The hunter paused and looked at the flakes of snow on her skin. The ice crystals swiftly melted and were absorbed. She blinked and rubbed her arm, wondering where they had come from.
Deciding it was unimportant she picked up her spear and continued following the tracks. She'd been following the creature for a while now and while it seemed only to attack monsters and avoid harming anything else, she was still curious as to what it was.
The tracks lead right to the river and she looked around, but it seemed to have entered the water and not come out. She leaned down to see if there were tracks in the mud under the surface to indicate which direction it had headed.
The bank crumbled beneath her and she fell into the river.
0o0o0o0o0o
Buffy woke with a start as Willow sleepily nibbled on her ear and Cordelia shifted behind her. She knew this dance, even if there was one more dancer added to the mix and she briefly wondered if she should have warned Cordelia before losing track of thought as Willow's fingers went to work.
"Ack! I'm all sticky," Cordelia complained a few minutes later. "Where's the shower?"
Buffy and Willow giggled through their own orgasms at that.
"We shower as a group," Xander told her, "it's quicker and more fun." He tossed the covers back, getting some reflexive complaints from the girls as he hopped out of bed and added some logs to the fireplace, stoking up the coals to ensure they caught fire.
"I've joined a cult, haven't I?" Cordelia asked dryly, sounding faintly amused as she got up. "Next time slippers," she said to herself. "Holy crap you've gooed my stomach all the way to my breasts! How did you do that?!" she looked down in amazement. "I don't know whether to congratulate you or tell you to see a doctor. This can not be normal."
Buffy and Willow couldn't stop laughing from Cordelia's running commentary as Xander led them all to the bathroom.
"Rustic but impressive," Cordelia said, sounding impressed as she took in what he'd made.
"We all wash the person to the right of us," Willow said, looking forward to the squeal Cordelia was soon going to let out, "start with the hair and then work our way down."
Buffy grinned evilly. "Hit it, Xander!"
Xander reached up and pulled down on the handle sending a flood of fresh ice melt down on them.
"Ahh," Cordelia said with a throaty purr, "bracing and here I thought it would be freezing cold."
"Xander," Willow said, "why isn't it freezing cold?"
"Probably because…" he drew out the pause, "I have no idea."
"You did dress as the 'no freezing so people could bone in the snow' guy," Cordelia pointed out, "maybe a little of it stuck around."
"Then why didn't Willow's tongue freeze to me last night?" Buffy asked.
"Or mine," Xander added.
"Or yours," Willow said with a smirk.
"Because 'no snow stops the bone' guy effect is still going on," Cordelia pointed out, rolling her eyes.
"Does that mean I can only have sex if Xander is with me?" Buffy asked in disbelief.
"Maybe," Cordelia said as she grabbed the shampoo, "or maybe that didn't stick. I don't know how magic works."
"We'll have to ask Giles," Willow said as Cordelia passed the bottle to Xander and started shampooing his hair.
"We are not asking Giles that!" Buffy exclaimed in horror as Willow accepted the bottle and Xander started working on the redhead's hair.
"You can test it in the shower at home," Cordelia pointed out. "We went over this with Elsa last night."
"Oh yeah," Buffy said, calming down as she got the shampoo from Willow who started working on her hair.
"Or you could try to freeze something on purpose without masturbating," Xander pointed out.
"Bend down, you are way too tall and I'm tired of standing on my toes," Cordelia told Xander.
"Sure," Xander said bending down.
"If I can only get off when you're there we are going to be spending a lot more time together," Buffy told Xander.
"We already spend most of our time together," Xander pointed out.
"True," Buffy admitted, as she rinsed out Cordelia's hair and grabbed the soap, "but I'll have to… erm borrow you after every patrol and maybe a bit during lunch sometimes."
Willow giggled.
"You know how patrols get me," Buffy groaned as Willow rinsed her hair.
Xander accepted the soap from Cordelia and lathered up his hands. "Still not seeing where I'd have a problem."
"Oh yeah, guy," Willow realized as she took the soap from Xander.
"Very much so," Cordelia said with a smirk as she teased Xander with her hands making him groan.
"Okay, so not really a problem," Buffy admitted.
"And hot showers still work, in theory," Willow reminded her.
"You guys live very strange lives," Cordelia told them, as Buffy's soapy hands ran across her chest.
"The world is strange, we're just the people dealing with it," Xander said with a groan.
"Pass Xander the soap again," Willow ordered.
"Why?" Buffy asked, a bit distracted as she cleaned (read played) with Cordelia's breasts.
"Because my back is all sticky," Willow said, tweaking one of Buffy's nipples and making her squeak.
"So's my stomach," Cordelia pointed out, "someone seems to have missed that area completely."
