Buffy stirs as her internal clock tells her that it's time to get up. Lifting her head slowly, she looks up toward the windows on the far wall leaking in the first light of day. She yawns softly, propping herself up on her elbows. She sees Xander sitting stock-still on his mat watching her. He gives her a small wave but nothing else.
"Were you watching me sleep?" She asks.
He turns his head away.
"I don't mind," she says softly.
He looks back over to her.
"Really."
His nods as his shoulders rise with a sigh. She looks over to Celia, sleeping soundly on the mat closest to him. He follows her gaze and gently runs his hand across the little girl's hair. Buffy smiles when she sees the corner of his mouth turn up ever so slightly. He reaches for the chalkboard next to his boots and scribbles down a sentence before tossing it over to her.
'You tired her out,' it says. 'She's always up before I am.'
Buffy smiles warmly at him.
"You really care for her don't you?"
He nods.
"I always knew you'd make a good father."
He shakes his head and looks away again. Buffy can swear he's trying to hide a smile of his own. She looks around the room now that there was better light, and is shocked by how big it really is. An airplane or a cargo ship could easily fit within its walls. Raising her arms over her head she stretches her sore muscles and yawns again. The knowledge of Xander's silence was still something she couldn't fully comprehend. She'd known him for years and it was always a difficulty to get him to shut up. Or at least tone down the wisecracks in an inappropriate moment. Now that she knew he couldn't do anything like it again, she was surprised by how much she missed the thought of it.
"She told me what happened," she says.
Xander looks at her sadly, nodding his head. He knows Celia would have told her sooner or later. He runs a hand through his hair and looks at Buffy. She feels the chill from his eyes again but makes herself hold contact.
"Xander I..."
He puts up his hand, telling her to stop and she knows then that there is nothing she can possibly say. It happened, there was nothing she could have done or could do to change it. They sat in silence once more.
"Um, Xander?" Buffy asks hesitantly.
He looks to her, eyebrows perked in curiosity.
"Can I..."
He smirks at her stuttering and she feels like even more of an idiot for asking.
"Can I see the scar?" She asks.
The smirk immediately falls from his lips and his face seems to turn to stone. It is solid and shows no emotion whatsoever. His eyes bore into hers as she rushes to apologize but he throws up his hand and she falls silent. He grabs his boots, jumping up from the floor so fast that Buffy flinches against his movement. He's out the door before she has the chance to call after him again. She sighs as she tilts her head toward the ceiling.
"Way to go Summers," she mutters.
"I should have warned you not to ask him that," Celia says, sitting up sleepily and looking to Buffy.
"That much of a sore spot huh?"
"Yeah," Celia says softly. "He's never shown it to me, and I only asked once. He didn't run out of the room on me, but I think it's just cause I'm a little kid and stuff."
She looks to the doorway briefly before turning back to Buffy.
"I don't think he even looks at it," she says.
They both stare at the door for a few minutes, Celia standing up and stretching the early morning kinks from her body.
"He didn't take his goggles or mask, so he didn't go far. He's probably still on the base."
"Should I go after?" Buffy begins.
"No, let me. He probably wouldn't notice you were there."
"Oh, okay," Buffy agrees. "This is going to be okay isn't it?"
Celia smiles at Buffy sweetly, moving over to her and giving her a quick hug.
"I wouldn't worry too much," she says. "I bet he was moody like this when you guys were younger."
Buffy smiles in return at the little girl who seems so much older to her than what she sees. "Kind of," she says.
"I knew it," Celia giggles. "I'll go get him. You stay here. You can read my storybook of you want."
"I just might do that."
***
Celia wanders around the base for awhile looking around for her guardian. Everyone is polite to her as she walks by, smiling and waving and saying his or her good mornings. She smiles in return at everyone and at times like this, where everyone seems so happy go lucky, it's hard to believe they live on the edge of an apocalypse. Celia doesn't like to think about it too much. If she does that train of thought usually follows to her parents and she still doesn't want to think about them.
She passes building G and smiles to herself despite her claims about not caring what Mikey Myers said or thought about her. She watches a few birds circle in sky. She can't remember the last time she's seen birds, and can't remember what kind they were. After another circle around the base, she finally spots him in the Far West corner. The fences are high enough there, so that there isn't a big need for it to be guarded as much as other parts of the base. He's leaning against a tree, his head tilted skyward. She approaches him cautiously, her tentative steps still loud enough to grab his attention. His head turns to her and he tries to smile but his mouth won't work. He shrugs at her.
"She didn't mean to make you mad," she says. "She didn't know. I should have told her not to ask..."
He holds his hand up to stop her and she folds her arms across her chest.
"Oh no mister," she says firmly. "I'm not going to let you grouch you're way out of this one. I know you're happy to see her Xander. I may be a little kid but I'm not dumb. I know what she meant to you when you told me all those stories. I know you're happy to see her now."
