Ficlet: Run For Your Life (Giles, Xander)

[il_mio_capitano]

Title: Run For Your Life
Author: il-mio-capitano
Setting: Giles, Xander.  Post Season 7 but the comics are pure heresy.
Prompt: Beatles: Run For Your Life
Rating: FRT
Length: 950

Xander crouched behind the low sarcophagus and scanned the far distance of the cemetery with his night vision monocular. There was no moon and it was eerily quiet as he watched the Koosh Devils patrol and circle away from his position. He just needed them to keep on moving in that direction…

“Shit,” he hissed to the opening in the tomb below. “Giles, they’ve seen through it. They are coming back this way.” His one good eye took time to adjust to the sight of Giles on his knees, working with the explosives by thin torch light.

“Almost there,” Giles whispered up reassuringly. “It’s rather delicate work here. I don't want to blow us up too.” There was logic in his argument but the diversion had failed and the Koosh had definitely wised up and were returning to the tomb in large numbers to guard their eggs.

“Might want to hurry it up down there, British guy.”

Reeling out a trail of wires behind him, Giles scuttled up to Xander’s side and peeped over the sarcophagus.

“We're going to need a shorter time delay,” he said thoughtfully as he connected the switch box and started tapping in codes.

Xander shook his head. “Remind me when this is over, that I told you this was a fucking stupid plan.”

His companion grunted as he laid the timer face down to avoid detection and covered it with leaves. Finally, he snapped off his glasses to thrust them deep into his top pocket before flipping the small countdown switch.

“Run,” he said simply, and Xander needed no further encouragement.

They ran hard with no heed for stealth, distance was all that mattered now. The Koosh gave out a war cry from behind and quickened their pace. Xander hurdled a low gravestone and heard Giles do the same behind him, comfortingly close. They made it to a grassy walkway just as the explosion ripped the solid ground from under their feet. Xander instinctively threw himself forward and slid along the grass, grateful not to hit any grave markers face first. When he came to a stop, he turned to look behind and saw the smoke and the flames and heard more inhuman screams of anger. Then, to his horror, he saw a cloud of the Koosh still moving towards them: a blur of teeth and fur, waving weapons and demanding vengeance.

Giles was on his feet already and picking him up. Yes, they needed to keep moving, Xander re-focused and scrambled to his feet and the pair resumed their flight. It was much harder now, as the light from the fire made them vulnerably visible to the demon horde, and long shadows stretched in front of them obscuring the ground he knew was treacherously strewn with low gravestones. They ran and fell, picking each other up and scrambling in fear. Overhead a flaming spear overshot their position. Giles pulled him sharply left as a rain of arrows punctuated the air following the first beacon. Fuck, no-one had mentioned they had arrows! But there was no time for recriminations as the marauding devils, their hooves smashing against low grave markers, gave out encouraged banshee wails towards the two men who in turn, continued with lung bursting pace for the main gate to the cemetery.

The deadly swish of another volley of arrows could be heard and Xander hoped to god they'd get lucky a second time. He scrambled on but heard Giles fall with a cry. He'd been hit in the shoulder, the force and surprise of the impact had tumbled him to the ground. Xander turned and grabbed him, ignoring the stream of foul language the wrenching movement produced from the Watcher, as he pulled, hauled, and even kicked the man’s stubborn legs to move for themselves till he finally got them both through the cemetery gates and flung them breathlessly to the ground in a tangled heap.

On either side of the walls, two platoons of young slayers, armed to the teeth looked on in a mixture of surprise and awe at the sprawled pair. Xander felt mildly embarrassed to find his legs entangled and his head on Giles’ wheezing back, mere inches away from the embedded arrow.

“You guys ok?” Faith asked politely.

“Yes,” Giles rasped. “Go finish it.”

Faith shrugged and commanded her troops to the assault. They poured through the main gate at her back to tackle the surprised Koosh.  Xander lifted himself off Giles painfully and sat upright, he and the pyromaniac Watcher had thinned the devil herd but the real battle was about to commence.

“Xander?” Giles’ voice was small and stunned as he lay face down in the dirt.

“Yeah?”

“You were right.”

“Well that's a first from you.” Xander grinned as he spoke but his smile fell sharply. “Oh god, does this mean you're dying?”

He reached out a hand but Giles was already hissing with pain and pulling himself up to his knees.

“No, it bloody doesn’t,” he replied with ill humour, awkwardly twisting his head to see how deep the arrow in his shoulder went. Satisfied with the outcome of his inspection, he gave Xander a shy smile and spoke with more warmth. “Thanks to you, it doesn't. I just meant that you were right that it was a fucking stupid plan. Let’s never let Faith talk us into any more of her hare-brained schemes ever again.”

“Agreed.”

They grinned at each other and Giles leaned gingerly against Xander’s shoulder as they listened to the clash of weaponry and the shrieks of death and battle in the cemetery beyond.

“Hospital, Giles?”

“Now that is a good plan.”

Comments

[craterdweller.livejournal.com]

“Well that's a first from you.” Xander grinned as he spoke but his smile fell sharply. “Oh god, does this mean you're dying?”

Poor Xander! But what a great line. Really enjoyed this. Thanks for sharing!

[il_mio_capitano]

Thank you. Yeah, that's the best line. :)

[gilescandy.livejournal.com]

Well, that was fun. Very atmospheric, and the sense of motion as they ran was awesome. There's also something I love about the boys taking on a stupid mission together. There's a humor and (grumpy) affection between them that just makes my day.

That was great and I loved it. Now, to get Giles to the hospital... again.

[il_mio_capitano]

...again. Ah, you noticed that then. Um...

[littleotter73]

Really enjoyed this piece. There is a true sense of atmosphere and I can see the action happening in my mind's eye, especially the dodging and weaving of the rain of arrows. Nicely done.

Glad the boys got an adventure. Probably makes them wish for the days of a Buffy plan, though. Faith is just a little too reckless.

And poor Giles. At least it wasn't a concussion this time, but between those and arrows or darts, he's doomed.

[il_mio_capitano]

Thank you for reading. I think this is the third piece where I've had Giles being chased by bad guys. I shall stop that now, he can stand his ground in future.