Wild Horses
Part 03
By Jeconais
Ten words. Ten simple words. It was amazing how those words could change a lifetime.
"I’m sorry Mr. Harris, but there’s nothing we can do."
That was all it took to seal his fate. Even staring at the ceiling wasn’t the same. Nothing appeared the way it was before.
After seven years of fighting vampires, of fighting demons, ghosts and ghouls, he had his first serious injury, and in irony that would have had Machiavelli laughing, it was caused by supposed friendly fire.
Spike, Buffy’s fiancé. At one time, the thought of that would have been enough to make him physically sick, now it just left him feeling a vague regret. He wondered whether he would be invited to her funeral. People who live in the dark are either corrupted or destroyed by it. He hoped she wouldn’t be turned into a vampire; he didn’t fancy having to fight her with extra vampire powers added to the already formidable Slayer powers.
He focused on the bed side lamp, moving his head, trying to understand the difference, but he couldn’t.
'Still,’ he thought to himself, returning to his original thought, faint hint of a smile appearing on his lips, he didn’t know of any vampires that could handle 5 lbs of plastic explosives.
He knew he had two directions he could go now. Money wasn’t a problem, his job was a lot more managerial and a lot less practical these days.
His insurance cover was going to make him pretty rich. He had winced when he had started to pay, in secret, the premiums for each of the core Scooby gang, but was glad he had, now. With the payoff he had coming, he could take the next ten years off without noticing any effect.
The first direction was to give up, to finally be out of the game. No one could blame him, perhaps more than the others, he had sacrificed. He was the only one without anything special inside him, the only one without a destiny, or a calling. He fought the night because it was the right thing to do, because it was the way he could protect his girls. But they weren’t *his* girls, anymore. He wasn’t sure who they were.
The second direction was to continue, to prove to himself that this was only a minor inconvenience, not a life changing event. He knew he was driven, to prove something to someone; he didn’t know what exactly, but it wasn’t in his personality to lay down and avoid what he knew was there.
Perhaps it was his first introduction to the night, having to stake Jessie, his best friend, his brother. Having to watch the evil creature explode into dust, taking the body of the only man he ever loved into history. He didn’t want anyone else to face that, didn’t want another loving family broken up over a mysterious disappearance.
If he continued, he would be dragging Dawn with him. But would she stay out of it, even if he ordered, begged or pleaded with her? Probably not. Like him, her reasons for fighting were complex. She wanted to prove herself, to protect others, to help protect the Slayer, her sister.
Everything had changed in less than 24 hours. He knew that Dawn had lost her awe over her sister, and now saw her for what she was. A normal, flawed, human, who consistently made bad mistakes in her personal relationships and forced away everyone who genuinely cared for her.
"Hi, Xander." The soft voice interrupted his musings, and he turned his head to look at his visitor.
He tried to give her a reassuring smile, but could tell that he wasn’t too successful.
"The doctors won’t tell me anything," she said, taking a seat next to him and grabbing his hand.
Xander sighed softly. "The eye is gone; the corner of the table pierced the cornea. A splinter destroyed the optic nerve and tore up everything inside. They had to remove the whole thing." His voice was dispassionate, as if he wasn’t talking about himself.
A single tear dropped down the young girl’s face, leaving a glistening path on her smooth cheek.
He reached up, very slowly and tentatively, aware that his depth perception was shot to hell, and gently touched her cheek, wiping away the tear. "Don’t cry, Dawnie, it’s not the end of the world. That’s not due till Tuesday."
His poor attempt at a joke eked a small smile out of her.
"They are going to let me out of here in a few hours," he told her, trying to move on. There would be enough time for brooding later. He couldn’t believe he had just thought that. Did this incident mean he was going to get a fetish for leather pants and start dating girls who were over two hundred years younger than him?
"Where are we going to go?" Dawn asked, suddenly realizing that they couldn’t go back to the house they had been living in. Before the First Evil had been defeated, it had made sense for Xander to move in, to help look after the girls and to repair the damage that fighting monsters often accrued.
