You are reading: Buffy recs by Sparrow2000

Sparrow2000 has always been a great supporter, and recently she's started doing these wonderful rec lists where she separates her picks into categories (and tells you why she loves them). This is a great new set of recommendations from someone with great taste!

Recs that span Every Shade of Grey
Dark & Angsty, which does kind of get to the point, but there are so many gradations of both

Xander & Spike

Red Apple Falls by _dellamore was a Halloween fic from a couple of years ago and oh shit it’s scary. Bodies are being found in Sunnydale and while the whole gang suspects who the killer is, only Xander realises why the murders are happening. A tale of completely obsessive love which proves that making deals with the devil always comes with a price. Shiver…

Intervention by othercat could almost have gone in the D/s section, but although the dynamic is there I don’t think it’s the be all and end all of the story. Xander has been working in LA, allowing his friends to think he is dead. He only comes back to Sunnyhell to face his worst nightmares when he hears that a monster from his past has returned. The premise of this is interesting because it's Xan rather than Angel who went to LA to do the protector of the city scene with the LA crew being his team. The remaining Scoobies certainly don’t recognise this new version of their friend and the reason for the deception only becomes apparent in some fairly horrific but very subtle flashbacks. I always wish there had been more of this fic because I would love to have seen the scenario developed further. There is one hot little aside story if you wondered what the boys got up to when the gang weren't around. You can find Intermezzo here

The Highwayman by CC is another shiver inducing story. The Initiative is determined that our boys shouldn’t be together and Xander will do anything to keep Spike safe, even if the consequences are shocking and heartbreaking. This story just makes me want to cry although it has a happy ending of sorts – if you kind of squint.

The first time I read inlovewithnight’s Hand Me Down I was absolutely speechless. There’s dark and then there’s this story. Spike isn’t exactly chipless, but he isn’t exactly chipped, and furthermore, he isn’t exactly sane. To top it all he has a crazy plan to hurt Buffy, but it’s someone else who will actually suffer. Go read, it’s just terrifying.

Now four from the completely amazing artist formerly known as wiseacress.

Dark Horse is set in a dystopian future where vampires and demons rule and humans are a food source. Spike spots a completely unrecognisable and practically non-responsive former Scooby at an illegal auction and takes him home. Over time their relationship grows to one of tentative trust until the threat of betrayal pushes Spike to make some drastic plans. Xander’s line “I used to be important” gets me every time and I defy you not to have your heart in your mouth in the final scene.

Here Comes a Candle has such a sense of creeping unease that it gives me goose bumps just thinking about it. Spike is acting even more strangely than normal and when Xander reluctantly gets talked into giving Spike a lift on Halloween you just desperately want him to refuse.

Modus Vivendi is one of those stories that just kind of hypnotises you and before you know it you’re read 16 chapters and are shaking your monitor desperately to find the rest. Xander is living in LA and finds himself on the wrong end of a severe punishment beating by enemies of Spike. Things go down hill from there with Xan holed up in Spike’s apartment with no way of contacting anyone and unable to get about unaided. On top of that, he keeps getting these really strange dreams. Modus really is very bleak, but as you would expect it is beautifully written and completely compelling.

Wiseacress got so many complaints about the way Modus ended that she wrote a sort of sequel and I think it proves the adage about being careful what you wished for… Ars Moriendi takes off from the action at the end of chapter 13 of Modus, thus pretending the last 3 chapters didn’t happen. Xander finishes up going on the road with Spike and finds himself slipping further and further away from everything that was once familiar. I still find the end of this story horrifying in its inevitability and every time I read it have this insane hope that somehow it will turn out differently. Beautifully bleak and gut wrenchingly sad.

Credence is probably my favourite ever story by tabaqui, which is saying something considering how many wonderful stories she has written over the last few years. Spike finds Xander caring for a sick Oz while living on the street and offers to help(in his own inimitable way). However nothing comes for free and so begins a very complex dance of courtship and mind games as Spike starts to coax Xander’s inner hyena and baser instincts to the fore. Like Modus Vivendi, I find Credence completely hypnotic, I think it’s the cadence of the writing and the atmosphere the poetry creates. It’s just a truly gorgeous luscious story

Hypnotic is also the word that springs to mind with Lines in the Sand by Meredith Bronwen Mallory garnettrees. Spike finds his past coming back to haunt him and promises made long in the past have sudden bitter sweet reality. The sequel Sunlight in My Cradle is set just after the enjoining spell at the end of S4 and develops the story further. Both these stories are beautiful and poetic and based on a fascinating premise and I’ve always wished there had been more, but the two existing stories are gorgeous in their own right. Don’t be put off by the author calling Xander’s mother Ellen, she admits at the time of writing she didn’t realise that the name Jessica was there in canon.

Thirst by carolyn_claire has Xander and Spike stranded in the desert playing chicken with a box of matches. It’s not exactly dark, but for all the desert heat it does give me chills.

I can’t say anything new to say about lit_gal's Beautiful Broken and Broken Revenge other than to say read them and read them again. Spike comes across Xan 6 months after he disappeared and finds him very much changed. The story comes plastered with warnings about how dark it is, but it is a story about recovery in the long run. Huge and very satisfying, but not for the faint hearted. I kind of struggled with what category to put these stories in as there’s lots of kink and plenty of h/c as well, but in the end this seemed the best home for it.

Te’s Post Grad series is one of my favourite fics. Xander feels abandoned by all his college going friends and after taking a bunch of pills he goes for a walk in the moonlight. Fortunately, or otherwise, Spike finds him and takes him home. This is the start of a very twisted relationship which spans a number of stories, and all are worth reading. Spike handing Xander a collar to hide a very nasty love bite always has me chuckling gleefully, but that’s just me.

Lattice and Pearls is ladycat777 doing what she does best - creating a dark, disturbed, possessive Spike who just can't let his boy out of his sight without putting his mark on him. The scene where Buffy sees them in the alley is just gah!

Also by ladycat is Simplicity. Xander is caught in the backlash to a spell and Spike takes care of him. You might call this a story of enlightened self interest…

spikedluv’s Boy is a little dark gem. Set before Buffy comes to Sunnydale; Spike is playing messenger for his Sire and picks up a little plaything at a slave auction. He finds this particular toy still has a mind of his own, but that just makes it even more fun for Spike.

Also by spikeluv is The Offering. Spike stalks and terrorises Xander after the events of parent teacher’s night. I just love the twisted courtship in this story.

I'd almost forgotten about Clarity's Barbie Doll until I was putting together this list. Xander thinks back on his childhood and finds parallels in his current life. This story always takes me by surprise for some reason, it's really quite insidious and that's why I like it so much.

I just fell in love with Twitch by The Spuzz when I first read it. Spike kidnaps Xander in the belief that the boy will come to love him over time if only they stay together long enough. Obsessive Spike is always creepy and here he is just major league disturbing.

There’s very little to be said about Spike’s Revenge by CJ because the title says it all. The chip is out and it’s payback time.

Turnabout by Eliza Shaw (speakingsilence) isn’t so much dark as just very, very grey. Post Chosen, Spike finds Xander in desperate straits holed up in a demon infested motel with no sign of his friends. As Spike starts to uncover the reasons for Xander’s state he realises that he will have to call in the great broody one to help get them both out of there. I know everyone’s read this one, but it’s a great story and I just hope Eliza updates again soon.

Altered by Megg is just desolate. Xander is seriously hurt in an earthquake and now only Spike can make him feel anything. However the vampire’s course of treatment doesn’t exactly follow the Hippocratic Oath.

Purgatory by Shimmer has Spike and Xander in the middle of nowhere having sex and getting stoned. It should be a straight forward PWP, but somehow it feels much more sinister and there is a wealth of untold back-story just waiting to be written – so I’ve got my own mental scenario of how and why they’re there in the first place.

And there more drugs in the mix in Tripping by Maz. Xander has been hanging out with Devon and Oz and after a little too much acid, he bumps into Spike, who promptly sees the opportunity for a little bit of fun with his lunch. I’ve always thought that putting this down as Humour in the Genre field is a bit strange as the action is actually quite dark. However a stoned Xander is quite funny and Spike certainly seems to be enjoying himself.

Bound by Love and Hate by saturn_girl is horrifying and completely logical. Angelus has tortured and killed all the Scoobies and left Xander on the brink of death. The only thing Spike can do to help Xander get the revenge he needs is to help him become what he loathes most. Short and to the point, it’s a story that just gets the job done.

_sharvie_'s The Visual Spectrum: Seeing the Light is a Xander & Spike story in as much as they are both present in the story. Xander comes to a realisation about the nature of evil and his own culpability in giving it entry. I can feel my anxiety levels rising every time I read this story, it is just so damn intense and I can see every single scene in my head in glorious Technicolor.

