Xander Harris was staring out the window from his seat at the back of the
classroom. Last periods' history test had gone as well as he expected. His
memory was perfect, his recall absolute. He'd aced the test with little
trouble. That was the real reason school bored him. It didn't attempt to
teach him anything new. He'd read the textbooks, and than some.
So everyday he sat in class, stared out windows and thought of nightfall. He was uncomfortable during the day. He felt caged, that he should be planning his route for the night, priming and readying his tools. And he'd been doing just that if it weren't for Alfred. His old friend and guardian was the one reason Xander even left his home during the day. "Social interaction, Master Xander," is what he told the boy everyday as he saw him to the door. "Enjoy your youth as you can, sir. It will be gone before you realize."
So Xander was forced to get a life. He was more than content to spend is free time at home, training and researching. Instead, he went to see bad movies with Willow, and eat at trendy restaurants with Cordelia. Went to parties, but never stayed long. Drove flashy cars up to the bluffs, and made out with Cordelia the way a boy his age was supposed to. He was popular and well liked, but not to an outrageous degree. While he could play the social butterfly to a degree, his heart wasn't in it.
Different theories floated around the halls of Sunnydale High about why Xander tended to separate himself from everyday life as a teenager. Some, usually guys, thought him a snob who thought he was too high class to waste his time going to football games and school dances. Others, usually girls, thought him a recluse, scarred by the death of his parents and living practically alone in a mansion in the hills. The answer was a little of both. Xander didn't think that he was 'too good' to socialize with his peers, but had more important and fulfilling ways of spending his time. And it was the violent death of his parents that gave him that perspective.
Tearing his eyes from the scenery outside of the classroom, Xander surveyed the rest of the class. The teacher was attempting to explain the second law of thermodynamics to a more or less attentive room of students. His eyes sought out, as they usually did when given the opportunity, Cordelia Chase. His girlfriend was the most popular girl in school. Strikingly beautiful, only daughter of the second richest family in town, Cordelia was exactly who people thought Xander should be dating. As the most well known, if definitely not the most liked, pair in school, people thought it was only natural that the May Queen and the Playboy be a couple. That was the only reason why, when Xander realized that he needed to date someone, if for nothing but appearance sake, Cordelia Chase was the natural choice.
When he had first asked her out, during a then rare night at the Bronze with Willow and her girlfriend Tara, the only one who was surprised was Willow. The animosity between his best friend and Cordelia was long and well documented, and the redhead had been shocked that her oldest friend and her oldest enemy had hooked up. But Willow had grudgingly given Xander her approval, happy that he was finally interested in someone, if not thrilled with the object of that interest.
Xander had thought, probably like most at Sunnydale High, that Cordelia was simply a beautiful, superficial airhead. A 'trophy' girlfriend to have on his arm. He was comfortable with that preconception. A visible relationship that didn't involve emotional attachments was just what Xander was looking for. Cordelia though had surprised her suitor with her very well hidden depths and layers. Cordelia was surprisingly smart and well spoken. In private, away from prying eyes, Queen C was much, much more then how she appeared in the halls of school. Watching her now, taking notes on their teachers' explanation, Xander smiled slightly at the thought that he wasn't the only one who wore masks while in public. "Though I'm probably the only one who wears one in private too," he thought with little amusement.
In the front row of the class sat his best friend, Willow Rosenburg. Friends since the dawn of time, Xander and Willow were inseparable when they were younger. Jesse Owen, who had made the third part of the triumph- of-outcasts, had died during their second year of high school. A victim of "stab wounds to the neck and chest" according to the official coroner's report, though Xander of course knew better. He'd dusted Jess himself.
Willow was, like most of the town, utterly oblivious to the dangers that lived in Sunnydale. Xander had considered telling her the truth about the vampires and assorted demons that infested the city, but had chosen to give her the peace of mind of ignorance instead. "I'll protect her above all others," Xander had vowed when he'd first begun his nocturnal activities.
And he had kept that vow over the years in many different ways. His reward was the satisfaction of seeing his best friend begin to finally bloom into the person he'd always known was there. Her acceptance of her sexuality, her open thirst for knowledge that was such a contrast to his own clinical approach and her growing confidence in herself. He was relieved to know that she had moved on from her juvenile crush on him and into a real relationship with someone who could give her the love she deserved. As the only person, other then Alfred, who he trusted implicitly, Xander would never have risked his friendship with Willow in that kind of relationship, no matter how tempting it had been. "And damn me to hell, it was tempting sometimes," Xander thought to himself with some fondness. Willow was the day to his night. Her innocence and general exuberance for life was in stark contrast to Xanders' own cynical and black and white outlook on the world. Willow was a living reminder of why he had taken on the mantel that he had.
Letting his eyes drift again, Xander noticed the girl sitting beside Willow. Their desks were pushed close together so Willow could share her textbook with her. "New girl," Xander mused as he observed the blond girl with a discriminating eye. Very attractive, rather petite looking, she was focused intently on the teachers' lecture. While Xander watched, she seemed to tense slightly, raising her head from her notebook as if she knew she was being watched. Xander was surprised when she turned her head and almost immediately locked eyes with him. Xander gave her a slightly embarrassed smile which caused her to blush slightly and turn around quickly.
