Chapter Eight: Talking About It
"Andrew!" Buffy screamed when she saw him in her room.
"I-I'm sorry," he stuttered trying not to look right at her. She had just come out of the shower and was wearing nothing but a white towel.
"What do you want?" She demanded.
"Oh, here," he opened his case and gave her a stack of about five letters. She took them.
"Is that it?"
"Oh, when you're done with those I have one more. But you have to read those first," he said. She raised her eyebrows and he sheepishly took out the other letter. Before he placed it in her hand, he said, "But, read it last." And he left.
She flipped through the letters. Each had her name scrawled out in it's sender's unique handwriting. She recognized Willow's, Dawn's, Xander's and Giles'. But there was one she didn't recognize, but knew who's it was. The one Andrew had given her with a warning. The annoying kid probably had a good reason for telling her to read it last. So, she set it aside and settled back onto her bed, and tore open the first letter.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Buffy walked into the living room of the new home she shared with Dawn, Willow, Xander and Andrew. Willow was crying on the couch as she sheepishly hid a letter. "Will?"
"Yeah?" Willow attempted to smile even though her nose and eyes were red.
"Did you, uh...," Buffy fumbled with the letter that was in her jacket pocket. "see if Dawn needed to be picked up from school" she said rushed.
"It's Saturday," Willow told her. "And it's summer."
"Oh, right." They didn't meet each other's eyes. Xander strolled in whistling, but stopped when he saw the two girls.
"Uh..."
The three friends didn't look at each other. Xander broke the ice. "How about those Mets?"
"Huh?" the girls stared at him, then burst into laughter. When they were all done laughing, Buffy said, "I guess Andrew's been playing letter-deliverer."
Willow sighed, "Guess so."
"We need to get the boy a less annoying hobby," Xander said.
The girl's nodded in agreement. But why'd he give us the letters we wrote to each other in case we died. We didn't die." Willow pointed out.
"I'm not sure," Buffy said.
"Maybe," Xander said thoughtfully. "In his own, sick, demented, Star Wars-addled brain, he thought it'd be good for us to read them. Remind us of why we're still friends."
Buffy looked down at the floor, then back up at Willow and Xander. "I love you."
"I love you too," Willow said reaching out to Buffy.
"I love you three," Xander said as he pulled the girls into his arms.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
After the tear-filled hugfest in the living room, Buffy decided to talk to Dawn. She found her sister in her small room. "Dawn?" Buffy asked knocking lightly.
"Yeah?"
Buffy walked into a demolition area. "I hope you're cleaning," Buffy said eyeing the mess. Clothes were strewn from one end to the other. Shoes littered the floor, and the bed wasn't made.
Dawn sighed, "I'm trying to decide what I still fit in. That way I have more space for when I go back to school shopping."
"Oh," Buffy bent down and picked up a short, black halter dress. "What is this? Left over from your sticky fingers days? This is way too slutty for you."
Dawn rolled her eyes, "It's yours, Buffy."
Buffy reddened, "Well, I'm a slut." She folded it and set it in her lap as she sat on Dawn's bed. "Can I talk to you?"
"Go for it," Dawn said from inside her closet.
Buffy reached into her pocket and pulled out a paper. "I read this."
"What?" Dawn stuck her head out of her closet. "You weren't supposed to."
"Yeah, well, Andrew's been pulling a Kevin Costner all day," Buffy sighed. "It was really sweet."
"Andrew was supposed to give it to you in case something... happened to me."
"Yeah, I figured."
"Did I make you cry?"
"Yes."
"Good."
Buffy laughed. "Dawn, you know..."
Dawn shook her head, "Don't. I really don't want to hear it."
"Okay." The sisters were silent for a few minutes. "Do you want some pizza?"
"Sure, pepperoni."
"I'll go order it," Buffy stood up and before she closed the door Dawn hugged her from behind.
"I love you."
"I love you more."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Buffy dried her eyes after leaving Dawn's room. She went into the kitchen to order the promised pizza. She stopped when she saw Giles sitting at the counter, drinking tea.
"Oh, Buffy," Giles set his cup down. "IS something wrong?"
"What?" Buffy said confused, but then she remembered her red eyes. "Oh, yeah. I just talked to Dawn."
"Is she all right?"
"Yeah, just a sister talk," Buffy said. She picked up the phone, hesitating before dialing. She turned back to Giles, "Have you talked to Andrew?"
"Yes," Giles sipped his mug. "Then Willow and Xander came in here blubbering like idiots."
"We had a little cry-fest too." Slayer and Watcher were quiet for a few moments. "Giles."
"hmm?"
"I meant what I wrote."
The older man smiled, "So did I."
Buffy smiled back. "Do you want some pizza?"
Giles groaned. "I suppose that was Dawn's suggestion."
"Yep."
"Fine. Pepperoni."
"Hey, Buffster, G-man, what's happening?" Xander asked as he and Willow entered the room.
"Xander, I have asked you repeatedly not to call me that," Giles said exasperated.
"We're ordering pizza. You guys want?" Buffy told them.
"Ooh! Can we get pepperoni?" Willow's eyes lit up.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
