Mbwa Mwitu, Chapter Twenty-One & Epilogue
Title: Mbwa Mwitu, Chapter Twenty-One & Epilogue
Author: frk_werewolf
Fandom: Buffyverse
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Spike/Xander, Oz/Tara
Summary: When Xander decides to help Oz find the balance between man and wolf, he has no idea as to the events that it will trigger.
Warnings: non-descriptive rape. Het. Slash. Pack mentality. Character Death.
Chapter Summary: A dead phone, a funeral, and the end. [note: a very short chapter]
previous chapters
"I... I don't understand." Xander said, softly. His voice was full of mourning as he cradled the object in his hands. Next to him, Tara was looking as though she was going to cry. "How could you do this?"
"I needed something to practice the spell to disable Spike's chip on." Tara admitted, looking away from Xander's pained eyes. She, instead, chose to watch Oz put on his black tie instead. They were getting ready for Buffy's funeral, each of them looking like death warmed over. With a deep sigh, she turned back to Xander. "You wouldn't have wanted me to cause Spike's head to explode."
"Well, no. I kind of like his head." Xander told her, setting the dead phone back onto the table. "Still, this was a high-tech piece of equipment. It costs me nearly fifty bucks!"
"I'm really sorry." Tara whispered. Xander sniffed. Frowning, Tara quickly pulled Xander into a tight hug, patting his back as he buried his nose into the shoulder of her clean, black dress. "This isn't about the phone, is it?"
"I can't believe we're actually doing this." Xander said after a few minutes of silence. "It didn't really seem... I mean, in the back of my head I just kept thinking that she would suddenly..."
"Be alive." Tara finished. "I know."
"We should get going." Xander pulled away from Tara and turned to Oz. "What did the weather say?"
"Cloudy all day." Oz informed him, tugging nervously at his jacket. Behind him the door opened and Spike stepped out, suit and tie hidden under his leather duster. With a scowl, he slipped his arm around Xander's waist and stared at the ground.
"Don't see why I have to go." Spike muttered.
"Because, no matter how much you claimed otherwise, you liked Buffy." Xander said, heading for the door. "And I refuse to go to this funeral without you. Please, Spike? I really need your support in this."
"Bloody hell, fine." Spike sighed dramatically as they stepped out into the hall.
The funeral was held in Hampton Cemetery, the newest plot of gravesites to be built in Sunnydale. The sky was dark and dreary, giving a strong threat of rain. A tarp had been propped above the casket to keep it and the soil dry, in case the rain clouds decided to open up early. Xander sat on one side of the casket, sending Joyce Summers a shaky smile. Buffy's mother looked tired and worn down, but her inner strength that had always admired Xander was showing through.
Next to Joyce, Willow was looking worse than before. Her face was paler than normal, her eyes downcast. She avoided eye contact with him and ignored Giles, who was patting her lightly on the arm in a form of comfort. Giles, aside the repetative movement of his hand, stared forward without blinking. Xander sighed and let his eyes drop to the single white rose resting on top of Buffy's golden brown casket. The funeral continued on around him and he moved through the motions with barely a thought.
Afterwards, he was shocked back to reality by Spike grabbing his hand and tugging him toward Joyce Summers. They stopped in front of her, Spike clearing his throat nervously. "Err, I'm sorry for your loss."
"Thank you, Spike." Joyce said, softly. A slight smile lifted the corner of her lips, but refused to reach her eyes. She turned to Xander. "Are you okay, Xander?"
"Yeah." Xander croaked. He closed his eyes briefly, before continuing. "I'll be fine. What about you? Are you... Are you doing alright?"
"It's tough. It's..." Joyce took a shuddering breath. "Sudden. I always knew that as the Slayer she would have a difficult life, but I had hoped it would last longer than this."
"Yeah." Xander nodded. Joyce reached out and touched his arm, rubbing it in comfort.
"I should..." Joyce trailed off, her eyes darting around. "It's good to see so many people loved my daughter." Her eyes paused, staring intently across the cemetery. Her lips parted in shock. "Angel. I didn't think he would come..."
"What?" Xander asked, turning to look. Spike cursed softly from behind him. Angel, Doyle, and Cordelia were hovered near a mausoleum, as though afraid they weren't welcome any closer. Xander wondered how long they had been there. Xander glanced back toward Joyce, but the woman had already been pulled away by another well wisher.