The new girl seemed to whisper something to Willow, who looked up and smiled knowingly at her friend, before whispering back. The blond girl turned around again and gave Xander a quick smile before burying her head in her notebook. Xander looked around quickly to see if anyone had noticed the incident and soon found Cordelia watching him with a dangerous glint in her eyes.
With a seemingly lazy smile Xander again looked out the window of the classroom, one thought coming to his mind as he watched a breeze ruffle the bushes outside. "Who would have believed physics class was more dangerous then fighting the undead?"
.___.___.
Sunnydale High School was a perfect representation of the city as a whole. It was large, rather gothic-looking and to someone who hadn't been around it for most of their lives, had a sinister air to it. To Buffy Summers, LA refugee, new girl and Slayer, it just gave her the creeps. "Like the rest of this town," she thought to herself as she walked beside Willow through the rather badly lit hallway and out into the interior courtyard of the school.
Walled in on all sides by the immense school, the inner courtyard was an oasis of light and nature in a sea of dark and forbidding towers and campus buildings. It had fresh green grass, an assortment of trees and benches scattered around where students could sit and study in the sunlight. Now, at lunchtime, the sun shown straight down into the courtyard chasing all but the most stubborn of shadows away and leaving the area bathed in warm and friendly light.
It was toward one of those stubborn shadows that Willow led her, chatting the whole way about the virtues of Sunnydale. "Did you know that per-capita, Sunnydale is the 4th richest city in America? I mean, there isn't more then 20,000 people in this town!" Turning to look at Buffy, Willow gave her small smile. "That makes middle class kids like you and me into this town's version of poor white trash."
Buffy had been aware of the extreme wealth of Sunnydale. It was one the main reason her mother had been so psyched at getting the opportunity to run the Sunnydale Art Gallery. While not as big as some galleries in LA or New York, or even Metropolis, the SAG had one of the best-rated collections of artwork in the country. 'And if me and Willow are minnows in this town, there's the Great White Shark,' the Slayer thought to herself as she caught sight of who was sitting under the tree they were headed toward.
Buffy Summer's was the Slayer. The Chosen One. She faced certain death on a regular basis for almost 4 years now. Yet when she'd caught that boy staring at her in class earlier, her heart had leapt up into her throat. She'd decapitated Chaos demons without batting an eye, but when Harris looked at her, she'd been pinned to her chair as if he'd shot a crossbow through her heart. She hadn't been starstruck, she knew that. She'd lived in LA her whole life and bumped into more then her share of celebrities. Anyway, she hadn't known exactly who he was when she first saw him sitting by a window in the back of the class, looking bored beyond belief. But she knew he'd been looking at her, the extrasensory perception that came with being a Slayer and that usually warned her when a vampire or demon was stalking her, had started tingling in away it had never before. When she'd turned around she's expected to find anything but the smiling face of a great looking guy staring back at her. She'd been embarrassed and surprised and had quickly turned back around, asking Willow in a whisper who he was. "Oh, that's just Xander," the redhead had whispered with a smile. "He's my best friend." After class Willow explained more fully about who he was, and Buffy had turned redder then her new friend's hair when she learned that Alexander Harris had been staring at her. And had smiled at her.
If the Kennedy's were considered America's Royal Family, then Alexander Harris was easily American Nobility. His face had graced more covers of People, Fortune and Teen Scream then anyone under the age of 35. Young girls across the world had his picture posted in their bedrooms, lockers and binders. The American answer to Prince William. Ultra-rich, movie star looks, and a tragic air about him, made him the most eligible bachelor in the United States, next to maybe Lex Luthor. Buffy's younger sister, Dawn, had had his picture pasted to her binder before they'd moved to Sunnydale. Now that she lived in the same town with Harris, she was practically in a frothing frenzy to meet him. It seemed Buffy though would beat her too it, as Willow happily lead her toward the young man
Dressed in a dark blue sweater and black slacks, Alexander Harris looked most at home in the shadow of the tree he sat under. As the girls approached him, the boy Willow had called 'Xander' seemed to have his mind a million miles away, his eyes looking at the clear blue sky as his fingers lightly brushed across the top of the grass he sat on. Once the girls got within ten feet of him however, his eyes drifted toward them and took them both in with a glance. "Hey Will," the dark haired boy said in greeting, a lazy smile spreading across his face. "And this must be the newest member of our student body, Elisabeth Summers."
Both girls looked at him with surprise, Willow's was small, as she knew her friend had a habit of knowing everything before anyone else. Buffy's was much bigger however, mainly because of his use of her full first name. "Buffy," she said without thinking, looking down at the smiling face of Sunnydale's biggest playboy.
The chocolate eyes that had watched her in class now twinkled with amusement while he raised an eyebrow at her. "Gazuntight."
