Author's note: So sorry for the long wait on this. I got attacked by another plot bunny that demanded attention. The results of that plot bunny will be up soon as will Ian...I think. Thank you all for reviewing, even the guest that apparently hated all of my decisions. :) I do want to take a few moments to respond to a few reviews real quick, feel free to skip over it.
WBH21C : Glad you like it!
Guest : I had reasons for all of what I did that you didn't like, first with Dawn, the show never went into detail on how the spell worked. The way I see it there was two possibilities, the first one is that it was a contingency they had in place forever, in which case Dawn would've always been created at the age she was in the show. The other possibility was that they became aware that Glory would be coming after the key soon, but didn't have any idea when and made preperations ahead of time, in this case ten years ahead and she came out at the age that the spell was.
You of course have every right to disagree with the choice, but an older Dawn brings up possibilities I really didn't want to explore. Having Dawn at 14 only makes her two years younger than the rest of the Scoobies, we know she had a crush on Xander and I want this to stay somewhat light and I didn't need a bitchy Dawn trying to claim Xander as her own.
Lastly...the pregnancy and resulting wedding. In the episode the Pack, Xander tries to rape Buffy. Its not treated as a HUGE deal in the episode because of time constraints of it being an hour long episode, but attempted rape is ALWAYS a huge deal, so bad Joss for glossing it over. In this story, the hyena spirit was actively monitoring Buffy's scent to ENSURE a pregnancy. Since Buffy is really INTO Xander in this story the spirit wouldn't have to resort to rape, she went willingly. I wanted the incident with the hyena to have real consequences instead of just being another episode that Xander has to relive. There's going to be enough of that as it is and that just bores me. Sorry you disagree, but I stand by my choice.
The Sinful : Seems there's a couple of my reviewers that aren't B/X fans but still like my story, so I must be doing something right. Also OUCH, glad you were ok after that.
Dog3n : Glad you liked him. I figure that if Lucifer exists he's going to have a sense of humor, and be a complete bastard.
Dragonhulk : Thanks for giving it a chance this chapter should continue to press your aww buttons.
Daniel : Nope actually wasn't just pulled the name out of thin air.
Bigfan : Glad you are enjoying the story, sorry for the formatting issues, I THINK I have that fixed now. As for the Hyena...haven't decided what I'm going to do with that. Though there are intriguing possibilities. As for the pregnancy, my job is to make life difficult for my characters, since I HATE having the Scoobies fight, I have to resort to other things. Not saying there won't be disagreements but its going to be just disagreements not full on shouting matches that we saw in the show. I also appreciate the trust in my abilities and shall endeavor to not dissapoint.
Eroslacker : Who would've objected? Angel? Buffy is just a lust object for him at this point. Joyce? Not likely. Willow? Again not likely. Spike's not even around yet and the Master is kinda stuck.
KidChaos : Well...Xander is going to *mumble mumble* then Buffy and him wil *mumble mumble* Samatha will object to *mumble mumble*. Ain't I a stinker?
Luckibelle : We've discussed your review already, but thank you again for your kind words. You've seen most of this chapter already so I hope you enjoy it.
Anthony : Glad you are liking it. Not sure how the ships are going to go at this point, but its something that has Xander being a little queasy. :)
The wedding party arrived at the Bronze about twenty minutes after the ceremony. Xander was glad to see the Dingos set up on the stage, tuning up. Xander squeezed Buffy's hand and went over to Oz and Devon.
"Hey guys, you ready with those two songs I wanted played?" Xander asked.
"Yep, kinda expected the one since it is a wedding reception, but where'd you get that other one?" Devon asked.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Xander said with a grin.
"So you want the beer song first after "Everything I do," right?" Oz asked.
"Yup," Xander said with a thumbs up.
"Band set up, buddy?" Jesse asked.
"Yup," Xander said with a grin.
"So, Tara...she's SMOKIN' hot, think she'll dance with me?" Jesse asked.
"What are you asking me for?" Xander asked his best friend
"Cause you know her, duh," Jesse said.
"Dude...ask her. The worse she'll do is say no, and you have plenty of practice with Cordy for that," Xander said, as Buffy came up to them with Willow.
"You need to do a toast, best man," Willow said.
"I do?" Jesse asked.
"It's traditional, of course, Willow you'd have to do one, too," Xander pointed out.
"Eep! Forget I said anything, Jesse," Willow said causing everyone to chuckle.
"So I should just ask her?" Jesse said.
"YES!" Xander said.
"But you said…" Jesse began.
"Doesn't matter what I said, man. Just DO it. You aren't asking her to marry you, just for a dance," Xander said.
"Ok….I'm going to do it," he said and went off to find Tara.
"Who's he going to ask to dance?" Buffy asked.
"Tara," Xander said.
"Isn't she…" Willow began.
"Yeah, but impossible never stopped him before," Xander said.
"Cordelia is here and he's going to ask Tara to dance?" Willow asked surprised.
"Don't look at me," Xander said.
"Looks like they are about to start serving dinner, babe," Buffy said.
"And he's saved by food!" Xander said as he watched Jesse get distracted by prime rib.
"Come on," Buffy said with a grin.
"You guys hungry? We've got plenty thanks to certain unmentioned redheads," Xander asked Oz and the Dingos.
"Nah, we're good, we're actually getting paid for this gig," Oz said.
"You sure?" Xander asked.
"Yeah," Devon said.
Xander nodded and went with Buffy to the main table. The food smelled wonderful and Buffy smiled at him as he pulled her chair out. He then sat down himself only to be blinded by a flash.
"Gotcha!" Dawn said as her polaroid whirred.
"Budding paparazzi," Buffy said rolling her eyes at her sister.
"Nah...we'll never be famous enough," Xander said.
"Hopefully not," Buffy said.
Jesse then sat next to Xander while Willow sat next to Buffy, and dinner was served. Xander fed Buffy off of his plate for the cameras.
"Have I told you that you are absolutely beautiful tonight?" Xander said to Buffy.
"Not yet," Buffy said.
"Consider yourself told," he said and kissed her.
Hank came over as dinner was winding down. "Xander, Buffy. I know there isn't much you need right now as you'll be living with your mom, and I was kind of at a loss. Joyce told me you pretty much have everything you need at current, but I thought a gift certificate so that you can pick out what you want later, maybe something that you find you need, or something for the baby."
"Thanks, Dad," Buffy said hugging her father.
"Yes, thank you," Xander said shaking his hand then he noticed Giles talking to Jesse who was nodding. Then Jesse came over and tapped his fork on his glass.
"Ladies, Gentlemen, and munchkins," Jesse began.
"I'm not a munchkin!" Dawn protested, being the only child in the room.
"Yes, you are. Anyway, Xander has been one of my best friends for all of my life that matters. None of us was expecting this day to come quite this fast, but it has, and I know that there isn't a better match for him then Buffy. I've only known Buffy for a few months but she's been a wonderful addition to Willow, mine and especially Xander's life. Welcome to the family Buffy, here to many happy years with this lug," Jesse said.
