The laughing trio enters the slayer's kitchen via the backdoor and are instantly accosted by a screaming blonde tornado.
"XANDER! Where the hell have you been! I've needed your help all damn day! The downstairs toilet's been backed up since noon and I needed you to fix it! Now why the hell didn't you ASK me if you could disappear for an afternoon!" Buffy screamed as she backed the man up against the wall.
Willow and Kennedy watch silently as Xander's shoulders start to sag and see his defeated posture return replacing the happy, laughing one they worked on all day to give him.
"I'm sorry Buff. I know I..." Xander starts to apologies then stops, straightens his shoulders and begins again. "Wait, I'm not sorry I got away from this hell hole for a little while! First off," Xander jabs his finger in the slayer's chest, "what gave you the idea I NEED your approval to do a god damned thing Buffy! If I want to leave and go goof off I can! And I don't need you to tell me its ok to do it!" "Second I'm not your slave!" Punctuated with another jab with his finger. "You don't have the right to just order me around! I'll do what ever I damn well please! If I want to fix the toilet? Then I'll fix the toilet. Not because you tell me to! I'll do it because it needs doing. Third," Xander roughly pushes Buffy away from him, "You need to have a talk with all of your wanna-be slayers and tell them to quit flushing their fucking used tampons down the toilet! Then maybe I wouldn't have to fix the damn thing every other day! And another thing! I know you're a blonde Buffy but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know how a plunger works! Now get out of my way so I can go put on my lowly handy man clothes and go fix the damn thing!" He shoves Buffy to the side and storms out of the kitchen.
"Andrew! Put down that fucking comic book and follow me!" Everyone could hear Xander yelling from somewhere inside the house.
The blonde starts to follow him when Willow grabs her by the arm and spins her around. "Oh you just fucked up royally Buffy! We've just spent the better part of the day trying to make him feel appreciated around here and you go and pull a stunt like this? You don't deserve him. I cant believe you! You couldn't let him have one minute of peace could you? No you had to be the Almighty Slayer and go look at me, look at me! Well Buffy I am looking and I really don't like what I see right now! If I were you I'd stay as far away from Xander as I could because you DON'T want to piss me off any more then I am right now! Come on Kennedy let's go see if we can repair any of the damage that's been done before he kills Andrew!"
Buffy grabs Willow's arm to try to apologize and the furious witch snaps her head around and the blonde stares into solid black orbs.
"Back off Bitch!" willow screams and jerks her arm free. She and Kennedy then leave to go to find out where Xander went.
"Damn B." Buffy hears from behind her.
"Faith don't you start in on me too."
"Wasn't gonna, I'm just really impressed! In less then five minutes you've managed to totally piss off half of your command crew. My hats off to you babe. I didn't think it was possible for you to piss Red off that bad. Hell I thought I was the only one who could do that to her, but now I guess not."
Buffy turns towards her sister slayer standing in the door. She sees all of the potentials standing behind Faith, listening in the back yard.
"Yeah they heard it all too B." Faith proclaims as she motions to the girls behind her with a head jerk. "And Buffy? Willow's right you did fuck up bad this time. You just turned into his dad." Faith turns her back on the blonde and closes the door behind her, leaving the Slayer alone in the kitchen to think.
Willow and Kennedy race into the living room searching for the rampaging carpenter. They head for the stairs when a reverberating thump echo's throughout the house. They then run towards the downstairs bathroom and find Xander standing there holding Andrew pinned to the wall.
"Xander!" Willow yells only to be silenced by the cold rage in the man's eyes.
And in a voice few have ever heard and those who had never want to hear again, Xander turns his attention back to the trembling man in his grasp.
"You will learn how to un-clog that toilet you worthless piece of shit. I am sick and tired of feeding your lazy ass for nothing! You will start carrying your own weight around here!" He then slings Andrew to the floor and orders him to pick up the plunger. With instructions growled at him from Xander, the frightened young man learns the value of a properly used plunger and soon the toilet is clog free. "From now on THAT'S your job. Got it! And You WILL clean this bathroom Daily! And if I hear even a whisper of complaint out of you, I will carry your sorry ass out to the nearest cemetery and personally feed you to the first vampire I see! Now clean up this room and be quick about it!"
Xander turns and the two girls, who just witnessed his assault on Andrew, see the fire still burning brightly in his eyes. They quickly move out of his way as he determinedly stalks past them. Willow and Kennedy quietly follow at a safe distance and watch as he crams his belongings into an old army duffel bag. When he's finished he storms to the front door of the Summer's residence and calls out for Andrew, who comes running out of the bathroom.
