PART IV - "And the truth shall set you free."
Even since Buffy had laid eyes on Xander in the cemetery, she hadn't left his side for a single second. After a few minutes of walking, they were in sight of the high school, Xander walking with his arm wrapped tightly around Buffy as if he had shared this intimacy with her all his life. Giles followed behind them, a pained look on his face anticipating the events of the next few minutes. And the sliders took up the rear, casually discussing the mundane details that followed an arrival on a parallel world.
As they walked, Xander leaned down to gently kiss Buffy on the forehead, which warranted one of Buffy's bright full-teeth smiles. She leaned up in mid-stride to nibble teasingly on Xander's earlobe. Xander couldn't believe what happened next as she let go of his earlobe with a final suck and whispered into his ear. "I love you Xander Harris."
Xander stopped walking, completely taken aback by what he had just heard, almost causing an equally stunned Giles to run straight into them. Buffy looked at Xander with the same curious expression that she had given Giles in the cemetery. "What is it Xander? You look like you'd never heard those words before." Buffy sauntered up to Xander with a sexy smile on her face. She reached up her finger to trace over Xander's lips. He smiled and kissed her finger tenderly. "I promise you this Xander, I'm not going to let a second go by without you knowing how much I love you." She punctuated this with a sweet kiss, one that carried so much promise for the future.
Xander and Giles both felt their hearts about to burst simultaneously, but for different reasons. Giles's heart felt as a father does for a beloved daughter when he knows that she is on a collision course with heartache. Xander, however, felt as someone does who has had their ever want and need in the palm of their hand, only to have it pour out like so many grains of sand. He knew that once Buffy found out that he wasn't her Xander, not only would she drop him like a bad habit, but he knew that the knowledge she was about to gain would erase every bit of hope she had of ever seeing her Xander again. More than anything, he was afraid that would be the breaking point for her. He hoped to God that she could withstand losing 'him' again.
A few minutes later, the group was winding their way through the halls of Sunnydale High School. The shock and surprise were evident on the faces of everyone in the library as Buffy walked in, arm in arm, with Xander. But, the looks on their faces when Xander walked in, was nothing compared to when Giles walked in the room. Buffy saw the looks on their faces and turned to see Giles entering. She turned back to the occupants of the library with a perplexed look on her face. "What IS it with everyone tonight? You guys look like you've never seen Giles before in your life." It was just then that she took a second look at who was in the library. Willow, Oz, Cordelia, and Giles were all seated around the main table. Wait just a second! Giles is at the table? Then who the hell is this guy behind me?
Giles sighed as he saw Buffy do a double take, and once again as she shifted glances between the two Giles's all the while moving an equal distance from each of them. Xander shot a poignant look to his Giles as Buffy snuggled closer to him to seek some semblance of normalcy. "Will someone tell me just WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?" Xander instinctively kissed the top of her head as the Slayerettes looked at each other in confusion, as they were obviously out of the loop.
Quinn Mallory stepped through the door and surveyed the situation. "Perhaps I can shed some light on this situation." Everyone native to this world seemed to relax a bit knowing SOMEONE knew what was going on. However, Giles and Xander inwardly cringed, knowing what was to come. "If everyone would gather around the table here, I'll be more than glad to explain everything."
Even since Buffy had laid eyes on Xander in the cemetery, she hadn't left his side for a single second. After a few minutes of walking, they were in sight of the high school, Xander walking with his arm wrapped tightly around Buffy as if he had shared this intimacy with her all his life. Giles followed behind them, a pained look on his face anticipating the events of the next few minutes. And the sliders took up the rear, casually discussing the mundane details that followed an arrival on a parallel world.
As they walked, Xander leaned down to gently kiss Buffy on the forehead, which warranted one of Buffy's bright full-teeth smiles. She leaned up in mid-stride to nibble teasingly on Xander's earlobe. Xander couldn't believe what happened next as she let go of his earlobe with a final suck and whispered into his ear. "I love you Xander Harris."
Xander stopped walking, completely taken aback by what he had just heard, almost causing an equally stunned Giles to run straight into them. Buffy looked at Xander with the same curious expression that she had given Giles in the cemetery. "What is it Xander? You look like you'd never heard those words before." Buffy sauntered up to Xander with a sexy smile on her face. She reached up her finger to trace over Xander's lips. He smiled and kissed her finger tenderly. "I promise you this Xander, I'm not going to let a second go by without you knowing how much I love you." She punctuated this with a sweet kiss, one that carried so much promise for the future.
Xander and Giles both felt their hearts about to burst simultaneously, but for different reasons. Giles's heart felt as a father does for a beloved daughter when he knows that she is on a collision course with heartache. Xander, however, felt as someone does who has had their ever want and need in the palm of their hand, only to have it pour out like so many grains of sand. He knew that once Buffy found out that he wasn't her Xander, not only would she drop him like a bad habit, but he knew that the knowledge she was about to gain would erase every bit of hope she had of ever seeing her Xander again. More than anything, he was afraid that would be the breaking point for her. He hoped to God that she could withstand losing 'him' again.
A few minutes later, the group was winding their way through the halls of Sunnydale High School. The shock and surprise were evident on the faces of everyone in the library as Buffy walked in, arm in arm, with Xander. But, the looks on their faces when Xander walked in, was nothing compared to when Giles walked in the room. Buffy saw the looks on their faces and turned to see Giles entering. She turned back to the occupants of the library with a perplexed look on her face. "What IS it with everyone tonight? You guys look like you've never seen Giles before in your life." It was just then that she took a second look at who was in the library. Willow, Oz, Cordelia, and Giles were all seated around the main table. Wait just a second! Giles is at the table? Then who the hell is this guy behind me?
Giles sighed as he saw Buffy do a double take, and once again as she shifted glances between the two Giles's all the while moving an equal distance from each of them. Xander shot a poignant look to his Giles as Buffy snuggled closer to him to seek some semblance of normalcy. "Will someone tell me just WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?" Xander instinctively kissed the top of her head as the Slayerettes looked at each other in confusion, as they were obviously out of the loop.
Quinn Mallory stepped through the door and surveyed the situation. "Perhaps I can shed some light on this situation." Everyone native to this world seemed to relax a bit knowing SOMEONE knew what was going on. However, Giles and Xander inwardly cringed, knowing what was to come. "If everyone would gather around the table here, I'll be more than glad to explain everything."