22Wolf's Dawn Version 2
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters and shows that I am about to mangle around for my own amusement, sadly Buffy: The Vampire Slayer and Teen Wolf remain the property of Mutant Enemy Productions and MTV respectively, I am merely borrowing them and make absolutely no profit from their use. As a result, please keep the legal attack dogs, also known as lawyers, firmly muzzled and on a leash as I have no money to give anyone.
Authors Notes: This is obviously a rewrite and expansion on the previous version of Wolf's Dawn. I decided to do this after rereading the story and finding a few things that I was unhappy with, plus after thinking about things I wanted to redo and improve the character of Marcus to give him both more of a backstory and a much better character/story arc than what he had originally. As before the story begins after the end of the events of Teachers Pet.
There are a few other things that will be a bit different with this rewrite though some, but not all, of the previously established plot points will remain. So, without further ado lets crack on with the new version of the story, shall we?
Chapter One
Alexander – Xander to just about everyone – Harris smiled as he successfully managed to give the ever-attentive eyes of Buffy and Willow the slip. He was giving them the slip for the simple reason that he really didn't feel like hanging out at the Bronze with them tonight – well for the short time that they would continue to be there. He was aware that soon, as in within the next half an hour, both girls would leave with Buffy escorting Willow home before running a final sweep through some cemeteries before heading home herself. While normally he would have tagged along with them, eager to dust anymore vampires that they came across, tonight he really wasn't in the mood for it. In fact, he was just in the mood to sit down and mope.
The reason why was simple. He was still mentally reeling from that whole thing that had gone down with Miss French just two days ago. Being seduced by a praying mantis demon, who just happened to be able to disguise herself as an extremely hot lady who literally oozed sex appeal, and coming close to dying at her hands so to speak just wasn't something you just got over. Oh, he'd let the girls think he was over it, they'd have insisted on coddling him for days or weeks if he hadn't, but the truth was he wasn't. What had nearly happened still haunted his dreams at night, alongside such things as watching the vampire wearing his brother in everything but bloods face crumble to dust on the end of a stake wielded by yours truly.
Emerging into the cool night air he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Before leaving the bright lights and thumping music of the Bronze behind he began making his way down the streets of Sunnydale towards home knowing that his folks would already be passed out drunk by now – especially as Tony had gotten paid yesterday and typically only spent the minimum on things like food and providing clothing for his son keeping the majority, that hadn't already been consumed by the mortgage, to spend on fresh stocks of booze – they'd already been very tipsy when he'd left to join Buffy and co on patrol and that had been at least two hours ago. Not for the first time he shook his head at the thought of his parents and vowed that he would never, under any circumstances let himself become as useless as they were.
Keeping his guard up for vampires, you never knew where the bloody things were hiding especially at night, and feeling for the reassuring weight of the stake in his pocket he turned down a side street. From experience, he knew a trip down this side street, and then the forth alley that intersected it, would take him over to the side of town where he and Willow lived. It was a shortcut they both knew well and one they'd used for years when leaving or going to the Bronze as it cut the better part of an hour off the walk home.
He was just walking past the first alleyway – which led to the loading dock behind the Bronze – when a strange sound caught his attention. What the hell? He thought pausing and looking round for the source of the noise, a noise that sounded almost like a growl.
"Whose there," he said turning around and scanning around while his hand slipped into his jacket pocket and grabbed his emergency stake. If it was some fang face that was stalking him then the bloodsucking fiend would find him far from the easy prey most of the denizens of Sunnydale were.
Nothing more happened. The growl wasn't repeated, and he saw no sign of a vamp, which would have surely jumped him by now and made the usual lame as hell clichés comments that they liked to make before attempting to drain him dry. Keeping his guard up, he began walking again.
He had barely walked five steps when the sound of something running caught his attention. A moment before something slammed into him from behind and knocked him to a dizzying impact with the floor. Whatever it was it was on top of him, its weight pressing his dazed body down. Shaking his head Xander desperately tried to get his wits back together…
…only to abruptly scream as what felt like jaws clamped down like a steel trap on his right shoulder, teeth easily punching through his jacket and shirt to rip deep into his skin. Fiery agony obliterating every coherent thought in his brain. Despite the pain he felt the jaws release him then the thing, whatever it was that had knocked him down, was gone bounding away into the night. A glance to one side showed him the outline of something furry and with a tail – a large dog perhaps – disappearing into the darkness. Groaning he flipped himself over onto his back and sat up, wincing and biting down another scream as he looked at his wounded shoulder. Blood was welling up through ragged edged holes ripped in his clothing.
