FIC: Terra Australis 6/?

[CDRERamius@xxxxxxx]

TITLE: Terra Australis Incognito
AUTHOR: Tony McD
DISCLAIMER: All characters belong to Joss Whendon, Mutant Enemy, WB and 
others. This is for fun, not profit.
SUMMARY: David and Buffy try to find out if David has what it takes to fight 
with the Scooby Gang.
SPOILERS: General Season 4. It kind of forks into an AU about halfway through 
Season 4.
DISTRIBUTION: Anywhere is fine, just email me first at CDRERamius@xxxxxxx
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Sorry about the wait, got caught up with the Olympics. For 
those who wish to know: WEEO = Weapons Electrical Engineering Officer.
*-* denotes thoughts.


It was 10 o'clock and everyone had arrived at David's place. The place 
had started life as a small hotel at the end of the nineteenth century, 
complete with 20 bedrooms and a ballroom. It had a lively trade until the 
Great Depression when numbers of travellers who could afford to stay there 
plummeted. The final straw was the killing of the entire hotel guests and 
staff one night in the early thirties by a group of Vampires. The police of 
the day attributed the vicious killing to gangsters. It had sat abandoned for 
decades until now.
David greeted everyone instructed them to enter around the back as the 
lobby floor still had wet lacquer on it. As they passed through the simple 
garden at the back, Xander looked at David in amazement. * Damn! David is 
showing no sign of the huge amount of alcohol he drank last night. He 
definitely handles his booze better than my father. * he thought. 
He then looked over at Spike in his leather motorbike outfit and helmet 
with darkened visor. In order for Spike to move around during the day, Spike 
had taken up wearing this get up, much to the amusement of Xander.
They entered the ballroom which David had converted into a gym and 
workout area. All the equipment had been removed and a small wooden box sat 
in the centre of the room.
"All right listen up." David said, reaching into the box and pulling out 
two stakes. "The idea here is for Buffy and I to try to stake each other." 
David saw the look of alarm on Willow's face.
"Relax Willow. They're rubber, see?" David reassured her by bending the 
rubber stakes. A relieved Willow sat with the others on the bench along one 
wall. David removed the box and stood in the centre of the room facing Buffy. 
He threw her her stake. Buffy just looked at him with cold hard eyes.
"Whoever stakes the other first wins. Understand?" A nod from Buffy. On 
the bench Spike leaned over to the Watcher.
"I've got twenty bucks that says the Aussie beats her." Spike murmured to 
Giles.
"This is not something you bet on, Spike." Giles whispered harshly. Giles 
softened his tone. "I'll meet your wager. But I say David will be lucky to 
survive." Giles wanted to desperately talk to David to find out where he had 
gotten the ring. After this, provided that David was still conscious, Giles 
would take him aside and talk.
"May the best person win." David said and bowed to Buffy. Buffy snapped 
off a blisteringly fast kick aimed at David's bowed head. It hit nothing but 
air. David had spun inside Buffy, lifted her leg higher and swept her other 
foot away.
Buffy landed on her back on the floor. Immediately she rolled away to 
avoid David's stake to her heart. She flipped onto her feet and faced David 
again. Buffy launched a vicious right hook at David's head, only to have him 
duck under it, grab her arm and flip her over his shoulder in a classic Judo 
move.
On the floor once again, Buffy flicked her feet up and caught David's 
head with them. With a massive grunt, she sent him flying across the room 
where he crashed into the wall. Quickly both got to their feet and advanced 
on each other again. A right from David was ducked under and she delivered an 
elbow to the ribs. A back fist sent her reeling backwards.
David managed to knock the stake out of Buffy's hand and went to stake 
her. She caught the hand with the stake in it with her left hand and tried to 
punch David in the head with the right, only to have him catch it. The two 
were locked together.
David dropped to the ground and started to roll backwards. He placed his 
feet on her chest and as she rolled over the top of him, he flicked his legs 
and sent her sailing into the wall. Buffy got up.
"CATCH!" David yelled as he hurled Buffy's stake at her heart. She caught 
it an inch from its intended target. She gave David an evil smile.
"Nice try." she told him before launching herself at David again.

Everyone sitting to the side was stuck speechless. They had all seen 
Buffy fight before, but they had never seen a fight like this. They had been 
at it for nearly half an hour. Giles' concerns for David's safety were 
groundless as David had punched, kicked, thrown, and blocked as well as 
Buffy. It was clear that David had supernatural strength and stamina similar 
to Buffy's. David had speed and skill; Buffy had passion and ingenuity. Both 
had determination to win. Neither could deliver the stake to the heart to win 
it. Puffing heavily, drenched in sweat, they circled each other, eyeing each 
other off, waiting for the others next move.
*Damn he's good!* thought Buffy. *it's so even that I'm going to have to 
wait for him to make a mistake.*
*Holy shit! the Slayer sure can fight. I'll have to force an error from 
her if I'm to win this.* David thought. *Maybe I'll use a little mojo, but 
that ain't fair.* A voice from David's basic combat course entered his mind. 
*If it's a fair fight then you aren't doing your job properly.* A smile 
formed on his face as a plan came to mind.
Buffy watched as David crouched and leapt up and over Buffy's head. Buffy 
stepped forward to give herself some room and turned to face David when he 
landed.
THUMP! David landed in front of her.
THUMP! Another David landed to her right.
THUMP! Another David landed to her left.
THUMP! Yet another David landed behind her.
"What the fu.." Buffy started to say but the David to her left threw a 
punch. Buffy ducked and delivered a roundhouse kick aimed at his head. She 
watched in amazement as her foot passed right through his head. Her spider 
sense was screaming to turn around as the real David came in for the kill.
David was surprised that Buffy was able to react to the illusion and how 
quick turned to face the real threat. A series of punches and kicks saw both 
of them on the ground with Buffy on top of David.
"You think that magic will help you win this?" an extremely pissed off 
Slayer roared. In an instant David came up with a last ditch plan.
"No, just this." he said, and then he kissed her.
It was meant to be a quick kiss to stun her for the second or two he 
needed. No one expects to be kissed during a fight. It was meant to surprise 
her. It ended up a spiritual event; literally.
Magic passed through their lips as they met. The two ancient spirits, 
Gangui and Shelgui, touched for the first time in tens of thousands of years. 
The experience left them both stunned and unable to move. Buffy was the first 
to shake off the stupor. She leapt up, grabbed her bag and left with a very 
upset Willow trailing in her wake. The silence after their departure was 
thick. It was Spike who spoke up.
"Can somebody tell me who won?"