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?
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: FROM NOW ON, THIS STORY'S BEING WRITTEN BY JANE MCCARTNEY AND STAIRWAY MAN. [Later that night]
The Angelites and the Scoobies had spent most of the day researching, and come up with a few things to explain what was going on.
To be more accurate, Wesley had been the one to determine what sort of demons they were dealing with - based on Fred's story of her friend Ricky, the medallion they had as evidence, and Cordy's descriptions.
"I don't think there's any doubt about it," the dark-haired Englishman said to everyone, as he showed a book to the messenger for the Powers. "Cordelia, are these the demons that attacked you?"
The ex-Sunnydale resident shivered in fear and disgust, at seeing their deadly image faithfully etched onto the ancient paper. "Oh yeah..."
Wesley just looked insufferably pleased with himself. "I thought so! The description you gave, the weapons Xander used to kill them - even the official report on Ricky Gloove that Willow hacked for us! We're dealing with Kohra demons here..."
"Uh, what's a Kohra demon, exactly?" Fred asked nervously.
"They're bloody well bad news, pet," Spike interjected venomously.
Giles nodded, agreeing with the soulless vampire for once. "A highly deadly threat, i-in my opinion. They're, they're agents of darkness - an offshoot of the Mohra demon race. Highly intelligent, very vicious..."
Dawn then said uncertainly, "Uh, Giles? If these demons are responsible for it all... I just remembered - you mentioned something before we left Sunnydale, about why Xander was acting so un-Xanderish...?"
The man looked somewhat embarrassed, "Yes, well. My mistake - I, er, thought he'd been possessed by that hyena spirit again, but that's now obviously so not the case..."
The ex-Watcher then looked at Cordelia in a strange way. "You're, um, very lucky to be alive, you know - those demons are not only irredeemably evil, but also love going for needless killing..."
"Hooray for me," the girl just angrily shrugged the news aside. "Now, what about Angel, Faith and Xander?"
The two Brits looked at each other. "Well..." Wesley started to say.
"Cordy, nobody's been able to find any trace of this prophecy that you mentioned," Willow tried to say apologetically.
"Yeah, we've l-looked everywhere," Tara then said. She looked around at the others, and saw that they all had the same grim expressions on their faces; apart from Lorne, who was not present, on account of some trouble at his club.
"That doesn't make any sense!" the seer denied it angrily. "A prophecy's a prophecy! Someone had to have written it down somewhere, or how else would Xander have known about it? Maybe we don't have the right books-"
"Or else the guy coulda been lying," Gunn offered neutrally, as Anya and Cordelia instantly glared at him. "I'm just saying..."
"There *is* another possibility," Fred then chimed in, as everybody looked at her. "I'm just saying."
"What is it?" Buffy demanded immediately, desperate for all of this not to be happening. She glanced over at Dawn, who had not said anything so far; and the two sisters just knew what the other was thinking.
This is a freaking nightmare.
"Well, it's a time-travel thing," Fred tried to explain in her own crazy goony-bird way. "Now, now, if this Xander guy has come from the future..."
"He has!" Cordy almost yelled. "So has Faith! I had the vision from the Powers, remember? Plus that out-of-body interdimensional chat Xander and I had before they disappeared!"
"OK, OK!" Fred said loudly. "Just lemme finish! Look, assuming all this is on the level, history has already been changed now. I mean, I'm pretty sure those three weren't supposed to go on a trip to the future like that in the original timeline, right?"
"No..." Cordelia said slowly, not seeing where this was going.
"So, um, maybe that prophecy existed for Future Xander and Future Faith because it happened for them; I mean, Angel losing his soul and..." The Texan girl broke off, not wanting to think about that. "But the point is, things are different now! We know what's going on, so we have a chance to change things! So, so, the prophecy doesn't exist anymore, because we changed things - or, um, *will* change things! Especially for Angel!"
Everyone looked hopeful at that, till the brunette girl shook her head. "No. Xander said that even knowing what's gonna happen, no one will be able to stop Angelus from showing up... on account of there's some form of power acting that even Willow couldn't overcome, when she tried to re-soul him..."
There was a silence, as everyone tried to deal with that. Giles eventually said, "Look, it's been a bloody long day and we're all tired; why don't all of you, uh, go upstairs and get some sleep? We've still got days to look for a solution, and it'll go better if we start fresh in the morning..."
