FIC: Trinity's Child 1/?

[CDRERamius@xxxxxxx]

TITLE: Trinity's Child 1/?
AUTHOR: Tony McD
EMAIL: cdreramius@xxxxxxx
DISCLAIMER: All characters belong to Joss Whendon, Mutant Enemy, WB and 
others. This is for fun not profit.
SUMMARY: Sequel to Terra Australis Incognito. 17 years on and Buffy, Xander, 
Willow, and their child must face very different evils to save the world 
(again).
SPOILERS: None really. AU.
DISTRIBUTION: Anywhere is fine, just email me first.
RATING: MA 15+ (Australian system).
AUTHORS NOTES: Many thanks to all who gave feedback on Terra. Kirayoshi, 
Elizalover, Wombat, Stephen, Sam (I am), Honoured Fool, Vicky and the 
multitude of other kind souls. Enjoy.

Trinity's Child.

Onward he ran, legs straining as he fought to gain a firm grounding on 
the white sand beneath his feet. His breathing was ragged as he continued 
running on will power alone. He could see the end and it gave him real 
pleasure to know that the ordeal would soon be over. The steps that marked 
the beginning and the end of the run came closer and closer, until they were 
at his feet. Half collapsing, he sat on the steps and desperately fought for 
breath. He hope that he would live but a quiet part of him thought that death 
would at least ease the pains that danced through his muscles.
"Xander, we've done this run three days a week for years, but you 
still end up looking like you're about to die." Billy Gleeson told his friend 
as he watched Xander gasp like a landed fish. Xander was unable to verbally 
reply so he extended his middle finger as a gesture of his appreciation for 
his friends comments. Billy roared laughing.
"And I love you to, you bastard. See you Friday. And give my love to 
your family." Billy said as he picked up his towel and headed off. Xander 
watched his friend leave, a little envious of his friends ability to do the 5 
mile runs on the soft beach sand and not drop dead at the end of it. Still, 
Xander could remember the first time Billy took him for this run. Xander had 
puked after 3 miles.
As Xander regained his breath, he sat on the steps that headed back to 
the road above the beach. Looking at his surrounds, he thought of where he 
was and how he had got here.
It had started 17 years ago. Xander, Buffy, Willow and Giles had met a 
strange Aussie named David who was a soldier who was looking at how the 
Initiative ran things. Xander had become best friends with David, however 
Buffy wasn't all that keen on the guy. 
As it turned out, David had a lot of connections to them. David was 
Giles son. David was the Aboriginal brother spirit of the Slayer and wielded 
powerful Aboriginal magic. David saved Xander's life and broke a spell that a 
demon had cast on Buffy and Willow. David had saved Buffy's life and had used 
his magic to reveal the true nature of the bond between Buffy, Willow and 
Xander. Soulmates. Trinity. David had revealed the fact that Willow was 
pregnant just before dying in The War Of The Six.
It was the night after David's funeral that Spike had delivered the 
book and David's request that the gang stay in Australia and train his fellow 
soldiers along with the new Slayers Council. After much debate, they had 
agreed to David's last wishes.
At first it was hard, working with the army guys, not to mention 
Willow's pregnancy and starting a whole new life on the other side of the 
world. Of all of them, Xander had found it easiest to fit in with the way of 
life here. His easy going nature, sense of humour, and his willingness to 
have a fair go at things meant that he was accepted by the locals and his new 
work mates quickly. Not that the others had any trouble. Xander and the 
others had found that Australians were on the whole very friendly and easy 
going. Except for the ones with fangs and a thirst for blood. Australian 
vampires were like every other vampire Xander had met. All fangy then quickly 
dusty as they got sent back to hell.
Grabbing his towel, Xander headed up the stairs. The beach that he had 
just run on was called Captains Beach and has the whitest sand he had ever 
seen. The beach was part of Jervis Bay, an area white sandy beaches, clear 
blue water and stunning natural beauty all protected by national parks and 
military reserves.
As he reached the top of the stairs Xander was startled by the large 
grey kangaroo that lay in front of him. With a little smile, Xander walked 
around the animal who was not in the least concerned with Xander's presence. 
As he walked up the hill towards his house, Xander took a moment to take in 
the surrounds that he called home.
Their home was HMAS Creswell, which was the Australian Naval College 
where young men and women trained to become naval officers. Xander had seen 
many military bases in his time, but Australian bases all had a quality of 
beauty, both man made and natural. Indeed, when bases closed their land 
became national parks and their buildings heritage listed. But of them all, 