"What the hell was that," he groaned through gritted teeth. Doing his best to ignore the pain – something he had gotten very adept at doing over the years of living with that abusive ass Tony Harris, though it had been awhile since Tony had physically hit him as he'd been quietly working out at a local gym for two years now and Tony, being the coward that he was at heart, wasn't about to risk getting into a fight with someone as strong as he was now – he climbed back to his feet. Cradling his wounded shoulder as best as he could he looked back and forth, mentally debating if he should return to the Bronze and get some help from Buffy and Willow – though doing so would no doubt earn him a lecture off both girls for leaving alone in the first place – or just continuing his journey home. Which would let him salvage his pride at the very least, plus the wound couldn't be that bad as really, he was only bleeding a little bit.
Before he could decide the matter was taken out of his hands as two familiar female figures appeared from the end of the alleyway. Both moving fast towards him. Oh great, he thought with a mental groan as Buffy and Willow arrived.
Buffy started immediately.
"Xander why'd you slip out on us like that?" the Slayer demanded, "you know it's dangerous to walk the streets alone at night. What if a vampire had seen you? I don't want to have to sla…" Buffy's lecturing voice trailed off as she saw him cradling a wounded and bleeding shoulder. "What happened?" she asked concern immediately replacing her earlier annoyance at Xander's typical guy behaviour. Honestly why did guys have to be so macho all the damned time?
"Something knocked me down from behind and bit me on the arm Buff," Xander replied wincing as Willow came up and started examining his wounded shoulder, wincing a bit as she saw the blood seeping from the injury, though thankfully none was reaching the floor as his shirt and jacket were soaking the stuff up.
"Did you see what it was," Buffy asked. If it was something demonic she was already fully intent on running it down and explaining to it the depth of the mistake it had just made in attacking her friend. No evil supernatural thing hurt a Slayer's friends and lived to tell the tale.
"I'm not sure but I think it was a dog," Xander admitted. "Afterwards I'm sure I saw what looked like the hindquarters of a big dog disappearing into the night. I don't think it was a demon otherwise why wouldn't it have killed me?"
Buffy frowned. That was a good question, one she would think more on later. Right now, she turned her attention to the wound on Xander's shoulder – throttling down the impulse to be sick at the sight of the blood, she maybe the Slayer and thus used to seeing things that would make most people scream and wet themselves in terror, but the sight of flowing blood really made her feel a little queasy.
"That looks quite deep," she said, "we should get Giles to have a look at it."
Xander started to object only for Willow to speak first. "Giles won't be at the High School now Buffy," she pointed out even as she took a hanky out of her pocket and pressed it against the wound, which was noticeably not bleeding as much now as it had been as the blood began to clot. She was aware of where Giles lived, though she had no intention of telling that to Buffy as the Slayer would still insist on taking Xander to see her Watcher. Which really wasn't necessary for such a relatively minor wound plus she knew from experience that Xander really hated it when people fussed over him, and made decisions for him, in the way Buffy seemed to be doing now.
"That's not a problem I know where he lives," Buffy replied surprising both of her friends as neither had expected that the somewhat air-headed bottle blond Slayer would think to find something like that out. Something must have shown on their faces as Buffy spoke again. "What! Did you think I wouldn't want to know where my Watcher lives, so I can protect him if I must? I've already lost one Watcher I don't want to lose another. Now come on we'll go see him."
"Do we have to Buff its not that bad," Xander answered. "Certainly nothing that a normal household first aide kit cannot deal with."
"Yes, we do now come on," Buffy said glaring at the two of them daring them to disagree with her further. Xander and Willow exchanged glances before, somewhat reluctantly, deciding it was not worth arguing with the Slayer over.
"Alright Buff we'll go," Xander replied with a resigned sigh, before wincing as the motion jarred his wounded shoulder and brought a fresh pulse of blood to the surface.
