TITLE: Slayer's Knight 9 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 SUNNYDALE -ONE YEAR LATER. Giles is at the counter of Buffy's kitchen trying to sip some tea when he hears ' The Child' as he calls it, begin to cry again. He looks at his tea through sleep deprived eyes then stares at the percolator. He places the cup to his lips but then tips it out when Buffy yells out for Dawn. " After six years of living over here I think this calls for something a little stronger!" He refills the cup with black coffee then sips it. He grimaces then says. " Oh yeah that hits the spot." Dawn comes in holding her nose with one hand while using a pair of tongs to hold the diaper away from her." Most people use disposable ones but oh no not her majesty! Damn Willow and her environment kick!" She drops the cotton diaper into it's bucket then slams the lid down. She sees Giles and glares at him. " I notice Willow the wicked witch of the west didn't hang around too long!" Giles, hurriedly, finishes his coffee and pours some more. " She had important work to complete." Dawn huffs at him. " Sure she does! I suppose it's slipped your mind, you being so old and all, but she's never around when the stink machine needs changing?" Giles looks offended. " I'm sure it's just a coincidence that she... " Buffy cries out for another nappy and Dawn hands it to Giles who takes it then looks up at the ceiling before muttering. " Willow must DIE!" TUNGUSKA WILDERNESS. Beowulf slaps a medii Pac onto Faith's wound as the truck takes them back to the encampment. He tucks a curl of her dark locks behind her ear and she stirs. " Xander?" She mutters." I defiantly shouldn't have kicked your ass out of bed!" The med-tech places a cool pack against her brow as Beowulf smiles. " I don't know who this Xandar is Slayer Faith but I am heartily relieved the rumours about you are untrue!" Faith moans then tells him. " Damn straight Wolfie! This girl's totally stick shift only...." She falls back into a deep sleep and the med-tech tells him. " She'll be fine Beowulf. The Slayer healing should kick in now." The man then looks back at the pillar of fire that is all that remains of the Tunguska Hellmouth. " I don't think that'll open up again too soon!" He exclaims before looking at Beowulf with pride. " You did it sir!" Beowulf looks up at him. " No my friend we did it. All those that perished back there did it. I just came up with a plan." " Yeah but you were the key guy sir!" As the tech said those words they echoed through Beowulf's mind until he had a vision of a blonde haired girl tell him. " So you're the key guy Xander it all depends on you. Are you up for it?" Then he hears Manfred call out to him as the truck pulls up." You did it Beowulf! They thought you were dead and had the pyre ship waiting for your body!" Beowulf steps down and slaps Manfred on the back." Not this time old friend! But Slayer Faith is injured and requires the Healers charmed hands." Manfred watches as they carry her away. " A near thing but at least the Hellmouth is closed." Beowulf slams his hand down on the truck. " Yes but the Damn Wendol Queen escaped yet again!" He kicks at the snow surrounding the wheel. " She tricked me! She sacrificed most of her warriors so she, and a few of her best, could escape into the Hellmouth." Manfred nods. " A great pity the Queen whore escaped Beowulf but to where? She's now trapped in the netherworlds until another Hellmouth can open and now there is but one left." SUNNYDALE. Giles checks his watch and looks out into the dawn of a new day. He shakes his head and tells Willow." She should have been back hours ago Willow." Willow lifts Giles's hand up and looks at his watch before letting it fall." She was programmed to finish her patrol then return at Dawn but maybe she had a little trouble along the way? Or maybe some of Xander's program..." She broke off at the mention of his name. " I still feel that any second now he's going to come bounding round a corner with his hands full of jellied donuts." She feels Giles grip her hand. " When does the pain go away Giles?" He looks at her and says. " It never really does. Everyday just seems a little better than the last until you can live again." She feels Tara snuggle up to her from behind." He's not gone you know." Willow's brow creases in bewilderment." As long as we think of them and keep a little of them in our hearts no one ever really dies." Willow smiles and pats Tara's hand." Buffy want's us all to be at the park tomorrow." She notices the sun begin to rise. " Today for the ceremony." Giles asks her. " She's letting go then?" Willow hears the two sisters begin to move upstairs. " No I think it's more to do with getting on with life. After all, she has Dawn and little Joyce to worry about now." Giles checks his watch as the Buffy bot comes running down the street. He taps it and she waves him off. " She stands by Willow and tells Giles. " Those that can, slay those that can't stay at home taping their watches! I've had no sign of Vampires or other nasties since I dusted Spike's ass. You want to try patrolling the whole of this freaking town by yourself...." Giles rubs his neck. " Thank you for that Willow. One of them is quite enough. " He taps the androids head and asks. " Do you think you could tone down her ugh..."? " Smart assyness?" Dawn finishes as she walks into the kitchen. " Ooh! If you can, could you try it on her majesty as well?" Willow is checking the android over and she asks. " Is it still on for the ceremony?" The smile vanishes from Dawns face. " Yeah midday at the park. "She looks at her hands. " You know if I had of just let that asshole do what he wanted..." "NO!" They all turn to see Buffy standing in the doorway. " Don't even think that Dawn. It's not your fault, it's those bastard Knights! They broke an oath and killed a good man before they realised the wrong they were doing." They hug each other and Dawn tells her as she looks at Giles. " I don't care what they say sis I still feel it deep down in my soul that he's still alive and that one day he will walk through those doors and demand his Twinkies." Buffy smiles then pretends to frown." Well he had better come up with a damned good excuse for being gone so long or he'll never get another Twinkie from me!" Tara whispers to Willow. " Should we tell them about the spirit guide we found yesterday?" Willow shakes her head and says." No we'll wait till she returns with an answer tonight, then tell the others what she found." END OF 9