Title: Wheels Of Engagement
Author: Jane McCartney
Disclaimer: Not mine, never will be either, damn!
Classification: BTVS Season 7 Halloween future fic.
Rating: PG13
Feedback: Gimme, gimme, gimme. Ah, 'nuff said.
E-mail: janemccartney@bol.com.br
Distribution: Anywhere, I don't mind, just credit me and inform me where it's at.
Acknowledgements: Thanks to everyone involved and, of course, a big special thanks to Theo.
Summary: In one possible reality, the Sunnydale gang comes together on October 31st, 2002. For some, things are looking up; for others, definitely down.
***
Several lit candles arranged in the living room later, a guilty Marilyn and a gloomy Willow sat on the couch.
One of them with untouched hair, that was still only half-curly.
Then the doorbell rang, and a visitor arrived. Xander, who was grinning at something Buffy had said about having nightmares in which she was spanking a real Rudolph the Red-Nose reindeer while singing Happy Birthday to Germany's Führer, stopped dead in his tracks as his smile abruptly faded and a loud grunt came out of his lips.
Buffy was the one to get the door, and also the first one to see Anya's face popping in with a wide smile on her face.
"Trick or treat!" the blonde demoness exclaimed joyously, a basket hungry for candies jerking wildly about an inch away from Buffy's face.
The Slayer recoiled instinctively at this, and then shot an awkward glance at Anyanka. "I, uh, I don't know if Willow remembered to buy any candy..." the girl replied, trying to recall if going for chocolate had actually been on hers or the redhead's 'to do' list this morning.
Anyanka's expression became one of deep disappointment. "John, give me the eggs," the blonde vengeance demon said seriously, as her new boyfriend quickly ran and brought over one bag full of the requested eggs.
"Wh-what are you going to do with those?" Buffy cringed suspiciously, determination and sudden fear present in her voice.
At Anya's lack of response and scheming of a plan to play a messy trick on the house of the anti-capitalist blonde who hadn't collaborated with the true spirit of togetherness of such an All-American holiday like Halloween, Buffy gulped.
"I think Dawn has some chocolate bars in the kitchen... why don't you come in and have a seat, while I go and get some for you?" Buffy offered with an awkward smile, and the demoness' face broke into a wide grin again.
"OK!" a satisfied Anya accepted the proposition, entering the Summers' house.
Her boyfriend, the illustrious John Benton, son of the owner of the biggest of the whole two banks in small Sunnydale, followed the demoness in. He waved cheerfully to the two men sitting casually on the couch, a beer in their hands.
John was a tall, and most would say handsome man, with brunette locks of slightly curly hair and a pair of green eyes. And also, the biggest chin Xander and Spike had ever seen in their entire lives.
To Xander's delight, as the dark-haired youth had so few pleasures in his life nowadays, it had recently become a talking point amongst the gang. And he had spent no little time on discovering how many jokes, in bad taste or not, he could come up with regarding this facial feature.
Spike and Xander barely bothered to send a brief smile to poor old John, and then in unison took one more gulp of their beers.
***
"Hey Anya," Dawn Summers cheered, coming down the stairs. "What's up with your costume?" the teen then asked with a frown, noticing the recently arrived demoness.
And then, spotting Spike and Xander on the couch, she added awkwardly, "And why are you two dressed as Hitler, and some big ugly hairy... thing?"
Incredible but true, the male bonding thing almost occurred as Spike and Xander briefly stared at each other; and before the teen could notice the dirty look sent by both men, Anya stated pointedly, "I'm a clown."
"Uh-huh. I guess I shoulda known," Dawn said with an odd nod, eyeing the blonde woman's colorful costume, though her confused glance hadn't changed.
The former Key could have sworn the demoness had shown to her another costume she'd chosen when they'd gone to the store together, which wasn't a clown one.
"Clowns are fun," the blonde demoness replied affirmatively, but something in her voice sounded forced.
Anya turned to her Navy-costumed boyfriend, with an eager look on her features. "Don't you wish that we could all go to a circus full of them, right now? And spend the whole night there, stuck with the clowns?"
John frowned a little at the oddness of the question, "I, uh, if that'd make you happy sweetie... I mean, I guess I could wish that-"
Willow cut him off with a grin, "You know, it's funny that you should mention that, because Xander is actually terrified of clowns and that'd probably be like Hell to him and..."
"Oh," the redhead interrupted herself with a wince, at the realization. "I don't think it's such a good wish to make then," she said to John, with a nervous, exaggerated laugh.
Dawn winced too, sending a helpless but at the same time thankful look at the former witch.
John frowned in confusion. Spike smirked, amused. Xander felt the sudden need to gasp for air.
And Anya, still stabbing Willow with a furious glance, just cursed with a whisper, "So close..."
