Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy. I own whatever you don't recognize, and that's it.
Thanks to Starway Man, my beta.
This episode's something that I'm sure some of you are finding a little overdue – a heavily Xander and Cordelia focused chapter. Given the nature of this episode in the original show, this really is the perfect place to give these two the stage, which I haven't really given them for a few episodes.
The Iron Coin Chronicles Season 1
By Alkeni
Episode 20: The Prom Must Go On
May 9th, 1999
17619 White Oak Drive, Sunnydale
Xander woke up, his arm around Cordelia's waist, the sun coming in through the window of his room. Blinking against the light for a moment, Xander looked at the clock on his bedside table, careful not to move so much that he woke Cordy up.
6:55. Earlier than he usually woke up, but what the hell; awake he was, now. It would be time to get up soon enough; so there was no point trying to go back to sleep at this point.
Xander looked at the still sleeping Cordelia and smiled – every day, he counted his lucky stars that he had her in his life. This beautiful woman that he loved – and that loved him. Every day with her was...well, it was an extra day that he might not have had, if the forces of Fate had had their way.
He still had the memory, from all those months ago, of that vision the Iron Coin had granted him. The one of him kissing Willow and that strange smoke or energy, that had seemed to be in the background. That image flashed across his memory for a moment – but Harris quickly shook his head, putting it out of the forefront of his mind.
Sure, if Fate had had its way, he wouldn't be together with Cordelia right now – Xander knew his girlfriend well enough to understand that she would never tolerate a cheating boyfriend, not even him – and Willow and Oz may well have broken up, as well...but still. If he had cheated on her with Willow that way, then Cordy wouldn't have had anyone to turn to when she'd found out about her father's tax cheating. Nowhere to go, and no one she could really share the burden with.
Xander had no idea what Fate had been trying to accomplish with all that, but bottom line, quite frankly he didn't care. He'd meant it, what he'd told Gandalf the Black – that 'Librarian', the avatar of the forces of Order, or whatever the hell he/it really was – that night. Maybe he couldn't fuck with their plans much – but he'd do what he could.
Over the past nine months, he'd tried – he really had – to wrap his head around whatever scope Fate and Chaos operated on...but in the end, he couldn't. The limits of my 'limited human perception', as the Jester would no doubt say. That sort of scale...thinking in terms of billions of people, and other dimensions, who lived or who died or whatever...it had just proven too much. Brain lock mode, so to speak. He was wasting his time trying to think on that level, and last night, he'd eventually realized it.
Putting Fate and Chaos out of his mind, Xander focused his gaze on Cordelia. After a few minutes, looking at her, he leaned in and kissed her lightly on the lips. Cordelia moved in her sleep, but didn't wake up. Smirking, Xander kissed her again, lingering a little, then a third kiss. That seemed to do it – Cordelia's eyes opened, and his girlfriend returned the kiss, turning to face him, putting her own arms around his waist as they started to make out.
About a minute later, they both pulled back, though still close.
"Morning." Xander said softly. "Sleep well?"
Cordelia smiled, "About as well as I ever can, in this town."
Xander didn't know just what nightmares plagued Cordelia in her sleep – they never talked specifics. Xander knew his own – the Iron Coin, and the visions it had given him featured heavily – the bloodier and more horrifying ones, anyway. They hadn't grown any less sharp in his memory since he'd gotten them. They stuck with him. Over and over and over, every night.
"You?" Cordelia asked, pulling her boyfriend out of his thoughts.
Xander shrugged, "About the same." He looked over at the clock, then back to her. Smirking, he added, "Ya know, I'd say we have just about enough time-"
"God! Xander!" Cordelia shoved at him playfully. "I've asked before and I'll ask it again! Is that all you think about?"
Xander laughed, "Not all, but it sure dominates most of my thoughts. Awake or asleep. Especially when I have my incredible naked girlfriend here in my bed, right alongside me."
"Well, that's about to change!" Cordelia said, poking him the chest lightly, but having trouble suppressing her smile. Pulling back, Cordelia started to get out of bed. "I need a shower."
Xander reached out and grabbed her arm around the wrist, pulling her in for a kiss several seconds long. Then he pulled back, "Uh-uh, you don't get the shower first. You take too long." Laughing, he got out of bed quickly, pulling on a pair of boxers for the trip to the bathroom.
Rolling her eyes, Cordelia stayed in the bed for a few more minutes, stretching to cover more of it – this bed was smaller than the one back at...