Some people protested, especially Buffy and Anya; but, realizing that their father figure was almost certainly correct as always, everyone soon trudged up the stairs for some desperately need shut-eye.
Everyone, that is, except Wesley.
The younger British man looked at his compatriot. "What?" Wes asked with a briskly cocked eyebrow. "You didn't think I'd fall for that as well, did you? I know perfectly well you're going to keep on researching all night, it's exactly what I'd do in your position..."
Giles sighed, as he gestured towards his research twin. "Let's get at it, then..."
***
Cordelia Chase woke up a few hours later, from the throes of a horrible nightmare.
At first, of course, it had been all so wonderful. The brunette woman had dreamed about the past, shortly before she had left Sunnydale and come to the City of Angels to seek her fortune as an international superstar.
In the dream, after the gang had defeated the demon snake/Mayor at the blown-up high school following the Ascension, instead of just walking off... Xander had grabbed his one and only Queen C and kissed her, and then told the astonished Miss Chase that he still loved her with all his heart.
And that the thing with Willow had just been a crazy mistake, on account of she was secretly gay anyway; please, could she forgive him now? And then in the former cheerleader's weirdly astonished and chaotically confused mind, the guy actually got down on one knee and asked her to marry him...
The dream shifted, as the former odd couple of Sunnydale were then somehow at the altar in a church; Cordy in a white satin wedding dress and Xander in a perfect black tuxedo, and about to say, "I do".
When all of a sudden, Xander's smiling face morphed into that of Angel.
And after that, even though the seer was internally pleading desperately with whoever was listening for it to stop - the vampire's game face appeared, and he lunged forward for her neck...
Cordelia screamed softly and woke up with a jerk, hoping that no one else had heard her yelling. After a few minutes when nobody started banging on her door, she just assumed they hadn't.
Her throat parched, the messenger for the Powers went downstairs for a cool glass of water - or maybe even a wicked and enticing can of beer, the young woman was *that* stressed out - when she heard British voices arguing. Stopping at the foot of the stairs, she listened to Wesley and Giles having a majorly bad disagreement.
"It can't be," Wesley kept saying over and over. "We've got to be wrong! I bloody well refuse to accept this!"
Giles sighed, "I've already checked it twice, and so have you. It's all very real, so there's no point for you trying to pretend otherwise..."
Wesley looked upset. "What about Cordelia's vision, the one about Angelus killing Faith?"
Giles just looked at him. "As far as I know, the, ah, the visions are a warning about what might come to pass, aren't they? Well, let's um, consider ourselves duly warned. That doesn't change anything..."
What are those two talking about? Cordelia wondered, her thirst suddenly forgotten.
Wes then said hopelessly, "Perhaps there's some way around it?"
Giles sounded impatient, "For Heaven's sake, Wesley! This is the Codex we're dealing with..."
The Codex? thought Cordy in bewilderment. What the heck's that?
The older Brit continued, "You should know perfectly well, that there is nothing in this particular book of Slayer prophecy which does not come to pass! I've had this conversation before, when Buffy died that first time... some prophecies are - are changeable, not set in stone. Alterable, or avoidable. But not the ones like this!"
Wesley still resisted becoming a believer. "Perhaps we've mistranslated..."
Giles now looked annoyed, "Both of us, working independently? Don't be such a horse's arse - I mean given all that we know, it's not even that surprising! When the time comes, Faith will face Angel-"
"Are we sure that it'll be Faith?" Mr. Wyndam-Pryce interrupted desperately.
"Quite sure," Rupert sighed. "Buffy was not meant to live to see her 17th birthday; all the prophecies after 1997, therefore, must refer to her successors. Wesley... Faith is still the Chosen One, her replacement, despite all that she's done in the past; there's, well, there's no room for doubt about that..."
He sighed again, fiddling with his glasses. "I wish to God I was wrong about what'll happen to Angel, but all the signs are crystal clear! The prophecy says that in a few days, the Slayer will face the vampire with a soul - and upon losing it, that vampire will become dust..."
Cordelia couldn't help it, she screamed; a long, loud wail of pain and denial, over her friend's horrible upcoming demise.
