Normal (G: Xander)
Title: Normal
Prompt: Poltergeist
Wordcount: ~500
Timeline: after After Life
Disclaimer: still not mine, alas
"It's not easy being the token normal. I mean, my best friends are a witch, the chosen one, the key to the universe and an evil undead guy who's reformed on weekdays. The responsibility gets pretty overwhelming sometimes. I gotta keep reminding everybody what normal is.
"Last week Willow and Tara did a spell to bring Buffy back from the dead. Everybody's excited, especially Buffy's kid sister Dawn. Spike pretends to disapprove, but you don't have to be an expert on vampires to know he just got a hundred years of Christmas presents at once. Do vampires get Christmas presents?
"Anyway, we're all so busy wondering if Buffy's okay -- I mean, when Angel came back from a hell dimension he was as bad as I've ever seen him when he's not actually happy -- maybe we forgot to wonder, what does an okay Buffy look like? None of us knew her when she was normal. Dawn says she remembers, but how reliable are Dawn's memories? I sort of picture Buffy like a pint-sized, blonde Cordelia. Popular, bossy. The kind of girl who'd never give normal a second look.
"The day after our own personal Easter, we got a visit from the Easter bunny from hell. Don't tell my fiancee I said that. She's sensitive on the subject of bunnies. Vamps and demons are old hat for us Scoobs, but nobody knew what to do with a ghost that was Casper when you try to hit it and solid when it hits you back.
"That's what I'm saying: what's normal for a ghost?
"Anyway, Willow found a way to make the ghost solid long enough for Buffy to kill it. And the crisis was over, and things felt... right. Willow with the magics, and Buffy smiting things. Anya pointing out the obvious whether the rest of us want to hear it or not. Dawn being the one we all circle the wagons around. And I thought, this is okay. None of it's normal, but we're all doing what we need to do.
"So I decided, I'm gonna keep it simple. Me like Buffy. Buffy's alive, so, me glad.
"Spike, of course, is abnormal whatever way you look at him. A vampire who can't bite, who ever heard of that? He's got this unnatural crush on Buffy, but he did hang around and pitch in while she was gone. I gotta give him props.
"You, now, you were normal. Vamp see people. Vamp eat people. Just following your nature.
"Of course, it's the chip the Initiative shoved in his head that's keeping Spike from being what he is. Has to be. It can't be love. Because I know you loved us, Jesse. There's no doubt in my mind you'd have fought your vampire nature if you could.
"I wish you'd gotten a chance to be abnormal, buddy. You'd have made one hell of a Scooby."
Xander clinked his bottle on his friend's tombstone and drained the last of his beer.
"See you next month."
Prompt: Poltergeist
Wordcount: ~500
Timeline: after After Life
Disclaimer: still not mine, alas
"It's not easy being the token normal. I mean, my best friends are a witch, the chosen one, the key to the universe and an evil undead guy who's reformed on weekdays. The responsibility gets pretty overwhelming sometimes. I gotta keep reminding everybody what normal is.
"Last week Willow and Tara did a spell to bring Buffy back from the dead. Everybody's excited, especially Buffy's kid sister Dawn. Spike pretends to disapprove, but you don't have to be an expert on vampires to know he just got a hundred years of Christmas presents at once. Do vampires get Christmas presents?
"Anyway, we're all so busy wondering if Buffy's okay -- I mean, when Angel came back from a hell dimension he was as bad as I've ever seen him when he's not actually happy -- maybe we forgot to wonder, what does an okay Buffy look like? None of us knew her when she was normal. Dawn says she remembers, but how reliable are Dawn's memories? I sort of picture Buffy like a pint-sized, blonde Cordelia. Popular, bossy. The kind of girl who'd never give normal a second look.
"The day after our own personal Easter, we got a visit from the Easter bunny from hell. Don't tell my fiancee I said that. She's sensitive on the subject of bunnies. Vamps and demons are old hat for us Scoobs, but nobody knew what to do with a ghost that was Casper when you try to hit it and solid when it hits you back.
"That's what I'm saying: what's normal for a ghost?
"Anyway, Willow found a way to make the ghost solid long enough for Buffy to kill it. And the crisis was over, and things felt... right. Willow with the magics, and Buffy smiting things. Anya pointing out the obvious whether the rest of us want to hear it or not. Dawn being the one we all circle the wagons around. And I thought, this is okay. None of it's normal, but we're all doing what we need to do.
"So I decided, I'm gonna keep it simple. Me like Buffy. Buffy's alive, so, me glad.
"Spike, of course, is abnormal whatever way you look at him. A vampire who can't bite, who ever heard of that? He's got this unnatural crush on Buffy, but he did hang around and pitch in while she was gone. I gotta give him props.
"You, now, you were normal. Vamp see people. Vamp eat people. Just following your nature.
"Of course, it's the chip the Initiative shoved in his head that's keeping Spike from being what he is. Has to be. It can't be love. Because I know you loved us, Jesse. There's no doubt in my mind you'd have fought your vampire nature if you could.
"I wish you'd gotten a chance to be abnormal, buddy. You'd have made one hell of a Scooby."
Xander clinked his bottle on his friend's tombstone and drained the last of his beer.
"See you next month."