Buffy The Vampire Slayer Fan Fiction / Supernatural Fan Fiction ❯ A Hunter's Nephew ❯ Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Not mine

 

Chapter 11

 

Xander couldn't help smiling slightly as he watched Sam go through his circuit for what had to be the hundredth time. Sam would start out sitting on the couch and then get up and move to the laptop before walking the length of the room several times, always looking out the windows, before returning to the start by sitting back on the couch.

 

If it wasn't for the fact that he was feeling just as bored he would probably find Sam's inability to sit still even more amusing. Being left behind while Dean and Bobby went on a hunt was no fun but what could they do? Xander had only just stopped using his sling and Sam still had to leave his on, no matter how many times the older man had tried to `forget' the thing.

 

One of the upsides to not being strictly human any more was accelerated healing. It was nowhere near a Slayers, but he still healed faster than should be possible. It meant that his uncle had been able to pull the stitches from his bullet wound after only five days instead of the usual ten or even fortnight. Five days after that and he had ditched the sling.

 

He still wasn't up to weight lifting or anything but he could fight if absolutely necessary. That was why Bobby hadn't needed much convincing to go along as Dean's back up. It had actually been harder for Bobby to convince Dean that Sam and Xander would be fine on their own. Then again considering what had happened last time they'd been left alone...at least there were no cursed rabbit's feet around.

 

But being stuck in a house with just Sam for a week also had its downside. The Hyena was getting pushier about claiming their mate as time went by, especially since Sam had been brought back. After they'd both been shot, she'd gone wild and Xander had spent the first night at his Uncle's out amongst the wrecks, fighting not to go to Sam.

 

And now Sam's scent was all throughout the house, easily overpowering Dean's. Uncle Bobby's was still the strongest since he'd lived there for years, with Xander's own coming in second. It had been easier to ignore his feelings and her urges when Sam's scent had been weaker. As it was if the others didn't get back soon Xander would be sleeping and pretty much living outside to avoid doing something he knew he'd regret. Especially since Sam apparently slept only in boxers and a t-shirt and didn't bother to dress until after breakfast.

 

Despite his worry over Dean and Bobby, Sam knew something serious was going on with Xander. The younger Hunter was starting to avoid being in the same room with him for long periods and rarely met his eyes anymore. In fact the last two hours was the record for them being in the one room since the others had left for Colorado. That was part of the reason he couldn't stop pacing. Xander was the closest friend he had outside of family but now...He'd noticed a small change in how Xander acted around him ever since Dean had made the deal but now it was so obvious it was ridiculous.

 

Did Xander see him as unnatural now? After all what was dead should stay dead, right? But he'd comforted him when Sam had wondered if he'd gone to Hell. And he'd dropped everything and drove nonstop to get to Buffalo to protect him.

 

Sam hadn't minded being left behind since Xander was going to be there as well. He'd thought they could talk, maybe go into town occasionally and just relax. Apparently his plans just weren't allowed to be fulfilled since they hadn't done any of that.

 

Xander spent most of the time out back, finishing orders Bobby had left undone to go with Dean. He seemed to only come inside to eat and sleep. Instead of taking the other spare bed Xander slept downstairs on the couch. It was almost as if Xander could no longer stand to be in his presence and Sam hated it.

 

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Xander tried to focus on the book in his lap. He was sitting on his Uncle's porch with one of the books Missouri had given him trying to work on the exercises it showed. But a certain Primal was making that very hard. That thought made him wince, he need to try and keep his mind away from words like that.

 

He knew Sam was worried about his behaviour but he didn't know what to do. There was no way he was telling him the truth. If it wasn't for the fact that he couldn't leave Sam at the house alone he would have gone to find his own hunt or just sightseeing in another state to get enough distance between them that he could hopefully clear his head. Unfortunately Dean would kill him if Xander abandoned his injured baby brother so that was out.

