Chapter 11.

Buffy gives him a smile just to make him feel better. It isn't his fault that her friends had gone behind her back and tricked her to go to the Christmas Party she said she would not be going to from the very beginning.

Xander leads her over to his house, the same one she had seen and been in the night before. She takes a deep breath and walks in. The place is booming with music and people having conversations.

"Would you excuse me?" says Buffy. "Where's the bathroom?"

"Oh, right this way," replies Xander as he leads her to the nearest bathroom. Buffy enters and takes her cell phone out.

"You better pick up if you know what's good for you," says Buffy to herself.

"Hi," says Connor.

"You are so dead."

"Buffy, it wasn't Connor's fault," says Willow, who took Connor's phone from him. "I wanted to do this for you. You know you are glad that you are there."

"Willow…" Buffy sulks a little. "I don't like you pulling stuff behind my back, but you're right. I am happy I'm here."

"You see, friends know best."

"I know." Buffy laughs and then looks at herself in the mirror. "I've never felt like this about anyone before, Willow. I don't know what I'm going to do tonight."

"Buffy, you could tell him the truth."

"That doesn't sound like a good idea."

"Give me the phone," says Connor as he grabs his phone back. "Buffy, you should have fun. The driver will pick you up at eleven forty-five."

"Alright," says Buffy taking a deep breath and fixing her hair. "It's like Cinderella."

"Yeah, just like Cinderella." Connor smiles, even though Buffy doesn't see it.

"Oh, Connor. Xander's sister, Dawn. She asked about you. I think she really likes you."

"She does? She's Xander's sister?"

"Yeah, what a small world. She was jealous."

"Of what?"

"Of me."

"What?"

"She must have seen us at the mall when you told me about…"

"Oh."

"Well, I better go or he might think I drowned."

"Okay."

"Bye, Buffy," says Willow. Buffy hangs up and puts away her phone. She exits the bathroom and sees Xander turn around.

"Hey, come meet my folks," says Xander.

"Okay," replies Buffy with a smile.

"This is Jenny Calendar Harris and John Harris."

"Hi, I'm Buffy Summers. It's nice to meet you." Buffy shakes their hands and they smile at her.

"We're so glad you could come," says Jenny.

"I'm glad to be here," replies Buffy with a smile.

"Xander, she's simply breathtaking." Jenny whispers to her son as her husband greets her. "Don't let this one get away."

"I won't, Mom," replies Xander with a sheepish smile. His dad winks at him in approval of Buffy and heads over to his wife's side. "My parents, they are an odd couple."

"That's how all parents are," says Buffy. "You should meet mine…"

"Maybe I will sometime."

"It will be hard because they are always so busy."

"They don't celebrate the holidays?"

"No, it's not that. They have a business and it gets pretty busy during this time of year."

"Oh, so what do you do?"

"I work for my dad. First year."

"Really, doing what?"

"Ah, his job at the moment. He kind of broke his ankle, but he's alright."

"Well, that's good. I hope he's feeling better whenever I get to meet him."

"Xander," calls a blonde from across the room.

"Oh, great," says Xander as he rolls his eyes.

"Xander, I was looking everywhere for you," says the blonde. She begins to pull him away from Buffy.

"Anya, I'm with someone."

"Who is this?"

"Anya, this is Buffy Summers."

"Nice to meet you. Xander and I used to be together, until he got that silly department store job from his dad." Anya folds her arms across her chest. "How did you two meet?"

"Oh, it was at the mall," says Buffy. "Xander here helped me with some shopping I needed to do."

"Well, wasn't that nice of him?"

"Nice dress. Looks like it could fall right off." Anya glares at Buffy.

"Xander and I go way back. I was his high school sweetheart and we went to prom together."

"Is that so? I've heard relationships that start in high school never last through college."

"We were happy. He happens to give many orgas…" Xander covers Anya's mouth.

"Anya, you promised me not to ever say that in public," says Xander. A waiter comes by and Xander grabs two drinks from the tray. He gives one to Buffy and drinks the other himself.

"Sorry, I just thought that your friend should know all about us and that our love is still really strong," says Anya. Buffy then spills her drink on both of them, but mostly on Xander.

"Oh, I'm such a klutz," says Buffy as she grabs a napkin from a table and starts to wipe Xander in the lower crotch area. Xander is surprised that she keeps wiping the same spot over and over again. Anya looks angry as she sees Buffy touching Xander the way she is. She then storms off. "I think you better change." Xander grabs Buffy's hand.

"Thanks," says Xander. "Come on, help me pick out something." Xander pulls her up the stairs. They walk down a long corridor and enter a room. Xander closes the door behind them. "Make yourself comfortable." Xander heads over to his closet and takes out a couple of pants and shirts.

"Nice room," says Buffy looking around. Then her eyes fell on an old snow globe by the window. She walks over to it and picks it up. Xander sees that she has the globe in her hand.

"You like it?" Buffy looks at him. "I've had it for like…"

"Nineteen years."

"How did you guess?"

"I had one." Buffy looks down at the snow globe. "When I was little. My dad gave it to me. He said it was a special gift from Santa Claus."

"Santa Claus?" Xander smiles at that. "It's funny. The card on the box to that very snow globe nineteen years ago said a special gift from Santa Claus."

Buffy puts the snow globe down and walks over to Xander. He shows her the pants and shirts he had in his closet that are placed on the bed. Buffy looks down at them.

"I like the blue better."

"Me, too." Xander grabs the suit and heads into his bathroom to change.

"Um, Xander?" Buffy approaches the bathroom door.

"Yeah."

"Did you ever believe in Santa Claus?"

"Huh?" Xander is confused by this question that she is asking him. He opens the bathroom door and looks at her.

"Never mind." Xander shrugs and then tries to tie his tie. "Here, let me. I'm a pro at this."

"Tied your dad's ties?"

"No, he doesn't wear a tie to work."

"Oh, lucky him."

"There you go."

"I've never met a girl who knew how to do this except my mom." Xander looks at himself in a mirror, then brushes his hair a little with his hand. "How did you learn how to do it?"

"Oh, some guy. Umm, we better get…"

"Oh, your other boyfriends." Xander walks up to the door.

"Not exactly." Buffy heads over to the door as Xander opens it. He decides to not ask her anymore questions as they exit his bedroom.

"Whoa, you are fast," says Dawn as she sees them exit Xander's bedroom.

"Dawn," says Xander in a stern voice. "Buffy spilled something on me by accident and I went up here to change."

"Is that what their calling it these days? Went up to change."

"Dawn."

"Whatever. Could I talk to Buffy for a minute? Alone."

"Are you going to apologize for last night?"

"Maybe."

"I'll be downstairs."

"Okay," says Buffy as she watches him walk down the corridor. "What is it you want to tell me?"

"First," says Dawn. "Sorry about last night. I just…I saw you at the mall with Connor and you looked pretty close. I kind of got…"

"Jealous?"

"Yeah, and seeing that you're the girl my brother won't stop talking about, I was worried he made another mistake in picking a girl and I was worried that I found a guy who was taken."

"Connor's my best friend. He's kind and sweet. We've known each other like forever."

"I guess you're the friend he is staying with. He says he lives up north like you said. I kind of wanted to see him again."

"I'll see what I can do."

"Really?"

"Promise."

"Thanks." Dawn hugs Buffy.

"How did you two meet?"

"Oh, I was at my job at the mall playing an elf in the Santa display."

"Oh." Buffy begins to laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing."

"Come on; let's go back to the party." The girls head down and as Buffy walks down the steps, she sees Xander dancing with Anya.