TITLE: THE BODYGUARD AUTHOR: STEPHEN HOWE

TITLE: THE BODYGUARD                                                                                     AUTHOR: STEPHEN HOWE

E-MAIL: sh01@bigpond.com.au

FEEDBACK: Feed me Seymore!

DISTRIBUTION: Ask and ye shall receive!

DISCLAIMER: All characters belong to Joss! He created everything!  Set in season 5.B/X eventually (Is there any other?) Giles is Buffy's watcher Starts off with the big battle with Glory then jumps two years into the future. My take on what happens in the season final is just wishful thinking.PG-15 for adult themes.                                                                                                                                                                                         THE BATTLE.                                                                                                                                                               Xander picked himself up from the roof of the Ajax building and held his broken wrist to his chest. Anya ran up to him and shouted at him. " Are you crazy? Do you want to die is that it? " She hurriedly splints his hand then runs a hand through his hair. " we're just normal people Xander we get to stand back and hand the heroes weapons then run like heck when it goes wrong! " She realized he wasn't paying attention, his eyes followed Buffy's every move as she used the Trolls hammer to beat Glory into submission.                                                                                                     Buffy struck another blow to Glory's head sending her cart wheeling across the roof. " Spike! Grab Dawn and get her out of here NOW!" Spike nods and kicks Doc in the knee forcing him to drop Dawn. Spike ran to the ladder but it was just a mess of fused metal. He turns and sees Doc striding towards them, then he grabs Dawn. " Hold on tight Dawnie we're going for a little walk." He closed his eyes and jumped, the fall taking what seemed like an eternity before he felt the ground rush up to his feet. He felt his knees smash as bone and muscle absorbed the force of the fall. Then his hips shattered under the weight of the two of them.                                                                                                                                                           He cursed everything and everyone as pain worse than any he had every felt sent his system into shutdown. Dawn crawled away and curled herself into a ball rocking backwards and forwards only coming out of it when she heard her sister cry out in pain.                                                                                                                                                 Glory had hit Buffy to the side of the head sending her sprawling but the blows Glory had received took their toll and she too collapsed. Giles, painfully, made his way to Buffy as Ben's shape took control of the vessel and he moaned in pain. Buffy was out of it and Giles knew that as soon as Glory recovered she would take the form from Ben and finish them all off. He winced as his shoulder pulled at the stitches from the bolt he received from the Knights as they tried to destroy the key.                                                                                                                                             He heard Ben cry out to them and both he and Xander raced over to him. Giles knelt at his side while Xander held the dagger ready to attack if Glory came back. Ben told them. " Your only chance is to destroy the vessel... Kill me now before she returns." He grabbed Giles and begged him. " For all you hold dear please kill me."                                                                                                                                                    Giles looked over to Buffy then shook his head. " I'm sorry I can't... I don't have the strength to kill a friend." Xander felt Anya at his side as Giles got up to return to Buffy. Xander looked into Ben's eyes and nodded. Ben told him." There will be an energy discharge as our powers are dissipated upon our deaths. You should know that if you do this you probably.."                                                                                                             Xander nods then turns to Anya." Go and check on Buffy for me will you love?" She nods then as she turns Xander whispers. " I know I promised you a big bomb clock An but I just don't have the time." She was by Buffy's side by the time his words sank in.                                                                                                                                          Xander knelt by Ben and nodded then Ben closed his eyes." Quick! I can feel her returning." Xander placed the tip against Bens chest just over the heart." My whatever God watches over us have mercy on my soul." He pushed the knife deep into Ben's chest severing his heart in two.                                                                                                   Buffy and the others looked up as the building shook, then Anya made to run to Xander but Giles gripped her hand. Tara looked up from helping Willow recover from delving into her bag of black arts and said. " Good bye Xander." Her mind returned to sanity at the moment of Glory/Ben's death. There was a blinding flash followed by a tremendous shock wave as the mortal remains of the Gods were vaporised by the energy discharge. Buffy revived just in time to see Xander as his body glowed then it too vanished with the gods. His soul-shattering scream filled her mind as it tried to comprehend what had happened.                                                                                                 The debris began to fall around them as they took cover and when it stopped the trio ran over to the last place they had seen him. They looked at the scorched cement and saw the imprint burnt into it for all eternity. " Jesus freaking Christ! What have you assholes done?" They all turned to see Doc stagger back then Buffy picked up the hammer and moved towards him. He began to panic and shouted at her. " Screw you bitch! I'll be back!" He then jumped from the roof and floated to the ground before running of into the days early dawn.                                                                                                                                                                                               As Buffy made her way back to the grieving gang she heard Anya ask. " Why? Why did he do it?" She turned to see Buffy. " YOU! " She stood up and turned on her. " It's all your fault! We had a future! We were going to be married and live a long and fruitful life until he decided to throw it all away for you!"                                                                                                  Giles tries to comfort her. " Anya he did it for all of us not just.." She cuts him off with a glare. " He did it for her! It was always for her! Buffy this and Buffy that!" She turns to her. " I hate you! I wish it were you that died! It was your job not his!"                                                                                                                                          Tara looked up from Willow as her girlfriend stated." He loved her. He always did and always would have Anya. I knew it he knew it! Everyone knew it except for the two of them." Buffy went red at Willows remark. Sure she had been having these feelings for him ever since the Troll told her Anya and Xander would never last. She had seen him defend her a thousand times but it was only now he was gone her true thoughts broke through the wall she had built around herself and her hidden feelings for him.                                                                                                                              Buffy turned away to try and hide the tears that were beginning to fall when she remembered Spike had Dawn. " We have to find Spike and make sure Dawn is okay. We don't have time for this."                                                                                                                             Anya glared at them all as they made their way to the fire escape. " Damn you all to hell!" She pushed past them and made her way out of the building. " If I ever get the chance I'm going to make sure you're all as dead as my Xander!"                                                                                                 Dawn was still trying to drag the unconscious form of Spike under cover when she saw Anya run from the building and flee into dawn's early light. She turned to see Buffy and the others come out behind her. " Buffy! Over here!" She called out. As they approached Dawn was wearing a huge grin. " Well sis I see you managed to send that skank to hell...." He grin slid off her face as she saw the looks on their faces. She looked over the group then a tear began to form in the corners of her eyes." Where's Xander?" The others looked at each other none willing to give voice to the answer.                                                                                                                            " Oh god no! He's dead isn't he?" She began to cry as Buffy hugged her. Willow and Tara dragged Spike under cover as the first rays of light began to burn him. Dawn looked into Buffy's face.                                                                                                                            " You should have let her kill me! I wasn't worth his death!" Willow raced up to her and slapped her face." Don't you ever say that! He gave his life so you, and the world, could live on!" Her tears began to join those of the others." I will remember his sacrifice forever! If there ever comes a day when we feel nothing is worth fighting for just remember we live because he died and to not go on is an insult to his death!"                                                                                                                                         THE END OF PART 1                                                            So? Waddya think?