Title: Hero's Aren't Born (Fallen Star 2/?)
Author: Michael Dunbar and UnHolyChurch
E-mail: Mutant190583@yahoo.com and Unholychrch@yahoo.com
Distribution: If you want it you can have it.
Timeline: Season 1
Rating: PG14
Feedback: We would like to know if this is worth continuing.
Pairing: I'm not saying. Yet.
Disclaimer: UPN and Joss own Buffy. Whoever owns SmallVille and Superman
owns them:)
Summary: Xander isn't exactly human.
Dedications:
Church: Li'l C, Shana, Glory, Phaedra, and Sydney (Not BXers but I'm
working on them.) And to Joanne W and Taygetta for inspiring me to BX fics
in the first place.
Michael: Wicked_Raygun (without him I'd have been a cack writer still, you
inspired me buddy), Queen Angel (without her I wouldn't have my beer
fountain), Ozmandayus (without him I wouldn't have EM), Rick Seiber
(without him I wouldn't have so many cool stories to read), Socrates
(Dude's got a will of iron when it comes to B/X either that or he has a
time machine), Bob Regent (Dudes a BRIT WOOHOO!!!!) and anyone else that is
a B/X'er. If you want to be mentioned then just say. After all it makes our
fic look longer.
Author's note: This is the Pilot episode for what we hope to be a series of episodes. Much the same way Joanne has done her TNAOBAX Series.
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4:23 PM July 17th 1993 Abandoned Mine Near Harris Farm
Xander sees the beam give way; several large pieces of the ceiling that had rested on the support start shifting and begin to fall. One chunk of rock nearly the size of Willow comes loose and crashes downward. Xander's feet are moving as fast as he believes possible, but he realizes he's not going to get to her in time. His muscles strain and then his entire body is shaken by a sudden sensation. It feels as though the strong gale he felt he was running against suddenly dies down. Now it seems as though the downward motion of the rock begins to slow. The dust appears to stop moving as if suspended in space. But his strides do not seem to be affected. He reaches Willow before the beam or the rock fall any closer to her. Instinctively, he moves beneath the wooden beam to grab hold and push upward. As he does this the speed of the world re-merges with his own.
Willow looks up at him, straining at the tremendous weight. She is frozen in shock, her green eyes wide at the sight before her. More of the smaller stones begin to fall, raining down on his head and hands. Turning his face away from the dust he yells to Willow. "Get out of here!"
His shout snaps her attention back to the present danger. She pushes herself off the ground and sprints for the opening, not looking back. The shaking becomes more pronounced, more and more pieces fall all around her. As she reaches the safety of the outside, the brightness of the light blinds her. Stumbling off the ledge she rolls down the side of the embankment. Coming to a stop at Jesse's feet. She pushes herself to her hands and knees then leans back on her heels. Alarmed she looks back, her eyes frantically searching for Xander. The mine is still rumbling and he hasn't come out.
"Where is he?" Jesse asks as he helps Willow to her feet.
In a shaky voice, she answers. "I, I don't know he was right behind me. We have to go, we have to go back in there and get him." As she speaks a thunderous crash emanates from the darkness of the cave. A cloud of dust billows out obscuring their view. Pieces of dirt and debris shower down on them.
"Noooooo!" Willow screams and runs back towards the incline. She falls to her hands and knees trying to climb the hill, and Jesse pulls her back.
"Let me go we have to get him out!" Tears stream down her dust-covered face leaving muddy tracks. She turns and tries to push him off.
Jesse saying nothing holds her around the shoulders. Looking up they can just barely see through the haze caused by the floating debris. The opening looks as though it is completely covered over. Dropping to her knees, Willow buries her face in her hands, weeping loudly. Jesse swallows hard, his mouth completely dry; his eyes burn trying to hold back tears.
He is about to break down himself when he sees something moving behind the floating dust. Squinting, he takes a step forward. Yes. One of the rocks appears to be moving. In three giant strides he is up the embankment and in front of the wall of rock. He grabs hold of the one that is moving and pulls on it. Willow seeing his actions, stops crying and watches but doesn't get up from the ground. Jesse gives another tug and the rock slides just a bit, then it finally gives, falling to the side of what formerly was the entrance. The rock falls away to reveal a dark gap about a foot square. In the gap are a pair of very dirty arms and a head of tousled brown hair. Jesse reaches in and Xander takes his hand to pull himself through the tight hole.
