FIC; Let The Games Begin (3/3)

[Jim_D_Means@xxxxxxxxxxx]

Disclaimers;
Buffy and crew belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy, and trust me, Joss, Buffy's much happier here than she would have been with ol' Beefstick Finn. No money is changing hands here. If you take pleasure in my efforts, that's my reward.

Author's Notes;
Props to me mate Tony McD for creating the marvelous Terra Australis Incognito, from whence this little effort of mine springs. And thanks for the information and input, Tony. You're a top bloke.

Cathy Freeman, who puts in an appearance in the following, is a real person and one worthy of praise. The first aboriginal Australian to win Olympic Gold in an individual event, she has become a celebrity in her homeland and deservedly so. To her, I dedicate my story.

Archives; You got Terra? Go for it.

Feedback; Yes please. Jim_D_Means@xxxxxxxxxxx

Rating; PG-13

Summary;
Buffy and her extended family are in Sydney for the 2000 Summer Olympics. But so is a rather nasty vampire, who is wreaking havoc in the Olympic village.


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Terra Australis Incognito:
Let The Games Begin
Written By Kirayoshi
========

Chapter Three;
Citius, Altius, Fortius

"Hey now,
You're an all star!
Get your game on,
Go play!
Hey now,
You're a rock star!
Get the show on,
Get paid!
All that glitters is gold,
Only shooting stars break the mold."

--Smash Mouth
"All Star"

Willow glossed over the screen as her fingers tapped over the computer's mouse. At her request Jake Bodine was able to grant her access to a computer with a cable modem, and she was making full use of the internet connection.

When she first delved into magic in high school, her first mentor in the subject was a learned techno-pagan Jenny Calendar. She had encouraged Willow's interest in computers as a tool of magic, unlike Giles who still regarded computers as a fad. Since the time she worked with Jenny, Willow had located several sites on wicca, magic and other forms of esoterica, including a link to several prominent tomes of magic spells online. She had found a few spells in the past that had helped the Scooby Gang, as well as a few minor glamours and other spells she enjoyed personally. 

She stopped her search suddenly, as a subheading on one site caught her eye. "Physical enhancement", it read. She scanned the page further, hoping that it wasn't some kind of sexual prowess spell. She smiled when she read the details of the spell, and the list of ingredients. Nothing out of the ordinary, most of the ingredients could be easily found at any grocery store. She had the page printed up, and snatched the paper.

"Buffy, Xander," she announced, as she rushed into her soulmate's hotel room. "I found something." Buffy and Xander were going over a map of the Olympic village, planning their stragedy. Xander had been absently rubbing the back of Buffy's neck, but turned his head toward the door as he sensed Willow's presense. "What's up, Wills?" he greeted the other corner of their triangle.

"I found a spell that can give us an edge against Schwarzwold," she announced happily.

"Us?" Buffy quizzed Willow, her eyebrow arching slightly. "I don't know if you should be on the frontline with Xander and me on this one." Xander rolled his eyes, knowing that Willow wasn't going to like what she heard. "I'm serious Willow," Buffy continued, "it's bad enough that Cathy Freeman's risking her life to help us catch Schwarzwold, but I'm not gonna let the woman I love in the line of fire, not while she's pregnant."

"And here comes the resolve face," Xander quipped under his breath. Buffy just glared at him.

"Don't worry, Xand," Willow commented. "I know that Buffy tends to be a little over-protective. But that's one of the reasons I was looking for this spell. You guys are going up against Super-Vamp here, what with the steroids he took before he was turned. You're gonna need some back up on this one. And this spell will gives us an edge." She showed them the particulars, saying, "It's a physical augmetation spell, it will heighten our strength and speed for a period of one half-hour."

Buffy regarded the spell, her own understanding of magic limited to what she could sense from Willow's mind. But she had learned to trust Willow as she would herself. "Half an hour," she mused. "I still don't like putting you or the baby in danger, Wills. But you're right, the three of us can handle this faster than splitting the team. Okay, Wills, how does the spell work?" The three friends went to work, planning for the evening's attack.

========

"Forgive me, Joyce," Giles apologized as he met Joyce Summers at their seats in the International Aquatic Centre. "Held up slightly at the meeting."

"No problem," Joyce smiled sweetly as Giles took his seat. She tended to mentally label events like the meeting between Giles, her daughter and the others at the hotel as 'Slayer business', and generally tried not to think of them too much. "Anything interesting?"

