:. CHAPTER TEN
AN: This is IT! It's FINALLY over! I can relax! Hm? What? It's Christmas already?! GAH! MY TIME IS, LIKE, GONE!!!!!
Do enjoy.
:. Spike
I was awoken by a loud scream the next morning. My eyes flew open and I let out a surprised yell, falling off the couch onto the floor in a tangle of blankets. I looked up and Dawn screamed again. I yelled again in reply. And so it went for a few minutes, until Buffy came running down the stairs.
"What's going on?!" she cried, looking worried. Dawn pointed a finger at me.
"Buffy!" She yelled, but happily, I noticed. "It's Spike! Lookie, it's Spike!" Buffy nodded, grinning.
"Yep. It's Spike all right." She replied calmly. Dawn ran over and knelt beside me. She stared hard at my face. Then she pinched my arm.
"Ow! Watch it, Bit." I complained. Dawn threw her arms around my neck.
"It's okay." She told Buffy. "It's not the First." Then she sat back thoughtfully.
"Hm. . .maybe there is a Santa after all." She said. I laughed.
"Are you kidding me? I wouldn't be caught dead in a flying sleigh with some fat old bloke." I replied.
"You are dead." Dawn pointed out. I crossed my arms.
"I rest my case." I said happily. Dawn smiled at me, then turned to Buffy.
"You're mean." She said. Buffy's eyes widened.
"What?!" she cried. "Why?!"
"You knew about this." Dawn replied, pouting at her big sister. "And you didn't say a WORD about it."
"Sorry. I mean, you were asleep, and. . .well. . ." Buffy couldn't find the rest of her sentence.
"Merry Christmas!" I filled in for her. Dawn shrugged.
"Okay. I'll accept that. I figure if I ask how, it'll all go away anyway." She said. Then she turned to the Christmas tree. "Okay. Now, presents!"
"Dawnie, you know we have to wait for everyone else to get here. I'll fix breakfast." Buffy said. I stood up.
"Um, can I borrow your shower?" I asked uncertainly. Buffy giggled.
"Just have it back before the hot water runs out." She mock- warned. "First door on the left." She pointed up the stairs. I grinned my thanks and went up the stairs. I found the bathroom and shut the door. I showered, then pulled my black jeans back on. Then I turned to the empty mirror. I picked up a brush. I grinned, watching it float a moment, then began brushing all my hair back, using my fingers as eyes. This was a skill I had perfected over the years. I looked at the floating brush.
"Well, this is it." I told my 'reflection'. "Time to face the demon." And this time, I wasn't here to fight, I was here to make friends, or restore them. I'm not sure how my talent stood on that. I pulled my T- shirt on, then went downstairs. Buffy was setting a plate of pancakes on the table.
"Mmm. Smells good." I commented. Buffy smiled.
"See, that's what I like about you. You actually eat." She said. I walked over behind her and slid my arms around her waist.
"Unlike Gel-Boy, who is all Beverage Only." I agreed. Buffy leaned against me, laughing.
"Never give up a good chance to get Angel, do you?" she teased. I grinned.
"You know me, pet. I stick to my guns." I replied. Just then Dawn walked into the room.
"Ew? Get a room, why don't you!" she cried in disgust. Buffy and I laughed, letting go of each other and sorting out the pancakes. Buffy walked over and opened the microwave. She tossed me a bag of blood.
"Don't ask me where, or how. Just enjoy." She warned. I nodded.
"Right." I replied. I tore open the bag, dumping half the contents onto my pancakes, causing twin looks of disgust from Buffy and Dawn. The rest I poured into a mug.
"Thanks." I said, taking a big bite of the pancakes. Buffy turned to get the syrup.
"Creative, yet disgusting all at once." Dawn commented. Buffy looked over and grinned.
"And he's washing his own plate. I am *not* cleaning up blood. I get that enough with Slaying." She said. I shrugged.
"All right. Sure." I said with my mouth full, causing both girls to squirm.
