The Return (BtVS) Chapter Two

Here is chapter two of the Xander/Buffy time travel tale.  It's a bit shorter than the first chapter, but I'm going to try and limit the chapter sizes to under 5,000 words so I can get them updated faster.  I hope you don't mind.

SERIES TITLE: A Last Desperate Gamble

STORY TITLE: The Return

PART: 02 of ??

AUTHOR: Red Jacobson (red.jacobson@gmail.com)

DISTRIBUTION:  Patreon Exclusive

DISCLAIMER: None of the Characters You Recognize belong to me, they all belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy

SUMMARY: Buffy and Xander start to make changes.  First Step, Making Buffy's dreams come true.

FEEDBACK: Of course! It Makes Me Write Faster

CATEGORY: Lots of Women

RELATIONSHIPS: Xander/Multi

RATING: NC-17

WORD COUNT: <4,556>

SPOILERS:   None, goes extremely AU at the end of Prophecy Girl 

WARNINGS: If You've ever read any of my stories, you know what to expect, Oral, anal, Femme-slash, dom/sub, multiple partners, and Femme-cest.  

AUTHORS NOTES: 

Friday, May 23rd, 1997

The Master's Cavern

Under Sunnydale

Later that Night

The cavern was almost frighteningly quiet when the two of them entered.  There was no sign of the Annoying One or any of the other minions at all, but it wasn't surprising, that little shit Colin was almost as good as Spike at wriggling out of a dusting.  Buffy smirked, it wasn't going to help him, though, there were only so many places he could hide, and when she and Master got through with this lair he wouldn't be able to even get close to the place!

At least the minions left behind their stash of cash and jewels, and Xander was busy stuffing the pockets of his cargo pants with the valuables.   She left him to it, her lover had turned into an expert hacker over the last few years, and she knew that the funds would show up perfectly clean and legal.   She was more interested in tracking down any books that Nest had stashed, Giles would appreciate them, and keeping them out of anybody else's hands would make life easier for everybody that counted.

It was nearly an hour later that the two of them made their way out of the cavern, leaving behind several crosses hanging on the walls as well as holy water sprayed over all the entry ways.  It wouldn't hold the vampires for long, but it would do until they could get their hands on the ritual requirements to consecrate the place.   Buffy wondered idly if doing so would cause the Mayor any problems?  Something to look into later, right now she still had to face her mom, and she was far more nervous about that than the demon worshiper in City Hall.  It had been almost 30 years since she'd seen Joyce, but the pain of finding her laying dead on the couch still cut her like a knife.   Knowing that she was soon going to see her and had to act like nothing was wrong was going to be harder than anything she'd ever done, including shoving the sword through Angel to send him to hell the last time.

Buffy had worked in silence the entire time, as did Master, each deep in their own thoughts.  It also helped that they knew each other far too well to need any words, but when they finally reached the exit into the crypt Master let out a long breath.   Turning to her, he pulled her into his arms and softly said,

“Okay, that part's done, let's get you home so you can see Joyce again.   I know that it's going to be difficult to stay calm, seeing her again after so many years, but I know you can do it.   I promise that I will hold you as long as you need to get everything out in the morning, but I trust you to stay calm tonight.  Can you do that for me?”

She relaxed against him, some of the tension leaving her body as he gave her the strength she needed, as always.   It was funny, she was so much stronger than Master was, physically, but it was his emotional strength that had gotten them through so many different fights.   Looking up at him, she gave him a nod, and he smiled, giving a quick kiss with a murmured “Good Slayer, very good girl!”

She moaned at hearing his words, in just that tone, it always sent a shiver of pleasure straight to her core, and had ever since they finally got together.  She felt herself getting wet again, and knew that she was going to have a long session with the shower when she got home!   Buffy realized that was exactly what he was intending, and it certainly got her mind off of the coming encounter with Joyce.

Friday, May 23rd, 1997

1630 Revello Drive

Sunnydale, California

Xander had his arm around Buffy's waist as the two of them approached the house, and he felt his Slayer tense when they saw Joyce walking around the living room through the front window.   He squeezed her tightly, letting his lover draw strength from him, and nodded when she gave him a grateful smile.   He didn't like the idea of leaving her to face Joyce alone, but he couldn't see a way to let Joyce know he was staying the night with her 16 year old daughter.   Even though they were both too emotionally wrung out to do more than just cuddle tonight.  

