- Japanese Proverb
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I ve often found myself wondering if I ll ever see him again. No, not Duncan, not Trent, not even Cody. I wonder if I ll ever see Xander again.
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Gwen was bustling around her tiny little New York apartment with three cans of paint and a very tiny paintbrush. She d bought the apartment a long time ago and knew that no one would care if she painted the walls. If they did, she wouldn t give a damn. She passed one wall that was completely covered in mirrors and caught sight of herself. She was wearing a paint-spattered black t-shirt with a pair of jeans. Her face was still pale, but now covered in smudges of bright paint, and lacking in a depressing frown.
Gwen smiled, then pulled on the collar of her shirt and looked at the tattoo on her shoulder.
It was a bat.
She shuddered, remembering how she and Xander had gotten the tattoos together for their anniversary. Xander and Gwen had met at the Art Institute of New York City. Gwen had always loved designing clothes, most of her clothes were sewn together in her room, and she d pursued that interest after Total Drama the Musical (the third season) by going to college for fashion design.
Once there, she d met Xander, or, as she called him at that time, Professor Alexander. He was one of her teachers, standing in front of the room with his suit and long black braid. He had one ear pierced with a fang, and Gwen was relieved to learn he wasn t gay (like her other dreamboat teacher, Mr. Scheal).
Her very first day in class, he d winked at her. She d blushed and winked back, noticing the jealous glares from her fellow students. She made a point to do well in his class, and she spent a little extra time in his classroom, being very slow about picking up her notebooks and shoving them in her black tote. It took a year for him to finally ask her out. We ll have to be really quiet about it though. It ll look really bad if I suddenly start going out with one of my students, even if we re very close to the same age. They d decided to go to a museum.
Somehow, Gwen had been pulled back into the media s eye. It was something about Courtney and Duncan breaking up and basically disappearing. Gwen apologized again and again for the terrible date, which had been filled with reporters and unexpected flashes of light. He d just smiled and said that there was no need and that he d had a great time, regardless of the annoying press.
After that first (and worst) date, they d simply hung out on campus and talked. This attracted much attention, seeing as they'd been caught kissing a few times, and Xander was soon fired. He didn t really seem to care, saying that the job was too grey for him anyhow. So, while Gwen continued her education, he sat in his apartment looking for a job.
It was about two years before he found a job. All the while the two had been dating, happy as can be. Xander had even moved into Gwen's apartment!
The job required Xander to go on long business trips, but Gwen told him to take it.
He'd proposed to her on the spot, saying that he wanted to make sure no one was going to waltz between them while he was away. She'd cried and squealed her reply, then they'd began planning the wedding.
All was well until the day of the wedding when Xander had disappeared. Gwen was shocked to find out that his boss had come between them, forcing Xander on another business trip. When Xander returned, Gwen was too hurt to take him back, even if it wasn't his fault.
That was one month ago.
-
Gwen sniffed and turned away from the mirror, looking instead at the half-painted wall behind her. It was black with thin strips of blue. The same shade of blue that streaked her hair. She was just finishing up the butterfly that she d painted flying over the stripes when someone knocked on the door. She wiped her hands off on a grimy rag and opened it to find none other than Xander.
"Hi, Gwen." He raised his hand in a half-wave and the ex-goth slammed the door in his face. He knocked again, and she didn't answer. Finally, he simply began talking through the door. "Gwen, please take me back. I miss you so much!"
"And I suppose you missed me on our wedding day too, huh?"
"You know I didn't have a choice, I was going to loose my job."
"Since when is a job more important than me?"
"Since I turned into a jackass." That caught her attention. "Gwen, c'mon, let me in, that perverted old woman across the hall could be out here any minute."
She smiled, then remembered she was mad and opened the door a crack, just enough to see outside.
Xander looked as if he hadn't changed his clothes in a week, and his normally braided hair was cascading down his back.
"What the hell is with you? Haven't you showered?"
"I kinda can't afford it, I quit my job."
"You quit?! Why, you dumb jackass?!" She flung the door open and glared at him. "Now you're coming back to me so you can mooch money, is that it?"
"No, I'm coming back to you to see if you'll take me back." He waltzed right past her and into the apartment. "I love the patterns and designs on the walls, A plus."
"Thanks, now leave."
Then he hugged her. He hugged her gently, as if afraid she might break in his arms. Gwen had always loved that. "I'm sorry, but I can't do that."
She opened her mouth to reply bout found something stopping her.
His lips.
She inwardly swooned as Xander kissed her deeply, taking away all the anger and hate she'd felt.
When they broke apart, panting, she said: "So you really quit, just for me?"
He nodded.
She wrapped her arms around him and kissed his cheek. "Good, I can't stay mad at you when you kiss me like that."
"Ha ha, my evil plan worked!"
"Indeed it did."
They retreated into Gwen's bedroom, and the rest, as they say, was magic.
