Xander woke up and felt a pressure across his stomach. Recognizing said pressure, he was confused. He hadn't woken up being straddled in over a year. Xander opened his eyes to see the face of his best friend, who was holding a cup of coffee.
"Morning, sleepyhead!" she said, all too cheerily.
Xander groaned.
"Oh come on," Willow said. "You've been asleep for nearly nine hours!"
"Yeah," Xander croaked out. "That means you've been asleep for..." he paused, doing math in his head. "Uhh... longer," he finished.
Willow leaned over and gave Xander a quick peck on the forehead. "You know, you're very cute when you're a sleepyhead. If I weren't a hot lesbian..."
"You'd be a hot straight girl," Xander said. "And I would be a much, much happier man right now."
"Come on," Willow said, de-straddling her friend. "Buffy and Faith are waiting for us at the continental breakfast, which includes bagels, donuts, coffee, juice... even a small assortment of cereals."
Xander grunted. "Fine," he said. "I'll be down in a few."
"And take a shower first," Willow said before walking out of the room. "You stink."
Xander grumbled for a second before rolling out of bed. Ten minutes later, he joined the girls in the motel lobby with shaggy, wet hair and sat down to breakfast with a bagel topped with cream cheese and a glass of orange juice.
"No, I just prefer tampons," Buffy said as Xander sat.
Xander stood back up and walked away shaking his head. He took his plate and headed back to the room, leaving behind a group of laughing young women, and one young man who looked at him like he was crazy for leaving a table filled with women who looked like that.
Fifteen minutes later, Buffy knocked on his door.
"It's open!" Xander yelled.
"Hey," Buffy said, entering the room. "You about ready?"
"Yeah," Xander said, turning off the television. "Just lemme get my shoes on. What's first on our itinerary?"
"Go see Robin," Buffy said. "See how he's doing, ask him what happened, all that stuff. And while you and I are doing that, Willow and Faith will be checkin' out the town in Faith's car."
"She doesn't wanna see him?" Xander asked.
"Still a little sore," Buffy said. "After he kind of promised to 'surprise' her and then got all wrapped up... yeah. 'Bitter' I believe is the word."
"Well, she's entitled," Xander said as he slipped his shoes on. "He was a dick, a subject I myself am familiar, lest we forget the not-wedding of my fairly recent past."
"Yeah, but you were afraid," Buffy said, smiling at him as they walked out to the car. "Robin just kind of decided that she wasn't worth dealing with."
Xander grunted and started up the engine.
"Something I notice you didn't do last night."
Xander turned his head to the blonde slayer. "Doing a little eavesdropping, Ms. Summers?"
Buffy smiled demurely at him. "I think it's sweet," she said.
Xander shook his head and turned left out of the lot. He then backed up into the lot again, turned right and headed off, following the directions Buffy had gotten from the hotel clerk. Twenty minutes later the pair reached the hospital, and quickly found the room Robin was assigned to.
"Hey," Robin said when they entered. "I was wondering who was going to show up, and when."
"Well, here we are," Xander said as he and Buffy sat in the chairs.
"I got this single room and everything," Robin said with a smile.
"What happened to you?" Buffy asked.
Robin nodded at the door, and Xander got up and closed it.
"So, this wasn't the Slayer?" Buffy asked.
"No, it was her boyfriend," Robin said. "Man was I not expecting that."
"Her boyfriend did this to you?" Buffy asked. "What is he, Iron Man? And why'd he do this, anyway?"
"Well," Robin said, "I might have been coming on a little... strong. You know... to convince her that she needed to come to the school."
"How much is a little?" Xander asked.
"It's possible I grabbed her arm," Robin muttered.
"You did what!?" the Sunnydalers yelled.
"She was being unreasonable, she wouldn't –"
"Robin, I thought we all agreed," Xander said. "We don't force them to come with us."
"No, you all agreed. I was merely there," he said.
"Yeah, and see what you got now? Some guy laid you up with a bunch of broken bones and a concussion," Buffy said. "What'd he do anyway, hit you with his car?"
"Felt like it," Robin said. "No, actually, he punched me into a wall. Hardest punch I ever felt."
"You're kidding," Xander said.
"Yes, I'm kidding. I'm actually not sitting here in this bed feeling useless, describing to my co-workers how I got my ass handed to me by some punk high-schooler. The kid took me with one hit. I flew into the wall – which, by the way, was no fewer than six feet away, and when I say flew, I mean flew– and got all these other injuries."
"What'd you tell the doctors?" Buffy asked.
Robin mumbled something under his breath.
"What was that?" Xander asked.
"I said, I told them I fell down some stairs," Robin said, glaring at the younger man.
"Okay," Buffy said. "We'll do the cautious approach on this one. What's this girl's name and description?"
"Lana Lang," Robin said. "Kinda short, asian. Real pretty girl."
"Boyfriend a big guy?" Xander asked.
