The Mercy Seat (part 13)
This is just a quick one. I'm not entirely satisfied with it, as it's mostly just a pushing forward of the story, to get us closer to the exposition. It serves its purpose, I think.
Been watching Keen Eddie last night and today. Damn it, they gotta stop cancelling good shows! I'm on the last disk now... and of course the fanfic fairy is starting to deliver its cryptic messages about a crossover....
Just to get Eddie and Faith into an interrogation room....
Previous parts may be found here
Xander moved to slide the staff back into its place, then stopped as he realized that the demon had managed to cut one of the leather straps, leaving the sheath dangling off-center on his shoulder. Things just kept getting weirder, though he hadn't really thought that was possible. The weapon he'd very quickly come to count on turned out to be a work of fiction. He giggled again. Dawn kept shaking his arm, demanding his attention. It was very distracting.
He turned to her to ask her to stop, but felt the word and the laughter die on his lips as his eye caught the necklace that had spilled loose from her top.
It was an extremely realistic representation of a human eye, down to the faint red lines of veins that tickled the edges, attached to a long, silver chain. Phantom pain flashed across the left side of his face, and he winced. Dawn frowned at him, confused.
The pendant had a long, rough scratch that ran straight through the iris and the pupil. He felt a burning in his eye socket as his other eye teared in sympathy. He flinched away from the sight, shifting out of Dawn's grasp.
"Xander, what--"
"Where'd you get that?" He gestured vaguely in the direction of the necklace, turning back to study his staff. The material of the sling was his old eyepatch; he recognized the small tear in one corner, and the general shape of it. How had he not noticed that before?
"It's yours." Dawn's voice was confused, and it seemed to echo somewhere in the back of his head. It WAS his. His glass eye. "It was damaged when Kelly--when you and Kelly fought the grathnals in Botswana. You had it made into a pendant by one of the artists there, remember? You said you wanted something to remind you of your mistakes. Kind of a good-sense charm."
Xander shook his head against the flashes of tooth, claw, and blood, and the pain flaring again over his face. "Why . . . ."
"Do I have it?"
Xander nodded. That wasn't what he was going to ask, but it would do for now. The voices were getting louder again, clamoring for his attention. Dawn's voice seemed to drown them out a little. He'd do anything just to keep her talking.
"I found it. On the floor after we defeated the Immortal. The string was broken--it must have fallen off. I put it on a chain. I knew you'd want it back, so I've been keeping it for you." Her small hand gripped his larger, scarred one, pulling it away from his staff. She pressed the necklace into his palm, then wrapped his fingers over it. "You don't remember, do you?"
Xander shook his head. He didn't remember, that was the problem. He didn't remember Kelly enough to know why she had meant so much to him. He didn't remember what had happened to Malia, or fighting Buffy's boyfriend. He didn't remember much of anything.
"You're bleeding." She touched his chest lightly. "We'll go back to my place and patch this up; it's just a few blocks down."
He nodded again, though he wasn't really paying much attention. When he finally looked up, Dawn's eyes sported tiny glimmers of tears. He didn't remember, but she might. "What happened?"Xander moved to slide the staff back into its place, then stopped as he realized that the demon had managed to cut one of the leather straps, leaving the sheath dangling off-center on his shoulder. Things just kept getting weirder, though he hadn't really thought that was possible. The weapon he'd very quickly come to count on turned out to be a work of fiction. He giggled again. Dawn kept shaking his arm, demanding his attention. It was very distracting.
He turned to her to ask her to stop, but felt the word and the laughter die on his lips as his eye caught the necklace that had spilled loose from her top.
It was an extremely realistic representation of a human eye, down to the faint red lines of veins that tickled the edges, attached to a long, silver chain. Phantom pain flashed across the left side of his face, and he winced. Dawn frowned at him, confused.
The pendant had a long, rough scratch that ran straight through the iris and the pupil. He felt a burning in his eye socket as his other eye teared in sympathy. He flinched away from the sight, shifting out of Dawn's grasp.
"Xander, what--"
"Where'd you get that?" He gestured vaguely in the direction of the necklace, turning back to study his staff. The material of the sling was his old eyepatch; he recognized the small tear in one corner, and the general shape of it. How had he not noticed that before?
"It's yours." Dawn's voice was confused, and it seemed to echo somewhere in the back of his head. It WAS his. His glass eye. "It was damaged when Kelly--when you and Kelly fought the grathnals in Botswana. You had it made into a pendant by one of the artists there, remember? You said you wanted something to remind you of your mistakes. Kind of a good-sense charm."
Xander shook his head against the flashes of tooth, claw, and blood, and the pain flaring again over his face. "Why . . . ."
"Do I have it?"
Xander nodded. That wasn't what he was going to ask, but it would do for now. The voices were getting louder again, clamoring for his attention. Dawn's voice seemed to drown them out a little. He'd do anything just to keep her talking.
"I found it. On the floor after we defeated the Immortal. The string was broken--it must have fallen off. I put it on a chain. I knew you'd want it back, so I've been keeping it for you." Her small hand gripped his larger, scarred one, pulling it away from his staff. She pressed the necklace into his palm, then wrapped his fingers over it. "You don't remember, do you?"
Xander shook his head. He didn't remember, that was the problem. He didn't remember Kelly enough to know why she had meant so much to him. He didn't remember what had happened to Malia, or fighting Buffy's boyfriend. He didn't remember much of anything.
"You're bleeding." She touched his chest lightly. "We'll go back to my place and patch this up; it's just a few blocks down."
He nodded again, though he wasn't really paying much attention. When he finally looked up, Dawn's eyes sported tiny glimmers of tears. He didn't remember, but she might. "What happened?"
