Dark Promise

The 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.

Remember, this is all meant in fun!

Buffy had to admit that the limo was nothing to sneer at. The interior was beyond plush and comfortable. She knew it wasn't possible, but it seemed like the seat practically melded itself to her form. Xena sat opposite them, near the windowed partition that separated driver from passenger. The window was down.

She offered them sodas. Willow excused herself with, "That's okay, we'll be home soon anyway and I don't want to start something I can't finish." She smiled that twinkly goofy smile of hers.

Xena had smiled back, "A good habit to keep Willow." She popped a can for herself. The cola was sweet and dark and suited her taste. She knew the blonde was watching her drink and swallow, so she made sure to finish the can off to every last drop. She even, just for effect, licked her lips. Willow didn't notice it, but the slayer did.

Buffy ruled out Vampire and kept on trying to guess. She didn't want to have to call Giles on this unless she needed to and. .this was Willow's aunt. She tried to keep her suspicions subtle, not realizing that she was in the company of the master of subtle. Ares' daughter paid Buffy's manners no heed, but worked to provide suitable conversation with her "niece."

Willow's questions weren't really bothersome. Xena noted that the young woman sidestepped questions about the her past. It was after all scandalous. Willow simply asked about her aunts' arrival and the trip and had they seen anything interesting and what movie was on the plane. It was simple enough to fall into the rhythm of answering and Xena found herself liking Willow very much. The conversation reminded her of Gabrielle.

It was a short trip, just as the young woman had suggested. Willow didn't live very far from the campus. Xena set her empty can down in the cup holder, knowing that Max would take care of the item. It had taken awhile for them to work that out. Max liked to recycle. He said it made him feel like he was doing something good for the earth. That was important to him. Xena was used to cleaning up after herself, but she knew that this wasn't something to get into a battle over. She always chose her battles wisely, even the ones she lost.

They had to walk a ways. Max couldn't park the vehicle in the driveway. It was too long. So he parked near the curb closest to and across from the house. The walk didn't bother Willow, who'd never had the opportunity to step out of a limousine before and who was used to walking. She decided that she really liked being helped out of a really really big car. When she was finished stepping out, she smiled at Max and thanked him brightly. Buffy even managed to be somewhat gracious to the chauffeur. Max, looking like his usual stern self, winked at Xena on his way back to driver's seat.

This was going to be a challenge.

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The buzz took over as soon as she stepped through the door. Buffy didn't even remember smashing the chair, grabbing a pointed stick and running into the sunlit front room. She did remember getting thrown across the room into and over a chair. She blinked up at the ceiling for a millisecond, her legs were still bent over the seat of the chair. Then she curled over and jumped. The stake was still in her hand. Willow was screaming, "Buffy!! What are you Doing!" The blonde thought it was pretty obvious.

The short, trim redhead ducked her next strike, turned and wrapped a powerful arm across the slayer's chest, just under her neck. Buffy dropped a little, grabbed the arm and bent. .and bent. .and. .gave up bending. A voice that was soft, appealing, dug its way past the buzz fog in Buffy's brain, "Willow? I take it this is Buffy?"

Willow nodded hard. Xena freed her from a warm embrace, that would have been comforting had it not been so restraining earlier. Willow reached out, "That's my friend. My best friend. Don't hurt her." Aunt Gabrielle smiled at her niece.

"I wouldn't think of it. Friends are precious" Xena smiled. Gabrielle's warm hand covered Buffy's. Her breath was soft and hot against the blonde's cheek. "I don't kill unless I have to." Buffy felt something in her heart settle with the words, with the sensation. She nodded, hearing the message and feeling it. Another confusing signal, yet the aunt was Not a vampire. She let go. Gabrielle gently removed the stake from the slayer's hand and released the young woman. Buffy moved away quickly, checking her body parts for injury. There were none.

"Kill?" Willow blurted and took another step towards her aunt. "You kill?" She turned and looked at Xena, "My aunt Gabrielle Kills?" Her voice was almost a whimper. Buffy couldn't believe she'd just heard what she thought she heard. 'Xena and Gabrielle?' the odds of that were. . .what? A bazillion to one right?

Xena touched the young genius' shoulder, "She tries to avoid it, didn't you hear? I'm the one who kills. But, Only the really bad guys," she reassured. She glanced quickly at Gabrielle and then back her niece, "Only when they really really need to be dead."

"Oh," Willow nodded, looking dazed. "Well that's good." She moved further into the front room (which was actually very well decorated) and sat down abruptly on the tan couch, "I'd hate to think you killed just for the hell of it. That would be bad."

Gabrielle sat down by Willow and pulled the young woman into a gentle embrace, "Your father called. That's why we came. I got your letter, but I. ." she looked quickly at her lover, "we. we weren't planning on coming at all. Your side of the family hasn't exactly been the most. . .accepting"

"Oh, yeah. I know, but. .that's why I wrote. I thought. . ." She looked up at the tall dark woman, "I think Xena's very cool." Willow nodded against Gabrielle shoulder and pulled away. Willow smiled slightly, "I mean, I know she was a hooker and all, but you're happy aren't you?"

Xena couldn't help the grin. To the point and then some. She really really liked Willow.

Buffy was staring and moved carefully. Xena lifted the chair into place and patted the stuffing. The slayer looked at the woman and blinked, then sat down. This was just getting weirder and weirder.

"Yes, Willow, I am, but it's not your job to make up for what your family. . ." She held the young woman's hand in her own. There was no way for the young woman to realize that the "family" event had served more than one purpose. The rabbi had heard of them through a mutual friend and had asked for help. So they'd come, using the truth as their cover story. In this case, they'd dealt with a golem summoned not so accidentally by one of their kin. That had been interesting and somewhat fun, actually. It had been a fluke that they'd spotted a bit of their blood among their "family" members. The beautiful thing was that it was proving good. Gabrielle had to smile.

"But I wanted . . " Memories of the last family gathering sprang to mind. Gabrielle's wealth had kept the tongues silent in the woman's presence, but not in Willow's. And Xena had heard everything. It had been. .a horrible moment. She'd remembered the hurt in those blue eyes and then the way a wall had seemed to come up in Xena's eyes. She'd thought she'd never seen anything so cold in her life.

Then Gabrielle had found out and. . .well the party had ended sooner than anyone expected.

Willow really hadn't expected to see them, and to hear that her father called. . .that was amazing to her. "My father called?" she questioned. "But I thought. . ."

"Your father is a wise man who is able to see past the obvious, Willow. Much like you." Gabrielle said sweetly. The young woman blushed at the compliment and nodded.

Xena snorted, "You two are so much alike, but you're not talking about what needs to be talked about." She stepped to the window and pulled the blind so even more sunlight filled the room. She grinned deliberately at Buffy, who blinked and made the connection. The young woman would have smacked her forehead, if it wouldn't have been so embarrassing. Definitely NOT vampire.

"Show her Gabrielle," Xena commanded softly.

The demigoddess nodded, her expression suddenly serious. She leaned over and grabbed something off the coffee table. "You're father's very worried Willow Rosenberg. He thinks you've gotten a new religion. That's very upsetting to him."

Willow blinked, anticipating, "Uh Oh. No. .it's not like that, see. . ." She was going to come up with a story. She could do that. She'd had lots of practice.

Gabrielle lifted the cross and put it in Willow's lap, "So tell me niece," Her voice held an unfamiliar growl. Her teeth were suddenly just a little bit longer. Willow blinked. Buffy blinked. The sun seemed very very bright. Gabrielle just looked annoyed, "When did the kin start bothering you?"