Chapter Text
Love Can't Fix Us
calikocat
word count: 1945
Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy, Teen Wolf, or Herbie the Love Bug.
A/N: We're gonna do a speed run of Buffy seasons 1-3. : ) Hang on to your hats I guess. Or cat-ears or whatever you wear on your head. XD
XXX
March 2010 – A few days after Welcome to the Hellmouth/The Harvest
Xander stared out the bus window as the station got closer. He needed to get his thoughts in order before he saw his dad and Herbie. It had been a hell of a week and everything seemed...not real. But it was, and it sucked and he hurt in ways he never knew he could hurt. Xander let his head thunk against the window and blinked away tears. They wouldn't help, and he didn't want to be sitting alone on a bus and crying amongst strangers.
His dad had wanted to come to Sunnydale to pick him up like he usually did, but Xander had asked him not too. Instead, he'd walked to the bus station right after school, having packed a separate bag for the weekend that morning. He'd barely gotten it back out of his locker, stuffed full, but it was worth it. He needed to think and calm down before he talked to his dad, because Xander was going to tell him everything. They didn't keep secrets from each other...and he needed to talk to someone. He needed to talk about Jesse, because no one seemed to care that his best friend was dead.
Not Buffy, not Giles...not Willow. That one stung because they'd all been friends for so long and she just... She just pretended he never existed. Buffy, he could understand, she'd just met Jesse. He was just another person she couldn't save, a civilian. Giles made even more sense, he'd never even laid eyes on Jesse while he still lived and breathed.
But Willow. That hurt. That hurt so bad he wanted to hit her. He'd never, ever thought about wanting to hit Willow before. And that scared him. So... he needed to talk to his dad.
He blinked as the greyhound changed direction and pulled into the station in L.A. He got up, gathered his backpack and duffle, and headed off the bus with everyone else. His dad was waiting on the platform, hands in his jacket pockets with a smile on his face. Jim Douglas was a good man and a good dad; he was always happy to see Xander. He had an inner warmth that Tony Harris had never possessed, even when he thought Xander was his.
Xander stepped off the bus, and before he even realized what he was doing, he was in his dad's arms. The poor guy barely got his hands out of his pockets before he had an armful of angsty teenager. Slowly he wrapped his arms around Xander and hugged him tight. “What's wrong kiddo?”
All Xander could say was one word. “Everything.” And he hung on to his dad for a long time.
xxx
Herbie knew something was wrong when his dad and little brother came out of the bus station. Xander was subdued, eyes sad, and... not acting like Xander. Dad looked concerned, maybe a little panicked. In the eight years that Xander had been in their lives, he'd never looked or acted the way he was now.
Except after the Hale fire.
He opened his trunk as they approached and Jim stored Xander's bags. “I called in an order at the pizza parlor in Malibu we like. That okay? Or do you want to head over to Barbeque Bobs?”
“I'm not up to the Sloans' company tonight. Maybe tomorrow or Sunday for lunch?”
“Sure, whatever you need Xander.”
Herbie closed his trunk and opened his doors. Dad got in without another word and so did Xander...Xander did give his side a pat and Herbie leaned into the touch. What the hell had happened to his little brother? And who did he need to run over?
xxx
The only stop they made between the station and the beach house was the pizza place. Xander held the boxed cheesy goodness on his lap and his dad took them home. He hadn't said a word since he'd gotten in Herbie. He didn't want to start the long horrible, sad story until they were at the beach house.
His dad drove them right inside as always, and Xander smiled just a little, because he loved the design of this house so much. He always had, being able to drive and park inside the house was still so cool. Like Starsky, or Dan Tanna on Vegas.
His dad put the pizza on the counter in the kitchen while Xander stashed his bags in his room upstairs. When he came back down, he went to the sofa and sat down...he didn't turn on the TV or anything. Herbie whined but Xander didn't look up.
“Xander?” He looked up at his dad as he sat down on the sofa beside him. “What happened?”
“Jesse is dead.”
“What?”
“Vampires are real, and Jesse is dead.”
His dad was quiet for a long moment. “I can't say I don't believe you...if cars like Herbie can exist, anything is possible. What happened?”
Xander finally let the tears fall. “He got turned into a vampire...and I killed him. The wooden stake went into his heart...and he turned to dust.”
Strong arms pulled him in close and Xander finally cried. He cried on his dad's shoulder until he had a headache and couldn't cry anymore. Finally. Finally, someone gave a damn about what had happened to him, to Jesse. Thank God for his dad.
When he could breathe normally again, he told Dad and Herbie everything. The new girl coming to Sunnydale, her super powers, Willow almost getting eaten...everything. He talked so much his voice was horse and all he wanted to do was sleep. Still, his dad made him eat a slice of pizza and drink a glass of milk before letting him go to bed. Then he hugged Xander tight and kissed the top of his head.
“I'm sorry son. I'm so sorry this happened. Tomorrow night we can have a bonfire and talk about Jesse, a memorial of sorts.”
“Thanks Dad.”
“Get some sleep kiddo, I'll clean up.”
xxx
Jim peeked in on Xander an hour later just to be sure that he was sleeping, not tossing or turning from a nightmare. He seemed fine, sound asleep, so he crept back downstairs and sat in the chair closest to Herbie.
“Well, I wasn't expecting all that.” Herbie shook a bit in agreement. “He's sleeping...emotional exhaustion I suspect.” He leaned back in the chair. “Herbie what are we going to do? I doubt he'll want to live here full time. Even with Jesse gone, Willow is still there, and he seems to have...what's the word? Imprinted on Buffy. I guess it’s because she's a literal superhero.” He sighed and Herbie whined. “I know buddy. We'll talk about it with him tomorrow. Want the TV left on?” Herbie moved his wipers in a definite no. “Okay then, I'm going to turn in too. Goodnight Herb.”
xxx
Xander woke up first the next morning and fixed breakfast. He said good morning to Herbie, but otherwise worked in silence. By the time he had the table on the patio set his dad was awake and shuffling toward the coffee pot.
They sat at the patio table, leaving the doors open so Herbie could hear them and make comments if he wanted. Though no one said anything until only a few bites of food remained on their plates. Finally, his dad spoke.
“Do you want to move to L.A.? Or Malibu?”
Xander paused, fork in the air. “No.”
“Xander.”
“Dad...for the first time I feel like I have a purpose. A goal for the future.”
“Besides racing?” His dad asked with a small smile.
“Oh, I still want to race...but this is bigger than racing.”
“Son, tell me it’s not about vengeance, about making any and all vampires pay for what happened to Jesse?”
“No.” Xander shook his head. “No. It’s about helping a real honest-to-god hero.”
“Xander-”
“Dad the kids in Sunnydale have no idea what's really out there. I want to help.”
They stared at one another for a long moment and Herbie grumbled from inside the house. Finally, his dad sighed. “Then you need to start taking self-defense.”
“Okay. Thanks, that'll help.”
His dad took another swig of coffee, probably to fortify himself for his next question. “So. Just so I know, how does one go about killing a vampire. Besides the staking option.”
xxx
Jim gripped Herbie's steering wheel, they'd just dropped Xander off at home, after looking at a few different places in Sunnydale that offered self-defense. Xander would be going twice a week from now on. Mondays and Thursdays. He wanted to do more for his son, but wasn't sure what.
Xander already had extensive knowledge of first aid, what with Jessica being a nurse. Kid could stitch himself up if he needed too, hell once Xander had stitched him up after he'd cut himself while cooking. That had been a couple of years ago.
Huh. Maybe he could keep a couple of super first aid kits fully stocked. One at the apartment in L.A., and one at the house in Malibu. Even better, he could make sure Xander had one in Sunnydale. Jim would give Xander every advantage he could.
“Maybe I should buy the kid a machete.” Herbie beeped in agreement.
xxx
Witch
“Cut her head off!” Xander yelled as he tackled Amy and held on tight.
“Xander! What are you doing?” Buffy asked.
He frowned. “Saving you?”
“Get your hands off her.”
He glanced up at an unsure looking Amy, before focusing on Buffy. “But she's evil?”
Buffy shook her head. “It wasn't exactly her.”
He looked back up at Amy, still suspicious. She tried to shrug. “I was my mom.”
Xander pulled back, but still kept an arm around her shoulders, just in case. “Like...a Freaky Friday kinda switch?”
“Yeah. She wanted to relive her glory days.”
“Ick. Who would want to be in high school on purpose?” He finally let go of her. “You okay now?”
“Yeah, thanks to Buffy.”
Willow rushed in the classroom then, baseball bat in hand. Where the hell did she get a bat? “Where is she?”
“Easy Wil, Buffy saved the day...apparently it was a Freaky Friday thing...only on purpose.”
“Oh.”
He looked at Buffy and Giles. “You two, okay? Last time we saw you Buff you were dying.”
“All better. Giles pulled off the magic...he did hit his head though.”
Xander pulled out his penlight and approached Giles. “Look at me Giles.” He grabbed hold of Giles' chin and used the penlight to test his eyes.
Giles didn't move, but he was frowning. “What on Earth are you doing?”
“Checking for a concussion. Your pupils look good.”
“How do you know how to do that?” Buffy asked.
“Xander's Mom is a nurse.” Willow told them. “He can even sew us up if we get hurt.”
Xander stepped back from Giles and put the penlight away. “Though the last time I stitched up Willow was when we were twelve when she crashed her bike. She didn't want her parents to know.”
“That's really cool Xan. I'll keep it in mind.”
“Yes, that will be extremely helpful in the future...and I have a clean bill of health?”
“You should be okay. If you get headache later go to the hospital, just in case.”
“Thank you.”
XXX
Chapter Text
Love Can't Fix Us
calikocat
word count: 1035
A/N: I told you it was a speed-run. XD
XXX
May 2010 – A few days after Prophecy Girl
Xander knocked on the front door of Casa de Summers and waited for Buffy or her mom to answer. Dad and Herbie were parked on the street, waiting patiently for him. Less than a minute later Buffy opened the door. Her green eyes still had shadows in them, but he didn't blame her. Dying couldn't have been easy.
