Title: Of Magic and Machinations (6/?)
Author: Jeffrey Patrick
Type: B/X... at least, it will likely be... sort of.
Description: Xander is back from the dead in a different body... a junkie's body, to find that Angel has assumed his position in Buffy's life. This isn't going to be pretty.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but a can of vienna sausages and some stale crackers. Yum! Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy own all things Buffy related. I just borrow their genius to impress the ladies.
Angel hit the floor with a thud. The scrawny young man from the doorway pinned him down and began pounding on him. He struggled to get free, but the weight of the stranger on his cracked ribs shot a crippling pain through his body.
"Who the hell are you?" the young man asked. He stopped punching to get an answer.
Angel wrapped his legs around the young man's head and pulled it down hard until it made contact with the floor. He then rolled out of reach and struggled to get to his feet.
Xander was stunned by the blow to the head, yet managed to get back on his feet before Angel fully recovered. "Answer me, damn it! Who are you?"
"My name is Xander Harris. Do I know you?"
"What is going on in here?" Giles asked, stepping into the back room. "Who is this?" he asked Angel.
"I was just trying to find that out."
"Giles, it's me," Xander said.
"Have we met?" the Watcher asked, inching his way toward a spear that decorated the wall.
"This guy is not Xander Harris!"
Angel and Giles gave each other a strange look. "What did you say?" Angel asked.
"Giles," Xander continued. "It's me... Xander."
"You kicked him out," Anya said, as she sat watching Dawn eat her dinner.
"You heard?" Buffy asked.
"The people lost in the Bermuda Triangle heard."
"Oh. Sorry. Thanks for watching her while I ran upstairs."
"No problem. She is doll-like and pleasant."
"Suddenly, you sound very much like the old Anya."
"I was joking," Anya smiled. "You know I love her. Just like you love Alex."
"And we both love Jenny," Buffy added.
"We're one, big, not-so-happy family," the ghost said. "So... what are you gonna do?"
"Try to find Xander. My Xander."
Anya looked away. "We all love him, Buffy. Even Giles, though he will seldom admit it. We... We're just not sure there's much hope for doing the spell a second time."
Tears began to gently fall from Buffy's eyes. "I know," she said softly. "But I have to try everything. I... I miss him so much. It may sound crazy, but..."
"You missed him even when you were married to him?" Anya finished.
Buffy nodded.
"That's because he wasn't Xander. He was a cheap imitation. If you would have told Xander what you told Angel about seeing his daughter, Xander would have let you have it with both barrels."
Buffy smiled. "He would, wouldn't he?"
"Darn tootin' he would."
"It's like a part of me is missing."
"I know," Anya said. "I promise. We'll try again. You just shouldn't get your hopes up."
"What are you saying?" Giles asked.
"I'm saying I'm Xander Harris and that... thing wearing my face is an imposter."
Angel said nothing.
"Prove it," Giles said.
"O-okay... uh,er, uh... How?"
"How did you die?"
"Oh, uh... I was shot... by Lindsay. He, uh... was supposed to be dead from that arrow you shot..." Xander gave a look that Giles immediately recognized... a slight raise of the eyebrows that marked his sarcasm face. "Thanks a lot, by the way. You could've at least made sure he was dead. But no... Don't wrinkle your tweed. Xander has to get shot in the back instead."
Giles smiled. He knew. Before he could say so, Angel interrupted.
"What was your nickname for Angel?"
"Which one? Deadboy? Fangface? Undead killjoy? Gruesome toothsome?"
"That's enough," Angel said.
"Nasty, pointy, bitey one," Xander continued. "Tall, dead and ugly."
"We got it," Angel said.
"I'm not listening to you, imposter!"
"Xander, settle down."
Xander looked stunned. "You believe?"
"Yes," Giles said with a grin.
Xander grabbed his "imposter" and started bouncing up and down. "Merry Christmas, Mister Potter!" As soon as the jumping stopped, he slugged his counterpart. "Now what do we do with this guy? Kill him?"
"Hardly," Giles said. "As much as I despise what Angel has done, I won't have you killing him."
"Angel?" Xander said in disbelief. He reached down and helped Angel to his feet? "That's you in there?"
Angel just nodded.
Xander punched him hard again, rocketing him to the floor again. He then turned to Giles. "Somebody tell me what the hell is going on!"
