Title: Second Chances: Take Two (1/?)
Author: Cyclone
Feedback: Please be gentle.
Distribution: Gimme credit and a link. Plus, archived at
Rating: I'm gonna go say PG-13.
Spoilers: Um, lots of pure speculation on season seven, and pretty much anything up to that is fair game.
Disclaimer: The characters depicted herein belong to the almighty Joss. I'm just borrowing them for a while.
Summary: Xander's real power is revealed... and he's not too happy with it.
Author's Note: Got bored, so I thought I'd write this.
* * *
Xander swallowed hard and licked his lips, trying to refrain from staring at Willow's lips. And eyes. And other parts.
*Aw, hell,* he thought as he stopped resisting the urge to lean down toward her. *What could it hurt?*
His lips met hers, and he could feel the redhead virtually melting into his arms.
*Wait...* he thought. *I'm forgetting something. What am I...?*
He suddenly pushed away from his childhood friend and whirled around, drawing a stake from under his shirt and swinging it around in one smooth motion. The vampire stared in shock at him before crumbling to dust.
"Nice shot."
He grinned, "Well, we can't all be Slayers, Buff. Welcome back."
* * *
"Greetings, daughter of the Kalderash."
Jenny Calendar, known to some as Janna of the Kalderash clan, whirled around, eyes darting back and forth but unable to pierce the darkness. The voice was familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. "Wh-who are you? Where did you hear that name?"
The voice ignored her questions and continued, "There's a reason your clan sent you to watch Angel, Janna. The moment his soul is no longer a burden to him, it will be taken from him. Should he achieve even one moment of true happiness... Angelus will be unleashed on the world again. Do not fail in your mission."
"Who are you?!" she demanded of the darkness. "How do you know all this?"
"The Shadow knows," the voice said, then trailed off into mocking laughter.
* * *
Xander snickered. That was _too_ much fun! Still, he'd better not try that stunt again, or he might find himself attracting a little too much attention.
"Well, well, well," a female voice purred, "looks like we've got delivery tonight, boys."
Xander jerked his head up and swore.
Vampires.
There were five of them: four male, one female. She would probably have been pretty good-looking if it weren't for the vampiric ridges on her face... not that that was any great surprise. Vampires tended to turn their more attractive victims.
He drew his stake and a vial of holy water and waved them on with false bravado, "Well, come on then."
The vampires looked at each other in surprise, then looked at the female, who was obviously the leader of the group. *Figures,* he thought sourly.
She nodded, and they attacked.
He staked one on the charge, and the holy water sent a second to the ground screaming before he staked it. He held his cross up, warding off the other two, looking around wildly.
Suddenly, something struck him on the back of the head, hard, and he fell to the ground. Trying to blink his eyes clear, he saw the female vampire leaning over him.
"I think I'll keep this one," she said with a wicked smile.
* * *
Xander sucked in a breath. Where...?
His gaze dropped to his hand. He shook his head in denial as he pulled the sword free of the body skewered on the other end. The blade fell from his nerveless fingers and clattered to the ground.
"B-Buffy?"
The Slayer coughed up blood and smiled up at him, "Xander... you're... back. Gotta... tell you... never realized... love you..."
"Oh, God, Buffy... Buffy? BUFFY!"
He stumbled back and looked around frantically, searching for something -- anything -- that would help the fallen Slayer.
Instead, he found the stone form of Acathla... and the portal it was producing.
"Oh, hell..." he muttered, rather appropriately, before the orange light engulfed him.
* * *
Xander bolted upright, gasping for air.
"What the hell happened?"
"Well," Whistler said, stepping out of the shadows, "to put it bluntly, you happened. You'll remember in a little while when the curse really kicks in, but the Reader's Digest version is this: Angel never lost his soul, thanks in part to that little performance of yours, but you kinda got turned by that gang of vamps. Vampire you... not a nice fellow. Woke up Acathla, sent the world to hell. Great big reset button, and bam! Here you are."
"Oh," was all Xander could say.
"Christ, kid," Whistler shook his head, "you're supposed ta _save_ the world, not end it! Ya gotta be more careful than that."