Then we have Jake’s The Devil’s Bargain series. Xander’s been reading too many Watchers’ books and when Angelus comes to town, Xander thinks the only way of protecting Anya is by asking Spike to accept the claim he made on parent teacher’s night. Thing is, Anya isn’t too happy with her boyfriend just giving himself away, however well intentioned he was. As ever stuff happens. This isn’t really that dark, but it’s not all hugs and puppies either (or should I say kittens, since Drusilla does make an appearance)

This Flesh We Wear by Scorpio isn’t really an Angel or a Spike fic as such so I’ll put it here between the two sections. Angel sees a mysterious stranger at Cordy’s funeral and realises that it’s a very changed Xander. The life our boy has led since he disappeared from high school shocks the broody one and brings back memories of his errant Childe. There’s such a feeling of desolation about this story and Willow’s gift to Xander is a killer.

moosesal's Depravation is also an in between fic featuring both Spike and Angel. Spike is frantic when Xander goes missing and asks Angel to help find him. This is very dark and creepy, but that’s why it’s on this list.

Holy by Christina Melani has just about everything you’d want in a threesome fic. It’s got evil Angelus, predatory Spike, innocent virginal Xander and lots of porn. Oh and Xander in a skirt, just for a bit of extra spice.




Xander & Angel(us)

Bruised series by Lar was one of the first Xangelus stories I ever read and I was quite shocked how under my skin it got. That’s all I’ve got to say really.

If you’re in the mood for something really, really bleak, there’s always The Existence series by Laure Alexander. (The second story is the series is by Nicolette Marquis McFadgen) This isn’t everyone’s cup of tea as the darkness really is just unrelenting. It was one of the first stories of its kind I came across when I first discovered I had a taste for dark fic. Xander is horrifically abused by Angelus as a message to Buffy and when his father compounds the abuse and his friends appear to betray him, Xander returns to the vampire in the horrible logic that at least he knows what to expect from Angelus. I’m not even sure I really like this story, but I am drawn to it from time to time for some reason. It’s not an easy read and the darkness is coal black. I suppose there is a happy end of sorts, but I don’t really think there is redemption for anyone, so don’t read this when you’re depressed.

And we’ll stay with bleak for Nowhere Near Love by Creed Cascade and Echoes Revenge. Angelus lures Xander away from Anya and once separated from his friends begins to terrorise him into submission. On top of that Buffy makes a wish in a fit of temper and Anya is on hand to grant it, which only makes the situation worse. This is Angelus at his nastiest and that’s just the way I like him sometimes

What can I say about Nexus by rakshathewolf which hasn’t already been said? My main problem was deciding which category to put it in as it’s got Angelus, D/s, h/c and lots of angst and darkness, so feel free to disagree with me putting it in here. Angelus returns to Sunnydale after Wesley removes his soul and goes looking for the boy he held captive 5 years previously Spike narrates the story to Buffy, but even Spike’s perception of past events isn’t necessarily what actually happened. I came across this story when there were only 6 chapters up at the Island and started checking obsessively for updates. Outside of the whole being held captive by a psychotic vampire there are 3 or 4 chapters in the middle of the story which are very, very dark but they do drive the narrative forward. Raksha is writing a follow up, Caritas, but so far there are 4 chapters available.

I recc’d witling’s The Assistant in my end of year round up last year, but again it bears repeating. Xander goes to LA at the Council's behest to help Wesley with the latest apocalyse, but his visit coincides with a spell which mislays that damn slippery soul. Things aren’t very pretty for a while and then the terror just gets under your skin. It’s just great stuff. (The link is to Witling’s main web page – the story is about half way down)

The Nightlife series by Christina Melani _dellamore is another coal black look at the very twisted relationship between Xander and Angelus. Our boy is with the vamp willingly (sort of) but the desperation in the relationship just oozes out of every sentence. Be warned this is not comfortable reading and the second section has some of the most horrific scenes I’ve ever come across. Having said that it does hit the spot if you are in a very, very, very dark fic mood.

Angelus Complex by ladycat777 has the evil undead finding Xander in the bathroom at the Bronze after Cordy has carried out the ritual Valentine’s Day humiliation. Let’s just say Angelus isn’t there to comfort the boy.

And there’s more from ladycat with In Every Parting(redux) and this time it’s Angel acting on his baser instincts with our boy in a car. I know sex in a car is supposed to be one of the great teenage dating rituals, but I don’t think anyone ever envisaged it quite like this. (maybe I’ve had a sheltered life!)

Te’s back with Tell the End. Xander drives to LA to enlist the help of the AtS gang against major apocalyptic badness. However when he gets there he discovers that Angel isn’t quite himself. This is just dark and very, very disturbing – everything you’d want in a story.

And there’s more from Te with the Cell Series. Gonna has Angel, Xander and sex (that’s about it really) Chain is co-written by The Spike and is a sort of sequel to Gonna. It’s the same two boys, a little restraint and mind games in the dark – delicious. Check out the brilliant cover art by Livia here.

I just love strickens_girl’s Dark verse.(read Cries in the Darkness first) Glittering little images of the twisted relationship between a master vamp and his boy, it’s like the best, bitterest dark chocolate you’ll ever get as a present.

The Dissonance series by Ethrosdemon stands out as being uber disturbing in a genre which has more than it’s fair share of disturbing stories. Angel remembers his relationship with Xander and decides that it’s a part of his past he would like to revisit. There’s lots and lots of hurt here and very little comfort, but it’s a terrific read. (there’s no link between the parts so I’ve just linked to the main Ethrosdemon webpage – the first story is about half way down)

And we’re still on Xangelus for saturn_girl's Scarlet Letter. Angelus has gained power over Xander through a combination of blood and magic and the gang are unable to stake the evil undead because it will also kill their friend. I'm really excited that after a long hiatus, she's posted a new chapter at her LJ, and I hope if she gets enough feedback she'll continue the story.

Angst Monkey by kaygrr is another story which I continually harp on about and again I know everyone has read it, but the list just wouldn’t be complete without it. Xander is fatally wounded in a fight and Angel has to turn him because he’s the only one who can wield the weapon which will fell the next big bad. However Angel doesn’t make our boy a childe or a minion, he makes an abject – a vampire who has no unlife of his own outside the wishes of his Sire. If ever a fictional character was going to get hate mail from readers it would be Angel in this story – the scene with the holy water still makes me gasp. Fortunately Kay had Spike on hand to give the baby vamp a little TLC.

Neither Spike or Angel...

Now don’t fall over, the next one isn’t a Xander fic (I think he appears in one scene) twilightofmagic's Voices in the Night is Giles/Wesley and quite beautiful. The two watchers have been lovers in the past and Giles is haunted by the fact that he didn’t answer Wesley’s call for help at the end of AtS. Then Giles starts to have dreams….. I hope this fic wins every award going because it would be richly deserved.

I’ve always got time for a good Ethan fic and Observed Strategies for Survival by ladycat777 and wesleysgirl scratches that particular itch nicely. Ethan meets Xander at the Espresso Pump and somehow persuades him to come back to his motel room – stuff happens. The scene with Giles towards the end is a killer. Like a lot of Ethan/Xander stories, this is just so dirty, bad and wrong – everything you’d expect from the esteemed authors and that’s what makes it so damn good.

Calendar Boy by Te has Ethan watching Xander wash himself after a performance at the Fabulous Ladies Night Club. The reference to Xander’s patented panther crawl makes me giggle every time.

And if you’re in the mood for more Xander/Ethan by Te and Debchan try the Wall series. Xander is in a very bad mood and a certain chaos mage finds himself on the wrong end of the famous Harris temper – the disturbing thing is he seems to enjoy it. To say more would give the story away, but at the end I’m not really sure who is in control of whom

And sticking with Te, there’s Times like These. Caleb visits Xander in the hospital after the eye incident to persuade him to change sides. The idea of Xander/Caleb almost had me screaming in the other direction when I read it, but it truly is compelling, very logical in the context of the story and completely terrifying.

Another Taste by saturn_girl took me by surprise the first time I read it. Xander is visited by Buffy, but he soon realises that this particular Buffy is acting very out of character. I really wish Joss had had the guts to do something like this scene in the series because there is a scary logic to it.

And also by Saturn Girl we have A Disciplined Man. Xander gets up close and personal with a member of the Initiative and discovers that protecting loved ones comes with a high price. This is a Graham fic and I really like the idea that Mr Clean has some really disturbed stuff going on under the surface.

Sleeper by booster17 is one of these fics that creeps up on you and insinuates itself into your head so you’re thinking about if for days afterwards. Xander is the CEO of Wolfram & Hart and living with Faith. When Buffy is killed and Faith is called, Xander realises just how high the price of his power really is. This is just so great, if you’ve read it before, go read it again.

Slow by Beneresq has Xander finally realising that sometimes friendship and love are no defence against the pursuit of power, especially where your best friend is involved.

There’s lots of other dark and angsty fic out there, but that’s just a sample of some of the ones I come back to again and again for a whole variety of reasons. If you think there’s something missing it could well turn up in one of my other categories – this kind of pigeonholing is about as far from an exact science as you can possibly get.

Anyway that’s more than enough for now. After all that darkness I’m off to curl up with something bright and happy.

 

Kink Recs

Xander & Spike (with the odd sprinkling of Giles..)

First up has to be Secrets by Eddibea. Spike exposes Xander’s most hidden desires and offers to make them come true. Not everyone is happy about the situation. Completely gorgeous big multi-part D/s with great kink and believable character interaction. It’s unfinished, but has been left at a point where that’s okay, but if she ever writes more I’ll be at the top of the queue.

