Path of the Sidhe
By Michael

Email: Kyssed@aol.com
Distribution: Please ask permission
Spoiler warning: This takes place within Season IV
Rating: PG
Summary: The gang is asked to help protect a boy hunted by an old race of vampires. Xander finds he has new undeniable feelings about love that cause conflict.
Feedback:Kyssed@aol.com
Disclaimer: BTVS and its characters are the loving creations of Joss Whedon in association with Mutant Enemy and the WB. I only wish to play in Joss's universe and mean no infringement of copyrights.

Willow, Xander, and Buffy walked out of the movie theater into the brisk November air flooding Sunnydale's main drag, munching on the remains of the popcorn they had.

"So, what did you think of the movie?" Willow piped up.

Xander smirked softly as they walked. "I gotta tell ya Wil, after all the things we've seen in the last three years, Christopher Walkin tromping around Sleepy Hollow looking for some head just doesn't do it for me anymore."

Buffy groaned at the remark. "It's nice to see you could drag yourself away from the gutter to enjoy the movie, Xander."

"You know I aim to please," he grinned wildly, "How about you, Wil?"

She thought for a bit before answering. "I liked the way they portrayed magic. They even were using some of the right things in the summoning and especially the protection spell. I can relate to the girl's need to use it to protect the ones she loves..." Willow trailed off suddenly. It had been only a short time since Oz had left causing little things to still painfully remind her of the emptiness and abandonment she felt. The three continued in silence for a while.

"I liked the love theme," Buffy said thoughtfully. "but I guess I have always been a sucker for sappy, cheesy romantics."

Xander could feel the wistful thoughts of his friends. Both had lost the most cherished people in their lives and although he cared about them both, he felt a little envious that he hadn't truly found that connection. Things with Cordelia had always been complicated and hit or miss at best, Faith had used him and nearly killed him in the end, and Anya was just plain freaky. Xander sighed restlessly as he pulled himself away from his daunting history of dating, wanting desperately to be doing and thinking about other things right now.

"Hey, you guys up for hanging out at the Bronze for a bit. Paranoid Delusion is playing this evening?"

Willow shrugged. "Actually, the campus wiccan group is celebrating the mourning moon tonight. It starts a new lunar cycle. See." she pointed at the edge of the skyline. The moon bloomed full just above the trees, an ochre globe casting a warm glow over the night sky. "I actually get to be a direction tonight. I'm the great northern earth mother," she grinned as she said it.

"Giles wants me to patrol tonight so I guess it's a hot date with me and Mr. Pointy in the park. Sorry, Xander."

They continued to walk until they reached the Sciences Department on campus and said their good-byes to Willow before Xander spoke again. "Buff, do you mind if I tag along with you tonight. I know you don't like to be distracted with the potential of having to protect the cheering section, but I really don't want to go back home to the basement tonight."

Buffy stopped and studied him for a moment. "I suppose you can, but the first sign of real danger and I want you out of there, understand?" He shook his head in agreement and they continued.

The two swept the campus for half an hour, looking for anything suspicious amongst the passing students on their way to evening classes or the companionship of friends or sleep. As they started towards the park, Buffy sharply grabbed Xander's arm and dragged him into a thicket of juniper, pointing across the clearing. In the dim light, Xander could make out the figure of a young man sprinting across the lawn and sharp darting shadows following him from within the trees behind him.

"Four of them. They'll corner him at the juncture in the south end of the park. I'll be back so stay put."

Before Xander could protest she disappeared into the darkness. Xander didn't like this at all. Over the last few months, Buffy had been taking more risks and getting more careless with the adversaries she faced. It almost seemed a passive aggressive attempt at killing herself that truly disturbed him. He hoped Giles would intervene shortly before things got out of hand. Weighing the pros of it all for a moment, he grabbed a sharp branch and followed her.

He's lucky that clubbing him was the only thing she did when she had become 'B.C. poster child of the year'. And Spike returning to Sunnydale only adding salt to the sand in her ass about men. I swear to God I'm going to stake that sleazy bastard one of these nights. With resolve in her heart, she rounded the corner to spy the hunters before her.

Two of the vampires held the boy against a tree while a third, presumably the leader, roughly grabbed his shirt, interrogating him.

"Tell us the secret, Daithi." The boy spit in his face for response. The leader slapped him hard across the face causing blood to flow freely from his nose and mouth.