She moves closer to him and he doesn't move to push her away. She steps even closer and wraps her arms around his leg. He pats her head and she looks up to see him writing on a piece of paper. He hands it to her.
"When did you get so smart?" She reads aloud.
She giggles and roles her eyes at him.
"What can I say?" She says. "I'm gifted."
He lifts her from his leg and kisses the top of her head and she squirms and laughs and pretends to be grossed out.
"Slobber all over my hair why don't you?"
He grins at her and puts her down.
"So you're not Mr. Grumpy Pants anymore?"
He shakes his head.
"So we can go back and have breakfast and not pretend this didn't happen?"
He nods.
"Good."
She takes his hand and they head back toward the buildings. Once they get closer they notice that a large crowd is forming around something. A few people scream and they rush to see what it could be. Celia breaks through the people quicker than Xander and she gets right the edge before him. She screams at what she sees. A vampire in a long coat with a blanket haphazardly strewn across its shoulders is laughing madly at everyone who's gathered around. Smoke is rising off its body as the sun burns down on undead flesh. The vampire dances around the shocked faces of the crowd and Celia feels Xander's hand on her shoulder. She looks up to see the grim expression on his face. For the first time in months she feels scared.
"He's coming for you!" The vampire shouts at them. "He'll kill you all! Oh what a ball it will be!"
Celia feels Xander's hand tighten on her shoulder and he waves at some of crowd to advance on the smoldering vampire. A few move in but the smoke turns to flames and vampire laughs even louder.
"There will be no escape!" It shouts gleefully. "There is nowhere you can hide!"
The flames burn brighter and Celia covers her eyes against them. The vampire laughs louder as the fire engulfs it, its body quickly turning to ash. Celia looks back up to Xander and knows he is furious and wondering how the vamp got in. He looks at the people in the front of the crowd and most turn their heads away in shame. He shakes his head in disgust and walks up to the small pile of ashes that built up in the coat the vampire was wearing. Xander decides it was obviously fireproof to help keep the sun off even more than the blanket. He picks up the coat and feels his blood run cold at the letters on the back.
"S.D.F.D," it says. "Sunnydale Fire Department."
He drops the coat back onto the ground and tightens his fists so hard his fingernails cut into his palms. Celia runs up to him just as Buffy breaks her way through the crowd.
"What happened?" Buffy asked. "What's going on?"
Celia slowly moves to the coat, picking it up from the ground. She gasps as tears start pour down her cheeks when she sees what made Xander drop it.
"What is it?" Buffy asks moving over to her.
"A message," Celia says.
"A message from who?"
"McRae," Celia barely whispers. "He's coming."
"Were you watching me sleep?" She asks.
He turns his head away.
"I don't mind," she says softly.
He looks back over to her.
"Really."
His nods as his shoulders rise with a sigh. She looks over to Celia, sleeping soundly on the mat closest to him. He follows her gaze and gently runs his hand across the little girl's hair. Buffy smiles when she sees the corner of his mouth turn up ever so slightly. He reaches for the chalkboard next to his boots and scribbles down a sentence before tossing it over to her.
'You tired her out,' it says. 'She's always up before I am.'
Buffy smiles warmly at him.
"You really care for her don't you?"
He nods.
"I always knew you'd make a good father."
He shakes his head and looks away again. Buffy can swear he's trying to hide a smile of his own. She looks around the room now that there was better light, and is shocked by how big it really is. An airplane or a cargo ship could easily fit within its walls. Raising her arms over her head she stretches her sore muscles and yawns again. The knowledge of Xander's silence was still something she couldn't fully comprehend. She'd known him for years and it was always a difficulty to get him to shut up. Or at least tone down the wisecracks in an inappropriate moment. Now that she knew he couldn't do anything like it again, she was surprised by how much she missed the thought of it.
"She told me what happened," she says.
Xander looks at her sadly, nodding his head. He knows Celia would have told her sooner or later. He runs a hand through his hair and looks at Buffy. She feels the chill from his eyes again but makes herself hold contact.
"Xander I..."
He puts up his hand, telling her to stop and she knows then that there is nothing she can possibly say. It happened, there was nothing she could have done or could do to change it. They sat in silence once more.
"Um, Xander?" Buffy asks hesitantly.
He looks to her, eyebrows perked in curiosity.
"Can I..."
He smirks at her stuttering and she feels like even more of an idiot for asking.
"Can I see the scar?" She asks.
The smirk immediately falls from his lips and his face seems to turn to stone. It is solid and shows no emotion whatsoever. His eyes bore into hers as she rushes to apologize but he throws up his hand and she falls silent. He grabs his boots, jumping up from the floor so fast that Buffy flinches against his movement. He's out the door before she has the chance to call after him again. She sighs as she tilts her head toward the ceiling.
"Way to go Summers," she mutters.
"I should have warned you not to ask him that," Celia says, sitting up sleepily and looking to Buffy.
