Title: Let the sunshine begin (1/1)
Author: Michael Dunbar
Disclaimer: I own nothing of Buffy, Joss owns the complete rights to her and her friends even if he doesn't deserve to.
Summary: Some light fluffiness between parts.
Feedback: If you please, I appreciate it greatly
Notes: I am still working on ALH: The Immortal years, it's coming steadily along. Hopefully before the end of august it will see itself done. Superheroish is been kind to me, I find it easy to write and should have another part out before next week.
Notes two: denotes thoughts, the rest is easy.
--------------
The leaves rustled as the wind gently swept them from their homes in one fell swoop and deposited them on the already heavily laden ground below. The year was in the late months and the weather had started to get steadily colder as each day passed. Buffy was sat on a gravestone watching the leaves as they dropped to the ground, wondering how her life had come to her sitting on gravestone in a foreign country.
England wasn't a country she had ever thought she would visit, let alone live in. It was cold, always seemed to be damp and some of the people were obnoxious. It wasn't like you saw it on Television that was for sure. Not that there weren't obnoxious people in Sunnydale, in fact Buffy thought that Sunnydale had coined the phrase obnoxious in relevance to its teenage population. It's just that England seemed to look better on the Television than it did in real life, and that just bugged her. She wanted some charming English gentleman to sweep her off her feet and yet all she found were spotty teenagers and middle aged tweed wearing watchers.
Depressing Buffy thought.
Sunnydale had vanished, maybe it would be rebuilt and maybe it wouldn't but one thing was for sure and that was that the hell mouth was closed permanently. It didn't require a slayer of any kind anymore and they had been free to roam the country as they had pleased. However one thing happened, people got bored.
To protect the life on a planet you need to live it as well, and been boxed up in that small bus was nothing short of torture. Especially considering the age range of the slayers and what their idea of good discussion involved. So steadily and slowly people started to settle down in various cities, town and once even a circus. Buffy always thought that Kennedy was a bit weird.
So their little group got smaller until there were just the originals left. Just the worn out Scooby gang left to wander the country. They had taken all the numbers of the slayers in case of emergencies but in the end it was just Willow, Dawn, Xander and Buffy. Giles was setting up a new head quarters in England for the watchers council, although Buffy had suggested a rename "Watchers Hood". It was turned down instantly but with a smile.
So there they were, in that small bus not knowing what to do with their lives. They were cramped and unhappy, but kept quiet because no one wanted to admit their feelings to the others.
Then one day they found themselves at the airport. Xander had been driving for most of the night, it was his turn. They were supposed to be headed to Cleveland, but here they were. He had tickets in his hands and a smile on his face.
"I decided that since I am unhappy, I am going to help rebuild the watchers council... they could always use a good carpenter right?" He smiled at the girls "I'm sure they have schools in old England Dawnie, Buffy you can be involved too and Willow's way good with the knowledge and the magic... But I'm not deciding for you, we have these tickets thanks to the bank balance of the council, a bank balance that we could very well be apart of."
They never looked back, they took what they needed and parked the bus in the long term car park hoping to never see it again.
On arrival in England Giles had prepared transport to the new and immediate headquarters of the new councils. It was a large Georgian mansion situated in Berkshire near a place called ascot, renowned for its horse racing track. The house was large and had plenty of room for expansion, which was a key factor in the decision. The new watchers council would need to be prepared for all eventualities or it might fall victim to the same foul play that the previous incarnation had.
Buffy had been living in England for a few months now; she lived with her sister in a small apartment that was in ascot itself. Willow lived across the hall; it seemed that the watchers council deemed it necessary to own living accommodation for all of its workers, a step in the right direction away from the old council's miser ways.
Xander however seemed to be more vital to the cause for the council than originally thought, he help design most of the underground research facility and all of the external buildings atop the ground. His forte had truly come into fruition working for the council. It was due to this that Buffy started seeing less of her Xander shaped friend, less of him in every way and that grated on her nerves. For the last year or so he had been a constant in her life like no other and she had grown to depend on him for everything.
