Down Trust Street
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Xander awoke to the dull sensation of a persistent ache coursing through his lethargic body. The surface beneath him was stiff as a board, and his limbs felt heavy with the weight of his exhaustion. Even his eyelids felt heavy, and he struggled to open them. When he managed, Xander was momentarily blinded by the stark whiteness of the room he was in. The blurry room eventually came into focus, and along with the beeping monitoring equipment on either side of him, he realized he was in the hospital.
With effort, Xander attempted to sit up, and it was then that he felt his trusty battleaxe still firmly clasped in his hand. The razor edge was swathed in thick bandages, likely to prevent any of the medical staff from suffering cuts. The fact that he was still gripping Dreadnought was a testament to how seriously wounded he was and how much more time he needed to heal. Xander briefly wondered if his sluggish state was due to his lack of nutrients—for he felt starved—or if the gunshot wounds had inflicted more damage than he initially believed.
Gingerly flexing his index finger, the teen felt the reassuring weight of his ring still in its place on his right hand. He mentally requested his magical ring, ‘Heal, heal, heal,’ and quickly felt a cool tingle wash over him. However, the pang of hunger in his stomach warned him of his need to nourish himself if he wanted to hasten his recovery.
‘Fuck, I need food,’ he lethargically thought in frustration.
As he curiously looked to his right, he was taken aback to find Joyce seated in a chair along the wall. She appeared to be sleeping, with her head resting on her hand, which was propped up by her elbow on the chair’s arm. From the slumbering mother at his bedside, he glanced around the room until he spotted the clock on the wall. It read 7:36 PM.
‘Jesus, it’s almost been a full day,’ he thought, as he attempted to sit up.
Lethargically moving to sit upright caused the bed to creak, waking Joyce. She quickly made her way to his side, gasping, “Oh, my… Xander, are you okay? How do you feel?”
“…Like moldy swiss cheese,” he croaked. She handed him a glass of water, which he gratefully accepted—ignoring how heavy it felt in his hand. After quenching his parched throat, he groggily asked, “How’s everyone?”
“Everyone’s fine,” Joyce replied with a sigh of relief. “Kendra is still in the intensive care unit, but she’s recovering faster than the doctors could believe, so they’re hopeful.”
“Good… good,” he said, trying to get comfortable. Joyce grabbed an extra pillow and tucked it behind his lower back, easing the strain on his core muscles. “Thanks,” he whispered, settling back more comfortably. He was starved for information about his friends, as well as what happened to Angel & Spike, the world-ending demon Acathla, and whether he’d be looping in a few hours or not. So, he tactfully asked, “And Buffy?”
With clear relief, the mother exclaimed, “She wasn’t there, thank heaven- No. I’m terribly sorry,” she regretfully apologized.
“It’s fine,” Xander reassured her. “I’m glad she wasn’t there either.”
Joyce nodded and smiled awkwardly, before answering, “Buffy and the others are outside.”
‘I guess she hasn’t dealt with Acathla yet,’ he thought, then asked, “Who’s with Kendra?”
“Mr. Giles and Ms. Calendar,” Joyce responded.
“Good,” he said with a nod.
“I tried calling your parents,” Joyce continued with a frown. “I couldn’t reach them, but I left a message, so I’m sure they’ll call back as soon as they get it.”
With a small smile, he shook his head lamely, saying, “It’s fine.”
When Xander asked to see his friends, Joyce informed him that the doctors had mandated no more than one visitor at a time, stressing he needed rest following his four-hour surgery. Despite her kind-hearted insistence, Xander was firm in his need to see his friends.
“I’ll recover faster if I see them,” he emphasized with a touch of playfulness. “And if you could get me some food—I’m starving!”
Her expression softened, and with a tired smile, she relented, allowing the girls to stay until she had returned with food for him. Like a torpedo, Willow rocketed straight to his chest, hugging him tightly. Xander winced slightly at the flare-up of pain, but the sight of his friends—relieved of their worries—eased it. With a carefree smile, Xander returned his sobbing friend’s hug, finally letting Dreadnought go, but only feeling marginally more pain around the areas he was shot in.
Cordelia leaned over, tilted his chin upward, and pressed a tender kiss on his lips for a long moment. She then offered him a grateful peck on his nose before stepping back. Buffy watched them, her eyes darting between Cordelia and Willow, and then she stepped away to the foot of the bed, as if distancing herself—almost sadly. Having observed Buffy’s behaviors for over a century, he easily understood that the young leader felt responsible for his hospitalization, and didn’t feel she had the right to express her relief.
‘She’s punishing herself,’ he thought before cautiously asking, “You alright, Buff?”
Before Buffy could answer, Cordelia interjected, “She’s just mad because we have to kill her boyfriend now.”
“I’m not,” Buffy hotly contested, eying the brunette with annoyance. Turning to Xander, she insisted, “I swear I’m not.”
Xander could easily sense the tension in the air and surmised that a difficult conversation must’ve taken place between the girls, and likely with Giles, as well. Since he knew Cordelia didn’t have a filter, he figured the interaction hadn’t gone well.
“Someone want to explain to me what happened?” Xander asked, tentatively.
Willow pulled away, sniffling, and clearing her cheeks of tears as she answered, “Um, they started shooting before we could even get the ritual going. So, instead of restoring Angel’s soul, we zapped Spike, hoping that would get them out.”
“Nice,” Xander praised. “That saved our lives.”
“You and Kendra held them off long enough,” Willow weakly returned, her voice quivering.
“So, we still have to deal with Angelus,” Xander observed. “I guess we’ll have to get him next,” he reasoned, saddening Buffy. Willow was empathetic to her friend and Cordelia appeared conflicted, as if she were weighing her own emotions.
“We don’t have another Orb of Thesulah, which is key to the ritual,” Willow sadly noted. “ We can’t do it without one, and they’re not easy to come by. The orb we used was the only one we had, and we’re lucky it didn’t break in all the mayhem.”
Recalling that he hadn’t informed him of the spares he had—for Spike and Drusilla—Xander casually informed them, “I bought a pair of them…” Instantly, they all looked at him in stunned silence, surprising him as he hesitantly added, “Uh, just in case something happened.”
Buffy was so overjoyed, the grateful Slayer quickly moved to the other side of the bed and hugged him, relieved she wouldn’t need to kill Angel. At the sight of the friends hugging, Cordelia crossed her arms, appearing irked. He knew the conflicted girl was thinking something along the lines of, ‘Helping the person you love to be with someone else sucks.’
Holding him tightly, Buffy whispered, “I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Thanks,” he replied, patting her on the back. When she stepped back, he asked, “What all happened with Kendra?”
Willow answered, “After you brought her back, the magical weapons kept her around long enough for the paramedics to get to her. No one could get you guys to let go of the weapons, so they had to operate on you both like that. Kendra’s surgery was touch-and-go since she was shot more, but they stabilized her and she made it through.”
“Good. Good,” he said. “I hate to say this, but I don’t think she was supposed to live.”
“Why?” Buffy asked.
“Old Me had no recollection of her,” he answered, before elaborating, “Buffy and Faith were the Big Time Slayers in that timeline, so I’m assuming Kendra died young—uh, no pun intended.”
“Faith?” Cordelia thoughtfully repeated. “That’s the girl who’s been calling.”
With raised eyebrows, the surprised Xander asked, “She called?”
Cordelia explained, “We went by your house hoping your parents left a message with their new number. Instead of those air-hogging ingrates, there were a bunch of messages from a girl saying she got her powers. I’m sure she said her name was Faith in one of the messages.”