"Andrew I'm leaving. But what I said still holds true. That bathroom is your responsibility and I meant it when I said I'll hold you accountable for it. So if you don't want me coming back ,do as you're told ,and you wont see that side of me again." He places his hand on the young man's shoulder. "I'm sorry about the body slam earlier." Then Xander turns and walks out the door.
Willow and Kennedy follow him out to his car and watch as he tosses his duffle bag into the back seat.
"Xander? What are you doing?" Willow meekly asks.
He takes several deep calming breaths then answers. "I'm going home Wills. I cant stay here right now, maybe never again. I hope you can understand that."
"Can we come with you?" Kennedy asks in the tiniest of voices.
Xander opens his arms and the teen jumps into his embrace. "No Kennedy I don't think you should." She sobs in his arms as he continues. "You're a potential slayer Kennedy you need to stay here. It's the safest place in town for you. You've got both Faith and Buffy to look out for you. This is where you need to be." He feels the teen nod against his chest and he looks over at Willow. "You need to stay here too Wills. Even though she won't admit it, Buffy needs you. There might be something magical that needs dealt with and I cant think of any other person who can help her deal with that but you. Also you need to stay here to help take care of this sweet little thing." Xander finishes and kisses Kennedy on top of the head.
"Buffy needs you too Xander..." Willow starts but is cut off by the snort of disgust from Xander.
"She doesn't need me Wills. She's got Spike to use as her verbal punching bag." He starts to get in his car and stops when he sees Faith come around the corner of the house.
"X-man where do you think you're going?" The sultry slayer asks when she reaches the vehicle.
"Away Faith. I cant stay here."
"What cause of B? Hell I never figured you as the quitter type."
"I'm not quitting Faith. It's more like a conditional surrender."
"Same dif Xander."
"Yeah well my way sounds better."
"So your serious about this?"
"As a heart attack, Faith."
"Well come give momma a hug." Faith says while giving Xander a wicked smile.
Xander laughs and hugs the Dark Slayer to him.
"I think I liked you better all mean and evil Faith. At least I knew where you stood back then." Xander chuckles as he pulls away from her.
'Yeah? Well I think that version of me got shanked back in prison. The funny thing Xander? I really don't miss her at all."
"Well good because I was joking about liking her better anyways."
Xander takes one last look at the front door of the house and mutters, "Typical", under his breath.
"What's that Xander?" Faith asks after her slayer hearing caught what he said. She sees where he's looking and shakes her head. "Last time I saw her she was crying in the kitchen."
"Well it's not my job to calm her down anymore, so I'll see ya'll later. Wills?, Kennedy?, you know where I'll be, and Faith? Promise me something. Keep those two safe for me ok?." Xander asks as he indicates Willow and Kennedy.
"With my life Xander." The Dark Slayer answers and kisses him on the cheek.
Xander nods and climbs into his car, backs out of the driveway, and drives off into the setting night.
Later that evening and a twelve pack of beer downed, Xander hears a soft knock on his apartment's door. He pulls himself off the couch and looks through the peep hole. On the other side of the door he sees the object of his current depression.
"Well you're not the First I'll give you that." Xander slurs as he opens the door. "But that doesn't mean you're not a vampire." He leaves the door open and walks back into the heart of the room. Buffy walks through the open door and closes it behind her.
"Ok not a vampire either. So Buff what are you doing here? I mean what do you want." Xander asks dryly when they've both taken a seat in the living room.
"Xander I want to apologies for what happened today." The blonde slayer starts and he cuts her off.
"Buff I don't want or need your apology. What I need is to know why it happened in the first place. I mean come on. I'm underfoot twenty- four-seven and the one time I leave Slayer Central for a few hours I get the shit kicked out of me verbally. And don't tell me it was because you were worried. We both know that would be a load of crap. I didn't see Wills and Kennedy get jumped. No, you were pissed because your little lackey wasn't in easy reach. Do you even remember what you said? Xander asks and sighs when Buffy shakes her head no.
"Well I do Buffy. Each and every word you screamed at me today is burned permanently into my memory. And it hurts to think that after seven years of being by your side I finally achieved the high rank of the guy who fixes the Slayer's toilet. Well those placement test back in high school said I wouldn't amount to much, guess they were right." Xander turns up the bottle of beer in his hand and curses when he notices it's empty. He stumbles to the fridge and pulls out another one and walks back over to the couch and sits. Both are quiet for a minute, then Xander looks the slayer directly in the eye and continues.
