Standard
stuff:
Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy or Spawn. If I did, I wouldn't be writing fan
fiction, 'cause I wouldn't be a fan, would I?
Feedback: Please. Tell me what I'm doing right. Tell me what I'm doing wrong.
Tell me what your day was like. Just review!
Distribution: If you want it, please fill out form 7A of the International
Fiction Requsitions Act and ask you attorney to get it too me... or you could
take it, send me a notifying e-mail, and display it under my name (Fulgour)
This story takes place somewhere in the fourth season. Oz and Willow have
broken up, but Oz has decided to stay in this AU (Oz is the man. One liners
take on a whole new meaning.) and they are friendly, though uncomfortable
around each other. Oz and Tara are very awkward around each other. Anya has not
come back, Dawn is here (Though Glory has not arrived in Sunnydale yet, and the
'Key' is unheard of. Buffy and Riley are happy together, as are Willow and
Tara. Oz has hooked up with non-furry Amy. The initiative is not here, as it
was disbanded upon early finding and destroying of Adam. By the way, I hate
Riley. As should you. If for some reason you like Riley (i.e. you come from
Utah) this story is probably not for you.
Thanks: Goes out to all of those people who have reviewed;
Ryan, Malaskor, Stephanie, Grell, shro42, Boy of the Enders, Boulder, ShadowHawk, Scott Timms, ??????, Bolo, 2crude4u, Azrael messenger of death, Stone, Katla the Dragonelf, MCG, Amelia, eojt, Yoman, Majin Gojira, Sorciere, Soulfire, Tekkaman Blade, Alexander, James, Kagato II, Imaginary Friend, Forgiven Cuelty, Bolo, Dr Gonzo, BloodDemon, Shadwmage7, Top Quark, Me, rabid squirrel, Fulgo… er… nevermind, Ghostrider, Learning, Darkreader, and Genisis.
You guys kept me motivated, and shaped the plot. Thanks for the help. (And keep those reviews coming!)
The story has been reformatted (I've got Word 2000! Yeah!) which will hopefully make it an easier read.
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Xander sighed. This was bullshit. He'd been sitting in the Bronze for 45
minutes, and no one, repeat NO FUCKING ONE had showed up. Not Buffy, not
Willow, not Oz, not Tara, not Amy, not even that hick Riley. He sighed again,
glancing at his watch. Ten forty five. "Fuck it" He muttered, pissed
off. This was important. Very important. The type of important that changed
your life forever. And no one was here. Glancing at his watch again, he moodily
thought back to earlier that day.
"Wills!"
"Yeah?" Willow turned around to see Xander walk into the Uni cafe.
Seated around her respectively were Buffy, Riley, Oz, Amy, and Tara, all
looking refined and cool in a way only college student could, Willow thought
approvingly, as she glanced over them. A clatter brought her attention back to
Xander, who had stumbled over a chair, knocking it, and himself to the ground.
She sighed as her life long friend quickly picked himself up, told the chair to
watch were it was going, and ambled over to their table, plonking himself on a
chair next to Willow and Buffy. Willow felt her face heat up, as she could feel
the amused stares of the other students in the cafe. "What do you want,
Xander?" She gritted out, keeping her head low. "Look, guys, there's
something really important I've got to talk to you about..."
Buffy broke him off "Not here, Xand, we've all got classes soon."
Xander looked slightly crestfallen, though unaware that neither Buffy nor
Willow had any more classes that day. Feeling slightly guilty, she hurriedly
added to her refusal "Later at the Bronze, say tenish?" only slightly
mollified, Xander nodded agreement, while stealing half of Willows salad bun,
stuffing it into his mouth. Willow cringed at the sight of him munching
happily, oblivious to the sniggers and derisive stares from the other tables.
"Yeah Xand, we'll meet up with you later. OK?" Xander glanced at
Willow in surprise, getting the message, before waving goodbye to the others,
and walking out, a slightly confused and deeply thoughtful look on his face.
