Xander fell to the floor as he came back to his room. He had just encountered three members of the Endless in two days, and the last one decided not to provide any protection against her realm.
He was exhausted from the effort of maintaining hope in Despairs, and he probably looked like hell but he now had three of the five votes he needed to bring back Buffy so it was worth it.
Just as he was about to close his eyes and give Dream another visit Xanders door burst open and a frantic Willow, Tara, and Dawn stormed into his room.
"We heard a thumb and… Oh my goddess, Xanderareyouallright?" asked a very concerned Willow.
Giving up the idea of sleep for the moment Xander forced his eyes to open and said, "Yes Willow I'm okay. There is no need to worry, I'm still breathing and Xander shaped."
"Th-then why are you on the floor?" asked Tara.
"Well it looked so comfy I thought I would see if I could use it instead of a bed."
"As much fun as this is can we get on with it? What did Despair say?" asked Dawn.
"Never fear Dawn, we now have one more vote to bring back Buffy if she wants to come back."
Willows eyes narrowed. "What do you mean IF she decides to come back? I don't remember any ifs, ands, or buts in your deal with Death. You get five of her siblings to agree that Buffy should be brought back, Buffy is brought back, and we all live happily ever after, the end. Where is the IF?"
"Well the deal was kind of changed this mourning."
"Death changed the deal! Oooh, I knew she was going to be trouble when I first saw her. Death is supposed to be creepy skeleton guy with a scythe, not cute and sexy Goth Girl. Anything that is cute, sexy and supernatural can only mean trouble, especially if it involves you. I meal look at your record, Mantis Lady, Mummy Girl, Cordelia, Faith, Anya."
"WILLOW! Please don't bring up former girlfriends that only left me two days ago. And you shouldn't be mad at Death; she only changed the deal because I asked her to." For a moment Xander wondered why he said that, no good could possibly come from saying that. He figured it was probably because he was a human male, the only creature alive that could put its feet, hands, and its but in its own mouth before it decides to shut up.
"Let me get this straight. You are going to face your greatest challenges, maybe even die, just so Buffy may come back? You would risk your life, death, and everything in-between and then give her a chance to turn you down?"
"Um, yeah I am."
"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FREAKING GOURD?" screamed Willow while she turned a very unhealthy shade of red.
"Calm down honey," said Tara in a soothing voice.
"But he is being such a… a… man!"
"I know he is but oxygen deprivation is not the way to go. Now jus breathe, let your best friend explain why he did this, and then you can turn him into a toad."
"You mean turn him into a rat. We already discussed this, there is to be no mention of frogs or frog like creatures in this relationship."
Tara just smiled and continued stroke her lovers back, "You better explain yourself before Willow decides to give Amy a playmate."
"Buffy has been through more then all of us combined. If she wants to stop fighting and receive any rewards the afterlife offers her she deserves it. All I did was alter the deal so she had a choice."
"What if she chooses to stay?" asked Dawn in a small voice.
"Then I become your guardian Dawn. Me, Willow, Tara, Giles, and even Spike are your family, we aren't going to let you go."
Dawn smiled when she heard the distaste in his voice when he spoke Spikes name. "You really don't like Spike do you?"
"It's not a matter of liking him; it's a matter of remembering what he is. Even though he has protected you, and even came as close to loving Buffy as you can get for a creature without a sole, he is still a vamp. If it wasn't for that chip he would probably kill us all eventually. I don't allow myself to like him because if that chip malfunctions or he finds a way to remove it we will need to put him down fast."
Dawn didn't like it but she kept silent.
"Well I should probably head out if I want to see Desire tonight," said Xander as he grabbed his keys and wallet. He was soon stopped at the bedroom door by three females that had identical resolve faces.
"We decided that we are coming with you," said Willow in her strictest voice.
"This is a bad idea guys I should do this on my own."
"You looked like you were half dead when we came in. We decided that you aren't doing this alone anymore."
Xander sighed. He really didn't want to put the girls in danger but every moment he wasted arguing was a moment that he could be working on getting Buffy back. Finally he decided to relent slightly, after all how dangerous could Desire be. "Okay Willow and Tara can com but not Dawn."
"Why not Buffy is my sister you know!"
