The Devil Went Down to Sunnydale V (Patreon)

Chapter IV: New Job pt II

                                                     – o – o – o – o – o – o – o –

Two days later, Xander was at school irritated and frustrated.

That same day, after he had made it all the way to "Uncle Bob's Magic Cabinet", the Bob in question just sent him back, shaking his head almost disgusted, as he said, "Ain't no way in hell I'm gonna believe you're a Fiend, kid. No practical jokes here, no sirree."

I can’t believe that guy Xander thought, his jaw clenching as he replayed the memory in his head. I bust my ass to get to his shop, and he just brushes me off like I'm some punk kid playing a prank. Unbelievable.

Heading back to the Rosen Queen had him quickly head back home as Tana informed him that “Mr. Ash just went out of town, he should be back tomorrow morning. Would you like to leave a message?”

Cleared up? Sure, Xander thought sarcastically, rolling his eyes at the memory of Sam's message on his beeper the next day telling him "Evrythng cleared up. Go to Magic Shop." More like he just didn't bother to tell the guy I was coming. Typical.

But what the Magic Shop guy wanted him to do was the most annoying thing of all. The old guy—apparently some kind of minor wizard because why not?— said he needed a special ingredient that came from the bones of something called a Chalk Goblin.

A Chalk Goblin? Xander had thought at the time, his brow furrowing in confusion. What the hell is a Chalk Goblin?

Oh, just a six foot tall ape-like albino demon with gray bones sticking out of their faces and limbs. Like an uglier version of Doomsday and he, Super-Xan, had to kill one and haul it back. Easy enough, right? Xander thought, his inner monologue dripping with sarcasm.

Wrong. First, he had to hike his way miles out of town and head down to the old abandoned quarry that was apparently a thing and pretend to be sleeping for this demon to attack him and drag him back to its cave to eat him alive.

Joy, Xander thought, his mind flashing back to the long, arduous trek through the woods, the cold night air biting at his skin as he stumbled over roots and rocks. Nothing like a midnight stroll through the wilderness to really get the blood pumping. And by pumping, I mean oozing out of various wounds.

As strong as the Chalk Goblin was, and it was pretty damn strong, he stronger. So, with a fight that took way too long and left his clothes ruined, he hauled the demon's carcass back in the dead of night, journeying miles back into Sunnydale to deliver it to Uncle Bob, just for the man to go, "Wow, I guess you are a Fiend, kid, or something. Really thought they were a made up story. Honestly expected you to die for wasting my time."

Ungrateful bastard, Xander thought, his fists clenching at his sides as he remembered the wizard's dismissive tone. I risk my life to get him his precious ingredient, and that's all he has to say? Not even a thank you?

He wasn't sure if it was the devil in him, but Xander had been sorely tempted to introduce that guy to the same type of hurt he gave the Chalk Goblin. Thankfully, I have more self-restraint than that, he thought, taking a deep breath to calm himself. Barely.

The $1000 dollar check Tana gave him the next day made it a lot more tolerable, honestly. A lot, Xander admitted silently, his eyes widening slightly as he remembered the feeling of the crisp bills in his hand. Guess being a devil's errand boy has its perks after all.

If that was all, he might not be so irritable. Might, Xander thought, his jaw clenching again as he walked through the halls of Sunnydale High, the familiar sounds of lockers slamming and students chattering grating on his nerves.

But noooooo.

Now, he was back at school and this was happening.

"A Bloodstone Vengeance hex," Giles announced, the Watcher standing over Buffy in the library, the Slayer lying back in a chair with a cold compress on her forehead and Willow supporting both Buffy's head and the compress with her hands.

"A what?" Xander asked, voice flat and teeth gritted. He simply stood there and fumed, his hands gripped into tight fists by his sides.

"Bloodstone Vengeance hex," the British man repeated as he took Buffy's pulse with two fingers before shaking his head, his brow furrowed in concern. "Hits the body hard like a, a quart of alcohol, and then it e-eradicates the, uh, immune system."

