*****

Xander's POV

Sometimes I worry about the future. It consumes me, the not knowing. Living on the Hellmouth can make a person really stop and think about their future.

I worry that Dawn won't survive high school.

I worry Buffy will never live to see 25.

I worry Giles will lose hope when we need him most.

I worry Anya will never find happiness.

I worry Willow will fall into the darkness of her Magic.

I worry that Tara might not be able to pull her back.

But most of all I worry about my lover. The man snuggled up next to me now sleeping. He's so beautiful, powerful, strong and brave. I worry that one morning he'll wake up next to me and see an old man and walk out the door. I worry that another demon will get lucky and place a stake in his heart. I worry that he'll decide not to let me go and find a way to turn me. I worry that I'm just a passing fancy and I worry that maybe I'm not.

So many worries and tomorrow has yet to come. Sometimes I think they'll consume me, my worries. I will drown in their embrace and wake up one morning finding I've lived my life and not enjoyed it. Too worried about everything.

His body stirs beside me and I watch as his beautiful blue eyes gaze up at me sleepily. He smiles one of his honest and true smiles the ones that only I ever get to see and pulls me down for a kiss. And for a moment, the worries slip away.

The End