“Xander, what's up?”
“Hey Buff.” He handed her a slip of paper. “Here's where you can reach me in L.A. if you want to hang.”
She frowned at the address and phone number. “You'll be in L.A.?”
He motioned to his dad and Herbie. “Yeah, I'll be at my dad's for most of June, but we'll go further North to visit family in July.”
“Hello Xander.” Joyce joined Buffy at the door, and her eyes were drawn to the distinctive bug. “Is that the Jim Douglas?”
Buffy and Xander shared a look. “You a fan of my dad's?”
“Dad?” She looked from Xander, back to his dad. “Jim Douglas is your father?”
“Yeah.”
“Huh. Well, yes, but that was a long time ago.” She smiled. “I did follow a lot of his races though. That's the same car.”
“He still races sometimes.”
“I'll just go say hello real quick.”
They watched her go to his dad and strike up a conversation. As they shook hands Buffy snorted. “So apparently my mom was a race car groupie...I didn't see that coming.”
“My mom was too, which is how I got to be here.” He looked at her again. “You okay?”
“Yeah...things are just kinda funky right now.”
“Yeah, I get it. Let me know if you wanna hang.”
“Xander.” She put a hand on his arm. “About what you told me-”
He smiled. “Don't worry about it. It’s a crush, I'll get over it.” He removed her hand from his arm and let go. “Being your friend is enough. Later.” He rejoined his family and waved at Joyce who seemed giddy, holding a piece of paper like it meant the world.
As they drove off Dad chuckled. “So, your friend's mom was a fan.”
“You can't date Buffy's mom. Especially not while I'm getting over a crush on Buffy.”
Hid dad just laughed.
xxx
Jim raced in several out of the way places during June, though they always went back to the apartment in L.A. or the house in Malibu afterward. He won every race of course; Herbie couldn't help himself. Not even when it was just for fun.
When they weren't going to race tracks they lounged on the beach by the house, or hung out with the Sloan’s. Doctor Sloan had retired from Community General a few years ago and worked part-time at a private practice. Steve was working full time at Barbeque Bobs, and his boyfriend Jesse Travis was now head of Internal Medicine at Community General. Amanda was head of the Pathology Department.
They went to a few of his dad's races, joined them for movie nights, and basically acted like the family Xander had always wanted. Steve and Jesse were the cool uncles, Amanda the sweet aunt, and Mark the doting grandpa. It was nice.
Buffy never contacted him, not once the entire month of June.
xxx
In July they were in Beacon Hills, staying in Peter's house since it had been left in Jim's care. His cars, a Mercedes and a Jaguar, were in his home garage. His dad had hired a company to run the engines once a week to keep the batteries charged. So, while they were in town, they drove them around. Herbie grumbled a bit as he always did, but he got to go around the back roads on his own for fun that way.
They visited Peter in the long-term care facility that Laura had left him in. Xander still didn't understand why she'd abandon him like that, but she'd always been a cold person. Just like Aunt Talia.
He told Peter everything. He told his uncle about Vampires, that they were real, that Sunnydale was a Hellmouth. He talked about Jesse, what had happened to him, and that Xander had killed the vampire he'd become. He killed the monster that had been his best friend...and fought an army of vampires and helped the Slayer save the world.
Dad knew everything already, but it felt good to tell Peter too.
When Xander left the room to get a snack from one of the machines down the hall Jim sat beside Peter and ruffled his hair. “Pete, I don't know what to do. Our boy wants to keep on helping save the world. It’s a good cause, and I couldn't tell him no. But I'm scared spitless for him.” Jim sighed. “I've insisted he start taking self-defense and I'm paying for it. I'll make sure he has money to keep his first aid kit well stocked...and he's on my medical insurance. I don't know what else I can do.”
Peter, of course, didn't answer him.
xxx
They continued to visit Peter every day. Some days they took turns reading to him, his dad would read novels while Xander read comic books. They told him about their races, about their friends in Malibu. About anything and everything that came to mind.
One day as they approached Peter's room, they saw an unfamiliar man come out and then walk quickly down the hall. Xander had a bad feeling, like the man himself gave him the wiggins. He picked up the pace and looked into Peter's room.
Nothing seemed different...except...Xander went to Peter and hugged him. The bad feeling in the room and on Peter himself dissipated.
His dad caught up to him. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, just getting rid of the bad juju.” Xander shuddered. He didn't know who the stranger was, but he'd remember the guy's face forever.
They wrapped up summer vacation like they always did, by spending a week in San Francisco with Tennessee. Only this time they told him about vampires...he wasn't surprised at all. Go figure.
XXX
Chapter Text
Love Can't Fix Us
calikocat
word count: 1972
A/N: Oh look! Season 2! XD
XXX
When She Was Bad
Xander yanked Willow off the concrete wall, uncapped the water bottle he had, and splashed it in the vampire's face. Then he shoved the bottle in Willow's hands so he could get his stake out, and didn't hesitate to shove it in the vampire's chest. He pulled it back and the vampire turned to dust, still screaming and holding his face.
“Huh, guess you guys don't need me after all.”
They whirled to see Buffy behind them and Xander raised his brows at her. “Well, not for the walk home maybe.” He started to pocket his stake but stopped. “Have a drink Buff.”
Both girls looked at him. “You want Buffy to drink the holy water?”
“Just in case.” He reached for the water and took a sip himself. “See. No harm.”
Buffy nodded and took the bottle and a sip herself, then passed it to Willow. “Better than a password.”
Willow took a drink and capped it again. “Yeah, I guess so.”
“You really handled yourself there Xander.” Buffy smiled, but it didn't seem to reach her eyes.
“It’s been months now Buff; we like living. Of course, we're always armed for vampire.” He told her and Willow took out the cross she was carrying.
“See?”
Buffy shook her head. “It’s not just that, you moved differently.”
“Well, my dad is paying for self-defense classes. I want to be able to get away, ya know?”
“Right, good plan.”
xxx
The first two days of classes had been weird, or rather, Buffy had been weird. She was quiet, distant, cold...and kinda mean. Cordelia gave as good as she got, as always...but the stooges thing in reference to them had been a bit much. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he was planning on talking to her. Maybe at the Bronze tonight.
“Dance with me?” Xander shared a look with Willow as Buffy pulled him off his chair and to the dance floor. What the heck?
The music was smooth, sexy, sultry. That cold look in Buffy's eyes had deepened. “Buff?”
“Did I thank you for saving my life?”
“Yeah?”
She smirked a little. “Don't you want more from-”
He shoved her away from him, turned on his heel and walked off the dance floor and right out of the Bronze. Screw her. He was over his crush and she had no right to do that to him. Hell, even if he still had a crush, or hadn't saved her life, he didn't deserve that.
Especially in front of Willow and Angel, who he'd seen in the shadows glaring daggers at him. Fuck.
xxx
Jim picked up his cell phone as it rang, saw it was Xander and answered. “You okay kiddo?”
“You won't believe what Buffy just did, or tried to do.”
“What?”
“She just tried to shame...or embarrass me in front of Willow and Angel.”
“How.” Jim asked, wondering what teenagers consider shameful and embarrassing.
“We were at the Bronze, and she's been weird since she got back, right? And tonight, she dragged me on to the dance floor and started dancing all sexy with me. She was even wearing a little black dress.”
“What did you do?
“At first? I froze up, I had no idea what was going through her head. I mean a few months ago I'd have been thrilled right? But I don't have a crush on her anymore.”
Jim nodded, because Xander had hardly mentioned the Slayer over the summer, and he'd flirted with a few girls in Malibu, Beacon Hills, and San Francisco. “Right.”
“Then. THEN! She says, 'Xander, did I thank you for saving my life?' and I said, yes, she did. Then she starts to say; 'Don't you want more from me?' Only I cut her off right? I pushed her away from me and just walked away. Like I didn't look back and just left the club.”
His heart hurt for his son, but at the same time Jim was proud of him. “Want me to come down this weekend?”
“Yeah.”
“Xander say the word and you can come live with me.” Jim said, hoping that this would be the push his kid needed to walk away from Sunnydale. Xander was quiet so Jim continued. “You're old enough the court will take into account what you want. I can call my lawyer in the morning, and we can have you with me within a month. Sooner.”
“I-”
“We can live in L.A., Malibu or even Beacon Hills. We could see Peter every day, every other day. Heck kiddo, Tennessee would love to have us all move in with him.” The long silence on the other end of the call told him that Xander was really thinking about it, really considering it for the for the first time. It also told him how hurt he was about Buffy treating him that way.
“I want to stay here. For now.”
Jim sighed. Damn, almost had him. “I thought you might say that, just know that you don't have to stay in Sunnydale.”
Xander's voice sounded close to tears then. “Thanks Dad.”
“So. How's school?”
xxx
A few days later, after everything blew up in Buffy's face and she faced her issues in the form of smashing the Master's bones Buffy cornered him for a talk. Willow was nowhere around and they were in the library alone. “Xander-”
“Just don't. I don't have a crush on you anymore, and after that stunt you pulled no power on this earth could make me feel that way about you again.”
She looked down. “I'm sorry.”
He stared at her. “If you do that to me again, we won't even be friends. I might even leave Sunnydale.”
She looked up and met his eyes, worried. “Where would you go?”
“To live with my dad. I don't have to stay here Buffy. I can go live with him whenever I want.”
“I am sorry Xander. So sorry.”
“Apology accepted.” He nodded. “I get that you have trauma to deal with, we all do, but don't take it out on us. On me.”
She frowned, hell, she even looked angry. “What trauma do you have?” Her tone even sounded like an accusation.
So, he laid everything out for her. “My stepdad used to beat me; I still have scars from his belt. My favorite uncle is catatonic and scarred from a house fire that left most of my extended family dead. My best friend got turned into a vampire and I had to kill him.” He sneered at her; he couldn't help it. Just because she was the Slayer didn't mean she owned the trauma market. “Gee, I wonder what trauma I could possibly be carrying around.”
