Blood and Roses Realm | Fan Fiction Site | Home Page
This page was last updated: September 10, 1998
(c)September 1998
URL: willow13.htmlThe following is a bit of alternative fiction based on certain characters from the Xenaverse It is not meant to infringe on anyone else's rights. If you don't agree or disapprove, please go read something else.
This story is part of an Altaverse based on Bite Me and the Fonder Heart. It can be found, along with other such stories, at The Realms of the Xenaverse, under Blood and Roses. Xena is Ares' Daughter and Gabrielle is Bacchus' Daughter
Characters from Buffy: Vampire Slayer have also been borrowed for the purposes of this story. All of this is written with the utmost affection and the no desire for renumeration (except for possible emails). The same above disclaimer is in effect. There are certain changes that have been made to accomadate this particular Xenaverse. Buffy's Vampires are really part of the Kin, renamed for purposes of this story
Xex Alert: Yes, there definitely will be, between two consenting immortal women even. Maybe even more
Violence Alert: Yes, probably, given that this is a story involving slayage and Xena.
The cacophony of the Bronze hadn't really stopped when Gabrielle entered, which was more a testament to the fact that, even after two thousand years, the bard still retained the youthful essence that made a lot of her enemies underestimate her. Her strength had never come from her body-- although she was lithe and trim with, as Buffy would say, a set of killer abs-- but rather from her mind and her heart. She walked with assurance now, whereas before she had once walked contentedly in Xena's shadow. Being the lover of the Warrior Princess was sometimes distracting, sometimes infuriating, but certainly never boring.
Callisto's trap had made her walk alone for the first time in her immortal life. She had learned a lot about herself in the century that Xena had been gone. She had felt the ebb and flow of eternity, seen evil deeper than any she had ever before known... and when she had despaired the most... when she had thought of surrendering herself to the flames... she looked deep inside...
And was surprised at what she found there.
That was the moment when Gabrielle had first begun to claim her power. Once the process had begun, there was no stopping her. Her light made her a source of terror for those kindred who wallowed in the depths of evil, and conversely gave hope to the few who sought a way out. While she could never change them or make them as she was... she was a shining example to the lesser kin that there was another way... Slowly... they began gathering around her and, with her as their source, they became a force to be reckoned with.
Smiling softly, she looked down at the fresh faces of the teens assembled. They seemed to take their friend's mission so lightly. Slaying, oddly for them, was a simple fact of life. Their friend Buffy killed vampires. And because Buffy was their friend, they would follow her anywhere. It spoke tellingly of the ties these mortals had formed. "Can I join you?" she requested pleasantly. "And who were you naming?" she asked once more, surmising from the mortals' faces that she had interrupted something-- most likely concerning herself or Xena.
Cordelia smiled her most charming smile in welcome, and Xander looked like he wanted to sink under the table. Just drop it, Cordelia... his eyes pleaded with her, but from the look on his girlfriend's face, she was having none of that.
"Xander was just admiring your sense of style," Cordelia replied, smiling. "Well, yours and Xena's..."
Xander opened his mouth to protest that he had been doing nothing of the sort, but when he saw the fair-haired and definitely-less-threatening-than-the-warrior-chick immortal smiling pleasantly at him, he offered a weak grin in return. "Yeah... well... that Xena... uh... she sure knows how to make an entrance."
Willow only rolled her eyes quietly. They had left Giles at the library, and Willow was a little concerned about the Watcher. She had never seen him drink before... and at school of all places! That had her really worried. Aunt Gabrielle seemed okay about it when the teen had mentioned it on the ride over. She had patted her niece's hand and said cryptically, "Everything in its own time, Willow." She assumed it meant they would deal with Giles when they got this end of the world thing handled. Meanwhile Cordelia, as usual, was prattling on about something, and Willow returned her attention to the conversation in time to hear the teen say, "And he thinks you and Xena make such a wonderful couple."
Xander began to panic... Even for Cordelia, she was laying it on pretty thick...
Willow couldn't control the snort of derision that escaped her lips. "Xander just thinks two women together would be hot." Seeing her friends' shocked expressions.... Gee, Wills, that was a little out of character, wouldn't you say... the red-head felt a sudden urge to retreat from her statement, to once again become little, shy Willow who only offered support and never, ever criticized... Instead, she tossed her head defiantly and crossed her arms, daring Xander to contradict her. "Well, it's true. I've seen some of those magazines that aren't as well-hidden as you think they are..." Her voice trailed off as Cordelia's eyes zeroed in on her, the question in them apparent, And what were you doing looking at them, missy?
