Part 8:
A/N: I realized that Riley has all but disappeared from this plot, so this chapter focuses more on him. I'm really not a big fan of Captain Cardboard, but he is in the fic, so I have to give him some time. Next chapter, more Xander! Again, please r/r!
Disclaimer: They don't belong to me. If they did, I'd never get anything done...
Tess sat on a park bench, under the moonlight in Weatherly Park. It never ceased to amaze the Angel just how beautiful the night sky could be. She wasn't there for a rest though. The Father had sent Tess to the park because Riley Finn would be going through on patrol at anytime. The problem was that Tess didn't have a clue what was going through the boy's head. 'Well, You will give me what I need to know, when I need to know it, won't you Lord? Father, give me the right words to say to Riley. I know he's going through a rough time right now and he needs Your encouraging words. Fill me with Your spirit, oh God. In Christ's name I pray, amen.'
At that moment, someone, or something, came crashing through the bushes. Following the creature was one Agent Riley Finn, decked out in army camouflage. Tess rose slowly from the bench, all the while watching Riley fight the bleached blond vampire.
"I swear Spike, if I see you around her house again, I will personally introduce you to Mr. Pointy! I don't get why she hasn't just staked you." Riley pushed Spike to the ground, towering over the Billy Idol wannabe. "Now, get out of here."
Spike scrambled to his feet, racing for his crypt. With one last glance back at Riley, he went back to the woods, heading towards the Initiative's secret caves.
Tess walked slowly towards Riley, a look of sympathy in her large brown eyes. He turned abruptly to face the Angel. The first thing he noticed about the woman standing before him was serene calm she emanated.
"Hello," she said, as though she hadn't just seen him beating a vampire to a bloody pulp.
Riley looked at the woman warily. Who knew what she could be when you were in Sunnydale? "Hello." He said this cautiously, trying to figure out why she was wigged, as Buffy would say. "Sorry about that a few minutes ago. That guy…well, he's in a um, a gang. And he's been stalking my girlfriend. So I had to teach him a lesson." He kept nodding, as if he were trying to convince himself. "My name is Riley Finn, by the way."
"Tess," the Angel responded, holding out her hand. "Would you like to talk?" She knew it was an odd way to introduce herself, but there simply wasn't enough time. Tess needed to talk to the boy before everything fell apart.
Riley nodded and sat on the same bench Tess had been sitting on only ten minutes earlier. "What brings you to Sunnydale?" He asked. "This is a pretty small town, and I'm pretty sure I haven't seen you around."
"You're right, I'm not from around here. I travel a lot with some friends of mine. One of them is currently teaching at U.C. Sunnydale."
"Really?" Riley looked intrigued by this. "What class is she teaching?"
"Freshman psychology. Her name is Monica."
"It's a small world after all," he told the woman sitting beside him. "I'm the TA for that class."
Tess chuckled, glancing at his outfit. "So if you're a TA, why the army get-up?" Tess knew perfectly well why he was wearing it, but he couldn't know what she knew.
Riley grimaced as he looked down at his standard Initiative gear. Last time he had tried to explain the 'get-up', he ended up looking like a fool in front of Buffy's friends. He had told them he was out playing paint ball, yet he didn't have anything staining his clothes. How lame could he get? "Um, well…I'm in the ROTC program. They had us out running drills, and that's when I ran into Spike."
"I see," the Angel nodded, thinking to herself, 'that boy will think up any story to avoid the truth and protect the Slayer.' "As much as I hate shocking nice boys like you, I'm afraid there isn't much time," Tess told him, in almost the same way Merrick told Buffy she was the Slayer.
"Much time for what?" The boy asked, confused. To his complete shock and surprise, the coffee colored woman began to glow. (I know we've gone through this before.)
"Don't be afraid, Agent Riley Finn." Off his look of surprise, she told him, "Yes I know who you are and what you fight against. I am an Angel sent by God to help you through a very difficult time."
Riley gulped and looked down at his combat boots that had suddenly become very interesting. "An Angel?" He whispered. "God…He has a message for me?"
"Yes, He does. He wants you to know that He loves you Riley Finn. God has a plan for your life, and He knows you have been going through a difficult time right now. And He needs you for the larger task you are to face in the coming days."
