Chapter Four - The Convincing
"What do you mean you love Xander?" Shouted Buffy.
"I mean I love him!"
The two of them were standing eye to eye and were only inches apart. They were staring each other down as if they were two lionesses standing over a downed Zebra or as if they were taking part in an international staring contest with a grand prize of $50,000 and a trip for two to Barbados with a two-day stopover in the British Virgin Islands. It was a battle of wills with only their strength of character keeping them from turning away. Neither flinched. Eventually Buffy spoke, "How can you love Xander?"
"I don't know." Replied Dawn. "I just do."
"But you're just a child."
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
A small smirk emerged on the face of Dawn much to the confusion of Buffy. "How old were you when you feel in love when Angel?"
Across town Xander has steps out of the graveyard where he pauses to look at the sky. It was such a vibrant blue that he almost felt as if he could reach out and touch it. Somehow the sky reflected perfectly what was going on within his own head. No longer was his mind clouded by self-doubt. There was not even a whisper of fear. He had thought everything through, envisioned ever scenario and accepted all the risk. He was now at peace with himself. He was ready. So, with a gentle breeze in his face, he headed towards his new car and the rest of his life.
Meanwhile back at the Summers' house the bomb has dropped. Buffy knew she had just been outflanked. The cavalry had got the message and was on the way. Why was she using so many military analogues? There must be something Freudianly significant about that. First things first, though. How can she dig her way out of this metaphorical hole and not lose the argument? She decided on the tried-on-tested argument, deny, deny, then confuse. "I wasn't that young. Anyway that was completely different. He was a vampire and I was the vampire slayer. We had that whole forbidden fruit and star-crossed lovers thing going on. Then there was the whole end of the world, rise of the Master incident. And I died. Oh and plus Angel was all broody and sexy."
"Xander is.well, not broody but he's definitely sexy."
"Xander's not sexy." Said Buffy as if the Pope had pronounced it after he'd been dipped in holy water and injected with truth serine.
"What about those deep brown eyes? And that gorgeous half-smile thing he does? .Oh, then there's his body."
"Okay!" Interrupted Buffy. "Never, ever, mentions Xander's body to me again."
"But."
"Ah! Never."
"All right, fine. But you have to admit Xander is sexy."
Buffy thought about this for a moment. "Even if he is, or you think he is, that doesn't mean you're in love with him. Remember you did have a crush on him."
"I know, I know, but this is different. It's not like it's just about his hot bo.brown hair. It's everything. I love his everything. I love his smile, his personality, and his sense of humour. I love the little things. The way he scrunches up his nose whenever he tried your cooking. The way he buys cereals simply because of the toy inside. Hey way he cried at Bambi but didn't want us to see. They way he used to let me win at Monopoly. The way he used to sneak me pizza when Mum went of one of her healthy eating fads."
"Or the way he only spoke Shakespearian English to me before an English Lit test." The girls paused, looked into the distance and collectively sighed. "Do you think he loves you back?" Buffy asked.
"I don't know but there's only one way to find out."
"An elaborate sting operation involving secret microphones?"
"Err.no. I was thinking more along the lines of just asking him."
"Oh. Right. Yeah, that would also work."
The two of them stood sort of smiling at each other surrounded by an aura of mutual understanding and happiness. At that moment both could see the future and were contend with what they saw. "I can't believe it." Said Buffy. "My little sister and my best-friend, together." She smiled even broader and warmed smile.
So did Dawn. "Yeah. Me and Xander." Just then a thought struck Dawn and her brow furrowed. "What if doesn't love me? What if he doesn't want me? What if he rejects me?"
Buffy's gaze hardened and her smile disappeared. "Then I'll kill me." Then her tone lightened again. "Anyway he's not going to reject you. You're young, beautiful, intelligence, funny and making me extremely jealous." Dawn's smile also returned. There was another moment of silence. Then Buffy looked slightly confused, "Wait a minute. Xander doesn't like my cooking?"
"Oops."
The car Xander was driving stopped within sight of the Summers' house. This is it. No turning back now. Well he could.No! He mustn't. This is it. He is ready. He is ready. He can do it. Just tell her how you feel. That is all. Just say what you have always wanted to say. Think of Dave, think of Kim and think of your future, your future with her. This is it. He is ready. No turning back now. With that Xander stepped out of his car.