By this point, Cordelia was slowly getting used to it. No longer having everything she'd been accustomed to for the past eighteen years, that is. She knew perfectly well her situation could have been worse, a lot worse – part of her hated that she was living her on Xander's mom's charity – hell, she hated the idea of accepting anyone's charity. But...if not for Jessica's generosity, she'd be lucky to be living out of a fleabag motel, or one of those places down by the docks; the red light district where all the town's hookers hung out. Somewhere even worse than the ratty place Faith had been living in originally.
Or else living off the charity of her poisonous aunt and sharing a house with those annoying little cousins of hers, like her mother was currently doing.
Of course, Mom is probably doing her best to find some rich young man she can sink her claws into, and do the whole cougar thing with. Cordelia shook her head a little in disgust at that thought. Even if she hadn't been dating Xander – hadn't loved him...
There was no way in hell she'd just whore herself out like that. Granted, the idea was appealing on one level – getting back everything she'd lost – but...she had too much self-respect for sinking that low. Cordelia Chase doesn't need to be a slut to make it in the world, dammit! One way or the other, she would get back the kind of money and life she'd had before. Eventually. She'd grab life by the balls and earn her own dough, build up her own fortune...
Granted, over the past few weeks, it wasn't as if some people at school hadn't finally figured out that something had happened with regards to the Chase family and its money. Sure, she'd cut all ties with the popular crowd, apart from Aura – but still. It was a small town, and people talked; her parents had basically vanished from the high society scene, and some other family had eventually moved into her former home. Cordelia knew it was a miracle how it had taken this long for everyone to realize that they'd been evicted, and for her former friends to learn that she was now living with her boyfriend.
Cordy snorted. She'd heard the whispers – no one had the guts to say it to her face, still fearing her, still fearing the acidic and sharp tongue of the dreaded Queen C – or at least how as the former queen of the school, she knew where all the bodies were buried, so to speak – but still, Cordelia knew what all those girls were thinking. What the gossip mill was grinding out, and what the latest chatter in the school cafeteria was.
That she was basically selling herself to Xander Harris – using her body to have a decent place to stay, until high school was over.
Which just goes to show they don't know a damn thing about MY boyfriend! Cordy knew full well that Xander would have let her stay with him and his mother, even if she'd refused to have sex with him. She'd sent him to sleep on the couch a handful of times, after all, without any long-term problems.
Then she laughed at the memory of the one time Xander had sent her to sleep on the couch. She'd been in unusually rare form of a bitch that day, admittedly. It had taken her a few days to really calm down and take it in good humor...
But in the end, she had. And, overall, it had actually made their relationship more solid. Neither of them wanted a pushover in a significant other – they were both willful people, stubborn and passionate, each in their own way. Looking back on it, the young woman supposed it actually made a freaky sort of sense that she had eventually chosen the one boy who had never worshipped at her altar, back when she'd been the richest girl in town...
Pulling herself out of her thoughts, Cordelia returned to the present and got out of the bed. It would only be a few more minutes before Xander was done with the shower. Pity it doesn't have room for two... Cordelia licked her lips a moment, then slapped herself mentally, Down Girl! She went into the bedroom closet that she'd all but taken over upon moving in to Xander's room, and took out her bathrobe, slipping it on and waiting for Harris to finish up and come back here.
While she waited, her eyes wound their way to the letter on the desk. Her acceptance letter into UC Sunnydale, next fall. Final confirmation – not that she hadn't already known – that she'd be stuck in this town for at least another four years. But when that was done...Buffy and Willow be damned. After I graduate college in 2003, Xander and I are leaving this goddamn hell hole for good!
Cordelia looked away from the letter and instead pondered what she'd wear for today. Even working with a much more limited wardrobe than before, she'd managed to stay fashionable. And she would keep on doing it.
She was halfway through selecting an outfit when Xander came in, his hair still a bit wet, a towel around his waist. She looked him over for a minute, getting her hormones under control, and then she walked over and gave him a quick kiss. "Did you use up all the hot water?" She asked, teasing.
"Cordy, sweetheart – with you around, I'm always taking cold showers." Xander offered with a teasing tone of his own. It was an old line from him by now, but one that always brought a slight smile to her face. "Shower's all yours."
