Chapter2

Lough Derg, Ireland, near Glen

Spring, 1602, Two weeks later

The Dearg-due. Many a tale of the "red blood-sucker" was spun, and swept like wildfire through the villages that surrounded the Glen. Laddies and lassies feared the shadows peering in at them through windows at night, and hunkered under their blankets when unknown sounds penetrated the walls encompassing them in safety. Most of the inhabitants of the villages knew the stories were just fairy tales, told to enrich and excite their everyday lives. A handful of them knew differently.

Kyle McTavish stood near a blazing fire in a quaint little pub at the heart of one of the villages near the Glen. He had closed up his shop early when his charges took leave; waiting for their return was one of his downfalls. Patience was not a strong attribute in his line of work.

His "daughters", as the townsfolk knew them as, left Kyle's shop and better yet, home, every evening as the sun dipped below the horizon. What the townsfolk did not know of the young women was that they were guardians of their fair village, protectors of the innocent. If the people only knew what the girls were up to, maybe they wouldn't treat them so reproachfully.

Whispered comments and rumors always drifted back to the "McTavishes" about how odd and curious all three of them were. Kyle looked to be in his mid thirties, yet his "daughters" were young women and looked nothing like him or each other.

No one knew anything about them, which was how it was meant to be, though the scant few that knew the truth about the tales probably had an idea what the McTavish business really was. The less the villagers knew, the better off they would be. So the three of them chose to ignore what they heard, knowing what they did every night was gratifying enough.

Kyle held his mug tighter as an anxious feeling arose in his chest. He shook it off; better not to start worrying until he heard something. The door of the pub flew open causing him to turn quickly.

Gaelargh. The white witch stood in the doorway looking at the man now facing her, his face pale from not knowing the purpose of her visit to this place she never acquainted. Her eyes were round, her face drawn and not a word passed between them. Kyle nodded, set his mug on the barkeep's counter along with his payment and followed the girl out.

Halfway down the path, she slipped her tiny hand into his, squeezing it for reassurance.

"She's strong, da. She'll be right as rain by tomorrow. Don't be overly worrisome with 'er. Be prepared, though. It looks bad." she paused. "Alright?"

Kyle took a deep, shuddering breath. "Aye." was all he could say.

He looked up at the familiar home looming in front of them. A flickering light moved throughout the rooms, the ground floor being the herb and medicinal shop, the first floor their home. A thought popped into his head. Ael must not be injured too badly or be incapacitated if she was moving around the house.

Kyle flew through the door and up the narrow flight of steps to the first floor, taking in his Slayer laid out on her bed, candlelight flickering across her wan face. Something dark seeped through the rag sitting on her belly and he knew it was her life's blood flowing from her. He heard scuffling on the other side of the bed and craned his neck to look up and over.

The little man's head popped up when he heard the two enter, frightening Kyle.

"AhhhHH," Kyle clutched his chest as Gael kept him upright. "Oh, bloody…what…who?"

"Thunder and fire!" Brandubh gasped holding his chest as well, shuffling backwards until he hit the wall.

"S'alright, da. It be only Brandubh. We be meaning on telling ye about him. He's ordained to helps us out, he's harmless."

"What are ye? An elf?" Kyle pointedly asked him trying in earnest to catch his breath.

"Ye be not close in your assumption. I be from the solitary fairy group. Elves are smaller than we." he answered matter-of-factly.

"Ah, a leprechaun then?" Kyle knew such things existed but had never crossed paths with any his entire life.

"Bah, nay, nay dear shopkeeper. We don't like bein' classified with those filthy buggers. I be a cluricaun, that's what I be."

Kyle nodded once and made his way over to the girl lying deathly still on the hay-filled tick.

"Ael, Ael, can ye hear me?" The watcher turned to look at the witch. "Tell me what happened, Gael."

"Just on the outskirts of the Glen, we ran upon a group of 'em. Five or six demons, blood-suckers, an excursion. We took 'em by surprise, aye, but they had weapons. Ael was run through with a sword. I couldn't do a thing, da," tears threatened to spill from her eyes. She closed them tightly to ward them off.

"Was busy keepin' two of the demons at bay. Ael staked one at the first. The second attacked 'er with its weapon. Me thought he done 'er in, but I'm believin' one of 'em may have saved 'er. I couldn't rightly tell, too dark. I saw it 'overin' over 'er. The other two, the one with the sword as well fast approachin'. I knew she was 'urt bad, she wasn't movin'. But I 'eard their voices and I 'eard the short scuffle, and I 'eard their cries when they were dusted. I called to 'er but she didn't answer." Gael took a shuddering breath before continuing.

"I finished off the beasts that I be fightin' and ran to 'er, da. She was bleedin' so much. I placed a spell on 'er to staunch the blood flow while Brandubh gathered my steed, but it was only temporary until I could get 'er 'ome." Gael sat on the chair near the head of the bed before finishing.

"'er stake, funny thing, was embedded in the ground a few paces from 'er, I 'ad trouble removing it. We ourselves 'ad a guardian this eve, da. And it wasn't 'uman."

Kyle released a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. "Very interesting, indeed. Keep your guard up, Gael, in case you meet this…unlikely savior again."

"Aye, t'will be me plan."

Ael moaned, her head rolling back and forth on the bed. Her eyes finally opened, blinked to focus on the caring people surrounding her. Gael tenderly stroked her hair, doing her best to soothe the pain she must be in. Kyle sat on the edge of the mattress, took her hand and held it. Lifting the towel on her wound, he realized with a sudden relief that she was going to be fine. The blood had stopped, the wound closing right in front of his eyes. He discarded it and wiped the excess blood off of her.

