Disclaimer: Joss, WB, UPN et al. own Buffy. George Lucas, Lucasfilm, LucasArts and others own Star Wars. Michael A Stackpole owns the X-Wing and I, Jedi novels. I do not.

Title: Sunnydale Jedi: Chapter 5

Author: Paradigm Shifter

Rating: PG-13 again, people.

Pairing: Err… Xander/Buffy

Feedback: Please, I beg.

Thanks: All my reviewers. You know who you are. Also, everyone who made suggestions. They will probably appear somewhere along the line…

Dedication: Luis, the man who is going to make this series run for a hell of a long time. All I need to do is to read more of the New Jedi Orders books.

Continuity: General season 5 (Dawn)

Crossover: Buffy / Star Wars. Old Republic.

*

Xander cautiously entered the dive Willy wanted to be known as a 'bar', but to be honest, even calling it a dive was an insult to dives everywhere, even the infamous Mos Eisley sounded better than this place.

He frowned at the lack of the usual clientele, but couldn't complain, because it made what he had to do easier, and meant that he didn't have to threaten under his breath. After Giles display of Council fervour earlier, Xander was in no hurry to leave any of his Jedi equipment behind, and so had gone in his Jedi robe, with both of his light-sabers on display on his belt.

For this, he had got a weird look from a police cruiser as they went past, but the cops in Sunnydale had learned that ignorance is bliss, and so just floored it away from him. When a vampire had challenged him, Xander merely drew his first blade, and thumbing it on, split him down the middle from neck to groin.

Xander never even broke his stride.

This was far too important.

Xander saw Willy cleaning a glass behind the bar, and walked over slowly. The sickly smile Willy gave him told Xander that while he didn't have to expect too much trouble, he could be sure Willy would put up a fight this time.

"Hello, Willy. Still running this dive? I would have thought you might have learnt better from my last visit."

Willy laughed nervously. "Yeah, well, you know me… takes me a while to get anything into my head!"

Xander nodded in understanding. "Quite. Now, how about you give me an update on how that side order of Slayer is coming?"

A noise sounded quietly behind Xander, but he chose to ignore it. Willy seemed to look behind Xander's head for a second, and tilted his head to the side. "Why don't you ask her yourself?" he smirked.

Xander turned on his barstool, and looked at the strawberry blonde soon-to-be-goddess-when-she-grew-up standing a few yards behind him. She was holding a large and decidedly lethal looking crossbow, and an older man was standing to the side, just behind her. Xander decided that the man must be her Watcher; after all, he was wearing tweed.

"Good evening." Why do all Slayers have to be potential hotties? Is it some sort of prerequisite?

The Slayer and her Watcher just looked confused at the greeting. Crystal looked at Willy. "I thought you said he was a demon?"

Willy looked sheepish. "Well, he wanted a Slayer here. And I knew that the Council would never send one unless there was a severe emergency. So I made one up. An emergency, that is."

Crystal's watcher was incensed. "You told the Council a deliberate lie to get a Slayer to Sunnydale! Who do you work for now, Willy, you little worm?"

Xander stepped in. "He works for who he wishes to work for, dickhead. So unless you want this meeting to be rather less pleasant than it has to be, shut up."

Crystal stepped forward, brandishing the crossbow. "Don't talk to my watcher like that!"

Xander raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

Willy tried to step in. "Could we calm down people!"

"No." replied Crystal and pulled the trigger on the crossbow, aimed at Xander. "He's the demon, he has to be!"

The crossbow bolt flew through the air, and time slowed, at least for Xander. When it was about three feet from hitting him in the chest, his hand started to move, and as it was mere inches from piercing skin, gripped it tightly, stopping its movement.

Time sped back up, and Xander flung the bolt back at the shocked Slayer. "Piece of advice, girl, for next time! The heart is on the left!"

Crystals watcher stood dumbstruck as the event played out, then as Xander sank back onto the barstool, pulled out a short sword and charged, screaming, "DIE DEMON!"

Xander, heartily sick of the whole affair, gripped the sword with the Force and ripped it from the watchers hands. "Get this through your thick heads! I AM NOT A DEMON!"

With that remark, he used a solid Force blow to knock out the watcher, and gripped Crystal by the wrist, dragging her out of the bar and into the night.

"Let go of me!"

Xander stopped, and released her wrist. "Your watcher is an idiot. He probably gave you the whole speech that 'Slayers have no friends, no family, no emotional attachments' yes?"

Crystal nodded dumbly, not sure where this was going.

"Well, its bull. I was a friend to a Slayer, and the only reason she survived past the first master vamp she found was because of friends. Without friends, Slayers have a shelf life of about five minutes!"

Crystal seemed to be tearing up. "He lied to me?"

Xander shook his head. "No, not really. It isn't really a lie if you believe it totally. And unfortunately, the Watchers are indoctrinated into those beliefs. They are a part of who they are… they could no more change those than they could stop wearing tweed."

Crystal giggled a bit at that, and Xander felt his heart start to melt again.  What is it with Slayers and me? Do I like getting beaten up on a date or what?

Xander started to talk again. "Crystal, the reason I asked Willy to get you here was that my friend, the Slayer, Buffy…"

Crystal broke in, "Buffy? She was the best Slayer of all time! She defeated Glory, a hellgod! But in the Watcher archives, she didn't have any help other than her Watcher."

Xander frowned. "That's wrong. I was there, I should know. Anyway, that isn't really important right now. We need your help, I need your help, to get Buffy back."

"Why?"

"She's in hell, Glory's dimension, and we, my friends and I want to get her out. After all the good Buffy has done, she deserves to be rescued."

"OK."

"OK? That's it? You don't want to know what you have to do?"

"No. OK."

"You've got more faith than I have, kiddo."

"I am not a kid! I'm nearly 15!" Crystal said indignantly.

Xander shook his head. Fifteen. God, the Council call them younger and younger every time…

*

Dawn looked out of the window as Xander's footsteps echoed on the porch. He opened the door and indicated Crystal should precede him. She looked at the door speculatively, as if it might attack her, but did as Xander asked her to.

Xander slammed the door behind him. With a big grin on his face, he called out, "Honey, I'm home!"

Dawn popped her head out of the front room where Giles, Tara and Willow were still sitting, catching up on old times. "Yeah, Xand. I heard you come onto the porch." Dawn's eyes fixed onto Crystal. "Aren't you going to introduce us?"

Crystal smiled at Dawn nervously, but she stepped forward and extended a hand. "Hi, I'm Crystal."

Dawn smiled and forwent the handshake in favour of pulling the older girl into a hug. She whispered in her ear, "Please say you'll help us…"

Crystal looked puzzled at the request, but nodded unsurely. "If it will do what Xander explained on the way here, I will certainly help you."

Dawn squealed, a noise that set Xander's teeth on edge, but he said nothing. "GREAT! I'll go get the stuff and we can do it in about an hour! Then you can go home, and so can the others!" Dawn shot a deliberate look at Xander. "Giles is still shitting himself about you, you know! You very naughty!" An impish grin spread on her face as she finished the reprimand.

As Dawn belted upstairs to get everything ready, Xander and Crystal looked at one another. "Nothing to do but wait until she's ready, I suppose…" said Xander. As one, the two turned and headed into the lounge.

*

Sunnydale Jedi 5 ends here. I'm going to try to speed this story up again, several people said XJ1 moved too fast, but it seemed to flow for me. I think I'm getting bogged down in rubbish, and its hit the point where I'm not enjoying writing it any more. It needs to get out of Sunnydale for a while again, but it's going to be on hold for a while, until I can work up enthusiasm for this story again…