"Yes," Giles commented quietly, wanting to assuage Joyce's doubts. He noticed the tension lines that started to form on her face, and hoped to ease her concerns. "A single threat, one that is being dealt with at this time." He paused, then added, "Oh, and Buffy, Willow and Xander received Cathy Freeman's autograph on their game programs. A pleasant woman, truth be told."

"You met Cathy Freeman?" Joyce asked, her eyebrows raised. "I'm jealous." As they spoke, the men's swimmers were running the prelims for the hundred-yard backstroke, and American Lenny Krayzelburg had beaten all comers in his round.

"Once this is over," Giles promised, "you'll have a chance to meet her yourself. She is cooperating with the anti-vampire squad, and they've struck a rapport."

Joyce's concerned look re-emerged at this announcement. "I don't know about this," she murmured. "I mean, she's a national hero in these games. If anything happens to her--"

"You forget," Giles commented, "your daughter is protecting her. You can be very proud of your girl, she and the others won't let anything happen to her."

Joyce harrumphed slightly. "You talk like a proud father."

"Merely her Watcher," Giles nodded. "But I admit to a paternal pride in her. Forgive me if I sound like I've been taking over your role as a parent."

"No, Giles," Joyce said calmly, smiling slightly. "I'm glad you've been there for her." Giles sat quietly with his companion for the afternoon, grateful for her understanding.

As they watched the swimmers, Joyce leaned toward Giles and said, "You realize that we are the target of a conspiracy."

"Eh?" Giles asked. "Conspiracy, Joyce?"

Joyce shook her head in disbelief; how could a man as learned as Rupert Giles be so dense? "Think about it, Rupert. Buffy, Willow and Xander have been acting suspicious since we came to Sydney. Setting us up with these tickets, arranging for us to be seated next to each other, trying to get us to talk about our lives over dinner. Rupert Giles, our young ones are playing matchmaker." 

Giles turned sharply toward Joyce, his eyebrows arched. "You mean--" Joyce nodded. "You and me?" Joyce nodded again, smiling broadly. "Hmmph! Cheeky."

"Oh?" Joyce started in mock indignation. "And would that be such a bad thing?"

"Well, um," Giles suddenly felt quite on the spot, as Joyce's eyes bored into him. "Now, it's not like that, I mean, you are a most desirable woman, I do not dispute that. It's just that, uh, we've never really had any time alone together. Unless you count that situation with Ethan Rayne's band candy."

"Ah yes," she smiled mysteriously, recalling their immature(but oh so pleasurable!) activities as they were under the influence of the enchanted chocolate. "No, I don't suppose so. But with Buffy and the others spending more time in Australia, perhaps the both of us might need the companionship."

Giles sat silently as he digested what his companion was saying. "Mrs. Summers, are you suggesting that we take our relationship to a more personal level?"

"Sounds like, doesn't it?" She grinned mischieviously, and for the first time, Giles noticed how Joyce's hair caught the ambient light around her, or how her eyes sparkled. Or how, despite her occasionally frayed exterior, she had been a pillar of strength and stability in Buffy's life. 

"In that case," Giles nodded, "Joyce Summers, would you care to join me for dinner this evening?"

Joyce smiled warmly, saying, "Rupert Giles, I would be honored."

As Joyce looked slyly toward the British librarian, Rupert Giles struggled mightily to maintain his stoic composure, when all he wanted to do was grin like an idiot. He felt as though a new chapter was being written in the book of his life, and he looked forward to reading it.

========

It was a simple plan, but still one fraught with potential danger. Cathy Freeman was the bait, so all she had to do was remain conspicuous within the Olympic village, waiting for Kurt Schwarzwold to make his move. She was informed by Buffy and her colleagues that vampires, by their very nature, were significantly faster on their feet than the average human.

But so was Cathy Freeman, which is why she was here.

She was a sprinter, and could easily outdistance most people on foot for a few hundred yards. If the plan succeeded, she didn't need that much distance. Just long enough to keep Kurt guessing, until the Slayer and her partners went on the offensive.

It had taken her a great deal of patience and effort to readily accept the existence of vampires, but having witnessed Schwarzwold's vicious attack on one of her fellow Australians was enough to convince her. But she was able to take this information in stride at any rate. Her Aboriginal heritage was closely rooted to the earth, to the deep mysteries of the world, to magic and wonder, the intangible things that most of humanity ignore or take for granted. There was power within the world, all around us, that only a few people in this world understood. George Lucas understood to a small degree; his Jedi Knights spoke of the Force, the energy field that bound the galaxy together. 