“She gave Buffy magic AIDs,” Xander thought, his jaw clenching as he tried to keep his anger in check. Fan-freakin'-tastic. “Tell me you’re joking, Giles.

"More of a curse, really," Giles added on, more to himself than anyone else. "A vengeance curse," he clarified, as if that made it any better.

Xander just stared at him, his expression a mix of disbelief and frustration. "A vengeance curse," he parroted, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "We've got a witch so obsessed with being a cheerleader she's ready to kill anyone just to get on the team." And I thought Cordelia was bad, he thought, shaking his head in disgust. At least she just uses her words to cut people down.

Buffy's voice was weak as she spoke up from her prone position, her face pale and lined with pain. "Also… also 'cause she knows I know she's a witch."

Willow's eyes snapped from Xander to Giles, her expression a mix of panic and determination. "We need to get her some medical help! Some morphine, antibiotics, something!" she exclaimed, her hands trembling slightly as she held the compress to Buffy's forehead.

Xander shook his head, his expression grim. "This is magic, Wills," he said, his voice soft but firm. "I don't think some guy with a 4 year degree is gonna be able to fix this."

Magic, he thought, his mind flashing back to his own recent experiences with the supernatural. It always comes down to magic.

Giles nodded in agreement, his expression somber. "Quite," he said simply, his gaze drifting back to Buffy's prone form.

The redhead bit her lip, her eyes wide and frightened. "So what do we do?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

Giles rubbed his temples, sighing as he spoke. "The others she just wanted out of the running. Buffy, she intends to, um..."

"Kill?" Buffy finished for him, her voice weak but her expression deadly serious.

The British librarian coughed awkwardly, his gaze darting away for a moment before he met Buffy's eyes again. "In simple terms, y-yes."

Willow's voice was barely above a whisper as she asked the dreaded question that was on all their minds. "How much time do we have?"

Giles hesitated, expression pained as he tried to find the right words. "Oh, uh, I'm sure, uh..."

"Truth. Please," Buffy demanded weakly, her eyes boring into Giles with a unusual intensity for the small Slayer.

The older man sighed again, his shoulders slumping slightly as he spoke. "Couple of hours... Three at most."

Xander felt like he had been punched in the gut, the air rushing out of his lungs in a sharp exhale. Three hours, he thought, his mind reeling at the revelation. We have three hours to save Buffy's life, or she's gonna die. He could smell it around Buffy, that same bitter smell he had around Amy, like something stinging his nostrils, almost coppery.

Willow's voice was high and panicked as she spoke again, her eyes wide with fear. "How?" she demanded, her grip on Buffy's shoulder tightening slightly.

Giles blinked, taken aback by the intensity of her question. "Um, what?" he asked, confusion coloring his tone.

"How do we reverse the spell?" Willow clarified, her voice trembling but determined.

Giles's expression cleared as he understood what Willow was asking. "Well I, I've been researching that, and, uh, we can reverse all the spells if, um..." he paused, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes wearily. "...we can just lay our hands on, on Amy's spell book."

Willow swallowed hard, her face paling slightly at the thought. "And if we can't get a hold of it?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Xander's expression darkened, his eyes flashing with barely contained rage. "Then we burn the witch," he growled, his fists clenching at his sides.

Giles cast a worried and frightened look at Xander, taken aback by the intensity of his statement. But after a moment, his expression shifted to one of determined resignation. "Well, among other ways, but, but yes," he agreed, his voice heavy with the weight of what they were discussing.

“It's not Amy's fault.” Buffy's voice was weak but insistent as she spoke up again, her eyes pleading as she met Xander's. “She only became a witch to survive her mother.”

Xander's expression softened slightly at Buffy’s words, but the determination in his eyes didn’t so much as falter. “Look, I don't care why, I honestly don’t really care about Amy that much,” he said firmly, his voice brooking no argument. “You saved my life. You saved Willow’s life. I owe you mine and hers. For that, I just want to make sure you keep breathing for as long as I can make it happen.”

