In the Midst of It All

Warning: This series contains spoilers for the current season (#7) of Buffy, all the way up to 7x17, "Lies My Parents Told Me". If you're as adverse to spoilers as I am, you'll want to go back.

I've been sorely disappointed with this season; it started off wonderfully strongly, but since the third or fourth episode, it's stalled in a constant loop of getting more potential Slayers and declaiming increasingly hollow motivational speeches. And while it's debatable just what has been lost, I miss a lot. I especially miss Xander. Where'd he go since that lovely speech to Dawn about being ordinary?

In episode 7x15 "Get it Done", Buffy reams everyone out because only she seems to care about defeating the oh-so-scary First Evil. Turning on Anya, she demands, "What are you doing here?" and Anya replies, "I provide much-needed sarcasm." Flustered, Xander protests that he thought that was his job. Buffy goes on to yell at Spike for being wussy because she needs old warrior Spike (er, the warrior who tried to rape her?).

The scene broke my heart. It seemed as if the writers were admitting they didn't know what to do with Xander, and that giving Spike a soul had been some kind of mistake. I tried to hold out hope that things were going to be resolved, because, jeez, Xander's the heart of the team and Spike with a soul is way too intriguing to pass over. I was terribly, hideously wrong.

So "In the Midst of It All" is my attempt to give our boys something (someone?) to do, to explore what's happening to them as the ever-more fascistic Team Slayer rolls on. I'm trying to write in the lacunae of canon events, so reference will be made to recent and current episodes.

I've been writing in short chunks, but will at some point craft these into chapters. The action (such as it is) begins the night of "Storyteller" (7x16), after Xander's one-more-time with Anya, when Spike is out with Buffy, Wood, and Andrew at the high school trying to close the Hellmouth seal again. The chunks so far:

• One. In which Xander reflects and pities himself; and Spike stirs things up.
• Two. In which things get hotter and heavier on the lawn.
• Three. In which the boys retire inside.
• Four. In which they cuddle; and Xander takes Dawn to school.
• Five. In which Spike wakes up alone that evening; Xander tries to sleep; and Spike sets out to apologize.
• Six. In which Xander performs some tongue-twisters; and Spike poses a difficult question.
• Seven. In which the question is answered; and a tougher one arises.
• Eight. In which talking is flubbed.
• Nine. In which Xander performs admirably; insults are traded; and Spike goes grocery shopping.
• Ten. In which Xander buys some comics; Spike paces the basement; and Andrew attempts a lasagna.
• Eleven. In which dinner is served.
• Twelve. In which Dawn joins the fun. For cards! Get your mind out of the gutter. Perv.
• Thirteen. In which the boys try to be quiet.
• Fourteen. In which the morning's ablutions turn fun; Dawn's been thinking hard again; and Spike's determined not to think.
• Fifteen. In which Xander gets pissy; Spike worries; and just how long is "always", anyway?
• Sixteen. In which Xander reveals a long-held desire for a treehouse and Spike hears voices.
• Seventeen. In which Spike teaches Xander a couple new tricks.
• Eighteen. In which post-coital reflection goes awry.
• Nineteen. In which the boys try to figure out what's going on beyond prostate stimulation.