FIC - Almost Paradise: 1/4 (W/X)
Charles Glasgow
Author: Chuckg <cgla...@hotmail.com>
Distribution: Ask and it shall be yours
Disclaimer: They're Joss', not mine. If they were mine, I'd have had
them together by the end of Season 3 at the absolute latest.
Rating: PG-13
Notes: Please, be patient when waiting for the next parts.. I know
that unfinished fic is the cruelest thing in the universe and that
cliffhangers are the next cruelest, but the words only come when they
come. I have an outline for the rest of this story, but it's not all
detailed yet.
Dedication: To my wonderful beta reader Melissa Rogerson, and to my
good friend Randi Eldevik for her continually nagging me to "Take a
chance!"
Spoilers: Anything up to 'The Gift'
Timeline: Sometime in Season 6, with Buffy having been back alive
long enough that things have returned to normal for her. Oh, and I'm
deliberately leaving *out* the Season 6 Willow spoilers.
Relationships: W/X, with acknowledgement of already existing 'ships.
Summary: Xander and Willow wake up to a whole new world. Should they
keep it?
Feedback: Please. *g*
INT. XANDER'S BEDROOM
FADE IN to a camera POV on the floor, looking at the ceiling. Willow
is leaning over into the frame, an expression of concern and worry on
her face.
WILLOW
Xander?
CUT to show Xander lying flat on his back on the floor in front of the
dresser. Willow is kneeling next to him, leaning over him and taking a
cold cloth off of his head.
XANDER (woozily)
Oh Lucy, I'm hoooome...
WILLOW (sternly)
Xander, don't joke! This is... (Willow waves her hands nervously. In
the process, we see that one hand has a wedding ring on it.)... really
of the bad! Everything's been turned all around!
Xander pulls himself up to a sitting position. Willow leans back and
folds her legs under herself, sitting nearby across from him.
XANDER
Sorry. Was having a...
WILLOW (nods understandingly)
Oh yeah. If now's not the time for a major wiggins, then when would it
be?
XANDER
So, to recap -- we go to bed on Friday with me engaged to Anya and you
and Tara living together, and we wake up together in my place ready
for our anniversary. Jeez. (griping) You'd think that if somebody's
going to drop a major warp zone on you and make you married to someone
they'd at least have the decency to let you have the honeymoon...
WILLOW
Xander, that's not helping! (impassioned) We've got to figure this
out! The whole universe just doesn't suddenly change history and time
and space overnight!
XANDER (rolls his eyes)
Will, this is *Sunnydale*.
WILLOW (sheepishly)
Oh. Right.
XANDER
Yup. Remember Jonathan's "Hey, I'm a movie star!" spell? Or... or how
the monks gave Dawn an instant backstory that didn't actually happen?
(stops, realizes what he's said) Not that I think that's a bad
thing...
WILLOW (the very picture of understanding)
... I know, Xander. Relax.
XANDER
Right. So, this is just some... spell. Some really big, powerful
wedding spell that has absolutely no point that anyone could possibly
see but just happened to get cast anyway...
Xander suddenly stops, struck by a major thought. He starts to say
something, stops. He can't look Willow in the eye.
WILLOW (at first confused by his behavior, then in sudden indignant
realization.)
*No*!
XANDER (really guilty-looking)
Sorry. I mean, really sorry. (speaking rapidly) Really *really* sorry,
I am so wrong for thinking that, I am unworthy paranoid
best-friend-not-trusting scum...
WILLOW (small, forgiving smile)
Xander, you're wigginsing again.
XANDER (relieved at Willow's not being angry with him)
Right. The wiggins are now officially closed for the season. (deep
breath) So. What do we do?
WILLOW
Find out what big magic thingy caused this and turn it back, what
else?
XANDER
Will, when I say "What do *we* do?", I really mean "And what do *I* do
besides just stand around and watch my much more brilliant and
talented best friend find and solve the big magic problem in her usual
supergenius way, so that I don't feel totally useless?"
WILLOW (smiles brightly, reaches over and gives Xander a friendly
punch/tap on the shoulder)
You go and get your car keys. I'm not gonna walk all the way to the
Magic Box.
Xander and Willow get up from the floor. Xander heads out to the
living room while Willow goes to get her purse. After a moment,
Xander's head pokes back in the bedroom door.
XANDER
Uhhh... are you sure there's still a Magic Box?
EXT. STREET - DAYTIME.
Xander's car drives down the street. It's a wonderful day under a
crystal blue sky with cute little white clouds. As the viewpoint
passes a street sign, we glimpse in passing that the focus on the sign
is blurred, while the rest of the picture is clear. Sunnydale's never
looked better.
XANDER'S CAR. Xander is driving, natch. Willow's riding shotgun.
XANDER (underlying tension)
So, we've got a plan?
WILLOW (self-deprecatingly, underlying tension)
If you consider 'Go to the Magic Box and get spell supplies' a plan.
God, I don't even know which spell I'm going to cast! The ol' grimoire
didn't exactly have "Universe Debugging" listed under "U"...
