"A Change Of Scenery"
A Buffy The Vampire Slayer/Dawson's Creek Crossover
Episode Ten - "Get Born Again"
Disclaimer: I'm finally putting one of these up here... just to prove to you I'm neither Joss or Kevin (if I was, I'd be busy with something else). I don't own any of the Buffy characters, or Dawson's Creek one's either. I make no profit from this, and do not intend to (unless the producers like this and want to offer me a contract... though that's about as likely as me scoring with a supermodel). That's the word.
Shout-Outs: Krissy, for reading this stuff and giving me her opinion... Pulse, for his brilliant, albeit freakish, suggestion of the opening scene... I wasn't even drunk when I decided to use it!
*FADE TO: A jail cell... the night sky can be seen through a nearby barred window, and the overpowering sound of crickets chirping fills the air. The camera pans down, showing a figure stretched out on the cell's bed. The sound of crickets' chirping fades, as a deep, soulful voice picks up and starts bellowing out loud.*
"No-body knows... the trouble I've seen... No-body knows... my sorrow... No-body knows..." The voice continued in song for a few more moments, before it was interrupted.
"Could you keep it down in here, dog-face?" Doug growled, sticking his head into the detention center, "Or at least find another song..."
Jack, in werewolf form, took the hint, "When Moses was in Egypt land, he said let my people go." He tried to hold in his laughter as he sang the meaningful words.
All he was met with was Doug's sour expression, "Yeah, well this isn't Egypt, and you don't have yourself a Moses, furball. So just keep it down."
Jack continued, nonetheless, "I'm Henry the Eighth, I am... Henry the Eighth, I am, I am... I got married to the widow next door... she's been married..."
"Will you just stop it?" Doug growled again.
"What do you want, Officer? Something more contemporary? Perhaps a number by Britney Spears... I'm sorry, but my voice just doesn't go that high."
"I suggest you don't sing another note, unless you want me to go in search of a silver bullet or something."
Jack sobered up, "I understand, officer..." Doug was on his way out, but Jack slipped in, "You're more of a Striessand, aren't you?" The door slammed immediately afterwards. Jack laughed, deepened by his wolf form, and spoke to himself, "Y'know... this is almost fun."
*Buffy The Vampire Slayer / Dawson's Creek combined credits. ...and Jack is included now.*
*FADE TO: Capeside High School... A study hall. Pacey and Xander are seated in close proximity to each other, and are conversing quietly.*
Pacey wore a wide smile as he stretch out in his seat, "Summer is fast approaching, my friend, and that means just one thing..."
"Umm... hot weather and no school?" Xander answered nervously, scared to hear the answer.
Pacey shook his head, "First of all, that's two things... and second of all, you're wrong on both counts."
"Then tell me, oh master of all things summer, what does it mean?" Xander replied mockingly.
Pacey just smiled some more, and spoke, "Two words... Road Trip." He leaned back in his chair, seemingly proud of himself.
Xander just rolled his eyes, "Oh yeah, I'm looking forward to that."
Pacey sat forward and glared at him, "Seriously, man... summer is the only time of year that we can get away long enough to forget the sink-hole of fun that Capeside becomes more and more every year. A road trip is almost mandatory in the summer."
"I'm afraid I might just have to pass on that, Pacey... I'm not the road trip type. There have to be some extenuating circumstances involved for me to voluntarily lock myself in a car for an indefinite period of time."
Pacey shook his head some more, "Look who swallowed a dictionary last night... anyway, I think I have the extenuating circumstance you need to get your butt out of Capeside and into the Fun Zone."
"Oh yeah? And what would that be?" Xander replied doubtfully.
Pacey's smile twisted into a grin, as he calmly reported, "I'm bringing Joey along."
Xander's eyes narrowed, "That's low, man... that's really low." He grumbled to himself for a few moments, before nodding, "Fine, fine, I'll go. When's this little frightfest of a cross-country tour start?"
Pacey shrugged, "The standard requisition and capital collection periods may hamper the departure date... but I declare, it'll be within a month."
"Asking to borrow the car and raising gas money? They seem a little beneath you, don't they?" Xander mocked.
"Just you wait... this will be a summer to remember." Pacey said, dreamily, before returning to his 'work'.