"Good." She went into the hall and then into the bathroom, and Xander set to work getting dressed. He, of course, was done in less than five minutes. It left him plenty of time on his own before Cordelia was due out of the shower. So, First things First.
Harris reached into the concealed bottom – makeshift as it was – of the bedside table drawer, and took out a small box. Then he took the Iron Coin out of the same compartment. Setting the box on the desk, Xander held up the coin and flipped it.
"Buffy Summers."
Students – the entire senior class of 1999, it looked like, banner and everything – all around. Spike, equipped with a nasty pair of brass knuckles, fighting with Buffy – the Slayer bleeding from a cut on the side of her forehead – all around their fight, the students themselves were fighting...dying...more vampires...an angry snarl from somewhere nearby-
Xander's head snapped back forcefully in the aftermath of the Iron Coin's vision. Wow. He hadn't had a vision that descriptive, for that long, in quite a while – nor one that hit him like a train, like this one had. He stood there, breathing heavily, sorting out what he'd seen. The 'when' was obvious, at least – Graduation Day. Just over a week, now, until A-day.
Spike's gonna be there, and Buffy's gonna fight him. Yeah, big surprise – I could have come up with that one myself! But at least now we know the Mayor's going to have other vampires along for the fun, too.
Putting that vision to the side, Xander flipped the coin again, "Faith Lehane."
Graduation – again – the battle still raging. That distinctive, angry, roaring noise again, somewhere out of sight – 'off screen', almost. Faith was looking up towards something to the right, something he couldn't see. "Hey, Dick! Look at me, you ugly fucker. I'm the one who killed your man Finch. I also killed your errand boy, Trick You wanna do something about that? Then come and get me!"
Damn. The force of that vision was just as powerful as the previous one with Buffy, Xander's head snapping back again. Letting out a low groan, Harris rubbed at his neck and left temple for a minute, a headache starting up. Switching hands, he rubbed at his right temple for another few moments, then he went looking for the bottle of Ibuprofen he kept in his bedside table – not in the compartment, right in the open.
Not like he didn't have legit reasons to have the pills – he didn't go out and help Buffy patrol all that much anymore, though he still did from time to time. He'd made an effort to train so he'd be better when he did go out, but still, post-patrol, coming back home with a few bruises was par for the course. It was just a generic brand from the drug store, rather than say, outright Advil. But it did the trick, for post-patrol pain, and the occasional coin-induced headache.
Even if this particular one was going to be a bit of a monster.
Xander checked the clock as he popped two of the Ibuprofen. Still plenty of time until Cordy was done with her shower, bless her scrupulous attention to personal hygiene. So somewhat against his better judgement, Xander flipped the coin again, preparing himself for more of the same, backlash wise.
"Willow Rosenberg."
This time, there was nothing. Xander nearly snapped his head back on reflex before he realized that there wasn't any vision from the coin, this time around. He took a deep breath, a little relieved. Before he flipped again, however, he stopped to ponder the vision he'd had after saying Faith's name.
Most of the time, the visions he got from the Iron Coin were things that needed to be stopped – or it certainly seemed like it from his point of view, anyway. Just the way their lives worked. But this – well, okay, Faith was going to taunt the Mayor during the big battle at Graduation. Sounded just like her, to be honest. I don't see any reason why I need her to not do that. Not yet, anyway...
Shaking his head, Xander filed the vision away for the time being and looked at the coin. Taking a breath and letting it out slowly, Xander flipped it again. "Cordelia Chase."
Nothing.
Wait, what? Xander had been expecting – once again – that baffling vision of Cordelia on a bus, crying as she left Sunnydale. But- but now it wasn't there anymore. Something must have happened...something which made that outcome be...overwritten in her book, as the Jester might have put it...something in the last, what?
Xander looked at the clock. Fifteen hours since he'd last flipped the coin while saying Cordelia's name?
Gift horse, mouth, dude. Don't overthink things, remember? You still got more to do!
Shrugging, Xander quickly went on his task. The rest of his flips – Oz, Giles, Mrs. Summers, his mom, Amy, and even Wesley – turned up nothing. Well, they only rarely had anything for him to foresee, if ever. It sorta made sense, actually, for the most part. Buffy and Faith were Slayers. As such, they had the most to do in this world, which was why the forces of Fate would try to steer them into a path of their choosing.
Xander checked the clock again. Still another five minutes, at least, if he knew his girlfriend. Xander sighed and slipped the Iron Coin into his pocket, then walked over to a book shelf. Xander ran his finger along the well-worn spines of his books and comic books, before finally selecting one to pass the time with for the next little bit. He sat in the chair at the desk and started reading.