XANDER (Lightbulb-over-head moment)
Whoa, idea.
WILLOW (jokingly, a little tense)
That's two good ideas in five minutes. We *must* be in an alternate
reality.
XANDER (laughs, trying to release tension)
Hey, one more crack like that and I'm filing for divorce!
WILLOW (laughs, pretends to cower in fear)
No, please, anything but that! I'll be good!
XANDER (laughs once more, then turns serious)
*Anyway*, about the spell thing... remember when Buffy first thought
something was up with her mom? Didn't Anya point her towards some kind
of "Check out what spell traces are lyin' around?" mojo? And it showed
Buffy that Dawn's picture wasn't the same kind of real as everything
else and led her to the monks?
WILLOW (enthused)
Hey, that's right! Cloutier's trance ritual, to see spells and trace
their sources! I can do that!
XANDER (sincerely)
And thus Willow the Wondrous saves the day again, in her usual
stunning fashion.
WILLOW (blushes)
Only because Xander the... Xandery was there to clue her in when she
couldn't figure out what to do.
They turn and smile at each other for a moment that somehow seems
longer than it is. Willow absently rubs her wedding ring.
EXT. MAGIC BOX FRONT The blur-focus effect is on the store's sign.
INT. MAGIC BOX, FRONT ROOM
The store's not open yet, but the front door is unlocked so Xander and
Willow walk in together. Anya is standing behind the counter, getting
an early start and industriously fussing with a stack of account books
and inventory, while humming a happy little tune to herself. She looks
up to see who's coming in.
ANYA (In her I'm-not-sure-what-the-proper-tone-of-voice-to-use-for-this-particular-social-situation-is
tone of voice)
Xander. Willow. Uhhh... hi!
Xander comes to a dead stop the instant he sees Anya, trying very hard
to keep his expression straight. Willow stops next to him and
unthinkingly reaches out and grabs his hand.
XANDER (awkwardly, dreading the possible responses)
Anya! Ummm... How's it going? Errr... long time no see?
Anya backs up a few feet behind the counter as Xander and Willow walk
up to it. Absolutely nothing in her body language, expression, or
voice hints at any relationship between her and Xander, and it's not
because she's hiding it. As a matter of fact, she seems slightly
awkward and nervous to see him.
ANYA
I'm fine, thank you for asking! (hurriedly) I say this in an entirely
non-attempting-to-personally-charm way and only because it's impolite
not to answer a polite question! Absolutely no intent to violate the
ex-girlfriend-of-a-married-guy rules is present. See? (waving hand at
the six feet of space between her and Xander) Proper separation
distance!
XANDER (trying to keep up)
The... ex-girlfriend-of-a-married-guy rules?
ANYA (nodding)
Oh yes. They're very explicit.
XANDER (expectingly)
And... you were taught these rules by...?
Anya has an oh-please-God-don't-make-me-have-to-say-the-answer-out-loud
expression on her face. Wordlessly, her glance flicks over to Willow.
XANDER (not even having to follow her gaze)
Got it.
Willow quickly lets go of Xander's hand and is eyes downcast with
embarassment.
WILLOW
Uhhhh... I need a few little spell supplies. Is that OK?
ANYA (in tones of despairing resignation)
Sure, go ahead, browse the shelves and take whatever you want.
(disgruntledly) Giles says I have to let you, remember?
WILLOW (pleasantly surprised)
Oh. That's right. (trying to keep up the role) It's the
I-have-an-account-and-pay-later thing.
ANYA (disgruntedly)
Actually, it's the this-place-might-as-well-be-your-... (Does a double
take, continues on in typical Anya-uniquely-uninfectious-enthusiasm).
Yes! Yes, it's the you-have-an-account-and-pay-later thing! I'll start
the tally!
Anya goes out-of-frame down behind the counter, looking for a blank
account book and a pencil.
ANYA (O.S.) Just make sure I get an itemized list!
INT. MAGIC BOX, BACK ROOM
The mats are set up on the floor and the heavy punching bag is hanging
over in the corner. Xander and Willow walk in, Willow holding a few
miscellaneous supplies, to see Buffy on the mats doing some kata.
Giles, dressed in the tweeds that he hasn't worn since high school, is
standing next to Buffy supervising.
GILES
And this time, try to keep your left elbow straight... oh, hello.
Buffy stops what she's doing and turns around, beaming when sees her
two best friends. We see that this is not the same Buffy we've known
in recent episodes... she looks *good*, entirely at ease and healthy
and eating right.
BUFFY (bouncing over to give Willow a hug and Xander a friendly peck
on the cheek)
Hey, guys! You're up early for a Saturday. What's the occasion?
XANDER (taken aback at the unusual Buffy-exuberance)
Oh, just this and that. You know. Stuff.
BUFFY (looks aside at Willow, smiles, continues on teasingly)
I thought you were supposed to help *fix* the vagueness, Will. Come
on, you've had *months*?
WILLOW (still playing catch-up to the new reality)
Well... (shrugs, smiles) Xander is a special case.