*CUT TO: Joey at her locker. She's pulling books out, until her eyes land upon a photo stuck in the door.*
(OL: Music - "Simple Kind Of Life" by No Doubt)
Her expression fell completely blank as the photo came into view. It was taken during their wild trip to Boston. The picture showed Xander and Pacey, half-naked, dancing their hearts out. The smallest hint of a smile came to her lips as she looked it over. In the background, aside from Jen, were herself and Dawson, standing dangerously close to each other.
The smile faded as she tried to contemplate her situation in a matter of moments. Alas, it was too much to process in such a short time, and she ended up groaning in frustration. She grabbed her last book, and slammed the locker shut.
(OL: Music - Cut out with the slamming of the locker door)
She stomped off down the hallway, trying to get out of the building fast as she could. Unfortunately, she wasn't quite fast enough, as Pacey sauntered up to her and casually started a conversation, "Where are you off to in such a hurry, Josephine?"
She gave him a death stare, but continued walking, "Could you just go away, Pacey?"
Pacey was undeterred, "Answer my question first."
She groaned inwardly, "Anywhere but here, Pace. I want to go home and zone out for the rest of the night. Now, will you go away?"
He smirked, "I didn't say anything about going away. I just said answering the question." He laughed at the angry look Joey continued to give him, "I kind of wanted to talk to you, though."
"What on earth would you want to talk to *me* about." She paused, immediately thinking over her words, before hastily adding, "Don't even think about it, Pace."
Pacey feigned innocence, "I had no such inkling, Josephine. I wanted to bring the idea of a summer road trip up with you. In case you were in on it and needed to make arrangements."
She finally stopped, in the middle of the courtyard, and looked at him curiously, "Where to?"
He smiled charmingly, "Anywhere but here."
She couldn't hide the hint of a smile his response brought, but quickly squelched it, resuming her previous frustrated demeanor, "How long do I have to decide?"
Pacey shrugged, "It's not anytime soon... I've gotta do some requisitioning..."
"Borrowing the car?" She said, amusement surfacing again. He simply nodded, "Okay, I'll think about it."
They began to part ways, when Pacey turned on the spot, "Oh, and Jo... a warning... Xander will be coming along. Let that effect your decision however it may." Her demeanor had returned once again, and she nodded solemnly, before departing. Pacey stood there looking after her for a while, his worry for her obvious, before heading off himself.
*CUT TO: Joey, kneeling on the sidewalk, tying her shoe. Xander comes walking up to her, quietly.*
"Howdy there, Jo. Ya got a minute?" He asked nervously.
She looked up at him, and put up a weak smile, and covered her own nervousness with a joke, "It depends on how much you've got to spend." They both laughed awkwardly, as Joey finished tying her shoe, and got to her feet.
Xander finally caught back up with his thought, and spoke, "Uh, I was just kinda wondering if you wanted to hang out tonight... y'know, go to dinner or something."
Joey could barely hide the surprised look on her face, her eyes nearly bugging out of her head. She didn't need this, she knew it. She looked down abruptly, mumbling, "Um, no... I can't tonight. Bessie wants me to watch after Alex tonight, and she's strict about no friends coming over while I'm watching him."
Xander couldn't help but sigh, nodding, "Alright... I'll see you tomorrow or something." He headed off in a different direction. She looked after him for a short while, a look of regret coming over her face, before she picked up her bag and headed for home.
*Commercial break*
*FADE TO: Xander, stacking movies, at Screen Play Video. He accidentally drops one of the cases, and bends down to pick it up.*
The bell on the front door jingled, as Dawson entered. He looked around, seeing no one around, and called, "Hey Pacey, you in the back?"
Xander's head popped up over the shelf, and he looked, rather annoyed, in Dawson's direction, "No... he's not. I switched shifts with him at the last minute, and you know how Pacey is about not having to work."
Dawson had jumped back when he heard Xander's voice, and returned the annoyed look he received, "Oh... I was just going to ask him..." He paused, his eyes narrowing, "...if he knew what Jo was up to tonight."
Xander shook his head, finally putting the dropped case in its rightful place, before replying, "I'm afraid she's in charge of the little rugrat tonight, and visitors aren't welcome."
Dawson's eyes remained narrow, "I don't think she'd mind if I stopped by..."
Xander returned to his spot behind the counter, and said sternly, "No, I think she would mind. She didn't even want *me* there."
Dawson scoffed, "Like that means anything to me..."
"Watch it, Blonde Dead Boy... I've got a chair leg with your name on it, and I'm not afraid to use it... repeatedly if necessary." Dawson's was aggravated enough for his features to come out, "Unless you want to rent some random vampire movie, I think maybe you should go home... to whatever dank hole you crawled out of."