It still hadn't completely hit him that their insane plan had worked, and they would be able to avoid so many of the deaths this time, although he was sure that he was going to have a small nervous breakdown as soon as he got somewhere private.  Right now his Slayer needed him to be strong enough to get through this, and he would hold on as long as it took.

The plan was for him to say goodnight on the porch and let her go inside on her own while he waited within earshot to help her if needed.  Of course, no plan survives contact with the mom, to mangle a phrase, and it all went to hell the minute they walked to the door and Joyce opened it, a strained expression on her face.

Buffy froze at the sight of her mother, and he had to blink back the sudden tears in his eyes as well.  Joyce had been the closest thing to a mom that he could remember, and her death hit him just as hard as it did the rest of the gang.   But then he noticed that the older woman had just opened the door and was standing aside, not inviting them in, and warning sirens started going off in his head.

Joyce must have noticed the way he suddenly tensed and she gave him a warm smile, “Don't worry Xander, this isn't a trap, it's just that I'm dealing with learning a lot of things in the last hour or so that turned my life upside down.”

There was no way he was going to let his Slayer face whatever this was on her own, and he guided the stunned girl into the house, his free hand dropping to his belt for the knife he always carried.    Joyce shut the door behind them and walked past into the living room.  He and Buffy followed, separating slightly in case they needed to move quickly.   When they got to the living room, Joyce was sitting rather calmly on the couch and she said, “Have either of you heard of a being called the Metatron?”

Xander choked back a laugh, that was probably about the last question he would have expected to hear in this situation, but if what they were doing was really sanctioned by the One Above All, it would make sense that Her Voice would make an appearance.    

Joyce quirked a grin at his reaction, and she said, “That was about my reaction as well, at least until he started telling me a few things.”  Looking at Buffy, she gestured at a tire iron that was sitting on the table in front of her and said, “Go ahead and bend this for me, would you Buffy?   I've been told that the Slayer is a lot stronger than a normal person.”

Buffy looked at him questioningly and he gave her a brief nod, his attention locked on the woman on the couch.   She didn't feel like a threat, but he wasn't going to relax until he knew for sure.   “Why don't you tell us what the Voice had to say, Joyce?  I'm sure we can answer your questions once we know what you were told.”

His Slayer had moved forward and picked up the piece of metal as he was talking, and Joyce looked at her daughter in resignation when Buffy easily twisted the metal into a circle before straightening it and tying it into a bow.   She nodded and said, “Okay, so she is the Slayer, I was hoping it was a hallucination or something.”   

Looking back at him, Joyce said, “The Cleveland Hellmouth, May 23rd in the year 2027.  Does that mean anything to you?”

He couldn't help it, he staggered back slightly, and Buffy gasped, that was the date that the two of them had sacrificed themselves, was it just earlier that day?

Joyce smiled sadly, “You don't have to answer the question, your reactions tell me just what I needed to know.   He didn't tell me everything you went through, and I don't know who quite a few of the people are, but I'll help you however I can to support the two of you in what you are doing.   I just hope you've got a plan to keep Willow from becoming that monster!”

Xander stood there, thinking furiously.  Sure, it would be great if Joyce had really been told what was going on, it would make things much easier, but still, he wouldn't put it passed one of the Powers to try and trick them, to keep things on their original path.

He had just opened his mouth, he wasn't sure what he was going to say, but it didn't matter, because suddenly they weren't alone in the room anymore.  The figure was immediately recognizable, not just from the aura of divine power that flooded the room and had both Joyce and Buffy smiling widely, but by his very appearance.   Although blurting out, “I'll be damned! He does look like Alan Rickman!” probably wasn't the smartest thing he'd ever done.

The Metatron glared at him before rolling his eyes, and the unmistakable voice said, “Really, Alexander?  I bring you a message from the One and you make a puerile comment like that?”

