1 Common Ground
Stooping slightly Xander Harris placed the yellow roses in his hand on the grave he stood by. The last four months had flown past him, and now Xander could hardly believe it hadn't been a few days since he had stood in the same spot for the first time. "It's unfair that we didn't get more time together Sine."
He bowed his head and drummed up the image of the young woman the monument represented to him. Even though she had been dying of cancer when they had met, Sine had completed Xander's life. She had shown him how to live. Xander visited her grave with the same dedication he had taken to her hospital room. It was time for him to move on though-not from her but from Sunnydale. His bag was packed and leaning against the headstone.
Sine had been incredible-and it was because of her that he now had the courage to leave the town that had given him nothing but nightmares. A single embrace from Sine meant more to him than any other relationship he had ever been in. "Even though we can't be together Sine, I'd never trade the two months of memories of you for a lifetime without." He whispered heavenwards.
"I never thought I'd find you in the cemetery spouting poetry." A voice rumbled behind him.
"You mean it's not a prophesy of doom?" Xander stood and turned to face Rupert Giles former watcher who had a single rose in his own hands.
The Brit smiled tightly, "Funny. You realize that when one lives on the Hellmouth…" Giles noticed he had been tuned out and settled for the direct approach, "What are you doing out here?"
"Paying my respects to a friend," the muscles in Xander's jaw clenched.
Taking off his glasses and polishing them Giles sat down near the grave, "I see. Xander you know that Buffy and Willow are worried about you. Specifically the way you've been avoiding them and keeping to yourself."
"If Buffy and Willow are worried they can ask me what's going on themselves, there's no need to send you." Xander snapped regretting his outburst.
The older man ignored the way Xander's eyes flashed, "Was she the one you visited in the hospital?"
"How did you know about that?" the young man ran a hand through his dark hair.
Giles placed his glasses back on his nose, "I was there to check the security of the new blood bank. I saw you and followed. Did you know her well?"
"Well enough." Xander sat next to the watcher wishing for the millionth time his own father could be like the quiet librarian.
Nodding Giles took a breath, "You loved her." He didn't wait for Xander's answer-he didn't need one, "You know when Jenny died I thought a part of me had been ripped out."
"Did it ever fill up again?" Xander questioned his eyes burning.
The compassion in Giles' eyes gave the reply but the words were comforting, "Not quite. I have my duty, some friends-but I would trade it in for a day with her." He gestured towards the bag, "Are you leaving?"
"Yeah G-man," Xander sounded wistful, "Can you honestly say there's something keeping me here in Sunnyhell? I thought I'd check things out in the big bad city."
Xander was surprised when Giles didn't automatically try to talk him out of it. Instead the man handed him a small card with an abstract design on it, "This is Angel's address and business number. When you get there contact him. You could more than likely get a position at his agency."
"Thanks Giles," unshed tears welled in his eyes as he took the card-quickly Xander recovered, "Just what LA needs two brooding men in black trying to save the day. Keep an eye on them will you?"
Meeting the young man's eyes Giles saw that he had misjudged the boy over the last four years. Xander Harris was stronger and braver than anyone would ever guess. "I will."
They stood and with less awkwardness than either expected they hugged. Picking up his bag Xander turned before he made his way to the bus station, "Giles?"
"Yes Xander?"
With a sheepish grin Xander saluted, "I wish I could have had a dad like you." Then disappeared into the darkness.
"And I wish you could have been my son," Giles saluted back then set the single rose in his own hands on the grave along with the dozen Xander had left, "I don't think Jenny will mind if you have this."
*************
"What do you mean he's gone Giles?" Buffy shrieked at her Watcher.
Staring his charge down Giles sat calmly, "Exactly what I said. Xander decided that Sunnydale no longer held anything for him and has gone to LA. I trust he'll contact us when he has settled in."
"But why?" Willow looked up at their mentor with confusion clouding her eyes.
Giles took off his glasses and began to polish them on the ever-present cloth in his pocket. He was tired of having to repeat himself every five seconds. He was beginning to feel like he was dealing with five-year olds- not the salvation of the world, "Perhaps because there was nothing left for him here in Sunnydale. Did the two of you ever think that maybe you weren't Xander Harris' entire life?"
Buffy and Willow paled put in their place by Giles' harsh words. "What's he going to do there?" Buffy asked chastened-she really hadn't been paying much attention to Xander lately.
Nodding in agreement Willow turned to Giles, "We have to know if he's alright."
"Well he'll probably start working with Angel and try not to get himself killed I would guess." Giles told them with more than a hint of uncharacteristic sarcasm.
*********
In his two hundred and forty years Angel had never been so terrified. Not when he had awoken with a soul and realized what he had become. Or when he had thought the Master had killed Buffy. Not even in Hell. He stared at Cordelia with as neutral a look as he could assume, as she detailed her encounter with a Carithan demon. Her arms waved back and forth as she ranted. "It had slime Angel! I was doing what you told me and the stupid thing slimed all over my brand new shoes! I can't work in conditions like this! If you continue to disregard my…"
The door swung open effectively interrupting the beauty queen's tirade. Angel was willing to give the being that was saving him anything in the world. Then he noticed who it was, "Hey Dead-Boy miss me?" Xander asked with a gleam in his eyes.
With a look many would ascribe to constipation Angel groaned. He had been wrong about the dimension he had been sent to with Acathla. That wasn't Hell-this was.
