TITLE:
Slayer's Knight 19 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 THE END OF THE
BEGINING. EMERGENCY FIELD HOSPITAL- RECOVERY
UNIT. Faith, Buffy and the others are listening to the
reporters, with grins on their faces, as they explain to an unseen audience
that Sunnydale was the sight of a Bio-toxic terrorist attack. The authorities
had assured everyone that the terrorists had been dealt with and that the
stories of them being ' demons the size of bears' was put down to mass
hysteria. Dawn asks Giles. " Will
the rest of the world buy that Giles?" Giles shrugs. " If you didn't know
what we do what would you want to believe? The fact is most of the survivor's
wont need the council's memory adjustment. They'll believe what makes them feel
safest." Buffy adjusts Joyce's straps as she shifts in her retainer. Buffy
strokes her dark hair and kisses the crown." I think Joyce is getting
restless." She looks over to Xander's room." When are they going to
let us see him?" " Yes there's a fair few reporters
out there want to talk to him as well." Quinten Travers walks into the
pre-Fab building and nods to Giles. " Rupert, good to see you made it
through. And you too Miss Summers." Buffy
glares at him and turns away as Giles asks him." What do you want
Travers?" "
Nothing, I just wanted to see how you all fared during this crisis and to wish
the leader of, what remains of, the Wolfs Heads a speedy recovery." Buffy returns his stare and tells him. "
Just so you know Xander is staying here from now on. With his wife and child,
where he belonged all along." Travers looks bemused. " Oh, does he know about his decision
yet or will you order him to stay like some love sick puppy?" Faith grins and walks up to him, draping an arm over his
shoulders. " Listen Quint 'old boy' if I were you I'd leave now before two
very pissed off Slayers and numerous other people decide to rip your black
heart out and feed it to you!" She hugs him and he yelps in pain."
And if you ever try anything against any of us then the rest will send your
sorry ass right to hell where it belongs. Are we 5x5 on this?" He nods and
she releases the pressure on him. Travers straightens his tie and tries to
regain his composure. " I just thought you'd like to know the Knights, and
the council, have decided to base the Wolfs Heads here along with several
Council members..." Before he
could finish Riley walks in with Xander's doctor and the gang ignore Travers
and walk up to them. " He's surprisingly well considering the damage. And
he appears to be healing at an astounding rate." Dawn whispers to Buffy. "
Must be all that Slayer blood! I wonder should we get him the leather pants now
or wait till he can wear them?" Buffy smiles and Faith has to place a hand
over her mouth to hide the grin as they are shown into Xander's room. Riley holds Buffy back for a second and
warns her. " Don't expect too much from him Buff.. He's afraid at the
moment." She looks frightened by the news. " What of? Is the poison
still in his system?" Riley shakes his head." No Buff he's 100% but
it's you he's afraid of." He sees her puzzled look." He's lost the
Hyena spirit and he thinks you'll think him too weak, too normal, to love as much
as you did before." She looks
over at Xander as he struggles to sit up in his bed and pretend nothing
happened to him." She nods and smiles. " Well I guess we have our work
cut out for us Joyce." She strides over to Xander and unhooks Joyce's
pappose from her chest. She places Joyce in Xander's unsteady hands. Xander says. "
No! I might drop her or something!" Buffy shakes her head." You would
no more hurt her, or any of us, than kill yourself Xander." Xander rests
Joyce on his chest and Buffy sits on his bed with her arm around him and the
other strokes the scar on his face as she gazes at her baby. "Joyce
daddies home.. Daddies home." After the others had said
their thanks and wished him well they left to give Buffy and her family time to
be alone. Buffy rested her head on his chest and made kissing noises at Joyce
when she told Xander. " I hear the Dog's gone... Good I never liked that
side of you Xander." She looked up into his eyes and pulled his face
closer to hers." I love you Alexander Lavelle Harris! Not some stupid
power just you.. Your soul makes mine shine every time I see you without you there
is no Buffy Summers." Xander plants butterfly
kisses along her neck and leads them up to her mouth." You are the reason
I returned, the reason I go on living this day. Without you Buffy Anne Summers,
there would be no me!" He kisses her and they have a brief taste of what
all the pent up passion has in store for them. LA
TWO DAYS LATER. Cordelia is moaning to Wesley as they sit in
