Xander was, instead of doing his homework, listing jobs he might get as a high school graduate, so that he could provide for Faith and a baby.
"Hey, Giles?" he called into the ether around him.
"Yes?" came a reply from somewhere behind his head.
"What kind of jobs are out there for a high-school graduate with a low C average?" Xander was vaguely aware of footsteps.
"Worried about the future?" Giles asked.
"More than a little," he said. "I've got some money saved up, but I'm planning to spend that on my road trip. After that, I'll need a job."
"Immediately?" Giles asked. "No, um, down time?"
Xander shook his head. "I think you may be operating under the mistaken impression that I can live rent free after high school. No, no. Not for me the life of leisure. I must endeavor to earn the money."
"I see," Giles said. He always sounded so sympathetic. Xander wondered for a moment whether that was because of the Watcher training, or just the type of guy Giles was. His eye caught a glimpse of Wesley in Giles' office and knew instantly it had nothing to do with Watcher training. "Well, there are many careers suitable for a young man such as yourself. What type of job would you like?"
"I don't know," Xander said. He paused in thought for a moment. "Something where I don't have to work much, but they pay me ridiculous amounts of money anyway."
"Ah yes, those jobs. I hear they're just giving them out these days. I've merely not taken one because I feel a sense of duty to the school."
"That's what's nice about you, Giles," Xander said, smiling at the older man. "You always were a little naïve. Really, though? I have no idea what kind of job I want."
"Well, a high school degree opens up any number of doors. I'm certain there's something out there that will suit you."
Xander nodded.
"And if that doesn't work, you could always be a male escort."
Xander nodded, then looked sharply up at Giles. The librarian shrugged. "Just keeping you on your toes," he said with a smile, as he retreated back into his office.
"Xander?"
Xander looked up. Willow was calling him from the door to the library. She beckoned for him to follow, and he did, into the halls and out into the quad.
"What's up, Will?" he asked.
"I thought you should know… Buffy and Angel know you guys had sex."
"They what?"
"I didn't tell," she said, a little defensively.
"I know, Will, you wouldn't do that. How did they –"
"Angel smelled it a while ago. He didn't say anything because he didn't think it was anybody's business," she said.
"So what prompted him last night?"
"I don't know," Willow said. "But you know how they get."
"True," Xander said. "But uh…"
"Buffy didn't say anything about knowing about the…" Willow looked around and lowered her voice. "About the baby. And she had lots of opportunities to. And she promised she wouldn't say anything to you or Faith."
"Good," he said. "That's good. How are you doing with all of this?"
Willow looked up at him and smiled brightly. "I'm doing very well, Xander, thank you for asking."
Xander squinted, and inspected each part of her smile, from her lips to her cheeks to her eyes. He grinned. "Good," he pronounced. "I'm glad. I couldn't stand hurting you anymore, Will."
Willow's smile grew even larger. "Anyway," she said. "Have you guys heard anything back yet?"
"Nah," Xander said. "It's really too early, still. I'm going over there a little later. You wanna come?"
Willow shook her head. "No, I've got some work to do, and I'm going out with Oz later."
Xander smiled and leaned back on the bench. "What about the GED?"
"What?" Willow asked.
"Well… if Faith and I were sleeping together, does Buffy still think she's getting a GED?"
"I guess," Willow said. "I mean, she didn't say anything about it. And, really, there's no other reason I should be spending time with Faith."
Xander nodded. "Okay," he said. "Well, I'll explain to Faith later… and hope she doesn't try to rip my head off."
Willow smiled at him. "How come… um…."
"Yeah?"
"How come Faith doesn't want anybody to know? About the baby? Or what you two did?"
"I don't know," Xander said. He hadn't really considered it, but now that he was… it wasn't making with the happy. "She's probably embarrassed about it. I mean, you saw the way Cordy reacted."
"Xander, not everybody would react like Cordelia. I mean, she had a reputation to hold up, and you know what it's been like for her. Faith doesn't."
Xander sighed, and shook his head. "I don't know, Will. She just… that's the way it is, and it's her decision."
