TITLE: Slayer's Knight 5 AUTHOR: STEPHEN HOWE
E-MAIL: sh01@bigpond.com.au
FEEDBACK: Sure.
DISTRIBUTION: Ask and ye shall receive!
DISCLAIMER: All characters belong to Joss! He created
everything! Set in season..6.Some
spoilers but mostly AU. Xander has discovered his destiny only to have it
ripped away from him. Dawn is still here .Set just after the battle with Glory
, with a flashback at the beginning to events after Joyce's funeral. SUMMER'S
PLACE- THE NEXT DAY Xander tried not to wake Buffy as he eased
his arm from around her waist and climbed out of bed. He made his way to the
bathroom and quickly showered and changed before almost running downstairs. Buffy woke
several minutes later to the sound of Xander's car driving off. She groped
behind her for him then, when finding his side of the bed empty, she fully
opened her eyes and frowned. As she turned over her hand brushed a piece of
paper. She picked it up and, after yawning, she began to read it .As she read
the words her frown turned to a large smile that, as she continued to read,
deepened into a wide grin. She hugged the letter to her chest then placed it on
the bedside table before beginning her daily routine. Xander left the
bank clutching a thick manila envelope to his side as he walked down the main
street. As he passed a shop window sign advertising an event caught his eye and
he smiled. THE MAGIC BOX Even though Giles was Dawns official guardian since Joyce
had passed away he felt that both the Summers girls were more like daughters
than close friends and legal responsibilities. He was just finishing his
research on Xander's dreams when the young man in question entered the store.
Giles looked up and saw how the man in front of him had changed in the past
five years from the irresponsible youth to the confident young man he was
today. Xander
nodded at him. " Good morning Giles." He placed the manila envelope
on to the counter and Giles knew that the day he dreaded was dawning."
Xander tells him. " It's all there, my worldly goods and chattels."
Xander looked at his life in a paper sack and grinned. " I would never
have dreamed in those early days that I would ever have so much!" Giles
nodded and placed his hand over Xander's. "We'll find a way to stop it
Xander! You don't know that your fate is set. Remember I thought Buffy's fate
was set in stone when she went against the master yet she's still here." Xander smiles at his memories then turn to
the research room. " I take it Wesley and the others arrived okay?" Giles walks him to the room. " Yes and we've found,
thanks to Willow and Tara, that there is a way to send Glory back without any
risk to the world." Meanwhile Buffy was pegging out the washing
as Dawn walked out to her." Eew! Your hanging up Xander's boxers! It must
be love." She hugged her sister then began to help her. " You know if
we got a dryer we could cut down the work load. I'm sure Xander would..." Buffy glared at her as she took a peg from her mouth." Don't
you even dare ask him Dawn! He's done enough for us don't you think?" " Why not? It's his clothes, as well you know. Besides I
think if you asked him he'd buy you the moon!" Dawn turns as she hears the
front door bell ring. " I wonder who that is?" Buffy checked her hair as they went
to the door and opened it to find Cordelia Chase standing there with a wide
grin on her face." Hello stranger. " She told her as they hugged.
" Angel and Wesley are at the Box helping Giles research so I thought I'd
catch up with my old sparing partner and see how she was." She looks over at Dawn. " Jeez Dawn you keep growing like this and
I'll finally have some competition out there!" Dawn
blushed and grimed. " Hello Cordelia I only wish I looked half as good as
you do." Cordelia gave Dawn a peck on the cheek as she entered the house.
Cordelia couldn't help feel the ghost of Joyce hovering around her daughters as
she walked into the lounge and sat down. She watched as Buffy went into the
kitchen to make coffee and thought she looked very.. Domesticated, but very
happy. Buffy looked strangely
quiet until Cordelia told her. " I hope Xander has his neck guard on
today." Buffy feigns
disinterest as she asks her. " Why Cordy? Please tell me why Xander needs a
neck guard?" Cordelia
looks like Buffy just got off the bus. " Duh! Faith is back in town and she's
asked just about everyone if he's seeing anybody." Buffy begins to pick at her hair. " Oh.. I knew the council had pulled some
strings to get her released.. " " Yeah right!" Cordelia looked at Buffy. " She's on day release with
orders not to leave LA! Yet here she is to help out… And look for an ex.. I'd
say boyfriend but … Just what do you call a two hour stand?" Cordelia suddenly
clutched her head and sank to the floor rolling in pain. " BUFFY!"