Almost the instant he sets his feet on the ground he is knocked back into the rock face by Willow as she wraps her arms around him and buries her face into his chest. "Alexander LaVelle Harris" Her voice is muffled by his shirt. "Don't you ever do that to me again." He pulls his arms free and stabilizes himself then wraps his arms around her. He rubs her back trying to console her. "Its okay Will. I'm fine."
Jesse slaps him on the shoulder. "I thought I was gonna be in a lot of trouble trying to tell your mom where you were."
Xander gives him a half grin and shakes his head. "Thanks Jesse. I was worried about you too."
Jesse turns to the wall of rock behind them and examines the hole. "You must be the luckiest guy in the world. You should have been squished!"
Xander looks down and nods. "Yeah, I should have." But he was thinking about something else. Jesse doesn't see the expression on his face, but Willow notices. Each of them quietly wonders how he got to her so quickly. They both shake off the thoughts as Jesse turns and half jumps half runs back down to the path.
"Are you two gonna kiss or are we going back home?" Jesse stands at the bottom looking up at the two friends still wrapped in each other's arms.
Both quickly drop their arms to their sides and look away from the other. Willow's face turns bright red and Xander's even gets a bit pink.
Carefully they pick their way down the hill, joining Jesse. And together all three set off down the path back to Xander's house.
8:30 PM July 8th 1995 Harris Farm
The large barn door swings in the breeze, creaking as it moves. A laugh can be heard from below; Jonathan and Xander are standing between two rows of stalls. Xander, his usual cheery self, is a little taller then that day in the cave, slightly broader in the shoulders. Jonathan's appears happy but seems older than a man of forty-five. His face has a drawn out quality to it, his eyes have sunken into his skull, and his skin pale for a man accustomed to spending all his daytime hours out in the field.
"So why didn't she ask you for help in the first place?" Xander's face is lit with enjoyment as he listens to his father's story.
"You know your mother. She's as stubborn as they come." The older Harris smiles as he lifts a 5-gallon pail of mixed grain into one of the horse's pens and dumps half into the wooden bunk.
"But she had to know there was no way she could move it on her own." Xander is feeding the horses on the other side of the aisle.
Jonathan empties the rest of the bucket in the next trough and answers. "And she never would have, if you hadn't been there. She said you saw what she was doing and decided to help. You pushed that truck out of the ditch like you were pushing a baby carriage."
Xander shakes his head. "I don't remember any of that."
"Well you were only like three when it happened!"
Xander laughs to himself. And grabs another pail.
A few moments of silence pass.
"Dad?"
"Yes?" Jonathan replies before moving onto the next stall.
"Well." Xander looks away from his father's face "Why do we have to move? I like it here." He looks back, his eyes pleading.
Jonathan avoids his son's gaze and turns back to his work. This isn't a popular subject of conversation at the Harris household. It isn't as though he wants to leave the farm. He would much rather stay here till the end; to see the sun rise every morning over his green valley, and the light as it cascades across the lake and up the stream before reaching his house, to watch as the rainstorms climb the western hill and sweep through leaving everything clean as it passes. But the doctor had given him orders and Martha had demanded he obey.
"I'm getting worse" A simple response, he was still getting used to those words himself. A chestnut bay nuzzles him and he runs his hand along the horse's nose "The doc says if I stay here it will only shorten the time I have left. But you know this already. What's the real problem?"
There eyes meet and Xander's shoulders slump slightly.
"Nothing I guess. But with me like, well, you know. Its just gonna be hard. It's just I; I don't want to be in town, that's where all the people live.
"As well as your friends."
"Well Yeah."
"Wouldn't you like to live closer so you could see them more often? And it wouldn't be any different then the way you are at school now. You'll just live a little closer now."
"I suppose. But you don't want to go either. I know you'd rather stay here."