"Thank you Jesse," Buffy said her eyes moist and kissed his cheek.
Joyce nudged Willow after Jesse sat down and Willow paled and stood, and a small "Eep!" escaped her throat. "Hmm...I haven't met...I mean known Buffy long, just a couple of months, but in that time, I've found a new best friend. When she first came to Sunnydale she made me her friend in spite of it not being a...rapid path to popularity. Then later we talked and I could tell that she was already head over heels over Xander, but even then she put me first and offered to back off. No one other than Jesse and Xander has ever been so considerate of my feelings. She even introduced me to Owen. No one could ask for a better friend."
Buffy was openly crying now and took Willow into a hug that had the redhead turning purple by the time Xander tapped his wife on the shoulder to remind her that Willow needed to breathe.
After dinner, the chairs and tables were cleared to the edges of the main floor as the band started playing their warm ups. Once everyone was standing around the edges of the dance floor, the Dingoes started the opening chords of the first song. "Now for their first dance as husband and wife, we proudly present our rendition of Bryan Adams' "Everything I Do"," Devon said into the mike, "Xander, Buffy. The floor is yours."
The applause started to die off as Xander led a blushing Buffy out onto the floor, and a single spotlight fell on them, while all the other lights dimmed. He put his arms around her and they started moving to the music.
"I love this song," Buffy said as they danced.
"I know you do," Xander said with a smirk.
"I suppose you do. Of course this song is really about you. You came back for me and I can't explain how that makes me feel," Buffy said as she laid her head on his shoulder.
"I love you, Buffy. I'd do anything for you," Xander said.
"My personal Robin Hood," Buffy said with a smile.
"Nah...I can't shoot a bow to save my life. Besides I look ridiculous in tights," Xander said, causing Buffy to laugh.
"That's another reason I love you. You make me laugh, lift my heart when the weight gets heavy," Buffy said.
"Getting a swelled head here, Buff," Xander said, blushing.
"You don't act like it, you're too modest," Buffy said.
"I'm not anything special. You're the hero here," Xander said.
"That's where you're wrong. I couldn't do this without you," Buffy said.
"No, you'd still rise to the challenge. You always do," Xander said.
"Just kiss me," Buffy said.
"I can do that," Xander said, and he did.
After all the celebrations from the wedding, Willow presented them with a key to a room in the nicest hotel in Sunnydale, and Xander tried to be very gracious when he was accepting her heartfelt gift. He had the sneaking suspicion that they were planning some sort of remodel of Buffy's room, but beyond suspicions he had no idea. There weren't many gifts, but then again, they didn't need much, since they would be living with Joyce and Dawn. The fact that they were married was good enough.
Joyce had handed them a small suitcase and Owen was standing by his car, waiting to whisk them away from the party, which was still in full swing when they left. Xander was actually nervous. Buffy was absolutely beautiful and this would be their first time together without supernatural influences. They were in the hotel room now and he sat on the bed and swallowed audibly.
"Xander?" Buffy asked.
"Yeah, Buff?" Xander replied taking her hand.
"Are you nervous?"
Xander let out a small chuckle, "Married a whole four hours and you can already read me like a book."
Buffy smiled, "Well, it's easy when you swallow loud enough for them to hear you back at the Bronze,"
"I suppose so," Xander replied.
"So why are you nervous?" Buffy asked.
"Tonight, for starters," Xander said.
"You're nervous about...being with me tonight?" Buffy asked.
"Yes, which is weird since you'd think Anya would've knocked that out of me, but...It's you, Buffy. I've loved you my entire life. Sometimes I've been in love with you, other times I've just loved you. I would hate it if I ever let you down," Xander said.
She smiled softly, looking up at him, and putting her hand on his cheek. "That's so incredibly sweet. I feel the same way, because here I am, 16, and you've seen what I'm like for the rest of my awkward years, college, and I don't even know what else."
"Sunnydale falling into a big sinkhole, moving to Cleveland, training mini-Slayers. And you were always amazing, and rarely awkward."
"See, and I feel like I have that to live up to that."
Xander shook his head. "Just being yourself is more than enough." She leaned her head on his shoulder and he kissed her head. They sat like that for a while and then Xander said, "There is one other thing."
"What's that?" Buffy asked.
"I made a promise tonight, beyond our vows, in my own head and I hope I can keep it," Xander said.
"What is it?" Buffy asked.
"Never to keep anything from you. I'll need your help keeping that one. I might not realize that I'm doing it, but now you're more than just a lover or a friend, and if I can't talk to you about everything…" Xander sighed. "This is mostly about what happened in Africa, things I've never told anyone about...and the scars they left," Xander said.
"The scars?" Buffy asked.
"Yeah, Nietzsche was an idiot. What doesn't kill us rarely makes us stronger, usually it just scars us and makes us...tougher, but in a bad way. Less open, less likely to let others in," Xander said.
"Wow...and you trust me enough with this?" Buffy asked.
"You've been the only one I've ever wanted to share this with. But you always had the burden of your calling, and I felt that you needed me to be your rock, so I never told you about it. You could've probably made some guesses, but that's changed now," Xander said.
"What's changed?" Buffy asked.
"After I was shot and before Az told me that I was going to have a second chance, there was so much I wanted to tell you. A lifetime's worth of things. Some I said tonight, others I haven't yet," he said, and she kissed him gently and held him as he talked. "You know about the nightmares I've been having about Lucifer. What you don't know is those aren't the only ones I have. I just don't wake up screaming anymore with them, and those nightmares come in pretty much one flavor….Africa."
"So what happened there other than you learning French?" Buffy asked.
"How much do you know about Africa?" Xander asked.
"As much as any American, I guess. Which isn't much," Buffy said pushing a strand of hair out of her face.
"Which means you know one or two things more than I did when I arrived looking for new Slayers. It didn't take me long to find my first one," Xander said, his eyes distant as he lost himself in the memory. "She was twelve when I found her, her name was Zara Kagame, and I loved her like a daughter or a kid sister. She had a bright smile, an easy laugh. God, Buffy, you and the rest of the gang would've loved her. She quickly became my number one student, always called me Sensei. She loved samurai movies. She was a Tutsi and the village I found her in was on the Rwandan border with the Congo. I arrived in 2004, taking one for the team as it were. It was January when I arrived and I was there for a full year," Xander said and Buffy squeezed his hand in encouragement.
"Zara lived for the hunt. She loved besting vampires and she was good. It was near magical to watch her stalk her prey. You or Faith would've been able to take her in a one-on-one fight, but the girl was sneaky. I don't know how many vampires she and her sister Slayers took out with the vampires not even knowing they were being hunted. The first month or two, everything went like I expected, and I was making plans for the future; training local watchers for the Slayers that were staying and I even started adoption proceedings for Zara. Then the war broke out.