"Buffy, do you have any idea what it feels like to have your hero tell you you're nothing? Well I do. Had it happen to me twice in my life. First time lasted all of eighteen years full of constant reminders. And the second ? Took all of eighteen long seconds. Honestly I don't know which hurt the most. Now if you will excuse me I plan on getting seriously drunk and celebrate my short comings. Your more then welcome to stay and help me finish off that case in the fridge or not. I really don't care right now. Oh and by the way, I trained your new toilet fixer guy before I left so I guess I moved up one rung on the ladder. Aren't ya proud of me?"
"Oh Xander I'm so sorry...."
"Buffy I said I didn't want or need your apology and I meant it."
"No! I didn't realize what I did to you! Everyone said you were fine when you left the house! Wills, Kennedy, even Faith said you were fine! A little mad, but fine! They said you were laughing and joking! Not that you were hurting like this!"
"How long have you known me Buff? And in all that time how many times did I let *me* come first? I'll tell you how many none, zero, zip! They were upset at the situation and I put their feeling first just like I always do! So of course they're going to tell you I'm fine because that's what *I* wanted them to think! Now are you going to sit there and brow beat me in my own home, or are you going to let me drink my beer in peace?! Because if you want me to feel sorry for you because you feel bad, well it isn't going to happen!"
Xander throws his empty beer bottle across the room and watches as it shatters into a thousand little pieces and ignores Buffy's obvious flinch. He jumps up and storms to the kitchen and gets a fresh cold one.
"Now do you want anything while I'm up?! A beer?! I got a Pepsi! Damn it!" Xander slams the refrigerator door shut. "I knew I shouldn't have let my fucking guard down so I could get hurt again! I said wasn't going to do that, no I didn't want that pain again! Too late you idiot! You've got it now in spades! I was fine damn it! I could have kept my mouth shut this morning but no, you had to let them plan a day away from the house and now look what you got an empty apartment that's what you fucking looser!"
Xander stumbles back into the wall and slowly slides down it until he's sitting on the floor. The unopened bottle rolls out of his hand as he sits and his eyes close as he passes out. Buffy quickly pulls out her cell phone and hits the speed-dial number for the house. When Willow picks up Buffy utters only three words, "Xander's apartment now!" Then kills the connection.
The next ten minutes were a blur to Buffy. She straightened up Xander's living room and swept up the broken beer bottle before anyone could see it, all the while checking on his condition as he sat lifeless on the kitchen floor. Willow burst through the front door and with wild eyes searches the room for any signs of violence. A couple of seconds later Kennedy and Giles rush into the room only to find the slayer standing there waiting for them to calm down.
"Where is he!" Willow franticly cries.
"He's all right Wills at least physically he is." The Slayer quietly answered.
The normally timid redhead walks right up to Buffy, "If you hurt him any more then you already have, I swear on everything Holy I will kill you!"
"Oh my God!" Kennedy gasps as she looks around the partition separating off the kitchen.
"Let me in there Kennedy." Giles states as he brushes past the young girl.
"Xander.... Xander...can you here me?" Giles asks the catatonic man.
The watcher catches a whiff of the all beer Xander's drank and calls out for the slayer. "Good lord he smells like a brewery. Buffy do you know how much he's had to drink?
"Um I think he said he had a case in the fridge Giles but I didn't think he was that drunk he seemed fine when I got here he was just mad."
"What was he angry about Buffy it might be important."
The Slayer looks at the floor and softly replies, " He was angry at me. Then there was something else that made him mad in is head. It was weird even for him. He starting yelling gibberish then just slid down the wall into that position."
"What in gods name was he mad at you about. I mean I only left you alone for the day what could you have done to cause this?" Giles asks.
"That's enough Giles." Willow intercedes. "Now's not the time to go into that. I need you and Buffy to get him into his bedroom. I've seen this before and I can handle it."
"You've seen this before Willow? May I ask when?" Giles questions the redhead.
Willow nods her head and motions for everyone to go back into the living room.
"The answer to your question is yes I've seen this before, all through High school actually. It got worse after your friend Ethan and his wonderful collection of costumes by the way, something to do with his soldier memories. But yeah I've seen this before."
"Well what is the matter with him if he isn't drunk?" Kennedy quietly asks.
"Oh he's drunk all right. I bet if we look hard enough we'll find an empty pint of vodka or something like that. He probably picked one up on his way over here. I should have seen this coming. He normally gets like this after a good fight with someone, but mostly after one with his dad."
"We'll discuss this later everyone. But right now we need to get Xander off that cold floor. Where do we need to put him Willow?" Giles asks.
