H.A.T. by Deacon Rayne, Book Two: Midnight, Chapter 2 - The Weapon
Summary: Like a stopper pulled, the retrieval of the Everstone has set loose a maelstrom of powers. Things not dared been mentioned in all the ages of the world, stir and awaken within their putrescent hives in answer to the Hellmouth’s call. Clawing their way free from the poisoned earth, they are driven towards a single goal - the capture of the Key and the destruction of all the world.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Timeline: Immediately follows Book 1: Dusk
Rating: TV-14 (nothing worse than on the show)
Pairing/Characters: Buffy/Spike, Willow/Dusk(OC), Xander/Anya, Giles/Marlena(OC), Dawn, Faith, Angel, Dracula
Book One: Dusk (all chapters)
Previous chapter of Midnight
Banner created by edgehead73.
Important note: Only two more weeks left before the offer for the PDF version of "Book One: Dusk" expires. You have until the end of November 30. The data will be emailed to Deacon on the evening of December 1 and the files will be sent out soon after (anytime between Dec 2 - Dec 7).
If you would like to sign up for a copy, please provide you email address by commenting on the entry indicated by the link (the comments are screened), or by emailing either hm_ascendent3 @ yahoo. ca or sirts_tirts @ hotmail . com.
Hellmouth Ascendant Trilogy: Revamped Edition
Book Two:
Midnight
Chapter 2
The Weapon
The sun had just set as the group got off the camper. Buffy stretched out her arms and sighed, being mindful of her knee.
“Ah, good to be back in the Casa del Slayer,” announced the blonde Slayer.
She looked around, puzzled. The guards were gone, the gate open.
“Umm… is it just me or is it awfully ‘dark and lonely’ out here?”
“It’s just you, Buffy,” a voice called out.
She spun around just in time to see dozens of small wrens come together. The birds flocked into a humanoid shape and within seconds, Marlena was standing there, pushing back a feathered cowl. She smiled as everyone began applauding.
“Judges, give her an eight,” Xander chimed in.
“Eight-five on account of plumage,” Alec added as Buffy limped over and hugged the older woman.
Marlena smiled. “Busy couple of days?” she asked wryly.
Buffy rolled her eyes. “You have no idea,” she replied.
Marlena pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Actually…”
She let the insinuation hang in the air before gesturing, the ruby red tortoise plodded over to them and Marlena helped Buffy onto its crimson back.
“Take a load off,” she advised wryly.
Buffy smiled and leaned down to pat Aeon on the head. It grunted slightly. She smiled and gestured.
“Okay, introductions, this is Faith,” she gestured to the younger Slayer, who grinned and nodded, “and this is Dawn.” Dawn smiled shyly and waved.
Marlena curtsied. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”
She smiled and winked before straightening to address them all.
“I’ve spoken with the residents here, and they’ve all agreed that you are welcome to be our guests for as long as you like,” she informed them.
Giles smiled, pleased. “Thank you for that, Marlena, we’re grateful, of course.”
Marlena waved it away.
“No more grateful than we are for your assistance in the defense of our home,” the ancient Slayer replied evenly, taking his arm and leading them to the manor.
Buffy frowned and looked around, being borne along at a steady plodding pace by the giant turtle.
“I don’t get it, Marlena. This place usually looks like an Alcatraz throwback. Guards' day off?”
Marlena smiled slightly.
“I thought that perhaps the sight of men with guns might disquiet you all, so I took the liberty of excusing them for a half an hour.”
Buffy snorted and replied. “Remind me to tell you about the Initiative, sometime.”
They came in full view of the manor and everyone who hadn’t already seen it gasped.
“That’s… big,” Xander commented dryly.
“And spooky,” Willow added.
“It’s much nicer on the inside, trust me,” Buffy assured them, smiling.
“Uh-huh,” Willow replied in a small voice and swallowed as the group bypassed the massive gates.
Sure enough, they were overwhelmed by the visions of gold and gleaming marble inside. Jaws dropped.
“Do you see…?” Spike gaped.
“Uh-huh,” Angel replied.
“Can you believe…?”
“Uh-huh.”
Spike was leaning to stare at a solid gold statue. He reached out to touch it with trembling hands.
“Can we just…?”
“No,” Angel replied, swatting his covetous hand away from the gold statue.
Marlena grinned as they walked over a large white marble circle inlaid in the center of the chamber. As they were crossing it, Alec jolted to a stop. He frowned and nearly fell over. Willow turned to him.
“Alec?” she asked concerned.
Alec just kept frowning, struggling against an unseen force.
“Uh, I can’t move,” he replied. His body shook with the effort of locomotion, it just wasn’t happening.
Everyone turned around.
“Hey D, what’s the hold up?” Faith asked.
Willow turned to face her. “He can’t move,” she explained worriedly.
Faith frowned and walked over to him.
“Come again?” she asked.
“We’re right above the prime mystical convergence.” Marlena explained as she pointed at the marble circle. “Beneath this circle is the highest concentration of magical energy here at Grigori.”
The silver-haired woman frowned at the paralyzed youth. “You can’t move at all?” she asked.
Alec tried to shake his head but that wasn’t going to happening either. Marlena sighed and gently placed a hand over his forehead, chanting a few words. There was a bright blue flash of light and Marlena hurriedly drew her hand back, wringing it in pain.
“That stung,” she said mildly, sucking on her fingers.
“What happened?” Willow asked, concerned. Marlena waved it away.
“I cast a minor incantation to see if your young man here was reacting to the node. The response was an overwhelming ‘affirmative’,” she explained.
Reaching into her pocket, she sprinkled some dust over Alec’s head. There was a humming sound, like a tuning fork, and, without any warning, Alec pitched forward, nearly falling flat on his face. Marlena caught him easily.
“There we go,” she commented wryly, helping him stand. “Better?” she asked.
“Yeah, thanks,” he replied, nodding.
She smiled slightly as he shook out the pins and needles feeling that his entire body had been enveloped in. Willow looked at him with concern.
“You’re sure you’re okay?” she asked.
He exhaled and nodded. “I’m good. Let’s…”
He gestured to the others who had begun to drift away. She nodded and wrapped an arm around his, leading him away from the enchanted circle.
Marlena was busy giving everyone the grand tour. She opened one door revealing, of all things, a massive video game arcade. Dawn, Anya, and Xander rushed forward, requiring no further prompting, and were delighted to realize that none of the video games required quarters. Within seconds they were blasting away aliens, laughing.
The group turned and walked away. Alec stopped to give Dawn a lingering look before departing, the near miss in the camper springing to mind. He shook his head, sighed, and left. Dawn looked up from her game, just long enough to catch him looking at her. He didn’t notice, lost in his thoughts as he was, and she frowned unhappily. Something was bothering him and that was something she didn’t like at all. Sighing herself, she turned back to the video game.
Marlena opened another set of marble doors, revealing an absolutely sprawling swimming pool, complete with a miniature waterfall and a lagoon. Buffy and Faith grinned; they both loved swimming. Even Giles seemed pleased, admitting that a few hours in a hot tub might do his back wonders. Marlena mentioned swimsuits and a changing room and the Slayers were off, Faith helping the limping Slayer into one of the changing booths before entering her own. Giles smiled slightly and, casting a concerned look to his son which Alec waved off since he had felt no other side effects from his temporary paralysis, the Watcher headed to another changing booth.
The air in the pool room was warm and didn’t stink of chlorine. Willow inhaled appreciatively.
“Hey, Alec, you want to go swimming?” she asked excitedly.
Alec shook his head. “In a little bit, love, I’m going to talk with Marlena for a while.”
The redhead frowned, disappointed. He smiled reassuringly and kissed her.
“Go. Make sure Buffy doesn’t drown or something.”
She smiled prettily and bounded off to the changing room. Alec shook his head, chuckling, as Spike approached him.
“Question, mate,” Spike chimed in. “Just how do you endure that much perkiness?”
Alec looked up at the blond vampire.
“Really. Good. Sex,” he replied, emphasizing each word.
Spike nodded. “That’s what I thought,” he chuckled.
Marlena gestured to the changing rooms. “If you boys would like to join the ladies, there are plenty of bathing suits to go around.”
Spike looked down uncomfortably. “I, um... not interested,” he mumbled.
Marlena frowned. “You don’t like swimming, Spike?” she asked.
“He can’t swim,” Angel answered, smirking slightly.
Spike snarled at him. “Push off!”
Angel snorted. “Look at it this way, Spike, you can’t drown either.”
The blond pursed his lips together, he hadn’t thought of that. He sighed and padded over to the changing rooms and Angel followed, leaving Alec and Marlena alone on the rim of the pool. She turned to him.
“And you, young man, what’s your pleasure?” she asked.
“A gym,” he replied, “I need to work out some tension.”
Marlena nodded, seemingly completely unsurprised by his request.
“This way,” she replied, gesturing to a flight of stairs.
Alec followed and was brought into a dimly lit work out room, complete with weights and a punching bag. He nodded on seeing it all.
“This’ll do,” he informed his hostess.
Smiling slightly, she asked. “Any particular reason as to this tension?”
“Yes. I’m having weird feelings about my surrogate sister's kid sister and metal keeps popping out of my arm,” he replied, sighing heavily.
