TITLE: THE PRIZE 10 AUTHOR: STEPHEN HOWE

TITLE: THE PRIZE 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! Rated R for violence and adult themes. Set in season 6.B/X pairing. Giles is Buffy's watcher who now works for the Council once more. Anya gave her life to save Buffy in the fight against Glory. Dawn is still here and Willow is with Tara. THE END OF THE TALE. Giles stands up as Buffy staggers into the main room. She looks gaunt and haggard as she asks Willow. " It is him isn't it Willow?" Willow nods then motions to Grey Owl who commences to tell of their deeds." Pony ran back to the village and told us of what happened. Our young warriors, hot bloodedly, wanted to return to the old ways and kill the men that took the life of one who's only crime was that of caring for our plight. Instead I sent Pony and Kicking Horse to bring his body to us for a proper burial." He looks at the gang." You see even we cannot bring the dead back to life. That power remains in the realms of the gods themselves." Buffy and Willow are almost in tears as they realise this is what Xander had done countless times before. He put his life at risk for others not even telling them what he had done or the danger he had been in. Now it seemed likely that he was gone forever. Buffy's voice almost cracked as she begged him. " What did you do with his remains? And who was that in the grave we found?" " Kattadhin brought the body of James back to camp so we used Alexander's grave to hide his remains. As for Alexander… We had planned to honour him with a chief's pyre but as his body burned a green glow engulfed the funeral pyre and his body vanished leaving a ball of intense energy in its place." Buffy turns to Pony." And that's what's in the room?" Pony nods and Buffy then asks Willow. " How do you know its Xander?" Willow grins, half heartedly." It's his aura, his essence surrounds you when it talks." Giles asks. " It talked to you?" Willow shrugs and touches her head. " I can hear his voice here. He also conjured up the Kattadhin to reek revenge on those it knows have entrapped us." The meeting is interrupted by the unholy scream of the Kattadhin. Grey Owl tells them." The Sheriff and his men are coming!" Buffy tells him. " You must stop it from killing them! If it does your people will be blamed for their deaths by the authorities that are coming here." Pony touches Buffy's arm. " Maybe he will listen to you Buffy, we have tried to stop its path of destruction but nothing we say, or do, works." Buffy nods and the three women make their way back to the room. Buffy leans against the barrier and places the palm of her hand against it." Xander if you can hear me please let me in! Darling please hear me before its too late." Nothing happened as she made a fist and then beat it against the barrier. " Alexander Lavelle Harris! You open this door and let me in NOW MISTER!" A rip appeared in the green fabric and allowed her to enter, closing up behind her sealing her from the others. She walked up to the centre of the energy field and came face to face with, what to her, looked like a green spiked ball of light. "Xander, honey? Are you there? " She touched the ball and she felt as if she had a severe case of sea sickness then she found herself an a hill of green grass that lay in the middle of a city the likes of which she had never seen. She gazed at the buildings that seemed to blend into the very sky. " WOW! " Xander told her. " Impressive isn't it?" She turned and saw him standing with in arms reach. She grabbed him and almost broke his back with the power of her hug. She snuggled her head into the crook of his neck. " Xander! Never do this to me again." She broke the hug and told him. " The curator of the museum dropped a dime on the bad guys and the FBI are on their way here. You can put your dog back on its leash now Xand." Xander smiled and, gently, tucked an errant lock of her hair back behind her ear." These people that the Kattadhin seeks have held the Shamash as there own personal medical miracles. " Xander moved away from her and looked at the city." This place has many names in many tongues. In the time of the Druids it was called Avalon, the Greeks called it Olympus but the modern world knows of it as Atlantis. This was the home of my people." He holds his head low. " Of which I was the last of it's line here on earth." Buffy jumped at the word 'was'. She placed her hand on his arm and asked. "Xander you will come back to us…to me after this is over." He glanced up at her and the room could be seen where the green globe shone bright. He points to it." That is my essence all that remains when an Anassasi's earthly body dies." Buffy's eyes mist over and a tear rolls down her cheek before she sets her resolve." Right! I'll get Giles to research this and maybe Willow knows a spell…" Xander places a finger to her lips and shakes his head." Buffy when my body died it sent off a resonance in the time and space continuum so my people will be returning for my essence soon." " No! Please, Xander I've only just begun to love again and you are the one I want!" She gripped his hand and held it to her heart." Please stay with me .I don't care what form you take just so long as you're with me. Or I could stay here with you!" He shook his head as he stroked her cheek. " No, Buffy they need you in your world. You are the chosen one remember?" She looks into his eyes." Good! I choose to stay here then." They hear the sound of distant gunfire and Xander tells her. " You must return to your body now. They come and your people will need you. I will do my best to help. Kattadhin will come to your world no more this much I swear." The city, and Xander, begins to shimmer and vanish. " No! Xander please let me stay!" She wakens to Willow's shaking her body. " Oh thank the Goddess! I thought we had lost you too!" Buffy starts to cry. " He's gone Will! He says he will soon be travelling home." Her bottom lip quivered as she told her. " He wouldn't let me stay with him Will he said I was needed here by my people." Willow nodded." He's right Buffy. We need you everyone needs you here. The Sheriff has decided to get rid of all the evidence starting with the Shamash!" She helps Buffy up." The FBI is in town asking questions and getting more than they bargained for." END OF 10