Lycanthrope, Vampirism, and Magick

Lycanthrope, Vampirism and Magick Chapter Ten

“Do you think you can help her Leo?”

Xander watched as Leo’s hand glowed slightly over Cordelia’s still form. He had his arms wrapped around Angel’s middle as the vampire looked on. He knew that at one point Angel had feelings for his ex, but not anymore. Still it was hard for the two men, seethe the fiery beauty they had at one point in time both love so quiet.

Spike was leaning on the door trying to look like he had no interest at all but Xander knew better. If anything he was worried because they were worried. He’d been surprised at the depth of feeling he’d found in Spike, the blond may act like the Big Bad, but he had a caring heart. Xander wished he’d gotten to know the vampire earlier.

It had been unexpected, but he really felt like he had a home, a pack, here with these two men.

The rest of the Angel Investigations team was in the hallway while Leo and Piper talked about Cordy in the bedroom. Finally they turned and it was Piper how answered their question.

“We think we can. The visions and the fact that she willingly turned herself into a demon are making problems. You say that she did that to keep the visions from the Elders?”

“Yes, she had all these brain scans and she was dying and we didn’t know about it till it was too late. Will she be okay?” Xander hated this, Angel sounded so worried and he could hear the others talking out in the hall.

Leo looked at his wife and Xander was glad for that they had made up, they really were a great couple.

“I think we can. I’ll have to go visit the Elders first and see what happened wrong with the visions. Then if we can fix that we’ll have to strip her of her demonic powers, they aren’t natural and were put in place just to help bring Jasmine into the world. I can heal humans but not demons or non-humans like Xander. Once we make her fully human again we can heal her.”

“It would help if we had a cell sample or something from while she was human. You think you can find anything like that in her things?”

Angel gave Xander’s arms a squeeze and then stepped out of his hold, moving for the door.

“I’m sure I can find something in her stuff. We’ve got most of it here, Fred should know where it is.”

Leo and Piper followed but before they could get out the door, Xander touched Pipn thn the arm.

“Thanks Piper. You’re being really good about all this.”

“You’re welcome Xander. I still can’t help but be wary around all these demons, but if you trust them, I trust them. I just hate that you won’t be coming back home with us.”

Xander smiled at the woman. He always wished in his heart of hearts his mother had been like Piper. Between running her club, demon hunting and parenthood she didn’t have much time and often got frustrated. Still she would find a way to be there for her children even if it meant she was baking Wyatt cookies in the oven while a potion was bubbling on the stove.

His mother had been a stay at home because in the woman’s place type and he still ate TV dinners more often than not. Since going out on his own he had found he never wanted to see a can of Chef Boyardee again. Even if he ended up hunting for rabbit or rattler.

“Hey it’s not like I’m giving up my uncle duties, I’ve just moved them to a different location. I’ve already talked to Paige and she doesn’t mind either orbing the kids here or me there. Angel even said we could keep the room they’re sleeping in right now as theirs. That way we’ll have everything we need. And we can always come up there to visit. I know Lorne is already bugging Wes and Phoebe for a glamour so he can visit P3.”

“I know honey, it’s just that we’ll miss you. I’d better catch up with Leo and see what he’s found.” With a hug she wat tht the door.

“Seems like your witchy friends are okay with you being here.” Spike was still holding up the doorframe and Xander went over to join him, leaning on the wall next to him while looking at Cordelia.

“Yeah, they just aren’t used to working with demons, you know? I’ve only been staying with them this summer but once they accepted the fact that I wasn’t going to eat anyone I kinda fit right in. I guess it’s because I have this, I don’t know, need to protect children and anyone weaker than me.”

“You’re a beta wolf Pup. Protect the pack, protect the cubs. From what stories I’ve heard from the Dale that was part of you long before you went all furry. Now let’s go annoy Peaches, he’s going to be brooding about Cheerleader here and about the Slayer and her minions getting here tonight.”

“Fuck. Can’t I just stay in four-legged form till they leave? I so don’t want to do this; they’ll be pissed at me, and there will be yelling and Buffy will not like the fact that I’ve hooked up with you two fanged wonders. Come to think of it she’ll freak out if it was just you two. Besides it’s the first night of the full moon, if I can’t go out an hunt demons I’d love to at least lock ourselves in a room and have some.” .” He leered at Spike.

“Remember Pup, your former best friend is a witch now too, and not like these birds. I’m not going to wake up in the morning a rat just because you were too chicken to face ‘em. Besides while I have some kinks, going after you in wolf form is not one of them Pup, like whatever I’m shagging to be bipedal at least.”

Xander squelched his face up at that idea. “Ewwww. Yeah I get it. Still tonight is not going to be fun.”

“Come on then Pup, let’s go have some fun now. We’ll go drag Batvamp out of his cave.” Spike leaned forward and Xander closed his eyes, waiting for his kiss.

What he got was a peck on the cheek and the sound of slightly mocking laughter.

“You’re it Pup!”

