Title: Faces (2/3)
Author: Bert
Rating:Â PG13
Summary: Sequel to Voices...read it first.
Whistling tunelessly Spike stepped into the Magic Shop. "Evening all," he waved cheerily earning him a dark look from Buffy. Ignoring the others he started browsing the shelves, carefully pocketing several items when he thought no one was looking.
"Where is he?" demanded Anya as she stormed into the shop.
"Who?"
"Well Xander of course" she gave him a look normally reserved for slime- moulds. "I can't find him anywhere, have you seen him?" she asked.
"Er no" Giles said rapidly, "Buffy? Willow?" he asked quickly, neatly deflecting her attention onto the two girls and away from him.
Buffy shook her head in negation as Willow spoke up, "Not since yesterday" she replied. She turned to where the vampire was going over some items on the shelves. "Have you seen him Spike?" she asked. Getting no response from the vampire she raised her voice and called his name again, "Spike!"
Looking up startled Spike quickly put the crystal orb back where it came from, "I was just looking" he said defensively, "I wasn't going to steal it."
"Xander" repeated Willow, "have you seen Xander?" she elucidated each word slowly.
Spike felt his blood run cold, damn they know, he told himself. "Xander who?" he asked playing dumb.
The girls shared a look, "you know, Xander, our friend?"
Spike blinked and rapidly thought, "oh him" he shrugged as if to dismiss the matter, "he was here a minute ago."
"No he wasn't."
"Sure he was" argued Spike, "he must have just stepped out for a moment, that's all"
"He was not here" repeated Buffy.
Spike glared at her, "yes he was."
"He wasn't."
"Who wasn't?"
"Xander."
"Xander who?" shot back Spike hopefully.
Buffy let out a scream of frustration, "somebody get me a stake, I want to kill him."
"That's great" Spike threw his hands up in disgust, "as soon as something goes wrong you go and turn on innocent old Spike. I'm not his guard dog you know, just because he decides to go and bleed to death on my floor does not make it my fault." He stopped and paled even further when he realised what he just said, "do you want a shag?" he asked quickly trying to distract them.
"What?"
"A shag" repeated Spike thrusting his hips, "want a quickie?" he leered at Buffy's breasts and licked his lips suggestively. "The others won't mind, hell they can even watch us if they want, you know get the ol' blood pumping."
Buffy said nothing for a moment, just stood there staring at him as her face turned an interesting shade of red, "you're sick," she said, he voice dripping with disgust.
"Fine. Be that way, if that's the way you want it I'll just get my stuff and leave." With that Spike grabbed several other items he had marked and stormed out of the shop.
Giles watched as the door closed behind the vampire before speaking up, "did he pay for those?" he asked,
Spike slowed down when he saw someone lurking in the shadows near his crypt, "who's there?"
Buffy stepped out into the light and calmly walked towards him, "it's only me."Â She smiled sweetly up at him before punching him in the face.
"Ow, what was that for?"
Buffy ignored the question and hit him again, "I kept wondering" she said aloud, "as to why a vampire would steal the necessary ingredients to perform the restoration spell."Â Whack, "then I realised that it would be easier to just beat it out of him."
"I didn't do it," Spike tried to block her attacks.
"Do what?" Buffy asked throwing him to the ground, "turn Xander?" she asked putting her foot over his throat. Buffy saw his reaction and finally understood, "that's it isn't it? You're planning on cursing him."
Spike nodded, unable to speak as Buffy slowly increased the pressure.
"Where is he?"
Spike glanced over to his crypt.
Buffy followed his gaze, "in there?"Â She pulled the vampire to his feet, "Show me."
Spike looked down at Buffy, "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked, "he's not what you'd expect."
"I'm sure."
He opened the door and slowly led Buffy into the room, "Xander? You have a visitor"
Buffy's eyes slowly adjusted to the dimly lit room, she finally saw Xander sitting crossed legged on the floor, his expression almost Zen like as he sat there looking up at them.
"Oh dear God no" Buffy gasped taking a few steps back, she thought she was ready but nothing prepared to see him.
Xander smiled, "Oh dear God yes" he mimicked, he slowly unwound his limbs and stood up, "you brought her" he turned to Spike awaiting his explanation.
"She came, you saw and now we're going."