Xander couldn't say anything to that, literally, he was struck dumb, the lips were moving but nothing was coming out!   When he realized it Xander shrugged apologetically and mimed zipping his lips.

The Angel glared at him again before nodding.  “As I was about to say before Loki's avatar decided to comment, I was the one who spoke to Joyce earlier.  The One is in agreement with your goals, she doesn't wish the world to end before it's scheduled time, and the Adversary and his agents brought it about far too soon.  To prevent the Adversary from gaining access, two gifts have been granted.  First, the Beast Glorificus has been removed from this universe entirely, it will be a millennia, at least before it can reform and attempt to make it's way back.”

Xander saw the slight confusion on Joyce's face and the absolute relief on Buffy's, and had to admit that knowing they wouldn't have to deal with Glory was a huge load off of his mind.  He had tentative plans for dealing with the Initiative and Adam, but Glory was more than they could handle without a lot of extra power on their side.

The Metatron continued, “The steps you have already taken with the ensouled vampire and the nascent witch also meet with the One's approval.   But be wary of moving too quickly in bringing others in, the witch will need time to truly accept in her soul the reality of her new situation.”

Joyce really looked confused at that, but he saw the look of awareness in his Slayer's eyes and knew that the tentative plans to bring Amy into the inner group would have to wait a while.    But there was no reason not to invite her to learn magic properly, and if they can get Jono and Andrew as well, they would probably do a lot better with an actual support system in place.

His thoughts were interrupted by the angelic being moving until he was standing in front of Joyce and his hands were on her head.   Xander and Buffy started moving almost instinctively, but the Metatron gently said, “Hold!  I said you were given two gifts, this is the second one.”  His hands started glowing softly, and Joyce frowned briefly before giving a sigh of relief.

The Metatron turned to the two of them with a smile, “The cells that would have developed into a tumor have been cured, they will grow normally from now on.”

Buffy gasped and stared at him, her mouth moving but no sounds coming out, until tears started flowing from her eyes and she swayed for a moment before collapsing in a boneless heap.   Xander had moved as soon as she started swaying, catching her and lowering her gently to the floor as he stared at the Angel.

Joyce almost leapt to her feet, glaring at the Metatron, “What the hell was that about? Why did Buffy faint like that?” She demanded angrily, moving to kneel beside her daughter.

When the Metatron didn't say anything, Xander said, as gently as he could, “You know that you died in our past, don't you Joyce?  Well, it was a brain aneurysm while you were recovering from having to have a brain tumor removed that killed you.   What just happened was a change to the part of your brain that had the tumor.  It won't develop this time, so you won't die so young, leaving Buffy and the rest of us to try and muddle through without you.”

Joyce stared blankly at him, blinking owlishly, until she nodded and murmured, “Oh, that would explain it...” before her eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed next to Buffy.

“Shit!” Xander swore as he moved to check on Joyce.   “Care to give me a hand here? Since it was your gift that made them both faint?”

There was no answer, and Xander looked over his shoulder to see if the angel was going to do anything only to realize that he was alone with the two women.

“Well, crap!”  He said, as he shifted both of them so they were flat on their back, and put their feet up on the coffee table.   “Never thought I'd be happy for those first aid classes Willow made us take when we were kids,” he muttered, as he started shaking Joyce to wake her.   

When Joyce's eyes started fluttering open, Xander said, “Easy Joyce, you just had a nasty shock and fainted, you'll be okay in a minute or so, just lay still for now, okay?”

She opened her eyes fully and looked at him in confusion, until her eyes cleared and she nodded, “Yeah, finding out I was going to die fairly soon would do that, thank you Xander.”  

He smiled reassuringly at her before he moved over to Buffy and found that she was already waking up.  Unlike Joyce, his Slayer was aware of what had happened and smiled up at him, “She's not going to die, is she Master?” she softly said, happiness shining in her eyes.

“No, Slayer, she isn't, not for a long, long time if we can help it.”

Joyce had managed to sit up by this point and was watching the two of them together, and she said, “If you don't have any other bombs to drop on me tonight, I think I need to go to bed and try and sleep.  We can talk more in the morning, I don't think I can deal with any more tonight.”   Xander helped her to stand, and she looked at him seriously, “Buffy is going to need you to stay with her, and it's pretty clear that you need her, just, try not to make me a grandmother before you graduate High School, please?”

