A Road Covered With Blood
Jul. 9th, 2007 08:27 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sevendeadlyfunPairing: Xander/?
Rating: NC-17 overall
A/N: Written in response to the Just Rewards/fangfetish/darker_spike Alternate Realities/Dimensions Challenge. X-posted to darker_spike for challenge reasons, posted here for fun. Give me feedback and I'll slip you some tongue :)
Summary: What if everything you thought was real turned out to be a lie?
Xander listened distractedly to the bullshit banter between Spike and Angel. It was bullshit the first time around and it was even worse this time. Before the whole Hellmouth extravaganza had gone down, Spike and Xander had had a lot of time to talk. Not only did Spike know Angel had a soul, but Angel knew Spike knew about the soul. It made this whole little scene not only ridiculous but pointless. Xander still hadn’t forgiven Angel for putting his life on the line without a damn good reason. Death didn’t bother him, but pointless death pissed him off.
Which really wasn’t why he was here and he had to figure that out before he fucked this up. Otherwise, reality wouldn’t shift or maybe it would, he still wasn’t real clear on how this was supposed to work. Either way, if he fucked up, people suffered. That part he was clear on hence the necessity of figuring this out.
What didn’t I do last time or did do that I’m not supposed to do and fucking A! he thought heatedly. You know, you send someone off to alter reality, you’d think you’d give them clearer instructions.
Then faintly, he heard his own voice buzzing in his ear.
Neat, the voice said. I was kinda worried I’d be a total loser when I grew up. But I gotta say, you seem kinda almost cool.
Great, Xander thought. I’m hero-worshipping myself. I don’t remember being this much of a dork, so clearly hindsight is not 20/20. Hey, Xan-man, any idea what we should do here?
The Xander-voice was overlayed with a dark growl, Not prey not prey not prey...
Yeah! The Xander-voice was back, enthusiastic and loud. What she said, only, you know, not so much with the growl and more with the terrified squeak.
Xander smiled softly at himself. He’d forgotten about the hyena. She’d disappeared, or been dormant, for so long. He’d missed her for a while, missed her distinct presence in his mind and the comfort of not being alone in his head. No worries about that now, at any rate. And she’d reminded him of what he had wanted to do before and hadn’t done out of fear. The Xander-voice’s ‘terrified squeak’ had been his response the first time this happened.
Well, might as well go with the hyena’s suggestion and see how it worked. After all, if this failed, he’d only be consigning his friends to hell and ruining the world on top of it. No pressure, right?
Xander wiggled slightly, curving his body and pivoting around. Angel, startled, released his hold just enough for Xander to get free. Bringing his arm up around Angel’s neck, Xander snarled at the two startled vampires.
“William the fucking Bloody,” Xander grinned. “Out for a night of fun and frolic? Taking in the sights, playing tourist and oh yeah, trying to kill the Slayer. Always up there for you, isn’t it?”
“Xander,” Angel hissed. “I think...”
“Shut it, Dead Boy,” Xander snapped. “Spike’s a lot of things, but he isn’t stupid. What self-respecting vamp reeks of guilt the way you do? He knows Angelus isn’t driving this particular bus, and even if he were, Spike isn’t exactly Angelus’ biggest fan.”
“Who the bloody hell are you,” Spike growled.
“Not your dinner, Bleach Boy,” Xander shot back genially. “You think you can take me on, fucker, come on and try. I got done being the butt monkey years ago and I’m not scared of you. Okay, a little scared but mostly, I’m just pissed off.”
Spike lunged, fist cocked and Xander swiveled out his way. Pretty damn funny when he thought about it, since Spike had been the one to teach him how to do that. Nothing like using a man...er, vamp’s moves against him.
He released Angel, giving him a hearty shove that sent both vampires flying like bowling pins. They went down, legs tangling. Xander swooped in, grabbing Spike and throwing him against the wall. Heart pounding, Xander pressed Spike face-first against the wall, and latched his teeth onto the back of Spike’s neck.
The blonde vampire howled, struggling against the knee shoved into his back. Dimly, Xander heard the swoosh and clatter of fighting behind him. Thank God Angel was good for something. Taking out those other vampires was least he could do, after dragging them both into this mess.
Xander pulled his mouth off Spike, leaning in a little more to whisper, “You remember this, Spike. You remember that the glorified bricklayer took you down. If you can’t outwit me, how the fuck are you gonna take on the Slayer? Now, run home to Dru and give the Annoying One the spanking he deserves. But next time I see you, I want you to remember this and play nice with us kiddies, got me?”
Spike laughed, sharp and stacatto, like a gun retort. “Right, 'cause I'm gonna take orders from you.”
“Might be smart, Spike,” Xander breathed into his ear. “Could save you a lot of trouble.”
Spike shifted in his grip, and Xander could hear the smirk in his voice. “Trouble's my favorite thing, pet.”
