To Save A Vampire

Chapter Six

Even though she wasn’t powerful enough to remove the curse from Buffy, Willow was still riding a magical high and she had an idea how she might be able to use that magic if she could get to her goal. She was riding so high she didn’t notice the vampires that trailed her or when they got too close that they started to burn from the inside out, screaming as they turned to ash.

After a few of them did that, word quickly spread to leave the little witch alone tonight; that she was in some type of bad mood and vampires were on the menu, it seemed.

Willow quickly made her way to the Crawford Street Mansion and knocked on the door. She waited for Vic to open the door and, when he didn’t, she started to get worried. After two more tries with no response, she opened the door and went inside. Finding nothing amiss, she continued through the rest of the first floor. In the kitchen she saw the makings of lunch and a couple of empty bags of blood lying on the counter that she quickly cleaned up while she pondered where they might be.

She then went upstairs, remembering the cryptic remark that Angel had told Vic about the re-enforced room. She made her way to the master bedroom and knocked on the door. She heard movement inside as well as Xander whimpering.

“Go away! Unless you’re Angel, you’re not getting in here,” Vic called out.

“We’ll see about that,” Willow said as her eyes turned silver again. As she stared at the door, some of her hair started to turn silver also and she started to shake. The little witch had to stop and take a breath or two because it seemed that the door was magic-proofed as well. This was going to take some serious effort.

As she concentrated on opening the door she started sweating. She didn’t notice that the sweat was tinged with silver, making it look like mercury running down her face. After a while she heard the first lock slide out of place and then the other two popped open. She had to stop for a second and take a quick breath. Then she wiped her forehead, gritted her teeth, and raised her hands, making motions of locks opening this way and that way. Finally the last lock opened and the door swung silently on its hinges to lie against the opposite wall.

Falling to her knees, Willow gasped for breath. She could still feel the surplus of magic in her, but it was physically draining to use it and her legs felt like Jell-O. Upon hearing a snick, a sound of a crossbow loading an arrow, she quickly looked up and saw Vic standing at the foot of the bed that Xander was on, ready to protect him.

“Now, unless you want to see if your magic can stop this arrow, you had better start talking. I remember you from the library and you stopped Xander from hurting himself, but that doesn’t give you free reign to just barge in here. So talk. Why are you here?” asked Vic.

“I had to get away from Buffy before I did something I might regret. I also have this surplus of good energy that I’m planning on channeling through Xander to fight any infections he might have and to speed up the healing process. With it, I may be able to restore his voice to normal and remove some of the physical pain. After that we can work on the mental pain.”

“What do you mean you have a surplus of magical energy? Don’t you guys usually want to keep that?” asked Vic.

“Most of us do, but with me it can only lead to trouble,” grinned Willow.

“Alright, you stay there. I’m going to ask Xander and see what he thinks. If he agrees, then you can try using your magic, but if he doesn’t, you can just get out of here until Angel shows up. Deal?”

Sighing, Willow said, “Deal.”

Keeping the crossbow trained on her the best he could, Vic walked backwards towards the head of the bed before leaning down to talk to Xander. All Willow could see of Xander were his eyes and she thought for a moment that he looked a little like those sand dwellers from Star Wars with the glowing red eyes. She heard Vic talking to him and his scratching response, but couldn’t make out the words.

Vic stood up and turned towards Willow. “He said that he trusts you and that he wants you to go ahead. But I’m asking you to please be gentle. The kid has gone through hell and back. Even I, as a vampire, am repulsed at the damage done to him.”

Willow stood and walked towards the head of the bed. Turning towards Vic she said, “I need to see him. I need these covers removed so that I can touch him and let the magic flow. Just seeing his eyes is not enough for this kind of magic. Also, while I will be as gentle as possible, the accelerated healing will hurt some, but that can’t be helped. You won’t be able to help me, except to catch me when I am drained.”

“Okay,” said Vic, still worried about Xander. Even though he knew the kid was not for him, there was something about Xander that made him want to protect him. Even his own demon demanded that he protect him. He knew he was just a minion, but he was smarter than the average minion, and he knew that staying on the right side of the situation was a way to last longer around here. Plus it was nice have people to talk with, instead of just grunting and fighting.

After steadily unwrapping Xander and listening to him whimper as he was moved and the scabs breaking open again, they both started to hum the same tuneless tune that seemed to relax Xander into a lulled state of mind.

After he was unwrapped, Willow took stock of what she had to do, and it took all her strength not to cry or run out and kill Tony Harris. Tony Harris was an expert at inflicting pain and damage, at least on his son. While he had disfigured his son’s face, he didn’t touch the eyes so there wasn’t any swelling. That meant the boy could crawl away after he was done with him.