"Ok you and Buffy get him on the bed. I think Kennedy and I will stay here tonight. Don't worry Giles I'll put up some sort of barrier so no one can come in or out tonight."
The Watcher and slayer gingerly pick the young man up and carry him back to the bedroom. When they place him on the bed, Buffy notices a small wad of fabric fall off onto the floor. She carefully picks it up and notices its a pair of panties. Thinking they belong to Anya she almost tosses them back on the floor, when she notices a small monogrammed "WR" sewn into them. Buffy drops them and covers her mouth in surprise. All of Xander's gibberish comes back to her and suddenly it all makes sense.
Buffy snatches the panties back off the floor and wads them into a little ball. She holds them tightly in her fist as she walks back into the living room.
"Giles? I think I'm going to walk home ok? Willow and Kennedy have this under control here. So why don't you head on back to the house and I'll be there in a little bit."
Giles knows when he's being dismissed and makes his good byes to the girls.
"Willow can I talk to you for a moment?" Buffy asks quietly after the watcher has left.
"Go ahead Willow I'm going to bed. I'll see you when come in." Kennedy answers for her and Buffy gives her a weird look.
"Um Kennedy where are you going to sleep?
"I said I was going to bed Buffy, that generally means a bed will be involved. Good night." She responds snottily, then walks back to Xander's bedroom and closes the door.
"I figured out what Xander's gibberish meant Wills. I'm so sorry I ruined the day for all of you. I honestly didn't know!" Buffy cried
"Buff what the hell are you talking about?" Willow responds.
Buffy walks over to her friend and holds out her tightly clenched fist and drops the panties into the redhead's palm.
Um Buff? Where'd you get those?" Willow squeaks.
"They fell off Xander's bed when we put him down back there. So you wanna spill or are you still too mad at me?" Buffy timidly asks.
"Oh I'm still mad at you. Not for me though, I'm mad at you for him. And if Kennedy was a full Slayer? I really wouldn't want to be in your shoes right now. You got some serious bridge rebuilding to do little missy and I suggest you figure out how to make Xander happy again. I know how I'm going to do it, but I don't think Kennedy wants to share him with anyone else but me." Willow responds with a gleam in her eye.
"Wow Wills I'm suprised at you. What happened to the girl I know who kept saying she was "Gay Now"? Buffy asked honestly.
"Buffy those two spent the better part of the day *showing* me how silly I was being by using stupid labels to describe how I felt, and no I'm not talking sex wise either." Willow adds when she see the smirk on the slayers face.
"Last night me and Kennedy had a little talk and its kinda funny actually. For all her bravado she really is an innocent little girl. Well in that innocence I figured out she has a thing for that big lunk-head back there. And the way she described him to me was exactly the same way I saw him too. So it didn't take that big of a leap to admit to myself that I still had warm snuggly feelings for Xander. Well that triggered this little impasse I had going on in my head."
Willow notices Buffy's confused look and backs up for a minute. "Ok I see you're not understanding." Buffy blushes at her ignorance. "Let me paint you a picture I think you'll understand it better that way." Willow sits down on the couch and motions for Buffy to do the same.
"Ok Buff, picture my sexuality as a big double stair case. On one side you have Oz and Xander. It's a nice solid staircase all by its self ok?" Buffy nods. "Now on the other side you have Tara and now Kennedy. Its just as nice and solid as the other one but separate none the less. Ok here's where the confusing part comes in Buffy. Picture the space between the two staircases as my impasse. I could see the other set of stairs depending on which ever one I was standing on, but when I looked I felt like I was betraying which ever side I was on at that moment. So I basically just stared at the wall and ignored the other side all together. Understand so far?" Buffy nods again. "Well today I reached the landing at the top of both staircases and you know what happens at the top of a double staircase right? They join together. See I can say now with out any reservations that I'm not straight Willow or gay Willow, I'm just Willow. And I have those two back there to thank for that. Now the way that happened was the open honesty that Kennedy showed me with her innocence. This morning I saw Kennedy do with Xander what she did with me. She let him see her as she really is Buff. The sweet side. not the I'll kick your ass because I'm a big bad potential slayer chick side, but the I'm a scared nineteen year old girl and I'm afraid to die so please hold me side. The poor guy didn't have a chance at all. When I saw them together just being open and accepting and that's what it was Buffy, I saw myself back at fifteen snuggling in my Xander's lap like we used to do. Well I really couldn't begrudge the girl some honest Xander time when I wanted the same thing. So I let her be comforted and snuggled by him and I watched. Well things just went from there and we were happy for at least a little while." Willow pauses when a little happy tear of remembrance left her eye.
