The Devil Went Down to Sunnydale XXI (Patreon)

Beginning of the End IV

– o – o – o – o – o – o – o –

The empty halls of Sunnydale High echoed with Xander's footsteps as he trudged through the school, his body feeling like it was made of lead after his magic practice with Sam. The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, casting an eerie glow that made the normally bustling corridors feel like something out of a Stephen King novel.

God, just punch me in the fucking face, Xander grumbled to himself, his frustration bubbling over. Three hours of practice at the Rosen Queen to figure out the most basic spells that even a normal human wizard — normal human wizards, what is my life — should be able to figure out with as much juice in the tank as he had, and barely a spark. Fighting is so much easier than Magic. I don’t have to focus to throw a punch. 'It's just a cantrip, Xander. Why is this so hard to get, Xander? Literally, babies can do this, Xander'. Shove it up your suit-wearing ass, Sam.

He paused for a moment, glancing from side to side, half-expecting his demonic mentor to materialize out of thin air. "Guess you have to speak of the Devil for him to appear," he muttered, his voice echoing in the empty hallway.

"What?"

A voice from his side made Xander jump, letting out a yelp that was decidedly un-devilish. He spun around to find Buffy and Willow staring at him like he'd grown a second head. Buffy's eyebrow was raised so high it threatened to disappear into her hairline.

"Speak of the Devil?" Buffy asked, her tone amused and confused.

Xander felt his heart racing, scrambling for an explanation that wouldn't blow his cover. "Y-yeah, you two," he replied, his voice slightly higher than usual. "I was looking for you."

Before he could say anything else, Willow bounced forward, enveloping him in a hug. "I'm right here!" she chirped enthusiastically.

"Right here!" Xander echoed, forcing out an awkward laugh as he returned the hug. He couldn't help but notice how small Willow felt in his arms, his newfound strength making him hyper-aware of his own body.

Buffy watched the exchange with a smirk. "You're funny," she said, her tone dry but affectionate.

"Tell me something I don't know," Xander quipped back, falling into their familiar banter like a safety net.

"Claire's has a sale this weekend," Buffy shot back without missing a beat.

Xander rolled his eyes, grateful for the distraction. "Tell me something I care about."

As they started walking towards the library, Xander couldn't help but feel a sense of normalcy wash over him. This was how it should be - just him, Buffy, and Willow, hanging out like regular teens. No demons, no magic, no secret double lives.

But then I wouldn’t be able to throw a fridge across the street, Xander realized, the thought making him frown. Decisions, decisions.

"So, are we all set for the dance tomorrow night?" Willow asked, her voice brimming with excitement. She clutched her books to her chest like a shield, a habit Xander had noticed years ago.

Buffy's response was less than enthusiastic. "Yeah, I guess," she mumbled, adjusting her backpack strap.

Xander felt a pang of concern for his friend. This wasn't like Buffy at all. Where was the peppy, quip-ready Slayer he knew and... well, knew?

"Come on, Buff!" he said, injecting as much enthusiasm into his voice as he could muster. "It'll be great. We'll dance, we'll laugh, we'll mock Cordelia's dress. It'll be a night to remember!"

A small smile tugged at Buffy's lips. "If you say so."

"I do say so," Xander insisted, warming to his theme. "And you know what else I say? I say we should have a pre-dance ice cream party. My treat!"

Willow giggled, the sound echoing off the walls. "Xander, didn’t you spend all your money on clothes? You're broke."

"Details, details," Xander waved off her concern with a dramatic flourish. "I'll... sell my body to science. Or Cordelia. Whichever pays more."

The joke earned him a small laugh from Buffy, but Xander could see the cloud hadn't fully lifted from her eyes. As they approached the library doors, he decided to bite the bullet.

"Hey, Buff. You okay?" he asked, his tone softening. "You seem a little... un-Buffy-like."

Buffy sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly. "I'm fine. Just... thinking about stuff."

Xander exchanged a worried glance with Willow. Definitely not typical Buffy behavior.

