TITLE:
THE QUESTING 9
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. TITANIC - 6 HOURS
FROM DOOM. The
purser was walking down the corridor towards the main cabins where the largest
tips always came from when he saw a teenage passenger dressed in weird
clothing." Jeez why is it the rich are always idiots? Money must make 'em
crazy I guess." He answered himself. As the young gentleman approached him
he could see he was very agitated." Can I help you sir?" Xander saw
the uniform and pushed him against the wall with a strength unknown to
man." Yes! Get me the hell off of this floating sarcophagus! I want dry
freaking land under my feet now!" The purser gasped as he felt his ribs bending
under the strain." Leave it off will ya! We're over half way to New York
in the middle of the bleeding Atlantic ocean!" He saw the face cringe at
his words then Xander pushed his hands up lifting the purser a foot off the
deck." Maybe you didn't hear me right! I want off!" A loud crack was
followed by blood pouring from the pursers mouth and nose before the life force
fled the pursers body." Shit!" Xander exclaimed." Now I have to
find someone else to ask!" The three
were in the cabin of Ranulf Feigns famous Egyptologist as they finished
explaining the situation to him. He calmly placed his pipe on the table and
stood up moving gracefully over to a collection of books he had. He searched
through them and found what he was looking for then began to search through it
as Buffy asked him." Just like that you believe us?" He looked up and nodded." When you have dealt with the
things I have in my life's work a tale like this is nothing." He found what he
was searching for and told them with a smile." Anubus was sentence to
another realm by the other gods for interfering in their plans to turn this
world into a paradise for their pets." He looked up at them." You and
I to be precise... The only known weakness Anubus has is his fear of salt
water, a substance we are currently surrounded by. " He closes the book
and smiles at them." We simply throw the chappie overboard end of
story." Buffy shakes her head." What about
Xander?" Ranulf shrugs." Sacrifices must be made if we are to survive
through this." Buffy grabbed him by the scruff of the neck but without her
powers the man easily slipped out of her hold." Damn I keep forgetting
that!" She mumbled then told him." That is not an option!" Merrick told her." Maybe we could get this Anubus to vacate
your friend if he thought the boy was dying?" Buffy looked at him and Roseanne
and the other Slayer looked shocked." You love him? But he is a mere
child!" Buffy shook her head." No he is the same
age as myself. When we jumped to the other world somehow he took the form of the
younger Alexander Harris of that world." Merrick asked her." Then why
didn't he return to his true form when you 'jumped' into this world?" " Anubus!" They turned to Ranulf
as he explained." When Anubus possessed the form in the other world he
stopped any change that would have happened in this world. The thing is how do
we trick Anubus into believing this Xander is dying without actually killing
the boy?" Roseanne tells him." I know of a potion
that slows the heart and can fool anyone into believing the recipient is
dying." OUTSIDE THE BRIDGE. Merrick has a blowgun from Ranulf's collection and several
darts dipped in Roseanne's concoction. Roseanne asks Buffy." You say you
are the Slayer in your time? " She tucks a lock of black hair
behind." My watcher has told me that I must refrain from making any human contacts,
as it will only distract me from my tasks. Yet you have a love." Buffy smiles." Yeah my Watcher told me the same... It lasted
a few hours then he gave up trying to order me around." She took her
arm." I would have died several times over without the support of my friends."
She looks at where Merrick told them Xander was." Especially him. He was
always there even before I felt this way towards him. It took my death and his
sacrifice to bring me back before I realised without him my life is a
waste." Roseanne smiled at her." Soon he will be
back and you can start your journey home again." The door burst open
catching them all by surprise and causing Merrick to drop the blowgun. Xander
sniffed the air and his head snapped towards Buffy, his eyes locking on hers as
he gave out a high-pitched yip. Buffy shuddered."Oh God I know that
sound!" Xander prowled around the gangway never loosing eye contact with
Buffy." So my mate has come at last!" He pounced on her causing her
to collapse under him. He pinned her to the floor while the others struggled to
their feet, then forced her legs apart. "Not so tough now my mate! Now you
feel the right man for once as it should always have been!" Buffy struggled under him as he licked her throat. He saw Roseanne
start to move towards them." Stay Slayer! Or I'll rip her throat out mate
or not! I'm free and will nev...Ooff!" His eyes went white then cross-eyed
as Buffy's knee found it's mark. She rolled out from under him and screamed."