"No, stupid!" Willow exclaimed with a laugh. "Her name is Buffy!"
"Oh." Xander said with a bit of surprise in his voice. "I'm sorry."
"Excuse me?" Buffy said, now scowling at the boy.
The young man blinked for a moment, looking to a giggling Willow and then back at Buffy. "I meant I was sorry I got your name wrong. Not that you're name is Buffy." This caused Buffy to blush slightly and Willow to giggle harder.
"It's okay," Buffy said quietly, still blushing from her confusion.
The boy gave her a smile that was equal parts teasing and good humor. "I'm Xander, though you probably already knew that."
"Wow, conceited much?" Buffy said balking at his apparent arrogance. "Because no one could possibly not know who you are, huh?"
Those brown eyes cooled for a moment as Xander stared at her, taking her sudden hostility with measure, before the amusement returned and he exchanged a quick look with Willow. "Not at all," he said coolly, leaning back against the tree a bored smile back on his face. "I just assumed that Willow had already told who I was. I apologize, again, if I assumed too much. I'm Alexander Harris, but most people at school call me Xander."
"Oh." Buffy said, doing her best to reign in this fresh burst of embarrassment. "I'm sorry."
Xander seemed untroubled, and simply shrugged away her apology, instead looking at Willow. "Hey, Will," he said to his friend, his bored smile becoming cocky in flash of teeth. "Want to guess what my grade was on that English test we had on Monday."
With what sounded to Buffy like a long-suffering sigh, Willow took a seat on the grass and motioned the blonde girl to do the same. "Let me guess.an A, maybe?"
Cocky smile still in place, Xander shrugged again and looked back up at the sky. "Told ya, you worry over nothing."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Willow said with another sigh, turning to give Buffy a look of mock disgust. "See, it's not bad enough that Xander here is rich and good looking, but he's also possibly the smartest person in this school. Only reason he doesn't have a 4.0 is because he thinks travelling the world for months at a time during the school year, is more important." Turning to look at the dark haired boy again, Willow gave him a stern look. "I really hate you sometimes."
Xander took a break from his sky watching to give Willow a shocked look. "Hate? Me? Impossible! I mean, aside from being rich, good looking and smart, all valid points I'll grant you, I have the key to you're heart young lady." With a grin, Xander produced a familiar looking golden snack cake wrapped in plastic, and proceeded to taunt Willow with it as she tried to reach for it. "Now, now! How can I give this delectable piece of golden goodness to someone who claims to hate me?"
"Xan-der!" And as Buffy watched in amused silence, Willow attempted to snatch the floating snack cake from her friend's hands, only to be denied again. "Okay! Fine! I don't hate you! In fact, you're the greatest human being ever to walk the face of the earth! Happy?" Willow then proceeded to pout, while Xander seemed to think things over.
"It'll do," Xander said finally, smiling at Buffy as he tossed the snack into Willow's hands.
Buffy then watched slightly stunned, as the seemingly subdued Willow tore into the wrapper and took a huge bite out of the cake. "The key to your heart is a ho-ho?" the Slayer asked skeptically.
"Twinkie!" Willow corrected with a mouth full golden cake and cream filling. "It's a Twinkie, not a ho-ho!" She said when she finally finished off the snack cake with a satisfied smile.
"Uh-huh," Buffy said, watching the small girl lick her fingers with obvious enjoyment. "You do realize just how odd that is, right?"
Before Willow could defend herself or her odd fetish for Twinkies, Xander's amused voice broke in, though he was back to staring at the sky. "Didn't they tell you when you moved here, Ms. Summers? In Sunnydale, odd is the norm."
"Aw crap!" Willow suddenly exclaimed, causing Buffy to jump a bit and Xander to chuckle. "I just remembered, I have to do something before the end of lunch." Jumping to her feet, the redhead brushed the grass from her backside and smiled apologetically at Buffy and Xander, though only Buffy saw it, as Xander still hadn't brought his eyes from looking up above. When Buffy made a move to get up as well, Willow put a hand up to stop her. "No! Stay. Enjoy you're lunch. I'm sure Xander will be more then happy to keep you company, isn't that right Xand?"
Xander made a non-committed grunt, which was obviously enough for Willow, who picked up her bag, gave Buffy a big smile, then quickly walked away. Leaving the Slayer alone with a boy whom seemed to be ignoring her. Sighing, Buffy took her lunch out of her backpack. 'If Mr. Wonderful thinks he's too good to talk to me, well then fine! I don't want to talk to him anyway.'
That vow lasted till she had finished the small salad her mother had packed for her, and then the silence seemed to be overwhelmingly uncomfortable. At least to Buffy. Xander seemed perfectly fine to simply stare up at the sky, only taking a break to watch Buffy eat for a moment before returning.
Finally Buffy couldn't take the silence anymore, and turned to look at the dark haired boy with an angry expression on her face. "What exactly is your problem?" she demanded.
