Crossover: HL/BtVS (before "Prodigal Son" HL!verse, between series 6 and 7 Buffy!verse)
Characters: Xander, RR
For prompt: 001 Beginnings
Summary: Two weary travellers meet on the long road.
A/N: This is going to be the start of a series of BtVS/HL crossovers – not sure how many or what'll happen yet so let's see
Xander threw his bag down on the floor and slumped on a stool at the bar, quickly catching the attention of the bartender and ordering a beer.
"One of those days, huh?"
Xander looked up from his scrutiny of his drink to see a blond kid barely old enough to drink sat on the stool next to him.
"On of those lifetimes. I'm cursed: that must be it. There is some god or demon out there somewhere who is determined that I will never go anywhere without humungous garage bills."
The kid snickered. "Car trouble?"
Xander sighed, resigned to his fate. "The exhaust cracked or fell off or something. All I know is I'm out 200 bucks and I get to spend the night in this lovely establishment." He said, gesturing with a vague wave of his arm to the general degradation of the tiny motel bar. "Xander Harris," he said, proffering a hand to his new companion.
The blond took it. "Richie Ryan."
"So now you've heard my woes, what brings you here? Let me guess – the view?" Xander added as the bartender scratched himself, before returning to pouring drinks.
Richie laughed. "Nah, just another stop on the road. I thought I better get the bike looked at before it decided to crap out on me."
"Ah, so you too have had the pleasure of meeting Morris?"
Richie gave a lop-sided smile. "Yeah, reminds me of a guy I knew back home."
"Where's home?"
"Seacouver. That's Washington."
Xander almost choked on his beer. "You've come all the way down here on a bike?" Richie nodded. "Rather you than me. So where you headed next?"
Richie shrugged, trying and failing to catch the bartender's attention despite the fact that the guy only had one other customer. "Nowhere in particular: just seeing where I end up, you know? How about you? Where're you headed once your car's fixed?"
"Home." Xander said wistfully. "Good old Sunnydale, where the muggers are never after your wallet."
"Huh?" Richie asked, finally managing to attract the bartender and order another drink.
Xander shook his head. "Never mind, you'd never believe me."
"I doubt that. I've seen some weird stuff in the last two years: at this point I'm ready to believe just about anything."
If Richie had looked any less serious Xander might have thought the kid was just trying to act big, but there was something in the way he stared thoughtfully at the bar that made him think this guy might actually mean it.
"Hey what about if I came with you?"
Xander jerked out of his thoughts. "What! No, no trust me you don't want to come to Sunnydale. It's a bad, bad place full of…well full of badness. Trust me, no one ever wants to go there."
Richie smiled. "Sounds like fun."
"No! No it's boring! Dull even. There's only one decent bar in the whole town and it's always full of high school kids-"
"You really don't want me to come with you, do you?"
"It's not that, well it is…sort of, but not for the reasons you think. You seem like an ok guy and that's exactly why Sunnydale is not something I'd wish on you."
"Well that's sorted then. See you in the morning at the garage and you can show me the way to Sunnydale."