Priorities

Stepping into Jenny’s cozy, one-bedroom apartment made Xander sentimental. It’s been nearly ten days since he’s been in her warm home. Looking toward her bedroom just past the living room, he still remembered waking up to her uniquely sweet scent as the thoroughly satisfied woman snuggled up against him. Though not fully erect, Xander was swelling in anticipation as he walked behind her. Jenny led him to her couch in the living room, and if not for the one lamp turned on, the entire room would be dark. Xander noticed the bottle of whiskey on the dining table as he sat right in the middle of the couch. Only a third of the brown liquid was left.

“Want anything to drink?” Jenny asked as she took off her Navy cardigan. Walking toward him, she didn’t seem overly drunk, however, Xander got the impression she could handle her liquor.

“Wouldn’t mind… a coke…” Xander trailed off as the intoxicating woman straddled the surprised boy’s lap.

What mild swelling of his love muscle he had, now fully pitched a tent under her. Seated on his hardened bulge, Jenny’s dark-purple shorts and white V-neck top tightened around her lithe body. Her humid snatch snuggled perfectly around Xander’s raging hard-on, and his hands were firmly massaging her warm thighs and ass. They were both savvy enough to know what was going to happen and her alcohol consumption was not a factor because drinking and sex weren’t the underlying problems.

Xander could see what she wanted in her sad and aroused eyes, but strangely, he could also see what she needed. He had been possessed many times since the time braid started, but he’s never been a horrid monster that was on the verge of killing him. Even when he was possessed by the hyena spirit, he was scared about what he did to his friends more than he was about dying. Jenny nearly died last night. The demon Eyghon could’ve burst out of the bloody ribbons that was her sexy body. Xander didn’t need Casanova to imagine she was barely holding on.

Despite how erotic she looked straddling his lap, sensually leaning over for intimate cuddling, Xander’s warm hand left her ass and cupped her blushing cheeks. He looked deeply into her almond brown eyes and wondered if she could see how sad he felt for her reflected in his own eyes. The warm touch of his hand made her blink in unexpected confusion. She looked into his vulnerable chocolate eyes, and after a moment, her breath hitched before her face broke. She lost her erotic posture and simply collapsed on him as she began crying.

Her black head of hair landed on the nape of his neck and his arms wrapped around her back, holding her tightly to him as she wailed against him. Though he still had a raging erection, he ignored that urge in favor of comforting the overwrought woman. Sniveling on his neck and chest, she cried her eyes out until he lost track of time, and long after that.

As he rubbed her back, the sympathetic boy softly reassured her, “It’s okay. You’re okay now. I got you.”

After she tired out, Xander lifted her slack form in his arms and took her to bed. Gently, he set her down and tucked her in. He tried to leave, but barely a step away, she reached out for his hand, and with desperate eyes, asked him to stay with her. Xander nodded before taking all but his boxers off and sliding between her sheets. She embraced his warm body immediately and tucked her head under his jaw at the pocket of his neck. The teenager held her tightly until she eventually fell asleep. It was the first time Xander felt comfortable enough to go to sleep without staring at the clock till 3 AM.

Come morning, Jenny was awakened by a rocking motion, as if something was gently shaking her. She looked down to the warm pressure on her chest and found a hand gripping her breast. Sleeping on her side, she twisted her neck to see a slumbering Xander spooning her and gently thrusting his morning wood against the crack of her ass. The fact that he was still asleep made her chuckle. Rather than move him, she pinched his cheek until he woke up to find himself unconsciously dry-humping his computer teacher.

Slowly, he let go of her right breast before timidly voicing, “Sorry.”

Smiling a bit, she didn’t move away from his throbbing erection as she conveyed, “It’s fine. I understand.”

Xander kept his cock between her ass cheeks and his hand rested on the bone of her hip as he asked, “How are you feeling?”

“Better, actually,” she admitted with something of a smile. “Ready to drown my sorrows with a lot of shopping.”

Happy to hear a joke from her, Xander nodded as he painstakingly tried not to thrust his pelvis into her perky ass. He remarked, “That’s good… Wait, that is good, right? I’ve been possessed a few times, and let me tell ya, I never forget.” Recalling what the hyena spirit made his body attempt to do to Buffy brought so much shame and embarrassment, Xander glumly revealed, “Not sure I can.”

Dejectedly, she lamented, “Maybe it isn’t good.”

“So talk to me,” he offered, leaning closer, nestling his cock deeper between her warm cheeks. His hand gripped her hip harder as he assured her, “I can help.”

“You’ve done more than enough, Xander,” Jenny huskily said, and she arched her back to press into his erection. “And… I don’t want you to think we’re something more than what we are.”

