Extreme Measures
Extreme Measures
Disclaimer: own nothing.
A/N: timeline is majorly screwed with.
Summary: Second installment of the 'Extreme Series.' A month and a half later, and Xander is questing for the gold. When does an obsession become unhealthy?
A/N: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the Extreme Series! I am your host, American Soldier! At this time, the Extreme Series would like to thank its sponsors: , whose diligent efforts in providing fanfiction writers an outlet is very much appreciated; Joss Whedon and all owners of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, whose hard work has given us such interesting characters to mold in any way we want; and, special thanks goes out to Paul Heyman and all behind the phenomenon known as Extreme Championship Wrestling! Now, ladies and gentlemen…are you ready for Extreme Measures?
I said, ARE…YOU…READY!!
Then, for the thousands reading this fic in America, and the millions reading around the world…LLLLLLLEEEETTTTTTTTTSSSSS GET READY TO RUUUMMMMMBBBBLLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEE!!
(Always wanted to do that. Anyway, on with the show. Enjoy.)
ҖECWҖ
ECW came on the air, with footage of the classic match between Xander Harris, Sabu, and Taz, with footage focusing on Sabu, Xander, Faith, and Mike Awesome.
"Over a month ago, Xander Harris, the ECW World Television Champion, won his second major title, even if it is unofficial," Paul Heyman's voice came over the footage, "Now, with the FTW Championship in hand, Xander has taken on the Gladiator, Mike Awesome, and the Homicidal, Suicidal, Genocidal Maniac known as Sabu, with none other than the Dark Slayer, Faith, at his side as the two groups wage war. After numerous classic battles, Xander made a shocking announcement!"
The scene cut to Xander, dressed in his jeans and ripped up Army of Darkness t-shirt, with both the FTW and TV Titles on, with Faith and Jono standing nearby.
"Sabu, Awesome, you sons of bitches," he shouted into the match, "You two simply can't live with the fact that I beat you, that WE beat you! You've interfered in our business, you've fucked us up a few times, and now, we're just damn sick of it!! So, we're gonna take something from, something that means a lot to you!! We, me and Faith, challenge you to a tag team match, with YOUR ECW Tag Team Belts on the line!!"
"Xander had previously said that he wants nothing to do with titles other than the ones he already has, but Sabu and Mike Awesome have pushed him too far," Paul picked up, "Now, he's going to take what's theirs! And he's gonna make them pay!!"
ҖECWҖ
"Hey, Faith, can I talk with you for a second," Jonathan asked.
"Sure, what's up," Faith said as she and Jono started walking around the arena.
"It's just that…" he took a moment to gather himself, then said, "Has Xander been acting weird lately, or is it just me?"
"Well, he has been a bit moody lately," Faith responded, "But, he's been real tightly wound with this Sabu/Awesome bullshit, and he still feels like crap over what he did to Rob."
"I suppose," Jono said, "It's just…I dunno, he seems different somehow."
"Well, he is different," Faith said, "He's trying to get even with these guys, and I don't blame him, especially after the way Sabu fucked him up that one time."
Jonathan nodded. During the rematch for the FTW Title, Sabu had done a hurracanranna from the top rope, sending Xander down to the floor and into a set-up table with barbed wire all over it. He could definitely understand being pissed off about that.
"Yeah, but, what about his moments," Jono continued, "There're times when he's so deep in thought, you can't break him out of it. Well, I mean, you can, but I can't. And the times when he's mad for no reason, then he just calms down and acts like himself. It's like he's got split personalities or something!"
"He probably just feels tightly wound," Faith said, "But, I see where you're coming from. We've talked about it, and he's promised to keep himself from lashing out at us. Unless, you know, it's a constructive medium…like the bedroom."
"TMI, Faith," Jonathan said, "TMI!"
ҖECWҖ
Xander sat in a chair inside the arena, staring at the wall. His arms were wrapped around his shoulders, seemingly giving himself a hug. On closer inspection, though, it was obvious that he was holding two things to his chest. They were the FTW and TV Titles, and he was holding them possessively, as if scared that they would fly away if he let go.
Strangely enough, while one would think that his thoughts were on those titles or on the match for the Tag Team Titles, or even on Faith, it wasn't. No, his thoughts were occupied by one singular event…Shane Douglas and his speech to Xander about gold.
Everyone wants the gold eventually, he had said. Xander was starting to see where he got that notion. There were times when it was all he could do to not go up to Taz and beat the shit out of him for his belt, or Sabu and Awesome for theirs. He hadn't cared about titles beforehand, hadn't cared about getting the gold. But, after gaining possession of the unofficial 'Fuck The World' Title, his lust for gold had bloomed. In his mind, it had always been there in some way. He felt it was akin to his desire for recognition and respect from Buffy, Willow, and Giles.