“Why you!” Spike was running down the corridor ainceince he didn’t have to breathe he was able to taunt Xander further by singing ‘Hungry Like A Wolf’ on the way down the corridor. Undead bastard, not giving him his kiss. Xander grinne him himself and started chasing, following the scent of leather and smoke and sex.

It felt good just to run through the corridors of the hotel. He always had way too much energy during the full moon. Paige orbed up to see what the commotion was and ended up playing too, trying to guess whereher her man would show up and orb down in front of them, blocking their path.

He’d play like this with Paige in San Francisco, but never in the Manor, Piper would have fits. But they’d go to a park or something, it helped Paige’s orbing skills and help Xander let off some steam. More often or not he’d have Wyatt in his carrier on his back and the toddler would scream with delight.

They raced towards the lobby and he suddenly stopped. Someone was in the hotel that smelled of magic and darkness. Growling he moved to the stairs, intent on attacking whatever it was before they could hurt anyone.

Spike grabbed him though, and he struggled for a moment before the vampire shook him.

“Calm down Pup. Looks like the Sunnydale players showed up early, so quit you’re growling!”

“But the scent, its old and magick and dark Spike. What the fuck…?”

“Told you Red went all evil when her girl died, right? She smells of power and even though she’s gotten better she still has the taint of the magicks she stole. And you’ve never scented the Slayer, you’ll have a reaction to her too because she hunts our kind. That’s what you’re sensing. Wonder what they’re doing here so early, figure somebody wanted to see Peaches and talk of cookies again.”

“What?” That knocked Xander out of his protective stance. “Cookies?”

“Yeah, last time the Slayer and our Peaches got together she nattered on about cookies and baking and how she’d find the right person to eat her when she was done. Bet she’s finally decided to let Peaches have a nibble.” Spike’s eyes were flashing yellow, the demon slipping into view and Xander couldn’t help but feel the same.

“Not gonna happen if I have to roll my submission in front of everyone Spike. Angel’s ours, she can’t have him.” He looked down into the lobby and sure enough there were the people he hadn’t seen in years.

Buffy was thinner, sharper. All angles and points and she looked tired. Giles looked tired as well, but other than that he was pretty much the same, other than the fact he was wearing jeans and a sweatshirt for once. He could still smell the taint of chaos magick on the older man but he kind of expected that from Giles. He remembered wondering about Ripper and Ethan back in school.

Willow was there looking much the same, only older, sadder. It was hard for him to believe that she would have destroyed the world, if it hadn’t been for Buffy’s sister. She was standing next to a young girl that was looking at Lorne like he was a bug and Xander found himself growling again. Wes and Fred were standing to one side as Angel talked to Buffy.

“That’s Kennedy, Willow’s new girl. Chip on her shoulder and aggressive. One of the many new slayers running around.” From the tone of Spike’s voice he could tell the vampire couldn’t stand her.

“God this is not gonna be fun. Might as well go down and get it over with. Take my medicine like a man and all that crap.” He looked down at his former and present friends and whined low in his throat.

“Come on, be a good Puppy and I’ll give you a treat right before moonrise. Besides Peaches has a deer in the headlights look to him.” Spike grabbed his hand and dragged him down the stairs.

“You don’t have to drag me you know, I’m going.”

“Be glad I don’t use a leash Pup.” The tone was flippant but he couldn’t help the feeling of fear that ran down his spine. Spike stopped and Xander knew he’d scented the change in his emotions.

“I’ll tell you and Angel later, okay’m j’m just not comfortable with being locked up. Long story. Right now I have to get through this.” A cool hand squeezed his arm in a comforting manner.

“Whenever your ready Pup.” Xander just smiled and continued on his own down the stairs. Spike passed him on the way down and met the others first.

“Slayer, Watcher, Witch, Bitch. Nice you coulde ite it to our war party, got someone here you’ll want to see.” Xander had to laugh at the look on the Kennedy girl’s face. He knew that Spike did that for him, to get him to lighten up. From upstairs he could hear Piper and Leo coming down with the babies. Before anyone else could show up to watch him make an ass out of himself he stepped forward.

“Hi guys.”

There was a long, uncomfortable moment of silence before Giles started forward.

“Xander?”

“Yeah G-man, the one and only. Long time no see huh? Nice to see the lack of tweed in your wardrobe.”

“Oh my God Xander you’re so…”

“Different! Very different, I didn’t even recognized you. Did you recognize him Buffy? He’s all tall and tan and he needs a haircut; his Dad will freak if he saw him with long hair. Are those leather pants? Where have you been? Why didn’t you call us or visit?”

Xander had to laugh; both at the Willow-babble and the glazed look on the faces of the Halliwells. By now everyone was in the lobby. Willow looked like she was ready to vibrate herself through floofloor and was holding onto her girlfriend with a death grip. Buffy finally figured out who he was and started walking forward, passing Giles who still had an odd look on hice. ce.