With that, Spike whirled out his grasp and Xander was the one pressed against a wall. Spike held him there, golden eyes glittering with malice. Xander could only stare in fascination. After Spike had been chipped, after Buffy dying and a whole host of afters, Xander never really saw this side of Spike. The vampire had tried desperately to make them all forget that he was dead, that his body walked and talked and snarked because of the demon inside him. Seeing the demon's face, here and now, Xander couldn't help but stare. Almost without thinking, Xander lifted his hand and traced the curved ridges around Spike's eyes.
“I remember you,” Spike rasped. “You were with the Slayer, one of her little chums out on the dance floor.”
“Yeah,” Xander confirmed. “That's me. I dance with Slayers and play pool with vampires. It's a thing.”
“What else do you do, I wonder,” Spike murmured. “No much fear on you, boy. But, you've got something...there's something about you that just isn't quite right.”
“You wouldn't believe me if I told you,” Xander informed him seriously. “Now let me go. You have a Slayer to fight.”
“Takes some brass,” Spike observed. “Issuing orders with my fangs at your throat.”
Xander sighed heavily, observing Angel creeping up from behind. This could either go really well or he'd be dead in seconds. Well, at least this wasn't playing out like it had the first time. That had to count for something. Of course, he was pretty certain Cordy hadn't meant that he needed die to fix reality. Still, she hadn't been specific, so what the hell?
“You were a mediocre Mama's boy poet,” Xander whispered. “You like soccer and a good stout, you miss the sun, and you think Ezra Pound is a comedian. Angel's behind you and you should either drain me or move on, because I'm pretty sure he's going to bash your head in.”
Spike's eyes widened, and he whirled away from Xander. With a quick right cross as he flew past Angel, Spike called out, “Gonna have to tell me all your secrets one day, pet. Not fair that you know me without me knowing you.”
Xander laughed, loud and long at the classic Spike exit. Spike was what he was, dramatic and difficult. Xander had forgotten, in all the intervening years, how exciting Spike had been before all the troubles of the Hellmouth wore him down. Xander walked over to stand above Angel, reaching out and offering him a hand up.
Angel stared at him appraisingly before accepting the hand. Rubbing his jaw, Angel opened his mouth and Xander held up a hand to forestall the barrage of questions he knew was coming.
“It's a long story, no I won't tell you and you're welcome,” Xander said softly.
“I bet,” Angel replied, voice equally low. “I thought you hated me?”
“I do,” Xander shot back and then shook his head. “No, I don't. I was...I am jealous. You mean something to Buffy that I...I won't ever have what you have with her. I'll deal, I'll grow up and I'll appreciate what she and I have more than I think I can understand now. You've done some pretty rotten things and I think you're lying to yourself that Angelus is under control. But, you fight to good fight and you try, which is what matters, right? So, I don't hate you. Now, how about we...”
And the world tilted sideways again.
Rating: NC-17 overall
A/N: Written in response to the Just Rewards/
fangfetish/darker_spike Alternate Realities/Dimensions Challenge. X-posted to darker_spike for challenge reasons, posted here for fun. Give me feedback and I'll slip you some tongue :)Summary: What if everything you thought was real turned out to be a lie?
Xander listened distractedly to the bullshit banter between Spike and Angel. It was bullshit the first time around and it was even worse this time. Before the whole Hellmouth extravaganza had gone down, Spike and Xander had had a lot of time to talk. Not only did Spike know Angel had a soul, but Angel knew Spike knew about the soul. It made this whole little scene not only ridiculous but pointless. Xander still hadn’t forgiven Angel for putting his life on the line without a damn good reason. Death didn’t bother him, but pointless death pissed him off.
Which really wasn’t why he was here and he had to figure that out before he fucked this up. Otherwise, reality wouldn’t shift or maybe it would, he still wasn’t real clear on how this was supposed to work. Either way, if he fucked up, people suffered. That part he was clear on hence the necessity of figuring this out.
What didn’t I do last time or did do that I’m not supposed to do and fucking A! he thought heatedly. You know, you send someone off to alter reality, you’d think you’d give them clearer instructions.
Then faintly, he heard his own voice buzzing in his ear.
Neat, the voice said. I was kinda worried I’d be a total loser when I grew up. But I gotta say, you seem kinda almost cool.
Great, Xander thought. I’m hero-worshipping myself. I don’t remember being this much of a dork, so clearly hindsight is not 20/20. Hey, Xan-man, any idea what we should do here?
The Xander-voice was overlayed with a dark growl, Not prey not prey not prey...
Yeah! The Xander-voice was back, enthusiastic and loud. What she said, only, you know, not so much with the growl and more with the terrified squeak.
Xander smiled softly at himself. He’d forgotten about the hyena. She’d disappeared, or been dormant, for so long. He’d missed her for a while, missed her distinct presence in his mind and the comfort of not being alone in his head. No worries about that now, at any rate. And she’d reminded him of what he had wanted to do before and hadn’t done out of fear. The Xander-voice’s ‘terrified squeak’ had been his response the first time this happened.
Well, might as well go with the hyena’s suggestion and see how it worked. After all, if this failed, he’d only be consigning his friends to hell and ruining the world on top of it. No pressure, right?
Xander wiggled slightly, curving his body and pivoting around. Angel, startled, released his hold just enough for Xander to get free. Bringing his arm up around Angel’s neck, Xander snarled at the two startled vampires.