the audience of the Host's club." I still don't see why we had to leave so
early for?" She pulls the beer mat to pieces. " We had a lot of
catching up to do with the old gang." Wesley pats her hand. " Angel had made
assurances here before we left and he had to honour them. Besides I think he
wanted to pass on Xander's message to the Host." The
Host laughs at Angel's statement. " In my eye..." He wipes a tear of
laughter from the corner of his eye. " Oh that's a good one Angel." " But
you got his destiny wrong! I thought you were never wrong?" Angels asks
him. " But I wasn't my friend,
I wasn't. I told him that his destiny was to fall in battle against terrible
odds while defending man and his loved ones. " He shrugged." Then I
made mention that his birthday was close to when Glory was going to try and
open the gates to her plain. He simply put two and two together and came up
with 5!" The Host smiles. " But when you think on it that maybe was a
good thing." " How do you work that out?" " Well if he hadn't then he wouldn't
have done the things he did. He wouldn't have had the guts to get the his
hearts desire and he wouldn't have faced the knights by himself thereby
assuring the Wendol's destruction and saving the world." Angel
stirred his drink. " Well at least it's over now and they can start a
normal life." The Host laughs. " Well
they'll have anything but a normal life let me assure you of that! The Gods
have not finished with the Harris's ... No siree not by a long shot!" SUNNYDALE Buffy and Faith
stood in the centre of the house and looked pleased with each other. "
Well it's as clean as it's ever going to get I think Buffy." Faith shakes
the headscarf from her hair and is followed by Buffy as Dawn comes walking in
the door. She sees them and throws her parcel into the kitchen before they see
her. " Hey sis! " She pecks Buffy on her cheek and waves to Faith and
winks at her. " Hey Slayer." She slumps down in an armchair and looks
around the room. " So the knight that says nit! Is finally coming home
huh." Buffy glares at Faith. " God I wish you never showed her that
damned Monty Python movie Faith!" Faith was about to respond when
Joyce started to cry for her midday feeding. Dawn looks up at their room.
" Boy you can tell she's a Harris!" As Buffy runs up the stairs. As soon
as she's out of the room Faith asks. " Did you get it?" Dawn grins." Does a Vamp hate
wood?" They are sitting in
the lounge waiting for Xander to arrive when Buffy and Faith suddenly look to
the window." I hear Giles's car." Dawn cocks her head to one side.
" I still wish I had super hearing." She blushes. " But not
tonight though." Buffy looks at
her hair for the thousandth time and then opens the door just as Giles is about
to knock. Giles picks up a small bag and ushers Xander in." Where are your
things?" Buffy asks and Xander shrugs. " Didn't need much, if you had
to much it meant you took forever to pack so?" Buffy
walks him to the main room and when he steps in he sees a large double bed with
side tables and stuffed animals on the bed. He picks up Mr Gordo and smiles
before replacing it. " So where's my room?" Buffy
smiles and opens the closet to reveal a quarter of it empty then opens two
draws for him. " This is our room Xander and never forget that this is where
you belong." They hug and the others leave letting the two some get re
acquainted.
The next day Buffy is in the
kitchen with Faith and Dawn preparing breakfast as they hear Xander walking
down the stairs. Dawn nods to Faith and she lifts up a small instant camera as
Xander walks in. " Hey Buffy I can't remember buying these but if you want me
to ware them I will." He pulls at the tight leather as it grips his butt and
tries to make more room. Faith takes several
pictures as Dawn stands with her mouth open." Dear lord there is a God in
heaven and I have seen his work!" Buffy stands in front of him facing the other two waiving a
skillet pan at them. " I know you had something to do with this and if you ever
try it again … I'll have to buy another pan! No leave .. NOW!" The two females leave and as Faith passes them
Xander lets out a yelp and rubs his ass. " Sorry… Target of opportunity and
all." Faith and Dawn giggle as they leave. Dawns voice can be heard stating. "
I can get at least $10 a shot for these at school!" Buffy apologises for them and Xander tells
her. " I'll throw these in the bin." As he goes to take them off." Buffy grabs his arm. " Hang on let's not be so hasty! These did
cost Dawn good money and it seems a shame to waste them… " She looks at him. " How
about we save them for when we're alone?" She grins and they kiss." Now come on
and I'll help you out of those tight trousers Mr. Harris." Xander grins and follows her upstairs. END OF STORY.