Title: Cry Havoc Once More
Author: Knife Hand
Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated
Spoilers: First four series of Buffy with some elements of five and six.
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy. I would buy it but I am broke.
Summary: The final battle is about to be joined and the fate of the world hangs in the balance. Friends will become enemies and enemies will become friends. A look at the final battle and the path that lead to it. (Multi Crossovers)
AN: Generally I really like Buffy and I usually write B/X fics, but for this fic I have decided to incorporate and focus on one aspect of Buffy's personality that I usually overlook or tone down. Also no Glory or Dawn.
AN2: Steve, there are several reasons that Willow just sat there, some of which will be explained. Another thing, Faith has gone evil before and is thus more likely to revert and this is not the Wills who wants to destroy the world. As to why Xander and Tara, well that is coming up, so reserve judgement till you find out why. A general thanx to everyone who reviewed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Xander and Tara walked down the street towards the former Lowell House.
"What did you mean when you said I had a prior engagement?" Tara asked.
"One of the guys found a tome in one of the nests we cleared. It seemed to be magical so we thought you should have a look." Xander said.
It was true, it was just not why he was taking her to the house. After they walked for a while, Xander broke the silence.
"Did you have something arranged with Willow?"
"No. She, umm." Tara began.
"Forgot it was you birthday? Just like she forgot to pay attention to you and forgot what Spike's reaction to hitting you was?" Xander said.
"Maybe. And hey, that hurt you know." Tara said, mockingly angry.
"Maybe, but it worked." Xander replied with a grin.
They soon walked into the house, with its lights off to be met by the members of HC screaming 'Surprise!' and 'Happy Birthday'. Needless to say, Tara was stunned.
********
Almost eight months had passed since Tara's birthday, which none of the other Scoobies remembered. In that time Xander had been completely removed from the Scooby Gang and Tara was on the way out as well. This had indirectly led to the current situation. Xander and the HC's were closing in on the library of the old, ruined high school, The Hellmouth. Xander had a bad feeling as Buffy and he Scooby Gang were not there. With her contacts in the magical community, Tara had discovered that a group of humans and demons had recently found a new way to harness the energy of the Hellmouth. The reason that the Scooby Gang was not here was because Buffy relied on Giles for information and Giles believed that if it was not in some musty tome, the older the better, then it was not a cause for concern, thus no Scooby Gang as this ritual was definitely not in any books.
Xander had the twenty members of HC set up around the old high school library in five teams of four. Xander had not let Tara come, despite her protests, saying that there was no magic that could help. The real reason was that Xander and the HC wanted Tara to spend her last hours without worry in the arms of her lover, Willow, should they fail, as opposed to fighting and dieing besides them as they knew she would. Not one of them would bear it if she died.
Xander looked into the ruins of the library where he had spent most of his time in his final three years at high school and swore under his breath. There were seventy individuals in the room. While twenty were human, fifteen of which were tied up, the rest were fairly powerful demons, with the exception of five who were weak, generally harmless and bound like most of the humans. In effect there were fifty hostiles and twenty hostages.
Xander divided the HC, with the exception of his group of four, in two. One half would attack the left flank with their guns and blasters, trying to gain the enemy's attention while the other group would try to break through the right flank with their swords and pistols to try and rescue the hostages. Xander's group would support whoever needed them the most. Xander just preyed that they would win, knowing that there would be a very high casualty rate.
********
Faith spat blood into the darkness and heard it hit the cell wall a few feet away. She hated Prison, she hated solitary. The only reason she was in solitary was because she had been in fight earlier. Ok, it was a BAD idea to beat the other prisoner so badly, but she had no choice. The other prisoner thought she could make a name for herself by taking on Faith, with a knife, but she had learned that Faith was not to be messed with, learned the hard way, and Faith had been sent to solitary, bruised by the batons carried by the guards. Faith hears voices and a key being turned in the lock.
'That's not right. I'm in here for six weeks and it is not time for chow.' Faith thought.
The door opened, blinding Faith after hours of darkness. While she is blinded, one of the guards quickly steps into the cell and jabs her with a needle.
"Watch out for this one, she's dangerous. Maybe she'll su." a voice said before Faith blacked out.
********
The HC's were dropping like flies. There were ten dead and another six seriously wounded, three of them critical. They had gotten the hostages/sacrifices out and had killed about thirty of the enemy, including all five humans, however this still left twenty demons to face, with only four able bodied or slightly wounded soldiers. They had moved most of the seriously wounded soldiers out of the battle zone and were preparing to go down fighting. Then Graham had an idea, explosives. They had about ten pounds of C4, however it would need to be set off inside the group of demons. Graham was injured, having been shot through the shoulder by one of the humans before they were killed.