XANDER
Oh yes, very special! I've got Olympic gold medals in special...
whoops.
Buffy and Willow giggle uncontrollably.
XANDER (mock-stern glare at Willow)
That's it. Somebody's sleeping on the couch.
They giggle louder.
Giles walks over and hands Buffy a towel.
GILES (gently)
I suppose we'll just call it a day then?
BUFFY
Yeah. I've got to get back pretty soon anyway. *Somebody's* gotta get
Dawn's breakfast ready, and you know that Spike can't cook for beans.
GILES (winces a bit)
Speaking as his involuntary former roommate, I can officially state...
(shudders again) that you have *no* idea.
BUFFY (laughs)
And I'm sure I don't *want* to! Sorry guys, gotta bail, catch you
later!
Happy Bouncy Buffy finishes wiping her face, grabs her jacket and
splits.
XANDER AND WILLOW
Bye!
GILES
Was there anything you needed?
WILLOW
Oh, just a little alone space. Got a spell ritual I wanted to, err,
practice on and then I thought me and Xander would, um, go out.
GILES
Oh, well, that's certainly no problem. I'll just go help Anya with the
inventory.
Giles leaves.
XANDER
Was it just me or was the G-Man a *tiny* bit off? I mean, ever since
the whole whoops look out for the troll he's always been a liiiiittle
tense about you doing ritual stuff in the shop. But today, he's...
WILLOW
... totally cool with it? (shrugging) Maybe the Olaf thing didn't
happen in this timeline.
XANDER (looks for a moment back towards the door to the front)
And *what* was with Buffy? She was like... happy! I mean *Prozac*
happy, not just normal happy.
WILLOW
That *was* normal happy, Xander.
XANDER
If we're talking about *five years ago*. (sarcastically) What, did our
getting married be the crisis point that...
WILLOW
... fixed the universe?
Willow ponders that for a moment and then shakes her head.
WILLOW
Don't be silly.
FADE TO BLACK
XANDER (O.S. indignantly)
Wait a minute! Spike's her *live-in*?!?
INT. MAGIC BOX, BACK ROOM.
Xander and Willow are sitting cross-legged on the mats, eyes closed,
holding hands. The circle of brightly-colored dust from "No Place Like
Home" is on the floor and the incense sticks are lit. Xander and
Willow open their eyes, and the same different-lighting effects are in
place to indicate that yes, the Clautier trance ritual has worked
again.
XANDER (slowly)
I thought we'd *never* get here. I'm beginning to see why you're so
into the magic thing. This is really... peaceful.
WILLOW (slowly, smiling)
Not always. I haven't had a ritual go this smoothly since... (beat)...
well, never mind that. We've got to look for clues.
XANDER
Sounds good. Where do we start?
WILLOW
Let go of my hands.
Xander lets go of Willow's hands as if he's been burnt. He looks at
her, hurt.
WILLOW (sheepishly)
Sorry. I meant, please move your fingers so I can look at...
Willow stops and stares closer at her wedding ring. Xander follows her
gaze.
XANDER
I thought this spell was supposed to point out what wasn't real?
WILLOW (puzzled)
It *is*! But... same ring! (waves her hand back and forth in the air)
Not a bit different!
XANDER
What else can we check?
WILLOW
Ummm... your wallet! Maybe you have pictures!
Xander immediately digs out his wallet... and sure enough, there's a
couple of snapshots. He keeps digging through until he finds another
copy of their wedding picture. They both study it intently.
XANDER
Darn, we must have been married for a while. I mean, look, *Riley's*
the best man.
WILLOW (wistfully)
And Giles gave me away. That's sweet.
XANDER (suddenly pointing at the little picture)
Hey! Is that *Amy* in the bridesmaid's gear?
WILLOW
It *is* Amy! She's OK now! And there's Tara as the other bridesmaid,
and there's Joyce and Buffy...
XANDER (flatly)
No Anya.
WILLOW
She's probably not big on weddings. Unless they're hers.
Xander involuntarily draws back from Willow, who he's been slowly
leaning closer and closer to, at this reminder of who he was engaged
to yesterday.
XANDER
Yeah. Probably.
WILLOW
Sorry.
XANDER (changing the subject with a visible effort)
Any traces on this picture?
Willow stops thinking about romance issues and visibly focuses herself
on the magic problem, the very picture of intent concentration.
WILLOW (slowly)
No. Not a *thing*.
Xander suddenly gets up and claps his hands hard, breaking their
trance state. The visual effects snap back to normal. Willow stands up
also.
XANDER
Well, *that* was a nice big nothing. Now what?
Willow chews her lip in thought.
WILLOW (pensively)
We escalate.
XANDER
Somehow, I don't think you're talking about moving stairs.
FADE TO BLACK
INT. MAGIC BOX, FRONT.
Xander and Willow are sitting at the table. We hear Anya and Giles
busily moving around back in the stacks, out of earshot.
XANDER (quietly)
OK, so you're thinking that whatever's done this is shielding their
spell from detection?