Xander smiled a little, and he could feel the pain killers start to kick in. "We could try my apartment," he suggested.
"You gave up your apartment when you moved in with us," she reminded him.
Xander laughed softly, a tiny laugh, but a laugh all the same. "I gave up one of my apartments, Dawn Patrol. I have another one on the other side of town, just in case. It made sense to have a backup base ready, in case anything happened to Case Del Summers."
Dawn blinked. "But -" she tried, before stopping. Little things that had been bothering her suddenly rearranged themselves in her mind. His succession of new cars, never worrying about them when the latest demon destroyed one, the way he always had money if people needed it. Everyone just assumed that it was there, no one asked where it came from. Now, she found out, he had an apartment ready, just in case.
"Xander, what do you do?"
A slightly twisted smile appeared on his face. "You’re the first person to ask that, Dawn. After all these years, no one has bothered to see where all the money comes from.
"I’m vice president of the construction company where I work, in addition to being a foreman. I help close the deals that others work on, and occasionally take control of the bigger projects to ensure they are done on time and to budget. I spend a lot more time in a suit than I do in the jeans I wear around the house."
Two expressions vied for control of the young girls face, pride and shock. In the end, pride won. "I’m sorry for not asking earlier, but hey, teenager here. As long as I get an allowance on a semi regular basis, I just assume the money’s always going to be there."
Xander smiled at her. "It’s ok Dawn, I don’t expect you to ask" He left unsaid the implication that he had expected the others to do so.
This small statement actually made Dawn feel bad, and she wasn’t sure why. She was slowly starting to realize that she did not want to be seen as a teenager by him, and that she was going to have stop acting like one.
A doctor in a white coat entered the room. "I’m sorry Miss, but you’ll have to leave while I give Mr. Harris a final check over. You can wait for your boyfriend outside."
Dawn didn’t correct him, and felt a small thrill shoot through her as Xander didn’t either. As she walked out, she knew that he hadn’t so that she could come back in later, and so that he could be released with her. Still -
She sat on one of the cold hard chairs in the waiting room, wondering if she held a record for hospital visits before the age of eighteen.
Xander was wheeled out to her a few minutes later, his head swathed in bandages that covered one eye. As he got to the door, he stood, and looked grateful as she put an arm around him, helping him walk to the car.
Dawn found herself starting to enjoy helping him, being the responsible one. She eased him into the passenger seat, doing up his seat belt. She could see his good eye was fading a little, as the drugs started to kick in with a vengeance.
"Where are we going, Xander?"
"Hillview Apartments, on East 17." His voice was starting to slur, now, and she wondered why the hell the hospital had pumped him full of drugs before releasing him.
She drove carefully, still unused to his big SUV, but pleased that she could drive. Buffy had never let her drive, as if her own bad driving skills were genetically passed on to her younger sister.
Wincing at the bright sunlight, she pulled on a pair of sunglasses she found in the inner door compartment, noticing for the first time that they were Raybans, another expensive clue that everyone had ignored.
"Park in fifteen, Dawn." Xander opened his eye, having been on the verge of falling back asleep in the comfortable car seat. He only had two modes when dealing with people; trusted and non-trusted. Dawn was trusted, so he didn’t feel the need to keep an eye on her all the time.
"Reserved parking?" she asked, a little excitedly.
He nodded, ignoring the slight pain the head movement caused.
She parked the big car as well as she could, grateful that no one was around to critique her. She jumped out and ran around, helping Xander out of the car.
He leaned heavily against her, apologizing as he did.
"Don’t worry about it, Xand. The amount of times you’ve carried me, it’s about time I got to return the favor."
They walked in to the impressive entrance lobby, as the doors opened automatically for them.
Two men were behind a security counter, one wearing a suit, the other a security guard’s uniform.
"Mr. Harris, are you ok?" the man in a suit asked, walking over to them.
