Dark Past
By Dave Mycock
Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or any of the other characters except those I have created, they belong to Joss Whedon.
Pairing: Xander/Laura: Xander/Buffy mentioned
Summary: Set ten years after season five or maybe six. Xander and the remainder of the Scooby gang must prepare for a battle against old enemies.
(New York Xander's apartment 2 days later)
Xander sat crossed legged across from Tara who he had asked to come over so they talk, he felt closest to Tara out of all his old friends and trusted her to keep whatever they discussed to themselves as she had once she worked out he had fallen in love with Laura. He was tired and nervous waiting for the scourge of Europe to show up and attack so they could deal with it and he knew the others were also feeling the strain as well.
"There here Tara I can feel it" he finally spoke up breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen between them
"Then why have they not attacked us yet?" Tara inquired not doubting his instincts on this matter
"They are watching us, trying to work out any routines we have, how we patrol and so on so they can plan their attack on us properly" Xander answered "Angelus has learned from the mistakes of the past and is in no rush, he knows where we are and he knows we are not going to leave the city" he added with a shake of his head "Spike is trying to locate their base of operations but they obviously found somewhere no easily found" he continued
"Why haven't you mentioned this to the others during our meetings?" she inquired wondering why he and Spike were keeping this secret
"I don't won't them to pick up we know they are here Tara, each of them are masters in their own right you know that" Xander answered "And Drusilla is a powerful witch so it is not out to far to believe she could be using magic to listen to our meetings to keep up to date on what we know of their movements" he explained his reasoning "I have slowly been preparing to meet their attack gathering weapons and supplies and now I am ready to let the others know but it has to be done quietly and as carefully as possible" he went on with a smile "It is one of the reasons I asked you to come here" he stated
"I see" Tara said impressed to learn her friend had not been idle and thankful he had taken steps to make sure they were prepared to meet the attack when it came "And the other reasons?" she asked a second later
"First is Buffy up to fighting Angelus and the others when it comes time to?" Xander asked focusing on the matter at hand before moving onto personal business
"I believe so Alex" Tara said after contemplating the matter for a few minutes "It has been very hard for her since we have her back her soul and even more when it became clear you would have nothing to do with her bar dealing with matters related to the slaying" she continued "But she is finally beginning to act like her old self and her fighting skills are back to full form, she is able to work with Faith like old times however she is not so keen on teaming up with Laura" she informed him
"Why do you think that is?" Xander asked leaning back in against the nearby sofa
"I think a part of her suspects your feelings for Laura and more than they seem Alex, another part I would say is that you have been protecting her for almost half a year and grown so close to her and it reminds her of what she has lost" she answered noticing Xander frown a little at this "Eventually Alex you will have to tell them both the truth you do know that don't you?" she asked after a small silence descended on the room
"Yeah I know Tara" Xander with a sigh closing his eyes for a few seconds before opening them and looking her dead in the eye "I plan to tell them tomorrow before we fight that way if something happens at least they knew the truth" he told her watching as she slowly nodded and smiled pleased he was finally taking action in this matter
"I know it will be hard for you Alex but you have to do it and as soon as possible if your instincts are right" Tara said with a smile "Buffy maybe hurt by this but sadly she lost any right to you a long time ago and I know Willow would understand you reasoning in this and have supported you had she been here" she added noticing the sad look that passed over her friends face at the mention of their lost friend
"She will be hurt but I have to make the choice that is best for us all and I cannot lie about this especially not to Laura" he told her "Too much has happened for me and Buffy to ever go back to what we once had" he added sighing once again
"I think she will understand that in time" Tara assured him "I think you should focus on how this will effect Laura once she knows your true feelings" she advised him "I have talked to her a lot in the last few days and I still cannot tell how she really feels about you" she told him
"She is very good on hiding her emotions it is something I have noticed since I met her" Xander said "And I am nervous how she will take this but it is time to tell her the truth, she has gotten a little annoyed at my evasions on why I won't talk to Buffy" he told her then shook his head "Now you know the truth slowly and quietly pass it along to the others and be careful from this point on, do not go anywhere alone especially at night and make sure the others know it as well okay" he told her moving them back onto serious matters
"I do and I will make sure the others know as well, just watch your own back Alex as Angelus will be gunning for you even after all this time" Tara reminded him before she got up and left
Xander waited for a few minutes before getting up and following her at a distance making sure Angelus and his friends did not try and attack them during the day with demons or assassins when they more likely to be on their own and he thanked the powers that Tara was able to make sure he would have no weakness to sunlight like every other vampires.