"I knew you'd see it my way," Buffy answered as she moved up besides Xander and put his uninjured arm across her shoulders. She immediately felt him put his weight on her and not for the first time recently she was surprised to find that his arm was surprisingly strong. He was also heavier than she expected him to be. It made her wonder just what was hidden beneath the baggy clothing that Xander seemed to exclusively favour. Did Xander workout or something?
She put it out of her mind for now. "Let's go," she said. Prompting the three of them to slowly begin moving away heading in the direction of Giles's place.
All three were completely unaware that they had been watched.
As soon as they were out of sight and earshot a figure in a smart suit stepped out from where he'd been hiding as he'd originally intending to intercept Buffy and let her know about some of the rumours which had begun circulating through the underworld of Sunnydale in the last week or so. The currently ensouled vampire Angel frowned as he watched the three of them retreat. He had seen everything that had happened, including the bits that Xander naturally hadn't been able to see. Like the fact that it hadn't been a dog that knocked him down – as he'd naturally assumed – but had in fact been a wolf a very large one. A wolf with glowing red eyes and he knew what that meant. Having lived for more than two hundred years he had encountered werewolves enough times to know one when he saw it, especially one that was an Alpha.
And he knew what being bitten by an Alpha would mean for one Xander Harris.
"Well this should make things more interesting around here," Angel said aloud considering what if anything he should say to Buffy about this the next time he saw her as it really wouldn't do for the teenage girl to get it into her head that he was stalking her. She was suspicious enough about him now as it was, and she didn't even know yet that he was a vampire. Something he hoped she never found out as that would surely quickly earn him a wooden stake to the chest and he could hardly earn redemption for the crimes he'd committed as Angelus if he was turned into a few grams of grimy dust now could he. Yet at the same time the Slayer had to be told that one of her friends was either going to die or become a werewolf.
It was quite the conundrum.
After a moment, he sighed and began following them hoping that he would have a chance of intercepting Buffy when she headed home for the night and somehow work the possibility of Xander Harris becoming a werewolf into the conversation. If he couldn't… well he'd just have to think of something else wouldn't he.
Giles Apartment
Twenty Minutes Later
Rupert Giles took a sip of his freshly brewed tea and sighed in pleasure. Putting the mug down he picked up the battered copy of Lord of the Rings that he'd been reading before heading to the spacious apartment's surprisingly small kitchenette to make the tea. He was just starting to read about Bilbo's birthday party when his front doorbell went off.
He looked up with a puzzled frown. "Now who could that be," he muttered aloud as he put the book down on the coffee table and got up to see who was visiting him at this time of night. He paused just long enough to pick up a small battle axe from its hiding place and cautiously approached the door. With Sunnydale being the site of a Hellmouth – a revelation that had really set the cat among the pigeons with the Watcher's Council once he'd informed them of it – one could never be too careful when answering the door. Especially at night when there were vampires and all manner of demons wandering about the town, preying on the human population.
Peering through the spy hole he allowed himself to relax when he realised that it was just his Slayer. Though why she'd come to his apartment so late in the evening he had absolutely no idea, surely if she'd seen something she would tell him about it before class in the morning. Only one way to find out what she wants, he thought as he unlocked and opened the door. The greeting he'd been about to give dying on his lips when he saw Buffy holding up a bloody Xander with a frightened looking Willow hovering in the background.
"Good Lord what happened," he asked in a mixture of alarm and concern even as he stepped aside to allow them entry.
"Xander was attacked," Buffy explained as she guided Xander over to the couch and set him down as gently as possible. But not gently enough to not draw a yelp of pain as his wounded shoulder was jarred.
"By what a vampire," Giles asked as he hurried over, "Willow go into the bathroom, it's down the hallway, second door on right, and get my first aid kit from the cupboard." Willow nodded and hurried to comply with the Watcher's orders.
"I'm not sure but it wasn't a vamp. We weren't with him at the time, we found him like that in a side street next to the Bronze," Buffy explained as Giles gently eased off first Xander's jacket then his bloodstained Hawaiian shirt. Buffy's eyes widened slightly as for the first time she beheld Xander shirtless and realized that she had been right Xander did workout as she beheld a muscular torso with a clearly defined chest and the faintly visible beginnings of a six-pack. Whoa he's hot, she thought realizing, for the first time, that Xander was quite hunky.