And hot on the heels is The Hours quartet by Yindagger yin_again. Written as a challenge fic, Spike offers Xander one hour of payback to wipe the slate clean for all Spike’s past insults and his encounter with Anya. Even Spike is taken aback with Xander’s reply. The four parts take place in the lead up to Chosen and also the period afterwards. Again beautifully written, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read this.
Following on from this, dancetomato did a follow up fic here which takes place a year after the final events in The Hours. Done as a birthday fic for Yin, it does full justice to the original and that’s all I’m saying.

Labyrinth by rowaine is post Chosen and sees Xander leaving his friends behind to search for a definition to his life. Giles of all people points him in the right direction and that’s right in the way of a certain blonde. Very hot S/X action and there’s even some Giles action mixed in to add some extra spice.

I’ve rabbited on about Second Verse and its sequel Musical Wars, by lit_gal so I’ll only say that Xander finds his place in the world and Spike gains a not altogether exactly human pet. It’s terrific reading and I love it to bits. Oh and there’s an extra great little ficlet here.

sexymermaid’s Shards series has 2 main stories and a lovely bonus codicil. It doesn’t look like D/s to start with but trust me it gets there. Something bad has happened to Xander and the pieces of himself and his perception are only seen in fragments. The one thing grounding our boy amongst all the confusion is that blonde again. Yet again stuff happens. In the second story the boys must rescue Dawn from the bad guys and find themselves re-enacting their most private relationships in a very public way.

Bargain by katharina is one of the first D/s fics I came across and while I loved the story I do have some issues with the way it is written, but that doesn’t stop me re-reading. Spike makes a bargain with the PTB to get one of the Scoobies as his very own in exchange for not doing some big nasty. He doesn’t expect that the donut boy will willingly sacrifice himself to save his girls, but being Spike he decides to take full advantage of the situation. What always intrigues me about this story is that Xan volunteers and therefore makes himself complicit with whatever happens to him. I’d love to see another take on this. Unfortunately this story hasn’t been updated in nearly 2 years but there are still 15 chapters to get stuck into.

I know I’ve harped on about Maz’s Observations, but I really do love it. Spike teaching Xan the nuances of a complete power exchange. Lots of kink, but this is about the relationship not just about the porn (although the porn is excellent!)

twilightsfic's Rules of Life was one of my favourite fics of the last couple of years. Xan goes on his road trip and comes back to Sunnyhell with a completely new perspective on life and love. There is a modicum of daddy kink but it’s there to move the plot on, and isn’t the be all and end all of the story. It’s just an immensely satisfying coming of age story with added kink.

I mentioned speakingsilence Eliza Shaw’s Unacceptable Losses in my fic of the year list for 2005 and it’s well worth mentioning again. I remember finding it on her LJ with only a few chapters written and being blown away. Xander is struggling to find atonement for a truly shocking deed and believes his only redemption is punishment. I nearly put this in the Angst category because there is lots of it, but the kink just sat up and begged me to put it in this category, but be warned this is kink with major plot.

ladycat777’s Quarry verse is just a joy if you’re into this genre. Spike for once has a strategy that actually works and seduces Xander in a way which I guarantee will make your brain melt. You can find the parts here, here and here. My keyboard has steam rising just writing about this story.

Also by Ladycat is Hunt Brother. This could probably have gone in the hyena category, but I think the D/s is more predominant. Spike discovers the buttons to push which will make Xander compliant and takes full advantage. There is one absolutely shockingly brutal chapter in the middle, but it is well flagged. I think it's destined to be unfinished, but it’s still one of the must reads in the genre.

Vibrator fic by Ladycat is a smutty little snapshot of a vamp, his boy and the very public use of sex toys – what more could you ask for!

Finally by Ladycat is Wrapping Paper. Spike asks Giles to help get him something special for Xan’s birthday. I don’t think anyone expected Giles to get quite so much into the spirit of things. It’s short, it’s dirty, and to top it all, it’s got Giles doing naughty things.

piksa’s Dark Surprises finds Spike deciding to accept Angel’s gift from Parent Teachers night several years after the fact. It doesn’t occur to him that Xander might be quite happy with his life the way it is and have some minor objections to Spike’s plans. I’m not entirely convinced by Xander’s characterisation at the start of this, but once the story gets moving it settles down nicely. Lots of D/s, some h/c, a bit of Stockholm syndrome and Scoobies to the rescue(sort of..) make for a good plotty read. Some of the formatting on the website was a bit squiffy the last time I looked, but you can also find it in her LJ memories if necessary.

I just love truly_tazi's Master’s Pet:Stress Relief. Xander is late home from work and that means he needs to be chastised – oh yes. Just great fun, it was supposed to be the first in a series, but sadly it sits there on its own looking lonely. So go read and keep it company, I guarantee satisfaction.

Fulfilling a Fantasy by camisha is one of my few Dom Xander fics. The first time I read it I was really shocked at this Xander, but then I read further and understood. To say anymore would give away the story so just go read.

paperk8’s Knowing Style made its appearance in the Spander Inquisition back in 2004 and blew everyone away. Spike takes Xander to an LA club to try to bolster his self confidence and unlock the potential he can see in the boy. Just beautifully written and a completely wonderful read. Oh and Xander in lace up leather trousers in just a bonus!

Robin the Crossover Junkie’s Supple has a completely awesome manip at the head of the fic which more or less sums up the plot. Spike buys Xander a present which leads to mutual pleasure for both. Not much else to be said really.

There’s more from Robin with Duality. Xander wants to bottom, but his inner hyena won’t let him. So what’s a boy to do – simple, just ask your friendly neighbourhood vamp to help out. This should really go in my hyena section, so this is more of a cross reference (how sad am I…)

Then there’s Chance Encounters(Spike/Xander) and Chance Encounters(Xander/Spike) by Evil Willow and Crazy Dru. Both stories are written as if they were RPG’s and be warned the colours they are written in might make your eyes bleed, but the content is fun. In the first one Spike finds himself in Vegas looking for some gratification and finds it the form of a Scooby who’s just been coerced into doing the stripping thing. As ever, stuff happens. The second story is set a year later when a just chipped Spike decides to have some fun at Xander’s expense –or at least that’s how it starts out. Writing this made me go back and re-read both stories and they are just hot and all about control – who has it and who responds to it.

kimberley_fan’s Jump verse is just great. The first story Jump to the Left has Xander and Spike living their own personal groundhog day and it isn’t a kink fic as such, but you really need to read it to understand where the boys are at in the sequel Late Night Double Feature where Xander is contemplating exploring new horizons. Both these stories are just great reads and very well written.

I really wish spikedluv would finish her Puppy for Spike fic. Angelus wants Drusilla’s attention all too himself so he picks up a puppy to keep Spike distracted. The puppy concerned isn’t very happy with his new role. One line in the story just sums it up.
"No name, no clothes, no choice"
Just really good fun, but she left it with our puppy about to be spanked for not minding his tongue and I really want to know what happens next..

For the Love of My Brother by _sharvie_ is another fic which I live in hope will some day be finished. To use the author’s description, Xander is a successful businessman who also lives as a sexual sub to his stepbrother’s alter-ego Spike. They meet for a weekend session, but secrets from Xander’s past threaten to ruin the relationship they have built. Sharvie has promised she will finish this story, so I'm sending her mental chocolate on a weekly basis!

D’yer Ma’ker by Randy Sex Kitten txrabbit has a voyeuristic teenage Xander watching Giles dominating Wesley in the library and realising that he has found what was missing in his life. Spike is an observant vamp and decides to help the boy out. That’s it really.

Let Mercy Lead by altyronsmaker is another of my few Dom Xander fics. Spike needs to be broken in order to heal and Xander helps him. The thing I really like about this story is that Xander’s weapon of choice is his words, just as it always was in canon, but here used to devastating effect.

The Power Struggle series by saturn_girl is just great and very perverse fun. Spike kidnaps Xander on the eve of his wedding and won’t let him go ‘til he’s fulfilled some of Spike’s needs! Xander for some reason or other isn’t best pleased with the situation. This is a multi-part story and as the title suggests the balance of power seesaws as each of our “heroes” plots to get the upper hand and hide what’s going on from Anya!

Now a little subset of painting kink! sexymermaid’s Obsession only has Xander present for the last couple of chapters, but is mainly Spike/Giles. Ethan knows what Giles needs and gives him a painting of a figure who will satisfy the most exacting of requirements. It’s just hot and let’s face it any story with Ethan manipulating Giles is always great fun.

Chiaroscuro by winterlive is one of those stories which just lingers in the back of your head for ages after you’ve read it. Dom Xander picks Spike up at a specialist club and takes him home for the night. Trouble is Xander isn’t the Dom he appears and the blonde sees right through his act and needs to know what he’s really been bought for. Read the fic to find out – it’s hot and intense and just a bit sad.




Kink - Xander & Angel(us)

I first came across speakingsilence Eliza Shaw’s Need a couple of years ago and was blown away by the sheer hotness. She takes the cliché of Angel in this case coming across Xan in Oxnard and makes it into something quite brain melting. I think the scene with Xander performing on the stage is indelibly burnt into my brain. Need sort of leads into another of Eliza’s fics
Turnabout which I’ve already talked about in my Shades of Grey entry,

And there’s some lovely Xangelus in what is definitely one of my favourite fics of 06, The Seduction by sexymermaid. Angelus runs across a teenage Xander in an alley one night and decides he has to have the boy. What starts off as a relatively straight forward mission to gain a new pet becomes very complicated when the vamp develops feelings for the very mouthy teenager until you wonder just who is in charge in this relationship (especially when a hyena comes calling!) Mix in Oz, Darla and a slightly off centre Buffy, stir, simmer and serve! What can I say; it’s Jan so you just know it is going to be good.




