A Buffy The Vampire Slayer/Dawson's Creek Crossover
Episode Six - "Northern Star"
*FADE TO: A funeral service. Maybe people are gathered around, including Joey, Pacey, and Xander.*
(OL:Music) - "If That Were Me" by Mel C
All three were trying their hardest to keep themselves together, but it wasn't working very well. Slowly, one-by-one, they all began to break down. Even Xander, who hadn't known Dawson for very long. He knew that nobody deserved to die the way he did.
Pacey and Xander sat on either side of the distraught Joey, holding her hands tightly. She didn't full-out cry, simply sobbed quietly. None of them paid any attention to the funeral ceremony, or the eulogy as given by Dawson's father.
Joey was thankful they hadn't chosen her to go up and say anything about him, or she would have lost all of her sanity.
"My son was not old enough to be considered a man, by law. But the maturity he showed me every day made him a better man than most others out there. His memory..." Mitch sniffled loudly, "His memory will go on forever, in each and every one of us that knew him. Thank you..." He stepped down from behind the pulpit and returned to his seat next to his wife Gale.
People began sliding out of the pews and walking up to the front to pass by Dawson, silently praying. Xander lowered his head and gave an appraising look to the girl next to him. She was staring intently at the ground, as if expecting it to split open and swallow her, but still noticed the people at the end of their pew moving out. She motioned that she wanted to get up, and he whispered softly, "Are you sure you want to do this, Jo?"
She looked at him, and nodded. He saw from the look on her face that she was determined to go whether he liked it or not. He gave a nod to Pacey, who started out of the pew, pulling Joey's arm with him.
They stood in the line, shuffling slowly, until they finally made it to the casket. None of them were really looking forward to seeing Dawson's dead body, but all knew they needed to make their peace while they could. Joey moved forward after Pacey had finished, and looked down at Dawson, pale and motionless, when she began to weep. Xander was about to pull her away from the casket and back to her seat, but she shrugged his arm off.
Her head bowed, and her tears ceased, a prayer coming to her lips. Xander couldn't make it out, but didn't really think he needed to. It was Joey's last moment with her best friend, it could be whatever she wanted.
She finally finished her prayer, and walked away, using Pacey's arm for leverage. Xander stepped up after making sure Joey was fine, and observed the corpse before him. He felt disturbed by the fact he had more interest in Dawson's remains as a scene to be examined, rather than a friend departed.
He looked at what he could see, most prominently Dawson's neck. The collar of the suit he wore was pulled up, covering the wound in his neck. He understood that, there was no need for friends and family to see the gruesome cause of Dawson's death. He quickly examined the body for any other signs of possible anomaly, but found none. It looked like Dawson would rest peacefully in the afterlife.
He stepped back from the casket and went back to the pew to sit. Joey was forcing her way out over Pacey's lap, and stumbled out of the seat into Xander's arms. They eyed each other momentarily before Joey mumbled, "I've got to get out of here." She pulled out of Xander's arms and made her way out the back of the chapel.
Xander gave Pacey an apologetic look and headed off after Joey.
(OL:Music: fade and cut to credits.)
*Buffy The Vampire Slayer / Dawson's Creek combined credits.*
*FADE TO: The exterior of the church.*
Xander swung the door open quietly and stepped into the bright sunlight. Before him, on the steps, Joey sat sobbing loudly. He walked cautiously up behind her, and took a seat next to her on the steps. She didn't acknowledge his presence.
He didn't know whether to put an arm around her or not. He figured he probably shouldn't, so he simply spoke in a quiet voice, "I had to bury a friend once, too. His name was Jesse, and he was killed by a vampire just like Dawson." He paused to glance over a Joey sideways. She still seemed caught up in her misery, so he continued, "But, he came back. I still don't know the details of how that all goes down... but he came back, and he wasn't the same. Obviously, he was a vampire."
He sighed, finally reaching an arm over and around her, "That was around the time that Buffy showed up in town. If it wasn't for her, I'd have become vampire chow at the hands of my former best friend. Jesse, Willow, and me... we used to be inseperable. And here he was, trying to snack off my very much personal blood supply." He looked at her, "I had to watch him die all over again when Buffy came around. Do you realize how lucky you are? From what I can tell, Dawson is showing no signs of... y'know, being undead."
"You call that lucky?" She asked incredulously, "My best friend in the world is dead."
