Epic

Chapter Two – Welcome Home.

It was mid-morning and Xander had been released from the hospital.  He had gone back to the old brick building to retrieve his car and was now driving it back to his apartment. As he was driving he started to look at his surrounding. The big white houses, a group of children happily playing with a dog and a couple standing outside of a shoe store with the boyfriend trying desperately to convince the girlfriend that the last thing she needs is another pair of shoes, especially ones that expensive. Everything seemed to be working in slow motion as if someone had hit a button on a remote control that controls the speed of the tape and which no one knew even existed. He stopped his car outside of the apartment, turned off the engine and just sat there for a moment. Then he slowly got out and walked the familiar steps to the familiar door. Again he hesitated but eventually he pulled his key out of his pocket and turned it in the locked. He opened the door and was confronted by Anya standing looked directly at him.

"Xander, what happened to you?" She asked as if they were already in the middle of a conversation.

"Nothing." Replied Xander.

"You didn't come home last night."

"Yeah, I was in the hospital?"

"Hospital? Where the sick people go?"

"Uh-huh."

"Are you sick?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Then why did you go to the hospital?"

"I got hit by a green light thingy."

"Green light thingy?"

"Yeah."

"What you doing getting hit by a green light thingy?"

"Saving the world."

"Why can't you let Buffy do that? She is the Slayer."

"I was just helping."

"But you get hurt when you help."

"Not all the time."

"More than the others."

"That's not true."

"It is true. I don't want you helping Buffy anymore."

"I'm sorry but I have too."

"You don't have too. She has super-human Slayer powers, you have nothing."

"I know that."

"Then what good can you do?"

"I do good."

"No you don't, you just get yourself injured and make me worry."

"Wouldn't make to make you worry, now would we?"

"Exactly."

"Maybe next time the world is about to end I should not try to stop it and go home to you and we can watch a video."

"Yes, that would be fine. But I don't want to watch any of your war movies again."

"Anya, I have something to tell you."

"What is it?"

"I…I…I have to go away."

"On vacation?"

"No, not on vacation."

"For how long?"

"I don't know."

"But the wedding is in three weeks, you will be back by then right?"

"I don't know."

"You have to be back by then. I have everything booked and the invitations have been sent out."

"I know."

"Why do you have to go now?"

"I just have too."

"Why?"

"I can't explain it."

"What do you mean you can't explain it?"

"I'm sorry, I just can't."

"But what…"

"I'm sorry but I just have to go…I'm sorry." And with that Xander left Anya standing alone in the apartment. He went down to his car, opened the door, got in and just stared out of the windscreen. Then he reached for the key, turned it and drove away.

During the course of your life you make a countless number of decisions. Most are as simple as deciding what to have on your toast, which film you should go to watch or whether that pair of trousers is worth buying. However some are a lot more important than that, some are life changing. There are two types of life changing decisions, those you know are life changing and those you don't. If you are lucky than you will know. Xander was lucky.

[End of Chapter Two]

*****

[Start of Chapter Two]

Chapter Two – Welcome Home.

It was nighttime and that made the drive home slightly dangerous. At least that would have been the case for anyone else on the road. Xander, on the other hand, could drive the route from Buffy's house to his apartment blindfolded. He had gone there to have a shower since it was closer that his place. He had intended to come straight home after that but one thing led to another and he had stayed for four hours. It was late, really late; if it were military time then there would be a lot of zeros. However Xander didn't feel tired, saving the world isn't the best thing to do before going to bed, neither is having several cups of coffee. He arrived at his building and quietly, or at least attempting something close to quietly, he made his way up to his apartment. He slowly inserted his key and turned it. Once opening the door he nearly had a heart attack at the shock of seeing Anya standing before him.

"Jesus Christ!" He shouted. "What are you trying to do? Kill me?"

"What time is it?"

"There is a clock over there."

"No, I mean what time is it?"

"There…is…a…clock…over…there."

"I though asking what time it is was how you greeted a boyfriend who doesn't get home till very late."

"Oh, you meant what time do call this?"

"So, what time do you call this?"

"Late."

"Where were you?"

"Buffy's."

"And there isn't a phone at Buffy's?"

"I'm pretty sure there is."

"And were you trapped by a bookcase?"

"Of course not."

"How about a large boulder?"

"Anya what are you talking about?"

"I just assumed that you didn't call because you were incapacitated in some way."

"I'm sorry I didn't call."

"How sorry?"

"Extremely, very, sorry. Perhaps the sorriest I have been in my entire life."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"So next time you will call?"

"Definitely."

"You're supposed to say there won't be a next time."

"I think you have been watching too many sitcoms."

"What were you doing at Buffy's?"

"Showering."

"With Buffy?"

"Of course not. How could you think such a thing?"

"Then why were you showering?"

"I was covered in dust from a collapsed building."

"Collapsed building?"

"You know that thing we were looking for?"

"Yeah."

"We found it."

"And it collapsed a building?"

"Uh-huh."

"Covering you in dust?"

"Yep."

"Which meant you went to Buffy's to wash off."

"That is what happened."

"Why couldn't you have come here to shower?"

"Buffy's is closer."

"By about five minutes."

"I don't see the problem."

"You love her, don't you?"

"What!"

"Buffy, you love her."

"Did I miss something? Because last time I checked I was marrying you."

"So, you don't love her?"

"I love you."

"Not her?"

"I don't think I can said it any clearer. I love you. I am marrying you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"Wouldn't kill you to said that every once in a while."

Xander moved in towards Anya and they kissed. After he looked her in the eyes and said, "Seriously you have got to stop watching those shows."

"So, what happened with the thing?"

"Oh, it fired some green stuff at me."

"Green stuff?"

"Green light or something."

"You were hit by it, were you?"

"No I got out of the way. In fact, it was that stuff that brought the building down."

"Which covered you in dust?"

"Oh God, not again."

[End of Chapter Two]