Part 4: Half-Baked Cookie Dough Issues
Xander sat and stared at the book's contents, letting the murmur of planning and consultation wash around him. He'd read the same paragraph ten times and he still couldn't quite absorb the context. He glanced up at the clock, some second-hand Salvation Army special that Buffy had unearthed, and sighed. Not even 9 o'clock.
"Robin, I really think you may be overworking yourself," Giles said. "Between your job teaching science at the middle school and your training schedule, you'll burn yourself out. You might want to cut back to every other day, or at the very least let Faith and Buffy take over part of the schedule as teachers."
"I'd feel more comfortable if I could supervise," Robin insisted.
"You mean if you were in control," Xander muttered.
All voices stopped and a certain ex-Sunnydaler just knew he spoke a little louder than he intended. He looked up to see Giles and Robin looking at him with open mouths. Hell, he might as well go for broke.
"You can be a bit control freaky," Xander calmly stated. "Lately it seems everyone has to do things your way and you pitch a fit if someone has the gall to tell you to take a chill pill."
"Where is this coming from?" Robin demanded.
Giles was busy hiding a smile while he polished his glasses with an intensity of someone who planned on keeping his big mouth shut.
"Where it's coming from is you insisting that training schedule be like it is, you creating the chore schedule, you deciding who should 'specialize' in what tasks, you insisting that only you could possibly tell everyone where their bedroom is located and dictating everyone's roommate…" Xander ticked the points off on his fingers.
"You're just pissed because you have to put up with Andrew," Robin said.
"Not a happy situation there, no," Xander allowed. "But I noticed you get a co-habitory-type roommate while no one else will ever get the opportunity unless they plan to move out and pay rent on non-existent salaries."
"I don't see you involved with anyone. Unless there's a special little lady you want to steal from the cradle. Like to discuss it with…"
Xander stood up so quickly that the harsh scrape of the chair drowned out whatever Robin was about to say. "My sex life, or anyone else's, is not the point. The point is you're going all Al Haig on us. Yes, we needed that in the beginning because, really, no one was in any condition to be the Mr. Big when you stepped in. But right now? It's getting on my fucking nerves."
"So, who do you think should be in charge? You?"
Xander gritted his teeth. "Let's make that a no-fucking-way. I don't want to be in charge. I don't need the goddamn headache. But I am sick and tired of the shit running downhill. We are not a goddamn army; we are a house full of very, very tired people who've been running our collective asses off since Sunnydale turned into the Grand Canyon."
"So are you saying we should kick back? Rest on our laurels? We saved the world so we should take it easy?" Robin waved at the window. "I don't know if you've noticed, but we got a world full of new Slayers to find and Watchers to recruit and we are nowhere near ready."
"And you pushing and shoving until we're all sick and tired of the sound of your voice is going to make it sooooo much better." Xander stepped forward, fists clenched.
"Now, I think we need to calm down." Finally Giles was getting involved. He turned to Robin. "Xander makes an excellent point. Several good ones, actually. Perhaps we all need to take a step back and review our roles within the group, maybe take a look at our numerous problematic scheduling issues, and rethink."
"There's nothing wrong with our schedule," Robin said, glare not leaving Xander.
"Correction. There's nothing wrong with our Slaying and patrol schedule," Xander said. "And that's only because Buffy and Faith were the ones in charge of that."
"With your help," Robin said in a sarcastic tone.
"I don't know if you noticed, but I was a tie-wearing type boss at my last job and I know how to put together a work schedule."
"Of a construction crew," Robin pointed out. "How is that like demon-hunting again?"
"Lemmie grab a hammer and nails and I'll demonstrate on you," Xander spat.
"ENOUGH!" Giles shouted. "This is quite enough. We are all tired and we could all do with a rest. Robin, you and I will speak tomorrow."
Robin looked up at the clock. "Faith and I have plans for a late dinner tonight anyway. G'night, Giles." It goes without saying that he left without giving Xander the same courtesy.
A female voice spoke up. "Well, that was fun for the whole family."
Giles and Xander looked in the direction of the voice, only to see Buffy emerge from the mostly empty shelves. "I was coming to say goodnight and caught the floorshow," she explained with a shrug.
"I lost my temper," Xander said.
"Hmmm, was waiting for someone to snap," Buffy said thoughtfully. "Although I think you might have some Buffy issues mixed in there. Not that I blame you since I was all paranoid-y, General Patton-y back in the bad old days."
Xander took a step back while Giles blinked in surprise.
"Don't everyone disagree with me all at once," she sighed as she plopped into a chair.
"Gimme a minute." Xander inwardly cringed that his reflexive comfortador personality was taking over. "I'm working on a good comeback."
"Just that you've lost it somewhere to your left?" Buffy asked.
"Buffy…" Giles began.
"The truth is an ugly thing," Buffy slumped lower in her chair. "I've had an awful lot of time to do the thinking thing instead of the knee-jerk reaction thing. Let me tell you, my reflecting time hasn't resulted in a pretty face in the mirror. I'm thinking I should change my hairstyle or something just so I can pretend I'm not me."
"Well, that certainly explains why you weren't going out of your way to assert your authority over Robin," Giles said.
Buffy shrugged. "Authority? I don't know if you noticed, me not being the one-and-only anymore…"
"Except for Kendra. And Faith," Xander interrupted.
"Except for Kendra who died an ugly death and Faith who was in jail," Buffy corrected. "I don't know. I feel like I've lost my bearings. I'm totally rudderless girl." She grinned at Xander. "I envy you, you know. At least you know how to do stuff."
"I'm an expert at fixing windows." Xander gave a mock bow while his stomach knotted.
"Which is more than I can do," Buffy sighed. "You know? My resume is way too thin. Doublemeat Palace. One summer as a waitress in L.A. One year of college. Not even a full year as a peer councilor at a high school that doesn't even exist anymore. Potential employers are not impressed."
"Ahhh, your confidence will be back up to its ol' Summers-time level in no time," Xander said. "In the meantime, someone needs to sit on Robin before I commit murder."
"As you so diplomatically put it," Giles dryly said.
"Okay, okay, sorry I put it that way, but not sorry I said it." Xander shoved his hands in his pockets. "Can someone please tell me how in hell he hooked up with Faith? And why Faith hasn't killed him yet?"
"Maybe she likes it tough," Buffy giggled. When Xander shot her a sidewise glance, she cringed. "I'm thinking I need duct tape. It'll keep me from saying things like words."
"Must be twu wuv," Xander said.
"Love makes you do the wacky," Buffy agreed. "But even still, I think he's beginning to drive Faith up the wall. I can always tell when the two of them have a fight because she goes all Dirty Harry on whatever nasty gets in her way."
"Speaking of which, how are you doing what with the Spike-related guilt?" Xander asked in a desperate attempt to get away from any more discussion about Faith and especially Robin.
Buffy gave him a small smile. "Probably about as well as you and your Anya-related guilt. You usually don't explode like that until all your buttons are well and truly pushed."
"Harris temper," Xander uncomfortably dismissed.
"Which means we need a group hug and a vow never to tell each other nasty truths again," Buffy joked in a tone that indicated that there was more than a little truth to her statement.
Xander was working on a comeback when the big boom happened.
TBC…