Title: The Choice – Part 7b
Author: Xanfan
Rating: Mature
Pairing: various, including M/M Slash
Summary: Response to challenge found here http://beyondcanon.brain-insane.com/challenges.php?
chalid=38. The Scoobies discover that Buffy’s resurrection has allowed the First to gain a foothold in this
world. Xander is told that the balance must be restored, and the only way to do that is for a Slayer to die.
Who does he choose? Buffy or Faith?
Spoilers: Up to season 7 of Buffy and 4 of Angel. Cordy never comes back from being a higher being, so, no
beast master.
Warnings: SLASH, CHARACTER DEATH
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.
____________________________________________
Gunn entered his room at the Hyperion. He closed the door behind him and leaned back against it. He
stared down at the letter in his hand and slowly sank to the floor.
Gunn thought back over the last few days and wondered how long Xander had known what he would have
to do.
He and Xander had hit it off right away when Xander came to L.A. They were both the ‘normal ones.’ They’d
both had rough childhoods. Gunn had been forced to grow up quickly in order to protect his sister and
himself in a rough neighborhood after they lost their parents, doing his best to keep them both fed and safe
from the evil in the world, both demon and human. Xander had lost his childhood to alcoholic parents who
were, at best, neglectful, and at worst, abusive. Xander had been taking care of himself for a very long time.
Later Gunn had learned that they had both had to stake someone very close to themselves, after the
person had been turned into a vampire. He didn’t doubt that staking his friend Jesse had been just as hard
for Xander as staking his sister Alonna had been for him. According to Xander, Jesse had been the closest
thing to a brother that Xander had ever had.
Neither of them were the type to get pulled down by self-pity though. Xander had a wicked sense of humor
that Gunn got right away. Not many people could get away with calling Angel ‘Deadboy’, even as a term of
affection. The guy was a little twisted, but Gunn liked it.
And now he was gone.
Gunn tore open the envelope and took out the letter Xander had written him. The last words his friend had
for him.
Hey Gunn,
I was tempted to open this letter with some really cool slang phrase, and then I realized that I didn’t know
any really cool slang phrases. I thought you would prefer it if I didn’t anyway.
So, freaky huh? Faith is walking around in my body. I bet it’s weird, kinda twilight zoney.
I won’t bore you with the long winded explanation like I gave Wes. Long story short, only the Slayer’s body
had to die. I figured, I could switch and kill the body, no First, world not overrun with hellspawn, but both
Buffy and Faith live. It’s of the good.
I bet you’re wondering why I chose Faith, huh? I mean, why not switch with Buffy, she never wanted to be
the slayer anyway, right? Buffy has finally started to accept the fact that she is alive again. I so didn’t want to
throw her into another tailspin by taking away her body the way I helped take away her heaven.
Faith is a convicted murderer. Assuming she ever got out of prison, she wouldn’t have been allowed to have
any kind of normal life. Not as a felon. This was a way for her to start over, clean slate.
I bet she is wiggin right now. Because hello, guy body! I wonder if she’s checked out the goods yet? Not that
she hasn’t seen em before. Oh hell, I wonder if she’d had to go pee yet?
I know it’ll be weird seeing her in my body. But that’s not me anymore. I gave that body to her, it belongs to
her now. She’ll use it differently. I bet she is way better at the whole cool guy thing than I ever was, she just
always had that.
Take care of my girls for me. That means Faith too, even is she’s in a guy body now. Cool or not, she’s
gonna need help sometimes.
I am proud to call you my friend, you know. It may be all un-manly and mushy and stuff, but your friendship
means a lot to me and I think I am a better man for it. Knowing I can count on you to take care of my girls
has made this decision a little easier for me. I would’ve done the same thing no matter what, there wasn’t any
other choice I could make, but it’s good to know the people I care about are left in good hands.
Your friend,
Xander
P.S.
Take care of Angel for me. He’s probably gonna try and be all solitary and brooding, but don’t let him push
you all away. You all have become his family, and he’s gonna need family now more than ever.
Gunn folded up the letter and put it on his dresser. He blinked back the tears that wanted to fall and went to
go find Fred; she would probably need some comfort right now. Wesley and Lorne were probably cool on
the Faith front right now.
Later, he would try and get to know the person who now lived in his friend’s body. Right now, his other girl
needed him.
Part 7c
Back to Fiction Index
Reviews? Email Me