lift and is redoing high school to avoid the cops." Angel asked as they arrived in the graveyard.
Buffy shrugged.
"Goes with the territory," she said absently as she concentrated on the darkness around her. Angel flicked her a look. Always amazed that she could go from easy-going joker to cold, concise and concentrated he shook his head slightly at the stars.
He was moderately surprised when she picked him up on it. He realised he shouldn't have been, after all she was the slayer and should be able to notice everything around her. So he simply shrugged off her query and checking his watch, returned his attention to the patrol.
Ten minutes.
* * *
There was still nine minutes to go when Xander and Willow slipped in amongst the graves and began walking towards Buffy's favourite spot.
Xander was leading. Adopting a tough attitude he led Willow through the stones and trees, one hand on her arm, the other resting on his belt knife. Despite his manner she could tell he was nervous, his eyes swept the cemetery as he walked looking for danger, his knuckles on his knife hand were white with strain. Willow wasn't feeling much better, she had levelled the crossbow against her stomach and her finger lay on the trigger. Already she'd almost shot two shadows and a stray cat.
"Remember," he breathed, barely loud enough for her to hear, "We're vamp control, we just take out the minions while Buffy and dead-boy go for the smart ones, and then we find out what last night was about."
"I know," she whispered back.
"And stay close to me," he added as he pulled a longer knife than the one he was wearing out of his bag. Its blade was curved around towards the handle, to wield it you had to hold the hilt solidly and go for damage on your back handed blows. He transferred his belt knife into his left hand and placed it flat against Willows back as he led her; the deadlier blade went into his right palm. He flicked it experimentally in the moonlight.
Willow resisted the urge to stare, trying instead to concentrate on the area around her.
The top of Buffy's favourite monument appeared between the branches and a few seconds later the undergrowth disappeared and it was fully revealed to them. Standing straight in the dull light supplied by the moon and stars shadows were cast all around it. And the stone looked as dead as a vampire's skin in the limited illumination, the grey marble seemed dull and deadly.
She turned to him, her worry evident on her face.
"Where are they?"
"We're a few minutes early," he replied, staring ahead at the statue, "they'll be here soon." With that he stepped forward, out of their cover and slowly walked forward across the clearing, watching all sides as he went. Willow followed him, twisting from side to side as she walked, aiming at first one tree and then another trying to cover all angles of attack.
Xander, now so fully in soldier-mode that she half expected him to start calling her ma'am again, signalled to her to stop where she was. He indicated himself and then signed to her that he was going to snoop around the other sides. What was it called, she asked herself, oh yes - establishing a perimeter.
He inclined his head, asking if it was all right for him to leave her. Willow nodded slightly and he padded off into the darkness.
Resisting the temptation to close her eyes and whimper Willow bit down on her fear and continued watching the area around her. Waiting for Xander, waiting for Buffy, waiting for Angel, waiting for something to happen.
A small, detached portion of her brain was working out the odds of survival. In between calculating numbers it began to yell at her that they still hadn't told her the full plan, if in fact there was one. What happened if there wasn't a plan? What was she supposed to do? What if -
- Crack! -
Willow spun at the sound, her fingers tightening on the crossbow, holding it hard against her chest for leverage. She was so ready to fire she almost didn't look at her target.
Almost but not quite.
A glimpse of khaki among the trees made her catch her aim, delay the instinct.
She waited.
And then,
Xander stepped out of the bushes in front of her.
She cried out in relief at the sight of him.
"Oh god, Xander! I nearly shot you! I just heard…and I was so close…I could have killed you, but I didn't and…" she trailed off taking in his appearance. The curved blade in his right hand was slicked with red, the dark lines stood out like oil against the bright metal. His sweater was hanging off him on one shoulder, the material rent. Blood dripped from a mark on his neck, already the collar of his sweater was marked with it, and similar satins were spread across his abdomen and chest. Although he stood completely still she got the impression that really he was wavering in his stance, and that it took a lot of effort for him simply to stay on his feet.
And he just stood there staring at her.
Or rather, past her.
Slowly, almost as though he wasn't hurrying at all he switched the blades in his hands, the curved to the left, the belt knife to the right. Then, as if there was no hurry or no danger, he pulled back his right arm and flicked the short blade at Willow.
Right at her head.
Frozen in shock she didn't move, couldn't move as she watched the silver blur dart through the air towards her. Caught in slow motion she closed her eyes, prepared herself for the impact.
She didn't think about Xander, about his reasons. Instead her last thought as she felt rather than saw the line of steel come closer to her cheek was something along the lines of; oh well, at least it won't hurt for long.
The knife, suddenly as quick as reality, slammed past her face without even scratching her. Instead she heard a screaming growl from behind her as it hit home.
Spinning she saw Xander's knife embedded in the throat of a minion. Although Vampire's can't die from metal through the heart, cut their throats and even they will find it hard to concentrate or fend off an attack.
Screaming in pain the creature ripped the blade from its throat, and although its blood-loss was obviously threatening to overpower it, it began to advance towards Willow.
Without even thinking she brought up the crossbow, and without aiming, fired.
The wooden shaft hit the vampire in the centre of its chest, and perforating cloth, flesh and bone it rammed home straight into the heart.
It was dust before it even hit the ground.
Willow stared down at where the vampire had died. Outside, among the earth and grass of the cemetery the dusty remains of the un-dead weren't even visible. For a few seconds she wondered what would happen if she ever became a vampire. Would she re-gain her soul, and like Angel fight against them, or would she become evil and feed on her friends and family until Buffy was forced to kill her? Willow shook her head defiantly at the trees, no, that wasn't going to happen. And even if it did maybe she'd just catch one last sunrise and be done with it.
"Willow," Xander murmured from behind her, "don't drift on me now. Vampire packs aren't generally as small as two."
She turned round to him, holding the crossbow loosely in her hand.
She froze and brought the bow back up, aiming beyond Xander as she saw what lurked behind him.
"Yeah son, you're right," said Spike as he stepped out from behind the trees, and began walking slowly towards them.
Xander turned at the voice, flicking his remaining blade to his other hand he back-pedalled to stand beside Willow, raising the blood-streaked knife in defence.
"After all," continued the blond vampire, "we wouldn't want to make it easy for you would we." As he spoke five others detached themselves from the darkness behind him and advanced on the two teens.
"Is this part of the plan?" Willow asked Xander with a kind of loopy clarity bordering on panic.
Spike laughed.
"Luv," he said to her, "I have a feeling that any plan you had, has just gone out the bloody window."
|
