Unexpected Aka Necromancer's Beginnings

DeBrant

Xander looked at his father a moment more, then seemed to make a decision. He picked up the case, and walked out. Ambrose watched his back as he left until he could no longer see his son, then began to weep for all the pain he knew he deserved...

Xander was tired. He was tired, and sore, angry, and overjoyed, and confused. Mostly, he was confused. And tired. So much had happened in the last two days. In the amount of time that most people take to spend time with their families, Xander had found out that he had a large one that he had never even known about. Not to mention that little 'I-can-raise-the-dead" thing, which he had been learning was so much more complicated than it had sounded. But not much.

And now he had to choose whether he wanted to stay with his father, or go and live with his newly found Uncle Gerard. Xander had despised his father ever since he had begun boozing 15 years ago, but during the talk he'd had, he had sensed something in the drunken old man. His father had meant every word, even about being sorry. He couldn't remember how long he'd waited to hear his father say those words. And now they'd been said. But Xander wondered if it had been too long to fix it. He was so confused.

He didn't know what to do, whom to turn to now. He couldn't go home, he couldn't talk to his friends, because they didn't know about what and who he was. And he couldn't talk to Anya, because he wasn't sure if she'd be helpful or hurtful. But if he didn't talk to someone, he'd go nuts.

He found his answer in his pants, or rather, his pants' pocket. It was a little card, with some writing and a strange lobster-like symbol on it. Xander was digging for change when he found it and nearly tossed it, but when he read the writing, he knew it was a blessing.

Xander, his case in tow, made his way to a well-lit pay phone, put in the change, and dialed. It rang once, and then a familiar voice came over the phone.

"Hello! Angel Investigations! We help the hopeless!"

"Cordy!" Xander said, relieved, "It's me, Xander! Can I talk to your boss?"

"Xander?" she asked in surprise, "Yeah, but if you hurt him or anything, I'll beat you to death with a shoe!"

"Okay..." Xander said patiently, "I promise. No nasty comments, no bad jokes, no sticking a stake through the phone line..."

"Fine"

There was a pause for a few moments, then Xander could hear the phone pass hands.

"Xander?" Asked Angel. He had no idea why the teen would want to talk to him, at least about anything civil. Or nonapocalyptic...

"Yeah, it's me." Xander said, "Listen, do you happen to know anything about a family called LaVelle?"

There was a long whistle across the phone line. "Oh man, you're in a mess? With a LaVelle?"

"No, but could you like tell me about them?"

"What's there to tell?" Angel answered, "They're one of the Three Families of Majik."

"Whoa, that sounded like it is meant to be all caps..." Xander exclaimed, "Are they that serious?"

"I should say so..." the vampire said, "Anyone who lives over a hundred knows about them. Pretty much, the main rule is not to tick them off. IE, don't kill one of them. Members have a magical talent, not to mention the... well, just avoid them... Especially the LaVelles. They're the most powerful of the Three."

"Three?"

"Yeah, Three. The LaVelles, the Brondstaffs, and the Kumaris, though the Kumaris only have one surviving member..."

"Brondstaffs?"

"Yes. Don't like the LaVelles at all. In fact, as I recall hearing, the Brondstaff's necromancer is heading into Sunnydale. Heard he wants to try his luck against the Slayer..."

"You don't sound very concerned..." Xander said.

"She can handle it..." Angel said with a shrug in his voice, "Besides, she's not his main focus. He's there to see the LaVelle necromancer, who's supposed to be on the Hellmouth. Wants to kill him."

"Reeeealy?" Xander asked slowly, a pit forming in his stomach.

"Yeah, I don't..." Angel stopped for a moment, "Xander? Wait a minute, if you aren't in trouble with the LaVelles, what made you ask about all this?"

"Well, uh.." the young man stammered, not wanting to let on.

"Oh god...Xander, are you a LaVelle?" Angel sounded very surprised, not to mention worried.

"Yeah, Deadboy," Xander replied, beginning to pull the phone away, "And I got the third generation mother load!"

Before Angel could respond, Xander hung up the phone. Meanwhile, in LA, Angel put down the phone in shock, then went over to the bookcase. He pulled out a book, then skimmed through till he found what he was looking for. He read carefully, and then put the book down.

"Angel?" Cordelia asked, concerned.

Then Angel did the closest thing to a yelp he'd ever done. Part joy and part terror...

Part 11