Author: Tohonomike Disclaimer: All characters belong to their rightful owners...it will start off with the Joss/ME characters, and any other characters or real-life folks are clearly not mine. NO money is involved. None are mine.
December 10th, 2000, 10 PM,
Wilkins Memorial Hospital
Xander entered Buffy's hospital room somewhat surprised to find her sitting up in bed, the doctor just leaving. Giles and Joyce were the only ones in the room, the rest of the group was had been spending the night at Xander's when they'd learned of an attack but had no further details.
"So, how are you Buffy?" the young mage asked with no little concern showing through., "What happened?"
"That's the strange thing," Buffy sighed., "I had just confronted this really weird vampire couple that didn't want to fight, the guy vamp even pulled out a gun on me and told me to stay away 'cause he didn't wanna hurt me."
"W-what then, Buffy?" Giles asked, placing a hand comfortingly on Joyce's.
"Then, like, these seven really mean-looking vamps came out of the dark, with their usual noise about killing a slayer Slayer. So I look back and see that the couple both have guns now, but are, like, just holding back but not looking happy. I start fighting the seven, and manage to dust three of 'em and hurt another one when I think one just threw a rock and hit me in the head. Next thing I know, I'm hearing a whole bunch of gunshots, the strange couple saying something about how uncool the others are to be picking on a girl, and not even one on one. Then the girl vamp complains about really hating guns. Next thing I know, I'm here and you guys are showing up."
At this point a nurse comes in and hands Buffy a note., "The couple that brought you in asked me to give that to you, or a stuffy British dude."
"Dear Slayer," Buffy read aloud after the nurse left., "Sorry we couldn't stay, but some times Watchers don't tell anybody about us. We don't kill people, we don't turn people, and we try not to let people get eaten while we're around. Good luck against the other vampires. Best wishes, the Snells."
"Good Lord, Happy and Day Snell…" Giles muttered in recognition.
"Well they might have been concerned-looking, but didn't really smell bad, just like they smoked too much pot," Buffy commented.
"No, Buffy, the Snells, not smells, are a rather unique pair of vampires. If I recall correctly, their turning being is a particularly odd moment in the history of the Aurelian line of vampires. William the Bloody, known as Spike, had drained Happy, then Happy's new wife, Day Da, after they'd dropped a cocktail of several types of drugs at Woodstock. The master vampire had then wandered off completely stoned, having only started to turn them, leaving the soul mates to be turned by yet another vampire named Lawson, on whom we have no records. For whatever reason, perhaps it was the psychotropic drugs, or the fact that two vampires turned them, but apparently their demons weren't prepared for either the drugs, or soulmates.
"Soul mates?" Buffy asked, thinking of Angel for a moment.
"Real ones, Buffy," the Watcher absently, "not like your affair with Angel. We've never been able to check on them to see what they really are. But we've never had any reason to believe they've turned or killed any people in the last thirty years."
"Vampires that don't hunt people and eat 'em?" Buffy asked., "Is that possible?"
"That's the mystery, of course," the Watcher continued., "Because on the four occasions when they were encountered by Slayers, the two twice shot the girls in self-defense, then barely got them to the hospital in time to save them, and left just short notes of introduction as you just read. Asking not to be hunted, as they do not hunt humans."
"And they're still around?" Buffy asked., "Why?"
"Because the other two times Slayers were trying to rescue children, and the Snells simply waded in to the vampires, berating the demons they killed as to how 'uncool' they were and uttering many other hippy-like characterizations. They helped save the children and the slayers Slayers before leaving town to avoid more conflict."
"So these two are good vampires, Rupert?" Joyce asked., "I find that hard to believe."
"I agree, but they seem to be uniquely pacifistic when it comes to humans."
"Drac mentioned them in one of his journals, I think he thought something like… the drugs and two souls suppressed the demons in each of them…kind of a variant on Angel. Think of it as a turning only half-way done, the demons likely have no minds left with which to fight anymore."
