Childish Tantrum
Monday night, August 28, 2000
"Great going, dumbshit. Way to not draw attention to yourself," Xander
griped. Hands jammed into his pockets, the brunette stalked away from Willy's
and the disaster that'd just occurred.
Xander couldn't believe how stupid he'd acted. He might as well have hung a
neon sign that blazed: "See Xander Harris and his freakish new powers." Word was
bound to get back to Buffy after that little display at the Alibi Bar, and then
he'd have to fend off her stake while trying to explain.
He hated explaining.
In fact, he'd only done it once and he didn't want to do it again. Explaining
inevitably led to questions that he didn't have answers for, and then the "buy
why's" would start. Before long, he'd have a migraine and he'd be abusing his
odd talents by shocking his audience into unconsciousness.
Spike hadn't been too happy about that.
"Stupid vampire," Xander grumbled, cutting across the street to the cemetery
entrance. "If he could just keep his dick in his pants, none of this would've
happened."
Xander knew he was being irrational. Spike had nothing to do with anything.
He was simply Xander's traveling companion-slash-manservant, nothing more.
Really.
Scowling, Xander stomped through the cemetery to reach the woods he and Spike
were camping in. He was almost to the sconce of trees when, out of the corner of
his eye, he caught sight of a vampire running straight for him. With a sigh of
annoyance, pulled his hands from his pockets, and turned to the vampire. Dirt
clung to the black vampire's dress clothing and hair, indicating he was fresh
from the grave.
Xander posed his fingers like a gun and aimed at the vampire. "Freeze."
The vampire came to a skidding halt. Xander gestured with his 'gun' hand.
"Hands up, or I'll shoot."
"That's your finger," the vampire growled.
Xander looked at his hand. "You know, you're right." The vampire smiled,
fangs bright against his dark skin, and took a step forward. "But that doesn't
meant it's not loaded," Xander went on. He aimed his finger at the vampire's
feet. "Now, dance," he ordered in a poor Clint Eastwood imitation.
The vampire blinked several times, then laughed. "Pathetic, kid--"
The word was barely past the other man's lips when Xander 'fired.' A streak
of white-blue lightning shot from his fingertip at the vampire's feet.
The vampire yelped and jumped as the lightning singed the grass where his
foot had been. Xander's other hand turned into a matching pistol, and he shot
again. A clump of sod exploded in front of the vampire's left foot, causing him
to leap back.
Xander wasn't really shooting lightning from his fingers, although that's
what it looked like. He was actually manipulating the molecules in the air near
his fingertip, creating the small bolts that streaked along the molecules of air
towards their intended target, like a skier on a racing hill.
It was childish, Xander knew, but he didn't stop shooting at the vampire's
feet. The vampire jumped and danced just like in the movies, until Xander paused
long enough for the other man to get his feet under him. Then the vampire ran.
Xander reached out with his strange powers and ended the demon's unlife
without fanfare. The black vampire fell into a heap on the ground, his physical
body no longer animated by the demon brain. There he would stay until the sun
rose and destroyed the body.
Xander stared at the corpse for a very long moment before he turned and
headed into the woods.
End
