Title: Loose Ends
Author: Jane McCartney
Disclaimer: All the characters you recognize belong to Joss & co. (all hail the crackhead). I'm just fooling around with his universe, with no intention of making money or anything.
Classification: Buffy-Angel crossover
Rating: PG13
Feedback: Yes, please! Doesn't everyone want it?
Email: janemccartney@bol.com.br
Distribution: Anywhere, I don't mind, just credit me and inform me where it's at.
Acknowledgements: Thanks to Theo, who actually made this project a viable one with his amazing and wonderful work - I'm truly grateful for your help with the English grammar and all the necessary adaptations. You're my savior.
Note: This is my very first attempt at fan fiction, and English is definitely not my native language, so I'd be happy if you guys didn't go too hard on me - please. I'm just doing the best I can here.
Summary: [Buffy-Angel Crossover] Xander shows up in Los Angeles, and brings with him a secret that'll lead him into dangerous territory. Can he cope with that? And his friends, will they be there for him?
***
"What's going on?" Dawn's voice sounded taut and troubled. "Why are they saying these things about Xander and Faith?"
Tara glanced quickly at her. "W-we've got to go find the others," the blonde Wiccan said, ignoring Dawn's question.
"My legs," Willow whispered abruptly; her hands all of a sudden shaky, trying to find the surface of St. Matthew's waiting room chairs. Sitting down slowly, the redhead shot a troubled look to Dawn, and then Tara. "Suddenly, I-I can't feel them..."
Tara ran to her girlfriend's side. "Baby, come on, we'll find Buffy and everyone else. W-we have to find out what's happened with Xander..."
"Before the cops do," Dawn added nervously. "'Cause they've got guns," the teen then added sheepishly, looking down and seeming scared. "Big, scary guns..."
Tara glanced at the brunette girl and tried to put out a kind smile, but knew she was failing miserably through and through. Then the blonde woman mildly pushed her lover to stand up, and put two gentle hands on each side of the redhead's head, locking eyes with the petite former hacker.
"Willow, we've gotta go," Tara whispered, her silky forehead connecting with her girlfriend's one. "Whatever they're accusing Xander of, we know it can't be true, right? Because he would never do something like this, w-we both know that much..."
"It's Faith," Willow cried out in a pained undertone. "It has to be Faith!"
"But Faith wasn't with Xander when he-" Dawn cut herself off, grabbing the newspaper that was laying on a chair, from which they'd found out about Xander's and Faith's illegal activities on the streets of LA.
"She wasn't with him then," the Slayer's young sister pointed out. "When the cops said he did what he did."
While saying this last line, the teen's gaze wandered along the floor, a frown on her face - as she was unable to voice out loud that Xander had actually killed a street bum, and hurt Cordelia.
"She's right," Tara agreed. "Dawnie, could you go find Anya?"
The brunette nodded and left, and the young Wiccan then turned her attention back to her girlfriend. "We're going now, OK sweetheart? We've got to help Xander now, all right?"
Willow nodded sheepishly, holding back the unshed tears and biting her trembling lips.
"I've got a bad feeling about this," the former witch confessed painfully. "I didn't wanna say I had it, 'cause maybe, you know, it'd just go away, but it won't! And it's growing, I can sense it, and I just can't stop feeling it. Why won't it go away? Why, Tara?"
"A bad feeling? What exactly-"
"I don't know! All I know is something bad is gonna happen and it'll happen soon and we have to stop it!"
At this point, Willow's babbling made tears form in Tara's eyes as well. She wanted to say everything would be all right, but the older woman couldn't lie to her beloved at a time like this.
And it was at that precise moment, when her eyes were boring into her girlfriend's sea-green ones, that a distraught woman who was no older than they were bumped against them - and almost sent everybody tumbling to the floor.
***
Cordelia's mind snapped out of the trance she had fallen into, after the Powers-That-Be had arranged that conference for her and Xander - in a time that had lasted less than a second in this dimension.
The seer found that she was still staring at the door of her hospital room, the very same one she had been laying in bed in barely a few minutes ago.
And, Cordy painfully recollected, where Angel was laying unconscious, due to a blow she herself had administered before the Powers had managed to restore her memory and free her from the demonic silver medallion's illusory spell.
The brunette girl's mind was assaulted with a thought that was, at the same time, scary and painstaking. She knew now what was going to happen, the inevitable prophecy that was soon to come to pass - and Cordelia realized she had the chance to stop it right there, right then.
It was a grotesque idea, a painful and probably stupid one; but deep down, Cordy knew it was the right thing to do. It would not only guarantee the world's safety once and for all, but also release - if just a little - the horror staining Xander's soul, and Faith's as well.
Xander... the seer remembered, with a hint of sadness. She didn't know why exactly, but being with him in the PTB's parallel universe had made her feel his pain and the burden the time-traveler was carrying with him.
And jeez, Cordy! You had to go all Crazy Girl on him, pointing fingers and shouting that he did stuff to you? Things that you *knew* your former boyfriend would never do? It's a miracle Xander doesn't hate you! Some help you've been, the brunette rebuked herself, knowing it was the spell's fault but feeling guilty nevertheless.