Dawn looked up at him, answering because she could feel that Xander didn’t want to talk. "He was mugged, by a gang on PCP. He’s going to be fine."
The man smiled at her, and motioned down over the lobby floor they had just walked over. "Mr. Harris does seem to have quite a few run-ins with these gangs. He offered a few suggestions when his company was building this place to help keep them out." The floor tiles were laid out in a large cross shape. "It’s strange," the man’s eyes were twinkling as he spoke, "but the gangs don’t like coming in here. Of course, it might have something to do with the priests that Xander had bless the floor."
Dawn smiled up at him, "Mr.?"
"Michaels, Kyle Michaels. I own the building." Kyle looped another arm around Xander and helped Dawn move him into the elevator. Pressing a button for the top floor, he continued, "I was working here late one night, when two vampires came up and started attacking me. Xander was dropping by with some figures I needed, and dusted them for me. He explained what was going on, and what his night job was. A lot of his suggestions made a lot more sense then.
"When Xander came to me, I tried to get him to accept the apartment free of charge, as a thank you for saving my life, but he refused, and in the end, we agreed he’d pay cost price."
"That’s pure Xander," Dawn said with a smile. "He just wants to help people."
Kyle nodded. "Yeah, my wife adores him. She’s always asking when he is going to come around again. That boy can sure pack away the food, and if there’s one thing Molly loves, it’s someone who eats all her food."
By this time Xander was almost unconscious, he wasn’t paying attention to the conversation at all.
"He told me about the codename, 'Gangs on PCP’," Kyle explained as the car ascended.
"I did wonder," Dawn admitted, as the elevator door opened into a small, tasteful lobby. She pulled out Xander’s car keys and looked at Kyle, "You don’t happen to know which key it is, do you?"
He took the key ring and opened the door.
"My God, this place is huge."
Kyle laughed, "Yes, it’s a four bedroom apartment and takes up the entire top floor. You can explore later, but let’s put Xander in bed, first."
Dawn nodded, helping Kyle lay the now unconscious Xander down on a large bed in the master suite.
She walked with Kyle to the door. "Can you tell me how long you’ve been going out with Xander?" he asked.
Dawn blushed prettily. "Only for about six months. He was worried about my age before that. It took a long time to convince him, otherwise."
"How old are you?"
"Eighteen," she lied happily.
"Well, you and Xander will have to come over lunch when he’s back up and running. Molly will want to meet the girl that’s stolen his heart," he teased with a large smile. "She was planning on setting him up with some of her nieces. I’m pleased that he’s found someone on his own, and," the next part was delivered with a playful leer, "that he’s found someone a lot better looking than our nieces."
Dawn tried very hard to contain the blush that was steadily turning her face bright red, but failed. "Thanks, I think," she squeaked.
He laughed softly, "Don’t mind me. It was good meeting you, Ms.?"
"Summers, Dawn Summers," she said, holding out her hand.
He shook it, and then winked at her. "Look after Xander, and if you need anything, dial 9 on the phone. I’ll leave instructions for the guard to get whatever you might need."
"Thanks, Kyle," she said with a smile, liking this man who obviously cared for Xander. It was another small shock to realize that the carpenter had a life completely separate from the one she had known. This man before her was a prime example. A little portly, with eyes that seemed to dance, and grey peppered black hair. He grinned at her once more, as the doors to the elevator shut.
The seventeen year old walked back into the huge apartment and looked at her watch, a little surprised to find that it was so late. She walked back into the bedroom and looked down at her sleeping...friend? She decided to categorize him later.
She sat on the foot of the bed, and removed his heavy boots. She held them up, surprised at the weight, and realized that they had steel toe caps. She laughed softly as she noticed the tiny engravings of crosses built into each shoe.
Dawn bit her lip, trying to decide what to do next. His socks came off easily, before she reached for his belt, pulling it out from under him through the loops of his jeans. Next, she undid the buttons of his shirt and lifted him up from the bed, trying to ignore the groan he gave her.