"Right, right, ri-..." Xander stiffened suddenly. "Oh God."
Whistler winced, then made himself scarce. The kid needed to be alone for this.
* * *
Tap tap. Tap tap tap.
Willow blinked and looked up from her book in surprise. She opened the glass door, her face screwed in confusion, "Xander, wha-? Ooof!"
She found herself pulled into a desperate hug as Xander's arms wrapped around her, holding her close.
"Oh, God, Willow," he murmured, "you're all right. Thank _God_ you're alive!"
"Aren't I usually?" she asked, puzzled but not complaining at the surge of affection.
He pulled away, blinking back tears, and said nothing.
"Bad dream?" she asked tentatively.
He hesitated for a moment, and she almost flinched from the haunted look in his eyes, but it vanished a moment later when he smiled faintly and croaked out, "Yeah. Bad dream."
"C'mon," she said, "I'll make you some hot chocolate."
"Thanks, Wills."
* * *
"Feel better, Xander?" Willow asked as he finished up the hot chocolate.
"Yeah," he said, smiling back at her. After a moment, he said, "You know I love you, right?"
"Yeah..." she said, wishing he meant it in the more-than-friends way.
"Just... don't forget. Don't ever forget, okay?"
"All right," she said. "So, umm... you okay to go home now?"
He sighed and stared at the bottom of his mug. "I dunno," he said, his voice tired. "Can I sleep with you tonight, Wills?"
Willow's eyes went round, and she could feel her face burning, but he didn't seem to notice. "Um, uh, sure. Sure, Xander. N-no problem."
* * *
Xander stirred awake and blinked his eyes open.
"An...?" he muttered in confusion. No, this wasn't the apartment he shared with his fiancee. He sat up and looked around... and froze.
"Willow?"
Then his mind unfogged, and the memories returned. He lay back down and pulled her into a hug, relishing in her warmth... and rejoicing in the simple knowledge that she was alive.
* * *
"Mmm..." Willow moaned in satisfaction as she buried her face into the warm, manly chest in front of her.
The thought penetrated, and the morning fog suddenly vanished.
*Oh, God!* she thought. *I'm in bed with a man! Who?!*
She blinked and looked up, then smiled in relief. *Mmm... Xander...* she thought, then pouted, *...and clothing...*
* * *
"You sure this is the place?" Buffy asked, nodding toward the warehouse.
"Yeah," Xander said, his voice hard. "I'm sure."
Buffy glanced at him and was surprised by what she saw. His expression was so grim and hard, it might have been etched in stone for all she could tell. In his eyes, she could see tightly controlled anger and a hint of something else she couldn't identify.
And how did Xander find out about this vampire nest, anyway?
She shook it off. She'd ask him later.
"Let's go."
* * *
Xander threw a right hook and followed it up with a left cross. As the female vampire stumbled back, he brought his leg up and kicked her across the face, spinning around and backhanding her with his clenched fist.
He advanced again and threw three rapid punches into her gut, followed by an uppercut and a punch to the throat that left her reflexively clutching her throat and gasping for air she didn't really need. He lashed out with a brutal kick to her knee, snapping the joint in a direction it was never meant to bend.
Finally, Xander crouched down and held his stake to her chest. With a feral smile, he said, "Goodbye, Cindy." She stared in shock -- how did he know her name? -- as he shoved the stake home.
Dusting his hands off, Xander stood up and looked around, "That all of them?"
Buffy stared at him for a long moment before she looked around and answered, "Uh, yeah. I think so."
*Where did he learn to fight like that? And when did he get so... vicious?* she wondered uncertainly.
Xander's thoughts ran parallel, *Okay, that wasn't Soldier Boy, so what was all that?* The only thing he could think of was that it was a holdover from his time a vampire. Black belt-level martial arts prowess seemed to part of the whole bloodsucker package.
He shivered. He did _not_ want to think about that.
* * *
Author's Postscript:
Well, what can I say? The plot bunny just wouldn't leave me alone. Now, maybe I can get back to work on my other 'fics...
Oh, and in case anyone was wondering, I do have vague intentions of hitting the giant reset button every so often. It's not too often that the big reset button is an actual plot device...