On numerous nights they had found themselves asleep together on the small seat in the bus after watching any number of movies. They would talk more, listen more and even touch more than they ever dared to before. The near end of the world can bring around all sorts of realizations, whether you die or not it matters how you live your life. That's what counts in the end and Buffy decided that for once she was going to live.
That's how she came to sit outside on a gravestone at night time, hoping for a veiny hand to claw itself from one of the graves if just to distract her from her thoughts. It wouldn't happen though; most of the graveyards around the world were now under the protection of the new council. Skilled magicians brought about the end to the vampire masses simply by erecting a protection spell upon the many graveyards. A mass spell by a hundred mages conquered Buffy's fears in an instant.
"Of all the graveyards in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine"
Buffy knew that voice anywhere and smiled at the face. Xander was bunched up in a jacket and a thick jumper; they weren't accustomed to the climate yet.
"Stealing Lines Xan... I thought I knew you better"
Xander smiled and strolled casually over "That was an original Harris, I said it first"
"Sure you did..."
"I... I've missed you." Shyly he looked down at his feet and kicked a stone before looking up to gauge her reaction.
Buffy smiled slightly and nodded "I missed you as well"
"I've been busy..."
"Building, like the big burly builder man you are"
He laughed in response "Burly... hardly. I'm getting old Buff; I can hear my bones creak"
Buffy giggled when he made the sound as he bowed then came back up to meet her face again. He could always make her laugh; it was the one true thing she could say about him without it ever tying to somebody else. Nobody could make her laugh like Alexander Harris did.
Xander took a seat beside her and nudged her slightly "So what's up in the world of the chosen... thousands"
She grinned "Nothing, I was just out here thinking...."
"Trust me thinking is a painful experience, this one time I was thinking and fell over a paint can at work, let me tell you... that floor did not look pretty in fluorescent yellow."
Buffy laughed and swatted him in the arm "I was thinking about our lives, how they've lead to here and where to go... next"
His brow furrowed "You leaving?"
She could hear the nerves in his voice that he tried unsuccessfully to hide; she could see the tension in his jaw. Buffy wasn't leaving that was for sure, why would she leave when what she wanted was sitting right here in a wooly jumper. He looked kissable with his brow raised and his eyes searching hers for an answer, perhaps too kissable.
"No... I'm not leaving" She almost giggled at the deep breath he released, like he had been holding it for hours and could now finally breathe.
"Good... That's good you not leaving, I'm not saying you shouldn't want to get a life elsewhere I'm just saying not yet. What I mean is that I and... Will would find it difficult without you in our lives..."
"I love you too" She smiled at his ramblings "That's why I'm here in fact, thinking about you"
"Me...?" an almost squeak as he pointed dramatically at himself.
"Unless you know another Alexander Lavelle Harris" Buffy replied dryly and grinned at his wince over this middle name.
"Please not the middle name... never the middle name" he said half seriously as he pointed at her accusingly "Why all the ooh ahh about little ol me?"
Buffy didn't reply at first, she had to look him in the eye for a second to know that he felt the same. That putting her heart on the line wasn't going to be a disaster and end up with her in pain over something she couldn't have. She also drank in the entire package of Xander Harris beforehand; apart from the eye patch he was perfect.
He was perfect for her at least. He was tall enough to hold her and big enough so she could sit in his lap, gentle enough to caress but tough enough to take on anything that went against him. The eye patch was the only reminder of the life they had previously led, the life that seemed to be so far away now that it was but a dot on the horizon. A life she could easily forget if she chose to, but even she realized that the past made the person. She wouldn't be at the place she is now without her mistakes, without her foibles.
"Ok..." She started slowly and cautiously "I'm going to talk and I just want you to listen okay?"
Xander looked at her slightly but nodded his head, he knew women but Buffy was a complete mystery to him and he wouldn't have it any other way.
