Fic: Graile Ch.5

[Jack Xavier Warriner <connor_macbeth@xxxxxxxxx>]

Aiyo,
Here's Chapter Five. 

Graile Ch. 5
By: MacBeth
Disclaimers: I own nothing. Save those spawned from my
twisted mountain dew soaked mind, namely J,A,L,and G.

Los Angeles, 1996
Hemry Highschool

The Gym fire outlined the short blonde as she
thrust a short length of wood into the chest of a boy
she sat next to in history class. He looked at her
with utter hatred before he combusted in a cloud of
dust and ash as she whirled around to face the other
vampires. The remaining vampires circled her and her
"partner" Pike. Elizabeth Anne Summers knew the police
were not going to understand her need to burn the gym,
again. She plunged the stake into the heart of the
next vampire, a girl she had seen in the halls
everyday. 

Finally, it was down to her and a large, hulking
side of beef, who played left tackle for the varsity
football team. She had run out of stakes and Pike was
going toe to toe with a chinese girl. Buffy looked
around for anything to use when this tiny exacto knife
clattered to the ground beside her. Not one to look a
gift horse in the mouth, she bent down to pick it up
and eyed the thug-vamps neck with a calculating eye.
He had a look of shock on his face when she started
towards him, brandishing the tool with a practiced
hand. 

A shadow moved slightly atop of Peabody's Wayback
Fasions, a retro clothing shop across the street from
the school. The dark figure turned his head away in
disgust as Buffy hacked into the football player's
neck. When he turned back he saw the L.A.P.D. guiding
a handcuffed Buffy into the back of a squad car. Not
concerned at all, he turned away and dropped off the
building.