Author: Cyclone
Feedback: Please be gentle.
Distribution: Gimme credit and a link. Plus, archived at
Rating: I'm gonna go say PG-13.
Spoilers: Um, lots of pure speculation on season seven, and pretty much anything up to that is fair game.
Disclaimer: The characters depicted herein belong to the almighty Joss. I'm just borrowing them for a while.
Summary: Xander's real power is revealed... and he's not too happy with it.
Author's Note: Got bored, so I thought I'd write this.
* * *
Xander swallowed hard and licked his lips, trying to refrain from staring at Willow's lips. And eyes. And other parts.
*Aw, hell,* he thought as he stopped resisting the urge to lean down toward her. *What could it hurt?*
His lips met hers, and he could feel the redhead virtually melting into his arms.
*Wait...* he thought. *I'm forgetting something. What am I...?*
He suddenly pushed away from his childhood friend and whirled around, drawing a stake from under his shirt and swinging it around in one smooth motion. The vampire stared in shock at him before crumbling to dust.
"Nice shot."
He grinned, "Well, we can't all be Slayers, Buff. Welcome back."
* * *
"Greetings, daughter of the Kalderash."
Jenny Calendar, known to some as Janna of the Kalderash clan, whirled around, eyes darting back and forth but unable to pierce the darkness. The voice was familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. "Wh-who are you? Where did you hear that name?"
The voice ignored her questions and continued, "There's a reason your clan sent you to watch Angel, Janna. The moment his soul is no longer a burden to him, it will be taken from him. Should he achieve even one moment of true happiness... Angelus will be unleashed on the world again. Do not fail in your mission."
"Who are you?!" she demanded of the darkness. "How do you know all this?"
"The Shadow knows," the voice said, then trailed off into mocking laughter.
* * *
Xander snickered. That was _too_ much fun! Still, he'd better not try that stunt again, or he might find himself attracting a little too much attention.
"Well, well, well," a female voice purred, "looks like we've got delivery tonight, boys."
Xander jerked his head up and swore.
Vampires.
There were five of them: four male, one female. She would probably have been pretty good-looking if it weren't for the vampiric ridges on her face... not that that was any great surprise. Vampires tended to turn their more attractive victims.
He drew his stake and a vial of holy water and waved them on with false bravado, "Well, come on then."
The vampires looked at each other in surprise, then looked at the female, who was obviously the leader of the group. *Figures,* he thought sourly.
She nodded, and they attacked.
He staked one on the charge, and the holy water sent a second to the ground screaming before he staked it. He held his cross up, warding off the other two, looking around wildly.
Suddenly, something struck him on the back of the head, hard, and he fell to the ground. Trying to blink his eyes clear, he saw the female vampire leaning over him.
"I think I'll keep this one," she said with a wicked smile.
* * *
Xander sucked in a breath. Where...?
His gaze dropped to his hand. He shook his head in denial as he pulled the sword free of the body skewered on the other end. The blade fell from his nerveless fingers and clattered to the ground.
"B-Buffy?"
The Slayer coughed up blood and smiled up at him, "Xander... you're... back. Gotta... tell you... never realized... love you..."
"Oh, God, Buffy... Buffy? BUFFY!"
He stumbled back and looked around frantically, searching for something -- anything -- that would help the fallen Slayer.
Instead, he found the stone form of Acathla... and the portal it was producing.
"Oh, hell..." he muttered, rather appropriately, before the orange light engulfed him.
* * *
Xander bolted upright, gasping for air.
"What the hell happened?"
"Well," Whistler said, stepping out of the shadows, "to put it bluntly, you happened. You'll remember in a little while when the curse really kicks in, but the Reader's Digest version is this: Angel never lost his soul, thanks in part to that little performance of yours, but you kinda got turned by that gang of vamps. Vampire you... not a nice fellow. Woke up Acathla, sent the world to hell. Great big reset button, and bam! Here you are."
"Oh," was all Xander could say.
"Christ, kid," Whistler shook his head, "you're supposed ta _save_ the world, not end it! Ya gotta be more careful than that."