Dawn cried out as Images flashed through Cordelia's mind. Images of horrible
beasts as they ripped people into tiny morsels then ate them. These beings
looked like a nightmare from some anthropologists fevered mind. She
then saw the Scooby's fighting these beasts, and losing until five strangely
attired men stood between them and beat the beasts off. She then sees Xander,
he looks so strange until she realizes his face is scared and the light that
used to shine from his eyes is dulled, and he stands between his men and the
charging hoard. He raises a sword as the monsters attack and fights through
them till he comes against the leader. Her vision begins to
fade as she sees a bonfire being lit with a body laid out on top of it. She
sees Buffy drop to her knees and cry her heart out. She came to lying on the
couch with Buffy moping her head with a damp cloth." Thank God Cordy! What
happened?" Cordelia sat
up and asked for some pain killers for her headache." I have a present
from the Powers that be. One I wish I could return like a bad dress!" She
popped the pills and washed it down with a glass of water." I need to call
Angel and tell him." As she waits
for someone to answer the phone she asks Buffy. " I haven't seen Xander
yet is he still looking fine?" Buffy blushed and Cordelia knew Angel was
right." So he finally managed to catch you in a weak moment hey? Don't
worry Buffy he won't stray from you!" Cordelia just had to have a dig. "
Unless he gets Faith alone in a hotel room." THE MAGIC BOX. Wesley, Giles, Willow and Tara have
prepared the things they need for the casting and are ready to go when Xander
walks in. " Are you sure you wont need Buffy or Dawn?" Giles grinned
and told him. " No Xander you take them to your surprise and have a good
time, you all deserve it." They
begin the chant as Angel places a small dagger in the center of the table. The
chant echoes through the store and the dagger lifts up and glows a deep red
until it becomes so bright no one can look at it. There is the sound of thunder
then the dagger drops back to the table. Angel takes another knife and cuts the
palm of his hand allowing the blood to drop onto the enchanted dagger. The
blood hisses and boils as it touched the blade. Willow picks it up and kisses the hilt. " It is done!"
She places it in its sheath and hands it to Angel. " This must be thrust
into her heart just as she commences the ceremony for only then will the door
open and send her to hell!" Angel places the sheathed knife at his side.
" And the door will close before any little surprises can come out?" Faith nodded." It's supposed to swing
one way then close, but this being the Hellmouth we had better prepare for the
worse. " She turns to Giles. " We need to make sure that Dawn is safe
and as far away from Glory when she starts the ball rolling." Giles nods." But won't she need
her before she starts the ritual?" " Not if we start it for her. Then she
will be drawn to the site by its power and the thought of bringing her realm
here." Willow stands up and starts to walk to the storeroom. " In the
mean time Xander wants me to finish our little reprogramming project." She
opens the door and they see the Buffybot with her scalp open and leads running
into it.
SUMMER'S
RESIDENCE. Cordelia is feeling much better as the sound
of the front door opens once again and Xander enters beaming at them all.
" Hello Cordelia long time no see." He hugs her and then pecks her
lips with his." Okay Buffy, Dawn, go put on some nice clothes. Better make
them warm ones." He holds up three
tickets and Buffy needs to look at them twice before she grins and hugs him.
" Xander! How did you get these?" She exclaimed. " Oh I know
some people who knew somebody." Cordelia
looks at the tickets and is impressed. " Wow front row seats to Icecapades
cool! Since when did you like ice skating Xander?" " Since my roommate told us several years ago that she did.
I've just been waiting for them to return." Xander thought for a brief
while and then asked her. " If you like I could ring..." Cordelia
shook her head. " No Xand, as much as I'd like too this is just between
you, Buffy and Dawn and I know what it would be like to be the fifth
wheel." Just then the phone
rang and Buffy answered it then handed it to Cordelia. " It's Wesley for
you. " "
Hi Wes, yeah,, yup, uhhuh, no worries catch Ya later." She places the
phone down and tells Buffy. " The council has decided to stick their oar
in again Buffy. They're sending the Knights of Byzantium to assist you. They
will be under Giles's control so there will be no repeat of the last
time." Dawn backed up and
Xander held her. " Look kiddo there's no way in hell we're going to let
either Glory or these overgrown boy scouts hurt you! Do you believe me? "
Dawn looked into his eyes the fear making her heart beat double time. "
Are you sure? Do you promise?" Xander hugged her and proclaimed. "
They'll get to you or my family over my dead body Dawnster." Later the next day Buffy is snuggled down next to Xander and she
begins to stroke his cheek. She sees his brow furrow as he sleeps then he
gasps. " No. I said no!" At first Buffy thought he was awake and
meant her but when she sat up she saw he was in what her professors called REM
sleep, or dream sleep. He suddenly clutched his chest as he relived the Host's
vision for him, then bolt upright his eyes wide open and his breath coming in
short sharp pants. " No! Buffy!" Buffy hugged him
to her and he jumped in shock then he saw who it was and kissed her. "
It's okay Xander it was just a bad dream. Shh I'm here it's okay. " She
crooned to him as she stroked his hair and patted his back. Xander kissed the
nape of her neck then whispered." I need you Buffy!" She brought his
lips to hers. " Never leave me Xander?" " Not if I can help it my love. "
Xander kissed her then moved against her bringing them to the heights of
passion. His arm reaches out to the bedside draw and the protection there in
but Buffy's hand stops him. He looks into her eyes and she tells him. " I want to start a
family of our own. Do you?" He smiles and places his hand behind her head.
" Only with you my love and no other." He draws her in to a kiss as
they begin to make love for earnest a first time for either of them. There's
sex and then there's love. The choice they both made that day was to share
their love in the hope of creating life. Life that would be a permanent joining
of the two bodies by creating a third. One to share their joys and sorrows, to
be a constant reminder to each of them of the love they have for each other and
the hope of a better tomorrow. This act whether sanctioned by god or man, or
consecrated by church or state, bound their very souls as they created a new
life for a new soul to inhabit. In
this they were successful. In this they would fulfill a destiny only to pave
the way for a final destiny that Xander knew was fast approaching. END OF 5