Stooping slightly Xander Harris placed the yellow roses in his hand on the grave he stood by. The last four months had flown past him, and now Xander could hardly believe it hadn't been a few days since he had stood in the same spot for the first time. "It's unfair that we didn't get more time together Sine."
He bowed his head and drummed up the image of the young woman the monument represented to him. Even though she had been dying of cancer when they had met, Sine had completed Xander's life. She had shown him how to live. Xander visited her grave with the same dedication he had taken to her hospital room. It was time for him to move on though-not from her but from Sunnydale. His bag was packed and leaning against the headstone.
Sine had been incredible-and it was because of her that he now had the courage to leave the town that had given him nothing but nightmares. A single embrace from Sine meant more to him than any other relationship he had ever been in. "Even though we can't be together Sine, I'd never trade the two months of memories of you for a lifetime without." He whispered heavenwards.
"I never thought I'd find you in the cemetery spouting poetry." A voice rumbled behind him.
"You mean it's not a prophesy of doom?" Xander stood and turned to face Rupert Giles former watcher who had a single rose in his own hands.
The Brit smiled tightly, "Funny. You realize that when one lives on the Hellmouth…" Giles noticed he had been tuned out and settled for the direct approach, "What are you doing out here?"
"Paying my respects to a friend," the muscles in Xander's jaw clenched.
Taking off his glasses and polishing them Giles sat down near the grave, "I see. Xander you know that Buffy and Willow are worried about you. Specifically the way you've been avoiding them and keeping to yourself."
"If Buffy and Willow are worried they can ask me what's going on themselves, there's no need to send you." Xander snapped regretting his outburst.
The older man ignored the way Xander's eyes flashed, "Was she the one you visited in the hospital?"
"How did you know about that?" the young man ran a hand through his dark hair.
Giles placed his glasses back on his nose, "I was there to check the security of the new blood bank. I saw you and followed. Did you know her well?"
"Well enough." Xander sat next to the watcher wishing for the millionth time his own father could be like the quiet librarian.
Nodding Giles took a breath, "You loved her." He didn't wait for Xander's answer-he didn't need one, "You know when Jenny died I thought a part of me had been ripped out."
"Did it ever fill up again?" Xander questioned his eyes burning.
The compassion in Giles' eyes gave the reply but the words were comforting, "Not quite. I have my duty, some friends-but I would trade it in for a day with her." He gestured towards the bag, "Are you leaving?"
"Yeah G-man," Xander sounded wistful, "Can you honestly say there's something keeping me here in Sunnyhell? I thought I'd check things out in the big bad city."
Xander was surprised when Giles didn't automatically try to talk him out of it. Instead the man handed him a small card with an abstract design on it, "This is Angel's address and business number. When you get there contact him. You could more than likely get a position at his agency."
"Thanks Giles," unshed tears welled in his eyes as he took the card-quickly Xander recovered, "Just what LA needs two brooding men in black trying to save the day. Keep an eye on them will you?"
Meeting the young man's eyes Giles saw that he had misjudged the boy over the last four years. Xander Harris was stronger and braver than anyone would ever guess. "I will."
They stood and with less awkwardness than either expected they hugged. Picking up his bag Xander turned before he made his way to the bus station, "Giles?"
"Yes Xander?"
With a sheepish grin Xander saluted, "I wish I could have had a dad like you." Then disappeared into the darkness.
"And I wish you could have been my son," Giles saluted back then set the single rose in his own hands on the grave along with the dozen Xander had left, "I don't think Jenny will mind if you have this."
*************
"What do you mean he's gone Giles?" Buffy shrieked at her Watcher.
Staring his charge down Giles sat calmly, "Exactly what I said. Xander decided that Sunnydale no longer held anything for him and has gone to LA. I trust he'll contact us when he has settled in."
"But why?" Willow looked up at their mentor with confusion clouding her eyes.
Giles took off his glasses and began to polish them on the ever-present cloth in his pocket. He was tired of having to repeat himself every five seconds. He was beginning to feel like he was dealing with five-year olds- not the salvation of the world, "Perhaps because there was nothing left for him here in Sunnydale. Did the two of you ever think that maybe you weren't Xander Harris' entire life?"
Buffy and Willow paled put in their place by Giles' harsh words. "What's he going to do there?" Buffy asked chastened-she really hadn't been paying much attention to Xander lately.
Nodding in agreement Willow turned to Giles, "We have to know if he's alright."
"Well he'll probably start working with Angel and try not to get himself killed I would guess." Giles told them with more than a hint of uncharacteristic sarcasm.
*********
In his two hundred and forty years Angel had never been so terrified. Not when he had awoken with a soul and realized what he had become. Or when he had thought the Master had killed Buffy. Not even in Hell. He stared at Cordelia with as neutral a look as he could assume, as she detailed her encounter with a Carithan demon. Her arms waved back and forth as she ranted. "It had slime Angel! I was doing what you told me and the stupid thing slimed all over my brand new shoes! I can't work in conditions like this! If you continue to disregard my…"
The door swung open effectively interrupting the beauty queen's tirade. Angel was willing to give the being that was saving him anything in the world. Then he noticed who it was, "Hey Dead-Boy miss me?" Xander asked with a gleam in his eyes.
With a look many would ascribe to constipation Angel groaned. He had been wrong about the dimension he had been sent to with Acathla. That wasn't Hell-this was.