"Stupid depth perception," Xander Harris muttered, angrily slamming down his car keys on the kitchen counter. "How in the hell did I fail? I failed. Crappy driving is Buffy's thing," he muttered, shuffling through his modest-sized apartment. "Stupid chipmunk," he groused.
That's what it had all come down to. Some furry little bushy-tailed rodent had scampered into the path of the car. In his blind spot, too. He hadn't seen the poor thing (naturally), so the little guy had turned into chipmunk pancake.
Ew. 'Chipmunk pancake'. Along with crepes and waffles, I'll just add pancakes to the growing list of things I am never eating again.
"Oh, please, Xander. You know you're gonna totally be pigging out on a stack of chocolate chip pancakes tomorrow morning."
Xander froze midway to his bedroom. He ran a hand through his wavy dark hair and turned around to the source of the voice. "Oh my God."
There she was in all her glory. Thick, dark brown hair that fell to within inches of her waist in pretty curls. A long sweeping dress of airy, floaty white hugged her body in all the right places, and a ring of golden light floated just above her head.
"What? You look like you just saw a ghost."
Xander gave her a Look. "Technically, I did. I mean, I am. I'm seeing you, and you're dead. And I mean seeing you in the visual way, not in the making-out-in-a-janitor's-closet way, because those days are over. But-"
"Are you done the verbal diarrhea?"
"Cordelia, you're dead."
"As a doornail," she agreed, taking a seat on the arm of his sofa.
"How can a doornail be dead?" Xander asked, the only thing coherent thought he could form. Is it really her? I mean, it could be The First; we all remember how much it loved to dress up as dead people.
"Okay, first off, I am no First Evil. That thing didn't even have any fashion sense. And second off-"
"Hey! No reading my mind!"
"Could the First Evil read minds?"
Xander contemplated that for a moment. "I don't think so. It could only do the incorporeal shapeshifting thing."
"Wow. 'Incorporeal'. Xander knows a big word."
Oh yeah. It's Cordy. "So, what?" He asked out loud. "Did you come all the way from the fiery depths of hell to bitch me out?"
"No," Cordelia replied snidely. "I came all the way from the sparkling planes of Heaven to do you a favour. Not that you're really deserving of it right now."
"Favour? What kind of favour?"
For the first time in a long time, Cordelia gave him a genuine smile. "Xander Harris, you're about to receive the opportunity of a lifetime." He raised an eyebrow. "We've been watching you, Xander."
"Stalker much?" He muttered, creeped out by the thought of invisible beings watching him while he was in the shower.
A scowl marred Cordy's beautiful features. "Could you shut the hell up so I can talk? Thanks. So like I was saying..." She waved her hand, and a small hourglass hovered above her open palm.
"What's that for?"
"Be quiet for two seconds and you might find out." She took a couple of minutes to study the man before her. Gone was the high school boy she remembered. Now, he had grown into a man, someone strong and dependent and reliable. Pride shone in her eyes. "I've seen so much more than you think, Xander. I saw you fight alongside Buffy and the others. I've seen the sacrifices you made - all of them. I've seen the people you've helped and the lives you've changed. I've seen all the good you've done, Xander Harris."
The hourglass began to glow, and the tiny grains of sand melted together to become a bright, shining light.
"What-?"
"The Powers-That-Be have decided to reward you, Xander. They've decided to grant you one wish."
Xander groaned. "Look, Cordy, no offense, or anything, but the word 'wish' is kind of taboo with me. I've had a lot of bad experiences with them."
"Xander, do you think I'd set you up?" He pretended to pause for a moment. She punched him on the arm. "That wasn't supposed to be a trick question!" She sighed. "Look. This is a direct gift from up above. I promise you, there's nothing bad to be had. Unless you wish for something bad," she added as an afterthought.
"What's the catch?" He asked. "There's always a catch."
"The wish can only be used on yourself or someone else," she explained. "It's a life-altering wish. You can't wish to change history, or for a world-changing thing, like ending world hunger. "
"Only for something that what? Changes my life? Or someone else's?"
"You got it, Nighthawk," she smiled, handing him the hourglass. "When you've made your wish, turn the hourglass. When the light runs out, your wish will have been made."
"What's with the time delay?"
"If you regret what you've wished for, you can always flip the hourglass around and start over."
"Wow. The Powers are being helpful. Considering their enormous lack of non-help in the past."
"No, that last part was all me. I know how much you make mistakes," she added; he scowled.
"So this is real, then? All of it?"
"All of it," she confirmed. "And now that I've delivered my message, I gotta run. Or ascend, as the case may be."
"Cordy, wait." He grabbed her hand. "Why me? I mean, Buffy, Willow, Deadboy... hell, even Faith is more deserving of this than I am. I mean, I'm just a regular guy."
Cordelia gave him a hard look. "Why you? Xander, do you honestly not know all the good you've done? So what if you don't have superpowers or a lethal allergy to sunlight - which, by the way, you should be thankful for - ? You're still a Champion all the same."
"I am?"
"To me," she murmured, looking up at him. Hesitantly, she reached up and gave him a hug. "I'm very proud of you, Xander."
"Likewise," he smiled. "Take care, Cordy."
"Likewise. I don't wanna see you again for at least fifty years," she warned. Giving him one last smile and a wave, she disappeared into thin air.
Now only one question plagued his mind.
What the hell am I gonna wish for?
Two weeks had passed until Xander finally decided what to wish for. He'd debated over the topic a lot. Should he wish for his eye back? Or maybe something for Willow? Maybe he should bring Tara back... no, he had a feeling she was in a good place, and to rip her out of there... How about Buffy? She could use some happiness in her life. But the only guys who ever made her happy were either married or indistinguishable from instant soup mix.
That was when the proverbial light bulb went off.
The minute he got home that day, he said his silent wish.
I wish he got exactly what he deserved, Xander thought, a clear picture of the man's face in his mind. He flipped over the hourglass and patiently waited until the light ran out. If he deserves it... then she deserves him.
In a darkened Los Angeles alley, just north of the once-famed Hyperion Hotel, a miracle was happening. Fierce winds whipped up, and what seemed like dust began to blow everywhere, obscuring everything. The 'dust' began to coalesce, the shape of a man could be seen. The form became more and more solid, until the winds died down, and there really was a man.
Clad in a black duster, the man took in his surroundings. The memoried began to flood back, and he remembered exactly where he was, exactly what had happened, exactly how he died.
Which begs the question... why am I here?
The answer was simple, of course, when he got over his shock and realized he was standing in sunlight and had not yet burst into flame.
"I'm human," he said aloud, wonderingly. "I'm human."
She saw Xander selflessly give away his wish - and really, did she expect anything less? - and she saw the man being pulled out of hell and given a chance at life once more.
"I swear, I really do fall for the dumb ones," Cordelia muttered, a small smile playing on her face.
FIN
This is a roundrobin story. Would you like to contribute?
|
|
|
|
Rave
Barbie Girl (Becca)
biscuit07
Filmtheory (Jim)
Malice (Jess)
MebbtheScribe (MichaelB)
Reset (Allie)
Shay (Marrisa)
somnambulist29 (Shea)
Stephanie Loss
Wendyness (Wendy)
Questions?Contact Us
|
|
All stories on this site have been archived with the authors' consent. Do not copy these stories for your own uses without the express consent of the author themselves. Buffy the Vampire Slayer TM and Angel TM are © UPN, WB, Fox and its related entities. All photos on the site are © UPN, Fox, Warner Bros, and/or their respective owners. No profits are being made by use of these images.
Powered with the assitance of eFiction.
|
|
|
