Title: Demons & Demigods (3/?)
Author: Cyclone
Feedback: Please be gentle.
Distribution: Gimme credit and a link. Plus, archived at http://fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=62966 or http://fanfiction.net/~cyclone
Rating: I'm gonna go say PG.
Spoilers: Up to season two of Buffy and anything in the Herc/Xenaverse.
Disclaimer: The characters depicted herein belong to other people. I'm just borrowing them for a while.
Summary: What happens when the divine and demonic collide? Sequel to Divine Interruption.
Author's Note: Yeah, I know, it took me long enough to get to this point. But at least I'm working on it.
* * *
Xander was running the plan through his head for the umpteenth time while waiting for word about the Judge's location, when someone knocked on his bedroom door.
His head jerked up, and he hurried over and opened the door.
"Willow," he said with a smile, "any word on the Judge?"
"N-no," she said, shaking her head. "No word."
"Oh," he said, shoulders sagging. Herc couldn't stay in town too long, but he hoped they'd find the Judge before the demigod had to leave. "So, what brings you here, Will."
"I-I just..." she stammered. "I wanted to... I..." She paused and swallowed, then dove into his arms and said softly, "Hold me."
Xander did, backing away and gently reaching over to swing the door closed.
"Hey," he crooned, sitting her on the bed, "it's all right, Will. I'm here."
He blinked in surprise but didn't draw away when he felt her lips on his. The kiss grew more urgent, he found himself being pushed back onto the bed.
After a moment, he felt her hands caressing his chest, but it wasn't until one of the redhead's hands slid up his shirt that he realized something was up.
Tearing himself away, he rolled out from under her and sat up, looking at her strangely, "Hey, Will, what's going on here?"
"I... I..." she stammered. "I'm sorry," she choked out, blinking back tears. "It's just... I'm so scared, Xander, and I don't wanna die a-a-a..."
"We're not gonna die," Xander said firmly, taking her by the shoulders. "We are going to survive this, and we are going to find the Judge, and we are going to kick his ass back to hell where it belongs."
"I want to believe that, Xander, I do," she said softly, "but your plan, it's..."
"It'll work, Will," Xander said, pulling her into a hug. "Trust me."
It wasn't the first time she cried herself to sleep in his arms, and he knew with dismal certainty that it would not be the last.
* * *
Xander blinked sleepily when he heard the ringing sound. It took him a moment to recognize it as the phone. Yawning, he tried to sit up, only to be resisted by a weight on his chest.
He looked down and saw hair. Red hair. Willow. Panic filled him for a moment before the memories rushed back.
Gently extricating himself from beneath his best friend, he tiptoed over and picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
//Oh, thank God. I can't find Willow.//
"Hey, hey, she's here with me. What is it, Buff?"
//Turn on the news.//
"Why?" he asked, turning reflexively, but having no TV nearby, he didn't comply. "What's up?"
//It's the Judge. He's at the mall.//
* * *
The Judge looked down in surprise at the crossbow bolt embedded in his chest. Plucking it out, he looked around and snarled, "Who dares?"
Buffy smiled tightly and lowered the crossbow. "Do I have your attention yet?"
"You're a fool," the Judge snorted. "No weapon forged can stop me."
"'No weapon forged by man,' you mean," Xander said, stepping around the corner, a study-looking but otherwise unremarkable broadsword in his hands. He kept one eye on the Judge, and the other on the two vampires.
"So how about one forged by a god?" Hercules added, stepping around another corner and lifting his own sword, boxing the Judge in between them.
The demigod charged, his gleaming and glittering blade flashing, slicing into the Judge's blue flesh. The Judge hissed and retaliated, but the blast missed Hercules.
Xander, meanwhile, turned his attention to Drusilla, who stood between him and the Judge. Of Angelus, he saw no sign. The once-ensouled vampire had apparently disappeared.
"Look into my eyes," Dru said softly, seductively.
Xander screwed his eyes shut and thrust the sword forward, but he did not meet the expected resistance. Opening his eyes, he turned and saw Dru hissing at him, her head low and fingers bent, game face on.
