Botched Spell Part 3
Mar. 26th, 2007 03:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
vinniebatmanTitle: Botched Spell, Part 3/5
Author’s: cinderella81 and vinniebatman.
Rating: Adult
Disclaimer: We are not Joss Whedon, we are not Mutant Enemy. We don’t own these characters and make no profit from this story.
Spoilers: Takes place after “Buffy vs. Dracula” in season 5. According to canon, Xander worked on that one construction job in the episode “Pangs” in season four. A few episodes later he was delivering pizza, then worked fast food again, before returning to construction., but assumes Xander didn’t start working construction until sometime in season 5, before episode 3, “The Replacement.” So this may be fudging the timeline a wee bit, but please bear with us.
Summary: Buffy casts a spell to create understanding between Spike and Xander. But it’s the Hellmouth, so of course something wonky happens.
Feedback: Please read and review! Constructive criticism welcome!
Originally Posted Here
Author’s: cinderella81 and vinniebatman.
Rating: Adult
Disclaimer: We are not Joss Whedon, we are not Mutant Enemy. We don’t own these characters and make no profit from this story.
Spoilers: Takes place after “Buffy vs. Dracula” in season 5. According to canon, Xander worked on that one construction job in the episode “Pangs” in season four. A few episodes later he was delivering pizza, then worked fast food again, before returning to construction., but assumes Xander didn’t start working construction until sometime in season 5, before episode 3, “The Replacement.” So this may be fudging the timeline a wee bit, but please bear with us.
Summary: Buffy casts a spell to create understanding between Spike and Xander. But it’s the Hellmouth, so of course something wonky happens.
Feedback: Please read and review! Constructive criticism welcome!
* * * * * * * * * *
Whistling, Spike left the basement (dressed in Xander's least-offensive garb) and immediately headed for the bank. The walk was enjoyable, the feeling of sun on his face for the first time in a hundred years sublime. Spike already had a plan in mind: while he was able to forge signatures fairly well, it would take a day or so to learn to forge Xander’s. That was unacceptable as the spell could wear off at any time. But with the new technology, one could easily shop using a debit card and PIN. So he directed his steps to the bank. As he reached the back, he smiled and opened the door for a little gray haired woman. It was easy enough; he simply showed them Xander’s license, claimed foregetfullness, and reset the bank PIN. His first stop was a men’s department store.
After going through Xander’s clothes, Spike had thrown most of it out. Xander shopped cheap, meaning thrift stores and clearence sales. So if it meant buying ugly shirts or oversized pants, it didn't matter. It had only been a few years since he’d first seen the Scooby, but Xander was now much larger, and not in a bad way. The boy had filled out and had gained some muscle since school, filling out his broad frame. And, as he’d discovered that morning, Xander had very little body fat. But he still hid himself in oversized clothing; he needed a new wardrobe- badly. Xander paid little attention to his appearnce, wrongly assuming that no one noticed.
Taking pity on Xan, Spike visited a mid-priced department store, instead of the leather clothing store or the designer men’s boutiques he knew to exist in Sunnydale. He took his time in the department store, making sure to pick out things that he knew would show Xander’s physique off; fitted jeans, tighter tee shirts, and a few tailored slacks and dress shirts. He even purchased clothing appropriate for construction work.
He ended up putting a small dent in Xander’s savings, but it was worth it. Xander now had clothes that fit, and he looked pretty damn good in them. He would no longer walk around looking like a little boy playing dress up in his father’s clothes. Spike left the department store wearing a beautifully tailored pair of charcoal trousers and matching suit jacket, paired with a deep red button-up shirt. Spike had already called around, getting job interviews for Xander. His clothes were interview appropriate, but not overly dressy. Spike was determined to get Xander a better job. But first, he had one more stop to make.
Spike opened the door, and felt the blast of cool air. He heard the chatter coming from the many different stations in the salon. He stepped up to the receptionist’s desk and waited patiently.
“Can I help you?”
“Only if you know someone who can help with the disaster on my head,” Spike said with a devastating smile. The middle-aged woman blushed. Xander had never noticed the power of his deep brown eyes and charming, open smile, but Spike sure as hell had.
