Untitled Document
"A Change Of Scenery"
A Buffy The Vampire Slayer/Dawson's Creek Crossover
Season Two - Episode One(Season Premiere) - "Sour Girl" or "My Girlfriend's Back"

Author's Notes: Long awaited, I'm sure. Hopefully it turned out okay, been having a heck of a lot of stuff getting in the way of it. If this is received well, I'll keep going... and I'll try to get more of Find Your Way Home done as well.

Shout-Outs: Krissy, for reading this stuff and giving me her opinion... Everybody who sent me feedback. I didn't get as much as I was hoping for, but at least I know people are reading.

Feedback: Would be a dream come true... would totally help me keep further parts from taking as long to come out.

*FADE TO: Dawson, still holding the sword, and Joey... flanked by a pair of brutish looking vamps.*

The vampires took a step forward, followed by a large step back. Joey was startled as a strong hand gripped the back of her neck, and a blade came to rest in front of her throat. Her head jerked sideways, albeit carefully, to see Dawson's grinning face, distorted and demonic. She weakly managed, "Dawson?"

Angelus laughed, "What did you expect? I'm his sire. He'd sooner drop himself on a stake than hurt *me!*" All that remained of Dawson seemed to fade away in that short few moments. Angelus turned back to Xander, pure joy swimming in his yellow eyes, "Y'see, Xander. I cover all my bases. If you don't want 'legs' back there to wind up a tortured Barbie doll, you'll just give up and let me kill you."

Xander's detached state began to crumble as he watched the scene behind him... A vampire Dawson holding a blade to Joey's throat. His resistance to despair melted, and his shoulders sagged. Angelus let out a triumphant laugh as he stepped forward, and grabbed Xander's throat firmly in his hand.

Joey struggled against Dawson's grip, but he only grabbed her tighter. Xander's eyes grew empty, as Angelus slowly squeezed the life out of him.

All hope seemed lost.

*FADE OUT*

*FADE BACK TO: Xander on the edge of passing out.*

Several, barely audible, whisps cut through the air, then quite audible howls of pain, followed by a cloud of dust that obscured everyone's vision.

Angelus dropped Xander from his grasp, stepping back. A figure was crouched on the stairs leading up, with a crossbow leveled for Angelus. The blonde head of hair gave the immediate impression that it was Buffy, the vampire slayer, but as the dust cleared, it obviously was not.

"Don't touch my man, fang face!" The blonde declared.

"Jen?" Xander coughed, harshly.

Angelus howled and stood up, "Who the hell are you?"

Jen smirked, "Just your friendly neighborhood Slayer... I'm afraid I haven't made your acquaintance."

Angelus glared at her, "I'm Ange..."

"It doesn't really matter who you are."

Joey decided she'd had enough of the damsel in distress act, and gave a strong kick backwards, between Dawson's legs. She connected with her target, and he fell to the ground howling, several octaves higher. The sword dropped from his grasp, but before it could fall to the ground, Joey grabbed it.

"Xander!" She declared, tossing it in his direction. Angelus made a grab for it, but the crossbow on Jen's wrist released. The bolt flew across the room, and struck Angelus in the shoulder, staggering him backwards.

Xander caught the sword, and immediately aimed it at Angelus. He cast a glance in Jen's direction, "You couldn't have just dusted him with that shot?"

She glared back at him, "I'm still working on my aim."

He shook his head, and looked at Angelus, "It appears I have you at a distinct disadvantage."

"You don't have the guts to kill me, Harris. Your life would be so much more boring without me."

"That's not good enough for me, Angelus. Try harder." He mocked.

Angelus tried his best to act cool, "Without me, who would Buffy have to come to and complain? Certainly not you... She'll toss you to the curb the first chance she has."

Xander rolled his eyes, "If you're trying to spare your afterlife, you're going to have to do better than that."

Angelus stiffened himself, directly challenging Xander's manhood, "Do it, Harris. You can't. You don't have the killing instinct."

Xander mockingly yawned, and lunged forward, driving the blade through Angelus' stomach. Inadvertently, he drove it back through the same hole it had come out from in Acathla. Angelus glanced down at the sword protruding from his midsection, and stared at Xander in disbelief, "I can't believe you did it..."

"Well, I'm not the same whipping boy you used to know." He wanted to add further comments, but the portal looming behind Angelus snapped closed, pulling the vampire in with it. They all stood there, dumbfounded, until Dawson and Pacey groaned simultaneously.

Joey went to look after Pacey, as Jen casual walked over and stood next to Xander. They exchanged a look as Dawson climbed to his feet. He looked at the two of them, before feigning innocence, "Xander? Jen? What are you two doing here?" He looked around, "Where am I?"