"Well your right. But I also want to be with you and your mother as long as possible. That's all that matters to me." Squeezing his son's shoulder as he finishes. He walks toward the ladder leading up to the loft. "I'm gonna throw down some hay then we can go eat."
"Dad, are you sure? I mean.."
"Xander, I'm not a has-been yet. I can still..." In the blink of an eye, Xander squeezes past him and bolts up the ladder.
"Don't worry dad I'll get it."
Jonathan shakes his head as he reaches and begins to pull himself up the ladder. Xander returns from the stacks of hay, balancing three 75-lb bales in each hand, as though he is a waiter carrying two trays. Glancing down to the hole he sees his father just reaching a hand over the upper ledge. He waits as Jonathan pulls his head and shoulders up above the level of the loft floor.
When he sees Xander carrying all three bales he grins. "Son, I could have." Stopping mid-sentence, he closes his eyes, his face twisting in pain, as he slumps and begins to fall backwards.
"DAD!!!!!!"
Time stops, The bales of hay remain in mid air and the fragments that had broken away from them hung like dust particles in the air. Reaching down Xander effortlessly lifts the still body. His father's eyes are closed. Xander lowers him to the floor below.
"Dad?"
There is still no response. Reaching for his hand, Xander places two fingers at his wrist feeling for a pulse.
Xander turns around, his eyes full with tears, he yells.
"MOM!!!!!!!!!!"
9:46 PM July 13th 1996 Moon Rock Pizza, Sunnydale, CA
A bright blue and red neon sign glows in the darkness in the middle of the commercial district. The sign reads Moon Rock Pizza and the O in Rock is made to look like a flaming meteor crashing into the rest of the word. Through the window the establishment appears to be small but comfortable. Booths line each wall and a giant counter shaped in a semi circle fills the center of the room. A few small tables fill the remaining space. The kitchen can be seen through a double set of swinging doors at the back.
In the booth nearest to the door sit three teens, Xander, Jesse and Willow. The redhead is enjoying her cheese only pizza much to Jesse's disgust. He cannot see the point of ordering a pizza without anything on it.
His pizza on the other hand is loaded with every topping imaginable. In fact he even added a few things he brought from home. He bites into the slice of overdosed pizza and rolls his eyes with delight before noticing the look of horror on his friend's faces.
"You're sick. You know that right?" Xander says and bites into the simple hotdog he had ordered. Strangely he isn't in the mood to gorge himself on pizza.
"Whoa he speaks." Jesse replies through a full mouth.
"Of course I speak, I am aware of the English language and it's many uses." He jokes looking down at his somewhat disappointing meal.
"Why are you getting a D+ then?" Willow replies with a smirk. Her small slam earns a weak smile from Xander, who till now had been utterly taciturn.
"Because I felt that the piece we had to do had conflicting arguments and wasn't a plausible assignment"
"Xander. You wrote a report on a Garfield book"
"Yeah well. "
Jesse smiles as he munches away. Placing the crust on the plate, the only part he doesn't enjoy. He slaps his friend on the arm and grins.
"Don't worry I'm making you look good, I'm getting a F+"
"Thanks" Xander replies woodenly. He feels Willow's eyes on him as he takes another bite. After a short silence he turns to her to ask. "What?"
"You've been Mr. Gloomy all day and I was wondering what's the what. Not that you have to tell me if you don't want to cause if you feel it's none of my business I would totally understand if you just.."
"Willow!" He stopped her ramble. Its okay. I suppose I should tell you now. You'll probably find out next week anyway. I'm moving to Sunnydale."
He looks at them waiting for a response, Jesse smiles widely and slaps him on the arm.
"That's great. We'll get to hang out more."
Willow looks a bit more concerned. "What but? Why? But what about the farm? I mean its great that you'll be so close and all but.?" Willow trails off.
"Well" Xander replies and looks down "My dad's not getting any better and he can't work the farm no more. After his fall last week, we really have no choice."
"Oh Xander I'm sorry" She grabs him in a sideways hug "But I'll be happy that we can see more of each other"
"Yeah me too" He replies and smiles half-heartedly down at her shining face. Looking away his expression grows distant. Willow sees this but says nothing.
