Title: Uncommon Distractions Author: Kay Email: kaygrr@hotmail.com Feedback: Please? Because watching a grown girl cry is just pathetic. Website: ssfdu.tripod.com/kay/journal.htm (love for Sandy) Archive: Just let me know, eh? Fandom: Buffy Pairing: (Xander/Graham) + (Xander/Spike) = Xander/Graham/Spike Rating: PG Disclaimer: Mine? What? *These*? No, they're Mutant Enemy's. They just followed me home and wouldn't leave until I played with them. Summery: Graham and Riley are called back to Sunnydale when the area destabilizes. When they return, they discover there are new factors in lives of the Scooby Gang, especially in Xander and Spike's. K, Melissa, here it is. After reading so much yummy Xander/Graham fic, I had to give it a try for myself. Spike, being Spike, refused to stay on the sidelines. This one promises to be a long one, folks - I hope y'all enjoy. A special thank you to Karen, who never fails to cheer me on, and to Sandy, who in addition to listening to me babble also acts as my patron saint of titles when my brain has gone numb. Thank you, ladies Part One/? "You know what I hate most about this job?" Graham didn't bother to answer. He knew he wasn't expected to. He just concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. A few more minutes and they'd be back at base, back where there were showers and clean clothes and aspirin. Riley wasn't fazed by his lack of response. "It's not the hours. I can handle being out all night, I've been doing it for years. It's not the slime and mucus and ick that we run into, either. That stuff washes. It's the lack of bragging rights." Graham nodded, continuing his methodical pace. "Next time we're in a bar and everyone starts bragging about the ops they've been a part of-" "We're going to be stuck with our mouths glued shut by top secret clearances," Riley finished. "We won't be able to say anything so everyone else is going to feel all big and bad because they beat up on some po- dunk terrorist death squad. Meanwhile, we have just taken out an entire nest of Dimoir demons-" "Way tougher than any pansy-ass bunch of terrorists!" "And we won't be able to tell anyone and make them shut their damn mouths." Riley shifted his pack with a muffled curse. "First stop, medics tent." Graham grunted his agreement. The Dimoirs had been a bitch to route out, but they'd finally won. He wanted a shower more than anything else, but he wouldn't turn down pain relievers. He was feeling mildly pulped and Riley was in worse shape. Lately his tall friend had been throwing himself into skirmishes with near-mindless intensity, risking his life and his health without hesitation. Graham was worried about him. The silent fury that filled him had only appeared once he left Sunnydale. Graham suspected it had to do with his break up with Buffy, but Riley refused to discuss it. All Graham could do was try to keep him alive until he worked things out for himself. It wasn't an easy task. They were based in the middle of the South American jungle working to contain a recent outbreak of demon attacks on humans there. The government considered it good training for further encounters inside US borders. Their excursions into the jungle were filled with gunfire and blood and death. Graham was beginning to look forward to returning state side and having some downtime. He just had to make sure Riley made it back with him. The medics bandaged them up quickly, used to having them come in with assorted scrapes and bruises. Graham was halfway into shower mode when they were stopped by a soldier ordering them to report to their commanding officer immediately. Graham cast a worried glance at Riley. They couldn't be sent back out into the field. He was exhausted and Riley was in no shape for any sort of combat. While they were waiting to be admitted into the office, Graham tried to come up with reasons that would excuse them from going back out. When they were finally admitted into the office, their CO was flipping through a folder. He didn't look up as they entered. "At ease. I know you've just come in from the field. You're due for some downtime, but I'm afraid I'm gong to have to ask you to prepare to ship out immediately." "Where to, sir?" Riley asked. "Back to Sunnydale." Graham didn't miss the way that Riley tensed up. "The situation there has destabilized drastically in the past few days. It is too important a strategic area to allow this to continue. We need people to go in and assess the problem and if need be take steps to restore order. You two are the most qualified men we have. There's a plane leaving in an hour. Pack up and be on it." "Sir." They acknowledged and saluted as one. "Dismissed." As they packed, Graham waited for Riley to say something. There really wasn't a way for him to broach the subject - "So, Ri, looking forward to seeing the ex?" "Gee, it'll be great to get back to the scene of so much death and destruction and humiliating defeats, won't it?" But Riley didn't say a word; he just packed his gear with robotic efficiency. They were on the plane in plenty of time and still Riley stayed silent. Graham fought the urge to fidget. He was worried about Riley and worried about the situation in Sunnydale. What could've happened to Buffy that she let things get out of hand? What if something had happened to her? What if something had happened to one of her friends? A chill rippled through him and he pushed the thought away. Xander was fine. He had to be. Graham