Dawson's features remained, and he stepped forward. In response, Xander brought up a sharpened chair leg, aiming it roughly at his chest. He smiled lop-sidedly, "And you thought I was kidding."
The features faded from Dawson's face, and he reluctantly stepped back, and out the door. Xander put the chair leg back in its place. He grabbed another stack of videos and began putting them back on the shelves.
*CUT TO: Joey, moping around the house. Bessie and Bodie really are gone, but the lack of crying from baby Alexander provides evidence that she was lying about taking care of him. She's just sitting there, staring at nothing, before she sighs deeply. She's scared out of her wits as she hears a knocking on the front door.*
She reluctantly climbed off the couch, and made her way to the front door. She was expecting Xander or Pacey, and was prepared to shoo them away immediately. She opened the door, and was stunned to see Dawson on the other end of a really long pole, standing in the middle of the yard.
Dawson smiled slightly, "Good, it worked... it took me twenty minutes to find the stuff to make this, and all the time I was scared you wouldn't hear it over Alex's crying."
"What are you doing here, Dawson?" She replied, not exactly happy to see him.
"Hello to you too, Jo. I decided to stop by after a not-so-nice confrontation with Xander at the video store."
"Xander? What happened?" She cocked her head, "And how did you get in there?"
Dawson shrugged, "I used to work there... it's like an open invitation. And nothing other than him threatening me with a large pointy stick and telling me to keep away from you."
Joey frowned, picturing the scene in her head, "And naturally, the first thing you do is come over here... are you insane?"
"In some circles, yes, I could be considered that." He looked at her pleadingly, "But I just needed to see you, Jo..." Joey's discomfort seemed to fade a little at his reasoning. He stepped forward, "Can I come in?"
Joey's resolve returned. She was determined to figure things out for herself, and not be swayed by either side. She shook her head, "Now isn't a good time, Dawson."
Dawson held down his anger, keeping his features at bay, "When *is* a good time, Jo?"
Joey kept herself even as well, "I just need time, Dawson. Time away from you, time away from *him*... time to myself." She needed to make it clear to him, so she quickly stated, "Goodnight, Dawson." She stepped back into the house quickly, and closed the door behind her. She leaned against the door, and slid down to the floor, sighing again.
*CUT TO: Xander, lounging behind the counter, swinging his sharpened stick around like a baton. The bell above the door rings, and Pacey enters.*
Xander looks mockingly shocked, "Pacey... you're in here when you don't have to be... is there an emergency?" He put his stick down and sat up.
Pacey shook his head, "Sorry, Batman, but the bat signal ain't lit up tonight... I just had to escape the Witter House of Horrors. With Dougie on my side now, it's not so bad... but he's off keeping an eye on the fur-covered wonder at the station, so I'm unshielded again."
Xander nodded, "So how much does he know now?"
Pacey sat down, and shrugged, "As much as I do... except maybe for the Dawson thing. I'm trying to keep the flow of supernatural in his IV at a minimum for the moment. Don't want him to go psycho cop on us or anything."
"Good idea... he'd be a valuable link if anything wacky comes through the scanners. First hand info would be cool." They both nodded, and slipped into a comfortable silence, while some random Jim Carrey movie played on the TV.
After a short while, Xander decided to tell Pacey about his earlier encounter, "Speaking of Dawson, belatedly... he was in earlier, looking for you."
Pacey did a double-take, "He... was?" Xander nodded, "Why?"
"Well... he wanted to middle man you to find out what Joey was doing tonight. Instead, he found me restocking the shelves. I told him, in no uncertain terms, that Joey didn't want *anybody* around her tonight, not even me..."
"I bet he didn't like that..." Pacey commented, shifting in his seat to get more comfortable. The movement knocked the sharpened chair leg from its place, to the floor. Pacey noticed it, and looked up, "What's this?"
"About the only thing that kept me from being Dawson-chow."
Pacey's eyes widened, "He advanced, I defended... no physical altercation, just a lot of threatening. We'll keep it here in case he tries it again." Pacey looks a bit uncomfortable with the prospect, and Xander tries to calm him, "Hey, don't fret, man... you can use it to prod Nellie too. An all purpose fiend poker."
Pacey smirked slightly, but had an uneasiness in his eyes that just wouldn't go away.