Of course, right now the pleasant vision was spoiled by the wound on his shoulder. Buffy winced at the sight of it. It was an ugly wound with numerous puncture marks – that could only be teeth marks – on both sides of the shoulder though it had thankfully ceased bleeding. Despite being The Slayer the sight of human blood flowing still kind of made her want to throw up.
"He mentioned something coming out of the alley that runs behind the Bronze," she continued, "whatever it had knocked him down hard enough to knock him near senseless before biting him on the shoulder then disappearing into the night. It must have been a demon of some sort. Xander couldn't tell which direction it went otherwise I would have already run it down and slayed it."
"I see. Buffy can you nip into the kitchen and get a bowl of warm water for me. I need to clean this wound," Giles instructed. Buffy nodded and hurried to comply.
Giles for his part carefully examined the wound on the young man's shoulder. It was a deep wound that had penetrated all the way through a dense layer of hard muscle to the bone in some areas. It was clearly a bite. A bite whose size and shape seemed vaguely familiar from somewhere though he couldn't for the life of him remember where he'd seen a wound like this before. It was certainly too big and too deep for a dog bite.
"Xander this is important can you tell me anything about the thing that bit you," he asked as he looked into the hazel brown eyes of the teenager, eyes that were getting a bit semi-glazed from a combination of delayed shock setting in, pain and a small amount of blood loss.
Xander shook his head. "No, it came at me from behind," he replied his voice slurring slightly for a moment. "All I saw was as it was bounding away was the rear of what I think was a big dog an Alsatian or something. Though the colour was wrong as it was all black."
"I don't think this is a dog bite Xander," Giles answered. "The bite is slightly too big and far too deep for that. It's cut through to the bone in some places."
"If it wasn't a dog then what was it Giles," Buffy asked as she returned with the cloth and the warm water having clearly heard what they were talking about.
"I can't be sure," Giles replied though he did have a suspicion about what it could be, though he hadn't been aware that one of its kind was on the Hellmouth as they generally tended to avoid such places. "I have my suspicions of course but given what little Xander saw, and the fact that you didn't see anything Buffy, but I have no proof. Sorry Xander this is going to sting a bit."
"Is it a demon?" Buffy asked.
"If it is what I suspect it is then it is supernatural but no its not a demon," Giles asked as he gently dapped Xander's shoulder drawing a hiss of pain from the teenager. Willow chose that moment to return with the first aid kit.
"So, what do you think it is, Giles," Willow asked worried for her lifelong friend, she winced as Xander again moaned with pain as Giles dapped his wounds with warm water.
"If I'm right, and we'll know within twenty-four hours if I am, then the creature that bit Xander was a werewolf."
"Werewolf!" Xander exclaimed the word piercing the haze around his mind and bringing him fully awake again – at least for now. He stared at Giles in horror.
"How could it be a werewolf, Giles," Buffy asked, "the full moon isn't for another week, shouldn't it have been human right now?"
"I'm not sure, Buffy as my knowledge of werewolves, and the different types and species of werewolf, is somewhat limited," Giles admitted, "hence why I will have to consult my books."
"When you said twenty-four hours what did you mean? What's going to happen to Xander? If it was a werewolf does that mean he'll become one too?" Willow babbled.
"What I meant if it was a werewolf then the wound on Xander's shoulder will heal completely within twenty-four hours," Giles replied, "and we better hope it does because one thing I know for certain if it doesn't then…"
"Then what," Xander asked.
"Then you'll suffer a painful death as the virus in its saliva kills you," Giles answered sadly drawing a gasp of horror from all three teenagers. "But if the wound does heal then…"
"…I'll become a werewolf," Xander finished for him.
Giles looked sympathetically at the young man. "Yes," he confirmed even as he finished cleaning the wound. "Willow pass me the first aid kit, please."
"If… if I do become a… a werewolf what will happen to me," Xander asked stumbling over some of the words. Much as a part of him didn't want to know what was going to happen to him, if he was indeed going to become a werewolf, the rest of him knew he needed to know. "Will I become a monster?"
"As I said I don't know a huge amount about werewolves, especially the species that has probably bitten you, Xander as that species is quite rare and generally very secretive," Giles replied as he accepted the first aid kit off Willow. He was not at all unhappy about having to repeat that he was quite ignorant of the finer points of werewolves. Given what was certainly going to happen to the young man it was understandable that he would want to know as much as possible; plus, he obviously needed reassurance. "I will of course check the appropriate books for more information as soon as we are done here. But one thing I can tell you for certain, Xander is you won't become a monster. Not unless you want to be one."
