Title: Dancing Around Love (9/13)
Author: Cyclone
Feedback: Please be gentle.
Distribution: Gimme credit and a link. Plus, archived at http://fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=62966
Rating: I'm gonna go say R for semi-explicit sex.
Spoilers: Up to As You Were and Forgiving, plus an alternate reality I'm considering writing.
Disclaimer: The characters depicted herein belong to the almighty Joss. I'm just borrowing them for a while.
Summary: What if Buffy wasn't the only one with an illicit affair?
Author's Note: Okay, this part includes mainly W/X and some A/X and T/X, along with (alternate reality) character deaths. You have been warned.
* * *
Footsteps sounded from further within the suite, and Tara and Dawn emerged. The witch was carrying -- awkwardly -- a small pistol in her trembling right hand.
"A battle alert?" Tara asked, looking at Xander. He nodded grimly.
Anya turned and picked up the shotgun that leaned next to the door, then shoved it into Xander's chest, "Well, come on! Are you just gonna stand there? Let's _go_!"
Xander took the gun and nodded. He headed to the kitchen area and opened a drawer, pulling out a pistol. He handed it to Willow, who shifted little Buffy to her left arm and took the gun, tucking it into her belt.
They hurried outside into a chaotic nightmare, and it was clear that the outer perimeter had already been breached.
Xander shot one vampire in the neck, and the 12-gauge blast tore the vampire's head off, dusting it. He grabbed the shoulder of the black man who had nearly become the vampire's next meal and demanded, "What happened?"
"Don't know," the man gasped, trying to catch his breath. "One of the robots got access and opened up the compound for the vamps and 'brids."
Xander swore, then bellowed, "EVERYONE! EVAC! NOW!"
He ignored his own orders, though, and headed straight into the thick of the battle. "Xander!" Tara called. "Where are you going?"
He turned, "Get out of here, all of you. I'm gonna blow up the armory. We can't let Adam get that much firepower."
Tara shook her head, "No, I'm going with you."
"All right," Xander said hesitantly. He turned to Anya, "An, take care of my wife. Please."
She nodded numbly. This was too much for her to handle. Demons, vampires, robots, Adam-like demon-human cyborg hybrids...
"Let's go," she said, putting more determination in her voice than she actually felt.
* * *
Xander fired the shotgun at virtually point-blank range, and it threw back the hybrid leader that had once been Riley Finn. Riley skidded across the ground a considerable distance before he tried to get up, but Xander didn't watch, instead racing ahead toward the armory, where he saw three humans desperately defending it with a tripod-mounted heavy machinegun and MP5s.
One of them spotted him coming, and he shouted, "Grenade!" Suiting actions to words, he pulled out a hand grenade and hurled it in front of them. They ducked, and the grenade detonated, blasting a clear path between him and the armory.
He and Tara ducked in behind the trio and took the opportunity to catch their breath, even as two of the small-framed guards struggled to load another ammunition belt into the machinegun.
Xander looked at the three of them, "You three, load up and get to the evac point. I'm gonna blow the armory."
Tucker and Andrew looked at each other and nodded. They began strapping guns and grenades to their combat webbing. The third one, Jonathan, shook his head, "You'll need someone to watch your back while you two rig the place to blow. I'm staying."
Xander paused, then nodded.
Jonathan replaced Tucker at the machinegun as the two brothers began to make a break for it. Xander and Tara entered the armory and began to set explosives everywhere, prioritizing the ammunition and other volatile materials.
* * *
"C'mon! C'mon!" Anya urged Willow and Dawn. She bent down over a corpse and liberated the dead man's submachine gun. Bracing herself, she picked a target and fired.
The recoil was far more than she had expected, and it nearly threw her off her feet. The barrel climbed a little, but she managed to keep the weapon on target, shredding the vampire to bits and knocking him on his back even as the gun's hammer clicked on an empty chamber.
She dropped the gun and ran behind Willow and Dawn. A vampire leaped at her, and she backhanded him easily, her demonic strength sending the undead bloodsucker flying.
Dawn staggered to a halt, her hands on her knees. Willow grabbed her arm, "Just a little farther."
"I... I can't..." she panted.
"You have to," Anya said, grabbing her arm, then simply picking up Tara's sister and hauling her in a fireman's carry.
"Hey! Stop it! That hurts!" Dawn screeched, but Anya ignored her and paced Willow as they fled for safety.