Xander shook his head, "I'm not buying it, Blonde Dead Boy. Playing innocent doesn't suit you."

He continued to try to act innocent, before growling and fleeing the scene. Joey came up, bearing a groggy Pacey on her shoulder. She noticed Dawson had fled, but asked no questions. As Xander ducked under Pacey's other arm, she asked, "So what do we do now, Commander Xander?"

Xander made a funny face at the name, but simply shook his head, "I don't know... I just want to go home and sleep."

They started helping Pacey up the stairs, Jen lagging behind. Xander threw in a final comment on their way out, "Fighting the forces of evil takes a lot out of you... I feel like I've been strangled to death."

**Buffy The Vampire Slayer / Dawson's Creek combined credits. Jack still included, and Jen returns to them, as well.*

*FADE TO: Xander, lying in bed, obviously asleep, the following morning.*

The alarm on his nightstand began blaring, its obnoxious and repetitive beep rousing him from his slumber. He sat up, bedmarks on one-half of his face, and slipped on some clothes in a half-daze.

He plodded down the stairs, passing by his early-risen aunt, to head straight for the kitchen and the coffee pot. He returned to the living room, taking a large sip from the freshly brewed mixture, "Morning, Aunt Edith."

"Good morning, Alex..." She looked like she wanted to say something.

Xander saw the look, "What? Don't you like my disheveled look this morning?"

She shook her head, "No, I simply thought you should know that you have company out on the porch." Xander looked at her blankly.

He set down his cup, and stepped out the front door. He glanced around for a moment, before catching sight of the blonde hair in the front porch rocking chair.

His expression was slightly disappointed, "Did you want something, Lindley?" He tried to sound as polite as he could.

"Don't sound so thrilled to see me." She stood up from her seat in the rocking chair, "I thought maybe we could walk to school together, like we used to do." She observed his state of dress, "Of course, you might want to take a minute to get dressed."

He looked down at himself self-consciously, but then shook his head, "School doesn't start for another hour... and it doesn't take that long to walk there."

She tried not to show the hurt she felt. Before, he would have jumped at the chance to walk with her. She shook it off, and got serious, "It does if you have a lot of explaining to do."

He thought about it for a second, then nodded, "I suppose it might." He sighed quietly, not noticeable enough for her to see, "Fine, fine... give me a few minutes to get ready, and we'll go."

*CUT TO: The two of them, walking down the sidewalk. Xander is now prepped for school, his hair in a more orderly manner. Jen is in the middle of her explanation.*

"...So, when I left, it was when I was called..."

Xander looked several shades of confused, "And why were you called?"

"Well, as it was explained to me... a Slayer must be near the Hellmouth at all times... if the Slayer leaves the town where it's located, a new one is immediately called to the area. I guess that was me."

"So when Buffy came looking for me, you got carted away to Sunnydale to replace her? What about when *you* left?"

"When I left, that Buffy girl had already returned... so I was off the hook. They just kept me around for a while to make sure things were safe."

Xander still didn't look any less confused, "If you've been a potential all this time... why did you not tell me when you found out about my Sunnydale connection?"

Jen frowned slightly, "I was sworn to secrecy ever since I was deemed a potential... if I told you, the Watcher's Guild would have me killed, or something equally as drastic..."

"If you were a potential, then who was the watcher training you?"

"Well, I actually had two Watchers... one to teach me about the supernatural, and one to train me in fighting."

Xander did a double take, "Train you in fighting? But you learned to fight from..."

Jen nodded, "Yes, it was the self-defense trainer."

"Who was the other Watcher?"

Jen laughed, "Is it any surprise? Grams. She's not my real grandmother..."

"She was your Watcher... well, I guess it isn't a surprise. I knew she reminded me of Giles for a reason." They were nearing the school, but neither noticed, "So did you bag any baddies?"

"I didn't have any real kills, because I was such a rookie... but I did have a tangle or two with this pair named Spike and Drusilla."

Xander's eyes flashed in recognition, but he just shrugged, betraying nothing, "Uhh... Never heard of them."

*CUT TO: Capeside High's front steps. Jen and Xander are arriving.*

As Xander reached to open the front door, it came swinging open on its own. A voice blared through as two people came out, "I'm telling you, Pace... he wasn't at home. He might be in trou..."

Joey's voice cut off as she saw Jen and Xander standing there. A look was exchanged between the four of them, before Joey broke it and headed back inside.

Xander immediately pushed past Pacey, but as Jen tried to follow, Pacey blocked her way, "Don't, Jen... its best if you just leave them be for now."

