"So, what movie did the Buffinator pick?" Xander asked as they got to
Giles's.
"I'm surprised it took you this long to ask," she said.
"Well, you gotta understand that I trust you with important decisions like these, so I decided to wait until it seemed like my asking would be mere idle curiosity, and not an inherent disbelief in your film-picking skills."
"You are truly a gentleman."
"I know. Weird, huh? So, what'd ya get?"
"Well, it was a very hard choice. You see, I wanted to make sure I got a good movie, one that is both funny, and serious. And I'm a little in the mood for some romance."
"Romance?" Xander whined. "Buffy, and I trusted you!"
"I know," she said. "And I knew that you are also involved, so I wanted something with adventure, action."
"Action?"
"Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles. . . " Buffy said, in her best 'old man' voice, which really wasn't very good.
"That sounds really familiar. Why does that sound really familiar?"
"It's from the Princess Bride."
"Okay, that sounds like a chick flick."
"That sounds like. . . Alexander Harris, do you mean to tell me that you have never seen The Princess Bride?" Buffy asked, almost yelling.
Xander shied away from her. "Umm. . . should I not be telling you that?"
"How would you feel if I said I hadn't seen Star Wars?"
"Whoa. . . okay, it may be serious, but it's not that serious."
"Just wait until you see it! Was Willow really that deficient in your education?"
"Well. . . no, not exactly."
"What do you mean 'not exactly'?"
"Well, she tried to get me to watch it that one time, but. . . "
"But. . . " Buffy prompted.
"But I fell asleep?"
Buffy smacked his arm. "Well that's it. We are going inside and sitting on that couch and you are going to watch this movie, because your education is not complete until you have seen it."
"But, it sounds so. . . girly!"
Buffy just glared at him.
"Okay, okay, I'll watch your movie."
* * * * *
Approximately 98 minutes later
Xander was pacing around in Giles's living room as the tape rewound, while Buffy sat back, watching him amusedly.
"Buffy, this is like one of the greatest movies ever!"
"I know."
"It is in no way a chick flick!"
"I know."
"Oh man! What have I been missing? My life has been incomplete!"
"I know."
Xander sat down and hugged Buffy to him tightly.
"Thank you. I shall never doubt your movie-picking abilities ever again."
"Good," she said, hugging him back.
"Hey Buff? Do you think. . . " he trailed off.
"Do I think what?"
"Well. . . could we watch it again?"
Buffy laughed. "Sure," she said. "But I'm getting kind of tired, so you might be called into pillow duty."
"It would be my pleasure to be your pillow," he said, smiling and grabbing the remote.
"Scoot over," Buffy said. Xander moved towards the far end of the couch. Buffy followed him, stretching out her legs and nuzzling up against his shoulder as he put his arm around her. "Mmm," she said. "Comfy."
Xander gazed down at her for a moment, a content smile appearing on his face. 'She is so beautiful. . . '
"You ready to start the movie, Buff?"
"Mmm. . . you start," she said, slowly drifting away. "Me sleep. . . you stay. . . ." She started to quietly snore. Xander sat and listened to her for a minute. 'My God. She even has a cute snore. I'm doomed.'
Xander pressed play on the remote control and let Buffy slip away from him a little bit.
"Mmm. . . " she muttered, still sleeping. "Closer. . . "
Xander pulled her back towards him. "As you wish," he whispered, and settled back to watch the movie again.
* * * * *
Buffy woke up to voices speaking behind her, and Xander's arm wrapped around her. She was so comfortable that she quickly drifted back to sleep, entirely missing the conversation behind her.
"Because I don't think it is something that can be forced!" Giles whispered urgently.
"Giles, I know that things like this can't be forced, but don't you think that knowing. . . something. . . might help?" asked Willow.
"No, Willow, I don't. The pure stubbornness that could result might throw off everything!"
"I think he's right," said Oz.
"But -"
"Willow, I know you only wish for them to be happy. God knows it's what I want, too. But we must remember a few things. First, and most importantly, love, however completely obvious it may be to the rest of us, cannot be rushed. Especially where those two are concerned. Second, we must consider their reaction to hearing such a thing. Neither Buffy nor Xander have ever enjoyed being told what to do. Finally, the last time those two got together on a prophecy, the only book of prophecy that had been deemed completely accurate was, for all intents and purposes, discredited! While the consequences of thwarting that particular prophecy were without a doubt for the best, the consequences of this one not coming true could be disastrous!"