Later than night, Buffy pulled the covers and tucked them under the chin of her three-year-old. Dawn stirred slightly but did not wake. Anya hovered in the doorway. Buffy turned and walked through Anya into the hall. Anya followed. She had never seen Buffy so quiet. Not since her mother died, anyway.
Suddenly, the ringing of the phone broke the silence. Buffy answered it, while Anya drifted back to Dawn's door to make sure it hadn't awakened her.
"Hello?" Buffy asked.
She listened to Giles. He spoke slowly and evenly, explaining the day's events. She listened as tears once more fell. She dropped the phone.
"What is it?" Anya asked, rushing to her side.
"W-watch Dawn," Buffy said. She turned and ran down the stairs. She was out the front door like a bolt of lightning. She ran harder and faster than she had ever run. She was halfway to the Magic Box before she realized she should have taken the car. She came bursting through the back entrance to see Angel in Xander's body standing next to Giles and a thin young man with sandy hair. She stared at the stranger... her breath gone... her pulse racing. "Is it... true?" she asked no one in particular.
"When I fall in love," the stranger sang. "It will be forever. Or I'll never fall in love."
Buffy slowly stepped toward him as he continued to sing. Tears blurred her vision.
"You sang it to me," Xander said. "The Host nodded behind you, and I knew that you loved me. The last thought I had as everything went black was that I have never loved anyone or anything as much as I love you."
The Slayer brought her right hand up to his face and traced it with cautious fingers. "How?"
"I don't know," he said honestly. "But it's me, Buffy."
She looked at Angel who would not meet her gaze. Giles smiled at her and nodded, but Xander knew from her expression that she was scared to believe it.
"Ask me something," he said softly. "Ask me anything."
"Wh-when we... When we made love... before... you used to call me something... It was our secret."
Angel looked at her realizing he had never known. She had never shared that with him, nor asked him why he didn't seem to recall it.
Xander smiled at the woman he loved. He leaned in close to her and whispered something in her ear. A smile crawled across her face. She looked at him amazed.
"Different wrapper," Xander said with a smile. "Same chocolately goodness inside."
Buffy threw her arms around him, kissing him passionately. At that moment, the package truly didn't matter. Her love had returned, and all the questions faded away in the warmth of his arms. Giles wiped a tear from his eye, never noticing Angel making his way out of the back door.
To Be Continued...
Author: Jeffrey Patrick
Type: B/X... at least, it will likely be... sort of.
Description: Xander is back from the dead in a different body... a junkie's body, to find that Angel has assumed his position in Buffy's life. This isn't going to be pretty.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but a can of vienna sausages and some stale crackers. Yum! Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy own all things Buffy related. I just borrow their genius to impress the ladies.
Angel hit the floor with a thud. The scrawny young man from the doorway pinned him down and began pounding on him. He struggled to get free, but the weight of the stranger on his cracked ribs shot a crippling pain through his body.
"Who the hell are you?" the young man asked. He stopped punching to get an answer.
Angel wrapped his legs around the young man's head and pulled it down hard until it made contact with the floor. He then rolled out of reach and struggled to get to his feet.
Xander was stunned by the blow to the head, yet managed to get back on his feet before Angel fully recovered. "Answer me, damn it! Who are you?"
"My name is Xander Harris. Do I know you?"
"What is going on in here?" Giles asked, stepping into the back room. "Who is this?" he asked Angel.
"I was just trying to find that out."
"Giles, it's me," Xander said.
"Have we met?" the Watcher asked, inching his way toward a spear that decorated the wall.
"This guy is not Xander Harris!"
Angel and Giles gave each other a strange look. "What did you say?" Angel asked.
"Giles," Xander continued. "It's me... Xander."
"You kicked him out," Anya said, as she sat watching Dawn eat her dinner.
"You heard?" Buffy asked.
"The people lost in the Bermuda Triangle heard."
"Oh. Sorry. Thanks for watching her while I ran upstairs."
"No problem. She is doll-like and pleasant."
"Suddenly, you sound very much like the old Anya."
"I was joking," Anya smiled. "You know I love her. Just like you love Alex."
"And we both love Jenny," Buffy added.
"We're one, big, not-so-happy family," the ghost said. "So... what are you gonna do?"
"Try to find Xander. My Xander."
Anya looked away. "We all love him, Buffy. Even Giles, though he will seldom admit it. We... We're just not sure there's much hope for doing the spell a second time."
Tears began to gently fall from Buffy's eyes. "I know," she said softly. "But I have to try everything. I... I miss him so much. It may sound crazy, but..."