Riley finally looked at the Angel sitting beside him. "What task are you talking about? Is it Adam?"
"Adam is only a pawn in the scheme of things. Yes, he will get the war between Light and Dark started. But there are many dangers to come after that first battle. God needs your help. He needs Buffy, Willow, Xander, everyone involved with the nightly battles. Yes, even Spike will be of some use."
He shook his head in disbelief. Those 'civilians' who had been involved with the Slayer for so long were actually useful. Not say that he didn't love the Scooby Gang, but Riley had held the belief that only certain, capable people should know about what really went on in Sunnydale. Then again, he never thought Buffy was as 'capable' as she was. "What do I need to do?"
"Be there for Buffy. She needs all the support you can give her. You need to concentrate on letting God take care of the hard stuff. Buffy needs to do the same. You're very alike in that respect; you both feel it's your duty to handle everything. God wants to help you fight this battle. He is, after all, the One who chose Buffy as the Slayer. Right now, you need to go back to Giles' place. They found him seriously injured and Buffy needs you to be strong for her right now."
With that, Riley bolted from his place on the bench, running in the direction of where Giles lived. He took off so fast; he didn't even notice that Tess had suddenly disappeared into thin air.
A/N: For those of you who wanted me to get rid of Riley completely, I'm sorry, he just wouldn't go away. Who knows what's going to happen with Commando Boy? I promise there will be more Xander next time. The original Scoobies will play a very important role in this fic, just later on. Oh, and look for a few surprise visits by people from Buffy's LA days.
I know I haven't done this yet, but those of you who have been reviewing, thank you! So I'm going to thank each of you. (I'll most likely do this in upcoming chapters too)
Jess (I apologize for the delay. FF.N has been really slow lately and I'm having problems uploading.)
moon princess 97524
Molly Ann
MK (no plans on leaving you hanging, I promise!)
Jessica Soedirgo
in-a-dream
amanda
k. krieg
You guys are great! Keep the reviews coming. If you spot anything weird, let me know and I'll fix it.
A/N: I realized that Riley has all but disappeared from this plot, so this chapter focuses more on him. I'm really not a big fan of Captain Cardboard, but he is in the fic, so I have to give him some time. Next chapter, more Xander! Again, please r/r!
Disclaimer: They don't belong to me. If they did, I'd never get anything done...
Tess sat on a park bench, under the moonlight in Weatherly Park. It never ceased to amaze the Angel just how beautiful the night sky could be. She wasn't there for a rest though. The Father had sent Tess to the park because Riley Finn would be going through on patrol at anytime. The problem was that Tess didn't have a clue what was going through the boy's head. 'Well, You will give me what I need to know, when I need to know it, won't you Lord? Father, give me the right words to say to Riley. I know he's going through a rough time right now and he needs Your encouraging words. Fill me with Your spirit, oh God. In Christ's name I pray, amen.'
At that moment, someone, or something, came crashing through the bushes. Following the creature was one Agent Riley Finn, decked out in army camouflage. Tess rose slowly from the bench, all the while watching Riley fight the bleached blond vampire.
"I swear Spike, if I see you around her house again, I will personally introduce you to Mr. Pointy! I don't get why she hasn't just staked you." Riley pushed Spike to the ground, towering over the Billy Idol wannabe. "Now, get out of here."
Spike scrambled to his feet, racing for his crypt. With one last glance back at Riley, he went back to the woods, heading towards the Initiative's secret caves.
Tess walked slowly towards Riley, a look of sympathy in her large brown eyes. He turned abruptly to face the Angel. The first thing he noticed about the woman standing before him was serene calm she emanated.
"Hello," she said, as though she hadn't just seen him beating a vampire to a bloody pulp.
Riley looked at the woman warily. Who knew what she could be when you were in Sunnydale? "Hello." He said this cautiously, trying to figure out why she was wigged, as Buffy would say. "Sorry about that a few minutes ago. That guy…well, he's in a um, a gang. And he's been stalking my girlfriend. So I had to teach him a lesson." He kept nodding, as if he were trying to convince himself. "My name is Riley Finn, by the way."
