The Red '01 Chevy Tahoe pulled up in front of the construction site. Directly in front of a sign that read, "Future site of Sunnydale Multiplex. White Knight's Contracting." Beneath the lettering was White Knight's logo a White Knight chess piece between a hammer and a hand saw. The door of the Tahoe opened and Xander Harris, hopped out and popped his hard hat on. He looked over the construction site, the building was finished, today they were starting the paint work, looking up, Xander saw black clouds on the horizon. "Shit."
He looked and saw his paint crew leader heading up, "Hey Boss."
Xander nodded, "Vega, what's happening?"
Vega stopped and cracked his chewing gum, "Bad news boss, rain's coming in."
Xander smirked, "No shit Sherlock. Tell me something good."
Vega shrugged, "Good news is, as long as it doesn't rain tomorrow, I can get my boys in all day tomorrow and Saturday and a half day Sunday."
Xander nodded, "Bad news."
Vega shrugged, "They won't do it for less than time and three-quarters."
Xander dipped his head, "Shit... If I say no it'll put us behind at least a week. Cause I can't bring lighting in 'til after we finish painting, then finishing and the electricians."
Vega nodded, "Maybe two, but for time and three-quarters, I can get us about two day's ahead."
Xander sighed, "Dammit Vega, you got me by the short and curly, you know that right?"
Vega smirked, "Not as bad as you had me on the Courthouse this summer, consider this us pulling even."
Xander nodded in a defeated manner, "Fine you got my okay. I'll be in the trailer." Vega hissed, Xander was suddenly worried, "What?"
Vega cringed, "That's the bad news."
Xander's eyes widened, "Wait, are you telling me, your paint slingers extorting me is the good news?"
Vega nodded, "There was an accident..."
Xander looked around, "Anyone hurt?"
"No."
"What happened?"
"Scaffolding collapsed."
"What happened Vega?"
Vega looked down, "The scaffolding cashed in the trailer."
Xander sighed and dragged his hand over his face. "Okay, so no trailer, it's about to rain, and my jacket... is in the trailer." As though the storm had been waiting for Xander to have that revelation, thunder crashed in the distance, and the sky opened its full fury on the owner and founder of White Knight's Contracting. Xander Harris was the only one unable to get out of the rain.
"No... no... he's late. I can't get his cell... Why? Cause its on the kitchen table... No, I called the site... It just rang and rang and rang." She paced back and forth talking on the phone. The only other occupant of the apartment was a black cat who watched from the couch. The cat was only mildly interested. The blonde woman stopped pacing when a particularly loud thunder clap startled her, "No, I'm alright. I'm going to give Xander ten minutes then I'll go out looking for him. No, he wouldn't forget tonight." She sighed and flopped down on the couch next to the cat, "No, I'll call you in the morning. Bye." She hung up the cordless, she looked down at the cat. The cat looked up at her, "Oh shut up."
Xander trudged down the sidewalk, soaked to the bone. He unlocked the front door to his apartment complex and stepped inside. He looked down the see a puddle forming at his feet. He sighed in defeat and relief of being home. He dragged himself down the hall and arriving at his door he could hear soft music playing. He unlocked the door but before he could open the door, "Where have you..." The door was whipped open and angry blue eyes met worn-out brown. Seeing the look in Xander's eyes her anger died almost instantly, "Xand, look at you, you like a drowned cat."
Xander was pulled inside and wrapped up in a tight embrace. "I'm sorry I'm late. It's just been the mother of all bad days today."
She looked him over, "I can see that, come on baby. Let's get you dried off."
She led him to the bathroom, Xander took in the candlelit dinner table. "I've ruined our anniversary dinner, haven't I?" He looked to see her dressed in her lingerie, his favorite, his head sagged, "Oh man, I have ruined it."
They got to the bathroom and Xander began to pull off his soaked clothes and tossed them into the bath tub. As he did, Xander began to cough. She touched his forehead and cheeks, "God you're burning up. Put on some PJs and I'm going to go make some tea."
