Rating: PG-13 (for sexual fantasies)
Disclaimer: I bow down to all that is Joss.
Summary: Another take on what could have happened during the beginning of Flooded. Buffy finds an unexpected hero who could change her life forever... Okay, I just want it to be made clear that I LOVE Xander, and this was just for fun. This was also my first fic EVER and written a long time ago!! Please let me know what you think!! To read more of my fics or post your own, go to http://www.voy.com/64907/

Heroes Never Fall




Buffy Summers let out a long sigh, slumping against the kitchen counter tiredly. The faucet was dripping slowly, and she found herself mesmerized by each drop of water. Plink, plink, plink. They hit the bottom of the sink, one by one. She cocked her head to one side, her long blonde hair spilling over one shoulder. The leaking water reminded her of her plumbing problems. Why had the pipes had to break now of all times? She was already having enough trouble on her own; she needed a rescuer, a hero. Someone to help ease her pain.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Buffy turned in surprise. Wow, the plumber is here early, she thought to herself. She yanked the door open to see one of her friends, Xander, standing next to a slightly smoldering figure under a blanket. The figure dashed inside, bumping her to one side. Xander rolled his eyes, shaking his head. Buffy looked over her shoulder to see the blanketed person shed his cover. It was Spike, of course. He looked slightly ridiculous with thick black sunglasses on and smoke coming off of him. He threw the blanket down on the ground and proceeded to stomp on it. Buffy blew out a long sigh.


"Nice traveling tactics, Spike," she muttered sarcastically. Xander grinned at her, looking a little pleased at her joke. He must think it means I'm acting "normal" again, she realized. He doesn't know that I'm never going to be able to act "normal." There is no "normalness" in the life of a Slayer, I guess. She avoided his gaze and walked over to the refrigerator.

"Want anything to eat, Xander?" she asked, pulling open the door. "We don't have much…Willow is at the store picking up a few things right now." Xander sat down in a chair at the table and shook his head. Spike tossed the blanket to one side and sat down beside him.

"If you have any, oh say, steak, I'd be glad to have it," he volunteered. "Rare, of course."

"I'm afraid we're out of that," Buffy told him dryly. "But if you want some--" She was cut off by the sound of a doorbell. "Oh, the plumber is here…I'll go get it." She shoved the refrigerator door shut and hurried to the door. She opened it to reveal a tall, muscular man dressed in a light blue short-sleeved shirt and tight navy pants standing there with a toolbox in one hand. He had jet black hair and dark, brown eyes that she found herself getting lost in.

"Are you Miss Buffy Summers?" he asked with a slight Mexican accent. Buffy was too busy gazing into his eyes to hear his question. After a moment or two she snapped herself out of her reverie to see him looking at her expectantly. She smiled, flustered, and brushed a hand nervously through her hair.

"What?" she asked quickly as a blush heated up her face. "Oh, yes, that's me. Come in, come in." Buffy stepped aside and let the man come in. He sent her a small smile that made her weak at the knees. Her eyes flashed across the top left corner of his shirt, where in small cursive print the name "Tito" was printed neatly. Her heart sighed at the name. Tito, she thought to herself. It's so handsome and exotic and…perfect. She shook her head to clear it and shut the door a little too hard. Tito glanced over his shoulder in surprise. Buffy smiled at him again, hastily leading him into the kitchen.

"So, you've got plumbing problems," Tito said to her. His soft accent was hard to resist. Buffy nodded slowly. The man was a genius. It was as if he could read her mind!

"Yes, the pipes in the basement…they are, well, um…they're broken, I think," she explained, trying not to stumble over her words. Xander looked up from the newspaper in surprise, noticing her stuttering. Spike's eyes narrowed on the plumber almost as if he was sizing the guy up. Tito looked over at the two men and then back at Buffy questioningly. Suddenly his eyes widened and he stared back over at the table.