8:27 AM September 10, 1996 Sunnydale High, outside the main entrance
Walking between the mazes of cars that fill the high school parking lot, Xander Harris' mind is clouded with mathematic equations and trigonometric identities. He had been up till 3:00 in the morning trying to prepare for his Geometry test. But instead of enhancing his understanding of the mathematical properties taught so "eloquently" by Mr. Zoftenburg, he feels as if he has just confused himself even more. He mumbles to himself. "Lets see. Socataoaca. No it was Sotcata. What now. Sine over Tangent equals. Ahhh. I'm not gonna pass this test." He shakes his head in frustration as he steps up onto the curb.
He is about to ascend the concrete stairs that lead into the main entrance of the school. He rests his hand on the steel railing that divides the stair. "I'll have to talk to Willow. I know she can." The sight before him slams the brakes on all thoughts academic. If the railing hadn't been there to support him he most likely would have performed an extremely acrobatic yet painful swan dive into the sidewalk. Blinking several times to verify he isn't imagining the vision before him, he feels a chill run through him. For what feels like a heavenly eternity, Xander is trapped in that one moment. Time slows. The people around him cease to exist. There is no sound at all. His eyes are glued to the delicate beauty before him. She is the picture of perfection in every way from her golden hair, to her radiantly blue eyes, to her cute little nose. But the thing about her that grabs his heart is the expression on her face. In her eyes he can see a fear that would come with a new school and a new town and maybe something else, but mixed with that fear is determination and pride born of someone who has had to do things they don't want to before. Every ounce of his body wants to take her in his arms and make everything all right. It shakes him to his very soul.
Luckily, she seems too lost in thought with taking in her new surroundings to notice him standing there, gawking. And then in a rush of blonde hair and blue mini skirt she is up the stairs and out of sight. Once she is out of view he begins to breath, and he can again feel his heart beat. But his thoughts hadn't left her. Sighing deeply he is about to continue up the steps when a familiar voice stops him. Turning he sees the bright smile of his favorite redhead as she hops up next to him.
"Willow! You're so very much the person that I wanted to see."
"Oh, really?" She seems to perk at this.
"Yeah. You know, I kinda had a problem with the math."
Her smile falters just slightly "Oh, which part?"
"Actually, the math. Can you help me out today, pleeeease, be my study buddy?"
"Well, what's in it for me?" Walking past him, she begins up the steps. He follows behind quickly matching her pace.
Neither of them notices the steel banister where Xander had placed his hand to keep from falling moments before. Where before it had been smooth and straight, it was now strangely bent with the imprint of Xander's hand.
TBC
Author's note: This is the Pilot episode for what we hope to be a series of episodes. Much the same way Joanne has done her TNAOBAX Series.
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4:23 PM July 17th 1993 Abandoned Mine Near Harris Farm
Xander sees the beam give way; several large pieces of the ceiling that had rested on the support start shifting and begin to fall. One chunk of rock nearly the size of Willow comes loose and crashes downward. Xander's feet are moving as fast as he believes possible, but he realizes he's not going to get to her in time. His muscles strain and then his entire body is shaken by a sudden sensation. It feels as though the strong gale he felt he was running against suddenly dies down. Now it seems as though the downward motion of the rock begins to slow. The dust appears to stop moving as if suspended in space. But his strides do not seem to be affected. He reaches Willow before the beam or the rock fall any closer to her. Instinctively, he moves beneath the wooden beam to grab hold and push upward. As he does this the speed of the world re-merges with his own.
Willow looks up at him, straining at the tremendous weight. She is frozen in shock, her green eyes wide at the sight before her. More of the smaller stones begin to fall, raining down on his head and hands. Turning his face away from the dust he yells to Willow. "Get out of here!"
His shout snaps her attention back to the present danger. She pushes herself off the ground and sprints for the opening, not looking back. The shaking becomes more pronounced, more and more pieces fall all around her. As she reaches the safety of the outside, the brightness of the light blinds her. Stumbling off the ledge she rolls down the side of the embankment. Coming to a stop at Jesse's feet. She pushes herself to her hands and knees then leans back on her heels. Alarmed she looks back, her eyes frantically searching for Xander. The mine is still rumbling and he hasn't come out.
