The next morning, Tuesday, November 4th
Xander woke up to the smell of food, a rarity in his life. Humming and the soft sounds of female voices reached into his consciousness as he shifted his head from under a couch cushion.
"Err?" he managed intelligently, attracting the notice of the two dark-haired women in the kitchen. Peering over the back of the couch, hair tousled, he drew a pair of smiles.
"Well, it's about time, Alexander," the older woman needled him, "I haven't cooked in nearly fourteen decades, so with all of the fascinating devices Jenny's showed me, I need you to consume as much as you can."
"Don't worry, Drusilla," Jenny Calendar assured her, "I once saw Alexander eat…have no fears of any food going to waste."
"What time is it?" the young man asked, putting on a black t-shirt he dug out from the top of his duffle, "I shouldn't be late for school."
"It's only six-thirty," Jenny reassured him, handing him a cup of strong tea as he approached the table, "Though it's odd to hear you voice concerns about school."
"Yeah, but until I get my GED, I'll do my best at it," he remarked, shoveling different breakfast foods onto his plate.
"GED?" Jenny asked, somewhat surprised, "What'll you do?"
"I haven't figured out how to make fighting evil pay yet, but I'll let you know?" he seriously replied, "Halloween merely put my commitment into greater perspective. When Jesse died the night I learned about vampires, I made my choice, and now I have a way to make it matter."
A few hours later, Xander had already managed to participate in class while in a Willow-like frenzy nearly completing homework by the end of class. He'd noticed Buffy and Willow exchanging notes and glances in class, and figured easily that Buffy was probably going on about Angel, and Buffy's fears about a relationship between the two souled vampires.
"Aw, Buff, you just need cheering up. And I know just the thing!" Xander declares, "Crazed dance party at the Bronze!"
"I dunno, Xan" she replied quietly.
"Very calm dance party at the Bronze?" he replies, getting a glum look, "Moping at the Bronze?" He sits on a couch next to Willow as an unknown young man approaches Buffy from behind.
"I'd suggest a box of Oreos dunked in apple juice," the young man says, "but maybe she's over that phase."
"Ford?" Buffy asks, amazed, hugging him.
"Hey, Summers! How ya been?"
"Oh, my God!" she beams, getting a chiding cough from Xander, "What are you doing here?" Buffy and Ford hold hands.
"Uh, matriculating."
"Huh?"
"I'm finishing out my senior year at Sunnydale High. Dad got transferred."
"This is great!"
"I'm glad you think so, I didn't think you'd remember me."
"Remember you? Duh! We only went to school together for seven
years. You were my giant fifth grade crush."
At this point, Xander experiences a moment of amused revelation, quietly guiding Willow away from an oblivious Buffy. Once they were around the corner in the hall Willow turns to him.
"Alright, mister, what was that all about?" the redhead asked, "And why did we leave?
"Wills, that was two things, there," the dark-haired teen informed his friend, "First, that was the final nail in the Xander hopes for a Buffy-Xander relationship, though after Buffy's Spring Fling choice I'd already known that. And just as important, it might be the end of the Cowardly Vampire's hold on Buffy's heart, you saw happy she was, hand holding and all there, right?"
"But isn't it her choice?"
"You betcha, that's why we're not going to distract her from the living choice by hanging around."
"You're devious, but do you hate Angel that much?"
"I despise what Angel is Willow, even though I'm really trying to be nice with the soul and encourage him to act like a man again."
"Huh?" she replied as they entered their French class, still devoid of students as of yet.
"We've learned the soul is Liam, right? The soul that last night promised to try to be better? The demon-infested corpse the poor guy is bound in is the thing I hate. There is a difference, and while as His disciples we must love the soul, it would be unclean and against nature for a teenage girl to have a physical relationship with that body. Let Buffy have a normal relationship with a living human. We can be friends with the trapped soul."
"Am I ever going to see the fun Xander back?" she asked as the teacher entered the room.
"Yes you are, my Little Tree, but I have to tell you that I'm going through a lot right now," he replied in French, "Finding God has really matured my thinking without aging me, so I'm trying to get to a point where it's me with the better outlook."
"You sure?"
"Yes."
School had proceeded apace, and at the end of the day Xander found himself standing in front of the school, unsure of a destination, when Jenny Calendar pulled up in her car.
"Going back to my place?"
"Yeah, but we better stop for more…food for Drusilla."
"Are you okay?"
"Just exhausted, last night took a lot out of me, and the days since Halloween…"
"Bad?"
"Not bad, but hard, I can't always separate my tenses when thinking through the thoughts of the 'Son of Thunder' I guess?"
"Thor?"
"No, just tired," he joked, "He called John and James the Sons of Thunder sometimes. Hey, where're you taking Giles?"
"It's a secret."
"Please?"
"No."
"Can you be bribed?"
"Not by one so young."
"Life in the Roman Empire for a hundred years makes me older than you."
"I wouldn't want to stop that old priestly heart of yours."
"……."
"Sorry."
"My bad, flirting is something I enjoy but I was about to shift into innuendo…"
"This really weighs you down, doesn't it?"
"Yeah, I haven't chosen the path of Apostle, but that of darkness abater, but when you know and not just believe the Right Path, when you've been the way I've been…"
"You were a good young man then, Alexander, you'll figure it out, maybe talk to a priest or Rupert?"
