Title: Cat Shadows (8/?)
Author: Prospero Hibiki
Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer characters are the property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, UPN, Fox and WB Network. In no way are these aforementioned characters being used for my own personal profit, and this is not meant as an infringement of the copyright owned by any of the above entitys.
Rating: R (for language and the ever present possibility of violence)
Timeline: Immediately following the Season 2 episode "Halloween"
Spoilers: So far anything through "Halloween" is fair game...maybe more later. Though it's starting to look like I'm going to completely change what happens from then on. If only to keep myself from totally screwing up my mental timeline while writing.
Classification: Alternate Universe, anything else will become obvious as time passes. (Technically in fanfic speak this does qualify as an altiverse and not a divergence simply because of the way some things are managed magically.)
Summary: Xander's possession during his sophomore year of high school did more to screw up his life than even he had thought at the time. Could what he'd considered his greatest failing be turned into an ability he could use, or would it ruin his second chance at happiness?
Author's Comments: My infrequency of the postings is more due to having to completely rewrite the story after screwing up some major plot points that affect what occurs in later chapters than in any real laziness on my part. Though laziness certainly does contribute at some point.
xXx
Chapter 07: Zombie
Okay, I so did not see any of this coming. I figured that Buffy and I were probably on our way to getting back onto a firm foundation that we might eventually turn into a relationship. She was more playful during the patrol than she had been in the past few days, a good thing considering that playfulness expressed itself in the little touches that she hadn't given me since she found out that Sphinx and I were really the same. We had our standard patrol rhythm down, no scratch that, we were even better tonight than we've ever been. The swing by the butcher half way through was nice too. Buffy tried to remain in the shadows while I got my steak, but my firm grip on her pant leg thwarted that. Max, the butcher, was somewhat surprised by her appearance but recovered quickly and made up a quick sandwich for Buffy to munch on while I ate. He asked her a few questions but stopped almost immediately when he noticed how uncomfortable she was and instead talked about how his favorite sports team was doing. I've thought it before, but Max really is a great guy.
Pleasantly full we left with a promise from Buffy to return sometime when she wanted some meat for her kitchen. Well Joyce's kitchen. The latter part of our patrol was much busier; the vampires that had avoided us before having become much more daring now that they'd had a chance to feed. I tried to not think about the people who wouldn't be going home that night. Instead I tried to focus on the way Buffy's hand was scratching the inch of sensitive fur behind my right ear. That wasn't very hard. In fact I had trouble not concentrating on the whole ear thing when a vampire leapt over a fence at us. All was well though. Apparently the guy, whoever he was, had been a klutz as a human because he tripped over a rock and fell onto a wooden stake that was holding a newly planted tree upright. Buffy and I both just kind of stared at the settling dust for a few moments before continuing on.
It's amazing what your mind calls up when you're currently locked into the most passionate kiss you could ever imagine let alone remember. Oh yeah, Buffy's kissing me! I don't know why, but go me! At some point I become the guy in control because Buffy gets pressed up against the side of her house while we continue to make out like teenagers. Not that we aren't teenagers. Whatever. More Buffy kissage. News at eleven.
It takes a while but eventually we manage to stop kissing though only God knows why. Well God and my fear of Mrs. Summers. "Buffy, we really can't do this right now." Sweet Hostess she's licking that spot behind my right ear. Well it's official, apparently Buffy is a cat person. Well in the likes cats way and not the turns into a cat way that I am. "Buffy we've got to stop before your mom finds us out here necking." Literally too, as right now I'm nibbling on the right side of her neck.
"Okay." Thank you. For a while there I thought that stopping would have to be up to me and I know I just don't have the will power. Um, she's not stopping.
"This would be a good time to stop Buffy." Please.
"Oh fine. Stopping. If you think we should stop then we should stop." No!
I breathe out. "It'd probably be smart. Not that I won't be kicking myself later. Repeatedly. Still I've got to do my homework because I was way too nervous to do it before hand."
"Xander! You had three hours before we met up."
"I was nervous. There was a lot riding on how I handled things. You're important to me and the idea that I might actually be forgiven if I didn't completely screw things up could be considered pressure in some societies."
"Okay, I can see that. Still you need to go home right now and do you homework before you get to school tomorrow or Willow's going to kill you. And my mom, because let me tell you that she wasn't at all pleased with how far you'd gotten behind in your work when Willow called last night." She made various shooing motions. "Scoot. I'll see you tomorrow at school."