“Super-secrety information like that shouldn’t be left on an answering machine, but fine,” Xander remarked dryly. He told the group, “Yeah, her name’s Faith, and I’ve been talking to her once a month since December.”
“Why?” Willow inquired.
“To help her- Well, more like prepare her,” he answered.
“Channeling your inner Watcher?” Buffy remarked with a proud smirk. “Why not tell us?”
“Unlike you or Kendra, Faith did not, by any means, grow up in the best environment,” he began explaining. “It was pretty bad. From the Old Me memories, she did a lot of bad things at the beginning of her Slayer days that she later tried to atone for.”
“What kind of things?” a concerned Buffy asked.
“If no one helps her? The kind that gets you sent to federal prison,” he gravely responded.
“Wait, Slayers can go bad?” a stunned Cordelia questioned, as if never considering an evil Slayer. “Jeez. There’s a horror movie waiting to happen.”
“She doesn’t have to,” Xander claimed. “I figure I’d try to be one of the first people she can actually trust—who won’t just use her—so that maybe she can do better.”
“That’s amazing, Xander,” Willow praised.
Buffy nodded, adding, “Ditto. Do we get to meet her?”
“I assume so,” he answered. “I’ll call her later. Right now you need to go to my mansion on Crawford street. That’s where I kept the spare orbs.”
All three girls were stunned to hear he had a mansion.
“A mansion?” Cordelia repeated, taken aback. “What mansion?”
“Part of the deal with my parents,” Xander disclosed, kicking himself for his long-developed tendency to keep things to himself. “It’s a property I fix up in my spare time.”
A flabbergasted Willow argued, “You’re just… Why are you keeping so many things from us?”
The mildly guilty boy asked his childhood friend, “What’s there to tell? I’m not doing anything over there besides repairs. And only in my spare time.”
With an air of authority, Buffy nodded and addressed the group, saying, “Alright, let’s get to work before they bring Acathla back.”
“Would it be okay if I cast the curse?” Willow asked Buffy. “Ms. Calendar is still out of it.”
Nodding, Buffy said, “If Giles gives you the okay…”
“I’m staying,” Cordelia said, closing the distance between herself and Xander.
Though the recovering boy appreciated the gesture, he knew they’d need a car and said, “Cor, they’re going to need you. I’ll be fine. Promise.”
“…Okay,” she hesitantly agreed before adding, “but I’ll be back.”
“You better,” he returned with a wink and a smirk. He then turned to Buffy and asked, “Can we talk for a sec?”
After a final embrace from Willow and a kiss from Cordelia, Buffy and Xander were alone in the room. Though the Slayer appeared eager to venture into the night and defeat the impending calamity, she was also curious to know why he requested she stay. Xander seriously entertained the chilling idea of informing her about her mother’s health issues, but quickly dismissed it, realizing that would only distract Buffy in her fight.
Instead, he reassured her, “This is going to work.”
With some relief, she nodded and agreed. “I know. I know it is. Was that it?”
“Uh, yeah,” he stammered.
She looked at him curiously before challenging, “It doesn’t seem like it.”
Smirking, he replied, “I was just trying to think of a way to convince you to let me come with.”
Buffy stepped forward and sternly warned her friend, “I will tie you to this bed if you even think of leaving before they clear you.”
“All I need is some food and a few more hours of sleep, and I’ll be good to go,” he returned in a teasing manner.
“I’m getting the rope,” she retorted.
“Alright, alright. I’ll be good,” he guffawed.
Regarding one of her best friends with fond concern, a far more vulnerable Buffy whispered, “You really scared me.”
“I know. I’m sorry,” he gently replied.
“Even after this, you’re still not going to stop, are you?” she asked with a tone of disappointment, as if she already knew the answer.
“I’ll consider taking a vacation,” he teasingly replied with a grin. “But no. No, I’m not.” He reached out and clasped her hand, and with a smile, told her, “Go save Angel.”
She returned the smile, squeezing his hand in gratitude, before departing to face Angelus and Acathla.
Joyce soon returned to his hospital room with an infuriatingly healthy chicken salad. After finishing his lackluster meal, Xander called Faith from the room’s phone. When she hadn’t picked up, he assumed she was out relishing in her newfound supernatural abilities, and likely picking fights with handsy men. He left her a voicemail explaining he was in the hospital, and a few hours later, she called back.
“What the fuck are you doing in the hospital?” Faith demanded to know the second he picked up the phone.
He snickered before remarking, “So, I take it you finally believe me?”
“Are you kidding!?” she exclaimed, her voice full of excitement. “This is the most amazin’ thing that’s ever happened to me! But seriously, why are you in the hospital?”
“You already know a new slayer is activated when the previous one dies,” he began to explain.
“Yeah?” she answered.
“Well, I was next to your predecessor when they tried to kill her,” he explained. “Got caught in the crosshairs.”
“Holy shit! B-But you’re okay, right?” she asked, her tone filled with genuine concern.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m good,” he assured her, feeling touched by her worry. It made him think she cared about him beyond the money he sent her. “It takes a lot to bring down the ol’ Xan-Man.”
She groaned at the cheesy nickname before asking, “What happened?”
“A lot of shooting,” he summed up before going into detail about the series of events that landed him in the hospital, including the fact that he’d been shot four times.
By the end, Faith yelled in disbelief, “They dug four bullets out of you! How the hell is that alright?”
“I’m still alive and I’ll heal good as new—won’t even have scars unless I decide to,” he answered. “On top of that, Kendra survived, and you got your powers. Four bullets for three slayers in this crazy world is not a bad trade.”
“You’re fucking nuts, man,” she gasped in disbelief, chuckling at his gall.
“Part of the gig,” he suavely returned. “This is your world too, now. I imagine you’ve been out having a bit of fun. Not that I’m judging. I get it. I’d do the exact same if I could toss guys three times my size like a football.”
“Yeah, just a few fights,” she admitted with a laugh. “But they all had it coming.”
“I don’t doubt it,” he agreed. “Just, don’t forget: You got way stronger, but the world isn’t any less dangerous.”
“…I know that all too well,” she remarked, her tone serious.
“I know you do,” Xander sadly agreed.
Eager to change the subject, Faith asked, “Can I see you?”
“No doubt.”
“When?”
“I’m thinking of going on vacation this summer,” he informed her. “I’ll stop by Boston for a week.”
“You better,” Faith insisted. “I gotta thank my Daddy, properly.”
“Or two weeks. Maybe three weeks,” he hastily restated, making her snort and laugh. Afterward, he added, “Until then, listen to your Watcher.”
“Should I tell her about you?” Faith inquired.
“Only if you want to, Faith,” he replied. “I trust you.”
Xander lay in his hospital bed, awaiting the outcome of the Soul Restoration Ritual and the possibility of the world plunging into the hell dimension. It was odd for him to wait for news since he was generally at the very front of the action. While he waited in silence, he was reminded of a time before the loops, when he regularly waited for updates from Buffy, Giles, or Willow—though he never enjoyed being the last to know.
When Willow and Cordelia returned, Xander was relieved. He wasn’t surprised Willow begged to be the one to cast the spell, nor that she was successful, so he assumed Buffy had succeeded in stopping Acathla since Angel had regained his soul. However, when Buffy failed to show up to class in the last few days of school, Xander knew Angel had been sent to the hell dimension for the sake of the world, and Buffy had been forced to send him there.
‘She left Sunnydale,’ he thought. ‘There goes Jamaica, Mexico, and Boston.’
