FIC: Shadow Plays for the House of Scooby (part 1) (B/X, W/X, B/W, B/X/W)

["cdreramius" <o163210@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Title: Shadow Plays for the House of Scooby (part 1)
Authors: Mike and Tony McD
Rating: mild R
Category: season 7 AU/ early season 2 (kinda)
Pairings: B/X, W/X, B/W, B/X/W
Summary: Follows `Dark Places in the House of Scooby'. The Scoobies 
are embarking on their new life together but Xander's darkest 
nightmares have returned. Now the Scoobies must fight the shadows of 
futures past.
Distribution: Anywhere, just let us know.
Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer nor do I own any 
other characters. This is a work of fiction written for fun and 
enjoyment. 
Authors' notes: This is a collaborative effort between Tony and me 
due to Tony's illness. Feedback is appreciated.



Passion. 

It lies in all of us - sleeping, waiting, and though unwanted, 
unbidden, it will stir - open it's jaws and howl.

Passion is the source of our finest moments - the joy of love, the 
clarity of hatred, and the ecstasy of grief.

It speaks to us, guides us, passion rules us all, and we obey. What 
other choice do we have? It hurts sometimes more than we can bear.

If we could live without passion, maybe we'd know some kind of peace. 
But we would all be hollow, - empty rooms, shuddered and dark.

Without Passion we'd be truly dead.



The Diary of Willow Rosenburg

A lot has happened since the last time I had a chance write. I've 
been to a few funerals in my life (one of the side effects of living 
on the Hellmouth) but Xander's parents was the toughest. Toughest not 
because of any love for them (as parents went they sucked) but 
because of its impact on Xander.

Xander now owns the house and with his dad's insurance payout he's 
not in any danger of having to live on the streets. His uncle Rory 
was made his guardian but he doesn't need it really. Other than the 
odd visit Rory doesn't bother Xander much and Xander lives in the 
house by himself.

As you could probably imagine Xander seriously wants Spike dusty. We 
all do because you attack one Scooby you deal with all Scoobies. What 
Spike was going to do to Buffy and her mom, what Spike did do to 
Xander's parents, he's going to suffer for it if we ever find him.

The three of us are spending a lot of time together lately. Buffy's 
mom is always inviting Xander around for dinner and to stay over and 
frequently he drags me along too. Mrs. Summers has kinda adopted 
Xander and in return Xander has been doing handyman work around the 
house. When we're not at Buffy's, we're at my place, or in the 
library, or on patrol. Recently we're spending more and more time at 
Xander's place as it gives us the privacy we need since we've gotten 
to know each other.

Biblically.

I remember a quote somewhere that said `there is nothing so carnal as 
a recent ex-virgin'. Boy, were they not wrong! We've had a lot of, 
what Xander calls `hot nights in the House of Scooby' at his place. 
And at mine. And Buffy's. And at school, on patrol, at the mall, on 
the beach, in caves, Xander's car? you get the idea.

After the funeral I tried to tell mom and dad about vampires and 
Sunnydale and the rest. I didn't want what happened to Xander's 
parents happening to mine. Mom just dismissed it as a normal 
psychological response to the murder of Xander's parents and the 
natural fear of loosing them that results from such a traumatic 
experience. Psycho-babble bullshit.

I wonder what she'd have to say if she found out that I'm in a 
polygamous bisexual relationship with a supernatural being and a man 
from the future?

*****


"And then Todd, that slimy weasel, has the nerve to ask me out to the 
post match party! Can you believe it? It's enough to make a girl go 
right off dating high school boys all together."

It was a rather pained Buffy that listened to Cordelia's rambling 
about her latest dating disaster as the two walked down the halls of 
the high school. Willow and Xander had disappeared at the start of 
lunch and Buffy found herself stuck with Cordy.

As they passed a janitors closet Cordy stopped.

"Did you hear that?" she asked. A faint moan came from the closet.

"Sounds like someone's in pain." the cheerleader opinioned. Buffy 
listened for a second then a huge smile came over her face.

"Sounds like someone's in fun." She smirked. Cordelia screwed up her 
face in disgust.

"Eewww! In a janitors closet? Please! You'd never catch me making out 
in a janitors closet." She told the Slayer and turned on her heel and 
left for less disturbing parts.

Buffy looked up and down the hall checking to see if the coast was 
clear. She knocked on the closet door.

"Guys! It's Buffy. Guys?" The door unlocked and opened a fraction. 
Two hands grabbed Buffy who let out a little squeal as they dragged 
her into the closet and locked the door again.




It had been yet another long night for Giles as he approached his 
home. Things had been quiet for a while after Spike had disappeared 
but lately the local demon and vampire population had become agitated.

Something dark and powerful was rising in Sunnydale.

