FIC: Terra Australis Incognito 20/?

[CDRERamius@xxxxxxx]

TITLE: Terra Australis Incognito 20/?
AUTHOR: Tony McD
DISCLAIMER: All characters belong to Joss Whendon, Mutant Enemy, WB and 
others. This is for fun, not profit.
SUMMARY: A stranger with many connections to the Scooby Gang arrives and 
changes their lives forever.
SPOILERS: General Season 4. Follows it for a bit then it's an AU.
DISTRIBUTION: Anywhere is fine, just email me first.
RATING: MA 15+ (Australia) language, violence, adult themes


Willow's sobbing had eased enough for her to talk.
"Damn him! How could God damn Oz do such a thing! I always thought 
that it was Oz that said 'I love you', but it wasn't and he knew it but he 
let me think that he had said it. Damn you Oz! Damn you to hell!" Willow 
began sobbing in earnest again.
"Shhhh... it's OK Willow" Buffy said cradling Willow in her arms, 
trying to comfort her.
"Maybe Oz was afraid off loosing you to Xander. You're the most 
wonderful person in the world and no one would want to loose you to anyone 
else." Buffy said, partly to explain Oz's motives but mostly to express her 
own feelings right now. Willow took a deep breath and wiped her eyes.
"Willow, tell me. How do you feel towards Xander?" Buffy asked, 
fearful of the response. Willow was silent for a moment, contemplating her 
feelings.
"Buffy, I love Xander." Buffy's heart stopped. "I loved Xander since I 
was little and I guess I always will love him. But too much has happened, too 
much water has passed under the bridge between me and him. Xander and I can 
never go back to the way things used to be. I love him but not in the same 
way I love you. He has always been a part of me and I hope he always will, 
but you Buffy, you are the one for me. You are like the sun's morning rays 
chasing the darkness away. I want to fall asleep in your arms at night and 
wake in them in the morning. I wants us to be together. I want you. I love 
you." Willow kissed Buffy softly on her lips. 
Buffy's heart soared. Happiness flooded her very being. She kissed 
Willow back and embraced her, never wanting to let her go. They held each 
other for the longest time, just thinking and feeling. Buffy thought about 
the people in her life. Willow was the most important thing in her life. She 
thought of her mother and how brave and understanding she had been for Buffy 
over her life.
She also thought of the men that had entered her life and of all of 
them; her father, Angel, Parker, Riley; only two would never abandon her. 
Giles and Xander. Giles loved her like a father, indeed he had been sacked 
from the Council for just that. Buffy wished he was her real father. She 
could not think of a better man to be her father, nor a better man to care 
for her mother. That thought both attracted and repulsed her at the same time.
Xander. It was hard to describe what she felt for Xander. An image 
flashed through her mind. Xander, clad in white armour, astride a white horse 
like a knight of old, bearing her and Willow's standard. At times he fought 
dragons, at others, windmills. Buffy wasn't sure why she had that image in 
her mind. But the more she thought about it the more it became appropriate. 
He was her paladin, her champion, wether she needed one or not. He would go 
into battle for her and Willow regardless of the danger.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a commotion from down stairs.
"Hello? Dad? Anybody home?" David's voice called out. Buffy leapt up 
and raced down the stairs. David saw Buffy charging down the stairs.
"Hey Buffy, where's... " he got no further as Buffy's fist smashed 
into his face, sending him flying. Giles came down the stairs, followed by 
Willow. David picked himself off the floor, rage burning in his eyes.
"Don't you ever just say hello? What the fuck is your malfunction?" 
David demanded to know. Giles and Willow looked on, not daring to interrupt.
"You! You're the malfunction! You are nothing but trouble. You come 
here and cause all kinds of trouble. You get some kind of hate spell put on 
me and Willow which nearly killed Xander and then you take him and get some 
other spell which causes all sorts of bad memories to surface then you leave 
him!" Buffy nearly screamed at David.
"Bad memories? You think that Xander or you are the only ones with bad 
memories? Everyone has bad memories, things they would rather forget. Well 
guess what? Xander and I don't have the option of forgetting. He will have to 
live with the memories of everything he ever did wrong in the forefront of 
his mind for the rest of his life. As I do too.
"As the Slayer you have had death and woe as your companion. Big 
fucking whoop! I'm a soldier. I also have death as my constant companion. But 
unlike you, my battles have not been so black and white. Human verses demon. 
Good and evil. I fought people, with souls like you or I. Some of those had 
committed unspeakably evil acts while I had to watch and do nothing. 
Sometimes I later got the chance to avenge the death of innocent people, but 
sometimes not. I've had to kill others who's only crime was being scared for 
themselves and their families because some thug told them they were to fight 
us or have their family butchered.
"I also lost friends. People who I spent years with, people who I had 
the strongest bonds you could not imagine. Maybe you could. They were to me 
like Willow and Xander and Giles are to you. I had to give orders to some of 
them which guaranteed their death for the sake of the mission. I also had 
some of them die because I fucked up. I walked the unit straight into an 
ambush. Fine, we beat them. They give me medals and promotions but they 
could not give me peace. They cannot take away the memories. The memories of 
my friends being cut down, the memory of holding my best friend, crying like 
a baby as I watch his blood and brains ooze out of what remained of his head 
after a bullet blew it open. They can't take away the memories of wives that 
lost their husbands and children asking where their Daddy went. No one can. I 
have to live with all this every second of the rest of my life.
"So you ever so much as think that I don't care about Xander, or you, 
or Dad, or Willow, I will blow your fucking brains out and hope the next 
Slayer isn't such a selfish bitch."
David and Buffy glared at each other, their breathing ragged with 
rage. The sound of Xander coming down the stairs interrupted them.
"Xander, what... " Willow began to ask but Xander walked right past 
her, his eyes sky blue, walking in a trance. He stopped. Lifting his hand 
Xander created a shimmering silver screen. Images began to appear.
It was an army. An army of vampires. They were charging up a hill 
towards a group of people. There was hundreds, maybe thousands of vampires 
racing for the summit where the small group of people were. Arrows fired at 
the people, their shafts filled the sky. The sky was dominated by the sun, 
eclipsed by the moon, casting it's shadow over the land and bringing forth 
night. The images slowly faded and Xander began to speak.
"Six shall be called. The Chosen One and 5 who must protect her lest 
hell return to earth. Six shall fight the army of the demon prince." Xander's 
eyes rolled back and he collapsed on the floor. Buffy and Willow raced to the 
fallen Xander. David didn't move. His face was blank from shock. Finally 
David spoke.
"My God! It's the War Of The Six!"