"But, Giles, Buffy did die, just like the Codex foretold," said Willow.
"Oh, that's rubbish, and you know it as well as I do. Buffy was supposed to stay dead that night, and only Xander's intervention changed things. The Slayer spirit moved on to Kendra, and then to Faith. Buffy's being here is a miracle."
The conversation stopped for a minute while they let all of that seep in.
"So, what do we do?" asked Oz.
Willow got a gleam in her eye, and gave her best approximation of an evil smile. "We meddle."
* * * * *
Xander woke with a start, not knowing quite where he was. Feeling a stirring next to him, he looked and saw a very groggy Slayer just starting to wake up. Shaking his head to clear his mind of the inevitable cobwebs, Xander stretched his arms out, yawning fairly loudly, then softly placed his arm back on Buffy.
"Good morning," Giles said from the table behind him.
Xander turned his head around. "Hey, Giles."
"Did you sleep well?"
"Yeah, slept great," Xander said, as Buffy woke up some more and looked around.
"Xan?" she asked. 'Mmm. . . this feels right. . . '
"Yeah, Buff?"
"Where am I?"
"Giles's couch. Remember? Last night? Movie? You fell asleep?"
"Oh. Okay." She looked up at him and smiled. "Sorry, didn't mean to keep you from going to bed."
"Don't worry about it," he said, smiling back at her. "It's not every day you get to say you slept with a hottie."
Buffy blushed and turned away from him. 'I love his smile. . . . And. . . him?' she sighed inwardly. 'I can't deal with this right now.'
"There are some donuts here, if you two wish. Willow and Oz stopped by for a few minutes earlier."
"Oooh," said Xander. "Jelly?"
"There are a few left, yes."
"What do ya say, Buff? Up for some jelly-filled goodness?"
"Actually," said Buffy, standing up and stretching, "I think I'm gonna go home. Home home, I mean, not dorm home. I haven't seen Mom in like a week."
"Okay," said Xander. "You know, I just realized something?"
"What's that?" asked Buffy.
Xander grinned. "I haven't seen Willy since I've been back."
Buffy smacked her forehead. "I can't believe we haven't talked to Willy yet. Giles, why haven't we talked to Willy yet?"
"Um. . . I'm not quite certain," said Giles. "Didn't think of it I suppose. Why don't the two of you talk to him later on today?"
"Sure thing, G-man. We'll get right on that."
"Bye guys," said Buffy. "Call ya later for patrol?"
"Sure," said Xander standing up and stretching again.
'I love the way he. . . ' Buffy thought. 'Crap. I do. And he doesn't think of me like that. Not anymore. . . '
Shaking her head, Buffy shut the door to Giles's apartment as she left.
"So," said Giles, smiling. "Did you have a nice night?"
Xander grinned. "Oh man, you don't even know. That was like the best night I've had in. . . well, kinda forever."
"What movie did the two of you watch?"
"The Princess Bride," Xander said, sitting down across from Giles and grabbing a donut. "I hadn't seen it."
"You what? How is that possible?"
Xander sighed. "I fell asleep last time Willow tried to get me to watch it. I thought it was going to be a girly movie!"
"Xander. . . " Giles sighed, shaking his head. "Well. At least your education has been improved somewhat now. For heaven's sake, that movie's a classic."
"Well, I've seen it now! And shouldn't we be more worried about this end of the world guy, than about my movie viewing habits?"
"I'm not sure. Does Willow know you slept through it last time? She might kill you just for that."
Xander glared at the older man.
"Right. Well, nothing obvious from recent research, nothing specific anyway. We have found that the ritual must take place in a place of worship, so Oz and Willow are currently looking at some possible sites near the Hellmouth. I suppose Willy really is our best chance of finding this demon before it's too late, though."
"Yeah. . . hey, Giles, I've been thinking."
"You still do that?"
"Ha. Ha. Ha."
"Sorry," Giles said, smiling. "What about?"
"Faith."
"Ah. And?"
"Well. . . the prophecy Oz found, the one that described my. . . powers, or whatever. I was thinking, well. . . They might be able to help. The healing powers? With Faith, I mean."
"I see. You may well be right, that they could help her. . . but the question is, should we?"
