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?
***
"I can't," Cordelia whispered at last, lowering the piece of wood at the final possible moment.
Caught by a sudden panic attack, the young seer dropped the stake and started to breathe heavily, gasping oxygen in and out. She closed her eyes tightly, almost squeezing her eyeballs to a pulp as a sudden yelp of rage and pain came out of her lips.
And that was when an impromptu blaze of light completely filled the room with its effulgent splendor, its duration impetuous, quick and oddly fascinating to the injured woman.
When the mystical lightshow came to an end, a shivering Cordelia opened her eyes and felt no surprise at finding out that Angel was gone. But still she let out another pained yelp when her hazel eyes scanned the room and, despite herself, found it empty.
I'll never see him again, Cordelia thought, partially mesmerized. He'll never save my ass from the wicked nasties again, he'll never be there to catch me when I collapse from a vision again, I'll never get to make fun of his gel-less bed hair ever again...
She staggered back awkwardly, her back once more slamming against the wall. This time though, the brunette girl absent-mindedly ignored the pain that it caused her.
That was when an even darker realization hit her, causing a soundless scream of horror and regret to be born in her throat.
She had failed.
Cordelia had missed her shot to release Angel's soul and thus, had opened the door for Angelus' ascension into the world.
She had failed with Xander and Faith as well. Now the two time-travelers didn't have other choice, but to stain their already soiled souls even more - by killing the doomed champion for the Powers, the vampire with a soul known as Angel.
And if they failed, not from her kind of cowardly weakness but because this whole setup was already arranged for their downfall, the end of the world would be brought about as well.
And next thing Cordelia knew was her legs, disoriented and tottering though they were, were carrying her off as fast as they could until she bumped into two young women.
"C-cordy?" she heard the cracked voice of the familiar redhead, her wide ocean-green eyes blurry and red, calling to her.
***
[At the same time, in the warehouse near St. Matthew's]
Xander Harris snapped out of his mystical trance. And his mind briefly wandered through the conversation he'd just had with Cordelia Chase, and also the happenings of the previous hellish few weeks.
The former construction worker quickly realized nobody had noticed his absence. And then he spotted the arrival of a massive police presence, something probably between twenty and thirty armed cops.
A well-built, dark-haired man took one step forward, bringing a police bullhorn to his lips.
His voice was rough and firm when he started yelling, "This is the police! Release your hostages, put your weapons down and come out with your hands up! Otherwise, we will open fire immediately!" the forty-something policeman informed the Slayer and the former Zeppo.
"With b-bullets?" Anya suddenly babbled, looking to Xander and then at her belly, absent-mindedly massaging it. "Don't aim at me and him!" the former demoness yelled out nervously, with a taut wave of her hand.
After Xander briefly grinned weakly and gripped Anya's hand strongly, a look was exchanged between him and the brunette Slayer. Her eyes, indicating tenseness and agitation and utterly alertness; his eyes though, an unexpected coolness and confidence.
'Trust me,' the dark-haired warrior for the Powers mouthed to her, and Faith couldn't help but to nod in acquiescence.
That is, until the brunette girl saw an incomprehensible look on his face. Plus Xander releasing his fiancée's hand and walking out, with his hands up and obviously ready to give himself over to the cops.
What the hell is he doing? the confused Slayer wondered briefly, following him and knowing that they really didn't have time for this.
Because in her experience, Slayer powers or not, escaping from jail is not like taking candy from a baby - not at all, not in any way, shape or form. And even though Faith had escaped thus recently, she'd had the advantage of it being an unexpected occurrence, and not having a freaking army of policemen waiting with guns pointing everywhere.
Anya was equally wide-eyed, and one could not tell if her expression showed a certain relief for his surrender and thus, his at least momentary safety from getting shot by an overeager cop. Or if she was just even more apprehensive and scared about the possibility of her fiancé being taken away by LA's finest, who nowadays did have a tendency to shoot first and ask questions later.
Kelly and Michael, responding by pure instinct, just dived behind a large and dusty wooden crate and wisely stayed there.
"What the heck's he doing?" the blond-haired nurse muttered bewildered, as the doctor just shook his head, equally confused.
"I've got no idea," Penn whispered back. "The right thing?" he added tentatively, but then instantly shook his head once more.
"Or maybe the most stupid one possible," Nurse Marshall replied, with a sober and fearful intonation.
"We surrender!" Xander suddenly screamed, catching the attention of the two medical personnel once more, as well as everyone else's too.
Everyone's expression but his own, could only be described as pure dumb amazement. Some cops exchanged confused glances amongst themselves, wondering if this was some sort of trick.