"I was hoping we wouldn't have to see them again." Spike muttered. Xander hesitated a moment, before slipping his hand into Spike's and making his way toward Angel. Spike sneered up at Angel when they reached him. "You know, a real man wouldn't hide in the background."
"Oh, shut up, Spike." Cordelia snapped, before Angel could even open his mouth. "We're here to pay our respects, not bother you."
That said, Cordelia pushed past Spike and made her way over to Joyce. Spike watched her go with a small smile, always amused to see how Cordelia controlled her environment.
"How's Wesley doing?" Xander asked, unconsciously squeezing Spike's hand. "It's been a couple of days... Has anything changed?"
"According to the doctor the condition is permanent." Doyle informed him, sadly. "Right now we're focusing on how to help him through this. Gunn won't leave his side."
"If you need anything, just let us know." Xander offered.
"The same goes for Sunnydale." Angel replied. "Now that Buffy's gone, things are going to get a little dangerous around here."
"Like it wasn't before?" Spike asked with a snort.
"Nonetheless." Angel continued, ignoring Spike. "Without the Slayer, the Hellmouth will be open game for any demon that wants to cause a little trouble."
"You don't think we know that?" Xander asked, calmly. "Spike and I are taking over her patrols. Oz has agreed to help out when he can. Though I hate to bring her into danger, no doubt Tara will help as well. She doesn't like to be left out of the loop, after all... We'll get things under control."
"That's good to know." Angel's lips curved slightly in a mild smile. The smile faded as his eyes drifted back to Buffy's tombstone. "I never thought things would turn out this way."
"Life has a funny way of kicking you in the balls." Spike commented, with a shrug. "A Slayer, killed by a bullet. It's almost poetic justice."
"Almost." Xander repeated, releasing Spike's hand in order to cross his arms. He fought to ignore the cold chill clawing at his heart. "Sunnydale won't be the same without her. Nothing will... Willow's already changing. She's ignoring me. Even Giles is avoiding human contact. I can't help but wonder how long it will take before he heads back to England."
"Do you think he will?" Doyle asked.
"There's nothing here for him." Xander said, his voice mild despite the pain the truth of that statement caused.
"There's you and Willow." Doyle told him. "Don't ignore how much you both mean to him. It's my guess that he really needs you both right now. From what I could discern, Buffy was like a daughter to him."
"Yeah." Xander took a shaky breath. "How long are you guys staying?"
"We'll be leaving shortly." Angel replied, watching as Cordelia began walking back toward them. "We need to get back... Wesley... He's still unconscious, but there's no telling when he'll wake up. When he does we'll need to be there to keep him under control."
"Is it that bad?" Xander asked, frowning. "I mean, it should be that big of a problem. I've gone through it and I--"
"Wesley's not you, love." Spike interrupted. "He hasn't lived with it for four years like you did. He's not going to be accustomed to it that easily."
"But this is different." Xander looked at Doyle, who had a slight frown of thought on his face. "Right? He's not possessed... It's... It's different."
"Yeah, but we still don't know what he'll do." Doyle agreed, with a sigh. He looked down at his watch. "We should head back now if we want to get there in time for the doctor's visit."
"Are you ready?" Angel asked Cordelia, as she reappeared next to them. None of them commented as she discreetly wiped away a few tears and nodded. "Will you be going to the reception?"
"I'm not sure." Xander said, nervously. "It's kind of morbid, funeral receptions. A bunch of upset people huddled around each other, stuffing their faces with finger foods and trying to not offend anyone by leaving..." Xander turned to Spike with a sigh. "What do you think?"
"I don't think Joyce would be too upset if we didn't go, love." Spike admitted to him. "As long as we don't make strangers of ourselves."
"We need to find Tara and Oz." Xander said, a faraway look in his eyes. He blinked and rubbed tiredly at his temples. They said a quick goodbye to Angel and the others, before slowly making their way back to the small funeral. Spike slipped his arm around Xander's waist, trying to not enjoy the feel of his mate as Xander leaned against him in comfort. While he always enjoyed feeling Xander near him, right now the obvious pain that Xander was feeling needed to be dealt with.