Eventually – though really, it wasn't that long – Xander heard Cordelia come back into the bedroom, her hair mostly dry and wearing her bathrobe once more. To his disappointment (not that he wasn't used to it), Cordelia pulled his closet door half-way shut to block his easy view of her taking off the robe and getting dressed for the day. He didn't say anything about it – it was just what she did, for whatever reason, and it wasn't like he never got to see her naked.
Once she was dressed, Xander set his comic book on the desk and picked up the small box he'd set on the desk earlier. Cordelia came out from next to his closet, combing her hair once more. She raised her eyebrows inquiringly. Smiling, Xander handed her the box. "Open it."
Putting down the comb, Cordelia took the box from her boyfriend, wondering just what it was. It's not my birthday, or any special anniversary... Sure, if Xander felt like buying her something, then she was all for it, but she couldn't figure out exactly what it was. She'd guess it was probably some kind of jewelry.
And when she opened it up, she saw how that was exactly what it was. Two earrings – pretty, tasteful and exactly the kind she liked to wear. Cordelia smiled. "Xander, thank you. They're lovely."
And they were – her well trained eye could tell that they were far from expensive or fancy earrings, but that hardly mattered. Well, okay, it matters a little. Cordelia was honest enough to admit that to herself – but only herself.
Not so much that the fact that they weren't especially expensive bothered her, but she knew she'd probably have liked them even more if that had been the case. Okay, so I like pretty, expensive things. Sue me.
Putting that thought aside, Cordelia pulled her boyfriend in for a tight embrace. After a moment, she pulled away and raised an eyebrow. "Any particular reason, or did you just want to get me something?" She smiled.
"Well, yeah, I did just want to get you something. But, while we're on the subject..." Xander supposed he should feel nervous, according to some kind of grand cosmic rule, but he didn't. "I suppose I should ask you – you do want to go to Senior Prom with me, right?" He smiled.
Cordelia laughed a moment and hit his chest lightly - "Of course I do, you dork. You so didn't even need to ask!" She stepped closer. "But, it's nice that you did." She pulled him in for a kiss. It lasted long enough that they were almost late for breakfast...
May 11th, 1999
Library, Sunnydale High
"So it was blue, and sorta short?" The whole group, minus Wesley and Giles – was assembled around the table in the library, even Faith and Amy. Buffy was busy querying Willow about one of the prom dresses she'd looked at.
Willow shook her head, "Not short. More medium. And it had this weird sorta fringey stuff on its arms." She gestured to her own arms as she spoke.
"What? A demon?" Giles walked out of the office, a legal pad filled with his careful script in one hand. He wasn't actually looking at any of them as he went over whatever it was that he'd written on the papers.
"No, this disaster area prom dress Willow found when she was shopping." Cordelia answered. She looked at Willow. "Fringe is never of the good on a prom dress, ya know."
"Do you ever get your mind out of the Hellmouth?" Buffy asked her Watcher, looking at him and suppressing a bit of a laugh.
"If it were possible, I'd be delighted to." Giles answered. "Unfortunately," he went on, "The day of the Mayor's Ascension is fast approaching and we still aren't sure what to expect."
"What about -" Amy started, then paused. "What about those pages Willow tore out of the Books of Ascension?"
Xander noticed a sort of...jumpy tone, at first, but it was gone after the pause. Well, Amy had always been pretty jumpy ever since she'd started hanging with them, since she'd officially become a Scooby. I suppose your mom coming back from the effective dead and trying to kill you will do that to you. But it had been months – none of the rest of them had had something affect them like that for as long. Not counting the nightmares, I suppose.
"Yea." Xander agreed, "I mean, she risked her life to get her hands on those pages. They'd better not be useless."
Giles shrugged, "No, they're not – on the contrary, from what we now know, the Mayor's Ascension will involve him transforming into an immortal demon of some kind."
"Unfortunately," Wesley said as he came down from the upper level of the library, several books in hand, "We haven't been able to figure out which of some thirty thousand demons and demonic subspecies he's going to turn into."
"Well, actually," Giles corrected, "We can rule out some of them – some are far too weak to be likely candidates, and the ones from the further dimensions are unlikely as well." He set the legal pad down, and indicated the papers on the desk. "We may be able to figure out more when we can finally translate these last few passages."