——
The largest concern about Xander’s summer was, somehow, convincing Joyce—who wasn’t his mother—to undergo an uncommon CT scan of her brain. As Buffy was absent, he couldn’t leave the potential danger in her head unchecked, and it weighed heavily on Xander’s mind. During a dinner visit, he asked, as a favor to him, if she would get an MRI Scan of her brain.
“They want me to get one, but I’m, like, deathly afraid of that machine. I’d ask my mom, but, well, you know,” he explained. Though she tried to assure him that the medical machines were perfectly safe, in the end, she agreed to get the scan in an act of solidarity.
When Joyce received her results, she was shaken to her core, but Xander was not only there to offer emotional support—helping in any way she needed—he also utilized his skills as a blacksmith. Rather than make his Armor Wear first, he made Joyce a healing ring.
He explained, “Have you ever heard those stories where a mother lifts a car off her child? This ring will enhance the ability that’s already inside you. I don’t recommend doing that outside of an emergency though. It takes a lot of energy and you may regret it the next day. But you can. The real reason I’m giving this to you is so you can supercharge your healing. Just tell it to heal you—every morning. Write yourself a reminder if you have to, but do it every day. Please never forget.”
Joyce gratefully accepted the ring, and for nearly all of summer, they talked about a range of topics, most of which centered on Buffy’s childhood and teenage years. To Xander’s surprise, Joyce even asked him about Slayers, revealing that Buffy confessed to being one. Joyce asked Xander for more details, and he happily shared many good stories of Buffy’s experiences of being a hero to many.
Xander reassured the worried mother, “I’m not a hundred percent sure of why Buffy left, but I bet you she’s dealing with something big in her own way.”
Kendra graciously extended her stay in Sunnydale for an additional month, residing in Joyce’s warm and hospitable home. Xander, Kendra, Willow, and Oz spent many enjoyable evenings together over delicious meals that were filled with laughter as they shared funny stories. However, despite the joyous atmosphere, there was a Buffy-shaped hole that Joyce, Willow, and Xander felt most nights.
There were many nights during the first month of Kendra’s stay that she’d patrol with Xander. However, as it was slow, the pair would often spar together. After a good session, he’d massage her sore muscles, and with a few sweet words, they’d give in to their desires and derive pleasure from one another. Despite staying in Joyce’s spare room, Kendra would be in Xander’s bed first. The Casanova protégé understood Kendra was mostly grateful for saving her life and gifting her with Ordermír, but he suspected she also wanted another experience like their first night together. Thus, they were sleeping together regularly, and Xander enthusiastically expanded her view of the world of sex.
As Kendra’s time in Sunnydale came to an end, Xander made a concerted effort to ensure that she, Willow, and Oz had memorable and enjoyable experiences throughout her stay. Despite the touch of sadness at the thought of saying goodbye, he remained hopeful that their paths would cross again.
With Joyce on the road to recovery, Xander explained his need to see a friend for a week. While Giles, Jenny, Willow, and Oz took on slaying duties—and Willow promised to check on Joyce daily—Xander traveled to Boston. He met Faith at the airport, and to say she was shocked at the sight of him was an understatement. He was dressed in simple jeans and a black shirt, but at the sight of her approving expression, he was reminded that he had the type of defined muscles clothes couldn’t hide.
“What?” Xander asked playfully, catching Faith by surprise.
“Nothing,” she replied, looking away. “I just… with all your nerd-talk, I was expecting a stick-thin, acne-infested geek, wearing coke-bottle glasses.”
Xander chuckled, then faked indignation as he playfully replied, “How dare you mock our beloved Dungeons and Dragons’ high wizard, ClappingCheeks81, with your accurate description of him! Did you know he once spent an entire weekend studying the lore and history of the Forgotten Realms to better role-play with my dwarf cleric?”
“Oh my God,” she gasped, flabbergasted, with a hint of horror. Though she understood he was joking, she was amazed by the depths of his geekiness, and as she shook her head, she responded, “If we’re going to stay friends, you can’t ever repeat that sentence out loud again.”
Xander laughed at the stunned girl, and they joked around as they exited the airport. As they checked into his hotel, Xander asked if they could meet her Watcher.
“Really?” the Bostonian asked.
“Yeah. I’m only here a week,” Xander replied. “I want to make sure you’re both good before I go.”
Faith agreed and, half an hour later, they were at an old and creepy three-story house, whose white paint was thoroughly faded and chipped. The aged home was roughly three miles from Faith’s apartment, but perfectly situated between many cemeteries and nightclubs—prime hunting grounds for vampires and other demons. Still, nearly all the floorboards creaked and groaned when he walked into the old building. Cobwebs clung to many corners of the entry hall, and the once-luxurious furnishings were now moldy and decaying. The walls were adorned with faded and torn wallpaper, and the musty smell of decay and books filled the air. Dust covered nearly every surface that wasn’t a book, for there were a lot of tomes.
“That’s a lot of books,” Xander noted, amazed at the number of volumes on the ceiling-high bookcases in every room.
“Can you believe Dormer wants me to read all of them?” an intimidated Faith asked, leading him to the study.
“I’m more shocked you guys haven’t hired a carpenter or handyman,” Xander replied, groaning in irritation. Looking at the state of the home, his carpentry skills were screaming to fix the sad state of the shabby decor.
“She won’t let anyone inside,” Faith complained. “And I’m not doing it! I barely clean my own room, and she expects me to clean an entire house?”
“Jesus, I’ll do it,” an antsy Xander offered. “This place is giving me serious anxiety.”
“Are you a neat freak?”
“Yes. Proudly,” Xander answered without hesitation.
Faith snorted as they entered the dimly lit room of Dormer’s study. The musty scent of old books, parchment paper, and scented oils filled their nostrils. The walls of the room were lined with shelves upon shelves of leather-bound tomes and even scrolls.
In the center of the room, an enormous mahogany desk dominated the space, and behind it sat an old Englishwoman. Her frail fingers gripped a cup of tea as she looked over a stack of papers, her sharp eyes scanning each page. Her silver hair was pulled back in a tight bun, pulling at her many wrinkles. The old woman gave Xander a fright when she looked up and her piercing ice-blue eyes locked onto his. Her wrinkled lips curved into a small smile, and she beckoned him closer with a gnarled hand.
“You must be Xander,” Dormer stated, her voice weak and scratchy. “Come. Sit. Faith has told me quite a bit about you.”
After taking a seat, Dormer had him repeat the story he’d told Faith. She listened attentively and confirmed that when it came to chaos magic, that outcome was indeed possible. However, she also proposed that their new timeline had likely been greatly altered due to his actions. Dormer didn’t expect many events to happen as they once might have.
“Well, continuing with that spirit of great change,” Xander interjected with a smile. “I come bearing gifts.”
Xander placed a sleek black hard-cover case on the mahogany desk and opened it for the women to admire. Within lay the magical twin axes, Blood and Lust, which were nestled in thick foam padding, along with a belt to securely fasten them. Faith’s eyes widened like saucers, once again filling Xander with a swell of pride at satisfying yet another Slayer with his work.
“I named them Blood and Lust,” Xander informed her proudly. As if in a trance, Faith reached for her magnificent weapons, prompting Xander to quickly warn Dormer, “You may want to cover your eyes.”
They did so just as Faith’s hand gripped the hatchet-styled tomahawks, and the weapons detonated a blinding white light, such that his eyelids were nearly useless. This iteration of Blood/Lust was clearly one of the best he’d ever created. The Tomahawks measured 20 inches in length, with 8-inch heads and 6-inch cutting edges, and were wrapped in crisscrossing leather. The curved rosewood handles were designed to fit comfortably in the hand, and the balanced weight made them easy to grip or throw. The high carbon steel heads were rough and dark, but the silver and polished runes etched on the base added a touch of elegance. Faith was instantly in love with her new weapons.