Buffy couldn't hold his gaze after that and looked away. “Killing people you know after they turn never gets easier.”
“Back at Hemery?”
“Yeah.” She looked up at him again. “You really lost a bunch of family in a house fire?”
“On Mom's side. Her older sister's family. Aunt Talia, Uncle Eldon, my baby cousin Seth. Her cousin Nathaniel, his wife Penelope and their kids, Dimitri and Samantha. Uncle Peter got my cousin Cora out, but his wife Kelly died...she was four months pregnant. Uncle Peter has been catatonic for three years now.” He shook his head. “Aunt Talia's oldest daughter and son, Laura and Derek, weren't home when the fire happened. Laura took her siblings, Derek and Cora to New York. They just left Uncle Peter alone at a long-term care place and I'm still bitter about it.”
“Damn Xander...I'm sorry.
He sighed. “Me too. I didn't mean to dump all that on you.”
She bit her lip. “Your stepdad really beat you?”
“When Dad found out he told Mom that if he ever saw a fresh mark on me, he'd sue her for full custody and make her pay child support. And throw Tony in jail.”
“So... why are you even in Sunnydale?”
“Isn't it obvious?” He gave her wide eyes. “Because I didn't want to leave my friends...and now...I can do some good here. Even if it’s just carrying an extra stake for you, or walking someone home as their extra eyes so they don't get eaten.”
“Okay. Still friends?”
He nodded. “For now.”
xxx
School Hard
It had been a hell of a night. His mom had been working the night shift so she hadn't been able to make it to Parent-Teacher night. So, Dad had come instead. While Willow had been taking Buffy's mom on a tour of the school, and avoiding every single teacher in the process his dad had gotten cornered by Snyder. Ugh.
Snyder had gone on and on about Xander being a slacker, hanging with a bad crowd, and dragging down one of the school's brightest students with him. Jerk, Willow hung out with them of her own free will...and they weren't a bad crowd.
His dad had taken the bad mouthing in stride though he'd shot Xander a look of disbelief as the little man went on and on. Eventually though they'd gotten away and headed out. They were about halfway back to the Harris house when Willow sent him a 911 text about vampires attacking the school.
Dad turned around and floored it all the way back to the school. They parked in the lot and Xander got some holy water out of Herbie's trunk, along with a stake. His dad tried to stop him but Xander ran toward the school and caught sight of Angel. “Heads up, vamps are-” And Angel grabbed him.
xxx
Jim and Herbie worked the outside of campus. Running down any vampires they saw. One poor bastard got pulled through a window and by the time Herbie got up on the lawn he was dead, but they still got the vampire responsible. Herbie pretty much bit off the vampire's head, and he turned to dust.
By the time the cops showed up everything was over. He'd seen a vampire with bleached hair high tail it out of the building. A few others had gotten away, but most of them were dust.
He saw Xander and Angel walking out a side door of the school, and he didn't bother stopping Herbie when he revved his engine and went straight for the vampire. They gave the undead a little love tap, which left him sprawled and blinking on the pavement, just out of sight of the cops.
Jim got out and shook a bottle of holy water at Angel. “I saw what you did.”
“What?” Angel asked.
“You ever put my son in danger again and it will be the last thing you do. My god man, he's sixteen, and you dragged him in there like cannon fodder.”
Angel looked from Jim to Xander and Xander was wide-eyed. “Dad?”
“I saw him drag you in the school, I couldn't follow because there were too many vampires in the parking lot. Mowed most of them down.” He looked at Angel. “We have an understanding? Man to man?”
Angel nodded. “Yes Sir.”
“Good. Xander, get in the car.”
“Taking me back to Mom's?”
“Nope, you're coming to L.A. with me tonight. I doubt you'll have school tomorrow anyway.”
“Cool.”
“You do need to call your mother though and let her know.”
“Will do.”
They got back into Herbie and left Angel sitting there on the pavement looking perplexed.
XXX
Chapter Text
Love Can't Fix Us
calikocat
word count: 1914
XXX
Thanksgiving Break
They were in Malibu again, they were spending less and less time at the apartment in L.A., which was fine with Xander. He liked the beach house better anyway. So, they were in Malibu watching the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving movie with Herbie.
Both of them were stuffed from eating dinner with the Sloan’s and their friends. It had become a tradition over the last six years ever since Xander had forced his way into his dad’s life. Dinner with the Sloan’s, and then a movie, this specific movie.
As the credits rolled his dad looked at him, they were sitting on the sofa, sprawled out and comfy. “You've been quiet about the Hellmouth.”
“No new real trauma to speak of.” He assured his dad. “And Angel is behaving himself.”
His dad frowned. “What qualifies as real trauma?”
He sighed. Well, might as well tell him. “We got turned into our costumes on Halloween.”
“What?”
“I was a soldier. So, on the bright side I'm better at self-defense now because I have combat training in my brain.” He grinned. “And ya know, I have combat training.”
“Let’s get back to the trauma part.”
“Ugh. Nightmares.” Xander admitted. “From a war I didn't fight in.”
His dad wrapped an arm around him and pulled him close. Xander put his head on his shoulder. “You can talk to me about anything son. Don't hold back because you think I'll freak out or whatever you kids say these days.”
Xander told him everything. He already knew about Angel's stunt on Parent-Teacher night as they'd talked about that weeks ago on the drive to L.A. the night it happened. So, he started with the more mundane and normal teenage stuff. The Ampata stuff.
Ampata Gutierrez had been a cute boy from Peru that had stayed with Buffy for two weeks. A sort of test program to see if Sunnydale High could handle foreign exchange students. Xander and Ampata had flirted back and forth and even kissed.
Then he shared the not so normal stuff...like Halloween and Buffy's old friend trying to kill her for vampiric immortality. Giles' past catching up to him...and...and how he and Cordelia got trapped by an assassin after Buffy. Which led to a panicked kiss in her basement. Then another kiss in an empty classroom.
“How was it?” His dad asked.
“Getting away from the assassin and later squishing all his buggy parts was nice. Cathartic even.”
Dad ruffled his hair. “I meant kissing the girl.”
Xander huffed. “I liked kissing Ampata better.”
“Oh? You going to keep in touch with him?”
“Nah, there was no real connection. He was just a good kisser. I also got the feeling his parents wouldn't approve. He was just relishing freedom.” Xander moved so he could look into his dad's eyes. “You really okay with me liking guys too?”
“I am. You're you. Girls or guys, as long as you find someone who makes you happy and is good to you.”
“Cool.”
xxx
Jim was seriously considering moving to Sunnydale, or at least buying a house there so Xander would have a safe place to go. It wasn't like he had a day job, and property in Sunnydale was ridiculously affordable and he had enough investments and money saved.
Yep. He was definitely going to get a place in Sunnydale. He showed Herbie the listing he'd found in a Sunnydale real estate guide. “What do you think Herb? It was built in the 70s and not much different from the beach house. Maybe even by the same company.”
Herbie beeped in agreement.
“I think so too. I mean, what if that idiot Harris invites a vampire inside. What if Angel charms his way inside? Or even worse, the vampire that Angel tried to give our boy to. He needs a place where no vampire can get an invitation.” He circled the listing. “I'll call in the morning.”
xxx
January 10th, 2011 – Xander's 17th birthday
“Hey Cordy.” He stood by her locker a little awkwardly.
“What do you want?”
“My dad is coming down to Sunnydale for my birthday tonight.”
She raised a brow at him. “And?”
He frowned. “So, I was wondering if you'd want to join us, maybe meet him?”
“No thanks.”
“Cordy, you do realize I'm not talking about Tony Harris.”
“I don't care, look Xander...we're not dating...we're just...making out. We're not a couple.”
“Okay then. Forget I asked.”
“Believe me, its forgotten.”
He shook his head and walked away, wondering why he'd even bothered.
xxx
Xander was in the passenger seat, as he usually was, and stared at the house in shock. It was a two-story house, and it looked like it had a garage door directly into the house. Just like the beach house in Malibu. “Dad?”
“It was built in the 70s at the height of the fad, back when Vegas was on the air. I had to do a little remodeling. There was only the one garage door here in the front.” He hit the button and it opened up so they could drive inside and park. Across the room was a set of double doors that opened manually. “We can drive through the house, and the driveway wraps around the entire place.”
“That is so cool.” Xander grinned. “But, why now?”
“Since Angel 'gifted' you to another vampire, I got worried about him or any vamp going after you. And since Jess and Tony don't know about vampires, they might accidentally invite one in, if they said they were a friend of yours.”
Xander snorted. “Tony would never invite someone in if they said they were my friend...I don't know about Mom. I haven't had anyone over in years. Jesse and Willow knew better than to ask.”
“Still, I wanted you to have a safe place during the week. So.” He handed Xander a set of keys. “Now you have a safe place.”
Xander blinked away tears. “Thanks Dad.”
“This also means I'll be in Sunnydale more often. So, you can definitely stay with me whenever you want.”
“I can't believe you bought me a house for my birthday.”
“Kiddo, when you turn 18, it'll be yours, in full.”
Xander felt his jaw drop. “Oh.”
They got out of Herbie and the garage door closed. “It came fully furnished.”
“That doesn't surprise me.”
“But if there's anything you want to change, let me know.”
“Nah, it looks good...though...I do know a witch. Amy, she can put some wards on the place. Keep things besides vampires from walking in.”
“Sounds good to me. Think we can get her to...ward?”
“Ward.”
“Think we can get her to ward the beach house?”
“I'll ask her. Heck, I can call her now and ask her if she can do a warding tonight.”
xxx
Amy did agree to come over and ward the house. She drove herself to the address Xander gave her and they watched her work in silence. She burned some herbs and rang a bell as she walked around the outside of the house. On the inside she specifically burned a wad of sage and used a funky looking broom. Xander didn't understand any of it, but he swore the house felt lighter afterward. Cleaner even. It was nice.