 

Xander nearly jumped when his laptop beeped. He opened the lid and clicked on the email from Giles. He read it quickly and then had to reread it just to be sure he hadn't misread it.

 

“SHIT!” The door slammed open at his shout, Sam running out, gun in hand.

 

“Xander?” The gun was lowered when Sam saw Xander had his laptop out.

 

“I need to go.” Xander answered shutting the computer down.

 

“What's going on?”

 

“Possible end of the world, Slayer being an idiot, the usual.” Was his tense reply as he went inside and headed for his gear.

“I'll call Dean and Bobby, let them know you're here alone. Hopefully Dean won't kill me for doing so but it is an emergency.” Xander slung his bag over his shoulder and went to walk past Sam but the taller man grabbed his shoulder.

 

“I'll come with you.” Xander pulled away and shook his head.

 

“You're an excellent Hunter Sam but you're injured and you don't know Sunnydale. I won't risk you. I'll be back in a week, maybe two depending on how badly they've screwed things up.” With that Xander pushed past him and ran for his car.

 

“XANDER!” He ignored Sam's yell as he pulled out of Bobby's drive and headed for the highway. At least he was getting his much wanted chance to clear his head.

 

Sam stood frozen as he watched Xander's car disappear and then he bolted back inside. Grabbing the phone he dialled Bobby's cell and hoped it was on.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Bobby its Sam.” He breathed a sigh of relief as he spoke to the older hunter.

 

“Sam? What's wrong?”

 

“Xander got an email form Sunnydale and took off like he was being chased by hellhounds. Said something about a Slayer being an idiot and the possible end of the world.” Sam explained in a rush. He could hear Dean in the background demanding to know what was going on.

 

“There's a file in the study labelled Initiative. Email it to him, it's everything I've been able to find on what's going on out there. Will you be okay alone for a couple of days? We should be back soon.”

 

“I'll be fine, everything's been quiet here.”

 

“Alright, I'll put your brother on.”

 

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Xander pulled up outside of Giles' and took a moment to get himself together. He'd driven almost nonstop and was paying for it but he could keep going a little longer, especially since he'd read the second email during one of his short breaks.

 

He had to for Oz's sake. There was no way he was leaving the werewolf in the base, not with what he'd learnt about the Initiative. He got out and grabbed his bag, doing a quick weapons check before heading for the door. It had taken him longer than he had hoped to get into town and the sun was already well down when he knocked on Giles' door.

 

“Giles it's me, open up.” He called out since no `Scooby' would open their door after dark without good reason. The door eventually opened and Xander grinned at seeing the gang's father figure. He slipped past the older man and into his apartment, smiling as Giles relaxed.

“Takes more than an hour to turn someone G-man.” Xander teased, dropping his bag next to the couch.

“Sit rep please?” Xander sat down and Giles joined him.

 

“It's good to see you Xander, despite the circumstances.” Giles took a deep breath and started cleaning his glasses.

“As I told you in my email,” Xander snickered at the face Giles pulled, “Oz shifted and attacked Tara, a young witch that has joined the group and is very close to Willow. The initiative took him. Riley, one of the commandoes and Buffy's partner agreed reluctantly to try and get him out. We haven't heard anything since he went in.”

 

“So assuming capture then. Got anything on the base plans?”

 

“Only what Spike has volunteered.” Giles answered, getting up to get some tea.

 

“I know I'm not the biggest fan of vampires but what you've told me of this group...they're bad news Giles. Uncle Bobby managed to get more from some ex-military friends and their contacts. The top level backing behind this group is so secret no one can find it. And what happens when they start expanding, going after anyone or thing with any supernatural ability? We could all end up on the dissection table. We need to shut them down.”

 

“You're suggesting the group against a military base? That's suicide Xander.” Giles stared at him in shock.

 

“Not if we free the captives and blast a few holes for grieving relatives to have a go at them.” Xander stated flatly.