She gave him a very menacing glare, but he didn't back down.

*CUT TO: Xander chasing after an upset looking Joey.*

"Joey! JOEY! Stop!" He finally caught up to her, lighting grabbing her arm.

She turned around, and her watering eyes made him hurt. She spoke shakily, "What do you want, Xander? To rub it in? Because you seem pretty cozy with her again, and I just don't want to get involved in a mirror image of the last triangle."

He looked at her seriously, "She was on my porch this morning... and the only reason I even walked to school with her was because she promised to explain just what the heck she was doing back in town."

She still looked stubborn, "I don't see why there has to be an issue here. Your girlfriend is back in town, so I have no business wedging myself in the middle."

Xander stopped her second attempt to get away, "No, Jo. She doesn't win by default." He sighed, "Yes, I admit that I'm the confused one now, and the decision is now in my hands. But just because she comes waltzing back into town after months, doesn't mean I'm just going to hop back into it with her. I'm not that kind of coward, Jo."

Joey was fighting hard to keep her composure. He saw that she needed a tension breaker, and threw out, "I'm gonna make you two fight for me... boxing gloves and all." He smiled, and it seemed contagious, as she cracked a weak one too.

Jen and Pacey arrived moments later, with Jen looking not-to-pleased with what she had seen of their exchange. The warning bell rang, and Pacey broke the momentary tension by speaking to Jen, "Hey, Jen... I think you should probably get to the office and work out your situation... It'd probably make attending a lot easier." She reluctantly departed towards the office.

At the same time, Joey bid them goodbye and headed towards her first hour class. Pacey looked after both of them, as did Xander. Xander sighed loudly, "Sometimes hell doesn't have to involve demons or destruction."

*Commercial break*

*FADE TO: Pacey and Xander in study hall. The teacher was letting them 'study' together, despite it being obvious they did anything but.*

Xander looked distraught, and Pacey tried to snap him out of it, "Man, you've gotta wake up and smell the lip balm. You've got two, very desirable, women on your tail. I see it as a win-win situation..."

Xander raised an eyebrow at him, "Oh yeah, if you consider the winning side as someone getting hurt." He absently drew things in his notebook, "I can already tell

I'm going to screw this up. I'll pick one of them, forcing the one I don't to hate me. Then I'll realize I made a mistake, and the one I *do* choose will want me dead."

Pacey thought it over, "Okay, I see your point. But you can't blame yourself if something goes wrong. When it comes down to it, and you look beyond the surface details... I guess its really a lose-lose situation." He reached over, putting his own writing utensil against the page of Xander's notebook, and drew an upside-down smiley face. Or at least it was upside-down to him, it was perfectly normal from Xander's perspective, except maybe for the slant of the mouth. Pacey slumped back in his seat, "But one thing I know for sure, is that you can't avoid it. No mystery option C."

Xander sighed loudly, almost alerting the teacher, "When did my life turn into one of those cheesy teen dramas? I'm scared that next week I'll be facing the elusive and controversial sex issue."

"Isn't that a little fast?" Pacey smirked, "Even for me, that's fast." He dodged the menacing glare shot his way, "Relax, man... at least you aren't in one of those creepy teen horror drama shows." They both laughed, "Sammy the Vampire Killer... that would be a really lame TV show." Pacey suddenly turned into super serious man, looking Xander straight in the eyes, "Just sit down, and think about which of them you'd rather be with... then which one couldn't stand having mad at you more. If that doesn't help you... then there's always that bubble gum word game."

Xander didn't crack a smile, simply looked thoughtful, as he spoke, "Ahh, old reliable." He finally decided to start working, as did Pacey.

*CUT TO: Lunchtime. Pacey, Joey, and Xander's usual table in the cafeteria. Pacey is by himself, munching on lukewarm fries, as Joey approaches.*

She looked around, "Where's..."

"Xander?" She nodded, "He decided it'd be a bit tense here at lunch... y'know, with you and potentially Jen on the scene... so he decided to strike the contemplative somewhere on campus. He's acknowledging the fact he's got a lot of thinking to do."

She nodded again wordlessly and sat down. Her alleged Salisbury steak looked none too appetizing. She'd really only gotten it so she'd have an excuse to be in the lunchroom. For her, it was this, or hide in the bathroom and cry. She preferred the more dignified 'stand and take it' tactic.

Pacey took heed of her silence, "So, what do you think you're chances are?"

She nearly gasped at his brashness. He hadn't even bothered to look up from his lunch as he queried. She was immediately at a loss for words, "I... I..."

He tried not to look *too* serious as he looked her in the eyes, "As I see it... you and Jen are fighting a good 50-50 at the moment. She's got the advantages of being his previous girlfriend... but at the same time, she's been away for months... giving you time to get close to him."