***
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?
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: FROM NOW ON, THIS STORY'S BEING WRITTEN BY JANE MCCARTNEY AND STAIRWAY MAN. [Later that night]
The Angelites and the Scoobies had spent most of the day researching, and come up with a few things to explain what was going on.
To be more accurate, Wesley had been the one to determine what sort of demons they were dealing with - based on Fred's story of her friend Ricky, the medallion they had as evidence, and Cordy's descriptions.
"I don't think there's any doubt about it," the dark-haired Englishman said to everyone, as he showed a book to the messenger for the Powers. "Cordelia, are these the demons that attacked you?"
The ex-Sunnydale resident shivered in fear and disgust, at seeing their deadly image faithfully etched onto the ancient paper. "Oh yeah..."
Wesley just looked insufferably pleased with himself. "I thought so! The description you gave, the weapons Xander used to kill them - even the official report on Ricky Gloove that Willow hacked for us! We're dealing with Kohra demons here..."
"Uh, what's a Kohra demon, exactly?" Fred asked nervously.
"They're bloody well bad news, pet," Spike interjected venomously.
Giles nodded, agreeing with the soulless vampire for once. "A highly deadly threat, i-in my opinion. They're, they're agents of darkness - an offshoot of the Mohra demon race. Highly intelligent, very vicious..."
Dawn then said uncertainly, "Uh, Giles? If these demons are responsible for it all... I just remembered - you mentioned something before we left Sunnydale, about why Xander was acting so un-Xanderish...?"
The man looked somewhat embarrassed, "Yes, well. My mistake - I, er, thought he'd been possessed by that hyena spirit again, but that's now obviously so not the case..."
The ex-Watcher then looked at Cordelia in a strange way. "You're, um, very lucky to be alive, you know - those demons are not only irredeemably evil, but also love going for needless killing..."
"Hooray for me," the girl just angrily shrugged the news aside. "Now, what about Angel, Faith and Xander?"
The two Brits looked at each other. "Well..." Wesley started to say.
"Cordy, nobody's been able to find any trace of this prophecy that you mentioned," Willow tried to say apologetically.
"Yeah, we've l-looked everywhere," Tara then said. She looked around at the others, and saw that they all had the same grim expressions on their faces; apart from Lorne, who was not present, on account of some trouble at his club.
"That doesn't make any sense!" the seer denied it angrily. "A prophecy's a prophecy! Someone had to have written it down somewhere, or how else would Xander have known about it? Maybe we don't have the right books-"
"Or else the guy coulda been lying," Gunn offered neutrally, as Anya and Cordelia instantly glared at him. "I'm just saying..."
"There *is* another possibility," Fred then chimed in, as everybody looked at her. "I'm just saying."
"What is it?" Buffy demanded immediately, desperate for all of this not to be happening. She glanced over at Dawn, who had not said anything so far; and the two sisters just knew what the other was thinking.
This is a freaking nightmare.
"Well, it's a time-travel thing," Fred tried to explain in her own crazy goony-bird way. "Now, now, if this Xander guy has come from the future..."
"He has!" Cordy almost yelled. "So has Faith! I had the vision from the Powers, remember? Plus that out-of-body interdimensional chat Xander and I had before they disappeared!"
"OK, OK!" Fred said loudly. "Just lemme finish! Look, assuming all this is on the level, history has already been changed now. I mean, I'm pretty sure those three weren't supposed to go on a trip to the future like that in the original timeline, right?"
"No..." Cordelia said slowly, not seeing where this was going.
"So, um, maybe that prophecy existed for Future Xander and Future Faith because it happened for them; I mean, Angel losing his soul and..." The Texan girl broke off, not wanting to think about that. "But the point is, things are different now! We know what's going on, so we have a chance to change things! So, so, the prophecy doesn't exist anymore, because we changed things - or, um, *will* change things! Especially for Angel!"
Everyone looked hopeful at that, till the brunette girl shook her head. "No. Xander said that even knowing what's gonna happen, no one will be able to stop Angelus from showing up... on account of there's some form of power acting that even Willow couldn't overcome, when she tried to re-soul him..."
There was a silence, as everyone tried to deal with that. Giles eventually said, "Look, it's been a bloody long day and we're all tired; why don't all of you, uh, go upstairs and get some sleep? We've still got days to look for a solution, and it'll go better if we start fresh in the morning..."