"I know. And I've been thinking about that, especially about what Buffy said, about Faith telling her stuff. . . well, while she was in the coma. And that Faith seemed willing to help, and I thought, if that's true, then maybe we could. . . I don't know, reach out to her, or something. She's had a rough life, and made some bad choices. . . horrible choices. But I can't help but feel that. . . with the nature of my powers, I shouldn't just be about killing demons, but also helping people."
"I see. Well, the idea is not without merit, certainly. We shall have to talk to the others, first, of course."
"I know," said Xander. "I just thought it was worth thinking about. I'm gonna go shower, then maybe read up on myself a little more."
* * * * *
"Mom? You here?"
"Upstairs honey!"
Buffy climbed the stairs to find her mother in her bedroom.
"Hi, Mom," she said, giving her mother a hug.
"Hi sweetie. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Just missed you is all. Whatcha doin'?"
"I'm going over some inventory for the gallery," Joyce said, indicating the papers strewn over her bed.
"Sounds like fun," Buffy said, sarcastically.
"You have no idea. So, what's going on in the world of the Slayer?"
"Same old same old," Buffy said. "Actually, it's been really quiet here ever since graduation. Nary a vampire or demon in sight."
"Well, that's good," said Joyce. "You deserve some time off."
"Yeah. And also, we can handle more than we used to, now that Xander's back."
"Xander? He makes that big a difference?"
"Yeah, he does now. I mean, he's always helped. . . I wouldn't even be alive if not for him, actually. Come to think of it, I don't think any of us would. He's always been there at just the right time, you know?" Buffy said. 'He's always been there for me. . . ' she thought, frowning.
"This is a bad thing?" Joyce asked, misinterpreting her daughter's expression.
"What? Oh! No, I was just thinking about something. Um, so, yeah, so Xan came back from his road trip all. . . I don't know. . . power-y."
"Power-y?"
Buffy nodded. "He got like. . . fighting skills. Real fighting. And this cool shield thing that makes him stronger. Apparently, he's some sort of 'White Knight' or something."
"White Knight, huh?" Joyce said, thinking for a second. "That doesn't sound too far off."
"It's cool, and he's been working out, too, so he's in really good shape."
"That's great. So why don't you look happy?"
"Well. . . he kind of got kicked out of his house."
"Oh, that's horrible. What happened?"
"Well, it's not so much got kicked out, as he got back and his parents didn't live there anymore. They just left. I can't believe they just left him! They didn't tell him or anything," she said, starting to tear up a little. "They just left."
"Oh, honey," Joyce said, moving to embrace her daughter. "How is he holding up?"
"He seems to be doing fine," she said. "And I think that's the worst thing. His parents abandoned him, and he's fine with it, he's actually happy about it! And he's so sweet, and caring, and I just. . . if they were that bad to him, that he doesn't even care, how did he turn out so great?"
Joyce smiled at her daughter. "I don't know, honey. But he is a fine young man."
"The best. Mom?"
"Yes, dear?"
"If you ever decide to move, you'll tell me, right?"
"Oh, honey, I would never leave without talking to you about it!"
"Kay," Buffy said, giving her mom another hug.
"You like him, huh?" Joyce asked her daughter.
"Who, Xander? Of course I like him, Mom. He's one of my best friends."
Joyce smiled at her daughter. "Honey, that's not what I meant."
"Oh," said Buffy, confused. "Then what did you - OH! Mom! I. . . well, that's not. . . he's my Xander-shaped friend. I can't like him like that."
"Why not? I mean. . . it's a nice shape. . . " Joyce said.
"Mother! You can't like him like that, either! Ewww!"
Joyce laughed. "Buffy, calm down. I don't like him like that, but I'm not so old that I can't find the. . . male form pleasing to the eye."
"Mom!"
"Well, I'm sorry, honey, but Xander is an attractive young man."
"I cannot believe I'm having this discussion with you."
"Well then, we can stop talking about how Xander looks."
"Good."
"And start talking about why you like him."
"Mom!"
"What? Why is it that you think you can't like Xander like that?"
"Because. . . he's. . . Xander. He's my friend. Besides, even if I did like him, he doesn't like me back."
"Buffy, I sincerely hope I didn't raise a daughter this stupid."
"WHAT?!"
"That is the worst reasoning I've ever heard! 'Oh, I can't like him because he's my friend, and he might not like me.' You're the Slayer, and you're afraid of liking a boy because he might not like you back?"