"Tess," the Angel responded, holding out her hand. "Would you like to talk?" She knew it was an odd way to introduce herself, but there simply wasn't enough time. Tess needed to talk to the boy before everything fell apart.
Riley nodded and sat on the same bench Tess had been sitting on only ten minutes earlier. "What brings you to Sunnydale?" He asked. "This is a pretty small town, and I'm pretty sure I haven't seen you around."
"You're right, I'm not from around here. I travel a lot with some friends of mine. One of them is currently teaching at U.C. Sunnydale."
"Really?" Riley looked intrigued by this. "What class is she teaching?"
"Freshman psychology. Her name is Monica."
"It's a small world after all," he told the woman sitting beside him. "I'm the TA for that class."
Tess chuckled, glancing at his outfit. "So if you're a TA, why the army get-up?" Tess knew perfectly well why he was wearing it, but he couldn't know what she knew.
Riley grimaced as he looked down at his standard Initiative gear. Last time he had tried to explain the 'get-up', he ended up looking like a fool in front of Buffy's friends. He had told them he was out playing paint ball, yet he didn't have anything staining his clothes. How lame could he get? "Um, well…I'm in the ROTC program. They had us out running drills, and that's when I ran into Spike."
"I see," the Angel nodded, thinking to herself, 'that boy will think up any story to avoid the truth and protect the Slayer.' "As much as I hate shocking nice boys like you, I'm afraid there isn't much time," Tess told him, in almost the same way Merrick told Buffy she was the Slayer.
"Much time for what?" The boy asked, confused. To his complete shock and surprise, the coffee colored woman began to glow. (I know we've gone through this before.)
"Don't be afraid, Agent Riley Finn." Off his look of surprise, she told him, "Yes I know who you are and what you fight against. I am an Angel sent by God to help you through a very difficult time."
Riley gulped and looked down at his combat boots that had suddenly become very interesting. "An Angel?" He whispered. "God…He has a message for me?"
"Yes, He does. He wants you to know that He loves you Riley Finn. God has a plan for your life, and He knows you have been going through a difficult time right now. And He needs you for the larger task you are to face in the coming days."
Riley finally looked at the Angel sitting beside him. "What task are you talking about? Is it Adam?"
"Adam is only a pawn in the scheme of things. Yes, he will get the war between Light and Dark started. But there are many dangers to come after that first battle. God needs your help. He needs Buffy, Willow, Xander, everyone involved with the nightly battles. Yes, even Spike will be of some use."
He shook his head in disbelief. Those 'civilians' who had been involved with the Slayer for so long were actually useful. Not say that he didn't love the Scooby Gang, but Riley had held the belief that only certain, capable people should know about what really went on in Sunnydale. Then again, he never thought Buffy was as 'capable' as she was. "What do I need to do?"
"Be there for Buffy. She needs all the support you can give her. You need to concentrate on letting God take care of the hard stuff. Buffy needs to do the same. You're very alike in that respect; you both feel it's your duty to handle everything. God wants to help you fight this battle. He is, after all, the One who chose Buffy as the Slayer. Right now, you need to go back to Giles' place. They found him seriously injured and Buffy needs you to be strong for her right now."
With that, Riley bolted from his place on the bench, running in the direction of where Giles lived. He took off so fast; he didn't even notice that Tess had suddenly disappeared into thin air.
A/N: For those of you who wanted me to get rid of Riley completely, I'm sorry, he just wouldn't go away. Who knows what's going to happen with Commando Boy? I promise there will be more Xander next time. The original Scoobies will play a very important role in this fic, just later on. Oh, and look for a few surprise visits by people from Buffy's LA days.
I know I haven't done this yet, but those of you who have been reviewing, thank you! So I'm going to thank each of you. (I'll most likely do this in upcoming chapters too)
Jess (I apologize for the delay. FF.N has been really slow lately and I'm having problems uploading.)
moon princess 97524
Molly Ann
MK (no plans on leaving you hanging, I promise!)
Jessica Soedirgo
in-a-dream
amanda
k. krieg
You guys are great! Keep the reviews coming. If you spot anything weird, let me know and I'll fix it.