Latter Days by Enigmaticblue

Summary: Set post-Chosen. After the Slayers are activated, the balance between good and evil is disturbed, and the Scoobies are flung to the far corners of the world to respond to the crisis. In the midst of all of this, will they be able to keep their relationships strong? Or will they be divided by circumstances and torn apart by fate? Follows my short story Yesterday.

Author's Notes: Remember how things went after Chosen? Well, forget about all of that, and ignore the comics. This is my version. This series is comprised of Latter Days, Faithfully Dangerous, and Now and Always, and the entire series will be known by the third title. You’ll see why. (And although some of the locations mentioned in this fic exist, this is my world, which means that I’m twisting reality to my own ends.)

“What a beautiful piece of heartache/This has all turned out to be/Lord knows we've learned the hard way/All about healthy apathy…There is a me you would not recognize, dear/Call it the shadow of myself/And if the music starts before I get there/Dance without me, you dance so gracefully/I really think I'll be okay/They've taken a toll, these latter days/Nothing like sleeping on a bed of nails/Nothing much here but our broken dream/Oh, but baby, if all else fails/Nothing is ever quite what it seems…” ~Over the Rhine, “Latter Days”

Chapter 11: Pretoria, South Africa

“…We’re beginning to settle down here. The last of our Slayers arrived yesterday, and Emily’s father left this morning. I’m glad that he was the one to come. Her mom wasn’t happy about the Slayer thing. So far, we haven’t had any more demon attacks, but I know it’s just a matter of time…” Excerpt from an email from Xander Harris to Buffy Summers

Corey saw Xander standing in the doorway of the training room, watching as Whit corrected Emily’s grasp on the quarterstaff, the other three girls looking on avidly.

She was fairly certain that no one else had noticed Xander’s jealousy of Whit; the older man had managed to hide his feelings well. The only reason Corey had noticed was because she noticed everything about him, and after Xander had abruptly disappeared when Whit entered the room, she had known that something was wrong.

Xander’s problems with Whit aside, Corey knew that the young Watcher was going to present another difficulty. Nàtali, Leotta, and Zindy had already bonded with Xander, and seemed to view Whit with suspicion as a stranger and possible interloper. Emily, however, already had a crush on the boy.

As was made more obvious by her deep blush every time he touched her during their training sessions. Corey could only thank her lucky stars that Whit was entirely oblivious.

“Very good, Emily,” Whit said when she managed to parry his blows. “Leotta, you’re next.”

Corey put a hand on Xander’s arm. “Miles just called,” she said softly. “He’s coming over this afternoon. Apparently, Giles called him earlier with an idea for the school.”

“Great,” he replied absently, his eyes remaining fixed on the girls and Whit. “When you have time, Whit could probably use your help.”

“Why don’t you go in there?” she suggested, sensing that he wanted to. “Two of the girls can spar while you take the other one. It would make for even numbers that way.”

Xander shook his head, finally turning from the doorway. “They don’t need me.”

Corey followed him as he walked away, stifling a sigh. “You really shouldn’t be jealous of him.”

“I’m not.”

“Please don’t lie to me,” she replied. “I know you well enough to know better than that.”

Xander stopped, his head down. “Fine.”

Hesitantly, not wanting to overstep her bounds, Corey put her arm through his. “Let’s go outside,” she suggested, relieved when he didn’t pull away.

“How long have you been doing this?” she asked, once they were outside, and out of earshot of the girls.

“Doing what?”

“Fighting demons, or whatever you’d like to call it.”

“Seven years, maybe a little more.” She could see the muscle in his jaw tighten, but she couldn’t see his expression very well; the eye patch hid quite a bit, and he wasn’t facing towards her.

“So, you have more experience than Bertrand does.” Corey could understand how Xander felt, better than he might realize. They were close to the same age, and she knew that she often felt as though she was in over her head.

She hadn’t gone to the Watcher’s Academy, preferring instead to go to university when it became clear that she wasn’t going to be Chosen. She’d wanted to put all of that behind her, wanted to forget that she hadn’t been special enough to be the Slayer, a job she’d been preparing for all her life.

And then the Council building had been blown up, her parents had been killed, and she had been thrust back into the world she’d thought she’d left behind, to fulfill a role she’d never thought to have.

“I was the one to run errands,” Xander replied, a touch of bitterness in his voice. “I wasn’t a fighter like Buffy, or good with books like Giles, or a witch like Willow. I was Tool Guy, who could fix doors.”

“There’s nothing wrong with being able to fix a door.”

“But it’s not something you need to teach a Slayer.”

“As many doors as get broken down, I would think that it would be a useful skill.” When Xander gave her a dirty look, clearly thinking that she wasn’t taking his pain seriously, Corey sighed. “We need you, Xander, whether you believe it or not. Whit may have skills that you do not, but he does not have your experience or emotional maturity.”