"Come on, Xand. You’re going to have to help me here, I’m not strong enough."
Even on the edge of unconsciousness, he responded to one of 'his girls’ asking for help. He lifted himself up, moving his arms to allow her to remove his blood stained t-shirt. Laying back down, he lifted his hips at her instruction, as she pulled his jeans down his legs.
Dawn paused, looking down at the body of her first ever crush. This was the first time she had had the chance to really look at him. She touched his shoulder lightly, watching for any response. The drugs had finally done their job, and he was out for the count.
Xander was not a body builder, he didn’t have the chiseled muscles associated with people like Stallone. She had seen Spike enough times, the vampire seemed to have problems keeping his shirt on, so she had something to compare him to.
Spike was wiry, almost looking gaunt half the time. She knew her sister liked Spike’s look, but she didn’t. Xander was more like a real male. His body was solid, and a lot bigger than the baggy clothes he customarily wore showed. His chest was well defined, as was his shoulders, his legs looked powerful.
Dawn felt all the feelings she had ever had for him return with a vengeance. The only thing that stopped her from touching him was Xander’s unconscious state. It didn’t feel right to do so, not when he couldn’t enjoy it.
She was a ball of energy made into a person. A being that was, technically, only three years old. When she had been created, the monks had given her a complete history, and made her into a form that would be protected by the Slayer, her sister.
Now, she started to wonder if that had really been their intention. The memories didn’t quite match up. Ever since they had moved to the area, there had only been one person who had consistently been there for her. From the patching of skinned knees to the reassuring that things would be ok. When her mom had died, one person more than any other had been there for her, holding her through the tears and heartbreak. Even when she had started shoplifting, one person had forgiven her first and offered her a way out, as well as slipping her a regular allowance so that she could get the things she wanted and have a normal life.
Whenever she had needed something for school, one person had been there to help, either emotionally, financially or physically. There were countless times the person had gone out of their way to make sure she was at school on time, that she had as normal a life as possible.
One person had sacrificed to make sure that she was safe, throwing themselves in harm’s way.
One person had always believed in her over everyone else.
Dawn found herself breaking out in goosebumps as she realized that the monks had gone a lot further than everyone had thought. They had created her as the Slayer’s sister to get the protection from her, but had created her as a girl so that she would be protected by someone else as well, someone who would love her unconditionally and always be there for her.
It didn’t make any sense for them to have given her a huge crush, unless it meant that they had built her so that she would get the best protection for the rest of her life, from an amazing man.
She had been made for Xander.
He was the one person she could rely on, the heart of the Scooby Gang. The person with the emotional core of steel, who would keep loving her as long as was physically possible.
As surely as she had been made to be loved like a sister by Buffy, she had been made to be loved like a woman by Xander.
She started to feel guilty about the times she had fantasized about Spike. He was the bad boy, the untamable wild man that girls secretly lusted after, the loners who didn’t play by the rules.
Dawn had known that he was a killer, but it was a vague concept, like being a Catholic. All she had ever really seen was him fighting on their side. But hearing that he was a rapist, that he had actually hit Buffy had brought his nature to the forefront. In a moment of clarity, she saw how Xander had tried to keep Spike away from her, even when she didn’t want it. Another example of how he had tried hard to keep her safe.
Her sister had always been there for physical safety, although that had been questionable recently, when she left her in the care of Spike, but it had always been Xander who had taken care of her.
The problem she would now have was persuading him that she was adult enough for a relationship, and that he could fall pretty hard for her if he accepted it. Even better, she knew he had a hell of a lot of experience with Anya, that he was really good in bed. She licked her lips softly, knowing that he’d be able to make her first time incredibly special, and, as an added bonus, would not turn into a soulless monster in the morning, unlike some sister’s chosen paramours she could mention.
She was pretty optimistic that she could get him thinking of her that way. After all, she was now living with him, in a gorgeous apartment, and that would give a lot of room for 'accidental encounters.’
