Title: Cry Havoc Once More
Author: Knife Hand
Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated
Spoilers: First four series of Buffy with some elements of five and six.
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy. I would buy it but I am broke.
Summary: The final battle is about to be joined and the fate of the world hangs in the balance. Friends will become enemies and enemies will become friends. A look at the final battle and the path that lead to it. (Multi Crossovers)
AN: Generally I really like Buffy and I usually write B/X fics, but for this fic I have decided to incorporate and focus on one aspect of Buffy's personality that I usually overlook or tone down. Also no Glory or Dawn.
AN2: OK. I understand how everyone believes that Xand and Tara are not evil, just remember there is still well over a decade between 'now' and the confrontation in the first chapter. All will become clear in time. *Smirk* :) As Robert Jordan says, 'read and find out'. Thanx for the reviews.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tara smiled as she walked up the stairs. She was going to surprise her lover, Willow. In the eighteen months since Xander had left, things had gotten rocky. Willow had become addicted to magic, even going so far as to get magical boots from a sorcerer named Rank. With help from Giles, Anya and Buffy, Tara had managed to get Willow down off the magic high, even starting on some small spells. Several days ago Willow and Tara had managed to turn Amy back into a human, from the rat that she had been for the last few years. Tara idly played with the pendant necklace that Xander had given her for her birthday over two years previously. She missed her best friend but they kept in regular contact. She still got birthday and Christmas presents from him.
Tara opened the door to her room, hers and Willow's, and was stoped dead in shock, based on two senses. First was an all to familiar smell, two be exact but she only really noticed one, the strong smell that always reminded her of strawberries. The smell of Willow on a magic high. The second smell was associated with the shocking display that she saw. With an array of items that she did not want to think about, she saw Amy and Willow. Together. On the bed. Naked!
Tara ran. She ran through the streets emersed in anguish, grief and heartache. She did not even notice the white van that was parked just ahead of her or the fact that somebody threw open the door just before she reached it. When she hit the door she fell to the ground unconscious.
********
Xander moved slowly along the rafters of the supposedly abandoned warehouse. Xander had bee pushing himself very hard in the eighteen or so months since he had left Sunnydale, doing eighteen to twenty-two hour days. He was always training, finding whoever he could to help him improve himself. After the disastrous victory of the HC, Xander had decided that he would never again risk other people's lives by leading them into battle. Despite the fact the he was pushing himself almost beyond the limits of human endurance, Xander still made time to keep in contact with Tara back in Sunnydale. Xander had not forgotten his old team mates. He had pulled every string he could lay a finger on, and the HC's were given the chance to be reinstated in their military service and the posting of their choice, or for those who did not want to return to military life, a large pension for the rest of their lives.
As he quietly moved along the rafters, Xander heard voices. When he passed the final internal wall he saw a large group of demons. In the centre of the demons were three humans, teenage girls, bound and gagged. Xander paused for a minute, his mind raging. There were definitely WAY too many powerful demons for him to even contemplate engaging them, he would be dead in under a minute, forget even reaching the hostages let alone rescuing them. On the other had he could not let the girls be sacrificed. One reason was that he had spent his life trying to save people and his conscious would not let him walk away without helping.
Unfortunately this was not the primary reason for stopping the sacrifice. That reason was, if the demons managed to ritually sacrifice the girls, then they would summon an obscenely powerful demon that would ravage the city, New York, and would make Olvikan, the demon that the Mayor of Sunnydale turned into, look like a harmless garden snake. Xander made a decision. Pulling the rifle off his back, where it was holstered next to a sword, Xander took aim at his targets.
'I hope I'm doing the right thing.' He thought as he slowly squeezed the trigger.
Shots rang out.
********
Faith sat in her cell, waiting. Her cell was different that when she had first arrived, about eighteen months prior. When she had arrived it had been completely bare, except for the bed, now it was slightly more personalised. Her bed was bigger and softer, she had books that she could read. Basically, it felt like either a Spartan style bedroom or a luxurious prison cell. Faith had learnt some things about the battles that she participated in. Firstly, they were always to the death. Secondly, they were ancient in origin. (Think Conan the Barbarian, the tournament that Conan was in.)
The Roman Gladiator games had been based on this tournament. Some of the competitors, like herself, were slaves or prisoners, fighting not only to survive but to ultimately gain their freedom. Others fought for the riches that can be won, while other fought for the sheer thill of the fight. There were three rings of compition; women, men and demon. The women fighters were generally fast and agile, but not overly strong. The male fighters relied more on brute strength to win battles.
The demon compition was something else again. Mostly chosen from the most aggressive demons that could be found, they were fast, strong, brutal and many had special abilities. A normal human, even one of the best fighters in the male or female divisions would be ripped apart in seconds, but when pitched against each other the demons gave brutal fights in which the spectators bet hundreds of thousands of dollars on a single match.
Faith was not a typical fighter. She had quickly risen through the female ranks, and as tradition dictated she got slightly better armour or weaponry for each victory. After she reached the top of the female competition, she was placed in the male arena, starting out with no weaponry or armour, again based on tradition. That had been nine months ago, now she was almost at the top of the male ladder and there was talk of her going into the demon ring, something that had never happened before.
