Frost Bite
Frosty the Snowman
Is a fairytale they say
He was made of snow
But the slayer knows
How he came to life one day…
Buffy looked out the window and rolled her eyes, it was snowing in Sunnydale. It never snowed, with the exception of that one time when it had saved Angels life but that had been years ago and it was the powers way of saving their champion. The thermometer told her it wasn’t cold outside despite the falling flakes, ‘great, so it’s 100% mystical’ she thought with a sigh. Well Angels long gone, we averted Glory’s apocalypse, I’ve already been resurrected…who can they possibly wanna’ save this time?
Buffy walked outside, the chill of the falling snow contrasting with the suns warming rays. She couldn’t help but smile just a little bit, at least until she saw the creepy looking snowman under her tree.
She pulled out her stake and winced at her own stupidity but she didn’t really know what one would use to slay a snowman should a snowman be evil. She could always just kick it apart she rationalized.
She couldn’t help but grimace when she saw the blood on it and fangs…she poked it and circled it, eyeballed it and taunted it and nothing. ‘Spike must have been by earlier’ she mused, spotting the pile of cigarette butts next to it. She let out a little giggle at Frosty the Vampman now that she was sure there was nothing eerie about it and ran inside to get the hat her mom had bought years ago for Halloween and raced outside to put it on the snowman, feeling younger and lighter than she had since she’d been chosen. She placed it on his round head and stepped back, well;
There must have been some magic
In that old silk hat she found
For when she placed it on his head
He began to dance around
“BLOODY BUGGERING FUCKITTY FUCK BUGGER SODDING FUCCCCCKKK” it screamed frantically, waving its stick arms around.
Buffy’s hand went to her mouth and she stifled a scream as the shock of what had just happened receded and the humor of the situation hit her full force.
“Sp..Spike?”
“Who the fuck else Slayer, Frosty?”
“I wish I could say sorry but…”
“Ya, no big surprise that the ice queen herself can find humor in this”
Buffy smiled, “There’s no need for such a chilly reception Spike.”
“Hardy har har you stupid chit, DO SOMETHING!”
“Like what you idiot? Clap my hands and wish you back to regular dead?”
“I’m cold.”
“You were always cold.”
“Well now I’m bloody well colder.”
“You uh, you want some hot chocolate?”
“With mini marshmallows?”
“Sure, why not.”
She was almost inside when the plaintiff cry of “can you soak them in blood first?” reached her ears and she shuddered, choosing to ignore his pleas. She hummed to herself as she made him his hot beverage, noting that it was out of character for her to have offered him anything at all and wondered if it was part of what was going on.
With a sudden change of heart she pulled out a container of pigs blood that was stored at her house for ‘spimergencies’ and tossed in some marshmallows before scooping them out and putting them in his cup.
“Here you go” she said and thrust the cup towards him, trying not to laugh as his now stick hands scratched against the ceramic uselessly.
“Something funny slayer?” he growled in annoyance.
“You have stick hands Sposty, of course this is funny.”
“What the hell did you just call me?”
“Well youre not exactly Spike, and youre not exactly Frosty…youre Sposty.”
“Kill me.”
“What?”
“You bloody well heard me, fucken’ kill me Buffy, in the name of Christmas spirit, take me out of my misery.”
“I think murder is the opposite of Christmas spirit.”
“Not if it’s out of mercy.”
She sat down next to him and sighed, “We’ll figure out how to help you.”
“Why?”
She shrugged her shoulders, “Seems like the right thing to do…you’ve helped me out enough….OH, give me a sec.” she said and disappeared inside only to emerge moments later with a bunch of straws stuck inside each other forming one extremely long one.
She popped it into the mug which she’d placed next to him and then tried to figure out where to put the other side of it.
“The mouth would do just fine slayer.”
“Ya but you don’t really have one…you’ve got
corncob fangs and a button nose
And two eyes made out of coal…
But no mouth.”
Spike sighed, “Just jab it anywhere in my facial vicinity, ya?”
Cringing Buffy popped the straw in between his two teeny fangs.
“Did it hurt?” she asked quietly.
“Made of snow kitten, how the hell could it hurt?”
