Title: Pancakes in Seattle (Part six continued from Leaving Town)

Author: Whiskey Meteor

Rating: PG-13

Summary: The boys arrive in Seattle, and finally get to have some breakfast.

Disclaimer: Everything BtVS belongs to Joss Whedon. And yes, there really is a town in Alberta called Vulcan.

Notes: Alternate ending to "Hell's Bells". After Xander walks out on his wedding he does not come back. As far as we know, the old man really was Xander from the future.

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"How can you say that?" Andrew demanded, his face twisted in a reproachful sneer.

Xander held up his hands defensively, "Hey, calm down," he pleaded quietly.

"Calm down?" Andrew asked, "Calm down!?" He shook his head and heaved a mighty sigh, "Xander, you can't tell me that you loved Episode One and then expect me to stay calm!"

"I never said I loved it," Xander insisted, rolling his eyes, "All I said was that I didn't think it was *that* bad."

Andrew narrowed his eyes and frowned earnestly at Xander, "And you call yourself a Star Wars fan."

Xander sighed. The second day of travel hadn't gone nearly as smoothly as the first. Relaxed conversation had been replaced with irritated bickering, and comfortable silence with the escalating unease that comes with having been on a bus for two solid days. As the day had passed, Xander had resurrected his doubts over his decision to board the bus with Andrew. However, when the second night had come and Andrew laid claim to Xander's shoulder again, those doubts had slipped away. When Andrew woke in the morning- a picture of quiet innocence, yawning and stretching in his seat- Xander had watched him covertly, his heart aching at the thought of ever being without the other man. But as the morning wore on, tensions rose, and all Xander had to remind him of the peace and quiet comfort of the night was a crick in his neck and a head-shaped indent in his shoulder. He was tired of being on the bus, and tired of arguing. And knowing that they weren't even half way through their trip, Xander feared that soon he'd been tired of Andrew as well. "Can we *not* talk about this anymore?" Xander asked irritatedly.

Andrew crossed his arms over his chest and pouted, petulantly, like a child, "I'm hungry," he whined. The bus was outfitted with a small snack trolley, and the two men had been feeding themselves off of it. But you can only last so long on Kit Kats and Coke, and Andrew was starting to almost buzz with unused energy.

"We'll be in Seattle soon," Xander said, "Then we've got a few hours off of the bus- we can get some real food."

"Mmm," Andrew nodded, "Real food." He smiled at Xander conspiratorially, "I could *so* go for a burger..."

Xander grimaced, "A burger?" he asked incredulously, and glanced at his watch, "Andrew, it's eight thirty in the morning."

Andrew pouted, "So?" he retorted.

"So," Xander said, "We can't have *burgers* for breakfast."

"Well *we* don't have to," Andrew snapped, "When we get to Seattle, *I'm* going to find a burger place," he narrowed his eyes, "If you don't want one, you can eat somewhere else."

"Fine," Xander snapped, "You're annoying the hell out of me anyway."

Taken aback, Andrew gasped, and then settled back in his seat scowling quietly, "Fine," he agreed, aiming his scowl angrily at the seat back in front of him.

Xander rolled his eyes and sighed silently to himself, ~So you're gonna have to eat breakfast all alone,~ he shrugged, ~Big deal.~ Xander glanced back over at Andrew, who was working hard at maintaining his angry pout, and shook his head. Xander didn't want to eat breakfast alone. More importantly, he didn't want to eat breakfast without *Andrew*... even if he was annoying the hell out of him. Xander sighed, catching Andrew's attention, "It's just... I thought it might be nice to have pancakes," he said, "I've been craving pancakes since that morning in the hotel..." Xander paused and sighed dramatically, "But we never got to go for breakfast."

Still staring ahead, Andrew's scowl softened momentarily, but then hardened again as he turned to Xander, "I didn't mean to fall down," he retorted.

"Oh, no," Xander said, raising his hands defensively, "I know..." he shrugged, "Just like you didn't *mean* for Warren to ambush us at the hotel..."

Andrew wrinkled his nose. Thanks to the excitement of traveling, and all the arguing, he'd almost forgotten the scene in the hotel room- Xander coming to his rescue, and knocking Warren out with a chair. He probably owed Xander his life, and yet he was bickering about what to have for breakfast. Andrew gave a sideways, guilty half-frown, "...I guess pancakes would be okay..." he said.

Xander suppressed a triumphant smile. "Are you sure?" he asked with mock concern, "'Cause we don't have to eat together..." Xander frowned slightly, "I mean, it's not like you... owe me, or anything..." Xander waited, feeling only moderately guilty at his attempt to manipulate his traveling companion.

Andrew sighed, "No, it's okay," he gave in, "I don't wanna eat by myself anyway... so wherever you want to go is okay."

"Good," Xander smiled, "\I didn't want to eat by myself either."

They lapsed back into comfortable silence, patiently counting down the miles to Seattle.

* * * * *

Andrew sprang from his seat seconds after the bus hissed to a stop. Their two hour layover in Seattle had finally arrived. Andrew grasped Xander by the hand dragging him out of his seat, "Come on!" he squealed, leading the other man out of the bus and onto solid ground.

