TITLE: Slayer's Knight 6 AUTHOR: STEPHEN HOWE
E-MAIL: sh01@bigpond.com.au
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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. MIDDAY The group are gathered in the ruins of Sunnydale high. Buffy brushes her hands together to get the dust from her hands. " Boy I just love this place!" " Really? Cuz I couldn't stand it when it was just a school and now it's the focus point for every big bad Wanna be I like it even less!" Xander exclaims. Buffy puts on a fake French accent. " Not be afraid. I protect you." She points to herself. " Me the Fifth element." Xander grabs her hips and holds her close looking at her body. " Yeah sure you've put on some weight but it looks good on you. " Buffy's mouth opens wide as she slaps his arm causing him to yelp." Hey! I said element! Not elephant! I thought it was your favourites movie and I. Mmmm." Xander quietens her with a kiss and as they break it she wraps her arms around his neck." However you can stop me babbling by doing that every time." She grins at him then turns as Dawn says." Oh puhlease! Would you two take a chill pill? It took me ages to wake you up this morning and you kept up the lovey dovey all day so can we just cool it till you get home, assuming we all make it through this?" Xander smiles his lopsided grin then stops as he looks into the darkness. " Company." Six knights of Byzantium stride out from the edges of the parkland that lies alongside the old school. The tall leader walks up to Buffy and holds out his hand. " You have zee key?" Buffy nods and motions for Dawn to go with them. It'll be fine Dawn." She tells her as they hug. " As soon as it's all over I'll go straight to The Box to get you. " They hug again and Buffy tells the Knights. " If you cause any harm to her I will hunt you down and rip your hearts out." One of the leaders whispers something to him and he looks at Xander. He looks him up and down then sneers at him. " You are zis White Knight? Pah! I have zeen ztronger children." Xander looks him, unblinkingly, in the eye. " Hurt any of them and I'll hit you so hard your ancestors will feel the pain! " The leader started to move closer and Xander's eyes went wild as he muttered. " Come get some!" Buffy pushes them apart and tells them. " Okay boys I think you two have had one too many sips from the testosterone cup! Now back off. " She points to the Knights. " And you. Just remember what we said. And that as soon as we've dealt with Glory we will be back to collect my sister." Dawn waves to them as the Knights take her away. Xander puts his arm around her and gives her a squeeze. " Don't worry nothing's going to happen to her Buff. Come on we better get suited up for our joust with Glory." As the knights move out of sight of them the second in command asks the leader. " Do you know the way to this shop is back there?" " We're taking her to a safer place for us and the world Manfred." He slips him a knife. " As soon as we are out of hearing we will take her to the gateway and then back to our home. Then the priests can put an end to her danger for once and all." Manfred is shocked. " But what of your oath to them?" The leader pulls him close and glares at him. " An oath to what? A Slayer and her knight that will die this day? Pah you're getting weak in your old age." LATER. They're ruse had worked and Glory had been fooled into coming to the centre of power believing the key had been used to open the doorway. The battle was nearing it's end when a sudden reversal of Glory's kick struck Buffy in the chest sending her crashing into a tree several feet away and then backhanded Faith so hard she thought her head would fly off. Xander roared and charged Glory using all his force against her He grabbed one arm while Giles and Wesley secured the other and the two witches chanted their spell. Angel had the cursed dagger in the down swing when she broke from Wesley and Giles and struck Xander in the chest. He held on to her arms and urged Angel on. " Do it Deadboy! Do it quick!" Angel brought the dagger down chanting the words as he did. The blade struck true and she cursed their names as she vanished into the swirling vortex they had opened. Xander fell to his knees as Angel shouted." Close it now!" The vortex closed in on itself and the world was safe yet again thanks to the band of brothers and sisters. Angel went over to Faith and helped her up." She played rough. " Faith exclaims. " I miss her already. " She grins and they go to check on the others. Faith limped over to Buffy and went to pull her to her feet. Buffy yelled out as she discovered her arm was broken. " That skank broke my freaking arm!" Xander stood up as Willow and Cordelia helped him up and he checked himself over. Apart from the tight feeling