Sleeping In, part 11 of 13
Title: Sleeping In
Fandom: House/Buffy
Time Frame: Second season House, post-Chosen (no comics) Buffy
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Joss and ME own Buffy. David Shore, etc., own House. I own nothing except the words.
Summary: While Xander is visiting Dawn at Princeton, he falls asleep and she can't wake him up. When he falls into Dr. House's clutches, which will solve his illness first, medicine or magic?
Once the doctors were all gone, Faith said, "Is that man insane?"
Dawn and Kennedy both said, "Yes," but Buffy just shrugged. "He's intense, but he really thought he was right. He wasn't, of course, but we can't blame him for that."
"Yes, we damn well can," Faith said.
"It doesn't matter," Willow said. "We were just waiting for you two when he came in. I know what happened."
But then she didn't say anything for a few moments.
"Well?" Faith said, a split second before Dawn could. "Can we fix it?"
Willow sighed. "It's a classic - the classic - I can't believe I didn't see it before. I mean, he's asleep. It's not rocket science."
"Will?" Buffy said. "Could you translate for the people who slept through the classics?"
"Do not tell me it's love," Dawn said.
Willow nodded.
"Love?" Faith said. "The trigger to wake him up is fucking love?"
"Hopefully without the fucking," Kennedy said.
Faith waved her off. "You really mean true love, Sleeping Beauty, waking up with a kiss, all that shit?"
"Well," Willow said. "Sleeping Beauty wasn't originally about...anyway, it'll most likely mean a kiss, but I don't know what type of love. True love does make the most sense, and if the spell had been cast by an American or - or even European witch, I'd have said it definitely had to be true love. But this was cast by an African practitioner of some kind, and we don't know what her mythos is. If it's the most common...there could still be a trick of some sort."
"We also don't know what Xander said to her before she did this," Faith said.
"What do you mean?" Buffy said, glaring at Faith.
"Don't get your panties in a twist, B," Faith said. "I don't mean this is Xander's fault. But if he'd known this shaman for at all long, it might have come out that he has daddy issues."
"If it's a father's love, we'll need to get Giles here," Willow said. She frowned. "Shamans are Native American, not African."
"Whatever," Faith said.
Dawn groaned. "Why don't we try with what we have here and see if anything works?" she said. "I love Xander like a brother." She felt tears pricking the corners of her eyes and blinked them away. "Hey, Willow, what was the condition, anyway?"
"What?" Buffy said. She was staring at Xander.
"You know, the condition that Xander had to fulfill before he fell into this stupid enchanted sleep."
"Oh," Willow said, perking up. "It was ingenious, really. The spell wouldn't be triggered until he felt safe with someone who loved him. I have no idea how she did that, but I wish I could talk to her about it."
"So do I," Dawn muttered. She knew she wouldn't be forgiving this African witch anytime soon.
"So maybe you're right, Dawn, maybe it's your kiss that will wake him up," Faith said.
Willow shook her head. "There's still no way to know that."
Everyone looked at each other, then down at Xander. Both Buffy and Faith, of all people, were blushing.
"I'm not sure I do love Xander," Kennedy said, looking sad. "I mean, I like him, and he saved my life, but...but I've never kissed a guy I wasn't related to before, so what the hell." She bent over Xander and gave him a soft peck on the lips.
Nothing happened.
"I'll go next," Dawn said. She gazed down at Xander, hoping, not for the first time in her life, that her love would be enough. "Please wake up," she said and kissed him.
Nothing happened.
Buffy, Willow, and Faith stared at Xander, who was sleeping quietly, not even snoring for once, then Willow shrugged.
"I can't remember a time when I didn't love Xander," she said. "He's always been my best friend, but it's more than that. Without Xander, I would have ended the world. I wouldn't be me anymore. Without Xander, I'm not me." She looked up at Kennedy, who smiled at her. "I just hope that's enough." She bent over and whispered something to Xander that even Dawn, still standing right there, couldn't hear. Then she kissed him.
Nothing happened, except that Xander started snoring softly.
Buffy took a deep breath. "Me, too," she said. "Everything Willow said, except I can remember a time when I didn't love Xander, and I don't like looking back on that time."
Dawn moved out of the way so Buffy could stand near Xander's head. Buffy smoothed some of his hair away from his eyes and kissed him.
Everyone held their breath, but nothing happened.
They all looked at Faith.
"I sure as shit ain't making no speech," Faith said. Dawn giggled in spite of herself.
Buffy moved away so Faith could take her place. Faith looked down at Xander for a moment, then put one hand on either side of his head. Her kiss wasn't the brief peck the others had given Xander; it was soft, but lingering.
And even before it was over, Dawn could tell that Xander was awake.
"Dawnie," Xander said, sounding a bit muffled. "I don't think -"
Then he opened his eyes.
"You're not Dawn," he said. Faith was still bent over him, and Dawn could see she looked utterly shocked.
"Faith?" Xander said. "What are you...what's going on?"