Focusing back on the here and now, Cordelia knew she owed this to her vampiric friend and comrade-in-arms - becoming his evil alter ego, Angelus, wasn't just everyone else's nightmare, but also Angel's own greatest one.
But could she really do this? Was Cordelia Chase really that pragmatic? And, most important of all, was she strong enough to stake the vampire she had grown to love and respect as not only an ally in this endless good fight, but as a friend and confidant?
There were just too many why's and wherefore's, too many questions; the brunette seer didn't feel like she could handle it all. Slowly, practically absent-mindedly, the girl opened the door with great gentleness.
Cordelia knew that the fact she had managed to knock Angel unconscious had been due to a mix of several things. First of all, it really had been a lucky shot; and, also, the complete surprise of such an act and the lack of recognition of Cordelia as an enemy to Angel's danger sense had helped as well.
But then again Cordelia's strength, even if purposely and strategically directed at Angel's head in order to send him to la-la land, wasn't powerful enough to knock him out for a very long time.
When the brunette stepped back inside the room, her body and mind moving along on some kind of automatic pilot, she heard a groan, and then saw a slight movement of the souled vampire's arm.
She cringed, and took an unconscious step back.
"I can't do this," Cordelia murmured, shaking her head vehemently as if in a trance. "God, I so can't do this!"
In the seer's absent-minded staggering back, her still-damaged back met the room's wall, and the brunette's lips let out a sudden yelp.
And that was when Cordelia's eyes spotted a wooden chair.
Still on automatic pilot, the brunette girl kicked it with all the strength she could muster, breaking it into five solid pieces; including one of the legs, complete with a sharp terminus.
Staring at the unexpected stake in her hands, Cordelia gulped. With unhurried and fearful steps, the seer advanced towards the unconscious vampire's figure.
Another groan came out of Angel's lips, but for some reason, Cordelia didn't step back this time. A serene, pained wave of quiet seemed to wash over her soul, as her hand was lifted up into the air.
The stake held and pointed at Angel's chest, straight at the heart.
A single tear fell out of her right hazel orb, and the seer closed her eyes tightly.
And then, Cordelia let her hand fall down in a rush.
***
The end is in sight! Review me, or else I'll stop right here! Jokes apart... I wanna clarify some things: I started this fic really soon, so I missed almost every S6/3 events... so, there's no Connor, Xander and Anya aren't married yet, but he didn't have plans to run this time...
Author: Jane McCartney
Disclaimer: All the characters you recognize belong to Joss & co. (all hail the crackhead). I'm just fooling around with his universe, with no intention of making money or anything.
Classification: Buffy-Angel crossover
Rating: PG13
Feedback: Yes, please! Doesn't everyone want it?
Email: janemccartney@bol.com.br
Distribution: Anywhere, I don't mind, just credit me and inform me where it's at.
Acknowledgements: Thanks to Theo, who actually made this project a viable one with his amazing and wonderful work - I'm truly grateful for your help with the English grammar and all the necessary adaptations. You're my savior.
Note: This is my very first attempt at fan fiction, and English is definitely not my native language, so I'd be happy if you guys didn't go too hard on me - please. I'm just doing the best I can here.
Summary: [Buffy-Angel Crossover] Xander shows up in Los Angeles, and brings with him a secret that'll lead him into dangerous territory. Can he cope with that? And his friends, will they be there for him?
***
"What's going on?" Dawn's voice sounded taut and troubled. "Why are they saying these things about Xander and Faith?"
Tara glanced quickly at her. "W-we've got to go find the others," the blonde Wiccan said, ignoring Dawn's question.
"My legs," Willow whispered abruptly; her hands all of a sudden shaky, trying to find the surface of St. Matthew's waiting room chairs. Sitting down slowly, the redhead shot a troubled look to Dawn, and then Tara. "Suddenly, I-I can't feel them..."
Tara ran to her girlfriend's side. "Baby, come on, we'll find Buffy and everyone else. W-we have to find out what's happened with Xander..."
"Before the cops do," Dawn added nervously. "'Cause they've got guns," the teen then added sheepishly, looking down and seeming scared. "Big, scary guns..."
Tara glanced at the brunette girl and tried to put out a kind smile, but knew she was failing miserably through and through. Then the blonde woman mildly pushed her lover to stand up, and put two gentle hands on each side of the redhead's head, locking eyes with the petite former hacker.
"Willow, we've gotta go," Tara whispered, her silky forehead connecting with her girlfriend's one. "Whatever they're accusing Xander of, we know it can't be true, right? Because he would never do something like this, w-we both know that much..."
"It's Faith," Willow cried out in a pained undertone. "It has to be Faith!"
"But Faith wasn't with Xander when he-" Dawn cut herself off, grabbing the newspaper that was laying on a chair, from which they'd found out about Xander's and Faith's illegal activities on the streets of LA.
"She wasn't with him then," the Slayer's young sister pointed out. "When the cops said he did what he did."