Marlena nodded. “I see,” she replied.
Placing a finger to her lips, she paused thoughtfully, then shook her head.
“I’ll come by later, see if I can’t bring you something that would help.” She patted his arm affectionately and headed out, leaving the dark man alone in the dim room.
The others were having the time of their lives in the pool. Marlena had dug up a pair of some sort of amoeba-like creatures that, once she applied them to Buffy’s shoulder and knee, guaranteed that water would not get in and that it would accelerate the regeneration of damaged tissue. To Buffy, it felt like having a jellyfish lodged on her skin minus the stinging. It was a little creepy but, after a while, she forgot about it and was whooping and splashing along with the rest of the girls. Giles, Spike, and Angel were sitting in the shallow end, sipping brandy and talking.
“I’m really not sure what to make of Dracula’s counsel,” Giles explained. “The Everstone was at least an object; this ‘Wordless Psalm’… it’s all terribly vague,” he sighed.
Spike snorted. “Yeah, who’d ever think - Count Chocula being elusive?”
He shook his head in derision and turned to Angel.
“What is it with you pretty boys and not being able to give a straight answer?” he asked, without any real malice.
Angel scoffed. “I don’t know, what is it with you homely people and not being able to figure out our answers?” he replied evenly.
Spike sent a spray of water at the other vampire. Angel frowned.
“That old guy in the gem room said something about ‘a Hebrew word that meant truth and also death’.”
He shook his head as Giles frowned.
“That actually sounds familiar. The Jewish people have a very rich mystical culture, dating back several thousand years. You know, if I-”
Suddenly his head pitched, flinging his glasses into the pool, as a volleyball ball collided hard with his head.
“Oops!” Buffy blushed. “Sorry!” she called out apologetically.
Giles sighed as he rubbed his head. Spike hurled the ball back at the girls and half-heartedly tried not to burst into laughter. Angel fished around in the pool and found Giles’ glasses.
“Here you go,” he offered, handing the drenched spectacles back to the Watcher.
Giles sighed and accepted them. “Thank you,” he replied wearily.
“Nice shot, B,” Faith commented as the girls gathered around in a circle to chat. Buffy looked sheepish.
“Sorry, a little too much Slayer in that last toss, I suppose.” She smiled and gestured to the men who were in deep discussion. “What do you think they’re talking about?” she asked.
Faith shrugged. “What else? Us,” she replied grinning. Willow rolled her eyes.
“I’m sure they have more interesting things to talk about than us,” she replied calmly.
Faith shook her head.
“Say what you will, Red, but the greatest mystery to man is the female mind.” She grinned crookedly at the witch. “Why do you think they put up with us?” she asked wryly.
Buffy snorted. “Because if they didn’t, they’d have to bring their mothers to prom,” she replied.
The girls laughed. Willow sighed and cast another glance back at the door Alec had left through. Buffy caught her look.
“He’ll be fine, Will, he probably just needs some time to vent.”
She reached out and sipped from a glass of ice tea that was floating on the water without tipping. Such casual violations of the laws of physics were, by this time, largely unnoticed by the group.
“We’ve all been under pretty tight quarters,” she explained, “Alec’s always been a little… space-requiring.” She placed a wet hand on her friends shoulder. “Don’t take it personally, boys are weird.”
Willow smiled slightly at that and shrugged.
“I know, and I’m not worried about that, it’s just…” She sighed and cast another look at the door. “He hasn’t been the same since we got back from the Deadlands, he’s lost a lot of his confidence.” She turned back to the Slayers who were wearing expressions of concern. “He blames himself for me dying and everything, and it sort of shish-kebabbed his faith in himself. So he’s getting himself all wound up.”
“Wound up too tight you think?” Buffy asked, concerned.
Willow nodded. “I’m worried he’s pushing himself too hard. Like he has something to prove to all of us,” she explained.
Faith sighed. “I know what that’s like.” She shook her wet hair. “You just gotta understand him. He’s a fighter, he fights a lot and he fights well. Now, all of a sudden, he’s lost a fight and someone he loved died and he’s pretty wigged.”
“Yeah, plus, don’t forget the…”
Buffy gestured to her arm and pantomimed things springing out of it. Willow sighed and nodded.
“That’s just it, he needs downtime.” She frowned unhappily. “He’s always been a Giles when it came to duty, but I seriously think he needs to cut himself some slack.”
SLAM!
Alec wailed on the punching back, lashing out with taped-up fists again and again into the black canvas bag. He stepped back, clad only in a pair of black sweatpants. He growled and whirled around, hitting the bag with a roundhouse kick that almost split the skin on his foot. Landing lightly on the ball of his foot, he pivoted and thrust out a kick before crouching and slamming a long series of strikes into the bag, sending it swinging away. He caught the bag with a hard forearm strike before sagging against it, chest heaving.
“You weren’t kidding,” a voice called from behind him. Turning around, he saw Marlena regarding him kindly. “You are tense.”
Alec sighed and mopped away a bead of sweat from his brow with his hand.
Marlena sat down. “You want to talk about it?” she asked.
Alec shook his head, sending droplets of perspiration flying.
“Not even a little,” he replied, going back to the punching bag.
Marlena nodded. “Okay.”
She watched him vent on the canvas bag for a while.
“Wouldn’t have anything to do with that burst of necromantic energy I felt the other night would it?” she asked.
Alec snarled and lashed out with a particularly punishing blow to the bag, sending it swinging away. He placed a hand on the bag and turned to her.
“Yeah, it might,” he replied tersely.
Marlena nodded. “Willow?”
He nodded, and muttered a “yeah”.
“She died?”
“Yeah.”
“And was brought back?”
“That’s right,” Alec replied, turning his attention back to the bag.
“And you blame yourself for her dying?” Marlena observed.
Alec didn’t answer he just hit the bag harder. The witch-slayer nodded in understanding.
“Is there anyone else I should blame?” Alec growled as he continued to pummel the bag.
“Mercurio?” she asked mildly.
Alec snorted and whipped around with another roundhouse kick.
“He’s dead,” he growled, landing on his feet and thrusting two back punches to the bag.
Marlena nodded. “I imagine so. So, if he’s dead, and Willow’s safe, then why are you still angry?” she asked gently.
Alec didn’t turn to look at her.
“Because it never should have happened,” he bit out through clenched teeth.
Marlena nodded again.
“No. No, it shouldn’t have, but it did and you need to figure out how to deal with it.”
Alec scoffed and continued hitting the bag. “I am dealing with it,” he replied coarsely.
Marlena walked over to him and placed a hand on his damp shoulder. He turned around and Marlena took his hands in hers, holding them up.
“This,” she gestured to his bloody, split knuckles, “is not dealing with it.” Alec just shrugged and watched as the wounds healed over. “Beating yourself up is not dealing with it.” She dropped his newly healed hands. “You’re not all powerful.”
“Well, I should be!” Alec raged as he resumed his beating.
“Were they demons?” he asked, slamming into the bag. “No. Were they vampires?” he snarled and slammed another fist into the bag. “No! What were they?” His teeth were clenched together so hard, Marlena could hear the molars grinding. “They were just stupid, rotten walking corpses!” he raged, punishing the bag and himself.
“And I…”
Slam!
“…couldn’t…”
Slam!!
“…do…”
Slam!
“…anything…”
Slam!
“…about it!”
As he finished and roared, slamming his fist into the bag, he wasn’t surprised to see black metal sprouting out of his arm, impaling the canvas bag, transfixing it to the spot and causing sand to leak out. He panted for a while and, with a grunt, tore his transformed arm out of the bag, in the process almost ripping the cloth in half. Sand continued to pile up on the floor as the shredded half of the bag dangled by a few strands of canvas. He gestured at Marlena with the bladed instrument for emphasis.
“Never again, Marlena,” he said in a voice shaking with fury. “Never again does someone die because I don’t have the power to save them. No matter what it takes, I promise you.”
“Easy,” she soothed him, stroking his damp hair from his eyes. “Relax. Let the rage drain out of you.”
He scowled and shook his head.
“Willow died and I couldn’t do anything about it. Where were these… THINGS then?” he demanded, gesturing to the blades.
Marlena sighed and shook her head.
“The Weapon doesn’t work that way,” she explained.
Alec frowned at her. “ ‘The Weapon’?” he asked, puzzled.
She nodded and gently reached out to his transformed arm. Alec instantly drew away.
“Shhh,” she soothed, gently touching the arm. “It’s okay.”
Lightly, she danced her fingertips over the myriad of blades and hooks. The blades crackled with purple energy. She smiled slightly.
“The Weapon usually takes a more… poetic form.” She gestured to the brutal looking instrument. “Like this it is unformed. All it is is reflex and emotion. And judging by how unpleasant it looks, I’m going to say that emotion is blinding rage.”
She stroked a long curved and serrated blade jutting out from his wrist and sighed.
“It need not be so,” she told him.
Alec sat down on a bench. “What is this thing?” he asked quietly.
Marlena sighed and settled into a tale.
“The Weapon is like the Key in some ways,” she began. “However, unlike the Key, the Weapon comes from a darker place. It can be used for either noble or evil purposes, but always for violence.” She sighed. “It’s an instrument of battle, whether that is a battle to protect or to destroy.”