"It's okay, pet." Spike whispered into his ear. "You're not weak for being upset. Come on, let's grab the little witch and pup so we can head back home and you can get some rest."
"I need to buy a new phone." Xander stated in an off-hand voice. Spike sighed, kissing him on the cheek before reaching out and tapping Tara on the shoulder.
"You ready to go?" Spike asked.
"Yeah." Tara nodded, turning to grab Oz's hand. Oz walked over to them silently. "This was... A little overwhelming. I think we all need to go home and... Just connect again."
"Sounds like a plan." Xander agreed, smiling slightly.
"Let's go home." Spike ordered, turning and heading for the car. The others followed, Xander still tucked into his side with Tara and Oz trailing behind them.
"You know this means we're going to have to get a bigger apartment, don't you?" Xander suddenly asked, watching Spike unlock the car doors. "Which means dealing with that Reginald guy."
Spike let out an annoyed sound and chose to ignore Xander's mild snicker.
Epilogue
Once upon a time, there was a vampire and a hyena. Together, they formed a two party pack, bonded as only mates could be. Yet, that wasn't enough. To be truly happy, they needed more. So, they opened their arms and invited a woman, whose power was far buried underneath her spirit. This woman, this witch, extended her hand to the fourth member of their pack. The fourth rode on all fours and howled against the backlight of the moon. Together, they became mates and strengthened the pack.
This was where the happiness came in. Happiness is relative. A person must choose to be happy, they can not leave such an emotion up to fate, unless they wished to be stuck in a swirl of negativity all their lives.
Xander understood this now. He had been happy, then that pleasure was ripped away from him. Yet, in the end, the pain and torture did not matter. For he had found a new happiness, a newly formed pack. In the beginning, there was the hyena. But that story came and went. This story had started with a wolf and a jolt of electrical pain. Happiness had fled.
The story had ended, leaving behind small ripples in their lives. These could not be ignored, but they could be taken and altered; they could be fixed. Happiness was relative. Xander chose to be happy.
Final Notes
Total Estimated Words: 53,500
Date Started: June 16, 2005 at 11:05pm
Date Ended: January 07, 2006 at 3:10pm
This universe will be continued in Paka Ahali.
Author: frk_werewolf
Fandom: Buffyverse
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Spike/Xander, Oz/Tara
Summary: When Xander decides to help Oz find the balance between man and wolf, he has no idea as to the events that it will trigger.
Warnings: non-descriptive rape. Het. Slash. Pack mentality. Character Death.
Chapter Summary: A dead phone, a funeral, and the end. [note: a very short chapter]
previous chapters
"I... I don't understand." Xander said, softly. His voice was full of mourning as he cradled the object in his hands. Next to him, Tara was looking as though she was going to cry. "How could you do this?"
"I needed something to practice the spell to disable Spike's chip on." Tara admitted, looking away from Xander's pained eyes. She, instead, chose to watch Oz put on his black tie instead. They were getting ready for Buffy's funeral, each of them looking like death warmed over. With a deep sigh, she turned back to Xander. "You wouldn't have wanted me to cause Spike's head to explode."
"Well, no. I kind of like his head." Xander told her, setting the dead phone back onto the table. "Still, this was a high-tech piece of equipment. It costs me nearly fifty bucks!"
"I'm really sorry." Tara whispered. Xander sniffed. Frowning, Tara quickly pulled Xander into a tight hug, patting his back as he buried his nose into the shoulder of her clean, black dress. "This isn't about the phone, is it?"
"I can't believe we're actually doing this." Xander said after a few minutes of silence. "It didn't really seem... I mean, in the back of my head I just kept thinking that she would suddenly..."
"Be alive." Tara finished. "I know."
"We should get going." Xander pulled away from Tara and turned to Oz. "What did the weather say?"
"Cloudy all day." Oz informed him, tugging nervously at his jacket. Behind him the door opened and Spike stepped out, suit and tie hidden under his leather duster. With a scowl, he slipped his arm around Xander's waist and stared at the ground.
"Don't see why I have to go." Spike muttered.
"Because, no matter how much you claimed otherwise, you liked Buffy." Xander said, heading for the door. "And I refuse to go to this funeral without you. Please, Spike? I really need your support in this."