Just as he had with Kendra, Xander meticulously detailed the exceptional properties of Blood/Lust, emphasizing its supernatural sharpness, indestructibility, and the boost it would give Faith’s healing abilities. He explained to the Watcher and Slayer how his magical weapons could be summoned, which would drastically improve Faith’s combat capabilities. Faith was a ball of unparalleled joy and eagerly anticipating nightfall to put them to bloody use.
“My, my,” the elderly Englishwoman gasped the first time she saw Faith summon Blood to her. “At my age, one appreciates directness, so allow me to be candid with you, and leave it at that,” Dormer prefaced. “Upon learning of your visit from Faith, I had every intention of denouncing your romantic relationship and bringing it to a speedy end. It pains me to say I’ve seen far too many Slayers fall victim to the misguided allure of love, quite easily leading them to their downfall. However, I must say, I’ve never come across a human as gifted as you, young man, especially at your age. It’s led me to reconsider my initial intention. Hence, I shall approve of your relationship… but only for the moment.”
Xander was blinking repeatedly, thoroughly taken aback by this confusing revelation. He wasn’t sure what Dormer knew, what Faith had told her, or why. He simply hummed in awkward agreement and allowed Faith to continue talking about how Xander lived on the Hellmouth in California.
“Sunnydale. I know it well,” the old woman remarked with a long hum. “Rupert Giles is stationed there, is he not?” Xander nodded, still trying to wrap his mind around being perceived as Faith’s boyfriend. “Such a studious young man,” Dormer remarked of Giles. “His Slayer is a unique talent.”
Xander nodded, and added, “Yeah, I’m actually friends with her.” Dormer was pleased to learn that Xander was more than capable of keeping up with Faith in a sparring session and asked if he could assist in training her. “Yeah, sure,” he agreed. “I’ll let Giles know too. For the life of me, I don’t know why Watchers with Slayers don’t talk to each other more.”
Dormer graciously expressed her gratitude to Xander for visiting and bringing such a quality gift, and then requested that Faith show him around her patrol route. As soon as they were out of earshot of the eerie house, Xander couldn’t contain his dumbfounded curiosity any longer.
He let out, “Okaaaaaay! Care to explain what that was about?”
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
“What?” Faith replied, eying him in genuine confusion.
“What do you mean, ‘what?’ Boyfriend?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.
“Ah, that,” she answered nonchalantly, continuing to walk ahead. “That a problem?”
Though Xander wanted a straight answer, he sensed that something was off. Faith was generally direct with him, especially when it came to sensitive or confrontational topics—she simply wasn’t one to hold back. Her evasiveness now suggested that she was hiding a deeper, more emotional response—one that made her feel too vulnerable.
“That depends on the explanation,” he eventually replied, keeping pace with her as they walked toward the first cemetery.
Faith let out a sigh and explained, “Dormer is way too old school, and isn’t a fan of the rando I pick up whenever I’m in the mood. A Slayer’s got appetites, you know.”
“I do,” he readily agreed.
Frustrated, Faith clenched her fist as she added, “She wants me to stop sleeping around, especially with people who don’t know I’m the Slayer. Apparently, I could be putting them in danger.”
“She’s not wrong,” he said, raising four fingers as he added, “shot four times.”
“Well, if that’s the discrepancy, then that’s pretty much every guy or girl I want to hook up with,” Faith argued. “If I can’t tell anyone I’m the Slayer, and I can’t hook up with anyone who doesn’t know I’m the Slayer—cuz they might get killed, or whatever—then that leaves me pretty much blue-balled forever! Which… No! Not having it!”
“Sounds like a catch-22,” Xander said. “So am I just your cover or… keeping you sane?”
Facing him, Faith eyed him with half-lidded eyes, turning on her seductive charms as she said in a husky voice, “Play your cards right, and we’ll see.”
Xander played his cards extremely right that very night. After an exhilarating fight with a couple of vampires, the rush of blood, and the euphoria of surviving a battle to the death, he asked, “Aren’t you going to thank your Daddy?”
They were drawn to each other like magnets. Faith was a lot like Cordelia in that way—very physical, with no words needed—and was highly impressed by his size, stamina, technique, and attention to her needs. But above all, she loved his vibrating dick. She couldn’t get enough of his package activating midway through her orgasm, wracking her quivering body with wave after wave of multiple orgasms. The lovers were doing it every day, regardless of the time.
While on patrol, however, Xander wanted to track down and kill Kakistos before he left. Sadly, there was next to no usable intel on the ancient vampire. As he was leaving Boston, he reminded her to be careful of Kakistos and his men.
“I don’t know how it could happen this time,” Xander warned her. “It could be him. It could be something else, so you have to be careful.”
“I will,” the beautiful girl assured him. “Just… come back, you asshole!”
Faith kissed him passionately, pulling at his shirt as they made out until they ran out of breath.
Pulling back, Xander bluntly asked, “Are we dating?”
Faith rolled her eyes before returning, “Oh, you need a label to know how to function? Just do your thing and I’ll do mine, and sometimes we’ll do each other’s thing. End of story.”
He snorted, replying, “Let things do things, copy that. We’ll see each other again. Promise.”
——
Walking the hallways on the first day of school, Xander was taken aback at the sight of Cordelia. He couldn’t help the rush of excitement of having her back, and when she noticed him, they both smiled. She’d been gone all summer, and they hadn’t even spoken over the phone, despite his thinking about her. They simply weren’t the type to have civil conversations over the phone, but seeing each other after so much time reignited their wanton longing for one another.
Despite a century of looping, Xander was always stuck in the body of a hormonal teenager, and seeing Cordelia in a sexy skirt that accentuated her graspable curves and fitted sleeveless top, he could barely resist the temptation to skip school, take her home, and handcuff her to his bed. As it was, the teenagers were forced to wait until school ended to go to his house and spend the rest of the day catching up in his room, holding each other, and making love.
Xander asked if they were together again, but Cordelia bluntly answered, “No.” The ache in his chest didn’t settle long when she added, “But we can take a break from being broken up every once in a while.”
Xander chuckled before happily sending her to heaven and back.
On the second day of school, Buffy returned while Xander was patrolling. He was chasing after an acrobatic vampire who knew the value of ‘live to fight another day.’ Enhancing his speed, Xander had to chase him down, but could barely keep pace. He was about to hurl Hellguard at the bloodsucker when the vampire ran chest-first into a stake, turning into dust.
“Losing your touch, old man,” Buffy quipped as she walked from behind a tree.
Taking a moment to catch his breath, Xander returned with a smirk, “Either word got out about me, or vampires just like getting their cardio in.”
“It could be a new tactic, like, a false sense of security. We should look into it,” Buffy suggested, stepping closer to her friend.
“Shhh!” Xander quickly responded, bringing a finger to his lips. Cautiously, he looked around before warning her, “Careful. If you say anything about researching too loudly, Giles pops up out of nowhere with an almanac in his hand and a theory on his lips.”
Buffy snickered, shaking her head at his goofiness. The friends embraced in a tight hug for a long moment before he welcomed her back. “Thanks,” she replied with a grateful smile. “And thank you for watching out for my mom. She told me everything you did for her.”
Xander shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal and asked, “How’ve you been?”
“Good—mostly,” she answered with a hint of evasion.
The friends began walking, Xander with Dreadnought in hand and Buffy with Slaymore on her hip. The moon was high in the sky, and though they were talking, they were still vigilant for any sign of danger lurking in the shadows.
