Chapter Text
Alexander Gentry Series
Story 2: Merry's Joy
calikocat
word count: 2,908
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
XXX
When She Was Bad
Xander was staring out the window as we passed by the Welcome to Sunnydale sign. He'd been quiet the last half of the drive and it wasn't hard to wonder what he was thinking about.
“Penny for your thoughts?” I ventured.
Those glamoured brown eyes flicked to me before he resumed his staring. “Only if you really have a penny.” His voice was teasing and I counted it as a win.
“Hmm.” Well, I might not have a penny, but... “Check my purse.”
He snickered, which I counted as another small victory, and he reached in the back floorboard for my purse. It didn't take him long to find the treat I'd left in there for him. “Oh, chocolate doubloons.”
I grinned. “Will that do instead of a penny?”
He finally flashed me a smile. “Yeah, yeah it will.”
“So?” I pressed, hoping I wasn't overstepping.
“Right...thoughts.” Xander sighed and put my purse back, but he kept the chocolate out. “I haven't heard from Jesse all summer.”
I nodded, as I had noticed that the last month or so. “Did Willow tell him you'd be in L.A.?”
He groaned. “I almost hope she didn't.”
That made me frown and I glanced over at him to show my confusion. “Why?”
“Because Buffy was in L.A. all summer too, and even though I never saw her, I'm worried he'll think I'm putting moves on her.”
That was a twisted sort of logic only a teenager could come up with. In response I said; “She's beautiful.”
“Ugh. Yeah, but I don't wanna date her.”
I tried not to smile. “Do you still want to date Jesse?” I asked.
He shook his head. “I guess that was just a child's infatuation...but...if I do ever get a boyfriend...” He let the sentence trail off.
“Yes?”
It looked like his cheeks heated just a bit. “I'd definitely want a boyfriend taller than me.”
I let the smile show for that. “Having a lover your exact height can be a very intimate experience.” I told him, thinking of Roan. “But having one taller than you can be good too.”
“Thanks Mom.”
“You sure I shouldn't have brought you back a few days earlier? I mean tomorrow is the first day of school.” We had already done the back-to-school shopping, he seemed to grow so fast, so I knew he was prepared in that aspect. Roan had had a great time helping us shop for Xander.
“Yeah, I'm sure Mom. At least as long as I was in L.A. with you, I wouldn't know for sure that Jesse was avoiding me.”
My heart hurt for him, and my head hurt at the adolescent logic, but I kept my hands on the wheel as I turned onto his street. “If I could wave a magic wand and-”
“I wouldn't want you to just fix it for me.” He insisted. “The world doesn't work like that...and if it did...”
“The price would be too great.” I finished, because there was no telling what the cost actually would be for something like that.
“Yeah.”
I pulled into the driveway and parked the car. “I did enjoy having you over this summer. Roan did too.”
“I wasn't cramping your and Roan's style?” He asked.
“You know you didn't. Roan enjoyed your company; besides it was a good way to practice your glamour.”
He grinned at me, his teeth looking too white in the shadows. “It was so weird to see myself with black hair and blue eyes for like a month. Not to mention calling you Aunt Merry.”
“But your glamour was flawless.” I complimented him.
He gave the compliment right back. “You're a good teacher.” He leaned over and kissed my cheek. “Thanks for this summer. I love you.”
I kissed his forehead. “I love you Alexander, take care.”
With one more grin he got out of the car, grabbed his bags from the back seat and I watched him disappear into the Harris house. Once again, I wondered if hiding him on the world's most active Hellmouth was my best option. It was too late though, he'd found a purpose, fighting vampires and saving lives. I just hope it didn't get him killed.
xxx
Xander hesitated for a full three seconds before he approached the group standing in the middle of the hall. They just looked so complete without him that he wasn't sure he wanted to interrupt. Ms. Calendar, however, saw him and greeted him, forcing him to make a move.
“Good morning Xander.” All eyes turned to him, and he wasn't quite prepared for the stares...or the glare from Jesse.
“Hey guys.”
“Xander!” Willow rushed him and he got a hug.
“Hey Wills.” He wrapped her tight, enjoying the familiarity of her hug, the safe zone that was Willow.
She pulled back and was grinning at him. “How was your mom and L.A.? Did you go to Disneyland again?” She blinked in surprise. “You cut your hair!”
“Yeah, what do you think?”
“It looks good.” Willow beamed at him, reaching up to pet the spiked bangs. In that moment Xander realized all the platonic touching he and Willow did was partly his fault. That Faerie instinct to reach out for comfort. Hmm. That would explain her crush, he'd been giving her mixed signals without meaning too.
