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crack_van2009-01-10 11:37 pm
moscow-watcher.livejournal.com) wrote in crack_van2009-01-10 11:37 pm
Entry tags:
The Butterfly Effect by Cousinjean (R)
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Pairing: Buffy/Spike
Length: 52,850 words
Author on LJ: --
Author Website: --
Why this must be read: Five months after the events of "Chosen," a still grieving Buffy must follow a time-travelling demon back to 1997 (circa Season 2) Sunnydale to prevent him from destroying the timeline - and try not to destroy it herself in the process. She takes a memory-viping potion to eraze the memories of the person she selects to help her. She only has one dose so she has to select the most trustworthy person. She plans to turn to Giles, but circumstances force her to confide in Spike - unsouled, unchipped and thoroughly evil. The Spike who hates her. And, as they work together and he starts to appreciate her, she remembers that she will have to eraze his memories of everything that happens between them...
There is a lot of good plotty fics that focus on intrigue, twists and turns and don't pay much attention to characters' journeys. There are many great character studies that concentrate on heroes' inner turmoil and hard choices. But "The Butterfly Effect" is a rare gem that skillfully combines breathtaking adventure story and powerful hero journeys of both Buffy and Spike. The style is lean, spare, graphic during action and interaction episodes, poignantly introspective during intimate scenes. And the story is ingeniously written into TV canon (although it's not comics-compliant).
She marveled at how he could make her happy to see him and thoroughly disgusted by him, and yet really, really pissed off and annoyed, all at the same time. He stood over her, leering down at her in full game face, and as much as she wanted to cry and just reach out and touch him, she also really wanted to wipe that grin off his face. So she kicked him in the stomach. As he doubled over, she sprang to her feet and shoved him backward into a stack of empty boxes.
They toppled over, and he toppled with them. Buffy kicked a box out of the way and stood over him. "What? You don't think killing my friend was payback enough?"
"Boy made a bargain. I kept my end of it." Spike threw a box at her, but she knocked it out of the way. "By the way, your friend completely sold you out."
"I was aware."
"Yeh, well, anyway." He got to his feet. "Nobody takes a stake to Dru."
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on. You can't just hand me a prime hostage like that and expect me not to—" The realization of what she was doing hit her like a cold slap to the face. She was bantering. With Spike. She'd fallen into it automatically, like the old habit that it was. And it felt so good. Like a piece of home she thought she'd never have again. She closed her eyes and turned away, grateful for the rain.
"Oi! Having a confrontation here, Pet. You with me?" He kicked away the rest of the boxes that lay between them. "No real point in killing you tonight if you don't have any fight in you."
She shook her head. "I'm not here to fight you, Spike. Not tonight."
"Oh, but you seem to think I'm giving you a choice." He stalked toward her. "Sorry, Love, but you'd be wrong ab—"
"Don't!" He stopped and looked at her, his lips pursed in that puzzled little frown of his. Buffy held up a finger. "Don't call me Love." She shook, but she could hardly even feel the cold anymore. "You don't mean it."
He opened his mouth to say something, but instead literally bit his tongue as he tilted his head and squinted at her. "What's with you tonight, Slayer? You seem… off. You and Soul Daddy on the outs? Let me guess, he said something depressing? Wanted to be alone with his big, brooding misery?" He rolled his eyes. "Pfft. Don't know why the great Nance doesn't just put himself out of everybody's misery once and for all. If I had a soul—"
"Shut up, Spike. Just shut. Up."
"Ho! Now we're getting somewhere." He smiled, exposing all his fangs. Buffy hadn't even noticed until now that he was still in vamp face. "Angel's not doing his bit to keep you happy, eh? Kinda surprising, considering what all Darla taught—what? Why are you looking at me like that?"
She realized her lip was trembling. "Nothing," she said, and sniffed.
"Oh, bugger this. Let's fight already." He swung at her. She ducked, then shoved him into a wall, pinning him against it from behind. "Bloody… hey, when'd you get so strong?"