(Underground Facility)
Angelus read over the reports his minions had brought him from two days of watching Harris and his crew, and he was annoyed to notice they did not seem to have a set pattern like the Scooby gang had in Sunnydale not even when they patrolled as they changed who went on the patrol and where they went. He had not seen any weakness of tactics he could exploit just yet and he was beginning to get tired of hiding as he just wanted to kill the lot of them and he knew Darla was also getting frustrated with just sitting and watching
"Have you found anything we can use?" Darla asked as she Drusilla and her new man Blake entered the chamber he was in
He looked up and shook his head, he really wished he could stake Blake as he did not like him one bit hell he even thought Spike was easier to deal with than this guy who was twice as arrogant and twice as sneaky and he knew he wanted to try and remove him from leadership if he could
"No I think Xander learned the lessons of Sunnydale all to well and is making sure there is no patterns for us to exploit" Angelus replied "But we still have surprise on our side as he does not know we are here so we'll just have to go for the old favourite of brute force" he added
"Why not just take them out from afar" Blake complained
"That is no fun you wimp" Darla growled back "We like to get our hands dirty and killing face to face is so much more personal and of course we have our repretations to consider and we have never taken one of our enemies out like that" he added "Now go and prepare our forces for an attack" she ordered
Blake glared at her for a minute only to get a backhand across the face from the much older vampire and was sent backwards into the metal behind him with enough force to shake it loose, he looked up noting Angelus was laughing his head off whilst Darla was just smirking at him and Drusilla was gazing absently at the ceiling and he knew she would be no help in dealing with these two
"Fine I'll go" he said wondering if there was someway he could get rid of all three master vampires and become one himself
(School Library next day)
Laura looked up from her preparations as Xander finally arrived looking ready for the coming fight, when Tara had passed on the fact that Angelus and his gang were already in New York she had been surprised and angry that she had not been told straight off but she then relented once Tara explained why Xander and Spike had kept quite about it.
At the moment everyone was gearing up for the trouble to come tonight, Xander had brought some armour in they could use to give them an edge and also a lot of weapons to choose from. Buffy and Faith were talking tactics in the corner along with Giles and Tarin whilst Oz, Tara, Spike, Kate and Doyle talked other things out
"You okay?" Laura asked as Xander came to a stop next to her
"I need to talk to you alone Laura before we fight Angelus and his crew" Xander responded "It's important and I don't want to take the chance of one of us not making it back alive tonight without the truth been known" he added
Laura paused in her preparations and looked Xander in the eye noting how serious he looked and she suddenly felt both nervous and excited before nodding her head and following him into the near by office and sitting down waiting for him to start
"I know you've been angry with me for not telling you why I have been avoiding Buffy after telling you I would most likely have to spend most of my time with her once she had her soul back helping her well there is a good reason for it" Xander began "My feelings for Buffy have changed a lot in the years we've been apart and they no longer are what she suspects them to be, also I" he continued but paused as he struggled to continue
"Please Xand tell me what it is?" Laura pushed watching her friends struggle whilst she felt relieved he did not still love Buffy
She knew she had fallen for her vampiric friend months ago but she had fought the attraction as much as she could not believing they could have any type of real relationship. She had feared she had missed her chance once Buffy showed up and was cursed with her soul and yet Xander had refused to go near her which had confused her and Xander's refusal to tell her why had angered her.