"You know, I was sat earlier in the lounge in my apartment. Dawn was off with one of her new English friends somewhere, she's growing up fast isn't she" Nerves were always a problem but she was determined to see it through to the end" Anyway, I was watching Dead Evil 2 for some reason. I think it was just on and I laughed at one of the insane mad ramblings of Ash our resident hero facing the deadites and looked to my side so see you not there"
Buffy laughed slightly and one lone tear made its way down her left cheek for some unknown reason "That's when I realized really. I need you in my life. I can't go without you not after all these years. You make TV shows funnier, Films better and food isn't the same if it isn't been ingested by you...I... I think I've fallen in love with you"
So there he was, Alexander Lavelle Harris. Sitting on a gravestone next to one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen and she had just told him she loved him. Now he wasn't a stupid man, he wasn't a teenager anymore and he had been comfortable with himself for quite sometime however something inside of him snapped and he immediately punched the air for effect.
"WOOHOO"
Buffy for her part didn't expect such a response, but she also knew he was the master of the unpredictable. She grinned at him but remained quiet, nervous at the possibility of the rebuke that could very well come next.
Xander looked at her and blushed slightly "Sorry... I guess I got carried away. But I'll tell you my side now okay. I think that's how it goes... girl then boy right?"
Buffy nodded in approval.
"So I guess I should start by saying I've almost killed myself six times in the last couple of weeks on the site while thinking about you. How I got that cement out of my hair was a miracle of the supernatural. Thank god that mage knew various hair spells, the one I picked even made my hair smell minty fresh. Anyway, I was thinking about the time in the bus, while that was torture in itself I never had as much fun as I did when I was just watching a movie with you. When we would ad lib the lines and laugh at the stupid martial arts skills of the actors, or watch Ash cut off his own hand. Nothing was as great as them moments... I guess that's why I came here tonight. I... I think I've fallen in love with you too"
Emotions
Feelings
Secrets
All out in the open.
They were both unsure how to act really, it was new and they didn't want to push for anything so the simple grasp of the palms was initiated by Buffy. They walked hand in hand from the graveyard, occasionally glancing at the other. Both sure that even in this cold and dark country that finally the sunshine could begin and lighten up their lives.
Author: Michael Dunbar
Disclaimer: I own nothing of Buffy, Joss owns the complete rights to her and her friends even if he doesn't deserve to.
Summary: Some light fluffiness between parts.
Feedback: If you please, I appreciate it greatly
Notes: I am still working on ALH: The Immortal years, it's coming steadily along. Hopefully before the end of august it will see itself done. Superheroish is been kind to me, I find it easy to write and should have another part out before next week.
Notes two: denotes thoughts, the rest is easy.
--------------
The leaves rustled as the wind gently swept them from their homes in one fell swoop and deposited them on the already heavily laden ground below. The year was in the late months and the weather had started to get steadily colder as each day passed. Buffy was sat on a gravestone watching the leaves as they dropped to the ground, wondering how her life had come to her sitting on gravestone in a foreign country.
England wasn't a country she had ever thought she would visit, let alone live in. It was cold, always seemed to be damp and some of the people were obnoxious. It wasn't like you saw it on Television that was for sure. Not that there weren't obnoxious people in Sunnydale, in fact Buffy thought that Sunnydale had coined the phrase obnoxious in relevance to its teenage population. It's just that England seemed to look better on the Television than it did in real life, and that just bugged her. She wanted some charming English gentleman to sweep her off her feet and yet all she found were spotty teenagers and middle aged tweed wearing watchers.
Depressing Buffy thought.
Sunnydale had vanished, maybe it would be rebuilt and maybe it wouldn't but one thing was for sure and that was that the hell mouth was closed permanently. It didn't require a slayer of any kind anymore and they had been free to roam the country as they had pleased. However one thing happened, people got bored.
To protect the life on a planet you need to live it as well, and been boxed up in that small bus was nothing short of torture. Especially considering the age range of the slayers and what their idea of good discussion involved. So steadily and slowly people started to settle down in various cities, town and once even a circus. Buffy always thought that Kennedy was a bit weird.