The front door of the Summers' house opened and a figure stepped through. It looked around for a second then slowly made its way through the hall to the voices in the kitchen. However as it passed the living something in the corner of its eye caught its attention forcing it to double back. There was a small piece of white poking up from between the cushions of the sofa. The figure walked towards it, reached down and picked it up. It was a photo. A photo of a pregnant Chinese woman. Just then Dawn and Buffy entered the room from the kitchen. Before they did Dawn had called out in an eager voice, "Xander?" to no response. Then as they entered they saw who it was. "Willow?" Said a disappointed Dawn.
Willow didn't notice. She was staring at the photo in shock. Some mild banter went back and forth between Buffy and Dawn over the former's recent attempt at a casserole until Buffy noticed what Willow was looking so intently at. "What's that?" She asked.
No response. Willow continued to stare at the photo as if she hadn't heard the question then she suddenly realised that someone was saying to her, "What?"
"I asked, what's that?" Repeated Buffy, this time pointing to the photograph as well.
"A photo." Answered Willow without emotion.
After a moment of hesitation Buffy asked, "Of what?"
"Of a pregnant Chinese woman." Came the reply.
Dawn was confused, "Why do you have the photo of a pregnant Chinese woman?"
"It's not my photo. I found it in the sofa."
"The sofa?" Said a baffled Buffy. "Why would it be in the.Oh."
"Yeah." Said Willow in the same tone of realisation as Buffy had just said 'oh'.
Dawn was still confused, "What? Oh, what?"
Buffy turned towards her sister and said in as gentle a voice as she could muster, "Xander has just come back from China."
"Yeah..."
"He spent last night on that sofa."
"Yeah.Oh. So, that photo belongs to.?"
"Xander."
"Xander." Repeated Dawn in a solemn tone.
"I'm sorry Dawn." Buffy said trying to comfort Dawn.
"It's okay. It's probably for the best. How could someone like me love, Xander!"
Unbeknownst to the three girls a figure had entered the room and was standing motionless by the door. Upon Dawn's exclamation both Buffy and Willow spun round towards the figure. It was Xander.
"What do you mean you love Xander?" Shouted Buffy.
"I mean I love him!"
The two of them were standing eye to eye and were only inches apart. They were staring each other down as if they were two lionesses standing over a downed Zebra or as if they were taking part in an international staring contest with a grand prize of $50,000 and a trip for two to Barbados with a two-day stopover in the British Virgin Islands. It was a battle of wills with only their strength of character keeping them from turning away. Neither flinched. Eventually Buffy spoke, "How can you love Xander?"
"I don't know." Replied Dawn. "I just do."
"But you're just a child."
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
A small smirk emerged on the face of Dawn much to the confusion of Buffy. "How old were you when you feel in love when Angel?"
Across town Xander has steps out of the graveyard where he pauses to look at the sky. It was such a vibrant blue that he almost felt as if he could reach out and touch it. Somehow the sky reflected perfectly what was going on within his own head. No longer was his mind clouded by self-doubt. There was not even a whisper of fear. He had thought everything through, envisioned ever scenario and accepted all the risk. He was now at peace with himself. He was ready. So, with a gentle breeze in his face, he headed towards his new car and the rest of his life.
Meanwhile back at the Summers' house the bomb has dropped. Buffy knew she had just been outflanked. The cavalry had got the message and was on the way. Why was she using so many military analogues? There must be something Freudianly significant about that. First things first, though. How can she dig her way out of this metaphorical hole and not lose the argument? She decided on the tried-on-tested argument, deny, deny, then confuse. "I wasn't that young. Anyway that was completely different. He was a vampire and I was the vampire slayer. We had that whole forbidden fruit and star-crossed lovers thing going on. Then there was the whole end of the world, rise of the Master incident. And I died. Oh and plus Angel was all broody and sexy."
"Xander is.well, not broody but he's definitely sexy."
"Xander's not sexy." Said Buffy as if the Pope had pronounced it after he'd been dipped in holy water and injected with truth serine.
"What about those deep brown eyes? And that gorgeous half-smile thing he does? .Oh, then there's his body."
"Okay!" Interrupted Buffy. "Never, ever, mentions Xander's body to me again."