Xander nodded, "Yes, yes he is. But you're lucky because you won't have to watch him wreak havoc on your life, or even worse, have to watch him blow away in the wind when he's dusted. Your friend is dead, and he's staying dead. I'd call that very lucky in this big bad world."
Her sobbing resumed, and her body slackened, causing her head to fall against his shoulder. She looked exhausted, and he decided he had to do something. He enjoyed the situation for a moment, the reason unclear to him, before he stood up carefully and pulled her up with him. She grumbled and groaned between her sobs, but he shook his head.
"I'm taking you home... you've got to get some rest."
Her head raised and she looked at him, "Like that will happen with Rosemary's baby at home."
A hint of a smile appeared on his lips, seeing a glimpse of her former humorful self showing through. He threw her arm over his shoulder and supported her weight as he pulled her along, "I didn't say anything about *your* home."
His concentration on keeping her stablized forced him to miss the odd look she gave him.
*CUT TO: Pacey coming out of the church later on. Bessie runs up behind him and taps his shoulder.*
"Pacey!" She called.
"Yeah, Bess?" Pacey responded.
Bessie looked a little stressed, "Have you seen Joey? I haven't seen her since she... uh, went through the... line."
Pacey nodded, "She kinda freaked a little and ran out the back. Xander went after her, though, so I'm sure she's fine." He tried to be reassuring. He didn't want her to know that nothing was for sure in this town anymore.
Bessie nodded weakly, "She's just been so on edge lately. The slightest thing would set her into a fit of sobs... so I just wanted to make sure she wasn't too far over the edge this time."
Pacey tried to keep his face from falling, but Bessie saw it a little. She frowned deeply as Pacey reassured, "Like I said, Bessie... Xander went after her when she ran out, so I'm sure he's taking care of her." He paused before continuing, "If she's not home by the time you get there, give me a beep and I'll swing by
Xander's. Here's my beeper number, and here's the number to Xander's place if you get too antsy." He handed her the numbers, "I'm sure she's fine though, Bess. Xander will help keep her level." He bent down and gave her a peck on the cheek, as well as a hug, before departing.
*CUT TO: Hotel room. Buffy is throwing things into a suitcase as the other three watch.*
"Buffy, why are you in such a hurry to leave?" Willow asked cautiously.
"Are you kidding? The world is in danger. We've got to go save it!" She replied over-enthusiastically.
"You have no interest in saving Xander's life as well?" Giles asked evenly, despite his being upset at the Slayer's current 'tantrum.'
"You said it yourself, Giles. Its Xander, or the world... and the world is a hell of a lot higher on the list of things to save."
Giles shook his head, "Well, I regret to inform you that there is a full moon in two days."
Buffy stopped what she was doing and looked at the Watcher in confusion, "And that affects me *how*?"
Willow answered for Giles, "It may not affect you, Buffy... but if you remember, it has a nasty affect on Oz." Her eyes popped open a little and she looked at her boyfriend apologetically, "Oh, sorry honey."
Buffy rolled her eyes, "Oh please... I still don't understand what you're getting at."
"Our travel time back to Sunnydale will be three days at the *least.*" Giles firmly stated, "So unless you want Oz changing on the bus or at a station, we will have to remain here until the full moon is over."
Buffy finally understood. She growled quietly, and grabbed her weapon bag, "Fine... shackle up wolfy over there... I'll be out scouring for demons and such until you people are ready to blow this town."
*Commercial break*
*FADE TO: Xander and Joey walking down the block towards Xander's home. Joey is walking under her own power now, but Xander still has his arm around her just in case.*
"And so I said to the waitress... I think I'll change my order to the special." Xander relayed.
Joey giggled a little, her smile returning to her face. She shook her head and commented, "That is such a fake story, Xander. Food doesn't do that to somebody."
Xander smiled, "Yeah, but demon possession does. I just wanted to be on the safe side." Joey laughed out loud, leaning into him a little, which he took as a sign she might be getting weak again. He pulled his arm tighter around her, for extra safety. 'Yeah, sure.' He thought to himself.
*CUT TO: Buffy 'patrolling.' She's in the vicinity of Xander's house (which she is well aware of). She's walking along, observing her surroundings sparsely, her mind preoccupied with other things. She rounds a corner, coming off a side-street and onto a main one, when she sees Joey and Xander up ahead of her. She sees his arm around her, and becomes infruiated.*
*CUT TO: Joey and Xander.*
They finally arrived at Xander's house, and paused at the end of the walkway. Joey looked at Xander, her trademark smile in use, "Thank you, Xander... for all the stuff you've ever done for me."