"Now they've just blown me off! SHIT!" Xander slammed the table in
front of him, not noticing some dancers turning around to glare at him. He
payed for his drink, and stalked out, a black mood descending on him. They
though so little of him, his so-called friends, that they completely ignore him
when he asks them for help. Deciding to take a shortcut home, though not really
watching were he was going, he crossed the street, entering a cemetery. He
walked, deep in thought about the chance that he had been offered. Since his
'friends' were not going to help him decide, he'd do it himself. The thought of
asking Giles crossed his mind, but he had never been close to the stuffy Brit,
and was not in the mood to ask anyone. He would make this decision alone. A
sharp crack of a stick made him pause in his tracks; suddenly realising he was
unarmed in a cemetery at night at the hellmouth. His mouth running dry, he
managed to whisper "and the Xand-man has done it again, two points for the
idiots of America" before the hungry vampire dived out of the bush,
roaring, and slammed him into a tree. Xander managed to get in a right hook,
which staggered the beast, but had not ran two steps before a slam to the back
of his head knocked him, half conscience to the ground. "Ouch!" He
managed to spit out, rolling over, facing the vampire as it smirked evilly, and
bent down to his neck. Xander, at the last moment managed to kick the vamp
between the legs, causing the vamp to reel back clutching his groin, howling to
the moon. Xander stood up, and watched amused, as the vampire keeled over,
whimpering pathetically. "You know, that hurt me almost as much as it hurt
you." Xander winced. He stared at the vampire, who was still writhing on
the ground, before grinning "Actually..." Xander was cut off as he
was tossed to the ground roughly. Xander turned, expecting to see a vampire, to
watch Buffy dust the moaning vamp. Xand sighed in frustration, watching as
Buffy turned back to him, recognising who it was. Expecting a hand up, and an
apology for both standing him up and knocking him down (Xander paused, replayed
that statement in his mind, and suppressed a wry grin) he was completely
surprised when Buffy stood over him, hands on hips in what Xander had come to
recognise as the 'righteous anger of the slayer' stance, and started chewing
him out. "Xander, what were you thinking?! Were you thinking? You of all
people should know better than being in a graveyard at night, especially
without a cross and a stake? What is your problem?" Looking in complete
amazement, as Buffy was practically quivering with anger. "Good to see you
too Buff, I'm glad you made it. Want to get a drink? Oh, wait. No, you didn't
make it to the Bronze" Xander returned resentfully. Buffy groaned
inwardly. She had completely forgotten about their meet up in the Bronze. That
afternoon, Riley had taken her to the movies, and by the time they got out, she
had a vague feeling she was supposed to be somewhere, incorrectly guessing it
was on patrol. Outwardly she remained calm however. "So I forgot. I'm
sorry. That doesn't mean you can decide to search the cemeteries for me just
too..."
"Hold on" Xander interrupted "You think I came through here to
find you? You're sorely mistaken" Xander clenched his teeth at his
unwitting Giles-speak, got up and started to walk off. Buffy was not to be
deterred however, and stopped him with a hand on his forearm. "Xander,
listen to me" Xander turned and glared. Buffy took a deep breath, gathering her
courage, and began "I know we've been growing apart..." Xander snorted,
but Buffy continued, hoping to shock him "but the fact is, you endanger
yourself and us" Xander stepped back, shocked. Buffy felt her heart break
at the look of pained betrayal on Xander's face as she continued relentlessly,
squashing her emotions "Xander, you have no skill, and sooner or later
you're going to get someone killed. It would be best if you don't try and
help" She broke off as Xander, a tear slipping from his face, turned and
bolted away from her. "Xander!" She yelled following a few steps
before giving up.
She and Willow had talked about Xander all last night, and had concluded that
Xander could get hurt if he kept throwing himself into the fray. Buffy
shuddered as she remembered that one time the hellmouth had opened, and how
thankful she was that Xander had stayed away. It was Willow's idea however, to
drive Xander away from them, saying he was useless, ignoring him and the like.
Hoping that it was the lesser of two evils. The others ideas had been mixed.
Tara Oz, and surprisingly Spike had been against their plan, while Amy and
Riley had agreed with them. Unfortunately for the against team, Oz didn't speak
unless physically forced too, Tara was to shy to argue, and Spike's reasons
were unknown, and most likely not good. She watched Xanders fleeting form, a
hint of a smile on her lips. Although it was probably wrong, it felt like a
weight had lifted off her shoulders. One of them was at last free.
Xander ran blindly before stopping, gasping beside a mausoleum, silent tears
dropping from his face. 'Why didn't they understand?' his anguished mind asked,
as he started to breathe deeper. His stomach wrenching in pain, he looked up, to
see the moon a blood red. It seemed to talk to him. A sudden calm dropped over
him, and he realised his answer to the offer he had been given. The offer the
others were too busy to help him with. Xander looked up, mentally opening the
doors that had been shown to him, watching as clouds swirled and formed
overhead at an unnatural rate, and heard the question once more "Will you
lead my army of darkness?"