He would resist, hard, but if there was one thing about she knew Xander, it was that he would do anything for the people he loved.
She knew he needed love, craved it even. Despite his awful childhood and all the heartbreak he had gone through over the years, he was still an innocent at heart, offering everyone else what he wanted so badly himself. She promised herself that she would give him what he needed so badly, even though he didn’t know it.
Dawn realized she had fallen completely in love with Xander. Looking down at the man, she frowned as she realized he was starting to have a nightmare. He was tossing his head, murmuring 'No, please no.’
"Shh, it’s ok, I’m here," she whispered to him, stroking his chest. It seemed to work, as he settled back down a little, falling back into a deep sleep. Deciding that there was no way she was leaving him alone tonight; Dawn stood and walked over to the drawers. They were sadly bereft of clothing, only a couple of t-shirts and pairs of jeans. She guessed this was because his clothes were at her sister’s house.
She pulled out the t-shirt and measured it against her, then she smiled as she saw it would reach mid-thigh. Reaching up behind her, she undid the zipper of her light summer dress, letting it pool to the floor, her imagination running away, showing her pictures of her doing this while he was awake, his hot gaze burning her.
She pulled the t-shirt on, smiling because it smelt of him. She climbed into bed, a little shyly, and snuggled up for him. If anyone had told her yesterday that she would be spending a night with Xander she would have laughed at them, and accused them of taking drugs.
She woke up a few times in the night, as Xander’s nightmares returned, but whispering softly to him seemed to make him relax. It saddened her that all he needed was reassurance, something that had always been lacking in his life.
She woke up, more refreshed than she could ever remember feeling, as sunlight twinkled through the curtains. During the night she had draped herself over him, her head resting on his shoulder. What was even better for her was that his arm had clamped over her back, and was holding her firmly in place. Even if it was an automatic reflex, it still felt really good.
Showing a maturity that hadn’t been there the day before, she gently moved from under him, knowing that he would be embarrassed to wake up with her like this. It would take a lot of work on her part to get him to realize that his emotions could change from platonic love to sexual love. The reward made the work seem like something she would enjoy.
With a very feminine giggle, she knew that Xander was about to enter a very confusing phase of his life.
She walked into the kitchen, and looked in the fridge hopefully, only to be disappointed that it was empty, so she explored the huge apartment.
Xander woke slowly, feeling a lot more rested than he had recently. He had a moment’s panic when he realized he couldn’t see out of one eye, before the memories came flooding back.
Buffy was marrying Spike. He shook his head sadly at how little that statement meant to him now. She had made her own bed, now she had to lie in it. He felt an emptiness, as though something had been ripped from him.
He frowned as he smelt a faint trace of perfume, a light airy fragrance that seemed familiar, but a little different.
He put together his good nights sleep and his lack of nightmares, and realized Dawn must have looked after him all night.
Carefully he stood, his headache almost completely gone, and walked into the kitchen. Everything had to be done slowly, because his depth perception was still a mess.
"Morning," he said quietly, finding her admiring the view from the top of the block.
She jumped a little, then threw a smile at him, her long hair floating around her face as she turned her head. "Morning, Xand," she replied with a warm smile.
"Thanks for looking after me," he said simply.
She threw him a look he didn’t understand, then smiled sweetly at him. "It felt good to look after you for a change, after all the times you’ve looked after me. But your fridge is empty."
Xander laughed. "Yeah, I didn’t expect us to be living here yet. I always thought we’d use it if anything happened to the house."
"I hope you don’t mind me using your t-shirt, but I needed to sleep in something."
Xander grinned at her. "You look a lot cuter in it than I do." This wasn’t the first time he had complimented her, but after her decisions last night, it meant something very different to her.
"How about we get dressed, nip out to IHOP for breakfast, then go shopping?" he suggested.
"Are you sure you’re up for that?" She asked, looking worried at him.
"As long as I keep taking the pills, Morning Dawnie."
