As Xander ate his breakfast in this diner in Santa Fe he saw a young woman, maybe one year younger than him, fumbling for some cash. It seemed like she didn't have enough for her meal and Xander decided to be the good samaritan and pay what she owed. The young woman, Liz Parker, thanked Xander as they began talking.
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Liz: Thank you so much. I promise I'll pay you back as soon as I get to an ATM.
Xander: Don't worry about it. I'm Xander by the way.
Liz: Liz Parker. And I really need to keep better track of how much money I have left.
Xander: I know what you mean. You live here?
Liz: No, I live in Roswell New Mexico. I'm staying here with my aunt for the summer.
Xander: Roswell? That's where all the space aliens live right?
Liz: Yeah. I actually broke up with one recently. He left me for an alien princess so they could lead a revolution on their home planet.
Xander: That's cool. I'm from Sunnydale, the mouth of hell. I'm friends with a vampire slayer, taking a little break from that and going on cross-country trip.
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Xander and Liz talked for a while about their respective adventures. Neither was entirely sure if the other one was serious or not, but it felt good to talk about it. As they talked they saw a motel across the street. They both knew Xander would leave the next day, he was very clear about that. They probably would never see each other again. Xander still hoped to end up with Buffy one day, Liz knew she might end up back together with Max. But neither was seeing anyone right now. They each felt like they could use a break from all the craziness. But could they make love and dismiss it so casually? This was a choice they would have to make together.