While saying this last line, the teen's gaze wandered along the floor, a frown on her face - as she was unable to voice out loud that Xander had actually killed a street bum, and hurt Cordelia.
"She's right," Tara agreed. "Dawnie, could you go find Anya?"
The brunette nodded and left, and the young Wiccan then turned her attention back to her girlfriend. "We're going now, OK sweetheart? We've got to help Xander now, all right?"
Willow nodded sheepishly, holding back the unshed tears and biting her trembling lips.
"I've got a bad feeling about this," the former witch confessed painfully. "I didn't wanna say I had it, 'cause maybe, you know, it'd just go away, but it won't! And it's growing, I can sense it, and I just can't stop feeling it. Why won't it go away? Why, Tara?"
"A bad feeling? What exactly-"
"I don't know! All I know is something bad is gonna happen and it'll happen soon and we have to stop it!"
At this point, Willow's babbling made tears form in Tara's eyes as well. She wanted to say everything would be all right, but the older woman couldn't lie to her beloved at a time like this.
And it was at that precise moment, when her eyes were boring into her girlfriend's sea-green ones, that a distraught woman who was no older than they were bumped against them - and almost sent everybody tumbling to the floor.
***
Cordelia's mind snapped out of the trance she had fallen into, after the Powers-That-Be had arranged that conference for her and Xander - in a time that had lasted less than a second in this dimension.
The seer found that she was still staring at the door of her hospital room, the very same one she had been laying in bed in barely a few minutes ago.
And, Cordy painfully recollected, where Angel was laying unconscious, due to a blow she herself had administered before the Powers had managed to restore her memory and free her from the demonic silver medallion's illusory spell.
The brunette girl's mind was assaulted with a thought that was, at the same time, scary and painstaking. She knew now what was going to happen, the inevitable prophecy that was soon to come to pass - and Cordelia realized she had the chance to stop it right there, right then.
It was a grotesque idea, a painful and probably stupid one; but deep down, Cordy knew it was the right thing to do. It would not only guarantee the world's safety once and for all, but also release - if just a little - the horror staining Xander's soul, and Faith's as well.
Xander... the seer remembered, with a hint of sadness. She didn't know why exactly, but being with him in the PTB's parallel universe had made her feel his pain and the burden the time-traveler was carrying with him.
And jeez, Cordy! You had to go all Crazy Girl on him, pointing fingers and shouting that he did stuff to you? Things that you *knew* your former boyfriend would never do? It's a miracle Xander doesn't hate you! Some help you've been, the brunette rebuked herself, knowing it was the spell's fault but feeling guilty nevertheless.
Focusing back on the here and now, Cordelia knew she owed this to her vampiric friend and comrade-in-arms - becoming his evil alter ego, Angelus, wasn't just everyone else's nightmare, but also Angel's own greatest one.
But could she really do this? Was Cordelia Chase really that pragmatic? And, most important of all, was she strong enough to stake the vampire she had grown to love and respect as not only an ally in this endless good fight, but as a friend and confidant?
There were just too many why's and wherefore's, too many questions; the brunette seer didn't feel like she could handle it all. Slowly, practically absent-mindedly, the girl opened the door with great gentleness.
Cordelia knew that the fact she had managed to knock Angel unconscious had been due to a mix of several things. First of all, it really had been a lucky shot; and, also, the complete surprise of such an act and the lack of recognition of Cordelia as an enemy to Angel's danger sense had helped as well.
But then again Cordelia's strength, even if purposely and strategically directed at Angel's head in order to send him to la-la land, wasn't powerful enough to knock him out for a very long time.
When the brunette stepped back inside the room, her body and mind moving along on some kind of automatic pilot, she heard a groan, and then saw a slight movement of the souled vampire's arm.
She cringed, and took an unconscious step back.
"I can't do this," Cordelia murmured, shaking her head vehemently as if in a trance. "God, I so can't do this!"
In the seer's absent-minded staggering back, her still-damaged back met the room's wall, and the brunette's lips let out a sudden yelp.
And that was when Cordelia's eyes spotted a wooden chair.
Still on automatic pilot, the brunette girl kicked it with all the strength she could muster, breaking it into five solid pieces; including one of the legs, complete with a sharp terminus.
Staring at the unexpected stake in her hands, Cordelia gulped. With unhurried and fearful steps, the seer advanced towards the unconscious vampire's figure.
Another groan came out of Angel's lips, but for some reason, Cordelia didn't step back this time. A serene, pained wave of quiet seemed to wash over her soul, as her hand was lifted up into the air.
The stake held and pointed at Angel's chest, straight at the heart.
A single tear fell out of her right hazel orb, and the seer closed her eyes tightly.
And then, Cordelia let her hand fall down in a rush.
***
The end is in sight! Review me, or else I'll stop right here! Jokes apart... I wanna clarify some things: I started this fic really soon, so I missed almost every S6/3 events... so, there's no Connor, Xander and Anya aren't married yet, but he didn't have plans to run this time...