"It's just… I don't want you to get hurt."
"What do you mean?"
"Xander look at me," Willow said. Xander looked at her. She looked very serious. "I want you to listen to my question very seriously, and take some time to think about it. Okay? It's important."
"If it's important… of course. I owe you that much –"
"No," Willow said. "You don't owe me. I've done what I've done out of friendship and love, and you don't owe me for any of it. You'd do the same for me, I know you would. This is something you need to do for yourself."
"Okay," Xander said.
Willow took a deep breath. "Are you falling for Faith?"
Xander laughed. "Will, don't be si – "
"Stop," Willow said, placing a finger over his lips. "Don't. Go spend time with her tonight, and do whatever it was you were going to do, and think about it. It's not something you need to tell me, even. But… you need to know if you're falling for the mother of your child, and how that might change things."
"Even if I was…"
"Even if you were, don't count yourself out," Willow said, softly. "You never know what effect spending a lot of time with you can have on a girl."
Xander's visit to Faith's apartment went more smoothly than he could have hoped. He managed to tell her about Buffy and Angel knowing they had slept together without her biting his head off. In fact, she didn't even snap, or accuse him. She asked how they knew and when he told her, she just accepted it. He was amazed.
And he was also confused. Xander was thinking about what Willow had said – really trying to figure it out, and it was the damnedest thing. He couldn't. He was paying attention to the way he acted around Faith, and to be sure, it was different than how he acted around Willow, or around Buffy, or whoever, but not that substantially different.
He also didn't think he paid excess attention to her, especially considering the situation they were most likely in. He actually wondered if there were more he should be doing, like making sure she didn't move around a lot, or… or what? Xander had no idea what the hell he was doing.
And, okay, yeah, he might have spent an inordinate amount of time watching her ass, enjoying the way she looked, but, jeez, she was sexy as hell, moved with a confidence and swagger that accentuated every single curve she had, and he was eighteen years old! What was he supposed to do?
But sitting next to her on her couch, watching television, and not really talking, he felt comfortable. And he wasn't sure what that meant. Because he felt comfortable not talking with Willow, and he had never felt the same comfort with Cordelia. But he had with Buffy, and he knew for damn sure what he had been feeling for her.
"You all right?"
Xander was startled out of his introspection. "Huh?"
Faith shrugged. "Look like something's buggin' ya."
"Oh. Uh. No, I'm good," he lied. But such things were necessary in these matters. "I haven't been getting a lot of sleep."
Faith nodded. "Know what you mean. I can usually operate on like two and a half hours, but lately I'm not even getting that."
"Worried?"
Faith looked for a moment like she was going to deny even knowing what that word meant, but stopped herself and smiled. "Yeah," she said. "I mean, shit. What do I know about raising a kid? I basically had to raise myself, you know, and it's not like I did a bang-up job there."
"Ah, I think you turned out all right," Xander said.
"Sweet, but you're not very convincing."
"No, I mean it. I mean, I don't know a lot about you… not much at all, really, but I kinda guessed that you didn't have it easy. And you're a fairly well adjusted, intelligent, attractive young woman."
"If I'm your idea of well adjusted," Faith said, "you've maybe got as many issues as I do."
Xander smiled. "I think, if you just rewind, you'll find I said 'fairly' well adjusted. I don't think anybody can be on the Hellmouth and be completely well adjusted. As far as Hellmouth residents go, you're doing pretty well."
Faith smiled at him, and Xander almost melted. She really didn't smile often, and man, it was stunning. "Thanks, man," she said. "I gotta say… the more we chill, the more I think I was wrong about you."
"Yeah?"
Faith smiled and punched him lightly – for her – in the shoulder. "Yeah," she said. "You may not be just common scum," she said with a wink.
"Oh, gee, thanks," Xander said playfully. "That was such a huge compliment. I can just see it, years down the road. 'Hey, kid, you know the nicest thing your mom ever said about me? She said I'm not common scum.'"
Faith laughed. "I only said you may not be, not you aren't."