Willow has a notepad open on the table, covered with ley line diagrams
and doodles. She's scribbling with a pencil as she speaks, but seems
entirely oblivious to the fact that her 'calculations' are actually
gibberish.
WILLOW
Definitely. Cloutier's ritual is one of the most sensitive detection
spells there is... anything that can make *it* think there's nothing
going on has got to be some of the best magical cloaking in the
universe. So, we try a *new* approach.
XANDER
And that would be...?
WILLOW
Measuring the ambient etheric resonance reflection internal to the
nearest primary power locus.
Xander blinks, shakes his head, and puts his best "I have *no* clue
what you just said." expression on his face.
XANDER
And that would be...?
WILLOW
I don't look for the spell itself, I look for indirect effects on the
environment. In *this* case whatever kind of spell is causing this has
got to be on the power level of really big reality-warp. And it must
need constant maintenance, because when you break the spell things
snap back to normal. You can hide a spell, but you can't hide the
overall magic flow in Sunnydale. This kind of power draw sets up
echoes, diversions, where the flow's the strongest. It's just that
unless the spell is really *really* huge, looking at the main flows is
pointless 'cause the echoes aren't big enough to show up.
XANDER
Ah yes. Rocks no bounce.
Willow gives him a look that says he may be certifiable.
XANDER
Like the jackhammer at work. You could still know when it's on even if
you were deaf and had your back turned, by watching how it makes the
pebbles bounce on the concrete. But with normal footsteps? Rocks no
bounce.
WILLOW
Exactly! So, we go to the biggest center of magical power in the area
and I open up another detection ritual I just devised and check out
what's making its energy fluxes flux and which way they're fluxing.
XANDER
The biggest...?
WILLOW (worriedly)
Ummm... the Hellmouth.
XANDER
Oh, *great*. You're gonna mess with the *Hellmouth*?
WILLOW
Xander, it's not like we have much of a...
The door suddenly opens, making the bell jingle. Anya comes flying out
of the back stacks to take her station at the counter. Willow and
Xander look up to see who it is, and suddenly Willow tenses. Xander
unconsciously reaches out to grab her hand for reassurance.
Tara is coming in the door.
TARA
Uhh... hello?
ANYA (starts her familiar customer-greeting ritual)
Hello, welcome to the Magic Box! May I take your order, please?
TARA (smiles shyly)
Oh, Amy's got it.
Tara finally sees Willow and Xander over at the table. She waves
absently to Willow.
TARA (friendly, but no special emotion in her voice at all)
Oh, hi Willow.
Tara turns to see Amy Madison coming in the door behind her, big as
life and twice as healthy. Tara's face lights up like it used to
whenever she saw Willow.
AMY
Hi Anya! (fiddles in her purse, pulls out a long shopping list) Wiccan
club meeting tonight on campus, so this is gonna be another Mastercard
special.
ANYA (smiling widely at the thought of big $$$)
I'm on it. You grab the stuff from in front, I'll hit the storeroom.
Anya snatches the list from Amy's grasp and zips back into the
storeroom to get the special-order items. Amy turns and finally sees
Willow. She smiles and waves.
AMY
Hey Willow! (nods) Hi, Xander.
XANDER
Great to see you, Aims.
WILLOW (softly)
Hey Amy. How's it going?
Amy smiles beamingly.
AMY
Couldn't be better. You up for the Wiccan club meeting tonight on
campus? No worries about the wannabes this time... I put the word out
that we're gonna do the eye of newt thing.
Willow grins in understanding, then reverts to looking worried.
WILLOW
Um... don't think I'll be around, sorry. Xander and I have a lot that
needs doing.
TARA
But we hardly see you anymore.
Willow practically jumps to attention at this sign of interest from
Tara.
WILLOW
Maybe if I can get free early?
AMY
Sure, no problem.
PAN to follow Amy and Tara as they link hands and walk into the stacks
together, giving off happy-couple vibes you could feel a hundred yards
away.
AMY
Did you catch the news this morning?
TARA
A-about them maybe signing civil unions into law?
AMY
'Bout time...
CUT BACK to show Willow sitting at the table staring off in the
direction they walked in, looking very lost and abandoned. Xander
moves up to stand behind her and compassionately places his hands on
her shoulders, bending down to put his head alongside hers
cheek-to-cheek.
WILLOW (sadly)
It's... like watching a piece of *me* walk away.
XANDER (somberly)
I know.
He turns to look at Anya, coming back out of the storeroom with the
rest of Amy and Tara's order. Anya looks as cheerfully industrious as
she always has, despite the total lack of Xander in her new life. He
turns back to Willow, lowering his arms from her shoulders to hug her
comfortingly from behind, his head on her shoulder. Willow relaxes
into his hug, eyes closed, but still looking a little lost.
XANDER (softly)
They don't know us anymore, Will. In this reality, for them... we
never were. Or barely were.
Willow turns to look at Xander, looking pensive.
WILLOW
We'd better get going.
