"Come on, guys," Xander begged. "It'll be fun."
"Xander," Buffy groaned, "a roller coaster is not fun. A Ferris wheel ride is fun."
Dawn moved next to Xander. "Come on; don't tell us you're chicken."
"I'm not a chicken," Buffy mock-growled. "Slayer, remember?"
"Well, come and slay the roller coaster then."
Buffy sighed heroically, "Come on then, Willow."
"What?" Willow squeaked.
"If I'm going, you are as well." The blonde Slayer grinned at her friend, "You're not going to let me face it alone, are you?" The version of puppy dog eyes she used, while amateurish when compared to Xander's, was in this case, effective.
Xander and Dawn grinned at each other. "Faith? Kennedy? Giles? Robin? If we get two more, we can have a cart to ourselves. It will be more fun like that."
Faith grinned, "You do know that it's very un-cool?"
Xander and Dawn smirked at her, while Buffy and Willow glared.
"Whoa, whoa. Down, girls, I'll come," Faith said, warding off the two girls glares.
"So, that's three more people, one more volunteer needed." Xander looked at the three remaining members.
"I need to use the bathroom," Kennedy announced quickly, turned on her heel, and walked away.
"Coward. Wimp," Xander yelled after her, playfully, a big grin on his face. He ignored, with the ease of long practice, Willow's glare at him.
That left Giles and Robin Wood, the ex-principal of Sunnydale High, as the potential sixth victim. 'Ex' due to the 'unfortunate explosion' that wiped out most of Sunnydale. A meteor strike was the official explanation from a clueless government. It was the only thing they could think of that explained the mutations they found on some of the surviving 'victims'.
In a display of brilliant thinking and innovative strategy, Robin quickly took two silent steps back, leaving Giles standing on his own.
The one-eyed young man grinned triumphantly. "We have a winner," he declared loudly
"What?" Giles asked, before looking around and realizing his solo status. He cast a baleful glare at his supposed friend, and then allowed himself to be dragged into the queue for the large roller coaster.
The design looked pretty modern, with several dark tunnels on the tracks, some loops and a lot of dips. Xander and Dawn were displaying identical levels of enthusiasm.
Although, they would never admit it, Buffy, Faith, Willow and Giles were pleased to see Xander like this. He had been morose very frequently recently, depressed over the loss of Anya, his job, and his eye.
It had been Dawn's idea that they take a day off from their cross-country traveling in search of the new Hellmouth, and spend a day at the funfair.
Buffy and Willow had protested, but Faith and Kennedy had been extremely enthusiastic. Faith, because she had never been to a funfair before. Kennedy, because she was bored with the endless traveling.
They entered together, Xander putting the tickets on his credit card, and looked at the small map to decide where to go first. The group wanted to stay together, so they decided to walk in a clockwise direction.
The roller coaster was the first ride they had come across.
"Hey, Xan. Can I borrow some cash?" Dawn asked, her eyes flicking to the shop she could see nearby.
Xander shrugged, pulled out his wallet and handed her a twenty. He was determined not to think about the state of his finances till they finally arrived at their destination.
She grinned happily at him, restrained her standard urge to kiss him senseless, and ran off.
"You spoil her," Buffy told him, a little disapprovingly.
"Not at all," the former carpenter protested. "She's been dragged into this, she's just had her high school destroyed before she could graduate, and has been forced to leave all her friends behind. Something that brings a smile to her face is not spoiling her."
The group went quiet, as they normally did when someone mentioned Sunnydale and everything they had lost.
Robin and Kennedy were now contentedly sitting together on a bench in the shade, eating ice cream cones and snickering at the rest of the group.
Dawn jogged back over to them, a smirk on her face, something hidden behind her back.
"What have you got there?" Buffy asked, her 'Mom' voice firmly in place.
"Present for Xander," Dawn replied, looking a little nervous.
"Oh?" Xander inquired, his expression brightening even more.
"Yep, close your eye."
Xander closed his eye obediently, and held out his hands.
Dawn lost her confident look for a second, took a deep breath, and placed a three pointed hat in his hands.
He opened his eye and looked down, a shocked look on his face.
Willow, Buffy, Faith and Giles all frowned at once. They had agreed between themselves not to talk about Xander's disability, because they didn't want him to think anything bad about it.
Xander looked up, tilting his head to one side, his eye expressionless. He locked eyes with the girl, trying to work out why she had brought him this.
"I figured if you were going to be a pirate, you should have the matching hat to go with it," the brunette teen explained, a little nervously.