“You were in L.A.?” Buffy asked with a frown.
“Yeah, Mom lives there.” Xander tugged Willow's hair gently in retaliation, making her grin and she stepped back. There was no heat to her gaze though, her crush wasn't what it used to be. Cool.
“You couldn't look a girl up? We could have gone shopping.” She eyed his clothes. “Though it looks like you did plenty of that on your own.”
Xander offered her a puzzled look before turning back to Willow. “I worked at a beach part time as a life guard...and when Mom and her boyfriend weren't at work, I hung out with them. They're the ones that took me shopping.”
“Sounds fun.” Ms. Calendar offered.
“It was.”
“That's all you did?” Jesse asked, his voice accusing. “You didn't meet anyone or hook up?”
He blinked at Jesse, but the hostility didn't surprise him, he'd been afraid of exactly this. “Being a life guard means potentially saving lives Jesse, not hooking up.”
The bell rang then and he'd never been happier to go to class. In fact, he was more than ready to avoid Jesse the rest of the day. Xander was still a little miffed himself as he'd missed the shop talk about vampires and poor Giles had never got a word in once Xander had joined the group.
He was walking to his first class, which he didn't have with any of the gang, when something suddenly 'pinged' at his shields. Damn, if he didn't hurry, he wouldn't beat the next bell.
But curiosity got the better of him, it made him stop and look around. Maybe it wasn't the best idea, but whatever it was had his attention. Except now it was gone. Xander looked around but no one else was looking around the way he was. Funny, it almost felt like glamour, like the touch of Faerie.
It wasn't that it felt like his glamour, or his mom’s...but...there was someone in Sunnydale High who had Sidhe blood. He shook his head, he could figure them out later, he didn't want to be late on the first day.
Avoiding his friends was pretty easy. Jesse wouldn't talk to him, and Willow was trying to get Buffy to talk period, leaving him on his own. Which was fine. He didn't need Jesse's attitude, and until Buffy was feeling friendly, he didn't want to talk to her either.
He didn't even stop by the library after school. He'd glanced inside and saw how intense Buffy was training and decided that he didn't want to interrupt.
At the end of a very long school day all he wanted to do was go inside and mope in bed for an hour before starting his homework. However, the phone rang as he walked in the door so he answered it, taking it into the living room. Tony and Jessica weren't home so he wasn't going to be bothering anyone. “Hello?”
“How was the first day?” His mom asked.
“School is school.”
“And your friends?”
“Willow was happy to see me, she liked my haircut. Buffy was weird and distant. Jesse was hostile.”
“I'm sorry Xander.”
“Me too.”
“I'm glad Willow liked your haircut, I'm still not sure I do.”
He rolled his eyes; despite the fact she couldn't see it. “You just think men should have hair down to their ankles, but that is way too high maintenance for me.”
xxx
He'd spent the second day of school avoiding his friends again, and it was already getting old. Which was the only reason he'd let Willow talk him into meeting them at the Bronze. All because Cibo Matto was playing.
So here he was in the Bronze, sitting beside Willow and across from Jesse. None of them talked much while they waited for Buffy.
“I think somethings up with Buffy.” Willow said, trying again to start a conversation.
“She was acting different.” Jesse agreed, then glared at Xander. “Which you'd know if you'd bothered hanging out with us.”
Xander sighed. “Every time I hang out with you, you glare at me and get mean.”
Jesse rolled his eyes. “Well maybe if you told the truth about what you did this summer instead of lying about it.”
Xander blinked. “I didn't lie.”
“So, you didn't see Buffy at all this summer?” Jesse asked. “Because neither one of you sent post cards or anything.”
He sighed. “You were still freaked out about that crush I used have on you, and then you made plans on my birthday. So, since you didn't want to talk to me, I didn't want to deal with your issues.”
Jesse blushed...then glared...again. “What do you mean you used to have a crush on me? You mean you don't anymore?”
“Jesse man, you can't get mad at me for getting over you, and anybody would get over you real fast the way you've been acting like a jerk.”
“Guys stop. Buffy's here.” Willow nodded to where Buffy was talking with Angel, she left him standing alone and the vampire didn't look happy at all. She made her way to their table. “Hey Buffy.”
“Hey.”
Jesse stood and pulled a chair out for her. “What's up with Angel?”
“No idea, but it’s not my problem.” She smiled at Jesse before side stepping him and going to Xander. “Dance with me?”
He frowned, but nodded. “Sure, you okay Buff?”
“I'm fine.” She took his hand and led him to the dance floor, moving slowly, like a seduction. Which was weird, because she knew he wasn't into her, and she'd never been into him. What was weirder, was the distant and cold look in her eyes.