The cuts and burns would leave deep scars and ruts on a normal person’s face, but Willow vowed that even if it took every last bit of life energy she possessed, every bit of facial trauma would be erased.

Looking further down his body, she noticed that he was missing most of his teeth, and the ones he did have were chipped and broken. She knew from talking with Angel that his jaw wasn’t broken or he wouldn’t have been able to talk to him this morning.

There was bruising around his neck; some from his father choking Xander with his bare hands, while others were from numerous rope burns. From the swelling she could see in his right shoulder it was obvious that at one time it had been dislocated and put back into place. Following that arm down she saw that all five fingers were not only broken, but something worse had been done to them. Second-degree burns marred each fingertip and palm so that he couldn’t touch anything with his hand. Angel and Vic had put some sort of cream on the burns, but were waiting for the blisters to burst before wrapping them with antibiotic ointment and pain relief cream. She looked and noticed that the left hand was in the same condition.

Letting her eyes roam over his torso, she noticed deep bruising in the shape of a boot and wondered if he had broken ribs, and if so, why he wasn’t wrapped.

As if reading her mind, Vic answered, “No ribs are broken. Some are cracked, but if you look closer, some of those black marks aren’t bruises they are burns. We can’t wrap burns so we decided to watch out for his ribs and go from there.”

She nodded as she fought back tears. Xander noticed this, closed his eyes, and turning his head, cried out when even that hurt from the damage done by the ropes.

Noticing that Xander’s legs were still covered, she once again turned towards Vic and raised and eyebrow. Vic blushed and said, “Its sorta for Xander’s privacy. There aren’t any breaks, but there is lots and lots of bruising. No burns, one knee swollen - - and no damage that we can see to the privates. Why? We don’t know. And one foot is completely crushed. His father never seemed to repeat a torture on the opposite side, except for the hands.”

“Okay, this is going to be tricky. One: I’m loaded with magic I never would have had in the first place if it weren’t for all the charged emotions surrounding Xander. Two: I’m going to be making up the spell as I go, so you might want to be at the foot of the bed.”

Nodding, Vic quickly moved into position and stood guard at the door.

Willow let her eyes turn silver again and let the power take over, letting it flow thru her and downward into Xander as she recited the spell:

Hera, Hecate, Apollo, Gods of Old
Lend me your healing magic ancient & bold
Give me strength to heal this warrior, this man
Hurt by father’s hand and false friend’s evil plan

Heal the cuts, heal the burns, heal the joints
Fix Him from head to finger point
Take all my strength, take all my power
Take everything even if this is my final hour

Bones be mended,
flesh be tended
voice be restored
strength revived for evermore

Soul’s prayer be swiftly lifted
Heart’s burden be quickly shifted
Memories’ sharp edge be dulled
Into sleep let him be lulled

Throughout the spell, magic flowed and swirled around Xander. It went into the top of his head and came out the bottom of his feet and the tips of his fingers, but not once did he cry out, for even then the magic had started to heal. It wasn’t the words of the spell that did the trick, but what was behind them that shaped this magic; this was magic of the heart, of friendship, of love, and of life. This was the only magic that would cure and reshape the form of Alexander LaValle Harris back into what it was before his father got hold of him.

Through it all Xander laid there, feeling the energy of the magic flowing through him already giving him a boost. He knew that this spell was going to work because it was powered by love, and he could feel it in the flow. But when he heard the phrase “my final hour” he tried to stop her from completing the spell, knowing that she was risking her life for his, but the spell held him still, and he couldn’t cry out to put an end to it. He felt the tears start to form and fall from his undamaged eyes. He just knew that this was the last time he would see his Willow, and he wasn’t even able to tell her good-bye.

Xander could feel the magic work; the burns and cuts on his face had stopped hurting and the skin crawled back into place. As he looked down at his right hand he saw the blisters reverse themselves and disappeare back into his skin and, as the magic did its work, he found that he could move his hands without pain.

He felt his ribs re-aligning themselves and the cracks being healed, but it wasn’t until the bones in his feet started to snap back into place that he silently cried out. It was a very painful process as each little bone joined with the next, healed, and then reconnected and moved. Finally, after about five minutes it was complete. All the joints and bones were healed and back in place, the burns were gone, and the cuts and scars had vanished. There would be some bruising for a few days, but he could live with that.

As he looked over, he saw Willow’s eyes roll up in her head and she fell, her head bouncing off the floor. Neither he nor Vic were fast enough to catch her.

“Willow,” Xander screamed, not noticing nor caring that his voice was back to normal; his concern was for Willow.