"And I'm not going to slay you, Xander," Buffy added "even if you do end up transforming into a man-wolf thing on the full moon all we'll need to do is contain you on those nights. We'll help you through this, won't we Willow."
Willow nodded in agreement bringing a slight smile to Xander's face. "Thanks," he answered softly a slight weight sliding off his shoulders. He was glad to know that whatever else happened to him, even if he started turning into a wolf every full moon, that his friends would be there to help him through it and would ensure that he didn't hurt anyone.
For a few moments silence reigned as Giles carefully placed a sterile dressing on the wound before carefully bandaging it as much as possible. "There," he said as he used a bit of adhesive tape to hold the bandage closed. "I believe it would be best if you stay in my spare room here tonight, Xander," he said to the dark-haired teen. "That way I can check the wound in the morning before we head over to the school."
Xander considered for a moment before nodding. "I think that would be a good idea," he agreed after a moment as he wouldn't want to explain the wound on his shoulder to his parents when they woke from their drunken stupor.
"We should call your parents then, tell them," Buffy said. "You can say you're staying with me or Willow for the night, so they don't worry."
"They won't answer now," Xander replied at the shocked and surprised look Buffy shot him he, reluctantly, explained "they'll be sprawled out drunk on the couch by now. They were already extremely tipsy when I left to come
"Do they do that a lot," Giles asked frowning, "drink I mean."
"More than I'd like," Xander admitted.
"I see," Giles replied making a mental note to speak to Xander more about it later, but first he needed to do a little bit of research into the whole werewolf thing. "If you'll wait here, Xander I'll go set up the bed in the spare room for you. As for you two," he looked pointedly at the two girls, "you should head home."
"Giles…" Buffy started to object.
"There is nothing more you can do here tonight, Buffy," Giles told his Slayer firmly. "Go home and get some sleep as you do have school tomorrow." Buffy made a face at him but ultimately nodded in agreement.
"He's right, Willow," she said looking at her redheaded friend.
Willow looked like she was about to object but one look at the faces of both the Slayer and the Watcher convinced her that any argument she could make about staying here would be futile. Accepting the inevitable she, as gently as possible, hugged Xander – and despite the situation enjoying the feel of his toned muscles against her body – before stepping back and nodding at Buffy, who then gave Xander a hug of her own before heading for the front door. Willow followed and in moments they were gone, back out into the street.
"Wait here," Giles said gently to Xander as he stood up.
"Is there anything here that I can read about… about you know."
"I do have a few books on werewolves yes," Giles replied before going over to a bookcase and after a moment of searching took one out. "This should tell you the basics about werewolves and the different types and species as well as their abilities. I will need it back to review myself afterwards."
"Thanks," Xander replied accepting the book with his uninjured arm before opening the book to the first page. Giles watched him for a few moments as he began reading the book with an understandable seriousness, before smiling and heading for the airing cupboard to get out some bedding for Xander to sleep upon tonight.
Outside Giles Apartment
"Do you really think it was a werewolf that bit Xander Buffy," Willow asked as she and the blond Slayer stepped out into the night leaving Giles apartment, and Xander, behind.
"I'm not sure," Buffy admitted.
"It was," a familiar voice said out of the darkness. Buffy blinked and looked around.
"Angel," she asked a moment before the handsome, and deeply mysterious, man appeared seemingly out of the shadows.
"Hello Buffy," the often annoyingly cryptic man replied. "Who's your friend?"
"This is Willow. Willow this is Angel, Angel Willow," Buffy said introducing them before rounding on the strange man who roused such contradictory feelings in her as she got the distinct impression that whoever he was Angel wasn't as human as he looked. Which instantly put the slayer in her on guard yet at the same time she doubted he was anything evil as he'd had plenty of opportunities to attack her since she'd arrived in Sunnydale only he hadn't.
"How do you know the thing that bit Xander is a werewolf," she demanded. "In fact, how the hell do you know that Xander's been bitten in the first place? Are you following me?"