"Mr. Giles, we have translated them. It's just that the text itself comes out as gobbledegook." Wesley corrected in turn.
"Which would suggest that our translation is wrong." Giles pointed out.
"No, I don't think so." Wesley disagreed, setting the books in his hands down on the half-shelf behind him. "I'd say it means that the text itself is encrypted, written in some kind of code or cipher. But," He continued, "The very fact that we haven't been able to figure out what those passages mean makes it safe to say that we shouldn't be wasting time on such trifling matters as a school dance."
"And in a perfect world, I'd agree with you." Giles told him. "Unfortunately," He fiddled with his glasses a moment, "that odious troll Snyder has decided that I must act as chaperone there for the night." He offered a brief glare at Wesley, who had managed to get out of it, despite being nominally the 'assistant librarian' and also an employee of the school.
"Which just proves that we can talk about prom as part of official business." Buffy rationalized. She turned back to Willow, "We'll get you a dress." She paused a moment, something occurring to her, "You know, we should check April Fools."
"I'm going to be dipping into my road trip fund," What's left of it, anyway. "to procure a shiny new tux." Xander told the gang. "So look for me to dazzle." He took Cordelia's hand, "Though obviously, not as much as my date." He added with a smile.
Buffy shook her head and rolled her eyes, but noticed how even Willow just took the comment right in stride. "Sometimes, you two-" the blonde Slayer laughed sharply for just a moment. "Get a room."
"Oh, like you're any better with Angel sometimes." Xander countered. At Willow's snicker, he looked over at the redhead sitting next to Oz. "And don't think I haven't noticed you're just as bad with Oz by this point, missy!" Willow flushed, but didn't protest the point. Xander smiled again, feeling triumphant.
"As fond as I am of this stimulating discussion regarding the love lives of American teenagers, can we please get back to talking about the Ascension?" Giles demanded, opening a book and setting it on the circulation desk next to the legal pad.
"Giles, we get it." Buffy said almost reproachfully towards her Watcher. "We've got miles before we sleep, and all that. But if Graduation Day is really going to go so bad as to maybe kill us all, we deserve a little prommy fun. One night of glory." She shrugged, "Not too much to ask, right?"
"Perhaps, perhaps not." Wesley said, frowning. "But high school rite of passage or otherwise, Sunnydale's demon and undead population isn't going to just take a nap because you're having your night of glory." He looked over to Faith, "Still. Faith can cover patrolling that night for you, I suppose."
"I can?" Faith piped up, looking over at her own Watcher. "Shouldn't you, y'know, ask before volunteering me for double-duty?"
"I wasn't aware you had a prior engagement on the night in question." Wesley replied blandly. "After all, it isn't as if you're a student at Sunnydale High."
Buffy looked over at her counterpart. "I'll owe you a night off, if you cover for me on Prom Night. Deal?"
Faith shrugged, "What the hell, sure." She looked over at Wesley, then sighed and rolled her eyes. She could argue the whole 'volunteering her' thing with him, but he'd be all stick rammed up his British Channel about it, and she'd eventually get to the point where strangling him would seem like a good idea. No point in fighting the guy on this one. Hell, arguing any point with Wesley was pretty pointless.
Not like I can't just ignore him whenever I want.
May 12th, 1999
17619 White Oak Drive, Sunnydale
Xander and Cordelia were upstairs in his room – their room, now – together on the bed, the boy's arm around the girl's shoulders as they sat in silence. Cordelia was reading some kind of fashion magazine, while Xander was reading one of his comic books. They didn't need to say anything – they were just enjoying each other's company, the presence of the other next to them.
Xander's mind, though, wasn't really on the comic book he was reading. And he wasn't sure Cordelia's was really on her fashion magazine, either. The Hellhound that had attacked them at April Fool's while they were trying to find him a tux for the prom – well, all that hadn't exactly been pleasant. The damn thing had almost killed him. But then the demon dog had mauled another student to death, before escaping the trashed store. More than that, the thought of one of those things showing up at Senior Prom...
Harris was pretty sure the Slayers could handle it okay – Buffy had gone to get the guy's address. She'd get it to Faith, and before the Prom Night festivities Faith would beat up Tucker Wells and kill his demon pets, and everyone could have a good time. Hell, even Faith will have a good time, since she gets to Slay things and beat the crap out of someone.