His eyes went wide. “You think I’m mature?”

Corey laughed. “Relatively speaking.”

Xander’s expression turned sheepish when he realized that she was teasing him. “It’s just that—I never prepared for this, and he did.”

“No one prepares for this job, Xander,” Corey said quietly. “Most Watchers are not put in charge of an active Slayer, or even a potential. Living on a Hellmouth, fighting demons and vampires for the last few years—you’re better equipped for this job than most.”

He didn’t reply, but she could tell that he was pleased by her praise, and possibly reassured. Corey felt for him; whether he realized it or not, he was in charge, and she knew that the responsibility weighed heavily.

“I want you to know that I couldn’t do this without you,” Xander finally said, not looking at her.

She glanced over, startled by his admission. “I don’t—”

“It’s too soon,” he continued as though she hadn’t spoken. “I loved Anya, and I still miss her every day, but I wanted you to know that.”

Corey sat, speechless, even after he’d risen and gone inside. She could still feel the impression of his lips on her forehead. His words had come as a complete surprise—but it had been a good one.

~~~~~

Whit was well aware that Xander didn’t like him much. He had no idea what he’d done to bring it on, but he knew that there was nothing he could do to change it. If the older man didn’t care for him, so be it. He would work that much harder to prove himself indispensable.

“Where are you going, Whit?” Emily asked a little breathlessly, showing up at his side unexpectedly.

“For a walk.” He glanced down at her. “Aren’t you supposed to be with Miles, studying?”

“He’s working with the younger girls,” Emily said. “Leotta can barely read her own name, and Zindy has a really hard time with it, too.”

“That’s probably why their parents allowed them to come,” Whit responded. “They wouldn’t have much chance of going to school otherwise.”

She nodded. “That’s what Corey said. Miles said I was done for the morning if I wanted to be.”

“You should see if Corey needs help,” Whit told her, not particularly wanting company on this venture. He had plans to scout out the area, to see if he could find out where the demons had been coming from. Miles had told him about the one before he’d come, and there had been another that he had killed.

“I want to stay with you.” She looked up at him, her expression eager. “I’ve slept better since I was here, and I want to see a demon for myself.”

Whit frowned. “I told you, I’m just going for a walk. We’re not going to see a demon.”

“You’re hunting for one, aren’t you?” she asked. “Xander doesn’t think we’re ready for that yet.”

The reminder of Xander’s authority rankled. Whit understood why he was in charge, but he was the one with more training and background, and he sometimes wondered if he wasn’t the better choice. “I think you’re ready for it,” he said a bit recklessly. “You’ve been coming along very nicely.”

“Then I can come with you?” she asked, giving him a winsome smile.

Whit grinned. “Sure. We probably won’t find anything anyway.” He had noticed how she smiled at him, and although she was too young for him and a Slayer besides, he couldn’t help the glow of pride he felt. Emily really was quite pretty.

If they did run into any trouble, he would be able to protect her.

~~~~~

Xander glanced into the room that Miles and Corey were using for the girls’ lessons. With so few Slayers, they could tailor every aspect of their training to the Slayers’ individual needs. He saw three dark heads bent over notepads, laboriously copying what Miles had written on the whiteboard in the front of the room.

“Where’s Emily?” he asked.

The three younger girls all looked up at him. “She finished her lessons,” Zindy supplied. “She’s better at this than us.”

“You’re doing just fine,” he replied. “Better than I ever did in school.” He winked, which set them to giggling.

Miles came up from behind him, leaning heavily on his cane. “Ah, Xander. I thought we would work a bit more here, then move onto self-defense after lunch.”

“That sounds great.” Xander was grateful for Miles’ help, as well as his unwavering loyalty. He had no idea why Miles seemed to have no question about his ability to lead, but that was not a question he was prepared to ask. “Have you seen Emily or Whit?”

Miles shook his head. “No. I told them both that I didn’t have anything else for them until this afternoon.”

He frowned. “Huh. I’m sure they’ll turn up.” The three girls were looking at him, clearly curious. “Finish this up and we’ll eat,” he promised.

Xander smiled to himself as he walked down the hall and out into the bright sunshine. All of them were great kids; he was grateful that he hadn’t had any real trouble from them yet, unlike Willow with Kennedy. Then again, maybe Robin would be able to handle her; he had been a high school principal.

“Xander?” Corey called from behind him. “Have you seen Emily or Whit?”

He turned to face her. “No. Miles said he’d let them off the hook until after lunch. What’s wrong?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. I just—I have the oddest feeling.”

Xander opened his mouth to dismiss her fears, then shut it again. “Miles is with the other girls,” he said. “We’ll look for them.”

