Valkyrie

Ch. 1: Compete Cock-up

Xander watched as the battle unfolded around him. His fellow graduates following his orders as he directed them against the legion of vampires.

The Mayor's tail vanished into the school as Buffy lead him off to his doom.

"Squad 2, fall back!" Xander yelled as they ran out of arrows. Running forwards he called out, "Squad 3, to me!" as they closed ranks around the archers.

They didn't have the strength of arms or the training to fight anything other than a defensive battle, but thankfully that was just what was called for, as the graduates of Sunnydale High held off the demons, waiting for the eclipse to end.

A flash off to the side distracted Xander for a moment as the year book staff took pictures of the battle under the protection of the watchful eyes of the chess club, wielding super soakers as no one trusted them with sharp objects after their last match against their rivals at Forden High had turned into a brawl.

That moment of distraction almost did Xander in, as a vampire managed to knock his sword aside and lunged forward fangs first. A vague memory of religious passages affecting vampire morale flickered through Xander's mind before getting tangled up with his larger repertoire of comic book knowledge. "Odin!" Xander shouted loudly in the vampire's face causing it to flinch and giving Xander enough time to pull a stake from his belt just as the school exploded.

Mistaking it for a sign from above, cries of 'Odin' 'For Asgard' and 'In Thor's name' rang out as the makeshift army became staunch believers in the Norse pantheon by way of popular culture and Marvel comics, at least until the battle was over.

Thrusting his stake forward Xander scored a heart shot, allowing him to drop down and recover his sword, coming up swinging and while the vamp that had rushed forward didn't dust, he'd probably have requested a stake in a high pitched voice and was definitely out of the battle for that day.

A chunk of concrete thrown by the explosion of the school crushed the skull of a vampire in front of Xander as it ricocheted off to strike Xander in the chest throwing him back a good six feet from the front line.

The teens closed ranks to cover the hole he left, all the while chanting 'Odin' and grinning ferally as the vampires flinched.

Xander hit the ground hard, not letting go of his sword, despite the fact that the blow had hit in just the right time and place to stop his heart in his chest. His sight began to dim as the eclipse ended, the sun coming out and as the sun fell on his fallen form his eyes finally closed and his chest stilled.

Xander climbed to his feet feeling strangely buoyant, like he was underwater, a feeling that increased as the very air seemed to resist his movements and the sounds around him came through garbled. A large crow swooped down upon him its wings black as night. Xander struggled to bring his sword up, but he knew it was no use, he just wasn't quick enough.

The flat of a sword smacked the crow away. "He's not for you," a female voice said and Xander turned and beheld an armored woman with long blond hair and blue eyes sitting on a winged horse. "It is time warrior," she said offering her hand to Xander.

"We won?" Xander asked, as he looked around the battlefield and saw other women pulling fellow students onto the backs of winged horses and flying off, while crows seemed to absorb others, and for some strange reason a white robed figure was talking to the fallen Harmony.

"It was a mighty battle and you fought valiantly, as did those under your command," she said, as he accepted her hand and she pulled him onto the horse behind her. "The demons were routed and a dozen souls have earned a place in Valhalla, an event that hasn't occurred in quite some time. It's been so long since I've been called down here I'd almost forgotten what to do," she joked.

Xander watched as the ground fell away beneath the winged horse and noticed he was still holding his sword while the sheath by her side was empty. "Do you mind if I slide my sword in your sheath?"

Xander completely missed her blush. "Can you sheath it on horseback?

"Easily," he promised her.

"A worthy warrior indeed," she murmured beginning to rise up in the saddle when lightning struck.

*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*

"Again!" the paramedic ordered, as they sent another jolt to Xander's heart and stopped to check his vitals.

"Strong regular beat, he's good."

Xander's eyes opened and he attempted to sit up, his bare chest marred by a massive bruise and light electrical burns from the defib paddles.

"Sir, we just got your heart restored, please don't strain yourself," one of the paramedics said.

Shaking off their hands, Xander climbed off the stretcher. "I'm good, and I think I'm through…"

A scream of feminine fury came from an open manhole just a few feet away.

"Buffy!" Xander exclaimed, gathering his sword and jumping into the sewer.

The paramedics looked at one another for a moment before deciding that it was best to forget what had just occurred and go help someone who hopefully would not be revived only to snatch up a weapon and vanish into the darkness.

Xander's landing was cushioned by a vamp, as he landed on its back feet first, snapping its neck.

He could make out a blonde figure furiously fighting a pair of vamps in the dim light.