"But."
"Ah! Never."
"All right, fine. But you have to admit Xander is sexy."
Buffy thought about this for a moment. "Even if he is, or you think he is, that doesn't mean you're in love with him. Remember you did have a crush on him."
"I know, I know, but this is different. It's not like it's just about his hot bo.brown hair. It's everything. I love his everything. I love his smile, his personality, and his sense of humour. I love the little things. The way he scrunches up his nose whenever he tried your cooking. The way he buys cereals simply because of the toy inside. Hey way he cried at Bambi but didn't want us to see. They way he used to let me win at Monopoly. The way he used to sneak me pizza when Mum went of one of her healthy eating fads."
"Or the way he only spoke Shakespearian English to me before an English Lit test." The girls paused, looked into the distance and collectively sighed. "Do you think he loves you back?" Buffy asked.
"I don't know but there's only one way to find out."
"An elaborate sting operation involving secret microphones?"
"Err.no. I was thinking more along the lines of just asking him."
"Oh. Right. Yeah, that would also work."
The two of them stood sort of smiling at each other surrounded by an aura of mutual understanding and happiness. At that moment both could see the future and were contend with what they saw. "I can't believe it." Said Buffy. "My little sister and my best-friend, together." She smiled even broader and warmed smile.
So did Dawn. "Yeah. Me and Xander." Just then a thought struck Dawn and her brow furrowed. "What if doesn't love me? What if he doesn't want me? What if he rejects me?"
Buffy's gaze hardened and her smile disappeared. "Then I'll kill me." Then her tone lightened again. "Anyway he's not going to reject you. You're young, beautiful, intelligence, funny and making me extremely jealous." Dawn's smile also returned. There was another moment of silence. Then Buffy looked slightly confused, "Wait a minute. Xander doesn't like my cooking?"
"Oops."
The car Xander was driving stopped within sight of the Summers' house. This is it. No turning back now. Well he could.No! He mustn't. This is it. He is ready. He is ready. He can do it. Just tell her how you feel. That is all. Just say what you have always wanted to say. Think of Dave, think of Kim and think of your future, your future with her. This is it. He is ready. No turning back now. With that Xander stepped out of his car.
The front door of the Summers' house opened and a figure stepped through. It looked around for a second then slowly made its way through the hall to the voices in the kitchen. However as it passed the living something in the corner of its eye caught its attention forcing it to double back. There was a small piece of white poking up from between the cushions of the sofa. The figure walked towards it, reached down and picked it up. It was a photo. A photo of a pregnant Chinese woman. Just then Dawn and Buffy entered the room from the kitchen. Before they did Dawn had called out in an eager voice, "Xander?" to no response. Then as they entered they saw who it was. "Willow?" Said a disappointed Dawn.
Willow didn't notice. She was staring at the photo in shock. Some mild banter went back and forth between Buffy and Dawn over the former's recent attempt at a casserole until Buffy noticed what Willow was looking so intently at. "What's that?" She asked.
No response. Willow continued to stare at the photo as if she hadn't heard the question then she suddenly realised that someone was saying to her, "What?"
"I asked, what's that?" Repeated Buffy, this time pointing to the photograph as well.
"A photo." Answered Willow without emotion.
After a moment of hesitation Buffy asked, "Of what?"
"Of a pregnant Chinese woman." Came the reply.
Dawn was confused, "Why do you have the photo of a pregnant Chinese woman?"
"It's not my photo. I found it in the sofa."
"The sofa?" Said a baffled Buffy. "Why would it be in the.Oh."
"Yeah." Said Willow in the same tone of realisation as Buffy had just said 'oh'.
Dawn was still confused, "What? Oh, what?"
Buffy turned towards her sister and said in as gentle a voice as she could muster, "Xander has just come back from China."
"Yeah..."
"He spent last night on that sofa."
"Yeah.Oh. So, that photo belongs to.?"
"Xander."
"Xander." Repeated Dawn in a solemn tone.
"I'm sorry Dawn." Buffy said trying to comfort Dawn.
"It's okay. It's probably for the best. How could someone like me love, Xander!"
Unbeknownst to the three girls a figure had entered the room and was standing motionless by the door. Upon Dawn's exclamation both Buffy and Willow spun round towards the figure. It was Xander.