The rest of breakfast and the cleaning up of the kitchen was spent telling the story to Dawn. Not because she asked, but because we wanted to find out what the other person saw, and their reactions. The girls ran upstairs to get dressed when they found they had only fifteen minutes until the Scoobies were scheduled to arrive.
I walked back into the livingroom and flopped onto the couch. I looked around again. I sat back, sighing happily. So far, so good. But the big test was coming up. I worried about how everyone else would react. Suddenly, the front door opened, causing me to jump a mile. Xander walked into the house, carrying gifts.
"Ho, ho, ho! Merry-" he stopped suddenly, spotting me. "OH MY GOD! BUFFY! BUFFY!" Willow bumped into him when he stopped, her dish of cheesy potatoes flying into the air. I sprinted forward to catch them in vain, seeing as Willow had stopped them with her magic, causing them to float. And that was the scene Buffy walked in on. Xander with a load of dropped gifts at his feet, Willow on the ground behind him, with one hand in the air, and me frozen in pre-dive stance. She looked at all of us kind of funny.
"Um. What's going on?" she asked. "If I really want to know." There was a pause. Then:
"Spike's back!" he said, turning to point at me, not realizing I was a foot behind him, thus poking me in the eye.
"Ow! Bloody hell, Harris. I like that eye." I grumbled.
"Yeah. Yeah. I knew that." Buffy replied. "I will explain everything when everyone else gets here." Xander stared at me for a minute, then shook his head and smiled.
"You really don't give up, do you?" he asked, but the remark didn't hold its usual sharpness. Willow rescued the flying potatoes and walked in.
"Hey, Spike. Um, we didn't get you anything." She said regretfully. "We didn't know you were coming. Heh, we didn't know you were alive." She grinned at me. I returned the grin.
"Yeah, I really didn't know either. But it's all right. I didn't get anyone else anything either." I replied.
Pretty soon, Andrew showed up. He went through the proper yelling sequence, except there were tears shed on his part, and way too much drama. When Giles arrived, no one was surprised wen the shouting began."
"Dear God! Spike! But how? Who? Why?" he stammered. I smirked as Xander counted off the most popular questions on his fingers.
Buffy, Dawn, and I explained everything, answered some questions, then carried on with the Christmas festivities.
The presents disappeared one by one. Finally, there was one left. It was wrapped in silver paper with a black bow. Black?
"Who is that one for?" Dawn asked. Andrew picked it up.
"It says For William, From A Friend. Who's William?" I raised my hand. Andrew grinned sheepishly.
"Oh yeah. Right. I knew that. Um, here Spike." He handed me the package. I slowly unwrapped it, then opened the box. A blinding flash of light blinded the whole room.
"Bugger!" I yelled, being closest to the box and getting the brunt of the flash. I looked inside the box. There was a note.
"One Week. Use it well." I read aloud. I looked up at everyone.
"One week? One week what?" Willow asked. Xander blinked, rubbing his eye.
"One week before the spots go away?" he grabbed at imaginary spots. "Bad spots! Evil!"
"Hm. . .the light must have bestowed some kind of gift, like the box containing the remainder of Spike's essence." Giles said. I stared at him.
"No, really?" I said sarcastically. What can I say? I'm a never- ending Sarcasticist. (AN: Sar-Cass-Ti-Sist. One who practices the art of Sarcasm. I'm homeschooled. I make up words.)
We tried to figure out what the gift could have possibly been, but by the time the turkey was done cooking, there was no result. We all walked into the dining room. Buffy gasped as I walked down the hall with everyone else. I turned to look at her.
"What's wrong?" I asked curiously. She pointed behind me. I turned. There was a mirror hanging on the wall.
"Oh, look, I've got a loose curl." I pushed it back with the rest of my slicked-back hair. Then it hit me. I stared at the mirror. My reflection stared back. My reflection.
"Hey! I figured it out!" Xander cried. "The gift is Spike's reflection!" A slow grin spread across my face.
