Black Magic White Lies, chapter 17

[moscow_watcher]

Title: Black Magic White Lies
Chapter 17 - Dollhouse Much?
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 part of a big fat conspiracy.
Disclaimer: They all

Comments

[brunettepet]

This was a powerful, emotional scene. The back and forth built incredible tension, and Xander standing up for his daughter took great courage. The way he calls Buffy on her relationship with Spike was phenomenal.

[moscow_watcher]

Thank you! I aimed for tension. Xander has burned all his bridges.

The way he calls Buffy on her relationship with Spike was phenomenal.

Yes, they're both in "artificial" relationships and both consider them real. But what's real and what's not real? You know, I'm fascinated with Dollhouse, with Joss' ideas about identity and memories.

[sarian71]

This fight was looong time coming. Both Xander and Buffy gave as good as they got, not holding back what they're really thinking. Gotta say, Buffy and Giles didn't get my sympathy points here... And kudos to Xander for mentioning Jesse.

Loved Xander's courageous ultimatum. Can't wait to see how this cliffhanger gets resolved!

[moscow_watcher]

Thank you! Yes, the stand-off was inevitable - and, as it usually happens in Jossverse, it took place at the most inappropriate time.

Re: Jesse. I think that his death was a defining moment in Xander's attitude to the supernatural world and vampires in particular. Every time he saw Angel or Spike as Buffy's allies, Xander involuntarily thought about Jesse and imagined him as one of them.

[keith5by5]

"
Re: Jesse. I think that his death was a defining moment in Xander's attitude to the supernatural world and vampires in particular. Every time he saw Angel or Spike as Buffy's allies, Xander involuntarily thought about Jesse and imagined him as one of them."

I think Jesse rather than Buffy was the reason that Xander unjustly never gave Angel a chance before he lost his soul.

After that, I think Xander was relying on experience.....

[moscow_watcher]

I agree. I think Xander's attitude to Spike was also colored by his memories of Jesse.

From As The Romans Do"I killed Jesse, Willow. Dusted him. And everybody told me it was okay. He wasn't Jesse, he was the demon that killed him. He'd never get any better, he'd never be Jesse again. And I took that and I grabbed onto that. So how in the hell do you think it makes me feel when I see Spike... crying over Buffy and babysitting Dawn and saving the freaking world? How do you think it makes me feel when everyone changes their minds... for him? That could have been Jesse. Fighting for us. One of us

[waddis]

Very tense and emotional. Great work.

[moscow_watcher]

Thank you! *blushes*

[moscow_watcher]

I'm sorry - but I think they all are in a bad place and they're frustrated beyond measure because there is no solution that doesn't involve killing somebody.

Hopefully I didn't upset you much. *hugs*

[angearia]

Wonderful tension. And I loved Xander standing up and willing to risk his life for his baby.

I'm not sure there'd ever be a moment where Buffy would actually murder a newborn baby, but I can see her thinking about leading up to that moment. And the fact that she's trying to convince herself that it isn't real helps. But I think her emotional responses and morality are too strong in the face of an innocent, defenseless child. She couldn't even kill Spike when he was defenseless, after all. :)

[moscow_watcher]

Thank you, Emmie! I wanted Xander to come through as the ultimate existentialist hero - he doesn't do it because he hopes to "get enough points"; he does it because that's what men do. In a way, he does it for Buffy - to stop her, to make her think about the concequences, to save her from becoming a killer.

The problem is, Xander still doesn't understand that there are situations where you can't find a "good" solution. Buffy faced that situation in Becoming - and that experience had changed her irreversibly. She knows, deep inside her, that sometimes you have to kill one person in order to save countless others. And that knowledge separates her from other Scoobies.