Turning his head to look at her, Xander gave the Slayer a look of amused boredom, a look that Buffy was beginning to believe was his usual expression. "You know, once you've been in Sunnydale a little longer, you'll learn that I don't have problems. Not any you'd understand, anyway."
"Well excuse me, Mr. Harris!" Buffy almost snarled, giving the young billionaire a look that a few truly unlucky vampires had seen, before they were dust at the end of her stake. "I'm obviously just too poor, ugly and stupid to even being to comprehend what a man.sorry, what a boy of your obviously disadvantaged upbringing must consider a problem. I mean, deciding on which limo to take to school and which platinum card to use to pay for your imported mineral water! Yes, truly your problems are far beyond the meager comprehension of a lesser being, such as I!"
As Buffy caught her breath after her outburst and did her best not to give into the temptation to throw the boy through the nearest wall, Xander simply tilted his head and gave her an innocent look. "I didn't mean to insinuate that you were ugly."
Her eyes flashing in shock and anger, the Slayer prepared to pummel the little rich boy into the next fashion season, when a voice over her shoulder stopped her. "And what do we have here?" Turning, Buffy saw a dark haired girl wearing what was obviously a skirt and sweater combo worth more then her home computer, smirking at her and Xander. "My, my Mr. Harris! I thought Willow was the only one you slummed with!"
'My God,' Buffy thought as she watched the girl's expensively made up lips twist into an even bigger mocking smile. 'Is everyone is this stupid town a complete snob?'
Though it was when Xander stared hard at the girl with a frown, that Buffy really was shocked. "Cordy, we've talked about this irritating habit you have of insulting my best friend, and just how much I don't like it." It took Buffy a moment to realize that Xander was referring to the comment about Willow. "And I'm not slumming. I'm enjoying a lovely day with my new friend Buffy." The Slayer was still stunned when Xander gave her an apologetic look, before turning his eyes back to the brunette. "Buffy, this is Cordelia Chase. Cordy, this is Buffy Summers. She's new to Sunnydale, and we were just discussing the rather interesting social dynamic that our happy town has created."
The girl, Cordelia, gave Buffy a glare of obvious hostility, before turning to face Xander and ignoring her completely. "Are you coming to the Bronze tonight?"
"Doubtful." Xander said almost immediately, leaning back against the tree. "I've got a pile of proposals that Russell wants me to review."
"Oh come on, Xander!" Cordelia almost whined, much to Buffy's irritation. "You never come out and hang like a normal boyfriend. It's always just me and you at you're place."
Xander gave Buffy a quick look, before quirking an eyebrow and smiling at Cordelia. "And here I thought you enjoyed our alone time together."
Now Cordelia gave the Slayer a quick look before looking at Xander, a faint blush rising on her cheeks. "You so know that's not what I meant!" Sighing, she continued more quietly. "You know I love.our alone time. It's just, I want to go out with you and be social!" The brunette smiled slightly. "Anyway, what's the point of dating the hottest guy in the world, if I can't take you out and make the other girls jealous? And with that Bat-thing flying around, I'd feel a lot better with you there to protect me."
Xander rolled his eyes, but couldn't keep the smile off his face. "Okay. I'll meet you there around nine. I can't promise I'll stay long, though. I really do have work to do tonight."
"Great!" Swooping down, Cordelia kissed Xander lightly at first, then deepened the kiss when she noticed Buffy watching quietly. "I've got to meet the Dance Committee now, but I'll see you tonight. And I'm sure I'll be able to keep you out longer then you expect." Then, giving Xander one last kiss, and Buffy one last glare, Cordelia was walking purposely away toward a group of students on the far side of the courtyard.
Xander watched her go, a faint smile on his lips. "You'll have to excuse Cordelia. She's a little.intense when she first meets someone, but she's really a lot nicer once you get to know her."
"I'm sure," Buffy said with a snort, though her mind was on something else that the brunette had said. "What was that a 'Bat-thing' flying around town?"
When Xander turned to look at her again, her Slayer-sense tingled slightly again when his dark eyes looked at her with a guarded expression. It faded again when he gave her his bored smile again. "People have reported seeing a bat-man flying around." Shrugging, Xander stretched his back before he again leaned back against the tree. "Probably hallucinations brought on by alcohol, fear of the dark or over active imagination. I really wouldn't worry about it."
"Yeah," Buffy said automatically, her mind already racing with possibilities. 'Maybe it's a demon,' the Slayer thought immediately. If it was, then she wasn't surprised by Xander's dismissal of it. She knew most people had the uncanny ability to ignore the demonic creatures that stalked the night, and Xander had already proven to her that he could just about ignore anything he wanted to. "I've gotta go. Pick up my text books." Seeing Xander's confused expression, Buffy quickly packed up the remains of her lunch and got up. "I mean, I have to go to the library to pick up my text books. Might as well do it now, right?" Xander just shrugged and watched wipe the grass off her butt. "So.yeah. Thanks for the company. Was.interesting. Later!" Without waiting for a reply, Buffy quickly started walking away from the boy and toward the nearest entrance of the school.
