They were very subdued, especially Xander who said hardly anything, allowing Dawn to try to fill the silence with the occasional question or remark.
Clearing away the remains of the meal, the three sat down on the couch together to watch TV. Flipping through the channels and finding nothing terribly exciting, they settled on an old John Wayne western.
"You know what the first thing I'm gonna get when I start my new and, might I add, vastly better paid job? Decent cable." Buffy declared.
"Great, that means we'll spend even longer looking at more channels only to find that there's still nothing worth watching." Grumbled Dawn. Buffy struggled to come up with a counterpoint.
"But think about it, there's all sorts of... stuff. Educational things like... documentaries... about lions."
Dawn snorted in mock disgust.
"Fabulous. You promise to show me the world, I get the Discovery Channel." Dawn went back to watching the Duke dispense justice in the Old West. "When do you start the new job?"
"Next week. I've gotta go hand in my cow hat at the Double Meat tomorrow."
"That's gotta be heartbreaking."
"And yet somehow I'll find a way to cope."
Buffy surprised herself by enjoying the movie. Normally she wasn't much of a western fan but tonight she was.
As the credits rolled, she looked down at Dawn, fast asleep with her head in Buffy's lap and the rest of her body crunched and twisted into an almost painful shape on the end of the couch.
Buffy herself was leaning up against Xander who was starting to nod off himself. She gently shook Dawn awake.
"Come on, time to get to bed."
Dawn mumbled a response and got up, stretching with cat like grace, and shuffled upstairs.
"I'd better get going too." Xander told Buffy as they got up.
"Going? Going where?"
"Home, Buffy. You know, that place I'm renting for not a small amount of money but hardly ever seem to be there."
"Oh." Buffy deflated a little. "It's just... well, it's late and I thought... you might wanna stay here tonight."
Xander considered it for a moment. True, it was late and he really didn't feel like heading back to his place after being though the emotional roller-coaster of the last few days.
"Yeah, I think I might stay. The couch is pretty comfy to crash on." Observed Xander.
Buffy opened her mouth to say something, but then thought better of it. Instead she went to the linen closet to get pillows and blankets for Xander before heading up to bed herself.
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et vidi caelum novum et terram novam primum enim caelum et prima terra abiit et mare iam non est
(And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.)
----
Lying in bed, Buffy couldn't to get to sleep, her thought drifting aimlessly. No matter how she tossed and turned she was completely unable to get comfortable. She was contemplating getting up and going on a late night patrol when there was a faint tap at her door.
It opened to reveal Xander who hesitantly took a step inside before stopping, unsure if he should turn around and go back to the couch.
Buffy pulled the sheets down beside her in invitation to Xander to join her, which he did. Xander instinctively snuggled close to her and Buffy held him reassuringly.
There was a Willow shaped hole in their hearts that night as Buffy and Xander fell asleep in Buffy's room.
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Ego obdormivi et soporatus sum, exsurrexi, quia Dominus suscepit me.
(I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me.)
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