“How come it hurts your corpse face when I smash it?”
“Got me there Goldilocks, thanks for the cuppa’”
She heard slurping noises and looked at the mug being drained, “How are you even doing that?” she asked mesmerized.
“You’re seriously asking me how I’m drinking? Look at me Slayer, I’m a fucken snowman!”
“Okay okay, calm down Spike…I mean, you can’t blame me for being curious.”
While he continued to drink she went to get him some winter gear, for some reason she cared that he was cold. She wrapped a scarf around his neck and popped some mittens on his sticks.
“Better?”
“Yes…thank you. Why are you helping me?”
“I…I don’t know, can’t I just be nice sometimes?”
“Not to me…not that I blame you, I’ve never been the smartest bloke when it comes to love.”
She looked into his eyes…coal…coal eyes, and sighed. “You do tend to pick the unreachable.”
“The unreachable are the ones who need to be reached more than anyone Buffy.”
She snorted, “It’ll take a miracle Spike.”
“What would you call this then?” he countered.
She pressed a small kiss to his snow-cheek and tightened his scarf, “Karma. I’ll be back, I’m gonna’ go get the scoobies.”
Too shocked about the kiss Spike didn’t voice his worry, ‘What if I melt before you come back?’
Buffy was just rounding the corner to get to Giles’ place when something icy grabbed her shoulder.
“Spike, you shouldn’t have follo..”
She stopped short when she turned and noticed it was Dawn, and that she was dressed in a strange white robe…and was she glowing?
“Dawny?”
She shook her head, “Not today Buffy, today I’m the Key.”
“The key to what exactly?”
“You’ll see.”, in the blink of an eye Buffy was staring at her friends and family from 2 years ago on Christmas eve. They where laughing and chatting, eating and smiling.
“Where am I?” she asked Dawn.
“You’re in a Christmas passed.”
“Ya, I got that, I mean where am I, why am I not with them?”
“You’re on your way home from a patrol, a patrol you never would have made it thru if Spike hadn’t saved you.”
“Mom looks happy” she said wistfully.
“She knows youre safe, she knows youre out with Spike…imagine what she’d look like if you hadn’t made it out of the cemetery that night.”
“Okay I get it.”
“Not yet you don’t, but you will.”
“So you’re the key to me figuring something out that will change my life forever?”
“Yes, though youre not the only one who needs to see things for what they are. You’re life was forever changed when you became a slayer, when you died twice and came back both times, when the monks made me out of you and changed your memories, when Angel lost his soul…”
“Okay, rant much?”
“When you gave up on love.”
Buffy was about to protest when the scene faded away and she was left standing outside of Giles’ house.
With trepidation she knocked on Giles’ door, not knowing what to expect.
The door swung open to reveal an all too merry Xander in a red outfit and an extra 60 pounds sitting on his stomach.
“Well ho there Buffy.”
“Xander?”
“Come on in and tell Santa Harris what you want for Christmas, you’ve earned it with all your good deeds.”
She stepped into the house and her eyes popped. Willow was a good 3 feet shorter and in a green suit with red tights and there was a reindeer in the corner.
She walked up to it and ran her hand over its muzzle, admiring it’s red nose and noticing it’s glasses. “Giles?”
‘Santa Harris’ let out a booming laugh that left him red nosed and ruby cheeked, “Heavens no Buffy, that Rupolph.”
“So who’s that?” she asked pointing at wee Willow.
Willow giggled, “Still me…I’m guessing I’m immune to the identity theft because I’m a witch, and you because you’re a slayer…you’re also stronger than me so I’m thinking that explains why I was able to be physically altered.”
“That explains why Spike knows who he is then” Buffy mused.
Just then Santa Harris pulled her onto his lap and looked her in the eyes.
“Tell me what you want Buffy.”
She couldn’t look away, it felt as if she was falling and couldn’t hold onto anything. Whatever was happening here was powerful, that was for sure.
“Spike.”
“Why?”
“Because I love him, because I’ve loved him for a long time, because I’m tired of hiding my feelings from my friends…because…I deserve it, and Spike deserves better than what we’ve given him…more than what I’ve given him especially.”
