Botched Spell, Chapter 5a, the beginning of the end. Spander ADUL
Title: Botched Spell, Part 5a: The Beginning of the End
Author’s: cinderella81 and batmanvinnie
Rating: Adult for smutty good times.
Pairings: Spike/Xander, Giles/Ethan, Tara/Willow, and Anya/Suprise.
Disclaimer: We are not Joss Whedon, we are not Mutant Enemy. We don’t own these characters and make no profit from this story. Spoilers: Takes place after “Buffy vs. Dracula” in season 5. According to canon, Xander worked on that one construction job in the episode “Pangs” in season four. A few episodes later he was delivering pizza, then worked fast food again, before returning to construction, but assumes Xander didn’t start working construction until sometime in season 5, before episode 3, “The Replacement.” So this may be fudging the timeline a wee bit, but please bear with us.
Beta: Many thanks to anxiety_junkie. Thank you darling!
Summary: Buffy casts a spell to create understanding between Spike and Xander. But it’s the Hellmouth, so of course something wonky happens.
Feedback: Please read and review! Constructive criticism welcome!
Author's Note: So, cinderella81's brain has been taken over by Smallville, and no longer had the inspiration for this story. However, I decided I'd go ahead and finish this, and I apologize for taking so darn long on it. ~Alice~
Previous Chapters Live Here
* * * * * * * * * *
Giles looked through the window into Ethan’s shop. Strains from “EMI” could be faintly heard, as well as Ethan screaming along. The mage wasn’t really doing anything, just putting away books. Gathering his courage, Giles entered. The bell above the shop door tinkled it opened.
Ethan looked up, smirking when he saw him. “Well, well, well, what can I do for you?”
Ethan ambled over to the door, hips rolling in a sensuous motion.
Giles raised his eyebrows and ignored the question.
“You know Ethan, you really shouldn’t play the Sex Pistols.”
“Why not?”
“Because you’re a middle-aged small business owner dressed in a lavender button-down shirt and charcoal slacks. Not very punk.”
“So says the former tweed-coated Watcher,” Ethan shot back. “Besides, I’ve heard tales of impromptu coffee-house performances on your part.”
Giles smiled gently; the friendly bickering was so familiar.
“True, but I don’t pretend I’m 18 anymore.”
Ethan shook his head and gathered several books in his arms before heading behind a shelf. Giles followed as Ethan began to speak.
"Neither do I. But there's nothing wrong with having fun."
Giles tensed. "Unfortunately, fun for you usually means trouble for those I care about."
Ethan sighed, then turned to face Giles.
"Ripper, I swear, there isn't anything in the works. Sunnydale is a good place to spread chaos, but as I learned with the Mayor and the Initative, there are usually too many dangerous elements around, ready to turn chaos into death. I'm not here for any reason, other than the fact I've become a sentimental fool in my old age." Ethan walked over to Giles and gently cupped his cheek. "The only reason I'm here is for you, luv. I miss you, and despite all the experiences I've had, you're still the only one I've ever loved."
Giles swallowed. Pangs of longing surged through him. God he wanted Ethan, even though he knew it would more than likely end badly. But he didn't have the strength to resist. Leaning forward, he pressed their mouths together. Ethan had always been impatient, and that hadn't changed.
The chaos mage quickly opened his mouth, deepening the kiss. They pressed their bodies together, pent up frustration, hurt, and longing spilling over. This wasn't a simple kiss, it was a renewal. Giles could feel Ethan's magic the way he had in his youth. Their magics were moving toward each other, blending. With a moan, he pressed his body against Ethan’s.
Gods don't let this end badly, he prayed.
He wasn't sure he could take losing Ethan a second time.
* * * * * * * * *
It was a sunny afternoon as Willow and Tara lay on the blanket in the park, wrapped around each other and content. Willow sighed and looked over at her lover.
"We should really go and see Giles. That magic surge from the other night, I can feel it, it's still working. It's chaotic, uncontrolled," she said.
Tara nodded. "I know, I felt it too," she murmured, running her hand up and down Willow's arm.
