"Pillow Talk"
Rating: PG13
Summary: Set right after Where the Wild Things Are, and after Xander and Anya have made up, Xander asks Anya what happened for her to becomea vengeance demon. Touches on events from my other story "Anya Before".
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. Joss Whedon does.
Author's note: A little schmoopy here.
"Pillow Talk" by Vivien B.
Wow," Anya exhaled as she lay staring up at the ceiling amidst the tangled sheets of Xander's bed.
"I'll see your wow and raise you an Oh my god," replied Xander breathlessly.
"So that is make up sex?" asked Anya turning on her side to face Xander. "I never thought arguing could end up feeling so wonderful."
"Yup," he said, "That would be the only reason why I would ever want to argue with you." He rolled over to face her as well. He reached out and cupped her face with one of his hands. "I just want my honey to be happy."
*He called me honey!* thought Anya, *No one ever called me that before. I like it!*
"Xander, I am really glad we talked about everything. This is all so confusing to me. It has been so long since I was first human, and even then I never had a boyfriend."
"It's okay," Xander replied, "I mean, people who care for each other fight about stuff. As long as we can always make up, it is fine by me"
"By the way, I really like you calling me honey," Anya said, smiling. Then in typical Anya fashion, she changed the subject. "Are you hungry?"
"Ah yes, that's my Anya!" quipped Xander, "A whirlwind of needs. You want Chips Ahoy or Ruffles?"
"Chips Ahoy!" they both said at the same time, laughing.
Xander got out of bed to make the run to the kitchen. Anya watched him go, thinking how handsome he was, how hers he was. She sighed and closed her eyes. *If I had to get my powers revoked, at least they got revoked now,* she thought, *at least Xander was here and the fashions are comfortable. I would have hated living out my life trapped in a corset.*
Her thoughts were interrupted by Xander jumping onto the bed. Unlike the stereotypical male who rolls over and goes to sleep after sex, Xander was usually wired. They would talk or watch TV well into the night. Tonight Xander wanted to talk.
"Anya, you said you had never had a boyfriend before you did the demon thing. I was just wondering - who scorned you then?"
Anya closed her eyes. She had never told anyone else what had happened in those last days of her first human life.
"Anya?" Xander asked concerned, "Honey? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," she replied, "It's just sad to think about my past. It happened so long ago, but the pain feels like it was just yesterday."
"Okay, I'll be Change the Subject Boy," said Xander, "So how about those cookies?"
Anya smiled at Xander, taking the cookie he offered. "If you really want to know, I don't think I'll mind talking about it," she said.
"Only if you're sure. I would like to know more about your mysterious past," Xander replied teasingly yet tenderly, "but you've taken a ride on the emotional rollercoaster today, so if you'd rather not, that's okay."
"It might be good to tell someone. It's kind of a long story," Anya warned.
"We have all night, Anya. Or well, at least until we both fall asleep."
Anya smiled and began. "I was born in the late 800's, right smack in the middle of the Dark Ages. And it was pretty dark, let me tell you. Plagues all the time, wars and skirmishes all over the place, and no one took baths. Phew, I can still remember the stink. I was very lucky, well, for most of my life anyway. My mother was a witch descended from a long line of very powerful witches. She protected the family with spells so all my brothers and I grew up pretty healthy and unmarked. She was so wonderful. She taught me everything she knew so that when I married, I would be able to take care of my family in the same way. I was engaged to marry the son of one of my father's merchants."
"You were engaged!?" exclaimed Xander. "Were you in love with this guy? Was he cuter than me?"
"Love?" replied Anya, laughing, "I was lucky that I had even seen my future husband, much less met him. I spoke to him once. Xander, women didn't marry the people they wanted to back then. Their fathers usually decided who would marry who. I was just lucky this guy wasn't old and fat. And by the way, he wasn't one bit as handsome and charming as you are." She gave Xander a quick kiss.
"So anyway, what basically happened was that the family of my fiancé had this corrupt priest in their service who had a younger sister. This girl would have brought a much bigger dowry to the family than mine. Oh, dowries were all the stuff like property, money, jewels and such that were given to the groom's family. Mother and I rode back to the castle one day a week before the wedding and there were my fiancé, his father, and the priest. They had decided to prove I was sleeping around so that they could revoke the wedding contract. And it was so ludicrous because I hardly ever even talked to men who were not in my family, much less sleep with them. My mother had a vision about what was really going on and denounced the priest. He then denounced her as a witch." Anya stopped. She took a deep breath and continued. "Then the priest must have said an incantation to control my father, because all of a sudden my father stabbed my mother, and she died."
"Anya, I am so sorry," said Xander, wrapping his arms around her, "I had no idea. I would never have made light of what happened to you."
"You had no way of knowing," she said, relaxing in his arms. "Then I ran away from home, because I knew I would be in serious danger of being accused as well if I stayed. My mother kept all her books of spells in a safe place away from our house. I got them and went into hiding. I found a book my mother had talked about but had never let me read - it was a book of vengeance spells. I tried a few out on the men who had been there that day. I was so furious and heartbroken. Without my mother, I didn't know what to do. I was really scared. So when D'Hofferin approached me about becoming a demon, I felt I had no other choice. Witches and ruined women in my day had no future, so becoming an all powerful demon was just about my only way out."
They both sat in silence for a few minutes, holding each other.
Xander finally said, "Being powerless or powerful..not a hard choice to make. I guess I would have taken what he offered, too."
"Really?" Anya asked.
"Yeah. You lived through some serious stuff."
"That I did....Well, enough of this. I will get all morose when being with you is my happiest time of all. Let's see what's on Cartoon Network." Anya wiped away the tears on her cheek and reached over to turn on the TV.
Xander watched her with a new found respect in his eyes. "That's my Anya," he said, hugging her tightly. "Strong, resilient, and loving the cartoons."
Anya smiled back at Xander, feeling so warm and comforted by his embrace.
*Yes, I am definitely lucky to have lost my powers in this time* she thought to herself.
The end