Xander nodded and coughed again, he walked into their bedroom and put on some pajamas. Then he walked out into the living room, he crashed down on the couch, looking into the kitchen he saw her pick up the tea kettle and watched her heat it by just placing her hand on the side until steam poured out, she then poured the hot water into a tea pot and put in a couple of tea bags.
Setting the pot down she came over to Xander and sat down next to him. "What happened?"
Xander sneezed into a tissue, "Well, first, I got back from lunch and the scaffolding had crushed the trailer, no one was hurt but we couldn't get in the trailer and my jacket was inside. It started raining. I was gonna call, but I left my cell phone, and then it was raining, and I wanted to come home and the truck wouldn't start, and everyone already left, so I walked to the pay phone and it just ate my money so I walked home..."
She smiled and kissed Xander on the forehead, "Poor baby. You can have a cup of tea then we'll go to bed." She stood up and made two cups of tea. She handed one to Xander and took a drink from hers. "You are not going in tomorrow."
Xander shook his head, "No, no I have to be there, we're starting the paintwork..."
She shook here head, "Nope, no, I can already tell you're going to be sick tomorrow, you are going to finish this tea, then you're going to go to bed, and tomorrow, you going to stay home and get rest."
"But..." Xander's continued protest was cut off by a sneezing fit.
She smiled and gave him a pat on the head, "And I rest my case."
Xander shook his, "But the company is still just getting started, and this is only our second big commercial project... AHCHOO! Dammit! Okay I surrender." He took a gulp of his tea. "I'll stay home, but only if I get to watch the Battlestar Galactica reruns on the Sci-Fi Channel." She rolled her eyes and nodded. Xander smiled, "You have got to be the best fiancé ever."
She smirked, "How many other fiancé have you had to form a comparison?"
Xander shrugged, "None, but I can tell." He finished his tea, "Well I'm done. So I guess I have to go straight to bed now." At his fiancé#39;s nod Xander stood and walked off to bed. He got into bed, and looked up at his fiancé "What about you? You shouldn't sleep in here, in case I'm contagious."
"I'll figure something out. G'night."
Xander smiled, "Good night." He watched her walk out, turning off the light and closing the door on her way out. Xander got comfortable, then tried to get some sleep.
"Oh Buffy you should have seen him last night. He was soaked to the bone, and he looked like someone kicked his puppy... Yeah, he's sick, he was breathing hard when I checked on him this morning. Yeah, I'm going to make him breakfast when he gets up... No you can stop by this afternoon, he made me promise we'd watch the Sci-Fi channel today." She rolled her eyes, "He's a big kid Buffy, and I happen to find it sweet. Yeah, bye-bye." She hung up the phone then turned to see the black cat sitting on the dining table, "What?"
The cat looked at her and said, "If Xander dies, I have dibs on his CDs."
She was about to answer when a congested voice came from the hallway. "Salem, if I die, Sabrina's going to introduce you to the Thai chef down the hall."
Salem turned and scowled, "She wouldn't."
Xander smirked at the cat, "Sabrina wouldn't deny the last wish of a dying man. Besides, how many times have I told you not to sit on the dinner table."
Salem jumped off the table, "Not enough."
Xander walked through the kitchen looking pale, "G'Morning Sabrina."
Sabrina smiled, "Good Morning sicky." She gave Xander a comforting hug. "How ya feeling?"
Xander smiled, "Did you ever see that movie Alien?"
Sabrina looked at Xander full of sympathy. "That good huh?" Xander nodded, "Want some breakfast? I was just about to zap something up for you."
"Okay, nothing to heavy, I feel sick to the stomach."
Sabrina led Xander to the table and they sat down. Sabrina then pointed at the table, Xander watched as twin sparkling trails of gold came from her finger and two plates appeared. In front of Xander was toast and juice, in front of Sabrina was a bagel. "Breakfast is served."