So their little group got smaller until there were just the originals left. Just the worn out Scooby gang left to wander the country. They had taken all the numbers of the slayers in case of emergencies but in the end it was just Willow, Dawn, Xander and Buffy. Giles was setting up a new head quarters in England for the watchers council, although Buffy had suggested a rename "Watchers Hood". It was turned down instantly but with a smile.
So there they were, in that small bus not knowing what to do with their lives. They were cramped and unhappy, but kept quiet because no one wanted to admit their feelings to the others.
Then one day they found themselves at the airport. Xander had been driving for most of the night, it was his turn. They were supposed to be headed to Cleveland, but here they were. He had tickets in his hands and a smile on his face.
"I decided that since I am unhappy, I am going to help rebuild the watchers council... they could always use a good carpenter right?" He smiled at the girls "I'm sure they have schools in old England Dawnie, Buffy you can be involved too and Willow's way good with the knowledge and the magic... But I'm not deciding for you, we have these tickets thanks to the bank balance of the council, a bank balance that we could very well be apart of."
They never looked back, they took what they needed and parked the bus in the long term car park hoping to never see it again.
On arrival in England Giles had prepared transport to the new and immediate headquarters of the new councils. It was a large Georgian mansion situated in Berkshire near a place called ascot, renowned for its horse racing track. The house was large and had plenty of room for expansion, which was a key factor in the decision. The new watchers council would need to be prepared for all eventualities or it might fall victim to the same foul play that the previous incarnation had.
Buffy had been living in England for a few months now; she lived with her sister in a small apartment that was in ascot itself. Willow lived across the hall; it seemed that the watchers council deemed it necessary to own living accommodation for all of its workers, a step in the right direction away from the old council's miser ways.
Xander however seemed to be more vital to the cause for the council than originally thought, he help design most of the underground research facility and all of the external buildings atop the ground. His forte had truly come into fruition working for the council. It was due to this that Buffy started seeing less of her Xander shaped friend, less of him in every way and that grated on her nerves. For the last year or so he had been a constant in her life like no other and she had grown to depend on him for everything.
On numerous nights they had found themselves asleep together on the small seat in the bus after watching any number of movies. They would talk more, listen more and even touch more than they ever dared to before. The near end of the world can bring around all sorts of realizations, whether you die or not it matters how you live your life. That's what counts in the end and Buffy decided that for once she was going to live.
That's how she came to sit outside on a gravestone at night time, hoping for a veiny hand to claw itself from one of the graves if just to distract her from her thoughts. It wouldn't happen though; most of the graveyards around the world were now under the protection of the new council. Skilled magicians brought about the end to the vampire masses simply by erecting a protection spell upon the many graveyards. A mass spell by a hundred mages conquered Buffy's fears in an instant.
"Of all the graveyards in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine"
Buffy knew that voice anywhere and smiled at the face. Xander was bunched up in a jacket and a thick jumper; they weren't accustomed to the climate yet.
"Stealing Lines Xan... I thought I knew you better"
Xander smiled and strolled casually over "That was an original Harris, I said it first"
"Sure you did..."
"I... I've missed you." Shyly he looked down at his feet and kicked a stone before looking up to gauge her reaction.
Buffy smiled slightly and nodded "I missed you as well"
"I've been busy..."
"Building, like the big burly builder man you are"
He laughed in response "Burly... hardly. I'm getting old Buff; I can hear my bones creak"
Buffy giggled when he made the sound as he bowed then came back up to meet her face again. He could always make her laugh; it was the one true thing she could say about him without it ever tying to somebody else. Nobody could make her laugh like Alexander Harris did.
Xander took a seat beside her and nudged her slightly "So what's up in the world of the chosen... thousands"
She grinned "Nothing, I was just out here thinking...."
"Trust me thinking is a painful experience, this one time I was thinking and fell over a paint can at work, let me tell you... that floor did not look pretty in fluorescent yellow."
Buffy laughed and swatted him in the arm "I was thinking about our lives, how they've lead to here and where to go... next"
His brow furrowed "You leaving?"
