The Mercy Seat (part 11)
Wow. I wrote a whole lot of this stuff tonight. More than half of my planned scenes from that half an hour brainstorm at work. And it's pretty good, too. Gearing towards an explanation, even.
And creeping ever closer to that frightening place where I don't know what happens next!
There's just so many directions it could go! I suspect that, as I get there, the characters will start to let me know. Rather, I hope that's what will happen. But, that's enough writer-babble.
Almost enough. This thing is now 33 pages long in WP. My longest fic, start to finish, is 72 pages long. And this one isn't anywhere near as close to done at 33 p as that one was.
Previous parts may be found here
Willow leaned back against the sofa, pressing a tissue to her nose. The teleport back to the council, combined with the botched spell from earlier, had left her drained. It would be at least a few hours before she could even attempt a location spell for Xander. She hoped that when she did, she wouldn't be too late.
"He was . . . ." She swallowed, peering over her lower lashes and Giles and Buffy, who wore matching expressions of worry. "It was bad. He was wild. He recognized me, but he was so scared. I think . . . I think he might have killed them. Amelia and Jude. I don't know if he knew what he was doing."
"That sounds about right." Buffy shrugged. There were deep circles under both her eyes, and she flopped down on the couch bonelessly. "When Angel came back he was the same way. That's . . . that's what hell does to people."
Giles inclined his head, exchanging a glance with Willow. "Did he say anything to you?"
Willow sighed. "Not so much. He was talking to someone in the bathroom though. And his mind . . . . It was like there were a couple of other people in there with him, all screaming. I couldn't really make out what they were saying, but he was terrified. We have to find him. He could really hurt himself, or someone else, like this." She clenched her teeth, willing herself not to cry. "I screwed up. Big time. I'm sorry."
"Not at all." Giles lay a hand on her shoulder. "You did what you thought was best. There was no telling what state his mind was in. We have no idea what he went through when he and Genevieve went into that portal."
"Yeah." Willow sat up slightly, pulling the tissue away from her nose. It didn't seem to be bleeding anymore. "I wonder where she is."
"Genny?" Buffy folded her arms. "They must have gotten separated. I don't think Xander would have left her there, if he had any choice." She glanced at Willow. "This is my fault."
"Would you stop it?!" Willow glared at her friend. "You had no idea what the Immortal was doing! I mean, hey, been around for millennia, probably learned a thing or two about manipulation and being evil. You helped us stop him, as soon as you figured out what was going on. This is NOT your fault."
Buffy looked away. They'd had this argument countless times over the last year. Willow sighed inwardly and leaned back again. Eventually, Buffy would come around. Getting Xander back would help, once he was back to his old self. Buffy never operated at top level when one of her people was in trouble.
"You should both get some sleep." Giles adjusted his glasses. "If Xander is in London, as I suspect he may be, one of our slayers will find him, or he will find us. If he is somewhere else, we have no way of helping him until you two are rested."
Buffy made as if to argue, but Willow just stood. "Wake me up in two hours. I should be able to do the location spell by then." She walked out to the stairs without looking back.
It was looking more and more like Giles was right. Willow couldn't ignore the evidence she'd seen at the Hole. Xander was very, very much not okay. And when Willow found out what had done this to him, there would be hell to pay.
Her blood sang at the very thought of it. She was long past petty revenge, but when her friends were threatened, she was more dangerous than anyone else on the planet.
* * *
"Buffy," Giles drew the senior slayer's attention away from the doorway Willow had just exited through. She rubbed at her eyes a bit and turned toward her watcher. "If I might have a moment?"
"Can it be a short moment?" Buffy smiled slightly. "Because, way tired."
"Indeed." Giles did not return her smile. He settled himself on the couch where Willow had been a moment before. "It's important that I talk to you about Xander."
Buffy swallowed. This was it. This was the Giles-lecture, on how she'd failed her friend, again. She might have been twenty-six years old, but there were moments when Giles could make her feel fifteen all over again. She nodded slightly. "I know, Giles, it's--"
"Oh for god's sake, if you make one more comment about this situation being your fault I'm going to string you up by your ears!"
Buffy blinked. "O-kay. . . . If that's not the lecture, what's the up?"
Giles shook his head. "I have no intention of ‘lecturing' you tonight, Buffy. I merely wish to provide you with a warning." He held up a hand to forestall any further comment she might make. "I'm well aware that you're capable of handling yourself, against nearly any enemy. But in light of recent . . . developments, I can't help but find it appropriate to let you know about something worrying Willow and myself. Something that has been worrying us for quite some time now. Xander may be a threat to you, when he returns."
"I know." Buffy shrugged. "I've handled people coming back from hell before, Giles. I've BEEN back from hell before. I'll be on my guard, but that's not going to stop me from helping him."
"I mean to you, specifically." Giles removed his glasses, but made no move to clean them. "Willow and I have been . . . concerned for quite some time. As you know, we had a remarkably high slayer- death rate in the two years preceding the Immortal's bid for power."
"He was hunting them, Giles. I was there, I know what was going on."
"The Immortal may not have been responsible for all of the deaths."
"Yeah," Buffy frowned at her watcher. "They were killed by demons, too. That's what happens when you're a slayer. We couldn't reach all of them on time."
"That does not explain the sudden drop in slayer death, or the lack of it in the year after Sunnydale. We have reason to suspect that the Immortal may not have been the only individual hunting slayers."
Buffy shook her head. She was beginning to see where Giles was going with this, but she couldn't be right. It was simply beyond the realm of possibility, in this or any other universe that she could imagine. She wondered if the stress of the job was getting to him. "What are you trying to say?"
"There is no delicate way to put this." Giles fiddled briefly with one ear piece of his glasses, before replacing them and looking his slayer directly in the eye. "Xander himself may have been killing slayers."