"Wow that's amazing Wills. I'm really happy for you honestly." Buffy starts and the redhead stops her.
"Wait I'm not done yet. I've got to say this before you go all congratulations on me. Do you have any idea why we left the house today? Well it wasn't to come over here to seduce Xander if that's what you're thinking. That girl back there, the one you're always getting pissed at, pointed out to me what you and I, and every other person in that house is guilty of. We've been taking Xander for granted and not showing him that we do care about him and that he is special. All we were going to do was show the man a little attention and what does he do? He comforts MY girlfriend when she breaks down because she was scared! it was the most Xander thing I have ever seen the guy do! There was no way I couldn't let her love him. I fell hook line and sinker for him at that moment myself! So hard so that I don't ever NOT want to love him again! Then when we walk back into that house and you did what you did... you're lucky Buffy I wanted to gouge your eyes out when you grabbed my arm. You're just Damn lucky I don't hold a grudge anymore. I cooled off rather quickly because I was worried about Xander killing Andrew and if you had bothered to look you would have seen he scared the poor boy half to death. I honestly think he wet himself when Xander was standing over him. Now I'm going to try to fix this. I don't know why I should other then you need your head in the game Buffy and not worrying about Xander. Now I'm finished." Willow stops, her face fully flush with the tears and raw emotions she just poured into her speech.
Buffy had started crying herself long before Willow had finished and the redhead waited for the blonde to start.
"I don't think it can be fixed Wills . The things he said to me about the way I make him feel. It was horrible! But I didn't say anything back. Thank god my brain functioned for once and I just sat there and took it. But Wills, I made him hate me, I saw it in his eyes, heard it in his voice. I think he actually wanted to hit me tonight, Xander wanted to hit me! He didn't though he threw a beer bottle instead. Shattered it against the wall! Like it was me. Like he wished it was me Wills..." Buffy stops and just cries in gasping sobs as the redhead sat and watched. After a few minute Willow starts to speak in a calm calculating voice.
"Buff, I really doubt he hates you. It's just not in him. He actually adores you. Like I said to Giles I've seen this before. Xander has this rage in him that he has to release every once in awhile. You probably just got caught in it tonight is all. And after today, I'll bet in his drunken state he focused it all on you. After all you were the one to piss him off to begin with." Willow pointedly states to the slayer.
Buffy vigorously shakes her head no. "You're wrong Willow, before he went all gibberish on me, he was honest and straight forward. He called me his hero Wills and told me that I made him feel like he was nothing more then my little lackey! That was his words Willow "My little LACKEY!" Willow the look in his eyes when he said that. I've seen that look only one time before.... I had to leave Sunnydale after I put that look into someone's eye. Angel had it when I plunged that sword into his heart and sent him to hell Wills. It was the exact same look of confused betrayal. No he hates me Willow I have no doubts about that."
Buffy pulls away from Willow and clasps her hand over her own mouth. With wide wild eyes she starts again. "Oh god Willow I did more then make him hate me. He hates himself for opening up to you and Kennedy! That's what all the gibberish was about! Oh god what have I done! He was fighting with himself in his head about letting you back in! I don't know what side won the argument though he passed out in mid rant. God Willow I'm so sorry! The last thing he said was something about only having an empty apartment. Wills what did he mean by that?"
"Not saying this to be mean Buff, but you fucked up worse then I thought this afternoon, and I thought you'd fucked up pretty bad then. I think he thinks by leaving your house he's left everyone important in his life behind. Actually I KNOW that's true after what he made Faith promise him. Now this one isn't too bad we've already got the fix in on that one with me and Kennedy staying here tonight. It's a good thing you remembered that little fact because now I know how to deal with it in the morning. I need to fill Kennedy in so she doesn't get hurt in the fall out from him closing back up. Yeah this is a fuck up Buff but it can be fixed."
Kennedy walks back into the living room wearing one of Xander's oversized tee-shirts. "Hey aren't you coming to... oh you're still here." The teen states when she sees Buffy still sitting on the couch.
"Come here sweetie." Willow says after her tone changed instantly from cold and calculating to warm and loving.
"We've just been trying to figure out how to fix your Xander-bear in the morning."
Kennedy snuggles into the witch's side and giggles. "Don't let him hear you call him that. I think he was pretty adamant about that nickname being a no-no."
"He was, wasn't he." Willow responds as she hugs the younger girl to her side. "Well anyways Kennedy, Xander might be a little reclusive and not to snuggly in the morning. Then again he might act just like our regular old Xander. I don't know which we'll get when he wakes up. So I just want you to be prepared if he's not all snuggly like he was this afternoon." Willow states and the beautiful teen shoots Buffy another hateful glare before she snuggles back into the redhead's side.
