Author: josie_h@yahoo.com
Archived at:
http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=rngrdead
Pairing: Xander/Spike
Rating: Mature Audiences – for content and themes
Summary: Anya utters a final garbled set of words that sets off a wish that will alter Xander’s existence forever…
Spoilers: Canon is Post S7 BtVS and S5 AtS.
Warnings: M/M – if you don’t like boys together, don’t play here! *Toys* and angst too… and lovin’ eventually
Disclaimer: Don’t own the characters nor make any money from stories etc, and bow down to their original creators Joss, et al., plus all the wonderful online writers who continue to give the Buffy/Angel verse characters life.
Part 6
A blinding flash of light (and rather unnecessary poof of smoke) later found the demon master standing in the bedroom looking rather perplexed. The horned visage was quickly pulled to ‘neutral’ as he turned to find…
“Ahh, Willow my dear, I was expecting a call from you years ago… but *my* haven’t you grown! And what’s this? Consorting with your dark side I see… William the Bloody… Seems my girls *do* have good taste even if you are a little slow to join the stable. But enough chit chat… What can I do for you my dear?”
Willow was positively radiating anger, and as her hair began to extend then turned white and begin to shoot or gather bolts of energy or both, D’Hoffran stilled. There were few who might rival him in his own realm, but she, this Mistress Willow, was drawing on ancient powers far greater than his, her connection to the earth mother, and her control beyond anything he had felt. And when she commanded “Down” he had no choice but to kneel. Suddenly, painfully, against his will.
“‘Your girl’? You really think that will *ever* happen? ‘Your girl’?? Get *over* yourself … Mister! … Now… What have you done to Xander…? And before you speak you might like to know that, (A) I know it was you, and (B) I know you like your horns and having them melt, painfully, with the effects of a slow, incurable inter-dimensional virus would *really* be bad. So now we’re clear…”
For the first time in his very long existence D’Hoffran felt a twinge of fear and wondered how he might have mistaken the extent of this being’s ‘connections’ quite so badly, nevertheless, and though still on his knees, he schooled his tone to sound as though speaking to a child, “I just did as Anyanka requested, sex toy, boys, orgasms, wait a few years… yadda yadda? She was my favourite. I even gave her a second chance… and I had warned her, several times… Warned and reprimanded and forgiven but then… What was I to do but grant that… last wish… as she died… Stupid waste of a fine demon! … Typical of your lot of course, but such a waste.” The demon momentarily gave in to his own version of sadness, and Willow felt genuinely sorry for him for an instant but then saw Spike, his own grief evident, arriving at the door.
She levelled black eyes on the demon, “What *exactly* did she wish for?! They had made up… she *loved* him.”
D’Hoffran – still on his knees – snorted a little, only to have a fiery bolt of energy arc through his largest right horn. For the second time that evening he realised his underestimation of this particular wiccan.
“She wished for… him to be a sex toy… for men … give orgasms every day... and ah…” He switched gears a little, “By the way, is my horn smoking? Ow… Ow... OW!! Alright! She gave him a few years before it happened and finally said she wanted him to be loved or something ridiculous like that.”
“So you made him into a plastic model to be used and abused?!!”
D’Hoffran could not help himself, “Seems he has no complaints at the moment?!”
Another bolt of energy fired through his right horn and this time it did smoke.
“*Reverse the curse*.”
“I can’t, it is binding.”
“Then… *Unbind it*.”
“It can’t be done… not without payment.”
“Payment of *what* exactly?! You took it… just give it back!”
“Oh my dear, you may out rank me in power, but you are *still* so naive… This was a *special* favour to a *very special* girl of mine. His soul is one thing… oh and don’t get me wrong that is still there, but his life force… that has been *permanently* altered. And that… that the Forces won’t reverse unless paid for… even for you, dear lady. In fact it may just be that a soul is the correct price.”
Willow pulled back with abject horror, “No *way*, if you take that you take… Oh Goddess…” She rose and staggered into the arms of… Spike who placed the witch gently on the ground then continued the conversation.
“So D’really-don’t-care-for-you, what exactly are you offerin’ in exchange for ‘is soul – seems a pretty hefty price?!”