* * *
"Okay! We go!" Xander said.
Jonathan nodded, "I'm just about out of ammo."
"You go first. We'll cover you."
"Right."
Jonathan waited for Xander to throw the grenade, then ran as soon as the debris settled, strafing with his MP5 as he made his way to the evacuation point.
Xander had just watched Jonathan disappear around a corner before an explosion threw him off his feet. He shook his head, and looked up to see Riley standing over him, an assault rifle mated to a grenade launcher held in his hands.
"You've been quite the thorn in my brother's side. Now, you die." He leveled the gun at him... and was hurled back and slammed through a wall by an invisible force.
Tara stumbled over to him, "You okay?"
"Yeah," he said. His face turned grim as he examined the detonator, "Damn. Riley blew up the timer."
"So we stay and detonate it manually."
"No, _I'm_ staying. _You're_ getting out of here," Xander said.
She shook her head, "I can't leave you here, Xander."
"Go. That's an order."
"I'm not a soldier. I'm not leaving."
"But..."
"I love you, Xander. And I can't just run and leave you behind to die."
She picked up the detonator, and he wrapped his hand around hers. Looking into his eyes, she said, "Take care of Willow."
"What?" he asked in confusion.
She pressed the button.
* * *
There was a massive explosion at the armory, and an enormous fireball erupted and climbed toward the sky. Anya, Willow, and Dawn stared in shock.
"They didn't come," Jonathan said in disbelief. "They didn't come."
"Oh, God," Willow muttered. "Xander. Tara."
Anya dropped to her knees. "No. No!"
She could fix this. She could! "Give me that!" she demanded, pointing at Willow's gun. The redhead numbly complied, and Anya yanked her pendant off. She pressed the barrel against the pendant...
...and pulled the trigger.
* * *
Wesley gave Anya an ironic smile, "He's... a little upset. He... tried to kill me." He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He chuckled humorlessly and muttered, "Sometimes... sometimes, I wish he'd never come back from hell."
"Be careful what you wish for," Anya said quietly. "You just might get it."
Wesley watched her leave, his forehead creased in confusion.
* * *
Author's Postscript:
Now, what to do, what to do...?
Author: Cyclone
Feedback: Please be gentle.
Distribution: Gimme credit and a link. Plus, archived at http://fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=62966
Rating: I'm gonna go say R for semi-explicit sex.
Spoilers: Up to As You Were and Forgiving, plus an alternate reality I'm considering writing.
Disclaimer: The characters depicted herein belong to the almighty Joss. I'm just borrowing them for a while.
Summary: What if Buffy wasn't the only one with an illicit affair?
Author's Note: Okay, this part includes mainly W/X and some A/X and T/X, along with (alternate reality) character deaths. You have been warned.
* * *
Footsteps sounded from further within the suite, and Tara and Dawn emerged. The witch was carrying -- awkwardly -- a small pistol in her trembling right hand.
"A battle alert?" Tara asked, looking at Xander. He nodded grimly.
Anya turned and picked up the shotgun that leaned next to the door, then shoved it into Xander's chest, "Well, come on! Are you just gonna stand there? Let's _go_!"
Xander took the gun and nodded. He headed to the kitchen area and opened a drawer, pulling out a pistol. He handed it to Willow, who shifted little Buffy to her left arm and took the gun, tucking it into her belt.
They hurried outside into a chaotic nightmare, and it was clear that the outer perimeter had already been breached.
Xander shot one vampire in the neck, and the 12-gauge blast tore the vampire's head off, dusting it. He grabbed the shoulder of the black man who had nearly become the vampire's next meal and demanded, "What happened?"
"Don't know," the man gasped, trying to catch his breath. "One of the robots got access and opened up the compound for the vamps and 'brids."
Xander swore, then bellowed, "EVERYONE! EVAC! NOW!"
He ignored his own orders, though, and headed straight into the thick of the battle. "Xander!" Tara called. "Where are you going?"
He turned, "Get out of here, all of you. I'm gonna blow up the armory. We can't let Adam get that much firepower."
Tara shook her head, "No, I'm going with you."
"All right," Xander said hesitantly. He turned to Anya, "An, take care of my wife. Please."
She nodded numbly. This was too much for her to handle. Demons, vampires, robots, Adam-like demon-human cyborg hybrids...