Sighing, she took the initiative and stood. Willow pouted.
"Come on, baby," Tara said. "Work now, cuddles later."
Willow smiled before leaning in and stealing a quick kiss. The two witches stood and gathered their bags and blanket before walking to the downtown area. As they looked down the street, they saw Giles heading into a closed shop.
"Wonder what Giles is doing?" Willow wondered aloud.
Tara shrugged.
"Let's drop our stuff off at the Magic Box, then see," Tara suggested.
"Okay."
The girls hurriedly went to the shop and dropped their things off behind the counter
"Hey! This is a store, not a closet!" Anya yelled at them. Tara and Willow ignored her and started out the door.
"Hey, what's going on?" Anya demanded.
"Mi-mister Giles went into the n-new bookstore down the street," Tara explained.
Anya's eyes narrowed.
"The closed one that that chaos guy used to own?"
"Yeah," Willow said, making her way to the door.
"Maybe he's spying on the competition," Anya theorized. "We should help!"
Quickly shooing the two girls out of the shop, she locked up and joined the witches in their walk down the street. They reached the shop quickly and looked into the window; the shop looked empty.
Willow frowned.
"I could have sworn I saw him come in here," she muttered.
"I s-saw him too," Tara offered.
Anya's eyes widened.
"What if chaos guy is in there and he's hurting Giles?" she asked. "What if he kills him! I have no legal claim to the store!"
Tara and Willow looked at each other, suddenly fearful.
"Should we get Buffy?" Willow asked.
Anya frowned, then shook her head.
"No, we should take a closer look first. Because maybe he left and Buffy would kinda get pissed if we dragged her from the school for no reason," Anya said.
Tara and Willow nodded. Recon it was.
* * * * * * *
Giles pressed Ethan against the shelf, then buried his face against Ethan's throat. Anyone who knew the Englishmen would be surprised to discover that Ethan was highly submissive, a trait he'd buried in his time apart from Giles. But with one kiss, he was ready to surrender anything to get Ripper back. Giles bit the skin of Ethan's throat, then sucked on it until is started to color. As he felt the gentle tremors of Ethan's body and magic, a thought occurred.
"So Ethan, if you're reformed now," he started, pausing to flick his tongue into Ethan's ear before continuing, "What was that spike of chaos I felt the other night?"
Leaning forward, Giles nipped at Ethan's lower lip before pulling away and looking into his former lover's eyes.
Ethan raised his hands in surrender. "It wasn't me, Rupert. I felt the magic too, but I swear, it wasn't me."
Giles raised an eyebrow and studied Ethan, then shook his head. "No, I don't suppose it was you. Whatever is happening, it's small, far too small for one of your games. And it completely lacks control."
Ethan frowned.
"Is this all we're going to do, or can we return to more interesting pursuits?" he asked, unbuttoning Giles' shirt.
With a sinful grin, Giles started working on Ethan's pants. "I think something more interesting is in order."
* * * * * * * * * *
Willow, Tara, and Anya stood at the store's back door. Flicking their fingers in tandem, Willow and Tara unlocked the door, then paused.
"Wards," Tara murmured. "Good ones."
Anya watched, intrigued as the two witches held hands and began chanting. A faint glow surrounded them before fading. Stepping forward, Willow opened the door and went in first. She quickly glanced around the back room before walking in and waving Tara and Anya after her. Quietly, they crept forward. Pausing at the doorway to the main part of the shop, Willow quickly peeked around the corner.
When she returned her eyes to the back room, they were wide and shocked. And her face was beet-red. Frowning, Anya and Tara moved forward and looked out. Tara's face flushed as she turned away from the sight, but Anya didn't. Anya's face split with a grin. Giles was leaning against a bookcase, his shirt open and revealing a nicely toned chest. A gentleman was on his knees, giving the former Watcher what appeared to be a top-notch blow job. Giles had his finger's threaded through the other man's hair, his back arched. She watched, enraptured as Giles' body tensed and jaw clenched. She opened her mouth, only to feel a small hand slap over it. Pulling, Willow dragged Anya away from the door.