She looked sad, "What do you think my chances really are, Pacey?"

He slung an arm over her shoulder, "I'd pick you, Jo. In a heartbeat."

She smiled warmly, before barbing, "Awww, too bad I'm above dating slime." She quickly shoved his arm off and returned to quietly eating her lunch.

*CUT TO: The jail. Jack is sitting in his cell, talking to Doug who is on the outside.*

"Am I going to have to stay in here forever?" He asked.

"Until I get word from my little brother and his friends, you're to remain in here, sorry." Doug responded.

"I can't even get out on good behavior?" He smirked, "The toilet in here is unsettling... I'm dying to wash a fire hydrant here!"

Doug didn't laugh, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say my brother was rubbing off on you."

"I hardly know him." Jack said quietly.

Doug had the faintest of smiles, "Consider yourself lucky." He got up off his chair and headed for the front.

Jack grumbled lightly, "Great. Pacey had to have Dudley Doright for an older brother."

*CUT TO: Pacey relaxing with Xander on his front porch.*

"C'mon, man... you need to cut loose for a night. Let some of the pressure off yourself." Pacey declared. Xander was too deep in thought to hear him. Pacey got up and physically shook him, "Hey, hey, X... you gotta snap out of it!"

"If you slap me, I'll kick your ass." Xander replied calmly.

"I wouldn't dream of it." Pacey smirked, blatantly admitting he was going to.

"Look, can we skip the inane psycho-babble for today? My head is ready to blow up and I'm afraid that'll put me over the edge."

"Alright, alright, but..."

Xander glared, "Could you stop treating me like I'm made of glass already?" He growled, standing up. Pacey looked shameful, as Xander paced, "Y'know what? Screw all this angst and over-analyzation."

Pacey cocked his head, "Huh?"

Xander headed off the steps of the front porch, "I'm making a decision." He had a surprising skip in his step, "I'll catch you later at the Icehouse, okay?"

Pacey stood up and leaned on the railing as Xander broke into a run. He was completely caught off-guard by Xander's change in attitude. He was startled when the front door opened and Aunt Edith came out with a tray full of lemonade and cookies, "Where did Alex go?"

Pacey was still dumbfounded, "I don't have a clue, Mrs. Bachman, not a single clue."

*CUT TO: A camera-view facing out(from a front door) at Xander. He's standing there impatiently, waiting.*

The door opened, and Xander's face lit up. He spoke immediately, "Don't say anything... I just, wanted to get his all over with, y'know? I don't want all our lives to become this weird soap opera, who loves who, and all that... I've been through enough these past months. And I don't want to go leading you on any further." He fidgeted nervously, "So I'm gonna say this the only way I can think how..."

He stepped forward, out of view. Silence followed momentarily, before kissy noises became barely audible. He stepped back into view, a foolish grin on his face.

"I've been waiting way too long to do that..." He grabbed 'her' hand and pulled at it, "C'mon, we have to go meet up with Pacey to tell him the good news."

'She' seemed reluctant, but he reassured her, "C'mon... it'll be alright, I promise. I want to go shout it from the heavens, and all that romantic stuff." He smirked and began pulling her along.

*CUT TO: The Icehouse. Pacey is sitting at the counter, looking around impatiently.*

Bessie walked by, cleaning up after another patron, and Pacey caught her attention, "Hey, Bes, any idea when Joey's coming in?"

Bessie stopped what she was doing and looked at Pacey questioningly, "Well, she's supposed to come in at 8... why Pacey?"

He shrugged, "Just curious... hoping maybe I could get the inside track on a big happening in our little circle of friends."

Bessie smiled faintly, "Has Xander made a decision yet?"

He cracked his own smile, "That's what I'm out to find out. He went all, Streetcar Named Desire this afternoon, running down the street to god knows where... something he said lead me to believe he went off to take matters into his own hands. And I'm here, waiting, for his final answer... so to speak."

"Well I'm glad to hear its all finally going to be over with. Joey has been miserable ever since Jen came back... and some closure would definitely do her good." Bessie intoned.

Mere seconds later, Xander came casually strolling into the building, a devilish grin covering his face. He strolled up, hands in his pockets, like it was any other day. The looks on their faces told them immediately not to beat around the bush, so he just nodded and smiled some more, "I did it."
Pacey smiled back, "That's great... now who?"

Xander just shook his head. The door opened again behind him, and Joey entered the restaurant. Contrary to their expectations, she did not look happy. In fact, she looked downright pissed.

