The Date 10

Buffy and Willow's Dorm Room,
UC Sunnydale
Friday 12th November 2000, 20:59

Xander has been standing outside Buffy's door for the last ten minutes, trying his hardest to calm down. He has never felt so nervous in all his life; this was it, his one chance to show Buffy that he was worthy of her love and he was worried that he'd do something to ruin it.

His watch beeps, indicating that it was show time, so he knocks three times and waits for someone to answer. He doesn't have to wait long as the door swings open to reveal Willow standing there with a large smile on her face.

"Hey Xander, you look great!" she said with surprise in her voice.

Xander couldn't really blame her for being surprised, until recently his dress sense was… eclectic is probably the best way to put it. His summer in Oxnard fixed a lot of his fashion faux pas, as the other strippers had graciously taken pity on him and shown him how to dress properly, instead of Cordelia's less effective approach of browbeating him into submission.

His midnight blue button down shirt, dark grey slacks, black leather ankle boots and his now ever-present brown leather jacket make up his current attire. While he still can't see the point in dressing like that, he does finally realise that women prefer it to his less conventional wardrobe.

"Thanks Wills, you don't half bad yourself, those Hair Bear Bunch jammies really brings out your eyes." Willow looks down and realises he wasn't joking and starts to blush furiously. "Don't worry about it Wills, you know you always look good to me."

As he smiles at the slight blush that appears on his oldest friends face, a voice floats through the bathroom door. "Flirting with another woman and we haven't even started our date yet, not a good start Xand."

"It's not flirting, it's…" Xander trails off as he sees Buffy emerges from the bathroom. While Xander would admit to finding her beautiful even if she were wearing a flour sack, Buffy looks exceptional tonight. Her hair is down, flowing with a slight curl to it. A teal halter tie neck top with gold print and a mocha tiered skirt accentuates her every curve. Brown suede wedge heeled boots finish off the outfit and there's only one word that fits the way she looks: perfection.

Buffy stands there for a few second before she realises that Xander has become dumbstruck. While she loves the fact that she can do that to him, it doesn't stop her from teasing him about it. "Wow, a speechless Xander, I never thought I'd see the day."

Her good-natured dig at his lack of verbal skills snaps him out of his Buffy-induced trance and smiles warmly at her. "You look spectacular Buff, I mean it."

"Well thank you, you don't look bad yourself," she complimented. She wasn't lying either; she'd almost said a very uncharacteristic 'damn!', but had managed to curb that particular thought. It's amazing how good someone can look to you when your ears don't bleed from what they're wearing.

They look deeply into each other's eyes and Willow guesses that if she doesn't do something they'll stay like that for a while. "So, where are you taking Buffy on this date then Xander?" Willow asked him, half to break the spell and half because she's frustrated that she didn't already know.

"I'll never tell," he sing-songed in reply.

"Don't make me bring out my Resolve Face Xander, you know I'll do it."

He smiles at her, but shakes his head. "Won't work this time Wills, I'm working on a strictly need to know policy and you, my dear redheaded Wicca friend, don't need to know."

Willow is feeling a little hurt that Xander is keeping all this from her. It wasn't so long ago that they would tell each other everything, without even having to ask. Now she wouldn't be surprised if she knew a fraction of what he did these days, the same going for him to. She just hoped that they could get that closeness back, or at least get closer than they are at the moment.

"You can't just disappear for a couple of days without letting anyone know where you are," she countered.

"We're not," he replied, "I've left contact details with Giles and Buffy's mom with strict instruction to only use them in a real emergency, which means you don't get your itty bitty hacker mitts on them I'm afraid."

"Are you suggesting that I would try and use less than legal means to find out where you're going?" she asked, trying her hardest to look scandalised.

"Yep," he answered.

"Just checking."

Buffy watches the byplay between her two closest friends and can't help but smile. The last time they had all been in the same room together and not surrounded by opened demonology books was before graduation. It felt good to be together for something so… un-Hellmouthy.

While Xander could happily tease Willow more, the combination of excitement and anxiousness he was feeling easily came out on top. Standing up a little straighter and smoothing out the non-existent creases in his clothing, he extends his hand to his date, unable to prevent the grin that appears at the thought.

"So, you ready to get this show on the road my lady?" he asks in his best chivalrous voice. That's not to say he sounded all that chivalrous, it was just the best he could do.

"Absotively posalutely kind sir," she replied, taking his offered hand and moving closer to him. Without thinking, Xander brings her hand to his lips and kisses her fingertips, the simple action causing a shiver to go down her spine and not in a bad way.

Willow takes in the picture of the two, standing side by side with their hands entwined, a little surprised by how right it looked. While she had been able to see in their eyes when she spoke to them both that they both felt more for each other than they were willing to say, she hadn't seen them together before tonight so she hadn't been able to truly picture them together. Now she has, she's having trouble seeing them any other way. "You two have fun you hear."

