| Chapter Twelve Xander stared at the star filled sky and remembered years ago as a kid doing the same thing with a tiny redhead. Shed point out the different constellations to him, and to this day he still couldn't remember a damn one. He had just been so happy to have a friend like Willow, that hed let the usually shy girl talk all night. Now that he was older he wished that he could recall some of the shapes that Willow had once pointed out to him. Then he could someday point them out to his child, telling him (or her) that their Auntie Willow taught him about the heavens above. He never told Anya how much he missed his little buddy. He didnt think she would understand, or that she would think that he loved her any less. It was just that he had grown-up with Willow. That there was a bond that had been created between them that was almost like a lifeline. Neither were all that popular in school, and they had learned to depend on one another to get through the taunts and heartbreaks. Latter on they had made new friends, but the friendship he had with Willow was unparallel to any other. He loved Anya with all his heart. And couldnt be happier knowing that they had created life that was growing in her belly. But with each passing day the memories of Willow ate away at him. How could they have just let her and Cordy go off on their own? Sure the two girls had survived the horrors of the Hellmouth, but making it in the real world with the only skills of knowing how to kill a vampire or stop the world from ending. Sighing, Xander slung an arm over his eyes trying to erase the images of the redhead growing up through the years. Her pixie laugh as she skipped around when she was five. Pretending to be a cowgirl, rescuing him from the evil Indians. When they were in the sixth grade and her heart had been broken the first, and not the last time, when Chad Hastings had told her that she was a pathetic loser. He remembered when they had first met the slayer, her trepidation at such a clearly cool girl wanting to be her friend. In High School she had truly blossomed from a little girl into the woman she would someday become. Hearing the water turn off from inside, signaling that Anya was finished with the dinner dishes, Xander wiped the tears from his eyes and took a deep breath. Without Anya he wouldve given up long ago. She had been the strength during their exile from Sunnyhell. With each passing day her pregnancy became more pronounced, that would make her grumble about her expanding waste line. They had decided on names for their child. If it were a girl her name would be Willow Anne Harris. A boy Angel (not Angelus for obvious reasons) Liam Harris. It had taken years, but Xander had finally faced facts that Angel had saved his sorry ass more times than he could count, and the vampire would always have a place in his heart. The screen door squeaked as Anya came out to enjoy the night air. Xander pushed all sad thoughts from his mind as he pulled his wife closer to his side. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Buffy the deaths arent natural; I really think we should stop what ever is doing this before any more blood is shed." Giles felt his blood boil at the bored look the blonde gave him. It took all his tolerance not to shake some sense into the retched woman. "Im not doing that gig anymore Giles, you know that." Buffy turned and started to walk out of the room. "Let it drop. We escaped Sunnydale, lets leave the ugliness behind." Dawn looked nervously from Giles to her sister. She knew were her sister was coming from. Not wanting to reawaken any former glimpse of the past by doing duties that had at one time been second nature. But at the same time innocent people were dying, and with the powers that Buffy held she *should* be doing something. "Ill help." Dawn whispered. Guilt from her behavior over the last two years had been nagging at her. She knew that Giles was getting irritated by the lack of concern that had anything to do with Sunnydale and the people they had once cared so much for. Maybe this would help ease some of that pain. Giles looked up sharply at the small voice. The look in the young girls eyes reminded him of the gentle creature she had once been. Her kindness once ranged with Willows, before she had become an extension of her older sister. "Yes, well I will need help researching. Once we find out what we are against, they well see what we can do." Dawn nodded weakly, and headed to the dining room table were Giles had books spread out on already. After hours of research Dawn stretched and looked around. "Its not the same with out the others here is it?" Giles looked up from the book he had been reading and shook his head sadly. "I miss all of them you know. It may not seem like it but I do." "I miss them too." Dawn nodded and went back to work, feeling as though her relationship with the former watcher was slowly healing. |
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