TITLE: BUFFY'S TURN 14\?
AUTHOR: RICK
E-MAIL: amulet@my-dejanews.com
SUMMARY: Lest everyone forgets. This fic has Buffy going off the deep end with Spike and Faith in the beginning. Xander doesn't give up on her. He saves her so to speak, nothing new there. Buffy falls in love with him, big time. He doesn't know it of course, partly because he and the Scooby gang are involved in extra-curricular activities. They are about to come up against an evil that dwarfs the usual hell mouth variety, where the bad guys all wear white hats too.
Chapter: 14- I Can't Let This Happen.
Xander casually strolls into the alley. In the distance is a very busy loading dock. Two tractor-trailer trucks are being loaded with goods from a warehouse. Xander gets into position so his friends can see what he sees. Willow talks to him.
"We got it X1."
The witch looks behind her at Giles. "Is this the right place, Giles?"
While Giles takes in the scene Tara speaks. "I see the markings on the truck, Giles!"
Willow and Giles look to see if Tara is right. Giles speaks. "Tell them it's a go, Willow."
"X1, it is a go. O1 it is a go."
As Xander gets closer he sees three armed guards at each truck plus an unknown number inside.
Oz is on an adjacent rooftop maneuvering for position.
"Xander, I have the six guards in my sights."
"Okay, Oz, I'll go right for the Warehouse."
The Wolf agrees. "Then I'll join you and go for the trucks."
"Sounds like a plan, Wolf man!"
Xander only half-heartedly hides as he comes upon the loading dock. He has full confidence that his partner will soon even the odds a bit. But Willow and Tara don't like his nonchalant attitude to the danger.
Willow looks at Tara. "Why does Xander do that?"
"You mean walk right out in front of the bad guys?"
"Yea, like he doesn't care whether they kill him or not."
"On three, Oz...one...two...three!"
As Xander runs between the two trucks he hears six bursts of silenced rifle fire. He pulls out a pistol and starts shooting everyone heart high. Oz joins him on the dock. The Wolf pulls the pin on two grenades and tosses them inside. Xander calmly lights two pieces of lighter fluid soaked rags, placing them as fuses into the gas tanks of the two trucks.
Our heroes jog to the end of the alley as the grenades blow the warehouse. Shortly after, the trucks blow leaving a fiery mess inside and out. They hop into the van and disappear into the night with Giles driving. Neither says a word for a few minutes as they digest what they just did. Then Xander stares at his partner who looks back at him. They are both sharing a very unpleasant Kodak moment. It has happened before. Oz looks at Willow. The Witch knows what is on his mind. Both Xander and the Wolf are very concerned that the scene they just left involved human beings. That some of those dead were not monsters or vampires. Willow talks to Oz.
"Oz, please don't look at me like that."
Xander speaks up. "Did they all turn to ashes, Willow?"
"Xander, honestly it all happened too fast, I couldn't see."
Oz knows one thing. "The six I shot at first all blew away in the wind."
Xander agrees. "Right, I caught that but..."
He doesn't finish the thought but everyone knows what he didn't say. At least a couple of those inside did not appear to turn to ashes. This doesn't necessarily mean they were human but they could have been. No one says a word on the way back to the magic shop. Both Xander and Oz are very upset however. Buffy is there. When she sees Xander she goes to hug him. But he brushes her off. He heads right upstairs to wash the grit from himself. Buffy looks to Willow.
"What's the matter with him?"
Willow looks to Oz before answering. "They always get like this after an assignment."
Buffy looks at Oz but the Wolf gets up. "I'm going back to my place. I'll call later for the debriefing."
Oz leaves. Buffy has never seen either Xander or Oz like this before. Willow tries to explain.
"Buffy, its...well, we never know exactly who we're helping and for what reason. Xander and Oz are the best but sometimes it's hard to figure out if it's the bad guys we kill or..."
Xander comes back into the room. He finishes the sentence for Willow.
"Or, if we're the bad guys." Xander looks to Giles.
"I'll call later, Giles, for the usual." He walks out the door. Buffy goes to him.
"Xander, can I walk you home?"
"I'd rather be alone, Buffy."
Buffy grabs his arm lovingly. "Please, Xander."
The boy sighs but gives in. Buffy stares at him as they walk.
"Xander, I've never seen you like this before."
He answers sarcastically. "This is the new me. Not very appealing is it?"
"I didn't say that, Xander. It's just."
"Look, Buffy, I'm not the same Xander, okay. Now I kill things and maybe...people."
When he says this last part the veins on his neck and jaw bulge in pain. Buffy tries to comfort him. She touches his arm.
