Python_Chick's note: Send any and all chapter replies to Zekkers, this chapter and challenge belong to her, I only posted it under my account so that the next chapter of mine will make sense, if you haven't read it already. Any reviews of this chapter should be written in Zekkers' account. Any reviews for the second chapter should be written under mine.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"A Challenge Chapter"
by Zekkers
ZEKKERS@JUNO.COM
Disclaimer: So not mine.
Author's Notes: This is Chapter One, I actually have an idea for the rest of the story- but so do you. See my challenge at the bottom. Takes place after 'Crush'.
///
It was late as Buffy Summers sat by herself in the coffee shop. The other customers had already left, unwilling to risk themselves in Sunnydale's streets at night. The guy behind the counter had long turned off the espresso machine, wiped everything down, and taken out the trash. He was now flipping the chairs upside-down and putting them on the tables while he mopped the floor. He kept glaring at her while he worked, trying to get her to leave.
Buffy just stared at her cup of cappuccino.
Her fingers traced the edge of the cup, brushed the white handle. She picked it up, still staring into space and took a sip. She grimaced, it was cold and bitter. Sighing, she glanced at the street through the window. "Damn you Spike, why do you have to make everything difficult?"
"Relationship problems?"
Buffy jumped, head swinging around to stare up at the man who hadn't been standing there before. He was tall, black, and had startlingly green eyes. He smiled at her, sitting down across the table with complete ease. Buffy looked him over suspiciously. He was wearing a non-descript green polo shirt and blue jeans. He had a gold earring through one ear, and as he smiled again, lacing his fingers together on the table, she couldn't help but notice the large golden ring on one finger with a sparkling green gem.
"I said, relationship problems?"
"No." Buffy ground out. "We don't have a relationship. Spike and I aren't even friends." She paused a moment, taking a deep breath. "HE thinks we do, though. That we have some sort of connection. I don't know where he got the idea. I mean... it's just stupid. Completely stupid." She paused again, glancing out the window. "And he doesn't get it. Sometimes, I just wish...." Buffy trailed off into silence, thinking.
"You... wish?" The man leaned forward eagerly, resting his chin on his folded hands.
"Yeah. I mean, it would be great if he'd just-" Buffy stopped herself just in time, looking at the man suspiciously. He was tense with anticipation. "You're not... a vengeance..." The Slayer floundered, not wanting to say the word 'demon'- the man might be just a regular, if strange, guy. He'd think she was crazy.
He blinked. "Vengeance demon? Oh no. Nothing that... rash." He leaned back, making a dismissing motion with one hand. "I just... grant wishes. For people with relationship problems."
Buffy stood, picking up her purse. "I'm sorry," she moved away from the table, towards the door, "I'm not interested in... wishes."
He stood, looking at her sadly. "It could solve your problems."
"I'm sorry," Buffy replied, as she pushed open the door, "I've gotten- I mean, we've gotten burned before by wishes."
"Ah. Your vengeance demon reference." The man paused, then walked towards her. "I don't normally- but... we could discuss it before you made your wish." He tilted his head a little. "It could fix everything."
"I-" Buffy walked out the door, the man trailing after.
"Of course, you don't have to wish. But we could talk about it."
Buffy stopped, turning around to face the strange man. "I'll talk about it, if you'll tell me why you are here."
The man winced. "I lost a card game, so I had to serve a client of M'ferver's choice. He thought this would be funny."
"Oh." Buffy turned again, heading towards her house. "What if I wish him gone?"
He sighed. "You can, but he'll probably just come back. They always seem to find their way back from where-ever I send them."
"Gone for good?"
"The easiest way to do that is to kill him." The man dryly added, "I will if you want."
Buffy shook her head. "No. I mean, I hate him... but I'd just do it myself if I wanted that." She paused, "What do you think will work?"
The man took a deep breath, blowing it out between white teeth as he walked beside Buffy. "Well, usually, the only way to get rid of someone who keeps giving... unwanted attention... is to direct their attentions somewhere else."
"Oh! I can wish him to 'fall in love' with someone else?" Buffy skipped, grinning at the man.
"Yes, but that can be very cruel."
"So? We're talking about Spike. He deserves cruel." The slayer flipped her hair over her shoulder, unconsciously scanning the alley they were passing.
"No, I meant cruel to whomever he falls in love with. There are no guarantees they'll love them back." The man patiently explained.