Some people protested, especially Buffy and Anya; but, realizing that their father figure was almost certainly correct as always, everyone soon trudged up the stairs for some desperately need shut-eye.
Everyone, that is, except Wesley.
The younger British man looked at his compatriot. "What?" Wes asked with a briskly cocked eyebrow. "You didn't think I'd fall for that as well, did you? I know perfectly well you're going to keep on researching all night, it's exactly what I'd do in your position..."
Giles sighed, as he gestured towards his research twin. "Let's get at it, then..."
***
Cordelia Chase woke up a few hours later, from the throes of a horrible nightmare.
At first, of course, it had been all so wonderful. The brunette woman had dreamed about the past, shortly before she had left Sunnydale and come to the City of Angels to seek her fortune as an international superstar.
In the dream, after the gang had defeated the demon snake/Mayor at the blown-up high school following the Ascension, instead of just walking off... Xander had grabbed his one and only Queen C and kissed her, and then told the astonished Miss Chase that he still loved her with all his heart.
And that the thing with Willow had just been a crazy mistake, on account of she was secretly gay anyway; please, could she forgive him now? And then in the former cheerleader's weirdly astonished and chaotically confused mind, the guy actually got down on one knee and asked her to marry him...
The dream shifted, as the former odd couple of Sunnydale were then somehow at the altar in a church; Cordy in a white satin wedding dress and Xander in a perfect black tuxedo, and about to say, "I do".
When all of a sudden, Xander's smiling face morphed into that of Angel.
And after that, even though the seer was internally pleading desperately with whoever was listening for it to stop - the vampire's game face appeared, and he lunged forward for her neck...
Cordelia screamed softly and woke up with a jerk, hoping that no one else had heard her yelling. After a few minutes when nobody started banging on her door, she just assumed they hadn't.
Her throat parched, the messenger for the Powers went downstairs for a cool glass of water - or maybe even a wicked and enticing can of beer, the young woman was *that* stressed out - when she heard British voices arguing. Stopping at the foot of the stairs, she listened to Wesley and Giles having a majorly bad disagreement.
"It can't be," Wesley kept saying over and over. "We've got to be wrong! I bloody well refuse to accept this!"
Giles sighed, "I've already checked it twice, and so have you. It's all very real, so there's no point for you trying to pretend otherwise..."
Wesley looked upset. "What about Cordelia's vision, the one about Angelus killing Faith?"
Giles just looked at him. "As far as I know, the, ah, the visions are a warning about what might come to pass, aren't they? Well, let's um, consider ourselves duly warned. That doesn't change anything..."
What are those two talking about? Cordelia wondered, her thirst suddenly forgotten.
Wes then said hopelessly, "Perhaps there's some way around it?"
Giles sounded impatient, "For Heaven's sake, Wesley! This is the Codex we're dealing with..."
The Codex? thought Cordy in bewilderment. What the heck's that?
The older Brit continued, "You should know perfectly well, that there is nothing in this particular book of Slayer prophecy which does not come to pass! I've had this conversation before, when Buffy died that first time... some prophecies are - are changeable, not set in stone. Alterable, or avoidable. But not the ones like this!"
Wesley still resisted becoming a believer. "Perhaps we've mistranslated..."
Giles now looked annoyed, "Both of us, working independently? Don't be such a horse's arse - I mean given all that we know, it's not even that surprising! When the time comes, Faith will face Angel-"
"Are we sure that it'll be Faith?" Mr. Wyndam-Pryce interrupted desperately.
"Quite sure," Rupert sighed. "Buffy was not meant to live to see her 17th birthday; all the prophecies after 1997, therefore, must refer to her successors. Wesley... Faith is still the Chosen One, her replacement, despite all that she's done in the past; there's, well, there's no room for doubt about that..."
He sighed again, fiddling with his glasses. "I wish to God I was wrong about what'll happen to Angel, but all the signs are crystal clear! The prophecy says that in a few days, the Slayer will face the vampire with a soul - and upon losing it, that vampire will become dust..."
Cordelia couldn't help it, she screamed; a long, loud wail of pain and denial, over her friend's horrible upcoming demise.
***