Xander waited at the airport solemnly, checking his watch. The gang's flight should be arriving in a few more minutes.
One more day until the big celebration on the island.
One more day until the final sequence of events that would lead to the end of the world began.
And only he knew it was coming.
It was a weight he'd carried a long time. He first learned it ten years ago, on his road trip after graduation. Or was it thirty years from now? He hated time travel.
Shaking that off, he glanced out the windows to the massive object that was at the root of it all. A part of him wanted to hate it. If it had never come, then the forces that would destroy the Earth might overlook the insignificant planet he'd sacrificed so much to save.
But no.
It would be his home soon, and the home of his friends.
"Xander!"
He turned and put on a false smile, running up to them and pulling them into a massive group hug.
"Hey, girls. Where's Giles?"
"Right behind us," Willow said with a smile, shaking her head in rueful amusement. "There was a problem with his luggage."
Xander nodded, "Ah." He looked between them: Willow, Buffy, and Dawn.
"Well, welcome to Macross City, girls."
Okay, folks, here's what happened.
I was watching my old Robotech tapes, marathoning for a few hours every couple of weeks. In fact, I even posted some ramblings on the Second War at Whirlwind Productions. When this idea popped into my head last week, I shelved it... until today.
Y'see, today, I watched a few episodes from my Robotech tapes, turned off the VCR, and what did I see? Macross II on the Action Channel.