"Fine then, I wish that he meets someone, and that they fall helplessly in love with each other." She grinned. "And they can make each other happy. See- I can be nice. It's more than he deserves."
Long black fingers rubbed the man's chin. "What sort of time frame are you thinking of? There are lots of people out there he could fall in love with."
The slayer snorted, spying a vamp down the alley struggling with a woman. "I don't care- sometime soon, so he stops bugging me. How about the next person he runs across?" She pulled out a stake. "Could you hold on a minute? Duty calls." She ducked down the alley, quickly staking the vamp before he could feed.
The woman Buffy rescued looked around in confusion before running off. The slayer yelled after her, "You're welcome!" She turned back to the street, sticking her stake back in her pocket. "Never grateful." She mumbled.
She looked around for the man, he was gone.
"Hello? Hello? I thought we were discussing my wish." Buffy humpfed, stalking towards home. "Stupid demon, I hadn't finished. I thought he wanted me to wish for his stupid bet. I mean I hadn't... said... the... words." Buffy blinked. "Oh no."
Realization came crashing down on the Slayer. "That didn't count!" She shouted at the empty street. "Oh no..."
Buffy stopped herself. "Actually," she shrugged, "it's probably going to be fine. No more Spike problems, yea!"
The Slayer headed home.
////
THE CHALLENGE:
You write Chapter Two! Spike can run into anyone you want him to- Buffy, Willow, Anya, Joyce, heck, I'll even accept slash- Giles, Xander, Riley, etc. ANYONE. Crossovers welcome. Make it humorous, dark, drama, whatever.
And to keep all my responses together, I'll even post them as other 'chapters' onto my story. Just e-mail them to me in text format (not html or Word documents- make them all ready for posting) and I'll tack them onto this one. Just tell me what story title you want and include your e-mail address at the top of your story (for your feedback). Oh, I will post warnings for all slash stories (so people who don't want to read 'em don't have to).
My only limitation is that I don't want any NC-17 stories. I want everyone to be able to read them. If you really want to post a NC-17 version, feel free to post it to fanfiction.net yourself, just refer to my story for Chapter One.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Python_Chick's note: Send any and all chapter replies to Zekkers, this chapter and challenge belong to her, I only posted it under my account so that the next chapter of mine will make sense, if you haven't read it already. Any reviews of this chapter should be written in Zekkers' account. Any reviews for the second chapter should be written under mine.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"A Challenge Chapter"
by Zekkers
ZEKKERS@JUNO.COM
Disclaimer: So not mine.
Author's Notes: This is Chapter One, I actually have an idea for the rest of the story- but so do you. See my challenge at the bottom. Takes place after 'Crush'.
///
It was late as Buffy Summers sat by herself in the coffee shop. The other customers had already left, unwilling to risk themselves in Sunnydale's streets at night. The guy behind the counter had long turned off the espresso machine, wiped everything down, and taken out the trash. He was now flipping the chairs upside-down and putting them on the tables while he mopped the floor. He kept glaring at her while he worked, trying to get her to leave.
Buffy just stared at her cup of cappuccino.
Her fingers traced the edge of the cup, brushed the white handle. She picked it up, still staring into space and took a sip. She grimaced, it was cold and bitter. Sighing, she glanced at the street through the window. "Damn you Spike, why do you have to make everything difficult?"
"Relationship problems?"
Buffy jumped, head swinging around to stare up at the man who hadn't been standing there before. He was tall, black, and had startlingly green eyes. He smiled at her, sitting down across the table with complete ease. Buffy looked him over suspiciously. He was wearing a non-descript green polo shirt and blue jeans. He had a gold earring through one ear, and as he smiled again, lacing his fingers together on the table, she couldn't help but notice the large golden ring on one finger with a sparkling green gem.
"I said, relationship problems?"
"No." Buffy ground out. "We don't have a relationship. Spike and I aren't even friends." She paused a moment, taking a deep breath. "HE thinks we do, though. That we have some sort of connection. I don't know where he got the idea. I mean... it's just stupid. Completely stupid." She paused again, glancing out the window. "And he doesn't get it. Sometimes, I just wish...." Buffy trailed off into silence, thinking.
"You... wish?" The man leaned forward eagerly, resting his chin on his folded hands.
"Yeah. I mean, it would be great if he'd just-" Buffy stopped herself just in time, looking at the man suspiciously. He was tense with anticipation. "You're not... a vengeance..." The Slayer floundered, not wanting to say the word 'demon'- the man might be just a regular, if strange, guy. He'd think she was crazy.