Anya slapped Willow's hand away.
"What did you do that for?" she whispered hoarsely.
"You were going to say something," Willow whispered back, her face still red.
"W-w-w-we sh-sh-should go," Tara mumbled nervously.
"Well, I want to see what happens next," Anya argued, her volume increasing.
Pulling away from Willow, she tried to look out into the store. But Willow grabbed her arm and tugged on her, knocking Anya off balance. Flailing her arms, Anya fell against a stack of boxes, the top one falling and landing on the ground with a loud thwack. The three women panicked.
"Run away!" Anya yelled, flapping her hands excitedly.
"It's a bit late for that," a voice drawled.
Turning, the young women faced a smirking Ethan and a red faced Giles.
"Hi, I'm Anya. We've never me before, but I think we should be friends. You're very talented," Anya enthused.
Giles groaned and started cleaning his glassed while Ethan laughed.
"You know, I think I'm really going to like you," Ethan smirked.
* * * * * * * * * *
Xander paced Spike's crypt, anxious as he recalled the previous evening.
Dawn had only grinned when "Spike" questioned the Scoobies about the changes to "Xander." Instead of answering, she had starting singing "Spike and Xander, sittin' in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G," before Buffy had finally covered her mouth with her hand. So before he could tell them the truth, Xander had decided to find Spike. He needed to know what changes the vampire had made, and more importantly, why. But by the time he'd gotten outside, any trail Spike might've left had gone cold. Dejected, Xander had walked back to the crypt and gotten trashed on Spike's hidden cache of whiskey. He'd slept most of the day, but he'd still awoken a few hours before sunset.
So he paced. Spike could have done anything; walk around the city naked, gone to the beach, beaten up strangers, anything. But instead, he'd moved out of the basement, gotten a makeover, a better job, and ended a dead-end relationship with Anya.
What the hell is he doing? If he was sucking up, that would make sense. But this is beyond sucking up, this is giving me a good life. Either he's up to something, or he's officially the lamest vampire in history. Because this would be some lame torture.
Dropping heavily onto the bed, he looked around the room, hoping for a clue he'd missed, like a large sign that read "Fifty Sneaky Things to Do to Xander Harris In Order to Confuse Him." Instead, he spotted the bow Clem had placed on the bag of human blood.
Then realization hit him like a bolt of lightning.
Holy shit! He has a crush, and it's on me! What the hell is wrong with him, is he retarded?
Jumping up from the bed, Xander paced. He had no idea where his new apartment was, but the gang might. He knew from experience that Spike had found a sewer entrance to the shop; and of course, Spike being Spike, there was a sewer entrance in the street next to the cemetery. Pulling on clothes, Xander went through the pockets of the trench coat. Inside, he found a variety of things, including a compass. Grabbing a blanket, he raced out of the crypt and into the street. Reaching down, he pulled open the manhole and jumped onto the ladder. Closing it, he slung the blanket around his neck. Even in the darkness, his vampire eyesight could read the compass. Climbing down the ladder, Xander began the task of reaching the Magic Box.
* * * * * * * * * *
After a full day at work learning the ropes of his supervisor position (while taking notes for Xander), Spike sat on his bike, thinking. If he knew Xander, he’d be using those new vamp senses and the sewers to get to the store as soon as possible. He sighed; he was going to have to stop sometime and face Xander. There were certainly going to be questions, and if he was at the Magic Box, at least they'd keep Xander from killing him. He started the bike and tore through Sunnydale, reaching the Magic Box in under five minutes. Walking in, the store was in an uproar. Tara was hiding behind a curtain of her hair, eyes glued to a book, while Willow babbled at top speed, red-faced as well, and Buffy was pacing, hands flailing. Someone he didn't recognize was standing by Giles, and according to body language, they were definitely an item.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"Giles and Ethan are having orgasms together, Xander! We saw them and Ethan is very talented! But then Willow made me stop watching," Anya said with a pout.
Spike raised an eyebrow. So that's why Glinda won't look at anyone.
