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Chapter 6

Jessi held up the first aid kit, intent on administering first aid, at the same time hoping to diffuse the tense standoff between Buffy and her gang still hampered by Ethan’s spell and the people she’d come to think of as her friends. 

“I’ve got the first aid kit,” she said. 

“Here. I’ll take that,” Xander replied. He’d seen how Faith was guarding her midsection even in her post-fight high and knew hell would freeze over before she’d actually admit to being hurt. 

Especially with Buffy glaring daggers in their direction and vowing retribution once she got free. 

“Faith. Come here,” he told her, drawing her attention away from Buffy. He held up several ace bandages. “Uh, Ethan, you might want to ix nay the freeze spell.” 

Faith, thankfully, did as he asked, and stood docilely enough as he lifted her shirt to see the damage, though she cast furtive glances behind her as Ethan whispered a few words in Latin and Buffy and company were released. Xander winced upon seeing the bruises marring her flesh and did it again when she flinched briefly as he began wrapping the bandage around her ribs. 

“Sorry,” he murmured. 

In response, he got fingers gently carded through his hair, a silent acknowledgment. 

“Xander?” Willow cut in. 

“Not now, Willow,” he snapped, refusing to cave to the accusation in her tone. 

“Xander’s right. This is neither the time nor place to have this discussion,” Giles conceded. “Buffy, I need you and the slayers to go to Rome. Andrew has Amy and Warren secreted away in the dungeons there.” 

“Nu uh—! Wait! Huh? Andrew,” Buffy stammered. “Nerd Andrew? Impossible!” 

“Entirely possible,” Ethan drawled. 

Buffy frowned, hand on her hip. “I thought you were dead.” 

“Buffy!” Giles chided. 

“What? It’s not like he’s one of the good guys. Halloween costumes, spelled candy. Giles, he turned you into a demon!” 

“I’ve seen the error of my ways—” 

“Yeah, right,” Buffy muttered. 

Ethan gave a weak laugh. 

“Buffy,” Giles interrupted. “Rome. Now.” He turned to Willow. “Willow.” 

“Fine,” Buffy snapped. “We’re going. But this isn’t over.” She flounced away to stand with Willow and the other slayers. A moment later they were gone as Willow teleported them away. 

“Phew!” Jessi murmured, letting out a pent up breath. 

“I’ll second that,” Xander added, smiling at the young slayer. “Tense much?” 

“Oh yeah,” Jessi agreed. “Those are your friends?” 

“Yeah. They can be a little overwhelming.” 

“I’ll say.” 

Xander finished wrapping Faith’s ribs and stood. “I hate to say it, but Buffy’s right. It’s not over. Do you think we might be underestimating Andrew? Maybe we should go after Buffy and the others and give them a hand.” 

“Andrew does have a lot of slayers at his disposal,” Faith added. “More than the small contingent Buffy took with her.” 

“And if he’s brainwashed them somehow…” Xander continued. 

“Willow might be hard pressed to break the spell before Buffy and the others are injured,” Giles concluded, sighing. “Damn.” 

“You guys got enough mojo to Samantha us to Rome?” Faith asked. 

Ethan winced, Giles frowned, Xander laughed. 

“What’s a Samantha?” Jessi asked. 

A moment later, the ground left their feet as Ethan showed them he still had plenty of magic left in him. 

~*~*~*~*~ 

“Good thing we arrived when we did, huh?” Faith told them and immediately launched herself into the fray. 

“Faith!” Xander called out, but she was gone. 

Jessi was hot on her tail. 

“Jessi! Dammit! Giles—” 

“They’re slayers, Xander. They’ll be fine.” 

“But—” 

“Trust me,” Giles said, placing a reassuring hand on Xander’s shoulder. “Or better yet, trust them.” 

Xander sighed. “I do, it’s just…” He stared at the bedlam before him and prayed nobody got hurt. 