She knew Tara was aware of why but she too would not explain why which left her with nothing but suspicions and small hopeful dreams, she began to get nervous as he continued to struggle
"I fell in love with you two months ago" Xander finally spoke again his eyes looking at her pinning her in place "I've been righting a growing closeness with you since I arrived but it happened anyway, but if this is to be my last fight I wanted you to know why I stayed away from Buffy" he told her
Laura did not reply she quickly jumped to her feet and walked over to him before pulling him into a deep powerful kiss, at that moment she did not care that he was a vampire or anything else for that matter she just needed to connect with him on a much deeper level than ever before.
When they broke part they both smiled at the other before leaning in and kissing each other again for a few minutes before they again broke it and stepped back from the other
"I love you too" Laura whispered "What are you going to tell Buffy?" she asked after a few seconds of looking at him
"The truth, she'll understand it will hurt at first but she will get through it" Xander told responded "We'll talk about this after we deal with Angelus and his crew if we both make it back agreed?" he asked
Laura nodded her head pleased beyond belief by this turn of events whilst concerned how Tarin would respond to this as well as the council should they ever find out about it, she knew she did not have to fear Xander loosing his soul should they ever get intimate thanks to Tara fixing the soul spell before shaking her as they were no way ready for that before she followed him out of the room and watched as he called Buffy in. She walked over to where Tara now stood alone
"He told you?" Tara asked as she came to a halt her eyes quickly pinning her
"Yes he did and I told him the truth of my own feelings" she replied with a small smile "We're going to discuss it after we deal with Angelus and his friends should we both survive" she added as she heard the door to the office open and Buffy leave looking very upset
She left the library and Giles quickly followed her obviously concerned about her, she turned to look at where Xander stood near the door with his eyes closed and she knew he had found that very painful to tell his friend and former love.
"I hope she is going to be alright" Laura said turning to Tara
"She will be in time, Buffy is strong and eventually she will find someone else" Tara told her
Outside the library Buffy was trying to control the sadness and anger Xander's confession had caused, she was angry to know he had fallen in love with Laura whilst saddened he had stop loving her but a part of her knew it had been foolish to believe he would still love her after all this time and especially after she had not only turned him into the one thing he hated most but also banished him from Sunnydale for standing up to her.
She wished once again she had never been chosen as the slayer all those years ago or more like she wished she had never been turned by Angelus causing all the events that had followed; she wished she had managed to stop him before he killed Dawn, Willow, Riley and Anya. She longed to talk to her lost friend or even her sister then she began to think of her mother who had left Sunnydale after Dawn's death unable to bear her youngest daughters death and how it had affected her
"Are you okay Buffy?" she heard Giles ask and she turned to find her former watcher beside looking worried
"I will be Giles" Buffy sighed "Xander is in love with Laura it's the reason why he wouldn't come near me once you ensouled me, he was afraid I would notice it and snap" she explained
"I see" Giles said removing his glasses and polishing them "Does Laura love him back?" he inquired as he put his glasses back on
"I think so, he told me if they survive this fight they are going to sit down and have a long talk" Buffy told him with a pained smile "It's over Giles I guess I was a fool in thinking we could just pick up where we left off, Xander and I will always now be just friends" she added
"I am sorry Buffy truly I am" Giles said as he pulled her into a comforting hug thankful it was a Saturday and the school was empty "I wish things could have been so different for us all" he added
"I messed up Giles, I let my anger and my hate get the better of me when Willow and Dawn were killed and I paid for it dearly and it seems I am still paying for it" Buffy said "I haven't even begun to pay for my deeds as a vampire yet, Xander at least has had almost four to five years to make up for his deeds" she continued "He has some peace of mind, for me it's all still to fresh" she added
"You will find your redemption Buffy I know you will and I promise I will always be here for you" Giles told her "Now we have some old friends to deal with, are your up to it?" he asked as he slowly released her
"Yes I am it is time I put this nightmare to rest and begin a new chapter of my life, once Angelus and his friends are dead I am going to go visit mom" Buffy told her