“One of Bobby's friends is talking to a General he knows but that could take months and they need to be stopped now before they piss off something that can wipe the town out in retaliation.”

 

“Getting the girls to agree to that may be difficult.”

 

“So's working with Spike.” Xander shot back and Giles grimaced.

 

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Xander ignored the girls as they put the finishing touches on their disguises. He was taking lead since none of the soldiers knew him, unless they'd made a file up on him and handed it around to everyone one of their personnel in the extremely unlikely chance he decided to show up.

 

He ignored the Hyena and soldiers begging to take Spike out and focused on the military procedures he could remember. He and Spike were dressed and armed as soldiers while Buffy and Willow were dressed as scientists. That had not been a happy reunion. You'd think they'd show a little gratitude that he'd dropped everything to come back and help with the Initiative and Adam but no, they were still on their special girl kick. At least he wasn't stuck in town, as soon as everything was done he was headed straight back to his uncle's.

 

They headed out into the woods surrounding Sunnydale, following Spike's lead to his supposed back entrance. If the vampire was lying Xander was going to stake him himself. Spike was a survivor; he'd side with whichever side seemed to have the best chance of winning and that made him dangerous, chip or no chip. Besides that didn't stop him from hiring assassins.

 

“I've mentioned how much I'm gonna kill you if this is a scam, right?” Buffy suddenly asked, the first time she'd spoken since they'd left Giles.

 

“Look, would I wear this if I wasn't on the up-and-up?” Spike asked sarcastically

 

“You do sorta look like an evil olive.” Willow pointed out and Xander felt the start of a fond smile.

 

“Guys... check it out.” He called, indicating the hidden door. Spike walked up to it and easily pulled it open.

 

“For a nasty town like Sunnydale, nobody seems to mind their locks.” The vampire commented but was mainly ignored.

 

“You first.” Buffy said and after muttering under his breath Spike went inside, Buffy following, then Willow and Xander covered their backs. They made their way through the tunnels towards the main base as quietly as possible. Unsurprisingly Willow made the most noise as they walked but there was no one around to notice. The power went out just as they entered the rest of the base and it was rather easy to find the Colonel's bedroom. Buffy kicked the door in and they held their weapons on the now awake man. Despite that he still tried to reach for his gun.

 

“Hey!” Buffy called, pointing her crossbow directly at his head.

“You know who I am?” The Colonel looked at them all, giving Xander and his gun a puzzled look before nodding.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Then you know I'm pretty good with this thing. Take us to him.” Buffy ordered. It was weird to let her take point but the last thing Xander wanted was to be brought to the attention of the US military after all he did steal a rocket launcher off them and made the explosives that blew up a high school, not to mention his current weapons stash that wasn't entirely legal.

 

“Finn stays in the brig. Helping an HST escape is a court-martial offense.” The Colonel answered and Xander shared a look with Buffy, that explained why he hadn't answered her calls.

 

“Riley tried to help Oz escape?” She smiled slightly at that revelation and even Xander felt some of his hostility for the other man wane, maybe he wasn't as bad as the rest of this lot.

 

“That's who you came for. The wolf.” The Colonel stared at them in shock.

 

“Guess we're two for one then.” Xander finally spoke but kept his gun steady on the military officer's chest. He didn't really want to kill a human but he would if he had to. How many humans would die when the demons sought retribution for the Initiative after all?

 

“Get dressed.” Buffy ordered.

 

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“Xander?” Buffy called as he poked his head round a different corner.

 

“I'll catch up, we'll need a distraction to get out of here.” He answered and then took off at a jog. There was no way he'd leave anything here for the bastards to experiment on. He ran towards where the rest of the containment cells were and took the guards out easily.

“Listen up! I'm letting you all out of here. There's some C4 about to take out the east wall so that's your exit. Feel free to fight if needed. Once clear scatter and try to stay out of sight. No munching on the civilians outside or you'll be dealing with either myself or the Slayer.” Xander yelled, easily getting the attention of the various prisoners.

