-'Eye of the Beholder.'-
Pairings: a little angst for right now, something more substantial later.
A/N: This is the sequel to Enter Sandman and Sad But True. Xander must remember that spells don't work exactly right on him, where before they were annoying, now could be catastrophic.
A/N 2: God knows you can't write more unless you get reviews.
Disclaimers: I don't own anything relating to Buffy, Angel, or Metallica.
Timeframe: S2 AU "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered."
Dedicated to the ones you can't save, and to the ones you can.
///////////////////////////////////////////////
Xander rushed into his house and ran up the stairs.
'Crap, crap, crap, crap.'
He barged into his room and slammed the door behind him. He sat on the bed and sighed. Behind him, the covers stirred. Xander felt the mattress shift and turned to see and Willow sit up from under the covers wearing one of his shirts. Willow smiled seductively, "Sorry. I wanted to surprise you."
Xander jumped out of the bed in surprise and stares at her in shock. "Good job! Whoo, You got me there."
Willow pushed the covers up and crawled over to him. "Don't be so jumpy. I've been in your bed before."
Xander stammered. "Yeah, but Will, we were watching Care Bears and playing with Legos."
Willow blushed and moved closer. "Xander, I've been thinking."
Xander fidgeted. "Will, that's you you're a thinker. You, you're smart, I should know. I'm not smart. I am very, very, _VERY_ stupid, but I think I know what you've been thinking. But this is all, all my fault. I cast a spell, and it sort of backfired."
Willow rubbed the sheets. "How long have we known each-other?"
Xander became even more nervous. "A long, long time. Too long to do anything that might change that now. Once again, I have to stress the longness of this situation."
Willow moved to the edge of the bed and smiled up at him. "Well, friendships change all the time. People grow apart. They grow closer."
Xander took a step back. "Yep, they sure do. Hell, I feel very comfortable with this amount of closeness. In fact," he pointed behind himself, "I can even back up a little and still be happy." He took two more steps back and smiled nervously. "See?"
She got up from the bed and slowly approached him. Xander looked down and saw that his shirt was the only thing she's wearing. 'Oh God.'
He started to back up more when she reached him. She put her hands up against his chest. "Shhh. We both know it's right."
He backed into the door as she leaned into him for a kiss. Xander backed his head away. "It's not that I don't find you sexy."
Willow leaned away to look at him. "Is it Oz? Don't worry about him. He's sweet, but...he's not you."
She started to rubs his chest again. Xander held her hands up and grinned fanatically. "Yes, he is. And you should go to him. 'Cause he's me, and I'm him, we switched you see. Right now, I'm out there, you should go find me. I know I would find me."
She leaned up to the side of his face and started to kiss his earlobe, making all Xander speech come out in vowels. "Oaua uayyyu iieo"
Willow smiled and nestled into his neck. "Do you know how long I've wanted this Xander?"
Xander shook his head nervously and slowly started trying to pry the redhead off of him. "Noooo, can't say that I do. But probably since last night or so. That's when everyone else started wanting it."
Willow grinned evilly and hit him. "You know that I've wanted you since we were six. I can feel it. I can feel everything inside of you, but don't worry. I already knew you..." Willow's hand slowly started to reach downwards. "...inside, " Her hand hovered over his jeans button for a second. "...and out."
Xander sighed. He _had_ been having... some of those thoughts about Willow, but he knew that even if she really wanted it, it was still wrong. She leaned forward and started to nibble on his earlobe again. "I dreamt about you Xander. Every night since we were little, I wanted you. Sometimes I would just lie in bed fantasizing about being with you."
Xander found himself able to speak again. "I-I don't wanna use force."
Xander felt the cold chill spread through his body like lightning. She let go of his ear and leaned back to face him again with a feral smile on her face.
Willow growled as her eyes became an eerie yellow. "Mm. Force is okay!"
She leaned around and bit his ear, Xander screamed in pain and pushed her away. She stared at him in confusion.
Xander's eyes glowed yellow back. He felt the mate within Willow. It called to him. Xander felt her need in the back of him mind. He could smell it. Willow growled again and lunged at him. Xander caught her arms and threw her onto the bed. "That's it! This has gotta stop. It's time for me to..."
Willow started to lift up her shirt. Xander opened the door behind him and ran out. "...run away."
////////////////////////////////
Xander ran to the library. "GILES, GILES!!"
Giles walked out from his office and set his books down on the table. "Xander. What is it?"