“Good,” he returned. At the small niggle of an old fear in his head, Xander cautiously asked, “You didn’t meet Spike wherever you were, did you?”
“Wha? No. Why?” she asked, her confusion clear in her voice.
“I never told you that Spike sticks around a lot? Starts helping like Angel?” At the mention of his name, Buffy stopped walking. He stopped as well, and could feel the friction between them, prompting Xander to ask, “What happened?”
“Don’t you know?” she asked, her tone of disbelief.
“I don’t know everything.”
“But you know this, don’t you?” she pressed.
“It’s not hard to put two and two together,” Xander replied. “We didn’t all get sucked into a hell dimension, which means you stopped Acathla, but you left right after without telling anyone. Willow was sure the curse took, which means the portal was opened before Angel was brought back, and you had to kill him.”
“I’d give you a gold star if that was actually just a guess,” she said, her tone heavy with insinuation.
“...You think I’m lying?” Xander asked, taken aback.
“Are you?” Buffy countered. Without explaining the Time Braid, Xander was at a loss for words, prompting her to say, “Exactly,” as if his silence were a guilty verdict. “You knew I was going there to kill Angel, and I think you wanted to warn me when you asked me to stay behind. But you just let me go.”
“No!” he exclaimed. “I’d never do that to you! This is me, Buffy! You know me! Why would I?”
“Because!” she nearly yelled. In a lower yet firm tone, she replied, “Because of your feelings for me.”
“Wow… wow,” a flabbergasted Xander gasped, his voice filled with disbelief.
“You kissed me the second he was gone,” she pointed out, as if the act was damning evidence. “And you said he lives in LA, so I thought everything would be fine, but this entire time you knew he would… I would have to…”
Buffy turned away, wiping her face, clearly overcome with restrained emotion. The anger and hurt she felt over losing Angel was palpable, yet her irritation toward Xander was mixed with an underlying tenderness that indicated she still held a special place in her heart for him. She would’ve kicked him out of the Scoobies, otherwise. She, apparently, needed someone to blame, and as ever, he fit the bill.
‘Fuck that,’ he thought.
“So, because of these imaginary feelings everyone thinks I have for you, you thought I’d make you…” Xander trailed off, his frustration boiling over. Buffy remained silent, but he could hear her affirmation in her silence. Irritated, Xander brashly explained, “For your information, sabotaging you and Angel isn’t an example of love. It’s selfishness—Perverted selfishness. You really think I’m capable of doing that… You know what? I am capable of doing that. I admit I’m not the best guy. I make bad decisions. I mess up, a lot. There are darker sides of myself that I truly hate, but I’m telling you, I’d never do that to you. Love—real love—means wanting the best for you, even if that’s not me, which, by the way, I’m totally fine with!” Buffy remained silent, contemplative as he finished with, “Not that you deserve to know, but he’ll be back.”
Xander left, and for the next few weeks, he returned the same chilly shoulder Buffy was giving him. Their strained relationship was limited to talking only when absolutely necessary, and they avoided each other whenever possible. Even when he came to repair something for Mrs. Summers, she would either leave or retreat to her room, avoiding any interaction with him—not that Xander cared. He worked on himself, on his Armor Wear—sewing the sanctified golden thread into his Nox gear—and patrolled as he wished.
When the tension seemed too much for Willow, she finally revealed to Xander, “Buffy thinks you let her go, knowing she’d have to kill Angel—without warning her—but it’s not like she believes you’re a bad guy or anything. She’s so grateful to you for taking care of her mom while she was away. She just feels, like, since you won’t fess up to making a mistake, she needs to stay away.”
Eying his childhood friend, he asked in all seriousness, “Do you really believe I sent her there knowing there was no other way than killing Angel? That I would want her to do that to the person she loves more than anyone else?” Willow’s hesitation made him tilt his head in surprise. “Really?!”
“No, I, no, of course not,” she hurriedly replied, trying to placate him. “I don’t believe you’d ever do that. It’s just… with the whole knowing the future thing, it… Well, we talk about it all the time—what you know and why you don’t tell us much.”
With growing frustration, he once again reiterated, “I’ve said it so many times! My eighty-year-”
“—year-old self doesn’t remember everything about the teenage years. I know, I know,” Willow interjected.
“And there are some things I shouldn’t tell you,” he emphasized. “I told Cordelia one thing about us, and it took us months to get past it. And honestly, I’m pretty sure it’s what killed our relationship. Do you think I’d want to take that chance with you guys?”
Willow shook her head. She seemed to understand his position, but then she asked, “Does Angel really come back?”
“If he does come back, does that excuse me somehow?” he challenged. “Would you all stop treating me like a jealous asshole just because he’s back?”
“Hey, come on,” Willow protested. “No one thinks you’re being that. It’s just… being rational can be difficult when you lose someone you love. She doesn’t mean to take it out on you.”
“I know, Will,” he empathized.
Rather than more words that’d fail them, a comforting hug between best friends was much more helpful.
——
Xander wasn’t bothered by Buffy’s attitude toward him because he hadn’t heard from Faith in over a month. He called and left several messages, but she never called him back. He was getting so worried, he was preparing to buy a ticket to Boston. Instead, she showed up in Sunnydale, looking for him at his favorite hangout spot. Instead of finding him at the Bronze, she met Buffy and the others. As ever, when Buffy spotted a vampire taking the beautiful brunette outside, Faith killed it and proceeded to introduce herself to them as the newest Slayer.
The gang then looked for—and subsequently found—Xander while he was patrolling, dressed in his stealth gear, battleaxe in his hand, and his eyes glowing brownish gold. At the sight of Faith and the group approaching him, Xander knew the terrible demise of Watcher Dormer had happened once again. He leaned his axe on the tombstone before walking over and enveloping Faith a comforting embrace.
“Is she?” he asked, referring to Dormer. A sad and angered Faith just nodded against his chest. “I’m so sorry.”
“I couldn’t stop him,” Faith mournfully confessed. She stepped back to reveal, “But even if I did… she… she was going to die, anyway. I would’ve been all alone, no matter what.”
Curious about that detail, Xander asked, “What do you mean?”
“Cancer,” Faith lamented answering. “They tried to use her as a hostage, but she sacrificed herself to force me to get away. Before those sick bastards ripped her apart, she told me to run here. To you.”
“I’m glad you did,” he whispered into her hair, to which she nodded. Xander could tell she was uncomfortable with such displays of sentiment, so he changed the topic, remarking, “I guess you met the others.” Clearing her throat, Faith nodded as she looked over to the Scoobies. He then asked, “Where’s Blood/Lust?”
“I had a belt for them, but they swing too much when I run,” she explained. “I was hoping you could make a better holster for them—so they stay still.”
“Yeah, sure.” Turning to the others, Xander announced, “So, we’ve got an ancient vampire on the way.”
“Kakistos?” Willow asked.
“Yup,” he confirmed. “He wants to kill Faith. Well, he wants to kill everyone, in general, but Faith’s at the top of the list.”
“I have that effect on vampires,” she quipped with a smirk.
“Oh, that doesn’t stop at vampires,” Xander teased.
“True,” Faith responded with a nod.
With a hint of criticism in her tone, Buffy inquired, “So, you remember this Takitos guy?”
Xander tilted his head, looking at her in disbelief, as if to ask, ‘Really? You want to do this now?’ At her resolute demeanor, Xander shook his head and calmly answered, “There’s a reason why I remember Kakistos.”
“I’m listening,” Buffy replied in a sharp tone.
“It’s private,” he firmly returned.
“How convenient,” she retorted sarcastically. “Maybe you shouldn’t be involved in this.”