He'd watched his mom and Roan dance like this in her apartment, and in Roan's, and they had looked at each other with affection. This...Buffy didn't care about him. Xander looked away from her and saw several things at once. Willow looked like she was about to cry. Jesse looked like he wanted to kill Xander. And Angel...there was cold rage in his dark eyes. So that was it. She was using him to hurt all of them.
Xander released her and stepped back. “If this is how you treat your friends Buffy, I don't think I want to be your friend anymore.”
She frowned. “What?”
“Using me to hurt everyone is a bitch move. It’s bad enough Jesse thinks I spent the summer romancing you, did you really have to do this? My best friends may never talk to me ever again.”
“Xander-”
“Fuck you.” He turned and left her there on the dance floor and walked right out of the Bronze. Once he was a block or two away, he shifted form and let the hyena out.
He wandered about as the hyena and let her sniff and explore her environment, her territory. It was nice to just let her instincts wash over him, but still remain in control. Right up until he was walking past the Master's grave, because a bunch of vampires were digging him up.
The smell of burning flesh caught his nose from where they'd been sifting through the consecrated earth barehanded. None of them had seen him yet so he took a chance and dashed forward. He bowled a couple of them over like they were bowling pins, snatched the biggest piece of bone up, which just happened to be the skull and ran for it.
There was no way they could keep up, not after that surprise attack, and if there was one thing he was certain of it was this. If the vampires wanted the Master's bones for something they probably needed the complete set. If he had the skull, they wouldn't be able to do anything. Hopefully.
xxx
“The Master's gone.” Buffy announced.
“Yes, we are quite aware of that Buffy.” Giles told her. “Xander witnessed a group of vampires digging up his bones on his way home.”
Buffy and Jesse both glared at him. “And you didn't tell someone?”
“Yeah man, what's that about?”
“Excuse you, I told Giles...and that was after I stole the Master's skull from the grave robbing vamps.”
Willow blinked. “What?”
Giles sighed. “If they intend to revive the Master, they would need all of his bones, but since Xander stole the skull, they won't be able to complete the ritual.”
“You just ran up to them and stole the skull?” Jesse asked.
“And then I ran like hell.” Xander added.
“Must be nice to have that extra bit of Fey oomph.” His best friend sneered.
Xander gave Jesse the coldest look he could muster. “Well, if you're gonna be a racist dick about it I'm leaving.” He stood up just as the bell rang. “When you and Buffy decide to stop acting like assholes and start acting like decent people again maybe then we can be friends. Otherwise, stay away from me.” He turned and walked away, but he heard Willow scolding them.
“What is wrong with you two? It’s almost impossible to really make Xander angry, but you two are like competing for the Mean Person Gold or something!”
When Buffy came back into the library that night it was to resolved chaos. “Are you guys okay? Angel and I got to the Bronze; the bait was there...but it was only one vampire.”
Giles nodded, still putting himself to rights, smoothing his vest and straightening his glasses. “Yes. There were only four vampires here, we were a match for them.”
Willow sat in one of the chairs and poked at a bone fragment. “And Xander smashed the Master's skull, so they definitely can't do the ritual.”
“Except Cordelia and Ms. Calendar are still missing.” Jesse added. “Since you didn't find Cordelia at the Bronze.”
Buffy blinked, “They have Ms. Calendar too?”
Xander nodded. “Giles found a better translation of the ritual. It needs the blood of those who were in the room with him when he died.”
“Which is why they were here; they came to get Giles and Willow.” She sighed. “That means we need answers from our captive. Come on.”
xxx
“Did things get resolved?” I asked as soon as I picked up the phone.
Xander sighed and I wondered just what had happened. “In a way. Buffy got over her trauma. I should have sent her to therapy like I did the hyena kids...like you sent me. It really helped me, and she deserves the help.”
That didn't really tell me anything. “Give her the number so she can make the choice.”
“Yeah.”
“And Jesse?”
“We fought off vampires together and we seem to be better. I actually told him I went to therapy this summer, that it was part of the reason I stayed with you all through July.”
“Well, that is the truth, and is he still upset with you for the crush and getting over him?”
“Maybe. He's not glaring at me anymore, and we're even hanging out with the girls again. So, it’s better.”
He still didn't tell me what the skirmish with vampires entailed. “What about Willow's crush on you?”
“I think she's getting over me...I guess it helps her to know I prefer guys.” He sighed. “So, how's the P.I. Biz? Anything new?”
“Same old same old.” I replied. “Now how about you tell me exactly what happened with those vampires you fought?”
“Busted?” He asked.
“Oh yeah kid, you're busted, talk now.”
XXX