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. I don't own any story or non original characters mentioned here.
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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~The Past, Mid 2007~
"How's she holding up?" Xander asked, firing again into the figures racing along the rooftops to cut them off.
"She's holding on, but we need to get to safety, fast!" Faith replied, adjusting her hold on Tara, who was currently unconscious.
They were running, heading for a place that hopefully meant safety. A group of shadowy figures rushed from a nearby alleyway, only to be cut down by a silent volley of fire from the compact assault rifle in Xander's hand. One of the figures rose and continued the charge. Xander released the assault rifle, letting its harness strap guide its fall back to his side, as he drew a longsword. Quickly running through and decapitating the figure, which dissolved into a pink slime, Xander then sheathed the longsword, retrieved the assault rifle and smoothly replaced the spent clip, while keeping pace with Faith.
"That should be the place." Xander said, pointing at a house across the street.
Xander quickly checked the silencer on the assault rifle as they crossed the street, then fired a burst into a figure emerging from the street behind them. Faith slammed on the door as Xander covered the street. The door opened, revealing a lanky twenty-ish year old man with wild dark brown hair.
"What the hell?" he said.
"Where's Hermione?" Faith asked.
"Harry, let them in." came Hermione's voice from the back.
Not waiting for him to move out of the way, Faith pushed past Harry and carried Tara into the house, laying her down on a sofa. Xander backed into the doorway, still covering the street and firing periodic bursts into the darkness.
"Need a barrier spell of some kind here." Xander said.
Hermione pulled out her wand and said a spell, erecting a shimmering barrier around the house.
"That'll last a little while." She said. "Maybe fifteen minutes."
"Right." Xander said, putting down his assault rifle.
"Now wait a damn minute. Who the hell are these people?" Harry demanded.
"They're the ones who saved me from the Death Eaters and killed Voldermort." Hermione said.
"But they just killed people." Harry said.
"Only Tarakkens." Xander said. "Ok, we need to secure the house and get Tara active."
"I'll take the house." Faith said. "Hermione, anyone else here?"
"Tarakkens?" Harry said.
"Nope." Hermione replied.
"Ok, Hermione, get on waking Tara. She got knocked unconscious. Faith, get going on the house." Xander ordered.
"Tarakkens?" Harry said again.
"Right, on it." Faith said.
"I'll see what I can do for Tara." Hermione said.
"Get her awake and she can make a better barrier." Xander said.
"Who the hell are Tarakkens?" Harry practically screamed.
"The Order of Taraka. They are an ancient society of Bounty Hunters, but they only take Assassination jobs, never dead or alive. Tara, Faith and I have an extremely large bounty on our heads." Xander explained.
"Why?" Hermione asked, after muttering a healing spell on Tara.
"We pissed off one too many demons." Xander said absently, looking out carefully through a curtained window.
"It might even be the Watchers Council." Tara said groggily from the sofa.
"Good point. If they can't control Buffy or Faith, they will want to kill one of them. They would go after Faith because they don't want the Hellmouth unprotected." Xander said.
"Plus we took out about a dozen of their retrieval teams. The place is clean. Need some work to make it secure and there doesn't seem to be much in the way of weaponry." Faith said, returning.
"How you feeling, Tara?" Xander asked.
"What you felt after, oh say, the HC's visit to High School, only about five times worse." Tara said. "Give me about five and I can do a barrier spell."
"Take ten, Hermione's got us covered till then." Xander said.
"So, wings, what's the deal with repeato boy over there?" Faith asked Hermione.
"Wings?" Hermione asked.
"Faith has nick names for everyone." Tara explained.
"Let me guess. Hermione. Feminisation of Hermes, the winged messenger of the Greek Gods." Hermione said.
Faith nodded and Xander chuckled.
"You've been reading way too much Faith." Xander said.
"Yah, well that's what happens when you don't let me kill stuff." Faith said.
"Mostly Vamps and Demons." Tara whispered to Hermione.
"Ok. So the nick's a stretch, I'll work on it X-man. Question still stands. What's his deal?" Fait said, indicating to Harry.
"His name is Harry Potter. He's my boyfriend." Hermione said.
"Way to go, girl. So he kinks of vanilla?" Faith said.
"Faith. Shut the fuck up." Xander said.