"I. . . no! I never said I liked him!"
Joyce glanced at her daughter, disbelievingly.
"Okay, fine. So maybe there's a possibility that there's a chance I might think about having some sort of feeling for Xander that's more than just friendship. But that doesn't mean that anything's going to come of it."
"Sissy."
"Mom!"
"Honey, Willow told me a story once, about a fine young man who liked this girl. Now, these two young people were friends, but the young man wanted more than that. He wanted to dance with her."
Buffy's eyes went wide when she realized the story her mother was telling her.
"Now, the young man realized that there was a ball coming up soon, and decided it would be a perfect time to tell the girl how he felt. So he told her that he wanted to dance with her.
"The girl wasn't quite sure what to say, because she was comfortable with their friendship, and didn't want to hurt the young man's feelings. She tried to stammer out a response, and the young man said 'Either you feel a certain way, or you don't.' And the girl said, 'I'm sorry, but I don't.'
"Now, the young man was quite hurt by this, so he went home and listened to some country music. But soon after this, he found out that the girl was in trouble. Despite everybody else telling him he couldn't help her, he was determined to try. So he went to another young. . . well, not so young man, who was competing with him for the girl's affections. He forced the man to assist him, and together they followed the girl to help her out.
"They came upon the girl, and she had drowned. So this young man performed CPR on her. He saved her, brought her back from the dead. So soon after having his heart broken, he risked life and limb to save the girl who had broken it. And the two young people became best friends, and remain so to this day."
"Mom?" Buffy asked.
"Yes, dear?"
"I know this story."
"I know you do, honey."
"What was the point of this story? Just because he liked me then doesn't mean anything now." 'There's something else there, too. . . that doesn't quite sound right.'
"I know honey, but that's not the point."
"So what is the point then?"
"You hurt him, Buffy. Pretty bad, but you're still best friends, right?"
"Yeah. . . ."
"Xander loves you, even if as nothing more than a friend. He would never let anything get in the way of that. You shouldn't be afraid to tell him how you feel, because he would never do anything to hurt you."
"Mom?"
"Yes?"
"I think. . . " Buffy paused, then started again, more quietly. "I think I'm falling in love with him."
"You're WHAT?"
"Mom! I thought you were okay with it!"
"Well. . . I. . . . Honey, I. . . this is a lot to. . . you mean you've been denying you like him, when the whole time you were falling in love with him?"
Buffy nodded, a look of fear on her face.
Joyce sighed. "It's not that I don't approve, or am not okay with it. You just shifted gears so quickly there. It's a lot for a mother to take in, is all."
"What did you mean, forced?" Buffy asked, suddenly realizing what bugged her about the story.
"What?" Joyce asked confused.
"When you were telling the story. You said Xander forced Angel to help him. What did you mean?"
"Oh. Well, I don't know, really. That's what Willow told me, she really didn't go into detail."
"And you didn't ASK?"
"I was more concerned with you dying!"
"I guess I'll just have to ask Willow, then," Buffy sighed. "No, I can't do that, then she'll know I like Xander, and she'll tell him!"
"Buffy. . . "
"Maybe Giles will know. Oh, but Xander probably wouldn't have told him."
"Buffy."
"Maybe Willow told Oz. . . Wait, what if Willow doesn't know any more than you do?"
"Buffy!"
"What?"
"Well, if you really want to know. . . then there are only two people who know exactly what happened."
"I can't ask them!"
"Buffy, you're being immature, here, I think."
"I know! Giles!"
"I thought you ruled him out?"
"I did. But *he* can call Angel and find out what happened."
"And you don't think that will tip Giles off? Or Angel?"
"I. . . "
"Buffy, just ask Xander!"
"No! Because I know him. He won't tell me, he doesn't like to be in the spotlight."
"So then ask Angel yourself."
"I. . . "
"Buffy, if you want to know. . . "
"Fine. I'll just. . . go get his number from Giles."
"You don't have to. I have it."
"He called YOU? You and Giles? What is this, ignore Buffy month?"
"No, sweetie, Rupert gave me Angel's phone number. He thought you might eventually want it, and that it might be easier for you to ask me, instead of him. And why do you care? I thought you love Xander now."
"I do!" Buffy said. "But. . . that doesn't mean I don't care. . . "
Joyce smiled at her daughter. "Okay. Here, let me find his number."
