*Epilogue*
"Here..." Xander panted out, tossing the stake into the outreached hand of the Slayer he fought with.
"Thanks..." Buffy answered as she caught the aforementioned stake. Then she spun, kicking her feet up and into the face of the vampire she was fighting, which flew backwards into yet another of the undead.
"No problem..." Xander replied quickly as one of the vampires charged into him, knocking him to the ground. He felt the wind being pushed out of his body and out of his mouth, then the familiar burning sensation started...not from his lack of breath, but from the interaction of the vampire on top of him and the cross that was slung around his neck, which caused said vampire to jump right back. Which worked just fine for Xander.
"Damn straight," he said as he plunged the stake into the heart of the burned vampire, "Take that..."
"I think he did, Xand..." came an amused voice from above his head, accompanied by a familiar hand held out to pull him up.
"Well, when I stake vampires, I stake em' good and hard...they get the point!" Xander told her with a wide grin on his face.
"Yeah, well...don't try too hard..." she warned him as she pulled him from the ground, "Wouldn't want you to be hurt or anything..."
"Don't worry about it." Xander told the Slayer as he began to dust off his clothing.
"I just want my Xander-shaped friend to stay Xander-shaped..." she said with a grin, helping him to clean up.
"No worry about that..." he assured her with a grin as he looked upward, "I'll be okay."
Buffy sighed. " I know...I just...worry. I worry about you. I mean, you don't have to be doing this every night...you should be out getting a new girlfriend, wowing the girls at the clubs with your manly construction-worker muscles, not fighting vampires in the middle of the night with a tumbled Slayer."
"Nah, I really shouldn't..." he said honestly.
"But-"
"Don't worry abou it, Buffster," Xander repeated, "I'm doing what I want."
"Ah..." she asked with a playful smile, taking his hand into hers, "Can't resist the alure of near-death struggles? Of end-of-the-world battles? The smell of research books?"
It was then that he took her other hand into his own and looked deep into those aqua eyes. Those eyes that had seen too much in far too short a time. Then Xander glanced once more up to the heavens, to the one person he hoped was listening, before he did was he was about to do.
"Well, I'm only human..." he told her with a wide grin. Then he kissed her gently on the cheek and walked away.
And high above them, someone smiled.
"Here..." Xander panted out, tossing the stake into the outreached hand of the Slayer he fought with.
"Thanks..." Buffy answered as she caught the aforementioned stake. Then she spun, kicking her feet up and into the face of the vampire she was fighting, which flew backwards into yet another of the undead.
"No problem..." Xander replied quickly as one of the vampires charged into him, knocking him to the ground. He felt the wind being pushed out of his body and out of his mouth, then the familiar burning sensation started...not from his lack of breath, but from the interaction of the vampire on top of him and the cross that was slung around his neck, which caused said vampire to jump right back. Which worked just fine for Xander.
"Damn straight," he said as he plunged the stake into the heart of the burned vampire, "Take that..."
"I think he did, Xand..." came an amused voice from above his head, accompanied by a familiar hand held out to pull him up.
"Well, when I stake vampires, I stake em' good and hard...they get the point!" Xander told her with a wide grin on his face.
"Yeah, well...don't try too hard..." she warned him as she pulled him from the ground, "Wouldn't want you to be hurt or anything..."
"Don't worry about it." Xander told the Slayer as he began to dust off his clothing.
"I just want my Xander-shaped friend to stay Xander-shaped..." she said with a grin, helping him to clean up.
"No worry about that..." he assured her with a grin as he looked upward, "I'll be okay."
Buffy sighed. " I know...I just...worry. I worry about you. I mean, you don't have to be doing this every night...you should be out getting a new girlfriend, wowing the girls at the clubs with your manly construction-worker muscles, not fighting vampires in the middle of the night with a tumbled Slayer."
"Nah, I really shouldn't..." he said honestly.
"But-"
"Don't worry abou it, Buffster," Xander repeated, "I'm doing what I want."
"Ah..." she asked with a playful smile, taking his hand into hers, "Can't resist the alure of near-death struggles? Of end-of-the-world battles? The smell of research books?"
It was then that he took her other hand into his own and looked deep into those aqua eyes. Those eyes that had seen too much in far too short a time. Then Xander glanced once more up to the heavens, to the one person he hoped was listening, before he did was he was about to do.
"Well, I'm only human..." he told her with a wide grin. Then he kissed her gently on the cheek and walked away.
And high above them, someone smiled.