Title: Full Circle (Rewrite)
Author: Knife Hand
Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated
Spoilers: Nothing Specific, general for first few books.
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy The Vampire Slayer. If I did, Spuffy would never have happened.
Summary: Buffy and Xander are killed by demons. A few years later they are sent on an adventure that they could never have imagined. Can they survive to ensure what has already come to past. (Complete rewrite of 'Full Circle of Life') Not a post-Gift fic. Time Travel Fic.
A/N: the Episode ''Restless" at the end of season 4 never happened.
1996 – Cambodia.
The chilling scream echoed through the forest. Two figures burst out into a clearing, the larger male one supporting the smaller female figure. Both were covered in wounds, though the female figure had an arrow embedded in her side.
"Come on, you have had way worse than this." The male said.
"There's a poison on the arrow." The woman replied, collapsing to the ground. "I kind of expected this. I know the significance of today."
"No." the male replied, crouching down next to her. "I won't let you. We're so close."
A flicker of movement at the edge of the clearing resolved into the form of a Demon. In a swift motion the male drew a bow from the case on his back and shot an arrow that took the Demon in the throat. More shadows were moving in the outskirts of the forest.
"Help me up, Xander." The woman said. "I want to die fighting."
"One more time, huh." Xander replied. "Alright, let's do this, Buffy."
"We'll see each other soon, Xander. One way or another." Buffy replied.
Both drew their swords as the Demons emerged from the forest. By the time the fight was over, dozens of Demons were dead in a ring around the bodies of Buffy and Xander, with the few remaining Demons slinking off to lick their wounds.
At the same moment that Buffy breathed her last breath in Cambodia, thousands of miles away in LA, a teenaged Buffy Summers twitched in her sleep as her dreams went from shopping and Cheerleading to violence, Demons and death. Buffy died; Buffy was Called as the Slayer.
2000 – Sunnydale
Buffy and Xander were walking along one of the few parks in Sunnydale in the late afternoon light. It was a few weeks after the battle against Adam and the destruction of Initiative, with massive casualties including Riley. While Buffy mourned for Riley, she was surprised that she did not mourn more for him, though she admitted to herself that had never really loved Riley.
Buffy had spent the previous day with Willow and today was to reconnect with Xander. They had just spent the day chatting. They were laughing over one of their stories from their school days when a small hooded figure stepped out from the bushes on the other side of the park. Pulling back its hood to reveal a small and weak looking Demon, who immediately began to chant before either Buffy or Xander could move.
"That's not good." Buffy said, jumping to her feet.
Before she could take more than two steps, the Demon completed its chant and both Buffy and Xander disappeared. The Demon smiled and turned, only to find a middle aged woman standing there, who drove a sword through the Demon's chest.
"That is for my parents." The woman said, and then looked over at where Buffy and Xander had disappeared from. "I'm sorry you could not be here to see it."
Giles and Willow were sitting in Giles' apartment, reading. Willow was reading up on various Magics while Giles was researching Demon Hunting Legends. The Guardians, a pair of protectors of an Ancient tribe; The Lord and Lady Commanders, a legendary series of Generals from the mythical civilisation of 'The City', which was a landlocked version of Atlantis, spanning centuries; The Predator, a hunter in Africa; The Valdir and the Shieldmaiden in Norway; The Warrior Goddess in the Mediterranean; and a hundred others throughout Human History.
A knock on the door pulled them both out of their reading.
"That's probably Tara." Willow said.
Shaking his head, Giles stood up and opened the door. It was not Tara on the other side of the door, instead it was a middle aged, dark haired woman.
"Hello, Rupert." The woman said in a sophisticated British Accent.
"Helena." Giles said surprised. "What are you doing here?"
"Giles, you know her?" Willow said. "Sorry, I'm…"
"Willow Rosenberg." Helena cut in. "A pleasure to finally meet you."
"Willow, this is Helena Lavelle." Giles introduced.
"That's Xander's middle name." Willow said.
"Yes, about that." Helena said with a sigh. "You would think thirty years would be enough to prepare me for this."
"Prepare you for what?" Giles asked.
"Twenty-three minutes ago, Buffy Summers and Xander Harris were attacked by a Demon. The Demon cast a spell and both Buffy and Xander disappeared. The Demon is now dead." Helena replied.
"Are they…?" Willow asked.
"Dead?" Helena asked in return. "That's a tough one. From one point of view, no. From another, yes. About almost five years now."
"Temporal dislocation?" a new voice said from the door.
"Tara." Willow said, greeting her girlfriend.
"Yes." Helena replied, wandering around the room.
"They went back in time five years?" Giles asked.
"Not exactly. They died five years ago, on the day Buffy was called as the Slayer." Helena replied.
"Wait. That means…" Giles said.
"Yes. Buffy is not part of the general Slayer Line, she is The Slayer. They all come from her." Helena said, reaching the book Giles had been reading and checked the title. "Oh, you found my older sister's book."
Giles looked at the book and then back at Helena.
"That book was written two hundred years ago." Giles said.
"I said she was older." Helena replied. "She wrote down all the stories mum and dad told her. That's why there are no physical descriptions, she did not want to give the game away."
"These stories span thousands of years." Giles said, then a thought occurred to him. "Did you know, when we first met in Oxford?"
"Of course. Why did you think we got along so well? I've loved you all my life. How could I not, with all the stories they told." Helena replied.
"I'm confused." Willow said.
"Buffy and Xander are her parents." Giles replied.
"But she's like your age." Willow interjected.
"They would have children ever couple of centuries, if they were not fighting." Helena added. "Their most famous tiff was probably the Trojan Wars."
"Were they Helen and Agamemnon?" Giles asked.
"No. They were Athena and Aries. I think it was hormonal." Helena said with a shrug.
"So, where are they now?" Willow asked.
"From their perspective? A long time ago." Helena replied.
Very long time ago – far from Sunnydale
Buffy and Xander stumbled as they, in an instant, went from late afternoon in a park in Sunnydale to early morning on a savannah grassland. Circling around to search for the demon they saw nothing but a faint trace of smoke in the distance.
"Weapons check?" Xander asked, to which Buffy nodded.
They laid out all of their weapons in the grass in front of them. Even during the day in Sunnydale those in the know did not go unarmed. There were two good knives, and a half dozen stakes. Dividing the weapons between them, they started off towards the trace of smoke. Smoke meant fire and in the grasslands there were only two types of fire. Raging grassland infernos that destroyed everything and small columns of smoke that meant people.
It took them the rest of the day to reach the small settlement, only to discover that it was under attack by demons in the waning afternoon sun. The men of the settlement were trying to hold off the ten demons with their simple wooden spears. Two of the demons were dead but nine of the men had also fallen. Without thought or hesitation Buffy and Xander charged into the back of the demons. With a line of spears in front of them, the addition of a Slayer and a man who survived five years fighting by a Slayer's side on the Hellmouth, the remaining demons did not stand a chance.
After the fight the people of the settlement gathered around Buffy and Xander. They had learnt enough ancient languages from their time with Giles to recognise a word or two of the language the locals were speaking. Basically they were saying thank you and inviting them to stay. They were shown to a tent that they gathered had been given to them, a small tent with a single mound of sleeping furs. With a glance at each other they divided up the furs and settled down as far from each other as the tent would allow.
TBC…