----------
End Chapter 7
"I'm surprised it took you this long to ask," she said.
"Well, you gotta understand that I trust you with important decisions like these, so I decided to wait until it seemed like my asking would be mere idle curiosity, and not an inherent disbelief in your film-picking skills."
"You are truly a gentleman."
"I know. Weird, huh? So, what'd ya get?"
"Well, it was a very hard choice. You see, I wanted to make sure I got a good movie, one that is both funny, and serious. And I'm a little in the mood for some romance."
"Romance?" Xander whined. "Buffy, and I trusted you!"
"I know," she said. "And I knew that you are also involved, so I wanted something with adventure, action."
"Action?"
"Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles. . . " Buffy said, in her best 'old man' voice, which really wasn't very good.
"That sounds really familiar. Why does that sound really familiar?"
"It's from the Princess Bride."
"Okay, that sounds like a chick flick."
"That sounds like. . . Alexander Harris, do you mean to tell me that you have never seen The Princess Bride?" Buffy asked, almost yelling.
Xander shied away from her. "Umm. . . should I not be telling you that?"
"How would you feel if I said I hadn't seen Star Wars?"
"Whoa. . . okay, it may be serious, but it's not that serious."
"Just wait until you see it! Was Willow really that deficient in your education?"
"Well. . . no, not exactly."
"What do you mean 'not exactly'?"
"Well, she tried to get me to watch it that one time, but. . . "
"But. . . " Buffy prompted.
"But I fell asleep?"
Buffy smacked his arm. "Well that's it. We are going inside and sitting on that couch and you are going to watch this movie, because your education is not complete until you have seen it."
"But, it sounds so. . . girly!"
Buffy just glared at him.
"Okay, okay, I'll watch your movie."
* * * * *
Approximately 98 minutes later
Xander was pacing around in Giles's living room as the tape rewound, while Buffy sat back, watching him amusedly.
"Buffy, this is like one of the greatest movies ever!"
"I know."
"It is in no way a chick flick!"
"I know."
"Oh man! What have I been missing? My life has been incomplete!"
"I know."
Xander sat down and hugged Buffy to him tightly.
"Thank you. I shall never doubt your movie-picking abilities ever again."
"Good," she said, hugging him back.
"Hey Buff? Do you think. . . " he trailed off.
"Do I think what?"
"Well. . . could we watch it again?"
Buffy laughed. "Sure," she said. "But I'm getting kind of tired, so you might be called into pillow duty."
"It would be my pleasure to be your pillow," he said, smiling and grabbing the remote.
"Scoot over," Buffy said. Xander moved towards the far end of the couch. Buffy followed him, stretching out her legs and nuzzling up against his shoulder as he put his arm around her. "Mmm," she said. "Comfy."
Xander gazed down at her for a moment, a content smile appearing on his face. 'She is so beautiful. . . '
"You ready to start the movie, Buff?"
"Mmm. . . you start," she said, slowly drifting away. "Me sleep. . . you stay. . . ." She started to quietly snore. Xander sat and listened to her for a minute. 'My God. She even has a cute snore. I'm doomed.'
Xander pressed play on the remote control and let Buffy slip away from him a little bit.
"Mmm. . . " she muttered, still sleeping. "Closer. . . "
Xander pulled her back towards him. "As you wish," he whispered, and settled back to watch the movie again.
* * * * *
Buffy woke up to voices speaking behind her, and Xander's arm wrapped around her. She was so comfortable that she quickly drifted back to sleep, entirely missing the conversation behind her.
"Because I don't think it is something that can be forced!" Giles whispered urgently.
"Giles, I know that things like this can't be forced, but don't you think that knowing. . . something. . . might help?" asked Willow.
"No, Willow, I don't. The pure stubbornness that could result might throw off everything!"
"I think he's right," said Oz.
"But -"
"Willow, I know you only wish for them to be happy. God knows it's what I want, too. But we must remember a few things. First, and most importantly, love, however completely obvious it may be to the rest of us, cannot be rushed. Especially where those two are concerned. Second, we must consider their reaction to hearing such a thing. Neither Buffy nor Xander have ever enjoyed being told what to do. Finally, the last time those two got together on a prophecy, the only book of prophecy that had been deemed completely accurate was, for all intents and purposes, discredited! While the consequences of thwarting that particular prophecy were without a doubt for the best, the consequences of this one not coming true could be disastrous!"