Without looking awayt from the attractive young man, she yelled out “Hey Andre, you busy?” A deep voice responded from the back of the shop.
“Yeah, got a walk in. But Liz is free.”
“Hey Liz, didn’t you have a 10 am?” the receptionist called towards the chairs.
A cheery voice replied from the back. “Yeah, but she cancelled. Why, you got something to replace it?”
“I got a tall, dark, and handsome here in need of some help,” the receptionist said with a smile. Instead of the blush Xander would have given, Spike smirked.
“Send him on back."
Spike followed the voice to the back of the salon, and came face to face with a girl who could have been his twin sister- not Spike Xander, but Spike Spike. She stood about 5’7” with shoulder length bleach blonde hair, and bright blue eyes. She was all in black, along with black Doc Martens. Her clothing had enough style to look neat and professional, but enough style to assure Spike that she wasn’t an empty-headed, teeny-bopper bint who’d turn Xander into a Backstreet Boy.
“What can I do you for?” Liz asked, honestly meaning the ‘do you’ part.
Spike sat down in the chair. “I need a new look, and I put my hair in your hands.”
“Are you serious?” she asked, left eyebrow raised.
“It can’t be any worse than it is now, right? Just don’t shave it all off or change the color. And if at all possbile, try to keep some curls” Liz studied the unruly mop of brown hair, running her fingers through it.
“All I can do is shape and improve. The curls and waves are nice. It would be a shame to loose them.” Spike smirked
“Yeah, I’d hate to loose these gorgeous curls."
Spike let Liz work her magic. He wasn’t really paying attention as she turned him away from the mirror. He was figuring out his next plan of action. His demonic real estate agent had agreed to arrange a low move-in cost. But he still needed to get Xander a good job so that he could afford the rent on the apartment that he wanted to get the boy into. He also needed to get this done by sundown, because he was pretty sure that Xander would be on the prowl for him as soon as the sun set. Liz tapped him on the shoulder, bringing him out of his thoughts.
“I’m done here if you want to take a look.” Spinning the chair around, Spike braced himself for the worst.
Spike braced himself, and opened his eyes. Xander looked almost exactly the same way he did on Parent Teacher Night, the night that Angel had tried to offer Xander to him as a gift. The hair was neater, giving the boy a more mature look. But the waves and curls remained, giving Xander an easygoing air. I It was perfect.
“Thanks for the help,” he smiled. Standing, he reached for Xander’s wallet.
“Not a problem. Come back in about 6 weeks to keep it looking good. I promise I’ll always find a way to squeeze you in,” she said with a wink.
Spike stepped out of the salon after paying, and took a breath of fresh air. He walked through town and bought a sandwich from a café. He took the time to sit and enjoy his lunch before going to the first interview, sitting outside and soaking up the sun for the first time in a hundred years.
* * * * * * * * * *
“Well hello to you too, Ripper. Long time, no see.” Giles sighed.
“Again Ethan, what are you doing here?”
“Can’t I just pass through and say ‘hi’ to an old friend,” Ethan said with a sly smile.
Understanding showed on Giles’ face as he forced down the tendril of longing in his stomach. “You’re the one who opened the rare book store.”
“Got it in one.” Giles sighed.
“Why are you here?”
“I thought you might have some books that you’d want to sell me. I am willing to offer you a very rare book in return for... anything you are willing to offer me,” Ethan said with a grin, slowly raking his eyes up and down Giles’ body. “After all, I am honest a business man now.”
“How did you get away from the Initiative?” Giles suddenly asked, diverting the conversation. Loving Ethan had been the headiest experience of his life; leaving him had been the worst. Ethan shrugged nonchalantly, grinning at the obvious subject change.
“I was still in that lab when it was torn apart from the inside. At that point things were so out of control that very few… tests… were still being done. So when the facility practically imploded, I was able to escape. And after some time to heal and take stock of my resources, I decided to pay a visit to my dear old friend.”
“What do I have to do?” Ethan raised his eyebrows at the sudden defeat in Giles’ voice.
“You don’t have to do anything.”