Xander, seemingly a little relieved that the cops had decided to back off a little at his sudden announcement, advanced cautiously and stopped a few meters away from Faith, exchanging a glance with her before returning his attention to the bluesuits.
His tone was imprinted with sarcasm, at everybody's looks at the unexpected surrender. "Yep, you heard me - what the hell, you'll even be able to make it back to the station before "24" starts, isn't that just neat?"
The copper-skinned dark-haired cop, who was the most senior officer-in- charge, looked more annoyed than disconcerted when he stepped forward and yelled again in that rough, commanding voice, "Put the gun on the ground, raise your hands and walk slowly to where I'm standing! Now!"
A pause. "We've got police snipers on the nearby roofs, so don't try anything funny or I won't hesitate to order them to open fire!" he added sharply.
"Guns down and hands up; gotcha, Mr. Police Officer," Xander replied a little awkwardly, and eyed Faith by his side pointedly with a lame grin. "Don't we, Bonnie?"
Faith almost gasped, maintaining a tight grip on her gun. "No, we don't, Clyde," the Slayer snapped, sounding rather annoyed with what could only be described as a childish pout.
As the cops seemed to go on high alert once more at the brunette's apparent reluctance to give herself up, the firearms were promptly aimed at the time- travelers once again.
"Yes we do, 'cause you've got to trust me," the dark-haired guy said slowly, as you would say to a little child to make her understand something - very tensely too.
"Which seems pretty hard to do right now," the Slayer grunted once more, but finally gave in, smirking at Xander. "I swear, I hope you know what you're doing, boy toy," the brunette whispered to her partner.
Before Xander could say anything, he felt Anya's hand clasping his arm. He turned, surprised that she had followed them out.
"I don't know what the heck you're doing, but I trust you 'cause you're supposed to trust in the person you're gonna marry unless they disappear on their wedding day which you still haven't explained by the way," the blonde girl said in one breath, and frowned as the words left her throat.
She tried again, "I mean, I'm gonna trust you 'cause you're the guy I love, and I learnt with you that that can mean so much more than you just giving me orgasms, which really makes my day and I've got absolutely no complaints about..."
At her next words, the former demoness' voice held a hint of disquietude and fear, as she slightly cringed, "Tell me you'll be back to do those amazing things you do with your tongue? Tell me that you'll be alright - tell me that this'll all end happily ever after?"
Xander's glance fell to the ground. And the sad whisper, accented by a hint of remorse, came when his brown orbs ruefully looked back at her. "I can't do that, Ahn. I'm sorry."
Their hands detached, and Anya's eyes were suddenly blurry as she smiled a devastated, disoriented small smile. "But... but you didn't even see my wedding dress!"
The memories of that white leather outfit, both painful and blissful, flashed through Xander's mind. As well as the bittersweet marriage that the time-traveler had actually experienced, in that other timeline.
The thin grin he sent his beloved was a grievous one. "I'm sure you looked ravishing in it."
The mass of policemen, that seemed to look more than a little unsure of what to do at the unheard dialogue, still had their guns firmly pointed at Faith and Xander.
However, the rough officer-in-charge was yelling at them to knock it off and get moving; the middle-aged cop was getting more and more impatient with the delays. Given how Xander and Anya seemed unaware of his threats and lost in their own little world, the brunette Slayer touched the dark- haired guy's shoulder.
"C'mon, let's go," Faith said gently, in a way that felt a little out-of- character to her old bitchy self.
Xander walked away slowly, his glance locked with Anya's as the blonde woman tried to hold back her tears - her features were a mix of disconsolation, numbness and momentary anger.
Looking at the couple with a slight hint of reflection of Anya's features, the brunette Slayer finally lowered her gun.
Promptly, one bluesuit roughly handcuffed the Slayer, twisting her arms behind her back. Like Faith, Xander offered no resistance as the copper- skinned rough cop did the same to him.
The two time-travelers exchanged one last look, as Faith seemed to ask her partner, 'now what?'
And the unasked question was soon answered, after the dark-haired cop started yelling, "You have the right to remain silent! Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law..."
Because at that moment, to everybody's amazement, a powerful blast of white light gripped the outside of the old warehouse, shiny flashes of blinding radiation exploding everywhere.
And when it was over? As the cops recovered their vision, groaning in pain after what had inexplicably happened, just like with a magician's trick... Faith and Xander simply weren't there anymore.
***
TBC. Review me, and I'll probably update sooner... Yep, Bolo was right - a review junker here!