She turned him around and grabbed him by the lapels. "Spike, would you just—"
Someone was coming. Make that some ones. The wrong someones. Buffy shoved him into the shadows behind a Dumpster and clamped a hand over his mouth. He mumbled a protest against her palm. "Shhh!" she hissed, pressing a warning knee into his groin. His eyes narrowed, but his face melted into its human shape. Cold blue eyes bore into her, and she shuddered. She'd forgotten he'd ever been capable of looking at her like that. She ducked her head and turned her eyes toward the end of the alley.
She entered first. Her younger, peppier self, that is. Xander and Willow were right behind her. They all scanned the alley. Buffy pressed more closely against Spike and shot him a warning look to keep him quiet, but he didn't seem to notice. His eyes had gone wide and were now fixed on Teen Buffy.
"I could've sworn I heard something," she was telling the others. "Like, fighty noises."
"Looks like somebody was back here throwing a messapalooza," said Xander.
"Maybe it was just the wind knocking over those boxes," Willow offered.
"Maybe," agreed pert and way into the shiny lip gloss Buffy. "Still, we should check it out. Come on." She started down the alley, and the others followed. Wet, bedraggled, depressed, and suddenly feeling way too old Buffy held her breath until they passed. Spike's eyes followed them, and as they reached the opposite end of the alley, he leaned forward to get a better look.
Buffy took her hand away from his mouth, and he looked at her, eyes narrowed as he studied her. "You…" He looked back down the alley. "She…"
"I'm sorry," she told him.
"What're you—" She punched him before he could finish his question. Hard. His head snapped back and slammed into the brick wall behind him, and his eyes shut as he slid to the ground.
She crouched in front of him and lightly touched the spot where she'd hit him. He let out a moan, but didn't open his eyes. "Really, really sorry," she sighed. She made sure he was well hidden behind the Dumpster, then pulled some boxes over to stack up around him in case the others came back through.
She took one last look at him. The rain caused his hair to lay in wet ringlets all over his head. She reached out, hesitated, then stroked her fingers through it, bringing her hand to rest on his cheek, just for a moment.
One stolen moment before she had to go make sure he would die in five years.
The Butterfly Effect on AdultFanFiction.net The Butterfly Effect on Elysian Fields
Pairing: Buffy/Spike
Length: 52,850 words
Author on LJ: --
Author Website: --
Why this must be read: Five months after the events of "Chosen," a still grieving Buffy must follow a time-travelling demon back to 1997 (circa Season 2) Sunnydale to prevent him from destroying the timeline - and try not to destroy it herself in the process. She takes a memory-viping potion to eraze the memories of the person she selects to help her. She only has one dose so she has to select the most trustworthy person. She plans to turn to Giles, but circumstances force her to confide in Spike - unsouled, unchipped and thoroughly evil. The Spike who hates her. And, as they work together and he starts to appreciate her, she remembers that she will have to eraze his memories of everything that happens between them...
There is a lot of good plotty fics that focus on intrigue, twists and turns and don't pay much attention to characters' journeys. There are many great character studies that concentrate on heroes' inner turmoil and hard choices. But "The Butterfly Effect" is a rare gem that skillfully combines breathtaking adventure story and powerful hero journeys of both Buffy and Spike. The style is lean, spare, graphic during action and interaction episodes, poignantly introspective during intimate scenes. And the story is ingeniously written into TV canon (although it's not comics-compliant).
She marveled at how he could make her happy to see him and thoroughly disgusted by him, and yet really, really pissed off and annoyed, all at the same time. He stood over her, leering down at her in full game face, and as much as she wanted to cry and just reach out and touch him, she also really wanted to wipe that grin off his face. So she kicked him in the stomach. As he doubled over, she sprang to her feet and shoved him backward into a stack of empty boxes.
They toppled over, and he toppled with them. Buffy kicked a box out of the way and stood over him. "What? You don't think killing my friend was payback enough?"
"Boy made a bargain. I kept my end of it." Spike threw a box at her, but she knocked it out of the way. "By the way, your friend completely sold you out."
"I was aware."
"Yeh, well, anyway." He got to his feet. "Nobody takes a stake to Dru."