FADE TO BLACK
INT. RUINS OF SUNNYDALE HIGH, THE HELLMOUTH.
Xander and Willow are standing on the open spot where the Hellmouth is
and where the library used to be. Fortunately, the Hellmouth is
closed, closed, closed. It's almost noon and daylight is shining in
through what's left of the roof. Xander is busy looking up through a
particularly big hole, and Willow's busy getting ritual supplies out
of a knapsack. An intricate-looking magic circle has been chalked on
the ground.
XANDER
Home sweet Hellmouth. (takes a deep breath, tasting the air) Yup,
still stinks.
Willow's busy fussing with the supplies aimlessly, looking conflicted
about something.
WILLOW
OK, I'm ready. You sit here.
Xander and Willow take up places in the ritual circle.
XANDER
Ok, so what do I do this time?
WILLOW (worriedly)
Anchor me. Concentrate... concentrate on how badly we want to find
what's causing this and fix everything. (deep breath, continues on in
an iron-hard voice) I'm gonna need the backup, because I've got to
make this one work. It's *got* to work.
XANDER (soberly)
Got your back, Wills. Let's do this.
Willow looks back at Xander and smiles worriedly, then looks down at
her spell ingredients, visibly having to screw up her nerve to go
ahead. Xander notices this byplay and closes his eyes, bracing himself
for the worst.
WILLOW (chanting)
In nomine sanctus, centrum est patesco...
FADE TO BLACK
EXT. FRONT OF SUNNYDALE HIGH SCHOOL, NOON
Xander and Willow are sitting on a park bench at the end of the big
lawn triangle, near the place that Buffy stood watching the kids go
into school at the end of 'Becoming 2'. Willow is staring fixedly
ahead, with an expression of despair and more than a little fear.
Xander is sitting next to her holding her hand, visibly trying to will
her to feel better.
WILLOW (sounding torn up inside)
Nothing.
XANDER
It's not your fault, Willow.
WILLOW (almost sobbing)
*Nothing*. Not a thing. How... how can we fix this? We *have* to fix
this.
Pause for breath.
WILLOW (plaintively)
Don't we?
XANDER
Breathe, Wills. Don't do the weight of the world thing. You'll think
of something.
WILLOW
But *what*? Xander, it's *impossible* for there not to be any echo
effects on Hellmouth activity with these kinds of spells! It'd be
like... like vampires not dusting when you stake them! Even magic has
*some* rules!
XANDER
Except for those vamps with that funky ring of whatever thing.
WILLOW (absently)
Well, yeah. (deep breath) OK. Logic check.
XANDER
Logic check check.
WILLOW
The revealing ritual shows nothing, either direct or indirect. So
whatever's causing this is not detectable directly.
XANDER
Go on.
WILLOW
Hellmouth activity is *zero*. *Totally* quiet, at the lowest point in
the cycle it's possible for a Hellmouth to be. That only happens
when... when the biggest magical thing going on in town is the
pencil-levitating contest at the Wiccan club meeting.
XANDER
You have pencil-levitating contests?
WILLOW
Sometimes. It's like an air show, only the planes are a lot smaller
and closer to the table and made out of wood with little graphite
centers except for this one time I entered a mechanical pencil just
for variety... sorry, I'm babbling.
XANDER (lightly)
Can't possibly imagine why things would be a little tense right now.
WILLOW (trying to smile)
Nope.
XANDER
Look, it's not the end of the world if you can't fix this *today*. I
mean... I've got a couch to crash on, the bed's all yours. We can
sleep in for a couple of days, I think I've still got the same job I
go to, you can look up your new class schedule on the UC website...
WILLOW (blurting)
You don't need to do that.
XANDER
Will, I was *joking* about kicking you to the couch. I'm used to
couches, I had to couch a lot back in the basement 'cause the bed had
this busted box spring. No worry.
WILLOW
What I meant was... (looks away)
Xander pauses, like he senses something very dangerous building up.
XANDER (gingerly)
What you meant was...
WILLOW (quickly)
Did Tara look happy to you? I mean... today?
Xander's train of thought momentarily derails.
XANDER
Ummm...
WILLOW
Be honest.
XANDER (reluctantly spitting it out)
She looked like Anya did right after I proposed. Glowing.
WILLOW
Xander, you know what 'civil unions' are? Marriages for gay people!
Tara and Amy were talking about wanting to get *engaged*!
XANDER (trying to adjust to this new concept)
But when we undo the reality-warp -- however long that takes --poof,
engagement gone like it's never been. Like mine did. So...
WILLOW
... Amy goes back into the rat cage.
Xander's train of thought not only derails again, but goes entirely
off the tracks and sinks into the swamp.
XANDER
Urgh.
WILLOW
And Tara goes from being happily engaged to just... happy in a
relationship that was serious, but not *that* serious, and we didn't
really know where it was going yet in the longer long term. And Anya
doesn't look like she'll change at all, except for which apartment
they send her mail to and how often she gets to have sex. (starting to
talk faster and faster) And Buffy goes back to being miserable and
over-crisised and always looking like she's just run a triathlon and
Giles gets back the midlife crisis he looks like he never had here
and...
