TITLE: Slayer's Knight 10 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 TAKING BACK THE TOWN. As the others left, to prepare and get as much rest as they could, Xander pulled Riley to one side. " Just before we attack I'm going to send Faith to you on some pretext. Keep her with you for as long as possible. Then don't attack the holding sells until you hear the alarm being raised." Riley shakes his head. " That's why you didn't want Buffy with you. You're weakening your team sending Faith to us you know that?" A surprised look crosses Riley's features. " You don't expect to come back do you?" Xander looks deep into Riley's eyes. " I will come back but just in case I want your word you will do anything to keep them safe." Riley places his forearm across Xander's. " I swear that I will die before I let anything happen to them Xander." " But all this is meaningless because I fully intend to be here tonight." They both glance up at the sky as technicolour patterns splash across it. " The council's still trying to break the spell then I see." " Why not re open the gateway and take everyone out?" Riley asks. " Because it's only operated from the other side. Just in case something else gets hold of the controls here that way the Knights control who comes and goes." He picks up some debris and tells Riley. " We were supposed to radio them if we needed the gate opened and as you know every micro-chip and transistor fried as soon as we entered the barrier." Riley nodded then he hit his head with the palm of his hand. " Wait a minute! I just remembered the science department had a museum and in it they had an old valve radio set that was peddle powered!" Xander clapped him on the shoulder. " I knew your time here would come in handy some day! Get Giles to look into it and get as many people out as he can. Meanwhile we're still going after our targets!" IN THE MESS HALL. Xander walks up to the gang and tells them the news. " So as soon as Giles can get through I want all of you out of here." He holds his hands up to their protests." Don't worry as soon as we get back my ass is through that gate quicker than a politician can break a promise!" He yawns. " As for now I'm going to crash in one of the dorms till its time." He walked off and Buffy gazed after him. Cordelia took hold of Joyce's bottle and told her. " Go on Buffy wish him good luck for all of us." Dawn grins. " Yeah sis 'wish' his brains out!" Willow turns and gives her the look. " Okay young lady no more hanging around with that Lori girl for you!" Buffy catches up with him just before he enters the dorm room. She touches her hair and suddenly wonders if she looks all right before she places her hand on his shoulder." Um Xand, I was wondering if I could... Ahh to hell with it." She mumbles. Then she pushes him against the door as he turns and kisses him. She deepens the kiss when she feels him respond then wraps her legs around him. She pants as she breaks the kiss. " We have Sooo much to catch up on!" The door opens and they fall into the room then Xander kicks the door shut with his foot. Several hours later they're snuggled up to each other and Buffy asks. " I take it you still like me then?" Xander slowly lets a breath out. " Several times as I recall." He laughs when she hits him." Seriously Buff I wonder how I ever made it with out you. I have had an empty feeling here. " He touches his chest. " For as long as I can remember. I had vague memories of it being full and then when my memory returned I knew beyond a doubt the emptiness was your not being next to me." Buffy grins and sighs, kissing his chest then she nibbles on his ear before whispering. " Congratulations Mr. Harris! For answering that correctly you have won yourself through to the bonus round!" She moved her body till she was over him. Their cries could be heard up and down the hallway. Cordelia rocked Joyce's cradle as she asked Giles. " The potion will work wont it?" Giles nods. " Theoretically it should but once again I should warn you that it was for a Slayer not a normal person. It may work or it may just kill him." Dawn shouts out. " What! So what the hell are we letting him go for? Why don't we knock him out and send him through the gate when it opens?" Willow looks at her." Because we all know what he would do when he woke up. None of us would ever see him again and he would hate us forever." " So? At least he would be alive!" Dawn snaps back. Willow looks sad as she replies. " Don't you think we've thought of that?" Tries to comfort her. " You know him almost as well as I do Dawn and he is a man of honour! I know he would hate us till our dying days for letting his men die in his place." Cordelia tells them. " Besides