"Xander, you're a good man. Probably the best man I know."
Xander is not use to Buffy talking to him like this. He looks deep within her eyes for a minute. She is looking at him with compassion and warmth and...love?
But, he has to shake it off. Right now he doesn't feel worthy of anyone's love.
"Buffy, you don't even know me anymore."
"How can you say that, Xander?"
"Buffy, some of the stuff we're doing is really close."
"Close to what, Xander?"
"Close to being evil, Buffy."
"Xander, you actually think I don't know anything about that?"
"What you do isn't the same thing, Buffy."
Buffy gets in front of Xander, stopping him. "Xander this is crazy, look into my eyes...what do you see?"
Xander closes his eyes. Buffy gets upset. "Xander, what do I have to do, throw myself at you?"
"What you have to do is go home Buffy, stay away from me for your own good."
Buffy gets angry. "Don't try that with me Xander. Look, I don't want to bring this up but everybody knows how you feel about me, how you've always felt about me."
"You don't know me and either does anyone else anymore. Now just get away from me and stay away."
He pushes her from him. The Slayer is very angry and hurt. She grabs him by the shirt.
"Don't do this to me, Xander, or to yourself."
"Buffy, let go of my arm!"
Buffy does not like what she sees in Xander's eyes right now. It is almost scary.
"Why, are you going to hit me, Xander?"
Tears well up in Xander's eyes as he realizes how close he is to doing just that.
He pulls from her forcefully. "No, that's your thing, slayer, remember? Let me alone, Buffy."
Xander knows how badly Buffy feels about what she did to him. This is a very hurtful thing for him to say.
"You're pathetic, do you know that, Xander?"
"Finally, you get it. Now get the hell out of here, Buffy."
Both our heroes have tears running down their cheeks as they separate. Buffy doesn't know what to do. She roams around alone. She loves Xander so much now it hurts. But, he is hard, very hard. She knows what it's like to be close to evil. Why won't he listen to her?
It doesn't take too long for her to figure it out. He still loves her. But, he thinks that he is not worthy of her now. That what he is doing would tarnish his image before her. Or that she is so pure in her slaying that he doesn't fit anymore. Hell, maybe all the people they attack aren't monsters but they are not exactly upstanding citizens either. Buffy is not going to give up on Xander but she gets a knot in her stomach every time she thinks of the hard look he gave her before they split.
AUTHOR: RICK
E-MAIL: amulet@my-dejanews.com
SUMMARY: Lest everyone forgets. This fic has Buffy going off the deep end with Spike and Faith in the beginning. Xander doesn't give up on her. He saves her so to speak, nothing new there. Buffy falls in love with him, big time. He doesn't know it of course, partly because he and the Scooby gang are involved in extra-curricular activities. They are about to come up against an evil that dwarfs the usual hell mouth variety, where the bad guys all wear white hats too.
Chapter: 14- I Can't Let This Happen.
Xander casually strolls into the alley. In the distance is a very busy loading dock. Two tractor-trailer trucks are being loaded with goods from a warehouse. Xander gets into position so his friends can see what he sees. Willow talks to him.
"We got it X1."
The witch looks behind her at Giles. "Is this the right place, Giles?"
While Giles takes in the scene Tara speaks. "I see the markings on the truck, Giles!"
Willow and Giles look to see if Tara is right. Giles speaks. "Tell them it's a go, Willow."
"X1, it is a go. O1 it is a go."
As Xander gets closer he sees three armed guards at each truck plus an unknown number inside.
Oz is on an adjacent rooftop maneuvering for position.
"Xander, I have the six guards in my sights."
"Okay, Oz, I'll go right for the Warehouse."
The Wolf agrees. "Then I'll join you and go for the trucks."
"Sounds like a plan, Wolf man!"
Xander only half-heartedly hides as he comes upon the loading dock. He has full confidence that his partner will soon even the odds a bit. But Willow and Tara don't like his nonchalant attitude to the danger.
Willow looks at Tara. "Why does Xander do that?"
"You mean walk right out in front of the bad guys?"
"Yea, like he doesn't care whether they kill him or not."
"On three, Oz...one...two...three!"
As Xander runs between the two trucks he hears six bursts of silenced rifle fire. He pulls out a pistol and starts shooting everyone heart high. Oz joins him on the dock. The Wolf pulls the pin on two grenades and tosses them inside. Xander calmly lights two pieces of lighter fluid soaked rags, placing them as fuses into the gas tanks of the two trucks.