"You're supposed to be dead!" one of the vamps complained as she raked his brow with her nails dripping blood in its eyes.

"What I wouldn't give for a sword," she growled and slammed an elbow into the nose of its companion, ripping herself out of its grasp.

Recognizing his cue, Xander slapped the hilt of his sword into her hand.

A truly feral grin came over her face, as her fingers instinctively closed over the sword's hilt.

The vamp that could see fled as fast as it's undead legs would carry it, as she unleashed a series of blows depriving its friend of both arms at the elbow and one of its legs.

"You have to take off its head to kill it," Xander said. "But I'd mug it first."

"Mug?" she asked curiously.

"Take all its valuables so they don't turn to dust when it does," he explained, wondering who she was, as her voice was familiar but she had a strange lilt that wasn't.

Quickly and efficiently she copied his actions, as they removed everything of value the vamps had and dusted them.

"Now back to the land of the living," Xander ordered. "We've got to find out who survived and make sure Mayor McSnake is dead."

"Thanks for the loan of the sword," she said stepping forward to return it to him.

"Anytime, Harmony," he replied, waving her towards the ladder to cover his shock at her not only being alive, but being hell in high heels with a sword in hand. He followed her up the ladder and into the daylight, handing her his sword when she got to the top, so he could climb out.

Her face was bruised, she had blood on her lips and body, marks on the side of her neck, but the radiant smile she wore transformed her face into a thing of beauty. She didn't release his hand and he didn't reclaim his sword as they strolled through the chaos of the battle's aftermath, seeing plenty of rescue workers seeing to the injured and carting off the dead and wounded.

"We lost a few," Xander said with a sigh, wishing he could have done more.

"For evil to triumph all that has to happen is for good men and women to stand aside and do nothing," Harmony said. "What they did was not nothing, they chose to fight when they could have run and earned their place in the halls of the dead. No doubt even as we speak they are feasting and fighting to their hearts content, knowing they made the right choice."

Xander began to grin, his habitual slouch fading as he thought with pride of those that had fallen defending their friends. "Truer words were never spoken, but I think they might be a bit tired of fighting for the moment."

"Do you ever tire of making a difference?" she asked with a smirk.

"Never!"

"Then why should they?"

The two joined the rest of the Scoobs in front of the school.

"What happened to your shirt?" Cordelia asked, a bit of jealousy peeking out as she saw Xander holding Harmony's hand and Harmony looking happier than she'd ever seen her, her near perpetual sneer gone.

"The paramedics ripped it open so they could restart his heart after he'd died, just before he jumped into the sewers to give me a hand."

The Scoobs stared at Xander's chest as the wind blew back his shirt revealing electrical burns and a needle mark over his heart, visible beneath the injury.

"I still have some overdue library books to return," Xander deadpanned, trying not to grin as Harmony burst out laughing, followed by the others, the tension broken.

"I'm afraid the library is in no shape to collect them anyhow," Giles said dryly as they watched the remains of the school burn.

"Good thing you didn't notice that in advance," Oz said, making Xander chuckle.

"We survived," Buffy said.

"We prevailed," Harmony corrected her.

"High school is done," Xander said, watching the flames eat away at the wreckage.

"Well done," Oz added.

Harmony tugged at Xander's hand. "Let's go wash the blood off so we can feast properly."

"Sounds like a plan," he agreed. "And I need to pack, cause the US awaits."

The two departed leaving the Scoobs to stare.

"I just can't picture the two together, even having seen it," Buffy finally said.

"Yeah," Willow said.

"He returned from death only to snatch up a weapon and rescue her," Giles pointed out, "can you ask for more than that?"

Buffy shook her head. "I didn't mean it that way."

"She means we don't know what Xander sees in her," Willow said.

"I'm pretty sure I know," Cordelia said dryly.

"You mean besides the fact that she willingly stayed and fought when she could have stayed home?" Oz asked pointedly.

"Just one of the girls," Buffy said finally.

*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*0*

"They're probably passed out," Xander worried, not sure why Harmony insisted on sticking with him, but finding she was much changed from the girl he thought he knew.

Hopping out of the car, she followed.

The Harris household was in the poorer section of town, or rather one of the less affluent sections, as the Mayor hadn't allowed anyone to become truly poor. Still, the house was a bit ragged around the edges as the people who lived there had obviously neglected the place.

"I'm back," Xander called out, but got no response.

"Must have gone out," she suggested.

"And my day continues to improve," Xander said happily as he lead her upstairs so they could clean up.

Harmony smiled broadly as she followed him.

Typing by: The Last Primarch!