Buffy knew that if this thing people were seeing was a demon, she needed the skinny on it in order to slay it. So she headed to the one person she knew would have it. The school Librarian and her Watcher, Rupert Giles
So everyday he sat in class, stared out windows and thought of nightfall. He was uncomfortable during the day. He felt caged, that he should be planning his route for the night, priming and readying his tools. And he'd been doing just that if it weren't for Alfred. His old friend and guardian was the one reason Xander even left his home during the day. "Social interaction, Master Xander," is what he told the boy everyday as he saw him to the door. "Enjoy your youth as you can, sir. It will be gone before you realize."
So Xander was forced to get a life. He was more than content to spend is free time at home, training and researching. Instead, he went to see bad movies with Willow, and eat at trendy restaurants with Cordelia. Went to parties, but never stayed long. Drove flashy cars up to the bluffs, and made out with Cordelia the way a boy his age was supposed to. He was popular and well liked, but not to an outrageous degree. While he could play the social butterfly to a degree, his heart wasn't in it.
Different theories floated around the halls of Sunnydale High about why Xander tended to separate himself from everyday life as a teenager. Some, usually guys, thought him a snob who thought he was too high class to waste his time going to football games and school dances. Others, usually girls, thought him a recluse, scarred by the death of his parents and living practically alone in a mansion in the hills. The answer was a little of both. Xander didn't think that he was 'too good' to socialize with his peers, but had more important and fulfilling ways of spending his time. And it was the violent death of his parents that gave him that perspective.
Tearing his eyes from the scenery outside of the classroom, Xander surveyed the rest of the class. The teacher was attempting to explain the second law of thermodynamics to a more or less attentive room of students. His eyes sought out, as they usually did when given the opportunity, Cordelia Chase. His girlfriend was the most popular girl in school. Strikingly beautiful, only daughter of the second richest family in town, Cordelia was exactly who people thought Xander should be dating. As the most well known, if definitely not the most liked, pair in school, people thought it was only natural that the May Queen and the Playboy be a couple. That was the only reason why, when Xander realized that he needed to date someone, if for nothing but appearance sake, Cordelia Chase was the natural choice.
When he had first asked her out, during a then rare night at the Bronze with Willow and her girlfriend Tara, the only one who was surprised was Willow. The animosity between his best friend and Cordelia was long and well documented, and the redhead had been shocked that her oldest friend and her oldest enemy had hooked up. But Willow had grudgingly given Xander her approval, happy that he was finally interested in someone, if not thrilled with the object of that interest.
Xander had thought, probably like most at Sunnydale High, that Cordelia was simply a beautiful, superficial airhead. A 'trophy' girlfriend to have on his arm. He was comfortable with that preconception. A visible relationship that didn't involve emotional attachments was just what Xander was looking for. Cordelia though had surprised her suitor with her very well hidden depths and layers. Cordelia was surprisingly smart and well spoken. In private, away from prying eyes, Queen C was much, much more then how she appeared in the halls of school. Watching her now, taking notes on their teachers' explanation, Xander smiled slightly at the thought that he wasn't the only one who wore masks while in public. "Though I'm probably the only one who wears one in private too," he thought with little amusement.
In the front row of the class sat his best friend, Willow Rosenburg. Friends since the dawn of time, Xander and Willow were inseparable when they were younger. Jesse Owen, who had made the third part of the triumph- of-outcasts, had died during their second year of high school. A victim of "stab wounds to the neck and chest" according to the official coroner's report, though Xander of course knew better. He'd dusted Jess himself.
Willow was, like most of the town, utterly oblivious to the dangers that lived in Sunnydale. Xander had considered telling her the truth about the vampires and assorted demons that infested the city, but had chosen to give her the peace of mind of ignorance instead. "I'll protect her above all others," Xander had vowed when he'd first begun his nocturnal activities.
And he had kept that vow over the years in many different ways. His reward was the satisfaction of seeing his best friend begin to finally bloom into the person he'd always known was there. Her acceptance of her sexuality, her open thirst for knowledge that was such a contrast to his own clinical approach and her growing confidence in herself. He was relieved to know that she had moved on from her juvenile crush on him and into a real relationship with someone who could give her the love she deserved. As the only person, other then Alfred, who he trusted implicitly, Xander would never have risked his friendship with Willow in that kind of relationship, no matter how tempting it had been. "And damn me to hell, it was tempting sometimes," Xander thought to himself with some fondness. Willow was the day to his night. Her innocence and general exuberance for life was in stark contrast to Xanders' own cynical and black and white outlook on the world. Willow was a living reminder of why he had taken on the mantel that he had.
Letting his eyes drift again, Xander noticed the girl sitting beside Willow. Their desks were pushed close together so Willow could share her textbook with her. "New girl," Xander mused as he observed the blond girl with a discriminating eye. Very attractive, rather petite looking, she was focused intently on the teachers' lecture. While Xander watched, she seemed to tense slightly, raising her head from her notebook as if she knew she was being watched. Xander was surprised when she turned her head and almost immediately locked eyes with him. Xander gave her a slightly embarrassed smile which caused her to blush slightly and turn around quickly.