XANDER
Will -- are you saying what I think you're saying?
WILLOW
Xander... do we have the *right* to undo this?
XANDER
Uh...
WILLOW
Look around you!
Willow waves a hand at the green, peaceful, sunny Sunnydale.
WILLOW
God, if we hadn't seen Buffy still training with Giles, if I hadn't
just checked and still found a Hellmouth, you could almost believe
there weren't any vampires here! The atmosphere hasn't felt this...
nice since we were kids!
XANDER (disbelievingly)
What, so our getting together really *was* the crisis point...?
WILLOW (seriously)
Looks like! Everybody's... *everybody's* happier here.
XANDER
But it's still not *real*, Will. I mean, it's just some big spell,
right? Spells that just make things with instant backstory are
*always* not of the goo...
Xander stops dead and suddenly hits himself in the forehead with his
palm. Hard.
XANDER (disgusted with himself)
Dawn!
WILLOW
Dawn.
XANDER
What you said this morning about her! She... *she* got made out of
nowhere, history and time and space got rewritten...
WILLOW
Not even that much. Just our memories and some records. I mean, her
spell *did* show up on the stuff I used... but are we trying to undo
*her*?
Xander recoils from the very thought.
XANDER
No way! Because...
WILLOW
... she's a person? We'd be minus a person if we went and undid it?
XANDER
Yeah. It'd be like killing her. Double plus not of the good. But...
there's no new people here.
WILLOW
No, but there's a person back we never were able to get back any other
way.
XANDER (distressedly)
Please don't do this to me, Will...
WILLOW (angrily)
Don't do this to *you*? What about *me*? Don't you know how much it's
going to kill me looking at Tara like a stranger every day? Having to
watch somebody you love from up close, when at school and after
school, for day after day? And they won't even hold your hand anymore?
Or won't even be a, a real friend, just a hi-don't-I-know-you?
XANDER (quietly, but with a biting anger)
Strangely enough, I know *exactly* how that feels.
WILLOW (V.O. w/ echo effects and sounding like it's from a far
distance away, denoting a memory/flashback)
I - I'm sorry. But if I wanna make things right with Oz, my hands, my
-- all my stuff -- has to be for
him only.
Willow halts in horrified realization of what exactly she's just said,
and to who she's said it. She starts to weep.
WILLOW
Oh *God*. Xander, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean... (she breaks down)
XANDER (softly)
I know you didn't. My fault.
Xander gently draws Willow over into a hug, letting her cry on his
shoulder.
WILLOW (sniffling)
Our fault. *My* fault.
They sit that way for a couple of minutes, Xander letting Willow have
the time she needs to cry herself out.
XANDER
Some kind of karma, huh?
WILLOW (low, uncertain)
What do you mean?
XANDER
Back then, with the fluking -- we just grabbed what we wanted and made
everybody else miserable. Now, we get to be the ones who go without so
everybody else can be happy. (shrugs, continues on trying to make
light of it) Well, I can't say that the powers that be aren't fair...
Willow tenses in Xander's arms in realization.
WILLOW (resolute)
I think that's it.
XANDER
Huh?
Willow draws back, sitting up straight to look squarely at Xander.
WILLOW
The Powers That Be. Or... or the Oracles, they're tied in with them
somehow. I read about them in some of Giles' oldest Watcher diaries...
well, a little. I don't think even the Watchers know much about them.
But there's old legends that they have the power to do this kind of
thing... roll back time, change history, tat kind of thing. Even if
they almost never ever do. Like *never* do. Except when they do.
XANDER (looking up)
So we're on the track to fixing this?
WILLOW (resignedly)
So we're *really* stuck.
XANDER
I'd be having another major moment of letdown right now, if I hadn't
already run out of stock.
WILLOW
Xander, the Powers don't mess with reality, they *make* reality. If
they changed things like this, then... then we don't get a vote.
Period.
XANDER (sardonically)
Well. That really streamlines the ol' decision-making process for us,
doesn't it? (stentorian announcer's voice) People of Earth, we are the
Powers That Be! Do not attempt to adjust your set, for we control the
horizontal, we control the vertical, we control the big honking Reset
Button on all of reality...
WILLOW
Uh-huh. But... the Powers don't do anything without a purpose. It
says.
XANDER
There's a cosmic purpose in rearranging our love lives? Wait one...
these guys, these powers, didn't even begin to stick their nose in for
*Buffy's* love life, and that was like their pet Chosen One and the
world's only oh-so-special-vampire-with-a-soul. What makes *us* get
the happy ending?
Off Xander's Freudian slip, Willow's train of thought not only derails
but detonates like an ammunition train hitting a brick wall. With a
visible effort, she tries to rearrange her entire mental universe.
WILLOW (hesitantly)
The *happy* ending?
XANDER
I so do *not* know why that one slipped out. I mean the sad ending. We
were just discussing how sad the ending was, right?
WILLOW
Were we?
XANDER (starting to wig)
Willow...?