Their eyes met at the same moment, a silent affirmation passing between the two. Watcher and slayer. Father and daughter. Both knew it had been another close call, but she had prevailed over the Grim Reaper once again as she would in other battles to come. The Banshee would not be wailing for the McTavishes this night.

"Ael, what happened this eve?" Kyle asked her softly, stroking the top of her hand with his fingers. He was grateful she was here at home with him even if she was badly injured. She was alive, and that meant so much more to him.

"I don't know, da," she whispered back. "I lost focus for just a fraction of time. But I saw something tonight that I never thought I'd ever see. I should be dead, aye; three against one and me being injured and all. The man, he…he leaned over me while I was laid out on the ground and looked into my eyes. At first I thought he be a human, they were bright and alive even in the dark. His face changed."

Aelwyn sat up part way, moaning from shifting and decided to not sit up completely but rather leaned back on her elbows.

"He was a vampire, then?" Kyle asked.

"Aye, that he was, da. I thought I was done for, prepared to fight 'im off. He grabbed the spare stake out of my loop and turned swiftly. He turned on his brethern, da. Staked the first one holding the sword easily as he was running towards us. The second fell to the ground, surprised, but he did it quickly and without remorse. They never knew. He turned to me, still squatting on the ground, still in his demon face. But it melted away and he just stared at me. Gael called out for me and we both looked up at her. When I turned back, he was gone. Vanished into the darkness."

She sat up fully now, looked her watcher in the eye. "'ave you ever 'eard of such a thing, da?"

Neither the watcher or the slayer witnessed the cluricaun eyeing them discreetly and listening intently during their conversation.

"Nay, dearest child. But it doesn't mean there wasn't a reason for this demon's odd behaviour. I shall do some research, tonight, while you rest and heal. Gael and---I'm sorry, what is your name, wee man?"

"It's Brandubh, sir."

"Yes, quite so. Brandubh. Ye shall help with the research and I shall be want to know your story as well."

Brandubh smiled slightly and nodded his head up and down slowly, not quite sure how much of his supposed curse or his life story he wanted to divulge to this stranger. But the two young lasses had been kind to him over the span of a few weeks, and he didn't mind helping them out for the greater good even though it was the bane of the rest of his existence. Funny, he never pictured himself ever on this side of the fence. Felt good for the soul.

The three left the slayer to her rest and recuperation.

~~*~~

Sunnydale, March 2002

Buffy wandered through the tombstones marking various graves of people she had never had the pleasure of knowing and a few that she knew she did have. Most she was sure she had never had the chance to save.

Her mind was elsewhere as she walked almost blindly through the cemetery staring at the ground in front of each step she took. Her thoughts meandered to and fro, from her friend getting married, her friend struggling from ill usage of magicks, keeping her sister from being taken, the absence of her former watcher and the vampire she could no longer go to for help with bringing her back from the depths of hell on earth. Life could be so unfair sometimes.

Every once in a while, she wished she was able to start all over from the beginning with everyone including said vampire. Their affair had turned upside down and spun out of control and there was no other answer but to break it off with him. It was unfair to him and killing her. But it hurt; it hurt to have that space, that distance between them now. Hurt too much sometimes.

She was so out of it, she didn't see the attack coming at her full force. Three blood-suckers plowed her over, knocking her down to the ground and pinning her there. Two held her arms while the other straddled her twisting and thrusting hips. That same vamp lowered his bared fangs to her neck, ready to strike and drink.

Buffy felt powerless and closed her eyes tight. She always imagined her life would be taken by either one of the vampires she knew so intimately, not by some stupid fledgling.

She felt the fangs pierce her skin and then…nothing. Opening her eyes, he stood there in all his black clad glory, that infamous smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.

The two vamps left never saw what hit them as she lifted her feet up and clocked both in the head, flipping herself over to a standing position in front of Spike.

"May I borrow this?" she asked, placing her hand on the pointy end of the stake he was holding towards her.

"Be my guest." The smirk grew emphatically.

She grabbed the stake, twirled it in her hand as she spun around and quickly dusted the evil marauders from her sight. Buffy, her head hung down, mumbled thanks to the bleached blonde vamp still standing behind her.

"Ahh, you're so very welcome, dear slayer, for saving your hide. Once again. Spike to the rescue."

"Just…shut up."

"Slayer, you're off your game this evening. In every aspect."

"Spike, I'm really not in the mood tonight."

"Oh, damn, and I thought I was doing a bloody swell job of "getting you in the mood", sweetheart. So the physical and verbal abuse are both a no go tonight, then, huh?"

She thrust the stake out to him causing him to leap a step back.

"Here, I said thanks. Now I'm going home."

He reached out and grabbed her arm as she turned away. She jerked it out of his hand and glared at him.

"You're hurt, slayer. Plus you don't seem yourself. You look exhausted and you shouldn't be walking home by your lonesome. The crypt is right over there, come sit for a while and gather your senses."

"Yeah, right. Fine place for me to go to "gather my senses”.”

"Buffy, what's wrong? Seriously. You know I'm just doing my part to aggravate you. I promise, I won't do or say anything. You can…oh, bloody hell, just trust me. I won't. Just come in, sit a bit, let me get you a bandage for that puncture on your neck."

The silence sat heavy between them. She rolled her neck to loosen the tension that had gathered there, her body relaxing as she released the air in her lungs with a dramatic sigh.

"Alright, but just for a bit. Then I need to go home."

"Good, I will feel better if you're at your full attention when you head home." he smiled at her sincerely. He was surprised when she returned it.

As they headed into his crypt, neither the slayer nor the vampire knew they were being watched with scrutiny.

TBC





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