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?
***
"I can't," Cordelia whispered at last, lowering the piece of wood at the final possible moment.
Caught by a sudden panic attack, the young seer dropped the stake and started to breathe heavily, gasping oxygen in and out. She closed her eyes tightly, almost squeezing her eyeballs to a pulp as a sudden yelp of rage and pain came out of her lips.
And that was when an impromptu blaze of light completely filled the room with its effulgent splendor, its duration impetuous, quick and oddly fascinating to the injured woman.
When the mystical lightshow came to an end, a shivering Cordelia opened her eyes and felt no surprise at finding out that Angel was gone. But still she let out another pained yelp when her hazel eyes scanned the room and, despite herself, found it empty.
I'll never see him again, Cordelia thought, partially mesmerized. He'll never save my ass from the wicked nasties again, he'll never be there to catch me when I collapse from a vision again, I'll never get to make fun of his gel-less bed hair ever again...
She staggered back awkwardly, her back once more slamming against the wall. This time though, the brunette girl absent-mindedly ignored the pain that it caused her.
That was when an even darker realization hit her, causing a soundless scream of horror and regret to be born in her throat.
She had failed.
Cordelia had missed her shot to release Angel's soul and thus, had opened the door for Angelus' ascension into the world.
She had failed with Xander and Faith as well. Now the two time-travelers didn't have other choice, but to stain their already soiled souls even more - by killing the doomed champion for the Powers, the vampire with a soul known as Angel.
And if they failed, not from her kind of cowardly weakness but because this whole setup was already arranged for their downfall, the end of the world would be brought about as well.
And next thing Cordelia knew was her legs, disoriented and tottering though they were, were carrying her off as fast as they could until she bumped into two young women.
"C-cordy?" she heard the cracked voice of the familiar redhead, her wide ocean-green eyes blurry and red, calling to her.
***
[At the same time, in the warehouse near St. Matthew's]
Xander Harris snapped out of his mystical trance. And his mind briefly wandered through the conversation he'd just had with Cordelia Chase, and also the happenings of the previous hellish few weeks.
The former construction worker quickly realized nobody had noticed his absence. And then he spotted the arrival of a massive police presence, something probably between twenty and thirty armed cops.
A well-built, dark-haired man took one step forward, bringing a police bullhorn to his lips.
His voice was rough and firm when he started yelling, "This is the police! Release your hostages, put your weapons down and come out with your hands up! Otherwise, we will open fire immediately!" the forty-something policeman informed the Slayer and the former Zeppo.
"With b-bullets?" Anya suddenly babbled, looking to Xander and then at her belly, absent-mindedly massaging it. "Don't aim at me and him!" the former demoness yelled out nervously, with a taut wave of her hand.
After Xander briefly grinned weakly and gripped Anya's hand strongly, a look was exchanged between him and the brunette Slayer. Her eyes, indicating tenseness and agitation and utterly alertness; his eyes though, an unexpected coolness and confidence.
'Trust me,' the dark-haired warrior for the Powers mouthed to her, and Faith couldn't help but to nod in acquiescence.
That is, until the brunette girl saw an incomprehensible look on his face. Plus Xander releasing his fiancée's hand and walking out, with his hands up and obviously ready to give himself over to the cops.
What the hell is he doing? the confused Slayer wondered briefly, following him and knowing that they really didn't have time for this.
Because in her experience, Slayer powers or not, escaping from jail is not like taking candy from a baby - not at all, not in any way, shape or form. And even though Faith had escaped thus recently, she'd had the advantage of it being an unexpected occurrence, and not having a freaking army of policemen waiting with guns pointing everywhere.
Anya was equally wide-eyed, and one could not tell if her expression showed a certain relief for his surrender and thus, his at least momentary safety from getting shot by an overeager cop. Or if she was just even more apprehensive and scared about the possibility of her fiancé being taken away by LA's finest, who nowadays did have a tendency to shoot first and ask questions later.
Kelly and Michael, responding by pure instinct, just dived behind a large and dusty wooden crate and wisely stayed there.
"What the heck's he doing?" the blond-haired nurse muttered bewildered, as the doctor just shook his head, equally confused.
"I've got no idea," Penn whispered back. "The right thing?" he added tentatively, but then instantly shook his head once more.
"Or maybe the most stupid one possible," Nurse Marshall replied, with a sober and fearful intonation.
"We surrender!" Xander suddenly screamed, catching the attention of the two medical personnel once more, as well as everyone else's too.
Everyone's expression but his own, could only be described as pure dumb amazement. Some cops exchanged confused glances amongst themselves, wondering if this was some sort of trick.