"Leave us"
Spike's eyes bugged out, "you can't be serious, the first chance she gets and you're dust."
A lop sided grin appeared on his face, "she can't stake me, I'm Xander."
"It's ok" Buffy sounded subdued.
"I don't believe this" Spike shouted, "he's a vampire, a killer. What's to stop him from ripping out your throat?"
Buffy shared a look with Xander and a similar smile appeared on her face, "he won't harm me, he's Xander."
Spike looked from one to the other, there was something going on between these two and he wasn't sure if he liked it. "Fine" he growled, "if either of you die don't come crying to me about it." With that he stormed out of the room slamming the door behind him.
He stood there rock still, just simply gazing at her, his innocent brown eyes piercing into the very core of her being, "you are afraid." He said, before Buffy could deny it he continued with the quote, "and fear leads to hate. Hate leads to anger and therein lies the path to the dark side." Then he smirked at her, "too late."
Buffy looked Xander up and down, taking in the differences about him, "I'm so sorry" she started.
Xander held up a hand to her, "don't be. I rather like it." He was silent for a moment then suddenly blurted out three words she never expected to hear form his mouth, "I love you."
Buffy start to have a choking fit, "What?" she asked.
"I love you," he repeated, "or rather the previous occupant of this body did. He's had the wildest dreams about you that you wouldn't believe and since I've inherited everything that he was, I love you." He cocked his head to one side a studied her for a moment, "but then you already knew that didn't you?" He didn't give her a chance to reply, "you knew" he reiterated with sudden clarity, "you knew the effect you had on him and you used it to your advantage. A secret smile here, a pout there, a longing look or two, you loved the power you had over him. Well it won't work with me, I'm better than him."
Buffy couldn't believe that this... this... vampire was mocking her with this, "you're nothing compared to him."
He studied her for a moment then sighed, "Maybe not, but I'm all you've got. Still, it had to be said before you do it."
"Do what?"
"Why curse me of course. That is why you're here isn't it?" he asked, "have a quick peek at the freak before you lock him away forever up here," he tapped the side of his head. "Well it won't work, I'll always be there. I've tasted freedom, not having to hide behind the facade of humanity and so will have Xander. Nothing you do can destroy that. Nothing!"
Buffy just looked on at him, a bored expression on her face, "very eloquent." She said sarcastically, "now why did you want to see me?" she asked tapping her foot.
He raised his eyebrows in surprise, "why to dance of course" he said stretching out his hand to her. "Would mademoiselle care to take a dance with her death?" he asked. He waited a moment before started to waltz by himself, his arms out stretched with an imaginary partner. "La la de da de da."
Buffy watched as he softly hummed to himself as he danced around the room, on occasions breezing past before continuing on. On one such encounter and without warning he reached out and pulled her into the dance.
Buffy laughed and shook her head dejectedly. For some strange reason she was enjoying the unreality of the whole situation. Xander grinned down at her sharing the joy, when she laughed he caught a glimpse of just what Xander saw in her, this moment would be his gift to him. "So tell me, how does immortality sound?"
Buffy tried to stop but was easily still being carried by him as he moved, "I think it sucks"
Xander grinned, "oh no, I suck. Destiny is such a fickle thing, tick follows tock before the sun doth crow." He stopped pinning her against the wall, "today you live" he held out his right hand, "tomorrow you die" he held out his left. Then he closed the right, "why not die now? Save time, times a fleeting as the horsemen approach." He stopped and bent lower, gently breathing in her scent, "you smell nice." He quickly kissed her on the cheek, "Better to die by one you want than one you don't." Buffy shivered as he caressed the old bite marks on her neck with his finger tips, "you already know just how good I can make it feel," he looked deep into her eyes, "you shall be my first, I promise." He moved to kiss her again on the lips.
"Get away from me" Buffy roughly pushed him away. She looked at him sitting on the floor for a moment before calmly walking towards the door. "Goodbye Xander" without turning around she reached for the door handle when he called out to her to stop.
"There's a hole in your mind, dear Liza" he sang.
Buffy turned to face him, "What?" she asked.
"There's a hole in your mind, dear Liza, dear Liza. There's a whole in your mind, dear Liza, a hole."
"What are you talking about?" she stopped when she saw his expression and decided to play his little game, "Well fix it dear Xander, dear Xander, dear Xander, well fix it, dear Xander, well fix it."