"Oh, these are my…uh…friends," she told him hurriedly. "Xander is a construction worker. He said he'd help you out in the basement and talk to you about all of the technical stuff--"

"Yeah, I can do that," Xander suddenly stood up, his chair scraping against the tile floor as he kicked it back. "I mean…we can do that. Right, uh, Tito?" He had a strange look on his face, slightly gleeful, slightly estranged. Buffy's eyebrows rose in confusion. Spike clenched his jaw and crossed his arms.

"Aren't we Mr. Excited-To-Get-In-The-Dark-Basement-With--" he began with a smirk.

Xander shot him such a cold glare that he shut up. Buffy pulled down on the edges of her shirt fretfully. She wished she had worn something a little…nicer. Something that actually flattered what little she had. Was Tito noticing how bad the gray blouse looked with her black pants? He seemed too immersed with Xander to notice. She cleared her throat loudly.

"Hey, Xander, maybe I should go with Tito," she said pointedly. "You know…I am the house owner and all…I kind of need to know what's going on…what needs to be serviced…" She cringed at the last comment. Xander glanced over at her, his brow furrowed.

"No, I got it Buffy," he replied absently. "Tito and I can handle it." He had a half-grin on his face, and Buffy could have sworn she saw him wink. Tito's face was scrunched up as if he was thinking hard about something. Buffy's eyes wandered to his ass. It was so fine in those tight pants…She quickly stopped her mind from working too hard. She closed her eyes to prevent herself from becoming too…ahem…excited.

"Let's roll," Tito said to Xander. Xander led him down the stairs to the basement, and Tito made sure to close the door behind him. Buffy sank into a chair with a dreamy sigh, cupping her hand over her chin. Spike saw the expression on her face and snorted loudly. She glanced over at him as he grinned, shaking his head sadly.

"Oh, this is great stuff," he said softly, still smirking wildly. "You've got the hots for that lousy bugger, and you can't even see what's in front of your eyes, can you?" Buffy glared at him and tapped her nails on the wooden table anxiously.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she insisted indignantly. Sure, maybe once or twice she had had thoughts of Spike, a few faint desires, but not anymore. Now it was different. She had moved on with her life. Her daydreams of Spike and her trapped somewhere, alone, in the dark, with torn clothes, those were gone. Or when she had thought of Spike and her in a hot, sweaty tangle of two naked bodies together…that was sooooo far out of her mind! And the visions of her ripping off his shirt and wrapping her legs around him and doing--

"Oh yes you do," Spike broke into her thoughts, a hint of exasperation in his tone. "Xander and that Tito guy--they got it goin' on. I've never seen two men so engrossed in one another." Buffy was taken completely off guard. She almost fell off her chair, and all of the color drained from her face. Xander? Tito?

"But Tito--and Xander--they couldn't--" She suddenly froze, her eyes widening. "Wait…how did Xander know his name? The name on his shirt…it was pretty small…" Spike leaned back in the chair.

"Now you're getting it, Slayer!" he exclaimed. "A prize for the lady!" Buffy jumped to her feet and paced back and forth.

"But Xander…and Anya…" she mused aloud. "I didn't know he was into that…stuff. But Tito…he seemed so…not…you know." Spike winked at her, standing up slowly.

"Guess your Gay-dar was a bit off, huh, luv?" He ran a hand through his bleached blonde hair. "But who knows, maybe it was a one-time thing. Or maybe he's into both. I bet a wanker like him would be into the whole domination thing, too. You know, maybe you should dress up in some leather, buy a bullwhip…" His eyes flickered with excitement and desire. Buffy's face turned a fierce red.

"Shut up," she told him, trying to sound angry despite her embarrassment. "Well… whatever. I don't think anything is going to be going on down there. I mean…it's in the house…they wouldn't…you know…would they?" Buffy and Spike stared at each other for a few silent moments.


Meanwhile…in the Summers basement…

"Hand me that wrench, would you?" Tito asked Xander, inspecting a pipe up close. Xander searched through the tool box vaguely. It was hard to find the tool when all he kept looking at was Tito's tool. He laughed a little to himself at his own joke.

"Need to…screw something?" he replied dryly, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. Tito glanced down at Xander and frowned. He took the tool and turned back to his project.

