Night and Day
By Lori Bush
~**~ Feedback: lwbush@charter.net or onlist is fine
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon, etc. own Buffy. You know the routine.
Distribution: Just ask. .
Summary: Uhm - can't without giving stuff away.
Pairing: See Summary, above.
Rating: PG-13; mild violence and some suggestive scenarios hinted at.
Author's Note: Yeah it's pretty much been done to death, I know. It's just that lately, lots of things have been nightmarish. Also, there be possible spoilers ahead. Not sure of the accuracy of my sources, though.
For the Harem - Shawn especially. ~**~
Spike.
Xander always knew that Spike would be there, when it all ended.
He'd never made the promise to Spike he'd made to Deadboy.
"You're gonna die, and I'm gonna be there."
He'd kept that promise to Angel. He'd watched as the First Evil manipulated Angelus inside of Angel's body - watched as the vampire with a soul was overcome long enough by his soulless demon to snap Cordelia's neck. Watched as the First had then withdrawn from the vampire, leaving him broken and hollow as he looked at the heavily pregnant body at his feet. The body of the woman he'd admitted just earlier to them all that he loved more than he even had Buffy. Xander than watched as Spike - always Spike, it seemed - staked his Sire, sadly muttering that if he could kill his lover, he was a danger to them all. How ironic, the carpenter thought later, recalling Spike's words. He was there as Angel crumbled to dust, fittingly scattered over the dead seer's body - together in death as they'd not had the chance to be in life.
It wasn't nearly as satisfying as he'd thought it would be the day he'd said those words in the hospital corridor.
And Spike.
The First Evil had been defeated. Willow's magic, Buffy's strength, Xander's unwillingness to die - all these, along with help from the Slayers- In-Training and the Angel crew, had finally taken the thing down. They'd lost Angel and Cordy - Rona was badly wounded, and Wesley might never walk again - but the monster had been destroyed. Destroyed. They'd won. Or so they thought. Then Spike's eyes began to glow oddly, and the dust swirled around him. When it cleared, he threw his head back and laughed.
"I knew I could count on you, Slayer. You could never stake this one, no matter how he betrayed you. I knew he'd be the perfect vessel. It's why I returned his soul against his wishes. It's why I've made sure you knew I was using him. Your weakness for the undead has served me well." He laughed again, and they knew they hadn't won after all. "All that time I spent torturing this body, knowing it would make you even more reluctant to kill him. All the while I was hollowing out the place I would come to if you got me before I got you. He was the perfect Plan B. Then I tested you when I had him killing those humans - seeing if you would do what was right, or what you wanted. Your pattern held true and I knew he was ready. Now I can do the ritual that will eliminate the Good that plagues me in this world." Before any of them could overcome their shock to move, the First in Spike's body grabbed Buffy around the throat, holding her effortlessly in the air.
Xander started forward, his instinct to protect Buffy at all costs. The First turned on him. "You," the not-Spike snarled. Then the monster laughed. "You came so close to ruining it all - the only purely human heart of the bunch. You could have taken it all apart. But you loved her too much to fight her on it, didn't you? You let her have her way, and she doomed you all. All she had to do to save the world was to love you the way the Powers always meant for her to. But she always was a little headstrong - weren't you, dear?" He shook Buffy like a rag doll, and her eyes widened when she realized what was being said. "You always hated doing what you were supposed to - you hated your destiny, even if it would have meant real happiness for you."
And Xander knew, in that instant, what he had to do. He snagged the dagger from Faith's hand, the enchanted one that they'd used before to destroy the First, or so they'd thought. He jammed it into Spike's chest, drawing a look of surprise before the face morphed into an angry vampire visage. "You may still be the one to stop it," the monster snarled, effortlessly snapping Buffy's neck and tossing the body aside, "but I'll take you with me."
Xander's last sight was sharp fangs as they began to rip his throat to shreds. He tried to scream, but he could hear Buffy's voice, from the beyond, calling him.
"Xander. Xander! XANDER!!!"
"Huh?"
"Wake up." His eyes opened, and he could see his wife's face just inches from his own. She frowned at him. "You were whimpering and moaning. Nightmare?"
"Uh-huh."
"The one where I shot you down when you asked me to the dance and then the Master killed me?"
"Nope. Not that the memory of finding you dead in the Master's cave doesn't still haunt me, mind you. I'm just glad I decided to follow you that night."
