Grungefic

Fanfiction
Title:	Grungefic
Author(s):	Darkhavens
Date(s):	2005 or earlier
Length:
Genre(s):	AU
Fandom(s):	Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Relationship(s):
External Links:	Slashverse (archived link)
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Grungefic is a Buffy the Vampire Slayer fic by Darkhavens pairing Spike/Xander. This story is a Season 1 AU. It begins with an alternate first meeting between Spike and Xander, and focuses heavily on Xander's grief and guilt after the death of his childhood friend Jesse. The story was posted to Darkhavens personal site slashverse and to their LJ comm bloodclaim.

Grungefic was nominated for The Unfinished Fic Award at The White Knight Awards. It was also nominated for Best Angst, Best Drama, Best Plot and Best Unfinished at The SunnyD Memorial Awards and for The Inside Your Twisted Mind (Spike Characterisation) Award and The Bleeding Soul Award at The Fade To Black Awards.

Author's Notes

Warnings/Squicks: This is very early S1 Spander so Xander is 16, but I'm a Brit so that makes him legal over here. It is also rather dark but I have no clue about whether or not Xander will still have a heartbeat at the end of it, though he will still certainly have a Spike. ;)

Summary: I hated that Xander was never allowed to grieve for the loss of Jesse, who appeared to be his only male friend. In this fic he grieves, feels guilt and even despair... and then he meets up with Spike in a dingy little club and Spike decides to keep him for his own.

Reviews and Reception

an original, gritty story set in S1 where a sad Xander, mourning Jesse's death, runs into Spike, who has yet to visit Sunnydale. Even feral Spike is attracted to Xander.