Faith stood bolt upright and almost sprinted out of the room. The rest of them just stared at each other, not sure what had just happened. Or how to explain it to Xander.
part 12
Fandom: House/Buffy
Time Frame: Second season House, post-Chosen (no comics) Buffy
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Joss and ME own Buffy. David Shore, etc., own House. I own nothing except the words.
Summary: While Xander is visiting Dawn at Princeton, he falls asleep and she can't wake him up. When he falls into Dr. House's clutches, which will solve his illness first, medicine or magic?
Once the doctors were all gone, Faith said, "Is that man insane?"
Dawn and Kennedy both said, "Yes," but Buffy just shrugged. "He's intense, but he really thought he was right. He wasn't, of course, but we can't blame him for that."
"Yes, we damn well can," Faith said.
"It doesn't matter," Willow said. "We were just waiting for you two when he came in. I know what happened."
But then she didn't say anything for a few moments.
"Well?" Faith said, a split second before Dawn could. "Can we fix it?"
Willow sighed. "It's a classic - the classic - I can't believe I didn't see it before. I mean, he's asleep. It's not rocket science."
"Will?" Buffy said. "Could you translate for the people who slept through the classics?"
"Do not tell me it's love," Dawn said.
Willow nodded.
"Love?" Faith said. "The trigger to wake him up is fucking love?"
"Hopefully without the fucking," Kennedy said.
Faith waved her off. "You really mean true love, Sleeping Beauty, waking up with a kiss, all that shit?"
"Well," Willow said. "Sleeping Beauty wasn't originally about...anyway, it'll most likely mean a kiss, but I don't know what type of love. True love does make the most sense, and if the spell had been cast by an American or - or even European witch, I'd have said it definitely had to be true love. But this was cast by an African practitioner of some kind, and we don't know what her mythos is. If it's the most common...there could still be a trick of some sort."
"We also don't know what Xander said to her before she did this," Faith said.
"What do you mean?" Buffy said, glaring at Faith.
"Don't get your panties in a twist, B," Faith said. "I don't mean this is Xander's fault. But if he'd known this shaman for at all long, it might have come out that he has daddy issues."
"If it's a father's love, we'll need to get Giles here," Willow said. She frowned. "Shamans are Native American, not African."
"Whatever," Faith said.
Dawn groaned. "Why don't we try with what we have here and see if anything works?" she said. "I love Xander like a brother." She felt tears pricking the corners of her eyes and blinked them away. "Hey, Willow, what was the condition, anyway?"
"What?" Buffy said. She was staring at Xander.
"You know, the condition that Xander had to fulfill before he fell into this stupid enchanted sleep."
"Oh," Willow said, perking up. "It was ingenious, really. The spell wouldn't be triggered until he felt safe with someone who loved him. I have no idea how she did that, but I wish I could talk to her about it."
"So do I," Dawn muttered. She knew she wouldn't be forgiving this African witch anytime soon.
"So maybe you're right, Dawn, maybe it's your kiss that will wake him up," Faith said.
Willow shook her head. "There's still no way to know that."
Everyone looked at each other, then down at Xander. Both Buffy and Faith, of all people, were blushing.
"I'm not sure I do love Xander," Kennedy said, looking sad. "I mean, I like him, and he saved my life, but...but I've never kissed a guy I wasn't related to before, so what the hell." She bent over Xander and gave him a soft peck on the lips.
Nothing happened.
"I'll go next," Dawn said. She gazed down at Xander, hoping, not for the first time in her life, that her love would be enough. "Please wake up," she said and kissed him.
Nothing happened.
Buffy, Willow, and Faith stared at Xander, who was sleeping quietly, not even snoring for once, then Willow shrugged.
"I can't remember a time when I didn't love Xander," she said. "He's always been my best friend, but it's more than that. Without Xander, I would have ended the world. I wouldn't be me anymore. Without Xander, I'm not me." She looked up at Kennedy, who smiled at her. "I just hope that's enough." She bent over and whispered something to Xander that even Dawn, still standing right there, couldn't hear. Then she kissed him.
Nothing happened, except that Xander started snoring softly.
Buffy took a deep breath. "Me, too," she said. "Everything Willow said, except I can remember a time when I didn't love Xander, and I don't like looking back on that time."
Dawn moved out of the way so Buffy could stand near Xander's head. Buffy smoothed some of his hair away from his eyes and kissed him.
Everyone held their breath, but nothing happened.
They all looked at Faith.
"I sure as shit ain't making no speech," Faith said. Dawn giggled in spite of herself.
Buffy moved away so Faith could take her place. Faith looked down at Xander for a moment, then put one hand on either side of his head. Her kiss wasn't the brief peck the others had given Xander; it was soft, but lingering.
And even before it was over, Dawn could tell that Xander was awake.
"Dawnie," Xander said, sounding a bit muffled. "I don't think -"
Then he opened his eyes.
"You're not Dawn," he said. Faith was still bent over him, and Dawn could see she looked utterly shocked.
"Faith?" Xander said. "What are you...what's going on?"
Faith stood bolt upright and almost sprinted out of the room. The rest of them just stared at each other, not sure what had just happened. Or how to explain it to Xander.
part 12