The new girl seemed to whisper something to Willow, who looked up and smiled knowingly at her friend, before whispering back. The blond girl turned around again and gave Xander a quick smile before burying her head in her notebook. Xander looked around quickly to see if anyone had noticed the incident and soon found Cordelia watching him with a dangerous glint in her eyes.
With a seemingly lazy smile Xander again looked out the window of the classroom, one thought coming to his mind as he watched a breeze ruffle the bushes outside. "Who would have believed physics class was more dangerous then fighting the undead?"
.___.___.
Sunnydale High School was a perfect representation of the city as a whole. It was large, rather gothic-looking and to someone who hadn't been around it for most of their lives, had a sinister air to it. To Buffy Summers, LA refugee, new girl and Slayer, it just gave her the creeps. "Like the rest of this town," she thought to herself as she walked beside Willow through the rather badly lit hallway and out into the interior courtyard of the school.
Walled in on all sides by the immense school, the inner courtyard was an oasis of light and nature in a sea of dark and forbidding towers and campus buildings. It had fresh green grass, an assortment of trees and benches scattered around where students could sit and study in the sunlight. Now, at lunchtime, the sun shown straight down into the courtyard chasing all but the most stubborn of shadows away and leaving the area bathed in warm and friendly light.
It was toward one of those stubborn shadows that Willow led her, chatting the whole way about the virtues of Sunnydale. "Did you know that per-capita, Sunnydale is the 4th richest city in America? I mean, there isn't more then 20,000 people in this town!" Turning to look at Buffy, Willow gave her small smile. "That makes middle class kids like you and me into this town's version of poor white trash."
Buffy had been aware of the extreme wealth of Sunnydale. It was one the main reason her mother had been so psyched at getting the opportunity to run the Sunnydale Art Gallery. While not as big as some galleries in LA or New York, or even Metropolis, the SAG had one of the best-rated collections of artwork in the country. 'And if me and Willow are minnows in this town, there's the Great White Shark,' the Slayer thought to herself as she caught sight of who was sitting under the tree they were headed toward.
Buffy Summer's was the Slayer. The Chosen One. She faced certain death on a regular basis for almost 4 years now. Yet when she'd caught that boy staring at her in class earlier, her heart had leapt up into her throat. She'd decapitated Chaos demons without batting an eye, but when Harris looked at her, she'd been pinned to her chair as if he'd shot a crossbow through her heart. She hadn't been starstruck, she knew that. She'd lived in LA her whole life and bumped into more then her share of celebrities. Anyway, she hadn't known exactly who he was when she first saw him sitting by a window in the back of the class, looking bored beyond belief. But she knew he'd been looking at her, the extrasensory perception that came with being a Slayer and that usually warned her when a vampire or demon was stalking her, had started tingling in away it had never before. When she'd turned around she's expected to find anything but the smiling face of a great looking guy staring back at her. She'd been embarrassed and surprised and had quickly turned back around, asking Willow in a whisper who he was. "Oh, that's just Xander," the redhead had whispered with a smile. "He's my best friend." After class Willow explained more fully about who he was, and Buffy had turned redder then her new friend's hair when she learned that Alexander Harris had been staring at her. And had smiled at her.
If the Kennedy's were considered America's Royal Family, then Alexander Harris was easily American Nobility. His face had graced more covers of People, Fortune and Teen Scream then anyone under the age of 35. Young girls across the world had his picture posted in their bedrooms, lockers and binders. The American answer to Prince William. Ultra-rich, movie star looks, and a tragic air about him, made him the most eligible bachelor in the United States, next to maybe Lex Luthor. Buffy's younger sister, Dawn, had had his picture pasted to her binder before they'd moved to Sunnydale. Now that she lived in the same town with Harris, she was practically in a frothing frenzy to meet him. It seemed Buffy though would beat her too it, as Willow happily lead her toward the young man
Dressed in a dark blue sweater and black slacks, Alexander Harris looked most at home in the shadow of the tree he sat under. As the girls approached him, the boy Willow had called 'Xander' seemed to have his mind a million miles away, his eyes looking at the clear blue sky as his fingers lightly brushed across the top of the grass he sat on. Once the girls got within ten feet of him however, his eyes drifted toward them and took them both in with a glance. "Hey Will," the dark haired boy said in greeting, a lazy smile spreading across his face. "And this must be the newest member of our student body, Elisabeth Summers."
Both girls looked at him with surprise, Willow's was small, as she knew her friend had a habit of knowing everything before anyone else. Buffy's was much bigger however, mainly because of his use of her full first name. "Buffy," she said without thinking, looking down at the smiling face of Sunnydale's biggest playboy.
The chocolate eyes that had watched her in class now twinkled with amusement while he raised an eyebrow at her. "Gazuntight."
"No, stupid!" Willow exclaimed with a laugh. "Her name is Buffy!"
"Oh." Xander said with a bit of surprise in his voice. "I'm sorry."
