He knew the front door was unlocked. He had an open invitation to the house, which was ironic considering how many foul-mouthed, slimy and evil creatures were successfully kept out of the homestead. Well, all of the night creatures but two "so-called" redeemed vamps—a horrible exception that Xander would never quite understand. He half-jumped, half-skipped up the stairs much like he did when he was in high school, and strode right in through the brightly sunlit foyer. His dark, intense eyes gazed around the house as he searched for its occupants, "Buffy? Dawn? Anyone?" All he heard was the booming echo of his own masculine voice. He stood for a moment when he felt a slight grumble beginning to grow in the pit of his empty stomach. What time was it anyway? He wondered. He took a step on the floor of the wooden hallway that led to kitchen where he knew he could satisfy his bodily hunger, but he hesitated his step when something caught his curious eye.
There it lay, as if it was never moved, on the banister of the long staircase. A coat that at one point might have been really quite nice if it hadn’t seen the rough side of a thousand endless fights and kills. Xander’s face shook in disbelief. Had it been here all this time? Since that fateful night he came upon his strong, yet fragile looking friend crumpled on the cold-tiled floor of her bathroom? Spike’s coat lay there, untouched. Perhaps if Buffy touched it, it might stir something in her she didn’t want to deal with? "No," thought Xander, "its just a coat." He grabbed at it, handling it as if it were a Hefty garden trash bag. But it was heavy, well made, weathered and actually kind of cool looking.
Before he knew it, Xander found himself briskly striding up the stairs of the Summer’s house and into Buffy’s room. He looked around the room. After all she had been through in her short life and after-life, not much had changed in here. There was Mr. Gordo sitting on his "throne" of a neatly maid bed. Well, actually, it was not so neatly made, but by Buffy standards, it WAS quite the accomplishment.
Xander spun around and closed the door. He couldn’t believe he was actually doing this, but he couldn’t resist knowing what it must be like. He quickly placed his hands through the arms of the long leather coat and gazed at himself in the reflection of the room’s full- length mirror. The jacket was somewhat closed over his yellow and green button-down shirt. Ok, so maybe a darker one would have been a little more stylish with the coat, but still, he couldn’t get over how good he looked. "It’s all about the coat, isn’t it?"
He spoke to his reflection as he posed, his feet separated about 5 inches apart, hands on his hips, like some kind of super-hero. "Who’s a bad-ass?" He said with his best sneery-face. "Who’s a bad-arse? Hello luv, I got me a bit of trouble." Xander changed his pose, leaning on one hip and going for the carefree stance that certain vamps seemed to favor. He moved his hands to lift up the collar and bring it up to surround his face like a cuff. He smoothed the edges of the collar and his dark hair down to create a more sophisticated look. "My name is Bond, James Bond".
Then he spotted a glint of something on the right hip of the coat. It was light in color and seemed to be quite a patch of discoloration. Did it go all the way to the back? He spun around in the mirror trying to see what this patch of whatever was and wondering if he had caused it, AND what could he do to remove it? He licked his fingers and rubbed at the spot repeatedly in a futile attempt at spot cleaning. Xander became so involved in his efforts that he barely noticed that the bedroom door had creaked open and a very beautiful, petite blonde stood there with arms folded and an intent stare at his actions. "Um, what are you doing?"
Xander was inexplicably caught and extremely embarrassed. His face became as red as a crab and he quickly took off the coat and threw it on a nearby chair, though it easily slumped to the floor with a thud. "Looking for weapons."
"In the coat?" Buffy replied, her voice showing her disbelief and amusement.