When she met Buffy Summers and her friends, she could sense that they were attuned, to varying degrees, to that energy of life. The redhead, Willow Rosenberg, especially seemed able to sense it, to feel it around her, to manipulate it to some degree. No, not manipulate, that wasn't the word. It was more like she allowed that force to flow into her, and reshape itself to what was needed for the task. Even the fellow Xander Harris, without any innate magic within him, accepted its existence, and was comfortable around such forces. Cathy smiled inwardly; surely her native country was in good hands with people like these protecting it.

Even if they were bloody Yanks, mentored by a Brit!

Her body tensed as she heard a footfall on the grass behind her. A broken twig or somesuch. She calmly turned around, surreptitiously checking around her. A sense of dread had interrupted her, forcing her to worry. She held her stance, prepared to run toward the others at the first sign of trouble.

That sign came soon enough, as a hand brushed against her shoulder. Fortunately, she was prepared for the attack, and had hit the ground as though pursued by demons.

She glanced behind her just long enough to regret it; the monster behind her was keeping pace with her. Forcing herself to face forward, Freeman ran harder than she had ever run in her life. As she ran, she prayed that the others were there to spring the trap.

========

Five minutes earlier:

"Okay gang," Buffy said quietly as Xander and Willow stood at her side. "Cathy's in position, and no sign of our target."

"It's the suspense that gets me," Xander quipped, and although she wasn't looking at his face, Buffy could see the friendly smirk crease his face. Willow agreed silently with Xander's comment; they didn't want to waste their spell, especially since it would only work for half an hour. Time was a commodity they didn't wish to waste.

Suddenly Buffy tensed. She lifted her head up, her ears and eyes awake and alert. Xander and Willow felt the faint tingling sensation as well, residually from the mental and emotional bond they shared. "Spider sense?" Willow asked.

"Eey-yup," Buffy nodded. "Okay, gang, it's showtime." 

Willow withdrew a small net satchel from her pocket, containing a blend of finely ground, twice blest herbs. She opened the satchell and pressed her thumb into the herbs, as Buffy and Xander leaned forward. Willow pressed her thumb against Buffy's forehead, then Xander's, and finally her own.

Buffy whispered, "Citius."

Xander whispered, "Altius."

Willow whispered, "Fortius."

The surge of arcane energies hit their bodies simultaneously, and they knew that the spell had worked. "Let's do it," Buffy announced.

The three of them waited, while Buffy kept a lookout. It didn't take long; the vampire had started chasing Cathy Freeman, who was leading him toward them, according to plan. "Here she comes," Buffy said. "Any...second...NOW!"

The spell that Willow had discovered was designed to be split between three people. Each said one word of the spell, which imparted the speaker with the skill that word meant. Citius was Latin for 'faster', Altius meant 'higher' and Fortius meant 'stronger'.

Buffy sprinted toward Cathy, amazed at the speed she had attained. She was easily able to come between Schwarzwold and his prey. "Yo, Kurt," she announced, "you should clean up between meals, you've got fruit punch mouth." Kurt tried to lift a fist over Buffy's head, but from the Slayer's perspective, he appeared to be moving in slow motion. She was able to unleash a flurry of devastating punches before the hulking monster could even react.

Schwarzwold was reeling back, trying to avoid the blond dynamo, when a second attack hit him. A lean, lanky young man leapt high from a bush near him, arcing at fifteen feet above ground, before landing hard on the vampire's neck. "Hoowah!" Xander shouted. "Just call me Chow Yun Xander!" Schwarzwold staggered back, swinging his arms around, desperate to club the bounding young man in front of him. But Xander leapt and capered around him, staying out of his reach. "Float like a butterfly, sting like a Scoob," he taunted his opponent. "Whoa, he's hot today! Can't lay a glove onUNGH!" Unfortunately for Xander, his overconfidence had blinded him to Schwarzwold's relentless attack. And the vamp might have been insane, but he wasn't a fool. He managed to time his swing to intercept Xander's jump, and succeeded in connecting with his torso, sending him flying into a wall.