"No, I'm not following you and the reason I know is I saw everything," Angel replied. "Including the parts that your friend naturally couldn't see since he was attacked from behind. It was a very large wolf that attacked him, a wolf whose eyes glowed red."
"What does that mean," Buffy demanded.
"Your Watcher will be able to explain it in more detail," Angel answered, "but the fact that he's been bitten by an Alpha means your friend will either turn or he will die."
"That's what Giles said," Buffy commented. "Is there any way to know what will happen?"
"No," Angel replied then stepped back into the darkness and tapped into his mental abilities as a master vampire to essentially cloak himself in the shadows.
"Angel, Angel," Buffy called out after him, intent on asking him more questions. Only to find that the mysterious man had done his disappearing act on her, again.
"Does he do that a lot," Willow asked seeing Buffy's frustration at Angel doing a disappearing act on them.
"All the time," Buffy moaned but then brightened up a little. "But at least he confirmed for us that it is a werewolf who bit Xander."
"Yeah but what are we going to do about it? Both about Xander likely turning into a werewolf and the werewolf who bit him?"
"For Xander help him adjust to all the changes he goes through because of being bitten," Buffy replied. "And well the full moon comes around, I meant what I said about not slaying him. If I must knock him out and chain him up whenever he transforms, then that's what I'll do. As for the werewolf who bit him he or she has made a terrible mistake biting our fried. And when I find them I will take great pleasure in explaining to them the depth of that mistake.
"Beyond that the only thing we can do is support Xander and look for a cure for lycanthropy for him if one exists."
Willow nodded in agreement. She was already planning to go on her computer as soon as she got home and start researching werewolves and try to separate the reality from the fantasy. After more fact's they knew about real life werewolves the easier it would be for them to help Xander adjust to the reality of being one. As Buffy had said it was really the only thing that either of them could do for him.
Standing on a nearby rooftop a tall, heavily muscled – and incidentally completely naked – man watched both girls walk away. He'd been carefully tracking them from up here, as most people just didn't look up as a matter of routine, ever since he'd bitten Alexander Harris. The conversations he'd overheard, taking full advantage of the massively enhanced hearing of his kind, were both interesting and concerning.
Interesting and concerning for if he was right then the blond-haired girl was the Slayer. He mentally kicked himself for not investigating Alexander's friends more thoroughly before committing to biting him. Instead he'd only done a cursory investigation of them enough to determine that Buffy Summers was your classic LA valley girl while Willow Rosenberg was the poster girl for introverted, genius bookworms everywhere. As it was he'd focused more on Alexander, watching him both in school – as he'd start teaching there tomorrow and thus had been there on and off for the last fortnight getting to know the school facilities and faculty, which had been more than enough time to develop a very strong dislike for Vice Principal Snyder – at the Bronze and at the gym where he knew the kid worked out. He'd determined that the young man would be a good beta and he would need all the good beta's he could get if he wanted to complete the ritual and gain the power he'd need to take out the hunters who'd murdered his pack without warning or provocation.
Now though it looked like he might have miscalculated. Buffy was the Slayer and that could present him with a whole slew of unexpected obstacles, especially as she was apparently out for him for biting her friend. He sighed softly to himself. He'd survived this long, overcome dozens of obstacles since the deaths of his pack, his family to get this far what were a few more? If in overcoming the obstacle of the Slayer he eventually made her an ally then much would become possible, especially if the hunters eventually tracked him down to the Hellmouth.
He turned his thoughts to the stranger who'd appeared out of the shadows and talked to the Slayer. There was something strange about Angel, something that set the hairs on the back of his neck on end. The fact that he'd apparently watched him bite Alexander – and he hadn't known he was there – was a concern. As one thing was clear whoever he was Angel was not a human as there was no way for a human to hide from a werewolf's senses at such a close range. He would have to keep an eye on him and see what more he could find out about him.
But that was something for later. Now it was time to head home and begin preparing for his first full day of work at Sunnydale High tomorrow. Turning he walked across the roof to the fire escape. After descending several stories to the street below he concentrated and immediately felt his body shifting and changing…
…seconds later he ran out the alley he'd descended into not as a man but as a very large black wolf.
Author Note: Well the first chapter of the rewrite is complete. I hope you all like the changes that have been made to the story and the glimpse into Marcus's motivations. What ritual he is working towards doing a completing you will have to wait and see.