Creswell was the most beautiful of them all. The bush that backed onto the 
base was national park, dozens of native birds and animals lived on the 
grounds in their hundreds, even thousands.
But the one outstanding feature that had struck them when they first 
arrived here was the kangaroos. Xander had half expected to see kangaroos 
bouncing through the streets of Sydney when he first arrived. But here at 
Creswell, hundreds of grey kangaroos called the base home. They hopped down 
the roads and grazed on the grasses of the base. Their presence was 
everywhere, so much so that the young Midshipmen that were trained here had 
to march around sleeping kangaroos and got covered in kangaroo droppings when 
they played sport. The kangaroos had become totally unconcerned about people. 
While docile, they were not defenceless as Spike had found out one night to 
his unpleasant surprise.
Smiling at the memory of a scratched, battered and bruised Spike, 
Xander entered his home.
It was a three story house built in 1915 to house the Commanding 
Officer of the base. Until the end of the century it had been known as 
Captain's Cottage, but now was called Trinity House in honour of the current 
residents. The house overlooked the beach and the bay and backed onto the 
busland that surrounded the base.
Xander went to the bathroom where he filled the huge bath tub, 
stripped off, and eased himself into the bath. He closed his eyes and relaxed 
as the warm water eased his tensions.
He was still in this state of bliss when he sensed Buffy enter the 
house. He could feel that she was a little tired from her training session 
with the new unit members.
"Xander?" Buffy called out from the lounge room.
"In here Buff!" he yelled back. She opened the door and saw Xander 
laying in the tub. She smiled.
"From the feelings I'm getting from you, I'm guessing that you and 
Billy did your run." Buffy remarked. Xander opened his eyes and looked up at 
Buffy.
"Let's just say that Billy ran and I just staggered 5 miles in order 
to hurt myself." he told her. Buffy gave a little laugh.
"Exercise is good for you, it helps in fighting vamps and keeps you in 
shape." Buffy told him. Very good shape Buffy thought as she looked at Xander 
in the tub. He, like Willow and herself didn't look like they were in their 
mid thirties. They looked more like they were hardly a day over 21. This had 
mystified everyone and in the end it was put down to the fact that they were 
Trinity and that some kind of magic was involved.
But their was no magic involved in Xander's physical fitness. The 
lanky guy she first saw in high school had filled out into very nicely 
muscular man. He trained with the troops as a way of gaining their respect 
and a form of male bonding that he had missed with the deaths of Jessie and 
David. The upside was that it gave him a very lunchable body.
"Hey, can I join you?" Buffy asked. It was Xander's turn to smile. He 
could almost hear the thoughts going through her mind.
"Sure. Jump in." he told the Slayer. He watched as she undressed and 
got in the other side of the bath.
"Oh, this is so nice." Buffy sighed. The warm water working its magic 
on her tired body. She moved her head around, trying to get the kinks out of 
her neck and shoulders.
"Care for a little neck rub there little lady?" Xander asked in a John 
Wayne voice.
"Why thank you kind sir." Buffy replied and drifted over to Xander. 
Xander was the master at giving massages, but then so was Willow. Buffy 
guessed that it was due to all the massages they had given each other as kids 
and had perfected over the years. The thought of Willow gave rise to a 
question in her mind.
"I wonder what Willow's up to?" Buffy asked out loud. Xander stopped 
the massage and closed his eyes in concentration for a few moments. He opened 
his eyes again.
"She is on the plane, bored with the in flight movies and annoyed at 
your mother and Giles because they are doing the married couple synchronised 
snoring routine." Xander told her. Buffy closed her eyes and concentrated on 
Willow. Very faintly she could detect the feelings of boredom and annoyance 
but she couldn't tell why Willow was feeling these things. Buffy was a little 
annoyed that while she, Xander and Willow had strong empath links to each 
other, Xander's empathy toward Willow and her bordered on telepathy. Xander 
must have sensed her feelings because he pulled her close for a reassuring 
hug.
"Buff, don't be upset." he told her. "I tell you what, how about we 
stay in here for a while then we'll go to the Postman's Tavern for dinner. 
What do you say?" asked Xander. Buffy snuggled closer to Xander.
"Sounds like a good plan to me." she said.
"Hey, enjoy the peace while you can. Not only do Willow, Giles and 
your Mom get back from Sunnydale on Friday; Jenny, Paul and Spike get back 
from Sydney as well. Then it's Christmas a couple of days later." Xander 
reminded her.
"Check. Enjoy peace and quiet." Buffy said dreamily.
"I like the quiet." said Xander.