Of course, the other thing that might be on Cordy's mind was what she was wearing to the dance. She hadn't had an opportunity to buy the perfect dress for prom when she'd moved all her things – well, all the things she could get away with – into his house. She had brought a fancy dress that she hadn't had an occasion to wear before, and as she'd told him: 'Cordelia Chase does not wear a second-time dress to the prom!'
But...it wasn't exactly a dress designed for Senior Prom type festivities, apparently. Xander himself really didn't know what the difference was, but...well, clothes weren't his thing, after all.
And, earlier today...Cordelia's eyes had lighted on a particular dress when they'd been getting his tux, and he could tell that she wanted it. And Xander had wanted to buy it for her...but...
He'd have forgone getting a tux if it meant he could get it for her, but...he knew that Cordelia wouldn't have gone along with that. He was escorting her to Senior Prom, ergo the whole tuxedo fashion statement thing wasn't an optional extra. Besides, even if he'd been able to manage not getting the tux, he just didn't have enough money left to purchase the dress in question. Cordelia hadn't asked him to buy it for her, hadn't even complained, but...
Xander let out a soft sigh...someone who didn't know his girlfriend would have called her materialistic, and well...she kind of was, though not as much as others might think. But it was also as much a matter of getting used to her new reality.
Of course, what was on his mind was something else entirely. Apart from thinking about what might be on Cordelia's mind, that is...
Cordelia looked over at him, hearing the sigh. "Something wrong?"
Xander shook his head, looking over at her in turn. "Mostly just time to sigh. That, and thinking about my mixed feelings where Angel and Buffy breaking up are concerned." Willow had called him late last night about it, warning him not to mention Angel's name to Buffy again until further notice. He wasn't surprised Buffy hadn't told him yet – Willow would naturally be the go-to girl about that, and...
Well, Xander had been more mature on the issue of Angel this year, ever since the guy had come back from Hell, but still...he'd never been what one might call 'supportive' about the relationship between the ensouled vampire and the Slayer. And Buffy had known that, even when he'd stopped being very verbal about his issues regarding their relationship.
"What do you mean? I mean, there's no 'mixed' about it in my book – Angel's a complete undead jerk for breaking up with her in a sewer, and right before Prom, too!" In Cordelia's view, Angel's actions had made him fall neatly into the 'men are scum' department.
"There's that, yeah...it's just..." Xander shrugged, "I can't say I'm feeling all warm and fuzzy inside over it, especially given what this is doing to Buffy, but..." Xander let out a long breath, "At the same time...I can't say that I'm bothered by the idea of Angel not hanging around Buffy anymore, once this whole thing with the Mayor is wrapped up." Assuming we all survive it... "I mean...I trust Buffy not to- hell, I even trust Angel not to...but I can't help feeling..."
Cordelia nodded, understanding what her boyfriend was getting at. "As long as they're around each other...there's always a chance it'll happen again. No matter how remote. Not like that hasn't occurred to me, too...I totally get what you're saying." And, as much as it was strange to admit...Cordelia didn't really like the idea of Buffy hurting, either. She wouldn't say she was friends with the Slayer. Not really. But she was friendly with her, just as she was getting to the point of being able to be friendly with Willow.
"Mixed feelings." She agreed softly, setting her magazine down. She really didn't want to dwell on the subject, though – so she wracked her mind for a suitable change of topic, finally settling on one. "So... What are your plans, assuming...assuming we make it out of High School alive? I know you've talked about your road trip all over the country – are you still planning on that, or-?"
Xander shrugged again, "Nah. Not really. Even if I had much of a road trip fund left, I don't really feel like doing it anymore."
"Why?" Cordy wasn't...upset about the change of decision, since...well, the whole road trip idea he'd talked about a few times had never made any sense to her, but... "You've been planning on it for years...saving up for it since, like, what, since High School started?"
"A little bit longer, actually." Xander corrected, "but... I mean, I sorta came to the conclusion that I simply don't need to do it. Not only do I not want to just go and leave you behind for three months or whatever, but...I don't need to leave town for a while in order to find myself. Not anymore. Thing is, when Jesse and I first made that plan...I didn't know about all the crazy shit that happened in Sunnydale. I was just a normal kid." He laughed, "Now I know, and now I'm not."
