In the Space of a Journey
Chapter Two
The Cellar
Pulsating music can drown out many things-conversation, lyrics, frightened shouts for help in darkened corners-but after only a few minutes at The Cellar, Buffy knew it couldn't drown all the pain and fear in her heart. Pain both for, and because of Xander, and anxiety about Giles and their upcoming trip on all levels-emotional, romantic, professional... Amy yelled something to Buffy over the driving beat and strident guitar chords, but Buffy couldn't hear her.
"What?" she yelled.
"Dance?" Amy hollered back.
Buffy glanced out at the packed dance floor, and nodded. She needed to let out a little of this nervous energy. The two girls, one with long blonde hair wearing a blue dress and the other with shorter hair wearing jeans and a tank top, made their way out into the center of the floor. They danced near each other with great enthusiasm, not noticing the admiring glances they received from all over the room.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Are you going to go to the party?"
Xander looked over at his companion and sighed. "I don't know, Angel. It's not like it's really a 'party' party anyway."
Angel raised an eyebrow. "Is there a distinction?"
"Of course!" Xander filled his socially-ignorant friend in. "When Amy said 'bon voyage party' what she meant was a get together. All of us dancing our brains out at The Cellar together before most of us leave on our trip. A 'party' party is the whole deal-someone goes all out, decorations, guest list, food, etc. You might know that if you'd had more of a social life over the last hundred years!"
"I don't care if this is a 'party' party, a party, a gathering, or a barn raising... you should go," Angel said in his best "big brother knows best" voice.
Xander sighed deeply. "Buffy and I had another talk today."
"I take it that things didn't go well..."
Xander slid a glance over to the vampire-one of his best friends. But now he wasn't sure how much to say. During the whole evil-spell fiasco, Xander had figured out something very important-Angel was in love with Buffy, and had been for years. Of course, Buffy cared for Xander (or used to care for, or... Xander stopped that tangent in its tracks), and Angel had never done anything about his unrequited feelings-but the whole thing made Xander feel a bit awkward in confiding Buffy-related things to Angel.
"You can tell me, Xander. It won't bother me. But if you don't want to, you don't have to." After showing that once again, he knew just what Xander was thinking, Angel fell quiet, waiting for Xander to make his decision.
"The talk went fine for a while, and then Buffy clammed up on me," Xander confided. "I don't know what to do. I've been trying to make it all up to her for weeks now, and she just can't get past what happened with me and Sonya."
"Granted, that did tear her heart out," Angel said mildly. "That would tend to make someone gun shy."
"But it wasn't even MY FAULT!" Xander yelled in frustration. "How can I make up for something that I didn't even mean to do!"
Angel shrugged. "I don't know. Have you thought about the fact that maybe the two of you should move on?"
Xander glared at the vampire. "You're just saying that so you can..." The boy stopped himself. He knew Angel better than that. "Sorry."
"I accept the apology," Angel said, "but it's an realisitc worry, if a false one. You don't have to worry about me, Xander. There is no part of Buffy that wants me. I've looked." Angel's grin was wry. "But there's a huge chunk of her that wants you, no matter what the road blocks."
Not knowing what to say about the Buffy-Angel thing, Xander went back to the previous topic instead. "I just don't know what I should do. I don't want to move on. I want Buffy back! But the whole thing is starting to make me mad. Mad and frustrated. I just don't know what to do."
Angel was silent for a moment, and then he said, "I think you should go to The Cellar and tell Buffy all of this. She's the one you should be talking to, not me. I'll keep patrolling, give you two some extra time. If nothing happens, you're no worse off than before. And maybe something will happen this time."
Xander was silent for a minute, and then he turned and started jogging back the other direction to where he'd left his jeep. Over his shoulder he called, "Thanks, Dead Boy! Maybe you're right!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Several songs later, when the fast music stopped in favor of a slow ballad, Amy and Buffy finally left the dance floor and made their way toward the couches that were their "usual" spot. They were tired and sweaty, but smiling.
"That was fun!" Buffy said enthusiastically.
"I thought it would cheer you up," Amy replied.
As they walked over to their spot, Buffy noticed Sonya and Oz were there. "Looks like most of the gang is here," Buffy remarked, looking around the club anxiously.
"All but one, right?" Amy asked intuitively.
"Yeah," Buffy replied, "all but one."