"Excuse me?" Buffy said, now scowling at the boy.
The young man blinked for a moment, looking to a giggling Willow and then back at Buffy. "I meant I was sorry I got your name wrong. Not that you're name is Buffy." This caused Buffy to blush slightly and Willow to giggle harder.
"It's okay," Buffy said quietly, still blushing from her confusion.
The boy gave her a smile that was equal parts teasing and good humor. "I'm Xander, though you probably already knew that."
"Wow, conceited much?" Buffy said balking at his apparent arrogance. "Because no one could possibly not know who you are, huh?"
Those brown eyes cooled for a moment as Xander stared at her, taking her sudden hostility with measure, before the amusement returned and he exchanged a quick look with Willow. "Not at all," he said coolly, leaning back against the tree a bored smile back on his face. "I just assumed that Willow had already told who I was. I apologize, again, if I assumed too much. I'm Alexander Harris, but most people at school call me Xander."
"Oh." Buffy said, doing her best to reign in this fresh burst of embarrassment. "I'm sorry."
Xander seemed untroubled, and simply shrugged away her apology, instead looking at Willow. "Hey, Will," he said to his friend, his bored smile becoming cocky in flash of teeth. "Want to guess what my grade was on that English test we had on Monday."
With what sounded to Buffy like a long-suffering sigh, Willow took a seat on the grass and motioned the blonde girl to do the same. "Let me guess.an A, maybe?"
Cocky smile still in place, Xander shrugged again and looked back up at the sky. "Told ya, you worry over nothing."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Willow said with another sigh, turning to give Buffy a look of mock disgust. "See, it's not bad enough that Xander here is rich and good looking, but he's also possibly the smartest person in this school. Only reason he doesn't have a 4.0 is because he thinks travelling the world for months at a time during the school year, is more important." Turning to look at the dark haired boy again, Willow gave him a stern look. "I really hate you sometimes."
Xander took a break from his sky watching to give Willow a shocked look. "Hate? Me? Impossible! I mean, aside from being rich, good looking and smart, all valid points I'll grant you, I have the key to you're heart young lady." With a grin, Xander produced a familiar looking golden snack cake wrapped in plastic, and proceeded to taunt Willow with it as she tried to reach for it. "Now, now! How can I give this delectable piece of golden goodness to someone who claims to hate me?"
"Xan-der!" And as Buffy watched in amused silence, Willow attempted to snatch the floating snack cake from her friend's hands, only to be denied again. "Okay! Fine! I don't hate you! In fact, you're the greatest human being ever to walk the face of the earth! Happy?" Willow then proceeded to pout, while Xander seemed to think things over.
"It'll do," Xander said finally, smiling at Buffy as he tossed the snack into Willow's hands.
Buffy then watched slightly stunned, as the seemingly subdued Willow tore into the wrapper and took a huge bite out of the cake. "The key to your heart is a ho-ho?" the Slayer asked skeptically.
"Twinkie!" Willow corrected with a mouth full golden cake and cream filling. "It's a Twinkie, not a ho-ho!" She said when she finally finished off the snack cake with a satisfied smile.
"Uh-huh," Buffy said, watching the small girl lick her fingers with obvious enjoyment. "You do realize just how odd that is, right?"
Before Willow could defend herself or her odd fetish for Twinkies, Xander's amused voice broke in, though he was back to staring at the sky. "Didn't they tell you when you moved here, Ms. Summers? In Sunnydale, odd is the norm."
"Aw crap!" Willow suddenly exclaimed, causing Buffy to jump a bit and Xander to chuckle. "I just remembered, I have to do something before the end of lunch." Jumping to her feet, the redhead brushed the grass from her backside and smiled apologetically at Buffy and Xander, though only Buffy saw it, as Xander still hadn't brought his eyes from looking up above. When Buffy made a move to get up as well, Willow put a hand up to stop her. "No! Stay. Enjoy you're lunch. I'm sure Xander will be more then happy to keep you company, isn't that right Xand?"
Xander made a non-committed grunt, which was obviously enough for Willow, who picked up her bag, gave Buffy a big smile, then quickly walked away. Leaving the Slayer alone with a boy whom seemed to be ignoring her. Sighing, Buffy took her lunch out of her backpack. 'If Mr. Wonderful thinks he's too good to talk to me, well then fine! I don't want to talk to him anyway.'
That vow lasted till she had finished the small salad her mother had packed for her, and then the silence seemed to be overwhelmingly uncomfortable. At least to Buffy. Xander seemed perfectly fine to simply stare up at the sky, only taking a break to watch Buffy eat for a moment before returning.
Finally Buffy couldn't take the silence anymore, and turned to look at the dark haired boy with an angry expression on her face. "What exactly is your problem?" she demanded.
Turning his head to look at her, Xander gave the Slayer a look of amused boredom, a look that Buffy was beginning to believe was his usual expression. "You know, once you've been in Sunnydale a little longer, you'll learn that I don't have problems. Not any you'd understand, anyway."