Xander gathered his strength and shouted, "YES!" He screamed as a
bolt of red lightning struck him, his arms wide in supplication, his clothes
instantly burnt to ashes, feeling his body change, strengthen, die, and reform,
stronger than humanly possible. He watched in awe as a hard grey substance
covered his body, coming from inside of him, felt fear, as the armourous
substance moved its way up covering him, leaving only his head without it,
shaking his head wildly as he felt the stuff cover it, unable to move his body
watching as the world changed colour, showing not only vision, but heat and
smell. The electric power died down, and stopped. Xander stood up, feeling
strength in his limbs he never felt before. His grey and black armour covered
his entire body, the helmet eyes glowing green with power. A tattered,
unearthly red cape flew out behind him, flying *through* the trees without
touching them, as if a strong though unfelt wind was playing on it. Chains
snapped out of the armour, their ends flying twenty feet away, snapping, before
retracting into the armour. He held his hands out in front of him, moving them
in awe as he watched the armour move as if part of him. His mind shrieked from
that possibility, and away from the armour 'LET ME OUT!' his mind screamed and
fell to his knees in terror, as the armour silently retracted into him, leaving
him cold and naked on the floor. Xander stood up nauseously, testing his feet.
They no longer held the great strength, but he could walk. In a daze he began
to walk in the direction of his house, before realising he was naked. Xander
stopped, and calmed himself "Ok Xand, what now" He muttered to
himself
"Now you die!" Xanders eyes opened wide in shock as two vampires,
game faces on, ran out in front of him. Xander stepped back, realising he had
nowhere to go. Xander closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable. Death inevitable,
he thought back to all the good times he had, with the gang, in the Bronze,
with Cordy. The bad times, much more numerous crept in. The times he'd been
beaten by his father, and no one noticed, or cared. The time Cordy left him.
The time Jesse had died. And now, the time all his friends had left him. Red
hot rage ran though his veins, and he felt power running with it. Knowledge
came with it. Smiling evilly, he opened his eyes.
The lead vampire smirked. This kid would be tasty. What the hell had he been
thinking, walking around naked? He shrugged. No matter. He stepped forward,
before pausing. Something wasn't right. That was confirmed when he saw the kid
open his eyes. They had been brown, from the glace he had seen, but now they
glowed green. The kid stepped forward. "You got balls kid, but glowy eyes
aren't gonna save you!" The vampire smirked, though his confidence was
wavering. "No," The kid replied, and his body changed into the hard
armour "But this will" he stated, as the helmet covered his head. The
vampire, frightened, but refusing to back down, jumped forward, catching a kick
to the abdomen, which cracked ribs, and flung him back twenty feet. The second
vampire turned tale and ran, but two chains swiftly ran from his body, twisting
around his neck, and pulling tight, effectively slicing the head off the
vampire, dusting it. The lead vampire was afraid. The thing approached him
slowly, revelling in his power, the cape flying high. "Wh-wh-who are
you?" The vampire spluttered, whose heart would be thumping if it did in
fact beat. The thing ('boy!' thought the vampire) crouched in front of him
"I" he stated, watching as his fist protruded multiple blades
"am Spawn" driving his fist through the vampires head, the blades destroying
it, turning the vampire into dust. Spawn stood, and started to walk towards his
home, with a confident stride never before seen on him, as his helmet
retreated, revealing his head, his eyes back to their warm brown, and his cape
vanishing as if it had never been. Xander smiled. The world had a new hero.
The lit end of the cigarette was dangerously close to the fingers that held it,
and a long unbroken ash was at the end of it, but the owner was not concerned
about it. He shakily brought the cigarette to his mouth, not noticing its
condition, and took a strong pull, burning his fingers. He however did not
notice the pain, so shaken from the events in front of him. "Bloody
Hell" Spike whispered, finally walking out of his crypt. He looked around,
confirming that he didn't in fact have a vision or dream, before glancing off
in the direction Spawn had taken. A huge smile broke out on Spike's face
"Now this is gonna be fun!" He whooped. He turned, and walked back to
his crypt, thinking happy thoughts about all the destruction the two of them
could cause. "I always liked that boy," Spike muttered, as he flicked on a
'Passions' rerun.
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Well? What do you think? Please please please please please please please
please please please please review!!!