Xander panted. "It, it's me... throwing myself at your mercy."
Giles took off his glasses and cleaned them. "What? Why?"
Xander sighed. "Well, several things. Remember the hyena?"
Giles took a step back. "Stay right here Xander. I-I just need to go back into my office."
Xander rolled his eyes. "Giles, I know you keep the spare tranq gun in the office, but it's not me," 'Well not _really_,' Xander reasoned, "all the girls in Sunnydale, they got the horny hyena running around in their head and they want to make me their bitch, in both or either ways."
Giles' jaw dropped. "What? The hyena?"
Xander nodded as he went back into the office. Giles shook his head and followed him. "I don't understand. The only way for the hyena spirit to inhabit anyone is through a series of intense rituals followed by a predatory act. And besides, the hyena spirit no longer resides in you."
Xander walked out of the office with the two tranquilizer guns and tossed one to Giles. "Nope, no its not. But is wanting to rip my clothes off and wanting to play sticky naked twister count as a predatory act?"
Giles caught the gun and looked it over. "Yes, I believe so, but they would still need some sort of connection and either a focusing location or object in order to transfer the spirit."
Xander checked the tranq gun. "What else would be considered a predatory act?"
Giles took off his glasses and cleaned them. "A, um defending your territory or mate, the umm _mating_ process, but even so, why would the girls be after you in the first place?"
Xander sighed. "I made a mess, Giles. See, after Cordy ripped out my heart and stomped on it, I found out that Amy's into witchcraft. I wanted to teach her a lesson, so I got Amy to do this little spell..."
Giles face darkened. "Amy?"
"Amy suggested the spell. She said that it wasn't tricky or anything."
Giles groaned. "A love spell?"
Xander laughed. "God no, I'm not that stupid. It was just something to make Cordy feel what I felt, but now every woman in Sunnydale wants to make me her cuddle monkey, which may sound really nice on paper, but see, it was an empathy spell."
Giles sighed and began looking for some books. "Well, if it _were_ still in you, a spell that enhances or simply uses some of your soul's excess energy could have an effect like what you are describing, but there are so many variables, I don't see how. It would still be a million to one chance that..."
He was interrupted when Ms. Calendar came into the library behind them and walked up to Giles. "Rupert, we need to talk. Hey, Xander. Nice shirt."
Giles gave Xander a look, while Jenny started to rub his shirt. "Look, Rupert, I know that you're angry at me, and I don't blame you, but I am not just gonna go away. I mean, I care far too much about you to..." She stopped and looked at Xander's arm. "Have you been working out?"
Xander looked back at Jenny and pushed her off. Her eyes glowed yellow. Xander turned back to Giles to explain further when he saw the librarian's eyes change amber behind his glasses. "Oh crap."
Giles growled and stepped toward Xander. "Jenny is mine."
Xander backed up a step. "Oh crap."
Giles grabbed Ms. Calendar and flung her over his shoulder and ran out of the library. Ms. Calendar squealed. "OH RUPERT!"
Xander looked at their retreating figures. "Oh...crap?"
Several seconds of silence elapsed as Xander stood alone in the library. "I don't know whether to be happy or very, very disturbed."
Xander shook his head and quickly moved to push the mobile card catalog in front of the doors in an attempt to keep people out. As he headed back toward the table Buffy pulled the door out and open and stepped in wearing only a short black raincoat that reached barely down to mid-thigh and black high heels. When Xander heard the door swing shut, he grabbed the tranq gun and spun around.
Buffy stood with one hand on the catalog and the other propped up on top of the theft detector. She smiled at him. "Alone at last."
Xander stared open-mouthed. "Jesus Buff, give me a stroke!"
Buffy started a sexy walk toward him and began to untie her belt. "Oh, I'm gonna give you much more than a little _stroke_."
Xander backed away, gesturing with his hands. "Buff, for the love of God, in the name of all that is holy, don't open that raincoat."
Buffy undid a button and leaned toward him. "Come on! It's a party! Aren't you gonna open your present?"
Xander kept backing toward the stairs nervously. "Yeah, well, it's my party and I can cry if I want to, but for crying out loud, please don't open that raincoat. It's not that I don't want to. Part of me does. Part of me really, really, _really_, does. So badly that I went through so much Kleenex that I decided to buy in bulk. But not now. Not like this. This isn't real to you."
Xander tripped over the first step and Buffy stepped up and put her leg over him. Xander swallowed nervously and shook his head. "You're only here because of a spell. I mean, if I thought you had one clue what it would mean to me...or what it would have meant to me... But you don't. So I can't."