Then it was Giles’ turn to gasp as Ethan went tearing off as well, hurling spells left and right as he tried to reach Willow’s side and displace the group of slayer’s surrounding her. 

“Guess we should try and find Andrew,” Xander muttered after several minutes spent watching the others fight. 

While Buffy, Faith and the other slayers were busy trying to subdue Andrew’s slayers without hurting them, and Willow and Ethan worked together to counter Amy’s spells, Giles and Xander snuck into the castle to locate Andrew. 

“Which way?” Giles asked. 

“It’s Andrew. Where else would he be but command central?” 

“Good point. Lead the way.” 

Xander took off at a run, thankful for his daily workouts and the extra pounds he’d shed that kept him from doubling over with a stitch in his side. Surprisingly, Giles huffed and puffed behind him but was keeping up. 

The door was locked, naturally, but a few clipped words by Giles gained them access. Together, they stepped through the doors and were immediately beset by a half-skinned Warren wielding a sword and a gun. 

Warren took aim and fired and Xander staggered back as he was hit in the shoulder. Pain blurred his vision but he was able to make out Giles tackling Warren to the ground and divesting him of his weapons. It left Andrew to him – not too hard, he thought, even with his bum shoulder. 

Or so he’d hoped. 

“You’re ruining everything!” Andrew screamed as he launched himself at Xander. 

Xander barely had time or energy to deflect the dagger aimed at his heart. The tip slashed across his upper arm and he cried out in pain as he fell back against the wall. His injuries made him too weak to deflect a second attack, and Xander could readily see his death in Andrew’s crazed expression. 

He closed his eye and waited for the inevitable. 

Another shot rang out and Xander opened his eye to see Andrew standing before him, his face frozen in shock. One side of Andrew’s head was a mess of blood and brains spilling out from a rather large hole. Xander ignored him as his feet gave way and he slid to ground; his head turned in the direction the shot had come from. 

Giles was stretched out on his stomach, a smoking gun in his hand. 

“Giles?” 

“I had no choice.” His voice was filled with regret. 

“No, you didn’t,” Xander agreed quietly. 

It took Xander a minute, but he eventually managed to get to his feet… just as Faith burst into the room. 

“Xander!” 

“Over here.” 

“Oh my god. You’ve been shot!” Faith exclaimed and hurried to his side. 

“Just a flesh wound,” he joked, wincing as Faith took his arm and wrapped it around her shoulder and hauled him to her side. 

“Just a flesh wound, my ass. We’re going to the hospital. Now. Giles!” She pinned the watcher with a look. 

“I’ll find Ethan.” 

~*~*~*~*~ 

Xander woke with a groan that displaced his… bedmate? 

“Ah, Xander, you’re awake.” 

He squinted towards the end of the bed and recognized— 

“Giles?” he croaked. 

The body attached to his side snuggled closer. He craned his neck and recognized Faith’s dark mane of hair. 

“She refused to leave your side once you came out of surgery,” Giles offered by way of explanation. 

“Surgery?” 

“The doctors had to remove the bullet in your shoulder. Appears it was lodged too deep to make do with just a local sedative. Don’t worry though. The surgeon said you should make a full recovery.” 

“I don’t remember.” 

“Well, yes. You, erm, kinda passed out. Shock, I believe. You’d lost quite a bit of blood.” 

“Please tell me Faith didn’t carry me again,” Xander groaned. 

Giles’ lips twitched. “It was either her or Buffy.” 

“Great. Now I’m really never going to live this down.” 

Giles ignored Xander’s whining and changed the subject. “The others are waiting outside. Would you like me to send them in?” 

“Yeah. Sure.” 

Giles left, and a moment later Buffy and Willow came in. 

“Hey, Xander,” Willow greeted him. Buffy offered a shy wave. Their eyes strayed briefly to Faith then were back on him. 

“Um, hi.” 