I nod once before making a small step backwards. She nods to herself as well, and then she turns her head to figure out the best way of getting back into her room when I pounce. I don't know how exactly I do it, but Buffy ends up in my arms being tilted back while I kiss her senseless. Setting her upright I whisper briefly into her ear before walking away. When I look back a minute later her face is lit up with one of the biggest smiles I've ever seen on her face before she virtually flies up onto the tree limb that leads to her room.
xXx
Life is pretty damned good right now. And I'm not just thinking that because I'm currently standing behind Buffy in the library and kissing her. Ah, whom do I think I'm kidding? That's exactly why I'm feeling that way. Thursday and today have both been pretty damned awesome. Buffy doesn't hate me, Willow seems to be sense this and hasn't completely ignored me, and Giles only glares at me for a few seconds at a time.
Which is why I took the chance to kiss Buffy when I noticed that Giles wasn't in the room. He's had us in here looking through various books for the amulet Buffy saw Wednesday. Well the one I saw too, but Giles doesn't exactly know that.
"I missed you."
Buffy laughs joyously and my day seems even better than before. "Xander, it's only been one period since I saw you."
I bring my head around her other side and whisper in that ear. "Yeah, but I couldn't exactly kiss you in the middle of English class now could I? No matter how much your lips tempt me to--" My words are cut off as suddenly Bufffy reaches over to the stack of research books and opens one to a random page just as the doors to the library open and Giles walks in.
"Oh, good both of you are here. I do hope you have found something about the amulet because I have yet to find anything in the books that I keep at home."
Buffy starts to ramble on about how she hasn't found a thing even though she has been doing absolutely, positively nothing but look ever since she walked through the doors herself. I'm not exactly paying attention to the words of what she's saying since a fairly large portion of my thoughts are devoted to staring at a rather lifelike picture of the talisman sitting on the page that Buffy just randomly opened the book to.
"Um, I found it?"
"Wow, there it is. I was just going to look there too. See Giles, look what I found." Buffy looks up and smirks at me. It's all I can do to keep myself from leaning down and start to nibble on her lower lip. Oh, she is so going to get it later.
Giles takes off his glasses and rubs his nose between his eyes. "Yes, yes Buffy. Good job. And you too, Xander, for pointing it out to her."
xXx
The music was pulsing through the Bronze and I find myself moving my body to the beat of the music in a way that I've never been able to before. Right now I just lose myself in the music and the feelings running through my body. It's like no one else is present and I feel myself moving to the dance floor with my eyes closed. Slowly awareness of others comes and for once I'm a part of everyone. It doesn't matter who they are these people here on the dance floor are part of my family grouping. My heart pulses to the beat of the music and I'm one with everyone here.
I know immediately when she steps onto the dance floor even though my eyes are still closed. She comes up behind me and just dances there following the same primal beat that I am even though I know instinctively that she isn't facing me. We're there together though we haven't said anything, haven't seen each other since arriving separately. Again my awareness changes. Now it's only Buffy and I present on the floor. Her back lightly brushes against mine, and I can feel the heat of her body even through our clothes. The latest song ends and I head off the dance floor with her; the only touch or comment between us being a stray finger that she runs down my spine so lightly that it seems like only air.
Willow is waiting at a table already and waiting for us. She didn't come with me so I suspect that she came with Buffy. Willow's never been one for coming to the Bronze on her own. Since Buffy's shown up she's taken it upon herself to loosen Willow up by dragging her here as often as she can. That whole seize the day thing that didn't work out so good the first time she tried it. It wasn't her fault though. We didn't know this place was vamp central at the time.
"Oh hey, Xander. I guess Buffy did find you then."
"Yeah. Though I think she was looking for me to save the eyesight of whoever was watching me dance." Buffy and I both sit down, though for some reason she takes the chair across from me rather than the one next to me.
Willow waves her arm at the table that has three sodas on it. "I got drinks." For a second there she sounds so proud of herself for some reason. I take a sip of one before grimacing and handing it to Buffy and swiping hers. Diet, eeeugh.
"You did good braving those evil lines for us, Wills." Out of the corner of my eye I can spot a slightly thoughtful smirk coming from Buffy.
"That line is evil. This guy stepped on my foot twice."
"Do evil lines fit under slaying duties? Because that would so eat up all my free time. There's a line! Kill it. There's a line! Kill it. I'd never get any sleep." Buffy is keeping a totally straight face during all of this and at first I can't figure out why...until, that is, her now bare foot starts rising up my leg. I'd just taken a sip of my soda before she came into contact with me and it's all I can do to keep from spraying it all over the table. I suppress a manly whimper and try to turn my attention to the humorous conversation that is taking place between Buffy and Willow about the evils of lines and soon moves on to other evils of modern society. Or at least I think that is what is happening. I'm not altogether sure after the point where Buffy starts making comments about people who work in the mall because her foot is by that time in my lap. When that happens I actually do let out a whimper.
"Don't you agree Xander? I mean I'd hate to be that hard on my feet. A girl has to take care of her feet right?"