Mike and Danny volunteered to blow the demons, covering each other and each having a detonator. Xander tried to object, saying that he should go but they said he was more important than they were, he was their leader. Mike and Danny ran out into the demon horde, Xander and Graham providing covering fire. One of the demons let loose a barrage of flying spikes, which injured Xander, cutting up his side, and killed Mike. Danny dived into the middle of the demon pack in a move reminiscent of a Gridiron game, getting sliced in the process. When he landed, Danny set off the explosives, incinerating the Demons and making Xander and Graham duck for cover. Graham called for ambulances and, assisted by an injured Xander, dragged the surviving HC members outside the old school, losing one of the critical soldiers in the transport.
********
Tara awoke with a start, she knew something had gone wrong and Xander was injured. Gently getting out of bed, so a not to wake Willow, Tara quickly dressed and left the room. Willow snuggled into the sheets, her naked body cold due to the departure of her lover, but she quickly fell back to sleep, not noticing that Tara was gone.
Tara ran, her chest heaving and fear, as much as exertion, taking her breath away. When she arrived at the old high school she saw police cars and ambulances. There were only two Hell's Commando's there, Xander and Graham. Another had died before the ambulances had arrived and the rest were either at or on route to the hospital. As Xander and Graham's injuries were minor, they had been treated on site. Tara ran over to Xander, checking his injuries then looking into his eyes.
When she did, she was shocked. She saw something die in Xander. Despite all that he had seen, Xander had managed to maintain some innocence, some of that carefree attitude of children and it was that she saw die. Tara's heart broke for Xander, he had lost part of what made her love him. Not the way she loved Willow, but love none the less. She saw him harden, not in body but in spirit, and it frightened her, but she still trusted him absolutely. What else could she do, he was her absolute best friend and she platonically loved him.
Although she was frightened, it was not of him, but for him. She had seen before the anguish that one who had suffered such a tragedy could experience and she never wanted that for Xander. Tara slung Xander's arm over her shoulder and helped him walk away.
"Don't get any ideas." She said with a small laugh.
"Yes Sir. I would never do that to my best friend. Or Willow." Xander replied.
They slowly moved off into the gathering darkness.
********
Faith opened her eyes to see a different cell to those in the Prison. This cell had a grilled door that lead into a pit that was surrounded by spikes and cheering fans. The door opened and Faith was pushed from behind into the pit.
"Fight or die." A voice said behind her just before she entered the pit.
Faith looked around the room and saw two things. The first was that she was unarmed and second was the other woman. The other woman slowly moved towards her, her right hand encased in a spiked gauntlet and her left shoulder covered by leather armour, dressed in a skimpy outfit. Faith moved cautiously, bread from Hellmouth experience and Slayer instincts. Faith could hear the cheering but it all got turned down when the other woman came at her, leading with the gauntleted right. Now it was survival and Faith's instincts took over. Dodging, punching, and moving. Faith tried to incapacitate the other woman but she kept coming, and eventually, running purely on instinct, Faith saw her opportunity. She dodged an attack from the other woman, slipped behind her and broke her neck. When she heard the snap, Faith realised what she had done. Falling to her knees, ignoring the blood flowing from her wounds and the suddenly loud roaring of the crowd, Faith wept. She had killed again and she did not even know the woman's name. This was not why she had given herself up to the cops, it was not why she had gone to jail. Faith continued to weep as she was dragged out of the arena and into a holding cell.
********
Tara walked into the Magic Box in a black dress, which surprised everyone there, especially since she was crying.
"Baby, what's the matter?" Willow asked, leading Tara to the table.
"Xander's gone. He's left town." Tara sobbed.
"Good." Buffy said, not noticing Tara's shocked expression. "Now he won't get hurt because he jumps into fights that are beyond him."
"YOU BITCH!!!" Tara screamed, trying to get at Buffy, being held back by Giles, Willow and Anya. "Are you that fucking blind?"
"Tara, what are you talking about?" Giles asked calmly, cleaning his glasses.
"Haven't you noticed the downturn in Demonic activity? Do you still see Xander as useless?" Tara accused.
"Ok, Tara. Clam down and tell us why he left." Willow injected
"He left because a week ago he lost fourteen friends when he saved the world, friends we buried today. His friends, my friends, had to die because Buffy won't get her head out of her ass and Giles does not believe it is real unless it is in a really old book."
"Hey!" Buffy said.
"Maybe you should start from the beginning." Giles suggested, ignoring Buffy's comment.
"Why? Will you believe me now when you didn't before?" Tara spat.
With this Tara stormed out of the store.