"Not as big as his punch, but yeah. He's taller than you, say, maybe three inches? White guy, dark hair... kind of a... cut jawline. Real All-American looking kid, you know? Didn't catch his name."
"Okay," Xander said. "Well, we'll see what we can do. When are you being released?"
"Later today," Robin said. "I talked to Rupert today, and he said he doesn't think it's a good idea for me to stick around here. I'll be going to Cleveland for a while to heal up before I head back out on the road."
"Sounds like a good idea," Buffy said. "Well, give us a call before you head out."
"Sure," Robin said.
"Well, feel better, man," Xander said as he and Buffy stood to leave.
"Hey, you guys be careful," Robin said. "Remember, hardest I've ever been hit. And I've been hit by a lot."
"We will," Buffy said. "Take care, Robin."
"Morning, sleepyhead!" she said, all too cheerily.
Xander groaned.
"Oh come on," Willow said. "You've been asleep for nearly nine hours!"
"Yeah," Xander croaked out. "That means you've been asleep for..." he paused, doing math in his head. "Uhh... longer," he finished.
Willow leaned over and gave Xander a quick peck on the forehead. "You know, you're very cute when you're a sleepyhead. If I weren't a hot lesbian..."
"You'd be a hot straight girl," Xander said. "And I would be a much, much happier man right now."
"Come on," Willow said, de-straddling her friend. "Buffy and Faith are waiting for us at the continental breakfast, which includes bagels, donuts, coffee, juice... even a small assortment of cereals."
Xander grunted. "Fine," he said. "I'll be down in a few."
"And take a shower first," Willow said before walking out of the room. "You stink."
Xander grumbled for a second before rolling out of bed. Ten minutes later, he joined the girls in the motel lobby with shaggy, wet hair and sat down to breakfast with a bagel topped with cream cheese and a glass of orange juice.
"No, I just prefer tampons," Buffy said as Xander sat.
Xander stood back up and walked away shaking his head. He took his plate and headed back to the room, leaving behind a group of laughing young women, and one young man who looked at him like he was crazy for leaving a table filled with women who looked like that.
Fifteen minutes later, Buffy knocked on his door.
"It's open!" Xander yelled.
"Hey," Buffy said, entering the room. "You about ready?"
"Yeah," Xander said, turning off the television. "Just lemme get my shoes on. What's first on our itinerary?"
"Go see Robin," Buffy said. "See how he's doing, ask him what happened, all that stuff. And while you and I are doing that, Willow and Faith will be checkin' out the town in Faith's car."
"She doesn't wanna see him?" Xander asked.
"Still a little sore," Buffy said. "After he kind of promised to 'surprise' her and then got all wrapped up... yeah. 'Bitter' I believe is the word."
"Well, she's entitled," Xander said as he slipped his shoes on. "He was a dick, a subject I myself am familiar, lest we forget the not-wedding of my fairly recent past."
"Yeah, but you were afraid," Buffy said, smiling at him as they walked out to the car. "Robin just kind of decided that she wasn't worth dealing with."
Xander grunted and started up the engine.
"Something I notice you didn't do last night."
Xander turned his head to the blonde slayer. "Doing a little eavesdropping, Ms. Summers?"
Buffy smiled demurely at him. "I think it's sweet," she said.
Xander shook his head and turned left out of the lot. He then backed up into the lot again, turned right and headed off, following the directions Buffy had gotten from the hotel clerk. Twenty minutes later the pair reached the hospital, and quickly found the room Robin was assigned to.
"Hey," Robin said when they entered. "I was wondering who was going to show up, and when."
"Well, here we are," Xander said as he and Buffy sat in the chairs.
"I got this single room and everything," Robin said with a smile.
"What happened to you?" Buffy asked.
Robin nodded at the door, and Xander got up and closed it.
"So, this wasn't the Slayer?" Buffy asked.
"No, it was her boyfriend," Robin said. "Man was I not expecting that."
"Her boyfriend did this to you?" Buffy asked. "What is he, Iron Man? And why'd he do this, anyway?"
"Well," Robin said, "I might have been coming on a little... strong. You know... to convince her that she needed to come to the school."
"How much is a little?" Xander asked.
"It's possible I grabbed her arm," Robin muttered.
"You did what!?" the Sunnydalers yelled.
"She was being unreasonable, she wouldn't –"
"Robin, I thought we all agreed," Xander said. "We don't force them to come with us."
"No, you all agreed. I was merely there," he said.
"Yeah, and see what you got now? Some guy laid you up with a bunch of broken bones and a concussion," Buffy said. "What'd he do anyway, hit you with his car?"
"Felt like it," Robin said. "No, actually, he punched me into a wall. Hardest punch I ever felt."
"You're kidding," Xander said.
"Yes, I'm kidding. I'm actually not sitting here in this bed feeling useless, describing to my co-workers how I got my ass handed to me by some punk high-schooler. The kid took me with one hit. I flew into the wall – which, by the way, was no fewer than six feet away, and when I say flew, I mean flew– and got all these other injuries."