"I'll bet you anything. . ." I turned around and opened the front door. The sun was sparking on the deep, soft snow. I walked out into the sunlight. . .and didn't burn. I laughed.
"Yes!" I shouted, leaping into the air. "Look! I'm not burning!"
"Thank you Captain Obvious." Buffy teased, coming out to join me. The rest of her. . .my friends followed, uttering their amazement at my non- burning. I pranced around in the snow, then threw a snowball at Xander, who tried to return fire, but missed, hitting Dawn, who missed him and hit Buffy, who hit Giles, who hit Andrew, who hit Willow, who barraged everyone with a torrent of snow.
As the Snowball Fight raged on, I realized I was finally part of the group. This was my Christmas Wish. I was home for the holidays. And very happy.
Life. . .Un-life. . .was very good.
:. Third Person POV
Two figures watched the happy romp in the snow below. One was an old man, one was an old woman. They laughed.
"We did it again." The old man said. "Clara, you are absolutely brilliant."
"Nick, stop it. You did amazingly well on the vampire." The old woman replied.
"And it's so much fun in these costumes." The old man smiled, and his face changed to that of a young man with bright green eyes and blond hair. The woman laughed, changing into a young woman with long brown hair.
"It's always so funny how they picture you as some fat old man." She said. "You're always an old man and I'm a little girl forever. It was fun finally being old."
"Once again, we made all wishes come true. We've been doing it for years." Nicholas said.
"And we're good at it." Clara laughed.
"Ah, it is a Merry Christmas indeed." Nick replied. They laughed and kissed, floating back up to where they had come from, as Spike and Buffy kissed in the snow below.
:. The End
And so, with this all in mind, be happy for the joys given. For the magic of Christmas is for all to find, and for all to love. I hope this story has been enlightening and reassuring that yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. Oh. Um. I mean, reassuring that Wishes Can Come True. And not just for Vengeance.
Merry Christmas, all! See you after New Years, and I'm changing my name to Elven-Vamp Chloe, as that is my new favorite name. Chloe Adrian Lunar.
AN: This is IT! It's FINALLY over! I can relax! Hm? What? It's Christmas already?! GAH! MY TIME IS, LIKE, GONE!!!!!
Do enjoy.
:. Spike
I was awoken by a loud scream the next morning. My eyes flew open and I let out a surprised yell, falling off the couch onto the floor in a tangle of blankets. I looked up and Dawn screamed again. I yelled again in reply. And so it went for a few minutes, until Buffy came running down the stairs.
"What's going on?!" she cried, looking worried. Dawn pointed a finger at me.
"Buffy!" She yelled, but happily, I noticed. "It's Spike! Lookie, it's Spike!" Buffy nodded, grinning.
"Yep. It's Spike all right." She replied calmly. Dawn ran over and knelt beside me. She stared hard at my face. Then she pinched my arm.
"Ow! Watch it, Bit." I complained. Dawn threw her arms around my neck.
"It's okay." She told Buffy. "It's not the First." Then she sat back thoughtfully.
"Hm. . .maybe there is a Santa after all." She said. I laughed.
"Are you kidding me? I wouldn't be caught dead in a flying sleigh with some fat old bloke." I replied.
"You are dead." Dawn pointed out. I crossed my arms.
"I rest my case." I said happily. Dawn smiled at me, then turned to Buffy.
"You're mean." She said. Buffy's eyes widened.
"What?!" she cried. "Why?!"
"You knew about this." Dawn replied, pouting at her big sister. "And you didn't say a WORD about it."
"Sorry. I mean, you were asleep, and. . .well. . ." Buffy couldn't find the rest of her sentence.
"Merry Christmas!" I filled in for her. Dawn shrugged.
"Okay. I'll accept that. I figure if I ask how, it'll all go away anyway." She said. Then she turned to the Christmas tree. "Okay. Now, presents!"
"Dawnie, you know we have to wait for everyone else to get here. I'll fix breakfast." Buffy said. I stood up.
"Um, can I borrow your shower?" I asked uncertainly. Buffy giggled.