Buffy got very upset, her eyes shimmering with amber fury. "So you're saying this is all a game?"
Xander replied shocked. "A game? What the hell are you talking about, does this _look_ like Monopoly to you?"
Buffy growled angrily. "You make me feel this way, and then you reject me? What am I, a toy?"
Xander felt himself get angry. "ME use YOU! Are we forgetting that whole dance at the Bronze to make you psycho undead killer boyfriend jealous?"
Xander felt the temperature in the room drop as he slowly walked towards her. "That's real funny. I am the fucking _doormat_ for the entire female population of Sunnydale. I KNOW what its like to be used and thrown away. And you think that I'm just a goddamned puppy dog, going to follow you around all damn day huh?"
He sighed and turned to walk out of the library. "I don't blame you Buffy, I forgave you a while ago, but just don't accuse me of _ever_ using anyone."
Buffy sprinted infront of him and kicked his legs out from under him. She crouched over his prone position and looked at him hungrily. "I know you want me, I can smell it."
Xander kicked her back onto the second level of the library. "Yeah, well Buff, I do want you, but I'd have to say that it's only as a friend. You know the whole 'friends only' deal."
The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he muttered looked into her eyes. Buffy's eyes glowed. She liked the anger, the forcefulness, and kissed him hungrily. Xander felt himself return the kiss. The unrequited lust filled his lungs. He felt the wanting when he first met her. He felt the waiting and uncertainty when he first asked her out. He felt the potential mate in her scream for him to take her. He felt the rejection, the hurt. He stopped and pushed Buffy off of him. Buffy growled and tried to kiss him again. Xander let the cold overtake him as he threw her into a stack of books. She got up and snarled at him. The amber in her eyes forced out all other color. "You _asshole_"
Amy walked into the library with glowing yellow eyes. "Get away from him. He's mine"
Buffy turned towards her. "Oh, I don't think so." She turned back to Xander. "Xander, tell her."
Xander was already halfway down the stairs. He picked up Amy, threw her over his shoulder and grabbed the tranq guns. Amy moaned in lust. "OH XANDER!"
Buffy screamed in anger. "ARRG XANDER!!!!!"
Pairings: a little angst for right now, something more substantial later.
A/N: This is the sequel to Enter Sandman and Sad But True. Xander must remember that spells don't work exactly right on him, where before they were annoying, now could be catastrophic.
A/N 2: God knows you can't write more unless you get reviews.
Disclaimers: I don't own anything relating to Buffy, Angel, or Metallica.
Timeframe: S2 AU "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered."
Dedicated to the ones you can't save, and to the ones you can.
///////////////////////////////////////////////
Xander rushed into his house and ran up the stairs.
'Crap, crap, crap, crap.'
He barged into his room and slammed the door behind him. He sat on the bed and sighed. Behind him, the covers stirred. Xander felt the mattress shift and turned to see and Willow sit up from under the covers wearing one of his shirts. Willow smiled seductively, "Sorry. I wanted to surprise you."
Xander jumped out of the bed in surprise and stares at her in shock. "Good job! Whoo, You got me there."
Willow pushed the covers up and crawled over to him. "Don't be so jumpy. I've been in your bed before."
Xander stammered. "Yeah, but Will, we were watching Care Bears and playing with Legos."
Willow blushed and moved closer. "Xander, I've been thinking."
Xander fidgeted. "Will, that's you you're a thinker. You, you're smart, I should know. I'm not smart. I am very, very, _VERY_ stupid, but I think I know what you've been thinking. But this is all, all my fault. I cast a spell, and it sort of backfired."
Willow rubbed the sheets. "How long have we known each-other?"
Xander became even more nervous. "A long, long time. Too long to do anything that might change that now. Once again, I have to stress the longness of this situation."
Willow moved to the edge of the bed and smiled up at him. "Well, friendships change all the time. People grow apart. They grow closer."
Xander took a step back. "Yep, they sure do. Hell, I feel very comfortable with this amount of closeness. In fact," he pointed behind himself, "I can even back up a little and still be happy." He took two more steps back and smiled nervously. "See?"
She got up from the bed and slowly approached him. Xander looked down and saw that his shirt was the only thing she's wearing. 'Oh God.'
He started to back up more when she reached him. She put her hands up against his chest. "Shhh. We both know it's right."