"Zara's village was the first to be hit by the Hutu's, every man was killed, the women raped then killed and the children..God, the children were killed, too. Zara wanted to gather up her sister Slayers and punish the soldiers for the atrocity.
"That was the first fight we ever had. I told her that her power wasn't meant to be used on human beings, no matter how evil they were. We had a larger battle to fight. She took a bit of convincing, but I think I convinced her...until we ran into more soldiers in the process of raping another village. I couldn't stand there and let it happen so I turned the Slayers loose on them with strict instructions to only kill if necessary. We managed to prevent another atrocity, while the soldiers were armed, Zara and her sister Slayers had become true masters of ambush tactics against prey with far more awareness than any human is going to have. We sent the bastards packing and I felt really good. Of course, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.
"We continued our patrols of the bush, killing vampires as we did, and Zara kept telling me we should've killed the soldiers. I realized later that what she was really saying is that we were being watched, but I was too confident, too sanctimonious to listen. It led to more fights, we were both hurting over the disagreement, but we had fundamentally different views on the subject, or so I thought. If I'd not been so blind to the fact that we were being followed I might have thought a bit differently, a clear and present danger and such.
"Anyway, about three weeks later we found a large vamp nest centered around an old vampire, at least as old as the Master. Of course we were going to hit it, we couldn't leave a nest that size around. I planned the strike and Zara and I were getting along again as we were planning the destruction of the vamps. It was good...too good, now that I think about it. The soldiers we had stopped had been following us like Zara had been trying to tell me. They had their own ambush planned. They knew we were attacking vampires and found the same nest we'd targeted.
"When attacking a nest that size I always split the girls into two teams one to stir up the nest, the other to catch stragglers. We always attacked during the day, but that deep in the jungle, the sun wasn't a factor in any of our battles. With this nest it was textbook: Zara was in the group that went into the nest itself. That duty was rotated so the girls did both, it was Zara's turn to go in and while I warned her to be careful, I was confident that all of them would be fine. It was a bigger nest than normal, but I was confident they could handle it and I was right. The vamps lasted all of ten minutes. Zara took down the Elder herself. I was so proud of her, of all of them.
"Then it happened; the soldiers struck. Slayers are wonderful fighters, they're tough, fast, and virtually unbeatable in hand to hand combat. However to mortars they're nothing but targets like any other human being. Zara was killed in the first rounds to hit...I still see it even now. She was looking at me, smiling her brilliant smile, then the explosion...she...she was ripped in half in front of me. She...she was calling out to me, telling me to get her sisters...to get her sisters out of there. All I wanted to do was hold her, but I did what she asked. She died and...and I wasn't able to hold her or even bury her," Xander choked out, then completely broke down in tears. Buffy held him tightly and stroked his back and made soothing sounds as he mourned the girl he was going to call his daughter. Xander didn't know how long he cried on Buffy's shoulders, but he eventually stopped and began talking again.
"The reserve team pulled me back as their sisters were slaughtered. I changed in that moment and we stopped hunting vampires. We started hunting Hutu at first, it was just patrols, soldiers that were guilty of war crimes...then I stopped caring if they had done anything, we just killed. After Zara's death I kinda dropped off the grid. I had been sending Giles regular reports up until her death. He noticed that and sent you to find out what happened. I don't think you ever got the whole story, but when you found me I was in the middle of planning the extermination of a Hutu village. I was that far gone. Lost in grief and rage. I wasn't me anymore...I was a monster, as bad as any vampire. You were shocked to see me like that. We fought; I was going to move forward and you swore you'd stop me, telling me Zara wouldn't want this, when I knew this was exactly what she wanted.
"Then you said that you'd almost lost Willow to the darkness and you'd be damned if you were going to lose me, too. I'm not real sure how, but you got through to me. You brought me in out of the cold. And I never actually thanked you for doing that. You saved my soul that day, Buffy and that's something…."
"That you would do for me or Jesse or Willow. Oh, Xander," she hugged him and kissed him tenderly.
"I still miss her," Xander said as he openly wept, but felt a huge weight lifting as he did so.
"I'm glad you shared that with me, it had to be eating you up inside," Buffy said.
"It was, now I hope you can do the same with me. Even if you think I already know it, I want to hear it. Ok? We need to be each other's rocks now."
"Ok. Zara is probably still alive, you know" she said with tears in her eyes as she digested what he told her.
"Yeah, she was twelve in 2004,so she'd be 5 today, but there's no way I'd be able to find her right now. Faith is going to be hard enough and she's Stateside," Xander said.
"We'll keep her safe, Xander. I promise," Buffy said and hugged him again.
"Bit of a mood kill, huh?" Xander said.
"Yeah, we've been in this room for hours and I'm still in my dress, but...it's good. Are you tired?" Buffy asked.
"No, why?" Xander asked.
"I think I need help out of my dress, husband," Buffy said with a small smile.
"By your command, wife," Xander said, barely resisting the urge to imitate a Cylon.
Xander woke up after a dreamless sleep, when he opened his eyes he was greeted with a wonderfully beautiful sight. Buffy had herself propped up on her elbow the covers not quite covering her.
"Morning sleepyhead," she said kissing him.
"Morning to you. Did you sleep well?" Xander asked kissing her neck in a ticklish spot.
Buffy laughed and said, "Yes, you wore me out quite well, Mr. Harris."
"Well it WAS my first time with a married woman, I hope your husband doesn't find out," Xander said with a grin.
"Oh you wouldn't want that, he knows how to deal with people who go where they shouldn't," she said with a smile.
"I think he'll make an exception in my case. I'm incredibly likeable," Xander teased back and kissed her again, just enjoying being in bed with her.
"So, do you think my room will be recognizable?" she asked.
"I've got a feeling it will be our room when we get back,." Xander said.
"I hope it's not bad," she said.
"I'm sure Mr. Gordo is perfectly safe," Xander said giving her shoulder a squeeze.
"I don't know about that, he may have ended up in Dawn's room, especially with the nightmares she's been having," Buffy said.
"She probably wore herself out by helping. Exhaustion helps with nightmares," Xander said.
"You say that with the voice of experience."
"Yeah, I do. Though I think you wore me out last night, Mrs. Harris," Xander said.
"No nightmares?" she asked instead of responding to the joke.
"None, something for which I can't thank you enough," Xander said kissing her.
"That's a good start," she said her voice getting husky.
"I dunno, I think I can do better," Xander said diving under the covers causing Buffy to squeal, when there was a knock on the door.
"No...not ready for the real world yet," Buffy said, frowning slightly.
Xander sighed and resurfaced, "I'll go see who it is, I can get semi-decent faster." He quickly pulled on his boxers and went to the door. He peeked through the peephole and saw Willow standing outside. He undid the chain and opened the door.
"We don't want any," he deadpanned.