"I'm sure he'll be here," Amy assured her.
"But I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing."
Amy pulled Buffy aside before the reached the couches. "Buffy, tell me what's going on in that head of yours. I've kept quiet and played support-o-gal because you're my best friend, and I'll always be here for you, no matter what. But I just don't understand why you and Xander aren't together again yet."
"I'm stuck," Buffy tried to explain. "I'm stuck in this mire of pain, and I don't know how to get out."
"I'm so not following." Amy waited for more explanation, and got it.
Buffy continued, "I love him so much. Being without him hurts. But whenever I let myself be with him, after a few glorious minutes all I can think about are the bad things. His betrayal, the horrible things he said about me and to me, and him and Sonya together."
"But, Buffy, it wasn't his fault," Amy said.
Buffy glared, more at the subject than at her friend. "I KNOW that! Do you think I don't tell myself that every single day, because I do! That doesn't make it any better."
"But you and Sonya are... well... better," Amy interjected.
"I know." Buffy sighed. "It was something about that link Jenny forced on us. Seeing into each other's hearts made us able to put the bad stuff behind us, mostly. Though every time I see her talking to Xander, I still get angry... and afraid."
Amy seized on the word 'afraid.' "Is that the problem? Are you afraid Xander is going to cheat on you again?"
Buffy thought about that for a minute. "Maybe that's it. Maybe I'm pushing him away because if he ever did that to me again I think I would die. If I let him in again, and he ended up breaking up with me for any reason- because I know he's not the cheating type-I just don't think I could handle a repeat of that kind of pain. It was too much. I can't go through that again, Amy. I just can't." She let out a sharp breath of air, almost a snort. "Maybe I just need massive amounts of therapy."
"Maybe you do," Amy agreed, but she smiled gently, and then pulled her friend into a hug. "I think you should try even harder to work things out with Xander because it's obvious that the two of you love each other, but it has to be up to you. If you need to talk about this, I'm always here for you. Even when you're overseas... call me collect if you need to."
"Thanks, Amy," Buffy said, returning the hug. "You're the best. And I think if I needed to talk to you that bad, Mom would let me use the calling card."
They resumed their walk over to the couches, and took seats opposite Sonya and Oz.
"Hey," Oz said.
Buffy noticed that he was sitting very close to Sonya.
"Hey, yourself," she replied, giving him a grin. Buffy decided that on the long plane ride to England, she was definitely going to sit next to Oz for a while so she could pump him about his relationship with Sonya. Given his monosyllabic nature, she realized that would be a challenge, but it would be for a worthwhile cause.
"Hi, Amy... Buffy," Sonya added.
Amy and Buffy replied with muted "Heys."
"So..." Sonya said in a nervous tone, "is this everyone that's here?"
Everyone knew who she was asking about.
"Yeah," Amy replied. "Just the four of us."
"Make that five."
Everyone turned to see Xander standing behind Sonya and Oz's couch. He was smiling, but looked nervous.
"Hi, Xander," Sonya said softly.
"Sonya," Xander replied, keeping his voice even. Then he looked at Buffy.
Buffy swallowed nervously, reading his intent for another DTR (define the relationship) talk in his eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, and she quickly blurted, "I'll be right back... thirsty." Then she practically ran toward the bar on the other side of the room. Xander watched Buffy run, feeling his cheerful facade fading with her every step. He slumped down on the couch next to Amy, not saying a word.
Amy jabbed him in the ribs. "What are you waiting for doofus! Go after her!"
Xander stared at her for a minute, and then stood up. "Maybe you're right, Amy."
"Of course, I am. Now go!"
He threaded his way through the crowded club to the bar. He spotted Buffy when he was still several yards away. He paused, trying to think of a witty opening line-or at least something that wasn't too whiney or too needy. He watched her trade a few dollars to the bartender for a tiny cup of soda. He noticed the slight movement of her throat as she swallowed. Xander had about decided to make his move when someone beat him to it. A tall guy wearing a grey trench coat. Buffy looked up at the stranger, surprised. The guy leaned forward and whispered something in her ear. Buffy let out a surprised laugh. They talked a couple more minutes. Xander couldn't tear himself away. Then the guy gestured to the door. Buffy smiled up at him, picked up her purse from the top of the bar and followed him toward the door.