"Got it, Boytoy." Faith said, using her old nickname for him.
Xander gave Faith a grin before checking the window again.
"Alright. Hermione, stay with Tara. Tara, whenever you are ready get on that Barrier spell. Faith, you and me are going to secure the house. Start at the back." Xander ordered.
"What about me?" Harry said, defiantly.
He was used to taking charge in dangerous situations and he did not know these people or what was going on.
"You can get Tara something to eat and drink. Then you can either, do as Tara says, stay out of the way or curl up in a ball in the fucking basement for all I care." Xander said before walking out of the room.
********
~ The Present, 2015 ~
Xander let his helmet drop to the floor. Exhausted, he struggled with the straps on his dirt and blood stained armour. Tara helped him with the straps and they dumped the armour and his weaponry in a pile in his 'office' tent, to be taken away for cleaning. Xander stumbled into the bedroom tent and flopped down on the bed. Tara followed him in and began to massage his back. After about half and hour, Tara finished the massage and curled up next to Xander, his arms wrapping around her almost of their own accord.
"Tell me again." Xander whispered.
"Tell you what, again?" she asked, tuning to look him in his soulful eyes.
"The lives you imagine."
She closed her eyes and snuggled into his side, her head now resting on his chest.
"Which one?" she asked gently.
"A peaceful one." Xander whispered back.
"Alright." Tara said, thinking for a minute. "Ok, I'm driving into a small town. It's late in the afternoon and the sun is just setting. I pull into the bed and breakfast, the only place in town and.."
Tara outlined the life they would have had. She met Xander in the Bed and Breakfast, his car having broken down while he was on his way back to Sunnydale. She gave him a lift and after a few days in the car, he tells her all about his home town, and how much he had lost in the struggle there. She decided that she did not want to go to collage on the Hellmouth, and he had decided that he had enough of the darkness, so they changed directions and kept driving, living off the money Tara had saved for collage tuition. They travelled around America, before eventually settling down in a small town in Mayne, where Xander apprenticed under the local carpenter while Tara set up an apothecary, dealing in herbal medicines and tending their garden.
They got married and had three children, two girls and a boy, and Xander became known for his fine quality tables and cabinets. Their eldest daughter, Katherine, took after Tara and apprenticed at the apothecary, eventually taking over when Tara retied. Their middle child, their son Jessie, became a big shot high school football star, before blowing out his knee in his final year, after that he moved to New York to go to collage and ended up a successful author and middling successful businessman. Marie, their youngest, took after both her parents. She love woodwork from a young age and she learnt from her father and eventually some of her works became so sought after that the sale of a single piece could cover living expenses for the whole family for an entire year. Xander could not be prouder. She also loved nature, tending to the garden with Tara and taking lessons in the theoretical and religious aspects of Wiccan Witchcraft, although she did not display any magical talent. When they retired at age sixty-five, they had four grandchildren. Jessie having a boy and a girl in New York with an artistically unrecognised sculptor, who he loved more than life itself, a trait he had gotten from his father. Katherine had two girls with a local boy that had been her high school sweetheart. Marie never got married or had any children, all her passion was directed into the garden and her woodwork. Xander and Tara had both died peacefully in bed at the tender age of ninety six.
Xander stroked her hair as she finished the story. He was always swept into the worlds she described, amazed at all the detail that she put into the fantasy. Xander idly wished that they could have lived a different life, only so that Tara would never have had to endure what she had gone through. The sound of a nite raid penetrated the tent, but Xander just kept stroking Tara's hair as she slowly slipped into the land of sleep. He lay there unmindful of the death occurring around the tent as he simply enjoyed the comfort of the woman he loved more than anything.
An hour later the raid commander reported to Buffy's tent, informing her that they were unable to locate the enemy's command tent or the quarters of their three highest ranking offices; Xander, Tara and Faith. Buffy waved away the commander, barely containing her anger. Giles quickly, and accurately, surmised that Tara had case concealment spells around the tents, making it impossible for them to be located during a raid. Willow said that she could try to take down the spells but it would take a long time to prepare and the chance of success was slim at best. Slamming her fist into the desk, Buffy fumed while, across the length of the battlefield, her opposite number lay calmly with the woman he loved, thinking about another life.