“Too bad, that’s not up to you,” Xander hotly leveled at Buffy, not backing down.
Buffy eyed him with disbelief as she asked, “Excuse me-”
“Okay, okay,” Willow called, positioning herself between the heated friends. “I think that’s enough.”
Faith looked around, confused, asking no one in particular, “I walked in on something, didn’t I?”
“Come on,” Xander told the Boston Slayer. “Let’s get your stuff. You’re staying with me.”
“She can stay with me,” Buffy said assertively, stepping forward. “We have a spare bedroom.”
“I’d rather stay-” Faith began to say before Xander interjected.
“No, hey, it’s okay,” he said, eying Faith with understanding. Not willing to endanger the unusual connection he knew Buffy and Faith would eventually develop, he added, “You should get to know each other.” He turned to Buffy to add, “I’ll bring her by when we get her stuff.”
Faith was none too pleased about being governed without her say and hotly told them both, “Uh, how about I stay wherever the hell I damn well please?”
Recalling himself, Xander realized making decisions for her was crossing a line and explained, “I know, Faith. I’m not trying to be controlling or anything like that. I just thought it would be good for you to be with another Slayer.” Eying the blonde Slayer a moment, he added, “Buffy… is someone you want on your side.”
“Like I give a shit,” Faith retorted, making Xander snort. “I’ll pick who I want on my side. I don’t know what’s going on between you two, but I know you,” she stated, looking at Xander. “So, I’m staying with you. End of story.”
Extending his hand, Dreadnought flew straight into his grasp, spinning like a top as he accepted her decision. “Okay.” Turning to his friends as he hooked his battleaxe to the holster at his back, he said, “I’ll bring her to Giles tomorrow morning.”
“Ugh, how early?” Faith groaned, hating the idea of waking up at the ass-crack of dawn. “Like, does ‘early’ mean ‘noon’ on the west coast?”
“Slayers don’t even need more than four hours of sleep,” Xander pointed out.
“Yeah, but then you gotta factor in the beauty sleep, which is like an extra five hours,” Faith pointed out. “Or else we end up looking like hideous zombies.”
“As opposed to the pretty zombies?” he asked with a smirk.
“Killing them hurts the most,” Faith confessed with a pained expression.
In Xander’s home, Xander gave her the tour, all the while ignoring her suggestive looks. It was clear to a blind man what she wanted, but Xander didn’t feel any sexual activity was a good idea at the moment. He brought her a towel, and when she tried to kiss him, Xander pressed it to her face, impeding the kiss.
At her confused expression, he sternly told her, “If we fuck, I don’t want it to be because you need a distraction from whatever messed up shit we’re dealing with. I want to smash your insides for the pure joy of it. So, until we deal with Kakistos, no nookie for you.”
Glaring, Faith reminded him, “You realize I can get it from anyone I want, right?”
The cocksure Xander stepped forward and grinned as he reminded her, “But do any of them have a vibrating cock?” To her surprise, he kissed her deeply, one that she fell into easily. But before it could escalate to nudity, he pulled away and said, “I want you too, Faith. But unlike those other people, I actually care about what’s going on in your head, and in your heart.” Faith seemed uncomfortably placated. She didn’t like it, but he tilted her chin up as he added, “Once Kakistos is dust, I’m not going to stop fucking you to high heaven until you beg me to.”
Faith inhaled deeply, pressing her lips together and swallowing in delicious anticipation before nodding. “Fine! But I’m killing the shit out of that pig-hoofed bloodsucker!”
“You better,” Xander replied cheerfully before they went to bed.
The following morning, the pair were on their way to school when Xander broached the topic of giving Buffy a shot. “She’s going through something too,” he said. “Not that I’m making excuses for her. You guys might be different, but I’m telling you, there’s a bond there that’s unlike anything else.”
Faith rolled her eyes before stating, “Look, I’m not saying I’m done with her forever, but if we get anywhere, it’s not going to happen if she’s going to keep being a bitch.”
Xander nodded in agreement, and soon enough, they were meeting Giles. Learning about Kakistos went as it always had, and soon, the group was researching the ancient vampire. As a favor to Xander, Faith spent time with Buffy, Willow, Oz, and Cordelia, while Xander went to clear his mind at the forge for a few hours. They had one more night to themselves before the attack. Kakistos was like an abusive ex-boyfriend who followed Faith across the country to set her straight. Thus, Xander was aware the vampire was her demon to conquer, and neither he or Buffy could do it for her.
Xander watched Buffy and Faith from a distance. He saw them argue outside of the Bronze when they were ambushed by a group of vampires. The pair were then maneuvered toward a closed-down factory where they met the ancient vampire, Kakistos. The Slayers summoned their weapons as the fight began, and Xander rushed to their aid, attacking the minions attempting to surround the girls. With their God-tier weapons, the three could make quick work of the blood-sucking demons, but there were many of them. The battle was effectively six to one. Xander, Buffy, and Faith had to attack, defend, and constantly move to keep from being surrounded.
The strongest among them, Kakistos, enjoyed the show until his men segregated Faith. Facing such a terrifying monster brought her fears to the surface, weighing her down, cramping her muscles, and throwing off her aim. Even after Faith slashed Kakistos’ side and back with, the brunette Slayer was sent flying when she was back-handed in the face, forcing Buffy to rush over and battle the ancient vampire. The trembling Faith struggled to get up, and Xander rushed to her side.
As he fought back half a dozen vampires eager to kill him, he yelled to the fallen girl, “Where’s your head at, Faith?! You going to let it end like that? Or do you want to pay him back like all the other motherfuckers who take from you?!”
Her answer seemed to be spitting out blood. Kakistos punched Buffy across the room and Xander rushed to catch her, redirecting her momentum so they spun into proper balance. They didn’t miss a step, fighting the vampires swarming them in unison.
Faith extended her hands, and Blood/Lust flew to her hands as she rushed the terrible evil. Despite its injuries, it was still fast, punching at her face with its cloven hooves at tremendous speed. Faith dropped, sliding under his strikes before swiping at his right leg with Blood. She got up as Kakistos dropped to one knee, and swiftly beheaded the vampire with Lust. While Kakistos slowly turned to thick dust, the three warriors continued slaying vampires until the rest of them ran away.
Though they were sweaty, bloodied, and tired, they relished in their victory. Faith, especially, felt great after winning such a monumental battle and was eager to celebrate.
“Mom said it was okay for you to stay with us, if you like,” Buffy told her. “We had Kendra stay with us too, so I think she feels responsible for Slayers.”
Dramatically, Xander chanted, “A mom to one Slayer is a mom to all Slayers!”
The girls chuckled, shaking their heads at his shenanigans.
Xander shoulder-checked Faith softly and the brunette relented, answering the blonde, “Fine. But if you’ve got a problem with Xander, I’m telling you right now, this isn’t going to work.”
Xander and Buffy looked at one another before the blonde confirmed, “It’s fine.”
“Five-by-five,” Faith replied. She then grinned before telling Buffy, “I’ll be by with my things tomorrow.”
Curious, Buffy asked, “Why not tonight? You’re not hurt, are you?”
“Nah, nothing like that, B,” Faith returned. “I’m just starving! I need some meat in me, one way or another.”
Further confused, Buffy asked, “Uh, what other way is there to get meat inside…” Her eyes widened and she blushed a deep shade of red when it dawned on her. The flustered girl responded, “Oh! Jeez! Ahem! Do you, uh… I didn’t know you had a boyfriend.”
“Nah, B. Better,” she returned with a cocky grin. “I got a stud. I call him Sweet Spot, and we have the most mind-blowing sex ever.”