“William the fucking Bloody,” Xander grinned. “Out for a night of fun and frolic? Taking in the sights, playing tourist and oh yeah, trying to kill the Slayer. Always up there for you, isn’t it?”
“Xander,” Angel hissed. “I think...”
“Shut it, Dead Boy,” Xander snapped. “Spike’s a lot of things, but he isn’t stupid. What self-respecting vamp reeks of guilt the way you do? He knows Angelus isn’t driving this particular bus, and even if he were, Spike isn’t exactly Angelus’ biggest fan.”
“Who the bloody hell are you,” Spike growled.
“Not your dinner, Bleach Boy,” Xander shot back genially. “You think you can take me on, fucker, come on and try. I got done being the butt monkey years ago and I’m not scared of you. Okay, a little scared but mostly, I’m just pissed off.”
Spike lunged, fist cocked and Xander swiveled out his way. Pretty damn funny when he thought about it, since Spike had been the one to teach him how to do that. Nothing like using a man...er, vamp’s moves against him.
He released Angel, giving him a hearty shove that sent both vampires flying like bowling pins. They went down, legs tangling. Xander swooped in, grabbing Spike and throwing him against the wall. Heart pounding, Xander pressed Spike face-first against the wall, and latched his teeth onto the back of Spike’s neck.
The blonde vampire howled, struggling against the knee shoved into his back. Dimly, Xander heard the swoosh and clatter of fighting behind him. Thank God Angel was good for something. Taking out those other vampires was least he could do, after dragging them both into this mess.
Xander pulled his mouth off Spike, leaning in a little more to whisper, “You remember this, Spike. You remember that the glorified bricklayer took you down. If you can’t outwit me, how the fuck are you gonna take on the Slayer? Now, run home to Dru and give the Annoying One the spanking he deserves. But next time I see you, I want you to remember this and play nice with us kiddies, got me?”
Spike laughed, sharp and stacatto, like a gun retort. “Right, 'cause I'm gonna take orders from you.”
“Might be smart, Spike,” Xander breathed into his ear. “Could save you a lot of trouble.”
Spike shifted in his grip, and Xander could hear the smirk in his voice. “Trouble's my favorite thing, pet.”
With that, Spike whirled out his grasp and Xander was the one pressed against a wall. Spike held him there, golden eyes glittering with malice. Xander could only stare in fascination. After Spike had been chipped, after Buffy dying and a whole host of afters, Xander never really saw this side of Spike. The vampire had tried desperately to make them all forget that he was dead, that his body walked and talked and snarked because of the demon inside him. Seeing the demon's face, here and now, Xander couldn't help but stare. Almost without thinking, Xander lifted his hand and traced the curved ridges around Spike's eyes.
“I remember you,” Spike rasped. “You were with the Slayer, one of her little chums out on the dance floor.”
“Yeah,” Xander confirmed. “That's me. I dance with Slayers and play pool with vampires. It's a thing.”
“What else do you do, I wonder,” Spike murmured. “No much fear on you, boy. But, you've got something...there's something about you that just isn't quite right.”
“You wouldn't believe me if I told you,” Xander informed him seriously. “Now let me go. You have a Slayer to fight.”
“Takes some brass,” Spike observed. “Issuing orders with my fangs at your throat.”
Xander sighed heavily, observing Angel creeping up from behind. This could either go really well or he'd be dead in seconds. Well, at least this wasn't playing out like it had the first time. That had to count for something. Of course, he was pretty certain Cordy hadn't meant that he needed die to fix reality. Still, she hadn't been specific, so what the hell?
“You were a mediocre Mama's boy poet,” Xander whispered. “You like soccer and a good stout, you miss the sun, and you think Ezra Pound is a comedian. Angel's behind you and you should either drain me or move on, because I'm pretty sure he's going to bash your head in.”
Spike's eyes widened, and he whirled away from Xander. With a quick right cross as he flew past Angel, Spike called out, “Gonna have to tell me all your secrets one day, pet. Not fair that you know me without me knowing you.”
Xander laughed, loud and long at the classic Spike exit. Spike was what he was, dramatic and difficult. Xander had forgotten, in all the intervening years, how exciting Spike had been before all the troubles of the Hellmouth wore him down. Xander walked over to stand above Angel, reaching out and offering him a hand up.
Angel stared at him appraisingly before accepting the hand. Rubbing his jaw, Angel opened his mouth and Xander held up a hand to forestall the barrage of questions he knew was coming.
“It's a long story, no I won't tell you and you're welcome,” Xander said softly.
“I bet,” Angel replied, voice equally low. “I thought you hated me?”
“I do,” Xander shot back and then shook his head. “No, I don't. I was...I am jealous. You mean something to Buffy that I...I won't ever have what you have with her. I'll deal, I'll grow up and I'll appreciate what she and I have more than I think I can understand now. You've done some pretty rotten things and I think you're lying to yourself that Angelus is under control. But, you fight to good fight and you try, which is what matters, right? So, I don't hate you. Now, how about we...”
And the world tilted sideways again.