Willow stared at him and then at Buffy in the bed, then in rapid fire Willow-babble she said, "OhmygodIdidn'tknowyouwerebusyI'llcomebacklaterwhenyouaredone!" Xander's oldest friend was now turning unhealthy shades of red.
"Whoa, slow down, Wills. You didn't interrupt anything...much," Xander said.
"I just came by to pick up the tux and the dress so we could return the tux and take the dress back to your house," Willow said, still blushing deeply.
Buffy sighed from the bed, "Well, here we are...back in reality."
"Yeah," Xander said slowly, then added, "Just a second, Wills." He then grabbed the discarded clothing and gave it to Willow. He lowered his voice a bit and said, "Thanks for everything, I know the last few months have been hard for you."
"You're my best friend, Xander, I want you to be happy. Besides, like I said last night, I have Owen now. But thank you for realizing," Willow said, and gave him a quick hug before she remembered his relative state of undress and blushed again. "I'll just be going."
"See you later at the house, Wills," Xander said with a grin, and the redhead left and Xander closed the door.
"Now, my love, what time is it?" Xander asked.
"Nine," she answered casually.
"Oh, good! Check-out isn't until 11, which means I can get...creative," Xander said with a grin on his face.
"Creative? Am I going to like this?" Buffy asked.
"Absolutely," Xander said with confidence.
"Hmm...I don't believe you. I guess you'll just have to prove it to me, Mr. Harris," Buffy said with a grin.
"Oh, I intend to, Mrs. Harris," Xander said and got back into bed with his bride. They missed check-out.
It was a good thing that it was Sunday and not Monday that they were checking out; the older lady at the front desk had been highly amused. She reminded Xander of his grandmother on his mom's side, who'd died when he was five, and hadn't charged them anything for having a delayed departure. They decided to walk home, as it wasn't far.
They turned down Revello drive, still laughing at what the front desk lady had been saying to them. Xander sighed. "You don't wish we could have a couple of weeks to escape reality?"
"Nah, I love my Mom and my annoying little sister, and you're there."
They were almost at the house when Dawn came flying out the front door. "BUFFY! XANDER!" Xander helped brace Buffy as Dawn launched herself at them.
"Wow, you would think that we'd been gone more than a day the way she reacted," Buffy said dryly.
"Oh-my-god-you-guys-have-got-to-see-what-they-did-to-your-room-and-I-helped-and-I-missed-you-guys-and-I-didn't-have-a-nightmare-last-night-and-I'm-so-happy-to-see-you-guys!"
"I think we've allowed too much Willow exposure," Xander said.
"Possible. Recommended treatments?"
"Hmmm. I would say reduce exposure until symptoms fade."
"I don't know if we can." Buffy said teasingly. "Other treatments?"
"Don't know any. I guess you'll just have to get used to her talking at warp speed."
Buffy nodded sagely as they let Dawn drag them into the house.
Willow was curled up on the sofa where Xander usually slept, and Joyce was nowhere in sight. "Where is Mom, Dawnie?"
"Upstairs," Dawn said with a grin, and she tugged them along.
They went into what had previously been Buffy's room and there was a huge bed along the wall that had held her normal bed originally. The walls were bare, and instead of the striped wallpaper, there was soft blue paint.
The headboard doubled as a small bookshelf and there were small drawers and even a small light to read with. "Wow," Buffy said, looking at the bed. She went over to the headboard and noticed that the bed was pulled part way out from the wall.
"The paint's not dry, huh?" she asked her mom, who was standing there, beaming at her.
"Well, no, it's not, but you weren't gone all that long. We'll start moving your things back up after the paint dries."
"I like it," Buffy said, and Xander was beyond words.
"I think it's perfect," Dawn said.
There wasn't much to be done about their room until it had had a chance to get good and dry; thankfully it was late spring, which meant that they could just open the windows and get a nice cross-breeze going. It was late with the more private celebrations; him and Buffy and Dawn and Joyce and even Hank. It had actually been nice to have another guy around, especially in the family sense. The jarring reality of this versus what had happened to them before cut in deep relief, and it was something to get to the bottom of. The first hint that there had been something wrong was around Buffy's 17th birthday, so he hoped they had some time.
"Mr. Gordo is tucked in with Dawn," Buffy told him sadly.
"The last vestige of your childhood," he surmised.
"No- well, yes, but, no. I don't remember her ever wanting anything to do with him, and now he's like, her blankie."
"He was like that for you, too, wasn't he?"
"Yeah, Mr. Gordo is pretty awesome. It's weird, knowing that she wasn't really the person in my memories, but remembering things that way anyway."
"I know. At least I don't have ten years to muddle through, just the four-ish from when you moved in to when Dawn appeared. We never did really pinpoint when it was that the spell went off, just that it had to be before a certain date, when a colony of monks was destroyed."
"So what is going to come after Dawn again?"
"A Hell God. Goddess actually. But talk of Glory can wait for another day, she won't be here until after graduation."
"Bad subject?"
"She was able to hurt almost everyone I care about. Yes, bad subject," he said, sitting on the bed. "Which side is going to be mine?"
"Um, I don't know, I usually sleep in the middle. Is that actually a conversation people have?"
"Reasonable ones do, I think. I have taken to sleeping on what I will term the 'outside' of the bed."
"Meaning closest to the door."
"Yes."
"Which would be the best place to react from should danger present itself from the door like it was human. Though given the dangers available in this town, the windows would not be disadvantageous for attack."
Xander kissed her on the forehead. "You get brownie points for big words. Do you care which side you sleep on, or are you going to keep sleeping in the middle?"
Buffy pouted sweetly at his comment. "I'll try to keep myself to the newly-expanded window-side of the bed. Although, as I recall, you are more comfy than my pillow."
Xander's reply to that was low and throaty, "I think I could deal with that if that was the way it ended up."
Xander and Buffy went over to Willow's early on Monday morning. Today was Tara's first day; they'd managed to get her registered on Friday and get her transcripts on the way so that they would be there for Monday. A few choice words and even Snyder's heart had melted just a smidgen. And having the troll on their side had been an unexpected surprise. They'd exaggerated the severity of the abuse, and hadn't mentioned the demon part of it, but he'd been almost sympathetic.
They arrived at Willow's door, and Willow and Tara were ready to go. For the first time since he'd gotten back, Willow didn't look like she was wearing cast offs from her mom's closet. "Hey, looking good, Willow," Xander said, giving her a hug.
"Mom was so horrified about what happened to Tara and her Mom, and that they didn't get to bring anything with them that she went on a spending binge. Samantha helped with picking out clothes for both of us. Do you like my new outfit?" Willow asked, twirling confidently as they started down the sunny street. Willow took up a protective outside position, and Tara was wedged in between her and Xander, with Buffy to his other side.
"Yeah, Wills, it looks great," Buffy told her. "You look pretty good, too, Tara. Did Willow get you up for your morning run this morning?"
