Xander Ficathon entry
Here's my story for the Xander Ficathon.
Title: Reach Out and Touch Someone
Author: Moosesal
Pairing: Xander/Willow
Rating: PG
Written for: aaronlisa who requested post-Chosen, reminiscing the last seven years in Sunnydale with none of the other scoobies & no Kennedy. I had a really hard time actually making this a story, I'm not sure I've succeeded. I hope you like it though.
Beta: As always, I have to send out thanks to silvertedy for the usual last day beta job. *g*
“Hey, remember when I boiled my egg baby? And it turned out to be the right thing to do?”
Willow laughed, nodding. “Yeah. Who would have thought?”
“I guess we all have our shining moments of brilliance.”
Willow drew circles on her knee with her fingers and shifted the phone on her shoulder. “Hey. No self-deprecation allowed. We're reliving the good old days here.”
“Oh, right. Like that night in the basement of the factory,” Xander grinned.
“Xander,” she warned. “Good times.”
“That was a good time. For a few minutes anyway.” He grimaced. “What were we thinking?”
Willow gazed out the window, watching a group of Slayers training in the yard. “I'd been crazy about you for so long. A part of me was just happy to have you notice.”
Xander lay back on his hotel bed and closed his eye. “I think of all those crushes I had -- the mummy girl, Ms. French,” he shuddered. “...Buffy ... Faith ... I really should have paid more attention to who was right in front of me.”
“Yeah, but if you and I had actually gotten together, we probably wouldn't have stayed friends. And you wouldn't have stopped me from destroying the world.”
“Oh, yes. The good old days.”
“Giles says you're doing well. With the Council training.”
“Yeah. Yeah, I guess it's going all right. It's nice not to be traveling for once. It'll be even nicer when they get me moved into an apartment though. I'm sick of hotels.”
She could tell he was trying to change the subject. She wondered what he'd been through in the past year. “What happened, Xander?”
Uh oh. Concerned, determined voice. Xander could just imagine the look on her face. Good thing he didn't have to see that “resolve face” right now. He took a deep breath and tried to figure out how much to say. “There’s just a lot of bad stuff in the world, Will. And I don't mean Hellmouth-y stuff. Just ... regular ol’ human stuff -- war, famine, disease. Stuff I know nothing about.”
Willow nodded but remained silent. She'd seen a lot over the past year herself. Rio had been a fun place to party, but South America wasn't the sunny suburbs of Southern California.
“Remember that Thanksgiving at Giles's place? When I was sick, and Spike showed up with the chip, and those Indian spirits were trying to kill everyone?”
Willow laughed again. “Yeah. Anya called it a ritual sacrifice with pie.”
Xander smiled faintly at the mention of Anya. It was very much an Anya thing to say. But then his smiled faded as he continued. “Yeah. Well, in Africa I saw people who looked as sick as I was. But their illnesses were real, Will. Not some mystical disease that would go away once the bad spirits were put to rest. People dying everywhere I looked. I just ... I wasn't ready for that. Not so soon after ...”
Willow turned away from the window and curled up in the corner of the sofa. She knew how he felt. A lot of what she’d seen in the past year had made her think of Tara. And that made her think that the horrors of Sunnydale hadn't been so bad after all. Enough with the gloom and doom already! Injecting cheer into her voice, she chirped, “Okay. Back to happy memories.”
Xander half chuckled. “Okay. I got one for you.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. Remember when Spike was living with me? The second time around?”
“Uh huh.”
“And we met that girl with the boyfriend Anya'd turned into a big worm thing?”
“When Anya was a demon again?”
“Yeah. The girl? When she asked if any of us hadn't slept together and Spike and I looked at each other?”
Willow remembered and laughed. Then she freaked, jumping up from the sofa. “You slept with Spike?”
Xander laughed. “No. But it would have made for an interesting story to tell now.”
Willow sat back down and sighed. “It's not nice to tease a girl with a juicy story like that.”
“What? You're upset that I didn't sleep with him?” Xander teased. “Is that your kink, Willow? Two guys getting it on?”
“I don't know, Xander. You wanna talk about all the times you thought about me and Tara doing spells?”
“Umm... no. Next subject please.”
Willow laughed. “Remember when it snowed for Christmas?”
Xander smiled. “Yeah. I was outside in my sleeping bag. It was beautiful. I've seen snow since then, but that was the best snow ever.”
“Yeah,” she sighed. “I wish you were here, Xan. I miss you. Phone and e-mail're just not the same.”
“Yeah. Hey, maybe you could teleport yourself over here?”
“I'm sure the coven would be so proud,” she rolled her eyes. “I'm only doing magic for good these days. No personal gain stuff.”
“Damn. I miss the old days--”
“Xander! Don't even joke about that.”
“Sorry. Just trying to put a happy spin on the past.”
“It's okay. I just ... thinking of that reminds me not just of what I became, but of all that I lost. I'm just glad I didn't lose you, Xander.”
“Never. Love you, Willow. You're my oldest and bestest friend.”
“I love you, too.”
They both sat in silence, neither knowing what else to say. It was weird to be talking like this after so many months. Willow was right, phone and e-mail just weren't the same. Talking on the phone made him want to see her even more.
“You think you could find time to come visit?”
“I might be able to arrange that. I need to come see the coven. Could use that as an excuse.”
“I'd really like that.”
“Me too.”
Silence again.
“I should probably let you go. It's late over there, and the girls'll be coming in for dinner soon.”
“'K. I love you, Will.”
“Love you too, Xan. I'll see what I can arrange for a visit.”
“'K.”
“’Night.”
“’Night.”
They both held their phones to their ears for a few seconds more, neither wanting to hang up first. Then as one, they ended the call.