"Damn it!" Xander shouted. A few people near him gave him funny looks, luckily the music was too loud for more than a few people to hear his outburst.
"She'd rather talk with complete strangers than me! I am such a sap! Why do I keep doing this?" he muttered more softly. But someone heard him.
"You look better than a sap to me..."
The tickle of warm breath on his ear made Xander jerk around to see who was whispering to him. His mental jaw dropped, though he kept enough of a hold on himself not to drop his physical jaw. He stared at the girl before him. She had sleek, mahogany brown hair that curled gently about her face and shoulders. Her skin was tanned, and her lips were dark red. Dark eye brows feathered over deep brown eyes rimmed with dark lashes. Her body was wall-proportioned, and encased in something black and skin-tight. A wide belt drew attention to her hips, just as the low-cut neckline of her cat suit and the wide collar of her jacket drew attention to her good figure. The outfit was topped off by stilleto-heeled boots. This girl was the embodiment of a 'come-hither,' sexy attitude. And it was all focused on Xander.
When she spoke again, her voice was husky. "I've been watching you, Xander."
"How do you know my name?" Xander had enough presence to ask.
"I noticed you, so I took the liberty of finding out what to call you." Her lips curled in a sexy smile. "Want to dance with me?"
"I can't..." Xander answered.
"What? Do you have a girlfriend or something? Because as far as I could tell, you've been alone all night..."
Xander glanced toward the doorway where Buffy had disappeared with Mr. Trenchcoat. Then he looked back at the woman standing in front of him. (If Buffy can do it, I can, too) he decided suddenly. (Besides, what's the harm in a dance?) It wouldn't be a slow dance-the band had already played its token slow song for this set.
"All right," Xander said aloud. "Let's dance."
The girl grabbed his arm and pulled him out to the edge of the crowded dance floor. Once there, she began to dance. She danced, or rather writhed, like she did everything else... sexily. Xander felt a bit out of his league, and didn't really try to keep up. He just moved back and forth a little, throwing in a head bob or two for good measure. He glanced over to the couches and saw Amy and Oz staring at him. Sonya was looking away. He positioned himself so his back was to them. He didn't need anymore guilt trips.
"So, Xander..." The girl moved close enough to shout in his ear. "...tell me about yourself. You look like you lead an interesting life."
Xander pulled back enough to look into her eyes, unsure how to take that remark. He did lead an interesting life, but he wasn't about to tell her why. "I'm pretty average," he answered, then he posed his own question. "What's your name? It's not fair that you know mine, while I don't know yours."
She grinned up at him, running her fingers over his chest. "Guess."
A bit uncomfortable, Xander moved back a little, and then tried to guess. "Let's see... you look like a Monica."
"Nope!" She spun around in respose to an exceptional guitar chord. "Try again."
"Uh... Lisa?" She shook her head, so he tried again. "Connie? Marie? Theresa?" But every guess found her shaking her head. Xander began to get frustrated. He stopped dancing and moved as if to leave. "Well, whoever you are, I've really got to get going..."
She grabbed his arm and wrapped it around her shoulders. Brushing her cheek against his, she talked directly into his ear. "Guess just once more? I bet you'll get it this time."
Xander pulled back a little, but she didn't let go. She was surprisingly strong for a girl that wasn't Buffy. Xander knew he could break her grip if he tried, but it would take more force that he wanted to use in public. He was tired of this guessing-game, so he picked the first weird name that came into his head. "I don't know... Petunia?"
Her face froze for a moment, and then she said, "You're right!" Her voice sounded hollowly cheerful.
"That was right?" he asked, lifting an eyebrow. "Your name is Petunia?"
Petunia leaned in close again, and said, "I told you, you'd get it this time." Then she kissed him full on the mouth.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Outside The Cellar, Buffy let the guy in the trenchcoat-he'd said his name was Todd-lead her into a darkened alley.
"So," she babbled, "I go to Sunnydale High, but I've never seen you there. I guess you go to Calvin High?"
"No..." Todd's face was turned away from her.
"The how come you're hanging out in a high school club?" Buffy asked, sneaking her hand into her purse.
Todd whipped his face back around, and-as she had suspected all along- it was now the ridged visage of a vampire. "Because of the easy pickings!" he growled, leaning for her neck.