She smiled slightly and reached out to touch Alec’s forehead; he was instantly awash in a sea of images. He saw a king with a glorious sword. Feeling his arm tingle, he looked down in shock to see that what had once been nothing more than a collection of hooks and knives, had become an exact replica of the sword, its golden hilt terminating at his wrist. Marlena smiled slightly,
“When Arthur used it, it was called Excalibur,” she stated quietly.
Alec looked up at her in shock and gestured to the sword coming out of his arm.
“This is…”
Marlena nodded, smiling. “The one and only,” she replied.
She regarded the weapon. “Of course, it wasn’t grafted to his arm at the time.”
Alec frowned. “How…?” he began to ask.
She smiled. “Go ahead, give it a shot.” She gestured to the blade.
Frowning, Alec reached down and wedged the fingers of his left hand between the hilt and his wrist, startled to find indeed, that there was purchase for his fingers. He grunted and, with hardly a whisper of protest, the blade slid free from his arm with the sound of a sword being removed from its sheath. He caught the blade in his left hand and gaped down at his right arm, now once again ending in his hand.
He looked back at Marlena, who smiled approvingly.
“See? Isn’t that better?” she asked.
“What? How?” Alec stammered.
Marlena leaned back and considered.
“The Weapon isn’t a spell. Rather, it is a spiritual artifact that is grafted to someone’s soul before they are born. Like the Slayer, one is chosen every generation to bear the weapon. Unlike the Slayer, sometimes the wrong person gets chosen.”
She reached out and placed a hand over his eyes and instantly he was in London. There was a scream and a man was dragging a knife across the throat of a young woman, dumping her body to the ground. The part-demon young man shuddered and opened his eyes, looking down at his hand; the sword had become the scalpel in his vision. Alec paled.
“Yes, sometimes the Weapon winds up in the wrong hands.” Marlena gestured to the glittering blade. “Jack was a bad idea,” she commented quietly.
Alec looked up, his face tight with horror.
“Jack? As in Jack the Ripper?” he asked, aghast.
Marlena nodded quietly.
“Like I said, the Weapon can be used for good or evil, but always for violence.” She sighed and shook her head. “But there are better uses.”
She smiled and touched his head again; once more, he was instantly awash in memories. France, during the reign of Louis the Fourteenth and a man named…
“…D’Artagnan?” he asked in disbelief gesturing to the now-rapier in his hand. “This was used by THE D’Artagnan?”
Marlena grinned. “One for all and all for one, young musketeer.”
“But you’re missing the point,” she continued, gesturing to the foil in his hand. “The Weapon, whether ‘tis used for good or ill, is a force that imbues its wielder with its…” she smiled slightly, “…double-edged gifts, if you’ll forgive the pun.”
Alec looked down at the sword, then back at Marlena.
“How do I…?”
Marlena smiled. “Just will it. It’ll respond.”
Alec looked back at the sword and focused, the blade began to sink into the skin of his arm, flooding it with an overwhelming pins and needles sensation. Within seconds, it was gone, leaving only numbness and a purple electric residual.
“The Force is strong with this one,” Marlena quipped wryly.
Alec flexed his fingers and turned back to Marlena.
“What does this have to do with my darkness powers? You told my father that the Keeper demon chose my soul to bond with for a reason. Why?”
Marlena smiled.
“What better weapon for the Keepers to wage their war on the rest of demon-kind with than the Weapon.” She shook her head. “Those shadowy aristocrats have a vicious sense of irony. Besides, your darkness powers, like the trick with your coat, all of it responds to will and focus. It’s always better to visualize what you want rather than trust instinct and reaction to interpret your emotions correctly.”
Alec focused on his hand, and instantly three claws popped out between his middle knuckles.
Marlena smirked. “I see we’re a comic book fan,” she commented wryly.
Alec tested the claws experimentally, before turning to the shredded punching bag, the bottom half still dangling by a few threads of canvas. He turned to look back at Marlena, who smiled and gestured. Alec reared back and, with a roar, lashed out with the claws; the last few strands of material holding the heavy bag together were sliced to ribbons, sending the dangling bottom part flying across the room to hit the wall with a resounding thud.
Marlena applauded. “Upper deck!” she cried out, laughing.
Alec smiled slightly and the claws retracted under his skin. He frowned.
“You mentioned the Key…” he began.
Marlena nodded. “You make a pretty good guardian for her.”
He shook his head.
“That’s not what I meant. I mean, why do I feel this… overwhelming need to protect her?” he asked.
Marlena sighed and threw up her hands, exasperated.
“Alec, did it ever occur to you that the reason you want to protect her is because you love her and that you’re a good person?”
“Not really,” he replied evenly.
Marlena sighed hard. “THIS is what happens when young men live a hundred years in a demon realm without any human contact, Alec.”
She placed a hand on his shoulder. “You’re a GOOD man. Believe it or not, you are, you fight the war on evil without thought of reward.”
Alec shrugged. “So? So does Buffy and my dad and everyone else,” he replied.
Marlena nodded. “And they’re good people, right? So why don’t YOU count yourself within that category?” she asked, sounding a little frustrated.
Alec sighed and shook his head.
“Because how can I be a good person when I love two different people?” he finally asked. “When I’ve got this… this darkness inside of me?”
Marlena smiled and stroked his cheek affectionately.
“Love. Real love, in your heart, can do no wrong. As long as you let that love guide your actions, you have nothing to worry about.” She smiled. “As I said before - Willow, you love with your heart,” the radiant woman placed a hand on his bare chest, “and Dawn, you love with your soul. And believe it or not, the ONLY one who is having a serious problem with this, is you,” she finished. “And, you know, Dawn is very much in love with you,” she added.
Alec turned around to regard her with shock, which caused Marlena to laugh.
“Trust a man to remain oblivious to the obvious,” she commented wryly. She gave the half-nude man an appraising look. “Well, at least she has good taste,” she observed, a hint of feminine humor leaking into the comment.
Alec colored slightly and tugged on a shirt.
“Enough of that… AUNT,” he replied, stressing the last word.
Marlena chuckled and shook her head.
“My loss, I’m sure,” she quipped before laughing a silver bells laugh.
Suddenly, Alec’s stomach erupted in a ferocious growl. He colored and wrapped his arms around his offending stomach as Marlena grinned.
“That reminds me, using the Weapon increases your metabolism rate. You’re going to come down with a major case of the munchies after every use.” She gestured out of the door. “The, uh… cafeteria is this way,” she pointed.
Alec nodded and, collecting his coat, followed the other woman out of the room, not noticing that as he closed the door, the gym, the damaged bag… everything… quickly faded into gray and then nothing.
Alec came into the poolroom after eating and looked around, smiling. The girls were all playing a game of volleyball against the guys. Dawn, Xander, and Anya had returned and were whooping it up with the rest of them. Faith saw Alec enter and called a time out as everyone turned to look at their reclusive friend. Willow turned around and frowned, concerned.
“Alec, is everything okay?” she asked.
Alec smiled slightly and came to the edge of the pool, taking a deep breath.
It reacts to control, he told himself.
Opening his eyes, he lifted his foot up… and stepped out onto the open water. His coat opened up and darkness curled around his back to support his foot. Not breaking his concentration, he walked along the surface of the water, each footstep being supported by a piece of darkness; behind him a colossal shroud of darkness scraped the ceiling with countless tendrils. The others gaped.
“Bloody hell,” Spike muttered quietly.
Alec reached the end of the pool and, with a bound, leapt off the top of the water onto the concrete rim. Turning, he regarded his friends. They were all looking at him in stunned disbelief, darkness whips and exploding coats were one thing, walking on water and behemoth shrouds of blackness were another.
Holding up his hand, Alec focused and three claws sprouted out between his knuckles; smiling slightly, he turned to the wall and, with a shower of sparks, began carving something. Everyone looked at each other, puzzled. Willow was swimming up to him, Dawn was hanging back, afraid to make it obvious that she wanted to be there. Alec stepped back from his work and revealed it to everyone else.
Scooby Gang was here!
There was another silence, followed by first Xander laughing, then Buffy; pretty soon the whole room was howling with amusement at the sheer absurdity of it all. Alec retracted the claws back under his skin and helped Willow out of the pool. The dripping witch hugged him tightly.
“You’ve learned to control it?” she asked.
He nodded. “Never doubt the expertise of silver-haired Slayers,” he replied.
She smiled and kissed his face… and then promptly shoved him into the pool. There was a loud splash as Alec hit the water, arms flailing. Everyone laughed and pointed.
“Way to go, Red!” Faith cheered.
Alec surfaced, sputtering but not entirely surprised.
“Never doubt the craftiness of concerned girlfriends,” Willow responded glibly to Alec’s shocked look.
Some time later they had all toweled off and were gathered in the common room. They were sitting in a circle around Alec as he was obligingly demonstrating his newfound power.
“Okay, okay,” Xander laughed. “Now do Freddy Krueger,” he implored.
Alec rolled his eyes but obligingly stretched out his fingers and claws slid out from under his fingernails. He held up the claws for the group to appraise. There were chuckles from everyone as Giles took off his glasses.