Dad paid her fifty dollars and Amy's eyes got wide. “I wasn't expecting to be paid.”
“Well, you provided a service. One that will help keep my son safe, that's worth fifty dollars. If the house was bigger, I'd pay you even more.”
“Huh.”
Xander grinned at her. “Possible business venture?”
“Maybe.”
Dad grinned. “I have a beach house in Malibu that needs warding too if you're not busy this weekend.”
“Not sure how my dad will feel about that.”
“He can come too. We have guest rooms, a good local pizza place, and you can come to the race track too.”
“I'll ask him. Night Xander, Night Mr. Douglas, it was nice meeting you.” She was about to leave but Xander stopped her.
“You wanna stay for cake and a movie?”
“Cake?”
“It’s my birthday.”
Amy blinked. “It is, isn't it. Sure. Cake sounds good.”
“You'll need to take a piece home for you and your dad too.” His dad insisted.
So, they settled in to watch the movie his dad had bought, and eat popcorn and cake before Amy finally went home. And she did take a couple pieces for her and her dad.
As they headed upstairs to turn in his dad clapped him on the shoulder. “I know it wasn't a party or anything, but I hoped you liked your birthday.”
Xander turned around and hugged his dad. “Dad, you got me a house, cake, and a movie...I have no complaints.”
xxx
Buffy's Birthday Disaster
“Willow!” He ran after her, leaving Cordelia behind. It hadn't even been a serious kiss, as he hadn't been letting Cordelia drag him into closets as much lately. Willow just had the worst timing and seen Cordelia plant one on him. He caught up with her in the hall. “Can we talk about this.”
“There's nothing to talk about.”
“Willow it was just a kiss.”
“But it’s more than that Xander.” She shook her head. “It means you'd rather kiss someone you hate than be with me.”
He rolled his eyes. “I don't hate her. It’s just physical attraction and I don't mean anything to her either. And Wils. I'm not yours. You can feel how you feel, but you don't own me.” He walked away and left her in the hallway...besides...they had a crisis going on.
xxx
Xander let himself into the house, the lights were on inside so he knew his dad and Herbie were home. “Hey guys.”
His dad looked up from the book he was reading in the living room. “Hey kiddo. Leftovers are in the fridge if you're hungry.”
“Thanks.” He helped himself to the food in the fridge, fixed a plate and got it warming up in the microwave. “You watched the news yet?”
“Not yet, thought I'd catch the later broadcast...why?”
Xander didn't meet his eyes. “There might be a bulletin about a commotion at the mall, and if any cops show up, pretend I was here at home with you all night.”
His dad got out of his recliner and joined him in the kitchen. “What in the world happened?”
“We had to kill a really old demon...with a rocket launcher.”
His dad stared at him wide-eyed and Herbie beeped. “Where did the rocket launcher come from?”
Xander sighed and started the story from the beginning...when Buffy's birthday party went sideways. An hour or so later they were sitting in the living room near Herbie and his dad was on his second beer.
“So... Angel is evil again.”
“Yep.”
“Well, I bought this place just in time huh?”
“Yep.”
“Xander, I want you to be extra careful from now on.”
“I promise.”
XXX
Chapter Text
Love Can't Fix Us
calikocat
word count: 1709
XXX
Valentines Day
Xander walked away from Cordelia and the necklace he'd just given her. He should have known better. She wouldn't hold his hand in public. She didn't want to meet his dad. She didn't want anything beyond making out in closets. God, he felt so stupid.
He used his cellphone to call his dad to come get him from the Bronze. Xander just didn't feel like he was in the right headspace to be walking home in the dark in Sunnydale. Besides, his dad was in town.
So, he waited for his dad and Herbie to pick him up.
xxx
“You okay kiddo?”
Xander was curled up next to him on the sofa, blanket on his lap and hot chocolate in his hands. “Yeah. I just feel really stupid for staying with someone who never really cared about me.”
“Everyone does stupid things when they're young.”
“Yeah, I guess...not sure I'll be with a girl again anytime soon.”
“Going to give the boys a try?”
“Yeah. Maybe I will.” He looked up at Jim. “That still okay?”
“Yeah Xander, it is.”
xxx
When he went back to school the following Monday, after a weekend of moping in Malibu he felt better. But then moping in Malibu wasn't exactly moping when you had a beach house. Still, all the laughter, snickering and pointing at his expense wasn't exactly fun.
Amy was the only kind one, inviting him over to her house for dinner and brownies with her dad that night, which he accepted.
Willow was definitely not kind. She just started going off on him when he got to the library. He sighed. “If you were really my friend you wouldn't talk to me like that.”
She blinked at him in surprise, but that didn't stop her. “I'm just saying that's what you get for dating Cordelia.”
“You mean instead of you? No worries, Wil, the next person I date will be a guy. Because I like guys more than girls.”
She stared at him, shocked. Buffy and Giles didn't say a word, but Willow found her voice again. “No, you don't.”
“You don't know everything about me Wil, despite you being obsessed with me these past few years.”
“I'm not obsessed.”
“Then why do you know my blood pressure.”
She snapped her mouth shut. “He's got a point Willow.” Buffy said softly. “I always thought it was weird that you knew that.”
“It’s because she doesn't care about authority figures and hacked my medical records. Her hacking is useful for fighting bad guys, but creepy when she keeps tabs on you.” And he turned on his heel and left the library.
That night he had a nice quiet dinner with Amy and her dad, and the three of them made the brownies together. It was a proper sleepover, which he hadn't had in a while. Once the brownies were done Amy's dad grabbed a couple and headed off to bed.
The two of them stayed up a bit later and painted each other’s nails. Hers were a deep red that was almost brown while Xander went with black.
“Heard things kinda imploded between you and Willow.”
Xander rolled his eyes. “So how long until the whole school knows I'd rather be with a guy than a girl?”
“Pretty soon I think...but. You're not alone Xander.” Amy said, blowing on her nails. “I like girls.”
“Huh. That's why your dad is okay with this.”
She grinned. “Yep.”
“So, you okay with being my new bestie?”
Amy laughed. “Think you can French braid my hair in the morning?”
“Hah, I can braid and French braid with my eyes closed.” He smiled. “Thanks Amy.”
“What are friends for?”
xxx
Passion
When his dad got out of Herbie Xander pretty much dove into his arms. His dad hugged him tight and didn't let go for a long time. “I'm so sorry kiddo.”
Xander kept hanging on. “Thank you for coming down. I didn't want to go to the funeral alone.”
His dad gave him a pat on the back. “Come on. You know which cemetery it's at?”
“Yeah.” Xander finally pulled back. “Amy and her dad will meet us there.”
It was a somber affair, as funerals often were, and Jim hated that all this was happening within his son's orbit. His kid just kept losing people. Last year was Jesse, and this year was an adult, a teacher that Xander had trusted. One that was a decent person, unlike that troll of a principal.
The sun was shining down on their black clothed group as a minister spoke at the graveside. No one said a word, eyes on the casket as it was lowered into the ground. Amy and Xander stood side by side, arms looped together, tears going down their faces.
Jim stood by Amy's father, Carl Williams. They'd greeted one another with a handshake but otherwise kept quiet. He wasn't sure if Carl was really aware about the dangers of Sunnydale, but then he'd known his ex-wife had been an actual witch. So maybe he did know, and maybe he knew how Jenny Calendar had really died.
They stood by the cars, the kids making their way back slower. Carl looked at Jim. “Amy said she warded your house here in Sunnydale and the one in Malibu.”
“Yes. You know what happened to the teacher?”
“Vampire. I swear if Amy would just let me get her out of this town...”
“Yeah. Xander's been patrolling, and walking some kids home every night. Scares the hell out of me.”
“Amy's been warding lots of houses for kids in the know, I get she's helping people and I'm proud of her...”
“But you'd rather she stay safe and not draw attention to herself.”
Carl nodded. “Exactly.”
xxx
“Xander wait up.”
Xander and Amy stopped in their tracks, they'd been walking arm in arm toward their dads when Cordelia caught up to them. “What's up?”
“That's your dad?” She asked, nodding toward his dad and Herbie.
“Yeah. Why?”
“You're really not Tony Harris' kid.”
“Nope.”
“I'm sorry I didn't hang out with you on your birthday.”
“Water under the bridge Cor. I hung out with Amy instead.”
She frowned. “So, you're dating Amy now?”
Xander rolled his eyes. “No.”
“I like girls...” Amy told her. “...and this really isn't the place, Cordelia.”
“Right. I get that.” She turned to look back toward the grave where Buffy and Giles still stood. “Who do you think Angel will go after next?”
“It could be any of us.” Xander said.
“Hey Cordelia, if you wanted, I could put some wards on your house...even with an invite Angel wouldn't be able to come in.”
Cordelia looked back at them, at Amy. “Thanks...how much?”
“Fifty bucks even. It’s what Xander's dad paid me.”
“Deal. Come by tonight?”
“I'll be there.”
xxx
Killed by Death
Xander broke out of Angel's hold, going for a pressure point in the vampire's hand. They stood there facing one another in the parking lot outside the hospital. The flowers Angel had brought were on the pavement and he was in full game face. Crap. He was gonna die.
A familiar engine revved and suddenly Herbie hit the vampire and sent him flying. Xander blinked. “Well then.”
His dad got out. “You stay away from my son, vampire!”
They watched as Angel got to his feet and hobbled away, dragging one leg that seemed to be broken. Xander looked back at his dad. “You want to hit him again so I can stake him.”
“And what if he has back up somewhere out here?”
“Good point. Wanna join me inside and keep watch over Buffy instead?”
“Sure kid. We'll just tell the school that you caught the flu too. Enough kids end up sick and they'll cancel school for a few days anyway.”
xxx
Summer Vacation
His mom and Tony weren't home and his dad was helping him pack for the summer. School was officially out, Buffy was missing, but the world hadn't ended so it wasn't all bad.
“You sure you want to go to the cabin with that cast on?”