He turned his head, looking off in the distance, albeit in the direction of a wall. "As for what I'll actually do once we graduate...well, I talked it over with my mom the other day. We eventually compromised: I live here all of the summer rent free, while I get used to the whole...being done with school thing. But I spend that time looking for a job, and then once I have one...I've got to start paying some kind of rent."
"And if you can't?" Cordelia asked, concerned suddenly, "Is she going to- will she kick you out of here?"
"I don't know. I don't think so, but I don't plan on finding out. I told mom I'd pay rent while we're living here, and that's what I'm going to do. One way or the other."
"Right. Well, I'm pretty sure neither of us can afford to rent an apartment, at least not yet – especially with me doing the whole College Girl thing." Cordelia shrugged, frowning.
He laughed, "Yeah. But we'll get by, somehow. Even if it means I have to steal the vampires' stuff after Buffy stakes them."
"Why don't we do that already?" Cordelia asked, wondering why the idea had never occurred to her.
"I think Faith actually does it, sometimes, if the vamp has something worth fencing." Xander answered with a shrug. "As for why the rest of us don't – well, up until Faith arrived in town, it was Buffy who had to do the actual Slaying, and for some reason she never liked the idea of taking their stuff, even after they're dust. Besides," he continued, "hasn't been so much of a need to, while we were all in High School. Can't say the idea really sits right with me either, but I'd do it if I had to."
"Personally, I don't think taking stuff from dusted vampires counts as stealing," Cordelia disagreed. "Besides. They probably stole everything in the first place, after killing its previous owners."
Xander laughed, looking at the almost acquisitive gleam in her eyes. "What, are you planning on trying it?"
Now it was Cordelia's turn to laugh. "Maybe. Probably not. Though if the opportunity presents itself, I'm not sure I'd turn it down. A girl has needs, after all." She smiled.
Xander just shook his head, smiling and suppressing a laugh. "Alright." He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss. Sometimes, it was better to just go along with Cordy, or at least not debate the point.
May 13th, 1999
Main Gym, Sunnydale High
To be honest, Xander wasn't really enjoying Senior Prom.
Then again, he hadn't really expected that he would. But he was enjoying the fact that Cordelia was enjoying herself, and he didn't mind dancing with her. Not that he was very good at that sort of thing; but, being the amazing dancer she was (thanks to all those ballet lessons when she'd been younger), Cordelia was more than good enough to 'carry' him as well.
He could see Willow and Oz dancing not that far off, and he knew Giles was present somewhere watching the whole thing with his usual 'Giles-ness' about silly teenage behavior, or something along those lines. Buffy was somewhere as well, going stag without Angel.
A small part of his mind was concerned about Faith, Amy and those Hellhounds that Tucker Wells had called up but only a small part. Faith would have them handled just fine, and Amy could manage on her own too – like Willow, she was hard at work on the magic front – and even if they broke in, Buffy...well, she'd handle the situation, before anyone got killed.
And then complain to Giles about whatever they did to her dress, granted...
Not that she wouldn't have a reason – Willow and Buffy had both gotten, to his untrained eye, very nice dresses. Neither held a candle to Cordelia, in his view, though he was hardly unbiased there.
Shaking his head, Xander put all that aside in his mind and concentrated on dancing with his girlfriend.
But nothing happened, and it was about an hour later when they finally got to the 'Class of 1999' trophies. Everyone was standing around, watching and clapping – sometimes enthusiastically, sometimes politely, as names were called out, according to the awardee and each person in the crowd's view on said awardee.
Xander had seen the brief look of disappointment, perhaps even deep pain, that passed across Cordelia's face as the Prom Queen was announced – Holly Charleston. He took her hand in his for a few moments and squeezed gently. Cordelia looked over at him, a hint of appreciation in her eyes. Then she turned her gaze back to the stage.
It was his own turn for a flash of disappointment at the next announcement, though.
"And the award for Sunnydale High's Class Clown for 1999 goes to – Jack Mayhew."
Really? They chose
that guy? Xander shook his head as Jack Mayhew, wearing a ridiculous balloon hat, accepted his award, moving with over-the-top goofiness.
"Come on!" Xander scoffed. "Anyone can be funny with a prop. Real class clown takes more than that." He looked at Cordelia, "You know, none of the people who vote on these things are even funny." He complained, even if his heart wasn't really in it.
Yea, he'd have liked the title of Class Clown, but like his road trip, it was less important to him now than it would have been this time last year. By the same token, he knew that Cordelia, while she was disappointed by not getting the title of Prom Queen, cared less about it now than she might have months before.
