Title: Dancing Around Love (11/13)
Author: Cyclone
Feedback: Please be gentle.
Distribution: Gimme credit and a link. Plus, archived at http://fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=62966
Rating: I'm gonna go say R for semi-explicit sex.
Spoilers: Up to As You Were and Forgiving.
Disclaimer: The characters depicted herein belong to the almighty Joss. I'm just borrowing them for a while.
Summary: What if Buffy wasn't the only one with an illicit affair?
Author's Note: Okay, so we've got major T/Xness, along with some W/X, W/T, and the A/X demanded by the time setting. I'm not fond of A/X. You have been warned. Also, due to popular demand, I'm throwing in some B/X to go along with all that. ^_^'
* * *
"Hey, Xand."
"Hiya, Buff. How's the Slayage?"
"Oh, fine."
"Good to hear. What's new?"
"Nothing much..." she said unconvincingly.
"Except...?" he prodded.
She took a deep breath and said, "I talked to Angel."
He blinked in surprise. That was unexpected. "You talked to Deadboy? How is he?"
"He's... doing well, I suppose."
"And Cor?"
"Well," Buffy smiled faintly, "Cordy's got a new boyfriend, majorly hunky, so I understand."
"Good for her!" Xander said with mostly sincere cheer. "So she's finally recovered from the mistake that was me, huh?"
"Stop that," Buffy said reprovingly.
"Stop what?"
"Stop being so hard on yourself, Xander," she said, leaning over and stroking the side of his face with an intimacy that disturbed one part of him even as another part enjoyed it. "The only mistake Cordy made about you was leaving you."
"Uh, Buffy, is this conversation going where I think it's going?" he asked nervously.
Grinning impishly, she asked, "And just where _do_ you think it's going, Prince Charming?"
"'Prince Charming'?" he squeaked.
"You brought me back to life with a kiss, Xander, remember?" she said, her voice low and almost seductive. "When I first died?"
"Yeah, I remember."
And he did. And he was pretty sure his life was just about to get even more difficult.
"I'm sorry, Xander, but I have to tell you. Even Angel told me to tell you how I feel. I love you, Xander." With that said, she leaned closer and kissed him on the lips.
*Oh, no. My life isn't too complicated,* he thought sarcastically. *Not by a long shot.*
* * *
Anya pulled over into the hotel parking lot. She'd started driving late, and it was probably best if she didn't push her luck. Besides, she was already halfway to Sunnydale already.
She checked into the hotel and flopped onto the bed.
She loved Xander. That much she knew. Once the rage had faded, she still loved him.
How could she face him again? After trying to kill him, after admitting that she'd tried to wipe away his entire existence, how could she possibly face him? How could he forgive her?
But she knew, deep down, that Xander could forgive any crime done to him personally. It was harm to those he loved that he couldn't forgive.
And that was why she loved him.
She knew she should be more worried about Tara, Willow, and Buffy. The first had warned her not to hurt him, the second would do anything for him, and the third owed her life to him several times over. Xander might forgive her, but they wouldn't.
She still had to try, though.
Thoughts of forgiveness and redemption weren't the only thing on Anya's mind, however. Well, not this particular example of forgiveness and redemption, anyway.
She also still struggled with D'Hoffryn's question, examining it from every angle, knowing that she wanted redemption... but not entirely sure why.
The question was driving her insane, and perhaps, that had been D'Hoffryn's intent when he asked it, but she would not give up. She could not let it go.
She may not be able to articulate the benefits of redemption, but she knew they existed, knew that she wanted them.
She just had to find out what they were.
* * *
The doorbell rang, and Willow answered, "Tara? Wh-what are you doing here?"
The blonde witch shrugged, "B-Buffy called."
"Oh, good," Buffy said from behind Willow. "You're both here."
Willow turned, and they both stepped into the house proper, "What's going on, Buffy?"
The Slayer sighed, "The three of us... we've got something we need to straighten out between us."
"What sort of thing?" Willow asked, not sure she wanted to hear the answer.