Kink - Xander & Wes

Most people know nwhepcat as a brilliantly talented Het writer, but her Lessons series is awesome and it’s Xander/Wesley. Find part 1 here, part 2 here and part 3 here This is D/s without most of the normal hardware, but it is brilliant and the third part especially is a killer.

And there’s more from Wesley in margarks’s Crystals verse. The watcher wants a boy and uses a little crystal therapy to satisfy his needs. It’s just naughty and wrong and oh so delicious.



To round up this section, here’s a few “Pet” fics as they seem to make a nice little subsection.

Top of the list in this category has to be Xanpet by Siege. After the confrontation in the graveyard in Normal Again, Spike wishes that Xander had seen him at the height of the terror of the Scourge of Europe. A certain vengeance demon hears him and poor Xander finds himself in Paris in 1889 in a chateau belonging to Angelus and William the Bloody. This is just a great rollicking read and although it’s not finished there’s still 15 big chapters to enjoy, and Siege has said that she will get back to it one of these days once her RL settles down.

amejisuto’s Master and Pet series is just lovely. Xander wants a Master and offers himself to Spike – Spike accepts and each story is a little snapshot into their life together. I defy anyone to read the 3rd part, Florida Water and not sniffle a little at some point.

The Pet verse by nashmaveric has Spike deciding that he wants Xander as his pet – willing or not. Because he’s short of time he gets Drusilla to cook up a potion to make the boy more compliant – oh, and if he doesn’t drink it, Spike will start killing everyone in the neighbourhood. Sometimes it just sucks to be the White Knight…

In Just Another Game by pixel2817 Spike and Xander are in a long term relationship, but when Spike asks his lover to become a traditional vampire’s pet for 2 weeks as a death day present, their relationship enters a whole new phase. There are four chapters up and they sit quite happily as they are, but I really would like to see more of this if she’s ever in the mood.

Time Well Spent by Echo’s Revenge and Creed Cascade isn’t your traditional pet story. Xander, Spike and Angel find themselves thrown back in time due to a spell and because Darla and Drusilla are around, Xander has to pretend to be a vampire pet for his own protection. Once there he kind of finds he likes the role. This is just great fun, especially the bedroom scene when the Scoobs finally manage to make contact with our feckless trio.

Inner Realms of Madness by Scorpio is a pet fic with a difference. Spike is trying to get the chip out and the only person who can help is Xander who used to be the Aurelius family pet. Trouble is that Xander is now clinically insane and in a high security asylum. This is a pretty dark story with a lot of flashbacks to Xander’s life as a vampire pet to explain how he finished up in his current mental state. The final scene is really shocking.

Last but absolutely by no means least we have Elderly Pets by rngrdead. It’s looks as if it’s going to be a standard – demons now rule the world and all humans are enslaved and/or food fic, and at it’s most basic level that’s true. But there’s so much else going on in this story. A couple of years after the world goes to hell, Spike discovers a very changed Xander and takes him home both to keep as a pet and as a comforting reminder of the world now lost. For the next hundred years or so both vampire and pet create a family and work within the rules of the new system to make things better for themselves and for the humans who are left. A number of people got very upset when this story first appeared because Xander is willingly fathering children who then become part of a human stud farm, but if you trust the author everything has a context and the story really does work. And I defy you not to cry at least 3 times over the course of the story.
And ***stop press*** Elderly Pets has tied with Quantum Xander for Best Spander fic in round 2 at the Fang Fetish Awards which just goes to prove that Josie was right to ignore the flames and follow her heart and her crazy muse Daisy and write the story she had in her head

There now, not as long as the dark fic post, but long enough and hopefully kinky enough to satisfy the most discerning palate!

H/C Recs with a free box of tissues and a cuddle for every reader!

Amnesty ‘verse by amejisuto is lovely. Xander feels worthless and his humiliation is complete when his bid to end things is interrupted by Angel. So starts a tentative dialogue, turning to friendship and to something deeper. It’s just great and beautifully written and not finished yet if we keep feeding the author!

Fragments was a RPG written by ladycat777 and xanphibian which just cranked up the hurt and the angst about as far as it would go. The Scoobs find Xander practically catatonic and brutalised after an unexplained disappearance and after his physical wounds are healed the gang have to deal with the shell that is left. Spike is put on Xander sitting duty and it quickly becomes clear that there’s more than just physical and mental trauma to overcome before recovery can begin. The flashbacks are really disturbing and the effect they have in the present is unsettling to say the least. Very disturbing, extremely compelling and the comfort is very satisfying even if the means is slightly unconventional – but we are talking about Spike here. It’s just a terrific read – well you wouldn’t expect anything else from the authors concerned.

And still on the subject of Xander trauma, authoressnebula’s Lost takes a similar theme. Spike and Xander have been lovers but split up after a fight. After a time apart Xander turns up on Spike’s doorstep severally traumatised and unable to say what happened to him. One of the things I really like about this fic is that the girls are completely supportive of Spike and Xander as a couple as well as trying to support Xander’s recovery. Again some fairly grim flashbacks illuminate the current situation.

Velvet Crypt’s Smell of Home starts off being all light hearted before becoming very, very dark. To flush out a new big bad the gang have to gain access to a demon conference and Xander and Spike have to pose as lovers (which the girls think is hysterical). However the big bad has some nasty past history with Spike and uses Xander to get revenge. It does get a tad gory towards the end, but it isn’t a death fic, (unless you’re a red shirt or a bad demon) so don’t worry

Also by Velvet Crypt is Ritual. The gang get kidnapped by a mad sorcerer who’s forces them to voluntarily perform a series of brutal acts on each other. What he didn’t bank on was the compassion of our heroes changing the nature of the spell being cast with some unexpected results. I think there was going to be more to this story, but it sits quite nicely with the two parts which are there.

The grand daddy of all h/c fics; Alexandria Brown’s Waiting Here has it all. Spike discovers Xander is cutting himself as a coping mechanism for abuse and as he tries to help they begin a tentative relationship. The scene in the basement when the gang finally confront Xander’s abuser is a bit over the top, but after all the poor lad has been through it’s also perversely satisfying.

Elegantly Wasted is another fic by Alexandria Brown which rates about 12.8 on the Angst-o-meter (top scale of 10) When Spike orders a little bit of “O Pos” on the hoof, he really doesn’t expect to see one of the former Scoobies turning up at the door. After a bit of stalking he tries to save Xander from his new life, but sometimes things are just beyond fixing. Be warned, this story is unfinished and is left at a point that just makes me want to howl. That said, it’s a cracking read if you want a story where the hurt is so severe that no amount of comfort can really help

What makes kyrieane’s When Angels Wept different is that although our boy is hurt, there is no supernatural agency involved, he just falls foul of your common or garden American Psycho (hmm good name for a book). However, this isn’t a story about the torture, but about the slow road to recovery with an extra side of angst. There are 4 chapters up which I re-read several times in a vicarious attempt to get another fix, and I do hope she updates again soon.

Now I know everyone has read Twilight Time by Shadow, but I couldn’t not include it. Spike finds Xander holed up in a crypt after he’s been beaten by his father, so naturally the vamp takes him home and provides his own unique brand of TLC. The gang aren’t too happy with the burgeoning relationship, but then, when are they ever?(that's a rhetorical question by the way!) It’s just a great read and I love it to bits.

darkhavens’ Grungefic features a 16 year old Xander who’s alone and mourning for Jesse when Spike comes across him in a club and decides to take him home. I know that Spike is a bad rude man and has his own agenda here, but you can’t help applauding that he can see Xander’s pain and wants to do something about it. The scene with the tobacco tin gets me snuffling every single time. It’s unfinished, but I live in hope.

amejisuto and suki_blue’s Grief Counseling is just lovely. Xander is grieving after Buffy’s death and finds comfort through email with a anonymous friend called Sean. However Sean is closer than he thinks. Then Willow decides she needs to bring Buffy back from the dead and our boys have to band together to stop her. It’s just great stuff and an immensely satisfying read and is still being updated regularly.

Mercy by Robin the Crossover Junkie has Spike trying to help Xander through memories of child abuse. It’s not a fic to read when you’re down, but it is great h/c.

And there’s more abused Xander in Kayla’s Broken. One thing that does get my back up is Spike constantly thinking about Xander as his “Nummy”, but it’s not the only story which does this so I’m just being picky. Anyway this time the abuse is in the present rather than the past. Spike helps and of course the gang jump to the wrong conclusion. I really like Oz in this fic and the appearance of his "friend" towards the end is just a bonus.

Some people will probably say that Firehorse’s My Scorpion doesn’t really fit into h/c, but I think it does and it’s my list, so hey! Xander comes to Spike’s crypt bearing Chinese takeout and looking for company. As they talk, Xander gives Spike some insight into his life and offers to help Spike get de-chipped so long as he takes Xander with him afterwards. To use the old chestnut – stuff happens – and it’s hot!