He leaned in close and licked the blood off the boy's mouth before speaking very calmly "Tell us the secret, Daithi or you get to see if Tir na n'Og really exists."

The boy laughed weakly. "If you kill me, you will never know. You hunted me all these years because you couldn't find another like me and you never will. Kill me and I am free. I win." The vampire punched him hard, leaving him to slump against the oak tree.

"Hey guys, save some of the fun for me!" Buffy stepped into the clearing, holding a wooden fang in each hand. The three vampires spun around to meet the oncoming intruder, barring teeth and short swords as she approached. The fight swiftly ensued, with the two attacking her at once while the leader held back.

Dodging a midriff kick, she snuck through one's protective zone and honed in for the kill, leaving a pile of dust where once there was solid mass. The other overtook her in a lunge, causing them both to loose their balance and fall hard to the ground. She rolled out of it in time to avoid a sword point ending up in her skull. "Didn't your mother ever tell you not to stab the girl on the first date?" With that she jabbed hard with her free hand before the vampire could pull his weapon from the ground. Ashes powdered her in seconds as he dissolved beneath the shaft of wood.

"Well, well... we have a slayer in for dinner. C'mere little girl and show me some sugar!" The two circled each other cautiously, weapons held tightly as they looked for weaknesses in the other's defenses. The leader took a few false attacks, waiting for Buffy to leave herself open. A feral scream erupted from behind them causing both to stop suddenly. "Oh my God!" Buffy whispered sharply as she took a step back, watching the transformation taking place before her. The slumped figure against the tree was slowly melting away into a new form, wildly screaming and panting as it shifted.

"You want to know my secret, Daedelus? Want another chance at getting intimate with my deepest parts. C'mon you fucking leech?" the voice warbled and jagged as the remains of humanity slipped away into feline hunger. The snow leopard padded and twitched slowly toward the vampire, its gray eyes intently staring at its prey. Daedelus pulled his sword up and wildly leaped at the large cat.

"I'll kill you, you damned fairy. Fucking kill you!" The two forms collided in midair tumbling to the ground in a flurry of violent motion. Daedelus stabbed hard between the leopard's ribs sending spews of blood across the grass. With a final wild scream the cat pinned the vampire down with its huge paws and bit deep with its jaws, severing the neck with a brutal shake of its head.

The initial shock had faded and Buffy slowly approached the staggering cat.

"Nice kitty. I don't want to hurt you.." The leopard angrily growled at her as she came closer, barring its bloodied fangs at her. It struggled to remain conscious as it fearfully watched her movements. The fur began to slough off as human features redefined the body.

"Don't come any closer..." the boy murmured restlessly as he passed out.

Buffy ran to his side, quickly assessing how bad the wounds were. She brushed the clotted strands of silver hair away from the pale face beneath. She noticed the twin points of angry punctured flesh on the boy's neck. Bite marks. And... she noticed the slight gray spots that trailed down from the boy's neck and across his naked torso. What the hell are you? She had a bad feeling about this.

The sound of Xander calling out her name dismissed the thoughts that started to form. "I'm over here," she called back. Xander crashed through the bushes, stopping short when he saw the body laying next to her.

"There's a phone by the bathrooms. Call Giles and tell him to get here now...he needs to bring the first aid kit and a few blankets...and be careful. There's another vampire from this pack out there." She felt the boy's thready pulse beneath her fingers and said a silent prayer hoping that they weren't too late.

"Buffy, I can't be of much help if you can't tell me what you heard them saying." the exasperation was beginning to show through in Giles' voice.

"I'm trying Giles! The leader's name was Daedelus and he...they were trying to get some information from the boy...a secret"

"And what of this metamorphosis- was it like Oz? Perhaps he is a lyncanthrope mutation of some sort. C'mon Buffy. Think. Can you remember anything else that was said..."

Xander walked over to where Willow sat, surrounded by looming towers of ancient books and arcane texts. "Find anything at all?" Willow looked up at Him momentarily with worry in her eyes. "No. I just hope the herbs and the healing spell worked. He lost a lot of blood. And if we take him to the hospital, who knows what would happen to him, there." Her brow furrowed with concern as she returned to the book she was paging over. Xander sat next to her, grabbing another book to look through.

"Wait! He said something about cheer...and eggnog" Giles glanced at her dubiously. "Cheers and eggnog? Buffy are you sure you heard him correctly.. I mean, it sounds like a bloody..."