"You got it Wills," Xander enthusiastically replied, "I assure you that the having of the fun will occur for the both of us."

"Well you better, or I'll have to think of an appropriate punishment if you don't," she threatened.

"You could sing 'The Hills Are Alive' to me again like you did when we were ten. I think it took Jesse months to get over the trauma."

This time the scandalised look on her face is real; no one makes fun of her singing and gets away from it. Especially her singing songs from the bestest musical in the whole entire world. "Anymore backchat and I'll re-enact the entire musical and force you to sing the Christopher Plummer parts."

"I'll take that under advisement," he said in a small voice, knowing that she would and could make good on her threat. Xander needs a change of topic stat so he looks down to Buffy, "where are your bags?"

"Behind you."

He turns round to find five bags piled up against the wall. He turns back to look at her, "You do know we'll be back for Christmas don't you?"

"You wouldn't tell me where we're going so I had to make sure I had an outfit for an occasion."

"It looks like you're bringing an outfit for every occasion."

"I won't need to bring as much if you tell me what we…"

He cuts her off, realising that she was trying to get more info out of him. "If a bad back is the price I have to pay to surprise you, then so be it." He reluctantly lets go of her hand so he can pick up her bags, wondering when he does so if one or more are filled with rocks instead of clothes. He considers commenting on it, but the self-preservation part of his brain kicks in and keeps his mouth shut. "Okay, lets get this show on the road before my knuckles start dragging on the carpet."

Buffy rolls her eyes affectionately at him before turning to Willow and pulling her into a hug. "I'll see you in a couple of days."

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"That leaves me with a lot of scope," she teased.

"Right, that's it, both of you get out before I do something we'll all regret."

"I'll ring you tomorrow." Willow nods before putting on her Resolve Face and shooing them out.

Alessandro's
Sunnydale, CA
Friday 12th November 1999, 21:45

As Xander and Buffy look through their menus, he starts thinking that he is way out of his depth at the moment. The closest he's ever some to eating at a proper restaurant was when he stayed with his cousin Jesse for a couple of days in LA and he took him to his own restaurant BBQ Bob's. To say that it didn't really prepare him would be the understatement of understatements.

Alessandro's was the most exclusive restaurant in Sunnydale and the only way he was able to get a reservation before his fiftieth birthday and a full credit check was due to knowing the boss' son, well he used to anyway. Malcolm McNally opened Alessandro's a few months after Jesse's 'disappearance' and has spent almost every waking moment making it the best it could be. Jesse's mom had died during childbirth and Malcolm never remarried so he took care of Jesse all by himself. Malcolm has always thought that Katherine, Jesse's mom, was his one true love and no one had ever come close to proving him otherwise so he had stayed single.

Xander had kept in touch with him as much as he could over the years, the guilt of knowing what happened to Jesse and never being able to tell his father made him feel obligated in a way to ensure that he was okay. They had been talking a few weeks ago when he had mentioned his intention to ask Buffy out on a date and wanting it to be special; Malcolm had told him in no uncertain terms that there would always be a table available to him whenever he wanted it he simply had to ask. He had also been dead set against Xander paying for anything, but Xander had managed to haggle him up to it being more of a discount than a freebie.

Living mainly on pizza and Chinese food, compliments of the local take out joints, Xander hadn't had much experience in Italian food. When his mom had remembered what a supermarket was he'd been given the privilege of a TV lasagne or spaghetti and meatballs dinner, both he found edible, so his first instinct was to just order on or the other. Tonight however was supposed to be about firsts so he started to actually look at the menu instead of the pretending he had been doing.

When he did, he thought he'd have a heart attack when he saw that it was written in Italian; his Spanish was okay and so was his German, his grandparents on his mother's side escaped from Germany to America during WWII and taught him the language when he was young, but his Italian was limited to what he'd heard in the mob films he'd seen over the years. He'd breathed a silent sigh of relief when he saw the English description in small print under the Italian and decided on Chicken Alfredo.

He looked over his menu at Buffy and smiled at her as she looked up. She smiled in return before returning to her own menu. He had to admit that she looked in her element; it was as though she was born to experience the best that life had to offer. While he'd dearly want to provide her with that, he knew that things like this would be few and far between. He didn't really think that was a bad thing; he'd seen what happens to people who get used to the finer things in life and didn't want to become like that.

He could tell that Buffy was having a good time and so was he, but was starting to worry about one thing; so far the night itself had gone off without a hitch, he hadn't embarrassed himself yet which was always a good thing, but he felt that there was something missing. The problem was that it didn't feel like two people out on a date, it felt like two friends out to dinner. It wasn't as though he expected for them to be all over each other and profess their mutual undying love, but he had hoped that their date would actually feel like one instead of feeling like every other time he had spent the evening with Buffy.