"You're my hero. You've known that since the first time we met." Her words mocked, but her smile was tender. "Was it the one where I was the Slayer who slept with that hunky souled vamp of Cordy's, and made him all evil?"
"You know full well his name is Angel. And don't pretend you don't remember how scary it was when he became Angelus. Just because she wouldn't let you kill him."
"He did his time in Hell, so I guess I can let it go, but still."
"Let it go." Xander rolled over to face the owner of the growling second voice.
"Somebody woke up grumpy."
"Grumpy woke up because you two wouldn't *shut up*," his other companion snarled. "And could we please not keep reminding me of my indiscretions with Angel? I didn't know that was going to happen."
Xander patted her comfortingly. "You couldn't have known. You've asked forgiveness quite enough."
"Xander had another nightmare," his wife explained.
"Thank God *your* dreams aren't prophetic. That's some wacky shit you dream up." The sleepy eyes grew wide. "It wasn't the one where I tried to kill you, was it?"
"No," he reassured her. "Although I do usually enjoy the sex part of that one - up until you throw me out in my shorts, at least."
She snorted. "Like I would have sex with you and then throw you out. Or try to kill you, for that matter. Make you my personal sex slave, maybe. Kill you - no way." She smirked at his wife. "Kill her - maybe." She sat up, pushing her hair out of her eyes. "So what was it this time?" she asked, her forced casual tone not really disguising her concern.
"First Evil," Xander grunted. "Took over Spike." He hoped they didn't press for more detail.
"Spike? Dawn's chipped and undead honey? Useless S. Vamp?"
"And the First Evil? Please, sweetie, pick one of the scary ones, at least."
"Was scary," he pouted petulantly.
His wife leaned over, kissing him and sucking the protruding lower lip into her mouth. "Mmmm." He knew she couldn't resist the pouty lip. Pulling away, she scolded, "Nice try. Now spill."
Xander sighed. He knew how ridiculous it sounded. "YouweresleepingwithSpikeandsoyouwouldn'tkillhimandhekilledyouinstead."
"What is it with you and B and her sleeping with vamps, boytoy? It was my mistake - whyzit always her you stick with it?"
"Yeah - I think I'm offended. How stupid do I look? I'll give that once could be a mistake, but twice? I'll have you know I'm not a natural blonde."
"Heh - if he don't know that yet, the boy needs glasses. The kind for close up work."
"Stop it. Geez. It was a nightmare, okay? They don't have to make sense." His girlfriend began to rub his shoulders, while his wife wrapped her arms around him and kissed his ear.
"We're sorry, honey. We know how real these kinds of dreams can feel."
"Yeah. Chill."
"Okay - chill is not the word for what happens when you two start doing *that*."
"We're getting' him hot, B. What should we do about it?"
His wife pulled away, jumping to her feet beside the bed and tugging their girlfriend with her. "Make him take a cold shower. Willow and Jesse asked us to watch the kids this weekend so they could go away for their anniversary. They'll be here in a half an hour." The other two groaned in unison. "You know we owe them - they watched Janna for us last week." On cue, a baby began to cry in the next room. "C'mon, 'auntie' it's your turn on diaper duty."
He watched his two beautiful women head out, and rolled out of bed himself, heading for the dresser. Life was good - he married the woman of his dreams, and then found out she was just as interested as he was in the woman of his fantasies. How many men had two strong, gorgeous women in their bed every night? He had a beautiful child, a good job, great friends. He didn't know where his subconscious came up with some of this stuff that haunted him. It was just too absurd.
~**~ Additional notes: I'm not a big B/F/X fan. Actually, I'm not a huge Faith fan in general. It seems to be a mostly guy thing, the idea of X/F. Girls on the whole like Xander better with Buffy, I think because we don't like the idea that guys might want the "bad" girl more than the nice one. Just like most B/X'ers feel about Spike vs. Xander for Buffy. But this story just didn't work as well without her, so she muscled her way into it. Besides, it let me have Angelus in the history without Buffy boffing him.
That being said, it might be noticed that I didn't actually give either of the girls' names in the "real world" section. I still couldn't quite handle her being there, so maybe she's not Faith after all. Maybe Kendra never died. Maybe Kennedy got to be Slayer and switched teams, or in this universe wasn't gay to start with. Whatever floats your boat.