“Well you’re obviously here for revenge, and I’m assuming you wish for something in return to prevent you from turning me into a demon, trying to kill Buffy, or otherwise releasing violent chaos on those I hold dear.”
"Please, Ripper. If I were going to cause trouble, it would have already started, although I might cause some mild chaos among the teens.”
“What, you mean like trying to sacrifice infants again?”
Ethan frowned as his eyes widened. “What? Come on old man, you remember the good old days. It’s about creating chaos, neither good nor bad. I don’t sacrifice babies.”
Clinging to the anger he felt at the memory of what had nearly happened that night, Giles pressed forward. “You took payment from the mayor for that chocolate. The chaos was a distraction so he could kidnap the infants and sacrifice them to a demon.”
A rare look passed over Ethan's face: honest shock. “Fucking hell, I didn’t know that. He mentioned some theft, I though it was money or artifacts. Not babies.”
“Yes, well now you know. So please leave before you’re discovered and torn apart.”
“Are you really so eager for me to leave?” Ethan asked, a cocky smile on his lips at odds with the sadness in his eyes.
"Yes, because if you stay and cause more trouble, I’ll be forced to kill you this time.”
“Don’t worry old man, I plan to leave your brood alone. Besides, being cut open by scientists makes a man think about his life.” Giles grimaced at the words “cut open.” “So I’ve decided to come and get what I want. But I’m not going to play around this time.”
Giles drew himself to his full height, tensed and prepared for an attack. “What do you want? Money? Or are you just going to go ahead and kill me like you’ve wanted to for the past decades?”
“My dear Rupert. As you said, it’s been decades. I’m not angry anymore. All the anger is gone. And I never wanted to kill you. But I am done using childish pranks to gain your attention.” Ethan paused, a smirk on his lips as he swaggered over to Giles. Pressing himself against the former Watcher, he continued. “And as for what I want, I think that would be obvious. I want what we had all those years ago."
Leaning down, Ethan pressed their mouths together, pouring in all the longing and passion he'd accumlated over the decades. With a moan, Giles surrendered to the kiss.
* * * * * * * * * *
Xander stretched and stood. After six hours of court programs, Oprah, and soap operas, he was bouncing off the walls. His skin was tingling, making him even more anxious. At six, the sun was close to setting. Crossing over to the CD player, he hit ‘play.’ Screams and thrashing guitars blared out; at first it made his ears cringe, but after a while, he started bouncing to the music.
”'Cause I wanna be Anarchy
It's the only way to be
Is this the M.P.L.A or
Is this the U.D.A or
Is this the I.R.A
I thought it was the UK
Or just another country
Another council tenancy.”
He suddenly stopped as a heartbeat neared the crypt. Damn, this vamp hearing rocks! He grabbed an ax and listened. The beat seemed slow compare to how his human heart beat. Ready to attack, he hid in the corner as the hatch to the stairs opened.
“Spike? You there? It’s me, Clem.” Sighing in relief, Xander stepped forward.
“Hey… buddy,” he offered. Just how did Spike talk to his friends? “What’s going on?”
“Ah, not much,” the demon replied, climbing down the stairs. “But I got your blood. Willy isn’t too mad, and the Karttny demons are leaving town, so it should be okay for you to go back soon.”
“Oh, great.” Grinning, Clem held out the paper bag, a smile of child-like glee on his saggy face. Xander eyed him suspiciously.
“What?”
“Oh, nothing, but um.... Okay, I thought you needed a pick-me-up, so I used some of my money to buy you a bag of human.”
“Oh, really, uh, thanks Clem. Mate.” Xander smiled, taking the bag from him. Peering inside, he chuckled and removed the bag on top with the red bow on it. “Nice, mate. Very nice.”
“Are you okay, Spike? You’re acting all weird,” Clem observed, furrowing his saggy brow.
“Yeah, great.”
“Right.” Sighing, Clem started back up the ladder. At the top, he called down. “Look Spike, we’ve been over this. You really care about him, but you don’t really know how he feels about you. You won’t know if your feelings are reciprocated until you ask him.”
Xander, who had been studying and sniffing the bag of human blood, quickly looked up. “Ask him? Him? Wait, who’s him?” he yelled. But the only response he got was the slamming of the crypt door.
