#%#%%#%#%#%%##% = POV change
It never actually occurred to me before, but Xander has never cried. Ok, let me rephrase that. I've never seen him cry. I don't even think Willow has seen him cry. But now, I hear him. He is in the adjoining room next to mine, and through the door, I can hear it. Its faint, but I know crying when I hear it.
Anya. She was his best friend. The one woman he loved, and now she is gone forever. I want to go in there. I want to talk to him, to comfort him. To tell him everything will be ok. But this is Xander. I can talk all about my problems with him, but how am I supposed to talk about his problems with him?
He laughs everything off, that's how he copes. He takes his pain and makes a joke out of it. But he is soo hurt now he can't laugh Anya off. He actually is crying, and I can't do anything to stop his pain.
I stand there, my hand on the door, as if I could feel his pain through the door. But I don't have to. Xander has always been the one to bring the happiness; when he is unhappy I am too. It's hard not to hurt when he hurts, even when you are the one who is hurting him.
What am I supposed to do? How do I stop Xander from hurting? Am I supposed to stop the pain? He lost the woman he loved, so pain is ok, right?
I felt like I couldn't breathe when Angel left, and he only went to LA. I can't say I know how he feels. I did loose Spike, true, but I wasn't in love with him, Xander deeply loved Anya. I am still very much the slayer I've been for the past 8 years, there is a problem I should be able to fix it, but there is no monster to slay. And I can't comfort him like Buffy would because.... because he's Xander.
%#%##%#%#%#%%#
Buffy sat down at her adjoining door and put her small hand on the fake wood. Having no other alternative she sat there and fell asleep. Trying to, at a distance, comfort her friend.
***The next day***
Continental breakfast. It was just another name for 'hotel is too lazy to make your food, so lets set out piles of random food.'
Dawn and Andrew had been out there waiting for Xander and Buffy for about an hour. That didn't bother them though; surprisingly enough Dawn was actually having a great time playing '6 degrees of Kevin Bacon.' Andrew was funny, even when he didn't mean to be, and after the year she had she could use some good humor. Heck, bad humor would do too.
Dawn looked around for the tenth time to try to find either Buffy or Xander and saw no one. She finally gave up and went back to playing her game with Andrew.
****
When Xander and Buffy did finally get up they found Dawn and Andrew still sitting at a table with Andrew gesturing wildly and Dawn laughing so hard she was crying. They were the only ones left at the table, so no one was staring at them, save the hotel staff.
"Hey! Finally!! Everyonereadytohittheroadhuh?" Andrew got out as if it were only one word.
In between laughs Dawn filled them in, "Never let him drink more than 2 hot chocolates."
"I am not getting in any type of vehicle with him now!" Buffy whined to Xander. Xander didn't seem to be affected by Andrew, but he did seem rather shocked at what Buffy said.
"Are you mad woman?"
"I'm going to ignore that you called me 'woman'. But why must I be mad? You're the one that wants to get in the car with....." Buffy looked over to Andrew as he continued his 'conversation' with Dawn.
"And then the elf saw this guy with cheese, and the cheese guy said that he wasn't wearing any cheese, but the cheese was wearing him. So then the Pink elephant got mad...."
"With that thing!" Buffy finished.
"Buffy, it's just a sugar high, he is in peak position now, soon he will be sleeping like a baby. It'll be the quietest drive yet."
Buffy thought about it for a moment then looked to her sister. "Did you give him all that hot chocolate?"
"Yeah....." Dawn's smile faded.
"I love you."
Buffy sat down next to her sister and listened as Andrew went off talking about nothing in particular, which of course Xander fully understood. The sisters spent the rest of the sugar high laughing at both men, especially when Xander tried to show Andrew how to do the 'Xander/Snoopy happy dance.'
It never actually occurred to me before, but Xander has never cried. Ok, let me rephrase that. I've never seen him cry. I don't even think Willow has seen him cry. But now, I hear him. He is in the adjoining room next to mine, and through the door, I can hear it. Its faint, but I know crying when I hear it.
Anya. She was his best friend. The one woman he loved, and now she is gone forever. I want to go in there. I want to talk to him, to comfort him. To tell him everything will be ok. But this is Xander. I can talk all about my problems with him, but how am I supposed to talk about his problems with him?
He laughs everything off, that's how he copes. He takes his pain and makes a joke out of it. But he is soo hurt now he can't laugh Anya off. He actually is crying, and I can't do anything to stop his pain.
I stand there, my hand on the door, as if I could feel his pain through the door. But I don't have to. Xander has always been the one to bring the happiness; when he is unhappy I am too. It's hard not to hurt when he hurts, even when you are the one who is hurting him.
What am I supposed to do? How do I stop Xander from hurting? Am I supposed to stop the pain? He lost the woman he loved, so pain is ok, right?
I felt like I couldn't breathe when Angel left, and he only went to LA. I can't say I know how he feels. I did loose Spike, true, but I wasn't in love with him, Xander deeply loved Anya. I am still very much the slayer I've been for the past 8 years, there is a problem I should be able to fix it, but there is no monster to slay. And I can't comfort him like Buffy would because.... because he's Xander.
%#%##%#%#%#%%#
Buffy sat down at her adjoining door and put her small hand on the fake wood. Having no other alternative she sat there and fell asleep. Trying to, at a distance, comfort her friend.
***The next day***
Continental breakfast. It was just another name for 'hotel is too lazy to make your food, so lets set out piles of random food.'
Dawn and Andrew had been out there waiting for Xander and Buffy for about an hour. That didn't bother them though; surprisingly enough Dawn was actually having a great time playing '6 degrees of Kevin Bacon.' Andrew was funny, even when he didn't mean to be, and after the year she had she could use some good humor. Heck, bad humor would do too.
Dawn looked around for the tenth time to try to find either Buffy or Xander and saw no one. She finally gave up and went back to playing her game with Andrew.
****
When Xander and Buffy did finally get up they found Dawn and Andrew still sitting at a table with Andrew gesturing wildly and Dawn laughing so hard she was crying. They were the only ones left at the table, so no one was staring at them, save the hotel staff.
"Hey! Finally!! Everyonereadytohittheroadhuh?" Andrew got out as if it were only one word.
In between laughs Dawn filled them in, "Never let him drink more than 2 hot chocolates."
"I am not getting in any type of vehicle with him now!" Buffy whined to Xander. Xander didn't seem to be affected by Andrew, but he did seem rather shocked at what Buffy said.
"Are you mad woman?"
"I'm going to ignore that you called me 'woman'. But why must I be mad? You're the one that wants to get in the car with....." Buffy looked over to Andrew as he continued his 'conversation' with Dawn.
"And then the elf saw this guy with cheese, and the cheese guy said that he wasn't wearing any cheese, but the cheese was wearing him. So then the Pink elephant got mad...."
"With that thing!" Buffy finished.
"Buffy, it's just a sugar high, he is in peak position now, soon he will be sleeping like a baby. It'll be the quietest drive yet."
Buffy thought about it for a moment then looked to her sister. "Did you give him all that hot chocolate?"
"Yeah....." Dawn's smile faded.
"I love you."
Buffy sat down next to her sister and listened as Andrew went off talking about nothing in particular, which of course Xander fully understood. The sisters spent the rest of the sugar high laughing at both men, especially when Xander tried to show Andrew how to do the 'Xander/Snoopy happy dance.'