"Maybe you should have re-thought that strategy," Buffy replied, calmly kneeing him in the groin. Todd staggared back a step, looking at her in surprise. Buffy launched a flying kick to his midsection, and when Todd was gasping in pain, she grabbed his arm and pinioned it behind his back. "I'm assuming that you're new in town, Todd, and that's why you've never heard of the Slayer? Because if not, then my reputation among the legions of undead is slipping."
Todd made an indecipherable gurgling sound. Buffy wasn't sure if it was fear or anger. Not really caring, she finshed pulling her stake out of her purse, and jabbed it into his heart. Lithely, she moved back so the falling dust didn't soil her favorite tank top.
The stake clattered to the ground. Buffy picked it up, twirled it around her fingers, and put it back in her purse. "Now that the obligatory slay is over," she said to the big pile of dust at her feet, "maybe I can go inside and actually have some fun."
She walked back into The Cellar, and over toward the place where they always sat. Buffy wondered if Xander was still there. She really ought to talk to him. Panicking didn't do either of them any good. When she got close enough to see the couches, she realized that Xander wasn't there. Oz was whispering something to Sonya, and Amy was staring, open-mouthed, at the dance floor. Slowly, Buffy looked in the direction of Amy's gaze and saw Xander kissing a strange girl in a black cat-suit barely covered by a chic, black leather jacket.
Instinctively, Buffy began to move toward them. She reached them just in time to see Xander push her away angrily and to hear him say,
"Look, Petunia, I'm not on the market for this! There's somebody else in my life..."
"Oh yeah?" the girl (Petunia?) questioned, plastering herself back onto him.
"I don't see her..."
"She's right here!" Buffy grabbed the collar of the girl's jacket and wrenched her away from Xander. "Get your hands off of him, you slut!"
"Ah," the girl said, giving her assailant a knowing gaze. "You must be Buffy."
"How do you know that?" Buffy demanded, shaking the girl a little.
"Yeah, Petunia!" Xander exclaimed. "You know too much! Who the hell are you?" Petunia shrugged. "Guess you'll both have to wait and see." With that, she disentangled herself from Buffy's grip with a smooth move and vanished into the throng of dancers. Buffy thought about following, but Xander stopped her.
"I didn't know you cared, Buffy." There was a fragile hope in his eyes as he gazed down at her.
"Obviously, I still do," Buffy replied.
"You were willing to start a cat-fight for me..."
"It was instinctive," Buffy said coldly. "I didn't realize what I was doing until I was standing there calling her a slut."
"What does this mean?" Xander asked, gently pulling her off of the dance floor so they could talk without being run over by exuberent dancers. Buffy looked up at him, tears leaking out of the corners of her eyes. She wanted nothing more than to throw herself in his arms, but there was a little voice in the back of her mind, yelling that if she did that, she was a fool. He'd just been kissing another woman. "Tell me about her."
"Who? Petunia?" Xander looked a bit embarrassed. "She asked me to dance, and then she started hitting on me. You don't think... No, Buffy, I didn't want that! The only reason I danced with her at all was that I was upset that you went off with that guy in the trenchcoat."
"He was a vampire!" Buffy exclaimed. "Nothing to be jealous of. Just doing my job."
"Well, I didn't know that!" Xander returned. "It's not like you tell me anything any more. Maybe you've decided you like going off to make out with strange men, for all I know!"
They were both getting more and more upset.
"Yeah, Xander!" Buffy said sarcastically. "I'm so hard up that I'm going to go play kissy-face with a blood-sucking fiend." She turned away, taking a few steps in the direction of the couches.
"Wait!" Xander stopped her. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. But doesn't the fact that you cared enough to come over here prove that we still have something?"
"I need to be alone. I need to think." Buffy pulled away from him. It was easier.
"You always want to be alone!" Xander yelled. "Maybe we just shouldn't even try anymore." Buffy felt her heart begin to tear, but she couldn't stop the words that followed. "Maybe you're right. And maybe you should just go find Petunia and pick up where you left off."
With that, Buffy turned her back on Xander. She saw Amy standing a few steps away.
"I'm sorry," Amy said. "I came to see if you needed any help with that skank, and I..."
"It's OK," Buffy said shortly. "Can you take me over to Giles's house? Now? I've got to patrol."
"Sure." With a sad glance back at Xander, Amy took Buffy's arm and they walked out of the club.
