Title: Twin Goddess
Series: Ashes to Ashes
Author: Jon Emery
Email:
Summary: The cause of Xander's resurrection is finally revealed, and he discovers a purpose in his new life.
Pairing: Xander/Spike, Xander/Angel
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimers: None of the characters of Buffy or Angel belong to me; they are the property of Joss Whedon (dammit!). Ishtar and Ereshkigal are figures in Sumerian mythology, but most of their attributes are products of my imagination, which sort of makes them mine.
When Cordelia arrived at the Hyperion the next morning, the first thing she noticed was that all the tension and anger in the air from the previous day was completely gone. But then, so were Angel, Spike and Xander. They were nowhere to be seen on the ground floor, and Cordy knew better than to go looking upstairs. Instead she busied herself with booting up the computer, going through the files and thinking about anything but what the two vampires were doing with her friend.
Xander was lying on a beach, letting the tide wash over him, caressing his skin. As he opened his eyes (hadn't his eyes been open before?), he realised that he wasn't on a beach, he was in a bed. The stroking was there, but it wasn't a tide. It was Angel and Spike. Spike was letting his hand wander over Xander's chest while he slept, as Angel explored his hips and legs, also while slumbering. Xander let himself relax again, letting out a long, contented breath and closing his eyes. He couldn't clearly recall the circumstances that had brought the two vampires into his bed, his mind was still veiled in an exhausted haze. And, quite frankly, he didn't care in the least. As vague memories of the night before returned to him, he felt the energy that had controlled them, that inexorable force of need and consummation… and he could feel the bond that now existed between him and the two vampires, a link of magic and lust and love… Love?
Do I love Angel?
As he thought about the question as he looked to and from Spike and Angel, Xander realised that he couldn't live without either of them. They were as much a part of him as his arms or legs. Last night had seen to that, it had taken whatever attraction lay between them and thrown it onto to a whole new level. And surprisingly, Xander wasn't bothered. He was the subject of an invisible tie between two undead creatures of the night. What was there to worry about?
As Xander, Spike and Angel made their way down the stairs a few hours later, Cordelia immediately noticed the change. There was an incredible air of ease around the three of them, almost as if they had been together since the day that they were born. They eventually settled into research mode, and as the morning hours passed, Cordelia kept her eye on them. Sure enough, every now and then one of the vampires would look over Xander's shoulder while he was reading, ask him about it, and then just casually squeeze his shoulder or stroke the back of his neck. And Xander was the same with them. Inwardly grinning, Cordelia decided to say nothing on the subject; just so long as neither of them tried to eat her best friend.
Flicking through the pages of yet another ancient book, Xander felt his attention begin to wander. Barely even glancing down at the Ancient Sumerian text that filled the volume as he turned the pages, his eyes were suddenly caught on an image. An image that spoke to him in a deep, inexplicable way. Two identical women, long red hair tumbling past their shoulders and unearthly green eyes staring out from the page. It was the twins from his vision. The muscles in his hands ceased to function, and the book fell to the table. Angel and Spike instantly looked up, their concern almost drowning him.
"I know these people." The words barely seemed audible even to him, so he continued. "I've seen them before." He told Angel, Spike and Cordelia about his vision the day after the resurrection, only a week ago. But as he thought about it again, he realised that he had known the two women even before then. That night. The night where he had been pulled back from the arms of death, crawled out of his grave and into the arms of two vampires. They had brought him back. The two women. He told them all of this, and understood what the Host had said. He had been touched by not one God, but two. They were ancient, powerful. And now he was powerful. But why?
Where are you? He screamed silently, his thoughts growing in intensity. He called to them in his mind, commanding them. And before he realised that he had thought those thoughts, Ishtar and Ereshkigal were there, right in front of him. Their cool jade gaze swept over him, and Xander knew that he was standing before the two most ancient, primal beings in the world. He dropped to his knees, almost as if he had done it thousands of times before.
"Goddess." He whispered.
"Dumuzi." Ishtar replied. That one word opened up a door inside of Xander, and then he understood everything. He knew why he had been brought back.
"Who the hell are you?" Angel stepped between Xander and the Twins, breaking the spell that their magical eyes had cast on him. Xander got to his feet, and said calmly;
"It's alright, Angel. I know now."
"That is true, my beloved." Ishtar said. "You truly understand now, do you not. You never did before. But now, now you are ready. Dumuzi, you are my consort, my champion, my warrior. Now you are ready to be my King." Then Ereshkigal stepped forward, and smiled.
"My sister and I know of your love for the two grave-wraiths, and she knows that you can never truly be her beloved. But everything else remains." She stepped back to join her twin, and then they were gone.
"Are you alright?" The 'grave-wraiths' rushed to his side, looking over him to try and spot any harm that the Queens may have invisibly inflicted on him.
"I'm fine." Xander said quietly.
"Then are you up to explaining what just happened?" Xander looked up into Angel's deep loving eyes, so soft and warm compared to those of the Gods, and kissed him passionately. Then he turned to Spike and did the same, proving his never-ending love for them. Then he sat back down in his seat, and explained it all.
"It's been written about in the myths. Ishtar, the Queen of Heaven, chooses Dumuzi as her lover and her champion. But he falls, so she descends to the Underworld to retrieve him. The Underworld is the domain of her sister, Ereshkigal."
"But that doesn't explain why you've been brought back."
"Well, in a way, it does. I am Dumuzi."
Angel, Spike and Cordelia stared at him in silent confusion.
"I am Dumuzi. Or, I was a long time ago. I mean in a past life. So when I jumped into the Gate, I 'fell' from life. I'm still not sure where I was, because it wasn't Hell. If it was, then Ishtar could have brought me back by herself. It was somewhere between Heaven and Hell. Somewhere distant enough to warrant the power and strength of two primordial Queens."
"So they brought you back to life because Ishtar wanted her boyfriend back? 'Cause, didn't she say that she understood how you felt for Spike and Angel?" Cordelia asked.
"It's more than that. When Dawn's blood opened the Gates, all of the energy that had been pent up inside her and the doorways escaped, which is what opened everything up. But when I closed them, I did it with my life, with mine and Dawn's mortal blood. So all of that energy has upset the cosmic scale. Me being back in the Mortal realm balances things out again. And I really am Ishtar's champion on Earth."
"So what are you saying?" Spike said. "All that energy is in you now? You're the Key?"
"Yes."
"But what did Ishtar mean when she said that you're ready?" Angel asked.
Xander paused for a few moments before answering.
"She meant that I'm ready to go back to Sunnydale."
To Be Continued
On to Final Part – Dead and Buried