Author: White Werewolf whitewerewolf81[at]yahoo.com
Rating: PG-13
Authors: White Werewolf and Brooke
Category: Buffy/Xander
Spoilers: "The Body"
Disclaimer: Buffy: the Vampire Slayer is owned by Whedon, Fox, UPN, and ME.
Summery: Xander's parents kept a secret and now he has to deal with the consequences.
Authors' Notes: (.........) indicates thought. ((.........)) indicates phone dialogue. "The Replacement" didn't happen.
Chapter 1
Xander dug through the cabinets by the light of the open refrigerator. "I thought you weren't hungry, Buff," he joked over his shoulder but didn't break his search.
"You got turkey?" she answered instead, her voice muffled by the confines of the fridge. Buffy turned to face Xander's back and set the loaf of bread and cheese down on the counter next to him. "All I saw was ham and it looked like it might have been from the first pig...ever."
He frowned tightly and reached to the highest shelf, finally hearing the crinkle of cellophane against his fingers. Xander grabbed the bag of chips he was looking for and pulled them down. "Was it brown?"
"Sort of an aquamarine tinge," Buffy clarified after a moment.
"That stuffs practically new!" Xander sounded affronted. "From the first pigs daughters son, at least." He pulled the meat out of the fried and opened the zip lock bag it was in, taking a deep breath, and then frowning when the smell threatened to gag him. "Yeah," Xander sealed up the bag and tossed into the back of the cold box. "Let's not eat that."
"Exactly," Buffy smiled proudly. "Shouldn't you throw that out?"
He watched while she pulled out four slices of bread and began making sandwiches. "Why? You not particular bout what you eat post Slay?" Xander's chiding earned him a glare but he continued anyway. "You gonna go Buffasaurus Rex on the prehistoric lunch meats?"
Buffy stacked the two cheese sandwiches she had just made on a napkin and turned to face Xander's grin with a too sweet smile. "Just for that," she scooped up the bag of chips with her other hand, "you can make your own."
"You weren't even hungry!" Xander whirled as Buffy passed him on the way to the basement.
"Well, now I am," the Slayer shrugged. "Get me something to drink." Xander slit his eyes at her grin when Buffy took a bite of the two sandwiches at once, "'oke fweese," she spoke through her mouthful.
"You've got a lot of nerve," Xander's voice held a mock serious bite, "coming into my home and eating all of my food..."
"I only took a little bite," Buffy smirked and held the rest of the sandwich out to him. "Its not even that spitty," she added when she him eyeing the rest of the food. Xander snatched the sandwiches from her and repeated her earlier action by taking a bite from each. "Hey!"
Now Xander grinned condescendingly and handed her back the rest of her food. " 'ow 're even."
"You have a bigger mouth!" Buffy's pouty voice sounded out over the telephone ring.
Xander was laughing while he backed to the phone that was affixed to the wall by the basement door. "If I argued that I'd have my ass kicked and I draw the line at that happening in my house." He caught Buffy's 'damn right' look just as he picked up the phone. "Harris' harem. We're fresh out of redheads, but I gotta kinda blonde I can send," Xander chuckled through his grimace when Buffy, moving with the speed of some kind of jungle cat was at his side and punching him in the arm. "Alexander speaking," he finally managed to choke out under duress while his friend pouted exaggeratedly in his face.
((Alexander Harris?))
"Yeah," Xander's brow furrowed at the solemn toned voice on the end of the line. "Who is this?" He turned his back to Buffy as he posed the question, but didn't miss her expression becoming more concentrated and serious in response his question.
((Dr. Hammond from Sunnydale Memorial Hospital.))
Xander made a sound of agreement in his throat but didn't speak. He could feel his throat constrict as the array of possibilities as to what the call could be about ran through his head. Usually he'd would have been wigged because it might have been about Buffy, but she was standing right next to him, as fine as the day she was born. His thoughts then scrambled to Willow. What if his Willow was hurt and needed him and...why would he be the first person that the hospital called? Her parents or Tara...or with Buffy they would probably call Giles... But what about Anya? They would have to call him if it were her. She didn't have anybody but him here anyway...