“The Weapon… my own son.” He shook his head amazed. “The Weapon has a history stretching back to Dark Ages, to find it now, here…” He shook his head in awe. “It’s possibly one of the most significant magical re-discoveries since…”
He cut off abruptly and shot a look towards Dawn, who was oblivious to the conversation; she was too enthralled with Alec as he shifted the claws to a massive axe-blade and held it up for her to examine.
“…Since, well, for a very long time in any case,” Giles finished.
Buffy caught his glance and nodded understandingly.
“Question,” Willow chimed in, taking in Alec and Dawn’s byplay with wry amusement. “The Weapon, combined with the Slayer and the rising of the Hellmouth.” She looked back at Giles. “Doesn’t it all seem a little too… coincidence-ish?” she finished.
Giles nodded.
“It would seem that there are events that are quickly coming together,” he frowned, “forming a pattern that is almost cataclysmic in scope.” Anya looked up at him,
“Huh?” she replied.
“The ‘fits’ about to hit the ‘shan’,” Faith put in.
Buffy nodded and started counting off on her fingers.
“Two Slayers, Dracula, the Everstone, a third Slayer back from the grave, the Hellmouth rising…” she looked at Dawn, who was still giggling at Alec’s antics; she leaned closer to whisper, “…the Key, and now this ‘Weapon’?” She shook her head. “This is getting bigger and bigger,” she breathed out hard.
“If this is going to be as big and bad as we all think its going to be,” Alec turned to her, his hand reformed into a normal hand. “Then we’re going to need all the help we can get.” He held up his hand, causing claws to spring out of his knuckles. “If these will help us deal with whatever the Hellmouth is planning on tossing at us, so be it.”
“Right on,” Spike chimed in, toweling his hair dry. “After all, it’s just like I’ve always said, ‘there’s no such thing as ‘overkill’, only ‘just enough kill’,” he finished.
Angel smirked wryly. “Words to live by,” he commented dryly.
Buffy nodded and turned back to the group.
“So, what’s the next move?” she asked.
Giles sighed and replaced his glasses on his face.
“Well, we have the stone, now we need this ‘Wordless Psalm’,” the Watcher advised.
Marlena nodded, thinking.
“There’s a place, down in Manhattan, a lot of demons hang out there. The maitre d’ there is supposed to be pretty connected,” she told them. “It’d be a good place to start,” she finished.
Alec nodded. “Oh goody, back to New York,” he commented dryly.
There was a round of chuckles from the group.
“No subway,” Xander put in hurriedly.
Buffy smirked.
“Don’t worry, Xan. I’ll ask DeGanon if he can spare an escort once we get back to the city,” she assured him.
The carpenter nodded.
“Good, cause the subways just aren’t safe,” he stated matter-of-factly. “Vampires, sewer monsters…”
“…Rude attendants,” Alec finished wryly.
This produced another round of smirks from the group.
“Okay, where’s this place?” Buffy asked.
Marlena sighed and thought. “I’ll make sure you get the address before you leave.”
She gestured to the Slayer’s bandaged wounds. “Those are healing, but you still need at least another day of recuperation before I’d send you out against the forces of evil,” she commented dryly.
Alec nodded. “Dad and I are going to hit the library here, do some serious research.”
“Can I help?” Willow asked perkily. Alec smiled wryly, touched by her enthusiasm.
“Deal, lover,” he replied.
“I want to help, too,” Dawn chimed in.
Alec smiled indulgently. “It’ll mean a lot of hitting of books,” he told her.
“Yeah, and if you’re reading the old books that have gone cranky, sometimes they hit back,” Willow added laughing.
Dawn nodded enthusiastically.
“Oh, no, that’s okay. I like reading,” she replied hurriedly.
Buffy sent her a shocked look. “Since when?” she demanded incredulously.
Dawn shot her a nasty look.
“Well, at least I knew what Hogwarts was when it came up in conversation last week,” she replied haughtily, sticking her tongue out. Buffy chuckled and decided not to goad her sister any further.
Giles nodded.
“Alright then, that’s what we’ll do. Alec, Dawn, Willow, and myself will do research.” He put a finger to his lip thoughtfully. “I’d recommend for the rest of you to recover and recuperate for the remainder of this day and the next.”
Xander grinned.
“Cool, the G-man has officially sanctioned party time for the Scooby gang,” he smiled. “So, who wants a pool tournament?” he put forth.
Spike and Anya raised their hands.
“Prepare to lose your shirt, mate,” Spike challenged.
“Prepare to lose more than that,” Anya added with a very naughty smirk.
Alec turned to regard her in amazement.
“Is that ALL you think about?” he asked disbelievingly.
Anya thought. “Yes,” she replied evenly.
Xander put a hand over his eyes, visibly blushing.
“Oh,” Alec replied. “Okay, then. Good that you have priorities.”
Giles sighed and turned to the silver-haired former Slayer.
“Marlena, would you be willing to assist in research?” he asked.
Marlena smiled prettily.
“Okay,” she began.
Giles looked relieved.
“But only if you agree to let me make dinner for you,” she added.
Giles suddenly blanched as everyone hooted in glee.
“Way to go, Ripper!” Alec cried out. He reached behind him as Buffy slapped his hand.
“The woman’s waiting for an answer, Rupert,” Buffy commented.
Giles sighed and covered his eyes with his hand. He sighed and looked up at the pretty ex-Slayer.
“I’d certainly… I mean, if it’s not a problem…” Giles sighed again and cleared his throat; taking off his glasses he regarded the woman calmly. “I’d enjoy that every much, Marlena. Thank you.”
Marlena smiled and reached out to pat his face affectionately.
“See? That’s wasn’t so hard, was it?” she replied laughing gently.
Everyone else was trying very hard not to burst into fits of laughter, some succeeding more than others. Alec, chuckling, put a hand on his father’s shoulder.
“It’s okay, Dad. Tonight you date, tomorrow we do the research bit.”
Still chuckling, he got to his feet. Smiling, he focused on his hand. It transformed into a metal hammer.
“I hereby declare this meeting of the Scooby Gang adjourned.” He grinned and tapped the hammer on the table, Judge Judy style; everyone laughed.
Dawn and Willow smiled prettily at him, although there was definitely more than a hint of indulgence in their expressions. Alec chuckled and reformed his hand. Shaking out the pins and needles, he frowned and turned back to the cafeteria.
“And I’m getting something to eat,” he added definitively.
“Amen,” she replied, nodding, and hopped off the table she was sitting on. She grinned at Alec. “Do they serve Mexican?” she asked.
Alec grinned.
“This place serves EVERYthing,” he replied, grinning. “Mexican, pizza,” he narrowed his eyes and grinned even bigger. “Lasagna,” he added slyly.
Buffy’s eyes widened.
“Okay, that was the clincher, bro,” she commented hurriedly.
“Everybody’s got their price,” he replied, following the quickly fleeing blond Slayer.
Faith got up to follow.
“I wonder if I can get a decent plate of fried shrimp,” she added thoughtfully.
Alec turned and nodded.
“Golden batter and a never-ending supply of tarter sauce,” he informed her with a grin.
Faith’s eyes widened. “Yo, B, wait up!” she cried out brushing past.
Alec chuckled.
“The simple pleasures are indeed the best,” he nodded dryly.
Willow patted him on the rump and wrapped herself around him.
“Come on, lover, fetch me a hot-fudge sundae and we’ll talk about the simple pleasures in life later,” she whispered demurely, kissing his ear.
Alec chuckled and tousled her hair affectionately. The redheaded witch blew him a kiss and took off after the Slayers. Soon after, Xander and the others filed out of the room, Marlena on Giles’ arm, Alec noted wryly.
Dawn was the last to leave and Alec put a gently restraining hand on her shoulder.
“Hey,” he said gently, she turned to look at him with wide eyes.
“Yeah… Alec?” she asked eagerly.
Alec held up his hand before her.
“This doesn’t change anything. I mean, I’m still me.” He looked at her hopefully. “You know that, right?” he asked cautiously.
Dawn smiled and wordlessly reached over, taking his hand in hers before gently nuzzling her face against it. Alec unclenched his hand and gently stroked her face. Dawn closed her eyes and sighed contently. Alec shook his head affectionately.
“I guess this means we’re cool?” he inquired gently.
She slowly opened her eyes and kissed his hand. Alec's eyes closed as a feeling of peace washed over him.
“Always,” she replied quietly.
The moment hung tense in the air. The man of darkness and the girl of endless light gazed at each other, both of them trying to find the right words.
Xander ran back in.
“Hey, Dawn!” he yelled out.
The pair sprang away like magnets pushing away from each other. Alec looked down and away from the young woman. Dawn cleared her throat, not noticing that she had been holding her breath.
“Yeah… yeah, Xander?” she asked shyly.
The young man gestured behind him.
“They’ve got great hotdogs, ball-park style,” he grinned.
Dawn nodded hurriedly. “Okay, be right there.”
She turned as Xander fled back out the door for seconds and opened her mouth to speak.
“I…” she struggled for words.
Alec shook his head.
“It’s all right, Dawn, I know.” He frowned slightly. “Well, I think I know, anyhow.” He sighed and shook his head, smiling at the younger woman.
“You and I have this connection and I don’t know how it works or WHY it works…” he reached out and cradled her face in his, “but I know it’s there…” he whispered, “…I know that it does work…” she nuzzled her face against his hand, “…and I know that it's important,” he finished.