~**~
~**~ Feedback: lwbush@charter.net or onlist is fine
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon, etc. own Buffy. You know the routine.
Distribution: Just ask. .
Summary: Uhm - can't without giving stuff away.
Pairing: See Summary, above.
Rating: PG-13; mild violence and some suggestive scenarios hinted at.
Author's Note: Yeah it's pretty much been done to death, I know. It's just that lately, lots of things have been nightmarish. Also, there be possible spoilers ahead. Not sure of the accuracy of my sources, though.
For the Harem - Shawn especially. ~**~
Spike.
Xander always knew that Spike would be there, when it all ended.
He'd never made the promise to Spike he'd made to Deadboy.
"You're gonna die, and I'm gonna be there."
He'd kept that promise to Angel. He'd watched as the First Evil manipulated Angelus inside of Angel's body - watched as the vampire with a soul was overcome long enough by his soulless demon to snap Cordelia's neck. Watched as the First had then withdrawn from the vampire, leaving him broken and hollow as he looked at the heavily pregnant body at his feet. The body of the woman he'd admitted just earlier to them all that he loved more than he even had Buffy. Xander than watched as Spike - always Spike, it seemed - staked his Sire, sadly muttering that if he could kill his lover, he was a danger to them all. How ironic, the carpenter thought later, recalling Spike's words. He was there as Angel crumbled to dust, fittingly scattered over the dead seer's body - together in death as they'd not had the chance to be in life.
It wasn't nearly as satisfying as he'd thought it would be the day he'd said those words in the hospital corridor.
And Spike.
The First Evil had been defeated. Willow's magic, Buffy's strength, Xander's unwillingness to die - all these, along with help from the Slayers- In-Training and the Angel crew, had finally taken the thing down. They'd lost Angel and Cordy - Rona was badly wounded, and Wesley might never walk again - but the monster had been destroyed. Destroyed. They'd won. Or so they thought. Then Spike's eyes began to glow oddly, and the dust swirled around him. When it cleared, he threw his head back and laughed.
"I knew I could count on you, Slayer. You could never stake this one, no matter how he betrayed you. I knew he'd be the perfect vessel. It's why I returned his soul against his wishes. It's why I've made sure you knew I was using him. Your weakness for the undead has served me well." He laughed again, and they knew they hadn't won after all. "All that time I spent torturing this body, knowing it would make you even more reluctant to kill him. All the while I was hollowing out the place I would come to if you got me before I got you. He was the perfect Plan B. Then I tested you when I had him killing those humans - seeing if you would do what was right, or what you wanted. Your pattern held true and I knew he was ready. Now I can do the ritual that will eliminate the Good that plagues me in this world." Before any of them could overcome their shock to move, the First in Spike's body grabbed Buffy around the throat, holding her effortlessly in the air.
Xander started forward, his instinct to protect Buffy at all costs. The First turned on him. "You," the not-Spike snarled. Then the monster laughed. "You came so close to ruining it all - the only purely human heart of the bunch. You could have taken it all apart. But you loved her too much to fight her on it, didn't you? You let her have her way, and she doomed you all. All she had to do to save the world was to love you the way the Powers always meant for her to. But she always was a little headstrong - weren't you, dear?" He shook Buffy like a rag doll, and her eyes widened when she realized what was being said. "You always hated doing what you were supposed to - you hated your destiny, even if it would have meant real happiness for you."
And Xander knew, in that instant, what he had to do. He snagged the dagger from Faith's hand, the enchanted one that they'd used before to destroy the First, or so they'd thought. He jammed it into Spike's chest, drawing a look of surprise before the face morphed into an angry vampire visage. "You may still be the one to stop it," the monster snarled, effortlessly snapping Buffy's neck and tossing the body aside, "but I'll take you with me."
Xander's last sight was sharp fangs as they began to rip his throat to shreds. He tried to scream, but he could hear Buffy's voice, from the beyond, calling him.
"Xander. Xander! XANDER!!!"
"Huh?"
"Wake up." His eyes opened, and he could see his wife's face just inches from his own. She frowned at him. "You were whimpering and moaning. Nightmare?"
"Uh-huh."
"The one where I shot you down when you asked me to the dance and then the Master killed me?"
"Nope. Not that the memory of finding you dead in the Master's cave doesn't still haunt me, mind you. I'm just glad I decided to follow you that night."