He also believed it was the driving force behind his actions when he had fought Rob, and damn near killed him. He had been tearing himself up inside over his actions, believing that he had gone too far when everyone, even Rob himself, told him that he had done nothing wrong. If that had been the case, then what was this burning, aching…lust he felt for gold? For recognition, for wealth, for glory, for whatever it was that these belts represented, he yearned for more. It had leaked into his life, like a cancer, to the point where there were days when he didn't know if he was himself or someone else. He was starting to become obsessed. He'd already lost it one day, when he'd challenged Sabu and Awesome to a match for the titles.
But, maybe that was the best thing to do. Maybe it was for the best to go ahead and win all the titles, that way he could see what it was like, realize that it wasn't as important as he had thought, and that way, he could beat whatever it was that was gnawing at him. Somehow, though, he didn't think it would be that easy. He would have to hold onto the TV Title till Rob got back, then he could let it go…the FTW Belt, however, was one that he wasn't sure he could part with. He didn't know why, but he just could not let it go, no matter what.
ҖECWҖ
Giles watched from his seat in his house as ECW continued on. It had become something of a tradition in his house, for himself, Cordelia, and Angel to gather and watch the wrestling program. Over time, he had become increasingly intrigued with the product and was quite infatuated with the character known as Tommy Dreamer. He reminded him a bit of himself, the man with the heart who fought like Hell but just couldn't break through that glass ceiling. Angel, on the other hand, had become quite the Super Crazy fan, loving the Mexican Luchadore's high-flying style of wrestling when compared to the hardcore wrestling that was the norm in ECW. They both were in agreement, though, that Lance Storm was their second favorite, as his technical prowess was very entertaining.
However, one man held a place in their hearts, with Cordelia especially cheering for Xander as he competed.
Both Angel and Cordelia had, however, expressed concern over his attitude in recent days. He had become more aggressive in his efforts to defeat Mike Awesome and Sabu, going so far to challenge them for their titles. He, however, felt that the young man simply wanted to get even, which he found perfectly understandable, considering what Sabu had done to him with that barbed wire.
He hissed and took in a breath in sympathy, wondering just how much that had to hurt. Still, even if vengeance wasn't the primary goal, he felt that Xander was simply trying to prove himself against his opponents, and the world. So, as far as he was concerned, at the end of it, Xander would be a healthier person for it, if in the long run.
A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts and he turned his recording off, standing up quickly to answer the door.
"Ah, William," Giles said with a…smile, for lack of a better term, "You've brought my earnings?"
"Yeah, Watcher," Willy said with a smile, handing him over an envelope full of money, "Boy, I love that kid of yours. All the old demons bet a shitload of money on him, and all the new ones bet a shitload more against him! Demons come through my bar every day, very few regulars, so that gives me a Hell of an income!"
"Indeed," Giles said, "Have you given Angel and Cordelia theirs yet?"
"Yep, I gave Angel both his and Cordelia's, they seem to be getting close to each other, if you know what I mean," Willy said with a wagging of his eyebrows.
"I'll have none of that, now," Giles said, "You're worse than a teenage girl."
"Ah, c'mon, don't be like that," Willy said, "Wouldn't it be juicy? The kid's ex, hooking up with the vampire that he hates with a passion! It'd be sweet!"
"Oh, fuck off," Giles said, pushing him out the door.
"Oh, hold on," Willy said, "We got some business to discuss."
"About," Giles asked, his tone displaying his lack of interest.
"The Slayer."
Giles peaked up at that, staring at him intensely, "You have my attention."
"That Slayer of yours," Willy continued, "If she ever finds out where Xander is…well, let's put it this way: you don't wanna see him hurt, and I only wanna see him hurt if it's profitable to me, and I doubt the Slayer picking him apart would be profitable for me in the long run."
"So long as we keep her from seeing the program, that should be no problem," Giles said.
"And, what if she sees it here," Willy said, "I can stop her from seeing it in my place, the demons would cause a distraction long enough to turn the TV off. But, here…here, she can just waltz in and find you watching it!"
Giles nodded, realizing that the barkeep had a point, "Indeed. However, Buffy very rarely comes to my home, even less so than before. And, if she ever were, Angel is usually here on ECW nights, so he can keep her distracted while I shut off the television."
"And, if he's too slow," Willy said, "Or you're too slow? What then, Watcher man?"
"…Then, we cross that bridge when we come to it," Giles acknowledged.
"…Fine," Willy said, "Just so we're clear…you know that she's gonna find out sometime? It can be on the Internet, on a magazine, on television, anywhere, but one day, she'll find out."
"Xander has no interest of staying in ECW after it hits national television," Giles responded, "You know this. We only have another month left before that happens, so I doubt we'll have that long to cover."
"I don't think so," Willy said, turning away, "I think the kid's getting to like it too much. I think he's gonna stay…as long as it turns a profit."
ҖECWҖ
A/N: Hard times have fallen, friends, and in order to compensate, I must lose the internet. Sadness. I'll try and get out the next chapter Sunday, but if it's not out, I'll try and get it out at another time. Enjoy.