WILLOW
Xander, if we decide to accept this new reality as... as reality, then
we... accept it. All of it.
XANDER
Except, of course, for the part with you and I actually being...
Willow holds up her wedding ring under Xander's nose. He can't take
his eyes off it.
WILLOW
This?
XANDER
Well yeah, everybody we know *thinks* we're married now...
Willow clears her throat and waves the ring again.
XANDER (going hurriedly on)
... so if we suddenly say that we're not married they might wonder
what's going on, yeah, but...
WILLOW (bringing her hands back down to clasp Xander's in hers)
You're going to sleep on the couch until it's time for us to move to
the neighboring retirement homes?
XANDER (squirming uncomfortably)
... and when you say that out loud, it suddenly sounds like the
monumental stroke of illogic that it actually is.
WILLOW
When we... when we agreed to accept Dawn, it was because she was a
person. And life with that person was better than without her. So...
so some reality alterations are OK to let leave, if they're for an
overall improvement. That's what we decided, *right*?
XANDER
So we *are* stuck.
WILLOW
Looks like.
Xander looks like he doesn't want to say what he's going to say, but
he goes forward anyway.
XANDER
I wonder how long I can couch before we can believably split up?
WILLOW (looks downcast)
And we have to split up, right?
XANDER (dutifully)
Well, yeah...
Dead silence.
XANDER (faintly)
Willow?
Willow swallows hard and visibly gathers her courage.
WILLOW (very faintly)
Xander, I...
Xander hesitantly reaches up to touch Willow's hand
XANDER (barely able to breathe)
Willow?
WILLOW
... I love you.
Xander's heart practically stops.
WILLOW
I never stopped. But... (the verbal dam breaks) I thought I couldn't
have you. I thought you couldn't love me. You and me, we'd ended up
with other people who we also... a lot. And when I saw you finally see
me I lied to myself, I told myself I could have you both, and we
fluked and it was so good and so horrible...
XANDER (breaking loose from his own mental stasis)
... 'cause we hurt them, we hurt them so much. And we didn't want to
be those kinds of people, hurting people. So we cut ourselves off, but
then we started to feel that way again and you told me that you loved
me but I went right out and messed up with...
WILLOW (still going)
... and then that really did it for me, I thought there was no more
hope ever, that you'd never really...
XANDER (likewise)
... be able to trust me with your heart again, so I gave up and...
WILLOW
... we moved on. We let ourselves move on. Because we had to. Because
we had to keep on living.
They both stop, almost gasping for breath after their mutual verbal
torrent.
XANDER (quietly, all spent)
But it never really stopped for us, did it? (taps his chest gently)
Not in here.
WILLOW (taps her own heart)
Not in here either. (pause) We just told ourselves it did. Because we
had to. To keep on living.
XANDER (softly)
I really did love her, you know.
WILLOW (softly)
I loved her too. We didn't lie to ourselves about that. But... they're
gone now. Never happened. We have to tell ourselves that.
XANDER
To keep on living.
WILLOW
And... and we're not hurting anybody this time. We're not making
selfish choices. Sure, we get a happy ending for us, but everything's
better for *them* this way too. Or at least just as good as the other
way. See? Not selfish.
XANDER
So...
WILLOW
So.
They both slowly rise to their feet, gazing into each other's eyes,
daring each other to believe.
XANDER (with utmost sincerity)
I love you, Willow Rosenberg.
WILLOW (firmly)
Willow *Harris*.
XANDER (wonderingly)
Hey, that's right.
Willow smiles.
XANDER
You really... you really think that this is our happy ending, Will?
Nobody gets hurt?
WILLOW
I do.
She blinks, yet again thunderstruck by the realization of what exactly
she's just said. But this time there's no tears. Xander's heart *does*
stop... and then finally, for the first time that day, breaks into a
smile that's *without* an underlying worry.
XANDER (as solemnly as an oath)
I do.
They hug for a timeless moment. Willow finally draws back a little.
WILLOW
You may kiss the bride.
And they clinch again, and kiss. And on the scale of great romantic
kisses from one to ten, this one is a twenty-five. There's no
furtiveness, no holding back, not even the slightest awareness or
concern that what they're doing might not be right. Happy tears leak
from both their eyes as years, decades' worth of pent-up emotion at
long last finds release without guilt, without any mental reservations
whatsoever. After a *very* long while they finally break for oxygen,
Willow tucking her head underneath Xander's chin as they gently rock
together in each other's arms.
WILLOW (dreamingly)
Heaven.
XANDER (thickly choked with emotion)
Welcome home, Will.
PULL BACK on the camera, keeping the loving couple in the center of
the focus, with the most beautifully gorgeously green day imaginable
as their backdrop. As the POV recedes further it starts to angle up
into into the sky and we start to fade to black, with the last view we
have being an overhead shot of all of Sunnydale laid out like a map.
And just before the final fade-out...
GILES (V.O. -- but sounding much more tired and worried, and echoing
as if from a *very* long distance away.)