"What'd you tell the doctors?" Buffy asked.
Robin mumbled something under his breath.
"What was that?" Xander asked.
"I said, I told them I fell down some stairs," Robin said, glaring at the younger man.
"Okay," Buffy said. "We'll do the cautious approach on this one. What's this girl's name and description?"
"Lana Lang," Robin said. "Kinda short, asian. Real pretty girl."
"Boyfriend a big guy?" Xander asked.
"Not as big as his punch, but yeah. He's taller than you, say, maybe three inches? White guy, dark hair... kind of a... cut jawline. Real All-American looking kid, you know? Didn't catch his name."
"Okay," Xander said. "Well, we'll see what we can do. When are you being released?"
"Later today," Robin said. "I talked to Rupert today, and he said he doesn't think it's a good idea for me to stick around here. I'll be going to Cleveland for a while to heal up before I head back out on the road."
"Sounds like a good idea," Buffy said. "Well, give us a call before you head out."
"Sure," Robin said.
"Well, feel better, man," Xander said as he and Buffy stood to leave.
"Hey, you guys be careful," Robin said. "Remember, hardest I've ever been hit. And I've been hit by a lot."
"We will," Buffy said. "Take care, Robin."
"This is a small town," Willow said as she looked down the main street.
"Yup," Faith replied.
"I mean, I grew up in a small town. I know from small towns, and as small towns go? This one is, well..."
"Small?" Faith asked.
"It's just such an appropriate word."
"Where should we start out?" Faith asked.
"Ooh, coffee," Willow said, eyeing a small shop called The Talon.
Faith laughed and followed the redhead into the shop.
After seating themselves in the fairly empty coffee shop, Willow and Faith were approached by a young girl wearing an apron.
"Hi," she said. "What can I get you guys to drink?"
Willow and Faith placed their orders, and sat back in their chairs.
"See anything?" Willow asked.
"Oh, definitely," Faith said, her eyes locked in one place.
Willow turned to see what she was looking at, and saw a tall young man sitting alone at a table reading a book. She turned back to Faith.
"What?" Faith asked.
"Faith, we're here to find the girl, not to hook up or whatever," Willow said.
"Hey, I'm just appreciatin' the eye candy, Red. Some of us around here still drive stick."
Willow rolled her eyes and searched the room for any girls who looked super strong. Unfortunately, she quickly realized that it's hard to pick out super strength when people are sitting at tables, talking. A crash sounded out from behind the counter.
"Damn it, that's the third cup today!" shouted a young woman from behind the counter..
Willow and Faith both turned.
"Lana, why don't you take the rest of the day off?" asked a young bald man in a sport coat.
"Yeah. I guess I probably should. I'm still pretty jittery from... well, yesterday," Lana said.
"It's all right. I'll just take over. Why don't you just finish making this one order, and then go home?"
"Okay," Lana said.
Willow and Faith turned back to the table and continued looking around the coffee shop for a minute.
"Here you go, ladies," Lex said as he approached the table. "Sorry about the wait, we've just had a little bit of an accident in the back."
"Oh, that's fine," Willow said. "But actually, we have a lot less time than we thought. Could we get those to go?"
"Of course," he said. He turned and saw Lana holding her head in her hands, then turned around. "Clark," he said. Nobody responded. "Clark!"
He pointed to the magazine on the table. "Are either of you reading this?"
Willow and Faith shook their heads.
"Thanks," said Lex, smiling. He picked the magazine up, rolled it in a tube and smacked the young man Faith had been watching on the back of the head.
"Ow!" he said, rubbing the back of his head. "What?"
Lex pointed over his shoulder, and Clark looked to where Lana was standing. "Oh, right," he said.
Clark stood and walked over to the girl and spoke to her for a moment before throwing his arm over her shoulders. She looked up at him and smiled, and they walked out of the shop together.
"Uh..." Faith started as the waitress walked away.
"Go," Willow said. "I'll get the drinks."
"Right," Faith said.
Faith hopped up from her seat and followed the pair outside.
"You guys new to town?" Lex asked Willow when he brought the drinks back in to-go cups.
"Yeah," Willow said.
"You should be careful," he said. "Guy showed up in town yesterday, and today he's in the hospital. This town's dangerous." He tossed her his best charming smile. "Of course I'm sure nothing like that will happen to you."
"I hope not," Willow said, not noticing his attempt at gaining her attention because she was watching the door. "But, well, my home town was kind of dangerous, too."
"Well, I'm sure you'll be fine," said Lex.
Willow looked up at him and smiled, then thanked him, paid for the drinks and left. When she reached the street, neither Faith nor the couple she was following where anywhere to be seen.
Willow sighed, wandered back up towards their car, sat down on the curb and waited.
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End Chapter 2