"What kind of stuff?" Willow prodded gently, her concern evident in her voice.

Buffy shook her head, reaching for the library door. "It's nothing. Let's just..."

As Buffy pushed open the library door, Xander's enhanced senses were immediately assaulted by a cocktail of scents. The familiar musty odor of old books mixed with the sharp tang of fear-sweat, and underneath it all, a subtle note of grave dirt and old blood that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. His eyes darted around, instinctively seeking the source.

"Giles, you there?" Buffy started.

All three of them stopped short when they heard Giles talking, his British accent more clipped and frantic than usual. Xander peered into the office, his heightened vision piercing the shadows. Two figures stood hunched over a book, their body language screaming urgency.

"It's clear. It's what's gonna happen. Uh, it's happening now!" Giles was saying, his voice strained.

A tall, dark figure moved into the light, and Xander felt a jolt of recognition. Vampire. The scent of grave dirt and old blood intensified, but oddly, it didn't set off Xander's internal alarm bells the way most vampires did. 

It was almost... neutral. 

Like the three vamp interns at Rosen Queen, but way more so.

"It can't be. You've gotta be wrong," the strange vampire said, his voice low and intense.

Buffy's sharp intake of breath brought Xander's attention back to her. "What is he doing here?" she demanded, striding towards the office.

Who? Xander shot Willow a confused look but the redhead was already moving to keep pace with Buffy. Rolling his eyes, Xander followed right behind her.

"Well, there's gotta be some way around it," the vampire continued, sounding outright insistent.

Giles's response made Xander's blood run a little colder. "Listen. Some prophecies are, well, simply put, they are a bit dodgy. They're… they're mutable. Buffy herself has thwarted them time and time again, but this is the Codex. There is nothing in it that does not come to pass."

Prophecies? Codex? He frowned.

The vampire’s voice was almost pleading now. "Then you're reading it wrong."

"I wish to God I were!" Giles exploded, his usual composure cracking. "But it's very plain! Tomorrow night Buffy will face the Master, and she will die."

The words hit Xander like a physical blow. Die? Buffy? No, that can't be right. He looked at Buffy, expecting to see shock, anger, denial - anything but the hysterical laughter that bubbled up from the small girl’s throat.

Giles and the vampire exchanged a concerned look as they heard the sound. Buffy slowly and unsteadily started to step back from the Watcher’s office door, her laughter echoing off the library walls. The vampire emerged from the office, exiting the room with cautious steps. Buffy stopped by the table, turning to face them both. Giles remained in his office doorway, looking stricken.

Without thinking, Xander placed a hand on Buffy's shoulder, squeezing gently. He could feel the tremors running through her body and he felt his jaw tighten. “So, that’s it, huh,” another burst of bitter laughter spilled out from Buffy’s mouth. “I remember the drill. One Slayer dies, next one's called! Wonder who she is.”She whirled on Giles, heat in her gaze as she tried to keep it together. “Will you train her? Or will they send someone else?”The librarian took a step forward, looking both apologetic but slightly insistent all the same as he raised a hand to rub his face. “Buffy, I…”Tears began to run down the blonde’s face, Xander feeling something tighten in his chest as he saw it. “They say how he's gonna kill me? Do you think it'll hurt?”

As the vampire moved closer toward Buffy, Xander stepped in front of her, an instinctive growl building in the back of his throat. Not so fast, leech. "Who are you supposed to be?" Xander asked, his voice dripping with suspicion. 

Buffy didn’t say anything, the girl simply staring back at her Watcher defiantly as tears continued to stream down her cheeks.

"That's Angel," Willow whispered, her voice small and scared.

"I'm Angel," the vampire repeated, his dark eyes unreadable.

Xander fought to keep the frown off his face as he sized up the vampire in front of him. Angel? He knew of the Scourge of Europe, having read up on Angel before he was hospitalized in the Rosen Queen library, and the guy was apparently part of the biggest and baddest group of evil vampires in modern history. And that was when he had still been a fledgeling too, which was… kinda terrifying, honestly.