Her hair was still striped silver and her breathing was shallow. Vic put her into bed next to Xander after pushing Xander back into bed.

“Oh, no, you don’t. She just about killed herself to get you back to this stage and you’re not going to undo it by getting up and then falling down. You two stay in bed until Angel gets here and we all have a talk.” Vic smiled down at Xander. “Though I have to say, your little friend here is pretty impressive with the magic.”

“I know, but she may have used too much,” Xander said worriedly.


Back at the library, Buffy had just finished suffering through another session of Xander’s torture. Unlike Xander’s memories, she suffered through the real thing and there would be no dulling of the sharp edge of the pain.

Angel had just gotten off the phone, and walked over to Giles.

“Our little red head witch lied to us. It seems she had plenty of magic left over to remove the curse she placed on Buffy, but instead, she used it to fix Xander back up almost as good as new. But according to Vic she worded the spell to use up everything, even if it meant her death.”

“Good Lord, when will these children learn?” Giles mumbled while wiping his eyes. Now that one child was out of danger, another had placed themselves there to save the first one. Plus he had one that might go mentally insane because of a curse placed by the now endangered one. This was getting out of hand.

“Buffy, do get up. You’re not helpless, just mentally fatigued,” snapped Giles, who was still angry at what she had started. He herded everyone into his car and drove over to Angel’s mansion.

Once they had all piled out of the car, they went upstairs to the master bedroom where Xander, Willow, and Vic were.

“Get Buffy out of here,” growled Xander. “I never want to see her again.”

Grabbing Buffy’s arm before she could speak, Angel dragged her downstairs and threw her on the couch. He told her, “Just say one word, just one word, and I will see if the chains I have will hold a slayer or not.”

He turned and marched back up the stairs to see if he could help Willow or Xander. Though, from what he could see of Xander, Willow had worked a miracle with her magic.

When Angel got back upstairs Xander was sitting in one of the chairs by the window. Vic had started a small fire to keep him warm and Xander was wrapped up in a blanket. Even though Vic is just a minion he is proving to be an asset to have around, thought Angel. He looked over and noticed that Giles was checking on Willow. He was passing some sort of stone across her forehead and then down her body. Watching it flutter and flash, Giles sat back and sighed a huge sigh of relief.

“She will live. She just emptied herself of all the magic she had from the emotional charge we all created, and now she is just too tired to stay awake. When she wakes up she will have the equivalent of a magical hangover and she will find her ability to store magical energy has doubled. I also think the silver streaks are permanent,” Giles said, answering everyone’s unasked questions.

“Thank the gods,” Xander said. “I was worried when she used that final hour line. I didn’t want her to die in an attempt to save me, but I couldn’t cry out or do anything to stop her,” he said as he started to cry.

Angel walked over, picked him up, placed him in his lap, and just held him. Xander turned, crying into Angel’s shoulder. Giles knew that, while Willow may have healed the physical damage done to Xander, the mental damage would take a far longer time to heal; time they might not have.

Motioning to Vic, they turned and left the two alone, with Willow still unconscious. Giles looked down at his watch, noticed the time and quickly ran downstairs. He stood in front of his slayer and started making gestures:

For now until I say
Or until a new day
No sound from you we will hear
Nothing from your lips to our ears

As Giles finished the incantation, his eyes flashed black with silver points of light in them, making them look like eyes full of the evening sky.

Just then the clock struck 11o’clock. Buffy grabbed her head and fell sideways onto the couch. She started screaming, but no sound was heard. Giles fell back onto the nearest chair and just sighed.

Vic, following suit, looked over at the slayer. Then, turning to Giles, he offered his hand. “I don’t think we have been properly introduced. Name’s Vic; vampire. I brought Xander to Angel last night.”

Taking the vampire’s hand in his and shaking it, Giles responded, “Rupert Giles; father figure to these children. And for doing that - - vampire or not, you have my eternal thanks. What I don’t understand is why you didn’t finish Xander off last night.”

“To be honest, the way he looked last night before we cleaned him up, he looked really gross, like something a chaos demon threw up,” Vic said, shuddering.

Giles just looked at him and chuckled.


Upstairs in the bedroom, Xander had cried himself out and was lying against Angel’s chest. He felt safe there, knowing that nothing would get past the vampire to harm him, not even Buffy. That was why he had headed this way in the first place after what his father had done to him.

“Angel, I’m going to need your help, more than you’ve already given me,” Xander started to say.

“Hush, anything you needed, I have given willingly. And if you need more, then you’ll get more,” Angel said softly, so as not to wake Willow or startle Xander.