Looking over at Ethan, then Giles, Spike smirked. "Well done, Giles. Decided to have a bit of fun, eh?"
Ethan smirked while Giles just looked perplexed. Willow, Tara, and Buffy were stunned.
"But, Xander, why aren't you mad? He tried to kill the babies and me and then, then he made those costumes go weird!" Buffy rambled, her eyes wide, dazed, and thoroughly befuddled.
Spike nodded as he remembered, though his his memory and opinion of these events were slightly different.
"Ah, I'm sure Giles will keep him on a leash," Spike smirked.
Giles pulled off his glasses and started cleaning them.
"Oh my God, you are going to put him on a leash, aren't you!" Buffy yelled.
"Oh, that sounds like fun," Anya chimed in, nodding.
Biting back a laugh, Spike left them behind and walked into the training room. He stood in the corner, shadowed by the lowering sun and waited. Ten minutes later, the trap door burst open. Xander easily jumped out of the tunnel.
Xander charged toward the door before the sound of a heartbeat had him stopping and turning. He caught sight of Spike and took in his appearance. Spike was simply standing there, leaning against the wall with effortless grace and confidence.
“What the hell did you do to me?" Xander asked, advancing on Spike.
Spike pursed his lips and frowned, gathering his wits. Alright, don't bollocks it up. You've got one chance.
“I’ve gotten you a job at a construction site; the pay is twice what you were making before, and there’s room to move up. Yes, I did break up with Anya, but even you had to admit that your relationship with her was going nowhere. And finally, you walked around wearing clothes that even someone in middle school wouldn’t wear, so I got you some new kit."
Xander took a step and truly looked at his body. His body looked tall and proud, and all manly. It was weird.
"Oh. Wow, I look pretty good. Is there a magic clothes store I didn't know about?" he asked, confused.
Spike met his gaze, his borrowed brown eyes fierce. Xander wasn't used to seeing himself like that.
"Nothing wrong with you, pet," Spike growled. "All I did was improve on what was already there,” he finished with a sigh.
Xander's eyes widened. Spike bit back a smile, enjoying the adorable look of awe and confusion, even with the borrowed tough appearence Xander had.
"Holy hand grenade, you do have a crush on me," he babbled. "I mean, Clem said I, I mean you, had a crush on some guy, but I figured it would be someone all hot and cool and stuff, not me, but then you did all that cool stuff so I thought it might be me, but you know, then I figured there had to be another explantion with words and an elaborate plan to confuse me, possibly involving charts and graphs, but I dunno, maybe you do, you know.... Do you really have a thing for me?" he finally asked in a whisper.
Spike tensed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Maybe I do. You got a problem with that?"
Spike watched, amused, as his body took on a slouching, bashful pose.
"Uh, no, not really," Xander whispered. Moving forward, Spike cupped Xander's face, searching the familiar blue eyes. When Xander didn't pull away, Spike moved in for a kiss.
* * * * * * * * * *
"I know that you're all... upset about Ethan, but that isn't the priority right now," Giles explained.
"But, he tried to kill the little bitty babies," Willow pouted.
"I had no idea the Mayor was planning that. Chaos is about effecting random change, not murdering innocents. I truly didn't know what he had planned," Ethan replied. "Besides, children are fantastic for causing chaos; I want more of them, not fewer."
"Well, what about that demon tattoo you gave me?" Buffy demanded, her eyes hard.
Ethan shrugged.
"Right, sorry about that. I'll admit that was rather cowardly. My priority was saving my own skin, and I thought that a Slayer who's dodged a few prophecies could deal with a demon," he explained.
Buffy glared at him, looking between the surprisingly contrite chaos mage and her Watcher. And then she noticed something: Giles looked all... unstarchy. He wasn't tense, his eyes weren't crinkled or his brow furrowed. He looked relaxed, calm.
Buffy sighed, the anger leaving her body. "Fine. But if you hurt my Giles, I'll kill you," she declared.
"Thank you, Buffy," Giles said softly, touched by her tacit approval and threat of violence.
"Wait," Willow said. "You aren't upset or worried?"