 

“Who are you?”

 

“Harris, also known as the White Knight. Do we have an agreement?” He let them mutter between themselves for a few seconds.

 

“Agreed, get us out of here!” A familiar voice called and Xander blinked.

 

“Harmony?” He called, hitting the cell release on the wall.

 

“What? Yeah I'm a vampire, get over it.” She answered, leaving her cell.

 

“The tonight is your free night, I catch you eating anyone outside.”

 

“And you stake me. You know I liked you better in school.”

 

“Just go.” Xander stood aside as the various demons stampeded for the new exist as they heard the C4 blow. Moving quickly he planted more explosives until a soft whimper drew his attention. Checking the cell he saw what appeared to be a child, except for the blue skin and odd eyes.

“Hey there, you okay?” He knelt down so he was at eye level. His answer was a head shake.

“My name's Xander, I'm going to get you out of here okay?” the child shied away from him.

“I won't hurt you.”

 

“Hunter.” The kid whispered and Xander nodded.

 

“But I only hunt those that are hurting people. Are you hurting anyone?” the child shook its head.

“Then I have no reason to hunt you. Do you have parents?”

 

“Gone.”

 

“Okay then, I'll get you out of here and find someone to take care of you okay?” The child slowly nodded and scooted forward. Xander had to suppress a growl as he saw the burn marks and blood on its chest. He gently gathered the child up and stood, keeping his dominant hand free.

“Can't keep calling you kid, got a name I can pronounce?”

 

“Jesse.” Xander swallowed hard but nodded.

 

“Good name. So you're a boy?” Jesse giggled and Xander smiled.

“Do you know how long you were down here?”

 

“Long time.” The boy whispered sadly and Xander nodded.

 

“It's okay.” He held Jesse tightly as he made his way out of the base. The C4 was on a timer so he needed to move fast.

 

“Xander!” He turned and then paused for the others to catch up.

“What are you doing?” Buffy asked, staring at Jesse who buried his face in Xander's neck.

 

“You want me to leave a kid here?” Xander snapped out and Buffy backed up a step.

“Come on, explosives will be going off soon.”

 

“Explosives! I'll see you executed for this!” The Colonel blustered and then found Xander's gun in his face.

 

“Not if I kill you first. Do you have any idea what you've done? Half the species in here are peaceful. Doubt they will be after this. If you've made this fight any harder than it already is there is nowhere you will be able to hide from me.” With that Xander turned and headed for the lift to Lowell house.

 

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Xander walked into Willie's with Jesse still latched onto him. Dean silence followed his entrance as they took in his fatigues and weapons. He jerked in surprise though as some began to cheer.

 

“Drink free for Harris, he got my clan out!” One of the demons called and the cheer was taken up. Xander smirked slightly and shook his head in amusement, Uncle Bobby was going to have a fit!

 

“Thanks. Anyone know where this little guy's people are?” Xander indicated Jesse and the room went silent again. The demon that had offered him a drink shook its head sadly and Xander nodded.

 

Jesse obviously picked up on it and began to wail. Xander tightened his grip and began rocking the child slightly. A female Brachen demon approached cautiously and Xander let her since they were generally peaceful. She offered to take Jesse but the little guy clung to Xander so tightly he nearly cut off his air supply.

 

“An orphanage of sorts has been set up for those whose clans have been wiped out.” She told Xander and he nodded.

 

“Here that Jesse, you can go be with other kids till they find someone to take care of you.”

 

“Stay you.” The boy murmured and Xander sighed.

 

“Jesse you can't. I'd take you with me if I could but it's not safe. I'm a hunter, that's no life for a kid. And not all hunters think like me, they could hurt you.” Xander tried to explain.

“I can leave you my number and email address and we can talk all the time, I could even pop by and visit if you like but I can't keep you kiddo.” Jesse shook his head and clung tighter.