"XANDER!" Willow shouted before launching herself at his assailant. Buffy fought him back before he could finish Xander off, but Schwarzwold managed to stay clear of her arms, as he lurched toward Xander. He pulled back his arm, preparing to clear Xander's head off with a single blow.

Two small arms suddenly wrapped themselves around his wrist, and pulled back with a strength that belied their size. Willow, straining with the strength of five men, grabbed Schwarzwold's arm and pulled back hard, knocking him back to the ground. "Stay away from Xander, Fang!" she shouted, as Buffy took the initiative and jumped the giant, stake in hand, crouching over the prone vampire. "Yeah, Freakozoid!" she added, "He's ours!" With that he plunged the stake into Schwarzwold's heart, reducing him to ash in seconds.

Willow then rushed to Xander, with Buffy following behind, and carefully tended to his injuries. "Xander, you okay? Anything broken?"

"A little tender in the back muscles," he admitted, wincing slightly as Willow prodded his torso with gentle fingers. "But I can still wiggle my toes," he lifted his leg slightly, "yeah, nothing permanent."

"I'll call the medic," Cathy emerged from her hiding place, and gathered with the others to help get Xander stabilized. "I don't think it would be good to move him too much."

"Don't mind me," Xander groaned, "I've been hurt worse. Just my manly pride got mangled." Willow and Buffy sat next to Xander, keeping him comfortable while Cathy contacted the medic.

Both girls felt the residual pain that Xander was going through, and used the mental bond they shared to alleviate as much of his pain as they could. "Don't worry, Xand," Buffy soothed. "Once the medic's looked you over, you can look forward to some serious pampering." Willow grinned broadly at Buffy's statement, and tossled Xander's hair.

"My heroes," Xander murmured, smiling through his pain.

"Well, look at it this way," Willow said, with an earthy overtone in her voice. "Once the medic's had a look at you, I've got some salve for any sprained muscles. And then," she leaned over and kissed him on his temple, "the three of us may make a hero sandwich."

"Oh man," Xander moaned quietly, "I don't know if I'll be that hungry."

"Uh, Xander," Buffy whispered, her lips trespassing close to Xander's ear, "I don't think that's what she meant." Xander looked at his soulmates blankly for a few seconds, until the knowing gleam in their eyes clued him into their plans. He pursed his lips in a tight O, then broke into a broad grin. Yes, he mused, chuckling throatily, this was going to be an interesting night.

========

September 25, 2000:

Five companions sat in the stands on a cool Australian night, caught up in the tension as Cathy Freeman trailed the other runners halfway through the women's 400 meters. "Come on, Cathy," Buffy murmured with over 100,000 others, as she, Willow and Xander cheered their newfound friend on. At the halfway mark, Cathy poured it on, emerging from the pack and taking the lead. At the end of the final race, the PA announced that Cathy Freeman won the gold medal with a final time of 49:11 seconds.

Not that Buffy and the others could hear, as virtually every throat in the stadium was shouting itself hoarse with joy at Freeman's victory. And Buffy and her family were shouting just as loudly. An exciting race, culminating in a victory for Australia's most celebrated athelete. The packed stadium erupted in roar after roar, after holding their collective breath for the length of the race. As Cathy Freeman ran her victory lap, and then as she stood on the podium at the medal's ceremony, her smile was brighter than the Olympic cauldron itself.

Even amid the celebratory atmosphere that surrounded Freeman's medal, Buffy noticed the easy closeness that now existed between her mother and Giles. She reluctantly agreed with Xander and Willow that they were a good match, and made a mental note to wish them luck together once the games were over and they were on their way back to Sunnydale. She glanced at Willow and Xander, who were also leaning closer to each other, and Xander motioned for her to join them in their happiness. Buffy happily allowed herself to be taken into a warm three-person embrace. 

The peace and happiness that she now felt was a long time coming. Long ago, she thought she had resigned herself to the fact that Slayers didn't get the white picket fence, two car garage and 2.5 children as a part of their lives. And no, what she had now with Willow and Xander was certainly not considered the norm. But it was enough for her. She finally achieved a hard-won peace. She had a family, a new life here in Australia, and for the first time in a long time, she had a future.

She didn't know what would happen tomorrow, maybe some Big Bad would cost her everything she had strived for all these years. But she no longer dreaded each night, she no longer felt the nightmares when she slept. With her family beside her, she knew she was ready.

She smiled and held her loves closer, content to revel in today.

FINIS




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