Still alive...

[calic0cat]

...just really swamped by RL stuff. Again. Or should that be still? Whatever.

Anyway, I have been getting some writing done, but most of what I'm working on isn't ready for posting. I'd hoped to have the next "Mission: Nerima" chapter ready, but didn't quite make it. I'm also holding on to "Kindergarten Heero" since I want to finish the story before posting the next chapter (only one chapter and an epilogue left, I think). Ditto for the GW Regency Xmas fic and "Life with Heero" - I have more done, but I want another part ready before I post what's completed, just in case I need to do a little bit of "tweaking".

I've also got a good start on one of the other S/X BtVS fics, but I figured I'd better not start posting another S/X WIP before even adding another part to the previously-untitled one that I've already started posting (which is now titled "Artifact"). It's a little short, but it was a logical spot to end the part, so here it is:


Title: Artifact
Part: 2/?
Author: Calic0cat
Fandom: BtVS
Pairing: S/X (eventually)
Rating: FRT (for now)
Warnings: profanity
Notes: Post-season 7 BtVS AU.

***

Xander Harris would not have been his first choice of visitors but, at this point, Spike was more than happy to take whoever he got. 'Sides, it wasn't like he and the whelp hadn't made peace there before the end. And Harris *liked* to talk. More than he liked research. Should be easy enough to keep him around for a while.

And Spike really, really needed to keep him around for a while. The longer, the better. He'd had just about enough solitude to drive him batty.

Hells, he'd even help with the research if he had to. The boy'd just have to turn the pages for him, that's all.

Not that he was much of a 'boy' anymore. Spike eyed him appreciatively. The whelp had finished growing up since he'd last seen him. Thinned down, tanned up, filled out... Oh yes, Xander Harris had shaped up *very* nicely indeed. A real nummy treat.

Even if he did look a right git, standing there with his gob hangin' open.

"Oi, mate, best shut yer gob 'fore y'drool on somethin' important."

Xander's mouth closed with a snap. He shook his head and laughed. "Oh yeah, it's definitely Bleachie the snarky wonder-vamp, in the unliving flesh." Striding forward, he said, "Damn, Spike, how the hell..."

By the time that Spike realized that the Scooby Gang's White Knight intended to *hug* him - *him*, for hell's sake! - it was too late for a warning. Arms outstretched, Harris leaned forward and fell right through him.

Spike cursed his insubstantial state for the millionth time. That hug would have felt bloody good. Hells, even the *intention* was enough to warm the cockles of his unbeating heart.

Not that he'd ever admit it.

***

Okay, even bigger wiggins time. And he wasn't talking about the weird comradely impulse that had led him to try to hug the miraculously-undead vampire, though that was wiggins-y enough all on its own.

Nope, the biggest wiggins was due to the fact that he'd apparently just fallen right *through* Spike. Xander staggered but managed - just - not to land flat on his face. Turning around, he came face-to-face with Spike.

"Sorry, mate," the vampire said a bit sheepishly. "Not quite in the flesh, unliving or otherwise, I'm afraid, 'less you count that bloody trinket." Xander's gaze followed the direction of his gesture to a small glass display case containing a pendant. He looked back at Spike as the vampire continued morosely, "Watcher's s'posed to be workin' on it, but..." The resigned shrug spoke volumes.

Xander knew that he wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, but Giles hadn't exactly been subtle. Giles obviously wasn't expecting him to hang out in the archives being research-man indefinitely, since he *did* have a Slayer to find ASAP. And Giles *had* told him to take whatever he needed from the archives...

"Hey, Spike? How familiar are you with the Balkans? And have you ever heard of the Torque of Vashkepli?"

Comments

[amejisuto.livejournal.com]

OOoh! That's so good! I really liked how Xander had an impulse to hug Spike, even if it didn't work out. The wiggins after was perfect. Hope RL lets up some for ya...or you win the lotto and can hire people to handle RL for you!