"Even better," Xander laughed, as Faith attempted to smile through a yawn. "And, enter my cue to leave."
Faith shook her head. "I'm good, it's cool," she said.
"Faith, you said yourself that you're not getting enough sleep. I'll just let myself out and –"
"You really don't gotta do –"
"But if you're not getting any –"
"I can deal with –"
"Why are you so –"
"Because I get lonely!"
Xander shut up, and just looked at her. She was gazing down at her hands, picking at her fingernails. "It's just," she said, "I never had a place this size, or anything, and last few days… there's been people around. And it doesn't suck, you know? 'Cept when they're not here anymore. Turns out once I get a taste of not being a loner… being alone don't suit me that great." She laughed harshly. "Guess I'm not who I thought I was."
"Faith," Xander said softly, "just because you don't like being alone doesn't mean you aren't you. Nobody likes really being alone, Faith. Not when there's another option. Unless you're the Unabomber. You're not, are you?"
Faith smiled, and looked up at the TV. "I guess you gotta go."
"I don't have to be anywhere. I can stay as long as you want. You don't want to be lonely, you won't be."
Faith shook her head. "I'm not good at, um… asking people… you know, for things. But, uh… could you maybe… I dunno…"
Xander smiled. "You want me to couch surf?"
"I mean, unless your parents –"
"Won't notice a thing," he said with certainty.
"I just… this place gets too quiet."
Xander nodded.
"I got a spare blanket…"
"Should be great," he said. "Unless we get another freak snowstorm."
Faith smiled, and went to her room to retrieve said blanket, and Xander accepted it silently.
"I guess, uh… I'll see ya tomorrow," she said, awkwardly.
"Thanks," Xander said, looking at the blanket in his hands.
"For what?" Faith asked.
Xander looked up at her, saw her fear, her strength, her passion and her insecurity, and smiled. "For trusting me."
Faith said nothing. She nodded and turned on her heel, shutting the door to her bedroom behind her. Xander clicked the television off, stripped to his boxers and settled into the couch, thinking about everything that had happened within the last few minutes. She had trusted him with some pretty personal stuff. He had joked about having a kid with her. He had shared some fairly personal stuff with her.
And the entire time she was talking, he couldn't stop looking at her lips.
"Damn," he said to himself. "I hate it when Willow's right."
"I can't stay here after this."
"I understand, of course," Giles said. "If we pull this off, he'll most certainly be looking for you. A witch hunt, no doubt." He was right, of course. It was unfortunate, but there was no way out of it. If they did indeed manage to steal the box of Gavrok out from under the mayor's nose, Richard Wilkins would no doubt be furious, and would spare no one in his search for the traitor. Alan Finch, deputy mayor and current inhabitant of his office couch, would have to be protected.
"I'm glad you understand, Mr. Giles," Finch said. He looked nervous. It was any wonder the man had the courage to come forward, but it was the best of luck that he had, as there had been no inkling of what the mayor would do, only that it would be bad. "Do you have any idea of how…"
"I might call on an ally of ours to… remove you to a safer location," Giles said. "He's very reliable. You would, of course, have to travel by night."
"You mean the vampire," Finch said.
Giles nodded. He did indeed intend to ask Angel to protect this man, or at least find someone who could. There was nobody else who could get away, unless Wesley could be convinced, an idea that was so unlikely as to not be worth attempting.
"Stay here," Giles said. "I'll find someone to protect you for the moment, and we'll get you out of town tonight."
"Thank you," Finch said. Giles nodded curtly at the man and stepped into the library proper, behind the desk where the phone stood. He hoped that Faith would not scoff at protecting the man whom she had almost slain. Giles was grateful for Xander's timely intervention, remembering how Buffy had felt before they discovered her mother's boyfriend was a robot.
'Good lord,' Giles thought to himself as he dialed Faith's apartment. 'Women dating robots. I really must get off the Hellmouth more often.'
After the third ring, a surprisingly deep voice grumbled into the phone. "Whozzit?"
"I'm sorry," Giles said. "I um… appear to have dialed –"
"Giles?"