"A Xander sort of thing."
"You too?" Tara asked.
Buffy nodded, hanging her head, "I just told him yesterday."
"Well, what do we do?" Willow asked. "I mean, I don't want to fight you, either of you, but I can't... I can't just give up."
"We could share him," Tara suggested.
They stared at her.
"What?" she asked defensively. "What's wrong with that?"
Buffy closed her eyes and sighed, "Do you have any idea what that'll do to his ego?"
"Not to mention his libido?" Willow said. "I grew up with him. I know how much of a horn dog he is. Suggest something like that, and he'd go into overdrive."
"And that's a bad thing?" Tara asked, her face full of false innocence.
They paused over that one for a moment.
"So," Buffy said, breaking the silence, "what _is_ it that he does with his tongue?"
* * *
She closed the door and locked it behind her.
She slowly began circling the hospital bed, watching the sleeping occupant as he shifted slightly within the confines of the small pallet.
"What is it about you?" she wondered rhetorically, running a hand along the edge of the bed.
"First, the lust spell between you and Willow's pet witch, and the bent freak actually falls in love with you.
"Then I bring Bitchy's feelings to the surface, and she starts mooning over _you_ instead of racing over to Tall, Dark, and Broody in L.A.
"Of course, we musn't forget that man-hating hell demon of yours who actually _forgives_ you for cheating on her, against a thousand years of hating men for exactly that."
She stopped on the other side of the bed, then leaned in close to him, almost nose to nose, "And now I find out _Willow's_ still got feelings for you too."
He shifted again in his sleep, brushing a hand past his face, and she backed away and crossed her arms. "So what's so special about you? Is it that love spell from that Valentine's day so many years ago?" she leaned down and brushed a stray lock of hair out of his face. "Or is it something else?"
She smirked. "Well, Xander," she said, "let's find out."
Amy Madison raised a hand and began collecting power.
* * *
Author's Postscript:
Time to start wrapping things up, methinks, and this one'll go out with a bang!
Author: Cyclone
Feedback: Please be gentle.
Distribution: Gimme credit and a link. Plus, archived at http://fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=62966
Rating: I'm gonna go say R for semi-explicit sex.
Spoilers: Up to As You Were and Forgiving.
Disclaimer: The characters depicted herein belong to the almighty Joss. I'm just borrowing them for a while.
Summary: What if Buffy wasn't the only one with an illicit affair?
Author's Note: Okay, so we've got major T/Xness, along with some W/X, W/T, and the A/X demanded by the time setting. I'm not fond of A/X. You have been warned. Also, due to popular demand, I'm throwing in some B/X to go along with all that. ^_^'
* * *
"Hey, Xand."
"Hiya, Buff. How's the Slayage?"
"Oh, fine."
"Good to hear. What's new?"
"Nothing much..." she said unconvincingly.
"Except...?" he prodded.
She took a deep breath and said, "I talked to Angel."
He blinked in surprise. That was unexpected. "You talked to Deadboy? How is he?"
"He's... doing well, I suppose."
"And Cor?"
"Well," Buffy smiled faintly, "Cordy's got a new boyfriend, majorly hunky, so I understand."
"Good for her!" Xander said with mostly sincere cheer. "So she's finally recovered from the mistake that was me, huh?"
"Stop that," Buffy said reprovingly.
"Stop what?"
"Stop being so hard on yourself, Xander," she said, leaning over and stroking the side of his face with an intimacy that disturbed one part of him even as another part enjoyed it. "The only mistake Cordy made about you was leaving you."
"Uh, Buffy, is this conversation going where I think it's going?" he asked nervously.
Grinning impishly, she asked, "And just where _do_ you think it's going, Prince Charming?"
"'Prince Charming'?" he squeaked.
"You brought me back to life with a kiss, Xander, remember?" she said, her voice low and almost seductive. "When I first died?"
"Yeah, I remember."
And he did. And he was pretty sure his life was just about to get even more difficult.
