Everybody Knows That I Love You

Author: Vlad the Impish <vlad_the_impish[at]yahoo.co.uk>

Rating: Nothing worse than the show

Summary: That would be telling, wouldn't it?

Disclaimer: All things Buffy belongs to Joss, ME, WB etc. Lyrics belong to the Divine Comedy. I own nothing.

A/N: The summer before season six. Glory's dead but Buffy isn't. Riley and Anya are either gone or were never there to begin with. This is a songfic. All I can do is apologise profusely for it, this has been in my head for months and I would have gone insane if I had stalled any longer.


Chapter 1

I had decided that Buffy needed a break from the slaying and Sunnydale, so I took it upon myself to take her on a little trip to LA. Initially she was hesitant to go but between Dawn, Willow and myself we had managed to wear her down. Saying that Dawn would be coming with us was the clincher, since Joyce's death and the whole Glory thing she has been scared to let Dawn out of her sight. To be honest so have I so there was no way she wasn't coming.

I knew that as soon as I mentioned LA she would want to see DeadBoy and I managed to remove almost all traces of hate when I agreed. I decided to get that out of the way first so it wouldn't ruin the entire trip for me. I should have received an Oscar for the performance I played while we were at Angel Investigations. I played nice with Cordelia, not biting to any of the thousands of barbed comments thrown my way. I never once commented how Wes had finally removed that stick that had been implanted up his ass at birth and started acting like a human being. I even remained civil to Captain Hair Gel, never calling him anything other than Angel and even shaking his hand when we left. If I hadn't got on with the new guy, Charles Gunn, I would have probably blown a gasket.

The second day was spent shopping. I had gone shopping with Buffy before so I thought I knew what I was letting myself in for. Was I wrong or what. Two Summers women are far worse than one, add in the fact that there are so many more shops in LA and I was hoping for a vamp to kill me. All thoughts of my death left my mind when I saw the smile on Buffy's face. I would have spent my entire life trudging around shops for that smile.

The third day I somehow managed to get Cordelia to agree to baby-sit Dawn for the night so I could take Buffy out on the town. It wasn't that difficult, it gave them both a chance to gossip. Cordy even suggested a place to go, the humour in her voice made me think that we shouldn't go but it had peaked Buff's interest and I couldn't deny Buffy anything, not that I wanted to.

When we got there I could see why Cordy would find it amusing. Caritas is a demon karaoke bar, run by a demon known as The Host, but the Fang Gang knew him as Lorne. He's some kind of demon that can read a person's destiny when he hears them sing. Lorne insisted that we both sing for him, something else I knew Cordy was behind. She even suggested the songs that we sing but when I heard that she wanted me to sing 'Angels' by Robbie Williams the glare I gave Lorne told him not to even try to persuade me. Buffy was of course fighting a losing battle not to laugh. Her laughter died immediately when she found out Cordy suggested 'You're so Vane'. I managed to win my battle against laughter, only because I knew that I would probably have lost an important appendage if I had.

Buffy decided to sing first, choosing 'Survivor' by Destiny's Child. She has a pretty good singing voice, although I am biased on all things Buffy. After she finished her song there was a ripple of applause, she knew that being the slayer she wouldn't have exactly get a warm reception from a room full of demons. Lorne spoke to her, letting her know that the next couple of years were going to be hard but she would get through it. I could tell that it was something she desperately needed to hear.

Of course it then came to my turn. I looked through the archive of songs at my disposal when I came across a song that I felt a connection with. When the music started, I could feel that I had picked the right song.

I told the stars above
About the one I love
I told the rising sun
Yeah I'm telling everyone
I told my mum and dad
They seemed to understand
And I'll get through to you
If it's the last thing that I do
Because everybody knows that I love you
Everybody knows that I need you
Everybody knows that it's true
Except you

I couldn't help but look at Buffy and I could see the realisation in her eyes as to whom I was singing about. Knowing that I would never have a better chance to relay how I truly feel, I went all out.

I told all of my friends
Again and again and again
I drove them round the bend
So now you're my only friend
I told the passers by
I made a small boy cry
And I'll get through to you
If it's the last thing that I do
Because everybody knows that I love you
Everybody knows that I need you
Everybody knows that it's true
Except you
Everybody knows I live for you
And everybody knows I adore you
Everybody knows that it's true
Except you
Except you
Except you
Except you
How come everyone knows except you?
And everybody knows that I love you
And everybody knows that I need you
And everybody knows that it's true
Except you

When I finished my song, the entire bar was silent for a few seconds before a large eruption of applause came and didn't dissipate for a couple of minutes. Before I had a chance to talk to Buffy, Lorne pulled me to one side.

