Disclaimers: Mutant Enemy and Joss Whedon own it all. I'm just doing this for fun, and hopefully entertainment
Reviews: Welcomed and appreciated
Watching the activity in the quad at school, Xander had a difficult time reconciling to the fact that he and Cordelia were back to the everyday life of high school while his two best friends were undoubtedly just waking up to begin their day, or night, or whatever. And here he was, feeling very left out but at the same time, very much aware of the realities of Sunnydale. And feeling as if he were wasting his time. He looked over at the beautiful girl sitting next to him. His girlfriend. His lover. He sometimes had a hard time believing she had chosen him. For all her sarcasm, for all her protestations, she cared for him. She even said she loved him. Life on the Hellmouth was just too strange sometimes. But also very wonderful. He kissed her hand, eliciting a distracted smile from her.
"It's weird isn't it?" He turned fully to Cordelia, waiting for a response.
"Okay, you dropped me right into the middle of your thought process again Xander. I realize we now share bodily fluids but I simply cannot read your mind, well at least not yet." She glanced at her watch, cheerleading practice started in ten minutes and showing up late and having Xander as her declared boyfriend would not bode well for her first day. "Wind it up babe, I'm gonna be late."
How could she be such an endearing bitch, he thought? He smiled and kissed her. "Later."
She gave him a quizzical look, "Alright." Cordelia got up to leave, handing him her car keys. "Pick me up after practice. Don't be late." She turned and almost ran into Oz. "Hello, watch where I'm going." She said in a huff. "Oh, hi Oz." her voice slightly softening.
"Hey Cordelia, late for a Mothers of Mercy meeting?" He sat next to Xander.
"Whatever." She leaned over and gave Xander a kiss. "Don't forget…"
"…to pick you up. I'll be there Cordy." Xander sighed as she walked away. He loved to watch her walk away. "She's high maintenance, but my guidance counselor says I'll probably end up in the maintenance industry, so she's good practice."
"Hmmm. Good to see she's back to her old self. I guess." Oz opened a juice box.
Xander turned to Oz when Cordelia was out of sight. "How's it going Oz-man? A month of freedom coming up?"
"Yeah, 28 days 'til I'm back in the cage. Thinking of finding a new place though."
"How come? Angelus seems to like to play the savior these days, you should take full advantage. How are the girls doing?" Xander popped the last of his cupcake in his mouth and shook his empty carton of milk. "I really hate when that happens." He turned his attention back to Oz.
"Good. Both are good. Angel and Buffy are taking the new watcher out for patrol tonight. Buffy's a little worried, but she can handle him. She's been working out extra hard." Oz was checking out the new girl in his science class.
Xander gave him a questioning look. "You and the Buffster talk?"
"We do the morning bond over coffee and Cap'n Crunch. She has quite a fondness for the sugary confection." Oz offered.
"Does Angel know about the bondage? He can be quite the possessive, pull your heart out through your throat kind of possessive."
Oz shrugged. "Right. Like a lowly werewolf has a chance against those bad-boy vampire types." He shook his head, thinking of Willow.
Xander smiled. "Must be that Cordelia's the bad-boy in this relationship and I'm inexplicably drawn." Xander saw the look on Oz's face and quickly sobered. "So, you and Will, not going the way you want?"
"We're friends and that's fine. Not much else to say." He got up to go to his next class. "We're at the Bronze tonight if you want to swing by." With that, he was gone.
Xander gathered his books, thinking about his two best friends once again. And of Oz. Would any of them ever have the lives they were meant to have? Maybe not, at least not what would've been expected. But the unexpected could be good. Look at him and Cordelia, who would've ever have expected he and Queen C would be together? Good things could happen on the Hellmouth, different for sure, but still good. He smiled to himself and made his way to history class.
Wesley hid behind a very large tombstone, with a cross in one hand and a vial of holy water in the other, trying very hard to keep his wits about him. Buffy had engaged a group of vampires,nine in all, and was making swirls of dust all around her. Angelus just stood back, with his arms crossed over his chest, smiling. "Need any help babe?"
"Got it covered." She looked at him with a very enthusiastic and animalistic smile on her face. She was absolutely incredible. Round house kicks, backward flips, jabs so quickly and precisely placed that the vampire was totally surprised when he realized he was dust. Her eyes took on a golden hue and her strength and speed seemed to increase ten fold. Wesley was impressed and even though he was shaking in his boots, he could see that her skill was beyond any of the reports that had been filed. When the last of the demons were dust, she ran up to her mate and pulled his head down to place a very passionate kiss on his lips and run her teeth across his throat.
"It's something they always do, has to do with them being mated." Giles looked away, pushing Wesley to do the same, although he seemed rooted to his spot.
She walked, although Wesley thought shelooked more like a prancing thoroughbred, up to him and Giles. "So, impressed?" She was so alive at that moment, it seemed as though electrical current was emanating off of her body. He noticed the slight ridges on her forehead and the golden flecks still lingering in her eyes.
"Do you always find such pleasure in the kill? And do you always turn vampiric in battle?" Angelus didn't rip his head off at the questions because the guy was such a nerd he didn't realize how personal the questions really were. If he and Buffy were alone, they would be having sex right up against that tombstone. It was bad enough he could sense her needbut he was having a difficult time keeping himself under control.
Buffy laughed. "It's all about the kill Wes. It's what I do, what a slayer does. And if you're lucky you live long enough to find the incredible excitement in it. And I experienced that before I was turned."