Willow put her hand on Buffy’s shoulder, “So go to him then.”
Buffy jumped up and Santa Harris pushed an envelope into her hands addressed to the North Pole, she stuffed it in her pocket and ran to the door that Rupolph was now blocking.
She gave it a gentle rub, “Please, please let me be happy.” His nose glowed brighter as he nuzzled her hand and trotted to the side, letting Buffy out into the now sweltering noon time sun.
And she ran.
Gasping and panting for breath she made it home in time to see Spike a third the size he’d been, a watery pool surrounding him.
“Don’t worry Buffy, it’s all right, I’m alright, just gimme’ a smile ya?”
She tried to, she really did but before she was able to
he waved goodbye
Saying don't you cry
I'll be back again some day
She sat down in the now soggy grass as sobs racked her body. Moments or hours later she remembered Santa Harris’ letter and fumbled in her pocket for it.
She opened the envelope with shaking hands and read,
“Dear Santa Claus,
I know I haven’t been such a good bloke but there is one thing I want…I need Buffy to be happy, I need her to keep on living so that one of is living. Niblet told me Buffy told her that the hardest thing in this world is to live in it, and I don’t want that for her. If you do exist, please, give her whatever it is she needs for her to see past the grief and the decay.
William.”
Buffy squeezed her eyes shut and lied down in the grass, sobbing herself to sleep.
“Slayer! Slayer….Buffy kitten, come on wake up, God please wake up.”
Her eyes fluttered open to show an obviously distressed Spike hovering over her, rubbing her skin to bring back the warmth that had ebbed from her body.
“Spike?”
“Trying to give me a heart attack? What are you doing out in the snow in a bloody tank top luv?”
“You’re not dead?”
“Of course I am, what are you going on about?”
Buffy shook her head, “What day is it?”
“Christmas day you silly bint, up with you now, gotta get you all warmed up, don’t want you getting frostbite now do we?”
“Christmas day…youre here, it’s not too late, IT’S NOT TOO LATE!!!”
“Not too late for what Buffy? You’re scaring me princess, think you’ve been out here longer than I thought.”
“I love you Spike, God I love you so much.”
She threw her arms around him and kissed him just as her friends walked up. Giles cleared his throat, Willow blushed and Xander told them to get a room but not one of them objected.
Spike pulled away from the kiss, “What was that Buffy?”
“The first of my many Christmas gifts for you…if you want me.”
“I just want you to be happy Buffy.” He whispered in her ear, picking her up and leading her up the stairs.
“You make me happy.”
Spike bit back the swell of merry tears.
Something fell from her pocket going unnoticed by the two blondes.
When the door clicked shut behind them the letter disappeared and the faint sound of bells rang thru the sky.
squawks
05/18/17 04:16 am
pj! I remember wishing one of your stories would be finished seriously about a decade ago. Amazing. I just tried an old password I used to use and amazingly got in too. Memories!
pj
03/20/17 01:20 am
10 yrs later, i finally rem my username and password. Pari, you rock. Hope you are well.
Rabbit_moon1
12/23/16 01:12 pm
I donate every month. Please donate to keep this site up!
AudryDaluz1
10/06/16 08:34 am
Great post.
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:45 pm
And anyone else who loves this site, it's worth mentioning there's a nifty little "Donate" option just below the shout box here! ;)
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:43 pm
Just wanted to take a moment to thank Pari and all the mods for maintaining such a great site!
05/18/17 04:16 am
pj! I remember wishing one of your stories would be finished seriously about a decade ago. Amazing. I just tried an old password I used to use and amazingly got in too. Memories!
pj
03/20/17 01:20 am
10 yrs later, i finally rem my username and password. Pari, you rock. Hope you are well.
Rabbit_moon1
12/23/16 01:12 pm
I donate every month. Please donate to keep this site up!
AudryDaluz1
10/06/16 08:34 am
Great post.
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:45 pm
And anyone else who loves this site, it's worth mentioning there's a nifty little "Donate" option just below the shout box here! ;)
Chrissel
08/31/16 03:43 pm
Just wanted to take a moment to thank Pari and all the mods for maintaining such a great site!