Modes of Silence
Sep. 12th, 2007 11:39 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sevendeadlyfunPairing: Xander/Spike
Rating: NC-17 overall
Summary: Buffy's gone. Spike, Xander, and Dawn try to move on.
Previous Parts
“A new Slayer,” Xander repeated dully, turning away from Giles.
He fought the impulse to run up the stairs and hide under his bed. He’d thought this was over. He wouldn’t have traded his time with Buffy for anything, but he wasn’t sure he could do it again. The Slayer was powerful, strong, and able to leap tall vampires in a single bound.
She was also a sacrificial lamb. A little girl that set herself up as an offering to Death so the rest of the world could live in blissful ignorance. No memorials for Buffy, no CBS specials about her life. Just a lonely grave in a forgotten clearing and that was more than most Slayers got. They were worse than forgotten, they were invisible.
“Congratulations,” Spike sneered, casting a speculative glance at Xander. The young man was quiet. Too quiet, and that silence spoke volumes. “It’s a girl, is it? Well, cigars all ‘round than. What’s it to us?”
“She’s here,” Giles responded flatly.
“No.” Xander’s face shot up, eyes suddenly blazing. “No, I won’t let you do it to her. It was…watching Buffy die was bad enough. No way are you taking Dawn and turning her into the Council’s appointed killer.”
“The Bit? No,” Spike said slowly. “She’s no Slayer. I’d have felt it, Xander.”
“Maybe,” Xander agreed. “But, you’ve spent so much time around her, maybe you wouldn’t have. Either way, it doesn’t matter. The Council can go drag Faith out of her cushy prison retirement or wait until Dawn dies of old age, but she’s not the Slayer.”
“You’re right,” Giles agreed pleasantly. “Dawn is not the Slayer.”
“You’re darn rights she’s not,” Xander shot back hotly. “She’s just a little girl and did you just say I was right? I thought you did, but it’s been a long night and I got some of that goop in my ear.”
“I said,” Giles enunciated, “Dawn. Is. Not. The. Slayer.”
“Oh.” Xander blinked in surprise. “Okay.”
“Since we’re all clear on that,” Spike said. “I’ll say it again. What’s it to us?”
Giles sighed, removing his glasses. Xander watched, heart contracting a bit at this well-worn gesture. He’d spent the better part of his adolescence watching Giles sigh and rub his eyes. It reminded of him of better times and how sad was that? Sitting around planning for the end of the world had been better times. He hadn’t been so alone.
He wasn’t really alone. He knew that. He still had Wills and Tara, Dawn and Spike. But, the two witches had their own lives. Every day, they moved just a bit farther out of his reach and one day, Dawn would too. That left Spike and this whatever it was with Spike was too new for him to really trust.
Alone in a crowd, Xander thought. Nothing new there.
“The new Slayer is here,” Giles repeated. “In Sunnydale.”
“And,” Spike replied acidly, “what’s. That. To. Us?”
“She’s…well, she’s already been attacked,” Giles explained softly. “I’m unsure how they knew before the Council, but a group of vampires surrounded her house. “
“Let me guess,” Xander said, lips pulled tight,” they weren’t there to offer her their heartiest congratulations?”
“Ah, no,” Giles shook his head. “They set her house on fire. She managed to escape, but her parents were not so fortunate.”
Xander stepped backwards. He wasn’t shocked, not by a long shot. Vampires killed. It’s what they did. But, he’d spent so much time around Spike that he always forgot other vamps weren’t like Spike or maybe that Spike wasn’t like other vamps. He didn’t do hostages or mind-games. He wanted a Slayer dead, he went after her. End of story.
“So what do you need?” Spike asked. “Imagine the Council’s doing the dance of joy, having a new Slayer at their beck and call. Why come here?”
“The Council is, as you say, quite happy to have a new, more, ah, tractable Slayer to work with,” Giles agreed. “However, Miss Hagan has indicated a certain…unwillingness to work with the Council.”
“Translation,” Spike smirked, “Those bastards tried to take her and put her through her paces like a show pony and it pissed’er off.”
“Indeed,” Giles nodded solemnly. “She seems to have disappeared, though I suspect she hasn’t gone far. We, that is, I was wondering if you would consent to help find her?”
Xander looked at Spike expectantly. Spike had never been much of team player, and his contempt for the Council was almost the stuff of legends. Who knew if Spike would do anything for this new Slayer? Would I, Xander wondered.
“Not working for the Council of Wankers, mate,” Spike sniffed. “Could be I’d be willing to help the new chit, but those tossers? Not a chance.”
“Then do it for her,” Giles suggested, voice tight. “She is out there, alone, facing gods know what kind of danger. She is untrained, unprepared, and a magnet for every hellspawn on the planet.”
“Oh is that right?” Spike glared at Giles, eyes narrowing. “I suppose you’re prepared to ditch Old Blighty and settle here to help her, yeah? After all, you’re the only Watcher in history to keep his Slayer alive longer than a few minutes. Ready to jump back into the fray, Rupert?”
