Childish Tantrum
Monday night, August 28, 2000
"Great going, dumbshit. Way to not draw attention to yourself," Xander griped. Hands jammed
into his pockets, he 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.
"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 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 exposed, 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 vampire'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.
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 vampire 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
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