Shaking his head, he opened the bag and poured it into the mug. He? Spike likes a guy? Weird. Shrugging, he ignored the jolts of excitement he felt at the idea of Spike kissing another man and turned on the hot plate. Sitting on the bed, he pulled on the boots. Suddenly, he sniffed, then sniffed again. Leaping to his feet, he jerked the mug off of the hot plate. He felt his mouth water and groaned. The smell was heavenly. He drank it quickly, moaning. For his vampire mouth, human blood was better than chocolate, Twinkies, or even donuts.
Pig’s blood really sucks, he thought, feeling more satisfied than he thought possible. Setting the mug down, he pulled on Spike’s duster and climbed the stairs. He needed to get to the Magic Box.
* * * * * * * * * *
Lyrics are from the song “Anarchy in the U.K.” by Sex Pistols.
Whistling, Spike left the basement (dressed in Xander's least-offensive garb) and immediately headed for the bank. The walk was enjoyable, the feeling of sun on his face for the first time in a hundred years sublime. Spike already had a plan in mind: while he was able to forge signatures fairly well, it would take a day or so to learn to forge Xander’s. That was unacceptable as the spell could wear off at any time. But with the new technology, one could easily shop using a debit card and PIN. So he directed his steps to the bank. As he reached the back, he smiled and opened the door for a little gray haired woman. It was easy enough; he simply showed them Xander’s license, claimed foregetfullness, and reset the bank PIN. His first stop was a men’s department store.
After going through Xander’s clothes, Spike had thrown most of it out. Xander shopped cheap, meaning thrift stores and clearence sales. So if it meant buying ugly shirts or oversized pants, it didn't matter. It had only been a few years since he’d first seen the Scooby, but Xander was now much larger, and not in a bad way. The boy had filled out and had gained some muscle since school, filling out his broad frame. And, as he’d discovered that morning, Xander had very little body fat. But he still hid himself in oversized clothing; he needed a new wardrobe- badly. Xander paid little attention to his appearnce, wrongly assuming that no one noticed.
Taking pity on Xan, Spike visited a mid-priced department store, instead of the leather clothing store or the designer men’s boutiques he knew to exist in Sunnydale. He took his time in the department store, making sure to pick out things that he knew would show Xander’s physique off; fitted jeans, tighter tee shirts, and a few tailored slacks and dress shirts. He even purchased clothing appropriate for construction work.
He ended up putting a small dent in Xander’s savings, but it was worth it. Xander now had clothes that fit, and he looked pretty damn good in them. He would no longer walk around looking like a little boy playing dress up in his father’s clothes. Spike left the department store wearing a beautifully tailored pair of charcoal trousers and matching suit jacket, paired with a deep red button-up shirt. Spike had already called around, getting job interviews for Xander. His clothes were interview appropriate, but not overly dressy. Spike was determined to get Xander a better job. But first, he had one more stop to make.
Spike opened the door, and felt the blast of cool air. He heard the chatter coming from the many different stations in the salon. He stepped up to the receptionist’s desk and waited patiently.
“Can I help you?”
“Only if you know someone who can help with the disaster on my head,” Spike said with a devastating smile. The middle-aged woman blushed. Xander had never noticed the power of his deep brown eyes and charming, open smile, but Spike sure as hell had.
Without looking awayt from the attractive young man, she yelled out “Hey Andre, you busy?” A deep voice responded from the back of the shop.
“Yeah, got a walk in. But Liz is free.”
“Hey Liz, didn’t you have a 10 am?” the receptionist called towards the chairs.
A cheery voice replied from the back. “Yeah, but she cancelled. Why, you got something to replace it?”
“I got a tall, dark, and handsome here in need of some help,” the receptionist said with a smile. Instead of the blush Xander would have given, Spike smirked.
“Send him on back."
Spike followed the voice to the back of the salon, and came face to face with a girl who could have been his twin sister- not Spike Xander, but Spike Spike. She stood about 5’7” with shoulder length bleach blonde hair, and bright blue eyes. She was all in black, along with black Doc Martens. Her clothing had enough style to look neat and professional, but enough style to assure Spike that she wasn’t an empty-headed, teeny-bopper bint who’d turn Xander into a Backstreet Boy.