"Oh! Oh! Oh!" Willow cried out in excitement. "I think I found something." Willow picked up a book from the pile she was working through and quickly paged through its contents "The Tir na n'Og. It was the Gaelic land of youth. A mystical land where the daoini sidhe of Irish myth fled to escape the onslaught of barbarian invaders."

"Its a lie" the unfamiliar voice startled all of them. Standing in the middle of the cell, the boy stood naked, staring at them. Giles stepped forward.

"What do you mean 'a lie'?"

A dark shadow of pain passed over the boy's face. "Most of history is written by the winner and it's always warped by their feelings of guilt, pride, or glorification of the past." The boy swayed for a moment before slumping to the stone floor. The bandage at his side began to seep as he took slow breaths. Xander moved towards the cell, unlocking it and walking in before anyone could prevent him and quickly sat next to the boy.

"Lay on your side. This is going to hurt a little." Gently, Xander turned him on his side and put firm pressure on the bandage. "Giles, I'm going to need some more bandages to reinforce this." He looked at the others. "He can't stay here. He needs to rest and probably have something substantial to eat. We could move him to my place for the night and figure out what to do tomorrow morning." Buffy nodded. "We'll call you if we find anything."

"You look like you're in pretty rough shape. How are you feeling?"

The boy looked at him suspiciously.

"Look. I know I am not a spell slinger or mentor like Willow and Giles or a slayer like Buffy, but this is the safest place we can keep you. The girls live in the dorms. No boys after 10:30 p.m., and Giles has a house guest staying with him this evening that is unaware of our colorful lives."

Daithi's face softened a little as Xander kneeled so that they were eye to eye. "I'm here to help, Daithi. We all are. You can trust us," he waited a second and then continued "C'mon, lets get you cleaned up." Xander ushered Daithi into the bathroom and ran a bath, scattering in herbs and oils that Willow had sent with them into the steaming water.

"What's that?" Daithi asked, reluctance in his voice as he stepped gingerly into the water.

"Wil said that this will help heal your wounds faster. Don't be such a wuss." he grinned at Daithi. The boy sank into the tub, wincing as the hot water flooded over his wounds. Xander noticed the puncture marks on Daithi's neck for the first time and let out a slight gasp. "Christ! What did they do to you?"

Xander reached up with a damp towel and started to wash away some of the blood caked grime covering the cuts and scratches on Daithi's face. Suddenly Daithi grabbed his wrist hard, the boy's gray eyes critically examining him for a moment before he relaxed his grip. He smiled for the first time as he looked at Xander. "I trust you."

Xander smiled back and returned to ministering the wounds as he listened to Daithi's story. "It started during the Five Cycles in Ireland. Each cycle represented an invasion of foreigners to Ireland and an assimilation of the Celtic people to new conquerors. One of these nations, the De Dannon, were where my people came from. They're the Daoini Sidhe- what you call fairies. We were a proud people steeped with a legacy of magic and mysticism that was jealously guarded and protected. Little good it did for them though. The Millesians came and with them they brought the Chroi Dubh- vampires- The De Dannon were slaughtered by the thousands and in a vain attempt to save our race, the elders created a spiritual world- the Tir. As many people as could still be found across the countryside were recovered and transferred to safety, but the sidhe's plans were discovered by their conquerors and the portal had to be closed. Some of the sidhe couldn't be found and were trapped here. The vampires learned that our talents are taught and not integral and began hunting us for centuries, wanting to add to their own devastating abilities." Xander could see the pain of troubled memories cross Daithi's face as he spoke.

"When I was thirteen, my mother brought me to the Irish hillsides in Dingle and taught me the ways of my ancestors. She told me we were one of the last few sidhe to walk this earth and that if I were to survive I would have to learn these birthright secrets. I performed the ritual of calling and was visited by the phantasm of a monstrous leopard. It taught me the different paths of magic and who my enemies were."

Xander ran his fingertips across Daithi's shoulder and back for a moment. " Is that what these markings are? Leopard spots. And why your skin is so pale?"

Daithi nodded, "When you're chosen by the animal, you take on its characteristics. It marks you as one of its children." Daithi trailed off for a moment. "The Chroi Dubh found us that night. I escaped but my family was tortured and killed by Daedelus. That was nearly a hundred years ago." Realization struck Xander hard. He's over a hundred years old.