Dawn turned her head to kiss his palm and nodded, tears of emotion in her eyes.
“It’s important to me, too,” she replied quietly.
He nodded and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, leading her to the eatery.
(To be continued in Chapter 3)
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Timeline: Immediately follows Book 1: Dusk
Rating: TV-14 (nothing worse than on the show)
Pairing/Characters: Buffy/Spike, Willow/Dusk(OC), Xander/Anya, Giles/Marlena(OC), Dawn, Faith, Angel, Dracula
Book One: Dusk (all chapters)
Previous chapter of Midnight
Banner created by edgehead73.
Important note: Only two more weeks left before the offer for the PDF version of "Book One: Dusk" expires. You have until the end of November 30. The data will be emailed to Deacon on the evening of December 1 and the files will be sent out soon after (anytime between Dec 2 - Dec 7).
If you would like to sign up for a copy, please provide you email address by commenting on the entry indicated by the link (the comments are screened), or by emailing either hm_ascendent3 @ yahoo. ca or sirts_tirts @ hotmail . com.
Hellmouth Ascendant Trilogy: Revamped Edition
Book Two:
Midnight
Chapter 2
The Weapon
The sun had just set as the group got off the camper. Buffy stretched out her arms and sighed, being mindful of her knee.
“Ah, good to be back in the Casa del Slayer,” announced the blonde Slayer.
She looked around, puzzled. The guards were gone, the gate open.
“Umm… is it just me or is it awfully ‘dark and lonely’ out here?”
“It’s just you, Buffy,” a voice called out.
She spun around just in time to see dozens of small wrens come together. The birds flocked into a humanoid shape and within seconds, Marlena was standing there, pushing back a feathered cowl. She smiled as everyone began applauding.
“Judges, give her an eight,” Xander chimed in.
“Eight-five on account of plumage,” Alec added as Buffy limped over and hugged the older woman.
Marlena smiled. “Busy couple of days?” she asked wryly.
Buffy rolled her eyes. “You have no idea,” she replied.
Marlena pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Actually…”
She let the insinuation hang in the air before gesturing, the ruby red tortoise plodded over to them and Marlena helped Buffy onto its crimson back.
“Take a load off,” she advised wryly.
Buffy smiled and leaned down to pat Aeon on the head. It grunted slightly. She smiled and gestured.
“Okay, introductions, this is Faith,” she gestured to the younger Slayer, who grinned and nodded, “and this is Dawn.” Dawn smiled shyly and waved.
Marlena curtsied. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”
She smiled and winked before straightening to address them all.
“I’ve spoken with the residents here, and they’ve all agreed that you are welcome to be our guests for as long as you like,” she informed them.
Giles smiled, pleased. “Thank you for that, Marlena, we’re grateful, of course.”
Marlena waved it away.
“No more grateful than we are for your assistance in the defense of our home,” the ancient Slayer replied evenly, taking his arm and leading them to the manor.
Buffy frowned and looked around, being borne along at a steady plodding pace by the giant turtle.
“I don’t get it, Marlena. This place usually looks like an Alcatraz throwback. Guards' day off?”
Marlena smiled slightly.
“I thought that perhaps the sight of men with guns might disquiet you all, so I took the liberty of excusing them for a half an hour.”
Buffy snorted and replied. “Remind me to tell you about the Initiative, sometime.”
They came in full view of the manor and everyone who hadn’t already seen it gasped.
“That’s… big,” Xander commented dryly.
“And spooky,” Willow added.
“It’s much nicer on the inside, trust me,” Buffy assured them, smiling.
“Uh-huh,” Willow replied in a small voice and swallowed as the group bypassed the massive gates.
Sure enough, they were overwhelmed by the visions of gold and gleaming marble inside. Jaws dropped.
“Do you see…?” Spike gaped.
“Uh-huh,” Angel replied.
“Can you believe…?”
“Uh-huh.”
Spike was leaning to stare at a solid gold statue. He reached out to touch it with trembling hands.
“Can we just…?”
“No,” Angel replied, swatting his covetous hand away from the gold statue.
Marlena grinned as they walked over a large white marble circle inlaid in the center of the chamber. As they were crossing it, Alec jolted to a stop. He frowned and nearly fell over. Willow turned to him.
“Alec?” she asked concerned.
Alec just kept frowning, struggling against an unseen force.
“Uh, I can’t move,” he replied. His body shook with the effort of locomotion, it just wasn’t happening.
Everyone turned around.
“Hey D, what’s the hold up?” Faith asked.
Willow turned to face her. “He can’t move,” she explained worriedly.
Faith frowned and walked over to him.
“Come again?” she asked.
“We’re right above the prime mystical convergence.” Marlena explained as she pointed at the marble circle. “Beneath this circle is the highest concentration of magical energy here at Grigori.”
The silver-haired woman frowned at the paralyzed youth. “You can’t move at all?” she asked.
Alec tried to shake his head but that wasn’t going to happening either. Marlena sighed and gently placed a hand over his forehead, chanting a few words. There was a bright blue flash of light and Marlena hurriedly drew her hand back, wringing it in pain.
“That stung,” she said mildly, sucking on her fingers.
“What happened?” Willow asked, concerned. Marlena waved it away.
“I cast a minor incantation to see if your young man here was reacting to the node. The response was an overwhelming ‘affirmative’,” she explained.
Reaching into her pocket, she sprinkled some dust over Alec’s head. There was a humming sound, like a tuning fork, and, without any warning, Alec pitched forward, nearly falling flat on his face. Marlena caught him easily.
“There we go,” she commented wryly, helping him stand. “Better?” she asked.
“Yeah, thanks,” he replied, nodding.
She smiled slightly as he shook out the pins and needles feeling that his entire body had been enveloped in. Willow looked at him with concern.
“You’re sure you’re okay?” she asked.
He exhaled and nodded. “I’m good. Let’s…”
He gestured to the others who had begun to drift away. She nodded and wrapped an arm around his, leading him away from the enchanted circle.
Marlena was busy giving everyone the grand tour. She opened one door revealing, of all things, a massive video game arcade. Dawn, Anya, and Xander rushed forward, requiring no further prompting, and were delighted to realize that none of the video games required quarters. Within seconds they were blasting away aliens, laughing.
The group turned and walked away. Alec stopped to give Dawn a lingering look before departing, the near miss in the camper springing to mind. He shook his head, sighed, and left. Dawn looked up from her game, just long enough to catch him looking at her. He didn’t notice, lost in his thoughts as he was, and she frowned unhappily. Something was bothering him and that was something she didn’t like at all. Sighing herself, she turned back to the video game.
Marlena opened another set of marble doors, revealing an absolutely sprawling swimming pool, complete with a miniature waterfall and a lagoon. Buffy and Faith grinned; they both loved swimming. Even Giles seemed pleased, admitting that a few hours in a hot tub might do his back wonders. Marlena mentioned swimsuits and a changing room and the Slayers were off, Faith helping the limping Slayer into one of the changing booths before entering her own. Giles smiled slightly and, casting a concerned look to his son which Alec waved off since he had felt no other side effects from his temporary paralysis, the Watcher headed to another changing booth.
The air in the pool room was warm and didn’t stink of chlorine. Willow inhaled appreciatively.
“Hey, Alec, you want to go swimming?” she asked excitedly.
Alec shook his head. “In a little bit, love, I’m going to talk with Marlena for a while.”
The redhead frowned, disappointed. He smiled reassuringly and kissed her.
“Go. Make sure Buffy doesn’t drown or something.”
She smiled prettily and bounded off to the changing room. Alec shook his head, chuckling, as Spike approached him.
“Question, mate,” Spike chimed in. “Just how do you endure that much perkiness?”
Alec looked up at the blond vampire.
“Really. Good. Sex,” he replied, emphasizing each word.
Spike nodded. “That’s what I thought,” he chuckled.
Marlena gestured to the changing rooms. “If you boys would like to join the ladies, there are plenty of bathing suits to go around.”
Spike looked down uncomfortably. “I, um... not interested,” he mumbled.
Marlena frowned. “You don’t like swimming, Spike?” she asked.
“He can’t swim,” Angel answered, smirking slightly.
Spike snarled at him. “Push off!”
Angel snorted. “Look at it this way, Spike, you can’t drown either.”
The blond pursed his lips together, he hadn’t thought of that. He sighed and padded over to the changing rooms and Angel followed, leaving Alec and Marlena alone on the rim of the pool. She turned to him.
“And you, young man, what’s your pleasure?” she asked.
“A gym,” he replied, “I need to work out some tension.”
Marlena nodded, seemingly completely unsurprised by his request.
“This way,” she replied, gesturing to a flight of stairs.
Alec followed and was brought into a dimly lit work out room, complete with weights and a punching bag. He nodded on seeing it all.
“This’ll do,” he informed his hostess.
Smiling slightly, she asked. “Any particular reason as to this tension?”
“Yes. I’m having weird feelings about my surrogate sister's kid sister and metal keeps popping out of my arm,” he replied, sighing heavily.
Marlena nodded. “I see,” she replied.
Placing a finger to her lips, she paused thoughtfully, then shook her head.
“I’ll come by later, see if I can’t bring you something that would help.” She patted his arm affectionately and headed out, leaving the dark man alone in the dim room.