As she walked by, they exchanged a less-than-friendly glance. She stormed past, into the kitchen behind. She came out a few moments later, and proceeded to go around and wash her tables grumpily.

Pacey and Bessie simply stared at Xander in disbelief. Xander just hung his head in shame. Bessie's face curled in disgust and she threw her own rag down, whispering harshly, "You bastard."

Pacey proceeded to babble, "You mean... You... I see... Huh? What the hell happened, man?"

Xander sighed, "Look, I just..."

He was interrupted as Joey stalked over. She looked at him with the most blood-curdling stare either of them had ever seen. Her voice was shaky, "How could you?" She cried quietly, "How could you lie to me like that? You said I had a chance. You didn't mean it. You liar!" She let the last bit out in a near scream, which would have startled the patrons if there had been any at the time.

Bessie came back out into the dining room as Xander continued to hang his head. She was ready to bitch Xander out for his actions.

Joey looked at her hand for a moment, then drew it back and swung deliberately. The hand came with in a few inches of his Xander's face, before he snatched it delicately and proceeded to spin Joey around in a common dance twirl. She spun in a circle one time, returning face-to-face with Xander, and gave him a big, showy kiss.

They turned at the two stunned onlookers with wide, devilish grins, before taking a bow and shaking each other's hands. Pacey stuttered, "Y-y-you... wha? H-huh?"
Xander smiled some more, "Thank you for attending the first annual Potter-Harris Theatrical Society Presentation. Your reactions were enough to keep us running for at least another year."

Joey grinned deviously, "We had you guys going soooo bad."

Bessie was speechlessly, Pacey wasn't much better, "So you guys? Xander, he...?"

Joey slipped her arm around Xander's waist and just smiled, "We were on our way here, ready to tell you like normal people. Xander thought it would be fun if we put on a little show to make you think one way even though it was another." She gave him a peck for his good thinking, "Boy, was he right!"

Clapping could be heard behind them, they all turned to see Jen standing there, "Yeah, about as fun as a hole in the head." She shook her head for a short second before backing out the door into the night.

Joey and Xander exchanged a look, but Xander remained where he was, which made Joey lean into him and sigh happily. Bessie had finally calmed down and decided to go back to work.

Pacey stood up, walking up to them with a slight smile, "Congrats, guys. Great to see it finally worked out." He looked at the door behind them, where Jen had been, "I think maybe I should go work damage control... That cool?" They both nodded, and Pacey exited.

*CUT TO: Jen, quietly patrolling the Capeside Memorial Cemetery. She's looking quite solemn.*

She paced back and forth near a particular headstone. "Come on, already. I know you're in there," She cursed. The dirt refused to move. She growled audibly and kicked at the headstone. She continued to mope as she plopped down on the ground next to the grave.

"Should I have brought a shovel with me? I'm still kind of new at this gig."

Jen jumped up from her spot, ready to fight, until she saw who made the joke, "Pacey? What are you doing here?"

"I figured I'd come help you patrol. Uh, Xander says helping hands are a life saver in this business."

She just nodded and resumed her spot on the ground, "Capeside is nowhere near as active as Sunnydale. I mean, I had a better haul in that basement. This guy is the only suspicious death this week."

Pacey frowned as he took the spot on the other side of the grave, "Sorry we aren't a Hellhouse... or a Hellmount... or whatever it is. I like the peace and quiet, really." He gave her a look, "Cut the cool act... I know it's bothering, I can tell."

"Ever the observant one, eh, Pace?" He glared at her, and she sobered, "Its just tough dealing with, okay? I came back all this way, and things are so different. I was hoping I meant enough to him that he'd wait."

"You meant something to him... I mean, he felt he had a choice to make, right? That's gotta mean something. If you meant nothing to him, you wouldn't even be sitting here whining about it. He'd probably have gotten with Joey a long time ago."

Out of nowhere, a pair of arms shot up through the ground between them. A head popped up after it, looking around at the world around it. Within seconds, Jen pulled out a stake and delivered a killing shot to the newborn vampire, and he erupted in a cloud of dust covering the both of them.

Without skipping a beat, she spoke, "But it still stinks, okay?" She sighed as she dusted herself off, "I don't deal with rejection well."

Pacey frowned, "Then I guess that whole Slayer power thing is an added bonus for ex-boyfriends."

"I'm not psycho, Pacey. I just..." She suddenly got self-conscious, "I don't want to talk about it right now."

Pacey continued frowning, but nodded, "You know where I live, Lindley." He laughed quietly, "Please don't let that come back to haunt me." He got up and walked away silently.

After he was gone, Jen let out a visible sigh, "Sometimes, life completely sucks."

*FADE OUT*