"Oh yeah." I don't need to be a genius to know what the small smirk on her face means now. The 'slightly thoughtful Buffy smirk' is now indelibly etched into my memory as the 'naughty Buffy smirk.' Be afraid. Be very afraid.
xXx
I guess I was paying some attention last night after that painfully arousing conversation in the Bronze because, just as I had hoped, Buffy isn't home when I show up at her house. It sort of seems strange to be knocking on the front door, but that might have more to do with the nice dress shirt and slacks I'm wearing than anything else. And for once I actually know that these are nice clothes because Buffy is the one who picked them out when I asked her Thursday to help me pick them out. Of course, I told her they were for impressing people in future job type way. Still I guess that's partly true. Further thoughts are cut off when Mrs. Summers opens the door.
"Hello, Xander. I'm afraid that Buffy isn't here at the moment. She went to the mall with Willow earlier and will probably be gone for a while." She smiles at me and suddenly I feel even more scared for some reason.
"I actually knew that Mrs. S. I was hoping I could talk to you." Damn, I was hoping to keep the fear out of my voice.
Without saying anything else she somehow manages to get me seated across from her in the kitchen with a glass of milk in front of me. At least I don't think she said anything. I really don't remember walking through the door let alone through the house. Bringing the milk towards my face I see that my hand is shaking enough to almost slosh it over the edge of the glass. Looking up I catch Joyce's gaze and set the glass back down.
"Is there something wrong, Xander?"
"Nothing's really wrong. Just kind of awkward. For me. Maybe. Unless I screw this up. Then we'll be at that whole wrong thing." I take a deep breath and just blurt it out. "I really care what you think of me." I blink. "Well that wasn't what I meant to say."
Joyce is clearly trying to hide a smirk that I've seen on her daughter's face many times before. "You mean you don't care what I think of you?"
"No! I do care what you think of me, which is the entire reason I'm here. You're more of a mom to me that my own mother is even though I've only known you for around a year now. I just don't want that to change when I ask if I can go out with Buffy." Doh! "I mean..."
"You're asking my permission to date Buffy?" She looks like I just smacked her upside the head with a two by four. This is not good.
"Yeah?" I clear my throat. "Yes. I really care about Buffy. I love her. Have ever since the first moment I saw her, and boy was that memory pounded into my head rather forcefully by the impact with the concrete. But I also want it to be okay with you. Like I said, I actually care what you think about me. You really helped me out with that whole missed school thing even though I know you didn't believe a word I said about the whole getting shipped to Japan thing. I just wanted...I don't know what I wanted. I just needed to ask you." Once I'd finished speaking I just dropped my head into my hands.
Mrs. Summers clears her throat. "I see." There's a long pause. I think my heart rate has just jumped up to about 250. "Would you go out with Buffy if I said no?"
I wince and take a deep breath. "Probably. I'd feel bad about it, but if Buffy still wanted to go out with me than I'd do it. No matter how much I'd like your approval, I love her more." And please God just smite me now!
"And how does Buffy feel about you?"
Still talking? Still talking is good. Still talking means there is still hope. "She seems to be interested." Please tell me I'm not blushing.
"Oh and you know this because?"
My spine stiffens up a little bit. "A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell." And with my stiff spine comes a soft brain. "Can we pretend I didn't just say that?" Seeing her mischievous smirk again I drop my head back into my hands. Idiot, idiot, idiot.
"I see you at least dressed to impress today. A bit different than your normal choice in clothing."
"Yeah, well, Buffy picked them out."
She arches an eyebrow at that. "So she knows you're here then?"
"Um, no. She'd probably kill me if she knew." Oh, I never even thought about surviving this session. Probably a good thing since Buffy will probably kill me when she finds out. "Does this mean I have your permission to go out with Buffy?"
"Let me think about it, Xander." She must see the distraught expression on my face because she immediately bursts into laughter. "Of course you do. Buffy and I had a long discussion about you while you were missing and I could tell she wasn't exactly indifferent to you. And then there was that whole kissing her thing you did on Monday that she inadvertently blurted to me at dinner."
I start choking on the milk that I'd finally calmed down enough to take a drink from. "She told you about that?!"
"Oh yes. I don't know if I've ever seen someone so confused about a single kiss before. It was quite possibly both the stupidest and most ingenious thing you could have done. An act of true desperation."
"Tell me about it. Did she mention that after I kissed her she dislocated my jaw?" Seeing her wide-eyed expression I chuckle. "Yeah. I knew right away that what I did was completely insane. I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life except for..." I freeze as I recall the other time I'd been that scared. The first time I'd kissed Buffy, I guess you could say. I shake it off like I always do when thinking about the night I found Buffy face down in the pool of the Master's lair.
"So Mrs. S, you want to hear about the first time I saw Buffy? Or maybe the first time I spoke to her? I think you'll get a kick out of hearing how completely I manage to embarrass myself in front of Buffy."