*TIME-LAPSE TO: A half-hour later, Pacey and Xander are still watching the same movie as before. Suddenly, the phone begins ringing, startling them both. Xander hops up and answers.*
"Screen Play Video... Xander speaking."
"Xander, is Pacey there?" Doug's voice was a little shaky.
"Uh, yeah, Doug... he's right here." He handed the receiver to Pacey.
"What is it, Doug?"
"God, Pacey... you're hard to track down. Why did you leave the house?"
Pacey rolled his eyes, "Like you even have to ask... what's wrong, Doug?"
"Oh, yeah... uh, a call just came through the dispatcher. A disturbance over on Windsor, the officer sent over has yet to call back."
Pacey's brow furrowed, "What's so important about that?"
Doug sighed heavily, as if exhausted, "The house on Windsor where the officer was sent... has been abandoned for years."
"An abandoned house, big deal Doug."
"Pacey." Doug said sternly, "That guy you brought in, the..." He lowered his voice, "...the werewolf. He's going insane back there. Every five minutes he's jumping all over the cell, then he'll settle down and howl... then he'll just writhe around like he's being tortured... before starting it all over again. I know I'm not an expert, but that can't be good."
"Okay, Doug... I understand now... what's the address?" Pacey scribbled down the address Doug told him, before hanging up the phone.
"What's up, Pace?" Xander asked, almost pleading. Doug had sounded incredibly spooked.
"Start locking up the place, man... it looks like we've got work to do."
*Commercial break*
*FADE TO: The Witter truck pulling up in Joey's front yard. They hop out and run to the front door, ignoring the long pole laying on the ground. They both knock on the door at once, sounding like an irregular heartbeat.*
The door flung open, and a semi-annoyed Joey glared outwards, spouting words before seeing who they were, "Look, Dawson, just go..." Her words stopped abruptly, as she saw the two on the porch, "Xander, Pacey? What's going on?"
They pushed past her inside, and closed the door. Neither noticed the slight frown on Xander's face. Dawson hadn't heeded his word.
Pacey finally spoke, letting Joey in on the situation, "Doug tipped us in on something going down on Windsor... we're going to check it out, and we want you to come along."
Xander had wandered towards the back, to check on Alex. He was mildly upset to find no baby present. He charged forward, glaring at Joey almost unbelievably, "Where's Alex, Joey? I thought you said you were taking care of him."
Joey looked exasperated, and simply blurted out, "Okay, I lied. I just wanted some time to myself, is all." She looked at him, genuinely regretful, "I'm sorry." She turned to Pacey, "Any idea what it is?"
Pacey shook his head, "No... but whatever it is has Jack in an uproar down at the station. Doug said he was going nuts in the cell."
"Do we have supplies." Joey said, grabbing her jacket.
Xander spoke up before Pacey could, "Yeah... we stopped at my house before we came here." His voice was monotonous, drained of anything.
The sound almost broke Joey's heart, but she hardened herself, and pressed on, "We should get going then."
They exited the house, and as they neared the truck, Pacey spoke his mind, "Having Dawson along would be handy... but we have no idea where to reach him." He pulled the door of the truck open.
They all jumped as the party in question stepped out from behind a tree and spoke, "What do you need, Pace?"
Pacey was barely holding himself up with the truck door, covering his heart to make sure his heart was still beating, "God, Dawson... never do that again." Pacey straightened himself up, and continued, "We're heading over to Windsor to check out something Doug clued us in on. You're welcome to come along."
Dawson cocked his head, "You sure that's a good idea?"
"What? Going to check out Windsor, or bringing you along?" Pacey shrugged, "No, we're not. But we're gonna go anyway."
"Fine, let's go."
*CUT TO: Pacey, Joey, Xander, and Dawson walking up the sidewalk quietly.*
"Tell me again why we're walking?" Xander asked, recovering from his shock earlier.
"We'll be much less conspicuous if we get there walking, than driving up in that noisy old truck, don't you think?"
"Yeah, but who needs to be conspicuous when you can drive through their front door?" Xander pointed out. Pacey mockingly took a swing at him.
"Shut up, guys... we're coming up on it." Dawson warned. All three looked at him with 'how did you know?' looks. He answers quickly, "When you're dead and can't go home, you get to wandering the streets a lot."
The house was eerily quiet and dark. Joey noted this, "It's awfully quiet... uh, maybe Doug got the wrong address."
"What, you're expecting it to be a mosh party or something? They probably don't want to draw unwanted attention, the police call was just a fluke."
