The Master - Part 1 (Sequel to I Love You Dead Boy 14)

Author: Belynda

E-mail: belynda@xtra.co.nz

Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Pairing: Xander/Spike/Angelus

Rating: R

Feedback: Heck yes!

Web page: http://slasharchive.simplenet.com/belynda.htm

Series: The Master, sequel to I Love You Dead Boy series which can be found at my web page.

Date: 23 July 2000

Disclaimer: Belong to Mutant Enemy. I make no money from this story.

Warning: Nothing really. Only if m/m/m isn't your cup of tea. Or if Vampires drinking blood freaks you out.

Notes: Thanks to everyone for the feedback. I now have a more reliable e-mail addy, and I always respond. I would like to know if what is happening in the story if working out or if people don't like it.

Summary: The Scooby gang rush to find Xander before he awakens as the Master. But what will they do once they get there? Can Buffy kill Xander - again?

The Master 1
by Belynda

Xander came to with a start. There had been a nothingness that he had been in and then he was back in his body. It was a very weird feeling.

Looking around, he realised he was in some kind of waiting room. He was sitting on a hard plastic gray seat. The walls were another shade of gray. The two doors that faced one another on his left and right were yet *another* shade of gray. He was beginning to see a thyme with the decorating.

Taking another look around, he saw that there was a demon sitting beside him. For some reason he didn't feel scared or have the need to make sure he didn't need to change his pants. He hadn't seen this type of demon before, with it's breath coming out as a green gas. He didn't really want to get to close to the demon in case it decided it was hungry.

Nervously his knee started pumping up and down as he tapped his foot. He was never one for just sitting around and waiting. "So have you been waiting here long?" He asked of the demon, unable to not say anything.

The demon just turned his head to look at the male human and breathed out a grunt.

Unable to avoid the green gas, Xander shoot to his feet and moved to the opposite side of the room as he tried to keep from being sick as the demon breath hit his nose. Tears threatening to fall as he struggled to cope from the utter foulness that invaded his senses. "God! Have you ever heard of a tooth brush and tooth paste?"

Taking in deep breaths he almost missed the sound of his name being called.

"Alexander Harris?"

Looking up, Xander saw a man in his forties dressed all in gray holding a clip board and looking from Xander to the demon. "Alexander Harris?"

"Me. That's me. Xander Harris. The non-demon." Xander said as he held up one hand while trying to remove the evidence of his tears from his face.

"Alexander. I am Walter. I will be your adviser while you are here. I will show you around and then you can get started. This way." Walter then walked over to one of the gray doors and held it open for the teenager.

"Hang on." Xander hurried after the older man. "Where am I? Who are you? What am I doing here?"

Sighing, Walter rolled his eyes. <Newbies, couldn't live with them, couldn't kill them.> "You are in the Waiting Room. I am your adviser. I will be the first person you will come to if you have any questions. You are here because you are undead, and you need to learn how to live once you go back."

"The Waiting Room? Is this heaven or hell? Undead as opposed to just dead?"

"This is neither heaven or hell. The Waiting Room, is where the undead stay while they learn what they need to know before they are sent back. Undead is a term we use when people, demons, or others, are dead in their world but have to go back once they have learnt how to survive. Once you have learnt all there is to know, you will be sent back to your body."

Breathing hard, Xander took another look around at the grayness that surrounded him before he looked at Walter. "You've said *learn* a few times. Is this- Is this a school?"

"A school? Some would call it that. Other wouldn't. Why?"

Xander went pale. "Oh, god. I am in hell." Then his eyes rolled back in his head and he fainted.

Walter just looked down at the teenager on the floor. "Well, shit." Then he snapped his fingers and he and the boy vanished.

***

The Scooby gang had searched all over Sunnydale looking for Xander but with no luck. They were now in the school library, researching. They were trying to find anything that could help them or give them some clues as to where to look for Xander. Once they found him though... They didn't want to think what Xander would be like when they found him.

Giles would occasionally look at Buffy, wondering if she would be able to kill Xander again if it turned out Xander was the Master. He hadn't be able to find anything as to what the Master would be like. He hoped that some part of Xander would still be there and they could reason with him. Although he didn't know what they would say to him once they found him.

Just then Oz walked into the library. Willow jumped up and ran into her boyfriends arms.

"Oh, Oz. It was so horrible. Xander's dead and he might have been turned into a vampire!" Willow cried.

"Xander's dead? How?"

"Buffy was trying to kill Angelus, but Xander got in the way. He died. And now we think he's going to come back as the Master. But we don't know where he is." Willow sniffed, not looking at Buffy.

Oz had never really got on with Xander, but he was sorry that the kid had died. "When you say that you don't know where he is, what do you mean exactly?"