"No, I would use a screwdriver for that," he said bluntly. "Xander…I can't help getting the feeling that you think there is still something between us. You know that it was a one-time thing. I mean, we met when you were angry about not going to college…we were both young…we experimented. Its over. Trust me, I've gotten a lot of…um…booty since we parted." He said the word "booty" awkwardly. Xander laughed aloud, shaking his head to himself.

"Right," he said with a grin. "Whatever you say."

"And look at you," Tito continued. "You're engaged. It would be wrong. I mean, besides, your friend up there…the blonde…"

"Spike?" Xander questioned. "Oh, that guy is nothing special. Trust me. I could be so much better for you--" Tito glared at him.

"I meant the girl," he explained. "Buffy. She seemed…nice."

"Yeah, yeah, she's special," Xander said in an annoyed voice. "But she goes through guys like maxi-pads, and they've all been pretty bad so far. She could do better, too."

"So…this Spike guy…he isn't her boyfriend?" Tito paused, looking a little excited. Xander scowled deeply, his eyes narrowing. Suddenly he had a plan. If he played Spike up to be something more…maybe he could have Tito!

"Spike? Well, I'm not exactly sure how to answer that…" Xander's voice trailed off suggestively. "I mean, they're all over each other most of the time. She has this thing for blonde English boys." Tito's face crumbled at that. He was the exact opposite.

"Do they…I mean have they…gotten personal?" Tito asked quietly.

"Oh, all the time," Xander replied loudly. "They're very intimate. Spike is just Mr. Sensitive."

"So he's a wussy?" Tito said eagerly, his face lighting up. Xander shook his head.

"No, no, no," Xander said quickly. "He could kick my ass." Without the chip, he added silently to himself. Tito dropped the wrench suddenly. He began to climb down the step-ladder when Xander touched his arm.

"I've got it," he said seductively, winking to Tito.


Two Hours Later…

The basement door opened, and Buffy leaped to her feet. Tito trudged up the steps and out the door. His shirt was slightly rumpled and his hat tilted to one side. Xander followed him, grinning like a cat. Spike seemed so amused by the situation that he had to walk out of the room. Tito cleared his throat a bit awkwardly, getting his paperwork together.

"So, uh, Miss Summers, here is the analysis," he said, handing her the clipboard with his notes on it. "You'll need a new pipe system installed soon." Buffy cringed. She reached out to take the paperwork, and her hand brushed with Tito's. It was just a for a moment, but it seemed like so much longer. Their eyes met and sparks flew. Buffy expected someone to be lighting up fireworks in the kitchen.

"That sounds expensive," Xander cut in, noticing the moment they were sharing.

"Prices can be worked out," Tito explained. "There'll need to be several more appointments in order to install the new piping. So here's my number." He slipped a business card into her hand. "In case of an emergency, like the pipes bursting, you can call me at home." Buffy nodded breathlessly, sliding the card into her pocket.

"I'll definitely call you," she replied softly. "Let me show you to the door." Xander stayed in the kitchen as she led Tito to the front door. She opened the door for him, watching as he began to leave. Suddenly she thrust it open and let it close behind her. Buffy shoved Tito against the house and attacked him with her lips. He seemed surprised, but responded by pressing back. Emotions she had never thought she could feel surged through her body. She began to unbutton his shirt, but Tito grabbed her hands.

"No, not here," he insisted. "Later. Later." He grinned. Buffy sighed, pouting a little, but grabbed the pen from the clipboard. She took his hand and scrawled her phone number onto it.

"Call me," she whispered into his ear. She kissed him once more on the neck and then walked back into the house. She shut the door softly with a click and leaned against it, closing her eyes dreamily. When she opened them she saw Xander and Spike in front of her, both gaping in shock.

"What was that all about?" Spike demanded, blinking several times.

"We were just discussing, uh, further appointments," she lied, still smiling like a fool. She brushed past both of them and sauntered up the stairs. Tomorrow was another day…and this time, she had found her hero.