"Alright, everyone turn to the left and pass the soap around again," Willow ordered. "We are getting clean no matter how long it takes!"
0o0o0o0o0o
"You guys need a couch," Cordelia said as they warmed themselves in front of the fire.
"It's on the list," Willow reminded her.
"I know, just curling up in front of the fire and relaxing…" Cordelia's voice trailed off and she smiled. "Maybe a pile of blankets?"
"That I can do," Xander said, disappearing into the backroom.
"You are really relaxed," Willow said, as she looked over Cordelia. "Normally you're really uptight."
"We are in Narnia," Cordelia replied beaming. "You guys probably got this place as a reward for all the stuff you deal with. I mean… there has to be a balance or nothing makes sense."
"Maybe," Willow said.
"Maybe?" Xander asked as he came out of the backroom carrying a stack of blankets and pillows.
"Maybe we three got to go to Narnia to balance all the crap we have to put up with," Buffy explained. "Like karma."
Xander considered that. "I did invite you guys here because of that, but I've had the place to myself since I was twelve. I probably did something right in my past life, like being the guy who killed Hitler."
"Hitler killed Hitler," Willow pointed out as they took the blankets and pillows from Xander and spread them out.
"So at least he did one thing right," Xander said. "Anyway, I figure I did something really good in a past life because not only do I have a cabin in Narnia, I also have you guys with me." He tilted his head. "I must have been Jesus!"
The girls winced.
"I don't even believe in him and I found that sacrilegious," Willow told him.
Xander grinned as they all laid down in front of the fire, finding himself sandwiched between Cordelia and Willow with Buffy on the other side of Willow. "Yeah, but I bet the J-man would have laughed at the joke."
"I hope they have a sense of humor or we are all boned," Cordelia agreed, "some of use more than others."
The four stared at the fire.
"It's beautiful," Buffy said.
"The bricks are all perfectly aligned," Willow noted.
"I got a lot of practice," Xander said.
"I can't believe you carried them all here," Cordelia said. "It'd have taken me forever."
"I had years," Xander said.
"Turn sideways and cuddle with me," Cordelia ordered him. "You can be the big spoon."
"He's more of a spork," Willow said as they rearranged themselves so they were all spooned up and could still see the fire, with Willow at the front.
"He's…" Cordelia giggled, a carefree sound. "Yeah, he certainly is."
"Is the fireplace getting bigger?" Buffy asked in surprise.
The fireplace swelled and expanded, the fire suddenly at the back wall of what looked like a small brick lined room as they stared, completely at a loss as to what was happening, but somehow not alarmed.
A large figure dropped down into the small room, one they all instantly recognized.
"Santa!" the girls chorused wide eyed.
The jolly old elf looked at them and immediately covered his eyes with a white mittened hand.
Xander quickly grabbed an extra blanket from behind them and threw it over them, covering all but their heads… once Willow pulled the blanket down a little.
Santa cautiously lowered his hand, letting out a sigh of relief at seeing they were all covered up. He stepped out of the fireplace and set his large red sack to the side. "I hope you are all well."
"Um… isn't it 'always winter but never Christmas' here?" Cordelia asked.
"Yes, however there are certain exceptions like places of worship, shrines, and my family's homes," Saint Nicholas explained.
"So what brings you by?" Xander asked with a grin, trying not to laugh.
"I felt the warmth and Holiday cheer," Santa explained. "There are so few places I can visit at the moment so I thought I might pop on by… though I'm thinking my timing could be better."
"I was just thinking this was better than any Christmas I'd had at home," Cordelia offered.
"We are a pretty jolly bunch," Xander said.
"No doubt," Santa said, unable to hide his amusement as his jolly nature reasserted itself.
"Did you bring us anything?" Buffy found herself asking. "He did bring the bag," she defended herself as Willow turned to look at her.
"I never leave home without it," Santa said with a broad smile. He gestured and Xander's firewood obligingly scooted further away as he reached into his bag and pulled out a large square cast iron container that he put next to the fireplace. Then, to the four teens' surprise, he upended the bag and a river of coal flowed into the cast iron container, far more than the bag should be able to hold.
For nearly five minutes the bag poured out coal until it slowly came to a stop, the bag empty.
"That's a lot of coal," Buffy said in disbelief.
"Thanks," Xander said cheerfully.
"I'll stop by when you aren't so… preoccupied," Santa promised before stepping back into the brick lined room and taping his nose, whereupon he vanished up the chimney and the fireplace shrunk back to its former dimensions.
"I flashed Santa my who-ha," Willow slowly said as she looked at the cast iron container that held a mountain of coal, "I'm going to have to go to confession."