"With what shall I fix it? Dear Liza, dear Liza. With what shall I fix it, dear Liza with what?"
On the other side of the door Spike pressed his ear closer against the wood listening to them, "damn," he muttered, "now they're singing together. Next they'll be boinking each other senseless under my roof."
Â
Buffy stopped, her mind frantically working in overdrive trying to remember what the next line of the song was. Softly she repeated the first verse to herself under her breath as she tried to remember. Still not moving from the floor Xander looked up at her and grinned, "Spike" she shouted out getting desperate.
"Fix it with a spike?" Xander asked confused.
"No, wait a minute. Spike!" she shouted out again.
"A minute, such a strange thing. Just a minute can last forever yet an hour is never long enough. Tell me Buffy just how long will your last heartbeat take?"
"Straw" Spike interrupted entering the room, "the next line is straw"
Buffy sang out quickly cutting off his ramblings, "With straw, dear Xander dear Xander, dear Xander. Fix it with straw, dear Xander, dear Xander, with Straw"
Xander laughed, "Clutching at straws more like. Very well..." he quirked an eyebrow and looked directly at them, "The straw is too long, DEAR Liza." He emphasised the word just to annoy Spike.
"Well cut it, dear Xander..." continued Buffy.
"With what shall I cut it, dear Liza, dear Liza?", he looked keenly at her, "with what shall I cut, dear Liza, with what?"
"With an axe, dear Xander..." her voice trailed off at the look of triumph on his face.
"Wherein lies the answer my friends."
"An Axe?" Buffy shouted, "all that and the answer is an axe?"
"A headless chicken still runs but soon falls over dead."
"What are you saying?"
"If you go looking then you'll just make it easier for them."
"Who?"
Xander laughed, "you don't expect it to be that easy do you? If you're lucky I'll get to you first."
Saying nothing Buffy calmly walked out of the room, quickly followed by Spike who quickly locked the door behind him. Buffy stared at the door in silence for a moment before turning to the vampire, "do it" she said her gaze not wavering, "cast the spell Spike." She commanded before going out to hunt in the night.
Author: Bert
Rating:Â PG13
Summary: Sequel to Voices...read it first.
Whistling tunelessly Spike stepped into the Magic Shop. "Evening all," he waved cheerily earning him a dark look from Buffy. Ignoring the others he started browsing the shelves, carefully pocketing several items when he thought no one was looking.
"Where is he?" demanded Anya as she stormed into the shop.
"Who?"
"Well Xander of course" she gave him a look normally reserved for slime- moulds. "I can't find him anywhere, have you seen him?" she asked.
"Er no" Giles said rapidly, "Buffy? Willow?" he asked quickly, neatly deflecting her attention onto the two girls and away from him.
Buffy shook her head in negation as Willow spoke up, "Not since yesterday" she replied. She turned to where the vampire was going over some items on the shelves. "Have you seen him Spike?" she asked. Getting no response from the vampire she raised her voice and called his name again, "Spike!"
Looking up startled Spike quickly put the crystal orb back where it came from, "I was just looking" he said defensively, "I wasn't going to steal it."
"Xander" repeated Willow, "have you seen Xander?" she elucidated each word slowly.
Spike felt his blood run cold, damn they know, he told himself. "Xander who?" he asked playing dumb.
The girls shared a look, "you know, Xander, our friend?"
Spike blinked and rapidly thought, "oh him" he shrugged as if to dismiss the matter, "he was here a minute ago."
"No he wasn't."
"Sure he was" argued Spike, "he must have just stepped out for a moment, that's all"
"He was not here" repeated Buffy.
Spike glared at her, "yes he was."
"He wasn't."
"Who wasn't?"
"Xander."
"Xander who?" shot back Spike hopefully.
Buffy let out a scream of frustration, "somebody get me a stake, I want to kill him."
"That's great" Spike threw his hands up in disgust, "as soon as something goes wrong you go and turn on innocent old Spike. I'm not his guard dog you know, just because he decides to go and bleed to death on my floor does not make it my fault." He stopped and paled even further when he realised what he just said, "do you want a shag?" he asked quickly trying to distract them.
"What?"