*	*	*

Sunnydale, California
12:17am 
Sarducci Family Mausoleum

Buffy leaned against a pillar and checked her nails
again. The recently deceased priest was taking longer
to raise than Buffy had anticipated. ?God! Just rise
already.? Buffy puffed her cheeks out in a sigh.
?That?s it.? she yelled. Buffy stormed over to the
marble sarcophagi and pushed aside the marble lid with
ease. She then reached down to the newly placed casket
and cracked open the lid, the coffin?s locks giving
way beneath the Slayer?s supernatural strength. Buffy
gripped the stake and waited, willing the damned
corpse to wake up. Finally, Two minutes later, Father
Guido opened his eyes and shifted to his new vampiric
face. Buffy winked and slammed the stake home.
Giles poked his head into the Mausoleum door and
clicked a stopwatch in his hand. ?Buffy, someday,
you?ll have to explain to me why it is you feel you
have to wait for the vampire to rise.? The older
British gentleman said. He began writing while his
Slayer charge dusted off the stake and slid it into
the back of her belt. Buffy waited for Giles to finish
his chronicle thing and brushed crypt dust from her
black Levi?s. ?Uh, Giles?? she asked, and her Watcher
looked up from his notes. ?Can we go?? Buffy
restrained a tiny bit of impatience in her tone.
?Oh, right. well, there were no other mysterious
deaths reported, so a quick sweep and we cn call it a
night then.? Giles gestured for her to exit ahead of
him.
?Giles?? she asked hesitanty.
?Yes, Buffy?? he turned his head in her direction. 
?What do you think of Jack?? she asked, checking
her bottles of Holy Water stuffed into the Leather
jacket Angel had given her. 
?He seems to be a smart and capable young man. You
said he helped Merrick and you with a vampire in Los
Angeles.? Giles stated with a subtle question in his
voice.
?I?m not asking about him like I?m looking for
approval. I?m asking because he gives me a minor
wiggins.? Giles grinned slightly and waited. ?Giles, I
knew he was there before I heard or saw him. But I
don?t feel like he?s a bad guy. It?s kind of wierd. I
feel... Well, good. Like I can do almost anything. I
just wanted you to do some diggin on him. Call your
tweed lookalikes in England, please?? She looked to
her Watcher. ?I trust him with my life, but I need to
know more about him before I trust him with yours, or
Xand?s or Will?s. Ok??
Giles took a moment to think what this would
entail. ?Alright Buffy. I?ll trust your judgement and
make a few phone calls.? An odd and chilling feeling
coursed down Buffy?s spine a second before a sound
from behind them caused them to stop walking. Turning
slowly, they saw a tall cowled being standing under a
light post fifty feet behind them. ?Well, we should
have both seen this coming.?
Buffy smirked and nudged him in the stomach.?Hush.
We?re supposed to be frightened, remember?? she stage
whispered, taking a step closer to the rather
mysterious person. ?It?s a little late out for a
midnight stroll, isn?t it?? she said, fingering the
stake in the sleeve of her leather jacket. Buffy
blinked, and suddenly the hooded man grabbed her
throat and lifted her up two feet in the air. Giles
shook his head in disbelief as the vampire pulled the
Slayer close. Buffy pulled the stake out and made to
plunge it into his chest when a gloved hand slapped
the sharpened rod out of her hand. 
?Slayer.? a deep muffled voice sounded form the
hood of the jet-black coat. ?I have come for the
Hunter known as Jack, he will die by my hands. Tell
him to settle his affairs, I will wait for him below
the Sanderson Mausoleum.? He pulled her closer and
Buffy could nearly make out a face when suddenly the
cowled vampire was staggered by a powerful blow from
behind and a familiar voice growled, ?Let her go!? 
The vampire turned slightly and without looking,
backhanded Angel thirty feet and turned back to Buffy
who was nearly losing consciousness. The grip around
her throat loosened slightly and without thinking, she
choked out a question. ?Who...Aw.. Are you?? she
glared into the dark hood. 
The powerful being pulled her close and whispered
in her ear. Pulling back, the vampire casually tossed
the Slayer back against the stunned Watcher, causing
them to both tumble to the ground in a heap. When they
got to their feet, the Cowled vampire was nowhere to
be seen. Angel stood on shaky legs and slowly made his
way to Buffy. ?It?s been a while since I?ve been hit
that hard.? he looked Buffy over, ?Are you ok??
genuine concern evident in his voice.
Giles nodded, as did Buffy. ?Yeah.? she coughed
out, rubbing her bruised and sore throat. 
?Angel, Do you have any idea who that was?? Giles
asked as he checked Buffy?s neck for permanant damage.
?No. But he?s old. Very old, and very powerful.?
Angel answered, a slight ounce of fear in his tone.
?Grill.? Buffy managed in a passable imitation of
Christopher Lambert.
?Excuse me Buffy?? Giles asked as Angel felt a stab
of fear slide into his heart.
?He said his name was Grill.? Buffy managed, as her
voice slowly returned to normal.
Angel turned to look directly in Buffy?s eyes.
?Buffy, was it Grill or... Graile?? he asked,
completely serious.
Buffy nodded. ?Yeah, that?s it. Graile. Why? What?s
so big??she asked. Seeing Angel actually get paler,
?Angel, you?re scaring me. Giles? Who?s this Graile
vampy?? She turned to her Watcher in growing fear.
Angel turned to Giles. ?Get her home, Now!? he
finished, shifting into his Vampire face and turned
away with a swoosh of his long leather coat. Buffy
spent the remainder of the flight home arguing with
Giles to either explain, or to let her go help Angel.
Giles closed the front door of his apartment and
immediately headed for his Scotch cabinet. He filled a
glass with three fingers of twelve-year-old single
malt and downed it in one swallow. Buffy watched this
with growing detachment. ?Now will you explain what
the HELL just happened?? Buffy demanded.
The British man nodded and sat down wearily in his
chair. ?It?s impossible, but that Vampire you just met
was Graile.? he said as much to himself as to the
Slayer. ?Graile is a Very old Vampire. The Watcher?s
Council?s records date him as far back as being a
sorcerer in the court of Emperor Nero. Even then, he
was considered old.?
?Nero? as in Rome, Nero?? Buffy asked, as Giles
nodded she took a second glass from the liquor
cabinet, filled it with the amber liqour and drained
it as quickly as Giles had. ?Why is it impossible??
Giles sighed and motioned for the bottle of scotch.
Buffy handed the bottle and waited as her Watcher
filled and drained his glass again. ?Graile was killed
in 1908 by a Watcher by the name of Charles Covington.
I know this because Charles was a very close friend of
my Grandfather, Vincent. I believe your friend Jack is
Charles? direct descendent and this may be why Graile
is after him. You may want to keep an eye on him and I
sincerely doubt you should tell him of Graile?s
location.? Giles refilled both glasses and hesitated.
?Buffy...? he looked at her glass.
?Relax Giles. This never happened.? Buffy winked
and slowly sipped her scotch as though she had for
decades. ?This is good scotch. My uncle in Kansas lets
me have a glass or two when I visit.?
Giles looked at Buffy. ?You have an uncle in
Kansas??
?Two, and both in this little podunk called
Smallville. One of them is a complete ass though.? she
said with a conspiratorial smile. 

*	*	*

Below the Sanderson Crypt

Angel flew back ten feet to slam into the far wall
of the cold crypt, and while upside down in mid air
was struck with a thought. ?This just isn?t my day.?
After tumbling to the ground, he looked up to see a
pair of gucci shoes before him, as a gloved hand
reached down and grabbed his neck. Pulling him upright
and closer, Graile shook his head softly at the
bruised and beaten vampire.
?Angelus. I know of your quest for redemption.
Whether you succeed concerns me not. I will not,
however, interfere. Leave this crypt and tell the
descendent of my enemy that I wait for him here.?
Graile then gestured fluidly with his free hand and
brushed frost from Angel?s silk shirt. A small portal
appeared five feet from the pair. ?By the way, if you
hurt Buffy. I?ll hunt you to the ends of the earth and
torture you beyond anything even you could possibly
comprehend.? he whispered in the battered vampire?s
ear as he tossed him easily through the gate.
Angel tumbled out of the portal onto the floor of
his apartment. He lay there in painful silence as his
bruises faded. ?If I hurt her..?? he asked the empty
room in confusion.

MacBeth,
The Kamikazi Scotsman,
The Kilted Moogle

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax
http://taxes.yahoo.com/