Someone Has to Teach Them- Chapter 6
Author: PNS*
The one week anniversary came of being in the house. The newly called Slayers that Buffy had spent a year training had dispersed across the country, some across the world, with specific instructions. One was even in talks with Willow to create a Slayers Webpage, a database of sorts that slayers could use to fight demons or learn new techniques and talk to other slayers all over the world. Giles thought it was a great idea and admitted that he was slowly warming up to computers.
"Here's to us, the people who can't seem to live without each other, literally."At the small gathering Willow held up her glass of grape juice in a toast.
"There's something peculiar but oddly comforting being a house with five women and two other men, one I barely know," Xander said. His humor had grown more subdued since he lost his eye and Anya but by no means had it disappeared. It was more of a loss of edge.
"Hey, we have enough people for Real World!" Dawn seemed excited about this fact. "Well one extra, but close."
"The Real World, Hellmouth Style." Faith agreed. "I tried out for the Boston one, it didn't take. They said I was too young. But only when they saw my birth certificate." Faith smirked at the memory. "This week, on the real world...The witch fights the forces of evil and has trouble with her partner. Cos there always has to be a gay person."
"That's me. Representing the quota." Willow rolled her eyes. Her and Faith had never gotten along very well.
"I'm only saying, Red. It's a fact of MTV."
"I never watched much TV."
"It's one of the few things we were allowed to do in prison."
"Really? They let you watch TV?"
"When we were good little girls. Sometimes they would spank us and send us to bed without supper, if we were bad." Faith became defensive whenever anyone asked her about her time in prison. It was something to endure and forget. Except for the part that she would never do anything to make her go back there. She was a good girl now. A Good girl. Wood put his hand on her shoulder as a sign of support. She slunk below it, still not trusting him completely.
"Now that we are finished with the banal exchange might I suggest dinner?" Buffy threw a well aimed couch pillow at Giles.
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It was late when Buffy returned from patroling. She had gone alone tonight, wanting reprieve from the bustling and cramped house. The world was abuzz around her friends, and she was happy many of them had found jobs. It insured the fact they would be able to keep the house, despite the ridiculously high morgage and interest rate.
she didn't mind being the matriarch of the household, it was a role she had become accustomed to filling over the past two and a half years. From just Dawn to almost thirty people, she had always figured it would be the closest she came to having a family. But now, with so much help, maybe she could. The thought came to her in a quiet moment, softly. But who, and how? As if to answer her question she heard the faintest crying.
She jogged up the stairs and stopped at the landing, keening her ears. The crying seems to be coming from Xander's room. He was one of the few in the house without a roommate, and it was only because Giles refused to share a room with him. Buffy herself was bunking with Dawn. She couldn't very well complain, they shared blood.
She paused outside his door. In all the time she had known him had she ever see him cry? She couldn't remember a time off the top of her head. She had seem him hysterical, and on the verge of tears, but never crying. She hesitated to invade. But wasn't this the perfect opporutunity to see if Spike's ghost had been right? She hadn't thought about Xander in that way for a long time. The timing had never been right for them.
Buffy knocked and then barged in, before he could warn her to stay away. "Xander, it's me."
"Leave," Xander said, shielding his face from her and facing the only window in the tiny room.
"Please. Tell me what's wrong. Xander, I've never seen you cry. And frankly it scares me."
"I guess I'm not perfect," Xander tossed, sarcastically.
"That's not fair."
"of course it isn't. Nothing ever is." Had he lost so much of himself with that one eye? Buffy sad down on the bed next to him. The worn flannel shirt and the musky smell told her it was her Xander, but his actions betrayed him. This place was alien, to them both. Would touching him be a bad idea? Too soon? It was her Xander that she had known for seven years, he had brought her back from the brink of death and she couldn't even bare to touch his arm at that moment.
She brought her knees up to her chest. Wait for him to make the next move. "She's really gone. All it takes is one second. Sunnydale is really gone." Buffy could hear him chicking down the sobs next to her, trying to control his breathing. "I was just starting to like my life without her. I finally had a respectable, well paying job...Buffy, I've lost everything that mattered to me."
"What about your friends? Aren't they what matters more?" It was one thing to say it but in her heart she knew she would hesitate on saving Spike and one of her lesser friends, as she had so chosen with Wood. It sickened her. Xander grunted. At least he knew what she was feeling. It made her feel less guilty. But she knew in the end her friends would win out. They always had. But that moment of hesitation caused her grief.
Xander turned to face her. "They say nothing brings people together like tragedy." He put his hand over hers. "I guess I should tell them to cue up the sappy music."
"I don't know how to comfort you, Xander. You were always better at it than I am." Wasn't it the truth? He had always gotten to the heart of the matter and made her see what she needed to see.
"Then don't. Don't say anything." His words lost some of their edge and Buffy felt some of the chill melting, feeling his true angst. His head bent down closer to hers and she pressed her face up against his and stayed bent, the closeness to each other comfort enough.
Hadn't she been sharing a position similar so recently? It panged her to wish Xander was Spike, but how could Xander possibly understand why she wanted him to be Spike at that moment. Oh well, it didn't matter. Spike was gone. Xander lived.
