It's Only Forever

It's Only Forever—Not Long At All Chapter 1 2 3 5 6 7 8

by spikeNdru

BtVS/Labyrinth Crossover, Written for the Choose Your Author Ficathon.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chapter Four:  For Walking Away

Giles and Xander discovered the Bogglesworth Mausoleum in the third cemetery they checked.  It was small, but beautifully

proportioned, built of gray granite with rose-colored undertones brought out by the sun.  they opened the door to discover

a single sarcophagus in the center of an inlaid mosaic floor.  Three steps led down to the mausoleum.  Xander hurried to the

sarcophagus and withdrew a crowbar from his backpack.  He pried up the lid, with a brief hope that whatever was inside (a)

wouldn't be too icky and (b) wouldn't jump out at him.  Giles slid his hands  under the other side of the lid and they opened

the sarcophagus to see . . .

. . . nothing at all.  The sarcophagus was completely empty.  Xander stepped out of the mausoleum to check again that

they were in the correct tomb.  Yep.  There it was, carved over the top of the door.  Bogglesworth.  There couldn't be

two Bogglesworth mausoleums in Sunnydale, could there?

He re-entered the tomb and he and Giles stared at the sarcophagus, carved with images of what had to be goblins.  Xander

shrugged.  Giles took his  glasses from his face and polished them, then returned them to their regular place.

"So what do we do now, Giles?"

Giles frowned.  "There must be a way in.  Perhaps the mosaics are the key?"

Giles allowed his eyes to unfocus and there it was!  The blue tiles formed a specific path.  "Follow me," Giles said, "And

step precisely where I do."

Giles and Xander formed a two-person Conga line and wended their way back and forth around the mausoleum.  When

they arrived again at the sarcophagus, it was no longer empty, but was filled with a swirling blue light.  Xander grabbed

the back of Giles' jacket as they climbed into the sarcophagus.  There was a sense of disorientation, a whoosh, a thump,

and then they landed in a patch of soft grass.  They opened their eyes to discover a huge labyrinth spread out before

them.

"Looks like this is the place," Xander commented.  "You did good with the tile maze thingy."

"Let us hope that our luck continues with the actual Labyrinth."

They made their way down the gently sloping hill.  The outer walls seemed to grow higher as they got closer, blocking out

the maze within.

"Jumpin' Jehoshaphat!"  Xander exclaimed.  "That's one big-ass maze!"

"As usual, you have expressed the obvious much more succinctly than I could have dreamed of doing."

Xander looked at Giles in confusion.  "Huh?"

Giles grinned.  "That is definitely one big-arsed maze.  Shall we?"

As they studied the wall, they noticed a being wielding an old-fashioned bug sprayer rapidly approaching.

"Giles!"  Xander hissed as he gripped Giles' bicep, his fingers clutching the tweed.  "What's that?  D'you thing that's a

goblin?"

Giles squinted.  He really should see an ophthalmologist about replacing his glasses. Pity that Willow hadn't thought to

give him 20/20 vision when she undid that 'My Will Be Done' spell that had gone so horribly wrong last year.  "I believe,

if I am not mistaken, that that is a dwarf."

"Uh, Giles?  We don't call them 'dwarves' any more.  They prefer to be called 'Little People'."

"Bloody Americans!" Giles muttered under his breath.  "Thank you, Xander, but I've already gotten the memo on political

correctness at out marvelous Thanksgiving gathering during the fiasco with the Chumash spirits!"

"Oh.  I didn't know.  I was kinda busy dealing with the funny syphilis.  Wait!  There were dwarves at thanksgiving?  Oops!

I mean Little People?"

"We're in a magical world, Xander.  If we run across a Giant, are you going to demand that I refer to him as vertically-

challenged?"

Xander tried to restrain a very un-manly giggle that slipped out anyway.  "Sorry.  After Buffy's mom, well, you know, I guess

I spent too much time with Willow's mother.  Sheila Rosenberg has got to be the Queen of Political Correctness.  So, d'ya

think the whatever-it-is knows how to get into the Labyrinth?"

"We can certainly ask him."

Giles and Xander hurried to catch up with the dwarf, who had turned and started the other way, apparently without noticing

them at all.

"Excuse me?"  Giles called.

The dwarf spun, pointing the bug sprayer right at Xander, who jumped out of the way.

"Oh!  You startled me.  What do you want?"

"We'd like to get into the Labyrinth.  Do you know the way?"

"I might."

"Would you be willing to tell us the way?"

"What's in it for me?"

"Er . . . what do you want?"

"D'you have any jewels?  I likes jewels."

"I'm afraid not."

"What about him?"

Giles turned to look at Xander.  Xander had ceased paying attention to the conversation, and appeared to be captivated

by something pink and sparkling flying around his head.  He reached out a hand and the fairy alighted on his forefinger.  He

turned to grin at Giles, and then let out a yell and began shaking his hand.

"She bit me!"

"Well, wha'd'ya expect fairies t'do?" the dwarf grumbled.

"I don't know.  I've never actually met a fairy before.  Well, except for Larry, but he wasn't really; I mean, he was all 'I'm

gay now and my grandmother is hooking me up with guys' and then he kept offering to put a tasteful announcement in  the

paper, which was so not what I was getting at!  I mean, I thought he was a werewolf and . . . what was the question?"

Giles and the dwarf looked at each other; neither could remember what the question had been.

Xander took matters into his own hands.  "Hi.  I'm Xander and this is Giles.  What's your name?"

"My name's Hoggle."

"Nice to meet you, Hoggle.  Do you live here?  Of course you do.  My friend and I are trying to get into the Labyrinth, can

you show us how?"

"Does he always talk this much?" Hoggle growled to Giles.

"I'm afraid so."

"If I shows you how to get into the Labyrinth, you'll take him with you and let me get back to my work?  We'll just forget

about the jewels."  Hoggle pointed to a part of the wall that looked no different to Giles from the rest of it.  "You gets in

that way."

"Er . . . how does one get in?"

"You goes through the door."  Hoggle shook his head at the stupidity of mortals.  Those two would never make it through

the Labyrinth.  They'd be lucky to make it inside if they couldn't even see the door right in front of them.  Oh well, not my

problem.  I gots enough to do, Hoggle thought.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Dawn stepped out on the balcony and leaned against the sun-warmed balustrade.  It was beautiful here.  Her hands gripped

the warm stone and she closed her eyes and raised her face to the sun.  She could stay here - forever, if she wished.  Jareth

reminded her a lot of Spike, but he didn't have a crush on Buffy.  Jareth was all hers.  And here, she wasn't an orphan.  She

wasn't a pretend girl.  She wasn't a Key.  Here she could be with her mother and sister.  She didn't have to deal with her grief

and loneliness, because here, mom and Buffy weren't dead.  And they always had time for her.  And the world wasn't always

ending.  And Jareth cared for her.  His only wish was to make her happy.  And she was.  Here she felt warm and happy and

loved.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Continue to Chapter Five

Sword and Stake Home     Gen/Ensemble Page     Shippy (M/F) Page     Slash (M/M) Page     Short Stories Page