((May I ask the relationship to Anthony and Jessica Harris?))
"I'm their son," Xander spoke without thinking. He hadn't thought that was even possible before, but his ears had detached from his brain and caught the question. "What is this about?" He felt Buffy's hand fall lightly on his shoulder and tossed her a quick glance of appreciation before tuning back into the telephone conversation. He heard the audible inhale through the receiver that preceeded the answer.
((There's been an accident, son.))
The last possible senerio as to what could be wrong struck Xander the hardest. "Sh...should I...do I need to..."
((Can you get yourself down here?))
Xander nodded into the phone without speaking and simply let it drop from his hand. It felt numb anyway...everything about him did when he turned from the counter he was facing and started out of the kitchen, passing Buffy without breaking stride or pausing to acknowledge her.
"Xand? What's the matter?" Buffy pleaded to his back after casting the forgotten telephone one last glance before following her newly broken friend.
"Something happened to my parents," he said finally from the front door. He could feel the Slayer standing behind him as he walked back out into the cool night air. "I need to go..."
Xander wasn't waiting for Buffy now matter how methodical or stoically he was going about his current tasks of starting the car and pulling out of his driveway. The Slayer was left to herself to make sure that she was secure in the passenger seat, but Xander was still talking to her while concentrating heavily on the dark road ahead.
The two of them drove down the street toward the hospital. Xander was too involved with this driving to talk to Buffy. All he could focus on was the conversation that he had with the doctor.
The tone of the voice came him even more reason to worry.
True, the three of them never really got along. But, there was still some connection between them. No matter how much he felt that he should be angry with them, they still were his parents.
Within the last few years and through counseling, they started to rebuild their family and finally have a strong loving family vibe. They were on the road to recovery.
And now, he didn't know what to expect with the doctor. All that concerned him was to get down there and see what was happening.
Buffy looked at her friend as he drove down the streets. He looked so serious like as if he had one thing on his mind. She wanted to know what happened.
"Xand?"
He didn't respond.
She took a deep breath and tried again.
"Xander?"
This time her voice reached him. With his eyes still on the road and replied, "Yeah, Buff?"
Buffy smiled knowing that she was about to finally get some feedback. "What happened back at the house?"
The construction worker decided to be honest, "That was Sunnydale Memorial Hospital..."
Her eyes widened, "The hospital? What happened?"
His throat suddenly went dry. He gulped and was able to found his voice, "Dr. Hammond told me something happened to my parents. I don't know what."
The tone of his voice scared her. She knew that Xander was hurting, and that the best thing for her to do was to be there for him.
Throughout the last years, Xander was always her rock, her one person that she could always count on in case of an emergency, no matter how dangerous the problem was. Buffy wanted to pay him back for all his help, so Buffy told herself that she would do anything in her power to make things go over easier for him. "Do you think?"
He knew what she was getting at, and he didn't want that to be the truth. But he had to be realistic. "Do I think what?"
She looked at him, "Do you think that they'll be okay?"
The dark haired young man gulped, "I hope, Buffy. I hope."
For the next couple minutes, nothing was said.
Buffy watched him as he drove and could tell that he was extremely worried about his parents. She didn't know what happened, and neither did he, but one thing she knew he should hear were three words. Three words that would let him know that someone else in this world cared about him.
"Xand?"
"Hmm?"
A smile was made, "I want you to know something, Xander. No matter what happens within the next few days, I want you to know that somebody loves you. Y'know I love you, right?"
Xander took his eyes off the road and glanced at the passenger, "I know. I love you, too."
Sunnydale Memorial Hospital
Xander and Buffy entered the hospital and walked over to the front desk.
A young brunette woman with green eyes looked up from her desk and said to the two former teenagers. "How may I help you?"
Xander looked at her white jacket and noticed her nametag. "Yeah, actually you can Jen. I'm looking for Dr. Hammond. My name's Alexander Harris. He called my house like twenty minutes ago."