"Just have it back before the hot water runs out." She mock- warned. "First door on the left." She pointed up the stairs. I grinned my thanks and went up the stairs. I found the bathroom and shut the door. I showered, then pulled my black jeans back on. Then I turned to the empty mirror. I picked up a brush. I grinned, watching it float a moment, then began brushing all my hair back, using my fingers as eyes. This was a skill I had perfected over the years. I looked at the floating brush.
"Well, this is it." I told my 'reflection'. "Time to face the demon." And this time, I wasn't here to fight, I was here to make friends, or restore them. I'm not sure how my talent stood on that. I pulled my T- shirt on, then went downstairs. Buffy was setting a plate of pancakes on the table.
"Mmm. Smells good." I commented. Buffy smiled.
"See, that's what I like about you. You actually eat." She said. I walked over behind her and slid my arms around her waist.
"Unlike Gel-Boy, who is all Beverage Only." I agreed. Buffy leaned against me, laughing.
"Never give up a good chance to get Angel, do you?" she teased. I grinned.
"You know me, pet. I stick to my guns." I replied. Just then Dawn walked into the room.
"Ew? Get a room, why don't you!" she cried in disgust. Buffy and I laughed, letting go of each other and sorting out the pancakes. Buffy walked over and opened the microwave. She tossed me a bag of blood.
"Don't ask me where, or how. Just enjoy." She warned. I nodded.
"Right." I replied. I tore open the bag, dumping half the contents onto my pancakes, causing twin looks of disgust from Buffy and Dawn. The rest I poured into a mug.
"Thanks." I said, taking a big bite of the pancakes. Buffy turned to get the syrup.
"Creative, yet disgusting all at once." Dawn commented. Buffy looked over and grinned.
"And he's washing his own plate. I am *not* cleaning up blood. I get that enough with Slaying." She said. I shrugged.
"All right. Sure." I said with my mouth full, causing both girls to squirm.
The rest of breakfast and the cleaning up of the kitchen was spent telling the story to Dawn. Not because she asked, but because we wanted to find out what the other person saw, and their reactions. The girls ran upstairs to get dressed when they found they had only fifteen minutes until the Scoobies were scheduled to arrive.
I walked back into the livingroom and flopped onto the couch. I looked around again. I sat back, sighing happily. So far, so good. But the big test was coming up. I worried about how everyone else would react. Suddenly, the front door opened, causing me to jump a mile. Xander walked into the house, carrying gifts.
"Ho, ho, ho! Merry-" he stopped suddenly, spotting me. "OH MY GOD! BUFFY! BUFFY!" Willow bumped into him when he stopped, her dish of cheesy potatoes flying into the air. I sprinted forward to catch them in vain, seeing as Willow had stopped them with her magic, causing them to float. And that was the scene Buffy walked in on. Xander with a load of dropped gifts at his feet, Willow on the ground behind him, with one hand in the air, and me frozen in pre-dive stance. She looked at all of us kind of funny.
"Um. What's going on?" she asked. "If I really want to know." There was a pause. Then:
"Spike's back!" he said, turning to point at me, not realizing I was a foot behind him, thus poking me in the eye.
"Ow! Bloody hell, Harris. I like that eye." I grumbled.
"Yeah. Yeah. I knew that." Buffy replied. "I will explain everything when everyone else gets here." Xander stared at me for a minute, then shook his head and smiled.
"You really don't give up, do you?" he asked, but the remark didn't hold its usual sharpness. Willow rescued the flying potatoes and walked in.
"Hey, Spike. Um, we didn't get you anything." She said regretfully. "We didn't know you were coming. Heh, we didn't know you were alive." She grinned at me. I returned the grin.
"Yeah, I really didn't know either. But it's all right. I didn't get anyone else anything either." I replied.
Pretty soon, Andrew showed up. He went through the proper yelling sequence, except there were tears shed on his part, and way too much drama. When Giles arrived, no one was surprised wen the shouting began."