"Yeah, but look at them. Giles is all... untweedy."
Buffy sat down and grabbed a cookie.
"But I'll be watching you, Ethan," Buffy said darkly. "Just not, you know, when you're all naked and doing stuff with Giles. That's just gross."
"I'll help you with the naked bits!" Anya offered.
The room fell silent as everyone looked at her bright, enthusiastic smile.
"I think you may be my second most favorite person in world," Ethan mused. "Well, third, after Giles and myself."
"That's bloody fantastic, can we please consider the subject closed now?" Giles asked.
Buffy, Willow and Tara murmured their agreement, while Anya simply refocused on her, well, Giles's money.
"Now, the reason I called you here is because of some rogue magic," Giles explained.
Anya frowned, looking up from the daily sales totals.
"No offense, Giles, but the number one suspect is right here," she pointed out.
"True. But this magic was very uncontrolled, chaotic in the sense that the caster was an amateur. And it was direct magic, not a random spell intended to effect an many people as possible. Its far too small of a scale for Ethan. It happened two nights ago."
Buffy's eyes widened.
"Two nights ago?"
* * * * * * * * * *
Xander moaned into the kiss as Spike grabbed his hips and pulled them closer together. Pulling away, Spike shoved Xander against the wall.
Xander looked at Spike.
"Wow, this is weird, very, very weird," he muttered, watching as his own body rocked against him. "Weird, but hot."
"Weird? Come on, Xan. You've seen me naked," Spike teased. Leaning forward, he began to suck on the pale skin of Xander's temporary neck. "It'll be just like jacking yourself off, only you'll get to see yourself come."
Spike shot him a mischievous grin before sliding a hand down to Xander's crotch. Rubbing Xander through the jeans, he watched as the teenager dropped his head against the wall. He quickly shoved the tee shirt out of way before undoing the jeans Xander wore.
* * * * * * * * * *
Buffy chewed on her bottom lip. "Um, what about that demon that Spike killed? Maybe it did something," she suggested.
Giles shook his head. "No, this was something else. Grumpdanashka demons don't use magic. They have heightened senses, so the materials needed for spell work irritate them."
"Well, maybe the spell isn't a big deal," Buffy offered hopefully.
Giles pondered this, then shook his head.
"No, the magic was directed at someone or something, and it was pretty powerful. Whatever it did, it did something."
* * * * * * * * * *
Spike stared, entranced at the sight of Xander whimpering, fingers clutching at Spike's chest. Even occupying someone else's body, Xander was himself, his emotions clearly displayed on his face.
Moving closer, Spike fused their mouths together once again, stroking Xander's tongue with his own. In all honesty, the pronoun confusion was beginning to drive Spike mad, but he didn't care. If he had to spend the rest of his life alone, it would be worth it just for this memory of reducing Xander into a whimpering puddle of need.
Xander moved away to suck in an unneeded breath, rubbing his body against Spike. He absorbed Spike's warm and gave himself over the pleasure from the sheer friction of that warm hand on his dick.
"Spike, please," he whimpered, staring at him with a hooded gaze.
"Anything for you, pet," Spike husked, pressing their mouths together again.
Xander's hands dropped to Spike's crotch, fumbling in his attempt to open Spike's pants. After a moment's struggle, he finally succeeded.
* * * * * * * * * *
"Do you think we should try a reveal spell?" Willow asked.
"We could," Giles said, "though we would need to take precautions in case the spell caster has ill intentions."
Buffy shifted nervously in her seat. "Maybe they don't have bad intentions. I mean, it's the Hellmouth, there are a lot of magic users here. Maybe they're just, like, recreational magic users, playing around."
"While that is true, Buffy, this was random magic. This magic had a substantial effect and the caster had strong natural abilities," Giles explained. "We should begin preparations for the reveal spell; it's the only way to find out what exactly happened."
"I'll go get Xander," Buffy said quickly, before running into the training room.
Exactly 2.6 seconds later, Buffy ran from the room. "Oh come on!" she yelled. "Is everyone but me having sex?!"