Jen smiled, "One second please." Then she picked up the phone and dialed a number. "Dr. Hammond please come to the front desk. Alexander Harris is here to see you."
A few seconds later, she hung up the phone and turned back to the two young people. "Dr. Hammond will be here in a moment. Why don't you two take a seat in the waiting room?"
Buffy nodded, "Thanks."
Xander said the same thing.
Together, they made their way to the waiting room. The two of them sat in two vacant chairs.
Xander immediately left his blue chair and sent to the table that held the magazine. There were a ton of them, but he couldn't come to a conclusion. With a sigh, he left the table and went back to his chair where Buffy was sitting next to him.
When he sat down, Buffy wrapped her arm around his shoulders and placed his head on her shoulder. "I'm sure you have nothing to worry about, Xan."
She paused and then continued, "Do you want me to call the others? They might want to know what's happening."
A shake of the head was made, "I don't want to worry them, Buff. I don't even know if there is anything to worry about."
She nodded, "I understand, Xander. Right now, just relax and I'm not going anywhere." Then she squeezed his shoulders.
He smiled, "Thanks, Buffy."
The Slayer smiled in response.
Suddenly, the door opened and a man in a white jacket with short red hair, brown eyes, and glasses entered the room, "Alexander Harris?"
Xander gulped and slowly got up. Buffy shortly joined him and together made their way to the doctor. "I'm Alexander Harris, but call me Xander. This is my friend, Buffy Summers."
He nodded, "Right. My name is Doctor Victor Hammond. I called you and I have something to tell you. Come with me."
With that, he left the waiting room. Buffy slipped her hand into Xander's and they followed him.
The three of them walked down the white-lit corridor. Doors that lead to other rooms bordered the hallway.
Doctor Hammond opened his door and waited for Buffy and Xander to enter. When they did, he closed the door and said, "Please site down."
With that said, he went behind his oak desk and sat down. Buffy and Xander sat in front of him in the two vacant brown leather chairs.
He hated this part of the job. How would anyone like to hear the news that most people dread? But he had to do what he had to do. "I have some terrible news."
Rating: PG-13
Authors: White Werewolf and Brooke
Category: Buffy/Xander
Spoilers: "The Body"
Disclaimer: Buffy: the Vampire Slayer is owned by Whedon, Fox, UPN, and ME.
Summery: Xander's parents kept a secret and now he has to deal with the consequences.
Authors' Notes: (.........) indicates thought. ((.........)) indicates phone dialogue. "The Replacement" didn't happen.
Chapter 1
Xander dug through the cabinets by the light of the open refrigerator. "I thought you weren't hungry, Buff," he joked over his shoulder but didn't break his search.
"You got turkey?" she answered instead, her voice muffled by the confines of the fridge. Buffy turned to face Xander's back and set the loaf of bread and cheese down on the counter next to him. "All I saw was ham and it looked like it might have been from the first pig...ever."
He frowned tightly and reached to the highest shelf, finally hearing the crinkle of cellophane against his fingers. Xander grabbed the bag of chips he was looking for and pulled them down. "Was it brown?"
"Sort of an aquamarine tinge," Buffy clarified after a moment.
"That stuffs practically new!" Xander sounded affronted. "From the first pigs daughters son, at least." He pulled the meat out of the fried and opened the zip lock bag it was in, taking a deep breath, and then frowning when the smell threatened to gag him. "Yeah," Xander sealed up the bag and tossed into the back of the cold box. "Let's not eat that."
"Exactly," Buffy smiled proudly. "Shouldn't you throw that out?"
He watched while she pulled out four slices of bread and began making sandwiches. "Why? You not particular bout what you eat post Slay?" Xander's chiding earned him a glare but he continued anyway. "You gonna go Buffasaurus Rex on the prehistoric lunch meats?"
Buffy stacked the two cheese sandwiches she had just made on a napkin and turned to face Xander's grin with a too sweet smile. "Just for that," she scooped up the bag of chips with her other hand, "you can make your own."
"You weren't even hungry!" Xander whirled as Buffy passed him on the way to the basement.
