Title: I Finally Remembered You. Part 33 – Sing a little song for me…
Rating: R/NC-17 for other chapters
Pairing: Xander/Angel
Summary: AU futurefic. Slash. Xander, not Buffy, had gone to see Angel in “I Will Remember You”
Years later, he finally keeps his promise.
Spoilers: All of BtVS & Ats
Warnings: M/M, mild language, more in future chapters
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective
owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way
associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is
intended.
Words in Italics indicate thoughts.
_____________________________
Lorne walked into the room Faith indicated, then promptly, but kindly, shut the door in her face when
she attempted to follow him.
He looked around the study and admired the antiques mixed with comfortable furniture and the beautiful
craftsmanship of the built-in shelves.
He didn’t exactly ignore the other two figures in the room, but he didn’t acknowledge them right away. He
mostly wanted to take a moment to get his bearings before they got started. Lorne finally turned his
attention to the two dark haired men and took a moment to admire how good they looked… and how
good they looked together. Angel looked much the same, in that vampires don’t really change much, but
there was a subtle difference to him, a lightness that Lorne had never seen on him outside of unnatural
influences. He looked like someone who was no longer carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders,
or at least not carrying it alone.
Lorne looked over at the young man he didn’t know and knew he could only be Xander. He had a
muscular build that didn’t come from a gym and a small smile on his face that looked like he had only
recently rediscovered how to use it. Lorne was a little taken aback by the eye patch, but decided it didn’t
really detract from the handsome face it stretched across.
Lorne smiled at the way Angel was looking at him apprehensively.
“Hello Angelcakes, it is good to see you again. I find that I have missed our friendship.”
Angel smiled and stepped forward hesitantly.
Lorne met him half way and pulled the vampire into a hug similar to the one he had given Spike.
“I missed you, too. And I’m sorry Lorne,” Angel said as he stepped back.
“Introduce me to your young friend, Angel-muffin.”
Xander smirked at the endearment.
“Lorne, this is Xander. Feel free to call him by any number of pastry-inspired nicknames,” Angel said
with a smile.
Xander stepped forward and held out his hand. “Hi Lorne, I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Lorne grasped the offered hand and smiled warmly. “I’ve heard a lot about you, too, Sugar. Are you
going to sing a little song for me?”
“Huh?” Xander blurted out as he stepped back to Angel’s side.
“Well, I’ve heard Angel sing and I never, ever want to have to hear that again. So, you’re up. I’m hoping
your voice isn’t as ….cringe-worthy as his.”
Xander looked at Angel with a panicked expression.
“Xander, I told you that Lorne reads people when they sing, remember?” Angel said in what he hoped
was a soothing tone.
“Yeah, but I didn’t know we were going to jump right in and I didn’t know it would have to be me. Can’t we
hang out a little, get to know each other? Ease into the semi-public embarrassment? And I gotta tell you,
the last time I ran into a music demon, the whole town sang musicals and people danced themselves into
spontaneous combustion and then I was supposed to go to hell with him to be his queen, but then he
thought I wasn’t cute enough or something, so he didn’t take me. Which I was relieved about and not at
all offended by, really. And I don’t have to be Lorne’s queen, do I?” Xander said all in one breath.
Angel and Lorne just stared at him in amazement, confusion and a little awe.
“Huh?” Angel asked.
Lorne burst out laughing. “Aren’t you the cutest thing? I take it you met Sweet? Not a nice guy, or much
of a looker himself. Don’t be offended, he usually only takes girls as hell-brides; it’s his thing. I really am
not in the market for a queen at the moment myself, not to mention the fact that I don’t exactly have a
kingdom to rule, per se. I just want you to see what’s going on, no demon-bride contracts at all.”
Xander took a deep calming breath and ignored Angel’s you-will-tell-me-that-story-later look, closed his
eye and opened his mouth to sing.
“I set on a narrow way, many years ago.
Hoping I would find true love, along the broken road.
But I got lost a time or two, wiped my brow, kept pushing through.
I couldn’t see how every sign pointed straight to you.
“Every long lost dream, lead me to where you are.
Others who broke my heart, they were like northern stars
Pointing me on my way, into your lovin’ arms.
“This much I know is true, that God blessed the broken road, that lead me straight to you, yes he did.
“I think about the years I spent, just passing through.
I’d like to have the time I lost and give it back to you.
“But you just smile and take my hand
You’ve been there, you understand
It’s all part of a grander plan, that is coming true.
“Every long lost dream, lead me to where you are.
Others who broke my heart, they were like northern stars
Pointing me on my way, into your lovin’ arms.
This much I know is true, that God blessed the broken road, that lead me straight to you.
“Now I’m just rolling home into my lover’s arms.
This much I know is true, that God blessed the broken road, that lead me straight to you.”
Lorne sat down hard in the chair behind him and met Angel’s emotion filled eyes. And nodded.
Xander peeked open his eye when he heard nothing but silence in response to his singing. “Was my
voice that bad or what you saw?”
“Neither, you sounded great, Sweetie-Pie. And what I saw wasn’t bad, just a lot of information at once,”
Lorne assured him.
“Then why is Angel all teary? I bet I hurt his vampire ears with my singing,” Xander said worriedly.
Angel stepped over and pulled Xander into his arms. “Mo chroi, that was a beautiful song that you sang
well. I was touched by it, not physically harmed by it.”
Xander relaxed a little into Angel’s arms as they both looked at Lorne expectantly.
“The Powers That Be are not cruel, as a rule. Neither are the Oracles. They are, however, very focused
on their plans and the balance that must be maintained. When they gave you that day back, they were
glad that they hadn’t lost their champions.
“Yes, I said champions, plural. Xander may not have been a mystically empowered champion of the Light
by fate, but he was, is a champion by deed and choice. Many times he could have justifiably walked
away from the fight and pretended that the things that go bump in the night didn’t exist. But he never
did. Xander, you always chose to help, no matter who told you that you couldn’t or shouldn’t. You are
greatly admired in many circles for that. You have played a major part in the averting of apocalypse
after apocalypse, and they have seen your worth even when others didn’t. You were needed in
Sunnydale. You saved many lives and were an integral part of saving the world several times.
“And not just the Willow thing. Could they have gotten Oz out of the Initiative without you? Could Buffy
have stopped ADAM without you as her heart? You kept everyone together after Buffy died, saved their
sanity. Not counting Willow bringing Buffy back, because that was a path she went down by herself and
dragged you all along with her and not exactly willingly, I may say. She did it despite your presence, not
because of it. You were the only thing that stopped her from ending the world. No one else could have
done it. You were a big part of that last battle, planning and as a touchstone to the others. And Dawn is
alive because she was by your side that day. You mattered. You still matter.
“Yes, the PTB wanted and needed Angel to stay their champion, but they also needed you in
Sunnydale, doing your thing. So they took back the day and gave Angel no indication that he could
have you and his soul at the same time. And he let you walk away, because he thought it was the right
thing to do, and they let him.”
Lorne sat back from his explanation and watched as Angel and Xander processed the information.
“But that doesn’t answer the question as to why I had the dreams and why I’m remembering things now,”
Xander pointed out, setting aside the discovery that he was considered a champion by The Powers for
later freakage.
“Yes, why the dreams and why does he remember?” Angel asked, letting Xander put aside the champion
thing, knowing the young man would be ‘freaking out’ about it later. He would comfort him then.
Lorne smiled. “It’s simple really, to answer your question. Love is a wonderful and powerful thing.”
Angel and Xander just stared at him in confusion.
“Huh?” they said in unison.
Part 34
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