Chapter Two
The Cellar
Pulsating music can drown out many things-conversation, lyrics, frightened shouts for help in darkened corners-but after only a few minutes at The Cellar, Buffy knew it couldn't drown all the pain and fear in her heart. Pain both for, and because of Xander, and anxiety about Giles and their upcoming trip on all levels-emotional, romantic, professional... Amy yelled something to Buffy over the driving beat and strident guitar chords, but Buffy couldn't hear her.
"What?" she yelled.
"Dance?" Amy hollered back.
Buffy glanced out at the packed dance floor, and nodded. She needed to let out a little of this nervous energy. The two girls, one with long blonde hair wearing a blue dress and the other with shorter hair wearing jeans and a tank top, made their way out into the center of the floor. They danced near each other with great enthusiasm, not noticing the admiring glances they received from all over the room.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Are you going to go to the party?"
Xander looked over at his companion and sighed. "I don't know, Angel. It's not like it's really a 'party' party anyway."
Angel raised an eyebrow. "Is there a distinction?"
"Of course!" Xander filled his socially-ignorant friend in. "When Amy said 'bon voyage party' what she meant was a get together. All of us dancing our brains out at The Cellar together before most of us leave on our trip. A 'party' party is the whole deal-someone goes all out, decorations, guest list, food, etc. You might know that if you'd had more of a social life over the last hundred years!"
"I don't care if this is a 'party' party, a party, a gathering, or a barn raising... you should go," Angel said in his best "big brother knows best" voice.
Xander sighed deeply. "Buffy and I had another talk today."
"I take it that things didn't go well..."
Xander slid a glance over to the vampire-one of his best friends. But now he wasn't sure how much to say. During the whole evil-spell fiasco, Xander had figured out something very important-Angel was in love with Buffy, and had been for years. Of course, Buffy cared for Xander (or used to care for, or... Xander stopped that tangent in its tracks), and Angel had never done anything about his unrequited feelings-but the whole thing made Xander feel a bit awkward in confiding Buffy-related things to Angel.
"You can tell me, Xander. It won't bother me. But if you don't want to, you don't have to." After showing that once again, he knew just what Xander was thinking, Angel fell quiet, waiting for Xander to make his decision.
"The talk went fine for a while, and then Buffy clammed up on me," Xander confided. "I don't know what to do. I've been trying to make it all up to her for weeks now, and she just can't get past what happened with me and Sonya."
"Granted, that did tear her heart out," Angel said mildly. "That would tend to make someone gun shy."
"But it wasn't even MY FAULT!" Xander yelled in frustration. "How can I make up for something that I didn't even mean to do!"
Angel shrugged. "I don't know. Have you thought about the fact that maybe the two of you should move on?"
Xander glared at the vampire. "You're just saying that so you can..." The boy stopped himself. He knew Angel better than that. "Sorry."
"I accept the apology," Angel said, "but it's an realisitc worry, if a false one. You don't have to worry about me, Xander. There is no part of Buffy that wants me. I've looked." Angel's grin was wry. "But there's a huge chunk of her that wants you, no matter what the road blocks."
Not knowing what to say about the Buffy-Angel thing, Xander went back to the previous topic instead. "I just don't know what I should do. I don't want to move on. I want Buffy back! But the whole thing is starting to make me mad. Mad and frustrated. I just don't know what to do."
Angel was silent for a moment, and then he said, "I think you should go to The Cellar and tell Buffy all of this. She's the one you should be talking to, not me. I'll keep patrolling, give you two some extra time. If nothing happens, you're no worse off than before. And maybe something will happen this time."
Xander was silent for a minute, and then he turned and started jogging back the other direction to where he'd left his jeep. Over his shoulder he called, "Thanks, Dead Boy! Maybe you're right!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Several songs later, when the fast music stopped in favor of a slow ballad, Amy and Buffy finally left the dance floor and made their way toward the couches that were their "usual" spot. They were tired and sweaty, but smiling.
"That was fun!" Buffy said enthusiastically.
"I thought it would cheer you up," Amy replied.
As they walked over to their spot, Buffy noticed Sonya and Oz were there. "Looks like most of the gang is here," Buffy remarked, looking around the club anxiously.
"All but one, right?" Amy asked intuitively.
"Yeah," Buffy replied, "all but one."