"Well, now I am," the Slayer shrugged. "Get me something to drink." Xander slit his eyes at her grin when Buffy took a bite of the two sandwiches at once, "'oke fweese," she spoke through her mouthful.
"You've got a lot of nerve," Xander's voice held a mock serious bite, "coming into my home and eating all of my food..."
"I only took a little bite," Buffy smirked and held the rest of the sandwich out to him. "Its not even that spitty," she added when she him eyeing the rest of the food. Xander snatched the sandwiches from her and repeated her earlier action by taking a bite from each. "Hey!"
Now Xander grinned condescendingly and handed her back the rest of her food. " 'ow 're even."
"You have a bigger mouth!" Buffy's pouty voice sounded out over the telephone ring.
Xander was laughing while he backed to the phone that was affixed to the wall by the basement door. "If I argued that I'd have my ass kicked and I draw the line at that happening in my house." He caught Buffy's 'damn right' look just as he picked up the phone. "Harris' harem. We're fresh out of redheads, but I gotta kinda blonde I can send," Xander chuckled through his grimace when Buffy, moving with the speed of some kind of jungle cat was at his side and punching him in the arm. "Alexander speaking," he finally managed to choke out under duress while his friend pouted exaggeratedly in his face.
((Alexander Harris?))
"Yeah," Xander's brow furrowed at the solemn toned voice on the end of the line. "Who is this?" He turned his back to Buffy as he posed the question, but didn't miss her expression becoming more concentrated and serious in response his question.
((Dr. Hammond from Sunnydale Memorial Hospital.))
Xander made a sound of agreement in his throat but didn't speak. He could feel his throat constrict as the array of possibilities as to what the call could be about ran through his head. Usually he'd would have been wigged because it might have been about Buffy, but she was standing right next to him, as fine as the day she was born. His thoughts then scrambled to Willow. What if his Willow was hurt and needed him and...why would he be the first person that the hospital called? Her parents or Tara...or with Buffy they would probably call Giles... But what about Anya? They would have to call him if it were her. She didn't have anybody but him here anyway...
((May I ask the relationship to Anthony and Jessica Harris?))
"I'm their son," Xander spoke without thinking. He hadn't thought that was even possible before, but his ears had detached from his brain and caught the question. "What is this about?" He felt Buffy's hand fall lightly on his shoulder and tossed her a quick glance of appreciation before tuning back into the telephone conversation. He heard the audible inhale through the receiver that preceeded the answer.
((There's been an accident, son.))
The last possible senerio as to what could be wrong struck Xander the hardest. "Sh...should I...do I need to..."
((Can you get yourself down here?))
Xander nodded into the phone without speaking and simply let it drop from his hand. It felt numb anyway...everything about him did when he turned from the counter he was facing and started out of the kitchen, passing Buffy without breaking stride or pausing to acknowledge her.
"Xand? What's the matter?" Buffy pleaded to his back after casting the forgotten telephone one last glance before following her newly broken friend.
"Something happened to my parents," he said finally from the front door. He could feel the Slayer standing behind him as he walked back out into the cool night air. "I need to go..."
Xander wasn't waiting for Buffy now matter how methodical or stoically he was going about his current tasks of starting the car and pulling out of his driveway. The Slayer was left to herself to make sure that she was secure in the passenger seat, but Xander was still talking to her while concentrating heavily on the dark road ahead.
The two of them drove down the street toward the hospital. Xander was too involved with this driving to talk to Buffy. All he could focus on was the conversation that he had with the doctor.
The tone of the voice came him even more reason to worry.
True, the three of them never really got along. But, there was still some connection between them. No matter how much he felt that he should be angry with them, they still were his parents.
Within the last few years and through counseling, they started to rebuild their family and finally have a strong loving family vibe. They were on the road to recovery.
And now, he didn't know what to expect with the doctor. All that concerned him was to get down there and see what was happening.
Buffy looked at her friend as he drove down the streets. He looked so serious like as if he had one thing on his mind. She wanted to know what happened.
"Xand?"