"Thanks, and yeah, she did," Tara said, hiding behind her still-damp hair, but she didn't sound near as nervous as he feared she might. Of course having her mother here might help. "It's not exactly that we didn't bring anything with us, but Mom thought there were more important things than clothes. Grandma's magic books and family history stuff that was irreplaceable. And birth certificates, social security cards, that kind of stuff. Stuff we didn't think dad would miss right away anyway."
"So that's what was in the suitcases you guys brought. I thought they were awful heavy."
"They were, but if we're going to teach magic to Willow, we kind of need them."
"Not as much as you'd think, Giles has a pretty complete library so far as the spooky side of the street goes, but more sources have never hurt us."
"I want to say that I'm glad that we came. I didn't think it would be ok, but Mom said that you hadn't lied, and it's been good since we got here," Tara said.
"Good, you and your mom are family, let me know if the troll gives you any trouble, ok?"
"T-t-t-t-troll?" Tara said, her nervous stammer making itself heard.
"Oh, I'm sorry, the outside world calls him Principal Snyder."
"Oh," Tara said, "What about the library?"
"Good place to hide, but he'll still find you there. And Giles can only do so much to protect you from him. Snyder is still technically of higher rank in the dungeon we call high school."
"Are we stopping there first?" Tara asked.
"We are. You did get a chance to meet Giles with all the wedding stuff going on, right?" Tara nodded. "So, you'll pick up your books and we will see if we can help you getting to classes. I told the counselor that it would be best if she could get you into classes that had one of the three of us in, but I don't know if he actually was able to do that."
"So someone will be there with me?" Tara asked, tears brimming in her eyes.
"Sure, you're a Scooby. We look out for our own. And anything that gets out of line Buffy beats up," Xander said with a grin.
"I-i-i-i-i-i don't know what to say," Tara admitted, tears filling her eyes. Xander stopped and pulled her into a hug, and Willow and Buffy shrugged and made it a group hug.
"You're home now, Tara," Xander said and added softly, "I have my sister back." Xander was getting misty, he'd forgotten how much he'd missed the blonde witch.
Giles had gotten Tara's school schedule, and had pulled out all the books she needed to be ready. "Good morning," he said somewhat cheerfully.
Buffy was immediately suspicious. "What's with the good cheer? You aren't having icky grown up time that we want no knowledge of, are you?"
"Well, uh," Giles started, then straightened indignantly, "I don't see how that's really relevant, Buffy, especially considering what you and Xander were up to this weekend."
"Ok," Buffy said, "Just promise us no smoochies with Ms. Calendar with us in the room."
Giles frowned. "I didn't think it was that obvious."
"It is. Though, unlike my loving wife, I won't tease you about it," Xander said with a grin.
"It's Slayer/Watcher privilege. He gets to clean his glasses at our relationship, I get to tease him about his," Buffy said regally.
"Glad you have that figured out, baby," Xander said and kissed Buffy's cheek. Then he greeted Owen and Jesse as they came into the library. Jesse's eyes riveted on Tara, who blushed deeply at the attention and Jesse blushed back, uncharacteristically. Xander never knew whether or not Jesse got Tara to dance with him at the reception or not.
"So, here are the books you need," he said to Tara after a withering look at Buffy, who grinned unrepentantly. "And your class schedule. Your first period is the same as Buffy's, that being Writing Comprehension, second period you have Biology with Buffy, Willow and Xander, third period you will be in class with Xander, something called Social Studies despite the fact that it appears in the catalogue alongside History. I couldn't do much about your Physical Education class, but Owen and Xander are both in that period if you have any problems. Fifth period is lunch and Mathematics and Willow will be there, sixth period is French with Buffy, and seventh period you have free. You may come here if you like, or there is a designated classroom for such activities."
"I-i-i-is anyone else free seventh period?"
"I'm free first," Xander said.
"Third," Buffy told her regretfully.
"Second," Owen said.
"Sixth," Willow told her.
"Fourth," Jesse said wistfully.
Tara sighed. "On m-m-my own then," she said.
"I have a great many things that you could do. Specifically exercises for you and Willow. And if nothing else, you do have homework that may need done."
"That's true," Tara said brightening a little.
"I'll walk you to class," Buffy offered, she gave Xander a kiss and the two girls headed off together.
Everyone else dispersed also. Giles cleared his throat. "So, do you really think it necessary to have someone watching over Tara every second of the day?"
"She's one of my girls, Giles."
"You really think of it like that, don't you?"
"Like what?"
"That these are your people to protect, to nurture. All of them." Giles said
"Well, yeah. I've always been that way to a certain extent, but my time in Africa really brought it out. I also have to say I think you're right about sleeping next to Buffy," Xander said.
"What makes you say that?" Giles asked.
"The last two nights I had no dreams; not my run of the mill nightmares, nor Lucifer, though that may be because of the bargain," Xander said.
"You made a bargain with Lucifer?" Giles asked, sounding concerned.
"Yeah, he wanted to know something and I refused to answer unless he promised to leave me alone for six weeks," Xander said.
Giles started chuckling, "That's….that's bloody brilliant."
"I just hope he keeps his word. He's annoying," Xander said.
"Anyway, back to your nightmares, they've ceased since you and Buffy have been sharing a bed?" Giles asked.
"Yeah, is that some kind of Slayer thing or is it just how I react to Buffy?" Xander asked.
"Did you talk to her on your wedding night?" Giles asked.
"Yeah, I told her what happened in Africa," Xander said his voice soft.
"Then I think that has a lot to do with it. You will need to talk to someone else you trust about it. While Buffy was a good start, you could probably use a another sounding board. Wasn't the priest who officiated your wedding in Korea?"
"Yes, he was," Xander said.
"I would also talk to him if I were you. He's seen the elephant as it were."
"Maybe. So as far as changes go... having Tara here early will hopefully keep Willow grounded, I really don't want to have to give the yellow crayon speech again if I don't have to."
"Yellow-never mind. I have a feeling that I don't want to know any more about that than I already do. Now, Xander, I know you feel the weight, even as I do, of so many things that may go wrong. Having them enumerated in your head may be even more of a burden for having lived through them once, but The Powers That Be returned you to this time for a reason. I think you need to do a bit of relaxing and focus on what is right before your eyes, and enjoy it."
"The Powers had nothing to do with this Giles, something else did it." Xander growled out.
"Why are you so hostile to the Powers That Be?" Giles asked..
"They killed Cordy," Xander said, quietly, then continued with increasing anger in his voice, "They killed her with their damn visions and DID NOTHING to prevent it. The only thing they EVER did for Buffy was keep Angel from kissing daylight and I'm convinced they orchestrated Angel losing his soul in the first damn place."
"And what, exactly, makes you think that?" Giles asked.
"Buffy told me about Whistler. He's supposedly a Balance demon and he was sent by The Powers to convince Angel to come to Sunnydale, where he met Buffy and in less than year, buh-bye soul. I'll never forgive them for the pain THAT screw up caused," Xander said.
"Even if it isn't happening this time?" Giles asked.