She sniggered at him, "Yeah, I heard about that."
"Go and get dressed, missy. I’m getting hungry."
"Yes, master," she joked, and flounced off, trying to get her t-shirt to bounce a little. A quick glance at Xander’s expression proved that she had been successful.
Getting dressed wasn’t exactly a time consuming job, when all you have was the dress you were wearing the day before. She slid the t-shirt off, putting it to one side, deciding that it was hers now. The dress on, she retreated to one of the bathrooms, hoping that he had some form of personal hygiene products.
"Bedroom’s yours, Xan," she shouted, un-wrapping a new toothbrush found in a cupboard.
Xander pulled a fresh pair of jeans out of the drawers, and found he had to sit down to put them on, his balance was gone. The doctors had informed him that it would get better, as long as he kept trying. The more active he would be, the quicker his body would learn to deal with the loss of an eye. It was the reason he was forcing himself to go out today.
He followed Dawn’s path, entering the bathroom as she exited, unwrapping another toothbrush. He had stocked up with a few of the very basics, just in case, but being male, had no idea what else to get.
They met up again in the large living room; one whole wall was a giant window, offering an unrivalled view of Sunnydale. He hadn’t wanted to take the penthouse apartment, but suspected that Kyle had forced it on him, as partial payment for saving his life.
They took the elevator downstairs, in a comfortable silence. "You don’t mind doing the chauffeuring today?" he asked her, dangling his keys.
They were grabbed before he could blink. "What do you think?" she grinned.
He just laughed.
A pleasant breakfast was followed by a trip to one of Sunnydale’s malls.
"What are we getting from here, Xan?" Dawn asked, a little surprised that he had asked her to drive here.
"We’re going to need some clothing till we can get our stuff from your sister’s place."
Dawn frowned a little, and pulled him into the food court. "Sit," she commanded, before going to one of the food stands and getting a couple of drinks.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked softly, looking down at the table as she spoke. "You’ve got your own life to live, you don’t have to take me in. I think I’d be safe with Her there."
Xander raised his hand, gently touching her chin and raising it, so he could see her eyes.
"Dawn, you are a part of my life. But it’s up to you; I won’t stop you from going back there."
She smiled tremulously at him, her bright eyes glistening with moisture. "Something happened yesterday, Xand and I haven’t dealt with it yet. What She said hurt deeply. She’s always been the person I looked up to, the one who was supposed to look out for what was best for me.
"But she accused me of trying to break up her relationship, of wanting Spike for myself. I don’t want Spike! I never did, Xan."
"I know, Dawn," Xander said softly, his one eye focused on hers.
"Then yesterday, she accused me of wanting to be raped. Wanting to be raped by a vampire. What sort of sick person is she becoming? How can I feel safe around her knowing that that is what she is thinking?"
"Dawn," Xander took a deep breath. "What Buffy said yesterday, she said in anger. I’m not trying to defend what she said, just explain it. She lost her temper, that’s all."
"But she always does that. Whenever anyone stands up to her, her first reaction is always to fight. Verbal or Physical, it doesn’t seem to matter. I’m scared of her now. It’s been going that way for some time, yesterday just seemed to finish it off."
"Dawn, I can’t defend her. I don’t know what she is thinking. I feel like I should be able to, but it’s happened too many times now. Like I said, it’s up to you. It’s your decision. You’re an adult now, capable of deciding for yourself what you want to do."
Dawn smiled at him, a faint sheen of tears covered her eyes. "I want to live with you. I promise to help out, do my share of the work without complaining. As you said, I’m an adult now, and I’m going to act like one."
"In that case," Xander smiled broadly, "it’s time to go shopping."
He stopped suddenly, turning to her. "I’m paying, Dawn. Don’t argue, and just go nuts. I don’t know when we’ll be able to get to pick up our clothing."
Years of being friends with a lot of girls had built up a lot of tolerance in him for shopping, and as he took Dawn around the stores, he found himself enjoying it a lot more than he had before.