"Let's go," she said, putting more determination in her voice than she actually felt.
* * *
Xander fired the shotgun at virtually point-blank range, and it threw back the hybrid leader that had once been Riley Finn. Riley skidded across the ground a considerable distance before he tried to get up, but Xander didn't watch, instead racing ahead toward the armory, where he saw three humans desperately defending it with a tripod-mounted heavy machinegun and MP5s.
One of them spotted him coming, and he shouted, "Grenade!" Suiting actions to words, he pulled out a hand grenade and hurled it in front of them. They ducked, and the grenade detonated, blasting a clear path between him and the armory.
He and Tara ducked in behind the trio and took the opportunity to catch their breath, even as two of the small-framed guards struggled to load another ammunition belt into the machinegun.
Xander looked at the three of them, "You three, load up and get to the evac point. I'm gonna blow the armory."
Tucker and Andrew looked at each other and nodded. They began strapping guns and grenades to their combat webbing. The third one, Jonathan, shook his head, "You'll need someone to watch your back while you two rig the place to blow. I'm staying."
Xander paused, then nodded.
Jonathan replaced Tucker at the machinegun as the two brothers began to make a break for it. Xander and Tara entered the armory and began to set explosives everywhere, prioritizing the ammunition and other volatile materials.
* * *
"C'mon! C'mon!" Anya urged Willow and Dawn. She bent down over a corpse and liberated the dead man's submachine gun. Bracing herself, she picked a target and fired.
The recoil was far more than she had expected, and it nearly threw her off her feet. The barrel climbed a little, but she managed to keep the weapon on target, shredding the vampire to bits and knocking him on his back even as the gun's hammer clicked on an empty chamber.
She dropped the gun and ran behind Willow and Dawn. A vampire leaped at her, and she backhanded him easily, her demonic strength sending the undead bloodsucker flying.
Dawn staggered to a halt, her hands on her knees. Willow grabbed her arm, "Just a little farther."
"I... I can't..." she panted.
"You have to," Anya said, grabbing her arm, then simply picking up Tara's sister and hauling her in a fireman's carry.
"Hey! Stop it! That hurts!" Dawn screeched, but Anya ignored her and paced Willow as they fled for safety.
* * *
"Okay! We go!" Xander said.
Jonathan nodded, "I'm just about out of ammo."
"You go first. We'll cover you."
"Right."
Jonathan waited for Xander to throw the grenade, then ran as soon as the debris settled, strafing with his MP5 as he made his way to the evacuation point.
Xander had just watched Jonathan disappear around a corner before an explosion threw him off his feet. He shook his head, and looked up to see Riley standing over him, an assault rifle mated to a grenade launcher held in his hands.
"You've been quite the thorn in my brother's side. Now, you die." He leveled the gun at him... and was hurled back and slammed through a wall by an invisible force.
Tara stumbled over to him, "You okay?"
"Yeah," he said. His face turned grim as he examined the detonator, "Damn. Riley blew up the timer."
"So we stay and detonate it manually."
"No, _I'm_ staying. _You're_ getting out of here," Xander said.
She shook her head, "I can't leave you here, Xander."
"Go. That's an order."
"I'm not a soldier. I'm not leaving."
"But..."
"I love you, Xander. And I can't just run and leave you behind to die."
She picked up the detonator, and he wrapped his hand around hers. Looking into his eyes, she said, "Take care of Willow."
"What?" he asked in confusion.
She pressed the button.
* * *
There was a massive explosion at the armory, and an enormous fireball erupted and climbed toward the sky. Anya, Willow, and Dawn stared in shock.
"They didn't come," Jonathan said in disbelief. "They didn't come."
"Oh, God," Willow muttered. "Xander. Tara."
Anya dropped to her knees. "No. No!"
She could fix this. She could! "Give me that!" she demanded, pointing at Willow's gun. The redhead numbly complied, and Anya yanked her pendant off. She pressed the barrel against the pendant...
...and pulled the trigger.
* * *
Wesley gave Anya an ironic smile, "He's... a little upset. He... tried to kill me." He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He chuckled humorlessly and muttered, "Sometimes... sometimes, I wish he'd never come back from hell."
"Be careful what you wish for," Anya said quietly. "You just might get it."
Wesley watched her leave, his forehead creased in confusion.
* * *
Author's Postscript:
Now, what to do, what to do...?