The others were having the time of their lives in the pool. Marlena had dug up a pair of some sort of amoeba-like creatures that, once she applied them to Buffy’s shoulder and knee, guaranteed that water would not get in and that it would accelerate the regeneration of damaged tissue. To Buffy, it felt like having a jellyfish lodged on her skin minus the stinging. It was a little creepy but, after a while, she forgot about it and was whooping and splashing along with the rest of the girls. Giles, Spike, and Angel were sitting in the shallow end, sipping brandy and talking.
“I’m really not sure what to make of Dracula’s counsel,” Giles explained. “The Everstone was at least an object; this ‘Wordless Psalm’… it’s all terribly vague,” he sighed.
Spike snorted. “Yeah, who’d ever think - Count Chocula being elusive?”
He shook his head in derision and turned to Angel.
“What is it with you pretty boys and not being able to give a straight answer?” he asked, without any real malice.
Angel scoffed. “I don’t know, what is it with you homely people and not being able to figure out our answers?” he replied evenly.
Spike sent a spray of water at the other vampire. Angel frowned.
“That old guy in the gem room said something about ‘a Hebrew word that meant truth and also death’.”
He shook his head as Giles frowned.
“That actually sounds familiar. The Jewish people have a very rich mystical culture, dating back several thousand years. You know, if I-”
Suddenly his head pitched, flinging his glasses into the pool, as a volleyball ball collided hard with his head.
“Oops!” Buffy blushed. “Sorry!” she called out apologetically.
Giles sighed as he rubbed his head. Spike hurled the ball back at the girls and half-heartedly tried not to burst into laughter. Angel fished around in the pool and found Giles’ glasses.
“Here you go,” he offered, handing the drenched spectacles back to the Watcher.
Giles sighed and accepted them. “Thank you,” he replied wearily.
“Nice shot, B,” Faith commented as the girls gathered around in a circle to chat. Buffy looked sheepish.
“Sorry, a little too much Slayer in that last toss, I suppose.” She smiled and gestured to the men who were in deep discussion. “What do you think they’re talking about?” she asked.
Faith shrugged. “What else? Us,” she replied grinning. Willow rolled her eyes.
“I’m sure they have more interesting things to talk about than us,” she replied calmly.
Faith shook her head.
“Say what you will, Red, but the greatest mystery to man is the female mind.” She grinned crookedly at the witch. “Why do you think they put up with us?” she asked wryly.
Buffy snorted. “Because if they didn’t, they’d have to bring their mothers to prom,” she replied.
The girls laughed. Willow sighed and cast another glance back at the door Alec had left through. Buffy caught her look.
“He’ll be fine, Will, he probably just needs some time to vent.”
She reached out and sipped from a glass of ice tea that was floating on the water without tipping. Such casual violations of the laws of physics were, by this time, largely unnoticed by the group.
“We’ve all been under pretty tight quarters,” she explained, “Alec’s always been a little… space-requiring.” She placed a wet hand on her friends shoulder. “Don’t take it personally, boys are weird.”
Willow smiled slightly at that and shrugged.
“I know, and I’m not worried about that, it’s just…” She sighed and cast another look at the door. “He hasn’t been the same since we got back from the Deadlands, he’s lost a lot of his confidence.” She turned back to the Slayers who were wearing expressions of concern. “He blames himself for me dying and everything, and it sort of shish-kebabbed his faith in himself. So he’s getting himself all wound up.”
“Wound up too tight you think?” Buffy asked, concerned.
Willow nodded. “I’m worried he’s pushing himself too hard. Like he has something to prove to all of us,” she explained.
Faith sighed. “I know what that’s like.” She shook her wet hair. “You just gotta understand him. He’s a fighter, he fights a lot and he fights well. Now, all of a sudden, he’s lost a fight and someone he loved died and he’s pretty wigged.”
“Yeah, plus, don’t forget the…”
Buffy gestured to her arm and pantomimed things springing out of it. Willow sighed and nodded.
“That’s just it, he needs downtime.” She frowned unhappily. “He’s always been a Giles when it came to duty, but I seriously think he needs to cut himself some slack.”
SLAM!
Alec wailed on the punching back, lashing out with taped-up fists again and again into the black canvas bag. He stepped back, clad only in a pair of black sweatpants. He growled and whirled around, hitting the bag with a roundhouse kick that almost split the skin on his foot. Landing lightly on the ball of his foot, he pivoted and thrust out a kick before crouching and slamming a long series of strikes into the bag, sending it swinging away. He caught the bag with a hard forearm strike before sagging against it, chest heaving.
“You weren’t kidding,” a voice called from behind him. Turning around, he saw Marlena regarding him kindly. “You are tense.”
Alec sighed and mopped away a bead of sweat from his brow with his hand.
Marlena sat down. “You want to talk about it?” she asked.
Alec shook his head, sending droplets of perspiration flying.
“Not even a little,” he replied, going back to the punching bag.
Marlena nodded. “Okay.”
She watched him vent on the canvas bag for a while.
“Wouldn’t have anything to do with that burst of necromantic energy I felt the other night would it?” she asked.
Alec snarled and lashed out with a particularly punishing blow to the bag, sending it swinging away. He placed a hand on the bag and turned to her.
“Yeah, it might,” he replied tersely.
Marlena nodded. “Willow?”
He nodded, and muttered a “yeah”.
“She died?”
“Yeah.”
“And was brought back?”
“That’s right,” Alec replied, turning his attention back to the bag.
“And you blame yourself for her dying?” Marlena observed.
Alec didn’t answer he just hit the bag harder. The witch-slayer nodded in understanding.
“Is there anyone else I should blame?” Alec growled as he continued to pummel the bag.
“Mercurio?” she asked mildly.
Alec snorted and whipped around with another roundhouse kick.
“He’s dead,” he growled, landing on his feet and thrusting two back punches to the bag.
Marlena nodded. “I imagine so. So, if he’s dead, and Willow’s safe, then why are you still angry?” she asked gently.
Alec didn’t turn to look at her.
“Because it never should have happened,” he bit out through clenched teeth.
Marlena nodded again.
“No. No, it shouldn’t have, but it did and you need to figure out how to deal with it.”
Alec scoffed and continued hitting the bag. “I am dealing with it,” he replied coarsely.
Marlena walked over to him and placed a hand on his damp shoulder. He turned around and Marlena took his hands in hers, holding them up.
“This,” she gestured to his bloody, split knuckles, “is not dealing with it.” Alec just shrugged and watched as the wounds healed over. “Beating yourself up is not dealing with it.” She dropped his newly healed hands. “You’re not all powerful.”
“Well, I should be!” Alec raged as he resumed his beating.
“Were they demons?” he asked, slamming into the bag. “No. Were they vampires?” he snarled and slammed another fist into the bag. “No! What were they?” His teeth were clenched together so hard, Marlena could hear the molars grinding. “They were just stupid, rotten walking corpses!” he raged, punishing the bag and himself.
“And I…”
Slam!
“…couldn’t…”
Slam!!
“…do…”
Slam!
“…anything…”
Slam!
“…about it!”
As he finished and roared, slamming his fist into the bag, he wasn’t surprised to see black metal sprouting out of his arm, impaling the canvas bag, transfixing it to the spot and causing sand to leak out. He panted for a while and, with a grunt, tore his transformed arm out of the bag, in the process almost ripping the cloth in half. Sand continued to pile up on the floor as the shredded half of the bag dangled by a few strands of canvas. He gestured at Marlena with the bladed instrument for emphasis.
“Never again, Marlena,” he said in a voice shaking with fury. “Never again does someone die because I don’t have the power to save them. No matter what it takes, I promise you.”
“Easy,” she soothed him, stroking his damp hair from his eyes. “Relax. Let the rage drain out of you.”
He scowled and shook his head.
“Willow died and I couldn’t do anything about it. Where were these… THINGS then?” he demanded, gesturing to the blades.
Marlena sighed and shook her head.
“The Weapon doesn’t work that way,” she explained.
Alec frowned at her. “ ‘The Weapon’?” he asked, puzzled.
She nodded and gently reached out to his transformed arm. Alec instantly drew away.
“Shhh,” she soothed, gently touching the arm. “It’s okay.”
Lightly, she danced her fingertips over the myriad of blades and hooks. The blades crackled with purple energy. She smiled slightly.
“The Weapon usually takes a more… poetic form.” She gestured to the brutal looking instrument. “Like this it is unformed. All it is is reflex and emotion. And judging by how unpleasant it looks, I’m going to say that emotion is blinding rage.”
She stroked a long curved and serrated blade jutting out from his wrist and sighed.
“It need not be so,” she told him.
Alec sat down on a bench. “What is this thing?” he asked quietly.
Marlena sighed and settled into a tale.
“The Weapon is like the Key in some ways,” she began. “However, unlike the Key, the Weapon comes from a darker place. It can be used for either noble or evil purposes, but always for violence.” She sighed. “It’s an instrument of battle, whether that is a battle to protect or to destroy.”
She smiled slightly and reached out to touch Alec’s forehead; he was instantly awash in a sea of images. He saw a king with a glorious sword. Feeling his arm tingle, he looked down in shock to see that what had once been nothing more than a collection of hooks and knives, had become an exact replica of the sword, its golden hilt terminating at his wrist. Marlena smiled slightly,
“When Arthur used it, it was called Excalibur,” she stated quietly.