Buffy's eyes widened slightly, a faint blush coloring her pale cheeks. "Xander..."

Willow stared at Xander, her mouth dropping open slightly in surprise. "Wow," she said simply, her voice filled with a mix of awe and admiration.

Buffy tore her eyes away from Xander, her expression turning serious as she focused on Giles again. "Giles, where would she be casting these spells?" she asked, voice weak but as determined as Xander’s face.

Giles blinked, his own tearing away from Xander as he turned back to Buffy. "Oh, she needs a, a sacred space. A-a-a pentagram, um, large pot."

Buffy nodded, her expression grim. "Her home. Okay. Help me up," she said, struggling to sit up in her chair.

Xander shook his head, his expression brooking no argument. "No," he said firmly, crossing his arms over his chest.

Buffy blinked, confusion coloring her features. "What?" she asked, her voice weak but filled with surprise.

The three other occupants of the room stared at Xander, confusion written plainly on their faces.

Xander sighed, uncrossing his arms as he met each of their gazes in turn. "You and Willow stay here," he said, his voice firm but not unkind. He turned to Willow, expression serious. "Buffy's dying by the minute. You need to find something to keep her from falling apart inside and Buffy can't strain herself."

Willow nodded, her expression as determined as his even as her eyes shone with unshed tears. "I'll do my best," she promised, her grip on Buffy's shoulder tightening reassuringly.

Xander nodded as well, his gaze shifting back to Giles. "I'm not good at fast reading like Willow and we need someone here to keep an eye on the Buffster to keep her from doing something stupid. What I do have is youthful energy," he continued, his mouth turning up into a smirk. "Me and Giles'll check Amy’s house."

Buffy's eyes widened. "Uh! No!" she protested weakly.

Xander raised an eyebrow, expression clearly amused. "Dying girl says what?" he quipped, tone dry as the Mojave.

"What?" Buffy blinked, confusion coloring her features again.

 "Exactly," Xander nodded, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth, his voice smug. "Do us both a favor and stay put, cheerleader.”

He turned to Giles, his expression sobering once more. "Come on, G-Man. Let's move.”

The librarian blinked, taken aback by Xander's sudden take-charge attitude. "Uh, uh, certainly," he agreed, his voice stuttering slightly as he tried to regain his composure.

The teenager turned and walked towards the library doors, unaware of the three behind him sharing a look. Hang on, Buff. We're gonna fix this. I promise.

                                                     – o – o – o – o – o – o – o –

Giles and Xander pulled up to Amy's house in the librarian's old car, both of them quickly getting out and rushing to the door. A firm expression on his face, Xander quickly knocked on the door, his knuckles rapping sharply against the wood. Come on, come on, he thought impatiently, his foot tapping against the porch. We don't have time for this.

After nobody answered after a moment, Xander quickly knocked again, his expression growing more and more frustrated with each passing second. Another second passed and the sixteen-year-old impatiently knocked again, his fist pounding against the door with increasing force.

Seriously, what the hell? he thought, his jaw clenching as he fought the urge to just kick the door down. Buffy's life is on the line here, and this witch can't even be bothered to answer the door?

Finally, an older woman who Xander could only assume was Amy's mom opened the door, a brown-haired woman with her hair in an updo. She looked at them with a mix of confusion and annoyance, her brow furrowed as she took in their agitated expressions.

"Who are you? Wha, um, uh, is there something wrong?" she asked, her voice hesitant and slightly suspicious.

Giles stepped forward, his expression grave. "Mrs. Madison, we need to talk to you about your daughter."

Mrs. Madison's expression shifted, her eyes widening slightly before she shook her head. "I'm not allow... You'll have to come back later," she said, starting to close the door.

But Xander was having none of it. He held the door open with one hand, pushing his way inside with a determined expression on his face. "Yeah, no," he said firmly, his tone brooking no argument.

Giles followed him inside, his expression apologetic but no less determined. "Excuse us!" he said, his voice raised slightly as he pushed past Mrs. Madison.