“It’s a broken arm not a broken leg. And it’s not like its ski season...not that I can ski.” Xander replied. They were going to spend June at the cabin in the Rockies, then July in Beacon Hills to visit Peter.
“I know you've been busy, but have you been keeping up with your language studies?”
“My French teacher is ecstatic. So next year I'll take Spanish.”
“How's the Asian languages coming along? I know Peter will be glad to hear you practice on him.” They'd decided that speaking multiple languages around Peter would help keep his brain engaged.
“Japanese is easy. Thai is a challenge some days...but I like it. I might go to college for languages.”
“Whatever you want to do kid. College, trade school, whatever is fine.”
xxx
Once they were on the road Jim asked what he really wanted to know. “You want to talk about it?”
Xander sighed. “Well, Angel is in hell. The world didn't end and Buffy is MIA.”
“And the other slayer, Kendra? How is she?”
“She'll be okay. Amy really came in clutch with her magic. It'll take a while for Drusilla's face to heal.” Xander shot him a grin. “Amy is really enjoying playing nurse for Kendra though, what with the concussion and cracked ribs.”
“And your wrist?”
He held up the cast. “Clean break, but you knew that because you talked to the doctor.” He lowered his arm again. “Dad, thanks for helping us rescue Giles.”
“Well, I wasn't going to let you go alone and Herbie is the fastest car in town.”
Herbie beeped in agreement and Xander laughed.
XXX
Chapter Text
Love Can't Fix Us
calikocat
word count: 2822
A/N: Season 3! XD
XXX
Dead Man's Party
Jim got up from the couch to answer the knock on his apartment door. Whoever it was, was lucky he was even there, he spent so much time in Sunnydale these days. He opened the door and stood there in shock, because Buffy Summers was on his doorstep.
“Hi Mr. Douglas...can I get a ride to Sunnydale?”
He reached for the bottle of water he kept by the door. “Have a drink.”
She blinked at him. “You know?”
“I know.”
“Since when?”
“Since my son was forced to kill his best friend. He needed to talk about it so he wouldn't bury it deep or go crazy.”
Buffy nodded and took a sip of the holy water. “See, all human.”
He nodded back and exchanged the water for an already packed bag. He kept a go bag on hand, always had, since his full-time racing days. “Let's hit the road then.”
He filled her in on what had happened while she'd been gone. Her mother was completely in the know and Giles had been tracking every lead he could trying to find her.
Once they were out of the city Buffy wiggled in the seat to get comfortable, and her foot hit some CDs that were in a bag. “You're learning Chinese? Like from China?”
“Those are for Xander.”
“Xander is learning Chinese? Wow. I really missed some stuff.”
Jim frowned. “He's fluent in Japanese now, and his Thai is better than it was a few months ago. And he's learning the version of Mandarin spoken in Taiwan.”
“So... Xander is good with languages period.”
“I taught him French myself, and he's taking Spanish this year.”
“Huh. I knew he was always good in French class.”
“He's good at working on cars too. He'd make a decent mechanic.”
“So, is he gonna be a mechanic or a language professor?”
Jim smiled, proud of his youngest son. “Anything he wants.”
xxx
Xander didn't go to Buffy's welcome home party. He knew she was back in town, and that his dad was the one to drive her home. He was just busy; he'd been slowly moving all of his stuff to the house his dad had bought him. And now he was living there full time. His mom hadn't objected, because it meant he'd be safe from Tony for sure.
Dad was still paying her 'child support' but they both knew that it was really for her escape fund. Once she had enough saved up, she was going to leave Tony. She just had to clear a few debts first.
So Xander stayed home and did his homework and worked on his language studies. He was getting pretty passionate about languages and he had a feeling they'd be important in the future.
When he found out from the others about the zombies crashing the party, he was a little glad he'd missed it. He did go over after school the rest of the week to help Joyce and Buffy clean up the mess though. And he went with them to pick out new furniture to replace what had been broken.
After which they'd gotten ice cream and Buffy confided in him that this was a better welcome home than the party had been. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders then. “Welcome home Buffy.”
xxx
Faith, Hope and Trick
Amy picked him up for school as she'd been doing lately and they stopped for breakfast on the way. They were eating their breakfast sandwiches as they walked to the library and froze when they entered to see an unfamiliar girl talking with Buffy and Giles.
“What did we miss?” Amy asked.
Giles gestured to the new girl, who was brunette, fit and very pretty. “This is Faith, our newest slayer.”
Xander blinked. “So, Kendra actually died a little bit?”
“So, it would seem.”
“Did the council not tell you about her?” Amy asked. “I mean they didn't tell you about Kendra either. And I don't think Kendra's been told about her.”
“No, they did not. I'm rather bothered by that.” Giles muttered.
“How is Kendra?” Buffy asked. “Last time I saw her she was unconscious and bleeding.”
“The bleeding was from a blow to the head, concussion.” Amy replied. “She had some cracked ribs and one actually broke and punctured a lung. She must have died for a moment during surgery.”
Giles frowned. “I wasn't aware you and Kendra were still in contact.”
Xander snorted and Amy rolled her eyes. “Mr. Giles, Kendra and I are dating.”
“Oh.”
“So, Faith, where are you staying?”
She smirked at him. “You have a spare bed or something?”
“Well, I can't just offer you up a room in my dad's house...and you can quit with the smirk. I like guys more than girls...but Amy is a pretty powerful witch and she and her dad have a separate apartment over their garage.”
Faith's dark eyes focused on Amy. “Witch huh?”
“Yeah.” Amy said. “Which means, my home and the apartment have wards on them. No demon can set foot on the place. If you needed a safe place to crash.”
“How much is rent?” Faith asked, sounding wary.
Xander frowned. “Yo Giles, the council is gonna cover her expenses, right? I mean Sam Zabuto pays Kendra's rent.”
Giles seemed surprised by his question but nodded. “I'll set things up through the council while she's in town.”
Xander grinned. “There ya go, rent and groceries covered.” That made him pause though. “So how come you don't give Buffy money? I mean yeah, she has her mom, but like she should get an allowance from the council for the clothes that get destroyed...or food because of her metabolism.”
“Don't you have class?”
“Geez, just asking.”
xxx
Homecoming
Xander felt weird the moment he stepped into Willow's room. He hadn't been over in quite a while...not since the Malcolm fiasco. It looked different, it felt different. He wasn't even sure why he'd agreed to do this. But Willow wanted a guy's opinion while she tried on dresses for Homecoming. Besides, it was better than getting in the middle of the war between Buffy and Cordelia.
So, he sat on the bed while she changed behind the privacy screen. The first dress he nodded at. “Nice.”
“This is our last homecoming Xander, I want it to be perfect.”
She put on the second dress and stepped out. He nodded. “Nice...but I think I like the first one better.”
Willow frowned and went behind the screen again. Then she reappeared in a third dress. “How about this one?” Before he could speak, she rolled her eyes. “I know, nice. I'm not sure I can dance in this one. It’s kinda tight in the legs.”
He stood before he realized what he was doing. “Come here. It’s just Homecoming, no need to be nervous. Oz thinks your beautiful no matter what you wear.”
“Thanks.”
They danced a bit around her room and she moved in the dress just fine. She was looking up at him with a familiar expression. One he thought he wouldn't see on her again, at least not directed at him. However, he found himself leaning down, as if he was going to kiss her. He paused, feeling the necklace he always wore grow warm, almost hot.
Xander pulled back. “I think this is the dress. Have fun tomorrow night Wills.” He stepped away from her and walked very quickly out of her room.
Amy answered the door and he strode in past her, almost bowling her over. “Xander what's wrong?”
He turned to face her as she closed the door. “I need you to make sure that no magic can work on me.”
“Okay.” She looked worried. “I'll need something to focus the magic on.”
He took off his triskelion necklace that Uncle Peter had given him years ago. “Will this work?”
She accepted it. “Yep, that will...Xander this already has magic on it. It’s pretty weak though.”
“Well, I think it just gave up most of its mojo to keep me safe.” He shuddered.
“Xander what happened?”
“I think Willow just tried to work a spell on me. My necklace got almost hot...and it kept me from kissing Willow.”
“You tried to kiss Willow?”
“I didn't want to...we were just suddenly about to kiss and I don't know how it got to that point.”
She looked at the necklace closely. “You're right, the magic on this is protection magic. If Giles hasn't been tutoring her, she could be doing too much and leaking magic.”
“Or?”
“Or it could be on purpose.”
“And you Amy?”
She shook her head. “I'm taking it step by step...and I'm not skipping any steps.”
xxx
Band Candy
Xander panted into Larry's shoulder, a little unsure of how they got to this point. Was it magic? Or just hormones. Either way he'd just had his first sexual experience in the back of Larry's car. He raised his head to look at the taller boy.
Larry was underneath him, head back with a bruise forming where Xander had bit his throat. Meanwhile Xander was in his lap. Blue eyes met his. “Should have known you'd have an oral fixation, as much as you talk.”
Xander leaned in and nipped at his throat again. “Shut up.”
“Any idea how we got here?” Larry asked. “Are you even out?”
“I came out as bi to my dad, and my friends a while ago. Certain people aren't very accepting of it.”
“Willow?”
“Yep.”
“I was kinda thinking you and Amy had a thing?”
Xander snorted. “Amy has a girlfriend.”
“Oh. So... where do we go from here?”
“We could start with putting our dicks away. And maybe you can buy me a milkshake...and then call this our first date.”
“Kinda backwards.”
“We can blame the candy...I think its cursed.”
xxx
“Hey Dad, can we change up our Thanksgiving plans this year?”
His dad looked up from the grocery list he was making at the kitchen counter. “Sure kiddo, but I'm no good at roasting turkey.”
“Actually, my boyfriend's parents invited us to eat with them.”
His dad dropped his pen. “Boyfriend? When did that happen?”
“During the cursed candy thing. Apparently protective magic is less effective when you eat cursed candy.”
He grinned. “And I missed the candy.”
“It’s all getting burned now, no teenage flashbacks for you.”