Xander laughed, "That is always so cool, you have got the corner of the witch market. Willow and Tara can't do stuff like this."
Sabrina smiled, "Well, that's why you love me isn't it?"
Xander shook his head, "You know me, I'm only after you for your body." Sabrina just rolled her eyes. They ate breakfast quietly.
Xander sat wrapped in a blanket on the couch while Sabrina sat next to him, they were watching the Sci-Fi channel when Xander felt a weight on his lap. Xander looked down to see Salem scowling at him, Xander pulled out a squirt gun.
"You wouldn't do it."
Xander smirked, "Try me."
Sabrina watched the stare down, Salem and Xander pretended not to like each other, but she knew the truth. Salem was how Xander learned her secret, so Sabrina was thankful to the cat and his big mouth walking into her room talking and Xander hearing him. From there, Sabrina had two choices, she could make Xander forget, they hadn't been dating that long, it wasn't like they were serious at the time. Or she could trust him. Then she noticed that Xander was not at all freaked. "I've seen weirder." Was what he said. A year later when she came out to Sunnydale and she saw the things he saw on a daily basis, she realized he was right.
Now Xander and the cat were friends. She had seen Xander laying on the couch scratching between Salem's ears before, despite the frosty conversations they had, she knew they were friends.
Salem narrowed his eyes, "You don't have the guts."
Xander scoffed, "Hey listen here tuna-breath, you are not only interrupting my 'Sabrina-time' but my Sci-Fi viewing enjoyment. In some countries, either offense is a capital crime." Xander squeezed the trigger a bit, water started to ooze out of the gun, and Salem jumped down rather than get wet. Xander smiled in triumph.
Sabrina shook her head, "You're kind of mean to him."
Xander smiled, "He knows I wouldn't do it. We pick on each other."
Sabrina nodded then rested her head on Xander's chest. They sat in silence for a while, "Xand?"
Xander sniffled slightly into a tissue, "Yeah?"
Sabrina looked up and smiled in sympathy at Xander's bright red nose, "What did you think that day at the dorms when you saw me?"
Xander shrugged, "Well, my first thought was that I had the wrong room, cause I didn't think Buffy would have a roommate after the 'Kathy fiasco,' but then there was kind of a feeling where, I felt like... Like my dream came true I guess."
"Aww..."
Xander laughed, "I mean that summer we had together, I had only stopped in your town for gas, I didn't expect to stay a month you know."
Sabrina snuggled further into Xander's chest, "I'm glad you did, cause I didn't want to sabotage your car."
Xander laughed again, this time he coughed for a while. "So, answer me this? Why did a girl from Massachusetts decide to come to California to go to school."
Sabrina smile and her eyes twinkled in a mischievous way, "That's easy, I came out here for Xander-luvin'."
Xander smiled, "I could kiss you if I wasn't carrying the Black Death."
Sabrina leaned up and kissed him, "Whoops, I guess I'll be sick tomorrow and you'll have to stay home and take care of me."
Xander shook his head, "What if we're both sick?"
Sabrina shrugged, "Then I guess we'll just have to get Salem to take care of us." At Xander's raised eyebrow, she continued, "Or maybe, we can just spend the day in bed."
Xander laughed, "That might be sexy except for the coughing, sneezing, and bright red noses."
Sabrina climbed into his lap, "We'll make do." Sabrina kissed him again, "I love you, you know."
Xander smiled, "That's a relief. Here I thought I was alone. I love you too."
Xander was about to kiss her, until they heard gagging and retching noises coming from the end of the couch. They looked and saw Salem pretending to be sick. Sabrina grabbed the water pistol and shot him. Salem ran off, "Hey! Hey! Stop that!"
Sabrina turned to say something, and sighed in disappointment when she saw Xander snoring quietly. She shook her head, gave Xander a kiss on the lips and picked up the remote. "Poor guy." She found a show and snuggled up to Xander, where she watched TV until she fell asleep as well.