"I'm sure he'll be here," Amy assured her.
"But I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing."
Amy pulled Buffy aside before the reached the couches. "Buffy, tell me what's going on in that head of yours. I've kept quiet and played support-o-gal because you're my best friend, and I'll always be here for you, no matter what. But I just don't understand why you and Xander aren't together again yet."
"I'm stuck," Buffy tried to explain. "I'm stuck in this mire of pain, and I don't know how to get out."
"I'm so not following." Amy waited for more explanation, and got it.
Buffy continued, "I love him so much. Being without him hurts. But whenever I let myself be with him, after a few glorious minutes all I can think about are the bad things. His betrayal, the horrible things he said about me and to me, and him and Sonya together."
"But, Buffy, it wasn't his fault," Amy said.
Buffy glared, more at the subject than at her friend. "I KNOW that! Do you think I don't tell myself that every single day, because I do! That doesn't make it any better."
"But you and Sonya are... well... better," Amy interjected.
"I know." Buffy sighed. "It was something about that link Jenny forced on us. Seeing into each other's hearts made us able to put the bad stuff behind us, mostly. Though every time I see her talking to Xander, I still get angry... and afraid."
Amy seized on the word 'afraid.' "Is that the problem? Are you afraid Xander is going to cheat on you again?"
Buffy thought about that for a minute. "Maybe that's it. Maybe I'm pushing him away because if he ever did that to me again I think I would die. If I let him in again, and he ended up breaking up with me for any reason- because I know he's not the cheating type-I just don't think I could handle a repeat of that kind of pain. It was too much. I can't go through that again, Amy. I just can't." She let out a sharp breath of air, almost a snort. "Maybe I just need massive amounts of therapy."
"Maybe you do," Amy agreed, but she smiled gently, and then pulled her friend into a hug. "I think you should try even harder to work things out with Xander because it's obvious that the two of you love each other, but it has to be up to you. If you need to talk about this, I'm always here for you. Even when you're overseas... call me collect if you need to."
"Thanks, Amy," Buffy said, returning the hug. "You're the best. And I think if I needed to talk to you that bad, Mom would let me use the calling card."
They resumed their walk over to the couches, and took seats opposite Sonya and Oz.
"Hey," Oz said.
Buffy noticed that he was sitting very close to Sonya.
"Hey, yourself," she replied, giving him a grin. Buffy decided that on the long plane ride to England, she was definitely going to sit next to Oz for a while so she could pump him about his relationship with Sonya. Given his monosyllabic nature, she realized that would be a challenge, but it would be for a worthwhile cause.
"Hi, Amy... Buffy," Sonya added.
Amy and Buffy replied with muted "Heys."
"So..." Sonya said in a nervous tone, "is this everyone that's here?"
Everyone knew who she was asking about.
"Yeah," Amy replied. "Just the four of us."
"Make that five."
Everyone turned to see Xander standing behind Sonya and Oz's couch. He was smiling, but looked nervous.
"Hi, Xander," Sonya said softly.
"Sonya," Xander replied, keeping his voice even. Then he looked at Buffy.
Buffy swallowed nervously, reading his intent for another DTR (define the relationship) talk in his eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, and she quickly blurted, "I'll be right back... thirsty." Then she practically ran toward the bar on the other side of the room. Xander watched Buffy run, feeling his cheerful facade fading with her every step. He slumped down on the couch next to Amy, not saying a word.
Amy jabbed him in the ribs. "What are you waiting for doofus! Go after her!"
Xander stared at her for a minute, and then stood up. "Maybe you're right, Amy."
"Of course, I am. Now go!"
He threaded his way through the crowded club to the bar. He spotted Buffy when he was still several yards away. He paused, trying to think of a witty opening line-or at least something that wasn't too whiney or too needy. He watched her trade a few dollars to the bartender for a tiny cup of soda. He noticed the slight movement of her throat as she swallowed. Xander had about decided to make his move when someone beat him to it. A tall guy wearing a grey trench coat. Buffy looked up at the stranger, surprised. The guy leaned forward and whispered something in her ear. Buffy let out a surprised laugh. They talked a couple more minutes. Xander couldn't tear himself away. Then the guy gestured to the door. Buffy smiled up at him, picked up her purse from the top of the bar and followed him toward the door.