Alec looked up at her in shock and gestured to the sword coming out of his arm.
“This is…”
Marlena nodded, smiling. “The one and only,” she replied.
She regarded the weapon. “Of course, it wasn’t grafted to his arm at the time.”
Alec frowned. “How…?” he began to ask.
She smiled. “Go ahead, give it a shot.” She gestured to the blade.
Frowning, Alec reached down and wedged the fingers of his left hand between the hilt and his wrist, startled to find indeed, that there was purchase for his fingers. He grunted and, with hardly a whisper of protest, the blade slid free from his arm with the sound of a sword being removed from its sheath. He caught the blade in his left hand and gaped down at his right arm, now once again ending in his hand.
He looked back at Marlena, who smiled approvingly.
“See? Isn’t that better?” she asked.
“What? How?” Alec stammered.
Marlena leaned back and considered.
“The Weapon isn’t a spell. Rather, it is a spiritual artifact that is grafted to someone’s soul before they are born. Like the Slayer, one is chosen every generation to bear the weapon. Unlike the Slayer, sometimes the wrong person gets chosen.”
She reached out and placed a hand over his eyes and instantly he was in London. There was a scream and a man was dragging a knife across the throat of a young woman, dumping her body to the ground. The part-demon young man shuddered and opened his eyes, looking down at his hand; the sword had become the scalpel in his vision. Alec paled.
“Yes, sometimes the Weapon winds up in the wrong hands.” Marlena gestured to the glittering blade. “Jack was a bad idea,” she commented quietly.
Alec looked up, his face tight with horror.
“Jack? As in Jack the Ripper?” he asked, aghast.
Marlena nodded quietly.
“Like I said, the Weapon can be used for good or evil, but always for violence.” She sighed and shook her head. “But there are better uses.”
She smiled and touched his head again; once more, he was instantly awash in memories. France, during the reign of Louis the Fourteenth and a man named…
“…D’Artagnan?” he asked in disbelief gesturing to the now-rapier in his hand. “This was used by THE D’Artagnan?”
Marlena grinned. “One for all and all for one, young musketeer.”
“But you’re missing the point,” she continued, gesturing to the foil in his hand. “The Weapon, whether ‘tis used for good or ill, is a force that imbues its wielder with its…” she smiled slightly, “…double-edged gifts, if you’ll forgive the pun.”
Alec looked down at the sword, then back at Marlena.
“How do I…?”
Marlena smiled. “Just will it. It’ll respond.”
Alec looked back at the sword and focused, the blade began to sink into the skin of his arm, flooding it with an overwhelming pins and needles sensation. Within seconds, it was gone, leaving only numbness and a purple electric residual.
“The Force is strong with this one,” Marlena quipped wryly.
Alec flexed his fingers and turned back to Marlena.
“What does this have to do with my darkness powers? You told my father that the Keeper demon chose my soul to bond with for a reason. Why?”
Marlena smiled.
“What better weapon for the Keepers to wage their war on the rest of demon-kind with than the Weapon.” She shook her head. “Those shadowy aristocrats have a vicious sense of irony. Besides, your darkness powers, like the trick with your coat, all of it responds to will and focus. It’s always better to visualize what you want rather than trust instinct and reaction to interpret your emotions correctly.”
Alec focused on his hand, and instantly three claws popped out between his middle knuckles.
Marlena smirked. “I see we’re a comic book fan,” she commented wryly.
Alec tested the claws experimentally, before turning to the shredded punching bag, the bottom half still dangling by a few threads of canvas. He turned to look back at Marlena, who smiled and gestured. Alec reared back and, with a roar, lashed out with the claws; the last few strands of material holding the heavy bag together were sliced to ribbons, sending the dangling bottom part flying across the room to hit the wall with a resounding thud.
Marlena applauded. “Upper deck!” she cried out, laughing.
Alec smiled slightly and the claws retracted under his skin. He frowned.
“You mentioned the Key…” he began.
Marlena nodded. “You make a pretty good guardian for her.”
He shook his head.
“That’s not what I meant. I mean, why do I feel this… overwhelming need to protect her?” he asked.
Marlena sighed and threw up her hands, exasperated.
“Alec, did it ever occur to you that the reason you want to protect her is because you love her and that you’re a good person?”
“Not really,” he replied evenly.
Marlena sighed hard. “THIS is what happens when young men live a hundred years in a demon realm without any human contact, Alec.”
She placed a hand on his shoulder. “You’re a GOOD man. Believe it or not, you are, you fight the war on evil without thought of reward.”
Alec shrugged. “So? So does Buffy and my dad and everyone else,” he replied.
Marlena nodded. “And they’re good people, right? So why don’t YOU count yourself within that category?” she asked, sounding a little frustrated.
Alec sighed and shook his head.
“Because how can I be a good person when I love two different people?” he finally asked. “When I’ve got this… this darkness inside of me?”
Marlena smiled and stroked his cheek affectionately.
“Love. Real love, in your heart, can do no wrong. As long as you let that love guide your actions, you have nothing to worry about.” She smiled. “As I said before - Willow, you love with your heart,” the radiant woman placed a hand on his bare chest, “and Dawn, you love with your soul. And believe it or not, the ONLY one who is having a serious problem with this, is you,” she finished. “And, you know, Dawn is very much in love with you,” she added.
Alec turned around to regard her with shock, which caused Marlena to laugh.
“Trust a man to remain oblivious to the obvious,” she commented wryly. She gave the half-nude man an appraising look. “Well, at least she has good taste,” she observed, a hint of feminine humor leaking into the comment.
Alec colored slightly and tugged on a shirt.
“Enough of that… AUNT,” he replied, stressing the last word.
Marlena chuckled and shook her head.
“My loss, I’m sure,” she quipped before laughing a silver bells laugh.
Suddenly, Alec’s stomach erupted in a ferocious growl. He colored and wrapped his arms around his offending stomach as Marlena grinned.
“That reminds me, using the Weapon increases your metabolism rate. You’re going to come down with a major case of the munchies after every use.” She gestured out of the door. “The, uh… cafeteria is this way,” she pointed.
Alec nodded and, collecting his coat, followed the other woman out of the room, not noticing that as he closed the door, the gym, the damaged bag… everything… quickly faded into gray and then nothing.
Alec came into the poolroom after eating and looked around, smiling. The girls were all playing a game of volleyball against the guys. Dawn, Xander, and Anya had returned and were whooping it up with the rest of them. Faith saw Alec enter and called a time out as everyone turned to look at their reclusive friend. Willow turned around and frowned, concerned.
“Alec, is everything okay?” she asked.
Alec smiled slightly and came to the edge of the pool, taking a deep breath.
It reacts to control, he told himself.
Opening his eyes, he lifted his foot up… and stepped out onto the open water. His coat opened up and darkness curled around his back to support his foot. Not breaking his concentration, he walked along the surface of the water, each footstep being supported by a piece of darkness; behind him a colossal shroud of darkness scraped the ceiling with countless tendrils. The others gaped.
“Bloody hell,” Spike muttered quietly.
Alec reached the end of the pool and, with a bound, leapt off the top of the water onto the concrete rim. Turning, he regarded his friends. They were all looking at him in stunned disbelief, darkness whips and exploding coats were one thing, walking on water and behemoth shrouds of blackness were another.
Holding up his hand, Alec focused and three claws sprouted out between his knuckles; smiling slightly, he turned to the wall and, with a shower of sparks, began carving something. Everyone looked at each other, puzzled. Willow was swimming up to him, Dawn was hanging back, afraid to make it obvious that she wanted to be there. Alec stepped back from his work and revealed it to everyone else.
Scooby Gang was here!
There was another silence, followed by first Xander laughing, then Buffy; pretty soon the whole room was howling with amusement at the sheer absurdity of it all. Alec retracted the claws back under his skin and helped Willow out of the pool. The dripping witch hugged him tightly.
“You’ve learned to control it?” she asked.
He nodded. “Never doubt the expertise of silver-haired Slayers,” he replied.
She smiled and kissed his face… and then promptly shoved him into the pool. There was a loud splash as Alec hit the water, arms flailing. Everyone laughed and pointed.
“Way to go, Red!” Faith cheered.
Alec surfaced, sputtering but not entirely surprised.
“Never doubt the craftiness of concerned girlfriends,” Willow responded glibly to Alec’s shocked look.
Some time later they had all toweled off and were gathered in the common room. They were sitting in a circle around Alec as he was obligingly demonstrating his newfound power.
“Okay, okay,” Xander laughed. “Now do Freddy Krueger,” he implored.
Alec rolled his eyes but obligingly stretched out his fingers and claws slid out from under his fingernails. He held up the claws for the group to appraise. There were chuckles from everyone as Giles took off his glasses.
“The Weapon… my own son.” He shook his head amazed. “The Weapon has a history stretching back to Dark Ages, to find it now, here…” He shook his head in awe. “It’s possibly one of the most significant magical re-discoveries since…”
He cut off abruptly and shot a look towards Dawn, who was oblivious to the conversation; she was too enthralled with Alec as he shifted the claws to a massive axe-blade and held it up for her to examine.