"Right, right, ri-..." Xander stiffened suddenly. "Oh God."
Whistler winced, then made himself scarce. The kid needed to be alone for this.
* * *
Tap tap. Tap tap tap.
Willow blinked and looked up from her book in surprise. She opened the glass door, her face screwed in confusion, "Xander, wha-? Ooof!"
She found herself pulled into a desperate hug as Xander's arms wrapped around her, holding her close.
"Oh, God, Willow," he murmured, "you're all right. Thank _God_ you're alive!"
"Aren't I usually?" she asked, puzzled but not complaining at the surge of affection.
He pulled away, blinking back tears, and said nothing.
"Bad dream?" she asked tentatively.
He hesitated for a moment, and she almost flinched from the haunted look in his eyes, but it vanished a moment later when he smiled faintly and croaked out, "Yeah. Bad dream."
"C'mon," she said, "I'll make you some hot chocolate."
"Thanks, Wills."
* * *
"Feel better, Xander?" Willow asked as he finished up the hot chocolate.
"Yeah," he said, smiling back at her. After a moment, he said, "You know I love you, right?"
"Yeah..." she said, wishing he meant it in the more-than-friends way.
"Just... don't forget. Don't ever forget, okay?"
"All right," she said. "So, umm... you okay to go home now?"
He sighed and stared at the bottom of his mug. "I dunno," he said, his voice tired. "Can I sleep with you tonight, Wills?"
Willow's eyes went round, and she could feel her face burning, but he didn't seem to notice. "Um, uh, sure. Sure, Xander. N-no problem."
* * *
Xander stirred awake and blinked his eyes open.
"An...?" he muttered in confusion. No, this wasn't the apartment he shared with his fiancee. He sat up and looked around... and froze.
"Willow?"
Then his mind unfogged, and the memories returned. He lay back down and pulled her into a hug, relishing in her warmth... and rejoicing in the simple knowledge that she was alive.
* * *
"Mmm..." Willow moaned in satisfaction as she buried her face into the warm, manly chest in front of her.
The thought penetrated, and the morning fog suddenly vanished.
*Oh, God!* she thought. *I'm in bed with a man! Who?!*
She blinked and looked up, then smiled in relief. *Mmm... Xander...* she thought, then pouted, *...and clothing...*
* * *
"You sure this is the place?" Buffy asked, nodding toward the warehouse.
"Yeah," Xander said, his voice hard. "I'm sure."
Buffy glanced at him and was surprised by what she saw. His expression was so grim and hard, it might have been etched in stone for all she could tell. In his eyes, she could see tightly controlled anger and a hint of something else she couldn't identify.
And how did Xander find out about this vampire nest, anyway?
She shook it off. She'd ask him later.
"Let's go."
* * *
Xander threw a right hook and followed it up with a left cross. As the female vampire stumbled back, he brought his leg up and kicked her across the face, spinning around and backhanding her with his clenched fist.
He advanced again and threw three rapid punches into her gut, followed by an uppercut and a punch to the throat that left her reflexively clutching her throat and gasping for air she didn't really need. He lashed out with a brutal kick to her knee, snapping the joint in a direction it was never meant to bend.
Finally, Xander crouched down and held his stake to her chest. With a feral smile, he said, "Goodbye, Cindy." She stared in shock -- how did he know her name? -- as he shoved the stake home.
Dusting his hands off, Xander stood up and looked around, "That all of them?"
Buffy stared at him for a long moment before she looked around and answered, "Uh, yeah. I think so."
*Where did he learn to fight like that? And when did he get so... vicious?* she wondered uncertainly.
Xander's thoughts ran parallel, *Okay, that wasn't Soldier Boy, so what was all that?* The only thing he could think of was that it was a holdover from his time a vampire. Black belt-level martial arts prowess seemed to part of the whole bloodsucker package.
He shivered. He did _not_ want to think about that.
* * *
Author's Postscript:
Well, what can I say? The plot bunny just wouldn't leave me alone. Now, maybe I can get back to work on my other 'fics...
Oh, and in case anyone was wondering, I do have vague intentions of hitting the giant reset button every so often. It's not too often that the big reset button is an actual plot device...