In her eyes, Xander could see the one thing he wanted above anything else. Acceptance. No one had been willing to talk to him about the incident, and he was starting to go insane, wondering if it disgusted them all. It had led him to some sessions that were disturbingly similar to a certain souled vampire, a thought that had given him the shudders just thinking about it.
He grinned at her suddenly, and then changed it to a full blown smile. He flicked the hat in the air casually, caught it easily and jammed it on his head at a jaunty angle. Xander followed the action by sweeping the girl into a swirling hug.
"Thank you," he smiled.
Dawn just grinned at him and shrugged.
The other four looked at each other, Faith slightly accusingly, Buffy and Willow somewhat guiltily, and Giles with a slight smile.
The moment passed, as they approached the front of the queue. "Six of you?" the bored assistant asked.
"Yep," Xander agreed, deftly maneuvering through their group so that he was at the front. Dawn adroitly followed his example and joined him a second later.
"Keep your hands in the cart at all times. Do not try and get out till the assistant at the other end tells you to," the ride operated recited in a bored voice.
With a small jerk, the carriage started to move up the 50 degree slope. Willow, Buffy, Giles and Faith exchanged nervous glances, as the two scoobies up front grinned excitedly at each other.
As they got to the top, Dawn and Xander both raised their arms and started to scream as they descended.
The first trip round was perfect, Buffy and Willow both screaming as they were suddenly pitched into total darkness.
They emerged into bright sunshine again, and started up the steep incline, the chains dragging them against the constant pull of gravity.
"That was so cool," Xander said.
"Yeah," Dawn agreed excitedly. "I'm impressed your hat stayed on."
Xander's laughing response was cut short as they dropped again into the rollercoaster's major decline.
"Robin," Kennedy asked suddenly, her Slayer hearing picking up on something. "What's that noise?"
Robin looked around, his own hearing not quite as sharp. A creaking noise echoed across the park. "It's coming from the roller coaster," he decided as a worried look took up residence on his face.
In the car, Xander and Dawn suddenly stopped screaming with pleasure. "Shit!" the dark haired male yelled, "The tracks going."
The screams that followed were not ones of enjoyment or semi-terrified delight, as the six of them braced themselves as best they could.
The track seemed to buckle just as they entered the tunnel, only this time it wasn't pitch black inside. Their car suddenly twisted in the air, and the safety rail released, sending them flying forwards.
For any other group of people, the whirling vortex that suddenly appeared before them would have been the cause of absolute terror. For this group, the only response was various versions of 'why us?' as they fell through the portal, bound for who knew where.
The car continued on its journey, exploding through the roof of the tunnel, as the whole roller coaster collapsed to the ground.
Robin and Kennedy stared, disbelieving looks on their faces. There was no way at all that anyone, even a Slayer, could have survived that.
The six rolled to a stop in a pile of dust, and got to their feet. They appeared to be in a small valley, with a cliff face on three of the sides.
"Who wants to say it first?" Xander asked painfully, standing up and dusting himself down.
"Say what?" Willow asked.
"You know, 'Why us?', 'Why are we the only people in existence who are incapable of enjoying a simple fucking roller coaster ride without being sucked into hell?', or from the film buffs, I'd accept, 'I don't think we're in Kansas any more, Toto."
"How can you joke at a time like this?" Buffy demanded as she stood.
Xander paused as he helped Dawn to her feet. "How long have you known me, Buff?"
"Seven years."
"When have I ever been in a serious situation and not cracked a joke?"
Buffy just glared at him, which he fended off playfully.
"So, Giles, Watcher extraordinaire. You have any ideas where we are?"
Giles looked at the night sky and frowned. "None of the constellations are familiar, in the least. The air is breathable, and the temperature is about normal for a night time in California. So, we could pretty much be anywhere."
"Wonderful," Faith groaned. She looked around, and then gulped. "Err, Guys - Anyone ever heard of a 30 ft tall demon, with five heads and an attitude?"
Her voice attracted everyone's attention, and they all turned to see what had prompted Faith's question. "Might I be the first to suggest running, fast, in the opposite direction, now?" Xander asked slowly, after viewing the source of Faith's question.
"Seconded," Giles replied, equally slowly.
As one, the group turned and ran towards the nearest rock face, and started to climb.
At the top, a small man in red robes stood, looking down at them. "And so it starts again," he whispered, sounding a little sad.
"Come on, Dawn," Xander shouted, as they started to climb. He paused on a ledge, looking down.