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. I don't own any story or non original characters mentioned here.
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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~The Past, Mid 2007~
"How's she holding up?" Xander asked, firing again into the figures racing along the rooftops to cut them off.
"She's holding on, but we need to get to safety, fast!" Faith replied, adjusting her hold on Tara, who was currently unconscious.
They were running, heading for a place that hopefully meant safety. A group of shadowy figures rushed from a nearby alleyway, only to be cut down by a silent volley of fire from the compact assault rifle in Xander's hand. One of the figures rose and continued the charge. Xander released the assault rifle, letting its harness strap guide its fall back to his side, as he drew a longsword. Quickly running through and decapitating the figure, which dissolved into a pink slime, Xander then sheathed the longsword, retrieved the assault rifle and smoothly replaced the spent clip, while keeping pace with Faith.
"That should be the place." Xander said, pointing at a house across the street.
Xander quickly checked the silencer on the assault rifle as they crossed the street, then fired a burst into a figure emerging from the street behind them. Faith slammed on the door as Xander covered the street. The door opened, revealing a lanky twenty-ish year old man with wild dark brown hair.
"What the hell?" he said.
"Where's Hermione?" Faith asked.
"Harry, let them in." came Hermione's voice from the back.
Not waiting for him to move out of the way, Faith pushed past Harry and carried Tara into the house, laying her down on a sofa. Xander backed into the doorway, still covering the street and firing periodic bursts into the darkness.
"Need a barrier spell of some kind here." Xander said.
Hermione pulled out her wand and said a spell, erecting a shimmering barrier around the house.
"That'll last a little while." She said. "Maybe fifteen minutes."
"Right." Xander said, putting down his assault rifle.
"Now wait a damn minute. Who the hell are these people?" Harry demanded.
"They're the ones who saved me from the Death Eaters and killed Voldermort." Hermione said.
"But they just killed people." Harry said.
"Only Tarakkens." Xander said. "Ok, we need to secure the house and get Tara active."
"I'll take the house." Faith said. "Hermione, anyone else here?"
"Tarakkens?" Harry said.
"Nope." Hermione replied.
"Ok, Hermione, get on waking Tara. She got knocked unconscious. Faith, get going on the house." Xander ordered.
"Tarakkens?" Harry said again.
"Right, on it." Faith said.
"I'll see what I can do for Tara." Hermione said.
"Get her awake and she can make a better barrier." Xander said.
"Who the hell are Tarakkens?" Harry practically screamed.
"The Order of Taraka. They are an ancient society of Bounty Hunters, but they only take Assassination jobs, never dead or alive. Tara, Faith and I have an extremely large bounty on our heads." Xander explained.
"Why?" Hermione asked, after muttering a healing spell on Tara.
"We pissed off one too many demons." Xander said absently, looking out carefully through a curtained window.
"It might even be the Watchers Council." Tara said groggily from the sofa.
"Good point. If they can't control Buffy or Faith, they will want to kill one of them. They would go after Faith because they don't want the Hellmouth unprotected." Xander said.
"Plus we took out about a dozen of their retrieval teams. The place is clean. Need some work to make it secure and there doesn't seem to be much in the way of weaponry." Faith said, returning.
"How you feeling, Tara?" Xander asked.
"What you felt after, oh say, the HC's visit to High School, only about five times worse." Tara said. "Give me about five and I can do a barrier spell."
"Take ten, Hermione's got us covered till then." Xander said.
"So, wings, what's the deal with repeato boy over there?" Faith asked Hermione.
"Wings?" Hermione asked.
"Faith has nick names for everyone." Tara explained.
"Let me guess. Hermione. Feminisation of Hermes, the winged messenger of the Greek Gods." Hermione said.
Faith nodded and Xander chuckled.
"You've been reading way too much Faith." Xander said.
"Yah, well that's what happens when you don't let me kill stuff." Faith said.
"Mostly Vamps and Demons." Tara whispered to Hermione.
"Ok. So the nick's a stretch, I'll work on it X-man. Question still stands. What's his deal?" Fait said, indicating to Harry.
"His name is Harry Potter. He's my boyfriend." Hermione said.
"Way to go, girl. So he kinks of vanilla?" Faith said.
"Faith. Shut the fuck up." Xander said.