Faith was pulled out of her slight meditative state by the cell door opening. A bundle was thrown in and the door closed again.
'Time to fight again.' Faith thought bitterly.
She still felt uneasy about having to kill, but it was survival. Kill or die. She had seen one new girl, back in the early days, who had refused to kill her opponent after she had crippled her. The overseers had killed the other girl regardless, then had stunned, raped and tortured the new girl. They had eventually killed her, but the lesson was thoroughly learnt by all.
Opening the bundle Faith slowly got ready. Once you reached this level, you were given time to prepare, unlike her first fight where she had been awoken and thrown strait into the pit. When she was finished, she was in what she had expected from the bundle. She had on a skimpy outfit, basically a sports top and bike pants but done up to resemble a primitive style leather top and skirt, almost like the earlier renditions of a cavewomen. Over that she had plain leather shoulder pads and shin guards. In her right hand she had a wicked looking sword that had a spike loop bar that covered her fingers. Her left arm had a bracer that had blades at the hand and elbow ends.
In earlier fights they had tried to give her more armour but she had refused to wear it, knowing that it was her agility as much as her Slayer strength and speed that allowed her to win, kept her alive. Tying her hair back into a ponytail, Faith again sat down to wait. The next time the door opened, she stood and walked out, moving down the passage leading into the pit. It was time to kill again, time for the crowds to cheer again.
********
Xander sat in his rented apartment with a stiff drink. Once again he had saved the world, but it had cost him dearly again. The last time it had cost him fourteen friends, this time it had only costed him his soul. He wondered if it was worth it. Three innocent lives for the world? Three teenage girls that he had killed?
Sometimes, when he saw what humans did to each other; wars, abuse, genocide, he wondered why the demons did not just let humanity destroy themselves, why he and others fought so hard for people who waste the gift that they have been given. But then he thought about Tara, and about Buffy and Willow how they used to be back in high school. There were reasons to fight, things worth protecting. On the spur of the moment, Xander picked up the phone and dialled a number from memory. He was shocked when no one picked up. That was the private mobile phone that he had given Tara, and she was never without it. Xander hung up the phone and then called the airlines to book the first flight to LA. As he did, he idly noticed the news report about a fire at an abandoned warehouse, the result of a few grenades and some Molotov cocktails that resulted in several dead demons, but not enough. He quickly packed his bags and emptied his apartment.
Xander was returning to the Hellmouth.
TBC
Author: Knife Hand
Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated
Spoilers: First four series of Buffy with some elements of five and six.
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy. I would buy it but I am broke.
Summary: The final battle is about to be joined and the fate of the world hangs in the balance. Friends will become enemies and enemies will become friends. A look at the final battle and the path that lead to it. (Multi Crossovers)
AN: Generally I really like Buffy and I usually write B/X fics, but for this fic I have decided to incorporate and focus on one aspect of Buffy's personality that I usually overlook or tone down. Also no Glory or Dawn.
AN2: OK. I understand how everyone believes that Xand and Tara are not evil, just remember there is still well over a decade between 'now' and the confrontation in the first chapter. All will become clear in time. *Smirk* :) As Robert Jordan says, 'read and find out'. Thanx for the reviews.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tara smiled as she walked up the stairs. She was going to surprise her lover, Willow. In the eighteen months since Xander had left, things had gotten rocky. Willow had become addicted to magic, even going so far as to get magical boots from a sorcerer named Rank. With help from Giles, Anya and Buffy, Tara had managed to get Willow down off the magic high, even starting on some small spells. Several days ago Willow and Tara had managed to turn Amy back into a human, from the rat that she had been for the last few years. Tara idly played with the pendant necklace that Xander had given her for her birthday over two years previously. She missed her best friend but they kept in regular contact. She still got birthday and Christmas presents from him.
Tara opened the door to her room, hers and Willow's, and was stoped dead in shock, based on two senses. First was an all to familiar smell, two be exact but she only really noticed one, the strong smell that always reminded her of strawberries. The smell of Willow on a magic high. The second smell was associated with the shocking display that she saw. With an array of items that she did not want to think about, she saw Amy and Willow. Together. On the bed. Naked!
Tara ran. She ran through the streets emersed in anguish, grief and heartache. She did not even notice the white van that was parked just ahead of her or the fact that somebody threw open the door just before she reached it. When she hit the door she fell to the ground unconscious.
********
Xander moved slowly along the rafters of the supposedly abandoned warehouse. Xander had bee pushing himself very hard in the eighteen or so months since he had left Sunnydale, doing eighteen to twenty-two hour days. He was always training, finding whoever he could to help him improve himself. After the disastrous victory of the HC, Xander had decided that he would never again risk other people's lives by leading them into battle. Despite the fact the he was pushing himself almost beyond the limits of human endurance, Xander still made time to keep in contact with Tara back in Sunnydale. Xander had not forgotten his old team mates. He had pulled every string he could lay a finger on, and the HC's were given the chance to be reinstated in their military service and the posting of their choice, or for those who did not want to return to military life, a large pension for the rest of their lives.
