TITLE:
THE QUESTING 12
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.
TO SLEEP, PERCHANCE TO DREAM. Buffy materialised in front of the others
and they all stepped back when they saw the blood covering her strange dress.
Dawn rushed to her." Buffy are you hurt?" Buffy's eyes began to
release their tears as she sank to her knees." No...Yes I'm dead!"
Dawn kneeled beside her and tried to comfort her as Giles asked." What
happened?" Buffy looked at him and sobbed." I finally found him only
to have him snatched from me by death." She tried to brush the dried blood
from her dress." This is his blood." He looked at him." We were
on some small Island in the Pacific during World War 2 with other survivors of the
attack on Battan when the Japanese attacked them. He told me for the past five
years he's kept two spirits, the Hyena and the soldier, trapped inside him .If
he let go of them for a second he would be lost to the blood cry of them
both." Giles stepped back at her mention of the
place and time, his face going white." My god it was you two!" He
walked over to an old diary he kept on the mantelpiece next to a photo of his
parents he had taken just before he left for the U.S." My father spoke
often of the two Americans that saved his life and of the sacrifice they gave
to make sure the ship sailed unhindered." Buffy
smiled through her tears at him. " I'm glad he made it this time
Giles." Giles looked at the entry and re-read it." The young American
fought like a demon, like the animalists from his readings back at the Council
of Watchers."
Buffy picked her self up and found her Slayer
strength had returned. She hugged Dawn who was now crying as much as she
was." I'm sure Xander is pleased for you Giles. He always thought of you
as his father and it made his last moments easier knowing you would have yours
safe this time." She had an idea and looked at the hand where Anya's watch
was." Maybe if I try to go back..." The watch crumbled and fell to
the floor. The last chance she had for bringing Xander home crumbled with it.
Her shoulder's slumped and Willow helped Dawn take buffy to her room. She told
them." I can't even grieve over his grave! " Giles thought of her words as she was helped up the
stairs and he picked up the phone, dialling the Watcher headquarters in
England. " Yes I'd like to speak with Sir Harold Giles please. Well you
could tell him it's his son calling! " He placed his hand over the mouth
piece." Funny how that always gets them moving.... Hello dad Miss Summers
has returned. No I'm sorry she didn't return with him this time
either...." BUFFY'S ROOM. She slips out of the dress and Willow
tells her." I'll have it taken care of in the morning." Buffy grabbed
it from her." No! Can't you see it's all I have of him now." Willow
and Dawn hugged Buffy and they all began to sob until Dawn told them." You
know he's probably up there grinning like a Cheshire cat! Three girls crying
their hearts out over him! I bet its a fantasy of his." Willow smirked." I know mine is
seeing him in that tux again! " Dawn grinned and looked from under a bowed
head." I'd like to have seen him in those Speedo's!" Willow
and Buffy stared at her." Who told you about those?" Dawn shrugged
then Willow told them." I'd forgotten about them.. Can I change my
mind?" Buffy laid back on her bed and thought back to all the times she
had felt a pull towards Xander and those final days before his death. She
relented to her bodies cry for sleep and drifted into a fitful slumber. As she fell
asleep Willow and Dawn left her in peace and went downstairs to the others.
Willow told them." She's sleeping now." She walked over to Tara and
they hugged." It's like having your heart torn from your chest. I never
thought we would ever lose him." Tara told her as she wiped a tear from
her cheek.." Giles had found something." Willow and Dawn
looked at him and then he told them." As you know my father is still the
leader of the Watchers Council and with that position he is able to access
certain information." Dawn interrupts." Like he did when we found
Glory was here!" He smiled at the key." Yes, exactly, it would appear
Buffy and Xander not only travelled to other realities but they may have also
impacted on this one through some kind of time distortion. He believes the
Powers may have used Anyanka's curse to their own purposes. Sending them to
worlds to experience them and, in some, changing them for the better when they
could.." Dawn jumped up." Then I'd say they
owe them big time!" She turned to Willow and Tara." You two are handy
with the Wiccan spells." She waived her arms about." Whip up a potion
and I'll speak to them." Giles tried to calm them." Wait just a
moment! We don't know for certain that they will do anything of the sort."
Buffy slept the sleep of the just. Her dreams
were all centred on the one theme. What she would do when Xander returned. No
longer would she keep him at arms length and bury her feelings towards him on
the off chance he maybe hurt. If only he would be returned to her. Suddenly she
was in a dark place, a single beam of light pierced the darkness forming a
small circle of light in the middle of the area. Buffy had the feeling it was
for her so she stepped into the light and a voice boomed." Why are you
here?" Buffy jumped at the voice and decided to risk a guess. " To
either bring Xander home or join him." ***
He is dead! Wouldst thou join him in the nether world? ** Buffy stood a little straighter." If he's dead then.. Yes as
long as we are together." *** Hormones! Wait a day or two you will meet
another and completely forget the boy! *** Buffy beat her hands against her sides."
NO! Maybe the old Buffy would have but I've changed. There is room for only one
and he is my chosen one!" *** He's but a normal human! No powers to aid you.. No powers to
even defend himself. He is a burden and one that would soon kill you. Let him
go and give thanks for his demise.*** Buffy yelled at them." You can all go to hell! I am the
Slayer yet he was the one to always do the right thing! I wanted to cut and run
yet he remained every time to do your bidding." *** And he died for it! Thus proving
our point.*** " Yes but not before he finished his duty. A thing we could
all learn from! " An idea struck Buffy." YOU! This was all your
doing! We were being moved to worlds that had fallen and we did your
work!" ### For which the Powers are
grateful, but we cannot change things we can only manipulate people to do our
bidding. ### Buffy was red with rage." Right!
You want good to win? Well now you're up shit creek because I will do
everything to defeat you!" She winked out of the Powers realm and they
turned to each other but before they could say anything a white light appeared
before them and Leo appeared." He's not a happy person Guys!" Leo
paced in front of them." For years he's been nudging these two along and
then you two but in and ruin everything!" *** What can we do? The dye is caste and
that's all there is! *** Leo shook his head." For the past
fifty years he's had one pissed off white lighter in training trying to cut
corners so he could be allowed back on earth." He glares at them."
And now we have one of the best Slayers in history deciding to switch teams
because of your damned interference! " ### What can we do?
She has chosen her course and now we need to stop her### Leo
held up his hand to them." YOU will do nothing! He has made his decision
regarding those two so just for once in your lives butt the heck out!" Leo
vanished and the two turned to one another. *** I suggest we leave them alone..
For a while.*** ### Yes it's unfortunate but we must give HIM
time to cool down before we use our best assets again ### END OF 12