"So there's two more vampires with souls?"
"Not really Buff, more like two humans whose bodies have been vampirized: the souls never left, so the Snells are still with us, so to speak."
"So the demons are brain-dead from the drugs, so they never took control and butted the souls out? Weird."
"Indeed, but being hippies of that period, they have no real respect or trust for authority, or else the Council might have tried to hire them."
"So don't attack the gun-toting hippy vamps," Buffy considered., "Since they brought me here after dealing with the other vampires, I'm not going to complain."
December 15th, 2000
Castle Alexander, 5:30 PM
Giles and Joyce stepped into the kitchen to find Xander in a fancy silk robe and bat slippers, reading the LA papers and sipping red wine.
"Hi guys, this is a surprise., I thought everyone was taking the night off," the young man greeted them., "What brings you by?"
"Um, Buffy had a rather long lunch with us today," Giles began, causing Xander to show a more serious façade, "and as you suggested to her, it was a rather long talk."
"How is she?" he replied, causing Joyce to smile slightly.
"She's fine, Xander," the woman told him warmly., "We just wanted to discuss some of the same things with you, so we can understand it from both angles."
"Well, I have a kettle of tea that should still be hot, feel free to heat it back up and make tea, or help me finish this wine; it's an excellent vintage," he told them with a sigh, "though I believe Buffy should be here, too."
"No, she knows we'd be talking to you, Xander," Giles said as he set the kettle on the stove and found the makings., "And she also told us that you've placed any future relationship solely in her hands. Is that right correct?"
"Pretty much., as As I told her, I know what I want., I made that clear up in the mountains, and told her that she has to understand what she wants before giving me an answer."
Joyce looked concerned., "And if she decides not to pursue a relationship?"
"Then after we end Glorificus, I'll be around only as much as Angelus the first few months after you moved to the Hell Mouth. I'll be available for emergencies, and Giles and I can exchange reference materials."
"I thought you told her you'd still be friends?" Joyce interrupted, only to have Xander take back the conversation.
"Friends that care, yes," he replied., "But I'm going to be busy mastering my magic, buying and learning to run a construction and property investment company, and help the women staying with me to rebuild lives of their own. That doesn't leave much time for me to go to the Bronze and watch Buffy try and get involved with someone who isn't me."
"And if she does want to date you?"
"Then I'll continue to make her my main priority, help her to enjoy life, embrace who and what she is, to and find a path that includes all of that."
"W-ho and what she is?" Giles remarked, curious as to the possible answer.
"She needs to be Buffy and the Vampire Slayer, revel in both, and never give up on life."
"So, have you told her this?" Joyce pursued.
"Not so directly, because then I'd come across as forcing the issue or making her what I want her to be."
"In a perfect world, how would you want things to be between you?"
"Hmm, the way they were the weekend we were a couple," he sighed deeply with a sad smile., "Almost every good dream came true then. Then the 'other' her showed up and it was over."
"That must have been…crushing," Joyce sympathized, placing a comforting hand on Xander's forearm.
"Yeah, so I've already experienced the loss, Joyce," Xander smiled sadly., "And then I spent a couple of weeks learning magic and researching."
Giles had been quietly observing and noting Xander, really paying attention to nuance, realizing layers had existed to the boy even before Dracula's trip to Sunnydale.,
"Xander, what happened to Anya?"
"Almost three months have gone by and only now someone asks?" Xander smiled sadly., "The other Alexander Harris told her to leave town and tossed money at her. She left without even trying to argue. At least with her leaving me, should she ever become a vengeance demon again, I won't be a target because she abandoned me."
"Did you love her?" Joyce asked., "I ask because only a couple of weeks later, you're with Buffy."
"I cared about her, and probably could have felt more in time, but I've only loved two women before, Cordelia, and before her, Buffy."
"So why do you think you and…Slayer Buffy hit it off so well?"
"No unnatural competition, and she saw me do better then either of them."
"Unnatural?"