... "what in goodness's name"? (Ripper voice) Goodness has *nothing*
to do with this.
FADE TO BLACK
--
Chuckg
Melonia
- Melonia
"Charles Glasgow" <cgla...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:9e6aa7ec.01092...@posting.google.com...
Jeanny
> Author: Chuckg <cgla...@hotmail.com>
> Distribution: Ask and it shall be yours
> Disclaimer: They're Joss', not mine. If they were mine, I'd have had
> them together by the end of Season 3 at the absolute latest.
> Rating: PG-13
> Notes: Please, be patient when waiting for the next parts.. I know
> that unfinished fic is the cruelest thing in the universe and that
> cliffhangers are the next cruelest, but the words only come when they
> come. I have an outline for the rest of this story, but it's not all
> detailed yet.
> Dedication: To my wonderful beta reader Melissa Rogerson, and to my
> good friend Randi Eldevik for her continually nagging me to "Take a
> chance!"
> Spoilers: Anything up to 'The Gift'
> Timeline: Sometime in Season 6, with Buffy having been back alive
> long enough that things have returned to normal for her. Oh, and I'm
> deliberately leaving *out* the Season 6 Willow spoilers.
> Relationships: W/X, with acknowledgement of already existing 'ships.
> Summary: Xander and Willow wake up to a whole new world. Should they
> keep it?
> Feedback: Please. *g*
Yay! What a great and plausible (in a Had-To-Change-Universes-To-Make-It-So
way) W/X romance. And a great teaser ending that promises that this isn't
over. I'm looking forward to more!
Charles Glasgow
news:awPs7.47203$Dz6.1...@e3500-atl2.usenetserver.com...
[snip]
> Yay! What a great and plausible (in a
Had-To-Change-Universes-To-Make-It-So
> way) W/X romance.
Brace yourself. *comforting shoulder pat*
> And a great teaser ending that promises that this isn't
> over.
Over?
"You think you know ... what's to come ... what you are. You haven't even
begun." -- Tara, 'Restless'.
*evil grin*
> I'm looking forward to more!
Be warned, this is gonna be anything but pure comfortfic or mushfic. Or
pure angstfic, for that matter. It ain't gonna be "pure" anything... I'm
trying my best to make it just like an episode of 'Buffy', which means it's
gonna do it's best to hit *everywhere*.
--
Chuckg
Prince Charon
<MEGA-SNIP>
This is good. This is *very* good.
Brendan Meteer
news:9e6aa7ec.01092...@posting.google.com...
> Author: Chuckg <cgla...@hotmail.com>
> Distribution: Ask and it shall be yours
> Disclaimer: They're Joss', not mine. If they were mine, I'd have had
> them together by the end of Season 3 at the absolute latest.
> Rating: PG-13
> Notes: Please, be patient when waiting for the next parts.. I know
> that unfinished fic is the cruelest thing in the universe and that
> cliffhangers are the next cruelest, but the words only come when they
> come. I have an outline for the rest of this story, but it's not all
> detailed yet.
> Dedication: To my wonderful beta reader Melissa Rogerson, and to my
> good friend Randi Eldevik for her continually nagging me to "Take a
> chance!"
> Spoilers: Anything up to 'The Gift'
> Timeline: Sometime in Season 6, with Buffy having been back alive
> long enough that things have returned to normal for her. Oh, and I'm
> deliberately leaving *out* the Season 6 Willow spoilers.
> Relationships: W/X, with acknowledgement of already existing 'ships.
> Summary: Xander and Willow wake up to a whole new world. Should they
> keep it?
> Feedback: Please. *g*
Feedback?
Okay. Here it is.
You captured the characters very well. Very well.
I love it. Keep it coming. (I'm a W/X shipper, so this is just... neat!)
Gotta love the cliffhanger.
> GILES (V.O. -- but sounding much more tired and worried, and echoing
> as if from a *very* long distance away.)
> ... "what in goodness's name"? (Ripper voice) Goodness has *nothing*
> to do with this.
-Brendan
------------------------------------------------------
OK, Scotty. Very funny. NOW BEAM DOWN MY PANTS!!!!
Dave
cgla...@hotmail.com (Charles Glasgow) writes:
>
>GILES (V.O. -- but sounding much more tired and worried, and echoing
>as if from a *very* long distance away.)
>... "what in goodness's name"? (Ripper voice) Goodness has *nothing*
>to do with this.
>
>FADE TO BLACK
AAAAAARRRRGH!!!!! What an evil thing to do to someone!!! I was really into
this. This is why I try not to read multi-part stories before all parts are
posted. I thought I had a partial hint as to what was going on but that ending
completely screwed me up. There better be more soon.
Why me???
Dave
"God loves. Man kills."
Charles Glasgow
"Dave" <bdrh...@aol.comkissme> wrote in message
news:20010929071253...@nso-fa.aol.com...
A-ha! The red herring worked! *evil Jossian laugh*
Fear not. Part 2 shall be up in mere moments.
> Why me???
Why *me*? :-)
--
Chuckg