<--{11}-->
Oi, but tomorrow is going to be another looooooong day.
And creeping ever closer to that frightening place where I don't know what happens next!
There's just so many directions it could go! I suspect that, as I get there, the characters will start to let me know. Rather, I hope that's what will happen. But, that's enough writer-babble.
Almost enough. This thing is now 33 pages long in WP. My longest fic, start to finish, is 72 pages long. And this one isn't anywhere near as close to done at 33 p as that one was.
Previous parts may be found here
Willow leaned back against the sofa, pressing a tissue to her nose. The teleport back to the council, combined with the botched spell from earlier, had left her drained. It would be at least a few hours before she could even attempt a location spell for Xander. She hoped that when she did, she wouldn't be too late.
"He was . . . ." She swallowed, peering over her lower lashes and Giles and Buffy, who wore matching expressions of worry. "It was bad. He was wild. He recognized me, but he was so scared. I think . . . I think he might have killed them. Amelia and Jude. I don't know if he knew what he was doing."
"That sounds about right." Buffy shrugged. There were deep circles under both her eyes, and she flopped down on the couch bonelessly. "When Angel came back he was the same way. That's . . . that's what hell does to people."
Giles inclined his head, exchanging a glance with Willow. "Did he say anything to you?"
Willow sighed. "Not so much. He was talking to someone in the bathroom though. And his mind . . . . It was like there were a couple of other people in there with him, all screaming. I couldn't really make out what they were saying, but he was terrified. We have to find him. He could really hurt himself, or someone else, like this." She clenched her teeth, willing herself not to cry. "I screwed up. Big time. I'm sorry."
"Not at all." Giles lay a hand on her shoulder. "You did what you thought was best. There was no telling what state his mind was in. We have no idea what he went through when he and Genevieve went into that portal."
"Yeah." Willow sat up slightly, pulling the tissue away from her nose. It didn't seem to be bleeding anymore. "I wonder where she is."
"Genny?" Buffy folded her arms. "They must have gotten separated. I don't think Xander would have left her there, if he had any choice." She glanced at Willow. "This is my fault."
"Would you stop it?!" Willow glared at her friend. "You had no idea what the Immortal was doing! I mean, hey, been around for millennia, probably learned a thing or two about manipulation and being evil. You helped us stop him, as soon as you figured out what was going on. This is NOT your fault."
Buffy looked away. They'd had this argument countless times over the last year. Willow sighed inwardly and leaned back again. Eventually, Buffy would come around. Getting Xander back would help, once he was back to his old self. Buffy never operated at top level when one of her people was in trouble.
"You should both get some sleep." Giles adjusted his glasses. "If Xander is in London, as I suspect he may be, one of our slayers will find him, or he will find us. If he is somewhere else, we have no way of helping him until you two are rested."
Buffy made as if to argue, but Willow just stood. "Wake me up in two hours. I should be able to do the location spell by then." She walked out to the stairs without looking back.
It was looking more and more like Giles was right. Willow couldn't ignore the evidence she'd seen at the Hole. Xander was very, very much not okay. And when Willow found out what had done this to him, there would be hell to pay.
Her blood sang at the very thought of it. She was long past petty revenge, but when her friends were threatened, she was more dangerous than anyone else on the planet.
* * *
"Buffy," Giles drew the senior slayer's attention away from the doorway Willow had just exited through. She rubbed at her eyes a bit and turned toward her watcher. "If I might have a moment?"
"Can it be a short moment?" Buffy smiled slightly. "Because, way tired."
"Indeed." Giles did not return her smile. He settled himself on the couch where Willow had been a moment before. "It's important that I talk to you about Xander."
Buffy swallowed. This was it. This was the Giles-lecture, on how she'd failed her friend, again. She might have been twenty-six years old, but there were moments when Giles could make her feel fifteen all over again. She nodded slightly. "I know, Giles, it's--"
"Oh for god's sake, if you make one more comment about this situation being your fault I'm going to string you up by your ears!"
Buffy blinked. "O-kay. . . . If that's not the lecture, what's the up?"
Giles shook his head. "I have no intention of ‘lecturing' you tonight, Buffy. I merely wish to provide you with a warning." He held up a hand to forestall any further comment she might make. "I'm well aware that you're capable of handling yourself, against nearly any enemy. But in light of recent . . . developments, I can't help but find it appropriate to let you know about something worrying Willow and myself. Something that has been worrying us for quite some time now. Xander may be a threat to you, when he returns."
"I know." Buffy shrugged. "I've handled people coming back from hell before, Giles. I've BEEN back from hell before. I'll be on my guard, but that's not going to stop me from helping him."
"I mean to you, specifically." Giles removed his glasses, but made no move to clean them. "Willow and I have been . . . concerned for quite some time. As you know, we had a remarkably high slayer- death rate in the two years preceding the Immortal's bid for power."
"He was hunting them, Giles. I was there, I know what was going on."
"The Immortal may not have been responsible for all of the deaths."
"Yeah," Buffy frowned at her watcher. "They were killed by demons, too. That's what happens when you're a slayer. We couldn't reach all of them on time."
"That does not explain the sudden drop in slayer death, or the lack of it in the year after Sunnydale. We have reason to suspect that the Immortal may not have been the only individual hunting slayers."
Buffy shook her head. She was beginning to see where Giles was going with this, but she couldn't be right. It was simply beyond the realm of possibility, in this or any other universe that she could imagine. She wondered if the stress of the job was getting to him. "What are you trying to say?"
"There is no delicate way to put this." Giles fiddled briefly with one ear piece of his glasses, before replacing them and looking his slayer directly in the eye. "Xander himself may have been killing slayers."
<--{11}-->
Oi, but tomorrow is going to be another looooooong day.