"Well excuse me, Mr. Harris!" Buffy almost snarled, giving the young billionaire a look that a few truly unlucky vampires had seen, before they were dust at the end of her stake. "I'm obviously just too poor, ugly and stupid to even being to comprehend what a man.sorry, what a boy of your obviously disadvantaged upbringing must consider a problem. I mean, deciding on which limo to take to school and which platinum card to use to pay for your imported mineral water! Yes, truly your problems are far beyond the meager comprehension of a lesser being, such as I!"
As Buffy caught her breath after her outburst and did her best not to give into the temptation to throw the boy through the nearest wall, Xander simply tilted his head and gave her an innocent look. "I didn't mean to insinuate that you were ugly."
Her eyes flashing in shock and anger, the Slayer prepared to pummel the little rich boy into the next fashion season, when a voice over her shoulder stopped her. "And what do we have here?" Turning, Buffy saw a dark haired girl wearing what was obviously a skirt and sweater combo worth more then her home computer, smirking at her and Xander. "My, my Mr. Harris! I thought Willow was the only one you slummed with!"
'My God,' Buffy thought as she watched the girl's expensively made up lips twist into an even bigger mocking smile. 'Is everyone is this stupid town a complete snob?'
Though it was when Xander stared hard at the girl with a frown, that Buffy really was shocked. "Cordy, we've talked about this irritating habit you have of insulting my best friend, and just how much I don't like it." It took Buffy a moment to realize that Xander was referring to the comment about Willow. "And I'm not slumming. I'm enjoying a lovely day with my new friend Buffy." The Slayer was still stunned when Xander gave her an apologetic look, before turning his eyes back to the brunette. "Buffy, this is Cordelia Chase. Cordy, this is Buffy Summers. She's new to Sunnydale, and we were just discussing the rather interesting social dynamic that our happy town has created."
The girl, Cordelia, gave Buffy a glare of obvious hostility, before turning to face Xander and ignoring her completely. "Are you coming to the Bronze tonight?"
"Doubtful." Xander said almost immediately, leaning back against the tree. "I've got a pile of proposals that Russell wants me to review."
"Oh come on, Xander!" Cordelia almost whined, much to Buffy's irritation. "You never come out and hang like a normal boyfriend. It's always just me and you at you're place."
Xander gave Buffy a quick look, before quirking an eyebrow and smiling at Cordelia. "And here I thought you enjoyed our alone time together."
Now Cordelia gave the Slayer a quick look before looking at Xander, a faint blush rising on her cheeks. "You so know that's not what I meant!" Sighing, she continued more quietly. "You know I love.our alone time. It's just, I want to go out with you and be social!" The brunette smiled slightly. "Anyway, what's the point of dating the hottest guy in the world, if I can't take you out and make the other girls jealous? And with that Bat-thing flying around, I'd feel a lot better with you there to protect me."
Xander rolled his eyes, but couldn't keep the smile off his face. "Okay. I'll meet you there around nine. I can't promise I'll stay long, though. I really do have work to do tonight."
"Great!" Swooping down, Cordelia kissed Xander lightly at first, then deepened the kiss when she noticed Buffy watching quietly. "I've got to meet the Dance Committee now, but I'll see you tonight. And I'm sure I'll be able to keep you out longer then you expect." Then, giving Xander one last kiss, and Buffy one last glare, Cordelia was walking purposely away toward a group of students on the far side of the courtyard.
Xander watched her go, a faint smile on his lips. "You'll have to excuse Cordelia. She's a little.intense when she first meets someone, but she's really a lot nicer once you get to know her."
"I'm sure," Buffy said with a snort, though her mind was on something else that the brunette had said. "What was that a 'Bat-thing' flying around town?"
When Xander turned to look at her again, her Slayer-sense tingled slightly again when his dark eyes looked at her with a guarded expression. It faded again when he gave her his bored smile again. "People have reported seeing a bat-man flying around." Shrugging, Xander stretched his back before he again leaned back against the tree. "Probably hallucinations brought on by alcohol, fear of the dark or over active imagination. I really wouldn't worry about it."
"Yeah," Buffy said automatically, her mind already racing with possibilities. 'Maybe it's a demon,' the Slayer thought immediately. If it was, then she wasn't surprised by Xander's dismissal of it. She knew most people had the uncanny ability to ignore the demonic creatures that stalked the night, and Xander had already proven to her that he could just about ignore anything he wanted to. "I've gotta go. Pick up my text books." Seeing Xander's confused expression, Buffy quickly packed up the remains of her lunch and got up. "I mean, I have to go to the library to pick up my text books. Might as well do it now, right?" Xander just shrugged and watched wipe the grass off her butt. "So.yeah. Thanks for the company. Was.interesting. Later!" Without waiting for a reply, Buffy quickly started walking away from the boy and toward the nearest entrance of the school.
Buffy knew that if this thing people were seeing was a demon, she needed the skinny on it in order to slay it. So she headed to the one person she knew would have it. The school Librarian and her Watcher, Rupert Giles