“Just as well, but Xander I'd be happy to meet your boyfriend and his family. Who is it?”
“Remember the football player who came out to me last February? Its him.”
“You like him?”
“I think so...we'll see.”
xxx
Lovers Walk
Xander woke up in the dark. It wasn't full dark, but he still couldn't see much. He had no idea where he was, and the last thing he remembered was walking home. He was supposed to meet his dad at the house before going out for pizza. How did he get...wherever here was?
He tried to sit up, only to hit his head on something metal. Wait. Metal roof. Carpet. He reached out and felt around the carpet. A blanket maybe? A suitcase? Holy crap. He was locked in a car trunk. “Well, at least it’s not moving.” A bang on the outside of the trunk made him jump.
“Awake already, are you?” Spike asked.
“What the hell is going on?”
“Angel gave you to me last year, didn't he? Well. Dru left me because I teamed up with your slayer. You're my compensation.”
“The hell I am!”
Right then her heard a familiar engine roar, and then tires squealed. “What the-” Spike was cut off by the sound of broken bones and then something, presumably his body hitting the pavement.
There was a screech of metal on metal and then the trunk popped open. Xander blinked as streetlight flooded the trunk. His dad was staring at him with wide eyes and a scared pale face. “Xander?”
“Dad?”
“You okay kiddo?”
“I think so.” His dad helped him out of the trunk, only to find out that standing made him dizzy.
“I think we're skipping the pizza place and taking you to the hospital.”
“Mom will find out.”
“We'll deal with it. Come on.” They walked away from the large de Soto that had been Xander's prison to see Herbie with Spike pinned beneath him.
“What's with this car?” Spike growled; legs trapped.
“The car is sentient, and he's Xander's older brother. Next time he'll pop your head right off your body.”
Spike stared at them. “Message received.”
“Come on Herbie, we need to get Xander to the hospital.”
Herbie beeped and rolled off of Spike who screamed. “Bloody hell!”
“You never lay your hands on my son again.” And Xander didn't remember much after that.
xxx
When he woke up, he was in a hospital bed and Larry was holding his hand, camped out in a chair beside said bed. “What happened?”
“Apparently you got hit in the head and almost got kidnapped by a vampire.” Larry said. “And your dad's car is sentient?”
“Are you sure you didn't get hit in the head.”
Larry glared at him. “Your dad told me everything.”
Xander glanced around the room, winced at the pain, and then focused on Larry again. “Where is my dad?”
“Out in the hall, yelling at Buffy and Giles.”
“Why?”
“Well, the story he gave your mom...is that last year Buffy's boyfriend handed you over to his ex-boyfriend...who's a gang leader. Ya know, to save his own ass and get out of the gang. Tonight, the gang leader came to collect. Your dad saved you.”
“Well...that kinda is pretty close to the truth.”
“And none of your friends are allowed to see you. Your dad, Mom, and security are gonna make sure of it.”
“Huh. I doubt Angel will actually face any consequences.”
“You think Buffy won't be mad at him?” Larry looked appalled.
“I think Buffy could forgive him for anything. Well, if he hurt Willow, she might get mad at him.”
xxx
Christmas 2011
They were visiting again. They visited every Christmas time without fail. They smelled like his house and like pack. Peter soaked up the love and affection his nephew and Jim gave him as he always did. Even if he couldn't move, he could at least bask.
The nurses still read him their letters every month, but that just didn't compare to having them in the room with him, talking about their lives. Every visit started with a hug from Xander, and Jim ruffling his hair, or patting his shoulder. Then they spoke to him in different languages, not to hide anything, but to stimulate him.
Peter appreciated the gesture, though his mind was just fine. Still, it’s nice to witness Xander's grasp of other languages, the progress he's made over the years. French, Japanese, Spanish, Thai and Mandarin. His nephew has a gift with them, and wants to learn even more. Peter couldn't be prouder. If only he could have helped like he used to before the fire. He'd loved teaching his nephew before...before so many lives were lost.
The visit ended with them eating dinner in his room, talking about Xander's latest falling out with his friends. Since the year before their vampire ally 'gifted' Xander to another vampire, and that vampire came to collect his gift. Thank god for Jim and Herbie. How his nephew managed to lead such an eventful life worried him. Jessica managed to stay out of supernatural affairs, yet Xander was in the thick of things with a vampire slayer.
God. If only Peter could break free, but Deaton kept him under magical lock and key when Xander wasn't around. But Deaton's hold on him was weakening, just a little, Peter could feel it. Xander had no idea, but he used pack magic every time he visited, his power chipping away at Deaton's spells. It’s all instinct, and Xander had no idea what's happening...probably. Either way, his nephew would make an excellent Emissary.
Fuck Deaton, bastard was on Peter's shit list.
What really worried Peter besides...well.... everything...was Jim. Something was wrong. His scent was wrong. He smelled sick. Shit.
XXX
Chapter Text
Love Can't Fix Us
calikocat
word count: 2546
XXX
January 10th – Xander's birthday
Xander signed the last document that made the house his, as in completely in his name. “Thanks Dad.”
“I'm not done yet kiddo.” His handed over another stack of paper. “Happy birthday.”
Xander looked at the papers. “You're giving me Herbie too? Why?”
“We'll talk about it on the way home. Just sign.”
He frowned, but signed everything...and then the lawyer notarized everything he needed to and promised to put the paperwork through. Once they were outside and back with Herbie Xander stopped. “What's going on?”
“Well, I have business to take care of in L.A. for a bit. You'll be safer if Herbie is with you full time.”
“Herbie is your best friend.” Xander countered.
His dad shook his head. “He's my oldest son, and he wants to be here to look after his little brother.”
Xander felt tears fill his eyes and wiped them away before he hugged his dad. Then placed a hand on Herbie's roof. “Thanks guys.”
“You're welcome. Now, we'll drop you off at Larry's house so he can take you out for your birthday. Just save room for cake.”
Xander grinned and didn't stop grinning, even when he got out at Larry's house. “I'll see you guys later.”
Jim watched Xander as he and Larry drove off in Larry's car and Herbie whined. “Don't let him know Herb...I don't know if I can fight this thing, but I'm going to try.” Herbie shuddered. “If I don't make it, you take care of your little brother. Promise me.” Herbie beeped, and Jim sighed in relief. “Come on, let’s go pick up the cake.”
xxx
“Sorry.”
Xander blinked, still dazed and catching his breath. “For what?”
“Well.” Larry blushed. “I wasn't sure how good I was going to be. This was my first time Xander.”
“Larry, it was my first time too. I think we did okay.” He smiled and pulled his boyfriend in for another kiss. “You're gonna have to pull out soon though. I promised Dad I'd come home for cake.”
Larry smiled back and pulled out, carefully, then disposed of the condom in the trashcan. “Think he'd mind if I had some cake too?”
“You just had a helping of the birthday boy, I'm sure the cake won't be an issue.” Xander laughed when Larry hit him with a pillow. “It was a little funny.”
“You're horrible.”
“Am I?”
Larry shook his head and took the pillow back. “No. Humor aside, you're not horrible. Never think that you are.”
Xander felt his eyes water a bit. Sweetest birthday ever.
xxx
Helpless – Buffy's Birthday – After January 19th
“Just another birthday that blew up in my face.” Buffy grumbled.
“You survived.” Xander commented, they were sitting outside, waiting for the bell to ring. “Think how many slayers didn't, and are they gonna do that to Faith next year?”
“I don't know.” She sighed. “I just...it would be nice to have a birthday that didn't suck.”
“Yeah, sucky birthdays are the worst.” He agreed.
She gave him a look. “What was your worst birthday?”
He raised his brows at her. “Tony Harris once hired a clown who showed up drunk. And when no one liked his crappy balloon animals he grabbed the cake knife and chased me around the backyard. He got close enough to cut me a couple of times before Mom turned the hose on him, and then kicked him in the balls.”
“Didn't the cops take him away?” Willow asked.
“Yeah. And then Mom stitched me up.”
Buffy grimaced. “Sorry I asked...wait...when is your birthday?”
“Before yours...I turned 18 on the 10th.”
She gave him wide eyes. “You never said anything.”
He gave her wide eyes back. “You never asked...and Willow had plenty of time to tell you.”
“Uh...” Willow coughed. “Well, your dad has had you for your birthday since we were 8. So, I figured you had plans.”
“And we saw you're driving your dad's old car; did he give you the car for your birthday?”
“Yep.” Then he smirked. “And the house he had here in Sunnydale.”
“You own a home now?” Willow asked.
“Yep, so this was one birthday that didn't suck.” Xander saw Larry wave across the quad at him. “Later girls.”
“He's been hanging out with Larry a lot lately.” He heard Willow say. “Amy too.”
“We did kind of drop the ball Wills.”
Huh, maybe they were learning.
xxx
The Zeppo
“Holy crap!” Xander said, catching sight of Faith fighting a blue demon. “Let's go!” Herbie charged forward and knocked the demon away from Faith. “Get in!” Xander called to her.
She wasted no time getting in the passenger side and Xander took off for Amy's house. “Thanks. That bitch is gonna need more than a stake. I've got different weapons at my apartment.”
Xander gassed the engine and they sped up. “No problem, happy to help.”
“How fast can this little car go?”
“Herbie and my dad have been winning races all over the world since the late ‘60s. And up until last December they were still racing and winning for fun.”
“Herbie huh?”
“That's what a family friend named him.” They got to Amy's house in no time. “You want a ride back out there once you're armed?”
“Nah... you could always come upstairs for a while.” Faith smirked at him. “So, I can thank you...I need to get rid of this adrenaline.”
“No thanks Faith, I was on my way to my boyfriend's house when I saw you throwing down with the demon.”
Faith rolled her eyes and got out. “Your loss.”
Xander shook his head and went on to Larry's house, his parents weren't home and since all of Xander's friends didn't want his help with whatever was going on...he was officially off the clock. Besides, he'd put in overtime a few days ago taking out a surprise zombie.
xxx
Consequences
Faith opened the door of her apartment and let him in. “Look, I know it’s bad, but what happened was an accident. You were out in the field and had tunnel vision.”