Ruby Raindrops & Burgundy Secrets by chocgood84 has some very sweet h/c. Buffy is having difficulty dealing with the fact that our boys are together and Spike has to comfort and reassure his lover. It’s not epic and not really angsty, but it’s just a very satisfying little bite.

The Benediction series by Claire won’t be everyone’s idea of h/c but I still think it qualifies. Xander has found what he needs from Angelus, but when the soul returns and guilt drives the vampire away, Xander turns to Spike for the special comfort he craves. Angel of course isn’t happy with the situation.

In kyrieane’s Reparations, Xander visits Spike after witnessing a round of hate-sex with Buffy and offers the vamp solace and sanctuary. It’s very short and just beautiful. I first came across this as a rec on kimberly_fan’s website so it just proves that recs do work.

I just re-read Kay’s Matter of… series recently and I’d forgotten just how much I enjoyed it. Xander is hit by some very nasty side effects from a demon and on hearing there is no cure he does what any self respecting White Knight would do and decides to kill himself rather than endanger his friends. Fortunately (or otherwise) Spike thwarts that particular plan and carts him off to LA so that the great broody one and Doyle can research a cure. If you haven’t read this one, then all I can say is I wouldn’t mind taking my medicine like this! There are 4 stories in the series at the moment following the burgeoning relationship between the boys and the various reactions of the Scoobs and I live in hope of more.

Perdition Catch my Soul by estepheia starts with the premise that Xander rather than Buffy followed Spike into the church after their encounter with Ronnie the worm monster boy at the start of S7. Later he pulls Spike out of the school basement and voluntarily lets Spike stay at the apartment rather than having the vamp imposed on him as happened in canon. As the story stands at the moment there is a lot more hurt than comfort for both of the boys, with Spike struggling with nightmares and his shiny new soul and Xander wrestling with the realisation that he still loves Anya while being attracted to Spike. It’s not a cheery fic and I’m not sure if Estepheia intends to continue it, but it is worth reading the chapters that are there.

I think is a rule that there has to a story by witling in every list and this is no exception. Boglescat 'verse has everything you would expect from her; it’s snarky and sad and funny and hot and is full of great little details. Spike is sick and Xander is in denial and Sunnydale is being terrorised by tribe of little critters that just don’t know when they’re beaten. It’s witling, so of course it’s great.

Also, no list is complete without a story from tabaqui and this is no exception. In Compass Rose, Spike realises that Xander is quietly fading away in his role as faithful sidekick on the hellmouth and resolves to change things. The vamp's solution is to kidnap the boy and take him to see the world, with a pit stop via Dru to sort out the chip first. This story isn’t so much about physical hurt as mental and emotional suffocation and the means to escape into new horizons. As with all tabaqui’s stories, the language is lush and the imagery is evocative and it all adds up to something quite beautiful.

I discovered speakingsilence Eliza Shaw’s Cause and Effect fairly late on. I’ve been hooked on Turnabout and Need for a long time, but for some reason had never got around to Cause and Effect until last year, but I’m very glad I finally did because it is just terrific. Xander goes AWOL from the Council after hearing Spike is alive in LA, but recovering from his encounter with Dana the psychotic hand chopping slayer. As the boys begin a tentative dance of friendship and attraction Xander tries to help Spike recover from his injuries and fight against a familiar figure from the past who is bent on destroying the vampire. It’s just a great story, but then you all probably knew that before me!

What Makes Us by Laikokae is one of whole raft of “Angelus does terrible things to Xander, but he doesn’t tell his friends what’s happening” fics, but unlike a lot of them this one is good. – or at least I like it. When Angel returns to the hellmouth Xander can’t cope with such a tangible memory of the abuse he suffered and it’s up to Spike to provide the comfort until the gang get a clue. The final confrontation is a wee bit over the top, but by that time you’ll probably be cheering them on!

Talking of the Past by Maz is kind of oblique h/c. Xander finds some comfort in memories of the past and moves nervously towards his hopes for the future. How cryptic is that! Just go read and all will become clear…

It’s strange, the first time I came across Deep Water by Claudia6913 I wasn’t engaged at all and didn’t follow it for ages. Then I came across it again by accident and was hooked. Willow and Spike save Xander from almost certain death in Africa and now it is up to the newly resurrected vampire to try to bring some life, hope and love back to the damaged boy – no one said it would be easy. I love Willow in this, and even Kennedy is sort of tolerable, which is a pretty big compliment to the writing!

Deeply Loved and Deeply Hurt by kate_fire are just wonderful. Kate has created a whole new mythology with Xander discovering from a couple of very ancient vampires that he is a “Deepling” - a person who has hyper sensitivity to emotions and their consequences. The dynamic of the first story is too complicated to get into, but suffice to say it involves Xander, the ancient vampires, the gang, Riley, Spike Oz, Wesley and a goat! The second story provides the heartbreaking background to the Wesley we met in Deeply Loved and in the end gives two separate resolutions.

I just love Protective Custody by nashmaveric and virtualpersonal. It’s definitely at the fluffier end of h/c but that’s a nice change with all the angst floating about. Spike gets a choice from the PTB post Chosen, but it’s a lesson in being careful what you agree to without reading all the small print because there is always an agenda. Hot and sweet and fun with the hurt and comfort being spread equally between the boys. If you ever want a feel good h/c fic (if there is such a thing!) then this is what I’d prescribe.

Future Hope by Clee starts with Xander trying to commit suicide as a means of escaping an abusive relationship with Spike. However the PTB get involved and Angel gets a call from the hospital telling him of Xander’s situation. It’s up to Captain Forehead to work out what went wrong with his errant childe and try to coax Xander back to some semblance of normality and self respect. Be warned the story isn’t finished and it’s not been updated in an age, but there’s still a lot to enjoy.

What can I say about yin_again's 29 Linear Moves and the sequel 49 Circular Moves apart from go read them now if you haven’t done so, and go read them again if you have! It’s the summer after Buffy gave the world her gift and 2 survivors do a delicate dance of grief and need and want and desire and guilt. Told as a series of drabbles these are probably 2 of the most perfect examples of fanfic ever (IMHO).

I’m kind of cheating with this last one. It’s definitely got the h/c but it also acts a little trailer for my next list. Lost soul is by Echoes Revenge and Creed Cascade and is set post School Hard. Xander is upset that his friends don’t seem bothered about the stunt Angel pulled in the confrontation with Spike and ironically the only “person” that seems to care is Spike himself. The gang aren’t too happy with this turn of events and things boil up nicely from there….

I’m not sure what exactly to say about the No One Else series by jstabe or why I class it as h/c. Xander pays a huge price to keep his friends safe from Angelus and eventually finds the safety he needs from the thing he feared most. I’ve gone on record as saying daddy kink isn’t my thing, however somehow here it didn’t bother me, I don’t know if that’s because it is a manipulation tool rather than anything else.(Or maybe I’m just a hypocrite!) The other stories in the series are Who Do You Belong To, Always Mine and Remembering. They are all terrific and I hope that she'll revisit this 'verse some day.

Well that’s it then, at only 6 pages the lists are gradually getting shorter, but I’m sure I’ve probably missed a ton of stuff out that I’ve just plain forgotten about. So I’ll probably add more as and when my aging memory has a little light bulb moment.

Beastie Boy Recs
Vamp/Hyena/Wolf etc

Vampire stories

In Trickster, lit_gal takes the old chestnut of Xander dressing up as something different at Halloween and makes it into something very, very hot. Our boy dresses as a vamp and when Ethan’s spell kicks in he suddenly has the memory and the “urges” of a 900 year old vamp. The fun really starts when he runs into Spike. There's also a terrific sequel, Janus’ Shadow, with an unpossessed Xander still retaining the memories and feelings of the ancient vampire and the human guilt of what he did when possessed. Sit back and enjoy the ride (as it were!)

The Choice by saturn_girl was one of the very early stories I read in the fandom. Xander and Cordy have been captured by Angelus with no hope of escape – nasty stuff happens. I think this story has two morals – just because you’re a master vampire doesn’t mean you should be cocky and just because you’re a jaded reader of fanfic; don’t assume you know what is going to happen. I love this story; it’s just such a kick in the teeth, but in a good way.

And talking of devastating endings, suki_blue’s See Me is a killer. Spike and Xander have a confrontation with the gang and force them to confront a shocking truth. She also has a prequel Not Forgotten, which outlines the circumstances leading up to the events in See Me. They are both just great stories.

Sajinn’s The Travelling Red Curtain has Spike gradually removing Xander from his friends, his life and his right to choose anything for himself. There’s a real sense of desolation about this story; Xander’s isolation and Spike’s manipulation just drip from every sentence.

In An Eye for an Eye, A Soul for a Soul by Adalisa, Anya gets her vengeance on when she decides that the gang are culpable for Xander ending up in coma. She opens up a door to the Wish ‘verse and a certain familiar vampire appears in Sunnyhell to carry out his own very twisted version of justice for his “twin”. This is just creepy, but kind of heart-warming in an “I’ve got a psychotic evil twin who will do anything to protect me” kind of way. Goodness fanfic really does warp your mind after a while!

I love the characterisation of Spike and Xander in Damned with You by amejisuto, Xander especially is so damn funny. Xander is horribly injured at work and Spike turns him – yes I know it’s a plotline that’s been done lots of times but Ame makes it really engaging and the boys have so much fun together that the reader can’t help but have fun too!