<--{13}-->
Been watching Keen Eddie last night and today. Damn it, they gotta stop cancelling good shows! I'm on the last disk now... and of course the fanfic fairy is starting to deliver its cryptic messages about a crossover....
Just to get Eddie and Faith into an interrogation room....
Previous parts may be found here
Xander moved to slide the staff back into its place, then stopped as he realized that the demon had managed to cut one of the leather straps, leaving the sheath dangling off-center on his shoulder. Things just kept getting weirder, though he hadn't really thought that was possible. The weapon he'd very quickly come to count on turned out to be a work of fiction. He giggled again. Dawn kept shaking his arm, demanding his attention. It was very distracting.
He turned to her to ask her to stop, but felt the word and the laughter die on his lips as his eye caught the necklace that had spilled loose from her top.
It was an extremely realistic representation of a human eye, down to the faint red lines of veins that tickled the edges, attached to a long, silver chain. Phantom pain flashed across the left side of his face, and he winced. Dawn frowned at him, confused.
The pendant had a long, rough scratch that ran straight through the iris and the pupil. He felt a burning in his eye socket as his other eye teared in sympathy. He flinched away from the sight, shifting out of Dawn's grasp.
"Xander, what--"
"Where'd you get that?" He gestured vaguely in the direction of the necklace, turning back to study his staff. The material of the sling was his old eyepatch; he recognized the small tear in one corner, and the general shape of it. How had he not noticed that before?
"It's yours." Dawn's voice was confused, and it seemed to echo somewhere in the back of his head. It WAS his. His glass eye. "It was damaged when Kelly--when you and Kelly fought the grathnals in Botswana. You had it made into a pendant by one of the artists there, remember? You said you wanted something to remind you of your mistakes. Kind of a good-sense charm."
Xander shook his head against the flashes of tooth, claw, and blood, and the pain flaring again over his face. "Why . . . ."
"Do I have it?"
Xander nodded. That wasn't what he was going to ask, but it would do for now. The voices were getting louder again, clamoring for his attention. Dawn's voice seemed to drown them out a little. He'd do anything just to keep her talking.
"I found it. On the floor after we defeated the Immortal. The string was broken--it must have fallen off. I put it on a chain. I knew you'd want it back, so I've been keeping it for you." Her small hand gripped his larger, scarred one, pulling it away from his staff. She pressed the necklace into his palm, then wrapped his fingers over it. "You don't remember, do you?"
Xander shook his head. He didn't remember, that was the problem. He didn't remember Kelly enough to know why she had meant so much to him. He didn't remember what had happened to Malia, or fighting Buffy's boyfriend. He didn't remember much of anything.
"You're bleeding." She touched his chest lightly. "We'll go back to my place and patch this up; it's just a few blocks down."
He nodded again, though he wasn't really paying much attention. When he finally looked up, Dawn's eyes sported tiny glimmers of tears. He didn't remember, but she might. "What happened?"Xander moved to slide the staff back into its place, then stopped as he realized that the demon had managed to cut one of the leather straps, leaving the sheath dangling off-center on his shoulder. Things just kept getting weirder, though he hadn't really thought that was possible. The weapon he'd very quickly come to count on turned out to be a work of fiction. He giggled again. Dawn kept shaking his arm, demanding his attention. It was very distracting.
He turned to her to ask her to stop, but felt the word and the laughter die on his lips as his eye caught the necklace that had spilled loose from her top.
It was an extremely realistic representation of a human eye, down to the faint red lines of veins that tickled the edges, attached to a long, silver chain. Phantom pain flashed across the left side of his face, and he winced. Dawn frowned at him, confused.
The pendant had a long, rough scratch that ran straight through the iris and the pupil. He felt a burning in his eye socket as his other eye teared in sympathy. He flinched away from the sight, shifting out of Dawn's grasp.
"Xander, what--"
"Where'd you get that?" He gestured vaguely in the direction of the necklace, turning back to study his staff. The material of the sling was his old eyepatch; he recognized the small tear in one corner, and the general shape of it. How had he not noticed that before?
"It's yours." Dawn's voice was confused, and it seemed to echo somewhere in the back of his head. It WAS his. His glass eye. "It was damaged when Kelly--when you and Kelly fought the grathnals in Botswana. You had it made into a pendant by one of the artists there, remember? You said you wanted something to remind you of your mistakes. Kind of a good-sense charm."
Xander shook his head against the flashes of tooth, claw, and blood, and the pain flaring again over his face. "Why . . . ."
"Do I have it?"
Xander nodded. That wasn't what he was going to ask, but it would do for now. The voices were getting louder again, clamoring for his attention. Dawn's voice seemed to drown them out a little. He'd do anything just to keep her talking.
"I found it. On the floor after we defeated the Immortal. The string was broken--it must have fallen off. I put it on a chain. I knew you'd want it back, so I've been keeping it for you." Her small hand gripped his larger, scarred one, pulling it away from his staff. She pressed the necklace into his palm, then wrapped his fingers over it. "You don't remember, do you?"
Xander shook his head. He didn't remember, that was the problem. He didn't remember Kelly enough to know why she had meant so much to him. He didn't remember what had happened to Malia, or fighting Buffy's boyfriend. He didn't remember much of anything.
"You're bleeding." She touched his chest lightly. "We'll go back to my place and patch this up; it's just a few blocks down."
He nodded again, though he wasn't really paying much attention. When he finally looked up, Dawn's eyes sported tiny glimmers of tears. He didn't remember, but she might. "What happened?"
<--{13}-->