Giles looked at the younger watcher's shocked expression at Buffy's words and almost laughed himself. When Buffy had first started having these emotions,she had hesitantly spoke to him about it. The excitement, was it because of her demon? Was she going to lose herself? She needed to talk about it, lord knows she had no mother to discuss her feelings with and he reassured her it was natural for a girl with her abilities to be having these feelings. He even reassured her that it wasn't just the demon, but her release with Angel that allowed her to fully experience these emotions. After which he confessed to Jenny just how uncomfortable he was with Buffy's declarations. She laughed and told him to speak to Angel about it. "He knows what she's going through and he can help her with this more than you can. Actually, I'm sure he'll love to help her with it."
He pushed aside his embarrassment long enough to give it over to Angel, who was a little angered that Buffy had shared these feelings with another man. But he never the less helped her to accept the demon joy at the kill.
Very embarressed at her frankness, Wesley finally spoke, "Well, it's very good that you can speak so freely about your experiences in this manner. It will help other slayers, I'm sure." Wesley pocketed his cross and pulled out his notebook, even though it was too dark to really see much.
"So, looks like we're done here for the evening. We're off to Willie's, he called and said he had some interesting information to share. Care to join us?" Buffy looked at the new watcher, waiting for his reaction.
"Willie's?"
"It's a demon bar and Willie a bit of a snitch." Giles informed the younger man.
"Well, I'm not sure just how appropriate that would be…" Wesley was a bit hesitant.
"You wanted to see what we were up against old man. And we'll protect you. The fact that you'll be there with a master vampire and his mate is all you'll really need." Angelus wanted the little toad to see them in their element.
"Yes old man, you really haven't seen Sunnydale until you've seen Willie's." Giles prodded him.
"Alright then, Willie's it is. Yes, indeed." He straightened his tie. "Shall we be off then?"
Buffy giggled. "Yes, let's be off."
Quentin Travers tossed the enveloped marked urgent aside as he opened the email sent by Wesley Wyndam-Pryce. The new watcher had been filing reports up to six times a day and they had suddenly dwindled. The man was a creature of habit and if he was changing this habit Travers was afraid the uninitiated boy had fallen under the spell of the slayer. He opened the message:
Will be going out with Buffy on patrol tonight so will see what kind of power the girl really has. The Hellmouth really is a hotbed of demon activity, so expect to see much. Will contact you soon with new report.
Best regards,
Wesley Wyndam-Pryce
The boy really was a dolt.Travers was very disappointed but not surprised. He picked up the package and saw that the postmark was from Sunnydale. Did the idiot send him a report instead of sending in electronically? It would be dated. Honestly, the man had no sense. He tossed it into the garbage and opened a report from Jamaica.
As he read, his eyes kept wandering back to the package he had place in his waste basket. Oh well, he thought, there's no harm in finding out just howincompetant Wyndam-Pryce really was. He closed the file he had been trying to read and reached down to retrieve the envelope. The man hadn't even use regulation stationary. Travers shook his head. It was then the name in the corner caught his eye. G. Post. What was that crazy bitch doing in Sunnydale? He ripped open the package and a dozen photos fell upon his desk.
Willow looked over at Spike. He had fallen asleep during the movie they had rented and she turned the TV. off and just looked at him. He was so gorgeous. Prettier than she was, for sure. And he wanted her. Why? She wished she could see her reflection in a mirror. Maybe since she was turned she had gotten prettier or sexy? When she and Buffy first realized they had no reflection there had been major panic. Cordelia had to help with hair and makeup. Eventually, they did each other's faces and hair. Then it dawned on Willow that they could use a digital camera, no mirrors. Actually a regular camera would've worked, but she was anxious to try a new camera out and Angel was buying. But she didn't look any different in those pictures as she did before she was turned. She sighed.
"What is it pet?" Spike opened up one eye to look at her.
"Thought you were asleep."
"Who could sleep with all that loud thinking going on in your noggin? What is it?"
"Well, I just don't get it. Look at you, you're gorgeous and I'm…well I'm just kinda cute. What do you see in me?"
He chuckled and pulled her to his chest. "You smell of cinnamon and apples." He ran his tongue against her jawbone. "And you taste good enough to eat right now. You're like rain and forests and all things good and clean. And you are so sexy. You set me to tingling from the minute I see you 'til I go to bed. And even in bed love, you are the thing my fantasies are made of."
She burrowed her head further into his chest. "I am so embarrassed right now. Really like, complimented, but really embarrassed. So what are those fantasies about?"
"Umm…come up here and let me show you." He pulled her onto his lap so she was straddling himand kissed her long and deep, making Willow's stomach quiver. His hands never stopped moving, up her back, around her waist, up to cup her breast.
"Spike, please." She moaned as she wiggled closer to him, that burning feeling going deeper than she thought possible.
"Please what sweetheart?" His voice was deep and he pulled her in for another kiss.
The sound of the door opening and closing caused Willow to jump off of Spike's lap. "Damn, we have to move this upstairs and damn soon." Spike pulled a pillow off the couch and covered his lap as Willow straightened her hair and turned the TV. back on.
"Hey you guys, watcha ya doing?" Buffy entered the room and sat down. She looked between the two of them and got up again. "Think I'll go up and take a shower, pretty intense evening."
"Yeah, me too." Willow got up and followed behind her best friend. She looked back at Spike, who was staring at the movie, unable to leave the couch yet. "We'll talk soon, yes?"
"Oh yes love." He turned his head toward her and gave her one of his sexiest smirks. "You can count on it."