A Knight Alone

Sequel to The End of the Knight. Takes place a week after Rose's last mission to kill Xander. Seeing that her niece is still saddened by the loss of her brother, Buffy takes Rose on a beach paradise, along with a group of Slayer's, that quickly turns into a new horror.

Prologue

Five days after the events of

The End of the Knight

Rose stepped into her bathroom and stared at her beaten and bloody reflection in the mirror, then took her clothes off slowly and painfully. Her entire body was one big bruise. Scrapes and cuts covered her from her feet to her head. As soon as she had landed back in New York, from London she had went out every night patroling and going to demon bars starting fights.

She had thought that once her last mission with the S.T.A.R.S. had ended, her nightmares would aswell, but she was wrong.

Turning away from her battered reflection, she opened the shower door, stepped inside and turned on the water. The water sluiced down her body, washing away the blood, turning into a crimson swirl as it circled the drain. She stared straight forward, her face an emotionless mask, then suddenly her icy calm broke and she punched the shower wall, shattering the tile. Her rage flooded out of her like a breaking dam and she pounded the wall with a primal scream, her fists crashing through the sheet-rock. Then just as suddenly she got herself under control and her practiced calm and emotional detachment descended once again. She put her head under the water and washed the blood from her face.

Wrapping a towel around herself and her hair, after her shower, she stepped out of the bathroom into her dark living room and immediately knew something was wrong. Not only did she remember turning off the television, but the sweet aroma of strawberry and kiwi lotion hit her nostrails.

"You really take long showers." Buffy said as she cut off her tv and stood up from her couch. "I hate to see what your water bill looks like."

"Aunt Buffy do you have any idea what time it is?" Rose asked annoyed as she threw the towel she had wrapped around her head to the floor.

"Yeah it's four o'clock in the morning." Buffy said unaffected by her neices attitude. "So do you mind telling me why the hell you're just now getting home?"

"I had a date." Rose lied with a shrug as she walked into her kitchen, with Buffy hot on her heels, as she started to raid the fridge.

"A date?" Buffy asked. "Are you sure, because I was told that you went to a demon bar and started a fight."

"You've had people following me!" Rose asked hotly as she whirled around on Buffy.

"Yeah and I'm glad I did." Buffy said as she reached out with her hand and touched her bruised face. "What the hell are you doing to yourself kid?" Buffy asked causing Rose to flinch away, from her touch.

"I'm not a kid anymore and I don't need you watching over me!"

"I'd say you do need somebody watching over you." Buffy said as she looked around the messy kitchen and saw beer bottles on the floor, table, and counter top. "Me and Marie have been raising you since you were a little girl and I'll be damned if I'm gonna just sit back and watch you destroy yourself."

"Why don't you and Marie just mind your own business." Rose said causing Buffy to slap her hard across the cheek.

"Don't you ever let me hear you refer to her as Marie. She's your mother do you hear me?"

"Yes, ma'am." Rose said calming down a bit, but still in shock. Her Aunt had never raised her hand to her. Never.

"Do you know how much trouble me and the others could have gotten into by not turning you over to the authourities when you were a child?" Buffy asked. "We all took you in and had a hand in raising you, so don't ever think that we're not gonna be worried about you or care what happen's to you."

"I'm sorry." Rose said as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her Aunt was right. She remembered Grandpa Giles reading to her, Marie raising her and giving her advice about life, Dawn teaching her different languages, Aunt Willow teaching her magic, and Buffy teaching her how to fight.

"Listen." Buffy said in much gentler tones as she caressed her cheek again. "I know that you're still having nightmares about what happened to you as a kid, but there's also something else I want you to remember. I want you to remember Xander. I want you to remember the sacrifice he made for you. He only knew you for a day or so, but he gave up his life for you. Do you really think this is how he wanted for your life to end up?" she asked as she looked about the room.

"No." Rose replied simply as she lowered her gaze to the ground.

"I'm not here to beat you up sweetheart." Buffy said, making Rose look back up at her. "But I want sit back and watch someone I love throw their life away. Now me and some of the other Slayer's are going to an island resort for a little R&R. I want you to come so you can relax and have a little fun."

"When is it?" Rose asked as she leaned up against her kitchen table.

"In about two days. So later on today I was thinking that me and you could go shopping. You know get you some new outfits." she said moving towards the kitchen door.

"That...that sounds nice."

"One more thing." Buffy said as she opened the kitchen door. "That thing that looked like Xander, that you killed, was right about one thing. Xander would have been happy to see what a beautiful woman you turned out to be." with that said Buffy left her apartment.

Letting what her Aunt said to her, sink in her head Rose took her trashcan and started to throw away her beer bottles.

Mallot Island

Somewhere over the Atlantic

Hours later

"Sir we just got a report that said the Slayer's and Roselyn Harris are taking a trip to a local beach resort." an Umbrella soldier said urgently as he ran into the darkened room of his Captain. He knew the man was still in the room, because his red eyes flickered in the darkness.

"Good." a voice said through the darkness. "Arrange for them to...be escorted here."

"Yes sir." the soldier said as he ran from the room.

"So finally we get to meet again, Miss Harris." the captain said to himself as he put on his dark shades. "And we'll be together like I promised."

A/N You'll finally learn in the next chapter why Rose takes Xander's death so personally. It's more than just an emotional scar, that was left on her by seeing him die at an early age. To understand what's going on in this fic you have to read my other fanfic The End of the Knight. Also this is post Chosen.

TBC...

Please Review...