“Mommmm!  I'm on the pill, remember?” Buffy protested, her face bright red.

Joyce nodded, “I know dear, I know. I also know that they don't always work they way they are supposed to, so please, be careful.”

He and Buffy looked at each other in surprise, before laughing helplessly and following Joyce up the stairs.    They stopped at the door to Buffy's bedroom while Joyce continued down the hall to her own room.  Once she was inside and the door closed, Buffy opened the door to her room and he followed her inside.

She started trembling as soon as the door closed behind them, and he pulled her into his arms, holding her tight as he whispered soothingly in her ear.   He could easily understand her reaction, hell, he still felt like he was holding on by his fingertips, but for his Slayer things were so much worse.   She had been crushed when Joyce died, and now, to know that she wasn't going to develop the brain tumor that had killed her?  On top of the mere fact that they were back in time was enough to give anybody a case of the screaming wiggins!

He felt her starting to calm down and knew that she really needed something familiar to hold on to, so he said, “Slayer, we are both very filthy from our exertions tonight.  Lead me to the shower and wash me, and then wash yourself.  You need to take care of your grooming as well.”

Xander could see in her eyes that she understood exactly what he was doing, and also how much she appreciated it as she nodded and slipped out of his arms.

“Of course, Master, shall I undress you first?” She asked, her mouth twitching in amusement.

“No Slayer, I can take care of that myself, but I do wish to watch you undress.  The light in the graveyard was not enough to truly enjoy seeing your beautiful body again.”

She blushed, but a smile spread across her face, as he reminded her that the last time he had been able to see her, before the loss of his eyes, she had already been covered with the scars of battle.   She had to admit she was also looking forward to seeing him before his body was marred by the long nights of fighting.

Turning on the overhead light in her bedroom, Buffy reached behind her and unzipped the dress she had chosen for tonight's dance.  Heh, not exactly the dance her younger self had been thinking of, but this was going to be a lot more fun!   Once the dress was open, she reached up and pushed it off her shoulders, pulling her arms free and leaving her standing topless except for her bra.   

She looked up at her Master and saw that he had removed his shirt and was standing in front of her bare chested.  It was a surprise to see the way he had looked when he was younger, she was so used to seeing his well muscled chest and shoulders, but starting the exercise program early would make a difference there.   

Master had noticed her gaze, and grinned, “Not exactly looking forward to the exercise program again, Slayer, but at least Larry won't be able to kick sand in my face when we go to beach now.”

She giggled, “No Master, although I really can't see anybody calling you 'Mac' either!”  Damn it felt good to be able to actually giggle again!  There had been a distinct lack of giggles and laughter in that horrible future, but they were going to change it, Larry was only one of the people who she and Master were going to save! But that could wait until tomorrow, she had something far more important to do right now.   Reaching up, she unhooked her bra and let it fall from her body, feeling a flush of pleasure from the expression in Master's eyes as he enjoyed the sight of her naked breasts.   

Her hands came up and started playing with her nipples, although they felt strange not having the metal rings piercing them.   She would have to get Joyce to take her to get them pierced again, although she might not be comfortable about the hood piercing!    Buffy didn't care though, she was looking forward to Master playing with them, and the beautiful pain as he hung the weights from the rings as she was tied in the doorway of their room.    Of course, they probably would have to find another place for their bondage fun, because Joyce wouldn't enjoy seeing the way her naked body danced to the cane!  From what she remembered, there were several places in the house on Crawford Street that would be perfect, and that's even before Master made his changes to the basement.  

She felt her pussy getting wet as she imagined all the different toys and equipment Master would fill the playroom with, and picturing Willow, Cordy and Tara all naked and kneeling beside her during play time.   

Her body was working on automatic as her hands came down and pushed the dress over her hips, leaving her completely naked before him, and she saw his smile widen when he saw the wetness on the hair covering her pussy.   She licked her lips when she saw that Master was completely nude as well, his shaft standing firm and tall, making her long to crawl to him and take him in her mouth.

His voice was thick with lust as he watched her, “Tell me, my naughty little Slayer, just what has you so excited?”

She shivered in delight at the tone, and said, “I was just picturing the playroom you would build in the basement of the Crawford Street house, and how much fun it will be when we have Willow, Cordy and Tara kneeling naked next to me.   Maybe we can even keep Kendra from dying so she can join us?  I'm sure she would enjoy learning how much fun life has to offer!”

“I'm sure she would, and Faith doesn't have to be called for us to rescue her and her Watcher, but that's in the future, we don't want to get ahead of ourselves.  Now, you've enjoyed seeing me, and I'm enjoying your beauty, but I gave you something to do, did I not?”

'Gods what that voice does to me!' she thought as she felt herself getting even wetter, but she just nodded her head submissively, “Yes Master, you did.  I'll do that now.”

Joyce's Bedroom

Joyce lay back on her bed, her mind whirling from what she was hearing!  She had never really given much thought to the way that voices carried through the vents, but from the minute that Buffy had closed her bedroom door behind her, the conversation between her daughter and Xander had come through, clear as a bell.   Fortunately the two of them had gone into the bathroom, and the running water muffled what they were saying, and more importantly, doing while they were in there.   She was grateful for that, because she already had more than enough to deal with at the moment, thank you!

She was still having a hard time, to put it mildly, adjusting to the fact that she had actually encountered the Voice of God, and then to find out that she was originally going to die in less than four years?  It had taken all of her willpower not to grab a bottle of wine to take to bed with her.   But she needed to be clear headed to deal with everything she'd learned.    Not to mention what happened to sweet Willow!  It was hard to believe that the girl who was practically a second daughter to her would turn into the monster that the Metatron described.  

And what was this about somebody named Dawn?  That she would end up with another daughter that was created by a bunch of monks?  She and Hank had tried for another baby after Buffy, but never had any success.  She would have loved to have another child, but from what she was told, with this Glorificus creature no longer being a problem, Dawn would never come to her, and she felt a bit of loss  over the daughter she would never have a chance to love.

A wry smile crossed her face as she listened to Buffy and Xander's conversation, she might just end up with a grandchild anyway, the way it sounded like they were planning to gather girls.  It didn't bother her at all that Buffy enjoyed playing with girls, she'd gone through quite an experimental phase while she was in college, and enjoyed every minute of it.   It was the fact that Buffy was calling Xander 'Master' that gave her pause, but she had to trust that Buffy knew her lover well enough to be comfortable in that sort of relationship.   Joyce didn't think Xander was the type to abuse anyone, but what she'd heard about Tony and Jessica Harris made her more than a little uncomfortable.  

She heard the door to Buffy's bedroom open again, and the two of them were talking quietly.  Joyce braced herself to having to listen to her daughter having sex, but apparently Xander was far more interested in her daughter's emotional well being, because she heard him telling Buffy that they had plenty of time for playing, tonight she needed to feel safe in his arms as she let go of it all.

It was painful listening to Buffy's tears, but Xander was holding her and soothing her, and she had to admit he was doing better than she could have done.  Of course, he'd gone through all of it with her, so he understood a lot more than she would have.   Eventually the tears ended, and it sounded like the two of them fell asleep.

With a yawn, Joyce checked the time and saw that it was already nearly one in the morning and she shook her head, she needed to get some sleep herself, or she wouldn't be worth a damn in the morning!

Shutting out the light, she managed to fall asleep fairly quickly.

A few hours later

It was the sound of her bedroom door opening that woke her, and she looked sleepily at the younger girl who came padding into the room, dressed in her Disney Princess pajamas.  “What's wrong, Dawnie?”

“Had a bad dream mommy, can I stay with you?”

She smiled softly, “Of course, pumpkin, you know that.”

It was only when her daughter was cuddled up next to her sleeping peacefully, that Joyce was able to doze off.   She was nearly asleep when it hit her just who was in bed with her!  'Dawn? I've got my baby again?  How?  No, not important, she's my baby, we can figure it out in the morning.'

With that thought, Joyce fell into dreams and didn't wake until that damned alarm clock went off at six a.m.!

End Chapter Two