Scars (part two)

[under_the_silk_tree]

Part One

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-17 years ago-

Closing the refrigerator door, the kitchen was once again thrown into darkness and Xander carried his bounty back to the living room. Placing the glass of milk and cookies on the coffee table, Xander grabbed the remote to change the channel. Giles was loudly snoring in the chair in the corner. The man was worn out as he had been researching most of the night and day since the raid on the warehouse. Giles wanted to make sure that the slave ring was no longer in operation in Sunnydale. Xander then glanced over the couch and saw both Buffy and Willow in their sleeping bags fast asleep. Nathan’s bag was empty, the teen having headed off to the bathroom a few minutes ago.

They were all sleeping over at Willow’s house as her parents were once again out of town, but it actually worked in their favor this time. It was a good place to stash Nathan until Giles and the Watchers could contact his parents. They even had Deadboy skulking around outside to make sure no one would try to come and collect the teen.

Realizing he had left the chips on the counter, Xander got up with a sigh and headed back into the kitchen. Grabbing the bag, Xander was on his way back to the living room when he looked at the clock over the doorway. It was then that he realized Nathan had been gone a very long time, at least a half an hour. Dropping the bag, he quickly hurried down the hall and upon reaching the bathroom softly knocked on the door.

A scared sounding “Who is it?” was whispered back through the doorway. Xander felt relief rush through him; he had been worried that Nathan had been taken. “It’s me, Xander. I was just making sure you were okay.”

It was quietly spoken but he heard clearly enough the “I need help,” that came from the other side of the door. Xander was worried about exactly what kind of help Nathan may need in the bathroom, but he knew that he needed to buck up and try to be adult about whatever it was. Grabbing the handle he slowly turned the knob and pushed the door open. Sitting on the bathmat was a shirtless Nathan; but it was what surrounded the boy that had Xander covering his mouth with his hand, shock for once leaving him speechless.

There was blood soaking the right side of the mat and a kitchen knife in Nathan’s left hand. Xander followed the trail of blood from the mat upwards till he saw the gaping wound on Nathan’s right shoulder. It looked as though the kid had hacked into his arm.

Rushing forward Xander grabbed the towel off the sink and kneeling down had pressed it against the boy’s shoulder. Seeing him wince, Xander whispered an apology before angrily blurting out, “What did you do?”

Seeing Nathan drop the knife and recoil shamed Xander a bit and tempered his anger. He was only upset because he was scared for the teen; Xander felt responsible for him being the one that found him an all.

Nathan stuttered out a breathy, “I had to get it off.”

Xander had seen the ‘it’ that Nathan was talking about. After they had rescued him and brought him back to Willow’s house, Xander had brought Nathan some of his clothes to wear as the ones the teen had been wearing were filthy. Xander had walked in the bedroom without knocking, forgetting the teen was dressing. He had quickly backed out, but not before seeing the scar on Nathan’s right shoulder and the stripes of scars along his back. As Xander had walked down the hallway he realized with a growing horror that it wasn’t just an old scar on Nathan’s arm, it was a brand. He had wondered what it meant but knew better than to ask so Xander had kept his mouth shut not wanting to traumatize the teen anymore then he already was.

Lifting up the towel Xander saw that Nathan’s arm was now a bloody mess, but the brand was gone. “Why was it so important that you had to get it off right now?”

At Xander’s question Nathan lifted his head and looked directly into Xander’s eyes. With tears running down his face he answered defiantly, “It marks me as a slave, as someone’s property, and I’m not, I am a person and I belong to no one.”

Pressing the towel hard against the wound, Xander sat down next to Nathan, placed his arm around younger man and tried to offer some comfort. He wasn’t sure how his side hug would be received as the teen had only spoken a hand full of words and was very closed off with the group, but he was relieved when Nathan leaned against him and laid his head against Xander’s shoulder.

He was surprised when the teen spoke again his voice trembling “It’s also how they track us. It’s magic of some kind. The one time I ran away they were able to find me within hours of escaping.”

Xander felt Nathan shudder and gasp a bit before continuing, “They laughed at me, calling me stupid for thinking…for thinking that I could ever escape them. They said they would always find me, that I was theirs until my dying day.”

Xander felt tears well up and spill down his face as Nathan spoke of what had happened to him, how he had been punished that day for escaping. How the punishment had been so awful that it had laid him up for a week and had left scars on his body, and made sure he would never wish to try again. Xander listened in silence as a dam seemed to burst forth and Nathan told all of what had occurred in the two years he had been slave. Xander sat stunned as the teen kept talking until he seemed to run out of words. Then the young man held onto Xander tightly and sobbed out his heartbreak and pain of all he had suffered. Xander was fifteen, only a year older than Nathan, and he was way out of his depth. He didn’t know what to say or how to help.