"Ok I know this is a stupid question but why might Xander be all Grrrrr in the morning?" Kennedy asks the witch.
"Well the way we figure it, as mad as he is at Buffy and he's pretty mad at her, he's even angrier at himself for blowing up as bad as he did. I'm sure he's tearing himself up over some of the things he did today. No sweetie not what we did with him!" Willow quickly adds when she sees the hurt look on her girlfriends face. "No I mean leaving Buffy's house and terrorizing Andrew like he did. That wasn't Xander. I don't know where that guy came from, but the way he treated Andrew? It wasn't Xander. Now the mad at himself part I think we can fix because he rambled off some stuff to Buffy right before he passed out. I think he feels like he abandoned us when he packed up his things and came here. Ok?" Willow finishes and kisses the teen on the forehead.
"Ok. Let's see if I can get the plan straight. If we make him feel like we don't think he's abandoned us, then maybe he'll stop thinking he did?" Kennedy crinkles up her nose. "Did that make any sense at all or was it just me? Kennedy asks.
Willow laughs and squeezes the girl beside her. "Yes sweetie that made sense. We're fluent in teen-speak we aren't that old!" Willow giggles.
"Plus living with Dawnie? All she does is speak in mangled sentences." Buffy adds.
"Ok you two continue to figure out how to fix MY Xander-bear. I think I'm gonna go back to bed before I mangle any more thoughts and try to say them." The teen states and starts to leave the room.
"Kennedy? I'd really like it if we could start over. I think I see something special about you that I've been missing and I'd really like it if we could be friends." Buffy offers out as an olive branch.
"You fix this thing with Xander and we'll talk about it then, deal?" Kennedy offers up as a response.
"Deal." Buffy replies and the young girl leaves the room.
"How the hell did you do that?" Buffy asks in awe.
"What?" Willow asks honestly not knowing what the slayer is referring to.
"The voice thing you just did! How did you go from the I'm plotting Buffy's death voice to the I'm so full of love and I can't hurt a fly voice?"
"Oh that. It's a little thing called emotional control I learned at the Coven in England. You know it probably wouldn't hurt for you to look into it Buff."
"Well Willow I think I'm going to head on back to the Den of a Thousand Screaming Teenagers, or commonly known as my house." Buffy jokes. "You and Kennedy take all the time you need with that big lovable Xander-bear back there." Buffy flinches at Willows reaction to her using Kennedy's pet name for him, knowing now that's one privilege she'll have to re-earn. "I'll understand if he doesn't ever want to see me again, but if he does I'll come running, ok?" she finishes more somberly.
Willow walks the blonde to the door and locks it after she's left.
Xander's head felt like it exploded when he cracked his eyes open the next morning. Bright sunlight snuck through the crack between the curtains and hit him directly in his face. Oh my god!" He groans as the brunt of his hangover hits him. "I'll never drink another drop as long as I live." Xander swears to himself as he tries to pull the covers over his head.
"Yeah I've heard that one a thousand times before Xander." A well- known voice answers from behind him.
"Wills? What the hell are you doing here? I mean hi Willow how are you this morning?"
The red redhead giggles at his impromptu reply to her announcement. "I'll bet my morning is a hell of a lot better then yours right now. How bad is it this time Xan and don't tell me you don't know what I'm talking about because I was here last night and got you into bed."
"Oh god what did I do to deserve this." He mumbles to himself. " How bad Wills? Well on the ole hangover meter I'd say this one ranks up around an eleven on a scale of oh ten? When did you get here anyways. The last thing I remember was laying on the couch watching TV and feeling rather numb." Xander asks.
"So it was more then just beer wasn't it! Xander how many times do I have to tell you that you and the hard stuff don't mix? You know you go all cave man and want to fight with the world when you drink that stuff!" Willow angrily chastises him.
"Wills? Could you like yell any softer cause this really, and I mean really hurts my head." Xander hears the water in the bathroom come on and he turns to face the redhead in bed with him. "Um Wills? Who else is here? And who all saw me like that last night? Xander asks and has a rather scared expression on his face.
"Well my devilishly handsome Xander your secret is completely out. Buffy came over last night to try to apologize and you said some rather blunt and disturbing things to her, that was right before you smashed a beer bottle into the wall and went nighty-night on the kitchen floor."
"Oh god blunt and disturbing things? Please tell me I didn't go all slobbery on the slayer." Xander moans.