Giles recognized the voice that time. "Xander?" he asked. "Shouldn't you be in class?"
"Uh… yeah. Yeah probably. Whuz going on?" The young man was very obviously not awake yet.
"I was looking for Faith. Must have dialed your number by mistake. I'll just –"
"No, hold on," Xander said. "She's in her room. One second."
Giles was surprised. He had no idea that Xander and Faith were… but then, they were two… almost adults, with stressful lives, and certainly what ever they did with their own time was none of his business. It was possible, however, that Xander had merely ventured to Faith's apartment as a friend, and had fallen asleep on her couch. And it was also possible that Ethan Rayne had learned his lesson, given up Chaos, and would never return to bother them. The two events were equally likely.
"Giles?" asked a just-waking-up Faith.
"Yes, Faith, glad I caught you in. I have a bit of a situation here at the school, and I was wondering if you might help me with it."
"Uh, what is it?"
"Mr. Finch has returned, with some rather disturbing information. We feel his life may be in danger, and I was hoping you could protect him until tonight."
"Babysitting duty. Got it. We'll be there soon." Faith hung up.
They would be here soon, Giles thought as he placed the phone back in the cradle. The ease with which Faith identified herself and Xander as a pair was a little startling. Giles thought he had been doing quite well in keeping straight the intricacies of who was dating whom, who had crushes on whom, and who loathed who, although he would never, ever admit it.
This pairing surprised him, and so soon after Xander and Cordelia had – but really, it wasn't that soon. In the eyes of an eighteen-year-old boy, three or four months was practically a lifetime. And Xander had always shown attraction to strong women, of which Faith was definitely one. Faith had, on the other hand, rarely been cared for by anybody. And if there was one thing Xander was accomplished at, it was making people feel cared for, and actually caring for them.
Perhaps, he thought as he re-entered his office to question Mr. Finch again, their relationship was not so surprising after all.
"Buffy," Angel said, "it's for the best. I'm the only one who can do it."
Xander was impressed, a rare occurrence, especially when it came to Angel. God only knew how long this trip would take, and while it hadn't been his idea, Angel had been on board from the start. Now they just had to convince Buffy.
"Look, I know it needs to be done," Buffy said. "But how come –"
"Because," Giles said, for what was, if Xander had counted correctly, the fifth time, "we are all needed here. Angel, while absolutely a valuable asset, is the only one with the leisure to make such a trip."
"How come we can't just keep him here?"
"In the library? Does anybody read that much?" Xander asked. Stupid question, but he could tell Buffy was starting to get frustrated.
Giles and Willow smiled at him, and Faith raised a single eyebrow in his direction.
"In Sunnydale, not the library," Buffy said. But she was pouting now, which was better than frustrated. "I don't like it."
"Buffy," Angel started.
"How come Wesley can't do it?" she interrupted.
"I very much doubt the council would approve of him leaving his charges," Giles said. "And Wesley is nothing if not obedient to the wishes of the council."
"But –"
"Buffy," Willow said. "I think you have to face it. The only person who can get Mr. Finch out of town, to safety, is Angel. Everyone else has a reason to stay."
"Faith doesn't!" Buffy said.
Xander and Faith both whipped their heads around to look at Buffy. Willow, too, had her mouth open in reply
"Yes she does," they all said simultaneously.
Buffy narrowed her eyes. "Oh yeah? What?"
"It's the thing… that I told you about," Willow said, cautiously.
"Oh," Buffy said, deflated. Willow, Faith and Xander let out their breath in relief.
"What is this?" Giles asked.
"It's noth –" Xander started
"Nah," Faith said. "It's okay. I ain't embarrassed anymore." Xander and Willow looked at her, surprised. "Thing is, G… Red and Xander have been helpin' me study for the GED. Test is pretty soon."
"Really?" Giles asked.
"For a while now," Xander said. "That's why I was at Faith's when you called. I passed out last night, and she just kinda tossed a blanket on me." Faith nodded in agreement.
"Well… that's splendid," Giles said, beaming at Willow, Xander and Faith. They all three exchanged a slightly guilty look, but nodded, nonetheless.