Xander smiled, "Finally, a girl who thanks me for my good deeds." He closed his eyes momentarily, thinking back to the 'sexy dance' he was subjected to while Buffy was 'bad.' He was brought out of this moment as Joey placed a gentle kiss on his cheeck.
"I really mean it... if it wasn't for you..." She herself thought back to the experiences she had in her wish-created universe, "I don't know where I'd be right now." They exchanged an awkward look between each other, and as they became locked in it, they drifted slowly closer and closer.
Whatever moment they were having, it was swiftly interrupted by a severely distraut, "He's MINE!" Just before a kick came around to Joey's side, knocking her off onto the grass. Behind her stood a frazzled and unstable looking Buffy.
Xander stepped forward, "Buffy, what are you..." His sentence was interrupted by Buffy's foot connecting with his jaw. The blow sent him backwards into the frontyard tree, where he bumped his head quite hard. He slumped to the ground, to be of no help to anyone.
Buffy's body language and facial expression were almost feral, as if she was tapping into her primal side at the time, "You think you can just come in and take him away from me?"
Joey cautiously got up, her side sore from the unprotected blow. She managed to roll her eyes before answering, "I'm not trying to steal him, blondie... and secondly, he's not exactly your's to lose."
Buffy charged forward, growling furiously, but didn't expect the move Joey pulled off. She dropped to the ground as Buffy came close, thrusting a foot upwards into her stomach and using Buffy's own momentum against her. She was catapaulted up and over the tall creek-dwellar and further across the lawn.
(OL: Music) - "Brackish" by Kittie
She rolled with the landing, and quickly made it back to her feet, to observe the brunette. They faced off against each other, pondering the next move. Buffy spun around with a roundhouse kick, which Joey quickly countered with a spinning legsweep. Buffy hopped over that easily and drove a knee to the side of Joey's head.
*CUT TO: Perspective behind the falling Xander, facing out to the street. Camera pans with the fight.*
Joey rolled sideways after taking the blow, and hopped back to her feet. She went right back to fighting, trading punched with the Slayer and blocking as fast as she could. A small stand-off began, until Joey developed a patter the Slayer figured out. She prepared to take advantage of it, as Joey doubled back and caught the Slayer with a backhand across the face as she blocked the other way.
Buffy stumbled backwards, holding her face in the place where Joey delivered a great deal of force to. All Joey could do was grin-lopsidedly before she struck a karate pose, turning her hand and motioning for the Slayer to continue.
The skirmish moved all over Xander's front lawn, until it drew close to the front porch. Joey had done a good job of holding the Slayer off, even taking advantage here and there, but her energy was running out.
Buffy saw the girls increasing slowness, and delivered a rather vicious kick to her leg, stumbling the tall brunette up against the porch itself. She wasted no time in spinning around and delivering yet another vicious kick to Joey's midsection, driving her right through the criss-cross boarding of the porch.
She smiled with satisfaction as she grabbed a section of the criss-cross, and kicked through it to create a make-shift stake. She stood over the prone girl and drew back to stake her, pausing as satisfaction overcame her again.
(OL: Music - Quick fade)
The moment's hesitence was enough for Xander to grab her arm from behind and pull the 'stake' out of her hand and discard it in the yard, "What the hell are you doing, Buffy? Killing innocent people now?"
She shoved Xander backwards and stalked after him. Her feral snarl returned, "The bitch is trying to take you away from me."
"I'm not yours to lose, Buffy." He wasn't pleased with the Slayer's 'tantrum,' "And if you didn't know already, today was Dawson's funeral. Joey wasn't feeling too well, so I brought her back here to rest."
"And I'm supposed to believe you?"
His expression was menacing, and was enough to almost scare the Slayer, "Right now, Buffy, you don't really have a choice. Now get the hell of my property and go back to whatever you were doing. Today never happened, you hear me?" He didn't spare another moment on her, as he rushed over and helped Joey out from under the porch. When he glanced back moments later, Buffy was nowhere in sight.
*CUT TO: Xander helping Joey into the house, after she refused going to the hospital.*
"Just what the heck was that, Joey?"