Sam Zaboto had called tonight informing his fellow watcher that he 
was sending Kendra to Sunnydale to help fight whatever was coming. 
Unfortunately they had no clue as to what this dark power was.

He fished around in his pocket for his house keys and went to unlock 
the door. He stopped short at the sight of a single red rose on the 
door. From inside he could hear the sound of his favorite opera "La 
Boheme". He inhaled the scent of rose and smiled.

He opened his door and went in.

"Hello? Jenny? It's me!"

Giles took off his coat and hung it up on the coat rack. He looked 
around and saw a chilled bottle of champagne and two long-stemmed 
glasses on his desk. On top of the crystal ice bucket is a folded 
piece of paper leaning against the bottle. He set down his keys and 
the rose and took the note. He unfolded it. On it was one word:

Upstairs. 

He smiled and looked up towards the loft. He removed his glasses and 
set them and the paper down. Running his fingers through his hair, 
Giles picked the bottle and the two glasses and started up the 
stairs, which had a rose on each step. He reached the top of the 
stairs and his smile froze.

The bottle and glasses fell from his fingers and shattered on the 
floor.



"When do we get to dance with them, luv?"

Buffy captured Spike's lips in her own and kissed him roughly.

"Soon."



"Did you guys see how happy and cheerful Giles was this morning?" 
Buffy asked as she, Willow and Xander walked to class the next 
morning.

"He did seem a little unusually chipper. He didn't even tell Xander 
to get his feet off the table when he came into the library this 
morning." Willow added.

"Add the fact that Miss Calendar had this dreamy look on her face all 
through computer class this morning and you find yourself at a scary 
visual place."

Buffy got a disturbed look on her face.

"I could have lived a very long time without that information thank 
you very much." Buffy deadpanned.

"I think it's kinda cute." Buffy and Xander glared at Willow.

"This wouldn't have to do with that little crush you have on the G 
man would it Wills?"

Buffy's horror deepened.

Willow started to splutter.

"What? you? how?"

"I am future guy, remember? I know all kinds of stuff."

"Oh that's it Mister Alexander LaVelle Harris! I'm telling Buffy 
about the Aqua-man underroos incident."

It was Xander's turn to splutter.

"But? Wills? you promised? Wills? Willow!" Xander whined like a 
little kid as the two girls headed off together. He only hoped that 
Cordy wouldn't overhear.



"What movies can we look forward to?" Willow asked Xander as the two 
of them plus Buffy and Jonathan sat down to lunch together.

"Well, Wills enjoyed the Harry Potter movies, which figures because 
of all the magic spells and stuff. I really enjoyed the new Star Wars 
trilogy?" Xander was interrupted by Jonathan who clamped his hands 
over his ears.

"La-la-la-I'm not listening-la-la-la" he chanted as he left the 
table. Willow watched his retreating figure disappear through the 
cafeteria doors.

"He really doesn't want to be spoiled for those movies, does he?" she 
asked.

"Anyway" Xander continued, "Buffy and Dawn loved `The Lord of the 
Rings' series. Buffy for the cool fight and battle scenes and Dawnie 
loved all the hot looking guys in it."

"Unlike this table which has nil stock in the hot guy department." 
The familiar voice of Cordelia chimed in.

"Everyone give a warm round of applause to the future star of the hit 
movie `Illegally Blonde'. Come on put your hands together!" Xander 
clapped and cheered mockingly to the smirks of Buffy and Willow. 
Watching Cordelia and Xander verbally sparing was good fun for them 
as they watched the two slash each other with their razor sharp wit.

"Thank you. Thank you. I'd like to thank the Academy, my mom and dad, 
and a special thanks to Xander Harris who couldn't even get a part in 
a PeeWee Herman home porn movie."

"Unlike Cordy who co stared in that particular production." The two 
glared at each other as Willow killed herself laughing.

"Sorry to interrupt you Cordelia, but is there a reason you're here 
or are you just getting in your daily verbal foreplay with our 
boyfriend?"

"Eeewww! I'm just passing on a message from Giles. Scooby Gang 
meeting at Buffy's place tonight."



"So, let me get this straight. There's some big dark evil on the rise 
and we don't know jack about it? But it's big enough and evil enough 
for Kendra to be sent 6000 miles to help us fight it." Buffy asked 
her Watcher. Buffy, Willow, and Xander sat on one couch while Giles, 
Jenny, and Joyce sat on the other.

"So when does Kendra arrive?" asked Joyce. Giles was a little 
flummoxed at the question.

"Well, er, I, um, didn't find out." Giles found himself awash in a 
sea of unimpressed looks.

"Smooth going G man."

"I'll thank you to stop calling me that, Xander."

"OK, so we don't know much. What do we know?" Jenny inquired.