Unbeknownst to Xander, Buffy was thinking along similar lines. So far she was enjoying herself immensely, as she always did in Xander's company, but the evening was lacking something to make it truly feel like a date. She definitely wasn't having second thoughts, she was as sure of her decision now as she was when she made it. Her best guess was that even though they both wanted more from their relationship, they've been friends so long that it was difficult for them to make the transition from the platonic relationship they have now, to the romantic relationship they both desire.

If she was with anyone else she's probably not say anything and hope for the best, but she wasn't with anyone else, she was with Xander and he was too important to her to just let things work themselves out. She was going to do something she's never done before and actually talk about her feelings when they first come up instead of letting them fester and grow out of proportion.

"Xander?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yeah Buff?" he replied, putting down his menu so he could giver his full attention to her.

"I don't want you to think that I'm not enjoying myself, because I am, but…"

"But what?" he asked, cutting her off.

"I'm not feeling like this is a date. Do you get what I mean? I know we're on a date, a date that I want to be on, but it feels like something is missing."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I thought it was just me. What do you think it means?" he asked with trepidation, fearing that she might be taking it as a sign that they weren't meant to be anything more than friends.

"I'm not having second thoughts Xander," she said to him, obviously able to see the worry in his voice.

"I never said that you were," he replied quickly.

"No, but you were thinking it," she said with a small smile. "That's probably part of the problem; we know each other so well that the 'getting to know you' stage that occurs on a first date isn't necessary. We're acting more like an established couple than two people on their first date and it's putting us off. We're not sure how to act so we're acting like we always do, as friends."

"So what do you suggest?"

Buffy stands up and for one terrifying moment Xander thinks she might be leaving, but relaxes as she moves round so that she's sitting to his right instead of across from him. She takes his hand in her own and smiles warmly at him, "this is much better, don't you think?" she asked softly.

"I think that you are a bona fide genius Ms. Summers."

"Nice to have someone finally notice."

Before Xander can say anything more, a waiter approaches their table. "Excuse me sir, madam, but are you ready to place your order?"

They look at each other and nod in agreement, Xander indicating for Buffy to go first. "Yeah, um, I think I'll have the lasagne."

Xander manages to repress his smile at her choice and decides to follow suit and order the same. This may be a time for firsts, but there was no need to push his luck.

Sunnydale Airport
Sunnydale, CA
Friday 12th November 1999, 23:30

As Xander turns off the ignition of his car, he can't help but feel excited. After the small bump in the road at the beginning of dinner, things have been going from strength to strength; they had spent dinner talking and getting to know each other all over again, this time without any doubts that it was indeed a date they were on.

The dinner became a little sombre when Malcolm came over and spoke to them, Xander introducing Buffy to him. He squeezed her hand gently in support when her breath caught slightly when she realised who he was. There have been many people that they've been unable to help, but Jesse was the first and was the catalyst for both he and Willow joining her in her fight against the darkness. He knows that she doesn't really remember him, nor would he expect her to as she only spent a couple of minutes with him that first day and he was taken that night, but she still feels guilty for not getting to him in time. So does he.

He managed to return the lightness to the dinner with a few well placed jokes, mainly at his own expense, and by the time they left for their next destination he was feeling better than he had in a long, long time. Buffy must have been feeling pretty happy herself, because when he suggested that she put on the blindfold she now adorns she simply nodded and not threatened to remove body parts or insert inanimate objects into body parts.

He gets out of the car and goes round to the passenger side and opens the door for her. "Come on Buff, we're here."

"I guessed that when you stopped the car and got out without saying anything."

The tone in her voice quickly tells Xander that her patience is wearing a little thin not that she has a lot in the first place he thinks to himself. After helping her out of the car and standing her in front of it, he removes the blindfold. She blinks a couple of times to adjust to the lack of light and a confused look appears on her face.

"Xander, why are we at the airport?" she asked.

"Why would anyone go to an airport Buff?" he responded, not wanting to give anything away.

Buffy could tell that she wasn't going to get a straight answer from him, so she tries a different route. "Okay… where are we going?"

"On a plane."

"And where is the plane going?"

"In the air."

"Xander…" she growled.

"Is anything I said untrue?" he asked with faux innocence, knowing the he was annoying her.

"Well, no, but…"

"So why are you getting annoyed?" he asked in the same 'I'm so innocent' tone.

"You know, I really do like the way you look, but I'm starting to wonder what you'd look like if I swapped your arms and legs round," she said to him in an eerily calm voice, a voice that tells you that she wasn't exaggerating in any way shape or form.

"Okay, okay, you win," he said, knowing that he'd reached the end of her tolerance. "One of these days I'll cure you of your compulsion to threaten me with violence whenever things don't go your way you know."