"What do you mean?"
"What do I mean? I mean that Kung Fu Kitty routine you were pulling out there. I was the one in self-defense class for months, and you made me look like a first-timer."
She smiled, however painfully, and comment simply, "Tuesday/Thursday, right?"
He raised an eyebrow, "Uh, yeah..."
Her smile melted into a lop-sided grin, "I was Monday/Wednesday/Friday... advanced course."
He laughed, "Figures. Lets get you in to bed... you'll be sore in the morning.
*CUT TO: A dock wharehouse. Giles, Willow, Pacey, Oz and Xander are gathered around a make-shift cage.*
"Thats the cage I'm supposed to stay in?" Oz said, disbelievingly.
Giles nodded, "Yes... its the best we could do. It will suffice."
Pacey stepped up to it and observed it proudly, "Hey man... me and Xander built it. This thing could withstand a hurricane." He patted it lightly, and the 'door' proceeded to fall over. He looked up, embarrassed, before waving Xander over and working on fixing it.
Giles glanced at his watch, rather than berate the two boys on their work, and commented, "The sun will set in a short while. I believe it would be best if Oz got in the cage now."
Pacey and Xander finished fixing the door, and Pacey once again looked at it proudly, "There, all finished! We even doubled the ties to make it stronger."
Oz climbed inside via the door, which held its place this time. He closed the door as Giles applied several locks to the door, and Oz stated calmly, "See you in a bit..."
The warehouse dimmed as the sun finally went down, the full moon came out in all its glory. They all stood back as Oz began to twitch, the change in him starting.
They all watched in awe as the Oz they knew slowly, but drastically, changed into a hairy, drooly creature. During the transformation, Oz wildly swang his arms out, colliding with the walls of the shotty cage... but it managed to hold, boosting their confidence in it.
"Anybody hungry?" Pacey asked. Everyone nodded, albeit reluctantly. They headed for the door, but the ruckus behind them grew even louder. They turned to look just in time to see Oz deliver a powerful shoulderblock to the cage door. The cage shook, but seemed to hold together through the barrage... only to fall completely apart as the ties all broke at once.
Oz sprung from his spot towards the group, halting only when Willow screamed, "Oz, no!" He altered his course slightly and ran straight through the door of the warehouse, out into the street.
The group all looked at Pacey and Xander angrily, and all Pacey would think of to respond was, "This ain't good..."
*Commercial break*
*FADE TO: Pacey and Willow searching for Oz. Pacey has a tranq-gun and Willow has just herself.*
Pacey held the gun gingerly, obviously never handling one before. He looked from side to side, and listened as best as he could, "Here, Wascally Wabbit. Heeeere, Wascally Wabbit."
Willow smacked him across the arm, "Thats not funny!"
"I'm sorry... I'm just trying to keep the situation light."
"What do you mean, light? We don't want light. We want serious. Boyfriend finding always has to be serious." Willow's voice became squeaky, a sign of nervousness on her part.
Pacey smirked, "I wouldn't know, I've never had a boyfriend to find."
Willow smirked as well, "Don't worry, Pacey. Some day you'll find the right man." She smiled widely at her good comeback. Pacey was left almost awestruck. His unaloof state left him open to a sideswipe by a large, furry creature. He spun to the ground as the creature stood nearby, panting up a storm.
Pacey readied the gun, and fired of a tranquilizer round, but it didn't stop the wolf. It came charging after Pacey again, but was cut off as someone else rammed it first.
The blonde head of hair swinging back and forth was a quick indication of who it was. Buffy took her stance, and as the beast came back at her, she began to pound on it mercilessly. Her intense anger made Oz no match for her, even in wolf form.
She drew out a stake, and prepared for the finishing blow when Willow called out, "Buffy, no! He's a good werewolf!"
She looked up, and saw the worry covering Willow's face, and backed off. She didn't speak a word, simply slipped back into the shadows. In the commotion, or lack thereof, Oz jumped up and took off down the path.
Pacey got up lazily, holding his side carefully, and shook his head, "That went great." He looked at Willow, who was only just coming down from her fright, "Just what is the difference between a good werewolf and a bad werewolf?"
It took her a few moments to respond, her daze filling her with embarrassment, "The difference between a good werewolf, and a bad werewolf is... umm... good ones are less dooly?"
Pacey laughed, causing him to wince, before he picked up the tranq-gun and motioned for her to follow.