"You're my hero. You've known that since the first time we met." Her words mocked, but her smile was tender. "Was it the one where I was the Slayer who slept with that hunky souled vamp of Cordy's, and made him all evil?"
"You know full well his name is Angel. And don't pretend you don't remember how scary it was when he became Angelus. Just because she wouldn't let you kill him."
"He did his time in Hell, so I guess I can let it go, but still."
"Let it go." Xander rolled over to face the owner of the growling second voice.
"Somebody woke up grumpy."
"Grumpy woke up because you two wouldn't *shut up*," his other companion snarled. "And could we please not keep reminding me of my indiscretions with Angel? I didn't know that was going to happen."
Xander patted her comfortingly. "You couldn't have known. You've asked forgiveness quite enough."
"Xander had another nightmare," his wife explained.
"Thank God *your* dreams aren't prophetic. That's some wacky shit you dream up." The sleepy eyes grew wide. "It wasn't the one where I tried to kill you, was it?"
"No," he reassured her. "Although I do usually enjoy the sex part of that one - up until you throw me out in my shorts, at least."
She snorted. "Like I would have sex with you and then throw you out. Or try to kill you, for that matter. Make you my personal sex slave, maybe. Kill you - no way." She smirked at his wife. "Kill her - maybe." She sat up, pushing her hair out of her eyes. "So what was it this time?" she asked, her forced casual tone not really disguising her concern.
"First Evil," Xander grunted. "Took over Spike." He hoped they didn't press for more detail.
"Spike? Dawn's chipped and undead honey? Useless S. Vamp?"
"And the First Evil? Please, sweetie, pick one of the scary ones, at least."
"Was scary," he pouted petulantly.
His wife leaned over, kissing him and sucking the protruding lower lip into her mouth. "Mmmm." He knew she couldn't resist the pouty lip. Pulling away, she scolded, "Nice try. Now spill."
Xander sighed. He knew how ridiculous it sounded. "YouweresleepingwithSpikeandsoyouwouldn'tkillhimandhekilledyouinstead."
"What is it with you and B and her sleeping with vamps, boytoy? It was my mistake - whyzit always her you stick with it?"
"Yeah - I think I'm offended. How stupid do I look? I'll give that once could be a mistake, but twice? I'll have you know I'm not a natural blonde."
"Heh - if he don't know that yet, the boy needs glasses. The kind for close up work."
"Stop it. Geez. It was a nightmare, okay? They don't have to make sense." His girlfriend began to rub his shoulders, while his wife wrapped her arms around him and kissed his ear.
"We're sorry, honey. We know how real these kinds of dreams can feel."
"Yeah. Chill."
"Okay - chill is not the word for what happens when you two start doing *that*."
"We're getting' him hot, B. What should we do about it?"
His wife pulled away, jumping to her feet beside the bed and tugging their girlfriend with her. "Make him take a cold shower. Willow and Jesse asked us to watch the kids this weekend so they could go away for their anniversary. They'll be here in a half an hour." The other two groaned in unison. "You know we owe them - they watched Janna for us last week." On cue, a baby began to cry in the next room. "C'mon, 'auntie' it's your turn on diaper duty."
He watched his two beautiful women head out, and rolled out of bed himself, heading for the dresser. Life was good - he married the woman of his dreams, and then found out she was just as interested as he was in the woman of his fantasies. How many men had two strong, gorgeous women in their bed every night? He had a beautiful child, a good job, great friends. He didn't know where his subconscious came up with some of this stuff that haunted him. It was just too absurd.
~**~ Additional notes: I'm not a big B/F/X fan. Actually, I'm not a huge Faith fan in general. It seems to be a mostly guy thing, the idea of X/F. Girls on the whole like Xander better with Buffy, I think because we don't like the idea that guys might want the "bad" girl more than the nice one. Just like most B/X'ers feel about Spike vs. Xander for Buffy. But this story just didn't work as well without her, so she muscled her way into it. Besides, it let me have Angelus in the history without Buffy boffing him.
That being said, it might be noticed that I didn't actually give either of the girls' names in the "real world" section. I still couldn't quite handle her being there, so maybe she's not Faith after all. Maybe Kendra never died. Maybe Kennedy got to be Slayer and switched teams, or in this universe wasn't gay to start with. Whatever floats your boat.
~**~