|
A Handful of Slayers - Della
Set some months after Chosen, it's a fic inspired by
something I said when pointing out possible consequences with the activation of all the Slayers and in consequence is not a very happy fic.
A rating of 15 for swearing and violence.
Disclaimer. All familiar characters are owned by JW and ME.
Many thanks to Sho for pointing out all my mistakes. :)
"Is this the place?" Kennedy asked. Xander looked at the
ramshackle building with its windows boarded up and peeling paint then
shrugged. He dug a hand in his pocket and pulled out a scrap of paper. 763
South Down Drive was scrawled on it in black ink. "According to
Willow's note it is," he said. "Then this is it," Kennedy
said confidently and strode up the path towards the house.
Behind her Xander frowned but followed. He wished he had as much
confidence. This was the fifth time Willow had sent them out in search of
a new Slayer and the previous four times they had come back empty handed.
Whatever locater spell she was using it didn't seem to be doing them much
good.
Up on the porch Kennedy began hammering on the door. "Hello,"
she called, "is there anyone in?" Xander hurried forward and
grabbed her arm before she broke the door down. "Not so loud. We
don't want to attract any unwanted attention."
"From who?" the young woman demanded.
Xander sighed, again. He seemed to do that a lot lately and most of the
time around Kennedy. "I don't know but let's not take any chances
shall we?"
For a second he thought she was going to disagree but then she shrugged.
"Whatever you say but I don't think anyone's home."
"We better have a look around anyway."
The front door turned out to be unlocked and after a quick look to make
sure no one was watching they entered. Kennedy took one look around and
said, "I'll check upstairs you look around down here. If you need any
help give me a shout."
Xander opened his mouth to tell her that he was not a novice and to remind
her that he had been fighting beside the slayer for years but she was
already gone, ascending the stairs in several athletic bounds. He closed
his mouth with an audible click. Willow's girlfriend she might be but at
times she could be a right pain in the ass.
Xander sighed and began to look around. On the inside the house was just
as dilapidated as it had appeared from the outside. Threadbare carpets
exposed rotting floorboards, graffiti covered the bare walls and mouldy
curtains adorned the windows.
Walking into what must have been the kitchen Xander halted, nearly
retching as his nostrils were assaulted by a terrible smell. What is that
foulness? he asked silently, raising a hand to his nose. Something must
have died in here that was certain.
Reluctantly he moved further into the room and began to look around.
Smashed kitchen units littered the floor, several pieces of which seemed
to Xander's experienced eye to have been sharpened into stakes. He nudged
a copper pot with his toe and then jumped back as something skittered
across his foot. For moment he looked around for a weapon but seeing it
was just a rat he relaxed.
"Xander up here," he heard Kennedy shout before he could resume
his search.
Gladly leaving his investigation of the kitchen he hurried up the stairs
and found the young woman in the bathroom. "What is it?" he
asked.
"Look," she replied and pointed.
Xander did as he was told but at first he could see nothing except a bath
tub full of rags. Then suddenly his single eye widened as he realised that
the rags were not just a pile of discarded clothes but a person.
"Do you think it's her?" Kennedy asked.
Xander shrugged. "There's only one way to find out," he said and
knelt at the side of the bath. Gently he began to pull away some of the
rags until he found himself staring at the grubby face of a young girl. No
more than thirteen or fourteen the girl might have been pretty underneath
the dirt and the alarming number of bruises. Suddenly the girl's eyes
snapped open and Xander found himself staring into a pair of very large
and very pale blue eyes. Then the girl shuffled backwards and putting her
arms about herself began to rock from side to side. "Strangers,
strangers, strangers," she muttered. "Who are they? What do they
want? Are they vampires come to kill me?" She sighed. "To kill
me at last."
Xander, eyebrows raised, looked at Kennedy who shrugged. Turning back to
the young girl he smiled. "Shh, it's ok now, we're here to help
you."
The girl stopped rocking and stared at him intently. "Help me he
says," she said quietly. "Can I be helped? Am I beyond
redemption?" She nodded vigorously. "Yes, beyond redemption.
Evil I am, evil."
The one eyed Scooby blinked, this was very disturbing. He decided a change
of tack was in order. "Do you have a name?" he asked.
"A name? Do I? Yes, yes I do," she said triumphantly,
"Slayer Bitch." A moment later her look of triumph was gone and
she frowned then began to shake her head violently. "No that's what
they call me. In the dark when I'm alone, so alone, they call me. Always
calling me, calling me, why won't they leave me alone?"
Seeing tears begin to form at the corners of the girl's eyes Xander felt a
lump in his throat. What the bloody hell had happened to this girl?
"What did your mother call you?" he asked her gently.
"My mother?" She closed her eyes and smiled for the first time
but not for long. "I…I can't remember." She reached up and
began to pull her hair. "Why can't I remember?" she demanded in
frustration. "I have a name and I will remember it." Her hair
pulling became more violent. "My name is…my name is…Della,"
she screamed finally then sighed and in a much quieter voice said,
"my name is Della."
"Please Della calm down," Xander told her, his voice full of
concern.
Della's fixed him with a piercing gaze. "How do you know my
name?" she demanded.