Despite her words, her body said the complete opposite; something Casanova simply dubbed, The Game. He inhaled her succulent scent and his hand massaged her hip as his pelvis thrusted against her rear-end, rocking her lithe body. Playfully, Xander whispered in her ear, “Then what are we, exactly?”

Jenny moaned as she leaned her head into his, buzzing deliciously with his every touch. The aroused woman struggled to assert, “We’re… mmn, we have a close student/teacher relationship.”

“Mnn, well, I wouldn’t mind studying anatomy right now,” he said before rolling them over and lifting her onto him. Her legs spread and straddling his straining meat-tower as he added, “But I’ve always been more of a hands-on learner.”

“Xander…” She tried to protest, but he thrusted slowly against her sodden center, deliberately, making her rise and fall as if she were riding a horsey machine. Jenny leaned forward and rested her hands on his chest, but didn’t get off him. Cognizant of how impressively he can make her orgasm, she couldn’t help but feel aroused by the boy under her. He gripped her hair and commandingly pulled her close to him, only adding to the arousing thrill building in her body.

“Don’t lie to me, Ms. Calendar,” he softly voiced, looking into her dilated eyes. “I can see it in your eyes… how hungry you are. How many times have you used your toy since we fucked?”

He didn’t give her a chance to answer, kissing her deeply, to which she happily returned. Their hot tongues mingled in her mouth as their lips fused together. Xander pumped his pelvis against her dripping womanhood as his hands massaged her breasts with a rolling pull, tweaking her nipples so perfectly, her leg twitched involuntarily.

Jenny pulled away, and as she began removing her panties, hotly told the boy, “This is the last time. I’m serious.”

Xander removed his boxers as he asserted, “Just as long as you know it’s always on the menu.”

Their lips fused together again, his tongue playfully dominating hers, and Jenny was grinding against his thick manhood. The pair of lovers became so frantic, he rolled the gorgeous woman over so he’d be on top and dry-humped her leaking womanhood. When her alarm went off, interrupting them, Jenny reached out and slammed her palm on the off button.

Her red lips pulled away from his to tell him, “We don’t have long.”

They were both so desperate for it, she lined him against her dripping slit before stuffing one hard groin into the soaking warmth of the other to a mutual groan of bliss. At every inch of Xander’s cock sliding into her yearning pussy, Jenny spread her legs wider apart so he could shove himself deep into her vibrating body. Xander groaned happily, savoring the warm moistness of her tight sex before he began pumping in and out of her. Using her arms and legs, the aroused Jenny held onto Xander’s energetic body, pressing her thighs against his sides as he rammed himself into her yielding pussy.

Glued to each other, his lips found the nape of her graceful neck, the erogenous spot that made her hum when he sucked it. Jenny giggled as the waves of sweet vibes bubbled and popped up and down her feverish body like champagne. She pursed her mouth open, inviting her student to kiss her passionately. His mouth covered her lips, slanting his head to the side so his tongue slid deeper, caressing the woman’s delicate tongue and entwining it with his.

Filling her from both ends, Xander’s thrusts became more forceful. He rocked the bed, making her moan in his mouth as he plunged faster into Jenny’s tight vagina. The teacher’s legs trembled as she felt her orgasm approach, and her hands dug into the skin of Xander’s back until both lovers climaxed together, breaking their lips to moan out together. Mouth open in a wide O, Jenny couldn’t stop quivering under him at the delicious feel of his thick seed spurting into her love nook. After a minute of vibrating bliss, their breathing eventually evened, but Xander hadn’t settled down.

“One more?” he asked as he already began turning her over.

“Wait, we- mmn-” she moaned as he rubbed her ass and lower back. “School, Xander. School,” she tried, however, the incredibly aroused woman was on her hands and knees ready for more.

Xander lined his vigorous erection against her pulsing womanhood and slammed into her sexy body. Soon, he was pounding into her tight sex, rubbing against the spots that squeezed him the hardest until they both came together. It was mind-numbing bliss cumming inside a gorgeous woman squeezing every ounce of man-milk out of him. Though the lovers felt spent, Xander wanted to keep going.

He laid on his back, bringing her with him, and helped her sit on his pelvis reverse-cowgirl. With her hands rested on his knees, Jenny fucked him hard for dozens of moans, whimpers, and deep groans until they climaxed for a third glorious time. It was the most intense thirty minutes for either of them, and they barely had time to jump in the shower and change before leaving for school.