“What can I do you for?” Liz asked, honestly meaning the ‘do you’ part.
Spike sat down in the chair. “I need a new look, and I put my hair in your hands.”
“Are you serious?” she asked, left eyebrow raised.
“It can’t be any worse than it is now, right? Just don’t shave it all off or change the color. And if at all possbile, try to keep some curls” Liz studied the unruly mop of brown hair, running her fingers through it.
“All I can do is shape and improve. The curls and waves are nice. It would be a shame to loose them.” Spike smirked
“Yeah, I’d hate to loose these gorgeous curls."
Spike let Liz work her magic. He wasn’t really paying attention as she turned him away from the mirror. He was figuring out his next plan of action. His demonic real estate agent had agreed to arrange a low move-in cost. But he still needed to get Xander a good job so that he could afford the rent on the apartment that he wanted to get the boy into. He also needed to get this done by sundown, because he was pretty sure that Xander would be on the prowl for him as soon as the sun set. Liz tapped him on the shoulder, bringing him out of his thoughts.
“I’m done here if you want to take a look.” Spinning the chair around, Spike braced himself for the worst.
Spike braced himself, and opened his eyes. Xander looked almost exactly the same way he did on Parent Teacher Night, the night that Angel had tried to offer Xander to him as a gift. The hair was neater, giving the boy a more mature look. But the waves and curls remained, giving Xander an easygoing air. I It was perfect.
“Thanks for the help,” he smiled. Standing, he reached for Xander’s wallet.
“Not a problem. Come back in about 6 weeks to keep it looking good. I promise I’ll always find a way to squeeze you in,” she said with a wink.
Spike stepped out of the salon after paying, and took a breath of fresh air. He walked through town and bought a sandwich from a café. He took the time to sit and enjoy his lunch before going to the first interview, sitting outside and soaking up the sun for the first time in a hundred years.
* * * * * * * * * *
“Well hello to you too, Ripper. Long time, no see.” Giles sighed.
“Again Ethan, what are you doing here?”
“Can’t I just pass through and say ‘hi’ to an old friend,” Ethan said with a sly smile.
Understanding showed on Giles’ face as he forced down the tendril of longing in his stomach. “You’re the one who opened the rare book store.”
“Got it in one.” Giles sighed.
“Why are you here?”
“I thought you might have some books that you’d want to sell me. I am willing to offer you a very rare book in return for... anything you are willing to offer me,” Ethan said with a grin, slowly raking his eyes up and down Giles’ body. “After all, I am honest a business man now.”
“How did you get away from the Initiative?” Giles suddenly asked, diverting the conversation. Loving Ethan had been the headiest experience of his life; leaving him had been the worst. Ethan shrugged nonchalantly, grinning at the obvious subject change.
“I was still in that lab when it was torn apart from the inside. At that point things were so out of control that very few… tests… were still being done. So when the facility practically imploded, I was able to escape. And after some time to heal and take stock of my resources, I decided to pay a visit to my dear old friend.”
“What do I have to do?” Ethan raised his eyebrows at the sudden defeat in Giles’ voice.
“You don’t have to do anything.”
“Well you’re obviously here for revenge, and I’m assuming you wish for something in return to prevent you from turning me into a demon, trying to kill Buffy, or otherwise releasing violent chaos on those I hold dear.”
"Please, Ripper. If I were going to cause trouble, it would have already started, although I might cause some mild chaos among the teens.”
“What, you mean like trying to sacrifice infants again?”
Ethan frowned as his eyes widened. “What? Come on old man, you remember the good old days. It’s about creating chaos, neither good nor bad. I don’t sacrifice babies.”
Clinging to the anger he felt at the memory of what had nearly happened that night, Giles pressed forward. “You took payment from the mayor for that chocolate. The chaos was a distraction so he could kidnap the infants and sacrifice them to a demon.”
A rare look passed over Ethan's face: honest shock. “Fucking hell, I didn’t know that. He mentioned some theft, I though it was money or artifacts. Not babies.”
“Yes, well now you know. So please leave before you’re discovered and torn apart.”