“I'll take you to the orphanage and we'll have a look at it okay? If you don't like it we'll figure something out.” Jesse looked up and slowly nodded.

 

Xander followed the woman from the bar and out into the woods. It took a good half hour of walking but they eventually came across an old house and fenced in yard. The door opened and Kwaini demon emerged, instantly freezing at the sight of Xander. He smiled and then called up the hyena enough for his eyes to flash and the demon relaxed at the display of inhuman ability.

 

“Another one?”

 

“Maybe, we're seeing if Jesse likes it here.” Xander answered.

“There may be others coming to claim their children, I blew up the Initiative cells so everyone got free.”

 

“Good.” The door was opened further and they were waved inside.

“We're running out of room for all the children and trying to keep those whose diets are totally carnivorous from the others is getting hard.”

 

“Are you saying they'd try to eat the other kids?” Xander asked and was answered by a nod which had Jesse clinging tighter.

 

“Yes. We need more and varied food that we just can't get.”

 

“I'll see what I can do to get a supply going if you give me a list. I'll only be in town till the Initiative and their monster is taken care of though.”

 

“You look familiar.”

 

“Used to hunt with Buffy till I decided to leave on a post-grad road trip.”

 

“The White Knight.” Both demons looked a little nervous as Xander nodded.

 

“That's me though I don't really like the name. I don't hurt kids or those who want to live peacefully. Neither does Buffy usually.”

 

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Xander looked over at the bed, smiling as he watched Jesse sleep. He got his phone out and stared at it, he really should call Bobby and Sam to let them know he was okay but he really was too tired to listen to the lectures he knew were coming. Besides how would he explain Jesse? The kid wasn't psychic like he and Sam were. The kid was an actual demon despite being one of the peaceful species. Very few hunters saw that distinction and he knew Bobby had been sceptical when he'd told him of the difference. Outside of Sunnydale and maybe LA the kid would be hunted ruthlessly so as much as he didn't want to he needed to find someone to take the boy in.

 

“Hello?” Xander took a deep breath before speaking.

 

“Hey Uncle Bobby.”

 

“Xander! Where are you? Are you alright?” Xander smiled slightly as his uncle all but babbled at him.

 

“I'm fine, juts tired and I'm in Sunnydale.”

 

“Xander what's going on? I got a panicked call from Sam after you left.” Xander sighed and slipped out of the motel room but left the door open a crack so he could keep an eye on Jesse.

 

“The Initiative pulled a Frankenstein and it got loose. Half way here I got another message saying OZ, one of the group from High school though he left later, had been captured because he's a werewolf. Before you say anything we used to lock him up on those nights and he now knows how to control it so he only changes when he wants to and he stays in control. Managed to get in and free all the captives but we have no idea how to find let alone stop their monster.”

 

“But you got out again okay?”

 

“Yep, had to wound a few soldiers and threaten to kill a Colonel. All in all a pretty normal Sunnydale night. Oh, I also have a kid with me.”

 

“A kid!” Xander winced at the shock and disbelief in Bobby's voice.

 

“They killed his family Uncle Bobby and the kid won't leave me.” Xander shrugged even though his uncle couldn't see.

 

“And they had his family why?”

 

“Because they're demons? He's harmless and just a kid so save the lecture. His name's Jesse and he looks human except for being blue and odd shaped eyes which are totally blue. He's a scared, hurt kid. I don't know what to do though, I can't keep him with me.”

 

“Definitely not.”

 

“Anyway, I'll be sticking around till we beat the demon cyborg thing and then I'll head home okay. Oh and I may need the heavy artillery that I hid in your back lot.”

 

“You hid what!” Xander winced at the pitch his uncle's voice reached.

 

“Where else was I going to hide the grenade launchers and bombs?”

 

“I really don't want to know. I'll have the boys dig it out for you though. Stay safe.”

 

“You too.”

 

TBC...