"Got it, Boytoy." Faith said, using her old nickname for him.
Xander gave Faith a grin before checking the window again.
"Alright. Hermione, stay with Tara. Tara, whenever you are ready get on that Barrier spell. Faith, you and me are going to secure the house. Start at the back." Xander ordered.
"What about me?" Harry said, defiantly.
He was used to taking charge in dangerous situations and he did not know these people or what was going on.
"You can get Tara something to eat and drink. Then you can either, do as Tara says, stay out of the way or curl up in a ball in the fucking basement for all I care." Xander said before walking out of the room.
********
~ The Present, 2015 ~
Xander let his helmet drop to the floor. Exhausted, he struggled with the straps on his dirt and blood stained armour. Tara helped him with the straps and they dumped the armour and his weaponry in a pile in his 'office' tent, to be taken away for cleaning. Xander stumbled into the bedroom tent and flopped down on the bed. Tara followed him in and began to massage his back. After about half and hour, Tara finished the massage and curled up next to Xander, his arms wrapping around her almost of their own accord.
"Tell me again." Xander whispered.
"Tell you what, again?" she asked, tuning to look him in his soulful eyes.
"The lives you imagine."
She closed her eyes and snuggled into his side, her head now resting on his chest.
"Which one?" she asked gently.
"A peaceful one." Xander whispered back.
"Alright." Tara said, thinking for a minute. "Ok, I'm driving into a small town. It's late in the afternoon and the sun is just setting. I pull into the bed and breakfast, the only place in town and.."
Tara outlined the life they would have had. She met Xander in the Bed and Breakfast, his car having broken down while he was on his way back to Sunnydale. She gave him a lift and after a few days in the car, he tells her all about his home town, and how much he had lost in the struggle there. She decided that she did not want to go to collage on the Hellmouth, and he had decided that he had enough of the darkness, so they changed directions and kept driving, living off the money Tara had saved for collage tuition. They travelled around America, before eventually settling down in a small town in Mayne, where Xander apprenticed under the local carpenter while Tara set up an apothecary, dealing in herbal medicines and tending their garden.
They got married and had three children, two girls and a boy, and Xander became known for his fine quality tables and cabinets. Their eldest daughter, Katherine, took after Tara and apprenticed at the apothecary, eventually taking over when Tara retied. Their middle child, their son Jessie, became a big shot high school football star, before blowing out his knee in his final year, after that he moved to New York to go to collage and ended up a successful author and middling successful businessman. Marie, their youngest, took after both her parents. She love woodwork from a young age and she learnt from her father and eventually some of her works became so sought after that the sale of a single piece could cover living expenses for the whole family for an entire year. Xander could not be prouder. She also loved nature, tending to the garden with Tara and taking lessons in the theoretical and religious aspects of Wiccan Witchcraft, although she did not display any magical talent. When they retired at age sixty-five, they had four grandchildren. Jessie having a boy and a girl in New York with an artistically unrecognised sculptor, who he loved more than life itself, a trait he had gotten from his father. Katherine had two girls with a local boy that had been her high school sweetheart. Marie never got married or had any children, all her passion was directed into the garden and her woodwork. Xander and Tara had both died peacefully in bed at the tender age of ninety six.
Xander stroked her hair as she finished the story. He was always swept into the worlds she described, amazed at all the detail that she put into the fantasy. Xander idly wished that they could have lived a different life, only so that Tara would never have had to endure what she had gone through. The sound of a nite raid penetrated the tent, but Xander just kept stroking Tara's hair as she slowly slipped into the land of sleep. He lay there unmindful of the death occurring around the tent as he simply enjoyed the comfort of the woman he loved more than anything.
An hour later the raid commander reported to Buffy's tent, informing her that they were unable to locate the enemy's command tent or the quarters of their three highest ranking offices; Xander, Tara and Faith. Buffy waved away the commander, barely containing her anger. Giles quickly, and accurately, surmised that Tara had case concealment spells around the tents, making it impossible for them to be located during a raid. Willow said that she could try to take down the spells but it would take a long time to prepare and the chance of success was slim at best. Slamming her fist into the desk, Buffy fumed while, across the length of the battlefield, her opposite number lay calmly with the woman he loved, thinking about another life.
TBC.