Title: The Dancer

Author: Caliadragon

Category: AU

Fandom: Buffy/Angel

Spoilers: Up to current season on both shows.

Warnings: Character Death, Angst

Pairing: No main pairing

Rating: R for language

Archive: Any list I send it to, those with previous permission and BC

Summary: Watchers think upon the one they watch and what led them to this point.

Disclaimer: Not mine, just the situation.

Thanks to Edi for the beta.


The Dancer
by Caliadragon

His body swayed to the music. A sensual delight for those witnessing the young man's surrender to the sultry beat. Hips swaying from side to side, head thrown back. The man was a dark dream. Sinful and innocent all in one. Lost to the music and oblivious to the stares of those around him, the dancer was
one with the music.

He had no idea, nor cared that he was seducing male and female alike. The dark haired man needed the music and the dance. He needed it like he needed air. The stress and pain that his life had seemed to degenerate into lately was becoming too much for him. Some people drank, some fought or gave up, but he danced.

"He's beautiful, I never realized that before." A husky voice spoke. His companions nodded. None of them had really focused on him, the one who was less in their eyes than his friends.

He was the useless one, the joke. Yet in the last few months they had seen just how powerful he was. They had followed him into the club tonight to talk to him. To try to get him to come back where he was needed and missed. They knew the separation was their fault, and the fault of the ones he had loved so much.

His loved ones were crumbling, losing touch with what they were fighting for. None of the men and one woman had been able to really see what it was about this one young man that seemed to pull so many in. There was no half feeling for him or from him. You either hated him, loved him or were insanely jealous of him.

In the eyes of their lovers he was the first, and the one to be measured against. It irked and frightened the watchers that one person could hold their lovers so tightly. So they ridiculed, pushed, argued and justified getting him out of their lives. In the end it had been the wrong choice, and a near fatal one.

The man was like the sun, he lit their lives and filled them with hope. None of them had seen it until he was gone and the laughter seemed to go with him. None of the sweetness that seemed so inherent in their lovers was there anymore. Instead, they constantly seemed to be searching for something. That something was in the man seducing the room with his vitality and his very being.

The small group was made up of hunters; not one of them could be considered prey, so they had easily followed the young man through the night. Before he had come to be one with the music, he had hunted the streets and fought against the night and all the creatures that dwelled in it. The hunters were stunned
and aroused by the ease and viciousness of his skill. No quarter was given, and mercy was the death he gave those he came up against.

He seduced and surprised them with his skill on the battle field and now on the dance floor. No one approached him or seemed to be surprised that he moved to the music alone. Nor did they seem surprised when his movements became more intense as the song reached its end and another, darker song came on.

They felt guilty and ashamed that sadness shown on the dark haired vision's face as he became the music and the lyrics reflected his inner turmoil. "As soon as he's done dancing I think we should go to him. I don't want to wait until tomorrow. Even if he slugs one of us and tells us to sod off." The others agreed with the speaker, and they watched the man dance through three more songs before he resisted the pull of the music and turned to leave.

When he saw them his face tightened, and rage filled dark chocolate eyes. Xander kept walking. He wanted nothing to do with those five. As far as he was concerned they had taken enough from him. They had driven him from his family and replaced him in their hearts. They barely spoke to him now that the First was defeated. He had outlived his usefulness, and it had been driven home by all of them.

Willow, Buffy, Giles, Dawn and even Spike were no longer in his life. The Zeppo's luck had struck again and left him bleeding in the dust. No one had been there to help him survive. The others had banded together and pushed him out in the cold. None of the others stood by him as he buried the two people he had loved so desperately. They had been there, sure. After all, Anya and Andrew had been slayerettes, even if they were reluctantly accepted. However after the funerals, they had pulled together and left him to the darkness.

The excuses were the same as always. Xander was the powerless one, the one in need of the most of protection. He was good enough when the fighting was the worst, but afterwards he was back to being the Zeppo.

Anya and Andrew were the only ones to ever see beyond that label and to love him anyway. He had messed things up between himself and Anya for a while, but Andrew had helped them come back together. No one had been more shocked than himself when he realized that he meant it about 'going gay'. Anya was the last woman he would ever be with. He had no intention of ever taking another female lover.

He wasn't sure he would ever take another male one either. They had been a remarkable trio. One built on love and laughter. Now that was gone, and he had no one to turn to or anyone who even cared. All of it could be traced back to these five. These five who urged their lovers, his friends, to forsake him.

With that firmly in mind Xander snarled at the five and walked to the door. They were intimidated by the rage in his eyes, and Angel was reminded forcibly why it was that magic was drawn to the dark haired mortal. He had a well spring of rage and danger in him. Not that Angel had ever really chosen to acknowledge that until tonight. Perhaps he never would have, if Spike and the others hadn't started to fall apart without him in their lives.

Kennedy kept reminding herself that she was stronger and faster than her lover's friend, but it was hard to remember when those dark brown eyes looked at her with such hatred and disdain. It stung to see that look aimed at her. Especially since she knew she deserved it.

Riley and Wes were regretting ever letting themselves be talked into driving the young man away. Yes, he intimidated them. After all, it was hard to see another man in your relationship, even if he doesn't realize he's there. Giles and Buffy were constantly talking about Xander. Looking forward to seeing and hearing what he had been doing. They hadn't realized that they had gotten to that point until Xander was no longer there. They only hoped he would listen, and come back.

Connor couldn't bring himself to stand up to those hard brown eyes. He had made a lot of mistakes in his life. Driving a wedge between Dawn and Xander had turned out to be the biggest. Cordy had stopped talking to them as well, and it hurt. She had finally started coming back from the dark place her mind had retreated to. With Xander gone, she had gone back into her shell.

Xander walked past them and toward the door. Angel caught his arm as he brushed past and was rewarded with a blow to the face. "Keep your fucking hands off me, Deadboy," Xander snarled, yanking his arm from suddenly slack fingers.

They were stunned, and eased back away from him. "We just want to talk to you Xander," Wes told him quietly. He was shaken by the force of the younger man's rage.

"Why, so you can rub it my face that you're all happy and that you took my family away from me? No fucking thanks. I have better things to do," Xander spat back at Wes, making him back away.

"That's not why we're here. We came here to ask you to come back, and because we're sorry," Connor told him. The boy didn't flinch away when Xander turned hate filled eyes on him. He was surprised when they softened and Xander shook his head. "I'm leaving town. You got what you wanted. They don't need or want me. Frankly I'm tired of the yoyo action. Shit, they couldn't even be bothered to come themselves." Xander said nothing else, just walked out the door.

In silence and sadness they watched him leave, and wondered if there was anything they could do to keep Xander from leaving town. The only thing they could think to do was to kidnap Xander and lock him in Buffy's basement, the way Spike had been for so long.

Yet again the five came together and formed a plan that was stupid in its workings. None of them had any intention of letting him go though. So with a plan in mind they raced into the night to stop Xander Harris from leaving them.

End for Now