"No, the only reason it isn't happening this time is because I was in a position to do something about it. No, whatever gave the orders to send me back has already done more good than The Powers ever have," Xander said with conviction.
The doors to the library burst open and a most unpleasant sight greeted Xander as Snyder entered the library, "Mr. Giles. Might I have a word with you?"
Giles looked up and frowned. "What can I do for you, Principal Snyder?" he asked.
"What is it that you do here in the library?"
"I see to the care of all the books for the school, of course," Giles said, already getting annoyed.
"Do you spend much time with the students?" Snyder asked.
"I have students in here almost every hour of the day, and after school as well," Giles said long-sufferingly.
"Starting with me," Xander said.
"Really? How many Students?" Snyder asked ignoring Xander.
"Several."
"Well, I don't think that the student body as a whole, despite your several freakish devoted students, gets enough contact with you. As such, I am going to assign you a little project to help you get out and mingle with our esteemed students here at Sunnydale."
"My vocational choice as a librarian is not a deliberate attempt to interact with as small a portion of the student body as possible. If more of the student body were actually interested in the contents of this room then they would be in contact with me," Giles protested.
"Good to know you actually care, Mr. Giles. Though why you do is a mystery, it doesn't matter, our students need you. They need you to direct the student talent show," he said, handing a stack of flyers to Giles, smiling wickedly, and exiting.
"Sorry, G-Man," Xander said not without sympathy.
Xander and Buffy entered the library together to find Tara and everyone else already there. Tara was laughing at something Jesse had just told her. She then looked up and smiled at Xander and Buffy.
"Hey guys, so before we head to the gym I just wanted to say how proud of each of you. You've all taken very difficult circumstances and the changes in myself in stride. So we need to be thinking of ways to deal with the Master with Buffy NOT dying this time. Personally if I had my way Buffy wouldn't be going down there at all and just flood the tunnels with molten lead, but that proved cost prohibitive," Xander said, drawing a chuckle from the assembled Scoobies. "So who has thoughts on the best way to deal with Bat Boy Senior?"
"Well, vampires burn in the sun, fire also does a number on them. Wood through the heart are all standard, honestly Xander, you probably have thought of anything we could. You've been at this so much longer," Willow said.
"True, but I still want to go through it. Even though i know all of you very well, you might still surprise me." Xander said.
"What about crossbows?" Jesse asked.
"Good choice," Giles said with a small smile of approval.
"Yep, now what are its limitations?" Xander asked.
"Uhh...not real sure it has any," Jesse replied.
"All weapons have limitations, there is no perfect weapon. Giles can you get the crossbow out, please?" Xander asked.
"Of course," Giles said and got the weapon and handed it, unloaded to Jesse. The Watcher then took out a stopwatch. "Please load the crossbow as quickly as you can."
Jesse struggled to load the weapon and after about five minutes before he finally figured it out, though he was sweating by the end.
"Not bad for the first time. I fully expect you to get faster with experience," Giles said.
"So lessons about limitations with the crossbow?" Xander asked.
"They can't be reloaded in a fight," Jesse said, still panting.
"True in most cases, though you can easily dispatch a vampire with a sneak shot. One caveat to that though, older vampires like the Master. They can dodge a bolt even with complete surprise," Xander said.
"I guess you know that because I took one with me the first time," Buffy asked.
"Beauty and brains, ladies and gentlemen. Any wonder I married this girl?" Xander said, kissing his wife.
"Flattery will get you a lot of places, Xander," she grinned. "Still, how did I beat him the last time?"
"Pushed him through the skylight, one of the rafters broke loose and staked him," Xander said.
"Is it just me, or did we get lucky a lot?" Willow asked.
"That's because we did, Will. Especially at first," Xander said seriously.
"Ok, but we're forewarned now, which means we can do things differently," Owen said.
"Right, now I would absolutely love to just go down with a mini gun with willie pete rounds and go to town on the Master. It would be therapeutic, I think," Xander said.
"Willie Pete?" Willow asked.
"White phosphorus, Will," Xander said.
"Oh...ooohhhh!" she said visibly brightening at the mental image.
"See, willie pete makes EVERYONE'S day!" Xander said with a chuckle, then sobered. "But it's not going to happen, money and legality rain on our parade."
"What about the Scythe?" Buffy asked.
"Glad you mentioned that, sweetheart," Xander said, and went to the library cage to grab the weapon.
"What is THAT?" everyone asked at the same time as Xander brought out the scythe.
"This is a weapon forged specifically for the Slayer. Lost for generations, but I happened to know where it was. Took Buffy there and she King Arthured it out of it resting place. Though don't ask me how it got there in the first place," Xander said.
"King Arthured it?" Jesse asked.
"It was embedded in stone and I pulled it out, like King Arthur, only I'm a girl," Buffy said, smirking.
"And so much hotter," Xander said with a grin.
"Wow...so if this is Buffy's why are you showing it to us?" Willow asked.
"This is what you'll use to activate all of the Potential Slayers someday, Willow," Xander said.
"What?" Willow asked.
"You heard me," Xander said.
"But...how? I don't…" Willow stammered.
"Not asking you to do it now, just wanted to expose you to the idea," Xander said.
"M-m-may...May I examine...the S-s-s-scythe?" Tara stammered.
"Sure! Maybe you can tell us something about it my dear old Watcher can't," Buffy said brightly, as she handed the weapon to the shy witch.
"I'll have you know I've spent about eighty-seven hours researching it, should I send you a bill?" Giles said rolling his eyes. As Tara examined the weapon.
"You love it and you know it," Buffy responded to her watcher.
"Wow...i-it's old. Powerful," Tara said, preempting a response from Giles. She then closed her eyes and a grin came to her face. "Wow...I can almost see all of them them."
"See who?" Giles asked.
"The Potentials. I can only see two girls right now-at least I can only see two clearly enough to describe-a black girl with a Jamaican accent and a white girl with a bad attitude. The Jamaican is clearer than the white girl though," Tara said.
"Extraordinary. Could they be…?" Giles whispered.
"Kendra and Faith, the next two Slayers to be called," Xander confirmed. "If only we could get them called now...I would never turn down more Slayers, especially when fighting the Master."
"I-I think m-my Mom needs to see this, she might be able to tell us more. W-w-what's it's name?"
"The inscription Spike found only had what looked to be a letter M with a stylized question mark. I only saw it once myself, when I took Dawn to the church Spike found the inscription in," Xander said absently. "We never knew how it was supposed to be pronounced or even if we'd be able to."
"C-c-can you draw it for me?" Tara asked.
"Sure," Xander said, and drew it for Tara.
"Th-thank you," Tara said.
"Ok, time's wasting, so to the gym!" Xander said.
The next day, Xander shows up at the school theater in time to hear Cordy punishing a song. Wincing, he went up to Giles as he was, mercifully, asking Cordelia to stop.
"Xander, how are you doing today?" Giles asked.
