Love, Longing, and Eguna Fish

By "Painbow"

Summary: Andrew mulls over his future; Post TGiQ; PG

Disclaimer: I'd love to own Andrew...but of course he belongs to Joss.


Andrew locked the door after Dawn and Buffy as they left for another fun-filled Roman night. He looked around the apartment at his many Star Trek DVD box sets, mulling over which one to pop in. DS9? TNG? Voyager? Choices, choices...

He sighed, placing the box sets back in the cupboard next to Boba Fett and Lieutenant Worf. They had lives, Buffy and Dawn...not Boba Fett and Worf. He mostly sat around watching Star Trek and arguing on "The Final Frontier Forum" about which Captain was superior (Picard, obviously).

However, his debates always reminded him of Warren and Jonathan. Warren was a purest; Kirk all the way, whereas Jonathan like Picard also, but would occasionally make an argument in favor of Captain Archer.

Andrew wished he had more friends. Well, he wished his old friends hadn't been stabbed and flayed, but he also wished for more new ones. His two gal pals were out with their boyfriends tonight, and he was essentially feeling like Jake Sisko before he became friends with Nog...or possibly Alexander without the pesky lying and kleptomania.

He shook his head. It was time to move on. Rome was definitely not the city for him. He appreciated Buffy's hospitality, but he really needed to follow his own advice to Spike and Angel: move on.

The problem was...where? Mr. Giles had offered him a place working at the new Watcher's Academy, but Andrew felt stifled there. Truth be told, he felt like he had moved beyond what old Rupert could teach him. After all, he'd been sent to LA as Giles' top man. That had to mean something.

Of course, his trip to LA had ensured that he would not be welcome there. He figured Spike might be ok with a visit because of their shared experiences in a troubled past, and their connection through seeking redemption for previous wrongs, but he didn't think Angel would forgive him anytime soon. From what he'd heard, Angel could brood on something for years. Besides, he'd sensed a little tension between Angel and Spike when they had come looking for Buffy. He wasn't sure he wanted to get caught up in that.

He knew he wouldn't be welcome in Brazil. Not only had things between him and Willow been a little strained since his days as a criminal mastermind, but Kennedy was not the sharing type. He'd also heard that the lesbian lovers were going through a bit of a rough patch. Andrew wasn't surprised. He knew that Willow cared for Kennedy in some way, it was just a way that no made sense to him. Andrew had never met Tara, what with trying to take over Sunnydale and all, but he suspected Kennedy was to Tara what The Phantom Menace was to The Empire Strikes Back...

Andrew sat and thought. His eyes drifted over to the Eguna fish mounted on the wall. It had been quite the fight with Buffy to put it up there, but she'd finally acquiesced. She sensed how important it was to him.

He reached for the phone and dialed a rather long number. It rang a few times before it was picked up.

"Umm...Hi Xander! . . . Hey, yeah, everything's fine . . . 3am? Oh, yoda! I'm sorry. . . Well, I was just wondering if— . . .yeah, I got X-men 3! Isn't it awesome!? . . . . . . I know! The new writer really knows the characters! . . .I heard that . . .but they're dead! . . . . . Well, I'll keep the faith. . .but, Xander...ummm, what I wanted to know is...do you need any help over there? I mean, I just...well, Giles has a lot of help, and you know Buffy, she's all slayer of the vampyres, chosen one, emphasis on ONE, and Dawn's doing well in school and doesn't really need a tutor, and you know Kennedy...she's all scary with the 'lesbian slayer' thing...so, um, I was wondering...you need any help over there in the Dark Continent? . . . . . Yeah? Really? New slayer huh? . . .Yeah, I can be there! Just let me go get a malaria shot! I wouldn't want to end up dying, infected by a venomous and pesky bloodsucker . . .Well, it's different from vampyres because vampyres don't give you malaria! . . .Alright. . .See you in a couple of days! . . . Bye!

Andrew put down the phone and looked up at his fish. "Well my mounted friend, you are going home."

The End