She could hear the nerves in his voice that he tried unsuccessfully to hide; she could see the tension in his jaw. Buffy wasn't leaving that was for sure, why would she leave when what she wanted was sitting right here in a wooly jumper. He looked kissable with his brow raised and his eyes searching hers for an answer, perhaps too kissable.
"No... I'm not leaving" She almost giggled at the deep breath he released, like he had been holding it for hours and could now finally breathe.
"Good... That's good you not leaving, I'm not saying you shouldn't want to get a life elsewhere I'm just saying not yet. What I mean is that I and... Will would find it difficult without you in our lives..."
"I love you too" She smiled at his ramblings "That's why I'm here in fact, thinking about you"
"Me...?" an almost squeak as he pointed dramatically at himself.
"Unless you know another Alexander Lavelle Harris" Buffy replied dryly and grinned at his wince over this middle name.
"Please not the middle name... never the middle name" he said half seriously as he pointed at her accusingly "Why all the ooh ahh about little ol me?"
Buffy didn't reply at first, she had to look him in the eye for a second to know that he felt the same. That putting her heart on the line wasn't going to be a disaster and end up with her in pain over something she couldn't have. She also drank in the entire package of Xander Harris beforehand; apart from the eye patch he was perfect.
He was perfect for her at least. He was tall enough to hold her and big enough so she could sit in his lap, gentle enough to caress but tough enough to take on anything that went against him. The eye patch was the only reminder of the life they had previously led, the life that seemed to be so far away now that it was but a dot on the horizon. A life she could easily forget if she chose to, but even she realized that the past made the person. She wouldn't be at the place she is now without her mistakes, without her foibles.
"Ok..." She started slowly and cautiously "I'm going to talk and I just want you to listen okay?"
Xander looked at her slightly but nodded his head, he knew women but Buffy was a complete mystery to him and he wouldn't have it any other way.
"You know, I was sat earlier in the lounge in my apartment. Dawn was off with one of her new English friends somewhere, she's growing up fast isn't she" Nerves were always a problem but she was determined to see it through to the end" Anyway, I was watching Dead Evil 2 for some reason. I think it was just on and I laughed at one of the insane mad ramblings of Ash our resident hero facing the deadites and looked to my side so see you not there"
Buffy laughed slightly and one lone tear made its way down her left cheek for some unknown reason "That's when I realized really. I need you in my life. I can't go without you not after all these years. You make TV shows funnier, Films better and food isn't the same if it isn't been ingested by you...I... I think I've fallen in love with you"
So there he was, Alexander Lavelle Harris. Sitting on a gravestone next to one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen and she had just told him she loved him. Now he wasn't a stupid man, he wasn't a teenager anymore and he had been comfortable with himself for quite sometime however something inside of him snapped and he immediately punched the air for effect.
"WOOHOO"
Buffy for her part didn't expect such a response, but she also knew he was the master of the unpredictable. She grinned at him but remained quiet, nervous at the possibility of the rebuke that could very well come next.
Xander looked at her and blushed slightly "Sorry... I guess I got carried away. But I'll tell you my side now okay. I think that's how it goes... girl then boy right?"
Buffy nodded in approval.
"So I guess I should start by saying I've almost killed myself six times in the last couple of weeks on the site while thinking about you. How I got that cement out of my hair was a miracle of the supernatural. Thank god that mage knew various hair spells, the one I picked even made my hair smell minty fresh. Anyway, I was thinking about the time in the bus, while that was torture in itself I never had as much fun as I did when I was just watching a movie with you. When we would ad lib the lines and laugh at the stupid martial arts skills of the actors, or watch Ash cut off his own hand. Nothing was as great as them moments... I guess that's why I came here tonight. I... I think I've fallen in love with you too"
Emotions
Feelings
Secrets
All out in the open.
They were both unsure how to act really, it was new and they didn't want to push for anything so the simple grasp of the palms was initiated by Buffy. They walked hand in hand from the graveyard, occasionally glancing at the other. Both sure that even in this cold and dark country that finally the sunshine could begin and lighten up their lives.