TBC
Author: Knife Hand
Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated
Spoilers: First four series of Buffy with some elements of five and six.
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy. I would buy it but I am broke.
Summary: The final battle is about to be joined and the fate of the world hangs in the balance. Friends will become enemies and enemies will become friends. A look at the final battle and the path that lead to it. (Multi Crossovers)
AN: Generally I really like Buffy and I usually write B/X fics, but for this fic I have decided to incorporate and focus on one aspect of Buffy's personality that I usually overlook or tone down. Also no Glory or Dawn.
AN2: Steve, there are several reasons that Willow just sat there, some of which will be explained. Another thing, Faith has gone evil before and is thus more likely to revert and this is not the Wills who wants to destroy the world. As to why Xander and Tara, well that is coming up, so reserve judgement till you find out why. A general thanx to everyone who reviewed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Xander and Tara walked down the street towards the former Lowell House.
"What did you mean when you said I had a prior engagement?" Tara asked.
"One of the guys found a tome in one of the nests we cleared. It seemed to be magical so we thought you should have a look." Xander said.
It was true, it was just not why he was taking her to the house. After they walked for a while, Xander broke the silence.
"Did you have something arranged with Willow?"
"No. She, umm." Tara began.
"Forgot it was you birthday? Just like she forgot to pay attention to you and forgot what Spike's reaction to hitting you was?" Xander said.
"Maybe. And hey, that hurt you know." Tara said, mockingly angry.
"Maybe, but it worked." Xander replied with a grin.
They soon walked into the house, with its lights off to be met by the members of HC screaming 'Surprise!' and 'Happy Birthday'. Needless to say, Tara was stunned.
********
Almost eight months had passed since Tara's birthday, which none of the other Scoobies remembered. In that time Xander had been completely removed from the Scooby Gang and Tara was on the way out as well. This had indirectly led to the current situation. Xander and the HC's were closing in on the library of the old, ruined high school, The Hellmouth. Xander had a bad feeling as Buffy and he Scooby Gang were not there. With her contacts in the magical community, Tara had discovered that a group of humans and demons had recently found a new way to harness the energy of the Hellmouth. The reason that the Scooby Gang was not here was because Buffy relied on Giles for information and Giles believed that if it was not in some musty tome, the older the better, then it was not a cause for concern, thus no Scooby Gang as this ritual was definitely not in any books.
Xander had the twenty members of HC set up around the old high school library in five teams of four. Xander had not let Tara come, despite her protests, saying that there was no magic that could help. The real reason was that Xander and the HC wanted Tara to spend her last hours without worry in the arms of her lover, Willow, should they fail, as opposed to fighting and dieing besides them as they knew she would. Not one of them would bear it if she died.
Xander looked into the ruins of the library where he had spent most of his time in his final three years at high school and swore under his breath. There were seventy individuals in the room. While twenty were human, fifteen of which were tied up, the rest were fairly powerful demons, with the exception of five who were weak, generally harmless and bound like most of the humans. In effect there were fifty hostiles and twenty hostages.
Xander divided the HC, with the exception of his group of four, in two. One half would attack the left flank with their guns and blasters, trying to gain the enemy's attention while the other group would try to break through the right flank with their swords and pistols to try and rescue the hostages. Xander's group would support whoever needed them the most. Xander just preyed that they would win, knowing that there would be a very high casualty rate.
********
Faith spat blood into the darkness and heard it hit the cell wall a few feet away. She hated Prison, she hated solitary. The only reason she was in solitary was because she had been in fight earlier. Ok, it was a BAD idea to beat the other prisoner so badly, but she had no choice. The other prisoner thought she could make a name for herself by taking on Faith, with a knife, but she had learned that Faith was not to be messed with, learned the hard way, and Faith had been sent to solitary, bruised by the batons carried by the guards. Faith hears voices and a key being turned in the lock.
'That's not right. I'm in here for six weeks and it is not time for chow.' Faith thought.
The door opened, blinding Faith after hours of darkness. While she is blinded, one of the guards quickly steps into the cell and jabs her with a needle.
"Watch out for this one, she's dangerous. Maybe she'll su." a voice said before Faith blacked out.
********
The HC's were dropping like flies. There were ten dead and another six seriously wounded, three of them critical. They had gotten the hostages/sacrifices out and had killed about thirty of the enemy, including all five humans, however this still left twenty demons to face, with only four able bodied or slightly wounded soldiers. They had moved most of the seriously wounded soldiers out of the battle zone and were preparing to go down fighting. Then Graham had an idea, explosives. They had about ten pounds of C4, however it would need to be set off inside the group of demons. Graham was injured, having been shot through the shoulder by one of the humans before they were killed.