Gabrielle's eyes roamed from Xander-- who looked completely mortified-- to Cordelia-- who seemed intrigued by her niece's words-- to Willow herself-- who seemed unable to decide if she wanted to bolt from the room or stand her ground.
Sweet Artemis... the immortal thought... These guys are worse than Amazons...
Knowing it was going to be up to her to lessen the tension, she sat down beside Xander and threw her arm around him, leaning in conspiratorially. "That's okay, Xan, I think two women together would be hot too." Then she winked at the teen. "In fact, I know it is."
Buffy pulled them over to the curb several blocks down from the cemetery and eased the bike onto the sidewalk. She parked it in the darkened shadows of a low-hanging oak tree's branches, knowing that it would be safe there. She watched as the warrior pulled out a wicked-looking sword from a sheath strapped so discreetly to the side of the bike that Buffy had completely missed it. Now, as the warrior hefted it almost lovingly in her large hands, Buffy looked at her disdainfully. "That won't kill them," she said coldly.
"No, but they sure as Tartarus won't be able to run very far if I cut their legs off, now will they? Makes staking them a whole lot easier." She smiled evilly at the slayer-- who at last felt the first tendrils of real fear caused the dark immortal beside her. It was a feeling different from any she had ever known... and that was saying something for the girl who in her seventeen years had slain demonspawn of every sort, made love to a vampire, and had even died.
Xena had given herself over completely to the Fire now... the sensual traces of her lovemaking with the bard, the close contact with the slayer's supple body, and the wild ride across town all mingled with the stirrings of her own unique kind of Bloodlust...
Ares' Fire...
Now hers alone.
She ached to see the sword in her hand drenched with the blood of the bastard cousins who had dogged her lover throughout eternity. The warrior knew that they couldn't stamp out the Children completely-- the threat of universal annihilation was very real-- but that didn't mean that Xena couldn't take delightful pleasure in eradicating those stupid enough to cross her path.
A wild joy pulsed down her spine, centered in the wet heat of her sex. Violence was her heritage, blood the sustenance she nursed from war's breast. Her eyes burned fiercely, and her mouth watered to taste the fear around her. She could smell the beginnings of it in the slayer next to her, but it's aroma was faint. The slayer was more strength than fear... and to that the warrior also responded.
For so long she had been ashamed of this burning need... tried-- vainly-- to keep it hidden from Gabrielle, much like the bard had kept her own origins secret. After each battle she had hurried away from her companion so that the innocent girl would not see the bloodfirelustneed in her eyes. But Gabrielle had seen-- and had finally responded with a truth of her own.
Glancing casually over at the small slayer beside her, she could see the stirrings in young woman as well. An unmistakable spring marked her stride, and two bright spots of color warmed those lovely cheeks. Xena had a fleeting thought of how wonderfully flushed the slayer would look after a climax-- or a kill. Her gray eyes were focused and sharp, and her body tuned to their surroundings.
"They're awake," Xena murmured, her voice a low rumble.
Buffy only nodded tightly. The sickening coldness that marked her awareness of the demonspawn was back in overwhelming waves. "A lot of them too."
Xena pursed her lips thoughtfully. "They may be gathering because of..."
"Your mate," Buffy replied tightly.
Xena shrugged. "Evil is attracted to goodness. Most of them won't even know why they're here. They'll have just felt the pull. We only need to worry about those who have recognized the Sunwalker's scent. Those are the ones who are dangerous."
Buffy Buffy Buffy... beautiful blond Buffy...
How he longed to rip her limb from limb...
Angel muffled an astonished gasp as the two women roared up on the Triumph. Buffy was held snug in a dark woman's embrace, and he felt a gut-churning pain that-- when he had been mortal-- had once been arousal. This woman.... He turned to Druscilla who was bouncing almost ecstatically up and down. "That's..."
"The Destroyer of Nations...." the vampire swooned. "Isn't she magnificent?" They watched her talk briefly with the slayer and heft one of the finest-looking swords he had ever seen. It seemed to sing in Xena's hand as she twirled it in a gentle figure eight. "Oh... the pain..." Druscilla moaned, and Angel knew that she was feeling the same thing he was.