This is the guy Buffy's been mooning over? he thought, taking in the brooding features and leather jacket. ...Nice jacket, I guess.

Forcing a grin that felt more like a grimace, Xander quipped, "Nice to meet you. You can call me Xander, X, X-Man, just don't call me late for dinner."

He let out a laugh that sounded hollow even to his own ears, then let his expression harden as he turned to face both Giles and Angel. "Now, what's this about Buffy having to die?"

The tension in the room ratcheted up another notch as Buffy's voice cut through the silence. "Were you even gonna tell me?"

Xander felt a surge of protective anger. "Yeah, G. Were you gonna tell her?" he echoed, his voice sharp.

Giles looked stricken, his usual eloquence deserting him. "I was hoping that I wouldn't have to. That there was... some way around it. I..."

"I've got a way around it," Buffy interrupted, her voice rising. "I quit!"

Angel stepped forward, his voice low and intense. "It's not that simple."

Buffy whirled on him, her eyes flashing with a mixture of fear and anger. "I'm making it that simple! I quit! I resign, I-I'm fired, you can find someone else to stop the Master from taking over!"

Giles moved from his doorway, his face etched with concern. "I'm not sure that anyone else can. All the... the signs indicate..."

"The signs?" Buffy's voice cracked like a whip. She grabbed a book from the table and hurled it at Giles. "READ ME THE SIGNS!"

Another book followed, narrowly missing the Watcher's head. "TELL ME MY FORTUNE! YOU'RE SO USEFUL SITTING HERE WITH ALL YOUR BOOKS! YOU'RE REALLY A LOTTA HELP!"

Giles's shoulders slumped, his voice barely above a whisper. "No, I don't suppose I am."

Angel tried again, his tone softer. "I know this is hard."

"I know this is hard," Xander mimicked, voice almost slipping into a growl. The scent of vampire was making his newfound instincts go haywire. "What? Two hundred years and no bedside manner?"

Buffy rounded on Angel, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Yeah, what do you know about this? You're never gonna die!"

Angel's face contorted with pain. "You think I want anything to happen to you? Do you think I could stand it? We just gotta figure out a way..."

"I already did," Buffy cut him off. "I quit, remember? Pay attention!"

Giles made one last attempt. "Buffy, if the Master rises..."

With a sharp yank, Buffy tore the cross from her neck. "I don't care!"

The fight seemed to drain out of her all at once. Her voice broke, sounding suddenly young and vulnerable.  Xander watched as Buffy, the girl he'd admired for her strength, crumbled before his eyes. "I don't care," she said, her voice breaking. "Giles, I'm sixteen years old. I don't wanna die." 

A heavy silence fell over the library. Giles stood frozen, at a complete loss for words. Buffy let the cross fall from her fingers, the soft clatter echoing in the stillness. Angel opened his mouth, then closed it again, clearly struggling to find the right words.

Willow, tears streaming down her face, moved to comfort her friend. "Buffy, please..."

But Buffy shrugged her off, turning on her heel and walking out of the library without a backward glance. Willow hesitated for a moment, then hurried after her, leaving Xander alone with Giles and Angel.

The air in the library felt thick with tension. Xander could feel something dark and angry bubbling up inside him, a mixture of fear for Buffy and rage at the two men who had dropped this bomb on her. His gaze fixed on Giles and Angel.

"You two," Xander began, his voice cold and controlled, "have some serious explaining to do."

– o – o – o – o – o – o – o –

The office was luxurious, with deep red walls and black furniture that seemed to absorb the light. Sam, a young man with blood-red dreadlocks and piercing blue eyes, sat behind an imposing desk, his feet propped up, revealing scarlet soles on his black shoes. As always, it felt like a mix of a high-end lawyer's office and a gothic nightmare, the kind of place where deals were made and souls were bartered.

Xander had run in minutes ago, running right from the discussion with Giles, rushing past Tana and bursting into his boss's office, babbling a story that Sam already seemed to know, the same way he seemingly knew everything. 