Lorne: "OK sweet cheeks, I don't get to read many people like you"

Xander: "What do you mean?"

Lorne: "Apart from one thing, your destiny is completely blank"

Xander: "Great, I'm not even important enough to have a destiny!"

Lorne: "It's not like that at all sweet cheeks. You are known as a wild card, the Powers find you so unpredictable that they couldn't give you a destiny if they tried and believe me they've tried"

Xander: "Huh?"

Lorne: "You defeated a prophecy from the Codex, which in itself is an impossibility. Add to that you're the soul reason there are two slayers instead of the one, you've found your way to pissing off the big wigs upstairs. They've tried to give you a destiny that would keep you from doing anything else, but you've always managed to be one step ahead of them"

Xander: "It's always nice to be noticed"

Lorne: "Believe me this kind of thing happens VERY rarely. Any situation that you're involved with can no longer be predicted one way or the other. You're probably Buffy's best chance at becoming the longest living slayer in history"

Xander: "If it keeps Buffy alive, I'd piss off the big man himself. You said that I didn't have a destiny apart from one thing?"

Lorne: "Ah yes. You love her more than life itself don't you?"

Xander: "Yes"

Lorne: "I can't tell you what is going to happen, but you'll always be a part of her life"

Xander: "Even if I don't do anything more than carry her sword, I'll still consider myself the luckiest man on Earth just to know her"

I leave Lorne and walk over to Buffy. She still has that 'deer caught in the headlights' look she got during my song.

Xander: "Hey"

Buffy: "Hey. Why have you never told me?"

Xander: "It was never the right time. If you weren't involved with someone I was. You won't believe me, but it was Angel that called me on it first"

Buffy: "What!"

Xander: "The night you died, I went and forced Angel to take me to the Master's lair. Before we left he told me I loved you, I simply said 'don't you?' and then we were off. It is probably the only thing we'll ever agree on"

Buffy: "I don't know what to say"

Xander: "I know that you don't feel the same Buff, so don't worry about it. I just needed to finally tell you"

Buffy: "What makes you say I don't feel the same way?"

Xander: "Are you saying you do?"

Buffy: "Answering a question with another question is not very nice you know"

Xander: "I feel that I should care, but I don't. I repeat, are you saying that you do feel the same way?"

Buffy blushes slightly and it takes every ounce of will power I have not to kiss her.

Buffy: "My feelings for you started to change when we had that talk while you were in the puffy suit. What you said to me instantly turned you from 'Xander my friend' to 'Xander my extremely sexy friend' and if you had shown even the slightest interest in me then I would have made love to you right then and there"

My body suddenly goes numb and I am unable to stop my drink from hitting the floor.

Xander: "You evil, evil woman. Who are you and what have you done to Buffy?"

Buffy: "I'm still the same Buffy you know Xand, I'm simply seeing things differently. Now that we know how each other feels, what happens now?"

Xander: "I want to give us a try. I know that neither of us can promise forever, but I know that even one minute with you is worth a lifetime compared to anyone else"

Buffy: "That is the single nicest thing anyone has ever said to me"

What happens next has only occurred in my imagination. Buffy leans over to me and gives me a gentle but electrifying kiss on the lips. I now have irrefutable proof that God and Heaven exists as only a divine force could have created this feeling. As soon as my mind gets round the fact that it is really happening, Buffy leans back.

Xander: "Please tell me you aren't going to suddenly going to change your mind, because if I'm not allowed to kiss you again I will kill myself"

Buffy: "Don't pencil in your suicide just yet"

Xander: "Good"

I lean in and capture her lips with my own once again. Last time she caught me off guard, this time I put every ounce of love I feel for her into the kiss. Our tongues duel for what seems like an eternity, the entire universe dissolves leaving only us. Only when oxygen becomes necessary do we finally part.

Xander: "God Buffy, I love you"

It's only then that I realise I had never actually said it. The smile I receive would have set me on fire if I were a vampire as only sunlight is that bright.

Buffy: "I love you too, thank you for finally letting me know"

I don't know what is going to happen and quite frankly I don't care. All I know is that whatever happens, we'll be there to face it together.

The End

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