"But, Giles, Buffy did die, just like the Codex foretold," said Willow.
"Oh, that's rubbish, and you know it as well as I do. Buffy was supposed to stay dead that night, and only Xander's intervention changed things. The Slayer spirit moved on to Kendra, and then to Faith. Buffy's being here is a miracle."
The conversation stopped for a minute while they let all of that seep in.
"So, what do we do?" asked Oz.
Willow got a gleam in her eye, and gave her best approximation of an evil smile. "We meddle."
* * * * *
Xander woke with a start, not knowing quite where he was. Feeling a stirring next to him, he looked and saw a very groggy Slayer just starting to wake up. Shaking his head to clear his mind of the inevitable cobwebs, Xander stretched his arms out, yawning fairly loudly, then softly placed his arm back on Buffy.
"Good morning," Giles said from the table behind him.
Xander turned his head around. "Hey, Giles."
"Did you sleep well?"
"Yeah, slept great," Xander said, as Buffy woke up some more and looked around.
"Xan?" she asked. 'Mmm. . . this feels right. . . '
"Yeah, Buff?"
"Where am I?"
"Giles's couch. Remember? Last night? Movie? You fell asleep?"
"Oh. Okay." She looked up at him and smiled. "Sorry, didn't mean to keep you from going to bed."
"Don't worry about it," he said, smiling back at her. "It's not every day you get to say you slept with a hottie."
Buffy blushed and turned away from him. 'I love his smile. . . . And. . . him?' she sighed inwardly. 'I can't deal with this right now.'
"There are some donuts here, if you two wish. Willow and Oz stopped by for a few minutes earlier."
"Oooh," said Xander. "Jelly?"
"There are a few left, yes."
"What do ya say, Buff? Up for some jelly-filled goodness?"
"Actually," said Buffy, standing up and stretching, "I think I'm gonna go home. Home home, I mean, not dorm home. I haven't seen Mom in like a week."
"Okay," said Xander. "You know, I just realized something?"
"What's that?" asked Buffy.
Xander grinned. "I haven't seen Willy since I've been back."
Buffy smacked her forehead. "I can't believe we haven't talked to Willy yet. Giles, why haven't we talked to Willy yet?"
"Um. . . I'm not quite certain," said Giles. "Didn't think of it I suppose. Why don't the two of you talk to him later on today?"
"Sure thing, G-man. We'll get right on that."
"Bye guys," said Buffy. "Call ya later for patrol?"
"Sure," said Xander standing up and stretching again.
'I love the way he. . . ' Buffy thought. 'Crap. I do. And he doesn't think of me like that. Not anymore. . . '
Shaking her head, Buffy shut the door to Giles's apartment as she left.
"So," said Giles, smiling. "Did you have a nice night?"
Xander grinned. "Oh man, you don't even know. That was like the best night I've had in. . . well, kinda forever."
"What movie did the two of you watch?"
"The Princess Bride," Xander said, sitting down across from Giles and grabbing a donut. "I hadn't seen it."
"You what? How is that possible?"
Xander sighed. "I fell asleep last time Willow tried to get me to watch it. I thought it was going to be a girly movie!"
"Xander. . . " Giles sighed, shaking his head. "Well. At least your education has been improved somewhat now. For heaven's sake, that movie's a classic."
"Well, I've seen it now! And shouldn't we be more worried about this end of the world guy, than about my movie viewing habits?"
"I'm not sure. Does Willow know you slept through it last time? She might kill you just for that."
Xander glared at the older man.
"Right. Well, nothing obvious from recent research, nothing specific anyway. We have found that the ritual must take place in a place of worship, so Oz and Willow are currently looking at some possible sites near the Hellmouth. I suppose Willy really is our best chance of finding this demon before it's too late, though."
"Yeah. . . hey, Giles, I've been thinking."
"You still do that?"
"Ha. Ha. Ha."
"Sorry," Giles said, smiling. "What about?"
"Faith."
"Ah. And?"
"Well. . . the prophecy Oz found, the one that described my. . . powers, or whatever. I was thinking, well. . . They might be able to help. The healing powers? With Faith, I mean."
"I see. You may well be right, that they could help her. . . but the question is, should we?"
