shakatany | A Favorite Fic: Cuckoo in the Nest

This story is a different change of pace--it's neither slash nor Spander. In Cuckoo in the Nest by

liz_marcs we get to see Xander's life and the events of canon through the eyes of Tony Harris. Xander's homelife is devastatingly bleak as Tony takes great delight in taking his bitterness out on Xander who he sees as the reason his life hasn't worked out. Liz has Tony's voice down beautifully--it's gritty and resentful. The fic continues past the events of "Chosen" until a final irony takes place. For all the bleakness there are lovely bits of humor and all in all it's an astonishing and unique story. When watching"BtVS" I never cared much for Xander but in reading fics like this I have truly come to appreciate him.