"Where is he?" Jesse asks as he helps Willow to her feet.
In a shaky voice, she answers. "I, I don't know he was right behind me. We have to go, we have to go back in there and get him." As she speaks a thunderous crash emanates from the darkness of the cave. A cloud of dust billows out obscuring their view. Pieces of dirt and debris shower down on them.
"Noooooo!" Willow screams and runs back towards the incline. She falls to her hands and knees trying to climb the hill, and Jesse pulls her back.
"Let me go we have to get him out!" Tears stream down her dust-covered face leaving muddy tracks. She turns and tries to push him off.
Jesse saying nothing holds her around the shoulders. Looking up they can just barely see through the haze caused by the floating debris. The opening looks as though it is completely covered over. Dropping to her knees, Willow buries her face in her hands, weeping loudly. Jesse swallows hard, his mouth completely dry; his eyes burn trying to hold back tears.
He is about to break down himself when he sees something moving behind the floating dust. Squinting, he takes a step forward. Yes. One of the rocks appears to be moving. In three giant strides he is up the embankment and in front of the wall of rock. He grabs hold of the one that is moving and pulls on it. Willow seeing his actions, stops crying and watches but doesn't get up from the ground. Jesse gives another tug and the rock slides just a bit, then it finally gives, falling to the side of what formerly was the entrance. The rock falls away to reveal a dark gap about a foot square. In the gap are a pair of very dirty arms and a head of tousled brown hair. Jesse reaches in and Xander takes his hand to pull himself through the tight hole.
Almost the instant he sets his feet on the ground he is knocked back into the rock face by Willow as she wraps her arms around him and buries her face into his chest. "Alexander LaVelle Harris" Her voice is muffled by his shirt. "Don't you ever do that to me again." He pulls his arms free and stabilizes himself then wraps his arms around her. He rubs her back trying to console her. "Its okay Will. I'm fine."
Jesse slaps him on the shoulder. "I thought I was gonna be in a lot of trouble trying to tell your mom where you were."
Xander gives him a half grin and shakes his head. "Thanks Jesse. I was worried about you too."
Jesse turns to the wall of rock behind them and examines the hole. "You must be the luckiest guy in the world. You should have been squished!"
Xander looks down and nods. "Yeah, I should have." But he was thinking about something else. Jesse doesn't see the expression on his face, but Willow notices. Each of them quietly wonders how he got to her so quickly. They both shake off the thoughts as Jesse turns and half jumps half runs back down to the path.
"Are you two gonna kiss or are we going back home?" Jesse stands at the bottom looking up at the two friends still wrapped in each other's arms.
Both quickly drop their arms to their sides and look away from the other. Willow's face turns bright red and Xander's even gets a bit pink.
Carefully they pick their way down the hill, joining Jesse. And together all three set off down the path back to Xander's house.
8:30 PM July 8th 1995 Harris Farm
The large barn door swings in the breeze, creaking as it moves. A laugh can be heard from below; Jonathan and Xander are standing between two rows of stalls. Xander, his usual cheery self, is a little taller then that day in the cave, slightly broader in the shoulders. Jonathan's appears happy but seems older than a man of forty-five. His face has a drawn out quality to it, his eyes have sunken into his skull, and his skin pale for a man accustomed to spending all his daytime hours out in the field.
"So why didn't she ask you for help in the first place?" Xander's face is lit with enjoyment as he listens to his father's story.
"You know your mother. She's as stubborn as they come." The older Harris smiles as he lifts a 5-gallon pail of mixed grain into one of the horse's pens and dumps half into the wooden bunk.
"But she had to know there was no way she could move it on her own." Xander is feeding the horses on the other side of the aisle.
Jonathan empties the rest of the bucket in the next trough and answers. "And she never would have, if you hadn't been there. She said you saw what she was doing and decided to help. You pushed that truck out of the ditch like you were pushing a baby carriage."
