Title: No Fate (1/?)
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 PG.
Spoilers: Up to and through Chosen.
Disclaimer: The characters depicted herein belong to the almighty Joss. I'm just borrowing them for a while.
Summary: Angel comes back in time to save the hope of the future.
Author's Note: This is sort of a fusion with The Terminator. The idea just sort hit me.
* * *
"Come with me if you want to live."
"Are you _nuts_?" Xander sputtered at Angel. "You just shot..." he trailed off as he saw Kennedy rising to her feet, apparently none the worse for wear despite the point-blank dose of twelve-gauge buckshot.
Now, Xander was -- unfairly, perhaps -- considered to be not very intelligent. He certainly wasn't the genius Willow was. But even he could make the connection here.
Kennedy was a Slayer. Slayers weren't bulletproof. This thing that looked like Kennedy was. Therefore, it was not Kennedy.
Then again, Angel was a vampire. Vampires burned up in the sunlight. This person who looked like Angel was in the sun and not burning. Therefore, he was not Angel.
However, not-Kennedy was trying to kill him. Not-Angel was trying to keep him alive, at least for now.
Xander scrambled to his feet and ran as not-Angel unloaded another shell into not-Kennedy.
"This way!" not-Angel called as he ran toward a car, and Xander followed.
"What the hell's going on, Deadboy?" Xander demanded.
"Later," not-Angel said curtly, hotwiring the engine.
When did Angel learn to hotwire a car?
* * *
Not-Angel pulled the car over into the parking lot of the hotel the Slayers and Slayerettes had been using, and Xander raised an eyebrow. Now, how did he know where to go?
"C'mon," not-Angel said, "we don't have time. She'll know we're headed this way."
Xander followed. He wanted an explanation, and not-Angel was probably the only one who could give him one.
* * *
Buffy sighed and looked at him. Finally, she asked, "So... you're really Angel?"
He nodded, "From the future. The Powers That Be turned me human as a reward for what I've done, helping bring down the Slayer Empire. They had one shot, though. They sent an assassin back in time to kill the person responsible for the resistance even surviving long enough to become a threat."
"And it's all my fault," Buffy whispered softly.
Angel nodded sadly, "They knew we'd send someone to ride the ripple back. That's why they didn't send her back any further. They needed the Slayers to be Called."
The entire collection was stunned by the story, but none moreso than Willow.
And Kennedy.
It wasn't every day you learned that you were responsible for the First Evil's victory and that your girlfriend would become a demon-cyborg-hybrid thing sent to kill you best friend did that.
Nor was it every day you learned that being a psychotic demon-cyborg-hybrid was in your future, and that even killing yourself wouldn't work, because you had (will have?) died before that parody of you gets built anyway.
It was the sort of thing that induced migraines and nausea.
All in all, they were handling it pretty well.
"I think I'm gonna throw up," Willow murmured as she suddenly bolted for the bathroom.
"Me too," Kennedy added, a step behind the redhead.
Angel watched them disappear, then turned to Xander, "We can't stay long, sir. She'll expect us to come here. We have to move."
Xander -- along with everyone else in the room -- blinked when Angel called him "sir." _That_ was just too bizarre.
Xander nodded, rising, "I'll get ready." His gaze swept around the table, and he looked at Angel, "Will she go after anyone else, or is it just me?"
"Just you," Angel said. "No one else survived long enough to make any difference."
"I'm coming," Buffy said, rising as well. Xander turned, an argument on the tip of his tongue, but before he could speak, Willow returned.
"So will I," the redhead said, stepping back into the room, though she still looked a bit pale.
"And where Willow goes, I go," Kennedy said firmly.
Faith looked around and shrugged, "Ah, what the hell. I'm in." She ignored Robin's frown. If the ex-principal wanted to come, he was free to, as far as she was concerned. She wasn't going to leave the Xandman hanging for _him_, even if he was a pretty good lay.
"Dawn..." Buffy started.
"No!" Dawn snapped, interrupting her sister. "I'm going too."
"Same here," Andrew suddenly spoke up, much to everyone's surprise.
Most of the new Slayers shifted uncertainly, and Vi and Rona looked ready to stand, but Xander didn't give them a chance, "Whoa, that's more than enough."
Looking at Dawn, Xander shook his head, "You've got to stay with the Slayers, Dawn. Please. For me." His gaze drifted to Faith and Buffy, "One of you has to stay and lead them. Go with the plan, do what you can to secure the Hellmouth in Cleveland and take Dawn," he paused and glanced at Andrew speculatively, "and Andrew with you." He turned just as Dawn opened her mouth, "_No_ _arguments_, Dawn."
Faith and Buffy looked at each other for a long moment, and after a long moment, the dark-haired Slayer gave her blonde counterpart a rueful smile, "No worries, B. I got it covered." She shot Xander a look that told him that she'd rather be watching his back.
Xander closed his eyes. Him, Angel, Buffy, Willow, and Kennedy. Five people. The logistics for that was going to be problematic. Weapons, food, clothing. He shook his head and looked at the Buffy, Willow, and Kennedy. "Well, we'd better start packing. Essentials only. We leave in an hour."
They nodded and scrambled to their rooms, and Xander followed suit.
He was just damn glad Giles was still doing his circuit of the world, searching for other Slayers and surviving Watchers. The guy would probably polish right through his glasses.
* * *
Author's Postscript:
Comments? Criticisms? Death threats for starting yet another 'fic instead of continuing previous WIPs? ^_^'
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 PG.