"I think Joyce would be happy to know we finally managed to save you, now come let us finish our preparations" Giles said with a smile before they re-entered the library
(Westfield Graveyard)
Xander stood facing off against Angelus and his friends as the others shifted into position for an attack, as usually Angelus was talking and boasting as he usually did
"So been a while Harris, Spike" Angelus said with a smirk "Even better you have rounded up all our old friends plus some new ones, I should thank you now we can finish this once and for all" he added "I think I'll turn the new slayer as payment" he taunted watching as Xander's face hardened
"Over my rotting corpse deadboy" Xander shot back before pulling a shotgun out of his trench coat and unloading two shots into the vampire knocking him flat onto his back
This was the signal for the attack to begin and Tara quickly unleashed a fire spell she had been building since they entered the Graveyard, it quickly consumed nine of the vampires and three of the demons Angelus had brought with them. Buffy and Faith jumped into combat with Darla and Drusilla whilst Laura engaged Blake, Spike and the others attacked the remaining minions whilst Xander stalked Angelus as he got back to his feet and dusted off his shirt
"Your gonna pay for that" Angelus growled before he jumped at Xander
Xander easily avoided the attack and caught Angelus as he turned back towards him before they began trading blows each trying to do as much damage as possible to the other, he shot out his leg catching Angelus in the side before following it up with a backhand before Angelus replied with a palm strike which almost knocked him off his feet before he dived forward and head butted him stunning the older vampire before he pulled a sword out of his trench coat and swinging it upwards cutting Angelus up the entire length of his chest. He was in no mood for a long drawn out fight with Angelus this time and he quickly followed up by bringing the blade straight down into his heart before grabbing a stake from his belt and then as quickly as possible he pulled the blade out and staked the vampire he hated the most
"For Willow" he whispered as he watched Angelus turn to dust his expression almost comical before he turned and attacked Darla from behind making her stumble as she fought Faith
Faith easily took advantage of the vampire's distraction and flipped her onto her back before dropping down with a knee and finally staking her nodding her thanks at Xander she turned and engaged one of the remaining demons which Tara had been taking down with her magic. Buffy traded blows with Drusilla concentrating on nothing but the fight and avoiding looking the dark haired vampire in the eyes and she knew if she did she may end up hypnotised like Kendra had before her even if she was now a vampire.
Finally Drusilla got careless as she felt her sire die and she lunged forward almost blindly and Buffy easily side stepped her and brought a stake up and imbedded it into her heart dusting her, she paused for a few minutes before turning and engaging another vampire easily dispatching it and moving on as she began to use the anger and hate of been a vampire to her advantage.
Laura almost groaned as she jumped back to her feet and faced off with Blake again noting he had a cocky grin on his face as he came towards, she noted Xander coming up behind him and relaxed as she watched him plunged his sword into the vampire's chest before palming her stake and moving closer she staked the vampire smiling at Xander as they watched him explode into dust. As they turned to look around they noted the few remaining vampires ran as they witnessed the death of their leaders whilst the last demon was taken down by Spike who thrust his fist through its chest and removed its heart. They noted Kate and Doyle were injured as was Tarin and they quickly went and checked on them before they all headed back to the library.
(School Library)
Xander watched as Giles and Oz patched up their wounded feeling strangely content knowing he had finally avenged Willow, Dawn and the others including Jenny Calendar and Kendra.
"Well done" a new voice said and everyone turned to see someone standing in the corner of the library smiling at them
"Whistler" Buffy almost growled "What are you doing here?" she asked a little annoyed to see the balance demon
"First to congratulate you on destroying the scourge of Europe and a lot of their minions, second I am afraid for some of you it is not over" Whistler replied "Buffy you Giles, Spike, Doyle and Kate are ordered to head to Sunnydale to meet up with some of our other champions and retake it, should you succeed you will be granted a gift which I think you will enjoy before you meet your mother" he explained before turning to Xander "As for you, Tara, Faith and Oz your time is done, you have made up for your past deeds and now it is time for you rest and receive you reward" he continued
Xander suddenly screamed in pain as he dropped to his knees as he felt as if his entire body was on flames, he could barely see if was encased in a bright white light which seemed to be keeping everyone else from helping him before he collapsed and blacked out.