***
Please, review!
Author: Jane McCartney
Disclaimer: Not mine, never will be either, damn!
Classification: BTVS Season 7 Halloween future fic.
Rating: PG13
Feedback: Gimme, gimme, gimme. Ah, 'nuff said.
E-mail: janemccartney@bol.com.br
Distribution: Anywhere, I don't mind, just credit me and inform me where it's at.
Acknowledgements: Thanks to everyone involved and, of course, a big special thanks to Theo.
Summary: In one possible reality, the Sunnydale gang comes together on October 31st, 2002. For some, things are looking up; for others, definitely down.
***
Several lit candles arranged in the living room later, a guilty Marilyn and a gloomy Willow sat on the couch.
One of them with untouched hair, that was still only half-curly.
Then the doorbell rang, and a visitor arrived. Xander, who was grinning at something Buffy had said about having nightmares in which she was spanking a real Rudolph the Red-Nose reindeer while singing Happy Birthday to Germany's Führer, stopped dead in his tracks as his smile abruptly faded and a loud grunt came out of his lips.
Buffy was the one to get the door, and also the first one to see Anya's face popping in with a wide smile on her face.
"Trick or treat!" the blonde demoness exclaimed joyously, a basket hungry for candies jerking wildly about an inch away from Buffy's face.
The Slayer recoiled instinctively at this, and then shot an awkward glance at Anyanka. "I, uh, I don't know if Willow remembered to buy any candy..." the girl replied, trying to recall if going for chocolate had actually been on hers or the redhead's 'to do' list this morning.
Anyanka's expression became one of deep disappointment. "John, give me the eggs," the blonde vengeance demon said seriously, as her new boyfriend quickly ran and brought over one bag full of the requested eggs.
"Wh-what are you going to do with those?" Buffy cringed suspiciously, determination and sudden fear present in her voice.
At Anya's lack of response and scheming of a plan to play a messy trick on the house of the anti-capitalist blonde who hadn't collaborated with the true spirit of togetherness of such an All-American holiday like Halloween, Buffy gulped.
"I think Dawn has some chocolate bars in the kitchen... why don't you come in and have a seat, while I go and get some for you?" Buffy offered with an awkward smile, and the demoness' face broke into a wide grin again.
"OK!" a satisfied Anya accepted the proposition, entering the Summers' house.
Her boyfriend, the illustrious John Benton, son of the owner of the biggest of the whole two banks in small Sunnydale, followed the demoness in. He waved cheerfully to the two men sitting casually on the couch, a beer in their hands.
John was a tall, and most would say handsome man, with brunette locks of slightly curly hair and a pair of green eyes. And also, the biggest chin Xander and Spike had ever seen in their entire lives.
To Xander's delight, as the dark-haired youth had so few pleasures in his life nowadays, it had recently become a talking point amongst the gang. And he had spent no little time on discovering how many jokes, in bad taste or not, he could come up with regarding this facial feature.
Spike and Xander barely bothered to send a brief smile to poor old John, and then in unison took one more gulp of their beers.
***
"Hey Anya," Dawn Summers cheered, coming down the stairs. "What's up with your costume?" the teen then asked with a frown, noticing the recently arrived demoness.
And then, spotting Spike and Xander on the couch, she added awkwardly, "And why are you two dressed as Hitler, and some big ugly hairy... thing?"
Incredible but true, the male bonding thing almost occurred as Spike and Xander briefly stared at each other; and before the teen could notice the dirty look sent by both men, Anya stated pointedly, "I'm a clown."
"Uh-huh. I guess I shoulda known," Dawn said with an odd nod, eyeing the blonde woman's colorful costume, though her confused glance hadn't changed.
The former Key could have sworn the demoness had shown to her another costume she'd chosen when they'd gone to the store together, which wasn't a clown one.
"Clowns are fun," the blonde demoness replied affirmatively, but something in her voice sounded forced.
Anya turned to her Navy-costumed boyfriend, with an eager look on her features. "Don't you wish that we could all go to a circus full of them, right now? And spend the whole night there, stuck with the clowns?"
John frowned a little at the oddness of the question, "I, uh, if that'd make you happy sweetie... I mean, I guess I could wish that-"
Willow cut him off with a grin, "You know, it's funny that you should mention that, because Xander is actually terrified of clowns and that'd probably be like Hell to him and..."
"Oh," the redhead interrupted herself with a wince, at the realization. "I don't think it's such a good wish to make then," she said to John, with a nervous, exaggerated laugh.
Dawn winced too, sending a helpless but at the same time thankful look at the former witch.
John frowned in confusion. Spike smirked, amused. Xander felt the sudden need to gasp for air.
And Anya, still stabbing Willow with a furious glance, just cursed with a whisper, "So close..."
***
Please, review!