“I don’t have much in the way of material things, but what I do have, I want to keep. I’m afraid my father will destroy them if they remain in his house for too long. I want to get them out of there. Please, can you help me?” he quietly pleaded. Xander hated to be in a position of having to ask for help, but he had no other choice. Even though all of his injuries were healed he had no energy to move, let alone to go and face his father.

Knowing what a blow it was to his pride for Xander to ask for help, Angel agreed. He figured that, along with Giles and Vic, it shouldn’t take long to pack up the boy’s stuff and bring it all to the Mansion.

When Xander started telling him of all the hidey-holes that he had stashed money, comic books, and other valuables in, and the reasons for such tactics, he quickly changed his mind. They were going to have to keep his parents busy so that they could rescue everything the boy had hidden.

What a childhood you must have had if you had to hide everything from being broken, sold, or given away to pay a debt, Angel thought.

As they were talking, both Angel and Xander suddenly stiffened as they felt a surge of mystical energy surround the house. Vic and Giles, who were down stairs, also felt the power. It was coming from somewhere on the other side of the front door. They rushed to the bottom of the stairs in case they had to defend it. Buffy joined them, still panting from her latest bout with Xander’s memories.

Upstairs, Xander got weakly to his feet so that Angel could stand and be able to defend the two teenagers. Angel placed Xander gently back into the chair, moving

Downstairs, a beautiful woman in a black toga, with two shadowy dogs, stepped through the front door. As she looked around, she sneered at the pitiful state the first floor was in. Waving her arms dramatically, the first floor was magically changed. The kitchen was stocked with fresh food, fruits and vegetables, plus supplies for the vampires; those currently in residence and those that she and she alone knew were to come. She then turned to her left and the rooms there were transformed. The living room and den were re-done to be more comfortable and inviting, plus the library now contained more books on demons, magic and healing than Giles and Angel’s combined had before.

Satisfied, she started towards the stairs. Giles recognized her. He grabbed Vic and pulled him out of the way, but Buffy didn’t move. Looking at the Slayer in distain, the woman just flicked her finger knocking the slayer over to one side, like a piece of lint off one’s clothing.

She ascended the stairs, heading toward the master bedroom. Giles and Vic quietly followed her with Buffy, huffily, bringing up the rear. Giles could tell she wanted to say something, but his spell still held sway and so Buffy couldn’t speak.

Since the bedroom door was already open, they could see what the mysterious woman was up to as they hit the top of the stairs. Giles motioned Angel away as she moved to the side of the bed that Willow was on. The two shadowy figured dogs took positions at the foot of the bed, laid down, and quietly went to sleep, but still giving the impression that they were on guard should the need arise to protect their mistress.

The woman held her hand over the young witch, gliding it slowly the length of Willow’s body, frowning at different points along the way. Once she had done this a couple of times, she turned away from Willow and walked around the foot of the bed, going over to and doing the same to Xander as he sat in the chair. This time she frowned at more points than she did while she scanned Willow.

Finally she walked up to Giles and ran her hands up and down in front of him a couple of times as well.

When she was finished she finally spoke her first words, “As you have guessed, Watcher, I am Hecate, goddess of magic and witchcraft. Because of the powerful surges of magical energy that I felt earlier tonight, I have come here to investigate what has happened and why. After scanning you and the two children, their memories, magical points, and the damage done to the boy, I agree to the use of such powerful magic in a short time.

“However, such power does not come without a price. The young witch will have trouble handling magic for a long while because she will be overly sensitive to it.

“The boy has a price to pay, as well, for all the healing energy that flowed through him tonight. Everyone has in them, the innate ability to learn magic, but in most people the pathways are blocked. His, unfortunately, have been blasted open by the sheer amount of power Willow let flow through his body. He has the potential now to be stronger than she will ever be, but only if he works diligently at it.

“And, as for you, Giles, you need to decide and decide soon: black or white. You are getting too old to play in the gray with these children and, from what I have seen, I would go with the black. You will need it. Remember the prophecy.

“Now, any questions before I leave?” she asked.

“Yes, just one. Can you remove the curse that Willow put on Buffy?” Giles wondered.

“Yes - - and no. I won’t, but I will modify it so she can sleep at night and slay,” Hecate said. Holding her hand over the blonde’s head, both started to glow. After a few minutes the glow faded and Buffy sagged.

“The curse has been modified to this: from eight in the morning to eight in the evening the slayer will suffer the memories, but instead of five minutes it is now ten minutes. But after eight in the evening she will have nothing but peace. This will begin tonight.”

With that she vanished with her dogs, in a mist of black sparkles.