"I know. And I've been thinking about that, especially about what Buffy said, about Faith telling her stuff. . . well, while she was in the coma. And that Faith seemed willing to help, and I thought, if that's true, then maybe we could. . . I don't know, reach out to her, or something. She's had a rough life, and made some bad choices. . . horrible choices. But I can't help but feel that. . . with the nature of my powers, I shouldn't just be about killing demons, but also helping people."
"I see. Well, the idea is not without merit, certainly. We shall have to talk to the others, first, of course."
"I know," said Xander. "I just thought it was worth thinking about. I'm gonna go shower, then maybe read up on myself a little more."
* * * * *
"Mom? You here?"
"Upstairs honey!"
Buffy climbed the stairs to find her mother in her bedroom.
"Hi, Mom," she said, giving her mother a hug.
"Hi sweetie. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Just missed you is all. Whatcha doin'?"
"I'm going over some inventory for the gallery," Joyce said, indicating the papers strewn over her bed.
"Sounds like fun," Buffy said, sarcastically.
"You have no idea. So, what's going on in the world of the Slayer?"
"Same old same old," Buffy said. "Actually, it's been really quiet here ever since graduation. Nary a vampire or demon in sight."
"Well, that's good," said Joyce. "You deserve some time off."
"Yeah. And also, we can handle more than we used to, now that Xander's back."
"Xander? He makes that big a difference?"
"Yeah, he does now. I mean, he's always helped. . . I wouldn't even be alive if not for him, actually. Come to think of it, I don't think any of us would. He's always been there at just the right time, you know?" Buffy said. 'He's always been there for me. . . ' she thought, frowning.
"This is a bad thing?" Joyce asked, misinterpreting her daughter's expression.
"What? Oh! No, I was just thinking about something. Um, so, yeah, so Xan came back from his road trip all. . . I don't know. . . power-y."
"Power-y?"
Buffy nodded. "He got like. . . fighting skills. Real fighting. And this cool shield thing that makes him stronger. Apparently, he's some sort of 'White Knight' or something."
"White Knight, huh?" Joyce said, thinking for a second. "That doesn't sound too far off."
"It's cool, and he's been working out, too, so he's in really good shape."
"That's great. So why don't you look happy?"
"Well. . . he kind of got kicked out of his house."
"Oh, that's horrible. What happened?"
"Well, it's not so much got kicked out, as he got back and his parents didn't live there anymore. They just left. I can't believe they just left him! They didn't tell him or anything," she said, starting to tear up a little. "They just left."
"Oh, honey," Joyce said, moving to embrace her daughter. "How is he holding up?"
"He seems to be doing fine," she said. "And I think that's the worst thing. His parents abandoned him, and he's fine with it, he's actually happy about it! And he's so sweet, and caring, and I just. . . if they were that bad to him, that he doesn't even care, how did he turn out so great?"
Joyce smiled at her daughter. "I don't know, honey. But he is a fine young man."
"The best. Mom?"
"Yes, dear?"
"If you ever decide to move, you'll tell me, right?"
"Oh, honey, I would never leave without talking to you about it!"
"Kay," Buffy said, giving her mom another hug.
"You like him, huh?" Joyce asked her daughter.
"Who, Xander? Of course I like him, Mom. He's one of my best friends."
Joyce smiled at her daughter. "Honey, that's not what I meant."
"Oh," said Buffy, confused. "Then what did you - OH! Mom! I. . . well, that's not. . . he's my Xander-shaped friend. I can't like him like that."
"Why not? I mean. . . it's a nice shape. . . " Joyce said.
"Mother! You can't like him like that, either! Ewww!"
Joyce laughed. "Buffy, calm down. I don't like him like that, but I'm not so old that I can't find the. . . male form pleasing to the eye."
"Mom!"
"Well, I'm sorry, honey, but Xander is an attractive young man."
"I cannot believe I'm having this discussion with you."
"Well then, we can stop talking about how Xander looks."
"Good."
"And start talking about why you like him."
"Mom!"
"What? Why is it that you think you can't like Xander like that?"
"Because. . . he's. . . Xander. He's my friend. Besides, even if I did like him, he doesn't like me back."
"Buffy, I sincerely hope I didn't raise a daughter this stupid."
"WHAT?!"
"That is the worst reasoning I've ever heard! 'Oh, I can't like him because he's my friend, and he might not like me.' You're the Slayer, and you're afraid of liking a boy because he might not like you back?"