"It's not the Judge, Angel managed to find a couple of bits of him. 
It's not Angel, because he's on a ship somewhere dumping Judge parts 
as we speak. Could it be Athicla?" wondered Buffy.

"No, we dug him up and destroyed him, remember?" Giles reminded his 
Slayer.

"And it's not the Mayor `cause he's facing 25 to life in the iron bar 
hotel. Maybe it's Glory or the Initiative." Shrugged Willow.

"No sign of either. We've been kicking a lot of evil butt lately; 
maybe we've pissed off the First Evil enough to make it get of its 
incorporeal ass and take us on directly. You're the expert here 
Xander. Could it be the First?" the Slayer asked her White Knight.

"Possibly. But I doubt it. The First only really got to play after we 
brought you back the second time. Add the fact that we haven't seen 
or heard of any Bringers in town makes me doubt it. We'll keep it in 
mind but I'd say it's something we or I haven't come across yet."

The earth started shaking and rumbling at this point. Plates in the 
kitchen danced off the edges of the table and smashed onto the floor. 
A startled Scooby Gang gripped their seats. Then as suddenly as it 
started, the shaking stopped.

The front door exploded into a million toothpicks. Through it stepped 
a familiar figure.

Buffy.

Tight black leather pants, black leather chest plate armor, long 
blonde hair, and red feral eyes that checked out the room.

"Hi mom, I'm home." she sing-songed to a stunned Joyce. Through the 
wrecked doorway another figure entered.

Black pants, black shirt, black hair, black eyes, and pale veiny skin.

"Buffy, you've forgotten to do something, remember?" Dark Willow 
reminded her evil companion, indicating to the doorway.

"Come in. Lover."

A very healthy looking Spike holding a very scared looking Kendra 
crossed the threshold.

"Ta luv."

There was a blur as Xander launched himself at the bleached vampire 
but a backhand from Dark Buffy sent him flying into the far wall. 
Buffy and Giles made a move towards the evil trio but a word and a 
wave of the hand from Dark Willow stopped them in their tracks with 
an invisible barrier.

Dark Willow looked at her counterpart and rolled her eyes.

"Those clothes. What was I thinking?"

"I'd think twice before passing judgment Goth Bitch." A defiant and 
somewhat scared Buffy snapped.

Standing before them was Xander's worst nightmare. The shadows of 
futures past had come back to haunt them.

"What do you want?" Joyce asked.

"What do I want? Well mommy, first I'd like to say how nice it is to 
see you so full of life. But that would just be a lie. What we really 
want is Toy." She looked to Xander who sat curled up into a ball 
against the wall in fear.

"Toy?" asked Giles.

"Yes, Toy." Dark Buffy said as she sauntered over to where Xander 
was. Xander flinched as she caressed his face.

"You've been a naughty Toy, haven't you? Bad Toy!" Dark Buffy scalded 
Xander as she grabbed a handful of his hair and tossed him onto the 
couch.

"We love playing with Toy. But suddenly Toy disappears and we 
couldn't find him. We searched high and low because it's no fun if 
you can't play with Toy." Dark Willow told them.

"Naughty Toy had run away. But now we've found Toy here and he's been 
especially naughty. Making so many changes. Its almost like Toy never 
wants to let us play with him again and that's not nice. No Angelus, 
no Dru, no Mayor. And then we come across this." Dark Buffy pointed 
to Kendra.

"You're interfering with the natural order of things Toy. As a 
Trekkie you should remember the Prime Directive." Dark Willow waggled 
her finger at Xander.

"Basically we want Toy back. But there's so many things to fix and 
new toys to play with first. Spike, honey? You've killed two Slayers, 
right?" Dark Buffy asked not taking her eyes of the other Buffy.

"Killed `em deader than hell." He confirmed.

"Bon appetite."

With uncontained glee Spike vamped out and sank his fangs into 
Kendra's neck. Xander and the others could do nothing but watch in 
horror as Spike drained the life out of the young Slayer. Once she 
was drained Spike tossed her lifeless body aside.

Dark Willow slid up beside Spike, wiped her finger across his bloody 
chin and tasted Kendra's blood.

"Yummy? Tastes like chicken." Dark Willow purred.

"Oops! Looks like Faith just got called up to the big league." Dark 
Buffy said innocently. With a blur Dark Buffy grabbed Jenny Calendar. 
Dark Willow then shushed a frantic Watcher.

"Shhh? don't fret. Never go for the kill when you can go for the 
hurt."

With a savage twist Dark Buffy snapped Jenny Calendar's neck.

"Lucky for me I can do both." Dark Buffy told them as Giles dropped 
to his knees in grief. The evil trio sauntered out the doorway.

"Be seeing you around, Toy."