Faith and Buffy, both Slayers, were already half way up, way ahead of all of them. Willow and Giles were climbing together, Dawn was following them closely.
"Ranger," the man in red whispered, pointing his finger at Xander.
Xander blinked as a wooden bow suddenly appeared in his hands. Instinct took over for a second, and he pulled the bow back, ignoring the lack of a bowstring. A beam of yellow energy appeared where an arrow would normally be nocked and as he released his fingers, it arched towards the dragon, hitting it dead center in its chest.
The beast roared out of all five of its heads, as it reared up.
"Acrobat," the man said, pointing his finger at Faith. The dark Slayer didn't even blink as a small tube appeared in her hand. She jumped, her Slayer strength enhancing the leap as she somersaulted, digging the expanded end of the shaft into the rock face, and used it as a springboard to jump to the top of the cliff. Once there, she reached over the edge and pulled Buffy up.
"Barbarian," the small man said as he pointed to Buffy.
The blonde Slayer looked at the club in her hand, and then swung it like a baseball bat, driving a huge clump of rock towards the demon chasing them.
"Cavalier."
"Giles! Behind you!" Xander yelled.
Giles looked at the large shield that appeared in his hand, and immediately swung it behind him, deflecting a burst of fire from one of the five dragon heads.
"Magician."
Willow looked at her hat, shrugged, and reached into it. "Don't be a dope, give me a rope," she chanted. She then threw the magically produced rope up to the others. Giles and Willow grabbed on as the two Slayers pulled them up with ease.
Xander groaned under his breath - Dawn was still in plain sight. "Yo, you with the bad breath, up here," he yelled, jumping around on his ledge.
The dragon fixed all ten of his eyes on him, and then stepped to one side as Xander launched another energy bolt at it.
"Grab the rope, Dawn," Buffy yelled, as they threw it back down the cliff face.
"Thief."
Dawn looked at the purple cloak that had appeared on her back, and pulled the hood over her head. She instantly disappeared, to Xander's surprise.
His shock turned to worry as he realized he was the only person left in the dragon's sight. He scrambled up the wall, towards the others.
Giles leaned over the edge, watching him. As the beast launched another attack, he yelled, "Grab my feet."
Buffy and Faith dived for him, as he jumped over the edge. They caught him by his ankles as he hung down and stretched out his arm, protecting Xander from the beam of ice.
Xander reached the top, to the frustration of the dragon, which saw the shaking head of the man in red, and flew off.
"Where's Dawn?" Xander gasped, exhausted from the unexpected climb.
"Here," Dawn announced with a grin, removing the hood of her cloak.
The one-eyed carpenter looked around, examining each of his companions.
Willow was dressed almost entirely in green, in what looked like a stereotyped version of Wizard's Robes. The robes had a dark green collar and a wide yellow belt. The color scheme actually suited the red-headed witch.
Faith was wearing a fur bikini, similar to the one that had made Raquel Welch famous back in the 60's. She had gold bands around her forearms, a thick necklace around her neck and a matching gold belt. She had calf high brown boots on her feet. She was casually holding a small green tube and grinning; she obviously liked her clothing.
Buffy's outfit was similar to Faith, in that she had studded leather bands crisscrossing her chest, which Xander hoped was more comfortable than they looked, matching fur bottoms, and fur boots. She had a helmet on her head, with two animal horns protruding out of each side and was holding a club. The blonde Slayer did not look as happy as the dark Slayer.
Giles was dressed a lot more formally. He had a deep yellow tunic, over a green long sleeved shirt, and long gauntlets that matched the tunic. The tunic itself hung over green leggings and some knee length boots that looked to be made of metal. A deep red cape finished off his ensemble. The biggest difference, however, was his face; he looked to have dropped twenty years since his passage through the vortex. It was unlined and carefree, with a wicked twinkle in his eyes, which quite clearly warned those in the know that Ripper was contemplating a return.
It was Dawn that had captured Xander's attention most, however. The two of them had started to engage in some flirting recently. She had consoled him when his relationship with Anya had ended, returning the favor for the talks that had kept her sanity intact. Each of them had felt like the outcasts in the group, so it had almost been natural that they had gravitated towards each other. A flirtatious response by Xander to an innocent question had changed their relationship slightly; a long glance of deep eye contact had acknowledged that Xander no longer thought of her as a kid, and that she was still interested in him. There was no big change in how they acted, just an unspoken agreement that they would take things slowly. They were concerned about the reactions of the others, and so were keeping things hidden for now.