"Bloody hell, fine." Spike sighed dramatically as they stepped out into the hall.
The funeral was held in Hampton Cemetery, the newest plot of gravesites to be built in Sunnydale. The sky was dark and dreary, giving a strong threat of rain. A tarp had been propped above the casket to keep it and the soil dry, in case the rain clouds decided to open up early. Xander sat on one side of the casket, sending Joyce Summers a shaky smile. Buffy's mother looked tired and worn down, but her inner strength that had always admired Xander was showing through.
Next to Joyce, Willow was looking worse than before. Her face was paler than normal, her eyes downcast. She avoided eye contact with him and ignored Giles, who was patting her lightly on the arm in a form of comfort. Giles, aside the repetative movement of his hand, stared forward without blinking. Xander sighed and let his eyes drop to the single white rose resting on top of Buffy's golden brown casket. The funeral continued on around him and he moved through the motions with barely a thought.
Afterwards, he was shocked back to reality by Spike grabbing his hand and tugging him toward Joyce Summers. They stopped in front of her, Spike clearing his throat nervously. "Err, I'm sorry for your loss."
"Thank you, Spike." Joyce said, softly. A slight smile lifted the corner of her lips, but refused to reach her eyes. She turned to Xander. "Are you okay, Xander?"
"Yeah." Xander croaked. He closed his eyes briefly, before continuing. "I'll be fine. What about you? Are you... Are you doing alright?"
"It's tough. It's..." Joyce took a shuddering breath. "Sudden. I always knew that as the Slayer she would have a difficult life, but I had hoped it would last longer than this."
"Yeah." Xander nodded. Joyce reached out and touched his arm, rubbing it in comfort.
"I should..." Joyce trailed off, her eyes darting around. "It's good to see so many people loved my daughter." Her eyes paused, staring intently across the cemetery. Her lips parted in shock. "Angel. I didn't think he would come..."
"What?" Xander asked, turning to look. Spike cursed softly from behind him. Angel, Doyle, and Cordelia were hovered near a mausoleum, as though afraid they weren't welcome any closer. Xander wondered how long they had been there. Xander glanced back toward Joyce, but the woman had already been pulled away by another well wisher.
"I was hoping we wouldn't have to see them again." Spike muttered. Xander hesitated a moment, before slipping his hand into Spike's and making his way toward Angel. Spike sneered up at Angel when they reached him. "You know, a real man wouldn't hide in the background."
"Oh, shut up, Spike." Cordelia snapped, before Angel could even open his mouth. "We're here to pay our respects, not bother you."
That said, Cordelia pushed past Spike and made her way over to Joyce. Spike watched her go with a small smile, always amused to see how Cordelia controlled her environment.
"How's Wesley doing?" Xander asked, unconsciously squeezing Spike's hand. "It's been a couple of days... Has anything changed?"
"According to the doctor the condition is permanent." Doyle informed him, sadly. "Right now we're focusing on how to help him through this. Gunn won't leave his side."
"If you need anything, just let us know." Xander offered.
"The same goes for Sunnydale." Angel replied. "Now that Buffy's gone, things are going to get a little dangerous around here."
"Like it wasn't before?" Spike asked with a snort.
"Nonetheless." Angel continued, ignoring Spike. "Without the Slayer, the Hellmouth will be open game for any demon that wants to cause a little trouble."
"You don't think we know that?" Xander asked, calmly. "Spike and I are taking over her patrols. Oz has agreed to help out when he can. Though I hate to bring her into danger, no doubt Tara will help as well. She doesn't like to be left out of the loop, after all... We'll get things under control."
"That's good to know." Angel's lips curved slightly in a mild smile. The smile faded as his eyes drifted back to Buffy's tombstone. "I never thought things would turn out this way."
"Life has a funny way of kicking you in the balls." Spike commented, with a shrug. "A Slayer, killed by a bullet. It's almost poetic justice."
"Almost." Xander repeated, releasing Spike's hand in order to cross his arms. He fought to ignore the cold chill clawing at his heart. "Sunnydale won't be the same without her. Nothing will... Willow's already changing. She's ignoring me. Even Giles is avoiding human contact. I can't help but wonder how long it will take before he heads back to England."
"Do you think he will?" Doyle asked.