Thrice Damned by denied_heaven is pretty heavy on the angst. Angelus has captured, tortured and finally turned Xander and while he is playing with his new childe and renewing his relationship with Spike, Willow comes through with the ensouling spell to get rid of Angelus. Trouble is it also souls the other two as well who are left to deal both with the Scoobies and with a missing Sire whose guilt drives him back to LA as fast as his legs will take him. Pets the boys and glares at Angel!

In Cycles of Change by Rimau new big bad is trying to end the human world (again) and it’s up to the gang to put a stop to it. After overhearing some new information about the apocalypse, Xander is attacked by a couple of henchmen and nearly drained before Angel comes to the rescue. Unfortunately the only option is to let the boy die or turn him and ever the White Knight, Xander opts for door number two so he can relay the vital new info to Buffy. Let’s just say life is not simple for the new vamp.
There’s also a sequel, Lab Rat where yet another stereotypical tweed wearing representative of the Council turns up to investigate Giles’ unorthodox methods. When she discovers that there are two vampires helping the Slayer she is less than pleased.

No vamp Xan list would be complete without mentioning darkhavens’s Baby Vamp series. I once said that Spike and his new childe are like Butch and Sundance on mescaline and I still hold by it. Just brilliant fun and of sustained quality considering the number of drabbles which make up this series.

If you thought _dellamore’s Red Apple Falls was dark, then try Take this Waltz and read it from behind the sofa. Xander gets himself an unlife and decide to take a look at this brand new world. His Sire isn’t happy with his childe’s show of independence.

In Training a Childe by Dove, Angel turns a willing Xander so they can be lovers forever. However when Spike arrives back on the scene things become just a little complicated. The story is frustratingly unfinished and left at a point where you really do want to know what is going to happen in the next chapter. However it does mean that you can make the rest up in your head the way you would want it to end! I have no idea if Dove will ever come back to this, but hopefully one day…

Reconfiguration series by Lar and Ethrosdemon if fascinating and frustrating in just about equal measures. Xander is in the wrong place at the wrong time and as a result finds himself struggling with a whole new bunch of emotions. Add Angel into the mix and you’ve got angst galore! It’s a really great fic, but the frustration is that after 9 really intriguing big chapters, we cut to an interlude which raises all sorts of big questions, but there are no more chapters to answer them. I don’t know if this will ever be finished, but it’s still really worth reading for what’s there.

Lint’s Little Red Book is another chiller. Xander sends Buffy a token of his affection…. Shiver…

I just re-read The Viking series by Jameschick a couple of weeks ago and I’d forgotten what fun it was – apart from the whole death, killing and general mayhem stuff. There’s a new bigger than big bad in Sunnyhell and he’s got a very nasty little game in mind for one of the gang. This is a 5 part series, but the last part ends on a bit of cliff-hanger so I do hope Jameschick gets the notion to come back to it one day.

Irony by Scorpio is short, sharp and oh so pointy. Spike thinks about the newest threat to appear in Sunnydale and muses on the strangeness of life on the Hellmouth.

Also by Scorpio we have Lex the Ruthless:Childe of Spike. Xander walks into the middle of one of Willow and Tara’s spells and finds himself in war torn Poland facing a very unchipped William the Bloody and things just go down hill from there. I’m always really ambivalent about time travel stories in general as there are so many inherent inconsistencies in the set up, but that aside, this is great fun

Kniaz' t'my by Kisa is one of those stories that I read and re-read quite happily without ever getting bored. Spike is mourning for his lost love when an almost familiar figure changes the course of his unlife. Even just typing this little paragraph makes me want to go and read it again – just thinking about the scene where Spike is looking at the painting is enough to give me a hot flush. Go, read, now!

If you’ve read Lines in the Sand and Sunlight in my Cradle by Meredith Bronwen Mallory garnettrees then you won’t be surprised by the sheer beauty of the imagery she conjures up in Empty of Tomorrow. Xander remembers his Sire and muses on the oddity of a life without mirrors. I wish she’d written more of this story, but the 2 parts that are there are just immensely satisfying.

In Cicirossi’s Evil Soulless Things Spike makes a wish and wakes up to find his world has tilted just a little bit off its axis. But being an opportunistic kind of vamp, he decides to just go with the flow. I love Xander in this story, he’s just so funny.


Not Quite the Loneliest Number by stoptocheer is sad and creepy and just plain disturbing all at the same time which is pretty impressive for a pretty short story. Willow gives Xander a whole new perspective on life and suddenly he finds that everything that used to elude him adds up. Go read, it’s like a little cut throat razor, cold, hypnotic with an edge you could bleed to death on.



Hyena stories


I think janedavitt should get some kind of award for coming up with a fic which has possibly my favourite ever title for a story. Xander and the Vampire Zebra (how great is that!) Xander is flattered when Giles asks for his help to take out a monster that is terrorising animals at the local zoo, but the trouble is Giles is looking to tap into some of Xander’s more basic instincts to make the kill. I almost put this in my “kink” list, but with a title like that it really had to be here. And thank you to Jane for reminding me of Red in Tooth and Claw which is an extension of the Vampire Zebra story. It had been niggling the back of my head that there was another version of this story, but I couldn't remember the name until Jane tapped the memory cells into life.

One of the very first slash fics I ever read with janedavitt’s Predatory Acts after I discovered this strange new world of fanfic via the TWOP forums – they have a lot to answer for. Anyway reading this story early on set my reading expectations for the genre pretty damn high.
Spike does a reccie on the Hellmouth during the Master’s time and happens to run across a possessed Scooby. Naturally the vamp takes his new plaything home, but discovers that sometime toys have teeth. This is just so great and the hyena and the vamp together are just hot. In the sequel Preying on my Mind it’s 2 years later and there are some things Xander just can’t forget. (and cue dum, di dum, dum dum…. music!)

Forged in hell by Echo’s Revenge & Creed Cascade has Xander using his residual hyena instincts to help the gang protect the Hellmouth while Buffy is away hiding in LA. Things get complicated when Angel returns from Hell, but not nearly as complicated as they get when Buffy finally returns to the Hellmouth. This is almost a Marty Stu hyena Xander story(if there is such a thing..) with our boy being faster, deadlier and sexier than the non-hyena version, but it’s still fun and in the end that’s all it takes.

There’s something about Beneresq’s writing which always makes me shiver and her two hyena fics Tame and Feral are no exception. Angel offers to keep hyena possessed Xander “safe” while the gang search for a spell to return him to normal. So begins a bizarre relationship between keeper and kept until you wonder just who really has the power. In the second story, Xander may be hyena free, but he can’t rid himself of his memories or his feelings of his time in captivity. Both stories are short and completely hypnotic.

The Art of Submission and The Act of Dominance by brandil are stand alone stories within a much bigger fic called The Witch, The Warrior and The Vampire. The wider story has quite a lot of Spuffy which isn’t my thing, but for reasons too complicated to go into Spike is Xander’s Sire by proxy and these 2 short stories give a very interesting snapshot of their relationship.

The 28 day Itch by reremouse is just hotter than a hot thing from hot land. When Giles ends Ethan’s Halloween spell Spike is less than happy to have had his fun cut short. So he “persuades” Ethan to help him find another source of entertainment, and the results were even more fun that he expected.

In Leader of the Pack by suki_blue Xander struggles with his sexuality, the hyena searches for a pack leader, Angel obsesses, Buffy polishes her gaydar, Spike decides running away is the better part of valour and Drusilla tells tales about the future. When you’re 16 and horny, growing up on the Hellmouth is just plain complicated. I love this, it’s just great fun. Find it here here and here.

In Harmless Wolf Fun by dessert_first Xander and Oz do some bonding and muse on the allure of meat based products! It’s short, sweet and very funny.



Wolfie stories and other bits..

denied_heaven offers up another type of beastie Xan in Stricken. Our boy turns up on Angel’s doorstep begging to be killed, but of course the broody one’s soul won’t let him do the deed. However an unexpected show of dominance by Angel and manipulations by Angelus ensure that life in LA will be anything but straightforward. This is a Wip and I just love it to bits.

I hummed and hawed whether to put this next story in this category, but in the end I thought what the hell. Strays by Te is the start of a series of stories with Oz trying to hang onto the threads of his humanity through his friendship with Xander and both of them finding that emotions only make life even more complicated. I just love Strays, it’s another one of those truly hypnotic fics where you just find youself at the end of part 7 and not being quite sure where the time went. Oh, and there is an awful lot of sex in this fic – just in case there’s anyone out there who is bothered about that kind of thing, and a really bizarre discussion between Xander and Giles about Werewolf foreskin (I’m not joking!)

Dark Side of the Moon by moosesal has more Oz/Xander goodness. Xander struggles to come to terms with some new developments in his life and Oz is there to help him work things through. That’s it really.

rngrdead took beastieness onto a whole other level with 2 Squared, where her muse was definitely smoking something she shouldn’t. Creatures are disappearing from the local zoo and Spike and Xan investigate and fall foul of an illegal animal trading ring and a very potent spell. Do persevere with this, it gets very bizarre, but it really does work in a crazy kind of way.