The End.
Title: Reach Out and Touch Someone
Author: Moosesal
Pairing: Xander/Willow
Rating: PG
Written for: aaronlisa who requested post-Chosen, reminiscing the last seven years in Sunnydale with none of the other scoobies & no Kennedy. I had a really hard time actually making this a story, I'm not sure I've succeeded. I hope you like it though.
Beta: As always, I have to send out thanks to silvertedy for the usual last day beta job. *g*
“Hey, remember when I boiled my egg baby? And it turned out to be the right thing to do?”
Willow laughed, nodding. “Yeah. Who would have thought?”
“I guess we all have our shining moments of brilliance.”
Willow drew circles on her knee with her fingers and shifted the phone on her shoulder. “Hey. No self-deprecation allowed. We're reliving the good old days here.”
“Oh, right. Like that night in the basement of the factory,” Xander grinned.
“Xander,” she warned. “Good times.”
“That was a good time. For a few minutes anyway.” He grimaced. “What were we thinking?”
Willow gazed out the window, watching a group of Slayers training in the yard. “I'd been crazy about you for so long. A part of me was just happy to have you notice.”
Xander lay back on his hotel bed and closed his eye. “I think of all those crushes I had -- the mummy girl, Ms. French,” he shuddered. “...Buffy ... Faith ... I really should have paid more attention to who was right in front of me.”
“Yeah, but if you and I had actually gotten together, we probably wouldn't have stayed friends. And you wouldn't have stopped me from destroying the world.”
“Oh, yes. The good old days.”
“Giles says you're doing well. With the Council training.”
“Yeah. Yeah, I guess it's going all right. It's nice not to be traveling for once. It'll be even nicer when they get me moved into an apartment though. I'm sick of hotels.”
She could tell he was trying to change the subject. She wondered what he'd been through in the past year. “What happened, Xander?”
Uh oh. Concerned, determined voice. Xander could just imagine the look on her face. Good thing he didn't have to see that “resolve face” right now. He took a deep breath and tried to figure out how much to say. “There’s just a lot of bad stuff in the world, Will. And I don't mean Hellmouth-y stuff. Just ... regular ol’ human stuff -- war, famine, disease. Stuff I know nothing about.”
Willow nodded but remained silent. She'd seen a lot over the past year herself. Rio had been a fun place to party, but South America wasn't the sunny suburbs of Southern California.
“Remember that Thanksgiving at Giles's place? When I was sick, and Spike showed up with the chip, and those Indian spirits were trying to kill everyone?”
Willow laughed again. “Yeah. Anya called it a ritual sacrifice with pie.”
Xander smiled faintly at the mention of Anya. It was very much an Anya thing to say. But then his smiled faded as he continued. “Yeah. Well, in Africa I saw people who looked as sick as I was. But their illnesses were real, Will. Not some mystical disease that would go away once the bad spirits were put to rest. People dying everywhere I looked. I just ... I wasn't ready for that. Not so soon after ...”
Willow turned away from the window and curled up in the corner of the sofa. She knew how he felt. A lot of what she’d seen in the past year had made her think of Tara. And that made her think that the horrors of Sunnydale hadn't been so bad after all. Enough with the gloom and doom already! Injecting cheer into her voice, she chirped, “Okay. Back to happy memories.”
Xander half chuckled. “Okay. I got one for you.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. Remember when Spike was living with me? The second time around?”
“Uh huh.”
“And we met that girl with the boyfriend Anya'd turned into a big worm thing?”
“When Anya was a demon again?”
“Yeah. The girl? When she asked if any of us hadn't slept together and Spike and I looked at each other?”
Willow remembered and laughed. Then she freaked, jumping up from the sofa. “You slept with Spike?”
Xander laughed. “No. But it would have made for an interesting story to tell now.”
Willow sat back down and sighed. “It's not nice to tease a girl with a juicy story like that.”
“What? You're upset that I didn't sleep with him?” Xander teased. “Is that your kink, Willow? Two guys getting it on?”
“I don't know, Xander. You wanna talk about all the times you thought about me and Tara doing spells?”
“Umm... no. Next subject please.”
Willow laughed. “Remember when it snowed for Christmas?”
Xander smiled. “Yeah. I was outside in my sleeping bag. It was beautiful. I've seen snow since then, but that was the best snow ever.”
“Yeah,” she sighed. “I wish you were here, Xan. I miss you. Phone and e-mail're just not the same.”
“Yeah. Hey, maybe you could teleport yourself over here?”
“I'm sure the coven would be so proud,” she rolled her eyes. “I'm only doing magic for good these days. No personal gain stuff.”
“Damn. I miss the old days--”
“Xander! Don't even joke about that.”
“Sorry. Just trying to put a happy spin on the past.”
“It's okay. I just ... thinking of that reminds me not just of what I became, but of all that I lost. I'm just glad I didn't lose you, Xander.”
“Never. Love you, Willow. You're my oldest and bestest friend.”
“I love you, too.”
They both sat in silence, neither knowing what else to say. It was weird to be talking like this after so many months. Willow was right, phone and e-mail just weren't the same. Talking on the phone made him want to see her even more.
“You think you could find time to come visit?”
“I might be able to arrange that. I need to come see the coven. Could use that as an excuse.”
“I'd really like that.”
“Me too.”
Silence again.
“I should probably let you go. It's late over there, and the girls'll be coming in for dinner soon.”
“'K. I love you, Will.”
“Love you too, Xan. I'll see what I can arrange for a visit.”
“'K.”
“’Night.”
“’Night.”
They both held their phones to their ears for a few seconds more, neither wanting to hang up first. Then as one, they ended the call.
The End.