They stopped and observed the house a little more, "It sure is big... maybe the Addams family lives here." Xander quipped weakly. He didn't even bother with the looks he received.
"Alright, what's the plan, Commander Pacey?" Joey said, turning to Pacey.
"Commander Pacey? I don't think so... I'm handing this one over to Xander, I've done my part."
Xander smacked his forehead, "Figures. All right... a frontal attack would be risky, not to mention cliché. I figure two of us should go around one way, the others the other way... scout for traps or areas of interest... and meet up in the back. From there, we'll plan a little further."
"Areas of interest? What are we doing here, planning a tour?" Dawson quipped snidely. He received glares from Pacey and Joey.
Pacey spoke up, taking a flashlight and one of the supply backpacks, "Okay, Jo... you come with me, we'll take the left side."
Xander resisted the urge to smack his forehead again, "Thanks again, Pace, for another great contribution to the group." He hitched up his backpack, and aimed the flashlight down the right side, "C'mon, Blonde Dead Boy, let's get this party started."
*CUT TO: Pacey and Joey, casually checking out the left side of the residence.*
"Do you think it was such a good idea to leave those two by themselves? I think they might kill each other." Joey said weakly.
Pacey didn't look towards here, "Wouldn't it be better that way? Then you wouldn't have a problem." He waved the flashlight back and forth, "Besides... would you rather I leave you with one of them, and have them 'influence your decision.'" His words had a biting edge to them.
"Pacey, I just don't want to make a mistake..." She said, unconvincingly.
"Or you want to keep them at a safe distance until you don't have to make the decision anymore. Y'know, in case Dawson gets dusted, or Xander gets shipped back to Sunnydale."
"That's not true!" Joey cried, trying to keep her voice low so an echo didn't carry it around the house.
"I'm afraid it is, Joey. I know you're scared of picking the wrong one... but y'know what? Screw it and just go. If you make a mistake, then that's life. You'll have another chance, barring an accident with stray lumber in Dawson's case."
"But I don't want to..."
"I know you don't, Jo." Pacey interrupted, "That's just how it works."
*CUT TO: Dawson and Xander, checking their side. The tension between them is evident.*
Dawson glanced back and forth, casually stating, "You don't stand a chance, you know that."
"With what?"
"Joey." He said, "What you think you might have with her. It's nothing compared to her and I."
"And what makes you so sure?" Xander said, keeping his attention on the surroundings. The entire conversation was taking place without a single look between them.
"I've known her since we were in kindergarten... you haven't even been here a year. I have a certain advantage in this race."
Xander shook his head, "I'd say the only advantage you have is that gigantic ego of yours... if anything crosses the line first, it'll be your inflated head."
"Can you honestly think she'd pick you over me?"
"What I think doesn't really matter." He stated sadly, "And contrary to what you may believe, what you think doesn't matter either. In the end, the choice is out of our hands." He saw Pacey and Joey approaching from the other side of the backyard, "I think it'd be in both our best interests if this conversation stopped right here."
*CUT TO: All four meeting up by the rear door.*
"Anything?" Xander asked quietly.
Pacey shook his head, "Nothing. Either we're at the wrong house... or this party has gone underground."
Xander walked up and examined the door. He thought to himself for a short while, before speaking to Pacey without turning around, "Hey Pace... head back to the truck and get the lockpick kit out of the supplies."
Dawson raised an eyebrow, "Why do we need that?"
"We don't want to leave a mess... if we go in and come out with incident or not, the police are probably going to come around for their officer. It's best if we don't let them know someone else was here." Pacey nodded and jogged around the house. Xander stayed in his contemplative mood, "While he's gone... let's discuss some strategy... if we run into something down here, we don't want to be swinging blindly."
*CUT TO: Pacey leaning over the lip of the truckbed, digging around in the bag of 'supernatural' supplies.*
"Come on... come on..." He pulled various, sharp objects out of the bag, until he came upon a small, rectangular pouch. He shook it a little, and the rattling sound inside was his clue, "Paydirt!"
He tossed the randomly discarded items back into the bag, and opened the truck door. He tossed the bag inside for safe keeping. He slammed the door closed, and locked it, but before he could turn around, a hand came up behind his head. It smacked him, face-first, into the window of the door, and knocked him immediately unconscious. He slid to the ground, but was quickly dragged away.