"Damn it!" Xander shouted. A few people near him gave him funny looks, luckily the music was too loud for more than a few people to hear his outburst.
"She'd rather talk with complete strangers than me! I am such a sap! Why do I keep doing this?" he muttered more softly. But someone heard him.
"You look better than a sap to me..."
The tickle of warm breath on his ear made Xander jerk around to see who was whispering to him. His mental jaw dropped, though he kept enough of a hold on himself not to drop his physical jaw. He stared at the girl before him. She had sleek, mahogany brown hair that curled gently about her face and shoulders. Her skin was tanned, and her lips were dark red. Dark eye brows feathered over deep brown eyes rimmed with dark lashes. Her body was wall-proportioned, and encased in something black and skin-tight. A wide belt drew attention to her hips, just as the low-cut neckline of her cat suit and the wide collar of her jacket drew attention to her good figure. The outfit was topped off by stilleto-heeled boots. This girl was the embodiment of a 'come-hither,' sexy attitude. And it was all focused on Xander.
When she spoke again, her voice was husky. "I've been watching you, Xander."
"How do you know my name?" Xander had enough presence to ask.
"I noticed you, so I took the liberty of finding out what to call you." Her lips curled in a sexy smile. "Want to dance with me?"
"I can't..." Xander answered.
"What? Do you have a girlfriend or something? Because as far as I could tell, you've been alone all night..."
Xander glanced toward the doorway where Buffy had disappeared with Mr. Trenchcoat. Then he looked back at the woman standing in front of him. (If Buffy can do it, I can, too) he decided suddenly. (Besides, what's the harm in a dance?) It wouldn't be a slow dance-the band had already played its token slow song for this set.
"All right," Xander said aloud. "Let's dance."
The girl grabbed his arm and pulled him out to the edge of the crowded dance floor. Once there, she began to dance. She danced, or rather writhed, like she did everything else... sexily. Xander felt a bit out of his league, and didn't really try to keep up. He just moved back and forth a little, throwing in a head bob or two for good measure. He glanced over to the couches and saw Amy and Oz staring at him. Sonya was looking away. He positioned himself so his back was to them. He didn't need anymore guilt trips.
"So, Xander..." The girl moved close enough to shout in his ear. "...tell me about yourself. You look like you lead an interesting life."
Xander pulled back enough to look into her eyes, unsure how to take that remark. He did lead an interesting life, but he wasn't about to tell her why. "I'm pretty average," he answered, then he posed his own question. "What's your name? It's not fair that you know mine, while I don't know yours."
She grinned up at him, running her fingers over his chest. "Guess."
A bit uncomfortable, Xander moved back a little, and then tried to guess. "Let's see... you look like a Monica."
"Nope!" She spun around in respose to an exceptional guitar chord. "Try again."
"Uh... Lisa?" She shook her head, so he tried again. "Connie? Marie? Theresa?" But every guess found her shaking her head. Xander began to get frustrated. He stopped dancing and moved as if to leave. "Well, whoever you are, I've really got to get going..."
She grabbed his arm and wrapped it around her shoulders. Brushing her cheek against his, she talked directly into his ear. "Guess just once more? I bet you'll get it this time."
Xander pulled back a little, but she didn't let go. She was surprisingly strong for a girl that wasn't Buffy. Xander knew he could break her grip if he tried, but it would take more force that he wanted to use in public. He was tired of this guessing-game, so he picked the first weird name that came into his head. "I don't know... Petunia?"
Her face froze for a moment, and then she said, "You're right!" Her voice sounded hollowly cheerful.
"That was right?" he asked, lifting an eyebrow. "Your name is Petunia?"
Petunia leaned in close again, and said, "I told you, you'd get it this time." Then she kissed him full on the mouth.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Outside The Cellar, Buffy let the guy in the trenchcoat-he'd said his name was Todd-lead her into a darkened alley.
"So," she babbled, "I go to Sunnydale High, but I've never seen you there. I guess you go to Calvin High?"
"No..." Todd's face was turned away from her.
"The how come you're hanging out in a high school club?" Buffy asked, sneaking her hand into her purse.
Todd whipped his face back around, and-as she had suspected all along- it was now the ridged visage of a vampire. "Because of the easy pickings!" he growled, leaning for her neck.