"You're Jewish," Xander reminded her.
"Yes, I know," Willow agreed, "and you're coming with me."
"Neither one of us is catholic, Wills," Xander said, trying not to laugh.
"Yes, but I flashed an innocent catholic saint my private parts, so you're coming with me to help share the blame," she said firmly.
"Alright," Xander agreed before snickering.
"So is the coal because we've been bad?" Buffy asked. "Cause I gotta say, coal is one of the best gifts you can get during eternal winter."
"You've got a point there," Cordelia agreed. "He gave us enough coal for years."
"Relax Wills," Xander told her, "he has popped out of a lot of chimneys and seen a lot of who-has. He gave us the coal to help keep us warm."
"So… we haven't committed a crime?" she asked hopefully.
"The White Witch is making the laws right now and I doubt flashing Santa is one of them," Cordelia offered.
"Okay," Willow said, taking a few deep breaths and relaxing as Buffy hugged her.
"Besides you celebrate Hanukkah, so no loss there," Buffy assured her. "Now if it had been me in front, there would definitely be reason to panic, of course I am part of The Cult of Santa."
Willow spun around and the blanket was tossed aside as she started to tickle Buffy.
"Cult of Santa?" Cordelia asked. "This is something you came up with isn't it?" she accused Xander, turning to face him and ignoring the two girls having a tickle fight.
Xander just grinned and started tickling her.
0o0o0o0o0o
The four climbed down the trellis outside Xander's room, dressed in their costumes once more.
"And it's still the same night," Cordelia said with a smile. "Incredible."
"Yes, it is," Buffy said brightly.
"Well, it's been fun, but now I have to go home and put on my heinous bitch face again," Cordelia said with a relaxed smile.
"Feel free to visit," Xander told her, "we loved having you."
"I bet you did," she said with a smirk. "Just remember, what happens at cheer camp…"
"...stays at cheer camp," Buffy agreed.
Once Cordelia had left and the three were alone Willow had to ask, "What does happen at cheer camp?"
"Can't tell you," Buffy said, "you heard the rule."
"I don't mean in specific, just in general," Willow said.
"Oh, Narnia without Xander isn't uncommon… and that's all I'm going to say about that," Buffy said firmly.
"I bet they have pillow fights and raid the male cheer camp across the way," Xander told Willow.
"That's the plot of most teenage summer camp comedies," Buffy said, "and it wouldn't work because the male cheer camp wouldn't be interested in the female cheerleaders."
"I always thought they were pretending to be gay to hang out with the cheerleaders in the locker room while they changed," Xander said.
"Some are, most aren't," Buffy said with a shrug.
"More of my hopes dashed," Xander said with a melodramatic sigh. "I'd always hoped they were like Animal House."
Buffy grinned while Willow giggled at Xander's antics.
"If you want that you have to go to the Mascots camp," Buffy said. "Those people are crazy."
"People? I thought only guys were in those suits," Willow said.
"No, just really enthusiastic people," Buffy said. "Insanely enthusiastic."
"Is that a vote for or against going to one of their parties?" Xander asked.
"Against," Buffy said. "I like my kidneys and that's all I'll say on that subject."
"I've crashed a cheerleader party once or twice, Jesse insisted," Xander said, "and they were never that wild."
"Exactly," Buffy said. "Sure clothes may come off, some wine coolers may get drunk, the police may show up, but you don't have a need for the fire department or the SWAT team and a hostage negotiator."
"Now I kinda want to go to one more," Xander admitted.
"Sweetie," Buffy said, pulling Xander down and giving him a peck on the lips, "I'm the slayer and I won't go to one."
"Okay, I will follow the beautiful and sexy slayer's advice and avoid it," Xander agreed.
"He's such a sweet talker," Buffy told Willow as they resumed walking.
"Cute butt too," Willow said.
"All those compliments are making me suspicious," Xander teased.
The girls stopped and looked at him.
"What wouldn't you do for us if we asked?" Buffy asked him.
"Good point," Xander said, perking up.
"We're still going to confession," Willow told him.
He shrugged. "At least it'll be good for a laugh."
"I don't have to go, right?" Buffy asked hopefully.
"No, two people is enough to spread the blame," Willow assured her.
"Excellent," Buffy said brightly and started walking again.
Typing by: fyrewolf5
TN: Wonder if any of the girls caught the "my family's homes" comment from Santa and realize it means Xander is probably still at least partially the festive spirit, and what chaos will ensue from that, beyond messing up "Jasmine's" plans for Cordelia and Angel.
AN: Stop pointing out plot points! I was trying to slip that under the radar and Jasmine's plans haven't been ruined yet, the gang is avoiding going all the way for now.