“So…? You and Faith?” Buffy asked, her expression curious rather than hostile like he’d expected. 

“She needed… needs me,” he told her; his hand reached up to caress the sleeping slayer’s cheek. 

“But I need you too. We do, me and Willow—” 

“Buffy, he’s right,” Willow cut in. For the first time in she didn’t know how long, her friend actually looked happy. She wasn’t about to stand in his way, or let Buffy do it either. 

“Hey. It’s not like I’m never going to see you guys again. The castle’s not very far from London. We’ll visit. Or, you guys can.” 

“Giles was going to ask you to oversee Rome,” Willow announced, then immediately covered her mouth with her hand. “Oops. Um, maybe I shouldn’t have said that. Forget I said anything.” 

Xander laughed. “It’s alright. I’ll talk to him about it.” 

“You sure this is what you want?” Buffy asked, gesturing to him and Faith. 

“Yes. I’m sure.” 

Buffy nodded. “Alright.” She turned to Willow. “Come on. Xander needs to rest. We’ll be back tomorrow… if that’s okay?” 

“Of course it is. You can bring donuts.” 

“I doubt donuts are on the list,” Willow laughed. Relented when she saw his pout. “But, I’ll see what I can do.”

“You’re the best, Wills.” 

Willow darted forward and gave him a brief hug, mindful of his healing injuries, then slipped out of the room. Buffy offered a cheerful wave and made to leave. 

“Buffy?” Xander called out, when her hand was on the door. “I’m sorry… about Riley.” 

She didn’t turn to look at him, which made him feel even worse. 

The silence seemed to hang in the air. 

Finally she turned and looked his way. She wasn’t the slayer in that moment, and Xander truly felt for his friend. 

“Giles explained everything to me. Even the stuff that happened in London. I guess I kinda overreacted about that, huh? As for the Riley thing – it’s not your fault. And, as much as I’d like to, I don’t blame Faith for what she had to do either. You’ll tell her that, when she wakes up?” 

“You should probably tell her yourself.” 

“Xander, in case you haven’t noticed… Me and Faith? Don’t exactly get along. Besides, she’d never believe me.” 

“You don’t know that.” 

“Maybe. We’ll see…” Buffy sighed. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

“Okay. Hey! Don’t forget those donuts.” 

Buffy laughed. “Donuts. Check.” 

“Bye, Buffy.” 

“Bye, Xander.” 

Buffy left and Xander looked down at Faith. 

“You can quit faking now. She’s gone.” 

“Hmmmm?” 

“Oh stop. As if you didn’t wake up the second Buffy walked into the room. Which means you heard everything… even the apology she’ll probably never say to your face. And that was for the stuff that happened in London, not the other.” 

“If you say so.” 

“I know so.” 

“Right. And when did you develop a brain?” 

“About the time I came after you.” 

Faith offered no protest and snuggled closer to Xander on the hospital bed. “So? Rome, huh?” 

“I don’t know. It depends.” 

“On what?” 

“You.” 

“Me?” 

“Yep.” 

“Why?” 

“Because, I’m not going to go unless you come with me.” Xander waited for Faith to say something. “Faith?” 

“You really want me to go with you?” 

“Of course I do. I’m sure you were here when I told Buffy just that.” 

“Yeah, but—” 

“But nothing. Either you come with me, or I don’t go.” 

“Xander.” 

“Faith.” 

“Fine. I’ll come, but only if Jessi comes too. I can’t leave her… well, you know.” 

“Yeah. I do. Now, I’m all achey. I’m going back to sleep.” 

Xander smiled when Faith closed her mouth and settled in. 

“I’m not hurting you, am I?” she asked after a bit. 

“Nah,” he denied. The slight pain was worth it as long as he got to hold her. 

“Liar,” she laughed, but didn’t move away. 

“Hush. Sleeping now.” 

“Sleeping now,” Faith agreed. 

Surprisingly, sleep came easy for both of them.

The End

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