Black Magic White Lies, chapter 4

[moscow_watcher]

Title: Black Magic White Lies
Chapter 4 - In Which Xander Discovers the Sitch Is More Screwed-up Than He Thought
Timeline: BtVS, alternate season 5
Genre: drama, mystery, action
Characters, pairing: general, Xander/Faith
Rating: R (for intense situations).
Summary: Xander thinks he has a little secret. He doesn't know that his little secret is a

Comments

[sentine]

You know, when I was reading the bickering between the counsellor and the doctor, I was thinking of Spike and Angel endless bickering... and then I saw your manip - perfect! :)

The plot thickens and I love it - I love that you make me wonder and imagine things :)

[moscow_watcher]

Thank you, honey!

The lame-ass manip was a desperate act of a desperate writer :) I remembered an old advice for scripwriters: keep in front of you the pics of the actors you consider perfect for the roles. I found James in scrubs in Millenium, put him next to David/Angel - and the characters immediately started talking to me. :)

[angearia]

Very interesting development. Methinks the counselor and the doctor might be helpful allies in the future. I do love how your writing makes me go back and ponder. :)

Xander changes radio station

This isn't really concrit, but I noticed you're missing an "S" on the end here --> "radio stations".

I really enjoyed this part:

"She isn't afraid." Xander stares through him. "She doesn't want his pity. Her stupid pride won't let her take help from anybody. In her book sympathy's an insult."

"You owe me a beer," the doctor says to the counselor. The latter frowns.

For the subtlety of perception each character displays of Faith. First, I think the counselor got it right. Faith is afraid, that's why she hides behind her pride. A bit sad to see that Xander doesn't get that, that Faith's tough facade is a front to protect herself from letting anyone get close enough to really hurt her. Second, sad to see that doctor!Spike isn't that perceptive but then again, he doesn't understand Faith the way counselor!Angel does and Spike never

[moscow_watcher]

"radio stations".

Fixed. Thank you!

I think the counselor got it right. Faith is afraid, that's why she hides behind her pride. A bit sad to see that Xander doesn't get that, that Faith's tough facade is a front to protect herself from letting anyone get close enough to really hurt her. Second, sad to see that doctor!Spike isn't that perceptive but then again, he doesn't understand Faith the way counselor!Angel does and Spike never really saw beneath Faith's surface the way Angel did. Interesting. You know, initially it was just a plot point: I needed a tight situation, so Wesley asked Giles for help after all his own attempts to find out anything about Faith proved to be futile. His request started the chain of events, some of which we have witnessed, and some of which has already happened but will be revealed later (although there are clues to them within the text

[angearia]

so Wesley asked Giles for help after all his own attempts

I'm curious as to where Angel fits in here. Because right around that time was when Angel was the one visiting Faith regularly after her voluntary incarceration. If Faith got pregnant in April of 2000, then Angel would have visited Faith right around September 26, 2000 when Angel visits Faith at the end of 2x01 Judgment. So this would be one week before the monks' spell in Real Me on October 3, 2000. So in this altered 'verse, did Angel visit Faith and now have memories of hearing a second child's heartbeat inside her (a la Offspring with Darla)? What brought Faith to Wes' attention and not Angel's? Or does Angel enter the picture later on?

[moscow_watcher]

So this would be one week before the monks' spell in Real Me on October 3, 2000.

Monks did the spell somewhere in August: in No Place Like Home (24 October 2000) there is a title card that the spell had been made 2 months ago. In this AU the spell had been made somewhere in summer. So only season 5 is AU. Season 4 is 100% canonical.

But the characters don't remember season 4 the way it really happened. Don't forget that in canon they also remember season 4 differently, with the insertion of Dawn.

So in this altered 'verse, did Angel visit Faith and now have memories of hearing a second child's heartbeat inside her (a la Offspring with Darla)?

No. In this story Xander basically plays Angel's role - at least in the flashback. I even pondered upon naming Chapter 2 "Five by Five, Bedroom Version". So having both Angel and Xander in this story would have been excessive.

I suspect I have confused you because I mentioned Angel in the first chapter. A lesson to me: to plan the story more carefully.

What brought Faith to Wes' attention

[brunettepet]

I enjoyed the counselor and the doctor interrogating Xander and his growing unease at just what the heck is going on. Glory's minions coming after Faith is an unpleasant surprise, and I'm left wondering just how much of Xander's memories about Faith have been doctored to make him the key's "father." Did he ever really sleep with post-coma Faith? I bet not, but I guess we'll see.

Xander cast as the key's protector is a wonderful twist on canon.

[moscow_watcher]

Thank you!

Glory's minions coming after Faith is an unpleasant surprise

It is, isn't it? Poor Xander. It sucks to be a protagonist of the show! :)

Xander cast as the key's protector is a wonderful twist on canon.

I love the episodes in which Xander is put in extreme situations. In canon they are rare - but we can fix it! :)

[missmurchison]

Oooh, this is getting really interesting and complex. There's no way to tell what's real, what's Xander possibly reaching wrong conclusions, and what's the work of the monks, which makes it all really fun in a "Usual Suspects" kind of way.

One tiny thing. There are no "illegal" religions or cults in the US. Even if you declared yourself a follower of Charles Manson or some other murderer, you couldn't be arrested for your religious beliefs, only if you committed an illegal act, conspired to do so, or advocated it in such strong terms it could be considered almost a conspiracy. For instance, polygamist sects can't be shut down; the authorities have to go after individuals for crimes like child abuse (forcing underage girls into marriages).

[moscow_watcher]

Thank you - I will keep that in mind.

When I wrote that chapter, I tried to imagine how prison authorities could react to Glory's minions. I decided that any normal person would see them as humans who were artificially mutilated. And they wore strange clothes similar to monk's habits. And they tried to kill a pregnant girl. Prison officials could come to a logical conclusion, that Faith had been a member of an illegal sect that practised mutilation of its members and punished those who tried to escape to avoid the ritual of mutilation.

[missmurchison]

Gotcha. Still, it would be the behavior (mutilating unwilling people) and not the belief that they should mutilate people that would be illegal. And if adults wanted to be mutilated, I don't think the government could do anything unless they could show the sect members were insane. (Yes, I realize that when it comes to religion, my country is insane.)

The reactions of the doctors were very reasonable, it was just the one word "illegal" I was being a nitpicky pest about.