He backed into the door as she leaned into him for a kiss. Xander backed his head away. "It's not that I don't find you sexy."
Willow leaned away to look at him. "Is it Oz? Don't worry about him. He's sweet, but...he's not you."
She started to rubs his chest again. Xander held her hands up and grinned fanatically. "Yes, he is. And you should go to him. 'Cause he's me, and I'm him, we switched you see. Right now, I'm out there, you should go find me. I know I would find me."
She leaned up to the side of his face and started to kiss his earlobe, making all Xander speech come out in vowels. "Oaua uayyyu iieo"
Willow smiled and nestled into his neck. "Do you know how long I've wanted this Xander?"
Xander shook his head nervously and slowly started trying to pry the redhead off of him. "Noooo, can't say that I do. But probably since last night or so. That's when everyone else started wanting it."
Willow grinned evilly and hit him. "You know that I've wanted you since we were six. I can feel it. I can feel everything inside of you, but don't worry. I already knew you..." Willow's hand slowly started to reach downwards. "...inside, " Her hand hovered over his jeans button for a second. "...and out."
Xander sighed. He _had_ been having... some of those thoughts about Willow, but he knew that even if she really wanted it, it was still wrong. She leaned forward and started to nibble on his earlobe again. "I dreamt about you Xander. Every night since we were little, I wanted you. Sometimes I would just lie in bed fantasizing about being with you."
Xander found himself able to speak again. "I-I don't wanna use force."
Xander felt the cold chill spread through his body like lightning. She let go of his ear and leaned back to face him again with a feral smile on her face.
Willow growled as her eyes became an eerie yellow. "Mm. Force is okay!"
She leaned around and bit his ear, Xander screamed in pain and pushed her away. She stared at him in confusion.
Xander's eyes glowed yellow back. He felt the mate within Willow. It called to him. Xander felt her need in the back of him mind. He could smell it. Willow growled again and lunged at him. Xander caught her arms and threw her onto the bed. "That's it! This has gotta stop. It's time for me to..."
Willow started to lift up her shirt. Xander opened the door behind him and ran out. "...run away."
////////////////////////////////
Xander ran to the library. "GILES, GILES!!"
Giles walked out from his office and set his books down on the table. "Xander. What is it?"
Xander panted. "It, it's me... throwing myself at your mercy."
Giles took off his glasses and cleaned them. "What? Why?"
Xander sighed. "Well, several things. Remember the hyena?"
Giles took a step back. "Stay right here Xander. I-I just need to go back into my office."
Xander rolled his eyes. "Giles, I know you keep the spare tranq gun in the office, but it's not me," 'Well not _really_,' Xander reasoned, "all the girls in Sunnydale, they got the horny hyena running around in their head and they want to make me their bitch, in both or either ways."
Giles' jaw dropped. "What? The hyena?"
Xander nodded as he went back into the office. Giles shook his head and followed him. "I don't understand. The only way for the hyena spirit to inhabit anyone is through a series of intense rituals followed by a predatory act. And besides, the hyena spirit no longer resides in you."
Xander walked out of the office with the two tranquilizer guns and tossed one to Giles. "Nope, no its not. But is wanting to rip my clothes off and wanting to play sticky naked twister count as a predatory act?"
Giles caught the gun and looked it over. "Yes, I believe so, but they would still need some sort of connection and either a focusing location or object in order to transfer the spirit."
Xander checked the tranq gun. "What else would be considered a predatory act?"
Giles took off his glasses and cleaned them. "A, um defending your territory or mate, the umm _mating_ process, but even so, why would the girls be after you in the first place?"
Xander sighed. "I made a mess, Giles. See, after Cordy ripped out my heart and stomped on it, I found out that Amy's into witchcraft. I wanted to teach her a lesson, so I got Amy to do this little spell..."
Giles face darkened. "Amy?"
"Amy suggested the spell. She said that it wasn't tricky or anything."
Giles groaned. "A love spell?"
Xander laughed. "God no, I'm not that stupid. It was just something to make Cordy feel what I felt, but now every woman in Sunnydale wants to make me her cuddle monkey, which may sound really nice on paper, but see, it was an empathy spell."
Giles sighed and began looking for some books. "Well, if it _were_ still in you, a spell that enhances or simply uses some of your soul's excess energy could have an effect like what you are describing, but there are so many variables, I don't see how. It would still be a million to one chance that..."
He was interrupted when Ms. Calendar came into the library behind them and walked up to Giles. "Rupert, we need to talk. Hey, Xander. Nice shirt."
