Spoiled & Rotten Spoiled & Rotten Chapter 12 Xander took a deep breath and counted to ten. "Anya, will you please stop? You're making me dizzy!"

The ex-demon paused mid-stride and glared at him. "You're breaking up with me, Xander, and moving to another city. How am I supposed to react?"

"I know. I'm sorry but you have to believe me. It'll be better this way. For both of us."

"How can it be better? I mean, the sex is good, right? It is good, isn't it? I'm not bad, am I?"

Xander stifled a chuckle. This is just like Anya, he thought. Thousands of years observing human behavior and she can't get past sex as a cure-all fix for any problem. "Yes, the sex was very good but there's more to a relationship than just that." He continued gently. "We wouldn't have lasted. We just didn't have what it takes to go the distance."

"Oh god, you're not going to spout some ridiculous 'one true love' dribble, are you?"

"Well...no. I don't know that I believe in that..." He trailed off remembering the feeling of kissing Angel, not Angelus, for the first time and how different it felt to him. "What I believe is this. There are a lot of people in this world that you can be happy with. But you have to find the right person at the right time."

"I don't understand." She replied petulantly.

"I don't know how else to explain it. It's like...you can kiss the same person a hundred times and feel nothing. And then one day, you kiss them and...it's just perfect."

"Oh so that's it! You've kissed somebody else and she's better than me and—"

Finally, Xander had had enough. He jumped to his feet and yelled in frustration, "Anya, I'm gay!"

"Oh. Well, why didn't you just say that?" She crossed the room and kissed him softly on the cheek. "I wish you luck, Xander. You were a good boyfriend."

As she sailed up the stairs and out of his life, Xander thought to himself, I should have just started the conversation with that.

* * * * *

"Well I must say, Xander, this is a bit of a shock. I had no idea you were considering leaving Sunnydale." Giles slipped his glassed back on and gazed at Xander in concern.

"I just need more out of life than being Donut Boy, Giles."

"I see. Have you told Buffy yet?"

"No. And I don't intend to. She's got a lot on her mind right now. You know, having been in a coma, people trying to kill her, her psycho counterpart on the loose. I figure with rehabilitation and all, she won't give me much thought."

"But Xander—"

"It's okay, Giles. I...uh...I wrote her this letter. Maybe when the time is right...when she asks about me...you could give it to her?"

Giles took the envelope from Xander, nodding. "Of course. I'll make sure that she reads it."

"Thanks. I'd better get going. I still need to say goodbye to Willow." He started to walk away Giles stopped him, reaching out and pulling the boy into an embrace. Xander just stood there, in stunned amazement, for a moment before reaching up to wrap his arms around the older man who had been such a part of his life for the past four years.

When Giles pulled away, his eyes were suspiciously damp. "You're a brave young man, Xander, and I'm quite proud of you. Don't ever forget that."

Xander was flustered. "Yeah...uh...thanks, G-Man. For everything."

"You're very welcome...and don't ever call me that again."

* * * * *

"You're moving to Los Angeles? With Angel?" Willow sat down on the edge of her bed in shock. She looked up at him, confused. "But why?"

He sat down beside her and wrapped an arm around her waist. She leaned into him and he buried his face in her hair. "I'm not happy here, Wills. I haven't been for a long time."

"But why LA? Why can't you be happy here?" Her voice was muffled by his shirt but he could tell she was crying.

"I don't know why. Maybe because everyone here thinks of me as 'Xander the Screwup.' Or maybe because when I'm here that's how I see myself. But I think that with a fresh start, somewhere that isn't the Hellmouth, I could learn to see myself differently."

She pulled away from him and sniffled. "But Angel? I thought you two--"

"We called a truce helping Giles the other night. And, based on that, he seems to think I'd make a useful sidekick." He and Angel had agreed upon an edited version of why Xander was moving to Los Angeles. Neither of them wanted to explain to the others about Angelus...or their new relationship. Xander grinned at Willow. "Hey, it's not like this is easy on me either. I'm going to be working with Cordelia."

"I'm going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss you too. But we'll call and write and I think I can probably manage some email now and then." He brushed the tears from her face. "This is a good thing. I need...I need you to be happy for me."

"I am happy for you. I just wish you didn't have to go so far away." Willow reached out and grabbed him a fierce hug.

He wrapped his arms around her and breathed a sigh of relief. "You can always come visit."

A long moment later, they pulled away and Xander rose to his feet. Willow followed him to the door and kissed him goodbye. "Call me when you get there. Let me know you're okay."

He squeezed her hand. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I'll call you from Angel's place."

As he walked down the hall, Willow called out after him, "I love you, Xander Harris!"

Xander stopped in his tracks, tears threatening. He looked back at her standing in the doorway and tried to smile. "I love you too, Wills."

And with that he turned on his heel and walked outside to his new life.