Usually, Buffy and Willow would have drifted from store to store, using him more as a pack mule than a member of the group.
Dawn was totally different. She dragged him into each store with enthusiasm, then modeled each outfit for him. She was having the time of her life. She had never been on a shopping spree like this before. Money had always been tight, especially since her mother had died, and the chance to actually get exactly what she wanted was amazing.
She deliberately chose a different style for herself. Baggy jeans were out, while skirts were in. Partly, this was to show off her legs more, and partly because she wanted a more grown up style.
Each outfit she tried, Xander had something positive to say about it, although he did occasionally note if he thought something was not flattering on her. She found that, to her shock and amazement, he had a pretty good idea about fashion. Obviously, living so long with so many girls had rubbed off on him.
A few hours later, they returned to the car loaded down with clothes. She had everything from formal to lounging around the house, and was almost literally walking on air with excitement. As they put the bag in the trunk, she hugged him tightly.
"Thank You," she said, trying hard not to cry.
"Hey," he smiled, stroking her hair gently. "We’ve not finished yet. I need some clothes as well."
Instantly reinvigorated, Dawn pulled him back into the mall. It was then that Xander realized he was getting absolutely no choice about his clothing. She dragged him as around before, this time picking out unerringly clothing that fitted his frame and matched his eye. His original wardrobe had been built up over time, and contained many crimes against the fashion industry, something she would not permit to happen this time. This one was being built from scratch by someone who understood the basics of color coordination. As they went through the stores, Dawn lectured him about which clothing could be worn with which.
He had never enjoyed shopping for himself before, preferring to walk into a store, grab the first thing that he saw and get out quickly. This was far different, as he found himself listening to Dawn closely, memorizing color combinations and outfits, finding that he actually liked looking smart as he saw himself in a mirror.
The final stop was to pick him up a couple of suits for work. Dawn discussed with great details color, style and fabric with the tailor, which Xander listened in with great amusement. Eventually, once Dawn and the tailor had come to an agreement, Xander had his measurements taken and a promise that the suits would be ready in a week. As he wasn’t planning on going back to work for at least that long, it wasn’t a problem.
While Dawn was looking around at the ties, the tailor came up to him, and said with a smile, "I must congratulate you on your girlfriend’s taste. It’s rare to find someone so young who understands the difference between a good suit and a great suit."
Dawn hovered near by, pretending not to pay attention, waiting for Xander to reply.
Xander smiled, "Yeah, she took one look at my standard wardrobe and decided I needed a complete new one. She’s got really good taste."
Dawn felt her heart flip, as she realized he hadn’t denied that she was his girlfriend.
Xander checked his watch, and realized they still had a lot to do. "Come on, Dawn," he called. "We need to get a new TV."
Only through great concentration did Dawn manage to walk over to him, her original desire to either float or bounce firmly squashed.
As they walked out of the store, she asked, "A new TV?"
"Yeah, you probably didn’t notice, but I never bothered to get one." His eye gleamed, an expression that caused Dawn’s heart to jump into her throat. For the first time, he had an expression similar to one of days before, a happy one.
Dawn smiled at him, "Come on then, Xan. If you’re lucky, I’ll let you buy a new game system as well. And maybe a stereo and a DVD player."
"WooHoo," he cheered, "come on Dawnmeister." Xander took off towards an electronics shop, the large bags trailing out from all angles. Dawn laughed and followed.
They exploded into a Sony store, to the obvious displeasure of a salesman.
"Can I help?" he asked, his attitude clearly stating that he hoped he couldn’t. Xander was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, and had half his head bandaged. Dawn was wearing her light dress, and her hair was floating around in a way that Xander occasionally found himself watching.
"Yes," Dawn said clearly, "I want a 46" plasma flat screen TV, with a DVD player, a Playstation 2, a discreet sound station with flat panel speakers and a smaller flat screen for a bedroom. And I want to be served by someone without an attitude problem."