[sunhawk16.livejournal.com]

I think it's 'still swamped'. You need a vacation. In a remote place with internet access. And room service. ^___~

[realsmutgirl.livejournal.com]

Ooh! Intrigued am I!

I like your characters, it's really easy to get bogged down, post-Chosen, in the darker sides, which can have it's own rewards, but it's nice to see some lighter characters.

More please:-D

[stretfordditto.livejournal.com]

Totally excellent, write more asap please. I laughed out loud at the snark and the dialogue is exquisite. Looking forward to more. :D

[kaysm95.livejournal.com]

I love the beginning of this! I love the idea of Angel packing the amulet back into the envelope and sending it to someone else. As much as I love Angel, I'm not sure that that's not exactly what he'd have done if he'd been alone at the time!

[yanagi-wa.livejournal.com]

Well, now, how come I think Xander is going to regret taking that amulet with him.

[thedabara-cds.livejournal.com]

Yay! I was hoping he'd take the amulet with him. More, please!

[calic0cat.livejournal.com]

After so many years of hanging out with the girls, the whole greet-your-friends-with-a-hug thing would be pretty thoroughly ingrained in Xander. Even if the person in question just barely qualified. *grin*

And even if the impulse gave him the wiggins afterwards. *snicker*

As for RL... yeah, a lottery win would be a good thing.

[calic0cat.livejournal.com]

Actually, I might be better off without the internet access. *sweatdrops* Then I couldn't get side-tracked trying to catch up on LJ posts or email or reading other people's stories; I'd have to concentrate on writing instead.

[calic0cat.livejournal.com]

*grins* Thanks! Glad you like it. I had a couple of possibilities in mind when I started this, so I wasn't quite sure which direction this was going to go at first, but it looks like it's going to be a little more on the lighter side than the darker.

[calic0cat.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I'm glad that you're enjoying this. Spike-snark is rather drastically different from anything I've written before, so I'm glad to hear that it's coming through nicely. Hopefully, I'll have more ready for posting in the near future.

[calic0cat.livejournal.com]

I only watched a few early episodes of A:tS (the whole LA thing just never quite caught my interest), but from reading the episode transcripts for the episodes around and including Spike's arrival, I really had the feeling that he'd have been glad to have Spike off his hands. Not in the "wishing him dust" sense, just in the sense that he already had so much going on that he'd really rather not have had to deal with Spike on top of everything else. Given the opportunity to offload the problem with no one the wiser, I could certainly imagine him taking advantage of it.

Glad you like it!

[calic0cat.livejournal.com]

Maybe, maybe not... *tries to look mysterious*

[calic0cat.livejournal.com]

I'm sure that if Xander hadn't thought of it, Spike would have. *snicker* And he'd have managed to make it sound like he'd be the one doing Xander the favour by letting him do so.

[orchidluv.livejournal.com]

This is delightful. Is it just me or do I detect a trace of guilt in Giles? Seems like he would like it if Xander took his Spike problem somewhere where Giles wouldn't have to feel guilty for abandoning Spike alone in an attic (essentially).
But Spike is lucky Giles didn't get him a tv. The minute Spike realized he could neither turn it off nor change channels nor throw something through the screen, he would have gone absolutely bonkers!
Not to be all Oliver Twist but please, may we have some more??? When RL lets you, of course.

[sunhawk16.livejournal.com]

Guess you've got a point... I'd just probably go into withdrawal if I had to go a whole weekend with no internet. ^^;

[calic0cat.livejournal.com]

Yep, Giles feels just a wee bit guilty about more or less ignoring Spike's situation. He just doesn't feel quite guilty enough to justify using the Council's time and resources to actually solve the problem himself. Much easier to just dump the problem into someone else's hands. Poor Spike - first Angel, now Giles, only interested in passing his problem on to someone else.

More in the (hopefully) not-too-distant future...

[scifidancer.livejournal.com]

I'm really liking this concept. Please keep going.
;D Dancer

[calic0cat.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Glad you're enjoying it. More soon-ish (I hope!).