Mike and Danny volunteered to blow the demons, covering each other and each having a detonator. Xander tried to object, saying that he should go but they said he was more important than they were, he was their leader. Mike and Danny ran out into the demon horde, Xander and Graham providing covering fire. One of the demons let loose a barrage of flying spikes, which injured Xander, cutting up his side, and killed Mike. Danny dived into the middle of the demon pack in a move reminiscent of a Gridiron game, getting sliced in the process. When he landed, Danny set off the explosives, incinerating the Demons and making Xander and Graham duck for cover. Graham called for ambulances and, assisted by an injured Xander, dragged the surviving HC members outside the old school, losing one of the critical soldiers in the transport.
********
Tara awoke with a start, she knew something had gone wrong and Xander was injured. Gently getting out of bed, so a not to wake Willow, Tara quickly dressed and left the room. Willow snuggled into the sheets, her naked body cold due to the departure of her lover, but she quickly fell back to sleep, not noticing that Tara was gone.
Tara ran, her chest heaving and fear, as much as exertion, taking her breath away. When she arrived at the old high school she saw police cars and ambulances. There were only two Hell's Commando's there, Xander and Graham. Another had died before the ambulances had arrived and the rest were either at or on route to the hospital. As Xander and Graham's injuries were minor, they had been treated on site. Tara ran over to Xander, checking his injuries then looking into his eyes.
When she did, she was shocked. She saw something die in Xander. Despite all that he had seen, Xander had managed to maintain some innocence, some of that carefree attitude of children and it was that she saw die. Tara's heart broke for Xander, he had lost part of what made her love him. Not the way she loved Willow, but love none the less. She saw him harden, not in body but in spirit, and it frightened her, but she still trusted him absolutely. What else could she do, he was her absolute best friend and she platonically loved him.
Although she was frightened, it was not of him, but for him. She had seen before the anguish that one who had suffered such a tragedy could experience and she never wanted that for Xander. Tara slung Xander's arm over her shoulder and helped him walk away.
"Don't get any ideas." She said with a small laugh.
"Yes Sir. I would never do that to my best friend. Or Willow." Xander replied.
They slowly moved off into the gathering darkness.
********
Faith opened her eyes to see a different cell to those in the Prison. This cell had a grilled door that lead into a pit that was surrounded by spikes and cheering fans. The door opened and Faith was pushed from behind into the pit.
"Fight or die." A voice said behind her just before she entered the pit.
Faith looked around the room and saw two things. The first was that she was unarmed and second was the other woman. The other woman slowly moved towards her, her right hand encased in a spiked gauntlet and her left shoulder covered by leather armour, dressed in a skimpy outfit. Faith moved cautiously, bread from Hellmouth experience and Slayer instincts. Faith could hear the cheering but it all got turned down when the other woman came at her, leading with the gauntleted right. Now it was survival and Faith's instincts took over. Dodging, punching, and moving. Faith tried to incapacitate the other woman but she kept coming, and eventually, running purely on instinct, Faith saw her opportunity. She dodged an attack from the other woman, slipped behind her and broke her neck. When she heard the snap, Faith realised what she had done. Falling to her knees, ignoring the blood flowing from her wounds and the suddenly loud roaring of the crowd, Faith wept. She had killed again and she did not even know the woman's name. This was not why she had given herself up to the cops, it was not why she had gone to jail. Faith continued to weep as she was dragged out of the arena and into a holding cell.
********
Tara walked into the Magic Box in a black dress, which surprised everyone there, especially since she was crying.
"Baby, what's the matter?" Willow asked, leading Tara to the table.
"Xander's gone. He's left town." Tara sobbed.
"Good." Buffy said, not noticing Tara's shocked expression. "Now he won't get hurt because he jumps into fights that are beyond him."
"YOU BITCH!!!" Tara screamed, trying to get at Buffy, being held back by Giles, Willow and Anya. "Are you that fucking blind?"
"Tara, what are you talking about?" Giles asked calmly, cleaning his glasses.
"Haven't you noticed the downturn in Demonic activity? Do you still see Xander as useless?" Tara accused.
"Ok, Tara. Clam down and tell us why he left." Willow injected
"He left because a week ago he lost fourteen friends when he saved the world, friends we buried today. His friends, my friends, had to die because Buffy won't get her head out of her ass and Giles does not believe it is real unless it is in a really old book."
"Hey!" Buffy said.
"Maybe you should start from the beginning." Giles suggested, ignoring Buffy's comment.
"Why? Will you believe me now when you didn't before?" Tara spat.
With this Tara stormed out of the store.
TBC