"Tired, Buffy had a kill last night and well..." Xander trailed off.
"Really? I look forward to her report, it might give us a clue on what the Master is planning," Giles said, visibly perking up.
"From what she said last night it's not going to help much, she asked about the Master and the vamp was completely clueless. Probably a fledgling. She'll be able to tell you more this afternoon, but it was her first kill in a week. I don't like it 'cause I doubt we've killed all of the Master's minions," Xander said.
"Very well. I suppose you are here to see Sid?" Giles asked.
"Yeah, figure it'd be better to get the introductions out of the way BEFORE he tries to kill Buffy," Xander said.
"That would be preferable, are you sure you don't remember more?" Giles asked. cautiously.
"I've been racking my brain, G-Man, and all I have is Sid. He'll know more about what we're actually looking for," Xander said.
"Very well," Giles said, as Snyder came into the theater.
"Hmm...why is it that everytime I come to find you, Mr. Giles, that Mr. Harris is always around? Something going on that I should know about?" Snyder asked.
"Yeah, we're really conjoined siblings," Xander quipped.
"I have my eye on you and the new missus, Harris. Don't think getting married will keep you safe from me," Snyder said.
"Being married won't keep me safe from you, the law will do just fine. Just remember, what government giveth, government can taketh away," Xander replied, knowing he shouldn't, but the troll was just asking for being threatened. Since Africa, Xander wasn't one to back down.
"Fine, then you and the missus will be in the talent show, and I expect it to be good," Snyder said, and left.
"Buffy's going to kill me," Xander said, and Giles just gave him a unsympathetic look. "Yeah, I know I was asking for it. See you later, Giles."
"He did what?" Buffy asked, her eyes flashing in anger. Which only served to make her somehow impossibly sexier than usual.
"He said that we had to perform in the talent show together. To punish me for mouthing off, I guess."
She sighed. "So what did you think that we could do?"
"I was thinking that self-defense skit from Miss Congeniality might be fun."
"The what from what?"
"You know, Sandra Bullock, FBI agent..." he looked at her blank face as he described one of her favorite movies, and trailed off. "Oh. That again."
Buffy nodded. "I think it loses some of it's appeal if you don't have the cultural context."
"I'm thinking yes," he agreed half-heartedly. "What do you think we could do?"
Buffy alternately brightened and deflated as she rapidly thought of and rejected several ideas. "You don't sing half bad," she said finally.
"You aren't so bad yourself."
She smiled briefly. "So singing would be an option, if we could find the right song."
"Don't Go Breaking my Heart?" Xander said with a smirk.
"Gah, no, my mom sings that in the shower. Badly."
"Rats, and I wanted to dress up as Sir Elton…." Xander said in mock disappointment.
"Sir..Elton?"
"Elton John? Come on I'm not THAT far in the past," Xander said.
"He gets knighted?" Buffy asked.
"Yep," Xander said then snapped his fingers, and said, "Oooo…...What about "I Had the Time of my Life" from Dirty Dancing?"
Buffy blinked at him. "I don't know, I haven't seen it."
"Then it's Scooby movie night," Xander said with grin.
"Now before anyone asks, yes...I did pick this movie. Snyder got at least two of us into the talent show, three if we count G-man. I think that Buffy and I can pull off the final dance of the movie, being the Slayer she's naturally coordinated, and having been a cheerleader before being Called isn't going to hurt either. As for me I have actually done this dance before. One of the girls was in a similar situation as I find myself in with Buffy and...well, enough of that story," Xander said as he put the movie in.
"What happened, Xander?" Jesse asked.
"Yeah...you can't leave us hanging like that," Willow complained.
"I h-have to admit to some curiosity as well," Tara said, as she was braiding Dawn's hair.
"You aren't going to keep them in suspense are you, baby?" Buffy asked, with a grin. He'd told her the full story at the video store.
"You know?" Willow protested.
"He's my husband, I get special wifey privileges," Buffy said, as Dawn made gagging noises.
"The walls aren't THAT thick in this house, neighbors," Dawn said in defense of Buffy's glare.
"I think someone has been up past her bedtime," Xander said with not-so-mock severity.
"You wake me up! Or rather my SISTER wakes me up. What do you do to her to make her make that noise anyway?" Dawn asked.
"You don't need to know, Dawn Patrol," Xander said as Buffy blushed deep crimson as the other Scoobies collapsed into peals of laughter.
"Ok...I guess Dawn doesn't want any popcorn," Xander said.
"Shutting up, now," Dawn said quickly.
"How do you do that?" Buffy asked him, as he settled back into the couch.
"Knowing her weaknesses," Xander said, kissing his wife and starting the movie. Xander debated about letting Dawn watch the movie, but decided that she'd already been exposed to the really controversial issues in real life. He didn't remember how bad the one sex scene was, but that's what hands were for.
Throughout the movie there were the prerequisite snarky comments from the guys, and the awws from the girls. Then came the final dance scene and Buffy looked at the screen, at Xander, and back at the screen, and Xander knew she was fighting pangs of jealousy over a girl that would be younger than Dawn in the here and now.
"I'm going to do this with you," he said then added, "Besides, it was your idea at the time."
"I encouraged you to do that with some random girl?" Buffy asked.
"Not some random girl. Her name is Mary. She's a sweet girl and had you wrapped around her little finger. Besides, her popularity soared at school afterwards…as did mine," Xander said.
The credits were running by that point, and Jesse broke the silence. "So, you did that at a high school talent show?"
"Yup." Xander said.
"Wow." Willow said, then Owen surprised her with a kiss. "What was that for?"
"Just checking if I was still straight. Good news, I am," Owen said, causing his fellow Scoobies to laugh.
"It's always the quiet ones," Xander said, still laughing.
"So what happened after the talent show?" Tara asked with uncharacteristic boldness.
"Mary's classmates starting mailing him their underwear and flashing him everytime he went to the school. According to him, it got so bad that I had to take over going to the school, and it mysteriously stopped," Buffy said, looking at him.
"What? It's not my fault, and I didn't encourage it...though come to think about it, it stopped only about a week before I got shot," Xander said thoughtfully.
Buffy kissed him and said, "Don't think too much about it, sweetie."
"Still...wow. Snyder's gonna blow a gasket," Jesse said.
"I know...hopefully he get hospitalized for a triple bypass," Xander said.
"That's mean!" Dawn said.
"You've never met Snyder," Xander said, and the rest of the Scoobies nodded sagely at that.
Later that night Xander and Buffy were getting ready for bed and Buffy asked, "So you think we might get Tara and Jesse together?"
"No...no playing match-maker!" Xander said firmly.
"Why not? I did such a good job with Willow and Owen," Buffy said.
"Not going to happen this time," Xander said.
"Why?" Buffy asked crossing her arms.
"Tara's gay, for starters. And second, it's really none of our business," Xander said.
"Oh. So, her and Faith?" Buffy guessed, and Xander sighed.