The salesman blinked at her, his mouth opening and shutting as he tried to think of something to say. To his misfortune, another younger salesman, who had taken the time to look at the sheer amount of bags they had been carrying, quickly stepped in. "Certainly, Ma’am, if you’ll step this way, I’ll be happy to show you our range of products."
Favoring him with a regal smile, Dawn followed him to one side. Amused, Xander trailed after them. He had thought he knew her, both his real and his implanted memories of her were comprehensive, so he had presumed that he had Dawn Summers figured out. He now realized how wrong he had been. A quick glance at the shell shocked first salesman had him trying hard not to giggle.
The next five minutes were a revelation for him, as Dawn discussed the different TVs and sound systems. Keeping quiet, he let her handle everything.
Dawn was having the time of her life, she’d spent some time last year planning the ultimate bedroom for herself. She’d spent ages on Willow’s computer, surfing the internet for technology, and had learnt a lot.
"Hey, Honey," she looked at Xander. "Does your apartment have an internet connection?"
Xander raised his one working eyebrow at her term of endearment. "Yes, the building shares a T-1 connection, there’s an Ethernet jack next to the phone line."
Dawn turned back to the salesman, "Ok, we’ll want a couple of Vaio laptops with wireless Ethernet cards, and a wireless hub to finish off with."
Another discussion followed, which lost Xander after the first few seconds. He hadn’t heard anyone techno-babble like that since Willow a few years back.
Dawn turned to Xander, and he could see a small amount of shock in her eyes. Almost reluctantly, she passed on the total to him. He smiled a little, and, to the huge disappointment of the original salesman, pulled out his Amex card and handed it to her without a word.
Her eyes went wide, a look that was a plain mixture of shock and pleasure appeared.
Xander found that he liked that expression. A lot. Something had changed with Dawn, but he wasn’t sure what it was.
Turning back to the salesman, who, a few days ago, she might have flirted with while looking for a date, she decided that it was time to save Xander some money. What followed was a virtuoso display in negotiation, as she bargained, flirted and threatened to get up and leave. In the end, the manager came out and they agreed on a 7% discount, with free delivery and installation for the next day.
That concluded, she handed over Xander’s card, and let him sign for it.
They then walked out, leaving behind one very pleased salesman, who saw his commission for the week go through the roof, one pleased manager, who saw his store sales for week reach a new record, and one gutted salesman, who had none of these things, and, to finish off his day, was called into the manager’s office and given a large talking to about not pre-judging a customer.
"Are you sure you’re ok with that, Xan?" Dawn was beginning to feel really guilty. She had got totally carried away, and had just spent over $1000 for every minute she had been in that store.
"You’ve just spent my completion bonus for my last project," Xander said with a grin, "So don’t worry about it. I was planning on kitting out the apartment with modern stuff, and I’m just glad that you made sure I wasn’t ripped off."
Dawn’s smile was incredibly bright. "You know, if you ever want to really piss off Buffy, Willow and Spike, you should invite them around one day."
Xander laughed his agreement.
As they walked back to the car, Xander once again tried to work out what exactly had changed in their relationship.
Yesterday morning, Dawn had been a kid, a close friend of his, but a kid. In less than twenty four hours, she had decided to move out of home and had spent the night looking after him. She’d then proved to be an interesting, fun and insightful companion, who had made the day one of the most enjoyable he could remember. She had followed it all up by showing him how to buy clothes, then, taken complete control, with a put down of a salesman he only dreamed of doing, of his electronic buying. And she did it all with a charm that endeared her to virtually all the salespeople they had dealt with, who had congratulated him on his girlfriend.
Girlfriend.
He wasn’t sure why he hadn’t denied it when the term was used.
Before today, he would have said, 'She’s like a sister to me.’ Perhaps it was because of his injury, that he wanted some sort of pride to have a beautiful young girl at his side. He knew he shouldn’t be thinking about her as beautiful - he had practically helped raise her.
Besides, she was over her crush on him.
Wasn’t she?