"How did you get the bite marks?" He might as well have slapped Daithi with the question. He could feel Daithi's muscles tense beneath his touch as he washed the welt marks on his back. "I was captured two years ago in Chicago. Daedelus and his pack tortured and starved me in the hopes of breaking my will. They drank from me for the high the sidhe blood gives them. One night the Snow Leopard came to me when I was half delirious and possessed me. I don't recall most of what happened after that. Just glimpses of blood drenched scenes... so much blood. And terror...I woke the next day in a park in the outskirts of town and ran. I have been running ever since, trying to find other sidhe like me."

Xander had the sudden urge to hold this boy and take away the fear and the atrocities of his past. Daithi was all alone and had no one to trust. An outsider always looking into a world he can never totally be a part of. These unfamiliar rush of emotions scared him. The phone rang in the other room so Xander excused himself for a moment. The rest of the scooby gang must have found something.

"We might have a plan," Buffy's voice was serious, "Can you come to Giles' house?"

"Yeah. Let me just get some things settled for Daithi and I'll be right there." Hanging up the phone, he turned around to find Daithi standing naked in the bathroom doorway looking at him. His skin glistened from the beads of water that still cling to him as he padded over to Xander, his face looking more innocent now. Xander couldn't help but admire the ghostly beauty of the sidhe. He could still feel the memory of Daithi's skin and pain beneath his fingers.

"Buffy might have found something to help. I need to go to Giles' and will come back as soon as I am done. There is food in the refrigerator and TV nest to the bed and...clothes. Clothes would be a good thing." He fumbled through his drawers for some clothes for Daithi. "I don't know if these will fit or not but try them on and see what you think." Daithi gave him a puzzled look.

"I'll be back in about an hour. Are you going to be ok?" Daithi nodded silently. Xander looked at him one last time and then reached out for his hands. "We're going to stop this, Daithi. You wont have to run anymore. Ever!" With that he left, before the disturbing thoughts he was having got the better of him.

"These vampires that Daithi is describing, the Chroi Dubh, are rare. They are an ancient sect of vampires that sought to strengthen their existence hrought the powers of others. Their kin have the ability to absorb other people's talents. If what Daithi is describing is accurate, they would be nearly unstoppable if they capture the secrets of his people." Daithi's conversation burned in his mind.

They would drink to get high off the sidhe blood. "They were a fanatical group back then. I'm sure that not a lot has changed since then. They will not rest till they have found this boy and taken from him what they want." Images of Daithi's torture flashed within Xander. "Well, we have to stop them or protect him or something!"

"Xander, we want to do that, but we don't know what we're up against," Buffy replied. "We don't know how different they are from the run-of-the-mill undead in Sunnydale." Xander let out an uncharacteristic growl of frustration. "Willow! What about a protection spell. Something that would make him invisible to them. They could never find him ever. He would be safe."

Willow looked at him uncertainly. "I don't know, Xander. I mean, I can't even de-rat Amy, and Buffy was right about me getting things to work half the time."

He had finally lost patience. "Dammit! You gave a vampire his soul back and you're balking at protecting an innocent who was beaten and tortured for almost two years by those monsters? The rest of us could help cast the spell. Giles has books older than God at hand. It's not like we don't have the resources here. If we don't do this, they are going to find him and kill him!"

The group stared in amazement at him. He had never blown up like this before and felt strange for feeling this strongly about Daithi's well-being. Willow smiled comfortingly at him.

"Xander, I'm sure we'll find something. I'll look through the internet. The stuff you told us about him will help narrow down what the scoop is with Daedelus and the Chroi Dubh. Stay with him to make sure nothing happens. We'll meet up tomorrow night and figure out what needs to be done." Xander nodded blankly.

"I'm sorry for yelling. It's just...all the things they put him through and losing his family. He's got no one."

"We'll do what we can, Xander" Buffy said. A strange look crossed her face as he left.

"NO!!!" Daithi bolted out of bed running blindly towards the bathroom. Xander ran after him, finding him curled up in a fetal position in the corner.

"Daithi?...Daithi, its Xander." He reached out and touched the shivering boy's shoulder. Daithi flinched under his touch, snapping his head to look at Xander as if he had just realized there was someone else there with him.

"Xander?..." He reached out and pulled himself towards Xander, grasping him tightly as he stood up.

Hot tears rolled across Xander's chest as the boy started sobbing.