Author: PNS*
The one week anniversary came of being in the house. The newly called Slayers that Buffy had spent a year training had dispersed across the country, some across the world, with specific instructions. One was even in talks with Willow to create a Slayers Webpage, a database of sorts that slayers could use to fight demons or learn new techniques and talk to other slayers all over the world. Giles thought it was a great idea and admitted that he was slowly warming up to computers.
"Here's to us, the people who can't seem to live without each other, literally."At the small gathering Willow held up her glass of grape juice in a toast.
"There's something peculiar but oddly comforting being a house with five women and two other men, one I barely know," Xander said. His humor had grown more subdued since he lost his eye and Anya but by no means had it disappeared. It was more of a loss of edge.
"Hey, we have enough people for Real World!" Dawn seemed excited about this fact. "Well one extra, but close."
"The Real World, Hellmouth Style." Faith agreed. "I tried out for the Boston one, it didn't take. They said I was too young. But only when they saw my birth certificate." Faith smirked at the memory. "This week, on the real world...The witch fights the forces of evil and has trouble with her partner. Cos there always has to be a gay person."
"That's me. Representing the quota." Willow rolled her eyes. Her and Faith had never gotten along very well.
"I'm only saying, Red. It's a fact of MTV."
"I never watched much TV."
"It's one of the few things we were allowed to do in prison."
"Really? They let you watch TV?"
"When we were good little girls. Sometimes they would spank us and send us to bed without supper, if we were bad." Faith became defensive whenever anyone asked her about her time in prison. It was something to endure and forget. Except for the part that she would never do anything to make her go back there. She was a good girl now. A Good girl. Wood put his hand on her shoulder as a sign of support. She slunk below it, still not trusting him completely.
"Now that we are finished with the banal exchange might I suggest dinner?" Buffy threw a well aimed couch pillow at Giles.
**********************************************************************
It was late when Buffy returned from patroling. She had gone alone tonight, wanting reprieve from the bustling and cramped house. The world was abuzz around her friends, and she was happy many of them had found jobs. It insured the fact they would be able to keep the house, despite the ridiculously high morgage and interest rate.
she didn't mind being the matriarch of the household, it was a role she had become accustomed to filling over the past two and a half years. From just Dawn to almost thirty people, she had always figured it would be the closest she came to having a family. But now, with so much help, maybe she could. The thought came to her in a quiet moment, softly. But who, and how? As if to answer her question she heard the faintest crying.
She jogged up the stairs and stopped at the landing, keening her ears. The crying seems to be coming from Xander's room. He was one of the few in the house without a roommate, and it was only because Giles refused to share a room with him. Buffy herself was bunking with Dawn. She couldn't very well complain, they shared blood.
She paused outside his door. In all the time she had known him had she ever see him cry? She couldn't remember a time off the top of her head. She had seem him hysterical, and on the verge of tears, but never crying. She hesitated to invade. But wasn't this the perfect opporutunity to see if Spike's ghost had been right? She hadn't thought about Xander in that way for a long time. The timing had never been right for them.
Buffy knocked and then barged in, before he could warn her to stay away. "Xander, it's me."
"Leave," Xander said, shielding his face from her and facing the only window in the tiny room.
"Please. Tell me what's wrong. Xander, I've never seen you cry. And frankly it scares me."
"I guess I'm not perfect," Xander tossed, sarcastically.
"That's not fair."
"of course it isn't. Nothing ever is." Had he lost so much of himself with that one eye? Buffy sad down on the bed next to him. The worn flannel shirt and the musky smell told her it was her Xander, but his actions betrayed him. This place was alien, to them both. Would touching him be a bad idea? Too soon? It was her Xander that she had known for seven years, he had brought her back from the brink of death and she couldn't even bare to touch his arm at that moment.
She brought her knees up to her chest. Wait for him to make the next move. "She's really gone. All it takes is one second. Sunnydale is really gone." Buffy could hear him chicking down the sobs next to her, trying to control his breathing. "I was just starting to like my life without her. I finally had a respectable, well paying job...Buffy, I've lost everything that mattered to me."
"What about your friends? Aren't they what matters more?" It was one thing to say it but in her heart she knew she would hesitate on saving Spike and one of her lesser friends, as she had so chosen with Wood. It sickened her. Xander grunted. At least he knew what she was feeling. It made her feel less guilty. But she knew in the end her friends would win out. They always had. But that moment of hesitation caused her grief.
Xander turned to face her. "They say nothing brings people together like tragedy." He put his hand over hers. "I guess I should tell them to cue up the sappy music."
"I don't know how to comfort you, Xander. You were always better at it than I am." Wasn't it the truth? He had always gotten to the heart of the matter and made her see what she needed to see.
"Then don't. Don't say anything." His words lost some of their edge and Buffy felt some of the chill melting, feeling his true angst. His head bent down closer to hers and she pressed her face up against his and stayed bent, the closeness to each other comfort enough.
Hadn't she been sharing a position similar so recently? It panged her to wish Xander was Spike, but how could Xander possibly understand why she wanted him to be Spike at that moment. Oh well, it didn't matter. Spike was gone. Xander lived.