*CUT TO: The ruins. Pacey, Xander, Giles, and Willow have all met up there. Pacey is still holding his side, and Giles is sporting a nice scar on his forehead.*
"This plan is going excellently, wouldn't you say, Giles?" Xander commented sarcastically.
Giles glared at him, "Yes, it bloody well is... and it figures, seeing as how its *your* fault."
"My fault? I wasn't the one who brought fur-face along for the trip!" Xander yelled right back, only realizing the mistake he made after it had come out.
Willow sat up angrily, "Oh, so now its *my* fault now?"
Pacey waved his arms wildly, getting their attention, "This is just great. We've got a wolf on the loose, and all we can do is blame each other. How about we shut up and go out looking again?"
"I don't see what good that'll do." A voice came from off to the side. They all turned to see Buffy standing nearby. She looked battle worn, scars on her arms and forehead. She had a large clump of hair in her hands.
Willow ran up to her, "What did you do? If you killed him, I'll..."
"You'll what, Willow? Kick my ass? Thats unlikely." She frowned, "Don't worry, I didn't kill him. I just took a piece of him in our last battle... literally." She held it up for a moment, then tossed it off to the side.
"Are you out to prove something, Buffy?" Xander asked evenly. He wasn't happy to see her.
"Other than the fact you guys aren't organized enough to catch a stray cat? No, not really."
"If we all work together, we'll be more likely to catch him and subdue him." Giles commented, trying to hide his displeasure with the petty bickering between these two.
"Good plan, Giles. And where will we put him? In that ratty old cage you threw together at the wharf? Yeah, that'll work." She rolled her eyes, "He won't stay asleep forever, Giles. Not even until morning. And you don't have enough tranq-darts to keep him going."
Giles stood up straight, "And what are you suggesting, Buffy?"
Her face was dead and emotionless, "We take him out."
Willow jumped up and got in her face again, "Kill him? Buffy, he's my boyfriend. Its not his fault he's a werewolf for three days a month. Its chance."
Buffy remained distant, "And its not *our* fault he's what we're supposed to be hunting. He's just a casualty of an unfair war."
Xander laughed bitterly and looked down, exercising the nose-pinching habit he'd picked up from Giles, "Well if it isn't the Queen of Sympathy."
Buffy stiffend, and gave him a hard glare, "What's that supposed to mean?"
He returned her glare, "When its you and Angel, the vampire slayer and her vampire lover... we're supposed to have all the sympathy in the world for your plight. But when it comes to us, your lowly subjects... its off with their heads."
"Angel and I don't compare to this." Buffy declared, not very convincingly.
"Let's see. Boy and Girl. Check. Human girl, not human boy. Check. Extenuating circumstances and a demand for sympathy. Check." He pondered silently, "I think it qualifies as comparable."
Buffy fumed and stormed away out of the ruins. Before any of them could react, Pacey's beeper started going off loudly. He looked at it, seeing the Potter's number, and said quietly, "Could we get to a phone?"
*CUT TO: A pay phone, Pacey just hanging up.*
"Well, the night gets better and better." Pacey said, breathing heavily afterwards.
"What do you mean, Pacey? Whats happening?" Xander asked.
Pacey knew this wouldn't go over well, "It appears that a young Ms. Potter has left the premisis of the Potter family house. She went out for a walk earlier this evening, and has yet to return." He could feel the look that washed over Xander's face, rather than see it.
"We have to go find her." Xander declared.
"Yes, well... would you have any idea where she might have gone?" Giles asked quietly.
"Umm... I never really got to know any of her hangouts... I have no clue." He frowned, "Pacey?"
"Hey hey... we've barely been on speaking terms for the past four years. I've got about as much idea as you do."
"Do we just start walking around?" Willow asked, nervous.
Xander shook his head, "I say we stop by my house and see if she stopped there..."
"Good idea... let's head." Pacey said, letting Xander lead the way.
*CUT TO: A short distance away from Xander's house. They're walking casually, until they hear a scream and some growling. They rush forward to the house. They see the werewolf clawing at the hole in the boarding below the porch. Another scream eminates from under the porch.*
*CUT TO: Pacey aiming the tranq-gun. He starts to squeeze the trigger.*
*CUT TO: Oz/Werewolf clawing under the porch.*
Buffy came leaping towards the werewolf, landing with a roll, and giving a quick snap kick to the creature's jaw as it turned around. It fell backwards, away from the hole in the porch, and rolled to its feet.