Now Merrick!" Merrick fired the dart and Ranulf held Xander down. Ranulf
saw the panic in its eyes then saw the panic pass." Again Merrick! The
potion was not strong enough!" Merrick fired two more darts until Xander's
eyes rolled up into his head. Ranulf and the others relaxed but then
Xander flipped Ranulf over, the Egyptologist gripped Xander's arm and they both
fell over the edge of the gangway and fell down to the next deck. It took the
others several minutes to reach them and Buffy stopped as she saw a small ice berg
float by the ship." Oh crap! " She exclaimed then grabbed Merricks
hand." Trust what I'm about to tell you is true!" Roseanne arrived just in time to see Ranulf
run off into the night. She dropped to Xander's body and felt for a
pulse." Thank the lord!" She exclaimed. Then looked for her watcher
and Buffy. They came running around the deck and ran into her." He's alive!
But Ranulf ran off." Merrick went over to the lifeboat controls and
familiarised himself with them. He shouted to Buffy." Surely we should
warn the others?" She looked up from Xander's body as it changed and shook her
head." No! If this is my time I may have changed history enough just by
saving you two!" He looked at her." But what if we were supposed to
survive anyway?" She shrugged." So I saved you from getting cold and
wet! Now move it Mr Merrick before the ship strikes!" Ranulf raced to his quarters and bolted the
door." Soon... Soon we shall be in New York and then I will begin to take
my revenge on these stupid mortals!" He looked around the room and failed
to see the large Ice berg as it sailed by the portal." Soon we will be off
this accursed water and safe on dry..." He stumbled and fell to the floor
as the ship struck the iceberg. His collection of Egyptian artefacts fell and
the bust of Nefertiti struck his head knocking him out. The lifeboat drifted away from
the ship and the three watched it strike the massive iceberg causing it to rip
a gash in the 'unsinkable ' liner's side. Buffy watched until she felt Xander
shiver in her arms. She glanced down at him then called his name."
Xander?" She smiled as he changed from the young teenager .His body once
more was that of her 'Xander shaped friend'. Only now she wanted him as more
than a friend. Her forehead creased as she saw him struggling with something in
his mind. Xander watched as the soldier and
the Hyena battled fro control. Anubus may have been removed but the spirits he
had released were still very active. Xander knew that if ever these two got
control of his mind he would never be strong enough to return them to the
bottle he had placed them in. The others hadn't given it a thought when he told
them the soldiers memories had slipped from his mind. Little did they know that
these 'memories' were not gone but had been snowed under by a barrage of
binding spells he had found in one of Giles's books. They were the reason he
found it hard to concentrate on anything until he found his destiny in
carpentry. Merrick called her attention back."
It's finally sinking." Roseanne asked him." Do you think Anubus is
gone or did Ranulf manage to make it to a life raft?" Merrick told her."
We can only pray to god he goes down with the ship." Merrick looked over
and pointed to the sea next to the ship." The least we can do is help the
others." He steered towards them as Buffy told them." We need to try
and get back to our world." Merrick told her." What makes you so
sure you're not on your world?" He went on." Think about it for a
moment. You said that, apart from the last one, on the other worlds no one
could see you but Xander yet there you are!" Buffy asked." But maybe things have
changed now. Maybe the powers have a higher purpose for the two of us? That's
why others can now see us." She grasped Xander's hand and felt him
stir." I wish you all the best in your new world Merrick just remember Roseanne
is still a teenager and she needs to find her own way!" She grins at
him." Believe me if this is my world it would suit me just fine if she
lasted longer than she did." She turned to Roseanne." Rose, make
friends and build up a support base to help you." She held Xander's hand
to her chest and tapped the watch face. The boat shimmered around her and the
blue lightening sparked around them. Her mind felt the terror in Xander's mind
and she held him closer as they moved on. In Ranulf's cabin the water began lapping
against his face and he jerked awake. His eyes went wide and he bolted up and
onto the bed, scrabbling against the wall screaming." Back! Leave my
presence!" But still the water crept up. He smashed his hands into the ceiling,
smashing a great hole in the roof and dragged himself up. He then made his way
to where the boats should have been but found them all floating off as the
ships band played on." NO!" He made his way up the boat as far away
from the horrid water as fast as he could. His sense of self-preservation
sought out a place that would protect him from the seawater and it came upon a
plan. It bid its host a fond farewell and slithered out leaving the body
behind. Ranulf gathered his wits and grabbed a life jacket then jumped into the
near frozen water. Buffy woke up holding
her head." Boy that was a trip and a half..." She stared at the area
around them as Xander struggled to stand." What the heck happened
here?" They surveyed the ruins of a town and gasped at the death and
destruction around them. Before they could respond a marine came running up to
them shouting." Gad damn it people are you two fucking stupid or do you
just have a death wish?" He stopped in front of them." Get on the
freaking boat before I leave you for the damn Japs!" Buffy shakes her
head and mumbles." Oh Boy!" END OF 9