He would later liken her stance to that of an agitated cat, but at the moment, he didn't have time for such comparisons.
Xander lashed out with his broadsword, and the insane vampire danced back. With a quick double slash, he advanced and, with a kick to her knee, dropped her to the ground. Twirling the blade, he raised it high and decapitated her.
Hercules, on the other hand, was hard pressed. The Judge was strong and fast, and his sword barely slowed the demon down. Finally, the Judge backhanded the weapon, shattering the blade.
"It seems your weapon is less than advertised," he rumbled triumphantly.
"Who said I was talking about _this_ sword?" Herc shot back, holding up the broken weapon and tossing it aside dramatically.
The Judge roared when he felt a sharp, searing pain stabbing deep into him from behind. He staggered as he felt the wound sap his strength. He turned in disbelief and saw Xander, holding the broadsword, dripping with demonic ichor.
The broadsword arced down and sliced his shoulder open, and he stumbled back. He had to get away. Holding up a hand, the Judge tried to burn him, but even now, his power was fading, and only a faint flicker danced harmlessly from his fingertips.
Adrenaline -- or the demonic equivalent -- surged through the Judge as he turned to flee. He swung hard, using his tremendous strength to send Hercules flying across the mall. His path of escape now clear, the blue demon ran.
For a moment, Xander was torn between checking on Hercules and following the Judge, but only for a moment. He charged after the demon and burst out onto the street. His eyes swept across the area, but there was no sign of him.
"Damn!" he muttered.
Footsteps sounded behind him, and he turned to see the others.
"Didja get him?" Buffy asked anxiously.
Xander shook his head, "No, but I dusted Drusilla. What about Angelus?"
Buffy's eyes flickered guiltily for a moment before she looked away and said softly, "He got away."
* * *
"Well, so _this_ is how you spend your spare time, little brother," the black-clad figure mused aloud, shaking his head. "Still helping out the little guy, I see."
He grinned. "The Hellmouth, huh? Could be fun."
With that, the god of war teleported away.
* * *
Author's Postscript:
Whee! Let the fun begin!
Author: Cyclone
Feedback: Please be gentle.
Distribution: Gimme credit and a link. Plus, archived at http://fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=62966 or http://fanfiction.net/~cyclone
Rating: I'm gonna go say PG.
Spoilers: Up to season two of Buffy and anything in the Herc/Xenaverse.
Disclaimer: The characters depicted herein belong to other people. I'm just borrowing them for a while.
Summary: What happens when the divine and demonic collide? Sequel to Divine Interruption.
Author's Note: Yeah, I know, it took me long enough to get to this point. But at least I'm working on it.
* * *
Xander was running the plan through his head for the umpteenth time while waiting for word about the Judge's location, when someone knocked on his bedroom door.
His head jerked up, and he hurried over and opened the door.
"Willow," he said with a smile, "any word on the Judge?"
"N-no," she said, shaking her head. "No word."
"Oh," he said, shoulders sagging. Herc couldn't stay in town too long, but he hoped they'd find the Judge before the demigod had to leave. "So, what brings you here, Will."
"I-I just..." she stammered. "I wanted to... I..." She paused and swallowed, then dove into his arms and said softly, "Hold me."
Xander did, backing away and gently reaching over to swing the door closed.
"Hey," he crooned, sitting her on the bed, "it's all right, Will. I'm here."
He blinked in surprise but didn't draw away when he felt her lips on his. The kiss grew more urgent, he found himself being pushed back onto the bed.
After a moment, he felt her hands caressing his chest, but it wasn't until one of the redhead's hands slid up his shirt that he realized something was up.
Tearing himself away, he rolled out from under her and sat up, looking at her strangely, "Hey, Will, what's going on here?"
"I... I..." she stammered. "I'm sorry," she choked out, blinking back tears. "It's just... I'm so scared, Xander, and I don't wanna die a-a-a..."
"We're not gonna die," Xander said firmly, taking her by the shoulders. "We are going to survive this, and we are going to find the Judge, and we are going to kick his ass back to hell where it belongs."