"What on Earth..." Giles started, trailing off as Spike and Xander wandered out of the training room. Their clothes were mussed as they buttoned up their shirts and pants, their lips red.
"Oh Goddess, not again," Willow whined, dropping her head onto the table. Giles began cleaning his glasses.
“Hope you boys used lube," Ethan teased.
"Don't worry about; I always enjoy a bit of pain with my sex," Spike replied.
“What about the chip?" Anya asked. "Shouldn't the inherent pain of anal sex set it off?”
Silence reigned for several long seconds before Xander spoke.
“Oh yeah. I forgot. Last night these frat guys were beating up on some kid, so I scared them. But when they decided to jump me, I hit one on instinct. Didn’t hurt, so I guess it's broken.”
Spike whooped loudly while punching his fist into the air.
"That's bloody fantastic!" he yelled, grabbing Xander’s face and planting a kiss on his lips.
"Xander, why are you talking like Spike?" Willow asked.
"B-because he is Spike," Tara whispered.
Everyone froze before the room erupted into chaos.
"Wait wait wait wait wait!" Anya yelled. Marching over to Spike, she frowned at him. "So you're Spike and you're the one who broke up with me?"
Spike shrugged. "Sorry, but you didn't seem to fancy him that much."
Anya glared at him before turning to Xander.
"So you're Xander?"
"Yeah," Xander said meekly.
"Well I'm sorry, but I can't date you again," she said with a delicate sniff. "I met someone last night and he's very sweet and enjoys giving me orgasms. He also has a very large penis."
Xander's eyebrows rose. "Really? Who?"
"Clem."
Xander's eyes bugged, while Spike snickered.
Buffy looked at Giles.
“Okay, ignoring Anya talking about sex, are we freaking out about this no chip thing?”
Giles sighed. "Well, if Spike had truly wanted to kill us, he would have done it while in Xander's body, instead of... courting him. I don't believe he'll be a threat if he does view us as his clan."
"But what happened to it?" Willow asked.
"Well, magic and technology don't mix," Ethan mused. "It's possible that when their essences were switched, the energy of the magic could have effected it. Possibly even the spell itself destroyed it."
"Okay, so now that this is all out in the open, can we fix it?" Xander asked.
Willow frowned.
"Sorry, Xander," she apologized. "But we don't know what spell it is. It could be a spell that runs out on it's own. We need to know what the spell is before we go messing around with it."
"But Willow," Xander whined, "I wanted to start my job tomorrow."
"And I wanted to punch Willy," Spike pouted. "He's been asking for it for a while now. And I wanted to smack around the guy that's been hitting on Dawn."
Buffy looked between them. They were standing close together. And as obvious as the effect of Ethan on Giles was, the effect of Spike on Xander was more so. Xander was standing straight, and despite the embarrasment he had to be feeling, he looked happy.
"I did it," she admitted.
"Er, did what, Buffy?" Giles asked.
"The spell! It was me. I was sick of them squabbling all the time and I kind of figured they were total friendage material. I mean, they both love snack foods, British comedy and have a hatred of Angel," she explained.
"What a ponce," Spike grumbled.
"Really? I prefer the term 'brooding asshat' myself," Xander offered.
"See!" Buffy said, pointing at the two of them. "They're all matchy."
"Buffy," Giles said, he voice low, "I need you to recall the exact spell you used."
Buffy dashed up the stairs and retrieved the book, then returned to the table. She flipped through the pages roughly, ignoring the way Giles winced at her treatment of the old tome, before stopping on the right page.
"Here Giles, this is the one I used," she said, handing it over.
Giles read over it, then started laughing.
"What was your purpose in casting this?" he asked once his laughter had subsided.
"To get them to understand each other," she said, her voice going up at the end while she blushed.
"Ah. Well, this is actually a spell designed for subterfuge and the gathering of intelligence, to gain knowledge, not understanding. But unlike the magic Faith used to switch your essences, this wears off after a week," Giles explained. "But I think this has established a new rule for you, Buffy. After you break this spell, no more magic for you."
* * * * *
The end bit that got cut off by LJ is HERE