Willow giggles again then answers seriously. "No Xander you didn't try to get into Buffy's pants if that's what your afraid of. She firmly believes you hate her right now and she's pretty torn up about it too." The redhead plainly states. "But that's not all Xander. She was so worried about you when you collapsed in the kitchen that she called the house. Well she didn't know your drinking habits and didn't realize that you were just drunk and passed out. So she kinda freaked and of course the cavalry came a-running. All in all you came out pretty cheap. Only Giles, Buffy, and Kennedy found out about your little secret. And I don't think Buff or Giles is gonna spread the word about your extra curricular power drinking. Oh and the water you heard running is Kennedy in the bathroom."
"Oh hell how am I going to face them now? I only wanted to get away for a little while and cool off. Now I've got to explain why I was drunk to Giles none the less." Xander whines.
"No you don't have to do anything Xander. If you want, I'll tell them all that what ever happened last night is off limits and if you want to discuss it with them then you'll bring it up. Anyways you're over twenty-one. If you want to kill your brain cells you're legally entitled to, even though I don't recommend it. With you having so little to spare and all. " Willow finishes with a smirk.
"What did I ever do to deserve you Wills. I mean look at me I'm a wreak waiting to happen and you just keep riding along and keep jerking my steering wheel to the side right before I go kablooie! Oww! Don't say kablooie when you've got a hangover." Xander chuckles.
"Hey! What did I tell you about that self-deprecating stuff yesterday?" Kennedy huffs from the doorway.
"Uh oh! I think she's in potential slayer mode Xander. You better watch out." Willow giggles.
"Um you said you wanted to see more of it?" Xander joked.
The beautiful teen walks into the room wrapped only in a towel. "Don't make me knock you up side the head Xander. My dad is a double fisted scotch drinker. I know what the value of a well placed knock to a hung-over person is worth. I saw my mom do that to him a couple of time."
"Oh god she's a sadists! Wills you've got us involved with a Mistress of Pain!" Xander laughs. The sexy teen ignores Xander's statement and asks with a mysterious little smirk on her lips.
"Willow the coffees done would you like me to get you a cup?"
"Sure sweetie if its not too much trouble. If it is I'll get it my self."
"Oh no its no problem." Kennedy smiles at Xander and drops her towel.
"But Xander-bear doesn't get anything until he gives me the right answer."
Willow rolls around on the bed laughing hysterically. "That was priceless! She's definitely got your number Xan!"
"Oh shut up." Xander states right before hit hits her with his pillow which only makes her laugh harder.
Xander crawls out of bed and makes his way to the bathroom to start his morning routine. And in his absence, Willow goes into the living room and calls the slayer's house.
<Wills?> Buffy answers on the first ring.
"Yeah Buff it's me. Listen up, you might have just lucked out after all. Xander seems to have blacked out everything he said to you last night. He doesn't remember you even being here. So here's the deal. You and Giles don't need to jump all over him about last night. I told him you guys were here and you know about his drinking. But if he doesn't bring it up, I don't want you guys to do it for him. So last night is off limits got it?"
<Yeah Wills I got it. I'll pass it on to Giles. If he gives me any grief about it I'll just remind him we've seen him in a similar state enough times to make an issue out of it. >
"Good idea. Now if I was you I'd use what he did say and try to figure out how to change the way his subconscious mind views the situation. Buff the only thing he asked was if he went all slobbery on you, so apparently he's still concerned about how you perceive him."
<I wish he had gone all slobbery Wills. That I could handle. This, him not liking me or himself, is a lot harder to deal with. How is he anyways I mean how's he acting.>
"Well other then hung-over he's acting like his old self, but that could be a smoke screen. I'm sure he remembers everything that happened yesterday, just not after he got wasted. Buff I've got to go. I just heard the shower cut off. So think about what I've said, and I'll talk to you later."
<I will, and Willow? Thank you for calling. Bye.>
Willow hangs up the phone and turns to see Kennedy standing there listening. The redhead sighs as she see the look on the girls face. "No Kennedy I didn't make that call behind his back if that's what the looks for. I told him I was going to make sure he didn't have to deal with them if he didn't want to. And that's what I did. All the other stuff is what we talked about with Buffy last night ok?"
Kennedy gets a crestfallen look about her and drops her eyes from the redhead's face. "I'm sorry Willow it's just I want to protect him so much it hurts."
"Ok this is getting out of hand, come over here and sit down sweetie, we need to have a little talk." The naked girl moves over to the couch and sits.