"Not before I cure you of your tendency to annoy me enough that threats of violence become necessary."

Knowing that wasn't a conversation he'd win even if he were right, he decided to change the subject. "If you must know, we're going to LA."

"Why?"

"I'll tell you when we get there, deal?"

Buffy thinks about it for a few moments. She hates not knowing what they're going to be doing, but at the same time it's also exhilarating to just go with the flow. The clincher was knowing how badly Xander wants to surprise her, and how much she likes the fact that he wants to. "Deal."

"Good," he replied while taking the bags out of the trunk, "now lets get going before the plane leaves without us."

"When does the flight leave?" she asked, suddenly worried they might miss it.

"When we do," he responded whilst walking towards the airport entrance, "it's a private jet. I was just saying that as a figure of speech."

Hearing that brings her to a stop for a moment before catching up to him. "Don't take this the wrong way, but how can you afford to charter a private jet?"

"I can't."

"Then how did you get it?" she asked, a little worried about the answer. She knew how much he wanted to make their date special, but she hoped that he wouldn't resort to less than legitimate means. She didn't want him to think that he had to go out of his to impress her.

"I'll tell you on the plane."

She stops and grabs his shoulder to stop him as well, spinning him round to face her. "You'll tell me now Xander."

Carrying the six travel bags has altered his centre of balance and he almost topples from the momentum of them swinging around. Once he's sure that he won't taste asphalt, he stares her intently for a beat or two before speaking. "Do you trust me?" he asked.

"Absolutely," she immediately responded, not even having to think about it.

Xander smiles despite himself at the speed and conviction of her answer. "Then I'll tell you on the plane, I swear."

She looks at him for a second before nodding and continuing on her way, Xander following closely behind her huffing slightly.

ON THE PLANE

Buffy looks round the interior of the jet and is visibly impressed, "This is very nice, all mod cons I see."

"I wouldn't doubt it," Xander said, also impressed.

Buffy waits as long as she can, about five seconds, before asking the question grating on her. "Okay, I'm on the plane so spill already."

"But I haven't got a drink yet."

"If you don't start talking so help me I'll…"

He cuts her off with a laugh, "Alright already. You know I told you I got a reminder from someone I met on my road trip that they owed me one?"

"Yeah."

"Well they're the one, well her father is actually, but either way they helped me arrange a few things, this jet being one of them. You see, one night in Oxnard I was walking back to my motel after work when I saw this girl being attacked. I went over to help and found that it was a vamp attacking her, so I dusted it and escorted her to where she said she was meeting her friends, waiting with her until they showed up. Before she left with them I gave her my number…"

"What!" she shouted at him, upset that he gave his number to some strange woman that she'd never met and was no doubt a demon of some sort.

"She didn't believe the generic 'it was a mugger' story we normally use when we save someone from a vamp. I told her that if she wanted to live a simple life she'd forget what she'd seen, but she wouldn't so I gave her my number in case she needed someone to talk to about it that wouldn't sling her in a straitjacket and throw her in a nice padded cell."

She really didn't want to, but she could understand why he did what he did; her own brush with a mental institution making her sympathetic to those that try to explain the unexplainable. "I still don't see why you had to give her your number."

He might not ever be mistaken for Sherlock Holmes, but it didn't take the world's greatest detective to detect the jealousy in Buffy's voice. He can't help but feel happy that he is able to conjure such feelings in her, even if it made him appear in a less than brilliant light. Of course, jealousy is seen as a fear of future loss and he wanted to assure her that he wasn't going anywhere unless it was with her. "I didn't find her attractive Buff, I simply wanted to help her out. I'm not interested in her or anyone else; there's only one woman for me."

Buffy really didn't want to smile at his declaration, but she couldn't help herself. "And they are?" she asked.

"If you have to ask you're not ready to know," he answered.

"And if I was ready to know?"

"You wouldn't need to ask."

The intensity in his eyes and the conviction in his voice tells is a little overwhelming and she suddenly has no idea what to say. While he hasn't said anything, she realises that Xander's feelings towards her run far deeper than she expected. The thing she isn't sure about is whether she feels overwhelmed because he feels that way or that she feels the same. She wasn't ready to think about it either way, at least not yet, so she changes the topic. "So, why are we going to LA?"

Xander could feel the tension between them and knew that he might have gone too far too soon. When he look at Buffy however he didn't believe she was uncomfortable with what he said, but was simply shocked at the suddenness of it. When she changes the topic he decides to go along with it, knowing that the ball was in her court now. He wasn't willing to ruin everything by pushing the envelope. "As I said before, I'll tell you when we get there and that's just what I'll do."

"Okay," she said, knowing that she wouldn't get anymore out of him about it, "where are we staying then?"

"Somewhere her dad owns," he said evasively, trying to keep it a surprise.

"And that is?" she asked.

"The Beverly Hilton."