He blinked. "Vengeance demon? Oh no. Nothing that... rash." He leaned back, making a dismissing motion with one hand. "I just... grant wishes. For people with relationship problems."
Buffy stood, picking up her purse. "I'm sorry," she moved away from the table, towards the door, "I'm not interested in... wishes."
He stood, looking at her sadly. "It could solve your problems."
"I'm sorry," Buffy replied, as she pushed open the door, "I've gotten- I mean, we've gotten burned before by wishes."
"Ah. Your vengeance demon reference." The man paused, then walked towards her. "I don't normally- but... we could discuss it before you made your wish." He tilted his head a little. "It could fix everything."
"I-" Buffy walked out the door, the man trailing after.
"Of course, you don't have to wish. But we could talk about it."
Buffy stopped, turning around to face the strange man. "I'll talk about it, if you'll tell me why you are here."
The man winced. "I lost a card game, so I had to serve a client of M'ferver's choice. He thought this would be funny."
"Oh." Buffy turned again, heading towards her house. "What if I wish him gone?"
He sighed. "You can, but he'll probably just come back. They always seem to find their way back from where-ever I send them."
"Gone for good?"
"The easiest way to do that is to kill him." The man dryly added, "I will if you want."
Buffy shook her head. "No. I mean, I hate him... but I'd just do it myself if I wanted that." She paused, "What do you think will work?"
The man took a deep breath, blowing it out between white teeth as he walked beside Buffy. "Well, usually, the only way to get rid of someone who keeps giving... unwanted attention... is to direct their attentions somewhere else."
"Oh! I can wish him to 'fall in love' with someone else?" Buffy skipped, grinning at the man.
"Yes, but that can be very cruel."
"So? We're talking about Spike. He deserves cruel." The slayer flipped her hair over her shoulder, unconsciously scanning the alley they were passing.
"No, I meant cruel to whomever he falls in love with. There are no guarantees they'll love them back." The man patiently explained.
"Fine then, I wish that he meets someone, and that they fall helplessly in love with each other." She grinned. "And they can make each other happy. See- I can be nice. It's more than he deserves."
Long black fingers rubbed the man's chin. "What sort of time frame are you thinking of? There are lots of people out there he could fall in love with."
The slayer snorted, spying a vamp down the alley struggling with a woman. "I don't care- sometime soon, so he stops bugging me. How about the next person he runs across?" She pulled out a stake. "Could you hold on a minute? Duty calls." She ducked down the alley, quickly staking the vamp before he could feed.
The woman Buffy rescued looked around in confusion before running off. The slayer yelled after her, "You're welcome!" She turned back to the street, sticking her stake back in her pocket. "Never grateful." She mumbled.
She looked around for the man, he was gone.
"Hello? Hello? I thought we were discussing my wish." Buffy humpfed, stalking towards home. "Stupid demon, I hadn't finished. I thought he wanted me to wish for his stupid bet. I mean I hadn't... said... the... words." Buffy blinked. "Oh no."
Realization came crashing down on the Slayer. "That didn't count!" She shouted at the empty street. "Oh no..."
Buffy stopped herself. "Actually," she shrugged, "it's probably going to be fine. No more Spike problems, yea!"
The Slayer headed home.
////
THE CHALLENGE:
You write Chapter Two! Spike can run into anyone you want him to- Buffy, Willow, Anya, Joyce, heck, I'll even accept slash- Giles, Xander, Riley, etc. ANYONE. Crossovers welcome. Make it humorous, dark, drama, whatever.
And to keep all my responses together, I'll even post them as other 'chapters' onto my story. Just e-mail them to me in text format (not html or Word documents- make them all ready for posting) and I'll tack them onto this one. Just tell me what story title you want and include your e-mail address at the top of your story (for your feedback). Oh, I will post warnings for all slash stories (so people who don't want to read 'em don't have to).
My only limitation is that I don't want any NC-17 stories. I want everyone to be able to read them. If you really want to post a NC-17 version, feel free to post it to fanfiction.net yourself, just refer to my story for Chapter One.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Python_Chick's note: Send any and all chapter replies to Zekkers, this chapter and challenge belong to her, I only posted it under my account so that the next chapter of mine will make sense, if you haven't read it already. Any reviews of this chapter should be written in Zekkers' account. Any reviews for the second chapter should be written under mine.