"Kennedy I love you to pieces and I love that big lovable jerk back there just as much. But if there's any jealousy or mistrust between any of us this thing we've got going isn't going to work. You just thought I went behind his back just because I called Buffy, and that's not what happened. But that's not the point. You thought I betrayed his trust and in doing so you didn't trust me. See where I'm going with this? In one moment of mistrust you lost just a tiny bit of faith in me, and I got my feelings hurt because you didn't trust me. If we keep it up then it'll all fall apart before we know it. Then all of us, Xander included, will get hurt all because you wanted to protect him from your mistrust of me." Now I'm going to tell you what I told Buffy last night. You and Xander knocked down a wall I had in my head about me and my relationships, and I'll be damned if I'll put it back up now. I love you and I love Xander. You two did that to me and I'm not going to let anybody make me regret accepting that gift from you. Now I'm not fussing at you Kennedy. I'm just letting you know what that one moment of mistrust made me feel and think. Ok? Now give me a hug cause I love you."
Kennedy wipes her eyes and grabs the witch up in a crushing embrace. "I'm sorry Willow really I am. I didn't even think it was just a reaction. I promise you I'll try to not do it again. I might stumble every now and then and if I do? Just hit me up side the head ok?" The beautiful brunette replies, sobbing in the witch's arms.
"Hey what's going on out here?" Xander asks as he steps into the room wearing a bath robe .
"Just some girl talk Xander. Oh, I called Buffy and told her not to bug you about last night ok?"
"Thanks Wills. I really didn't want to face Giles and listen to the responsibilities of drinking speech I just know he's been working on all night."
Willow giggles, "I'll bet he even has some charts and graphs done up by now. No Buffy's going to remind him about all the times when we were young and impressionable and saw him in a similar condition, so don't worry about it."
"Good. Now I think I owe Kennedy a correct answer to some silly question if I remember right. Especially if I'm to get a hug this morning. So... no more downing of the Xan-man. Is that the correct answer?" Xander exclaims and grins as the nude teen jumps into his arms. "Well I guess that was close enough huh. Wills what do you think, did I pass the pop quiz?" He laughs in response to the younger girls actions.
Kennedy grabs the belt holding his robe closed and un-ties it. She peeks into the partially open robe and then grins up into Xander's face. "Yeah I'd say you passed the *pop* quiz. That popped up quite nicely!" She opens his robe completely and snuggles into a full body embrace.
"Oh my goddess! She's got your humor Xander! Now I'm definitely in trouble." Willow groans as she rolls her eyes.
The jovial atmosphere in the apartment is shattered when a harsh knock on the door startle the three lover's.
"Willow, in that closet get the weapons. Kennedy go back to the bedroom and lock the door. There's a sword under the bed, but don't open that door until I tell you to, now move!" Xander barks out the orders quickly as he reties his robe shut.
Willow hands him a sword then she takes up a position behind the couch with a crossbow.
Xander goes to the door and looks though the peephole and curses as he throws open the door.
"Spike what the hell are you doing here? You scared the shit out of us! And where the hell did you learn to knock? My god you rattled the pictures on the wall!"
"Morning to you too Droopy. I just came to report in but if you don't want it I'll just go find an apartment to watch the TV in 'till the sun goes down."
"Spike it's ok now why are you here? I mean this is a little unusual." Willow asks while coming to her feet from her guarded position.
"After the Slayer got home last night and ran to her room, the other one, Faith, noticed that you and your mini-slayer never came home. Well she told me to come over and keep an eye on this place. Mumbled something about a promise, then threatened to stake me if I didn't do it the crazy bint! So I did. Now I'm hear telling you that nothing came close to this door last night. So if you don't mind I'm going to go find someplace quiet to stay out of the bloody sun."
Willow goes to the kitchen and pulls the remainder of the beer out of the fridge and brings it back to the door. "Here Spike I know it's probably not your brand but maybe it'll tide you over until you can get you something else." She says as she hands the vampire what's left of the twelve pack.
"Hey that's mine!" Xander whines as he sees his beer going out the door.
"I thought you swore you weren't going to drink any more Xander. Or were you lying this morning?" Willow states and puts her hands on her hips. Spike sees the challenge in the redhead's eye and chuckles at Xander squirming under her gaze.
"Take it you damned blood sucker and I hope you choke on it." Xander mutters under his breath.
"What Xander means to say Spike is thank you for keeping watch for him and he hopes you enjoy that beer." Willow states with a huge grin on her face. "We'll see you back at the house later, Spike." The redhead finishes and closes the door.
"I really would rather he choked on it Wills. Now why did you say that to him?"
"well I could have let you two fight over it but I thought you might just like to get rid of him and get back to snuggling with me and Kennedy."