I know what will happen if he's not here when the final Wendol attack comes. At least those that get through before the Knight's shut it down will be safe." Xander walks into the room with Buffy by his side." And that will include all of you." He holds his hand up to their protests." If things hit the fan the only people I want here are those that can swing a sword. No magic's or seers, or Watchers, so as soon as they re-open the gate I want all of you to go." Willow and Tara stand against him. " In your dreams Harris! You'll need our powers in case something goes wrong with your mission. Besides the way those things look I think the women will need all the aid we can give them, assuming you manage to get them out!" Xander marched over to her and for a brief moment Willow thought he was going to hit her. She braced for the blow but his kiss caught her by surprise." I had forgotten what a pain in the ass you were Rosenberg." He smiled at her then pecked Tara on the cheek and whispered in her ear. " Keep her happy or so help me.." He left the threat unfinished the smiled at her. He went over to Buffy as she kissed Joyce's head, and he to kissed the baby then caressed Buffy's cheek." When this is over we have some serious talking to do Buff." THE REDOUBT. Xander watched as they finished building the last hope the survivors had and nodded to Haroldson. " It's a fine piece of work there Jim." " Eye that it is Beowulf." He looked at the sun as it broke through the trees. " We should be away sir before the Wendol get ready to rise." Xander looked at his men and Riley's team before he looked upon the green and fertile land surrounding the school." I have some good memories of this town, and some bad, but mostly I think I'm glad I returned." He mounted the heavy cavalry horse and grinned at Buffy. " Of course I could be wrong and it's just the company I keep!" The ten men, and women, moved off towards the old high school each one buried in their own thoughts until Xander held up his hand and signalled Riley and Torrance to come forward. " Torrance guide Riley well to the holding place and wait for the guards to leave before attacking." Torrance hesitated then agreed. Riley asked." How do you know they'll leave?" Xander laughed." I should imagine when we are discovered, either before or after, killing their queen we will cause quit a stir." He held out his hand and the two men shook it." Remember the women come first everyone else is expendable. " He starts to ride off then stops. " And I mean everyone so no coming to help us." Xander fisted his salute and the others followed before they went their separate ways. Faith rode close to Xander and she teased him. " So I guess that date we hade is off now you have your memories, and your addiction to a certain blonde slayer, back." He looked at her with sadness. " Faith I can truthfully say as Beowulf my love for you was growing each time I saw you but..." She placed a hand over his. " Hey kiddo no need to explain I've always known you and B were inseparable. I just thought maybe the stars had turned good for me. "She released her hand and grinned at him. " Besides you never know when you'll fall and I'll always be there to catch Ya Xand." All talk stopped when the forward scout held up his hand and motioned for them to be silent. He pointed to the front and held up his thumb and five fingers. They dismounted and then walked up to the rise to see the encampment. Xander smiled as Faith held her nose. " Jeez these things stink worse when they're alive than when they're dead!" Xander looked at the ruins of the school and told them. " If they stick to their plans she should be in the middle of the camp right next to the Hellmouth." He scans his old school and his grin deepens. " Good they haven't found my old secret exit." The grin turns to a scowl." Damn! I forgot to give Riley the code of the day ! " He looks at the others then looks at Faith. " I'm sorry Faith but I need you to get it to him then get back here. We'll wait for your return before commencing our attack." Faith is about to argue then stops and nods. " Just as long as you do wait for me!" She waits for him to nod then asks. " So where is the other camp?" " You'll have to double back till you cut across their trail then get back here ASAP! You're the only one I can trust to do it." Faith grins and winks at him as she mounts up. " I'll be 5x5 Xand just save some for me." As they watch her leave Haroldson pats his back. " I'm glad she'll be out of it." He looks at the blue sky as it shone through the barrier." I have a feeling today will be a good day." Xander motioned his men forward and they slid down the hill and made their way towards their fate. END OF 15