Sorry, I’m just a little excited...TITLE: Time Slip
AUTHOR: ExtraFlameyWT
DISCLAIMER: Don’t own them, never will. They belong to Joss Whedon, ME, UPN, WB, etc.
SPOILERS: Up to “Normal Again”
RATING: PG-13, I think
FEEDBACK: Yes, Please! I need all the help I can get!
AUTHOR’S NOTE: *Thoughts represented in italics and between asterisks.*
Time Slip
Part 19a
“Anya? You want to be a vengeance demon again?” Xander asked, frozen by her last comment. “Please tell me that’s not what you meant. What you are best at is loving me. We’re best together.”
Anya looked back up at him, her resolve shattered by his words.
“I can’t live without you, Anya. I want you to be my wife, to wake up next to you every morning. Can’t you see that?” Xander asked.
“If I’m best at loving you, then I must be pretty shitty at everything else. You left me at the altar, or about a hundred feet from the altar. If I’m the best at loving you, then how come I couldn’t make you stay?” Anya asked, blinking back tears.
“No, sweetie. That’s not why I left you. It wasn’t because I didn’t love you, because I do. It was because I was afraid of what would happen.” Xander felt his throat tighten, as he tried to get the rest of his words out. “I was afraid I would become my father.” His voice cracked, and he looked away.
Anya reached forward, touched by his words, and took his hands. “Oh, Xander,” she sighed. “Why didn’t you tell me? How did we get so screwed up?”
“It’s just that I- I don’t want to ever hurt you. I love you so much, and-“
“Shh. It’s okay,” Anya stopped Xander. “The thing I don’t get is how you could ever think it’s possible for you to be like your father.” Xander looked at her questioningly. “You hate the man that he’s become. You would die before you let yourself act the way he does.”
Anya moved close to him and kissed his lips sweetly.
When they pulled apart, Xander asked, “So what do we do, now?”
***
When Buffy reached the Espresso Pump, the first thing she noticed was the bleached blonde vampire sitting at a nearby table. She marched over to him angrily.
“What are you doing here?” She asked with him, incensed. “Why aren’t you watching Dawn? I told you to stay with her!”
“Oh, I decided I’d leave her out in the park with some friends and-“
" WHAT?!" Buffy yelled. In one swift motion she had him pinned against the wall with a stake poised near his heart.
“Relax, luv. I was joking. The niblet’s right over there.” He pointed to the counter, where Buffy could see Dawn ordering something. “She was feeling left out, and was pretty upset about you leaving her at home. I decided I’d take her out to try and cheer her up a bit.”
Buffy lowered the stake and let go of Spike. She looked around at the stares she was getting from the customers, and smiled embarrassedly. “He owes me money?” She said lamely. She looked back at Spike, who was dusting himself off.
Spike looked up to see Dawn coming back over. He smiled at her and said, “Hey, there, Little Bit. Did you get what you wanted?”
“Yeah! Thanks, Spike!” She ran over and hugged him.
Spike shrugged and tried to remove himself from the embrace. He was unsuccessful, so he just put his arm around Dawn, and said, “You’re welcome, niblet.”
Buffy smiled. Spike tried to play it off, but he really could be sweet. * Not for me, though. Eww, Spike. Gross.* She thought.
Dawn stepped back and finally noticed that Buffy was there. “Oh, hey, Buffy. What’s going on? Where’s Xander?”
“He’s with Anya. She was still at the shop when we got there. I think Xander was going to apologize.”
“He’d better!” Dawn said, quickly. “Poor Anya.”
“Yeah, I hope everything works out with them.” Buffy said, with a wistful look on her face. * They are supposed to be my light at the end of the tunnel,* she thought.
*****
TBC
Okay, hey you can’t complain about a cliffhanger this time!!
Like I said before, I’ll try to post the second part of this later tonight...-Aimee
*****
"Hey Will, this is me. It doesn't all have to be good and fine. This is the room where you don't have to be brave. I still love you. If you're worried, you can be worried." -Tara to Willow in ep. 603 Afterlife