"I. . . no! I never said I liked him!"
Joyce glanced at her daughter, disbelievingly.
"Okay, fine. So maybe there's a possibility that there's a chance I might think about having some sort of feeling for Xander that's more than just friendship. But that doesn't mean that anything's going to come of it."
"Sissy."
"Mom!"
"Honey, Willow told me a story once, about a fine young man who liked this girl. Now, these two young people were friends, but the young man wanted more than that. He wanted to dance with her."
Buffy's eyes went wide when she realized the story her mother was telling her.
"Now, the young man realized that there was a ball coming up soon, and decided it would be a perfect time to tell the girl how he felt. So he told her that he wanted to dance with her.
"The girl wasn't quite sure what to say, because she was comfortable with their friendship, and didn't want to hurt the young man's feelings. She tried to stammer out a response, and the young man said 'Either you feel a certain way, or you don't.' And the girl said, 'I'm sorry, but I don't.'
"Now, the young man was quite hurt by this, so he went home and listened to some country music. But soon after this, he found out that the girl was in trouble. Despite everybody else telling him he couldn't help her, he was determined to try. So he went to another young. . . well, not so young man, who was competing with him for the girl's affections. He forced the man to assist him, and together they followed the girl to help her out.
"They came upon the girl, and she had drowned. So this young man performed CPR on her. He saved her, brought her back from the dead. So soon after having his heart broken, he risked life and limb to save the girl who had broken it. And the two young people became best friends, and remain so to this day."
"Mom?" Buffy asked.
"Yes, dear?"
"I know this story."
"I know you do, honey."
"What was the point of this story? Just because he liked me then doesn't mean anything now." 'There's something else there, too. . . that doesn't quite sound right.'
"I know honey, but that's not the point."
"So what is the point then?"
"You hurt him, Buffy. Pretty bad, but you're still best friends, right?"
"Yeah. . . ."
"Xander loves you, even if as nothing more than a friend. He would never let anything get in the way of that. You shouldn't be afraid to tell him how you feel, because he would never do anything to hurt you."
"Mom?"
"Yes?"
"I think. . . " Buffy paused, then started again, more quietly. "I think I'm falling in love with him."
"You're WHAT?"
"Mom! I thought you were okay with it!"
"Well. . . I. . . . Honey, I. . . this is a lot to. . . you mean you've been denying you like him, when the whole time you were falling in love with him?"
Buffy nodded, a look of fear on her face.
Joyce sighed. "It's not that I don't approve, or am not okay with it. You just shifted gears so quickly there. It's a lot for a mother to take in, is all."
"What did you mean, forced?" Buffy asked, suddenly realizing what bugged her about the story.
"What?" Joyce asked confused.
"When you were telling the story. You said Xander forced Angel to help him. What did you mean?"
"Oh. Well, I don't know, really. That's what Willow told me, she really didn't go into detail."
"And you didn't ASK?"
"I was more concerned with you dying!"
"I guess I'll just have to ask Willow, then," Buffy sighed. "No, I can't do that, then she'll know I like Xander, and she'll tell him!"
"Buffy. . . "
"Maybe Giles will know. Oh, but Xander probably wouldn't have told him."
"Buffy."
"Maybe Willow told Oz. . . Wait, what if Willow doesn't know any more than you do?"
"Buffy!"
"What?"
"Well, if you really want to know. . . then there are only two people who know exactly what happened."
"I can't ask them!"
"Buffy, you're being immature, here, I think."
"I know! Giles!"
"I thought you ruled him out?"
"I did. But *he* can call Angel and find out what happened."
"And you don't think that will tip Giles off? Or Angel?"
"I. . . "
"Buffy, just ask Xander!"
"No! Because I know him. He won't tell me, he doesn't like to be in the spotlight."
"So then ask Angel yourself."
"I. . . "
"Buffy, if you want to know. . . "
"Fine. I'll just. . . go get his number from Giles."
"You don't have to. I have it."
"He called YOU? You and Giles? What is this, ignore Buffy month?"
"No, sweetie, Rupert gave me Angel's phone number. He thought you might eventually want it, and that it might be easier for you to ask me, instead of him. And why do you care? I thought you love Xander now."
"I do!" Buffy said. "But. . . that doesn't mean I don't care. . . "
Joyce smiled at her daughter. "Okay. Here, let me find his number."
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End Chapter 7