To his credit the Vengeance demon answered honestly, “In truth all I can promise is that his situation would be reversed his life source restored… he will be inanimate for one day a week and human for the rest, I cannot completely undo what is Anya’s wish with regard to his orientation or his desire to please. This was no ordinary wish, it was the wish of a vengeance demon of great age on her moment of departure from existence. It is the best I can offer. On the upside, he will be timeless, loving and very satisfactory for some…male friend.”
“’N what if another fella offers a soul in payment, ‘so’s the boy ‘ere don’t have ta’ you know, lose his…?”
“Well, a soul is a soul… I’m sure that could be adequate payment.”
Willow panicked, D’Hoffran grinned, and Xander in his inanimate state, wished for the millionth time, that he could just *end things*, just as Spike fell into game face and growled at D’Hoffran. “Then take mine!”
And Xander died a little more. His friend, his vampire saviour was giving up the one thing he had fought so very hard for… It *just wasn’t right*!!! He had done all the wrong and now Spike was going to… go all Big Bad just so he could be a real boy again?? He would have screamed “No” but his inanimate form prevented it…
The demon grinned a little, “Oh vampire, you do not know what it is you offer.”
“Bloody well do, highly over-rated this soul business – likely to drive a vampire to church it would.”
Spike winked cheekily at the Vengeance Master and D’Hoffran nodded his agreement, “With the payment of your soul, I will reverse the curse, Alexander will hence forth spend all but one day a week as human, that time spent as he is now. It is the best I can do.” He looked across to the vampire holding the mannequin, soon to be real boy and grinned in triumph.
Willow felt the beginnings of the reversal spell and screamed “Wait” before pulling Spike from the room.
“Are you *crazy*??!!! Spike, You can’t do this! You fought so hard for it… and… and… Oh Goddess *Spike* we have to find another way!”
“Like the bugger said, Luv – Powers want payment – boy need ‘is soul, me… c’n do without. Let’s face it… had be stark ravin’ and good to noone when I first got it back anyways. Seems as though it’s time I got rid of it for all the good it does any vamp with one… Angel case in point… Look Pet… Boys a white hat, a right champ for the people, even if he don’t work for you lot any more… and I quite like the bugger, when he’s real o’ course…”
“There’s another way…”
Spike looked at her quizzically.
“Just… go with what feels right and trust me OK?”
As they re-entered the room D’Hoffran felt himself freed of the witch’s power and grinned, “I see the vampire has helped you to come to your senses Witch… What say you William… is your soul worth this… he does make rather the nice play thing, I congratulate you on your taste… but then you were always the pretty boy yourself weren’t you… How ironic that the two men Anyanka bedded in her final human guise, find themselves together…”
Spike could not be bated and instead smiled knowingly, “Just bloody get on with it mate… soul don’t maketh man – nor the vampire for that matter.. In fact, bloody nuisance as far as I’m concerned.”
D’Hoffran stood and invoked the change in the curse, the air prickling and at the end as he clapped his hands together above his head to finish it. Willow released her full force, turning her black eyes to the sky, drawing from the earth and the heavens on behalf of her boys. Spike’s soul was torn away as was expected, but Willow’s incantation tied the now human Xander’s essence to Spike’s so tightly that they shared the soul, indeed it bound them so tightly that what one felt another did too, and gave D’Hoffran a rather nasty rash around his horns as he departed the realm.
It was a quake of 7.4 on the Rector scale…Willow checked her friends before falling asleep. As they had planned Xander’s soul was now *permanently* attached to Spike, though… sadly… it seemed … both were as one, Spike too waking inanimate, and would be condemned to a very quiet Sunday.
Willow was horrified, but realised the otherworldly reason, Spike’s immortality would be transferred and kind nature maintained, in exchange, Xander’s soul and now few hours a week curse would also be shared.
She tried to feel sad but the two male mannequins lying in an apparently loving embrace – and as she knew for only eight to twelve hours a week - it might have been worse.
She sat and waited for a while, but eventually rose, made a coffee and watched some television. Late afternoon she wandered into the room and was thrilled to see the shift and the joy and the harsh slap as Xander reprimanded his lover for being so reckless, then watched a passionate kiss before easing herself from the room as the kiss became more.
Several hours later, the lounge room door opened and two very real, freshly showered males clad in nothing but a towel each, sat hand in hand on the end of Willow’s temporary bed.
The conversation began with a baritone, “Thanks Red...”