"We can't find him. He never arrived at the morgue. We've looked all over Sunnydale but we didn't find zippo."

"Hmm. Maybe I can help."

"You can? How?" Giles asked hope stirring down inside of him.

"I can probable find him by his scent. If I could smell something of his that he has worn recently, I might be able to track his trail and find him."

Willow jumped up and down. "I have his jacket at my place which he left there a few days ago. We could use that."

"Lets get going then. We don't have much time before it is sundown." Giles said as he grabbed his tweed jacket. And with that they left the library in search of their friend.

***

Anthony looked over at Xander as the last of the suns rays left the unmoving body, and the sky darkened even more as the last of the sun vanished behind the horizon. Taking his lovers hand he walked them over to the stand beside the unmoving teenager.

"He is the one isn't he? He is the only one to have lasted this long." Leo asked.

Slipping an arm around Leos' waist, he nodded. "Yes. I think he is. Not only has he lasted this long, but I can almost feel him. And the feeling is getting stronger."

Surprised Leo looked up into his lovers eyes. "I can feel it too. It's as if he is apart of us. The connection I feel to you is different but similar. He is the One."

"Yes. He will rise soon. He will bring order to the world."

Gazing up at his lover of a thousand years, Leo knew that the next few hours would be very interesting. Reaching up he pulled Anthony's head down for a gentle kiss. "Thank you for sharing this with me."

Smiling, Anthony pressed a kiss to Leo's forehead. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Sighing, they continued to watch as the room got darker as night fell, and Xander lay still, waiting to rise again.

But Anthony sensed something, and spun around, ready to fight. Leo followed suit and saw what Anthony had sensed.

***

"Here. He's here." Oz said as he leaned back into the car from where he had had his head outside sniffing the air.

Giles pulled over and they all got out. They had no idea where they were, but they didn't need to. They just needed to know where Xander was.

Buffy tucked some stakes in the back of her jeans, while Giles carried the bag of weapons. Before them stood an old turn of the century house.

Hoping they weren't too late to stop the Chosen One from rising, they headed towards the house. Reaching the front door, Buffy reached out and softly opened the door. It wouldn't do to advertise their arrival.

Softly, they entered the house. They followed Oz's instructions as to where Xander was. Finally they entered the center room of the house. Two vampires stood in front of a large marble table with Xander laying on it.

The vampires spun around and saw the four unwelcomed guests. Their noses flared as they breathed in the scent of the Slayer.

"Come to finish the job slayer?" Anthony asked.

"If I have to." Buffy responded, not liking the vibe she was getting from these two.

"Haven't you already done enough? I mean, I'm grateful that you helped in with the Prophecy but you aren't needed now. Your job is done here. Leave."

"I'm afraid I can't do that. I'm a Slayer and it's my job to kill vampires."

"My sure it will be quite a coup to kill the same person twice in a day. Not many Slayers could say that. But that won't happen here. Not today. Even if I have to die to protect him."

"Why? You don't know him. Why would you die for him?"

Anthony laughed. "I am two thousand years old. For almost the same amount of time I have been searching for the Chosen One. You have no idea what it means to have finally found him. To know that he will rise and will rule the world. I won't let anything stop that from happening. Even you."

"And I will do anything to stop him from rising. I will not have a Master vampire in my town." Buffy stated, as she armed herself with her stakes.

"It's too late. He has awaken." Then he moved around the table and watched as Xander woke.

***

Xander felt himself falling, spinning around widely as he fell from the Waiting Room back towards his body.

Bang!

He was back in his body, and then he was arching up as he coughed on the stale air that filled his lungs. He sat up as he coughed again, and began to notice his surroundings.

Beneath him was a marble table. The room he was in reminded him of Angels place. He recongised Buffy, Giles, Willow and Oz. And he recognised what the other two people in the room were. Licking his lips, he became aware of the taste in his mouth. "Gross! What is that taste?" Feeling like he was going to barf, he slid off the table, not noticing his nakedness.

A cup was offered by one of the Vampires, and he took it, wanting nothing more than to get rid of the taste in his mouth. Grateful, he took the cup and raised it to his lips. Hearing the "No" being shouted at him from the human's, he ignored them and swallowed the dark liquid.

The blood was rich on his tongue after years of not eating. He felt giddy with the pleasure of eating after it had been so long. And he wanted more.

He drained the sup and handed it to the older vampire while the younger vampire gave him another full cup. Again he raised it to his lips, and this time the "No" from the humans were softer, as if they knew it was now too late.

Standing there naked, his skin pale in the glow of the moonlight, his muscles more defined, he looked like a greek statue. There was something utterly sensual about him. It could have been there before, but now he knew what to do with it, and how to use it to his advantage.