“Right. You're here to help me.” She sneered. “Look you had your chance to tap this, I'm not high on adrenaline now. So, I'm not interested.”
“I was never interested in that Faith. I spent my time in a broken home, I've been a punching bag for a piece of crap stepdad. I just wanted help you.”
She pushed him down on the couch and straddled him, hands around his throat. “You want to help me? Then stop talking.”
When she started to squeeze Xander writhed and managed to pull out the gun he'd been carrying for months now from the back of his pants. He barely got the safety off and the bullet grazed her side. The muzzle burn probably caused more damage than the bullet itself.
“Son-of-a-bitch!” She threw herself off of him, hands to her side. “Since when did you start packing heat?”
“Since a vampire tried to kidnap me and make me his toy.” Xander got up from the couch and edged toward the door. “Don't worry Faith, I won't make the mistake of being on your side again.”
He got to the door and the landing outside before Faith rushed him. She was too fast and the next shot went wide before she sent him tumbling down the steps. When the world stopped spinning, he was on the ground and Amy was beside him, fire in one of her hands.
“Pack your crap and get out.” Amy's voice didn't even waver, neither did the fire in her hand. Faith left, duffel in hand, and without looking back. “What the hell Xander?”
“Ask me again when my head stops ringing, but I don't think the new Watcher is very influential...where's my gun?”
xxx
Enemies
Xander was curled up in Herbie's backseat, and his head was pounding. Too much crying and not enough water. Herbie whined at him and Xander winced. “Herbie. Herbie did you know?” His older brother beeped. “No wonder he gave you to me. Dammit.”
He'd gotten the call hours ago, the lawyer that had oversaw the transfer of Herbie and the house to Xander delivered the news. Xander was glad it hadn't been in person, because as soon as he hung up, he'd crawled in Herbie's backseat and just started sobbing.
His dad was dead. Cancer. Doctors hadn't found it in time for treatments to make a difference. It all made sense. His dad had cut back on his time in Sunnydale, back to their old weekend schedule. Xander had just been glad to see him, and thought his dad was taking care of more legal stuff...why hadn't his dad just told him?
“Hey Herbie? Take me to Larry's house?”
Herbie beeped.
xxx
Xander hadn't told anyone besides Larry what had happened. They weren't as close as they used to be...besides everyone had been walking softly since Faith had killed a guy and then tried to kill him.
Things were escalating, and Xander was a spare wheel. He didn't feel like helping the happy couples look for information at the hall of records. So instead, he picked up some snacks, planning on inviting Larry over for the night. He was walking back to Herbie when he saw Angel and Faith walking toward him. Weird.
“Hey guys, Buffy is looking for you-” Angel stepped toward him and everything went black.
He came too, to Herbie trying to gently nudge him with his driver-side door. “Herbie?” Herbie beeped and moved and Xander ever so carefully crawled inside. Once he was seated, Herbie hightailed it to the hospital. The last thing Xander saw was his mom yelling for a gurney.
Herbie would kick himself if he could. The stupid vampire had knocked Xander out before he'd even managed to change his gears. And as much as he wanted to run down Angel and the rogue slayer, getting Xander to the hospital was more important.
And as soon as Jessica and her co-workers had Xander inside he sped to Larry's house to pick him up. He beeped and whined and opened and shut his doors. Hell he even yodeled...and that was when Larry came outside. “Herbie?” He bounced a bit. “Where's Xander?” Herbie opened his door. “Crap.”
They didn't waist anytime getting back to the hospital, and Larry didn't seem surprised at all. “He got knocked out by a vampire, didn't he?” Herbie beeped again. “Jesus. Thanks Herbie, I'll look after him.” He got out and Herbie parked himself in the visitor lot...and waited.
When Xander woke up he was in a hospital bed with a headache...something he was really getting tired of. And Larry was beside the bed, arms folded and glaring. “Am I in trouble?”
“No, but whichever vampire hit you needs to die.”
“It was Angel...Faith was with him...”
“Is he evil again?”
“Maybe? I don't know.”
His mom came in the room to check on him. “You get between Buffy, her boyfriend, and his ex?”
Xander sighed. “More like I caught him with another girl, and then the lights went out.” He took a breath. “Mom...Dad is...”
She took seat on the side opposite of Larry and held his hand. “I know. I know kiddo. I didn't agree with his not telling you.”
“You knew he was sick?”
“Not until about two weeks ago. He left a voicemail on my phone, and then wouldn't return my calls...I didn't know how bad it was until his lawyer called me.”
He gripped her hand tight. “Will you go with me?”
“I will.”
xxx
The next day he and Larry carpooled in Herbie since Xander had been in the hospital all night. CAT scans and MRIs showed he was okay; the concussion wasn't too bad. Yay for no permanent brain damage. He did have a nice big bruise on half of his face though, which sucked.
When he walked into the library with Larry at his side to make sure he didn't just fall over or something he got a few stares. Willow was the first to ask. “What happened to you?”
“Angel's fist happened to me.” He looked around at all of them, no one else was hurt. “I guess since no one else is maimed that he's not really evil.”
Giles shifted a bit but didn't look apologetic. “It was the only way to catch Faith in a lie.”
“By keeping me in the dark?” He shook his head, and instantly regretted it. “Ya know, it’s funny, Angel usually only ever hurts me or tries to kill me when he's pretending to be evil.”
Buffy stood from her seat. “Xander-”
“No. No Buffy, not this time. I told you what would happen if you screwed me over again. We're done. I'll help with the big show down with the Mayor, but after that I'm done.”
“It’s on graduation.” Willow murmured.
“Great, we'll have a war meeting before then.”
Giles huffed, sounding disappointed. “Throwing a tantrum doesn't help.”
“Tantrum?” Xander felt the last threads of control snap. “You want to see a tantrum, Watcher? I'll put on a little one act play just for you.” He took a breath and let it all out. “I'm having a very bad month. Faith, Slayer number 3, tried to kill me when I offered to help her. My dad died. And then an ally left me bleeding and unconscious on the streets of the hellmouth where anything could have eaten me. I spent the night in the hospital getting numerous CAT scans to make sure I wouldn't suddenly drop dead from a brain injury.” No one said anything, and Larry held his hand. “I won't be at school tomorrow because I need to be in L.A. to make arrangements for my dad's funeral.”
Buffy's eyes were wet. “Xander-”
“No. Tell your deadboy he won. I'm not your friend anymore.” He met the eyes of each and every person there. “I won't hang out with people who don't care about me.”
“Larry cares about you?” Willow dared to ask.
“Newsflash Willow, I've been dating Larry for months. Like since before Thanksgiving.” He sighed and turned to leave, Larry keeping pace with him, the steady pressure of his hand keeping Xander grounded.
Once they were in the hall and away from the others Larry kissed his temple. “You okay?”
“No.”
“I called Mom while you were in the shower this morning to let her know I'd be going to L.A. with you for the funeral.”
“Thanks Larry.”
XXX
Chapter Text
Love Can't Fix Us
calikocat
word count: 2739
XXX
Beacon Hills
The nurse had just finished reading Jim's last letter to Peter...and the words were on repeat in his head. Even in Jim's voice.
“Peter I'm sick. Cancer. Doctors found it too late. I was getting tired often, but I'm an old man...so I never thought I was dying. Peter, I'm not gonna make it to Xander's graduation. I've already given my car Herbie to him; I gave him Herbie and the house in Sunnydale for his 18th birthday. I'm hoping all the insurance and things will work out. I've got a bit of money put back for him so until the inheritance is cleared, he can take care of himself. I hope anyway. Kid I hope you snap out of this soon, because our boy is gonna need you.”
However, no matter how hard he tried...all Peter could do was produce a single tear. He still couldn't move, and it filled with him with rage. If only Laura was in contact with them. If only Xander knew he was from a family of werewolves. If only Jim knew the bite would cure him. If. If. If.
Rage and sorrow filled Peter, and he could do nothing about it.
xxx
The funeral was nice, as far as funerals went. Tennessee and Wheely both showed up. The Sloan’s: Jesse Travis, and Amanda were all there. Dad's ex-wife was even there and gave Xander a big hug. He'd never met her, but Dad had talked about her sometimes, about how they'd met when she worked at the Thorndike car dealership.
Xander introduced his mom and Larry to everyone. Well, the Sloan’s knew her since she used to work at Community General. But the others didn't know her.
The graveside service wasn't much. His dad had wanted to be cremated; his choice influenced by how many people rose from the dead in Sunnydale. His urn was buried in an L.A. cemetery, which seemed so much more peaceful than the ones in the dale.
Afterward everyone went to the Sloan’s for the wake. Xander would have been fine with hosting it at his beach house...but they'd insisted. And this way he wouldn't be stuck with the clean up on top of everything else. The gathering lasted until late, but eventually Xander, Larry, and his mom left.
“Hey Mom, here.” He handed her a key. “So, you have a place to go when you leave Tony.”
She hesitated for a moment, but did take the key. “Jim's apartment in L.A.?”
“Yeah. He and I had talked about it before, and he was okay with you having it. He'd...he'd been spending most of his time in Sunnydale or here in Malibu.”
She hugged him then and he hung on. “I wish this hadn't happened Xander. If I could go back in time, I'd tell Jim the moment I found out I was pregnant.”
“I know.”
Herbie took them back to the beach house and they settled in for the night in Xander's bed. Neither of them said anything for a while...but Larry eventually broke the somber silence.
“What are you going to do after graduation?”
“I thought I might race a bit.” Xander said. “Go to a lot of Dad's old tracks and stuff. You?” He turned to look at his boyfriend, they hadn't really talked about the future before.
“I got a full ride to San Francisco State.”
He managed to smile. “Congrats Larry.”
“Will you come see me?” Larry asked.