"Hurts so good, huh?" A sneer creased his face as he studied the Destroyer's length. She was stunning. Strong, muscular, with an undeniable black power radiating off her in waves. What was she doing with a loser like Buffy? He closed his eyes, breaking visual contact, and concentrated on the pair with his immortal senses. There was definitely a bond there, he could feel it shimmering between them, linking them as they went to slay his kin. But he wasn't sure if Buffy was aware of it... certainly the immortal had to be, if she was half as good as they said. What could it be? She couldn't be fucking the slayer... although that was something he'd dearly love to see... because the other woman hadn't been around long enough to slog through the endless courtship rituals that Buffy seemed to demand before giving it up. Finally, he was forced give up his scrutiny, lest the dark immortal sense his probing.
"Let's go play!" Druscilla exclaimed, bouncing up once more as if to intercept the pair.
Angel grabbed her arm and pulled her down roughly. "No!" he snarled. "If we're going to do this, we need to find the Sunwalker. Her mate's going to be tied up for a good little while." He licked his lips, his fangs glimmering in the moonlight. "The kin are restless tonight."
Hack slash stake!... hack slash stake!... hack slash stake!
Buffy and Xena had worked out a ruthlessly efficient-- if completely messy-- way of dispatching the Twilight's Children who seemed determined to feed on them, but instead wound up receiving the business end of Xena's much-loved sword.
The slayer had her hands full herself, but one eye always seemed magnetically drawn to the dark fury slashing her way through their opponents. The daughter of Ares herself... in all her murderous glory... Buffy witnessed the dark woman's temper unleashed in a glorious display of strength, passion, and pure bloodlust. It hummed to something buried deep inside the mortal, disturbing the girl... and so Buffy put the thoughts out of her head and worried about the matters at hand.
Xena was right... demonspawn didn't run very far once you took their legs off, so Buffy concentrated on those Xena hadn't gotten to yet.
A spinning back-kick rang a vamp's bell... several times, judging from his expression... and Buffy thrust the stake home before he had time to clear what few wits he had left. She spun around to confront her next assailant... and got a face full of hot blood sprayed across her. "EWWWWW!!!! XENA!!" she bellowed indignantly, not forgetting about the ghouls that were still hurling themselves at her randomly. She staked one without ever taking her eyes off of the dark warrior. "Can't you be a little neater with that thing?"
Xena grinned fiendishly, liberally coated in blood, sweat, and some slimy stuff Buffy didn't want to go near. "It's a sword, Buffy. It's not supposed to be neat." She neatly slashed another vamp and then flipped over a second one's head to skewer him from behind. "It's supposed to be effective." Xena was aiming low, very determined to incapacitate as many as possible, so that the slayer could stake them at her leisure. But she had to give the girl credit, Buffy was taking on everything that moved, and handling most of it without a problem.
Or a sword.
"Didn't Giles teach you how to use a weapon?" Xena asked, panting as she took a running leap and dragged a ghoul down from behind and hacking off his head, tossing it into the underbrush.
"Yeah... a stake..." Buffy let out a soft whuff of air as a vampire caught her in the stomach. While she was double-over, she clenched her hands together and came up swinging. "Not much need for anything else..." The vampire's head rocked back, and Buffy quickly grabbed the stake she had dropped, ramming it home with a grunt.
"I'm..." thrust... "Gonna..." spin... "Have to..." jumpkick... "Give..." stab... "You some..." roundhouse punch... "Lessons..." finish... "Then."
"Look..." Buffy grabbed the nearest upright ghoul by the arm and flipped him over her head, sending him flying into the bloodied warrior. "When are you gonna get it that I'm not some stupid little girl?" She whirled around and noticed that all the remaining live demons were in pieces all over the ground. Knowing that the battle was over, she stalked across a pair of feebly-moving legs and got right up in Xena's face. "I know what I doing."
Xena gazed into gray eyes snapping with an intensity nearly as fierce as her own. Every muscle in her body sang with awareness... her nostrils were filled with the aroma of flowing blood, of sweat and Fire. She could hear her own heart hammering in her ears... felt with her immortal senses the slayer's own frantic pulse beating in near-time with her own. Buffy had dispatched nearly as many as Xena herself this night and with much less experience. New respect flooded Xena's perusal of the girl... She may be flaky... Xena's thought's murmured, But she's got the touch...
Blood and Roses Realm | Fan Fiction Site | Home Page
This page was last updated: September 10, 1998
(c)September 1998
URL: willow13.html