Rating: NC-17 overall
Summary: Buffy's gone. Spike, Xander, and Dawn try to move on.
Previous Parts
“A new Slayer,” Xander repeated dully, turning away from Giles.
He fought the impulse to run up the stairs and hide under his bed. He’d thought this was over. He wouldn’t have traded his time with Buffy for anything, but he wasn’t sure he could do it again. The Slayer was powerful, strong, and able to leap tall vampires in a single bound.
She was also a sacrificial lamb. A little girl that set herself up as an offering to Death so the rest of the world could live in blissful ignorance. No memorials for Buffy, no CBS specials about her life. Just a lonely grave in a forgotten clearing and that was more than most Slayers got. They were worse than forgotten, they were invisible.
“Congratulations,” Spike sneered, casting a speculative glance at Xander. The young man was quiet. Too quiet, and that silence spoke volumes. “It’s a girl, is it? Well, cigars all ‘round than. What’s it to us?”
“She’s here,” Giles responded flatly.
“No.” Xander’s face shot up, eyes suddenly blazing. “No, I won’t let you do it to her. It was…watching Buffy die was bad enough. No way are you taking Dawn and turning her into the Council’s appointed killer.”
“The Bit? No,” Spike said slowly. “She’s no Slayer. I’d have felt it, Xander.”
“Maybe,” Xander agreed. “But, you’ve spent so much time around her, maybe you wouldn’t have. Either way, it doesn’t matter. The Council can go drag Faith out of her cushy prison retirement or wait until Dawn dies of old age, but she’s not the Slayer.”
“You’re right,” Giles agreed pleasantly. “Dawn is not the Slayer.”
“You’re darn rights she’s not,” Xander shot back hotly. “She’s just a little girl and did you just say I was right? I thought you did, but it’s been a long night and I got some of that goop in my ear.”
“I said,” Giles enunciated, “Dawn. Is. Not. The. Slayer.”
“Oh.” Xander blinked in surprise. “Okay.”
“Since we’re all clear on that,” Spike said. “I’ll say it again. What’s it to us?”
Giles sighed, removing his glasses. Xander watched, heart contracting a bit at this well-worn gesture. He’d spent the better part of his adolescence watching Giles sigh and rub his eyes. It reminded of him of better times and how sad was that? Sitting around planning for the end of the world had been better times. He hadn’t been so alone.
He wasn’t really alone. He knew that. He still had Wills and Tara, Dawn and Spike. But, the two witches had their own lives. Every day, they moved just a bit farther out of his reach and one day, Dawn would too. That left Spike and this whatever it was with Spike was too new for him to really trust.
Alone in a crowd, Xander thought. Nothing new there.
“The new Slayer is here,” Giles repeated. “In Sunnydale.”
“And,” Spike replied acidly, “what’s. That. To. Us?”
“She’s…well, she’s already been attacked,” Giles explained softly. “I’m unsure how they knew before the Council, but a group of vampires surrounded her house. “
“Let me guess,” Xander said, lips pulled tight,” they weren’t there to offer her their heartiest congratulations?”
“Ah, no,” Giles shook his head. “They set her house on fire. She managed to escape, but her parents were not so fortunate.”
Xander stepped backwards. He wasn’t shocked, not by a long shot. Vampires killed. It’s what they did. But, he’d spent so much time around Spike that he always forgot other vamps weren’t like Spike or maybe that Spike wasn’t like other vamps. He didn’t do hostages or mind-games. He wanted a Slayer dead, he went after her. End of story.
“So what do you need?” Spike asked. “Imagine the Council’s doing the dance of joy, having a new Slayer at their beck and call. Why come here?”
“The Council is, as you say, quite happy to have a new, more, ah, tractable Slayer to work with,” Giles agreed. “However, Miss Hagan has indicated a certain…unwillingness to work with the Council.”
“Translation,” Spike smirked, “Those bastards tried to take her and put her through her paces like a show pony and it pissed’er off.”
“Indeed,” Giles nodded solemnly. “She seems to have disappeared, though I suspect she hasn’t gone far. We, that is, I was wondering if you would consent to help find her?”
Xander looked at Spike expectantly. Spike had never been much of team player, and his contempt for the Council was almost the stuff of legends. Who knew if Spike would do anything for this new Slayer? Would I, Xander wondered.
“Not working for the Council of Wankers, mate,” Spike sniffed. “Could be I’d be willing to help the new chit, but those tossers? Not a chance.”
“Then do it for her,” Giles suggested, voice tight. “She is out there, alone, facing gods know what kind of danger. She is untrained, unprepared, and a magnet for every hellspawn on the planet.”
“Oh is that right?” Spike glared at Giles, eyes narrowing. “I suppose you’re prepared to ditch Old Blighty and settle here to help her, yeah? After all, you’re the only Watcher in history to keep his Slayer alive longer than a few minutes. Ready to jump back into the fray, Rupert?”