Xander shakes his head. "I don't remember any of that."
"Well you were only like three when it happened!"
Xander laughs to himself. And grabs another pail.
A few moments of silence pass.
"Dad?"
"Yes?" Jonathan replies before moving onto the next stall.
"Well." Xander looks away from his father's face "Why do we have to move? I like it here." He looks back, his eyes pleading.
Jonathan avoids his son's gaze and turns back to his work. This isn't a popular subject of conversation at the Harris household. It isn't as though he wants to leave the farm. He would much rather stay here till the end; to see the sun rise every morning over his green valley, and the light as it cascades across the lake and up the stream before reaching his house, to watch as the rainstorms climb the western hill and sweep through leaving everything clean as it passes. But the doctor had given him orders and Martha had demanded he obey.
"I'm getting worse" A simple response, he was still getting used to those words himself. A chestnut bay nuzzles him and he runs his hand along the horse's nose "The doc says if I stay here it will only shorten the time I have left. But you know this already. What's the real problem?"
There eyes meet and Xander's shoulders slump slightly.
"Nothing I guess. But with me like, well, you know. Its just gonna be hard. It's just I; I don't want to be in town, that's where all the people live.
"As well as your friends."
"Well Yeah."
"Wouldn't you like to live closer so you could see them more often? And it wouldn't be any different then the way you are at school now. You'll just live a little closer now."
"I suppose. But you don't want to go either. I know you'd rather stay here."
"Well your right. But I also want to be with you and your mother as long as possible. That's all that matters to me." Squeezing his son's shoulder as he finishes. He walks toward the ladder leading up to the loft. "I'm gonna throw down some hay then we can go eat."
"Dad, are you sure? I mean.."
"Xander, I'm not a has-been yet. I can still..." In the blink of an eye, Xander squeezes past him and bolts up the ladder.
"Don't worry dad I'll get it."
Jonathan shakes his head as he reaches and begins to pull himself up the ladder. Xander returns from the stacks of hay, balancing three 75-lb bales in each hand, as though he is a waiter carrying two trays. Glancing down to the hole he sees his father just reaching a hand over the upper ledge. He waits as Jonathan pulls his head and shoulders up above the level of the loft floor.
When he sees Xander carrying all three bales he grins. "Son, I could have." Stopping mid-sentence, he closes his eyes, his face twisting in pain, as he slumps and begins to fall backwards.
"DAD!!!!!!"
Time stops, The bales of hay remain in mid air and the fragments that had broken away from them hung like dust particles in the air. Reaching down Xander effortlessly lifts the still body. His father's eyes are closed. Xander lowers him to the floor below.
"Dad?"
There is still no response. Reaching for his hand, Xander places two fingers at his wrist feeling for a pulse.
Xander turns around, his eyes full with tears, he yells.
"MOM!!!!!!!!!!"
9:46 PM July 13th 1996 Moon Rock Pizza, Sunnydale, CA
A bright blue and red neon sign glows in the darkness in the middle of the commercial district. The sign reads Moon Rock Pizza and the O in Rock is made to look like a flaming meteor crashing into the rest of the word. Through the window the establishment appears to be small but comfortable. Booths line each wall and a giant counter shaped in a semi circle fills the center of the room. A few small tables fill the remaining space. The kitchen can be seen through a double set of swinging doors at the back.
In the booth nearest to the door sit three teens, Xander, Jesse and Willow. The redhead is enjoying her cheese only pizza much to Jesse's disgust. He cannot see the point of ordering a pizza without anything on it.
His pizza on the other hand is loaded with every topping imaginable. In fact he even added a few things he brought from home. He bites into the slice of overdosed pizza and rolls his eyes with delight before noticing the look of horror on his friend's faces.
"You're sick. You know that right?" Xander says and bites into the simple hotdog he had ordered. Strangely he isn't in the mood to gorge himself on pizza.
"Whoa he speaks." Jesse replies through a full mouth.
"Of course I speak, I am aware of the English language and it's many uses." He jokes looking down at his somewhat disappointing meal.