“I don't know.” He said, honest. “I don't want you to wait for something that might not happen.” He shook his head. “My head's not in a good space, large bruise notwithstanding.”
Larry leaned in to kiss his forehead. “You do what you need to take care of yourself.”
xxx
Earshot
It was Xander's first day back after taking off for the funeral...and he saw something really weird. Jonathan was carrying a large gun case up into the old tower. No one used the tower...except for illicit activities. Though that was usually smoking or sex stuff, none of which involved guns.
Xander followed him up and found the other boy halfway through putting the gun together. “What the hell Jono?” He managed to grab the box of ammo and stepped back.
Jonathan looked beyond distraught. “I just want it to end.”
“By shooting up the school?”
“What?” Now he looked horrified. “The gun is for me.”
“Jono. It’s a sniper rifle.”
The other boy slumped on the floor. “It’s the only gun my dad has.”
“Buddy-”
“Don't call me buddy!” He snapped. “You don't know what's going on with me. My parents are divorcing, I'm constantly picked on...I get that I'm a short idiot but I can't take it anymore.”
Xander sat beside him, keeping the ammo out of his reach. “Someone who I thought was a friend, or at least an acquaintance, tried to kill me. I had to shoot at her to get her off of me.” Jonathan's eyes were wide now. “Buffy's boyfriend left me bleeding and unconscious on the street where anything could have happened to me.” He took a breath. “And my dad died. I was gone last week for his funeral.” He met Jonathan's eyes. “Your life isn't the only one that sucks Jonathan.”
“Sorry about your dad.”
“Thanks...but the point is Jono, if I have to keep going, so do you.”
Jonathan shuddered and the tears came. Xander didn't hesitate and wrapped his arm around the other boy. His own tears came and they sat there until the bell rang.
They both wiped away their tears and Jonathan asked. “How do I get the gun home without anyone finding out?”
“With help.”
They ended up hiding the gun in Marcy's old hide-out so they could sneak it out later under cover of darkness. When they were done, they went to lunch...only to catch the lunch lady pouring rat poison into the Jell-o. They managed to subdue her and while Xander tied her up with a spare apron Jonathan ran out to warn everyone about the Jell-o.
xxx
Prom
Larry and Xander went to Prom together, and Amy and Jonathan went as friends. Jonathan was just happy to go, to have a date and have friends to go with. Herbie, of course, was their ride. They took pictures of one another and snagged a teacher to take one of them all together.
The only downside was afterward when Angel came near them when they were trying to leave. Herbie was still pissed about what happened before...and he chased Angel right out of the parking lot.
So Xander had to explain the sentient car situation to Amy and Jonathan.
xxx
The next day Buffy and the others turned up at Xander's house, he and Herbie had just come back from taking Larry home. They were there in his driveway waiting for him. He got out and folded his arms. “What do you want?”
“Angel said your car attacked him, on its own.”
That was when Willow tried to work a spell on him and Herbie, only she got hit with her own magic when it rebounded. Oz caught her as she got knocked for a loop, and Giles fumed at him. “What was that?”
“I had Amy cast a protection spell on me and Herbie months ago because Willow tried to mojo me against my will back around homecoming. Not sure what she was trying to do and I don't care.” Xander shrugged. “Maybe it was accidental, but you're not teaching her the proper boundaries and rules of magic, so she's making her own rules.”
Buffy looked surprised. “But your car-”
“Herbie is sentient. He's always been that way. My dad knew. They were always a team when they raced. Herbie is my best friend, basically my older brother. But whatever he is, he's none of our concern. We're not friends, so stay out of my life. Besides, you're trespassing.”
“He tried to run Angel down.” Buffy protested.
“Just a little pay back for Angel punching me and leaving me unconscious on the street. Come on Buffy, he didn't even touch Angel this time.”
“This time?”
“Oh, he didn't tell you about that? Parent Teacher night my dad saw him drag me into the school against my will. Dad actually hit him with Herbie afterward...and again the night you were in the hospital and we stopped him from killing you.”
“He did what?” Giles asked.
“Tried to kill Buffy when she was in the hospital. Dad ran right over him and broke a few bones.” He sighed. “Look, we're done. So, all of you need to leave, before I call the cops.”
They got Willow into Oz's van and they all left...and Xander hoped they were truly done.
xxx
Graduation
Everyone already knew that Graduation was going to be their last stand...so...one thing led to another. And Jonathan joined them for what might be their last time together. Jonathan was still lying on Xander's bed, stunned that he'd just had sex. Xander knew that feeling and smiled.
It had been nice, even adding in Jonathan. The aftermath though was even nicer. Larry was wearing pajama pants and playing around on his guitar and singing for them. To their surprise Jonathan sat up and started singing along to the old country tune...and his voice was really good. Like a young Tom Jones or something.
When they were done Xander clapped. “Damn Jono. You could have won all the past talent shows with a voice like that.
Jonathan blushed...and they took him to bed again.
xxx
Larry was manning one of the flame throwers, and Xander's heart was in his throat. He didn't know how things were going to end. None of them had given their parents the right time, the only adults to show up were the teachers and other staff. Xander and his mom might not be as close as they used to be, but he didn't want her to get eaten.
Jonathan was a few rows back with a crossbow, one Xander had tested himself to make sure it worked. Herbie was in the parking lot where he could take out the vamps when they showed up.
The eclipse had already started and the flame throwers were in full throttle. Larry and the other guy, Mike he thought his name was, they never wavered.
“Xander!”
He stood on his chair. “First wave!”
Arrows, bolts, lances and harpoons flew through the air at the Mayor. He roared at them and the flames climbed higher.
He heard Oz somewhere behind him. “Xander!”
He glanced back, the vampires had come out. “Bowmen!” Oz and the others shot their flaming arrows. While Herbie came in from behind them, mowing the vamps down, his war cry was his infamous yodel.
Then it happened. Larry's flame thrower failed, and just as he picked up a spear, the mayor struck him down. Xander couldn't make a sound...all he could do was keep firing arrows.
xxx
Xander moved the last of the rubble from on top of Larry's body, and pulled him into his lap. He sat there for a long time. There was no pulse, but he didn't expect there to be. Larry's neck was broken, and his body was growing cold. One of the firefighters approached him and Xander waved him off. “It’s too late...just...let me hold my boyfriend for a while.”
“You can have a few minutes, but we need to finish clearing the area...sorry kid.”
Xander nodded and ran his fingers through Larry's hair, but didn't say anything when Jonathan settled beside him, tears running down his cheeks. He lay his head on Xander's shoulder and they just sat there.
At some point Buffy approached them. “Xander.”
He looked up at her and felt nothing. “Larry and I could have left. We could have been in L.A. or Malibu. The Rockies. All places where my dad owned property. Where I own property. We could have skipped graduation and celebrated getting out of this hellhole.”
Jonathan hid his face and Buffy wouldn't meet his eyes. “I'm sorry Xander.”
He shook his head. “I'm leaving, and I'm not coming back.” He finally let the fire fighters take Larry's body away, kissing his cheek as they loaded him up. Jonathan stayed at his side, as if lost. So, he took Jonathan's hand and led him away from the rubble.
Jonathan finally spoke. “Harmony's body is in the coroner’s van...she's been bitten and had blood on her mouth.”
“Okay.” No one noticed them slipping inside to stake Harmony so she wouldn't rise again. Then, they tracked down Herbie and went back to Xander's house. The moment they lay on the bed, they passed out.
xxx
Beacon Hills
Xander had signed over his dad's second car, a small economy number over to Jonathan so he'd have a way to get out of Sunnydale. Both of his parents had left town after the divorce and he didn't want to stay either.
They stayed for a week at the house in Sunnydale before going to Malibu. They were there a week as well, losing themselves in one another until they parted ways. Xander to Beacon Hills, and Jonathan to parts unknown.
Once in Beacon Hills Xander went straight to Peter and told him everything. He started out speaking in French, then switched to Japanese and finished the story in Thai.
He talked about his dad dying, the crap with his former friends. The battle in Sunnydale...Larry dying. Their weird hookup with Jonathan. Everything. And he was so tired afterward he requested a cot so he could sleep in Peter's room. At least one nurse took pity on him and allowed it.
Before he left the next day, he gave Peter back the triskelion necklace he'd been given so many years ago. “You need to get better soon Uncle Peter.” Then he said his goodbyes and left...to where he wasn't sure.
What he didn't know, was that once again he'd acted on instinct and warded Peter and the room itself. So, the next time Deaton tried to enter...he couldn't.
If Peter could smile, he would have. Maybe now he could really start healing since Deaton couldn't interfere anymore.
xxx
All summer long Xander and Herbie traveled around California entering every race that would take them. Winning all of them. They did go back to Beacon Hills in July to see Peter and... he almost seemed aware. Which made Xander smile for the first time since graduation.
Eventually he settled not too far from L.A. and Malibu in Oxnard. There was a dirt track where they raced on the weekends. During the week though Xander danced at a local club. The Fabulous Ladies Night Club.
He stayed in a trailer in a trailer park. He couldn't bring himself to stay in the beach house for the time being. And his mom had the apartment. The rent was cheap...and he needed the cash from dancing and racing because of the inheritance taxes on the other places. There was nothing like that on Herbie or the house in Sunnydale, but the rest got a little pricey.
And there was some sort of hold up on the rest of his money. The lawyer suffered a heart attack and his business partner was trying to get more money out of Xander. It was...a mess, but he kept going, because he had to.
Herbie was worried. The only time Xander seemed to come alive was when they raced. Or when Xander danced. His little brother had admitted that he found solace in the music and dancing at the club...he could lose himself when he danced and things hurt less then.
Still, his little brother wasn't in a good place, and Herbie did his best to support him. Love couldn't save their dad or Larry...but Herbie was determined to help his little brother. He'd promised their dad he would, and he'd keep that promise. Xander just needed to remember his big heart was a good thing, and not just a source of pain and loss.
XXX
A/N: I'll just go hide in a cave now. ^^;; Next stop, Teen Wolf. : )
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