“Faith!” Buffy sputtered, looking between her friend and sister Slayer. “X-Xander’s right there.”
Faith didn’t care and put her arm around Buffy’s neck as she whispered, “You wanna hear some of the most outlandish things he could do to a woman?”
Shaking her head and swallowing nervously, she replied, “I don’t think now’s really the time-”
Faith continued saying, “He can hold me down—even with my strength—and pound me into the mattress like a raging bull trying to break me in half! What he can do with his tongue and how deep it can reach has me gushing like a goddamn freight train! All. Night. Long.”
Buffy pulled away, blushing incredibly, stating, “Right, I g-got it. Thanks for the visual.”
Eying Buffy in a new light, Faith admired how flustered Buffy was as she asked, “Anyone ever tell you, you’re cute when you’re blushing?”
“I… don’t think so,” the embarrassed girl stammered. “I’ll, just- I’ll see you tomorrow.”
When Xander and Faith were finally alone, he kept his word, and the pair didn’t wear clothes or leave his house for two days. He played her sensitive body like a symphony and pleasured the beautiful brunette until she was a quivering mess of continuous orgasmic bliss. For two full days, they slept, fucked, and ate until they were completely satiated. However, the sole downside of the weekend was how uncomfortable Faith became when Xander wanted to make slow, intense love. When she felt how much he loved her, she would either pull back, or break eye-contact.
‘She just needs time,’ he reminded himself.
——
Xander was taken aback one afternoon when Buffy brought Scott Hope to their table during lunch and introduced him to the gang. Despite everyone already knowing him from class, Buffy seemed particularly friendly with him. In Xander’s mind, he didn’t expect them to last, but it was nice to see her move away from vampires.
Later that night, Xander and Faith patrolled together, discussing Mrs. Summers’ request for Faith to re-enroll in school. Despite her reservations, Xander assured her he’d help her study, and even suggested a point system that would reward her for every question she got right. However, Faith was firm in her belief that her future as a Slayer was set, and school would only be a waste of time.
The pair also talked about Buffy. Without being a creeper, Faith appreciated being around the beautiful & chaste blonde. Their conversations about Buffy felt odd to Xander; not unlike two guys talking about a hot girl they admired. He didn’t have much of that since the only other males in his life were Giles and Oz, both of whom didn’t fit the profile. Though Xander wasn’t vying for Buffy’s attention anymore, it wasn’t as if he couldn’t appreciate her stunning beauty and heroic acts. So long as his relationship with Faith progressed, he didn’t care if they discussed Buffy every once in a while.
Their conversation was cut short when the pair heard a faint and distant scream, likely two miles away. Xander and Faith sprinted toward the source, but despite his magically enhanced body, the Slayer was faster in pure sprinting speed. Faith outran Xander little by little, until he was thirty yards behind her.
He yelled, “I’m right behind you!”
In a few minutes; however, Xander heard a different sound—animalistic grunts and fighting. He was hesitant to stop and investigate, but also figured Faith could take care of herself, especially with Blood/Lust. A sharp turn and half a mile later, Xander arrived to witness Buffy attempting to subdue a very feral Angel without injuring him. Xander picked up a rock and struck Angel in the back of the head. When the growling vampire turned to the interloper, Buffy used the opportunity to knock him out with the butt of Slaymore. Buffy and Xander exchanged a look for a moment, stoic brown eyes staring into contrite greenish-blue eyes.
Not in the mood for a heavy conversation, he told her, “Come on.” Buffy picked Angel up and followed him to his mansion, which wasn’t very far. Xander invited Angel in and they locked him up in the basement. “He can stay here for now,” Xander said, before turning to leave.
Buffy quickly stepped forward and asked, “Where are you going?”
“Gotta link up with Faith,” he told her. “We heard a scream earlier.”
With a hint of eagerness in her voice, she asked, “Do you need help? I can come with-”
“Buffy… we both know where you want to be,” Xander plainly interjected.
He was by the door when an anxious Buffy called out, “Thanks.”
Though he paused for a moment, Xander left without responding. When he finally caught up to Faith, he kept Angel’s return to himself. The Boston Slayer already knew the history between Buffy and Angel, but Xander didn’t feel the need to talk about him. He found it annoying how Buffy’s mood could shift depending on the person she loved. Regardless, Angel was Buffy’s problem to reveal to the group.
He learned from Faith that the scream they heard was from a girl witnessing a monster attack her boyfriend. Faith wasn’t able to locate the monster in time, but Xander knew it was Pete, and he knew just how to draw him out. He wasn’t going to let the unbalanced Jekyll & Hyde teenager off the same way the Scoobies had attempted to do in the previous loop. If it wasn’t one excuse that set Pete off, it would simply be another. The Looper was going to handle this like it should be handled, catching the culprit in the act.
As the Scooby Gang began investigating the monster attacks, Xander made an effort to chat up Debbie as often as possible—especially in front of Pete—going so far as to make her laugh. The Looper wanted to provoke the teen, and he could see out of the corner of his eye that Pete was seething with repressed rage. Xander didn’t have to wait for long to move up to the top of Pete’s hit list.
That night, the raven-haired teen was on his way to meet Faith at Restfield Cemetery. He left Wild Dinks on foot to give Pete an easy opportunity to attack him. He was in his Nox gear, with Dreadnought and Hellguard, and they were invisible to the naked eye. When he reached Restfield, he was doubly surprised. Not only had Pete not attacked him yet—making him wonder if the monsterized teen was even stalking him—but he saw Buffy waiting for him instead of Faith.
“Where’s your bike?” Buffy asked.
“I felt like a walk,” he explained before asking, “What are you doing here?”
Buffy’s demeanor changed to one of mild anxiousness before she answered, “I asked Faith if I could patrol… with you instead.”
Eying him nervously, she cleared her throat as she waited for a response. Xander simply nodded before entering the cemetery, and Buffy followed beside him. Though she appeared on the verge of speaking, she remained silent. The pair went a while without a vampire to kill or a word spoken, all the while Xander was wondering when Pete was planning on attacking.
‘Any day now, you juiced up, Pickled Dick,’ Xander thought as the pair rounded an old mausoleum.
They were walking past headstones when Buffy finally cleared her throat and asked, “D-Do you happen to know who this stud of Faith’s is?”
Xander was expecting her to ask about Angel, but it appeared as if she needed to build up courage first by starting with a different subject. Unbothered, Xander flatly replied, “She hasn’t told you?”
Shaking her head, Buffy tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear as she answered, “She seems to think I need to know every detail about what they do, but she won’t tell me who it is.”
With a bit of a smirk, Xander asked, “Do you want to know?”
Buffy eyed him apprehensively before eventually answering, “I… It’s not like I’m some old spinster who’d never dare talk about sex. I just don’t need all the gory details. And she paints a very vivid picture!”
Xander chuckled before saying, “If Faith hasn’t told you, then I shouldn’t either.”
“...I guess,” the disappointed blonde hesitated to agree. “I want her to trust me, though. The same way she trusts you.”
“She will,” Xander assured her. “You just gotta give her time. And always be honest. Too many people have lied to her to get something from her. She can’t take that anymore. Break her trust once, and that’s it.”
Buffy nodded appreciatively. Seemingly more comfortable, Buffy commented, “Giles thinks Angel went to the hell dimension. Do you- Would you know anything about that?”
Mildly annoyed by the change of topic, Xander retorted, “You trust me now?”
“It’s not that I didn’t-” In an effort to gain his undivided attention, Buffy stood in front of him and genuinely apologized. “I’m sorry, Xander. Really, I am. I shouldn’t have treated you that way. I was wrong. Can you forgive me?”