across his chest every time he breathed. Then he stopped. " I'm breathing!" He looked at Buffy as she staggered over to him. " I'm alive!!! " He turned to Angel and Giles fisting his arm into the air, punctuating each word. " IN YOUR EYE HOST!" He ran to Buffy and helped them with her as they moved back to the Box. He kissed her with all his heart. " We won Buff. We won." She grinned inanely at him. " I know Xand I was kind of there." Willow, Wesley, Cordelia and Angel were pleased. Wesley stated. " Well that's another one down and on da ground!" Angel grinned at him. " Whoa Wes! I think you've been hanging with Gunn to long." " Yes but we didn't loose anyone Angel! We're here and she not! I'd say that was an upside wouldn't you?" Cordelia watches as the others went into the shop. " Yeah but it's not over till the weight challenged lady sings. " They arrive to find the Slayer trying to gather weapons with her one good arm. Willow sees Xander putting on his arm shields and she asks. " Where's Dawn?" Xander looks over to Buffy. " Stay here you're hurt Faith and I can handle them." Buffy shakes her head. " No they took my sister and I aim to get her back." Giles tells them." The Knights have taken Dawn I believe they'll try to take her back with them via the Gate to their home." Giles tells Angel. " Talk to her. In her condition the knights will kill her!" Buffy cries out to Giles. " I'll need your Sword Giles." Xander tells her. " I'll get it." She smiles at him till she sees a look of resignation pass over him and he raises a dart gun and fires it at her." Sorry my love... And my life." Xander eases her to the floor and tells Giles. " Get your sword for me and one for the others. " He turns to Willow, Tara and Cordelia. " You three stay here and guard her." He kisses Willow with a passion she has never felt. " Give that to her when she wakes and tell her... Tell her I'll watch down on her from time to time." Willow begins to tear up as she tells him. "No! You'll be back! The host was wrong! You will be back Alexander Lavelle Harris. Do you hear me?" She shouts as he leaves. " Buffy loves you!" THE PARK. Manfred was worried as he paced the ground in front of the site of the gate. " It should have opened a half hour ago!" Urnst looked at the struggling 15 year old and thought evil thoughts about her." Relax it takez time to create a ztable gate Manfred. Besides who'z goink to rezcue her? " He licks his lips. " Bezidez I might just have a little fun while ve vait." He gets up and moves towards Dawn as Manfred distractedly asks him. " What? What are you talking about?" He turns and sees him standing over the key after he hit her. He begins to loosen his belt as Dawn tells him. " You touch me and my sister will be wearing them for ear rings you freak!" Manfred yells at him." Urnst! What in Gods name are you doing?" He brushes his complaint aside." She's not human so it doesn't count Manfred, bezidez she vill be dead vithin de hour anyway. Zis way she gets a tazte unt zo do I." Xander makes it to the rise just in front of the others. Wesley sees them and gulps." I thought you said there was six?" They look down on the fifteen knights as they prepare to cross. Xander shrugs. " That's how many we saw but six or sixty six they're not taking her anywhere!" Giles tells him. " There's a way to end this without everyone dying. " If Angel were to challenge them as Buffy's knight errant he could defeat their champion and earn Dawn's release." Xander growls as he begins to release his pent up beast. He shakes his head and takes the sword from his sheath. He glares at Angel " Who am I?" Giles looks confused." uh Alexander Harris?" Angel sighs. " He's Buffy's White Knight." He grips Xander's shoulders. " But that doesn't mean you can win." Xander shrugs. " I know I met your friend the Host. " he looks around their faces as if trying to burn their images into his mind one last time." When you get back tell him Xander says 'Up yours'." He grips Angel's arm and shakes it then grasps Giles in a hug. " Take care of her for me." Giles's voice almost breaks. " Yes.. I will my son." At the use of that word Xander nods. " I hope, the next time, I am worthy of someone like you to call father." Faith grins at him as he rubs her arm. " What you're not going to try and stop me" Xander asks her but she shakes her head" Nah! Kick his ass! But I warn you if it gets hairy down there and you make me break a nail getting' your ass out of the fire I'll do you instead!" He grins at her then kisses her before he walks off into the night and calls out." Here me oh Knights Templars I challenge thee by the right's of old." Urnst stops his attempted rape of Dawn and shouts out to the man." By vhat right do you challenge?" " I challenge thee as The Slayer's Knight!" END OF 6