They'd both had to grow up and mature this year – had had to grow up and mature a lot since sophomore year, actually. Since the reality of what was happening in Sunnydale High, in Sunnydale itself...since all that had sunk in.
Xander watched, feeling a little confused as Jonathan walked up to the microphone. They'd gone through all the categories, right? He was even more confused once the guy spoke up.
"We, uh, have one more award to give out." He said a little unsteadily. "Is Buffy Summers here tonight? Did she, uhm..." Levinson looked out over the crowd, trying to find her – as was almost everyone else. Slowly, almost the entire crowd turned at least a little to see Buffy, who was standing over by the punch bowl, looking even more confused than Xander felt.
"This is actually a new category." Jonathan explained, "First time ever. I – I guess there were a lot of write in ballots, and the prom committee asked me to- to read this." As he spoke, he reached into his jacket, first one side and then, realizing it was the wrong one, the other, withdrawing a folded sheet of paper. He unfolded it and started to read.
"We're not good friends," Jonathan started to say. "Most of us never found the time to get to know you."
Well gee, there's a way to make a person feel good about herself... Xander slapped his inner snarker and then listened to the rest of what the short nerd was reading.
"But that doesn't mean we haven't noticed you. We don't talk about it much," for a surprise, almost the entire room was still and silent as Jonathan read, "but it's no secret that Sunnydale High isn't really like other high schools." You don't- Xander attempted to strangle his inner snark this time and kept listening, starting to understand where this was going.
"A lot of weird stuff happens here," Levinson continued. Even as he finished that sentence up, one of the students shouted out 'Zombies!', and another shouted 'Hyena People!' Xander couldn't help it – he looked away, biting his lip at the mention of...of that particular incident...
"Snyder!" A third student shouted, and a laugh – not uproarious, but genuine nonetheless – rippled throughout the collected students.
Jonathan continued, still reading from the paper, "But whenever there was a problem, or something creepy happened, you always seemed to show up and stop it. Most of the people here have been saved by you. Or helped by you at one time or another." Xander saw unconscious nods coming from students all around him.
"We're proud to say that the class of '99 has the lowest mortality rate of any graduating class in Sunnydale history." Xander found himself nodding at that, as did other students. A round of applause started, and Xander joined in enthusiastically, as did Cordelia – nearly all the students were doing it.
Somewhat to his surprise, Xander saw Buffy flushing just a little, looking at her feet intently for a few moments, unused to this...this recognition. Very overdue recognition, if you ask me.
"And we know at least part of that is because of you." Jonathan continued. "So the senior class offers its thanks and gives you, uh-uh...this." He lowered the paper and half-turned towards the table behind him. One of the students on the prom committee handed Jonathan a miniature umbrella, gold colored, with glittering multicolored decorations, a small name plaque near the handle.
Jonathan opened it up. "It's from all of us. And it has written here, Buffy Summers, Class Protector."
Once more the applause started up, the crowd parting for the blonde Slayer as she approached the stage and accepted the umbrella, smiling despite herself. Xander clapped loudly, thinking to himself, You earned it Buffy. This and then some.
It was later still, when he was enjoying a slow dance with Cordelia – well, enjoying her closeness more than the dancing itself – when he saw it. A man who looked suspiciously like-
"Is that Angel?" Harris asked, squinting at the man dancing with Buffy. He could only see the guy's back, but that gelled hair was pretty distinctive. Had been for years, now. "What's he doing here?" Xander shook his head a little, trying to get rid of the confusion bouncing around inside his skull.
"Dancing with Buffy, I'd say." Cordelia replied dryly. She saw the look on her boyfriend's face and laughed a little. "And no, doofus, pretty sure they're not back together again. 'Cause that's not the look of a happily reunited couple on Buffy's face. To me, this looks more like a, a...a ritual goodbye thing with her ex, or something like that."
Ah, that's my girl. Lot smarter than she lets all the people around her think. Xander watched the Slayer and the vampire for a moment longer, then turned back to Cordelia. "Alright." He put Buffy and Angel out of his mind, concerned no longer, and returned his full attention to his girlfriend.
Everything and everyone else – the Mayor, Spike, the Iron Coin, the Jester, the Librarian, Fate, Chaos. Fuck 'em all. They could all take a number.
This was his night with Cordelia Chase, and everything else could just damn well wait until tomorrow.