Spoilers: Up to and through Chosen.
Disclaimer: The characters depicted herein belong to the almighty Joss. I'm just borrowing them for a while.
Summary: Angel comes back in time to save the hope of the future.
Author's Note: This is sort of a fusion with The Terminator. The idea just sort hit me.
* * *
"Come with me if you want to live."
"Are you _nuts_?" Xander sputtered at Angel. "You just shot..." he trailed off as he saw Kennedy rising to her feet, apparently none the worse for wear despite the point-blank dose of twelve-gauge buckshot.
Now, Xander was -- unfairly, perhaps -- considered to be not very intelligent. He certainly wasn't the genius Willow was. But even he could make the connection here.
Kennedy was a Slayer. Slayers weren't bulletproof. This thing that looked like Kennedy was. Therefore, it was not Kennedy.
Then again, Angel was a vampire. Vampires burned up in the sunlight. This person who looked like Angel was in the sun and not burning. Therefore, he was not Angel.
However, not-Kennedy was trying to kill him. Not-Angel was trying to keep him alive, at least for now.
Xander scrambled to his feet and ran as not-Angel unloaded another shell into not-Kennedy.
"This way!" not-Angel called as he ran toward a car, and Xander followed.
"What the hell's going on, Deadboy?" Xander demanded.
"Later," not-Angel said curtly, hotwiring the engine.
When did Angel learn to hotwire a car?
* * *
Not-Angel pulled the car over into the parking lot of the hotel the Slayers and Slayerettes had been using, and Xander raised an eyebrow. Now, how did he know where to go?
"C'mon," not-Angel said, "we don't have time. She'll know we're headed this way."
Xander followed. He wanted an explanation, and not-Angel was probably the only one who could give him one.
* * *
Buffy sighed and looked at him. Finally, she asked, "So... you're really Angel?"
He nodded, "From the future. The Powers That Be turned me human as a reward for what I've done, helping bring down the Slayer Empire. They had one shot, though. They sent an assassin back in time to kill the person responsible for the resistance even surviving long enough to become a threat."
"And it's all my fault," Buffy whispered softly.
Angel nodded sadly, "They knew we'd send someone to ride the ripple back. That's why they didn't send her back any further. They needed the Slayers to be Called."
The entire collection was stunned by the story, but none moreso than Willow.
And Kennedy.
It wasn't every day you learned that you were responsible for the First Evil's victory and that your girlfriend would become a demon-cyborg-hybrid thing sent to kill you best friend did that.
Nor was it every day you learned that being a psychotic demon-cyborg-hybrid was in your future, and that even killing yourself wouldn't work, because you had (will have?) died before that parody of you gets built anyway.
It was the sort of thing that induced migraines and nausea.
All in all, they were handling it pretty well.
"I think I'm gonna throw up," Willow murmured as she suddenly bolted for the bathroom.
"Me too," Kennedy added, a step behind the redhead.
Angel watched them disappear, then turned to Xander, "We can't stay long, sir. She'll expect us to come here. We have to move."
Xander -- along with everyone else in the room -- blinked when Angel called him "sir." _That_ was just too bizarre.
Xander nodded, rising, "I'll get ready." His gaze swept around the table, and he looked at Angel, "Will she go after anyone else, or is it just me?"
"Just you," Angel said. "No one else survived long enough to make any difference."
"I'm coming," Buffy said, rising as well. Xander turned, an argument on the tip of his tongue, but before he could speak, Willow returned.
"So will I," the redhead said, stepping back into the room, though she still looked a bit pale.
"And where Willow goes, I go," Kennedy said firmly.
Faith looked around and shrugged, "Ah, what the hell. I'm in." She ignored Robin's frown. If the ex-principal wanted to come, he was free to, as far as she was concerned. She wasn't going to leave the Xandman hanging for _him_, even if he was a pretty good lay.
"Dawn..." Buffy started.
"No!" Dawn snapped, interrupting her sister. "I'm going too."
"Same here," Andrew suddenly spoke up, much to everyone's surprise.
Most of the new Slayers shifted uncertainly, and Vi and Rona looked ready to stand, but Xander didn't give them a chance, "Whoa, that's more than enough."
Looking at Dawn, Xander shook his head, "You've got to stay with the Slayers, Dawn. Please. For me." His gaze drifted to Faith and Buffy, "One of you has to stay and lead them. Go with the plan, do what you can to secure the Hellmouth in Cleveland and take Dawn," he paused and glanced at Andrew speculatively, "and Andrew with you." He turned just as Dawn opened her mouth, "_No_ _arguments_, Dawn."
Faith and Buffy looked at each other for a long moment, and after a long moment, the dark-haired Slayer gave her blonde counterpart a rueful smile, "No worries, B. I got it covered." She shot Xander a look that told him that she'd rather be watching his back.
Xander closed his eyes. Him, Angel, Buffy, Willow, and Kennedy. Five people. The logistics for that was going to be problematic. Weapons, food, clothing. He shook his head and looked at the Buffy, Willow, and Kennedy. "Well, we'd better start packing. Essentials only. We leave in an hour."
They nodded and scrambled to their rooms, and Xander followed suit.
He was just damn glad Giles was still doing his circuit of the world, searching for other Slayers and surviving Watchers. The guy would probably polish right through his glasses.
* * *
Author's Postscript:
Comments? Criticisms? Death threats for starting yet another 'fic instead of continuing previous WIPs? ^_^'