"Buffy," Angel said, taking her hand. "I don't want to do this. I don't want to leave you, but this has to be done. Mr. Finch has done as much as can be asked, he's given us a way to stop the mayor. The least we can do is make sure he's safe."
"How long will he have to be gone?" Buffy asked.
"Well, assuming he drives approximately the speed limit… and only at night… perhaps two weeks. It is a long way to Maine."
Buffy looked up to Angel, her expression deadly serious. "Drive fast," she said.
Angel nodded. "Mr. Finch… if you'll come with me?"
Finch looked up. "Um. I just… please stop him," he said. "If he transforms… there'll be no stopping him."
"We understand," Giles said. "Now please, you must hurry. Get as far as you can, tonight."
"Thank you," Finch said. Angel kissed Buffy passionately, stroked her hair once and smiled at her, then led Finch out through the back.
"What kind of monster will he be?" Buffy asked, still watching the stacks where Angel had left. After a moment, she turned to Giles, eyebrows raised in question.
"A demon," Giles said. "But, a true demon, different than any we've fought."
"Different how?" Oz asked. He had been silent pretty much the whole time. It stood to reason that it didn't really matter to him whether Angel went or not, but once they got down to business, so did he.
"Well… I'm not entirely certain. Larger, certainly. Likely… much harder to kill."
"That's certainly informative," Xander said.
"What's this thing we gotta steal?" Faith asked.
"It's called a Box of Gavrok," Giles said. "And we must be especially careful with it. It's a magical box that contains millions upon millions of mystical spiders that, should they escape, would take great delight in devouring the flesh off of our bones, and anyone else with whom they should come into contact. They would swarm over the Earth and destroy humanity."
The gang was silent.
"I vote we kill the box," Oz said, raising one hand. Xander quickly joined him, followed soon after by Faith, Willow and, after a few seconds, Buffy.
"Yes, well, that would be the idea," Giles said, smiling as the group lowered their arms. "But, as of the moment, we don't know how to do that. I'm going to be bringing Wesley in tomorrow to figure this out…" Everyone groaned.
"I understand you don't like him," Giles said, "but however annoying he may be, he is a proficient researcher, something that will come in useful right now. Does anybody have anything else to add?"
Xander shook his head along with everyone else.
"Good," Giles said. "Then I believe that's all for the night. Buffy, Faith, I believe a sweep of the Southern cemeteries will suffice for the night. There are no recent graves in the more northern ones."
Buffy smiled and nodded, while Faith tossed off a lazy, poorly executed salute.
"And Xander," Giles said, "if I might have a word."
The girls and Oz headed out of the library, and Xander waited around. Giles waited until the others had gone, and turned to Xander.
"Your personal life is none of my business," Giles said. "But I believe we both know that Faith is not in anyway pursuing her GED."
Xander opened his mouth to protest, but stopped himself and nodded.
"While, as I said, your personal life is not my business, I do wish to… caution you. I have read the journals of Faith's first Watcher. Faith is a troubled young woman, who I believe may have problems with, well, people."
"Giles, I –"
"Please, do not take this as a criticism," Giles said. "Nor as a threat, or anything of the sort. But if you are to pursue a relationship with her, you need to be a stabilizing influence. She has lacked those severely in her life. I only wish to say… you must approach it with great care."
"I've… kind of figured that out," Xander said. "And while we're not, you know, dating or anything? We've been… spending a lot of time together, and she can be really sensitive about some topics, and really, just, blasé about others."
"But… generally, things are going well?"
"Generally," Xander said, nodding, "I think she's starting to trust me. That I won't, you know, dick her over, or try to hurt her."
"Good," Giles said. "It's just, I fear she's more fragile than she lets people know."
"I get it," Xander said, standing up. "I'll take care of her. Even if we're not dating."
Giles smiled as Xander walked away.
"Oh, one more thing," Giles said.
"Yeah?"
"Do be careful yourself. I should hate to see you hurt, either."
Xander smiled, nodded, and left the library.
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End Chapter 11