"There's nothing here for him." Xander said, his voice mild despite the pain the truth of that statement caused.
"There's you and Willow." Doyle told him. "Don't ignore how much you both mean to him. It's my guess that he really needs you both right now. From what I could discern, Buffy was like a daughter to him."
"Yeah." Xander took a shaky breath. "How long are you guys staying?"
"We'll be leaving shortly." Angel replied, watching as Cordelia began walking back toward them. "We need to get back... Wesley... He's still unconscious, but there's no telling when he'll wake up. When he does we'll need to be there to keep him under control."
"Is it that bad?" Xander asked, frowning. "I mean, it should be that big of a problem. I've gone through it and I--"
"Wesley's not you, love." Spike interrupted. "He hasn't lived with it for four years like you did. He's not going to be accustomed to it that easily."
"But this is different." Xander looked at Doyle, who had a slight frown of thought on his face. "Right? He's not possessed... It's... It's different."
"Yeah, but we still don't know what he'll do." Doyle agreed, with a sigh. He looked down at his watch. "We should head back now if we want to get there in time for the doctor's visit."
"Are you ready?" Angel asked Cordelia, as she reappeared next to them. None of them commented as she discreetly wiped away a few tears and nodded. "Will you be going to the reception?"
"I'm not sure." Xander said, nervously. "It's kind of morbid, funeral receptions. A bunch of upset people huddled around each other, stuffing their faces with finger foods and trying to not offend anyone by leaving..." Xander turned to Spike with a sigh. "What do you think?"
"I don't think Joyce would be too upset if we didn't go, love." Spike admitted to him. "As long as we don't make strangers of ourselves."
"We need to find Tara and Oz." Xander said, a faraway look in his eyes. He blinked and rubbed tiredly at his temples. They said a quick goodbye to Angel and the others, before slowly making their way back to the small funeral. Spike slipped his arm around Xander's waist, trying to not enjoy the feel of his mate as Xander leaned against him in comfort. While he always enjoyed feeling Xander near him, right now the obvious pain that Xander was feeling needed to be dealt with.
"It's okay, pet." Spike whispered into his ear. "You're not weak for being upset. Come on, let's grab the little witch and pup so we can head back home and you can get some rest."
"I need to buy a new phone." Xander stated in an off-hand voice. Spike sighed, kissing him on the cheek before reaching out and tapping Tara on the shoulder.
"You ready to go?" Spike asked.
"Yeah." Tara nodded, turning to grab Oz's hand. Oz walked over to them silently. "This was... A little overwhelming. I think we all need to go home and... Just connect again."
"Sounds like a plan." Xander agreed, smiling slightly.
"Let's go home." Spike ordered, turning and heading for the car. The others followed, Xander still tucked into his side with Tara and Oz trailing behind them.
"You know this means we're going to have to get a bigger apartment, don't you?" Xander suddenly asked, watching Spike unlock the car doors. "Which means dealing with that Reginald guy."
Spike let out an annoyed sound and chose to ignore Xander's mild snicker.
Epilogue
Once upon a time, there was a vampire and a hyena. Together, they formed a two party pack, bonded as only mates could be. Yet, that wasn't enough. To be truly happy, they needed more. So, they opened their arms and invited a woman, whose power was far buried underneath her spirit. This woman, this witch, extended her hand to the fourth member of their pack. The fourth rode on all fours and howled against the backlight of the moon. Together, they became mates and strengthened the pack.
This was where the happiness came in. Happiness is relative. A person must choose to be happy, they can not leave such an emotion up to fate, unless they wished to be stuck in a swirl of negativity all their lives.
Xander understood this now. He had been happy, then that pleasure was ripped away from him. Yet, in the end, the pain and torture did not matter. For he had found a new happiness, a newly formed pack. In the beginning, there was the hyena. But that story came and went. This story had started with a wolf and a jolt of electrical pain. Happiness had fled.
The story had ended, leaving behind small ripples in their lives. These could not be ignored, but they could be taken and altered; they could be fixed. Happiness was relative. Xander chose to be happy.
Final Notes
Total Estimated Words: 53,500
Date Started: June 16, 2005 at 11:05pm
Date Ended: January 07, 2006 at 3:10pm
This universe will be continued in Paka Ahali.