-1"But, you can't leave him here with me!" Xander practically yelled at Buffy while they were walking to a coffee shop. "What am I going to do with him by myself? You can't go to London, Buff. We need you here." Buffy was planning on a trip with Dawn to London, some time to take a break from the stress of slayer hood. She just rolled her eyes. "Xander, he can handle the vampires and stuff himself. Remember, the chip will only hurt him if he tries to attack a human. Besides, it'll only be a week and it'll be during Halloween. Remember, Halloween is the only time where Sunnydale doesn't see much vamp action."
Xander shrugged his shoulders. "Why do you and Willow have to leave at the same time? I swear if you guys leave me alone with him he's going to be staked," Xander kicked a pebble into the road. He shoved his hands into his pockets. As they talked, Spike was sleeping in Xander's apartment. Sleeping wasn't the right word…hibernating was more like it. Xander shuddered, thinking about Spike in his game face.
"Xander, come on it won't be that bad. Spike's been acting, well, almost human since he's been chipped. Sure, he is still an asshole, but I know a lot of humans who are bigger ones," she looked down. Xander knew she was talking about Riley, the guy who had just left her to go on some expedition in the jungle.
Xander swore. "Alright Buff, whatever. You win. But just know I'm not happy, okay?"
They entered the coffeeshop and sat around for a while. It was still a few hours before the Scoobies had to group up to go hunting. They talked about movies and who was sleeping with whom. It was these rare instances that Buffy felt almost like a normal person., just talking with a friend about normal non-apocalypse things.
Xander, however, rathered the supernatural conversation. It made him feel like he was part of a group that actually made a difference. It was because of him, well mostly Buffy, and his friends that people could go on living normal lives.