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on. You can't just hand me a prime hostage like that and expect me not to—" The realization of what she was doing hit her like a cold slap to the face. She was bantering. With Spike. She'd fallen into it automatically, like the old habit that it was. And it felt so good. Like a piece of home she thought she'd never have again. She closed her eyes and turned away, grateful for the rain.
"Oi! Having a confrontation here, Pet. You with me?" He kicked away the rest of the boxes that lay between them. "No real point in killing you tonight if you don't have any fight in you."
She shook her head. "I'm not here to fight you, Spike. Not tonight."
"Oh, but you seem to think I'm giving you a choice." He stalked toward her. "Sorry, Love, but you'd be wrong ab—"
"Don't!" He stopped and looked at her, his lips pursed in that puzzled little frown of his. Buffy held up a finger. "Don't call me Love." She shook, but she could hardly even feel the cold anymore. "You don't mean it."
He opened his mouth to say something, but instead literally bit his tongue as he tilted his head and squinted at her. "What's with you tonight, Slayer? You seem… off. You and Soul Daddy on the outs? Let me guess, he said something depressing? Wanted to be alone with his big, brooding misery?" He rolled his eyes. "Pfft. Don't know why the great Nance doesn't just put himself out of everybody's misery once and for all. If I had a soul—"
"Shut up, Spike. Just shut. Up."
"Ho! Now we're getting somewhere." He smiled, exposing all his fangs. Buffy hadn't even noticed until now that he was still in vamp face. "Angel's not doing his bit to keep you happy, eh? Kinda surprising, considering what all Darla taught—what? Why are you looking at me like that?"
She realized her lip was trembling. "Nothing," she said, and sniffed.
"Oh, bugger this. Let's fight already." He swung at her. She ducked, then shoved him into a wall, pinning him against it from behind. "Bloody… hey, when'd you get so strong?"
She turned him around and grabbed him by the lapels. "Spike, would you just—"
Someone was coming. Make that some ones. The wrong someones. Buffy shoved him into the shadows behind a Dumpster and clamped a hand over his mouth. He mumbled a protest against her palm. "Shhh!" she hissed, pressing a warning knee into his groin. His eyes narrowed, but his face melted into its human shape. Cold blue eyes bore into her, and she shuddered. She'd forgotten he'd ever been capable of looking at her like that. She ducked her head and turned her eyes toward the end of the alley.
She entered first. Her younger, peppier self, that is. Xander and Willow were right behind her. They all scanned the alley. Buffy pressed more closely against Spike and shot him a warning look to keep him quiet, but he didn't seem to notice. His eyes had gone wide and were now fixed on Teen Buffy.
"I could've sworn I heard something," she was telling the others. "Like, fighty noises."
"Looks like somebody was back here throwing a messapalooza," said Xander.
"Maybe it was just the wind knocking over those boxes," Willow offered.
"Maybe," agreed pert and way into the shiny lip gloss Buffy. "Still, we should check it out. Come on." She started down the alley, and the others followed. Wet, bedraggled, depressed, and suddenly feeling way too old Buffy held her breath until they passed. Spike's eyes followed them, and as they reached the opposite end of the alley, he leaned forward to get a better look.
Buffy took her hand away from his mouth, and he looked at her, eyes narrowed as he studied her. "You…" He looked back down the alley. "She…"
"I'm sorry," she told him.
"What're you—" She punched him before he could finish his question. Hard. His head snapped back and slammed into the brick wall behind him, and his eyes shut as he slid to the ground.
She crouched in front of him and lightly touched the spot where she'd hit him. He let out a moan, but didn't open his eyes. "Really, really sorry," she sighed. She made sure he was well hidden behind the Dumpster, then pulled some boxes over to stack up around him in case the others came back through.
She took one last look at him. The rain caused his hair to lay in wet ringlets all over his head. She reached out, hesitated, then stroked her fingers through it, bringing her hand to rest on his cheek, just for a moment.
One stolen moment before she had to go make sure he would die in five years.
The Butterfly Effect on AdultFanFiction.net The Butterfly Effect on Elysian Fields