She nodded, apparently relieved. “I don’t want to overreact, but we did have those demons attack the school, and I’d rather be safe than sorry.”

“You and me both,” he said. “Grab a weapon and we’ll go.”

The ax felt comfortable in his hands, and Xander realized that it had been a very long time since he’d been hunting for trouble in the form of demons or vampires. The sun was high enough in the sky so that they didn’t have to be worried about the undead, but the demons Corey had identified as assassins had no such problems.

“We’ve never done this before,” Corey observed as they began their stroll around the grounds.

“Done what?”

“Hunting together.” She glanced over at him. “We’ll need to start taking the girls out soon.”

“I know.” The very idea scared him, but Xander knew that it was inevitable. “It should probably be soon, too.”

“Probably.”

“Nat already managed to take one down,” he mused. “The girls are a lot tougher than I give them credit for.”

“They are Slayers.” Corey paused, then pointed off to the west, towards the hills. “That way, I think.”

Xander didn’t question her assurance. If she was certain that something was wrong, he would follow her lead. “What kind of trouble do you think they’re in?”

“I don’t know.” She sounded frustrated.

He was about to tell her not to worry when he heard the scream ahead. Xander began running toward the sound, grateful that he was in better shape than he had been. The sound of a gun firing caused him to move even faster, and his lungs began to burn.

Corey was right next to him, and out of the corner of his eye he could see her braids streaming behind her, her dark skin glistening with perspiration. “There!”

He saw them even before she spoke. They passed a stand of trees out into the open, seeing Emily and Whit above the tall grasses. The teens were surrounded by a group of demons of the same kind that Nàtali had killed.

Whit fired another shot from the rifle he held, and one of the demons collapsed. Xander could see that there were at least five left, and because Emily was unarmed except for the stake she held, the fight was hardly fair.

The young Watcher switched his grip on the gun, holding it like a club, and Xander knew that he was out of ammunition.

The demons were too intent on their prey to notice Xander and Corey coming up behind them, and Xander swung his ax in a powerful arc at the closest demon. The sharp blade cut through its neck easily, and he moved to interpose himself between Emily and the demons.

Corey moved just as quickly to protect Whit, bringing up her crossbow and hitting the demon in the back. At that close range, the bolt nearly went straight through, and Whit threw himself down on the ground to avoid a blow from a third.

Xander’s complete attention was occupied with the remaining two demons intent on going through him to get to the Slayer. He struck one in the stomach with the shaft of the ax, and sliced upwards to catch the second in the abdomen. It went down with a howl, taking his weapon with it.

He cursed fluently, knowing that he wasn’t strong enough to fend the demon off in hand-to-hand combat. Emily sprang past him, however, seizing the demon on either side of its head while it was still off-guard from the blow that Xander had scored. Giving the head a sharp twist, she broke its neck easily and then sank to her knees.

Whirling to face the next threat, Xander saw Whit strike the last demon in its face with the butt of the rifle, and when it went down, Corey shot it with the crossbow, killing it.

Although the demons were dead, Xander knew that there might be more nearby. “Let’s go,” he said shortly. “There might be more.” He paused only to yank his ax from under one of the dead demons.

“Xander—” Whit began.

“Not now.” Xander swallowed the harsh words he wanted to say, remembering a few of the lectures Giles had given him when he’d done something stupid. Besides, it probably wasn’t the best idea to lecture the Watcher in front of one of the girls. “Are you alright, Em?” he asked.

She nodded shakily, green with nausea and nerves. “Yeah.”

“Good. Stay close to Corey.”

The rest of the trip back to the school was made in silence, Xander keeping a sharp lookout for more demons. “Emily, go get cleaned up for lunch,” Xander said once they’d reached the building. “I want to talk to Whit.”

Corey gave him a look that he readily interpreted as a warning to go easy on the boy. “I’ll see you in a moment,” was all she said aloud.

“Xander, I’m sorry,” Whit said. “I never meant—”

Xander shook his head, cutting off his explanation. “I don’t want to hear it. If you’re going to go out with a Slayer, it’s your responsibility to ensure that you’re both fully armed. You knew that there was a possibility of a demonic attack, and all Emily had on her was a stake.”

Whit’s face flushed a deep red, although Xander could tell that it wasn’t out of anger, but embarrassment. “I know. I’m sorry.”

He sighed. “I know. Just don’t do it again, okay?”

Whit’s voice stopped him as he turned to head inside. “I don’t know what I did to make you dislike me, but I’d like to do what I can to make it better.”

Xander looked down, well aware that there was no real explanation he could give, not one that would satisfy the younger man at least. “It’s nothing you did,” he finally replied.

That explanation was unlikely to satisfy Whit, but Xander wasn’t prepared to say more just yet. He just hoped that the Watcher would be more careful in the future.