They were in an old crappy motel, cramped up in the two bed room. The gang had been trough many towns by now, they'd ditched the school bus for something a bit more discreet a while back. This wasn't exactly what Xander was used to as a celebration for his big birthday, though he never really liked parties back home, he'd always end up having to fix something afterwards. Presents had already been given, gifts from gas stations they'd pulled into along the way. They hadn't been able to get him a cake, an expired snack cake with horrible tasting frosting had sufficed. Willow had conjured up a little bit of decorations, even though it was just more things to crowd the room, Xander was thankful.
He was happy, this was the first he'd felt it, known it, in a long time. A smile etched across his cheek bones as his eye wonders around the room. His friends were scattered about, as much as they could be. Buffy talked to Giles in a standing position by the other bed, Willow and Kennedy sitting down on it. Faith and Robin sat a little away, talking as well. He didn't know where Andrew had gone to, probably somewhere in the small bathroom. Some of the potentials sat in the room next door, some around him.
Xander sat on the edge of one of the neatly made beds, his eye only darted up when someone appeared before him. Dawn stood unusually tall above him from his sitting position on the low bed. A side smile was imprinted on her lips and he couldn't help but match it. The two exchanged a stare for a moment, both quiet. He looked back down when something jabbed at his ribcage. A perfectly wrapped box sat in Dawn's hand, bow tied around it. He looked up at her again before taking it.
"I didn't want to give it to you while everybody was watching. They wouldn't understand. It's nothing special."
He watched as Dawn turned away again, sitting in the little arm chair across the room, right in his line of one eyed view. She let the smile drift away and looked down to her lap, waiting. Xander chuckled a bit to himself, pulling his hands to unwrap the red bow. When he pulled the lid of the box up, his eye narrowed. Confusion had set in, had she gotten him a silky t-shirt for his birthday? But it was all washed away when he pulled it halfway out of it's folded place. The confusion was replaced with a feeling he liked a lot, a familiar one, something warm.
A memory flew its way into his mind, etching itself there once more. His hands balled up the fabric gently as his heart began to heat up. He noticed the tears that instantly began to prick at his eye. He gulped, looking back up at the girl that sat across the room. She looked at him now, the biggest of smiles appearing on her face, shining cheeks and glossy eyes to go with it. He nodded to her, knowingly, biting his bottom lip in thought. She nodded back, a simple gesture that only the two understood.
A silky dark cape had sat in the box waiting for him. A reminder Dawn had wanted to give him, to remember the extraordinary things.
"Maybe I should get a cape."
"Cape is good."