As he quietly moved along the rafters, Xander heard voices. When he passed the final internal wall he saw a large group of demons. In the centre of the demons were three humans, teenage girls, bound and gagged. Xander paused for a minute, his mind raging. There were definitely WAY too many powerful demons for him to even contemplate engaging them, he would be dead in under a minute, forget even reaching the hostages let alone rescuing them. On the other had he could not let the girls be sacrificed. One reason was that he had spent his life trying to save people and his conscious would not let him walk away without helping.
Unfortunately this was not the primary reason for stopping the sacrifice. That reason was, if the demons managed to ritually sacrifice the girls, then they would summon an obscenely powerful demon that would ravage the city, New York, and would make Olvikan, the demon that the Mayor of Sunnydale turned into, look like a harmless garden snake. Xander made a decision. Pulling the rifle off his back, where it was holstered next to a sword, Xander took aim at his targets.
'I hope I'm doing the right thing.' He thought as he slowly squeezed the trigger.
Shots rang out.
********
Faith sat in her cell, waiting. Her cell was different that when she had first arrived, about eighteen months prior. When she had arrived it had been completely bare, except for the bed, now it was slightly more personalised. Her bed was bigger and softer, she had books that she could read. Basically, it felt like either a Spartan style bedroom or a luxurious prison cell. Faith had learnt some things about the battles that she participated in. Firstly, they were always to the death. Secondly, they were ancient in origin. (Think Conan the Barbarian, the tournament that Conan was in.)
The Roman Gladiator games had been based on this tournament. Some of the competitors, like herself, were slaves or prisoners, fighting not only to survive but to ultimately gain their freedom. Others fought for the riches that can be won, while other fought for the sheer thill of the fight. There were three rings of compition; women, men and demon. The women fighters were generally fast and agile, but not overly strong. The male fighters relied more on brute strength to win battles.
The demon compition was something else again. Mostly chosen from the most aggressive demons that could be found, they were fast, strong, brutal and many had special abilities. A normal human, even one of the best fighters in the male or female divisions would be ripped apart in seconds, but when pitched against each other the demons gave brutal fights in which the spectators bet hundreds of thousands of dollars on a single match.
Faith was not a typical fighter. She had quickly risen through the female ranks, and as tradition dictated she got slightly better armour or weaponry for each victory. After she reached the top of the female competition, she was placed in the male arena, starting out with no weaponry or armour, again based on tradition. That had been nine months ago, now she was almost at the top of the male ladder and there was talk of her going into the demon ring, something that had never happened before.
Faith was pulled out of her slight meditative state by the cell door opening. A bundle was thrown in and the door closed again.
'Time to fight again.' Faith thought bitterly.
She still felt uneasy about having to kill, but it was survival. Kill or die. She had seen one new girl, back in the early days, who had refused to kill her opponent after she had crippled her. The overseers had killed the other girl regardless, then had stunned, raped and tortured the new girl. They had eventually killed her, but the lesson was thoroughly learnt by all.
Opening the bundle Faith slowly got ready. Once you reached this level, you were given time to prepare, unlike her first fight where she had been awoken and thrown strait into the pit. When she was finished, she was in what she had expected from the bundle. She had on a skimpy outfit, basically a sports top and bike pants but done up to resemble a primitive style leather top and skirt, almost like the earlier renditions of a cavewomen. Over that she had plain leather shoulder pads and shin guards. In her right hand she had a wicked looking sword that had a spike loop bar that covered her fingers. Her left arm had a bracer that had blades at the hand and elbow ends.
In earlier fights they had tried to give her more armour but she had refused to wear it, knowing that it was her agility as much as her Slayer strength and speed that allowed her to win, kept her alive. Tying her hair back into a ponytail, Faith again sat down to wait. The next time the door opened, she stood and walked out, moving down the passage leading into the pit. It was time to kill again, time for the crowds to cheer again.
********
Xander sat in his rented apartment with a stiff drink. Once again he had saved the world, but it had cost him dearly again. The last time it had cost him fourteen friends, this time it had only costed him his soul. He wondered if it was worth it. Three innocent lives for the world? Three teenage girls that he had killed?
Sometimes, when he saw what humans did to each other; wars, abuse, genocide, he wondered why the demons did not just let humanity destroy themselves, why he and others fought so hard for people who waste the gift that they have been given. But then he thought about Tara, and about Buffy and Willow how they used to be back in high school. There were reasons to fight, things worth protecting. On the spur of the moment, Xander picked up the phone and dialled a number from memory. He was shocked when no one picked up. That was the private mobile phone that he had given Tara, and she was never without it. Xander hung up the phone and then called the airlines to book the first flight to LA. As he did, he idly noticed the news report about a fire at an abandoned warehouse, the result of a few grenades and some Molotov cocktails that resulted in several dead demons, but not enough. He quickly packed his bags and emptied his apartment.
Xander was returning to the Hellmouth.
TBC
