Summary: Ten Years Gone...
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from the Buffyverse except what I have created in original characters.
Feedback: Rean of the Coilm
Pre-fic Comments:
We need more fics with heavy metal. Maybe Hatten can write some, since he's from the same place as high quality bands like Amon Amarth :D
Credits for mentionage and quotage so far go to Godsmack, Amon Amarth, and Bal-Sagoth.
* * *
"Their steel shines red
With enemy blood
It sings of victory
Granted by the Gods
And as they return
Bleeding but proud
The horizon burns
And the song is ringing loud."
- 'Victorious March', Amon Amarth
* * *
Buffy looked at Xander on the plane. "Why did you leave?"
The scholar looked at her. "What?"
"Why'd you ditch us?," Buffy asked. "I thought we had it pretty good -- we'd beaten the First, thousands of new Slayers..."
Xander shrunk into his seat, clutching onto his carryon luggage with a deathgrip. "You knew your place in the world. I wanted to find mine."
The blonde moved around in her seat, feeling hyperactive. "Not good enough. Why didn't you tell us?"
Xander gave her a hard look. "I told Giles. I asked him not to tell anyone else. Happy now?"
"You still haven't found it yet, have you?," the Slayer asked, inspiration striking.
"I'm close," the former scooby said. "I've found the final resting place, I just have to go to it now."
"What?"
Buffy had no idea what her Xander shaped friend was talking about.
* * *
Giles was in England, as he had been working in the administration of the Reformed Watchers' Council. The Council had pulled favours so that Xander would be able to bypass most of the customs checks and the like at the airport. Willow and Faith met the two at the airport.
"Wow, still travellin' light, boytoy?," Faith asked. Xander only had the suitcase and a satchel that didn't leave his side.
"I learnt about... Giles," Xander said, "and had to pack right away. I didn't have /time/ to bring everything I wanted."
Willow gave him a big hug. "Xander! It's so good to see you again!"
Xander hugged his childhood friend back. "It's good to see you too, Will. How's that thing with Kennedy going?"
The redhead stopped the hug, pulling back. "Uh, it didn't go so good... because Kennedy wanted to find her own place in the world, which was okay since freedom is good, but I miss her, and--"
"Okay," Xander said, putting a finger to Willow's lips and silencing her. "That's the Willow I know. Did /any/ of us get married, settle down, and have fifteen children?"
"Nope," Buffy answered.
The four of thems moved out to the small car in the parking lot. Emphasis on the small -- it was a Fiat Bambina.
"Uh, it's just as well that Slayers are compact," Xander muttered, "with cheap ba--um, people like the council. How do we all fit in this thing?"
"What, you're not into the kinky stuff anymore?," Faith grinned.
Somehow, they managed to get in with Willow and Xander in the back seats, holding the suitcase and satchel. They pulled up to a house that looked much like every other house on the street.
"Here we are," Willow said. "Uh, Giles isn't looking too good at the moment."
After extricating themselves from the tiny car, they went in. Giles was in the living room, in a La-Z-Boy armchair.
"G-man!," Xander exclaimed. "You have got to get more sun!"
The Watcher and former Librarian was pale. His hair, never particularly thick even back in Sunnydale, was stringy and thin.
"Don't call me that," Giles said. "God, it's good to see you again, Xander. Come here."
The old man gestured at an armchair next to his. "What have you been up to?"
Xander pulled a journal out of his satchel. It looked to be old, and had a rubber band holding it closed. "Caleb Blackthorne the Third's journal, Giles."
Giles took it with shaking hands. "God... I never thought I'd see this. Have you found anything?"
The one eyed scholar grinned, passing his mentor another small book. "Yeah -- I've summarised my findings here."
Giles paged through the second book. "Most of this is about the... Draconis Albionensis?"
Xander nodded. "Page three, my family tree."
"Hmmm... amazing. I take it that Draconis Biped are the only remnants?"
"Uh, translation?," Buffy asked.
"Oh, sorry, Buff," Xander grinned. "We're talking about Atlantis."
The Slayers and the witch blinked. Strange, the two men /looked/ sane...
Giles grabbed Buffy's shirt, pulling her to his face level in an uncharacteristic display of fervour. "B-Buffy, here is-is the location of the Gem! We must leave immediately!"
"Seconded," Xander said.
"Oh, no you aren't," Willow said. "You're incredibly sick, Giles, you said so yourself and so it really wouldn't be a good idea for you to go, and I don't think--"
"I'm fifty, not five hundred," Giles snapped, "and old enough to decide for myself where I will and will not go."
He grabbed a cane from the floor, rising to his feet. "Well, come on, Xander!"
* * *
Post-fic Comments:
I've kinda got an idea where I'm going with this. Sorry if you were expecting almost pure Buffy. I have this horrible tendency to cross things into my fics with no particular regard.