Here comes the rescue team !
LA, Angel's hotel (10.15 PM)
Lorne was a bit worried about the vampire sitting across the room from him. Since he had told the news about Xander and Buffy Angel had been even more quiet than usual. Finally, he spoke.
'Do you really want me to believe that Buffy loves Xander ?'
Lorne just nodded.
'But I hate that kid...'
'Yeah well, Buffy doesn't.'
Angel got up from his chair. Pacing the room.
'I don't get why we need to help them, I mean, he loves her. Always has. What's the problem ?'
'He has a girlfriend. In fact, he's planning on marrying her.'
'He'll never do that. No matter how much he thinks he loves that girl. She's not Buffy. Again, what's the problem ?'
Lorne wished he could have avoided the next bit of information he had to give Angel. But he had no such luck.
'Eh...well...Xander and Buffy are kinda in a big fight right now. He's pretty mad at her.'
Angel was suprised by the news. In the years that he had spend with the Scoobies he had seen Buffy and Xander fight. But never very intense, except when it concerned Buffy's relationship with him. Xander was not a big fan off vampires, but he disliked the fact that Buffy loved Angel more. But other than fighting over that they never had any problems. And since he wasn't in Sunnydale anymore he wondered what could have made Xander so upset with her.
'Why are they fighting ?'
Lorne took a deap breath.
'He found out that she...ehhh...well...she kinda....she had sex with Spike...'
Angel needed to sit down again.
'He found out that she had...w-what ?'
'Buffy slept with Spike, she was feeling lonely and depressed and it only happened one night. It meant nothing to her.'
Angel still needed to process the information.
'I can't believe she slept with Spike...
He shook his head.
'What has gotten into her ?'
Lorne tried again.
'It meant nothing to her.'
'Yeah, but it means everything to Xander. He's been at her side for years now, and she's never given him the light of day. And now he has to accept that she even choose Spike over him.'
Lorne looked at the vampire. Suprised at how calm he seemed, even though he was clearly shocked by the news.
'How do you feel about this ?'
'I'm worried about her. The Buffy I knew would never have done this, and with her best friend mad at her right now...Who knows what she will do...'
'She's devastated. Not just because he's her best friend. She really loves him, you know. She just found out too late.'
'I still don't get why we, of all people, are the ones to help them.'
'It's a longshot, but I hope that we can reach him. Make him see what he's giving up if he doesn't forgive her. And I also hope that it will mean more to him coming from you. He still sees you as her one true love. The one nobody can't ever compete against. Maybe it will help him if he sees that you believe in them together.'
Angel wished he could.
'The only problem is that I don't. Not really. I mean, this is Buffy we're talking about.'
' I know... But be honest, do you see yourself having a future with her ? Ever ?'
Angel sighed. He knew that there wasn't a chance of that ever happening. Not anymore, they had changed too much in the last couple of years.
'No, I know that we're never getting back together.'
'And if it can't be you making her happy, why shouldn't it be Xander ? He's a good kid. You know that Angel.'
Angel nodded.
'Yeah, I know that. He can be pretty annoying, but he'll do anything for her. And he's a hell of a lot better for her than Spike.'
Lorne decided to ask the question again.
'So what do you say, will you help them ?'
The vampire thought about it. He knew that it was the right thing to do. He had moved on, even though he would always love Buffy, and she deserved to be happy. And, if he was honest with himself, Xander would the right guy for her. It was why he never liked him back in Sunnydale. Somehow he had always sensed that they would be good together.
'I'll help them.'
Lorne's face broke out in a huge smile.
'I knew I could count on you. You're a swell vampire, you know that ?'
'I already said I'd do it Lorne. No need for sweettalk. Now, if you don't mind, I have a demon I need to fight tonight.'
'You don't need to tell me twice man. I'm going. See you tomorrow ?'
Angel nodded.
'We'll head out to Sunnydale as soon as the sun can't turn me into a pile of dust anymore.'
Lorne laughed.
'You're becoming funny in your old days.'
He gave him a glare.
'Get out Lorne.'
'Right, gone.'
Sunnydale CA, Xander's appartment ( 9.00 AM)
Anya walked into the appartment. Relieved to see Xander on the couch, sleeping. Empty beer cans next to him on the floor. She looked around her, the appartment was a mess. There were broken glasses on the floor and from the looks of the appartment those weren't the only things that he had trown around. He did not have a peaceful night, that was sure. She watched him sleeping, he looked like he didn't have a care in the world. If only that was true. She started cleaning up the mess and the sound of her stumbling around the appartment woke him up.
Xander slowly opened his eyes. He had a terrible headache and he heared something in his livingroom. When he looked up he saw Anya trowing away the beer cans. He smiled, remembering that she had told him that she would stop by in the morning to check on him.
'Hi.'
His voice didn't sound too good.
She turned around, trying to be cheerful.
'Hi there, good morning.'
It sounded fake, to both of them.