wasn't going to have spent so much time thinking about him and dreaming over him only to find out something had happened to him while he was gone. As it so often did in quiet moments, his mind turned to Xander. He'd never really spoken to the dark-haired man, but his dreams had been full of him ever since he'd first seen him. He'd slowly grown to recognize him as a part of the Slayer's team. Whenever Riley spoke about time spent with Buffy, Graham listened most intently when he talked about things Xander had done or said. He had been fascinated by the smile in Xander's eyes, the way he laughed his way through life in a town filled with creatures spawned from hell. Graham wanted to know what it was like to be able to do that. He wanted to know what it was like to hear Xander laugh, to maybe even be the one to make him do it. That fascination had been influenced by a healthy dose of attraction: he hadn't missed Xander's broad shoulders or long eyelashes. Soon, chance encounters hadn't been enough contact for him and he had begun to deliberately seek the other man out. He'd risked food poisoning and worse going to the various jobs that Xander had held. He would order his burger or buy his Icee and linger in the store, watching the way Xander moved with covetous eyes. Every so often he'd be rewarded by having Xander smile at him as he wished him a nice day. It wasn't much, but the warmth he felt inside each time it happened was more than enough to keep him coming back for more. Dividing his time between worrying about Xander and worrying about Riley, Graham gave in to the pain medication coursing through his system and fell asleep. He awoke as the plane touched down. Looking at his friend, he couldn't tell if Riley had slept or not. The dark smudges beneath the blond man's eyes didn't give him much hope. The silence between them continued as they were led to the office of the major in charge of maintain surveillance over the Sunnydale area. Major Tyndal shuffled the papers on his desk. "Take a seat, gentlemen. I know you're just in from the field." As they did so, he pushed two folders across the desk toward them. "The situation in Sunnydale has changed since the time you went airborne. At first, there was a total breakdown in the Slayer's control; HSTs were running unchecked through the town and chaos levels had noticeably risen. This continued for several days until the situation reached a critical level, at which point you were called in. Eighteen hours ago, the situation changed. The influx of HSTs into Sunnydale has slowed nearly to a stop and those already there have ceased all overtly hostile activities. There is still more disorder than usual, but it has returned to manageable levels. Our surveillance on the Slayer reveals that she is still out of the field, so something else must causing the stability. For this reason, your mission has changed. You are no longer to restore order, but instead determine exactly what changed last night and how order is being maintained." As Tyndal spoke, Graham perused the file in his hands. He nodded to himself as he found that Buffy was alive. For reasons not known, she had stopped patrolling the town as Slayer. He snuck a glance at Riley and was pleased to see him relax for the first time since they'd been told they were returning. Graham was relieved as well; he hadn't wanted to think that something serious might have happened to Buffy. Experience told him that it took a Slayer to control the Hellmouth and he didn't want to imagine the sort of chaos that could result if she was taken out of the picture permanently. Even more importantly, he didn't want to think about how Riley would react to losing Buffy forever. "Any thoughts, gentlemen?" Riley inhaled slowly. "Buffy didn't always work on her own." Graham knew Riley was reluctant to bring her friends into this, but it was his duty as a soldier. Besides, it wasn't as though they hadn't already come to the attention of the military. "That is our current hypothesis as well. We believe that her friends have brought the situation under control. We want to know how they are doing so and if their efforts are going to last or if this is merely a temporary measure. We've moved surveillance teams into position to monitor them. You two have had the most experience working in this area: I'm relying on you to join the surveillance and assess the situation. Is that understood?" Graham rose to his feet, as did Riley. "Yes, sir." "If it is indeed the work of the Slayer's friends, then you are to also determine if they will benefit from our aid. Remembering the catastrophe that occurred the last time we became involved in Sunnydale, I am reluctant to send any men in unless certain that they will be able to effectively deal with the situation." "Yes, sir." "Quarters have been assigned to you. You have twelve hours downtime to rest and finish reviewing your briefing materials before joining the surveillance teams. Dismissed." Graham saluted and followed Riley out the door. Out in the hall, Riley sighed hugely. "She's alive." Graham grasped his shoulder in a strong grip. "Come on. You need to sleep." He was pleased to see Riley nod. He had a feeling that they had better take what rest they could get. Missions on the Hellmouth had a tendency to get ugly fast and with no warning. Forget the distractions presented by Buffy for Riley and Xander for himself; they were going to have their hands full just staying alive. *****