Hi, wonderful turtles! I kind of just wrote this...Jesse didn't get enough mentions after his death (number of mentions: none). I felt bad, so this was written.
Xander and Willow walked down the street. It was late enough that there weren't many people out, but not so late that it was nighttime dark. As Xander passed the Espresso Pump, he was tempted to go in and buy a mocha. He could smell coffee from where he was on the sidewalk, and the bitter cold was seeping through him, making the mocha seem all the more tempting. Sighing, Xander turned away from the smell of coffee and continued walking. They had somewhere to be.
"Um, Xander? Do you think we'll run into Buffy?" Willow asked, breaking the silence. She was shivering.
"Probably not. The Buffster said she would be near the school tonight," Xander told her.
"Good. Oh, not to sound mean! I just-I just...it would be awkward if she saw us."
"I get it, Will." Xander, turning to look at her. She did look very nervous. Her hands were shaking, even within their blue fuzzy gloves. In one, she held a bouquet of flowers.
They continued their walk down the Main Street until they were out of the rows of buildings. Ahead of him, Xander saw the outline of trees. As he walked forward, the scenery fleshed out and he could see the curved shape of tombstones. Willow sucked in a breath and began to walk ahead of Xander, swinging the flowers slightly but was careful not to let them spill out of their binding. Xander hurried to catch up with her.
When they finally made it to the gravestones, they began to move through the maze of them. Xander watched as Willow read the names and eventually stopped in front of one. When Xander reached her, he looked to the stone. It was a simple granite shape, sitting atop the earth unremarkably. On it were the words Xander and Willow had been looking for:
Jesse McNally
Born 1982 - Died 1997
They were quiet as Willow set the flowers next to the grave, giving them a quick pat before moving away. Xander just stared at the grave of his dead friend. Two years later, Xander still felt like he'd been hollowed out when he saw it. Memories of years past washed over him. Jesse, Willow, and Xander walking through Sunnydale High on their first day, hiding their nerves behind cheesy jokes. Jesse prowling unsuccessfully through the Bronze. Xander and Jesse as younger kids, so proud that they were finally allowed to walk to the Espresso Pump without supervision.
Xander felt tears sting in the corners of his eyes, and he forced them down. Willow was crying silently next to him.
"Sometimes Sunnydale doesn't seem like it's over a hellmouth," Xander muttered, "It's more like we're already in it."
Willow nodded sadly. Xander put his hand on his best friend's shoulder and she gave a shrug of acknowledgement. That's how they stood for another half hour. Suddenly, Xander realized how dark it had become. The sun had nearly set, and the trees behind them were starting to look like ominous things.
"Um, I think we have to go. I don't really want to end up living here. As in, in the ground." said Willow. Xander nodded and they began to walk away. That year's visit was over, and it felt no better than the last ones.
The next day, they would return to Buffy and their friends, the whole Scoobie Gang. It was important to Xander, however, that they didn't forget the friends they lost. Especially the ones they lost far too soon.
Well, I hope you liked it! Please review!
