Title: Iron Fisted 5/13
Author: Mike McD
Rating: R (for some naughty language)
Summary: The follow on from 'Silver Tongued'.
Distribution: Anywhere, just let me know.
Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer nor do I own any other characters. This is a work of fiction written for fun and enjoyment.
------
The arrival and subsequent demise of Billy Fordham was, if not a welcome distraction, then a useful one. With Xander still in hospital, it forced the rest of the gang to work together.
Cordelia was making it clear that Buffy was number one on her shit list and showed no signs of easing up any time soon. When ever the two met the temperature in the room dropped to freezing point. Buffy didn't understand why Cordelia, rather than Willow or Xander (who Buffy felt was fully justified in hating Buffy), was reacting the way she was towards her. After a few days of being on the receiving end of Cordelia's wrath, Buffy didn't care. If Cordelia was gonna be a bitch to her, then Buffy was determined to give as good as she got.
Willow was a different and, to Buffy, a more heartbreaking matter. Outside of Scooby related activities; Willow avoided Buffy, spending her time with Xander in the hospital, or in the library with Giles, or increasingly with Cordelia. The absence of her best (female) friend hurt Buffy more than any words from Cordelia ever could. Buffy had done the one thing that Willow would find hardest to forgive.
Buffy had hurt Xander.
Not just hurt him but, in that 5 seconds of reprehensible fury, came so close to killing a human being that it made Buffy sick to think about it. Nobody wished as much as Buffy for the ability to go back in time and change it all.
But even a Slayer couldn't and Xander and Buffy was stuck with what happened. All Buffy had control over was the here and now and her future actions. She was determined to be the friend to Xander that she should have been all along.
Xander had said he had forgiven Buffy and said that they were OK. But they weren't really. Buffy would visit after hours, avoiding as best she could the times when Willow or Cordelia would visit. Buffy would bring Xander junk food as he constantly complained about hospital food. They talked and joked and looked to all the world that they were as close as they ever had been. The world would be wrong in thinking it.
Xander would occasionally go quiet and introspective when they talked. His cheerfulness seemed forced at times. Once, during one of her visits, Xander had made one of his salacious comments and Buffy went to playfully swat him on the arm as she had a hundred times before. The look of fear on his face caused Buffy to burst into tears.
They weren't OK and perhaps never would be again. Not like they were before.
-----
During lunch a week or so after Halloween, Cordelia entered the library seeking Giles and some answers at a matter that had been bothering her for days. Giles was standing beside Willow looking at what she was doing on the computer. Cordelia lent over Willow's shoulder to see a web page with some description of demon on it.
The faint whiff of strawberries and shampoo filled Cordelia's senses and she glanced down at the redhead. From her position Cordelia could see down Willow's top, the milky white curves encased in white lace.
Struggling to keep her voice even, Cordelia asked Willow what she were doing.
Willow, turning in her seat to tell her, found herself mere inches from Cordelia's ample cleavage. Turning quickly back to the screen, Willow half babbled something about a useful demonology website she had found.
Willow found that the room had suddenly gotten a whole lot warmer.
Cordelia backed away from the computer.
The two of them had been doing this sort of thing all week.
"Giles, I got some questions about the possessions." The cheerleader told him.
"What seems to be the concern?"
"No concern as such. I was wondering about the skills and stuff."
"What do you mean?"
"It's just that a couple of times that I've visited Xander, he occasionally yammers away in some weird tongue. Is he gonna be language boy from now on?"
"While there will undoubtedly be some residual effects, I imagine that they would fade in time."
"Is there any way of retaining them? Like getting Xander to do all language-y type stuff?"
Giles scratched his nose in contemplation.
"I suppose it would. Yes. It's a real possibility, exercising the talent in order to retain it." Giles started warming to the idea of having Xander's multilingual abilities aiding his research.
"What about physical skills?" Willow asked, her mind ticking over at the possibilities.
"Physical skills?" the question pulled Giles up short. Willow struggled to come up with something.
"Like... um... swordsmanship!"
"Yeah! Xander was unbelievable with his sword." Cordelia interjected at the funny look from Giles.
"I can't see why that wouldn't be any different. With practice I imagine that it would be retained as well." The prospect of a skilled researcher and a fighter at his disposal put a smile one his face.
Willow and Cordelia too had smiles on their faces, although for a completely different reason to Giles.
-----
Walking down the halls just before last period Willow found herself dragged into a nearby janitors closet by Cordelia.