“Hey Buffy, how are you?” He tried to ignore the scents coming off the Sunnydale group, the anger, hurt, and surprisingly lust. He always figured Giles went for the bad boy/non-human type. Just look at Ethan. Before he could figure out everything, a fist came flying at him. He rocked back on his heels.

“What the fuck! Buffy! Why in the hell did you hit me?” He could hear both Angel’s and Spike’s low growling, and Piper wasn’t much different. She had handed off Chris to Lorne and he could see her flexing her hand in case she needed to freeze anyone with her powers.

He watched as the girl he used to love pull back to hit him again. This time he moved, using his supernatural strength to stop the punch, holding on to her and making her stop. He could see the shock in her eyes that he was that strong, and heard several intakes of breathe. He grabbed her other arm before she could take a shot and lifted her off the floor.

“Stop it right now! Xander let go of the blonde. And you, back away from him missy. He’s been nervous enough about coming back to see his old friends without you making it worse. Spike! Angel! Stop growling! We are all going to sit down and talk like civilized beings if I have to freeze every darn one of you to do it!”

Xander felt himself flush and let go of the Slayer. He knew he was being too aggressive; he just acted first when attacked.

“Yes Mom.”

“Don’t you Mom me mister! Or else your stuck babysitting tonight instead of having fun. And no Spike, I don’t want to know what type of fun you guys have planned.”

The groups split up, Buffy and the Scoobies sitting on one of the couches while the others spaced themselves out. Xander found himself in-between Spike and Paige, and both of them had a hand giving him support. Either that or to keep him from attacking anyone, he wasn’t sure.

Piper, Giles and Angel were in the middle of the floor; mediating and even in the middle of the hurt and anger he was feeling he found it funny. The mother and father figures of the two groups keeping them all out of trouble. Piper took it upon herself to make introductions for the Halliwells and he could see Giles’s eyes widt tht the thought that he was meeting the Charmed Ones. Finally Piper looked at Buffy and you could tell she was angry.

“Care to tell us why you just walk in here and hit Xander? Because it’s not going to happen again, I don’t care if you are the oldest slayer. He’s our family and you really don’t want to see how we handle threats to the family, they end up going poof.”

“Are you threatening me?”

Piper looked at Buffy like she was insane but it was Paige beside of him who answered.

”Why yes I do believe she is.”

He watched as Buffy straightened and gave the witches what could only be called a dirty look.

“Xander abandoned us. He left for some idiotic trip and never came back; all we got were a few lousy phone calls. He’s the one you should be mad at, Xander you don’t know how badly you hurt us, Willow was worried to death. We needed you and you weren’t there. Now you’re here asking for our help? Why should we?”
ndernder found both his hands gripped and knew Paige and Spike could hear his growling. He took a deep breath.

“Because if you don’t help the Hellmouth will open and innocent children will be killed? How’s that Buffy? And for the record you people abandoned me long before I stopped trying. Fuck I needed you guys at the end of 1999 more than I’ve even needed my friends.”

“But every time I called you were always too busy. I waited through a ten-minute rant on Oz leaving, hoping that Wills would calm down enough to talk and she finally hung up on me. I called your dorm two or three times only to be brushed off. Hell I even left a message for your Mom on Halloween! In fact the only person who made the time to talk to me was around Christmas and I got Spike when he was living with Giles. And he said he gave you the message Giles, I believe him because I was careful to word it to make sure he’d tell. I knew Blondie here couldn’t pass up a chance of making life miserable for someone.”

He looked over at Spike and smiled at the smirk on the vampire’s face. Spike may have a soul but the vampire was still mostly evil. Not in the ‘I want to kill everyone and take over the world’ way but in the ‘I’m going to annoy you till you tear out your overly gelled hair’ way.

“In fact I had planned to come and visit if I could, but it was Spike who convinced me to stay away from Sunnydale. With the Initiative around it wasn’t safe for folks like us, Spike’s chip was a testimony to that. I’d hate to see what they would have done if they got a hold of me.”

“’Folks like us’ Xander? Whatever do you mean?”

”Same ol’ Giles, able to say what the hell politely. I mean for someone who is a non-human.”

“But Xander you’re human, you’ve always been normal.” Willow’s voice was softly pleading.

“Sorry Wills, you’ll have to pick someone else out to be your token ordinary one. That was why I needed help, why I was desperate to talk to you guys and you never listened, not once. I was bitten by a werewolf, and it let the hyena out of the cage in my head making me even more dangerous than any normal were.” He couldn’t keep the anger or the growl out of his voice.

“While you guys were upset about boyfriends and demonic roommates and having a fucking mid-life crisis I was trying to control myself. I was wolfing out in the freaking supermarket in the middle of the day! I didn’t have a home phone; you’re lucky I had the chance to call when I did. I worked ove over a year learning how to control myself. I had to teach myself how to hunt and fight and survive all by myself. So tell me Slayer…” He couldn’t keep the distain from his voice. “Tell me, who abandoned who?”


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