He got up, trying to ignore the pain in his head.
'You didn't need to come down here to check on my. I appreciate it, really, but you didn't have to do that.'
'I had too, you can't be alone right now.'
He smiled.
'Thanks An.'
He walked over to the bathroom when it dawned on him that she was treating him like someone in pain rather than someone who had to make a tough decision.
'Why are you treating me like this, telling me that I can't be alone right now ?'
She panicked.
'Well..with all this stuff going on. Having to choose between me and Buffy...I mean, that's gotta be tough. What will you do, who will you choose, and I just thought it might be easier if I gave you some space to...decide.'
He would have believed her if she had looked him in the eye and if she wasn't Anya. Cause it didn't make sense, Anya wouldn't leave him so he could make his decision. She would fight for him, probably giving him the best sex of his life to make sure he choose her.
'You're lying An. You know, don't you ?'
She wanted to denie it to him ,but she knew he would see right trough her.
'Yeah, I know. Spike told me.'
'He sure has a fun time telling everybody, hasn't he ?'
'Yeah, he kinda has.'
'You knew before I did, didn't you ?'
She just nodded.
'Did you guys plan this ? Telling me, to make sure I wouldn't end up with Buffy ?'
Again a nod.
'But I didn't like it. I just had too, I mean...I didn't think you would stay with me if I didn't.'
Xander looked at her and realised he wasn't mad at her. He sensed that she had been desperate, willing to do anything and he understood that. Spike was a bit much too handle in a situation like that. It wasn't her fault.
'I understand.'
She felt relieved at his words, but she also knew that this was it. That it was over, it could never work. Despite what she had told Spike just a couple of hours earlier. She couldn't fight this, he wouldn't let her. Cause he really did love her and he wanted more for her. And maybe it was time that she wanted more for herself too.
'It's over, isn't it ?'
Xander stood there, realising again that she was much smarter than anybody gave her credit for. He wished she was wrong, but she wasn't. It was over, he couldn't stay with her. Not like this, not with her plotting against him to keep him. And most importantly, not with Buffy always standing between them. It wasn't fair to be with her like that, she deserved better.
'Yeah, I think this is it.'
She held back the tears, there would be plenty later.
'Was I always a substitute for you ?'
He flinched when she asked him that.
'No, you were never a substitute. You gave my selfesteem, you loved me. And I loved you, I did, I do. I had forgotten about Buffy years ago, at least in the romantic way. But lately, with everything that happened...'
'She came back to haunt you, huh.'
'I guess you can say that, and maybe in the back of my head she was never gone. But you have to believe me when I tell you that I never saw you as a substitute for Buffy. I was with you because you were you.'
Somehow she believed him.
'Are you going to be with her now ?'
'No, I'm still too mad. Besides, she doesn't love me.'
Anya didn't know what to think off that.
'She does Xander, if she didn't I wouldn't have felt treatened by her.'
'She just thinks that she loves me. She needs to convince herself of the fact that she isn't attracted to Spike and I'm her security blanket.'
Anya listened to his words and the fear behind it and she knew that he needed to convince himself of the fact that Buffy didn't love him. He was afraid that if he believed and he would let her get close to him that she would eventually leave him. After all this years he still didn't believe that he could be the one that she would be happy with. But this knowledge wasn't something she could do anything with, she couldn't convince Xander that Buffy did love him. That was too much. It was bad enough that she was losing him, she didn't want to be the one to get those two together. Maybe that was selfish of her, but right now it was just not something she could do.
'Xand, I wish I could help you, really I do. But I can't. I know we are doing the right thing here, but it hurts when you talk about her. I'm sorry.'
He wanted to kick himself for being such an jerk, they were breaking up and he was talking about another girl.
'Don't be sorry, I should be the one that's sorry. I know you're not going to believe this but I'm going to miss you.'
She walked over and gave him a hug.
'I really need to get out of here now.'
He nodded. As soon as the door closed behind her she started crying. Not believing that they really just ended everything. She went back to her appartment. She needed to decide what she would do next. She needed to decide what she would do with the rest of her life now.
Sunnydale CA, Buffy's house ( 2.00 PM)
Buffy was just back from patrol and was getting ready for bed when there was a knock on the door. When she opened the door she saw Angel.
'Angel.'
'Buffy.'
Neither knew what to say next. It wasn't neccesary however, behind Angel Lorne came bursting trough the door.
'We are here to save the day sweetie.'
She blinked.
'What ?'
'We are going to make sure you and Xander will be happy together.'
Before Buffy could give an answer another voice was heard.
'Do you really think I'm going to stand by and let you two wankers fix everything ?'
Angel turned around, an amused grin on his face.
'Spike, so good to see you.'
'Yeah, can't say I missed you much.'
Angel stepped forward, punching the younger vampire unconcious. Lorne and Buffy just stood there, both there mouths open. He turned to them.
'I guess I needed to get that out of my systeem...'
tbc...