Author: Mike McD
Rating: R (for some naughty language)
Summary: The follow on from 'Silver Tongued'.
Distribution: Anywhere, just let me know.
Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer nor do I own any other characters. This is a work of fiction written for fun and enjoyment.
------
The arrival and subsequent demise of Billy Fordham was, if not a welcome distraction, then a useful one. With Xander still in hospital, it forced the rest of the gang to work together.
Cordelia was making it clear that Buffy was number one on her shit list and showed no signs of easing up any time soon. When ever the two met the temperature in the room dropped to freezing point. Buffy didn't understand why Cordelia, rather than Willow or Xander (who Buffy felt was fully justified in hating Buffy), was reacting the way she was towards her. After a few days of being on the receiving end of Cordelia's wrath, Buffy didn't care. If Cordelia was gonna be a bitch to her, then Buffy was determined to give as good as she got.
Willow was a different and, to Buffy, a more heartbreaking matter. Outside of Scooby related activities; Willow avoided Buffy, spending her time with Xander in the hospital, or in the library with Giles, or increasingly with Cordelia. The absence of her best (female) friend hurt Buffy more than any words from Cordelia ever could. Buffy had done the one thing that Willow would find hardest to forgive.
Buffy had hurt Xander.
Not just hurt him but, in that 5 seconds of reprehensible fury, came so close to killing a human being that it made Buffy sick to think about it. Nobody wished as much as Buffy for the ability to go back in time and change it all.
But even a Slayer couldn't and Xander and Buffy was stuck with what happened. All Buffy had control over was the here and now and her future actions. She was determined to be the friend to Xander that she should have been all along.
Xander had said he had forgiven Buffy and said that they were OK. But they weren't really. Buffy would visit after hours, avoiding as best she could the times when Willow or Cordelia would visit. Buffy would bring Xander junk food as he constantly complained about hospital food. They talked and joked and looked to all the world that they were as close as they ever had been. The world would be wrong in thinking it.
Xander would occasionally go quiet and introspective when they talked. His cheerfulness seemed forced at times. Once, during one of her visits, Xander had made one of his salacious comments and Buffy went to playfully swat him on the arm as she had a hundred times before. The look of fear on his face caused Buffy to burst into tears.
They weren't OK and perhaps never would be again. Not like they were before.
-----
During lunch a week or so after Halloween, Cordelia entered the library seeking Giles and some answers at a matter that had been bothering her for days. Giles was standing beside Willow looking at what she was doing on the computer. Cordelia lent over Willow's shoulder to see a web page with some description of demon on it.
The faint whiff of strawberries and shampoo filled Cordelia's senses and she glanced down at the redhead. From her position Cordelia could see down Willow's top, the milky white curves encased in white lace.
Struggling to keep her voice even, Cordelia asked Willow what she were doing.
Willow, turning in her seat to tell her, found herself mere inches from Cordelia's ample cleavage. Turning quickly back to the screen, Willow half babbled something about a useful demonology website she had found.
Willow found that the room had suddenly gotten a whole lot warmer.
Cordelia backed away from the computer.
The two of them had been doing this sort of thing all week.
"Giles, I got some questions about the possessions." The cheerleader told him.
"What seems to be the concern?"
"No concern as such. I was wondering about the skills and stuff."
"What do you mean?"
"It's just that a couple of times that I've visited Xander, he occasionally yammers away in some weird tongue. Is he gonna be language boy from now on?"
"While there will undoubtedly be some residual effects, I imagine that they would fade in time."
"Is there any way of retaining them? Like getting Xander to do all language-y type stuff?"
Giles scratched his nose in contemplation.
"I suppose it would. Yes. It's a real possibility, exercising the talent in order to retain it." Giles started warming to the idea of having Xander's multilingual abilities aiding his research.
"What about physical skills?" Willow asked, her mind ticking over at the possibilities.
"Physical skills?" the question pulled Giles up short. Willow struggled to come up with something.
"Like... um... swordsmanship!"
"Yeah! Xander was unbelievable with his sword." Cordelia interjected at the funny look from Giles.
"I can't see why that wouldn't be any different. With practice I imagine that it would be retained as well." The prospect of a skilled researcher and a fighter at his disposal put a smile one his face.
Willow and Cordelia too had smiles on their faces, although for a completely different reason to Giles.
-----
Walking down the halls just before last period Willow found herself dragged into a nearby janitors closet by Cordelia.