crack_van | As Time Goes By by Yahtzee (PG-13)

Fandom: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER / ANGEL: THE SERIES
Pairing: Buffy/Angel, Angel/Cordelia
Length: Eight chapters of 3K+ words
Author on LJ:

yahtzee63
Author Website: yahtzee!

Why this must be read: I always debate whether or not to rec this piece. It's a crossover of the insert-these-characters-into-that-setting variety, which I normally avoid, and it's as much Angel/Cordelia, which squicks me, as it is Buffy/Angel. But here it is. The overall premise--the story of "Casablanca" set in the Hyperion Hotel--works seamlessly in the Angel universe, and the characterizations are spot-on. I still don't agree with the Angel/Cordelia foundations, but I appreciate the treatment here. As for the Buffy/Angel relationship, it's darker and more pragmatic than it might otherwise be, but then, the world built here may demand that. Yahtzee doesn't diminish the importance of the relationship, though, and instead hones in on their connection as warriors and on their mutual reliance in something like that capacity.

The human man grasped his wife's hand a little harder and whispered, "Remember when everyone in L.A. used to drive?"

"Never thought I'd miss a traffic jam. Then again, I guess these sidewalks count as a traffic jam. But it's worse when you can smell the other commuters." She looked up at her husband, then slowed her steps. "Are you tired, Wesley? We can rest if you need to --"

"I'm quite all right, Fred," Wesley said. He smiled at her, almost convincingly. Fred smiled and kept walking, but she dropped her eyes from his face to stare down at his pale, thin hand in her own.

A vampire came striding past them, in Donna Karan, Prada and full vamp face. Nobody screamed or ran, though a few humans did discreetly move to the far sides of the sidewalk. The vampire took one look at the dozing Cuzfau beast, shook her head and began looking out for a taxi, though cars were few and far between on the streets.

"Make way! Make way!" The Guards running through the streets now weren't cops, though their uniforms were much the same. Their authority was far more absolute. "Prepare to show your identification!"

The stylish vampire groaned and tiredly pulled some papers from her black suit jacket. Other people did much the same, with varying degrees of nervousness -- depending on how much they each had to hide.

Fred held out her papers with a trembling hand, but her fear was not for herself. The Guard who walked up to them glanced at hers, then looked a little more carefully at Wesley's. His face split into a slow, unkind smile. "Nah, we don't have to take you in." He laughed. "I guess we know you're not going very far, don't we?"

Wesley said nothing, just took his papers back and continued on his way. Fred went with him, looking over again to see if he was all right. They passed under a street lamp then, and for a moment she could see the pale, foggy shimmer drifting above him. She turned her eyes away from it.

As Time Goes By