"You missed him even when you were married to him?" Anya finished.
Buffy nodded.
"That's because he wasn't Xander. He was a cheap imitation. If you would have told Xander what you told Angel about seeing his daughter, Xander would have let you have it with both barrels."
Buffy smiled. "He would, wouldn't he?"
"Darn tootin' he would."
"It's like a part of me is missing."
"I know," Anya said. "I promise. We'll try again. You just shouldn't get your hopes up."
"What are you saying?" Giles asked.
"I'm saying I'm Xander Harris and that... thing wearing my face is an imposter."
Angel said nothing.
"Prove it," Giles said.
"O-okay... uh,er, uh... How?"
"How did you die?"
"Oh, uh... I was shot... by Lindsay. He, uh... was supposed to be dead from that arrow you shot..." Xander gave a look that Giles immediately recognized... a slight raise of the eyebrows that marked his sarcasm face. "Thanks a lot, by the way. You could've at least made sure he was dead. But no... Don't wrinkle your tweed. Xander has to get shot in the back instead."
Giles smiled. He knew. Before he could say so, Angel interrupted.
"What was your nickname for Angel?"
"Which one? Deadboy? Fangface? Undead killjoy? Gruesome toothsome?"
"That's enough," Angel said.
"Nasty, pointy, bitey one," Xander continued. "Tall, dead and ugly."
"We got it," Angel said.
"I'm not listening to you, imposter!"
"Xander, settle down."
Xander looked stunned. "You believe?"
"Yes," Giles said with a grin.
Xander grabbed his "imposter" and started bouncing up and down. "Merry Christmas, Mister Potter!" As soon as the jumping stopped, he slugged his counterpart. "Now what do we do with this guy? Kill him?"
"Hardly," Giles said. "As much as I despise what Angel has done, I won't have you killing him."
"Angel?" Xander said in disbelief. He reached down and helped Angel to his feet? "That's you in there?"
Angel just nodded.
Xander punched him hard again, rocketing him to the floor again. He then turned to Giles. "Somebody tell me what the hell is going on!"
Later than night, Buffy pulled the covers and tucked them under the chin of her three-year-old. Dawn stirred slightly but did not wake. Anya hovered in the doorway. Buffy turned and walked through Anya into the hall. Anya followed. She had never seen Buffy so quiet. Not since her mother died, anyway.
Suddenly, the ringing of the phone broke the silence. Buffy answered it, while Anya drifted back to Dawn's door to make sure it hadn't awakened her.
"Hello?" Buffy asked.
She listened to Giles. He spoke slowly and evenly, explaining the day's events. She listened as tears once more fell. She dropped the phone.
"What is it?" Anya asked, rushing to her side.
"W-watch Dawn," Buffy said. She turned and ran down the stairs. She was out the front door like a bolt of lightning. She ran harder and faster than she had ever run. She was halfway to the Magic Box before she realized she should have taken the car. She came bursting through the back entrance to see Angel in Xander's body standing next to Giles and a thin young man with sandy hair. She stared at the stranger... her breath gone... her pulse racing. "Is it... true?" she asked no one in particular.
"When I fall in love," the stranger sang. "It will be forever. Or I'll never fall in love."
Buffy slowly stepped toward him as he continued to sing. Tears blurred her vision.
"You sang it to me," Xander said. "The Host nodded behind you, and I knew that you loved me. The last thought I had as everything went black was that I have never loved anyone or anything as much as I love you."
The Slayer brought her right hand up to his face and traced it with cautious fingers. "How?"
"I don't know," he said honestly. "But it's me, Buffy."
She looked at Angel who would not meet her gaze. Giles smiled at her and nodded, but Xander knew from her expression that she was scared to believe it.
"Ask me something," he said softly. "Ask me anything."
"Wh-when we... When we made love... before... you used to call me something... It was our secret."
Angel looked at her realizing he had never known. She had never shared that with him, nor asked him why he didn't seem to recall it.
Xander smiled at the woman he loved. He leaned in close to her and whispered something in her ear. A smile crawled across her face. She looked at him amazed.
"Different wrapper," Xander said with a smile. "Same chocolately goodness inside."
Buffy threw her arms around him, kissing him passionately. At that moment, the package truly didn't matter. Her love had returned, and all the questions faded away in the warmth of his arms. Giles wiped a tear from his eye, never noticing Angel making his way out of the back door.
To Be Continued...