"Because you would be arrested, that is why. And if I get you arrested Buffy will kill me when she comes back."
"Oh and why would I be arrested?"
"Because we are going to a Temple of Desire and they don't let in anyone who is too young to drink. Well none of the legal temples do."
Folding her arms Dawn gave a look that would have done her mother proud. "Fine, but you are going to eat something before you go."
Xander was about to protest when his stomach let out a roar. "Traitor, okay a quick meal and then off to a Temple of Desire."
Later
"This is a Temple of Desire?"
Xander could understand Willows confusion considering where they were. After all when Xander thought of a Temple he thought of a church or some ruins where a demon would attack him, not Harold's House of Horney Hooters.
"Think about it," said Xander as he got out of the car. "People go in there and they want. Instead of getting what they want like most places they can't even touch what they want so they want more. They keep wanting until they go somewhere else to satisfy themselves. Honestly could you think of a better definition of pure desire then wanting but never getting?
"I understand if this is distasteful to you so you don't have to come if you don't want to."
"We said that we are coming with you and we are," said Willow though she sounded a bit less sure than before.
Walking in they all paid the two drink minimum and sat down at a table. After a while of watching naked women dance Willow became a bit impatient. "So when is Desire coming?"
"Desire is already here Wills, we just have to wait for it to come and talk to us."
"It? Isn't Desire human looking like the others?"
"Desire looks human Wills I just refer to Desire as it because it isn't male or female but a combo of the two."
"Okay, that is kind of gross."
Xander simply shrugged and took another sip of his drink. "Gross or not it's the way it has to be Wills. If Desire was totally male then probably only males would be desirable, even to other males. This way the other side has a chance, in most cases that is."
"Not the first time I've heard it explained that way but I suppose that it's the best you can do," said a new figure at the table. The figures skin was the same color of smoke and its yellow eyes took in every detail of the three friends. It was uncertain if this figure was male or female and that marked it as Desire.
"So you are the little mortal that is making all the noise," said Desire. "You don't have to explain what you want I already know, but let me make a counter offer."
With a snap of Desires figures every woman stopped what they were doing and walked over to Xander. "Years ago you had a love spell cast that went wrong, what I'm offering you is its perfected version. Every woman, creature, and demon will desire you, but only as long as you desire them. As soon as you tire of one of them they will leave you alone."
The stripers began to cress him, whispering and blowing in his ear. He was just holding out when he saw Willow and Tara begin to strip down to their underwear.
"You can even have them if you want them," said Desire a smile playing across its ruby lips. "All you have to do is give up. Stop bugging us to bring back one friend live out the rest of you life having every desire no matter how deep and dark fulfilled. Really, what is one friend compared to what I'm offering you."
Xander was going to say yes. He never wanted anything more than what Desire was offering him at that moment and he couldn't hold back his response much longer. Desperately searching his sole for some reason to say no he found a flame of want that was separate from the one Desire had built in his heart.
He wanted Buffy back. He wanted to hear her laugh; hear her complain about Slaying, heck he even wanted to hear her talk about how great Angel was again. He wanted her to be back and happy more than he wanted to live, and he wanted it more than he wanted what Desire was offering him.
"Sorry but no. What I want is for my friend to be alive and happy, but mostly happy."
"You want what I'm offering. You've wanted it ever sense you first wanted girls. You want so badly I can taste it!"
"Yeah, I want what you are offering, but I want Buffy back more."
Suddenly the women stopped caressing him, and Willow and Tara began to put their clothes back on. Glad to finally have enough blood in his head to think properly again Xander asked, "So are do you vote to bring back Buffy?"
"No."
Xander blinked a few times in confusion. "Wait you can't say no. Its story telling 101, when the brave knight overcomes the obstacle set up by the powerful being said powerful being has to give the knight what he wants."
"If you want a story go talk to Dream again, that's his domain. Personally I try to stay as far away from stories as I can. Now if you will excuse me there is an underground party in London that I plan to attend," and with that Desire disappeared.
"Well that could have gone better," said Xander as he followed a now dressed Willow and Tara to the car. Thinking of how he was going to be treated because of what Desire made the two of them do filled with dread. Desire must really hate him for some reason.