Xander could easily see how sincere Buffy was in her apology. Her demure demeanor screamed regret for her actions and hope of forgiveness. Xander wasn’t angry at Buffy, just like he wasn’t angry at Cordelia for breaking up with him, or at Willow for being upset with him when he kept things from her. It was moments like these that always reminded Xander that he’d learned more about himself due to the time braid than they ever could. It was moments like these where he couldn’t truly be angry, because it wasn’t their fault he was ahead.
With a sigh, Xander confessed, “I can’t stay mad at you, Buffy—but just like you want Faith to trust you more, I want you to trust me, too.”
“I do-”
“No,” Xander interjected. “You want to trust me. It’s not the same thing as actually trusting me.” Stepping forward, he reminded her, “You really believed I wanted you to kill the person you love because of whatever feelings you think I have for you. That’s-”
“I know, I know,” Buffy interrupted, shaking her head in regret. “Trust me, I’ve been kicking myself ever since… well, since you told me that wasn’t what someone who felt genuine love could do.” With a sigh, Buffy felt vulnerable enough to confess, “You’re not the only one that makes mistakes, Xander. I’m not the best person, either—far from it. I make bad decisions and mess up all the time. I even have sides of myself that scare me.” Buffy’s expression was one of resolve as she affirmed, “But I do trust you.”
Despite himself, Xander loved hearing the words. They sang blissfully in his ears, but he was wise enough to know that it wasn’t enough anymore. He said, “I’ll keep an open mind, but I think we’re beyond words, Buffy.”
Slightly taken aback by his skepticism, she cautiously asked, “What does that mean?”
“It means I’ll believe it when I see it,” he answered.
Xander turned to leave when Buffy held his arm, clearly intent on saying more. However, any words of disagreement she had never graced her lips. Their heartfelt moment of reconciliation shattered when Pete, in his monster form, charged at them from the shadows of the nearby trees. Xander and Buffy nimbly dodged, diving out of the way before springing back to their feet, ready for a fight.
Monsterized Pete slowly turned around, locking eyes on his target, and hissed, “Haarrrrisss.” The ferocious Pete growled, “You tried to make a move on my girl? You’re a dead man!”
“I think we found our monster,” Xander commented.
Buffy’s face squinted in recognition before she tentatively inquired, “Pete?”
With lightning speed, Pete lunged at Xander, closing the distance in a second. However, the time looper side-stepped the brute and countered with two quick punches to the liver and jaw. Xander only then learned how solid Pete was as the monster shrugged it off. Pete swung wide and fast, attempting to take Xander’s head off with a single punch, but the teen deftly dodged each attack until Buffy kicked Pete’s leg out from under him. With enhanced strength, Xander delivered a punishing blow to the monster’s face.
Pete stumbled back, clutching his jaw, and roared in rage before charging at Xander and Buffy. The Slayer and Looper worked in tandem, taking turns attacking and evading. Every time Pete tried to eviscerate Xander with a punch, Buffy would attack its rear. When Pete went after Buffy, Xander would return the favor, all the while waiting for when they would have no choice but to resort to deadly means. Bleeding from his nose, losing ground to their combined attacks, the monsterized teenager was only getting angrier and larger.
When Xander tried to break his arm, Pete threw him ten feet away into a headstone, momentarily dazing him. Just as Pete charged at the dazed boy to finish the job, Buffy jumped in to fight him. All of her hits landed, but it was becoming increasingly clear that the monstrous mutant teen was not going to stop. He back-fisted Buffy in the face, and charged after Xander again. Before Xander could cut Pete in half with Dreadnought, a sprinting Angel intervened, leaping off of a tombstone, and landing on Pete’s muscular back.
The vampire wrapped his chains around the monster’s neck and pulled with all his strength. Pete jerked and spun, trying to hurl Angel off, but the vampire held on, even when Pete slammed him into a tree. They struggled for nearly a minute until Angel, with one final tug, broke his neck, ending Pete’s killing for good.
Buffy cautiously walked up to Angel. Though he was still feral, at the sight of her, a calm washed over the vampire.
“B-Buffy,” a confused Angel stammered, and the blonde Slayer rushed to him. They embraced dearly, and she cried at finally having him back in her arms.
Uninterested in the reunion of the forbidden couple, Xander grabbed Pete’s foot and dragged the body away. He left the corpse on a bench and made an anonymous call to the police. As ever, they took the better part of an hour to arrive and investigated for less than three minutes before ruling it as a drug overdose.
“Sunnydale’s finest, ladies and gentlemen,” he joked.
As Xander retrieved his bike and drove home, he thought of the doomed nature of Angel and Buffy’s love for each other, Cordelia’s brave act of love by letting him go, and Faith’s hesitation to enter into a monogamous relationship with him. Each example solidified his belief in the impossibility of love being as effortless as depicted in the movies. Previously, he would’ve struggled and lost hope, but now, he found himself surprisingly resilient and unwavering in his convictions.
“You have time,” Xander told himself, walking his motorcycle into his garage.
As he tossed his keys in the bowl, his kitchen phone rang. Curious as to who’d be calling him at such a late hour, Xander picked up and said, “Xan-Man’s Chicken, you kill ‘em, we grill ‘em.” Xander heard what he thought was ocean waves in the distance and bird calls, but no reply. “Hello?”
After a long moment, the teen was surprised to hear his mother’s voice say, “I-I heard you were in the hospital. But… I suppose you’re fine if you’re picking up.”
A small smile creeped onto his face before he replied, “Uh, yeah. I’m fine. No biggie.”
“Your friends really bothered us, you know,” the irritated mother said. “We’re trying to enjoy our lives. We don’t need them panicking, and calling us over every little thing.”
“Next time I’m shot, I’ll be sure to tell them not to call you,” Xander sarcastically responded. “I’m glad you called, though.”
“Don’t get so sentimental. You’ll be on your period in no time,” Jessica mocked.
Ignoring her sharp tongue, Xander reminded himself that his parents no longer had the power to dictate his actions. ‘They’re just messed up people who brought me into this world,’ he thought. In a moment of curious spontaneity, a curious Xander asked, “Mom, why’d you stay with dad?”
“…Why in heaven’s name would you ask me that?” he heard her ask.
“I just mean: you had a lot of opportunities to leave—before and after grandpa,” he stipulated, sitting down at the kitchen table. “Why didn’t you just go?”
“Who told you about…? Was it your uncle Rory?”
“Don’t worry about where I learned it,” he replied. “Just… tell me: Why’d you stay? Was it love?”
Jessica Harris laughed loudly for a long moment, and Xander remained silent. After she settled down, his mother replied, “God, you’re so dumb, boy.”
“Then educate me, ‘Oh Wise One,’” Xander retorted, leaning back in his chair.
She huffed before asking, “Do you remember how much you loved going to the amusement park?”
“Yeah.”
With cockiness in her tone, she asked, “Were you pulling us toward the safe and easy rides? Or were you begging us to let you ride the dangerous, more exciting ones?”
Though Xander understood her analogy—the thrilling excitement of large twisty roller coasters being valued over the boring safer ones—he was more curious to ask, “Doesn’t that mean you’re getting on those rides for what they give you? And has nothing to do with the person next to you? Isn’t that kind of selfish?”
Jessica stuttered to reply, but in frustration said, “Shut up! I can’t believe I took time out of my day to check on you… Such a waste.”
Xander reminded himself that her cutting words didn’t affect his life anymore, and simply replied, “Thanks for calling, mom,” before hanging up.