Finally I should just repeat my recs for Angst Monkey by kaygrr,
The Assistant by witling and
Duality by Robin the Crossover Junkie.

They’re vamp or hyena Xan, but because I’m perverse I put them on 2 of my other lists. There also a few other stories floating about on the previous rec lists where Xander is vamped towards the end of the fic, but I’ve not repeated them here as the turning isn't the main part of the story. It’s a pain, but some stories just don’t fit into nice neat little boxes!

Big Long Satisfying Reads

Slash - All Spike/Xander (with occasional additional playmates!)

I think my ultimate long comfort fic has to be yin_again Yindagger’s Long Time Gone. It was one of the very early Buffy fics I read back in the day and it’s still one of the very best. Xander turns up on Spike’s doorstep after 8 years with no contact with the gang. I love this mature Xander who is struggling to keep himself together in the wake of a devastating event and turning back to his friends for help. More than anything else I love that this is a great friendship fic, with added porn. The UST in the first few chapters is tangible and it’s just a brilliant and incredibly satisfying story.

Quantum Xander I & Quantum Xander II by Jameschick places Xan in Sam Beckett’s shoes leaping about in time and dimensions meeting himself, his friends and Spike in a variety of guises and situations. The jumping off point for Part 2 is the aftermath of the events at the end of the first part – which is pretty logical.
Again, just a honking great big read.

Changes I & II by tabaqui is a beautiful reworking of Season 4 onwards, with Xander and Spike slowly coming together as friends and then lovers a completely logical and beautiful way. Also check out Oz and a great OC Derio. The language and imagery are lush and evocative like all of tabaqui’s stories and it has periods when you’ll go from happiness to gibbering wreck in a single sentence – which is a lot to lay on a story. It’s angsty (some of the chapters towards the end of the part II make me sob every single time) and it’s gorgeous and it hurts like hell, but then anything worth while often does and it just makes me so damn happy. If you don’t read any other big Buffy epic, everyone should read this one (Just my humble opinion)

The Sands of Time series by Jameswalkswithwind and Wolfling finds a teenage Xander turning to Giles as an escape from parental abuse. Giles eventually adopts him and each of the stories details their developing family relationship. This is a big fuzzy fic with Xan meeting Giles parents and eventually going to college to study demonic chemistry. Oh and there’s a little plot about a relationship with Spike which definitely doesn’t meet with parental approval. Another big epic to cosy up with on a rainy afternoon.

I don’t really know what to say about Repossession. I nearly didn’t include it because this is meant to be a list of my favourite stories and to be absolutely honest it isn’t one of them. (Ducks and waits for the volley of flying rocks) However I’ve put it in because it is such a well known story and I don’t want to impose my feelings on anyone else. Spike is brutalised by the Initiative and finds his way to Xander – it’s also got Riley, Angel, bad tempered Gods, Xan in a kilt, Spike in fluffy slippers and a very intelligent dog. (Oh and a construction firm with an apparently bottomless budget) It’s one of the biggest Spander stories around in terms of length at a honking 124 chapters and it’s a story which really does seem to polarise opinion; folk either love it or hate it. I don’t have strong feelings about it one way or another but although I’ve read it all the way through once. I’m not sure I’d do that again, but I could see me re-reading parts, especially the first big h/c section again before the plot gets too out of hand. If you haven’t read it, have a go and make up your own mind.

The Stranger Things series by Esmeralda is a big multi part story which kicks off with Xander getting kidnapped by a bunch of demons looking for potential mates. Spike goes to rescue him, but has to prove that the boy is his. I like that you think you know what is going to happen and then the author takes an unexpected turn with that scene. Anyway after much bickering and misunderstanding our boys get together and eventually visit LA and the great broody one. The main pairing starts off as Xander/Spike, but then Angel and Doyle get into the mix and then after lots of alcohol all 4 of them get very friendly. One of my favourite sections in this series involves the return of Penn – there are some seriously scary scenes in this part. I haven’t caught up with this series for ages and I know there are some updates I haven’t read, so that’s something to look forward to when I get the time.

What can I say about From Out of Nowhere series by suki_blue? It’s got Spike, Xander, a bit of Angel, a smidgen of Angelus, a goddess masquerading as a snake and sundry other things just too complicated to go into. Just go read it, it’s great.

Alexandria Brown’s Back with Me is unfinished and likely to remain so; however it still has 17 big parts and is settled at a pretty good place. Xander goes to pieces after he finds Anya being unfaithful on their one year anniversary and Spike calls in an old friend to try to help. The old friend in question just happens to be one of the most powerful beings in the universe which kind of scares the shit out of the Scoobies. There’s nothing like having an all powerful older being on your side when you’re trying to mend someone’s broken heart and seduce them at the same time. I went back and reread this a while back and have spent the last month trying to do the freaky mind control thing on Alexandria Brown to get her to write the rest.

Day of Days and Night of Nights are two big multi-parters by Sajinn. In the first one everyone has forgotten about Xander’s 22nd birthday except the vamp who decides to mark every year of the anniversary with a different sexual act. (hmmm, maybe I should suggest that for my birthday this year!) In the follow up, Xander decides to return the favour for Spike – but as the vampire is considerably older that’s a hell of a lot of porn – chapters 14 and 28 of Night of Nights are particularly memorable in that respect and really deserve an entry all of their own in my Kink category! Anyway once the Scoobies cotton on to the relationship our intrepid duo go on the run and even more fun ensues.

Also by Sajinn is Better Living With Chemistry. Again it’s a two parter with Buffy taking advantage of Xander on the rebound from a break up with Anya, but wanting to keep their relationship quiet. Eventually Xander gets fed up and begins to change and mature from being the donut boy under the gentle ministrations of a certain blonde. Buffy is wildly out of character but her relationship with her new boyfriend Austin is so funny that I almost forgive her.
In the second story Spike and Xander are together and just when they are both happy Willow leaves a potion lying about in the magic shop – guess who drinks it thinking it is lemonade. Go read and find out what happens next. Again Willow is very out of character in this, but the story is such fun that I don’t really care.

Five Rings Series by Josiergnrdead has the boys initially getting together via the wonders of fanfic and things just develop and get more complicated from there. There are five big complete multi-parters to this series so far with the possibility of more if we send Josie's muse Daisy enough chocolate! I just love Josie as a writer, her characterisation and universes are always so richly textured and beautifully realised even if they do get a bit off the wall on occasion! This is another gorgeous series for a wet afternoon, or for anytime really.

No More Snakes & Ladders by tabaqui and reremouse was one of the highlights of 2005 for me. It’s 2004 and Sunnydale is a crater, but when Xander unexpectedly finds a very much worse for wear Spike he should have known that things were never going to be straightforward again. I can’t say anything else about this story apart from go read if you haven’t read it already, and if you have, you know there’s a very good reason to read it again.

Jackson’s Sweet Revenge could easily have been in my dark and angsty category because god knows there’s enough of it, but at 37 chapters it seemed to be begging to fit in right here. Spike is sick of being neutered by the chip and rejected by Buffy so decides to get to the girl by breaking one of her friends. Trouble is, with no Dru on hand to tell him the future; he couldn’t have foreseen what was going to happen with his oh so brilliant plan. This is just one of these stories that you come back to about once a year and rediscover again just how brilliant it is – and shouting at Spike through the monitor is always therapeutic!




Het/Gen - because occasionally I do read something other than slash!

nwhepcat’s Lilac City is probably my favourite epic het story, although pretty much anything she writes is always wonderful. This story features a very different Xander from our normal boy – he’s separated from his friends, struggling to keep himself alcohol free and working as the night manager in a supermarket in Spokane. Things are chugging along fine and dandy, if a little lonely, until a girl in his AA meeting asks him to be her sponsor. When he discovers she’s having terrifying dreams and is exceptionally strong he knows that things will never be “normal” again. As with all hepcat’s writing, the characterisation is spot on, but it is the little details which reveal why Xander is so isolated and explains his motivation and reactions to the new twists in his life. I think I’ve just persuaded myself to go right back and read this again. It’s in 3 parts The Loner, The Artisan and The Watcher.

nemo_gravis was my 2005 het writer of the year for a whole raft of stories, but I think that Broken qualifies for this category as the story spanned 60 entries in his LJ. Xander wakes up from a long term coma and fights his way back to health inch by very painful inch. I’ve said before that one of things which fascinates me with this story is how you characterise a person whose whole personality is communicated through his facial expressions and his speech, if you take away his voice and facial movement. It’s a credit to nemo that he makes it work. Anyway Broken has Xander in tweed(oh yes) a very interesting jaded Buffy, a brilliant OC called Morris Aloysius Perrin and some very tricky prophecy type stuff that just keeps moving the goal posts. It’s just great, I love it to bits.


liz_marcs is another writer who constantly hits the mark when it comes to great storylines and characterisation. Living History has a honking 70 chapters which should keep even the most hyperactive reader occupied for a while. The plot is way too complicated to try to explain, but suffice to say that a group of time travellers travel back to Moscow 2008 to get help with an urgent matter. Trouble is, their calculations are a tad off, and they end up in Cleveland in 2003 – OOPS, doesn’t begin to cover it!! The whole gang are involved in this story, but I especially love Faith and the OC’s are great fun. As with all time travel stories, trying to unravel the logic will make your head hurt, so take my advice and don’t try to deconstruct it, just read and enjoy.