The tall brunette was now wearing a light purple dress, which came down to the top of her thighs, with a light blue belt across her midriff. The cloak that had appeared earlier was clasped firmly beneath her neck. As his gaze traveled down, he had to restrain the urge to lick his lips hungrily. She had on thigh high purple leather boots, that stopped a few inches below the bottom of her skirt, leaving a small expanse of thigh that attracted him a lot more than the large areas of flesh Buffy and Faith were both showing.
His eye traveled back up, and met hers. She smiled slightly, acknowledging the positive reaction that was missed by his oldest friends, but perfectly obvious to someone who truly cared about him.
"Ok," Xander said, trying to catch his breath. "Several questions. Why is Giles looking twenty years younger and why is he wearing an outfit that looks like it would fit in perfectly in Camelot? Why are Buffy and Faith wearing clothes that I fantasized about several years ago?"
Dawn smirked to herself as she heard the past tense; she had to admire his ability to deflect attention away from himself. Buffy and Willow were very easy to redirect, probably due to their inability to actually see Xander for what he had become. When it was time, they would announce their relationship together. For now, it was a lot of fun for her to be at the start of her first serious relationship, but not be under any pressure to do anything about it at all.
"Why is Willow wearing a pointy hat, what sort of spell is 'Don't be a dope, I need a rope'? Why is Dawn wearing a purple cloak, why have I got a magical weapon?" Xander took another deep breath, looked down at himself and continued, "why am I dressed like Robin Hood, where the hell are we, what the hell was that dragon and what is going on?" His rant complete, he sat down on a nearby rock.
"All important questions," a serious voice agreed.
They turned as one, and then back, as a man seemed to have appeared next to Xander. He was dressed in red with gold trim. Although bald on top, he had long white hair around the sides, and a face that at first glance seemed open and friendly. The man was extremely small, only a couple of feet tall, but carried himself like a giant.
"Who are you?" Buffy demanded, pushing her way in front of the others, determined to take charge – after all, she was the Slayer.
"Patience, young Barbarian," the man said, his eyes reproachful.
Buffy glared, before suddenly backed down, feeling ashamed at her actions. She shook herself, wondering why all her Slayer instincts were telling her that this man was not to be trifled with, and that he was on their side.
"Barbarian?" Willow questioned, a little confused.
"Yes, Magician," the man agreed. "Acrobat, Cavalier, Thief and Ranger." He pointed to each in turn. "The names were written in the Book of Time, and have been waiting to be fulfilled."
He looked at Xander, "Walk with me, young one." His implication that Xander was in charge was obvious.
Xander looked at the others and shrugged. They walked off together, an odd sight, the tall dark haired ranger and the tiny bald man.
"Why Xander?" Willow asked, a little petulantly. "He's not the boss."
Giles thought for a second; he had been a little distracted as he had examined his new/old face in the reflection of his shield. He felt younger internally, yet still had all his memories and his experience. He grinned suddenly, deciding to have fun with this, while he could. As he was no longer the eldest, he saw no reason to try and be a parental figure. He'd done that for seven years, and it hadn't exactly been a glowing success. This looked like a second chance for him, and he wasn't going to waste it by being stuffy. "Tell me, when we were escaping - who distracted the dragon, looked out for everyone, tried to keep the group safe and put himself in danger?"
Willow went quiet, while Dawn and Faith exchanged glances. The idea of Xander's leadership was not as offensive to those who had endured under 'General Buffy's' reign during the battle with the First.
"So, how come I'm in a fur bikini and Dawn gets the thigh high leather boots?" Faith mock complained as she tried to change the subject.
"No idea," Dawn laughed, pleased with both her costume, and Xander's reaction to it.
"Why me?" Xander demanded. "And who are you?"
The man smiled, and stopped walking. "Why not you?" he asked, standing on a rock so he could look into Xander's eye easily.
"I'm not exactly leadership material, not to mention my pirate nature." Xander replied.
"Aren't you? Yet you care for the others more than yourself; it was you who first suggested retreat against an overwhelming force. Man does not choose the name, young one, the name chooses the man. Your main battle, Ranger, is against yourself."
"Huh?" Xander asked intelligently.
The red-robed man merely smiled at him, and turned, walking back to the others.
With a sigh, Xander followed him.
"That," the small man announced to the others, "was Tiamat, and I am Dungeon Master, your guide in the realm of Dungeons and Dragons."