Chapter 4. Tell Them That I Love You.

After a half hour later, there is still no sign of Riley and everyone is quiet. Xander gets up and heads over to the kitchen. He signals Buffy from there, Buffy rolls her eyes and goes over to the bathroom. He then follows her.

"So, Giles, Willow tells me you're really good with spells," says Tara trying to start a conversation. Willow is surprised that Tara actually talked first. Giles puts his attention on her and does not notice Buffy and Xander enter the bathroom.

In the bathroom, Xander closes the door and faces Buffy. Buffy sits on the edge of the tub and lowers her head to her hands on her lap. Xander sits on the toilet seat and feels a little weird, but ignores it.

"This is driving me crazy," says Buffy under her breath. "Where is Riley?" Buffy lifts her head up and brushes her hair away from her face.

"What about Giles?" asks Xander.

"What?"

"Aren't you going to tell him?"

"One person at a time Xander."

"Look, I know you're stressed out about this, but…"

"Xander…"

"Let me finish." Xander grabs her hands. "I don't want to hide our relationship. I want them to know. Your mom, Giles, everyone."

"I told my mom. She wants to invite you to dinner." Xander smiles.

"Buffy, it's not that difficult. I mean, it's not like you're going out with Spike."

"I think he'd take offense to that."

"I don't care. I love you, Buffy." They both stand up. "And this is the strangest place I've ever said that before to a woman."

"I think I saw it in a movie once."

"Can't Hardly Wait with Seth Green. Now that guy is funny."

"And then they hooked up." Buffy moves closer to Xander and touches his chest.

"Are you trying to seduce me, Buffy because it's working?" Buffy gives him an evil smirk. Then someone knocks on the door. They get startled. Xander goes over and opens the door. He sees Giles and he takes off his glasses.

"What are you two doing in here?" asks Giles. The two stay quiet.

"Buffy," says Xander when Buffy doesn't say anything. She quickly walks out of the bathroom. Xander follows her and grabs her on her way to the door. He turns her around. "Tell them that I love you!" Everyone in the room have their eyes set on the two. Buffy gets angry and slaps Xander in the face. She doesn't slap him too hard, but he releases her from his grip. Buffy then heads out of the house. "Ouch."

"Nice show," says Willow. "Wish I had popcorn." Tara looks at Willow and then laughs a little.

"Xander, are you and Buffy together?" asks Giles. Xander turns to Giles.

"Yes, and she is having a problem telling everyone," says Xander.

"So, that's why you're here, Willow. To watch the show."

"Yeah, do you have popcorn, Giles?" Giles rolls his eyes.

"Maybe I should go after her," says Xander.

"No, you should give her space," says Giles. "And get some ice for that jaw." Giles heads over to the kitchen and gets an ice pack for Xander.

"Xand, she'll come back," says Willow walking over to him as he puts the ice pack on his jaw. "I know she will."

"Xander?" Giles says. Xander turns to him. "I don't know Riley that well, but I kind of don't feel like he's right for Buffy. I wouldn't tell her that because she would probably hurt me like she did to you. I actually think that you might be a prominent candidate for her."

"Thanks." Giles smiles at Xander and pats him on the shoulder.

Meanwhile, Buffy walks aimlessly through the streets and from afar she sees Riley walking toward her. She begins to slow down as he begins to speed up.

"Buffy, what are you…" asks Riley.

"Riley, we need to talk," says Buffy.

"That doesn't sound good. Is something wrong?" Buffy looks at him and bows her head. "Buffy, come on. You're worrying me here."

"Can we sit?" Riley nods his head and they sit at a nearby bench. Buffy takes a deep breath. "You're such a great guy, Riley and I know that any girl would be lucky enough to have a guy like you. She'll have a hard time understanding your military job, but she'll love you."

"It's part of who I am. You're the only girl that will understand that."

"I know." Buffy bows her head and takes another deep breath. She looks into Riley's blue eyes and tries to hold in her emotions.

"Buffy, what do you want to say to me?"

"I'm sorry, Riley, but… I don't love you." Buffy wants to leave or crawl under a rock at this moment. She is fearful of what Riley will say.

"What?" Riley stays quiet for a while and then he looks at Buffy and takes her hand. "Buffy, it takes time and…" Buffy shakes her head.

"I'm in love with someone else." Riley continues to stare at her in disbelief.

"You're leaving me?"

"I'm so sorry."

"It's Spike, isn't it? He's always had a thing for you and…" Riley stands up.

"It's not Spike. Why would you think that? Me and Spike?" Buffy laughs a little and then gets serious again seeing that Riley is not in the mood for funny stuff.

"I can't believe this." Riley shakes his head.

"You need to know the truth. I know you're not going to like it, but I love him."

"Oh, you're back with Angel?"

"No! It's not him."

"Then who is left? You're not getting back with Parker, are you?"

"Not in this lifetime." Buffy takes a deep breath and sighs. "It's Xander. I love Xander."

"What?"

"So, how was patrolling? Anything out of the usual?"

Back at Giles', Willow, Tara, and Xander are sitting on the sofa waiting for Buffy to come back. Giles keeps walking back and forth and then stops when he sees the door open. They all look over to it hoping it was Buffy, but it isn't.

"Spike," says Giles. "Don't you ever knock?"

"If I did, would you have let me in?" asks Spike heading over to Giles' frig.

"No."

"Then that's why." Spike grabs a plasma bag from Giles' frig and then pours it in a mug. He walks back to the living room, where Xander is holding an ice pack to his face. "What happened to you? Smack your face into a wall?"

"No, more like a Slayer wall," says Xander.

"Slayer hit you. Maybe you're not satisfying her right."

"Spike, get out," says Giles.

"Alright, aren't we uptight," says Spike. Xander tries to laugh at Spike's comment, but he then feels the pain of his bruise. "Fine, I'll be on my way." Spike heads out of the apartment.

"Spike knows," says Xander.

"What?" says Giles. "You told him before you told me?"

"We didn't tell him. He just happened to walk by when Buff and I were kissing. Did I just say that?" Xander gets excited and starts to act like one of the girls almost saying, Oh my gosh!

"Yeah. You were kissing Buffy," says Willow. "You like saying that. Thought it would never happen. Think again, Xander." Xander and Willow smile at each other.

"Speaking of which," says Giles as the door swings open and in comes Buffy. "Buffy, are you alright?" Buffy nods her head.

"I'm the Slayer, I'm supposed to be brave and strong and I can't even tell anybody how I feel," says Buffy. "Is that like a side effect with Slayers?" She turns to Giles, who laughs at her comment. He walks over to her and closes the door for her.

"Riley?"

"I told him." Giles nods his head. "He didn't want to come. Needed some time alone."

"I see."

"No worries. He said everything was pretty low key for now, I guess." Xander gets up and looks at Buffy. She walks over to him, touches his cheek where she had hit him and kisses it softly. "I'm sorry." She whispers to him.

"It's okay," says Xander as he takes her into his arms. Tara and Willow go awwwww.

"So, anyone hungry?"

"I'm starved."

"When are you not?" says Willow. Tara laughs at that. They all get their coats and head out.

"Mom's making meatloaf," says Buffy.

"Oh, I love meatloaf," says Giles as he follows them out as well.