TITLE: THE QUESTING 3
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.Xander cannot stop blaming himself for Buffy's death and has a death wish of his own. FATE OF THE WORLD. Buffy stood to one side totally amazed at how much this Willow differed from the Willow of her world. She looked similar and sounded the same but her eyes! If the eyes are the windows to your soul then Willows had been nailed shut. Buffy saw hardness there that even in her friend's darkest nightmares she would find hard to emulate. An elderly man came up to her and knelt on the ground before her." You came! There were rumours of your victories but for you to have struck in the very heart of HER territory!" Willow grabbed him by the arm and hefted him up." Stand on your feet like a man! If he has taught me one thing its never to kneel down to anything again! " She motioned the rag tag convoy forward as the man still questioned her." Are we going to Freetown now? Will we see HIM?" For a second Buffy saw the beginnings of a smile cross Willows weather beaten features but just as quickly it dissolved." Yes we are going to Freetown and you may see the man if he deems to greet you." The elderly man told her." I'm sorry if I seem jittery but we were being sent to the feeding house and now to suddenly be free..." He held his arms up." I can't explain it in words." Willow asked him." What have you heard about the struggle?" He looked at the others in his group. A mixture of those to old to work or breed and those to infirmed to be of further use to the vampires other than the blood in their bodies." That you were marly a thorn in the Empresses side." He snorted." But we see them leave full of piss and wind then we see none return.." He looks at her." You're hurting them to the point I believe they will seek peace." Willow shook her head and Buffy couldn't understand." Surely peace would be better than a constant war against them?" Willow tilted her head to one side as she thought about her reply." When this all started we may have agreed but then they got the upper hand after the fall of the Federal government and the defeat of it's armies. God saw the trials and tribulations of our race. He saw the camps the Queen Bitch held our people in until they were needed for food or recruitment. She sent an avenging Angel to strike our bonds from our bodies and vanquish our enemies. He started small, steeling people from the work fields and made them a haven that we called Freetown. He devised weapons for us to use." She held up the multi-barrelled gun they all had." He trained us and we freed camp after camp until we could withstand any attack she made against us. Now is the time of revenge! Now they hide in their camps and fear his name!" The others in her squad all said his name in revered tones." Alexander!" She smiles and tells the old man." When he is ready even their armed camp will yield to us!" Willow called a halt and lifted her forearm to her chest and pulled back her sleeve to expose a keypad hidden there." She punches a few numbers then says." Patrol Alpha 1 zero 5. Day code 11564 code word Scooby." Buffy's attention was drawn to movement above them as she saw several figures in the rocks before a massive boulder moved to reveal a tunnel. Willow motioned the convoy forward and told them." You will feel a shower of water for a short time. Do not be afraid its merely a precaution we have to take for the safety of our people." Buffy felt the stream of water strike her and she tasted it." Its just water." The group moved outside the tunnel and she saw several priests blessing water tanks as they were tipped into a large holding tank above the rocks. Realization dawned on her." Ah! Smart move Xand." She saw them as other members of the camp moved to greet them. Buffy saw Giles limp over to her with a smile on his face." I'm glad you're back Willow. Maybe you can talk some sense into him." Willow's shoulders slumped." He's not trying it again is he?" Her question was answered by the roar of an airplane engine." Jeez not again!" A Cessna flew, erratically, over head and dipped it's wings to them." He should damn well know better!" Willow exclaimed." He's too valuable to the cause to risk his life like this!" She ducked as the plane buzzed them." If he survives I'm going to freaking well kill him!" They all moved over to the landing strip that had been built just outside the town and Buffy looked at the wreckage of three other small planes scattered around the field and she realized why they were worried. They watched the plane land and Xander get out with his hands in the air." Wahoo! What a rush!" Willow moved over to him and he continued." We can fit the tanks to it..." Her slap caught him by surprise and her words stopped all other conversations." Don't you ever do that again! You could have been killed!" She suddenly kissed him and he blushed, then she too blushed and stammered out an apology." Ssorry ... I didn't mean to do that." One of the females in the new group asked a girl." Is she his wife?" The girl snorted." She wishes! No he has no one. Every female, and a few males, in the camp have tried at one time or another but he just tells us that some one in another place has his heart and soul." Buffy's heart missed a beat as she thought of Xander. She made sure he couldn't see her just in case he was her Xander and not just the Xander of this world. The closer he got to her the more she felt a build up of static electricity in the air between them. Meanwhile Xander is charged with a new sense of purpose." Now I know how to land we can fit the tanks to it and have a big surprise waiting for our fangy friends." Xander noticed the new additions and turned to them." I'd like to welcome you to our group and say that things are looking better. Everyday we free more people from the camps and soon we will be taking the battle to them! I live only to free our people and return this land to its rightful owners. The day will soon dawn when humans can walk the night free of the scourge that Empress Buffy and her kind have wrought on this land!" Buffy felt a jolt run through her and she shook her head." No! It can't be!" Xander, Giles and Willow entered a small house and closed the door behind them but not before Buffy slipped inside. Xander winced as he sat down and Willow fussed over him." Soft landing my Aunt Jemmy!" She pulled back his shirt to reveal a spreading bruise forming on his chest. She glared at him and he told her. "Willow for the thousandth time it doesn't matter whether I live or die as long as we free the people. The man doesn't matter as long as we defeat Buffy and Riley!" Willow looks angrily at him." You weren't to know she had been turned by Riley, Xander! None of us did until it was too late. She's come close to killing us all over the years and it's only due to you that we are on the brink of defeating her." She watched his shoulders slump at the thought of her." You still love her don't you?" He nods and looks up at them." I love her and given the choice I would gladly join her! But I owe it to the survivors to drive a stake through her black heart and make sure the human race does not vanish from this land!" He wiped a tear from his eye and asks Willow." So what did you find out?" " They're going to attack with all their forces tonight just after sundown. Our source tells me that she has given orders for your capture, anyone hurting you has a crucifixion waiting them ." Willow looks at Xander." It appears she has a place waiting for you at her side." Xander smiles and points to an urn." That's okay we have a place for her too!" Xander stands up and moves to the window." Tonight.... By the mornings first streams of light we will either be free for ever or..." " If we're lucky we're dead! Except for you that is." Willow tells him. Xander turns and shakes his head." Not going to happen Wills. Either way we'll all be free or we'll all be dead. Xander turned and Buffy didn't have enough time to get out of sight He shut his eyes in disbelief and opened them again. This time she was out of sight. He rubbed them and whispered." Now I'm seeing things! Thanks a heap Anya!" He looked at the others and told them." Okay guys we really need some sleep before tonight so I suggest you organise to have the guns recharged and the tanks hooked uo to the plane, then get some shut eye." They all left and he walked over to the couch and laid down on it. He caught another glimpse of Buffy from the corner of his eye and his reaction was swift. He pulled out a cut down version of the multi-barrelled gun, pointing at her." Okay bitch I don't know how you managed to do it but you're going to regret coming here!" He pulled the trigger and several darts speed their way towards Buffy. END OF 3.