"I want to believe that, Xander, I do," she said softly, "but your plan, it's..."
"It'll work, Will," Xander said, pulling her into a hug. "Trust me."
It wasn't the first time she cried herself to sleep in his arms, and he knew with dismal certainty that it would not be the last.
* * *
Xander blinked sleepily when he heard the ringing sound. It took him a moment to recognize it as the phone. Yawning, he tried to sit up, only to be resisted by a weight on his chest.
He looked down and saw hair. Red hair. Willow. Panic filled him for a moment before the memories rushed back.
Gently extricating himself from beneath his best friend, he tiptoed over and picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
//Oh, thank God. I can't find Willow.//
"Hey, hey, she's here with me. What is it, Buff?"
//Turn on the news.//
"Why?" he asked, turning reflexively, but having no TV nearby, he didn't comply. "What's up?"
//It's the Judge. He's at the mall.//
* * *
The Judge looked down in surprise at the crossbow bolt embedded in his chest. Plucking it out, he looked around and snarled, "Who dares?"
Buffy smiled tightly and lowered the crossbow. "Do I have your attention yet?"
"You're a fool," the Judge snorted. "No weapon forged can stop me."
"'No weapon forged by man,' you mean," Xander said, stepping around the corner, a study-looking but otherwise unremarkable broadsword in his hands. He kept one eye on the Judge, and the other on the two vampires.
"So how about one forged by a god?" Hercules added, stepping around another corner and lifting his own sword, boxing the Judge in between them.
The demigod charged, his gleaming and glittering blade flashing, slicing into the Judge's blue flesh. The Judge hissed and retaliated, but the blast missed Hercules.
Xander, meanwhile, turned his attention to Drusilla, who stood between him and the Judge. Of Angelus, he saw no sign. The once-ensouled vampire had apparently disappeared.
"Look into my eyes," Dru said softly, seductively.
Xander screwed his eyes shut and thrust the sword forward, but he did not meet the expected resistance. Opening his eyes, he turned and saw Dru hissing at him, her head low and fingers bent, game face on.
He would later liken her stance to that of an agitated cat, but at the moment, he didn't have time for such comparisons.
Xander lashed out with his broadsword, and the insane vampire danced back. With a quick double slash, he advanced and, with a kick to her knee, dropped her to the ground. Twirling the blade, he raised it high and decapitated her.
Hercules, on the other hand, was hard pressed. The Judge was strong and fast, and his sword barely slowed the demon down. Finally, the Judge backhanded the weapon, shattering the blade.
"It seems your weapon is less than advertised," he rumbled triumphantly.
"Who said I was talking about _this_ sword?" Herc shot back, holding up the broken weapon and tossing it aside dramatically.
The Judge roared when he felt a sharp, searing pain stabbing deep into him from behind. He staggered as he felt the wound sap his strength. He turned in disbelief and saw Xander, holding the broadsword, dripping with demonic ichor.
The broadsword arced down and sliced his shoulder open, and he stumbled back. He had to get away. Holding up a hand, the Judge tried to burn him, but even now, his power was fading, and only a faint flicker danced harmlessly from his fingertips.
Adrenaline -- or the demonic equivalent -- surged through the Judge as he turned to flee. He swung hard, using his tremendous strength to send Hercules flying across the mall. His path of escape now clear, the blue demon ran.
For a moment, Xander was torn between checking on Hercules and following the Judge, but only for a moment. He charged after the demon and burst out onto the street. His eyes swept across the area, but there was no sign of him.
"Damn!" he muttered.
Footsteps sounded behind him, and he turned to see the others.
"Didja get him?" Buffy asked anxiously.
Xander shook his head, "No, but I dusted Drusilla. What about Angelus?"
Buffy's eyes flickered guiltily for a moment before she looked away and said softly, "He got away."
* * *
"Well, so _this_ is how you spend your spare time, little brother," the black-clad figure mused aloud, shaking his head. "Still helping out the little guy, I see."
He grinned. "The Hellmouth, huh? Could be fun."
With that, the god of war teleported away.
* * *
Author's Postscript:
Whee! Let the fun begin!