"That much of a sore spot huh?"
"Yeah," Celia says softly. "He's never shown it to me, and I only asked once. He didn't run out of the room on me, but I think it's just cause I'm a little kid and stuff."
She looks to the doorway briefly before turning back to Buffy.
"I don't think he even looks at it," she says.
They both stare at the door for a few minutes, Celia standing up and stretching the early morning kinks from her body.
"He didn't take his goggles or mask, so he didn't go far. He's probably still on the base."
"Should I go after?" Buffy begins.
"No, let me. He probably wouldn't notice you were there."
"Oh, okay," Buffy agrees. "This is going to be okay isn't it?"
Celia smiles at Buffy sweetly, moving over to her and giving her a quick hug.
"I wouldn't worry too much," she says. "I bet he was moody like this when you guys were younger."
Buffy smiles in return at the little girl who seems so much older to her than what she sees. "Kind of," she says.
"I knew it," Celia giggles. "I'll go get him. You stay here. You can read my storybook of you want."
"I just might do that."
***
Celia wanders around the base for awhile looking around for her guardian. Everyone is polite to her as she walks by, smiling and waving and saying his or her good mornings. She smiles in return at everyone and at times like this, where everyone seems so happy go lucky, it's hard to believe they live on the edge of an apocalypse. Celia doesn't like to think about it too much. If she does that train of thought usually follows to her parents and she still doesn't want to think about them.
She passes building G and smiles to herself despite her claims about not caring what Mikey Myers said or thought about her. She watches a few birds circle in sky. She can't remember the last time she's seen birds, and can't remember what kind they were. After another circle around the base, she finally spots him in the Far West corner. The fences are high enough there, so that there isn't a big need for it to be guarded as much as other parts of the base. He's leaning against a tree, his head tilted skyward. She approaches him cautiously, her tentative steps still loud enough to grab his attention. His head turns to her and he tries to smile but his mouth won't work. He shrugs at her.
"She didn't mean to make you mad," she says. "She didn't know. I should have told her not to ask..."
He holds his hand up to stop her and she folds her arms across her chest.
"Oh no mister," she says firmly. "I'm not going to let you grouch you're way out of this one. I know you're happy to see her Xander. I may be a little kid but I'm not dumb. I know what she meant to you when you told me all those stories. I know you're happy to see her now."
She moves closer to him and he doesn't move to push her away. She steps even closer and wraps her arms around his leg. He pats her head and she looks up to see him writing on a piece of paper. He hands it to her.
"When did you get so smart?" She reads aloud.
She giggles and roles her eyes at him.
"What can I say?" She says. "I'm gifted."
He lifts her from his leg and kisses the top of her head and she squirms and laughs and pretends to be grossed out.
"Slobber all over my hair why don't you?"
He grins at her and puts her down.
"So you're not Mr. Grumpy Pants anymore?"
He shakes his head.
"So we can go back and have breakfast and not pretend this didn't happen?"
He nods.
"Good."
She takes his hand and they head back toward the buildings. Once they get closer they notice that a large crowd is forming around something. A few people scream and they rush to see what it could be. Celia breaks through the people quicker than Xander and she gets right the edge before him. She screams at what she sees. A vampire in a long coat with a blanket haphazardly strewn across its shoulders is laughing madly at everyone who's gathered around. Smoke is rising off its body as the sun burns down on undead flesh. The vampire dances around the shocked faces of the crowd and Celia feels Xander's hand on her shoulder. She looks up to see the grim expression on his face. For the first time in months she feels scared.
"He's coming for you!" The vampire shouts at them. "He'll kill you all! Oh what a ball it will be!"
Celia feels Xander's hand tighten on her shoulder and he waves at some of crowd to advance on the smoldering vampire. A few move in but the smoke turns to flames and vampire laughs even louder.
"There will be no escape!" It shouts gleefully. "There is nowhere you can hide!"
The flames burn brighter and Celia covers her eyes against them. The vampire laughs louder as the fire engulfs it, its body quickly turning to ash. Celia looks back up to Xander and knows he is furious and wondering how the vamp got in. He looks at the people in the front of the crowd and most turn their heads away in shame. He shakes his head in disgust and walks up to the small pile of ashes that built up in the coat the vampire was wearing. Xander decides it was obviously fireproof to help keep the sun off even more than the blanket. He picks up the coat and feels his blood run cold at the letters on the back.
"S.D.F.D," it says. "Sunnydale Fire Department."
He drops the coat back onto the ground and tightens his fists so hard his fingernails cut into his palms. Celia runs up to him just as Buffy breaks her way through the crowd.
"What happened?" Buffy asked. "What's going on?"
Celia slowly moves to the coat, picking it up from the ground. She gasps as tears start pour down her cheeks when she sees what made Xander drop it.
"What is it?" Buffy asks moving over to her.
"A message," Celia says.
"A message from who?"
"McRae," Celia barely whispers. "He's coming."