"Hmm."
Xander followed Jenny into her apartment, and they found it to be tidied, clean and better arranged. Jenny looked around in awe, as Drusilla came out of the guest bedroom in a pair of dark jeans and a loose-fitting white blouse clearly borrowed from Jenny's wardrobe.
"I hope you don't mind, but after fourteen decades, I rather needed to be clean and have things around me clean, so I thought I'd help out," Drusilla smiled brightly, "Luckily, your laundry facilities are without sunlight the entire time, so I did the laundry, and many of the linens and decorative cloths as a thank you, Jenny. I'm sure you'll understand why I didn't clean the draperies or clean the windows…"
"Uh, thank you Drusilla!" Jenny smiled back brightly, nearly three weeks of housework out of the way being a tremendous surprise, "That was wonderful of you! And you look much better in contemporary clothes!"
"Thanks, Jenny," Dru smiled back as she dusted of the jeans a bit, "I have tea just steeping…Alex, I'm glad you came back so soon." Jenny walked back into her bedroom to change clothes. Xander rubbed his nose as to an itch.
"I'm glad I did too," he smiled back, "Oh, we brought you a little cow, and a bit of bison, actually, which to me actually seems weirder than it being liquid refreshment, and as I don't know whether one chills this or microwaves it, I'll hand it to you."
"Oh," she said starting a bit uncomfortably, then seeing he really didn't have any really discomfort, brightened again, "I'll keep it in the fridge for now, pretend it's wine, and maybe I'll try that microwave device later."
"Put it in a coffee cup so your hands might warm but not burn," he suggested, rubbing his nose again, "and if you want it cold, there seem to be wine glasses over on the counter."
"You haven't told them yet have you?" she asked looking at him directly as she mimicked his nose rubbing.
"I haven't figured out how to present it."
"Why don't you trade secrets with Jenny?"
"…"
"You tell her about your other…family…and she tells you about hers."
"Tell him what?" Jenny asks as she reenters the room, rolling up her collar.
"Dru says we need to exchange family secrets so we'll know how to tell them to the others."
"?"
"Gypsy curse," Dru comments as she finishes pouring tea, "You first, Alexander."
"Okay, possessed by Primal Alpha Hyena?"
"Yeah, I heard."
"It boosted my senses, resistance to pain and overall constitution, but it was transferred, not banished…so I remember everything."
"Hmm, that's still not…"
"Ever see 'The Sentinel' on television?"
"Yeah…"
"The transfer kinda left a numbness in my senses, at the normal level for a few months…"
"?"
"I visited my four pack members once a week all summer long, and try to get over here a couple times a month since school started…at the psych ward…they couldn't handle it, and they're nearly autistic now."
"You…"
"Are just fine, one of five, and while not quite Sentinel-level, they're almost Slayer good if I don't have too many noises or smells to sort out…and not really something I've wanted to let the girl I tempted to coercively mate or the other hurt or maybe kill as weak, to know, even though it was the Hyena that did those things. And the girls are my entire family."
"Oh…"
"It's okay…your turn."
"Gypsy."
"……ah."
"Yeah."
"Family?"
"Great-great grandmother's sister."
"And you're here…"
"To make sure the curse still holds."
"How do you feel about that?"
"I don't know any more?"
"Do you report on us?"
"Not in any detail, but my journal I keep has it in there, like a diary in case something happens to me."
"We'll tell them after shopping tomorrow night."
"Why then?"
"Well, I want to have a normal night to set everyone at ease, especially with Dru, and with the group together, we'll be honest with them."
"Alright, I agree. What're you doing tonight?"
"I don't know, try to help Drusilla adjust to being in twentieth century America."
"In that case why don't you two come with me and Rupert…"
Wednesday Morning, Just before classes
"You took Drusilla and Giles to a Monster Truck Rally!" Buffy choked in shock, "On a double date!"
"No! We also took Willow, she'd kill me if I didn't take her along, and the three of us ended up a bit separate from the datesters, thank you very much."
"So what did they think?"
"Strangely, I think they liked it as much as they were confused by it," Willow said shaking her head, "But it was fun."
"Why didn't I go?"
"You were with Ford, Buff, wink wink, nod nod."
"Hey, it's nothing like that!"
"Um-hmm, sure."
"Gahhh."
Tuesday Night, Spike's Warehouse.
"This is so cool!" Ford enthuses, causing Spike to look up and see him standing among some crates, "I would totally live here."
"Do I have anyone on watch here?" Spike asks loudly, "It's called security, people. Are you all asleep? Or did we finally find a
restaurant that delivers?"
"I know who you are." Ford states smiling.
"Yeah, I know who I am, too. So what?"
"I came looking for you, Spike. You are Spike, right? William the
Bloody?"
"You've got a real death wish. It's almost interesting."
"So, how did you find me?"
"That doesn't matter. I've got something to offer you. I-I'm pretty sure this is the part where you take out a watch and say I've got thirty seconds to convince you not to kill me? It's traditional."
"Well," Spike replies in annoyance, swiftly moving on the human, "I don't go much for tradition." He grabs Ford by the ear and lifts him, and without Drusilla to pause his actions, snaps his neck before plunging his teeth into the boy's neck.