For moment Xander was lost for words. "You just told me," he
answered finally.
"Did I? Would I?" She shook her head. "No I wouldn't, he
must be a vampire. An evil blood sucking vampire."
Hadn't we been through this already? Xander asked silently. "No I am
not a vampire," he told her patiently. "We're here to help you,
we've been looking for you."
Della frowned. "Looking for me? Why, why, why, why?" she
demanded then without warning her hand shot out and grabbed Xander round
the throat. "You know what one eyed man? I think you're a vampire and
you've come to kill me," she said and then gave him a mighty shove.
Xander stumbled back crashed through the bathroom wall and landed in a
heap, bruised and winded.
Kennedy hurried to Xander's side. "Are you ok?"
Xander smiled. "I think so," he replied then joked, "at
least we know she's a slayer." With the slayer's help he got to his
feet and they returned to the bathroom. The girl hadn't moved from the
bath but she had started to rock again.
"Do you mind if I try?
Xander shrugged. "Be my guest," he told her and watched as she
approached the girl. Della watched Kennedy approach warily but made no
move as she knelt at the side of the bath.
"There'll be no more of that," Kennedy told her sternly nodding
at her companion. "Do you understand?"
Xander winced at her tone but the girl didn't seem to notice and nodded.
Kennedy ploughed on regardless. "Where are your parents Della?"
Della's eyes widened and she backed away shaking her head. "Della
where are your parents? Do they know you are here?" The girl made no
reply except to continue shaking her head. "Where are they?"
Kennedy asked for a third time. "Why won't you tell us?"
For a moment it looked like she would refuse to answer but then she looked
straight at Xander and laughed. "Because they're dead, they were
vampires just like you. They tried to fool me as well but I killed them.
Staked them I did, staked them dead." Kennedy gasped, a gasp that
Xander could only echo. What had happened here?
"And what happened to them afterwards?" Kennedy asked quietly.
The girl was clearly confused. "Afterwards?" she muttered.
"What do they mean afterwards? Are they vampires or are they
ghouls?"
"Della!"
The young slayer sniffed. "I buried them. I killed them and then I
buried them." She looked at Kennedy. "There, are you
satisfied?"
Xander could hardly believe his ears. This girl had actually killed her
parents thinking they were vampires. What had happened to her? He was
joined a moment later by an equally shocked Kennedy.
"She's completely mad, lost in a world of her own."
"But what could have caused this?"
Kennedy shrugged. "It could have been the Slayer visions."
"The visions," Xander repeated. "Are they that
powerful?"
"As you know it's different with each Slayer. Buffy has had what? Two
or three in seven years?" Xander nodded. "Well Cho An has had
quite a few already I think whereas most of the other Slayers haven't had
any. I'd guess that Della's visions have been many and very powerful. So
powerful in fact that she can't tell the dreams from reality
anymore."
Xander looked at the girl with a mixture of pity and compassion. "Oh
my God, the poor girl," he exclaimed.
"And her poor parents," Kennedy added. "So what should we
do with her?"
"We have to help her, take her with us. Maybe Willow or Giles will be
able to help her."
Kennedy didn't look convinced. "I can't see how."
"Well we can't leave her here," Xander shouted. Was she
heartless? "If for no other reason than to keep her from killing
again," he added in a normal tone.
"I suppose you're right. How though? There's no way we can reason
with her."
Xander sighed, she had a point. Where were Giles or Willow when you needed
them? They would know what to do. "Well we have to try, tell her
you're a Slayer as well maybe that will help."
"Is that the best you can come up with?"
"Have you got anything better?"
Kennedy shook her head and then knelt beside the young girl once more.
"Ok then Della, listen carefully, we are not vampires and we have not
come here to kill you. We are here to help you, you are not alone Della.
There are many girls who are Slayers like you and I'm one of them."
For the first time the girl looked up with something akin to sanity in her
eyes. "You're a Slayer too."
Kennedy nodded. "Yes I was a normal girl, a potential like you and
then our friend Willow, a powerful witch, cast a spell that made us
Slayers."
And whatever sanity had been there was gone. Della's face contorted with
anger. "You did this to me," she accused, "you put this in
me. Well I don't want it. Get it out of me."
"I'm sorry Della that's not possible but we'll…"
Della wasn't listening. She lurched forward and grabbed Kennedy. "Get
it out of me," she screamed. "I don't want it. Get it out! Get
it out! GET IT OUT!"
Stunned by the depth of the girl's fury it was several moments before
Kennedy tried to shake her off and then when that didn't work she took
more drastic action, punching her squarely on the jaw. Della grunted and
slumped to the ground.
Xander moved forward to stand at Kennedy's side and looked down at the
unconscious Slayer. "Was that really necessary?" he asked.
"It was the only way, you saw what she was like."
Xander had to admit she was probably right but he still didn't like it.
The others were not going to be pleased, not only had the first Slayer
they'd found been driven mad by her visions but they had had to knock her
senseless as well. "How long is she likely to be out for?"
Kennedy shrugged. "She's young but she's still a Slayer."
Xander nodded. "I'll get the car then."
|