He didn't respond.
She took a deep breath and tried again.
"Xander?"
This time her voice reached him. With his eyes still on the road and replied, "Yeah, Buff?"
Buffy smiled knowing that she was about to finally get some feedback. "What happened back at the house?"
The construction worker decided to be honest, "That was Sunnydale Memorial Hospital..."
Her eyes widened, "The hospital? What happened?"
His throat suddenly went dry. He gulped and was able to found his voice, "Dr. Hammond told me something happened to my parents. I don't know what."
The tone of his voice scared her. She knew that Xander was hurting, and that the best thing for her to do was to be there for him.
Throughout the last years, Xander was always her rock, her one person that she could always count on in case of an emergency, no matter how dangerous the problem was. Buffy wanted to pay him back for all his help, so Buffy told herself that she would do anything in her power to make things go over easier for him. "Do you think?"
He knew what she was getting at, and he didn't want that to be the truth. But he had to be realistic. "Do I think what?"
She looked at him, "Do you think that they'll be okay?"
The dark haired young man gulped, "I hope, Buffy. I hope."
For the next couple minutes, nothing was said.
Buffy watched him as he drove and could tell that he was extremely worried about his parents. She didn't know what happened, and neither did he, but one thing she knew he should hear were three words. Three words that would let him know that someone else in this world cared about him.
"Xand?"
"Hmm?"
A smile was made, "I want you to know something, Xander. No matter what happens within the next few days, I want you to know that somebody loves you. Y'know I love you, right?"
Xander took his eyes off the road and glanced at the passenger, "I know. I love you, too."
Sunnydale Memorial Hospital
Xander and Buffy entered the hospital and walked over to the front desk.
A young brunette woman with green eyes looked up from her desk and said to the two former teenagers. "How may I help you?"
Xander looked at her white jacket and noticed her nametag. "Yeah, actually you can Jen. I'm looking for Dr. Hammond. My name's Alexander Harris. He called my house like twenty minutes ago."
Jen smiled, "One second please." Then she picked up the phone and dialed a number. "Dr. Hammond please come to the front desk. Alexander Harris is here to see you."
A few seconds later, she hung up the phone and turned back to the two young people. "Dr. Hammond will be here in a moment. Why don't you two take a seat in the waiting room?"
Buffy nodded, "Thanks."
Xander said the same thing.
Together, they made their way to the waiting room. The two of them sat in two vacant chairs.
Xander immediately left his blue chair and sent to the table that held the magazine. There were a ton of them, but he couldn't come to a conclusion. With a sigh, he left the table and went back to his chair where Buffy was sitting next to him.
When he sat down, Buffy wrapped her arm around his shoulders and placed his head on her shoulder. "I'm sure you have nothing to worry about, Xan."
She paused and then continued, "Do you want me to call the others? They might want to know what's happening."
A shake of the head was made, "I don't want to worry them, Buff. I don't even know if there is anything to worry about."
She nodded, "I understand, Xander. Right now, just relax and I'm not going anywhere." Then she squeezed his shoulders.
He smiled, "Thanks, Buffy."
The Slayer smiled in response.
Suddenly, the door opened and a man in a white jacket with short red hair, brown eyes, and glasses entered the room, "Alexander Harris?"
Xander gulped and slowly got up. Buffy shortly joined him and together made their way to the doctor. "I'm Alexander Harris, but call me Xander. This is my friend, Buffy Summers."
He nodded, "Right. My name is Doctor Victor Hammond. I called you and I have something to tell you. Come with me."
With that, he left the waiting room. Buffy slipped her hand into Xander's and they followed him.
The three of them walked down the white-lit corridor. Doors that lead to other rooms bordered the hallway.
Doctor Hammond opened his door and waited for Buffy and Xander to enter. When they did, he closed the door and said, "Please site down."
With that said, he went behind his oak desk and sat down. Buffy and Xander sat in front of him in the two vacant brown leather chairs.
He hated this part of the job. How would anyone like to hear the news that most people dread? But he had to do what he had to do. "I have some terrible news."