“Are you really so eager for me to leave?” Ethan asked, a cocky smile on his lips at odds with the sadness in his eyes.
"Yes, because if you stay and cause more trouble, I’ll be forced to kill you this time.”
“Don’t worry old man, I plan to leave your brood alone. Besides, being cut open by scientists makes a man think about his life.” Giles grimaced at the words “cut open.” “So I’ve decided to come and get what I want. But I’m not going to play around this time.”
Giles drew himself to his full height, tensed and prepared for an attack. “What do you want? Money? Or are you just going to go ahead and kill me like you’ve wanted to for the past decades?”
“My dear Rupert. As you said, it’s been decades. I’m not angry anymore. All the anger is gone. And I never wanted to kill you. But I am done using childish pranks to gain your attention.” Ethan paused, a smirk on his lips as he swaggered over to Giles. Pressing himself against the former Watcher, he continued. “And as for what I want, I think that would be obvious. I want what we had all those years ago."
Leaning down, Ethan pressed their mouths together, pouring in all the longing and passion he'd accumlated over the decades. With a moan, Giles surrendered to the kiss.
* * * * * * * * * *
Xander stretched and stood. After six hours of court programs, Oprah, and soap operas, he was bouncing off the walls. His skin was tingling, making him even more anxious. At six, the sun was close to setting. Crossing over to the CD player, he hit ‘play.’ Screams and thrashing guitars blared out; at first it made his ears cringe, but after a while, he started bouncing to the music.
”'Cause I wanna be Anarchy
It's the only way to be
Is this the M.P.L.A or
Is this the U.D.A or
Is this the I.R.A
I thought it was the UK
Or just another country
Another council tenancy.”
He suddenly stopped as a heartbeat neared the crypt. Damn, this vamp hearing rocks! He grabbed an ax and listened. The beat seemed slow compare to how his human heart beat. Ready to attack, he hid in the corner as the hatch to the stairs opened.
“Spike? You there? It’s me, Clem.” Sighing in relief, Xander stepped forward.
“Hey… buddy,” he offered. Just how did Spike talk to his friends? “What’s going on?”
“Ah, not much,” the demon replied, climbing down the stairs. “But I got your blood. Willy isn’t too mad, and the Karttny demons are leaving town, so it should be okay for you to go back soon.”
“Oh, great.” Grinning, Clem held out the paper bag, a smile of child-like glee on his saggy face. Xander eyed him suspiciously.
“What?”
“Oh, nothing, but um.... Okay, I thought you needed a pick-me-up, so I used some of my money to buy you a bag of human.”
“Oh, really, uh, thanks Clem. Mate.” Xander smiled, taking the bag from him. Peering inside, he chuckled and removed the bag on top with the red bow on it. “Nice, mate. Very nice.”
“Are you okay, Spike? You’re acting all weird,” Clem observed, furrowing his saggy brow.
“Yeah, great.”
“Right.” Sighing, Clem started back up the ladder. At the top, he called down. “Look Spike, we’ve been over this. You really care about him, but you don’t really know how he feels about you. You won’t know if your feelings are reciprocated until you ask him.”
Xander, who had been studying and sniffing the bag of human blood, quickly looked up. “Ask him? Him? Wait, who’s him?” he yelled. But the only response he got was the slamming of the crypt door.
Shaking his head, he opened the bag and poured it into the mug. He? Spike likes a guy? Weird. Shrugging, he ignored the jolts of excitement he felt at the idea of Spike kissing another man and turned on the hot plate. Sitting on the bed, he pulled on the boots. Suddenly, he sniffed, then sniffed again. Leaping to his feet, he jerked the mug off of the hot plate. He felt his mouth water and groaned. The smell was heavenly. He drank it quickly, moaning. For his vampire mouth, human blood was better than chocolate, Twinkies, or even donuts.
Pig’s blood really sucks, he thought, feeling more satisfied than he thought possible. Setting the mug down, he pulled on Spike’s duster and climbed the stairs. He needed to get to the Magic Box.
* * * * * * * * * *
Lyrics are from the song “Anarchy in the U.K.” by Sex Pistols.
Originally Posted Here