The humans could now only watch as Xander drunk the blood. He had once been their friend, fighting by their sides as they fought the evil the visited Sunnydale. Never again would they be able to joke around with him, walk with him in the sun light, to just talk to him as a friend. Now they would try to kill him if he proved to not be the Xander they knew and loved.

The taste finally gone from his mouth, Xander handed the now empty cup to the younger vampire. He turned and looked at each of his friends, seeing them with his vampire eyes for the first time. And then his gaze landed on Buffy, the Slayer who had killed him once before and would try to again.

Hi eyes hardened. "I forgive you Buffy. But never again will you try to kill me or what is mine. I would kill you before you touched them. It is only that you were my friend that I am letting you live now. I've learned a lot during the time I was dead. I wouldn't cross me if you hoped to live to your nineteenth birthday." Giving her one last look, he cast his attention to himself. A click of his fingers, and he was wearing a midnight blue net top which defined his muscles even more. Black leather trousers encased his legs lovingly, hugging his ass and proving that he was no *boy*. He then shrugged into a black leather jacket that reached mid thigh. Black leather boots completed the picture.

He oozed sex. And he knew it. The need to see his mates grew stronger and he knew he couldn't stay much longer. Uttering a small spell that only the vampires could hear, the lovers, were bathed in a blue light that then blinked out. "My gift to you. You are protected from the Slayer and anything else that seeks to do you harm. Thank you for seeing that the Prophecy was fulfilled. I will visit you again. But first I have to see to some things." He bowed to the vampires and then turned to the humans.

"Willow. You have been my friend since we were six years old. I hope we will continue to be friends. Giles, you were like the father figure I never had. Oz, thanks. Buffy. Just don't cross me. You wouldn't survive. Now if you all don't mind, I have two lovers I must see to." And with another click of his fingers he disappeared.

***

Xander appeared in Spikes hideaway. Spike would have known that Buffy would come looking for them, and so he had taken them to the one place she didn't know of. Looking around the room, he saw that some of the furniture hadn't survived. But then his gaze fell on the sight of his two lovers, holding one another as they silently cried on the others shoulder.

With silent strides, Xander reached their sides and fell to his knees besides them. Their grief pulled at his heart. Tenderly he placed his hand on both of their heads. "Shh. No more tears. I am here. I've come back to you. My dead boys."

Spike was the first one to register the words spoken in his loved ones voice. Lifting his tired head, he turned towards the voice and his stunned gaze fell upon his beloved Xander. Alive and sitting beside them.

"Xander?" Spike whispered, barely loud enough for a vampire to hear.

But Angel heard and lifted his head. He turned and saw what Spike was seeing. "Xander? What's happening?"

"I've come back to you. I missed you so much. Being stuck in the Waiting Room, almost drove me insane, but I knew that one day I would see you again, and I went on. And now I am back. With my dead boys. Forever."

"How? What are you?" Angel asked, picking up that Xander didn't have a heart beat.

"I am the Chosen One. The Master. And I have come back to be with you two. The only ones who have ever loved me." Xander tenderly stroked back their hair. "We can now be together forever."

"You're the Chosen One? But how...?" Angel asked.

"I knew that I was going to die the day that Buffy killed me, I had felt the day coming for a long time. It was meant to be. I was meant to be the Master, and to be with you two forever. I don't care that I am now a vampire. I just know that I am back with you, and I wouldn't change that for the world." Xander finished.

Spike growled low in his throat, and pounced. Taking Xander's lips in a punishing kiss, the Chosen One kissed him back with a wild abandon that had never been there before.

And then Angel was there too. Kissing, biting, tearing their cloths off. For the first time they were equal, and Xander gave back as good as he got.

They would talk later about what was now going to happen now that Xander was a vampire and the Chosen One at that. But for now the only thing happening was the claiming of one another. And as blood spilled as bites and scratches were exchanged between the three, nothing mattered now that they were together again.

***

Xander looked down at the two heads resting on each of his shoulders. He was back were he belonged. With his dead boys. The marks of their love making on their bodies were long gone. Only the odd line or smear of blood was left.

He couldn't be happier. But he knew it wasn't over yet. He had unfinished business with the Slayer. Once she was his friend. Now she was his enemy. As the Slayer she was a formidable foe. But she had never fought a true master before. Oh, there had been a few masters who liked to think they were the best. But they paled compared to him. She had tried to kill him and what was his for the last time. All gloves were off.

But first he had to become reacquainted with his lovers. And then they would go on a trip. To LA maybe, he felt the pull of that city stronger than the others.

Xander smiled. It was a good day to live.

To be continued...
Belynda
belynda@xtra.co.nz