"A shag" repeated Spike thrusting his hips, "want a quickie?" he leered at Buffy's breasts and licked his lips suggestively. "The others won't mind, hell they can even watch us if they want, you know get the ol' blood pumping."
Buffy said nothing for a moment, just stood there staring at him as her face turned an interesting shade of red, "you're sick," she said, he voice dripping with disgust.
"Fine. Be that way, if that's the way you want it I'll just get my stuff and leave." With that Spike grabbed several other items he had marked and stormed out of the shop.
Giles watched as the door closed behind the vampire before speaking up, "did he pay for those?" he asked,
Spike slowed down when he saw someone lurking in the shadows near his crypt, "who's there?"
Buffy stepped out into the light and calmly walked towards him, "it's only me."Â She smiled sweetly up at him before punching him in the face.
"Ow, what was that for?"
Buffy ignored the question and hit him again, "I kept wondering" she said aloud, "as to why a vampire would steal the necessary ingredients to perform the restoration spell."Â Whack, "then I realised that it would be easier to just beat it out of him."
"I didn't do it," Spike tried to block her attacks.
"Do what?" Buffy asked throwing him to the ground, "turn Xander?" she asked putting her foot over his throat. Buffy saw his reaction and finally understood, "that's it isn't it? You're planning on cursing him."
Spike nodded, unable to speak as Buffy slowly increased the pressure.
"Where is he?"
Spike glanced over to his crypt.
Buffy followed his gaze, "in there?"Â She pulled the vampire to his feet, "Show me."
Spike looked down at Buffy, "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked, "he's not what you'd expect."
"I'm sure."
He opened the door and slowly led Buffy into the room, "Xander? You have a visitor"
Buffy's eyes slowly adjusted to the dimly lit room, she finally saw Xander sitting crossed legged on the floor, his expression almost Zen like as he sat there looking up at them.
"Oh dear God no" Buffy gasped taking a few steps back, she thought she was ready but nothing prepared to see him.
Xander smiled, "Oh dear God yes" he mimicked, he slowly unwound his limbs and stood up, "you brought her" he turned to Spike awaiting his explanation.
"She came, you saw and now we're going."
"Leave us"
Spike's eyes bugged out, "you can't be serious, the first chance she gets and you're dust."
A lop sided grin appeared on his face, "she can't stake me, I'm Xander."
"It's ok" Buffy sounded subdued.
"I don't believe this" Spike shouted, "he's a vampire, a killer. What's to stop him from ripping out your throat?"
Buffy shared a look with Xander and a similar smile appeared on her face, "he won't harm me, he's Xander."
Spike looked from one to the other, there was something going on between these two and he wasn't sure if he liked it. "Fine" he growled, "if either of you die don't come crying to me about it." With that he stormed out of the room slamming the door behind him.
He stood there rock still, just simply gazing at her, his innocent brown eyes piercing into the very core of her being, "you are afraid." He said, before Buffy could deny it he continued with the quote, "and fear leads to hate. Hate leads to anger and therein lies the path to the dark side." Then he smirked at her, "too late."
Buffy looked Xander up and down, taking in the differences about him, "I'm so sorry" she started.
Xander held up a hand to her, "don't be. I rather like it." He was silent for a moment then suddenly blurted out three words she never expected to hear form his mouth, "I love you."
Buffy start to have a choking fit, "What?" she asked.
"I love you," he repeated, "or rather the previous occupant of this body did. He's had the wildest dreams about you that you wouldn't believe and since I've inherited everything that he was, I love you." He cocked his head to one side a studied her for a moment, "but then you already knew that didn't you?" He didn't give her a chance to reply, "you knew" he reiterated with sudden clarity, "you knew the effect you had on him and you used it to your advantage. A secret smile here, a pout there, a longing look or two, you loved the power you had over him. Well it won't work with me, I'm better than him."
Buffy couldn't believe that this... this... vampire was mocking her with this, "you're nothing compared to him."
He studied her for a moment then sighed, "Maybe not, but I'm all you've got. Still, it had to be said before you do it."
"Do what?"
"Why curse me of course. That is why you're here isn't it?" he asked, "have a quick peek at the freak before you lock him away forever up here," he tapped the side of his head. "Well it won't work, I'll always be there. I've tasted freedom, not having to hide behind the facade of humanity and so will have Xander. Nothing you do can destroy that. Nothing!"