It came at her slashing wildly, and she kicked off each swing easily, driving it further backwards. Pacey was still aiming the tranq-gun, trying to decide whether to risk hitting Buffy or not. Xander took the opportunity, as small as it was, to run past Buffy and the slobber-monster, to the opening in the porch.
Pacey finally squeezed off a shot, successfully landing it in Oz's leg. He yelped loudly, before Buffy caught him in the jaw again. She seemed to go into a Slayer frenzy, and her punches and kicks came faster. She didn't look to be stopping any time soon, either.
Pacey turned his head and spoke to Giles, "I can't get another clear shot... she's getting in the way."
Giles nodded, "Then don't worry about it... if you hit her, we'll just have two people to drag away at the end... it will make dealing with her all the easier."
Pacey nodded slowly, not sure just what to do. He quickly shook off his doubts and went back to aiming. He stopped adjusting for Buffy's position, and squeezed off two more rounds which landed successfully in Oz. The wolf finally started to fall over.
Buffy backed off at the creatures falling, but upon stepping back she encountered the imitation stake from the other day. Her expression flared again, and she grabbed it. She charged back towards the unconscious werewolf, and drew back to stake him. Willow screamed out loud, rushing forward, and Giles yelled to Pacey, "Pacey, now!"
Pacey hesitated only momentarily before firing one more shot from the tranq-gun, landing it firmly in Buffy's back.
She spun around and looked at her 'friends' with extreme suprise, before the tranquilizer kicked in and she fell to the ground quickly.
Willow, Giles, and Pacey all exchanged a weary look as the scene sunk in.
*Commercial break*
*FADE TO: Under the porch. A dim light is coming in from the street light.*
Xander came crawling out from under the porch, Joey clinging to him like a life preserver. He carefully pulled her up and examined her for injuries. He saw very few outside, needing care but not urgently. He tried to get her to focus on him, and asked, "Joey... are you okay? Are you seriously hurt?"
She shook her head wildly, just staring straight into his eyes. He couldn't help but stare back, but he feared he might become lost if he didn't look away. He did so reluctantly, checking with the others to make sure they were all right themselves. It was a silly question, seeing as how they weren't involved in the attack.
He looked at his friends apprehensively as he asked, "Do you think you guys could take care of this Oz thing while I get her inside? Somebody needs to dress her wounds and make sure she's really all right."
Giles nodded reluctantly, and the other three moved towards the pile of unconscious bodies. Pacey lifted Buffy up, and hoisted her over his shoulder. He couldn't avoid commenting, "Well, this is *one* way to pick up chicks..."
Willow rolled her eyes, "That is SO immature, Pacey."
Pacey smiled, "Hey, at least I'm not dragging her by her hair." He turned to Giles, "I'm gonna head for home... I'll go snag the Witter truck and come back around. You two stay with fido here, and we can haul him away when I get back. Sound cool?"
Giles nodded, taking a seat on the sidewalk. Pacey threw him the tranq-gun and headed off down the sidewalk, lugging the Slayer on his shoulder.
*CUT TO: Xander helping Joey towards the stairs of his house.*
Xander cautiously had his arm around her, an she was pushing on his shoulder to keep stable. They were almost to the steps when Joey halted in her tracks, throwing a hand to her temple. She didn't scream, simply whimpered softly.
Xander turned slightly to ask if she was all right. Instead of responding, she threw herself at him, forcing them to fall down onto the steps. Mere moments later, wolf-Oz came flying past the very spot they had occupied earlier.
Hitting empty air forced it to land harshly on the other side of the lawn, and its groggy clambor allowed Giles plenty of time to pull up the tranq-gun and fire a pair of rounds, subduing the creature once more. From that point on Giles kept the gun at ready at all times.
*CUT TO: Close-up of Xander and Joey. Her actions have caused them to lay against the stairs, their faces very close.*
They inched closer and closer, yet again, until the front door opened, and Xander's aunt poked her head out cautiously. She didn't observe the situation, only looked down to see her nephew and a girl almost kissing. As much as she hated to interrupt, she needed to know something.
"Xander... is it safe out there? There was a wild animal prowling around, and a girl was screaming... should I call Animal Control?"
