Disclaimer in pt 1

Nothing to Say

Part eight of the Foolish Games series.

"One ninety-nine, two friggin' hundred! Whoever decided that I should count to 200 should be taken outside and shot," Xander called out to no one in particular.

"Only because you tried pulling 'One, two, skip a few, one hundred,' on us before!" someone called vaguely from the left.

Xander followed the voice. "Just keep on talkin' Dawn. Lead Uncle Xander right to you."

"Uncle Messy Hair!"

"We'll see what you have to say when Uncle Xander catches you."

"Xander, talking in the third person is a sign of insanity."

"Oh so you want to be caught first, eh Buffy? Always protecting little Dawnie."

"Hey, you want? You can have her. Least she'll stop stealing my clothes."

Dawn let out an exasperated shriek. "I do no steal your clothes!"

"Do to."

"Do not."

"Do to."

"Do not!"

"Do to!"

"Do not not not!"

"Do to to t--"

"Hah!" Xander surprised the bickering sisters. "Gotcha both! Now who's the man?"

Dawn and Buffy stuck out their respective tongues. "Hey," Dawn said, "I guess this means Buffy's it."

Eyes open wide in shock she denied it fervently. "He caught you first."

"No way!"

"Yes way!"

"No way!"

"Yes . . ."

Seeing that their conversation skills were going the way of the dodo, and fast, Xander went in search of his girlfriend, Willow and Oz.

"Oh, Xander," Anya raising her and from behind a stack of misdirected inventory for the gallery, "I'm right here."

With a heavy sigh he went to her. "Anya, honey, the point of hide-and-go-seek is to not get caught. See, you hid and now I have to go seek."

"That's not how we play it home," she reminded him with a puzzled expression.

Looking quickly over his shoulder to make sure young ears hadn't overheard, Xander quickly whispered that he realized there was a difference. "But that's why it has a different name at home too."

"Oh! So hide-and-go-b--"

"Yes, Anya," he cut her off as quickly as possible, "they're similar but not at all the same."

She nodded. "Okay, so I'll just scootch down back here again and you can come find me," she smiled having finally mastered, at least in theory, the game.

"Well, Buffy and Dawn have already been caught. Why don't you go try and help them figure out who's gonna be It next game, okay?"

"Sure."

Xander sighed. He loved her but she was gonna be the death of him, he was sure.

Okay, time to get down to business: the tracking down of Willow and Oz. Now he figured they'd be hiding together 'cause if he hadn't been It he would have hidden with Anya -- in a much better spot, to be sure. Willow giggled like a five year old if it took too long for her to be caught but if Oz were with her he'd probably keep her quiet. Besides, there weren't that many places in this house for two people to hide comfortably.

In the meantime he'd searched every room in the Summers' place, gone past the Dawn, Buffy and Anya -- all three were argueing now -- twice and stopped for a refreshing glass of sugary soda. Still no Willow or Oz. Time to pull out the big guns.

"Ollie ollie oxen free."

"WHAT?!" came three female voices from the living room.

Xander bellowed again. Even if they were in the basement they should have heard him.

"Jeez, Xander," he turned to find Dawn at his back, "what was that?"

"Oh, you know, when the games over and you can't find someone you yell 'Ollie ollie oxen free.'"

Her expression told him that he was now officially certifiable, at least in the Kingdom of Junior High. "Riiight. Look, they've gotta be around, right? So all we gotta do is loo--"

Bump.

"Did you hear that?"

Xander's eyebrows came together. "Did it sound like a thump coming from the general direction of the hall closet?" Dawn nodded. "Let's go!"

They eyed the door cautiously. Another sound soon followed. How they could have missed it before, neither knew.

By now Buffy and Anya had joined them. "Um, honey," Anya tugged on the edge of his short-sleaved shirt, "why are we staring at--"

Bump!

"Buffy, why didn't you tell us you have a monster living under your stairs."

"Because I don't! I say on the count of three Xander opens the door."

He turned to her. "Why me!"

"Because you're the only guy here!"

"You're the freakin' Slayer!"

"Oh so that means--"

"Oh I'll open it," Anya proclaimed. And did.

The four peared in cautiously. Willow and Oz, mid-deep throat kiss hardly seemed to mind. Buffy covered Dawn's eyes. "I want to watch!"

"Oops!" Willow turned an as-yet-unnamed shade of red. "Game over?"

Xander was all smiles. "Go Oz."

"Thanks man. But, uh, could we have some privacy."

With a raise of her eyebrows Anya closed the door. "Anyway, like I was saying, I think Buffy's It."

"What?!"

End