"Not dead, and not a steroid-abusing chip-boosted soldier, though I was starting to like Riley when all of this happened to me. Once he'd had time to…become human again, I didn't have to put up with my friends looking down on me when they'd even bother to notice. And yes, it was that bad. Giles didn't get it as much, but come on…
"Giles, how long would you have stayed if Dracula hadn't beat Buffy into realizing she'd lost her edge?" he turned to face the Englishman.
"I-I would have been gone by the end of October, seeing as I wasn't really needed. I had the opportunity to resume duties as a curator at the Museum."
Joyce gasped slightly in shock., "But why?"
"Like Alexander, I-I wasn't feeling particularly welcome or needed, but I think we're getting off topic. I believe Xander was telling us about his revived feelings for Buffy."
"Not exactly, Giles," Xander said as he poured himself a second full glass of wine., "But close enough. Let's see…she saw me besting vampires better than her former and current beaus, she told me she was breaking up with Riley, we discussed my plans for the weekend, and she very strongly invited herself along. That whole trip up there, we talked like adults, and the whole weekend we talked, hunted, fought evil at long odds and became the closest we've ever been, sharing secrets, and discussing the last few years openly. So I fell for her again, and then…you know the rest. She's the one with split issues, so she needs to decide what the recombined Buffy wants. I'm even learning to dress better, current choice in slippers aside."
Joyce smiled., "I like your slippers, Xander, they show you're still you in spite of the changes. But I do have one important question, how do I know you won't hurt my daughter like you did Cordelia?"
"Fair question…and the answer has many parts to it," Xander considered, nodding thoughtfully.
"Willow and I had a brief attraction, I don't know, about a week or so before the Band Candy incident." He watched as the two slightly blushed in embarrassment.
"Fact is, as Giles said, it only makes you an immature teenager again, your inhibitions are down and you act the way one would expect you to. I think, if not for the Band Candy, the one kiss in that warehouse would not have necessarily happened and I'd probably be with Cordelia in Los Angeles now, helping Angel fight evil," he said thoughtfully.
"My home life was the opposite of the ideal, and I spent two Christmases in a sleeping bag in my backyard after learning about vampires. I was in a depression;, no matter what I did or how many times I did the right thing, I caught crap. I went home, and I got…you get the idea. So, the candy abuse was what really boosted the Willow-attraction on my side; plus I'd expected Cordelia to eventually wise up and toss me to the curb. Band Candy for me was a wonder drug;, I felt happy and loved., after After that night, I kept my parents on that stuff for almost two months before it ran out two days before Christmas. I only hit it a few times after Cordelia and the entire Library clique abandoned me as the sole bad guy.
"But, on a happy note, my depression cleared up and since then I haven't needed artificial boosts to stay normal."
The two adults were silent, not expecting such revelations, and especially not one that labeled the candy as an abused substance. Joyce responded first.
"I don't know how to respond to that…" the woman told him as Giles returned with a replenished tray of tea and such.
"You don't have to respond at all, Joyce, you simply received a fuller answer is all," Xander told her, retiring the empty wine bottle and nodding when Giles held up a cup for tea.
"So you're saying it was the candy?"
"No, what I'm saying is that it was more like I was feeling so much better than before the candy, - like having a couple of drinks, but not being tipsy or drunk. And after years of crap…you bet I was eating it, especially since no one had pointed out a down side that applied to me. And as far as that one big passionate good-bye kiss for Willow…when we expected to be dead in the next few minutes or at most an hour? Nothing more had happened. Yet. Now that I'm saying this out loud, I did nothing wrong. So forgive my language Joyce, but…screw everyone's opinion. I can't believe I let all of them walk all over me like that; it must have been the coming down off the candy…huh, cool.
"So where's that leave us? I don't know, Joyce, Giles. I do know that as important as it is to the two of you, and that you'll offer an opinion or advice to Buffy if pressed, and that's fine with me, but it still comes down to the fact it's Buffy's decision to make."