"Despite Faith's flexibility in that department, no," Xander said sadly.
"What's wrong?" Buffy asked as they got into bed and she snuggled next to him.
"She was with Willow," Xander said, the sad note in his voice still present.
"Willow's gay?" Buffy asked.
"More bi, I think. She had boyfriends before Tara," Xander said, uncomfortable at the topic.
"So what's with the mopeys?" Buffy asked.
"Tara...she...she was killed before Sunnydale collapsed," Xander said.
"Oh my God. What happened, and did I slay it?" Buffy asked.
"It wasn't anything hellmouthy, it was an idiot that thought he'd make a name for himself by killing you. He brought a gun came into the backyard, shot at you, and hit you." Xander said, then took a breath as he remembered, emotions from that dark time surfacing rapidly. Then he continued, his voice subdued, "One of the shots went wide, and Willow and Tara were in their room." He paused again as a tear slowly fell from his eyes.
"They were living here?" Buffy asked.
"They had moved in to help with Dawn after your mother died," Xander said simply. "The shot that went wide...it hit Tara. Right in front of Willow. I guess it was a heart shot, but I didn't know about it until Willow came to the hospital and…" he trailed off, as emotional pain overcame him. Buffy kissed him gently and waited for him to continue.
"Sorry," he said.
"Nothing to be sorry for," Buffy said.
"We tried to talk her down from going after him, but Willow was too far gone...lost in grief and rage. She ditched us after destroying one of Warren's robot doubles. We went back to the house and found Dawn with Tara's body...there's more, but that's why with the mopey. It was a bad time," Xander said.
"How hard is this for you, really?" she asked.
"Easier with you here," he said, kissing her.
"That's not really an answer, husband," Buffy said.
"I guess not. Willow asked me that, too. It's just life, Buffy. Some parts are really nice, like sleeping in the same bed with you. Other parts suck, like dealing with the Master again. I'm on the frontlines again of a war you pulled me out of, fighting battles again that we'd already won, only this time I'm not just the donut boy...but you know what?" Xander said.
"What?" Buffy asked.
"Given the choice, knowing now just how challenging it is, I'd still choose the same. I love you. I've always loved you, and nothing is going to keep me from your side. Now excuse me for a moment," Xander said as he dove under the covers and started kissing her belly.
"What are you doing?" she half-squealed.
"Saying goodnight to the baby," he said matter-of-factly.
"I love you, you big goof," she said.
"Hey, you hear that, kiddo? Your mommy loves me. Pretty cool, huh?" Xander said to her belly.
"Hey, the baby needs sleep and I need you up here where I can kiss you properly," Buffy said, and Xander obeyed. They woke Dawn up again that night.
After school the next day, Xander and Buffy were practicing their dance routine. Buffy nearly had it down, which was amazing since she'd only seen the movie once. Since that had just been the night before, it was fresh in her mind, but Xander was still astounded at how quickly she seemingly mastered it.. As they milled among the other participants, they found Morgan and Sid, tucked away quietly discussing something.
"You looked good out there, kids," Sid said.
"Thanks, any luck yet on finding the last one?" Xander asked.
"No...are you sure you don't remember anything more?" the demon-hunter-turned-puppet asked.
"Sorry...I keep thinking there should be more, but zip, nadda, nothin'," Xander said sounding frustrated. Buffy squeezed his hand and he gave her a small smile at her show of support.
"It's ok, kid, it's here someplace, I just hope we find it before someone dies," Sid said.
"How many died last time?" Morgan asked.
Xander sighed and said, "Just two, but that's too many."
"Who?" Buffy asked.
"Emily….and Morgan," Xander said sadly as Morgan blanched.
Sid sighed and asked, "Which parts were taken?"
"Emily's heart, and Morgan's brain, which won't be happening this time if I have anything to say about it," Xander said forcefully.
"You can remember that but can't remember who did it?" Buffy asked.
"No, and yes it's incredibly frustrating. It's like it's right there but is just refusing to come out for some reason," Xander said.
"Trauma?" Sid asked.
"I wouldn't think so. If that was the case I'd be a virtual amnesic," Xander said.
"We could try hypnotism," Sid suggested.
"It might work. We need to go see Giles," Xander said.
"Giles knows hypnotism?" Buffy asked.
"Buffy, Giles knows a lot of things. Thank God he's on our side," Xander said.
"Wow…."
They quickly found Giles and explained what they had in mind. Giles nodded and asked, "Are you sure about this?"
"Yeah, no one's died yet and I'd like to keep it that way," Xander said.
"Of course, just a moment," Giles said and went into his office. He came back with a twinkie on a string.
"Giles...shouldn't you use a coin or something shiny?" Buffy asked her tone incredulous.
"I need to hold his attention, and this will hold it better than anything else," Giles said.
Xander chuckled and nodded, "G-Man's right, sweetie. This will work."
"Ok…" Buffy said not sounding too sure.
Twenty minutes later though they had a name and Sid had gone to take care of it. Xander let out a sigh, and said, "Now we can just focus on the talent show and try to have fun with it,"
"I'm good with that," Buffy said and kissed her husband while Giles started polishing his glasses.
Xander was nervous as Buffy and he waited for the last act before theirs to finish. He had to admit, that had it worked burping goldfish would've been comedy gold. Unfortunately for poor Jonathan the pneumatics gave out just before his act started.
"Tough break, Jono," Xander said to the dejected teen and he came off the stage.
"I'm sure it would've been great," Buffy added, patting him on the shoulder.
"Thanks, guys," Jonathan said and moved on to make room for them.
Buffy went out on stage and looked a bit nervous, Xander gave her a thumbs up and started the music, he then went out to her and the spotlight flashed on them both. He dipped her and kissed her when he brought her up.
"Swayze never did that," Buffy said.
"I'm not Swayze," Xander replied as he spun her away and back. Xander was glad he was better at this then that time Sweets made him and Anya dance. For Xander seeing Buffy smile like she was made this worth every minute.
"No, you aren't Swayze at all...you're much better," she said when the dance brought them close again.
"You better be careful there, Mrs. Harris. I might start thinking you actually like me," Xander said with a grin.
"What would you do about it if I did?" she asked playfully.
"You'll find out tonight," he said.
"Dawn's not going to get any sleep tonight, is she?" Buffy asked.
"I'll soundproof the room," he said, then they did the spin, and he leaped off the stage to the screams of nearly every female in the audience. He'd modified the solo dance a bit, throwing in some of John Travolta's moves from Saturday Night Fever and then just a little bit from Flashdance which had Buffy almost on her knees in laughter. He then motioned to her and she came running for the final lift of the dance which was met with catcalls and wolf whistles. He then lowered her and softly kissed her.
"I love you, Buffy," he said, stroking her hair earning awww's from the audience.
"I love you, Xander," Buffy said and laid a scorching kiss on him turning the aww's back to whistles and cat calls.