"Don't let him touch me, again. Don't let him find me." Xander could feel him shaking violently in his arms from anguish. He reached up and put a hand on the boy's head trying to soothe away the tears. "Its ok now, Daithi. It was just a dream. You were having a dream. You're safe now with me....its ok."

Daithi stepped back for a moment and looked at Xander hesitantly before explaining.

"Xander, when I told you about being captured, I didn't tell you everything. Daedelus didn't just torture me. He...would come into my cell every night and...he raped me. And now every night I sleep, he is there doing the same things to me. Xander, I know you mean well, but I don't think I will ever be free of him."

Xander hugged him tightly then.

"He's dead Daithi. You killed him last night. He can't touch you or anyone else now. Ever!" Xander wished he could have killed the bastard himself. Such violation to someone like Daithi sent him reeling with anger.

"Come back to bed." He took Daithi's hand and led him to the other room and sat him down. "I can't change what has happened, Daithi, but we're on it. My friends can help and they are going to take care of this so you won't ever have to run again. Do you still trust me?" Daithi's tears still streaked down his face as he nodded at Xander. With out thinking, Xander leaned over and kissed him full on the mouth. Christ! What was I thinking. He's never going to trust me again. Dammit! He could feel Daithi tense for a moment, relax, and return the kiss fully. Daithi pulled him down onto the bed and kissed him again before speaking. "Is this what you want...to be with me?"

Xander nodded with determination hugging him tightly. He whispered in Daithi's ear as they lay there, "Do you still trust me?" Daithi looked up at Xander, touching his lips lightly with soft fingertips. "I trust you, Xander." It felt strangely comfortable and right for Xander to be here with this boy. Like breathing. They lay silently for a long time before Xander spoke again.

"What does 'Daithi' mean in your language?" he asked curiously. Daithi smiled as he lay there. "It means 'beloved'."

Xander smiled at this. "You are."

He pulled the covers over them finally and kissed Daithi gently. "Lets get some sleep."

"So, we're going to do a little cooking and make a killer gumbo for the bad guys?" Xander smiled good-naturedly. Willow rolled her eyes and handed Daithi and Xander a packet of herbs to measure.

"We're going to cast a protection spell. It will take all of us to do it."

"What do you mean by protection spell?" Daithi asked suspiciously. Giles pulled away from his manuscript for a moment. "This will effectively hide you from the Chroi Dubh. After this, they will never be able to find you?"

"But what about the other magics they have acquired through the centuries?" Daithi was not impressed with the answer. He paced the cobblestones nervously.

Xander grabbed his arms and pulled him close. "It's gonna work. We wont let anything hurt you." Daithi looked into his eyes, the signs of fear and disappointment disappearing as Xander touched him.

"Lets do it," Xander said resonantly. Giles ushered Daithi into the center of the ornate design and began to light candles. Xander, Willow, and Buffy began sprinkling herbs and powders into the burning censers and took their positions around it. Giles handed them their parts of the incantation and they took their places.

Things became still as the moon came out from behind the clouds, shining brilliantly down upon the piazza.

Within the darkness and Artemis' arms
We invoke you Goddess to protect him from harm
From the Shadows here that roam the night
And cannot walk amidst the light.

Shield this soul from prying eyes
That he might take another guise
And walk the lands without respite
From ancient demons of the night.

The candles flared brightly like incandescent flares as the design beneath Daithi began to glow and blur. They continued to chant the spell, the air around them beginning to churn and tremor with the building magics. Suddenly, the piazza filled with a blindly light that pulsed and throbbed as the spell unfolded, leaving them all blind for a moment.

Xander looked up when his vision cleared to see Daithi laying on the cobblestones. Fear raced through him as he ran to the still form. He held Daithi close as he rocked him. "God! Please be alive!" He searched for a pulse. Daithi moaned beneath him, consciousness beginning to clear from the daze.

"Its ok. I'm fine." Xander hugged him tightly to make sure and then let him free. They stood up as the smoke cleared around them, the rest of the gang beginning to stand from the chaos that had just ensued.

"Wow!" Willow said, "That was some spell. I don't remember them saying anything about the poof thing at the end. Everyone ok?"

The group headed into the house, dazed from the aftereffects of the ritual.

"So now what?" Buffy asked. "Where are you planning on going from here?"

Daithi sat silently for a moment before speaking. "I have to find others like me. I can't sit and leave them to live alone out there thinking they are the only ones left."

Xander frowned slightly at this but said nothing.