"What?!" Mrs. Madison exclaimed, her expression a mix of shock and outrage as she watched them barge into her home.

Xander stepped forward, his finger jabbing in the older woman's face as he spoke, his voice low and dangerous. "Listen, lady, your daughter is messing with someone she shouldn't be and hurting people, important people. You need to get her under control."

Said older woman blinked in surprise for a moment before her expression shifed to one of confusion and defensiveness. "Uh, I don't know what you're talking about," she said, her voice wavering slightly.

Giles shook his head, his expression grim. "Oh, I think you know only too well," he said, his voice heavy with accusation.

The witch-mother's eyes darted between the two of them, her expression growing more and more nervous with each passing second. "You've got to go," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "She's gonna be home soon, and you..."

But Xander cut her off, his voice rising with each word as his anger and frustration boiled over. "A friend of mine is dying right now 'cause of your dumb jealous obsessive little brat of a daughter..." he snarled, his fists clenching at his sides.

Seriously, what the hell is wrong with this family? he thought, his mind racing with a mix of anger and disbelief. Who raises a kid to be so messed up that they'd curse someone just for being better than them at something?

Giles nodded, his own expression twisting with anger as he spoke. "This young man is right! You will shut up and listen right now! Your daughter has access to some very powerful magicks, and somehow your obsession with cheerleading has made..."

But Mrs. Madison cut him off as well, dropping to the couch with a heavy sigh. "I don't care about cheerleading!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with a mix of frustration and resignation. "It's not my fault she's doing stuff."

Xander's eyes glanced down next to Mrs. Madison's feet, noticing a plate of brownies under the table. His expression shifted to one of confusion as the anger bled away somewhat, replaced by a growing sense of unease. Wait... he thought, his mind racing as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing. What the hell?

Giles, oblivious to Xander's sudden realization, continued to lay into Mrs. Madison. "As her mother, you should assume some responsibility for her actions," he said firmly, his voice filled with disappointment and anger.

Mrs. Madison let out a laugh, the sound harsh and bitter in the quiet of the living room. "Well, you know, these kids today! I..." she said, her voice trailing off as she seemed to calm down a bit. "She's out of her mind. Ever since dad, her dad... left..."

But Xander had heard enough. "Shut up," he said tersely, his voice low and dangerous as he locked eyes with Mrs. Madison.

Mrs. Madison blinked, her expression shifting to one of surprise and fear. "W-what?" she stammered, her eyes wide.

The Watcher looked at Xander, his own expression confused and concerned. "Xander?" he asked, his voice questioning.

But Xander paid him little attention, his gaze never leaving Mrs. Madison's face as he spoke. "Amy used to show up at Willow's house all the time because her mom was such a psycho when it came to food," he said, his voice low. "She would lock the fridge for weeks at a time and only eat broth. Amy would come over to Willow's house and I'd see her... see her eating brownies and I used to feel bad because at least my parents didn't starve me... on purpose."

Giles blinked, his expression shifting to one of confusion and concern. "Xander, what is this..." he started to ask, but Xander cut him off.

Crouching down so that he was eye level with Mrs. Madison, Xander spoke again, his voice low and filled with a mix of anger and disgust. "Hello, Amy," he said simply, his gaze never leaving the woman's face.

Giles looked between Xander and Mrs. Madison, looking more confused than the teenage boy had ever seen the man. "I don't understand," he said, voice hesitant.

But Xander knew.

He knew with a certainty that he couldn't explain, but that he felt deep in his gut. "That bitch took your body."

Amy looked down, defeated.

Giles blinked, his eyes widening as the truth finally dawned on him. "Good Lord!"

 "She wanted her youth back," he said simply, his voice as serious as a heart attack.

Amy looked back up at him, her eyes filled with tears. "She said I was wasting mine. So she took it."

                                                     – o – o – o – o – o – o – o –

They had moved quickly with Amy's help, finding and snatching her mom's spellbook from its hiding place and hightailing it back to Sunnydale High just as it was getting dark, the Sunnydale High Bobcats already a few minutes into the game and the cheerleaders doing their thing. 