Xander glanced up from his spot on the stairs, which was quite uncomfortable, and replied, "No, Aunt Edith... everything is under control. It was just a wild dog, and its gone now." Thankfully the wolf had fallen off to the side, behind the bushes, so it couldn't be seen from his aunt's position anymore.
"Alright... what about the screams? Who was it?"
Joey spoke for him, looking up and smiling a little, "It was me, Mrs. Bachman... I'm just a little scratched up and scared."
His aunt smiled a little, "Oh, hi Joey... do you want to come in? We can tend to your scratches and anything else you need."
Joey looked down at Xander for a moment, a lop-sided grin rising to her lips, before looking back up at Edith and speaking, "I'd love that, Mrs. Bachman."
She stood up gingerly, and helped Xander up with her. They walked up the steps, before Xander turned back and asked, "The fort going to be okay without us?"
Giles nodded, "Yes... I suppose we'll buy stronger twine for the cage this time." He smiled, proud of his joke. Xander smiled too, and headed in after Joey.
*CUT TO: Xander and Joey sipping hot chocolate on the couch. She has bandages all over, but none of them are very big.*
Xander eyed Joey over his cup, a little too obviously. She kept stealing glances at him, spending most of her time looking at the bubbles in her hot chocolate. When it finally bugged her enough, she looked up, "Is there something wrong, Xander? Am I growing a second head, and does it resemble anyone you know?"
Xander laughed a little, but shook his head. He waited a while before answering, pulling his cup of hot chocolate down to speak, "I was just curious... y'know, about the headache, with the wimpering, and the life-saving stuff... what was that?"
Joey's slight smile faded, and a perplexed expression took over her face. She glanced around to see if his aunt was nearby, and saw no one. "I don't really know.
Just recently, I sort of started geting these weired headaches... and, they had premonitions with them. Y'know, like visions."
He nodded, and she continued, "And out there... well, the vision I had was of the wolf-thing jumping us from behind. I did the only thing I could think of, and that was get us out of the way."
He nodded again, a hint of his own lop-sided grin coming about, "Well, thank you. A lot. I just want to make sure you know that I appreciated it... saving my life and all. Cause I know firsthand how... painful it can be to not know."
She nodded and sipped more of her hot chocolate. The back and forth eye game continued.
*CUT TO: Daylight scene. Pacey, Joey, Xander standing with Giles, Willow, Oz, and Buffy at a bus station.*
"So you're really goin'?" Xander asked, almost sad to see them go.
Giles nodded, "We have to return to Sunnydale. Must stop Angel and all that." Giles almost seemed to be choking up. Xander smiled and gave him a hug.
"Will... it was good to see you again." He said genuinely. She smiled, her eyes getting watery, as another hug was exchanged.
"Oz... um... catch ya later, man." They shook hands.
Xander approached Buffy last. His expression became flat and as drained of emotion as he could make it. He spoke quietly, "Y'know, I wish I could say I'm sad to see you go... but it hasn't been a picnic since you showed up, and hopefully things will get more normal once you leave."
"Such a heartwarming speech." She commented dryly. She relented her seemingly endless anger and spoke seriously, "I hope things *do* become normal for you, Xander. As much as I want to try to work things out with you, I can see that just isn't going to happen. Not now anyway... maybe not ever. Hopefully I can work through all my issues, and see you again someday as a more normalized person. Sound good?"
Xander actually smiled, "Yeah, sounds like a good plan." He was suprised as she moved forward and hugged him. She smiled back, and he moved backwards. Joey went through and hugged everybody goodbye as well, even Buffy. Pacey finally went through, shaking Oz and Giles' hands. He gave Willow a hug, and she came away flustered for no reason. He hugged Buffy, with no adverse affects, and went back in line.
"So you'll call regularly now... all of us?" Buffy asked pointedly.
"Well... I don't know how appreciative Oz there would be of it, but sure." Xander smiled.
"You guys get home safely... don't go doing anything I wouldn't do." Pacey said with a smirk. He saw the looks he got, and immediately responded, "Don't even think about it, guys... just leave me with my moment."
They all laughed, and the four Slayerettes started boarding the bus.
*CUT TO: Someone lurking in the shadows farther away.*
*FADE OUT*
Another one bites the dust, I guess... I'd love to hear what you think... and why not go check out http://northernstar.8m.com/acos/ Its the page I put together about this particular series. I'd love to hear what you think of that too.