Author's Note on this chapter: Yeah, if you don't know Enterprise this probably won't be *as* fun, but you'll still get the general idea ...
____________
"Come on in, have a seat," Xander said. "Home sweet couch."
Andrew looked around the room, holding his tupperware container of brownies in both hands. The room was ... just a room. Nondescript. A little musty. It looked as though it was one of those places that *never* got cleaned.
Andrew found himself wanting to live in it. It looked as though it suffered for serious want of occupation; it wasn't so much a home as a place that got slept in. But Xander was at Buffy's a whole lot lately.
"It's very nifty," he said.
"Well, you know what they say," Xander answered. " ... it's not much but it's home, right?"
"Right," Andrew said, sitting down on one corner of the couch. He felt awkward.
Xander squatted next to the TV and started digging through a pile of tapes. "What one do you want to watch?"
"What ones do you have?" Andrew asked.
Xander glanced over his shoulder and made a face for Andrew's benefit. "Well, lots, but I tape over the episodes that are really idiotic," he said. "So I don't have Carbon Creek or Precious Cargo."
"Okay," Andrew said. "I've only seen one or two from the beginning of the season."
"All right, we can watch Canamar," Xander decided. "That's the most recent one and I haven't seen it yet."
"Sweet," said Andrew, watching as Xander slid the tape into the VCR. "Where should I put the sustenance?"
"Oh, right, food," Xander said with a brief grin. "Just stick it on the couch," he added, sitting down on the other corner and leaving the center cushion free. "So we can both reach it."
Ten minutes later, the brownies were all gone; Andrew had had a couple, which he ate neatly, while Xander now had an endearing rim of chocolate around his mouth. They sat companionably and watched the show. Xander had all sorts of witty and sarcastic comments to make. The evening was everything that Andrew could have hoped for, really.
Well, almost everything. But he didn't dare risk saying anything. He knew Xander wouldn't be interested and would probably be completely freaked out.
"I'm tellin' ya, Cap'm, Andrew may never get another chance at true love," Commander Tucker was saying on the screen.
Andrew stared.
Captain Archer's brow furrowed with concern. "I don't know, Trip, Anya and Xander were showing some serious signs of chromosome swapping."
Andrew choked back a squeak of surprise and glanced at Xander, who didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary.
"But he'll never know for sure if he doesn't try, Cap'm ..." said Commander Tucker anxiously.
This was something that was quite special, this was only for him. No one else in the world had seen this. No one else in the world knew that Commander Tucker and Captain Archer were intimately concerned with the details of Andrew's social life.
"He's still hurting a lot after Warren and Jonathan, Trip - you know I don't like to see people hurting." The Captain was all fatherly concern in his close-up.
"But imagine if he doesn't even give it a shot! There's nothin' he'll regret more for the rest of his life! I cain't stand seein' opportunities wasted, Cap'm!" The Chief Engineer's heavy Southern accent got even thicker when he got more passionate.
Andrew found himself wondering a few minutes later, when the story had completely returned to normal - something about a ship full of convicts that wanted to escape - what the actual dialogue had been.
"I'll be back," Xander said suddenly. "Bathroom break."
"Want me to pause it?" Andrew asked.
"Good idea," said Xander, and hit pause on the remote. Then he sauntered off to the bathroom and left Andrew by himself on the couch with the empty tupperware.
Andrew let out a breath. What an evening this was turning out to be!
____________
"Come on in, have a seat," Xander said. "Home sweet couch."
Andrew looked around the room, holding his tupperware container of brownies in both hands. The room was ... just a room. Nondescript. A little musty. It looked as though it was one of those places that *never* got cleaned.
Andrew found himself wanting to live in it. It looked as though it suffered for serious want of occupation; it wasn't so much a home as a place that got slept in. But Xander was at Buffy's a whole lot lately.
"It's very nifty," he said.
"Well, you know what they say," Xander answered. " ... it's not much but it's home, right?"
"Right," Andrew said, sitting down on one corner of the couch. He felt awkward.
Xander squatted next to the TV and started digging through a pile of tapes. "What one do you want to watch?"
"What ones do you have?" Andrew asked.
Xander glanced over his shoulder and made a face for Andrew's benefit. "Well, lots, but I tape over the episodes that are really idiotic," he said. "So I don't have Carbon Creek or Precious Cargo."
"Okay," Andrew said. "I've only seen one or two from the beginning of the season."
"All right, we can watch Canamar," Xander decided. "That's the most recent one and I haven't seen it yet."
"Sweet," said Andrew, watching as Xander slid the tape into the VCR. "Where should I put the sustenance?"
"Oh, right, food," Xander said with a brief grin. "Just stick it on the couch," he added, sitting down on the other corner and leaving the center cushion free. "So we can both reach it."
Ten minutes later, the brownies were all gone; Andrew had had a couple, which he ate neatly, while Xander now had an endearing rim of chocolate around his mouth. They sat companionably and watched the show. Xander had all sorts of witty and sarcastic comments to make. The evening was everything that Andrew could have hoped for, really.
Well, almost everything. But he didn't dare risk saying anything. He knew Xander wouldn't be interested and would probably be completely freaked out.
"I'm tellin' ya, Cap'm, Andrew may never get another chance at true love," Commander Tucker was saying on the screen.
Andrew stared.
Captain Archer's brow furrowed with concern. "I don't know, Trip, Anya and Xander were showing some serious signs of chromosome swapping."
Andrew choked back a squeak of surprise and glanced at Xander, who didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary.
"But he'll never know for sure if he doesn't try, Cap'm ..." said Commander Tucker anxiously.
This was something that was quite special, this was only for him. No one else in the world had seen this. No one else in the world knew that Commander Tucker and Captain Archer were intimately concerned with the details of Andrew's social life.
"He's still hurting a lot after Warren and Jonathan, Trip - you know I don't like to see people hurting." The Captain was all fatherly concern in his close-up.
"But imagine if he doesn't even give it a shot! There's nothin' he'll regret more for the rest of his life! I cain't stand seein' opportunities wasted, Cap'm!" The Chief Engineer's heavy Southern accent got even thicker when he got more passionate.
Andrew found himself wondering a few minutes later, when the story had completely returned to normal - something about a ship full of convicts that wanted to escape - what the actual dialogue had been.
"I'll be back," Xander said suddenly. "Bathroom break."
"Want me to pause it?" Andrew asked.
"Good idea," said Xander, and hit pause on the remote. Then he sauntered off to the bathroom and left Andrew by himself on the couch with the empty tupperware.
Andrew let out a breath. What an evening this was turning out to be!