Andrew relinquished Xander's hand and they both stretched. "Ahh, it's good to be standing again," Xander sighed and fiddled with his watch, "Okay, I set the alarm on my watch to go off fifteen minutes before the bus leaves."

Andrew cocked his head to the side, "So we're free until the alarm goes off?" he asked. Xander nodded in confirmation, and Andrew jumped up and down on the spot, "We're free!" he squealed, "Free! Free! Freeeee!" Xander quirked an eyebrow, and Andrew stopped bouncing, placing his hands on his hips. "Don't look at me like that," he said crossly, "I've eaten nothing but chocolate bars and soft drinks for the last two days, I'm allowed to be hyper."

"I don't care if you're hyper," Xander said calmly, "As long as you can be hyper and help me find a place to eat at the same time."

Andrew pursed his lips thoughtfully, "Yeah," he decided, "I think I can do both." Then. suddenly pointing over Xander's shoulder, Andrew squealed again, "An IHOP!" he cried excitedly, "Pancakes!"

Xander turned to where Andrew was pointing. Sure enough, across the road from the bus depot there stood an International House of Pancakes. Looking so excited he was bordering on psychotic, Andrew seized Xander by the hand again and dragged him off towards the restaurant. Xander followed willingly.

* * * * *

Breakfast was eaten in rapt silence. With twin stacks of fluffy buttermilk pancakes, maple syrup, and fresh-squeezed orange juice in front of them, there was no room for talk.

"Pancakes truly are the food of the gods," Xander proclaimed as he polished off the last of his meal. Retiring his fork to his plate, Xander looked up at Andrew, who had also just finished eating, "I dare you to tell me a *burger* would have been better than that."

"Okay, fine," Andrew replied, licking a spot of syrup from his lips, "Pancakes are the food of the gods." He pouted, "Do you have to be right about every-," he stopped short, and his fork slipped from his hand and clattered noisily onto his empty plate. Eyes wide and bottom lip quivering, Andrew stared at a spot in the room somewhere behind Xander.

Andrew was obviously terrified, and Xander had only seen him that way once before. Xander swiveled around to where Andrew was staring, wholly expecting to see Warren crossing the restaurant to their table. But he wasn't there. Standing some ways behind them, serving another table, was a waiter. He was pale and dark haired, similar to Warren, but certainly *not* him. "Andrew, calm down, it's not-," Xander cut himself off as he turned back to Andrew- or rather to where Andrew had been moments before, where now there was only an empty seat. "Andrew?" Xander called, rising from his seat and glancing around, trying to locate his missing travel companion. Off in the corner, heading hurriedly towards the men's room, Xander caught sight of Andrew. Quickly placing a few bills on the table to cover the bill, Xander dashed off to catch up to him.

Xander reached the men's room, and pushed open the door. He could hear Andrew crying quietly, and casting a glance around the empty room, concluded that he'd locked himself into one of the stalls. "Andrew?" Xander called softly, trying the stall doors one by one. Finally encountering a locked door, Xander knocked on it, "Andrew," he called again, "Are you okay? Let me in." There was a moment of silence, and then a small click as Andrew unlocked the stall door. As the door swung open, Andrew retreated back to sit on the toilet seat, tears streaming down his cheeks. Xander joined the other man in the stall, closing and locking the door behind him. "It wasn't Warren," he started.

Andrew shook his head sadly, "I know," he said.

"You know?" Xander frowned thoughtfully, "Then why did you run away?"

Andrew stretched forward, curling his slim fingers over his knees, "I thought it was him- just for a second," he said sadly, "And- and I got scared."

Xander squatted down on the floor beside Andrew, placing a hand on the middle of his back reassuringly, "You didn't have to be scared," he said, "I wouldn't have let him hurt you."

"I know," Andrew conceded, looking up at Xander, "But... but what happens when you leave?"

Xander hesitated, he hadn't thought about that eventuality yet. Andrew was going to Vulcan for a new life- a new beginning. Xander had left to figure things out before going back to Sunnydale... but... "I'll be around for a while," Xander decided, "I won't leave until I know you're okay."

Andrew suppressed the urge to confess that he'd *never* be okay without Xander there, and merely sniffled quietly, "I was just scared that- that I'd lose this... my second chance," he said and looked up into Xander's eyes, "This means so much to me."

Xander pulled Andrew into a warm hug, stroking the young man's hair and back with a gentle hand. Pressed together like that, they felt oddly comfortable and Xander knew that if the nosy woman from the bus had been watching, she would have smiled at them knowingly. Xander pulled back, and smiled kindly at Andrew, raising a hand to smooth away a few stray tears. Feeling the perfectly soft skin of Andrew's face under his fingers again, Xander was reluctant to pull his hand away. Sensing Xander's hesitation, Andrew raised his arm and placed his hand over Xander's, holding it where it lay on his cheek. Andrew looked up through tear-wet eyelashes at Xander, and as their eyes met, both men leaned forward to meet in a kiss.

The end

To be continued...