What he did know was that after he had accidently killed his best friend Jesse, he had wanted someone to just hold him, not to offer platitudes about how they understood or how it would get better, just for someone to be there. So Xander sat there and held him until Nathan was ready to let go. Then they staggered out of the bathroom and walked side by side, Xander continuing to apply pressure against the wound as they went to wake up Giles.

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Present

“I’m finished,” Nathan muttered as he cleaned the area around the stitches.

As Xander thoughts were yanked back into the present his torso felt like it was on fire. Like he had been run over by a team of horses, before they backed up and ran him over again.

Nathan looked over the wounds; it had taken more stitches then he had thought it would, but barring infection it should heal alright. Looking up, he saw that Xander was pale, his eye bright with pain and his hand which rested on his side shook slightly. Nathan knew he needed to get Xander someplace more comfortable so he could rest, and give his body a chance to heal. “Let’s get you up.”

Placing an arm behind Xander’s shoulder, Nathan helped him sit up and then assisted him with his button-up shirt.

Reaching over, Nathan grabbed the medicine he had set aside; it would help with the pain and hopefully keep infection at bay. Handing it to Xander, he then went over and got some water for him. Once that task was completed he knew he needed to get his friend somewhere where he could sleep. “Can you walk?”

Xander was slightly dizzy now that his feet were once again on the floor, but after a moment and leaning on Nathan’s arm he took a few shuffling steps forward. “Yes, but don’t let go,” Xander breathed out with a pained laugh.

“Wasn’t planning on it,” Nathan assured as he held Xander’s arm tightly and helped maneuver the injured man into the guest room.

When they finally made it to the spare room, Xander was sweating and felt like he had run a marathon. He was weak and tired. Nathan sat Xander in a small chair next to a side table, so he can make the bed.

Xander was afraid to move for fear of causing himself more pain. But spying a picture sitting next to him, Xander braved the pain in order to snag it. It was a 5x7 of a group of men at a party, maybe a barbeque as the picture was apparently taken outside.

Finally finished, Nathan turned around and saw Xander examining the picture rather closely before he flipped it around and pointed at it.

Xander asked worried tone, “Do they know?”

Nathan folded his arms across his chest in a defensive manner. “No, I have never figured out a way to tell them.”

“Well if you want me to set up a show and tell featuring the undead let me know” Xander said; he knew the only way people would believe was to experience it for themselves.

Nathan wasn’t sure how to break it to his friends that there were things that go bump in the night. But to keep that information from them seemed wrong and dangerous. Too exhausted to make a decision Nathan tabled it until later. Walking over, Nathan helped Xander stand up and move over to the bed so he could lie down.

Moving to the bed and lying down was very painful and Xander could only hold onto his friend and curse until he was finally horizontal.

Seeing Xander in so much pain simply from trying to get settled, Nathan couldn’t help but ask quietly as he bent over and drew up the covers, “You ever think of finding another line of work? This one gets you hurt a lot.”

Xander squinted up at his friend before he reached up lightly touched the stitches under his eye and said, “It seems like your job isn’t exactly a walk in the park.”

Nathan straightened up and with a soft laugh, “True enough.”

Xander continued a bit more seriously, “I’ve thought about it but I couldn’t leave Buffy and everyone else in the lurch, not knowing what I know.”

“I know what you mean,” Nathan said quietly thinking about the team and how he couldn’t think about leaving them. “Are Willow and the others expecting to hear from you?”

“No, I called them before I went into the bar this evening, they aren’t expecting me until Monday.”

Nathan leaned against the wall, “Let me guess, you didn’t tell them you were injured.” Seeing his friend’s guilty look Nathan just shook his head, “You are too stubborn for your own good. Well you are going to stay here until Monday at the earliest. Will see how your stitches look then.”

Xander nodded his head; he could feel his thoughts begin to slow as exhaustion and pain medication started to affect him. He was surprised at how quickly he felt sleep steal over him; he didn’t fight it he knew he was safe here with Nathan. So between one breath and the next he was sleeping.

Seeing that Xander was fast asleep Nathan quietly shut the door behind him, leaving it open a crack should his friend need him. Walking into the living room, Nathan sat tiredly down on the couch. He tried to work up the will to go and take and shower and get into bed, but he didn’t have the energy. Glancing at the clock he saw it was after two in the morning, so it was no wonder. But knowing that if he fell asleep on the couch his back wouldn’t thank him finally got him up on his feet. After double checking the locks and the wards on the house, Nathan turned out the lights and went to bed.

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