"Well, you'll be better equipped now to find your people without the fear of the Chroi Dubh constantly hunting you." Giles said.

A silence fell upon the group for a moment before anyone said anything.

"Well I guess everything is done then," Xander said quietly, "I'll see you off."

As they headed for the door, Buffy tapped on Xander's shoulder. "Can we talk for a minute?" He looked at her quizzically. "Sure. Daithi, I'll be right out."

Once the door had closed, she looked at him squarely. "Xander, what's going on between you and Daithi?" Xander stared at the floor for a long time before speaking.

"What do you mean?" he replied quietly.

"Well, the way you have been acting since he has been here, you would think you two were a couple." He looked at her sharply for a moment, judging the standpoint she might be taking on this. The tone of her voice seemed strange. "Would it matter one way or the other, Buffy?" He could feel his defenses flying up and the room start to feel fuzzy as he held his ground against the oncoming inquisition.

"What's going on? You are dating Anya one moment and then getting weird with the cat boy. What are you doing?"

Willow quickly intervened, "Buffy, don't you think you're being a little..."

"No, Willow," Xander interrupted, "You don't have to defend anyone here." His voice was becoming more tense as he turned to face Buffy. "You want answers, Buffy? Well, you know what? You can't have them...because I don't even have the answers right now. I don't know what the hell I am anymore or who I'm supposed to be. What I do know is that being around Daithi has made me happy and like I can matter in someone's life. And as for Ôweird'... apparently its fine and dandy for you to be all hot and bothered with a vampire or for Willow to be in love with a werewolf, but heaven forbid I find some comfort in Daithi's company."

"That's not the point, Xander." she retorted.

"Really? So what exactly is the point, Buff? Is it that you had a problem with me spending time with a fairy or that you just can't swallow the possibility of two men being happy in each other's arms?"

Buffy answered him with silence.

"That's what I thought, " Xander turned to Willow, "Thanks for finding the spell, Wil. See ya around."

He left the house without looking back, meeting Daithi at the corner. Daithi looked concerned, "Everything ok?"

Xander smiled at him, taking a hold of his hand and beginning to walk towards the park. "I couldn't be happier."

Xander looked over at him, noticing the silver flicker in those gray eyes. "I love you." The words stuck in his throat as he tried to speak. The look Daithi gave him scared him. Another moment of saying the wrong thing too soon. Lets give Xander Harris another point for successfully sticking his foot in his mouth.

Daithi kissed his hand and whispered in his ear. "I love you, too."

They reached the clearing where Buffy had first found Daithi and stopped. The silence felt deafening to Xander as he stared into Daithi's eyes. "I guess this is where we say goodbye, huh?"

Daithi nodded. "I'll come back, Xander. I have to find some of the others but I wont let you go." He hugged Xander tightly, planting a long kiss on his lips before he could say anything else.

"It's time." He held Xander's hand one last time and then let go. The boy padded across the lawn, flowing into the shape of a large snow leopard as he left.

Xander felt something in his palm as he watched the first love he had ever felt leave. It was a small charm of a miniature cat's paw embedded in silver.

Xander walked back through the park, trying to retain every memory of his time with Daithi. He slipped the charm through his necklace, feeling the comfort of it against his skin. He noticed a figure standing at the periphery of the park as he walked back to his ordinary life. Buffy.

"Can we talk?" The sting of their last conversation still burned under his skin. "I don't feel like talking right now."

"Then at least hear me out. Please, Xander." He stopped and waited for the explanation. "I'm sorry I came at you like that, Xander. It wasn't fair to pass judgement on you without knowing what the score was. I wasn't prepared for this at all and instead of being supportive for you, I freaked. You are so right to want to be with someone regardless of who they are." Xander just looked at her, uncertain of what to say. Buffy looked down at the ground for a moment and then continued. "I have to make a confession. I followed you and Daithi back to the park. Watching you two together seemed so natural and...I guess I was a little jealous that you could find something so beautiful like that and I am stuck in the irony of being 'The Slayer' with a boyfriend who I will never be able to get close enough to. I'm so sorry, Xander. It wasn't fair to him or you what I said. I hope he comes back for you because of all of us, you deserve something like this."

Xander walked over to Buffy, taking her cheeks in his hands. "I think this calls for celebration. How about chocolate sundaes and cherry cokes at The Bronze?" Buffy smiled at him.

As they walked down the path, their conversation trailed off into the night. "So tell me, is he a good kisser?"