"Why are you getting a D+ then?" Willow replies with a smirk. Her small slam earns a weak smile from Xander, who till now had been utterly taciturn.
"Because I felt that the piece we had to do had conflicting arguments and wasn't a plausible assignment"
"Xander. You wrote a report on a Garfield book"
"Yeah well. "
Jesse smiles as he munches away. Placing the crust on the plate, the only part he doesn't enjoy. He slaps his friend on the arm and grins.
"Don't worry I'm making you look good, I'm getting a F+"
"Thanks" Xander replies woodenly. He feels Willow's eyes on him as he takes another bite. After a short silence he turns to her to ask. "What?"
"You've been Mr. Gloomy all day and I was wondering what's the what. Not that you have to tell me if you don't want to cause if you feel it's none of my business I would totally understand if you just.."
"Willow!" He stopped her ramble. Its okay. I suppose I should tell you now. You'll probably find out next week anyway. I'm moving to Sunnydale."
He looks at them waiting for a response, Jesse smiles widely and slaps him on the arm.
"That's great. We'll get to hang out more."
Willow looks a bit more concerned. "What but? Why? But what about the farm? I mean its great that you'll be so close and all but.?" Willow trails off.
"Well" Xander replies and looks down "My dad's not getting any better and he can't work the farm no more. After his fall last week, we really have no choice."
"Oh Xander I'm sorry" She grabs him in a sideways hug "But I'll be happy that we can see more of each other"
"Yeah me too" He replies and smiles half-heartedly down at her shining face. Looking away his expression grows distant. Willow sees this but says nothing.
8:27 AM September 10, 1996 Sunnydale High, outside the main entrance
Walking between the mazes of cars that fill the high school parking lot, Xander Harris' mind is clouded with mathematic equations and trigonometric identities. He had been up till 3:00 in the morning trying to prepare for his Geometry test. But instead of enhancing his understanding of the mathematical properties taught so "eloquently" by Mr. Zoftenburg, he feels as if he has just confused himself even more. He mumbles to himself. "Lets see. Socataoaca. No it was Sotcata. What now. Sine over Tangent equals. Ahhh. I'm not gonna pass this test." He shakes his head in frustration as he steps up onto the curb.
He is about to ascend the concrete stairs that lead into the main entrance of the school. He rests his hand on the steel railing that divides the stair. "I'll have to talk to Willow. I know she can." The sight before him slams the brakes on all thoughts academic. If the railing hadn't been there to support him he most likely would have performed an extremely acrobatic yet painful swan dive into the sidewalk. Blinking several times to verify he isn't imagining the vision before him, he feels a chill run through him. For what feels like a heavenly eternity, Xander is trapped in that one moment. Time slows. The people around him cease to exist. There is no sound at all. His eyes are glued to the delicate beauty before him. She is the picture of perfection in every way from her golden hair, to her radiantly blue eyes, to her cute little nose. But the thing about her that grabs his heart is the expression on her face. In her eyes he can see a fear that would come with a new school and a new town and maybe something else, but mixed with that fear is determination and pride born of someone who has had to do things they don't want to before. Every ounce of his body wants to take her in his arms and make everything all right. It shakes him to his very soul.
Luckily, she seems too lost in thought with taking in her new surroundings to notice him standing there, gawking. And then in a rush of blonde hair and blue mini skirt she is up the stairs and out of sight. Once she is out of view he begins to breath, and he can again feel his heart beat. But his thoughts hadn't left her. Sighing deeply he is about to continue up the steps when a familiar voice stops him. Turning he sees the bright smile of his favorite redhead as she hops up next to him.
"Willow! You're so very much the person that I wanted to see."
"Oh, really?" She seems to perk at this.
"Yeah. You know, I kinda had a problem with the math."
Her smile falters just slightly "Oh, which part?"
"Actually, the math. Can you help me out today, pleeeease, be my study buddy?"
"Well, what's in it for me?" Walking past him, she begins up the steps. He follows behind quickly matching her pace.
Neither of them notices the steel banister where Xander had placed his hand to keep from falling moments before. Where before it had been smooth and straight, it was now strangely bent with the imprint of Xander's hand.
TBC