*Commercial break*
*FADE TO: Xander, Joey, and Dawson, waiting around for Pacey to come back.*
Dawson had waited long enough and, with a growl, stepped up to the door, "We don't have time for stealth." He grabbed the handles of both double doors, and proceeded to push them inward with enough force to break the lock. He carelessly let them drift open, continuing forward while grunting, "Now let's move."
"Well, it's easy to see all sense of tact was left in his grave." Xander joked dryly, mostly to himself. "What about Pacey?" He spoke up.
"He'll catch up." Joey commented, "He's always been slow." Xander paused only a moment before following Joey inside.
*CUT TO: A small, mossy brick type basement. It is basically just a large, open area (perfect for evildoers to evildo). It is almost pitch dark, save for slivers of light coming from here and there... and the light coming from their flashlights."
They roamed the room, until their flashlights caught something in the center. They drew closer, to find a stone statue with a sword buried in its gullet. "Why do I not have a good feeling about this?" Xander commented off-handedly. As if on cue, torches around the room flare to life, bathing the room in bright, yellow light.
"Probably because you shouldn't." A voice declared, full of amusement. They all focused on the source, to find a bright-eyed, wide-grinning Angelus, standing near the stairs. "If I had known you were coming, I would have cleaned the place up a bit."
Xander raised the crossbow in his arm, and leveled it with Angelus' heart, "Why shouldn't I just dust you?"
Angelus' smile never faded, "That's a good question. Maybe because, by the time you took me out, my friends..." Instantly, they were surrounded on all sides by at least half a dozen vampires, "Will take care of you."
Xander didn't back down, "Taking you out would be worth it."
Angelus nodded, "It probably would." He reached down into the sheet-covered pile next to him, drawing the contents up with him. "Although you'd have to go through this strapping young lad to get to me." He held Pacey up, by the neck, in front of himself. He had never looked so self-satisfied before.
Xander had no choice but to lower the crossbow now, as the vampire thugs herded them a short distance away from the statue, and took their weapons. He was defeated, but tried not to make it too obvious, "All right, Angelus... I suppose now is the time devoted to you explaining your devious plot. Get it over with, and tell us just what the hell that statue is."
"Xander, Xander, Xander... always in such a rush, aren't you?" He put Pacey down without much interest, and threw his arm around the statue. "This here, is my longtime friend, Acathla. He's gonna help me make hell on Earth more than just an all-too-often used phrase by you humans to describe your meager little lives."
"How is that hunk of granite going to help you do that?" Joey queried. She had a sarcastically interested look on her face.
Angelus smiled at her obvious distaste of him, "Like this." He reached forward and grabbed the handle of the sword buried in the statue. With a forceful pull, he removed the sword from the creature's gullet. He grinned cockily, shouldering the sword, and watching their reactions. The statue made a quiet groaning noise, as its mouth started parting.
From out of the now open mouth, a small vortex formed. It was barely large enough to fit a balled fist through, and Xander couldn't help but laugh, "That's it? Hell on Earth is gonna come from that teeny-weeny portal? I'm sorry... but this is just a really big let-down."
Joey's face curled into a smile, "That seems awfully small, Angelus. I think even a man of your size would have trouble fitting that particular hole."
Angelus growled fiercely, taking on his vampire visage. He leapt forward, drawing the sword up at the same time, the tip of the blade came within an inch of Joey's face. She didn't even have time to properly gasp as he growled, "Don't even DARE talk about me that way, wench. I'll have your innards for breakfast, after I've had my way with you."
Angelus was startled, when Dawson, who didn't care as the blade cut into his palm, wrenched the sword from his grip. His only concern was keeping Joey safe. He flipped the sword around, and pointed it back at Angelus, all happening in the blink of an eye, "Don't ever call her that, and don't ever threaten her life!"
"A brave one, I see." Angelus said in a huff. He walked back next to Acathla, and noticed, Pacey was stirring. A quickly delivered kick to the side of his face put him back under, and he slung his arm over Acathla's stone shoulder again, "There's really no point in any of you fighting this. You don't know how to stop my rough and stone-set buddy here. Hell, even *I* don't know how to stop it now. But it's worth it at the mere mention of hell on Earth. Sounds all warm and cozy to a guy like me."
*CUT TO: A close shot of Xander.*
The silence that followed seemed to upset the demonic vampire, "What's wrong, Harris? No witty comeback? No acerbic bites into my character flaws?"
Xander looked at him with a level expression, "Aren't bites your department?"