"Maybe you should have re-thought that strategy," Buffy replied, calmly kneeing him in the groin. Todd staggared back a step, looking at her in surprise. Buffy launched a flying kick to his midsection, and when Todd was gasping in pain, she grabbed his arm and pinioned it behind his back. "I'm assuming that you're new in town, Todd, and that's why you've never heard of the Slayer? Because if not, then my reputation among the legions of undead is slipping."
Todd made an indecipherable gurgling sound. Buffy wasn't sure if it was fear or anger. Not really caring, she finshed pulling her stake out of her purse, and jabbed it into his heart. Lithely, she moved back so the falling dust didn't soil her favorite tank top.
The stake clattered to the ground. Buffy picked it up, twirled it around her fingers, and put it back in her purse. "Now that the obligatory slay is over," she said to the big pile of dust at her feet, "maybe I can go inside and actually have some fun."
She walked back into The Cellar, and over toward the place where they always sat. Buffy wondered if Xander was still there. She really ought to talk to him. Panicking didn't do either of them any good. When she got close enough to see the couches, she realized that Xander wasn't there. Oz was whispering something to Sonya, and Amy was staring, open-mouthed, at the dance floor. Slowly, Buffy looked in the direction of Amy's gaze and saw Xander kissing a strange girl in a black cat-suit barely covered by a chic, black leather jacket.
Instinctively, Buffy began to move toward them. She reached them just in time to see Xander push her away angrily and to hear him say,
"Look, Petunia, I'm not on the market for this! There's somebody else in my life..."
"Oh yeah?" the girl (Petunia?) questioned, plastering herself back onto him.
"I don't see her..."
"She's right here!" Buffy grabbed the collar of the girl's jacket and wrenched her away from Xander. "Get your hands off of him, you slut!"
"Ah," the girl said, giving her assailant a knowing gaze. "You must be Buffy."
"How do you know that?" Buffy demanded, shaking the girl a little.
"Yeah, Petunia!" Xander exclaimed. "You know too much! Who the hell are you?" Petunia shrugged. "Guess you'll both have to wait and see." With that, she disentangled herself from Buffy's grip with a smooth move and vanished into the throng of dancers. Buffy thought about following, but Xander stopped her.
"I didn't know you cared, Buffy." There was a fragile hope in his eyes as he gazed down at her.
"Obviously, I still do," Buffy replied.
"You were willing to start a cat-fight for me..."
"It was instinctive," Buffy said coldly. "I didn't realize what I was doing until I was standing there calling her a slut."
"What does this mean?" Xander asked, gently pulling her off of the dance floor so they could talk without being run over by exuberent dancers. Buffy looked up at him, tears leaking out of the corners of her eyes. She wanted nothing more than to throw herself in his arms, but there was a little voice in the back of her mind, yelling that if she did that, she was a fool. He'd just been kissing another woman. "Tell me about her."
"Who? Petunia?" Xander looked a bit embarrassed. "She asked me to dance, and then she started hitting on me. You don't think... No, Buffy, I didn't want that! The only reason I danced with her at all was that I was upset that you went off with that guy in the trenchcoat."
"He was a vampire!" Buffy exclaimed. "Nothing to be jealous of. Just doing my job."
"Well, I didn't know that!" Xander returned. "It's not like you tell me anything any more. Maybe you've decided you like going off to make out with strange men, for all I know!"
They were both getting more and more upset.
"Yeah, Xander!" Buffy said sarcastically. "I'm so hard up that I'm going to go play kissy-face with a blood-sucking fiend." She turned away, taking a few steps in the direction of the couches.
"Wait!" Xander stopped her. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. But doesn't the fact that you cared enough to come over here prove that we still have something?"
"I need to be alone. I need to think." Buffy pulled away from him. It was easier.
"You always want to be alone!" Xander yelled. "Maybe we just shouldn't even try anymore." Buffy felt her heart begin to tear, but she couldn't stop the words that followed. "Maybe you're right. And maybe you should just go find Petunia and pick up where you left off."
With that, Buffy turned her back on Xander. She saw Amy standing a few steps away.
"I'm sorry," Amy said. "I came to see if you needed any help with that skank, and I..."
"It's OK," Buffy said shortly. "Can you take me over to Giles's house? Now? I've got to patrol."
"Sure." With a sad glance back at Xander, Amy took Buffy's arm and they walked out of the club.