Xander, seemingly a little relieved that the cops had decided to back off a little at his sudden announcement, advanced cautiously and stopped a few meters away from Faith, exchanging a glance with her before returning his attention to the bluesuits.
His tone was imprinted with sarcasm, at everybody's looks at the unexpected surrender. "Yep, you heard me - what the hell, you'll even be able to make it back to the station before "24" starts, isn't that just neat?"
The copper-skinned dark-haired cop, who was the most senior officer-in- charge, looked more annoyed than disconcerted when he stepped forward and yelled again in that rough, commanding voice, "Put the gun on the ground, raise your hands and walk slowly to where I'm standing! Now!"
A pause. "We've got police snipers on the nearby roofs, so don't try anything funny or I won't hesitate to order them to open fire!" he added sharply.
"Guns down and hands up; gotcha, Mr. Police Officer," Xander replied a little awkwardly, and eyed Faith by his side pointedly with a lame grin. "Don't we, Bonnie?"
Faith almost gasped, maintaining a tight grip on her gun. "No, we don't, Clyde," the Slayer snapped, sounding rather annoyed with what could only be described as a childish pout.
As the cops seemed to go on high alert once more at the brunette's apparent reluctance to give herself up, the firearms were promptly aimed at the time- travelers once again.
"Yes we do, 'cause you've got to trust me," the dark-haired guy said slowly, as you would say to a little child to make her understand something - very tensely too.
"Which seems pretty hard to do right now," the Slayer grunted once more, but finally gave in, smirking at Xander. "I swear, I hope you know what you're doing, boy toy," the brunette whispered to her partner.
Before Xander could say anything, he felt Anya's hand clasping his arm. He turned, surprised that she had followed them out.
"I don't know what the heck you're doing, but I trust you 'cause you're supposed to trust in the person you're gonna marry unless they disappear on their wedding day which you still haven't explained by the way," the blonde girl said in one breath, and frowned as the words left her throat.
She tried again, "I mean, I'm gonna trust you 'cause you're the guy I love, and I learnt with you that that can mean so much more than you just giving me orgasms, which really makes my day and I've got absolutely no complaints about..."
At her next words, the former demoness' voice held a hint of disquietude and fear, as she slightly cringed, "Tell me you'll be back to do those amazing things you do with your tongue? Tell me that you'll be alright - tell me that this'll all end happily ever after?"
Xander's glance fell to the ground. And the sad whisper, accented by a hint of remorse, came when his brown orbs ruefully looked back at her. "I can't do that, Ahn. I'm sorry."
Their hands detached, and Anya's eyes were suddenly blurry as she smiled a devastated, disoriented small smile. "But... but you didn't even see my wedding dress!"
The memories of that white leather outfit, both painful and blissful, flashed through Xander's mind. As well as the bittersweet marriage that the time-traveler had actually experienced, in that other timeline.
The thin grin he sent his beloved was a grievous one. "I'm sure you looked ravishing in it."
The mass of policemen, that seemed to look more than a little unsure of what to do at the unheard dialogue, still had their guns firmly pointed at Faith and Xander.
However, the rough officer-in-charge was yelling at them to knock it off and get moving; the middle-aged cop was getting more and more impatient with the delays. Given how Xander and Anya seemed unaware of his threats and lost in their own little world, the brunette Slayer touched the dark- haired guy's shoulder.
"C'mon, let's go," Faith said gently, in a way that felt a little out-of- character to her old bitchy self.
Xander walked away slowly, his glance locked with Anya's as the blonde woman tried to hold back her tears - her features were a mix of disconsolation, numbness and momentary anger.
Looking at the couple with a slight hint of reflection of Anya's features, the brunette Slayer finally lowered her gun.
Promptly, one bluesuit roughly handcuffed the Slayer, twisting her arms behind her back. Like Faith, Xander offered no resistance as the copper- skinned rough cop did the same to him.
The two time-travelers exchanged one last look, as Faith seemed to ask her partner, 'now what?'
And the unasked question was soon answered, after the dark-haired cop started yelling, "You have the right to remain silent! Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law..."
Because at that moment, to everybody's amazement, a powerful blast of white light gripped the outside of the old warehouse, shiny flashes of blinding radiation exploding everywhere.
And when it was over? As the cops recovered their vision, groaning in pain after what had inexplicably happened, just like with a magician's trick... Faith and Xander simply weren't there anymore.
***
TBC. Review me, and I'll probably update sooner... Yep, Bolo was right - a review junker here!