"I'm sorry, Xander, but I have to tell you. Even Angel told me to tell you how I feel. I love you, Xander." With that said, she leaned closer and kissed him on the lips.
*Oh, no. My life isn't too complicated,* he thought sarcastically. *Not by a long shot.*
* * *
Anya pulled over into the hotel parking lot. She'd started driving late, and it was probably best if she didn't push her luck. Besides, she was already halfway to Sunnydale already.
She checked into the hotel and flopped onto the bed.
She loved Xander. That much she knew. Once the rage had faded, she still loved him.
How could she face him again? After trying to kill him, after admitting that she'd tried to wipe away his entire existence, how could she possibly face him? How could he forgive her?
But she knew, deep down, that Xander could forgive any crime done to him personally. It was harm to those he loved that he couldn't forgive.
And that was why she loved him.
She knew she should be more worried about Tara, Willow, and Buffy. The first had warned her not to hurt him, the second would do anything for him, and the third owed her life to him several times over. Xander might forgive her, but they wouldn't.
She still had to try, though.
Thoughts of forgiveness and redemption weren't the only thing on Anya's mind, however. Well, not this particular example of forgiveness and redemption, anyway.
She also still struggled with D'Hoffryn's question, examining it from every angle, knowing that she wanted redemption... but not entirely sure why.
The question was driving her insane, and perhaps, that had been D'Hoffryn's intent when he asked it, but she would not give up. She could not let it go.
She may not be able to articulate the benefits of redemption, but she knew they existed, knew that she wanted them.
She just had to find out what they were.
* * *
The doorbell rang, and Willow answered, "Tara? Wh-what are you doing here?"
The blonde witch shrugged, "B-Buffy called."
"Oh, good," Buffy said from behind Willow. "You're both here."
Willow turned, and they both stepped into the house proper, "What's going on, Buffy?"
The Slayer sighed, "The three of us... we've got something we need to straighten out between us."
"What sort of thing?" Willow asked, not sure she wanted to hear the answer.
"A Xander sort of thing."
"You too?" Tara asked.
Buffy nodded, hanging her head, "I just told him yesterday."
"Well, what do we do?" Willow asked. "I mean, I don't want to fight you, either of you, but I can't... I can't just give up."
"We could share him," Tara suggested.
They stared at her.
"What?" she asked defensively. "What's wrong with that?"
Buffy closed her eyes and sighed, "Do you have any idea what that'll do to his ego?"
"Not to mention his libido?" Willow said. "I grew up with him. I know how much of a horn dog he is. Suggest something like that, and he'd go into overdrive."
"And that's a bad thing?" Tara asked, her face full of false innocence.
They paused over that one for a moment.
"So," Buffy said, breaking the silence, "what _is_ it that he does with his tongue?"
* * *
She closed the door and locked it behind her.
She slowly began circling the hospital bed, watching the sleeping occupant as he shifted slightly within the confines of the small pallet.
"What is it about you?" she wondered rhetorically, running a hand along the edge of the bed.
"First, the lust spell between you and Willow's pet witch, and the bent freak actually falls in love with you.
"Then I bring Bitchy's feelings to the surface, and she starts mooning over _you_ instead of racing over to Tall, Dark, and Broody in L.A.
"Of course, we musn't forget that man-hating hell demon of yours who actually _forgives_ you for cheating on her, against a thousand years of hating men for exactly that."
She stopped on the other side of the bed, then leaned in close to him, almost nose to nose, "And now I find out _Willow's_ still got feelings for you too."
He shifted again in his sleep, brushing a hand past his face, and she backed away and crossed her arms. "So what's so special about you? Is it that love spell from that Valentine's day so many years ago?" she leaned down and brushed a stray lock of hair out of his face. "Or is it something else?"
She smirked. "Well, Xander," she said, "let's find out."
Amy Madison raised a hand and began collecting power.
* * *
Author's Postscript:
Time to start wrapping things up, methinks, and this one'll go out with a bang!