Reccing The Road to Hell by Starwayman and the follow up Road to Hell II:The Road Back by Mprattky will probably get me thrown out of the cool readers club, but what the hell…. Xander has turned his back on the gang after the fall out from the ensouling spell. And when Drusilla realises that he has a major part to play in the future battle with the First she manages to get him sucked into a hell dimension. When he finally escapes 5 years later he realises that time has moved differently (such is the nature of demon dimensions) and he has 5 years worth of knowledge of events which have yet to happen in his own time. At the start of the sequel Xander wakes up to find himself in the hands of a government organisation that are just itching to get a hold of his memories.
This is a honking big Marty Stu boys own story with lots of guns and gung ho action and a plot line which spirals ever more out of control. Having said that, I’ve always kind of liked it and will definitely read it again. Don’t look at me like that, sometimes I read Jane Austen, but I have been seen with a John Grisham in my hand from time to time and I bet the rest of you have as well.


There are a number of other stories which could easily go in here in terms of actual length but for reasons that have nothing to do with logic I’ve decided to place else where.
riani1’s Nessuno
sexymermaid’s Kept.
tistoo Tisienne Blue’s Getting to Know You series
Nick Midian’s Dark Reflection series
The first two will be in my AU list, the Getting to Know You series will be on the Afterwards List and Dark Reflections will be in my a Crossover list.

Stripper & Whore fic recs
Because nothing says love like dollars in the waistband!

Whore fic

Gloryhole by the wonderfully talented witling was on my fic of 2005 list but it deserves another mention. The world has gone to hell in a hand basket and demons are now the ruling class. When Spike goes looking to call in a debt and get a little amusement at a high class brothel he couldn’t have anticipated who was on the menu. I just re-read this recently and it reminded me of just how damn good a writer witling is – as if we needed reminding.

Witling strikes again. Her Prawn verse has Spike finding Xander on a very cold street corner with nary a Scooby in sight so he feeds the boy and takes him home – of course you don’t get anything for free. This destitute lonely Xander just breaks my heart at the start of this fic and Spike is anything but altruistic. This should really go in my Angst category, but it’s a whore fic, so here it sits and quite lovely it is too!

sexymermaid’s Manservant is mainly Spike/Riley (oh my god she actually got me reading and liking Riley – the world as we know it has ended) Anyway, moving swiftly on; Riley inherits a vampire as his own personal whore when he arrives at the Sunnydale outpost of the Initiative. This is a very long angsty complicated story, but it is immensely satisfying. I read the whole thing in one sitting and really felt I’d gone through the ringer at the end, but in a good way. My normal boy of choice, Xander also has a small and pretty tragic part as Angelus bait who is turned into a vampire whore by the soldier boys, but even with this amount of hurt, there is still the possibility of love...

When I first came across Incident at the Bay of the Descending Dragon by reremouse I was so hooked I re-read it three times in as many days. James Bond has got nothing on our Xander – swanning in and out of countries, collecting slayers and being all windswept and interesting, and perhaps a little lonely. Trust Willow to use Council money effectively and arrange a little companionship for the boy on his latest mission. Now that’s what I call friendship! This is just great fun, go read..

There’s more Spike whore in Lessons by ladycat777. The initiative chip works both ways – causing pleasure as well as pain, and someone decides to take advantage. It’s only when Xander comes across him after 2 months of being missing that the Scoobies realise the extent of the chip’s power. I just want to give Spike a cuddle in this story and I do find Giles to be quite disturbing, he’s just so damn clinical it’s kind of creepy. There are 2 other little ficlets from the Lessons verse which you can find here and here. I don’t know if ladycat will ever come back to this story, but it’s worth reading what’s there.

eyezrthewindows If You Ever Hunger always makes me really sad. Xander is alone in the world and forced to sell himself just to get through to the next hopeless day. One night he meets a new client who takes more than a passing interest in the boy. I’m starting to sniffle just thinking about it.

In Merely a Possession by tj Goldstein, Xander is kidnapped and forced into an unimaginable life. I’m a bit ambivalent about this story; I think the first part works really well and the emotional and mental manipulation and breakdown of Xander’s character is horrifying but really believable. But I do start to get a little bit bored by the time I get part way through the 3rd part and while I want resolution to the story it hasn’t been updated in an age. I know that doesn’t sound very positive, but I do still like it and it’s worth having a go at, but be warned it really is very dark (should have been in my Shades of Grey list really..)

If you’re not in floods of tears by the time you finish The Price You Pay by soft princess then you have no heart. Xander runs from Sunnydale to escape the horror of Buffy and Anya’s deaths, but finds another kind of horror waiting for him in San Francisco in the shape of a man called Bryce. This story is a 3 hankie job if ever there was one. It's funny, the author knows exactly what emotional buttons to press to get the desired reaction from the reader, but the strange thing is that I never feel I've been manipulated until I look back on the story well after I’ve finished reading. At the time I just get pulled along. One thing I would say is that Angel is far too good to be true, but as he’s helping one of my boys I’ll forgive him. Go read it yourself and see what you think – but be prepared to have the tissues at the ready!

I really wanted to rec Secrets and Outcomes by aoikoi_liikin but the link at her site isn’t working. However I emailed her and she’s in the middle of re-editing it and there are 4(unedited) chapters up at her LJ out of a possible 11 chapters already written. She’s going to post the outstanding chapters when she’s had a chance to do the re-edit., so it should be worth checking back regularly. . I have to say chapter 4 will make your brain melt!
Anyway back to the story - Spike discovers Xander is leading a double life as an extremely high class escort for both humans and demons and the vamp decides to try a little taste for himself. I really enjoyed the story as far as it had got when I first read it and you can find the first 4 chapters here. Go give her lots of feedback and hopefully she'll update quickly!

In tgray’s Detour, Spike passes the time with a tasty dark eyed morsel and thinks about the future. It’s short, hot and just a little bit twisty – yum.. The fanfiction.net link plays up from time to time, but you can always find the story in her LJ memories if necessary.



Stripper fic

Gentleman’s Night by Ladycat and Lumenara Dharhm is just hotter than a hot thing from hot land.
Our boy is in the Fabulous Ladies Night Club as you might expect when the boss asks him to stand in for a sick stripper. And exactly what is in that drink they gave him before he went on stage because this is not the boy from the Bronze who can’t dance. Of course a certain vamp is on hand to witness the donut boy’s finest hour. There have been lots of fics with this premise, but this is definitely one of the best. It was meant to be the first in a series, but so far it’s all on its tod.. Go read, enjoy, find your vibrator or take a cold shower…

Laid Bare by Robin the Crossover Junkie has Xander and Spike in a bar making a drunken bet over a talent contest. Spike may be a rocker, but he was never going to win once Xan started stripping – and he’s wearing a kilt – gulp, flails…. That’s really all there is to it, but hey it’s quite enough thank you very much.

My favourite Xander as a stripper fic has to be Velvet Crypt’s Striptease. Spike comes across a very familiar face shopping for G-strings in a sex shop in New Orleans and discovers that Xander is the headline act as a high class demon strip joint. I just love sexy confident Xander in this fic, he’s not ashamed of what he does and he knows just how to get what he wants – and in this case that’s Spike. The chapter where the gang finally see them both stripping together on stage is both hot and hysterical and well worth the price of admission.

Bare It All by authoressnebula should probably be in my h/c list, but it’s got Xander stripping so here it sits. Spike catches Xander’s act and decides to save the boy from himself. It’s just sweet which is just what you need after reading a pile of whore fic.

And reremouse is back with her Stripper verse. It’s got Spike, Wesley, Holden and Xander and I only have one complaint about it – it’s unfinished and I really want to know what happens next! Does the freaky mind control thingy on reremouse in the hope of more soon….

No list of stripper fic would be complete without No Power On Earth by Circe. Spike teaches Xander some moves while gathering what he needs for his latest nefarious plan. Oh and there’s a vampire gang on the loose – just in case anyone gets bored.

I almost forgot about Taltos’ Dancing Queen, which would have been very remiss of me. A Marine walks into a strip club(insert your own bad joke here) and discovers everything that he was missing in his life. The trouble is the military aren’t too keen on any of their blue eyed GI Joes getting hot and heavy with a sexy brown eyed boy and things just get angsty from there. The stripper section is really just the catalyst for the rest of the story, but all in all it’s pretty damn hot.

Including How I Spent My Summer Vacation by _beetle_ in this list is a little bit of cheat as Xander stripping is only mentioned in passing in one little sentence. However it is a Xander at the Fabulous Ladies Night Club story where he’s big with the dish washing and the rationalising until the vamp blows into town and proceeds to upset Xander’s world view. I just love this story and knew I wanted to highlight it somewhere and this category seemed the best fit.

There are few stories which I’ve already mentioned in other lists which also could be mentioned here, so I’ll just gallop through them quickly.

The first story of Evil Willow and Crazy Dru’s Chance Encounters stories is a Xander as a stripper fic, and I’ve talked more about it over on my Kink post, because this Spike is all about the control…

I mentioned Elegantly Wasted by Alexandria Brown in my h/c list. Spike comes across a Scooby who is about as far removed from the mouthy teen he knew from the Hellmouth. This Xander is selling himself, his blood and his self resp