Buffy just looked on at him, a bored expression on her face, "very eloquent." She said sarcastically, "now why did you want to see me?" she asked tapping her foot.
He raised his eyebrows in surprise, "why to dance of course" he said stretching out his hand to her. "Would mademoiselle care to take a dance with her death?" he asked. He waited a moment before started to waltz by himself, his arms out stretched with an imaginary partner. "La la de da de da."
Buffy watched as he softly hummed to himself as he danced around the room, on occasions breezing past before continuing on. On one such encounter and without warning he reached out and pulled her into the dance.
Buffy laughed and shook her head dejectedly. For some strange reason she was enjoying the unreality of the whole situation. Xander grinned down at her sharing the joy, when she laughed he caught a glimpse of just what Xander saw in her, this moment would be his gift to him. "So tell me, how does immortality sound?"
Buffy tried to stop but was easily still being carried by him as he moved, "I think it sucks"
Xander grinned, "oh no, I suck. Destiny is such a fickle thing, tick follows tock before the sun doth crow." He stopped pinning her against the wall, "today you live" he held out his right hand, "tomorrow you die" he held out his left. Then he closed the right, "why not die now? Save time, times a fleeting as the horsemen approach." He stopped and bent lower, gently breathing in her scent, "you smell nice." He quickly kissed her on the cheek, "Better to die by one you want than one you don't." Buffy shivered as he caressed the old bite marks on her neck with his finger tips, "you already know just how good I can make it feel," he looked deep into her eyes, "you shall be my first, I promise." He moved to kiss her again on the lips.
"Get away from me" Buffy roughly pushed him away. She looked at him sitting on the floor for a moment before calmly walking towards the door. "Goodbye Xander" without turning around she reached for the door handle when he called out to her to stop.
"There's a hole in your mind, dear Liza" he sang.
Buffy turned to face him, "What?" she asked.
"There's a hole in your mind, dear Liza, dear Liza. There's a whole in your mind, dear Liza, a hole."
"What are you talking about?" she stopped when she saw his expression and decided to play his little game, "Well fix it dear Xander, dear Xander, dear Xander, well fix it, dear Xander, well fix it."
"With what shall I fix it? Dear Liza, dear Liza. With what shall I fix it, dear Liza with what?"
On the other side of the door Spike pressed his ear closer against the wood listening to them, "damn," he muttered, "now they're singing together. Next they'll be boinking each other senseless under my roof."
Â
Buffy stopped, her mind frantically working in overdrive trying to remember what the next line of the song was. Softly she repeated the first verse to herself under her breath as she tried to remember. Still not moving from the floor Xander looked up at her and grinned, "Spike" she shouted out getting desperate.
"Fix it with a spike?" Xander asked confused.
"No, wait a minute. Spike!" she shouted out again.
"A minute, such a strange thing. Just a minute can last forever yet an hour is never long enough. Tell me Buffy just how long will your last heartbeat take?"
"Straw" Spike interrupted entering the room, "the next line is straw"
Buffy sang out quickly cutting off his ramblings, "With straw, dear Xander dear Xander, dear Xander. Fix it with straw, dear Xander, dear Xander, with Straw"
Xander laughed, "Clutching at straws more like. Very well..." he quirked an eyebrow and looked directly at them, "The straw is too long, DEAR Liza." He emphasised the word just to annoy Spike.
"Well cut it, dear Xander..." continued Buffy.
"With what shall I cut it, dear Liza, dear Liza?", he looked keenly at her, "with what shall I cut, dear Liza, with what?"
"With an axe, dear Xander..." her voice trailed off at the look of triumph on his face.
"Wherein lies the answer my friends."
"An Axe?" Buffy shouted, "all that and the answer is an axe?"
"A headless chicken still runs but soon falls over dead."
"What are you saying?"
"If you go looking then you'll just make it easier for them."
"Who?"
Xander laughed, "you don't expect it to be that easy do you? If you're lucky I'll get to you first."
Saying nothing Buffy calmly walked out of the room, quickly followed by Spike who quickly locked the door behind him. Buffy stared at the door in silence for a moment before turning to the vampire, "do it" she said her gaze not wavering, "cast the spell Spike." She commanded before going out to hunt in the night.