“…Since, well, for a very long time in any case,” Giles finished.
Buffy caught his glance and nodded understandingly.
“Question,” Willow chimed in, taking in Alec and Dawn’s byplay with wry amusement. “The Weapon, combined with the Slayer and the rising of the Hellmouth.” She looked back at Giles. “Doesn’t it all seem a little too… coincidence-ish?” she finished.
Giles nodded.
“It would seem that there are events that are quickly coming together,” he frowned, “forming a pattern that is almost cataclysmic in scope.” Anya looked up at him,
“Huh?” she replied.
“The ‘fits’ about to hit the ‘shan’,” Faith put in.
Buffy nodded and started counting off on her fingers.
“Two Slayers, Dracula, the Everstone, a third Slayer back from the grave, the Hellmouth rising…” she looked at Dawn, who was still giggling at Alec’s antics; she leaned closer to whisper, “…the Key, and now this ‘Weapon’?” She shook her head. “This is getting bigger and bigger,” she breathed out hard.
“If this is going to be as big and bad as we all think its going to be,” Alec turned to her, his hand reformed into a normal hand. “Then we’re going to need all the help we can get.” He held up his hand, causing claws to spring out of his knuckles. “If these will help us deal with whatever the Hellmouth is planning on tossing at us, so be it.”
“Right on,” Spike chimed in, toweling his hair dry. “After all, it’s just like I’ve always said, ‘there’s no such thing as ‘overkill’, only ‘just enough kill’,” he finished.
Angel smirked wryly. “Words to live by,” he commented dryly.
Buffy nodded and turned back to the group.
“So, what’s the next move?” she asked.
Giles sighed and replaced his glasses on his face.
“Well, we have the stone, now we need this ‘Wordless Psalm’,” the Watcher advised.
Marlena nodded, thinking.
“There’s a place, down in Manhattan, a lot of demons hang out there. The maitre d’ there is supposed to be pretty connected,” she told them. “It’d be a good place to start,” she finished.
Alec nodded. “Oh goody, back to New York,” he commented dryly.
There was a round of chuckles from the group.
“No subway,” Xander put in hurriedly.
Buffy smirked.
“Don’t worry, Xan. I’ll ask DeGanon if he can spare an escort once we get back to the city,” she assured him.
The carpenter nodded.
“Good, cause the subways just aren’t safe,” he stated matter-of-factly. “Vampires, sewer monsters…”
“…Rude attendants,” Alec finished wryly.
This produced another round of smirks from the group.
“Okay, where’s this place?” Buffy asked.
Marlena sighed and thought. “I’ll make sure you get the address before you leave.”
She gestured to the Slayer’s bandaged wounds. “Those are healing, but you still need at least another day of recuperation before I’d send you out against the forces of evil,” she commented dryly.
Alec nodded. “Dad and I are going to hit the library here, do some serious research.”
“Can I help?” Willow asked perkily. Alec smiled wryly, touched by her enthusiasm.
“Deal, lover,” he replied.
“I want to help, too,” Dawn chimed in.
Alec smiled indulgently. “It’ll mean a lot of hitting of books,” he told her.
“Yeah, and if you’re reading the old books that have gone cranky, sometimes they hit back,” Willow added laughing.
Dawn nodded enthusiastically.
“Oh, no, that’s okay. I like reading,” she replied hurriedly.
Buffy sent her a shocked look. “Since when?” she demanded incredulously.
Dawn shot her a nasty look.
“Well, at least I knew what Hogwarts was when it came up in conversation last week,” she replied haughtily, sticking her tongue out. Buffy chuckled and decided not to goad her sister any further.
Giles nodded.
“Alright then, that’s what we’ll do. Alec, Dawn, Willow, and myself will do research.” He put a finger to his lip thoughtfully. “I’d recommend for the rest of you to recover and recuperate for the remainder of this day and the next.”
Xander grinned.
“Cool, the G-man has officially sanctioned party time for the Scooby gang,” he smiled. “So, who wants a pool tournament?” he put forth.
Spike and Anya raised their hands.
“Prepare to lose your shirt, mate,” Spike challenged.
“Prepare to lose more than that,” Anya added with a very naughty smirk.
Alec turned to regard her in amazement.
“Is that ALL you think about?” he asked disbelievingly.
Anya thought. “Yes,” she replied evenly.
Xander put a hand over his eyes, visibly blushing.
“Oh,” Alec replied. “Okay, then. Good that you have priorities.”
Giles sighed and turned to the silver-haired former Slayer.
“Marlena, would you be willing to assist in research?” he asked.
Marlena smiled prettily.
“Okay,” she began.
Giles looked relieved.
“But only if you agree to let me make dinner for you,” she added.
Giles suddenly blanched as everyone hooted in glee.
“Way to go, Ripper!” Alec cried out. He reached behind him as Buffy slapped his hand.
“The woman’s waiting for an answer, Rupert,” Buffy commented.
Giles sighed and covered his eyes with his hand. He sighed and looked up at the pretty ex-Slayer.
“I’d certainly… I mean, if it’s not a problem…” Giles sighed again and cleared his throat; taking off his glasses he regarded the woman calmly. “I’d enjoy that every much, Marlena. Thank you.”
Marlena smiled and reached out to pat his face affectionately.
“See? That’s wasn’t so hard, was it?” she replied laughing gently.
Everyone else was trying very hard not to burst into fits of laughter, some succeeding more than others. Alec, chuckling, put a hand on his father’s shoulder.
“It’s okay, Dad. Tonight you date, tomorrow we do the research bit.”
Still chuckling, he got to his feet. Smiling, he focused on his hand. It transformed into a metal hammer.
“I hereby declare this meeting of the Scooby Gang adjourned.” He grinned and tapped the hammer on the table, Judge Judy style; everyone laughed.
Dawn and Willow smiled prettily at him, although there was definitely more than a hint of indulgence in their expressions. Alec chuckled and reformed his hand. Shaking out the pins and needles, he frowned and turned back to the cafeteria.
“And I’m getting something to eat,” he added definitively.
“Amen,” she replied, nodding, and hopped off the table she was sitting on. She grinned at Alec. “Do they serve Mexican?” she asked.
Alec grinned.
“This place serves EVERYthing,” he replied, grinning. “Mexican, pizza,” he narrowed his eyes and grinned even bigger. “Lasagna,” he added slyly.
Buffy’s eyes widened.
“Okay, that was the clincher, bro,” she commented hurriedly.
“Everybody’s got their price,” he replied, following the quickly fleeing blond Slayer.
Faith got up to follow.
“I wonder if I can get a decent plate of fried shrimp,” she added thoughtfully.
Alec turned and nodded.
“Golden batter and a never-ending supply of tarter sauce,” he informed her with a grin.
Faith’s eyes widened. “Yo, B, wait up!” she cried out brushing past.
Alec chuckled.
“The simple pleasures are indeed the best,” he nodded dryly.
Willow patted him on the rump and wrapped herself around him.
“Come on, lover, fetch me a hot-fudge sundae and we’ll talk about the simple pleasures in life later,” she whispered demurely, kissing his ear.
Alec chuckled and tousled her hair affectionately. The redheaded witch blew him a kiss and took off after the Slayers. Soon after, Xander and the others filed out of the room, Marlena on Giles’ arm, Alec noted wryly.
Dawn was the last to leave and Alec put a gently restraining hand on her shoulder.
“Hey,” he said gently, she turned to look at him with wide eyes.
“Yeah… Alec?” she asked eagerly.
Alec held up his hand before her.
“This doesn’t change anything. I mean, I’m still me.” He looked at her hopefully. “You know that, right?” he asked cautiously.
Dawn smiled and wordlessly reached over, taking his hand in hers before gently nuzzling her face against it. Alec unclenched his hand and gently stroked her face. Dawn closed her eyes and sighed contently. Alec shook his head affectionately.
“I guess this means we’re cool?” he inquired gently.
She slowly opened her eyes and kissed his hand. Alec's eyes closed as a feeling of peace washed over him.
“Always,” she replied quietly.
The moment hung tense in the air. The man of darkness and the girl of endless light gazed at each other, both of them trying to find the right words.
Xander ran back in.
“Hey, Dawn!” he yelled out.
The pair sprang away like magnets pushing away from each other. Alec looked down and away from the young woman. Dawn cleared her throat, not noticing that she had been holding her breath.
“Yeah… yeah, Xander?” she asked shyly.
The young man gestured behind him.
“They’ve got great hotdogs, ball-park style,” he grinned.
Dawn nodded hurriedly. “Okay, be right there.”
She turned as Xander fled back out the door for seconds and opened her mouth to speak.
“I…” she struggled for words.
Alec shook his head.
“It’s all right, Dawn, I know.” He frowned slightly. “Well, I think I know, anyhow.” He sighed and shook his head, smiling at the younger woman.
“You and I have this connection and I don’t know how it works or WHY it works…” he reached out and cradled her face in his, “but I know it’s there…” he whispered, “…I know that it does work…” she nuzzled her face against his hand, “…and I know that it's important,” he finished.
Dawn turned her head to kiss his palm and nodded, tears of emotion in her eyes.
“It’s important to me, too,” she replied quietly.
He nodded and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, leading her to the eatery.
(To be continued in Chapter 3)