Our heroes jog to the end of the alley as the grenades blow the warehouse. Shortly after, the trucks blow leaving a fiery mess inside and out. They hop into the van and disappear into the night with Giles driving. Neither says a word for a few minutes as they digest what they just did. Then Xander stares at his partner who looks back at him. They are both sharing a very unpleasant Kodak moment. It has happened before. Oz looks at Willow. The Witch knows what is on his mind. Both Xander and the Wolf are very concerned that the scene they just left involved human beings. That some of those dead were not monsters or vampires. Willow talks to Oz.
"Oz, please don't look at me like that."
Xander speaks up. "Did they all turn to ashes, Willow?"
"Xander, honestly it all happened too fast, I couldn't see."
Oz knows one thing. "The six I shot at first all blew away in the wind."
Xander agrees. "Right, I caught that but..."
He doesn't finish the thought but everyone knows what he didn't say. At least a couple of those inside did not appear to turn to ashes. This doesn't necessarily mean they were human but they could have been. No one says a word on the way back to the magic shop. Both Xander and Oz are very upset however. Buffy is there. When she sees Xander she goes to hug him. But he brushes her off. He heads right upstairs to wash the grit from himself. Buffy looks to Willow.
"What's the matter with him?"
Willow looks to Oz before answering. "They always get like this after an assignment."
Buffy looks at Oz but the Wolf gets up. "I'm going back to my place. I'll call later for the debriefing."
Oz leaves. Buffy has never seen either Xander or Oz like this before. Willow tries to explain.
"Buffy, its...well, we never know exactly who we're helping and for what reason. Xander and Oz are the best but sometimes it's hard to figure out if it's the bad guys we kill or..."
Xander comes back into the room. He finishes the sentence for Willow.
"Or, if we're the bad guys." Xander looks to Giles.
"I'll call later, Giles, for the usual." He walks out the door. Buffy goes to him.
"Xander, can I walk you home?"
"I'd rather be alone, Buffy."
Buffy grabs his arm lovingly. "Please, Xander."
The boy sighs but gives in. Buffy stares at him as they walk.
"Xander, I've never seen you like this before."
He answers sarcastically. "This is the new me. Not very appealing is it?"
"I didn't say that, Xander. It's just."
"Look, Buffy, I'm not the same Xander, okay. Now I kill things and maybe...people."
When he says this last part the veins on his neck and jaw bulge in pain. Buffy tries to comfort him. She touches his arm.
"Xander, you're a good man. Probably the best man I know."
Xander is not use to Buffy talking to him like this. He looks deep within her eyes for a minute. She is looking at him with compassion and warmth and...love?
But, he has to shake it off. Right now he doesn't feel worthy of anyone's love.
"Buffy, you don't even know me anymore."
"How can you say that, Xander?"
"Buffy, some of the stuff we're doing is really close."
"Close to what, Xander?"
"Close to being evil, Buffy."
"Xander, you actually think I don't know anything about that?"
"What you do isn't the same thing, Buffy."
Buffy gets in front of Xander, stopping him. "Xander this is crazy, look into my eyes...what do you see?"
Xander closes his eyes. Buffy gets upset. "Xander, what do I have to do, throw myself at you?"
"What you have to do is go home Buffy, stay away from me for your own good."
Buffy gets angry. "Don't try that with me Xander. Look, I don't want to bring this up but everybody knows how you feel about me, how you've always felt about me."
"You don't know me and either does anyone else anymore. Now just get away from me and stay away."
He pushes her from him. The Slayer is very angry and hurt. She grabs him by the shirt.
"Don't do this to me, Xander, or to yourself."
"Buffy, let go of my arm!"
Buffy does not like what she sees in Xander's eyes right now. It is almost scary.
"Why, are you going to hit me, Xander?"
Tears well up in Xander's eyes as he realizes how close he is to doing just that.
He pulls from her forcefully. "No, that's your thing, slayer, remember? Let me alone, Buffy."
Xander knows how badly Buffy feels about what she did to him. This is a very hurtful thing for him to say.
"You're pathetic, do you know that, Xander?"
"Finally, you get it. Now get the hell out of here, Buffy."
Both our heroes have tears running down their cheeks as they separate. Buffy doesn't know what to do. She roams around alone. She loves Xander so much now it hurts. But, he is hard, very hard. She knows what it's like to be close to evil. Why won't he listen to her?
It doesn't take too long for her to figure it out. He still loves her. But, he thinks that he is not worthy of her now. That what he is doing would tarnish his image before her. Or that she is so pure in her slaying that he doesn't fit anymore. Hell, maybe all the people they attack aren't monsters but they are not exactly upstanding citizens either. Buffy is not going to give up on Xander but she gets a knot in her stomach every time she thinks of the hard look he gave her before they split.
