Repost FIC: Trinity's Child 1/25

["Tony McD" <o163210@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

TITLE: Trinity's Child 1/25

AUTHOR: Tony McD

EMAIL: o163210@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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: Part of my Terra/Trinity/Destiny series.



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 friend's comments. Billy roared laughing.



"And I love you too, 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. Soul mates. 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. 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 bushland that surrounded the base.



Xander went to the bathroom where he filled the huge bathtub, 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 there 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 empathic 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.





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