"Dear God! Spike! But how? Who? Why?" he stammered. I smirked as Xander counted off the most popular questions on his fingers.
Buffy, Dawn, and I explained everything, answered some questions, then carried on with the Christmas festivities.
The presents disappeared one by one. Finally, there was one left. It was wrapped in silver paper with a black bow. Black?
"Who is that one for?" Dawn asked. Andrew picked it up.
"It says For William, From A Friend. Who's William?" I raised my hand. Andrew grinned sheepishly.
"Oh yeah. Right. I knew that. Um, here Spike." He handed me the package. I slowly unwrapped it, then opened the box. A blinding flash of light blinded the whole room.
"Bugger!" I yelled, being closest to the box and getting the brunt of the flash. I looked inside the box. There was a note.
"One Week. Use it well." I read aloud. I looked up at everyone.
"One week? One week what?" Willow asked. Xander blinked, rubbing his eye.
"One week before the spots go away?" he grabbed at imaginary spots. "Bad spots! Evil!"
"Hm. . .the light must have bestowed some kind of gift, like the box containing the remainder of Spike's essence." Giles said. I stared at him.
"No, really?" I said sarcastically. What can I say? I'm a never- ending Sarcasticist. (AN: Sar-Cass-Ti-Sist. One who practices the art of Sarcasm. I'm homeschooled. I make up words.)
We tried to figure out what the gift could have possibly been, but by the time the turkey was done cooking, there was no result. We all walked into the dining room. Buffy gasped as I walked down the hall with everyone else. I turned to look at her.
"What's wrong?" I asked curiously. She pointed behind me. I turned. There was a mirror hanging on the wall.
"Oh, look, I've got a loose curl." I pushed it back with the rest of my slicked-back hair. Then it hit me. I stared at the mirror. My reflection stared back. My reflection.
"Hey! I figured it out!" Xander cried. "The gift is Spike's reflection!" A slow grin spread across my face.
"I'll bet you anything. . ." I turned around and opened the front door. The sun was sparking on the deep, soft snow. I walked out into the sunlight. . .and didn't burn. I laughed.
"Yes!" I shouted, leaping into the air. "Look! I'm not burning!"
"Thank you Captain Obvious." Buffy teased, coming out to join me. The rest of her. . .my friends followed, uttering their amazement at my non- burning. I pranced around in the snow, then threw a snowball at Xander, who tried to return fire, but missed, hitting Dawn, who missed him and hit Buffy, who hit Giles, who hit Andrew, who hit Willow, who barraged everyone with a torrent of snow.
As the Snowball Fight raged on, I realized I was finally part of the group. This was my Christmas Wish. I was home for the holidays. And very happy.
Life. . .Un-life. . .was very good.
:. Third Person POV
Two figures watched the happy romp in the snow below. One was an old man, one was an old woman. They laughed.
"We did it again." The old man said. "Clara, you are absolutely brilliant."
"Nick, stop it. You did amazingly well on the vampire." The old woman replied.
"And it's so much fun in these costumes." The old man smiled, and his face changed to that of a young man with bright green eyes and blond hair. The woman laughed, changing into a young woman with long brown hair.
"It's always so funny how they picture you as some fat old man." She said. "You're always an old man and I'm a little girl forever. It was fun finally being old."
"Once again, we made all wishes come true. We've been doing it for years." Nicholas said.
"And we're good at it." Clara laughed.
"Ah, it is a Merry Christmas indeed." Nick replied. They laughed and kissed, floating back up to where they had come from, as Spike and Buffy kissed in the snow below.
:. The End
And so, with this all in mind, be happy for the joys given. For the magic of Christmas is for all to find, and for all to love. I hope this story has been enlightening and reassuring that yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. Oh. Um. I mean, reassuring that Wishes Can Come True. And not just for Vengeance.
Merry Christmas, all! See you after New Years, and I'm changing my name to Elven-Vamp Chloe, as that is my new favorite name. Chloe Adrian Lunar.