Giles gave Xander a look, while Jenny started to rub his shirt. "Look, Rupert, I know that you're angry at me, and I don't blame you, but I am not just gonna go away. I mean, I care far too much about you to..." She stopped and looked at Xander's arm. "Have you been working out?"
Xander looked back at Jenny and pushed her off. Her eyes glowed yellow. Xander turned back to Giles to explain further when he saw the librarian's eyes change amber behind his glasses. "Oh crap."
Giles growled and stepped toward Xander. "Jenny is mine."
Xander backed up a step. "Oh crap."
Giles grabbed Ms. Calendar and flung her over his shoulder and ran out of the library. Ms. Calendar squealed. "OH RUPERT!"
Xander looked at their retreating figures. "Oh...crap?"
Several seconds of silence elapsed as Xander stood alone in the library. "I don't know whether to be happy or very, very disturbed."
Xander shook his head and quickly moved to push the mobile card catalog in front of the doors in an attempt to keep people out. As he headed back toward the table Buffy pulled the door out and open and stepped in wearing only a short black raincoat that reached barely down to mid-thigh and black high heels. When Xander heard the door swing shut, he grabbed the tranq gun and spun around.
Buffy stood with one hand on the catalog and the other propped up on top of the theft detector. She smiled at him. "Alone at last."
Xander stared open-mouthed. "Jesus Buff, give me a stroke!"
Buffy started a sexy walk toward him and began to untie her belt. "Oh, I'm gonna give you much more than a little _stroke_."
Xander backed away, gesturing with his hands. "Buff, for the love of God, in the name of all that is holy, don't open that raincoat."
Buffy undid a button and leaned toward him. "Come on! It's a party! Aren't you gonna open your present?"
Xander kept backing toward the stairs nervously. "Yeah, well, it's my party and I can cry if I want to, but for crying out loud, please don't open that raincoat. It's not that I don't want to. Part of me does. Part of me really, really, _really_, does. So badly that I went through so much Kleenex that I decided to buy in bulk. But not now. Not like this. This isn't real to you."
Xander tripped over the first step and Buffy stepped up and put her leg over him. Xander swallowed nervously and shook his head. "You're only here because of a spell. I mean, if I thought you had one clue what it would mean to me...or what it would have meant to me... But you don't. So I can't."
Buffy got very upset, her eyes shimmering with amber fury. "So you're saying this is all a game?"
Xander replied shocked. "A game? What the hell are you talking about, does this _look_ like Monopoly to you?"
Buffy growled angrily. "You make me feel this way, and then you reject me? What am I, a toy?"
Xander felt himself get angry. "ME use YOU! Are we forgetting that whole dance at the Bronze to make you psycho undead killer boyfriend jealous?"
Xander felt the temperature in the room drop as he slowly walked towards her. "That's real funny. I am the fucking _doormat_ for the entire female population of Sunnydale. I KNOW what its like to be used and thrown away. And you think that I'm just a goddamned puppy dog, going to follow you around all damn day huh?"
He sighed and turned to walk out of the library. "I don't blame you Buffy, I forgave you a while ago, but just don't accuse me of _ever_ using anyone."
Buffy sprinted infront of him and kicked his legs out from under him. She crouched over his prone position and looked at him hungrily. "I know you want me, I can smell it."
Xander kicked her back onto the second level of the library. "Yeah, well Buff, I do want you, but I'd have to say that it's only as a friend. You know the whole 'friends only' deal."
The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he muttered looked into her eyes. Buffy's eyes glowed. She liked the anger, the forcefulness, and kissed him hungrily. Xander felt himself return the kiss. The unrequited lust filled his lungs. He felt the wanting when he first met her. He felt the waiting and uncertainty when he first asked her out. He felt the potential mate in her scream for him to take her. He felt the rejection, the hurt. He stopped and pushed Buffy off of him. Buffy growled and tried to kiss him again. Xander let the cold overtake him as he threw her into a stack of books. She got up and snarled at him. The amber in her eyes forced out all other color. "You _asshole_"
Amy walked into the library with glowing yellow eyes. "Get away from him. He's mine"
Buffy turned towards her. "Oh, I don't think so." She turned back to Xander. "Xander, tell her."
Xander was already halfway down the stairs. He picked up Amy, threw her over his shoulder and grabbed the tranq guns. Amy moaned in lust. "OH XANDER!"
Buffy screamed in anger. "ARRG XANDER!!!!!"