"... do you mean, Buffy can't stop the prophecy?" Xander practically shouted, his voice echoing in the spacious office.

Sam, lounging in his chair like a king on his throne, replied calmly, "Xander, buddy, I don't know what you want me to say. That prophecy is going to come true."

Xander paced the room, his sneakers scuffing against the plush carpet. "HOW? How can we be sure? It could be another Slayer."

Sam simply stared at Xander, his expression unreadable, those blue eyes seeming to bore into Xander's soul. Damn, I hate when he does that, Xander thought, suppressing a shudder. It's like he can see right through me, like he knows every secret I've ever had.

"It could be!" Xander insisted desperately, his voice cracking slightly.

Sam leaned forward, his elbows on the desk, his fingers steepled under his chin. "Let's be honest here. It's not that you don't believe it. You just don't want it to be true. Don't waste my time. If you're going to demand my help, then I demand honesty."

Xander's shoulders slumped. He collapsed into a chair across from Sam, the leather creaking under his weight. "I just... she can't die. She's one of my only friends." His voice broke on the last word, and he blinked rapidly, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to spill.

Sam stood, walking around the desk to Xander, his movements fluid and graceful, like a predator stalking its prey. "There we go, that's honesty."

Xander stared at the floor, his eyes dead, his mind racing with images of Buffy, broken and bloody, her life snuffed out by some ancient prophecy. It can't end like this, he thought, his hands clenching into fists. I won't let it.

Sam's voice cut through his thoughts. "Now, as it is, going alone, your friend will definitely die. The Prophecy's rather explicit about that."

Xander's head snapped up, his eyes wide. "What if I go with her?"

Sam was silent for a few seconds, his eyes narrowing as he smirked. "Tell me, Xander. Where do you think you stand against a full-bodied Master Vampire?"

Xander frowned, considering. Master Vampires were mythical for a reason. Over a thousand years old, they were the sort of monsters that didn't have many stories about them because if you were in any state to see one and recognize it, you probably weren't gonna live long. On top of that, they were fast and strong to vampires the way vampires were fast and strong to humans.

He's right, he thought, his stomach churning. I'm no match for a Master Vampire. But the thought of Buffy facing that alone, of her dying while he sat safe and sound... it was unbearable. "...I don't know," he said hesitantly.

Sam's voice hardened. "What did I say about honesty, Alexander?"

Xander flinched at the use of his full name. Sam's blue eyes were like icy daggers, cutting through his defenses, exposing his fears. "...It would kill me," he said quietly, the words bitter on his tongue.

"Not only would it kill you, it would feed on you. And you'd make a tastier meal than any Slayer, Imp."

Xander's heart sank. He's right. I'm not just useless, I'm a liability. If I go, I'll just be another body for the Master to drain. "So... what? I'm supposed to just... let Buffy die?" he asked, his voice cracking with desperation.

Sam shrugged, his expression cold. "You could do the noble thing. The stupid thing. Fight a twelve hundred year old vampire, you an Imp that can't even cast a fucking cantrip successfully."

"I..." Xander started, but Sam cut him off.

"Help her and pay the price. Help the Slayer and die. Help Buffy and walk to your death like a proud idiot. Throw away my investment. Destroy my Pawn along with your piece." Sam's words were like a slap in the face, each one hitting Xander like a physical blow.

Samuel stared down at Xander, hands in his pockets, cutting an imposing figure in his full red three-piece suit. "What's it going to be? Defender of Man?"

A long, tense silence filled the room. Xander's mind raced, scenarios playing out in his head, each one ending with Buffy dead and him powerless to stop it. But if I don't try... if I just let her die... what kind of friend am I? What kind of person am I?

Finally, Xander broke the silence with a bitter smile. "If I come back, I'm getting my own office."

Sam's expression remained cold. "Get the fuck out of mine."

Xander stood, his smile becoming sad as he turned to leave. As he reached the doorway, Sam's voice stopped him.

"Pawn... if you die, you're fired."

Xander paused a moment, then exited without looking back. "Deal."