"Cute, boy. But not good enough for the likes of me. Try harder." As Angelus goaded the boy on, the portal behind them grew larger and larger still.
Xander just laughed, bitterly, and stared not at Angelus, but at the portal to his left. This aggravated the vampire even more. He growled furiously, and moved forward. He tried everything he could to get the young man to do *something*, but nothing worked.
After a few short minutes, Xander began rolling up the sleeves on his arms, calmly as ever. Angelus was pacing around the room, wishing that either the portal would move faster, or Xander would lash out in some way. He was, somewhat, relieved when Xander finally spoke, calm and cool, "If its all downhill from her, like you say... why don't we just skip the formalities and throw down right here?"
The smile that crossed Angelus' face was like a child receiving a new toy. He stood square with Xander on the solid concrete floor, and stuck out his chin, "Since its your idea to give me this one last gift of killing you before it's all over anyway... I'll let you have the first punch."
Xander remained cold, as if he wasn't himself anymore. He would have killed for a stake at that moment, but instead, he spun around quickly, landing a stiff kick to Angelus' precious face. The force of the kick stumbled the vampire, and he quickly growled, "I said punch, you half-wit."
He punched out, missing Xander by a large margin, but caught a sucker punch on him with his other fist. They traded blows, quickly, hoping over sweeps and dodging errant kicks. Xander found himself with an edge in speed, and landed several good shots to the vampire's distorted face.
On the other hand, Angelus had the power advantage, and the few shots he *had* landed took their toll on Xander. Especially one that landed right on his chest, knocking most of the wind from him. He had managed not to lose it right then, but he was quickly getting more and more tired. It seemed to be getting more and more futile.
After landing one more hit to Angelus face, he decided it was time for a last ditch attempt at ending the fight. In the split-second after delivering the punch, he leapt up and kicked the vampire's chest with all of his might. It knocked the vampire backwards, falling in front of the now rapidly growing vortex.
Angelus did not look pleased. He gave a quick look to either side, as a signal for his henchmen to grab Xander while he was winded.
*CUT TO: A close shot of Angelus coming up to Xander.*
(OL: Music - "The Thing I Hate" by Stabbing Westward... quiet, subdued... barely audible in the background)
"It's over, boy." Angelus said, his grumpy disposition showing. He wiped the blood from his lip, and glared at the young man. Xander had returned to the detached, unemotional state he had been in before.
Angelus was about to slap him back to reality, when Xander kicked out, catching the vampire between the legs. He yelped, falling backwards once again. He glared up furiously, his angry features displaying just how mad he was. He was getting fed up with Xander's resistance. He glanced behind him, two the tall girl and blonde vampire, "It looks like I'm going to have to play my trump card." A miniscule nod was the signal.
*CUT TO: Dawson, still holding the sword, and Joey... flanked by a pair of brutish looking vamps.*
(OL: Music - Continues)
The vampires took a step forward, followed by a large step back. Joey was startled as a strong hand gripped the back of her neck, and a blade came to rest in front of her throat. Her head jerked sideways, albeit carefully, to see Dawson's grinning face, distorted and demonic. She weakly managed, "Dawson?"
Angelus laughed, "What did you expect? I'm his sire. He'd sooner drop himself on a stake than hurt *me!*" All that remained of Dawson seemed to fade away in that short few moments. Angelus turned back to Xander, pure joy swimming in his yellow eyes, "Y'see, Xander. I cover all my bases. If you don't want 'legs' back there to wind a tortured Barbie doll, you'll just give up and let me kill you."
Xander's detached state began to crumble as he watched the scene behind him... A vampire Dawson holding a blade to Joey's throat. His resistance to despair melted, and his shoulders sagged. Angelus let out a triumphant laugh as he stepped forward, and grabbed Xander's throat firmly in his hand.
Joey struggled against Dawson's grip, but he only grabbed her tighter. Xander's eyes grew empty, as Angelus slowly squeezed the life out of him.
All hope seemed lost.
*FADE OUT*
"To be continued..."
There it is... the 'Season Finale' of the series. That just means I'll be taking the rest of the summer off to compete in the full-contact sport known as real life. I'll pick up again when the summer is over and things are in order.
I'd love to hear what you thought about this season... and any suggested you might have for upcoming episodes. While you're at it... go check out http://northernstar.8m.com/acos/ It's the page I put together about this particular series. I'd love to hear what you think of that too.