"What did you do to him?" Laura demanded trying to grab the demon only to find she seemed to have lost her strength as he easily shrugged her off
"He has earned his redemption and has been turned back into a human, his fight is over and so is yours" Whistler replied
"What do you mean by that?" Tarin inquired walking over to the balance demon
"It has been decided that a slayer will serve for four years before she is retired by having the slayer essence removed from her and passed onto the next in line" Whistler told them all "It is time for us to change how we fight this war, Laura and you have done your time and now you are both free and don't worry about the council they have already been dealt with and now know if they move against any of you they will pay a price" he informed them shocking them all "Faith you are also no longer a slayer, you have more than made up for your mistakes and you can now rest and live your life" he said facing the dark haired woman who was shocked at this news
"Xander is human again?" Laura asked almost unable to believe what she had just been told "And I am no longer a slayer?" she added
"That is correct Laura, Buffy will be made human should she manage to recapture the hellmouth" Whistler answered "She has served enough that this is her last task before we let her and Giles rest" he added
"What about me mate?" Spike inquired pleased for his friends and somewhat let down that he would have to leave
"You'll be turned human as well Spike if you survive Sunnydale, you've been watched carefully since Sunnydale was taken and it has been noted you have not killed anyone since that time, you've helped people and even tried to prevent what happened in Sunnydale by using a time travel spell and now you helped destroy your former comrades so it has been decided you too will be given the gift should you help retake Sunnydale" Whistler answered almost laughing at the gob smacked looks on Spike and the others faces
"What about the rest of us?" Doyle asked stepping forward
"Same deal Doyle, if your survive your time is done" Whistler responded "You and Kate will also be done with the fight, we have new champions coming into take your places, for you this will be your last mission" he added
Doyle nodded pleased to hear this yet annoyed and angry that he had not been brought back in time to save Cordelia before shaking that thought of and sitting down.
"We will head for Sunnydale tomorrow morning" Buffy said almost unable to believe she was so close to the end of her struggle and wanting to get it over and done with
She was happy for her friends who were already been retired and that Xander had been granted back his humanity so he could have a real relationship with Laura as he deserved it after everything he had been through. At that point Xander groaned and slowly sat up before stopping and placing his hand over his heart
"My heart is beating" he stated in amazement before listening as Whistler explained everything one more time before he vanished
They all looked between each other somewhat stunned to know that for them it was either over all very close to been over. Laura was now sitting next to a still very stunned Xander who was trying to get used to the idea he was human again
(Sunnydale 4 years later)
Xander sat own next to his wife of two years Laura as their guests finally arrived, first was Buffy, William(Formerly Spike), Giles and Joyce. Giles and Joyce had married last year and resettled in Sunnydale over the now closed Hellmouth, Buffy and William were engaged having started a relationship a year after retaking Sunnydale and been made human. Tarin was next with his wife Bethany who he had met when he moved to Sunnydale to be closer to his former charge. Finally Tara, Oz, Faith, Doyle and Kate arrived, each lived in Sunnydale as well having decided they liked been around people who knew the truth of their pasts.
Tara was still single but was slowly becoming close to a young woman she had met at her new job called Marie, she had become Xander's closest friend since the end of the scourge of Europe. Faith and Oz were a couple which had surprised everyone when it happened and whilst they had their rocky patches the others were sure they would end up married at some point. Doyle and Kate were also in a relationship which was much more stable and was quickly growing to a point where Xander was sure Doyle would pop the question to Kate.
This was his family now and whilst he stilled missed his lost friends he was finally at peace with his past, and he loved his get together they had to celebrate their lost family and friends on the anniversary of the fall of Sunnydale strangely enough they even talked nicely of Angel as he had been when he had his soul. As he settled back into the couch whilst Laura snuggled up next to him he smiled and thanked the powers what helping them to survive and make up for the mistakes of the past
"I love you" he heard Laura whisper causing his smile to widen
"I love you too" he answered leaning forward and kissing her deeply before he back off and listening to Giles tell a story of his youth
The End: