TITLE: In the Name of Love
AUTHOR: Scorpio
EMAIL: scorpiofic@aol.com
WEBSITE: http:/members.tripod.com/sentinel-cat/Scorpio/
ARCHIVE: Scorpio's Constellation, WWOMB. Anyone else, let me know where first.
FANDOM: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
PAIRINGS: Xander/Tara, Xander/Willow
RATING: NC-17
CATEGORY: extreme AU, Het-Smut!
WARNING: This is an AU and so I have changed cannon characters to suit my needs (specifically: Tara) and placed them in the storyline before they are introduced in the show.
DISCLAIMER: Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy own all things Buffy. I'm not intending to infringe on any copyrights and I am making no money.
STORY NOTES: The story picks up on the night of the Spring Fling Dance right after the gang fight off all the demons in the Library and Buffy kills the newly risen Master and subsequently closes the Hellmouth. To celebrate, the gang heads to The Bronze where the dance is being held.
SERIES: The Incubus
SUMMARY: Xander meets a beautiful girl at the Spring Fling Dance. However, she is more than what she seems to be and chaos follows in her wake.
The Incubus: In the Name of Love
by Scorpio
They hadn't been at the Bronze for more than twenty minutes when it became clear to everyone that Willow was in pain. She tried to hide it and brush it off as nothing, but she was visibly limping on the ankle that had been grabbed by the monster that had nearly succeeded in crawling out of the Hellmouth. After a brief argument, Xander made her sit down and asked Giles to come look at her ankle.
The Watcher looked a bit awkward about touching Willow's injury, although whether it was because he was afraid of hurting her more or because when kneeling down in front of her with her foot in his lap he could see right up her skirt was uncertain. However, it didn't take Giles long to determine that Willow's ankle was definitely swollen and was probably twisted as well.
Finally, Ms. Calendar suggested that she and Giles take Willow home so that she could put some ice on it. Cordelia smiled brightly, wished Willow a speedy recovery and then disappeared into the crowd of dancing students. After a brief pause to exchange glances about Cordelia's ability to shake off Hellmouthy drama and become a shallow popularity-obsessed May Queen once again, Willow agreed to be brought home. She did, however, insist that Buffy and Xander stay to enjoy the dance without her. Almost reluctantly, they both agreed.
****
Tara watched the small group of people that had just come in the door. They were an intriguing bunch and they had managed to stir up her curiosity. The first to catch her attention, of course, was the Slayer. She was beautiful and the energy that she radiated was pure, clean and massive. Unfortunately, she was also very dangerous. Tara wasn't even willing to get close to the Slayer, let alone to try and seduce her.
Then there was the vampire. Angel. She'd heard about him from the grapevine, so to speak. The rumors about him were wild and often conflicting, but one thing that they all had in common was that he was killing his own kind to help the Slayer. Tara didn't really care *how* that came about. The only thing that mattered was that the vampire would be able to sense her presence and if he was working for the Slayer than that meant he was also to be avoided.
The Slayer's human companions were also fascinating. The redheaded girl radiated a bright and strong energy that was as yet untapped. That energy stirred up the edges of her hunger and made her yearn to embrace the girl tightly. However, she was being coddled by an older gentleman that was most likely the Slayer's Watcher. His energy was also strong, but it was darkened...almost tainted. Normally, she didn't mind tainted energy since it had a bit of a zing to it, but tangling with a Watcher was a sure way to get caught by the Slayer.
She didn't really have a very long time to watch them because soon enough the Watcher left with the red-haired girl and an older woman that reeked of magic. Shifting along with the crowd and trying to avoid the Slayer, Tara spotted the last member of the Slayer's group. A young teen boy.
Like the red-haired girl, this boy radiated a pure, clean energy that stirred her hunger. It didn't have the same flavor as the girl's had, but it was lovely. Enticing. Oh, not that he wouldn't be interesting to even human eyes. After all, the boy was beautiful with his unruly dark curls and his big dark eyes. Even his form was nice. Although, Tara could definitely do without the hideous clothing. With a naughty grin, she decided that the boy would look much nicer naked.
She enjoyed her mental images of the boy performing a sultry striptease for her while she walked over to the bar and ordered another drink. Then, she turned and watched him from across the room. And the more she watched him, the more she wanted him.
It was becoming more and more obvious that the boy wasn't happy. His body language and his facial expressions made that clear to anyone who bothered to look at him, but despite that, Tara was sure that she was the only one to notice. As time went on, the Slayer was paying more and more attention to the vampire Angel and less and less attention to the boy. This was making the boy angry, frustrated and jealous. The Slayer was oblivious to the boy's feelings as well as the fact that while Angel acted all confused and besotted to her, he would occasionally turn and throw a smug look over at the silently fuming boy.
Tara smirked. She almost felt sorry for the Slayer. The girl didn't even realize that the vampire was play-acting with his confused innocent routine and she didn't notice that she was alienating another of her followers by encouraging the vampire. Anyone who wanted to get to the Slayer would go for the boy and try to make him turn against her. Tara wasn't sure if that would work because the boy was so pure, but a demon could try.
However, Tara wasn't interested in the Slayer. She enjoyed her life very much and didn't want to risk it by confronting the girl when she wouldn't get anything out of it. Her interest was the boy. Not for his connection to the Slayer, but for the clean pure energy that he radiated. The fact that he was being ignored by the Slayer should just make it easier to seduce him.
Checking to make sure that her demonic nature was completely hidden by the illusion of humanity, Tara made her way to the boy and allowed her power to reach into his mind, his fantasies. She allowed his desires to shape her flesh and mold her illusion until she matched them.
Passing a mirror she saw that she was a double for the blonde Slayer and frowned. That would never do, he'd figure out that something was wrong immediately. Exerting control over her own form and the illusion that covered it, Tara made some changes. Her hair darkened a few shades to a nice honey color. Her eyes grew just a bit wider and the intense color faded just a bit. Her lips became just a fraction lusher and she turned the dense muscle of a Slayer into the softer curves of a normal girl. Deciding that she was close enough to the boy's fantasy to make him interested, but different enough to avoid suspicion, Tara made her way through the crowd once more.
****
Xander couldn't believe his luck. He would have pinched himself, but he was afraid that if he did, he'd wake up. And right now, even if this *was* a dream, Xander was having the best time of his life and he didn't want it to end.
He had been shocked when a beautiful blonde girl with the biggest eyes he'd ever seen had walked up to him at the Bronze and asked him to dance with her. He had stuttered out some dumb answer and she had grinned shyly even as she led him out onto the dancefloor. He had tried to stop acting like a doofus and be a little cool, so he had asked about her. He figured all girls liked to talk about themselves. She had told him that she was new to Sunnydale, having only moved in a few days ago and that she didn't have very many friends yet. Right then and there, Xander had introduced himself and offered to be her friend. She had smiled and told him her name was Tara.
It wasn't long after that that Angel had started to be his normal oppressive and arrogant vampire self. Tara had noticed him staring at them while frowning darkly. Hell, he was practically *glaring*. Xander had almost lost his cool then. It wasn't bad enough that the vampire had managed to fool Buffy into thinking he was some sort of reformed bloodsucker, but now he was going to give Xander a hard time for dancing with a pretty girl? He was going to go up to Angel and tell him to back off, but Tara had admitted to being afraid of him. Xander didn't blame her, Angel *was* creepy. So, he had offered to walk her home.
Now he was here, in her apartment. Even better, he was naked and in her bed. Her lush form moving over top of him as she rode his erection was the most intensely wonderful thing that he had ever felt in his entire life. She was so beautiful and she smelled great and she felt even better. The little noises that came from her sweet lips rolled over him and through him and he suddenly *knew* why everyone made such a big deal out of having sex. It was amazing.
Tara was so hot and wet and tight and Xander didn't think he could handle much more of the sensations that she was sending through his body. Sweat poured off of him and he was panting and gasping for air. Tingles washed over his skin and his muscles were beginning to pull tight. His balls were heavy and almost painful with the need to come.
Shivering and gasping, Xander felt himself slide into the most intense orgasm of his life. Even as his eyes were rolling back into their sockets, he thought he saw something too strange to believe. Tara's form wavered and changed. Her blonde hair became black as night and tiny twin black horns about two and a half inches long sprouted from her temples even as two leathery black bat wings grew out of her back and spread wide behind her. Certain that he was hallucinating from pleasure overload, Xander passed out.
****
Tara stood at the end of her large brass bed and watched the boy Xander sleep as she silently brooded. The energy that she had drained from him had indeed sated her never-ending hunger, but it had also done something else to her. Something unexpected.
All sucubi were psychic vampires that drained a mortal's life-force; their energy, their essence, if you will, during the height of sexual pleasure. It was what sustained them. However, each individual had their own unique taste. A flavor that made their energy different from another's. A sucubus could tell a lot about a person by the flavor of their energy as they took that energy into themselves. And what Tara had learned about Xander touched her deeply.
This boy, not yet a man, held great reserves of compassion, bravery and loyalty deep within him. His love was pure and given freely when it was given and his hatred and scorn were just as intense. In short, Xander was a beautiful person both inside and out.
He was someone that Tara could so easily fall in love with and that frightened her.
Turning so that she could see herself in the mirror, Tara gazed at her true form. Her body was lush with ripe full curves that would attract people to her sexually and her skin was very pale and creamy smooth. Her face was delicate and lovely to look upon, but that is where her similarity with the human race ended. Twin horns of black bone pierced her skin at the temples and rose up over her forehead to hold back her long silky jet black hair. Her eyes were solid black; no pupil, no iris, no white. Just black. She also had wings; large black leathery wings that vaguely resembled those found on a bat but larger and with thicker tougher membranes, not to mention a long prehensile tail with the flared tip that had wrapped itself about one of her legs. And where humans would have fingernails, she had strong retractable talons that could rend and tear flesh. Her canine teeth were longer than humans, although not as long as a vampire's. She wasn't a flesh eater, so her talons and her teeth were merely weapons to be used if she was in danger. Her food consisted of the life-force she drained from her willing victims and lovers.
Turning away from the mirror and facing Xander once again, she shifted back into the illusion that Xander had helped to create. For the first time in her long long life, Tara hated what she was. Because of Xander. She liked him. Really liked him and she was afraid that she would hurt him if they saw each other again. Humans could only withstand the attentions of a sucubi for so long before they died. And the thought of Xander dying at her hands was more than Tara could stand, yet she didn't want to part from him. She wasn't ready to give him up.
****
With a great yawn, Xander stretched his tired and aching muscles. It took a moment or two to filter through his sleepy brain, but he eventually realized that he was laying on satin sheets and that the air was perfumed with the scent of patchouli. Frowning in confusion, Xander opened his eyes to only be confronted with a strange bedroom.
The room was decorated in deep jewel tones. Emerald greens, gold yellows, ruby reds, and sapphire blues in bold patterns flowed across the bedspread, the walls and the carpeting. A vanity with a large mirror over it stood on one side of the room. Perfume bottles and glittering jewelry stood on it's surface. On the other side of the room was a long chest of drawers which held a ceramic dish in which incense burned, sending up scented plumes of smoke into the air. Warm sunlight slanted in through the single window which told Xander that it was late in the afternoon and getting on towards evening.
The room was lovely and Xander didn't feel as if he were in danger, but he wasn't sure where he...then the memory hit him. Hard. In the groin.
Tara.
A goofy smile erupting on his face, Xander wondered where the beautiful blonde girl that he'd lost his virginity to had gone. Maybe she was in the other room?
Xander tried to bounce up and out of Tara's soft bed, but he found that his body didn't like that idea very much. He was sore and stiff and still, unbelievably, tired. Wincing as he moved much more gingerly, Xander just shrugged off his aching body as a result of sloshing through sewers, resurrecting Buffy's drowned body, fighting vampires and closing the Hellmouth. He didn't even *think* to connect it to his lovemaking with Tara.
Standing, he found his clothes and quickly pulled them on. Walking out of the bedroom and into the rest of the apartment, Xander couldn't find Tara anywhere. He did, however, find a note addressed to him
Xander,
I'm sorry that I couldn't be here when you awoke, but I had an appointment that I just couldn't miss. There is a sandwich for you in the refrigerator along with a can of soda. Help yourself.
I would like to see you again. My phone number is on the back of this letter. Please call me.
Tara.
Smiling, Xander folded up the note and tucked it into his pocket. Then he walked into the kitchen to retrieve the promised sandwich. For some reason, he was starving.
****
Tara frowned slightly as she strode across the diner to the back booth. The man that she was to meet was human, but he had a very dark and tainted energy that both drew her and repelled her. Dark, twisted energy didn't sate her hunger, but it did give her a nice high much like humans experience from too much alcohol or drugs. Despite the fact that the man was human, she didn't think he would have enough pure energy left to make a meal for her and she wasn't into getting stoned from dark energy. It was too dangerous on the Hellmouth for one thing, and it was addictive for another.
As she walked closer, the man smiled at her charmingly and gestured for her to sit down across from her. Flashing a brilliant smile of her own, Tara sat down on the bench seat.
"Hello Ethan. Thank you for coming so quickly."
The man smiled and his energy levels flared sharply. "Anything for you, my dear. After all, we're practically family."
Tara's smile didn't falter, but inwardly she groaned. It was true, in a way. Sort of. Ethan was a powerful Chaos Mage and as a result, his energy was dark and twisted. And as addictive as a demon's energy would be. Tara's older brother was addicted to energy of dark mage's and Ethan was his current favorite fix. His powers kept him safe from the certain death of an incubi's attention; for the male counterpart of the sucubi were just as deadly to humans. The mage's power would eventually burn his life-force out anyway, but he would last longer that way then he would unprotected from his incubus lover. Pushing all of that out of her mind, Tara forced herself to focus on the reason for this visit.
"Ethan? I...I met a human. I...I like him. A lot. And I was wondering...hoping, that you could use your magic to make it so that I don't...don't drain him."
One of the dark mage's eyebrows rose up and his grin twisted slightly in fascination. "Oh?"
Tara nodded, suddenly feeling shy. "Yeah. He's...he's special, Ethan. I don't want to hurt him...to kill him. And I thought that since..." Tara trailed off uncertainly.
Ethan reached out and patted one of her hands gently. "Since I can survive the love and affection of your brother that perhaps I can help your boy to survive yours?"
Relieved that Ethan understood, Tara grinned widely and nodded. "Yes. Yes, exactly."
Chuckling, Ethan nodded and released Tara's hand so that he could take a sip of his tea. Then, he looked at her with a serious expression on his face. "I can help out with this situation, however, I also have a request."
Tara tilted her head and nodded. This was expected. Ethan was powerful, but he was also evil. If he had offered to do this without some type of payment then she would have worried.
"There is a book in this town that I have long sought. It is called the Necromon and it can be found in the Highschool Library as a part of the librarian's private collection. Have your boyfriend bring me this book and I shall make it so that you can no longer hurt him."
A wide smile of relief and happiness spread across Tara's face. "Great! He's supposed to call me tonight. I'll ask him to get it when I talk to him. I'll contact you as soon as I have a meeting place arranged."
Ethan smiled at her. It was a soft and slightly amused smile that somehow still managed to be chilling. "I'll look forward to our next meeting, then."
****
Xander frowned once again. This whole situation just felt wrong on many levels. Mostly, it had to do with the book that Tara wanted him to bring from the Library. First of all, how did she even know about such an obscure arcane book, let alone where it was at? And secondly, why did she want it? Personally, Xander didn't like the book at all. It felt cold to the touch and it gave him the wiggins almost as if it radiated evil.
Xander even felt bad about how he had gotten it. He *had* asked Giles for permission, but there was that huge mess in the Library from where the Hellmouth had opened and workers were everywhere trying to fix it and Buffy was demanding his attention about something completely unrelated at the time. Still, Giles *did* give him permission to, "Take whatever it is that you want Xander, just stop pestering me and go away." So, he had grabbed the book and went away.
The other thing that bothered him was that Tara had asked to meet him behind the Bronze instead of at her apartment or even inside the club. He really liked her and was excited about the idea of having his very first girlfriend, especially one as good in bed as her, however, he was worried that she might fall prey to one of Sunnydale's more deadly night creatures.
Hurrying on his way, Xander soon arrived at the club and made his way towards the back. Going into any dark ally wasn't very safe, especially without Buffy, but he went anyway. When he saw Tara, Xander let out a breath of relief that he didn't even realize that he had been holding and called out to her. "Tara! Over here."
The honey blonde girl was standing with an older guy and turned to face him when he called. Xander was pleased to see her face break out into a smile at the sight of him. It was nice to be wanted and that wasn't something he felt with his friends lately. Buffy had rejected him, Willow wanted something he couldn't give and Giles just saw him as an irritant. Angel didn't even deserve thinking about.
Tara waved him over, so with a smile on his face he walked over and reached one arm around her shoulders to hug her to him. She smelled just as wonderful tonight as she had the other night and it made lovely, if intense, memories rise up in his head. Blushing, he hoped that the shadows hid the fact that he was suddenly sporting a hard-on in his pants.
"Do you have the book?"
Xander gripped the bag that he'd stuffed the offensive book into a little tighter and gave the man a suspicious look. Tara grinned and gestured to the man. "Oh, this is Ethan. The book's for him. He wanted to see it as payment for doing a spell for me."
Xander felt a bit at a loss and the little hairs on the back of his neck stood up on end even as he felt Tara pull the bag out of his hands. "Spell?"
The blonde smiled brightly and nodded. "Yeah. I...I don't want to see you get hurt and Ethan can fix it so that I don't hurt you. I would never want that. It's...it's so dangerous to be without protection."
Xander nodded in agreement although he honestly wasn't sure what it was that Tara was talking about. "Protection? A protection spell to stop me from being hurt?"
With a bounce and a smile, Tara nodded back at him. "Yes. Isn't that great?"
Xander couldn't really think of an objection to that although the little hairs still stood up on the back of his neck. He never got a chance to voice an opinion or even ask a question however, because the older man grasped the bag out of Tara's hands and then began to chant. When Ethan's hand began to glow a bright blood red, Xander took a step back out of instinct, but he didn't get very far. A blast of red energy shot out from Ethan's palm and enveloped both himself and Tara.
Pain sizzled all throughout Xander's body causing him to jerk and twitch. It felt as if his bones were melting and electricity was running rampant along his spine. Acid ate away at his brain and his skin was on fire. He couldn't think, he couldn't breathe, he couldn't remember a time when he wasn't in unbearable agony. He heard two screams as if from a far distance and didn't even realize that it was he and Tara that were making the noise. Finally, a huge wall of blackness overtook him and in relief, Xander dropped to the ground unconscious. Next to him lay Tara, also unconscious.
****
The first rays of sunlight were what woke Xander up. He was very disoriented and in considerable pain. His entire body ached and throbbed as if he were just getting rid of what had been a bad fever. What's more, whatever he was laying on was extremely uncomfortable and cold.
Pushing himself up with his arms, Xander saw that he was laying on the ground in an ally. Confused and hurting, he turned his head and saw Tara still asleep next to him. For some reason, she seemed different to him. There was a sort of colored glow that surrounded her body and the glow pulsed with every beat of her heart. That glow was...alluring in the oddest way. It was almost like looking at a huge ice cream sunday and he wanted to just eat it all up.
Xander was wondering where the glow had come from when he was suddenly assaulted by his memories of the night before. The Necromon, the mage Ethan and then pain. Bright red pain.
Xander groaned in response to his memories and the noise woke up Tara for she moaned in pain herself. Then she rolled over and sat up rubbing her forehead as if she had a headache. "What the..."
Trailing off, Tara looked over at Xander with an expression of horror on her face that quickly melted into anger. "That lying, cheating, sneaky son of a bitch!"
"What?" Xander broke off in shook at the sound of his own voice. It was much deeper than he remembered it being. "What's wrong with my voice. What did that Ethan guy do to me?!?!"
Tara turned around, her face still twisted in anger but it softened slightly when she gazed at Xander. Walking over, she knelt down in front of him. "Okay. Um...this isn't going to be easy to hear, but you need to know the truth."
Xander nodded and Tara took a deep breath.
"Um...I'm not human. Or...or I *wasn't* human, but I am now."
Xander tried to scramble away from her and a flash of hurt washed over Tara's face, but she pushed it away and merely looked determined. "I was a sucubus. We...we feed off of the life-force of other beings. That's how we survive. But...but I didn't want to hurt *you*, Xander. That's what this was all about. Ethan promised me that he could make it so I wouldn't hurt you. I thought it was some type of protection spell so that I wouldn't...accidentally drain you of your energy."
Xander's head was spinning, but he tried desperately to keep up. "Uh-huh. But that's not what happened, is it?"
Tara shook her head no, "No. He made me human. Which is strange and scary...but he made you an incubus as well. That's the male version of a sucubus. Same abilities. Same weaknesses. Same...same type of body."
Xander squeaked at that information. He glanced down at himself and saw that his skin was paler than normal and that he seemed to have...claws? Talons? Well, some type of sharper than normal fingernails anyway. Startled and more than a bit frightened, Xander scrambled to his feet. That's when he noticed the awkward weight on his back that wanted to tip him over and the odd sensation of a completely new limbs. Glancing fearfully over his shoulder, Xander saw his jet black wings for the first time.
Letting out a shriek of horror, Xander fainted.
****
It had taken a while for Xander to be calm enough to actually learn how to pull the illusion of humanity over his new form. Tara tried to be as helpful and sympathetic as she could, but it was difficult. One, she was just as freaked out about being a human as Xander was about being a demon and two, she was finding it difficult to concentrate because Xander was oozing sex appeal all over the place. He had no control over his powers as an incubus and he couldn't help but be devastatingly attractive.
Finally, he was able to get the illusion perfect and then hold it in place. Tara was thankful for that, at least. It would make it so much easier to walk across town if Xander at least *looked* human. Especially since it was daylight.
As they made their way towards the Highschool and Xander's friend, Tara tried to explain about Sucubi and Incubi to the boy, but it was difficult. They were both angry and frightened, not to mention very shocked. Neither were at their best. Plus they were both a bit worried about what the Slayer and the Watcher would say. Tara *hadn't* wanted this to happen. She had been trying to *protect* Xander. Ethan was the real bad-guy here, but she didn't think that the Slayer would see it that way.
When they reached the school, Tara wasn't sure that she was ready for this confrontation, but she knew that it couldn't be put off. The Slayer needed to be warned about Ethan and maybe, just maybe, they could find a way to switch her and Xander back. It didn't make her feel any better that Xander was trembling next to her as they walked through the empty hallways.
The newborn incubus led her directly to the Library deep inside the building. Walking inside, they were both relieved to find only the Slayer, the Watcher and the young red-haired girl that Tara now knew was Xander's best friend. All three of them looked up when they walked in. Getting just a little frightened, Tara watched the Slayer frown at them with a mildly confused look on her pretty face. Tara realized that the girl could *feel* the demonic power that was now a part of Xander. She turned to look at her boyfriend and watched him shift nervously from foot to foot.
"Um...guys? I've...uh, I've got a bit of a...problem."
Almost absently, the Watcher adjusted his glasses and looked up from the book he was reading. "Uh...yes? Yes, what is...um, this problem?"
Xander shot her a look which clearly said, "play along," and then took a step forward. "Well, um...Tara and I," he gestured back at her, "were sort of, um...attacked last night."
The red head, Willow, squeaked and everyone shifted in their seats. However, it was the Slayer that commented. "Are you okay? What was it? What did it do?"
Xander held out his hands palm up to stop her flow of questions, "Slow down, Buff. It was a man, a mage or warlock or something. Um...I think it was the book that Giles let me borrow that he was after. Anyway, he...uh, he hit me with a spell and then, um...he stole it. The book, I mean."
That pronouncement caused a lot of jumping up and demands to know which book and what kind of spell, but Tara was shocked that Xander was trying to hide her part in the entire mess. It was...sweet. Dangerous, but sweet. Forcing herself to pay attention, she was just in time to hear Xander tell the Watcher which book.
"It was the Necromon, G-Man."
The Watcher went pale and then spun on his heels to face away for a long moment. When he spun back to face them, Tara could see that he still wasn't under control. "What in the world were you thinking! How could you just...just, give away that book! Don't you realize how dangerous it is? Where was your head!"
Tara took a deep breath in order to defend Xander, but apparently Xander was going to defend himself. "Hey! I didn't *give* it to him, okay? He *took* it. And, if it was so dangerous, why did you let me take it out of the Library? I *asked* you if I could and you said *yes*!"
The Watcher floundered for a moment and then seemed to deflate. "Surely not. Not *that* book."
Xander nodded his head and sighed sadly. "Yes, Giles. *That* book."
Tara scowled. She couldn't believe that the Watcher was more worried about his stupid book than he was about Xander. "Hey, aren't you even a little bit curious as to what Ethan did to *Xander*?"
The Slayer frowned and squinted at Xander even as she nodded. "Yeah. I am. No offense, Xan, but you're sorta setting off my Slayer senses."
That announcement brought the Watcher up short. "Really? In what...uh, what way?"
The Slayer shook her head and shrugged. "Don't know. Not like a vamp, but...I don't know. It's a new feeling. Not *bad*, just...weird. Tingly."
Tara grimaced. The Slayer would feel the attraction of an incubus as well as the repulsion of a demon all at once. No wonder it was confusing for her. Pushing that out of her mind, she turned to Xander and whispered at him, "Show them. They need to know if they're going to help you."
Xander shuffled his feet and blushed a bit, but then he nodded and drew in a deep breath. A look of concentration washed over his face and Tara watched as the illusion he had pulled over himself wavered and then vanished. In it's place stood Xander in all his true incubus glory; wings, tail, talons, horns and jet black eyes.
Everyone gasped and the Slayer pulled out a stake. Tara swore and jumped in front of him. "No! He...he can't hurt you just by being around him."
The Slayer glared at her, but then she turned to face the pale and shocked looking Watcher. "Is that true, Giles?"
The Watcher blinked rapidly and then adjusted his glasses once more. "Um. Yes. Yes, I believe so. If...if Xander has been turned into what...what I think he has. Then, yes. He's...he's safe as long as," Giles broke off as he blushed and turned away.
The Slayer wasn't satisfied with that though, "As long as *what*, Giles?"
The Watcher looked pained and the red haired girl was simply staring at Xander with lust openly etched onto her face. With a sigh, Tara gestured back to her boyfriend. "He's safe as long as you don't have sex with him. He's incubi now."
The pained look didn't leave the Watcher's face, but he nodded anyway. "Yes. Exactly."
****
Xander wandered the streets of Sunnydale as the sun was slowly fading over the horizon with a frown on his face. Today had *not* been fun and he needed the time and space to sort things out in his head.
Giles was still furious about the Necromon and he was adamant about finding this mysterious wizard Ethan. While he was fairly talented with the arcane arts himself, Giles couldn't break a chaos spell unless he knew *exactly* which one it was, so he couldn't help Xander until they had Ethan anyway. And while he hadn't come right out and said it, he had hinted strongly that he was holding Xander responsible for this whole mess by removing the Necromon from the Library despite permission to do so.
Buffy had been an odd mixture of sympathetic to his plight and threatening if he ended up draining a human of their life-force. Tara had tried to explain that Xander could end up starving to death if he didn't feed, but Buffy hadn't budged on the issue. She was more interested in finding a different way for him to feed and had offered to ask Angel if he knew of any. Xander didn't find that comforting since it appeared that Buffy was less worried about *him* then she was about being able to oogle the walking dead man that Xander hated most.
Willow had just been strangely quiet, yet Xander could feel her eyes follow him everywhere that he moved. Tara had whispered to him that she had fallen under the spell of attraction that all sucubi and incubi gave off, but Xander didn't like that idea. He preferred to think that she was just upset because she like him *anyway* and so was just...worried about him in a...weird way.
The thing that had hurt most, however, was Tara calmly telling him that she didn't think it would be a good idea to see each other anymore. She was human now, and she was afraid that she would give in and sleep with him again and she wasn't in any hurry to feel the draining process from the other side. So, two days after he met her, Xander had lost his first girlfriend. It was sadly pathetic.
Xander was just sort of stumbling along lost in his own thoughts when the presence of someone beside him made him look up. The guy appeared human, but the strange glowing light that he'd noticed surrounding humans was very different on him. It was an odd translucent black, sort of like looking at someone through a black sheer curtain. It also didn't pulse, so the person didn't have a heartbeat. Xander was confused for a moment and then it hit him, the guy was a vampire. He was just about to panic when the vampire elbowed him lightly in the ribs and gestured with his chin to some people across the street.
"Humans, huh? Look at 'em over there preening."
Almost against his will, Xander looked. Sure enough, there was a group of about three girls and two guys. And they *were* preening, trying to make themselves look sexy and beautiful. What's more, they were all looking over at him and the vamp. "Huh."
The vampire chuckled. "Yeah, I bet you get that a lot."
Xander just shrugged. He personally had *never* had a group of strangers try to seem appealing to him before, but he guessed that it was just another wacky, if neat, side effect of becoming an incubus. Finally, he had to turn away. The pulsing glowing light emanating from them was looking too attractive and it was making him both horny and hungry. Instead, he turned to look at the vampire and offered up a shaky grin.
The vampire grinned back, but it was a sly look. "So...ya wanna go somewhere and fuck?"
Startled, Xander almost ran away screaming, but at the last second he held it together and tried to lie his way out of the mess he found himself in. He was almost more frightened at the thought of having sex with a vampire, a *male* vampire at that, than he was of being eaten and turned by one.
"Ah...sorry, no. I'm...um, I'm on my way to...uh, to pick up a date. Yeah, a date." Xander waggled his eyebrows at the vampire in an effort to make himself seem excited by this supposed date. It must have worked since the vampire broke out into chuckles and pounded him on the shoulder kind of hard.
"Gotcha man. Well, enjoy your, " the vampire snickered, "date. Maybe we can hook up some other time when your mind isn't on dinner."
Xander forced a weak laugh as the vampire ambled away. Right then and there he decided that he had to learn more about this whole incubus thing. No one had mentioned vampires hitting on him. No one had mentioned *males* hitting on him. Plus he wasn't real sure on the specifics, anyway. If he didn't have sex, he couldn't feed. Okay, but...how did he feed without draining someone to the point of death?
With a sigh of frustration, Xander headed for home. Maybe tomorrow things would seem better.
****
The morning had been awkward and strained. He had showered and dressed as normal, but when he went downstairs his mother had acted funny. Not funny ha-ah, but funny weird. At first he didn't understand why she hadn't just ignored him as usual, but had fussed with his hair and made him sit down for a home-cooked breakfast. Then with a rush of horror, understanding had flooded into his mind; she was *flirting* with him.
Trying to keep what little he'd eaten from coming back up in disgust and self loathing, Xander had shrugged off her hands and babbled desperately as he fled the house. He *knew* it wasn't her fault. It was *his*. It was this damn demonic attraction, some mystical pheromones that he was giving off. Tara had warned him about this and until he could control the power, he was going to be hit on and flirted with by anyone that didn't have a natural immunity.
Still, she was his *mother* and that thought just turned his stomach. Literally. He lost his breakfast behind a leafy bush two doors down. When he was done emptying his stomach, Xander continued down the street.
Once he reached the corner, Xander sat down on the curb with a sigh. He *really* needed more information on this whole incubus thing. And fast. As he saw it, he had three options. One; he could go to the highschool and start researching with Giles. That wasn't a very attractive option for him. While Giles was a whiz at the whole research thing, he was also real angry about his book and he was sure that Buffy was still in that weird want-to-slay-Xander mood. To be honest, he didn't need that type of stress, especially when he knew they would be researching anyway whether he was there or not. Two; he could go over to Tara's and make her explain some things. He was also reluctant to do that. He was still upset that she hadn't told him the truth from the beginning and it *was* her who had asked Ethan for help. Plus there was the whole thing where she had told him that she didn't want to see him again. Three; he could try and sweet talk his way into the Library over at the University on the other side of town. It was big and he knew that it had an arcane section since Giles himself often used it for research purposes. And he wouldn't run into anyone he knew, which was suddenly a big plus.
Mind made up, Xander turned and began walking towards Sunnydale University.
****
It was a lot later when Xander finally left the Library on campus and began to head back towards the more residential parts of town. His head was spinning and felt kind of achy from all of the reading he had done. His eyes felt dry and swollen and his sinuses were stuffy from too much dust, not to mention that his back was all bent out of shape from trying to sit down in uncomfortable wooden chairs in such a way as to not smoosh his wings or let them get in other people's way. Just because the illusion of humanity hid them from sight, didn't mean that they weren't there the whole time.
He had never really liked researching because the books were dusty and the handwriting was normally faded and sprawling. And it was usually written in an ancient form of English that was overly flowery and difficult to translate into a more modern English. Even worse were the books written in Latin. His Latin skills were better now than they were last year, but they were still worse than Willow's or Giles'. So, he had to sit there and translate each passage one word at a time and then reread it back to see if it made any sort of sense.
As a result of all his reading, Xander had a lot more information about sucubi and incubi, both their history as a people and their abilities on an individual level. He knew that the information wasn't complete and that knowing about something and being able to do it were two different things.
For example, the only illusion that he could cast on himself was of his own human image. He had read that both sucubi and incubi could mentally reach into the minds of their lovers or victims and use the mental fantasies and desires they found to shape their form, but Xander didn't know *how* to do that.
Another thing that he had read was that sometimes the demon would drain a human's life-force all at once and other times it would only drain it a little at a time, returning again and again until the person died. That was something that offered Xander hope, strangely enough. He didn't know *how* the draining process happened since he hadn't as of yet done that, but if he could find a way to only drain them a little bit and then find someone new... He figured that he could feed without permanently hurting anyone. Which was a good thing. The down side of that was that he'd probably have to have sex with several people a day and that was bad. Right?
The thing is, the only way to figure it all out was to actually *try* it on someone. Xander didn't mind risking his own self, but he wasn't willing to risk someone else. That just wasn't an option.
Unfortunately, he was hungry. Very hungry. He had already gone one full day and night without feeding and this was working to be number two. The humans around him on the streets were beginning to look scrumptious, each of them glowing brightly with the energy that he needed to survive. It didn't help that everyone he met was doing all that they could to catch his attention to the point of practically throwing themselves at him. Girls primped and fluffed their hair even as they adjusted their skirts to show more leg. Guys flexed their arms and sucked in their stomachs as they subtly adjusted their cocks in their jeans. It was flattering and disturbing. It was also making his shaky control over his urges waver.
Fearing that he'd lose control and let the next person to hit on him actually pick him up, Xander rushed the rest of the way home and snuck in through the back door. Trying to be quiet so that he didn't make his mother come investigate, Xander tiptoed into the kitchen and tried to eat human food. He'd been told it wouldn't work, but he *had* to try. Right? After all, this morning could have been a fluke. He was sick because of what he'd inadvertantly done to his mother, not because of the food. Right?
Going for an old favorite, Xander grabbed the box of Pop-Tarts out of a cabinet and ripped open the foil wrapper. Pulling out one of the pastries, he took a large bite. And grimaced. It certainly didn't taste the way he remembered. In fact, it tasted sort of gross. Overly sweet and...well, solid. Still, he wasn't ready to give up yet. Forcing himself to chew it all up, he was finally able to swallow it passed the lump of disgust in his throat. For a long moment, Xander actually thought that it would work. Then his stomach rebelled against the rude treatment of being forced to eat human food and Xander found himself dashing for the downstairs powder room to go be sick and throw the single bite of Pop-Tart back up.
****
Xander woke up ravenous and trembling with weakness. He felt lightheaded and dizzy. It was scary in a way, to know that he was slowly starving to death and that he could stop the pain, but would put others at risk doing so. On the other hand, he wasn't ready to die. Not like this.
Pushing himself out of bed and stumbling into the bathroom, Xander tried to think of a plan while he showered and cleaned up. Fuzzily, he decided to go see Willow. Whenever he had a big problem in the past, Willow had always been able to help him, so he groggily figured that she could help him now. Hurriedly getting dressed, Xander hoped to get to Willow's house before she left for school. Maybe the gang had done research and found a way for him to safely feed? Yeah, that would be perfect. Then he could do it, right away. If not, he could always leave and go pick up some stranger and try to feed without hurting them. He could try. Try really hard, because he was so hungry. Starving, actually.
Throwing his shoes on, Xander rushed out of the house and practically ran all the way to Willow's. He only ran into two people on the way, but it had been so difficult to turn away from the glowing bright energy that swirled and pulsed around them. He was so hungry and they were so beautiful and alluring. Only the vague hope that Willow could help kept him from trying to talk either of them into having a quickie behind the bushes.
Finally he was there, ringing Willow's doorbell. The door opened and there she stood, his best friend in the whole world. The one he could always turn to. Panting from his run, Xander gasped, "Willow, I need you..."
He didn't get any further because her bright green eyes had glazed over and an oddly hungry look had washed over her elfin face. Then she had grabbed him by his shirt and yanked him inside her house and clamped her lips over his in a heated kiss. A brief flare of panic flashed inside of his mind and then his instincts took over and he was kissing her back just as passionately.
Xander didn't really notice too much about their hurried and frantic fumbling as they tried to undress each other and kiss and walk up the stairs to Willow's bedroom all at the same time. He only knew that her kisses tasted so sweet and that her skin was amazingly soft and warm. She was so gentle and passionate as she opened up to him; to his mouth, his fingers and finally, his penis. Hot, soft, wet, tight, Willow was amazing and beautiful as her energy throbbed and pulsed around him and into him and through him.
When she finally arched up under him, her body all sweaty and strained with pleasure, Xander was hit with a blast of pure clean energy that sated the hunger deep inside of him. Without conscious thought, his illusion of humanity shattered under the force of his pleasure and his true demonic form was revealed; wings spread, talons extended and erection exploding deep inside of Willow's body.
****
Evening was settling across the town when Willow finally awoke. She was tired and sore and her skin itched from dried sweat. She was also alone in the crumpled ruins of her bed. Sitting up gingerly, she looked around, but Xander was gone. All that she found was a letter addressed to her in Xander's messy chicken-scratch handwriting.
Willow,
I am so very sorry. I never meant to lose control and hurt you. You are my best friend and I love you, Willow. I would never hurt you on purpose, but I hurt you anyway. Please forgive me.
I've been doing some reading up on incubi and I've come to the conclusion that I am dangerous to be around. I care too much about you and Buffy and Giles to put you in that kind of danger. I refuse to be responsible for any of your deaths. Unless this Ethan guy is found, than I'm stuck as a demon forever. A *demon*, Wills.
I'm leaving Sunnydale. I can't take the chance that I'll hurt you again. I am also a bit afraid that if I do, Buffy will be forced to slay me. I don't want to die, but I also don't want to force Buffy to slay a friend. That would be too cruel. I can't do that to her.
Don't worry about me. I'll call from time to time and I'll write to you so that you know that I'm okay. Just know that I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you or to put you in danger.
Your friend forever,
Xander
****
Five Years Later
Angel grimaced in distaste as he turned the corner that marked the edge of the tenderloin district of LA. It was in this neighborhood that one could find strip bars, prostitutes, live sex shows, any drug on the planet, and more filth, poverty and demonic life than one knew what to do with. It was here, to this sprawling pit of depravity that his current investigation led.
Turning another corner two blocks down, Angel watched as a street hustler walked over to a car and leaned in to chat through the open window. The young man was wearing black leather pants and had long wavy black hair. He also had the alluring aura of an incubi. Frowning, Angel figured that he should warn the unwary human away from the demon even if it would take time away from his investigation.
With a sigh of suppressed frustration, Angel sauntered over to the demonic prostitute and tapped him on his shoulder. The street hustler stood up and turned around, an easy going grin on his handsome face. His handsome *familiar* face.
"Xander?!?!?"
The incubus smirked and leaned against the side of the car in such a way as to best display his body for perusal. "Hello Angel. Long time, no see. You're still as hot and sexy as ever." Angel blinked in total shock and Xander's smirk grew even wider.
"So, Angel. You looking for a date?"
The End