Xander felt the sun set more than he saw it, his new strength returning in full, and his anger only growing more and more intense as they rushed into the Chemistry lab, Buffy already in there with Willow, the blonde lying on a table, pale and clammy as ever.

Hang on, Buff, Xander thought, his jaw clenching as he took in the sight of his friend, her skin ashen and her breathing shallow. We're here. We've got the book. We're gonna fix this.

Giles had already set down the ingredients needed to reverse the body-switching curse, frogs and all. The librarian folded his coat and put it under Buffy's head as a pillow, the girl barely able to move as she let out a weak moan, the sound tearing at Xander's heart.

"I'm gonna stop this. I promise," Giles said to Buffy, his voice low and filled with determination as he met her gaze.

"How is she?" Xander asked, his voice tight with worry as he turned to the Watcher man.

Giles shook his head, his expression somber. "We only have a few minutes left," the man said with a heavy voice.

A few minutes, Xander thought, his fists clenching at his sides, his heart sinking. Is that gonna be enough time?

He shot both Giles and Willow a firm look before turning a sympathetic one to Amy. "Then you guys do your thing in here," he said, his voice hard. "I'll keep your crazy body-snatching bitch of a mom from crashing the party."

With that, the Harris boy left the room, his expression firm and his fists clenched as he closed the door behind him. Even from outside and down the hall, he could hear Giles chanting, his senses working on overdrive as he tried to tamp down his anger.

Focus, Xander, he told himself, taking a deep breath as he walked down the hall, his footsteps echoing loudly in the empty corridor. You've got a job to do. Keep Amy's mom away from the others, no matter what it takes.

"She's coming!" 

Xander's eyes narrowed as he heard the sound of Amy's mother's voice from the Chemistry Lab, well aware of who she was referring to. Speak of the devil, he thought, his lips twisting into a humorless smirk.

And, a few seconds later...

"Amy!" Catherine Madison shouted, her voice echoing down the hall as she stormed towards the lab, her eyes blazing with fury.

Xander stepped forward to meet her, his expression hard as he stood in her path, his arms crossed over his chest. 

"Get out of my way!" the woman shouted again, voice nearly a screech.

"No way, you old bitch!" Xander snarled, his fists clenching at his sides as he glared at the woman wearing her daughter's face.

The old woman in her daughter's body flinched at the insult, her expression outright twisting into a mask of rage. "You little shit!" she spat, her voice dripping with venom.

Xander smirked, his fists raised in a boxer's stance as he stared her down. "Better a little shit than a dried up old hag.”

Amy’s mother raised her arm, growling as she held up her hand like she was grabbing Xander's neck. The teenager felt a slight pressure around his throat, but didn't move, even as the pressure tightened slightly as Amy made a fist and twisted it.

Is that all you got? Xander thought, his smirk widening as he stared down the witch. For as much effort as the woman seemed to be exerting, judging from the sweat on her forehead, Xander could barely feel a thing. "That your Darth Vader impression, or was it actually supposed to do something?" he asked, voice dripping with sarcasm.

The witch's eyes widened, her face paling slightly as she stared at him in disbelief. "What... what are you?" she whispered, her voice filled with a mix of fear and confusion.

Xander's grin widened, his teeth flashing in the dim light of the hallway. "Your worst nightmare, lady," he said simply, his voice low and dangerous as he took a step towards her.

In a flash, Xander rushed forward and grabbed the witch from behind, his arm around her neck in a relatively light hold that had her stop struggling in only a few seconds. Taking a moment to check her breathing, Xander heaved a sigh of relief. Okay, body still safe for Amy, he thought, his grip loosening slightly as he held the witch in place.

Only a few seconds later, a healthy Buffy rushed out of the lab, Giles and Willow behind her carrying an unconscious and bruised Catherine Madison. Xander grinned up at them.

"Hey, guys, what'd I miss?"