After Xander, Willow, and Buffy finished taking the mandatory aptitude test, the three walked to the library. The test was a tool the guidance counselors used to assist their juniors in selecting the best path for their future, and in Xander’s case, it was a complete waste of his time. Weaving through the busy halls, he knew exactly what he needed to be doing, and his body was crackling with restless energy. Xander was a weaponsmith. In Dungeons & Dragons, he’d be an artificer, but he didn’t have an iron shop of his own. Eager to practice rune forging, Xander needed to research building his own forge shop in the basement of his home. If he could avoid wasting time traveling to Wild Dinks, all the better.

Xander paid more attention when Buffy snapped on Willow. The redhead was curious about how Buffy envisioned what her future might be like if she weren’t the slayer. An irked Buffy pointed out, “Do the words ‘sealed’ and ‘fate’ ring any bells for you, Will? Why go there?”

As they enter the library, Xander told Buffy, “You know, with that kind of attitude, you could have a bright future as an employee of the DMV. You know their motto; ‘where hope goes to die.’”

“I’m sorry,” a remorseful Buffy genuinely voiced for snapping. Slouching her shoulders in defeat, she explained, “It’s just… Unless hell freezes over and every vamp in Sunnydale puts in for early retirement, I’d say my future as the one and only slayer is pretty much a non-issue.”

At the mention of a single slayer, Xander instantly thought of Faith. He knew the beautiful punk brunette would be coming to Sunnydale eventually. It made all the sense in the world to reach out to her instead of waiting. If Faith came to Sunnydale faster than before, she could back them up when they needed it. Two slayers in Sunnydale sounded like a blessing.

With Giles nowhere to be seen, Xander couldn’t ask him about a second slayer. As he set his bag near the library’s sole computer, his friends were settling in at the center table. Then he casually suggested, “Maybe we should bring in the other Slayer.”

The girls stopped what they were doing and turned to Xander, giving him the most curious look. Buffy eventually relayed, “Uh, I think you missed the part about there being only one. Just me, yours truly.”

Xander stopped what he was doing to nod at them before claiming, “Uh, yeah. Before. Not anymore.”

“No, still,” Buffy returned, growing more concerned for him. “It clearly states on the dotted line, there can only be one.”

“Yeeeaaah, but you died,” Xander reminded them, though, at their taken faces, he wondered if he was a little too callous to the concept of death when he said it. Pushing forward, he added, “I just mean I was there, so, can’t exactly forget. That means there should be another slayer.”

Buffy took the moment to consider it, however, Willow confidently expressed, “I’m not sure the conditions for the Slayer line work that way.”

“Gotta agree with Will here,” Buffy ultimately asserted. She returned taking her homework out of her bag as she finished, “I’m thinking it’s more of the dead-dead category. Not the milder case of momentarily lacking a heartbeat.”

Willow nodded before adding, “Or really, statistically speaking, there would be more than one by now. I know it’s only ever one at a time, but it’s been thousands of years. For not a single one of the past slayers to have drowned and be revived is extremely improbable.”

They all knew the Slayer line comprised of thousands of young super-girls who were likely just as motivated as Buffy, so Willow’s argument made sense. The only counterargument Xander could think of was, “Maybe Buffy’s special.”

“Aww,” Buffy cooed with a cheery grin. Willow only nodded at the possibility and the girls returned to their mixture of studying and Angel-talk.

Without Giles to back him on a second slayer, Xander hopped on the library’s computer, and for the millionth time, groaned at how outdated the technology was. Old-Man Xander had marvelous memories of all sorts of technological advancement; paper-thin Ultra definition screens, holograms, portable everything, quantum computing, and on, and on, and on. The lack of social media was fine. What was killing Xander every day was the dial-up modems, limited websites, standard definition, and no YouTube. Using Yahoo and AOL to search for the info he needed was so much different from Google, but at the thought of wielding Thor’s hammer, he adjusted quickly.

Through Old Man Xander, the teenager knew there were plenty of conflicts ahead of the Scooby Gang, and any strategist worth their salt would prepare for it. He already had the confidence to make a weapon better than any professional, however, it was supremely essential he perfected forging them using Norse runes. That was the only way to turn a regular sword into Excalibur or a regular hammer into Mjölnir. His weapons would be how they survived and how Xander escaped the time loop.

Additionally, Jenny’s possible future death weighed heavily on his mind. Having just been with her that morning, he wanted to make sure she lived to see a ripe old age. At the sight of Buffy happily talking with Willow, he knew the best way to save Jenny was to break up Buffy and Angel. It wouldn’t be easy. Buffy’s love for Angel was bigger than logic, and he expected heavy denial and defense. Thinking about her deep love for Dead Boy was annoying Xander, so he focused on constructing his own smithing shop at home.

Fortunately, there were a few forums on forging equipment, but Xander didn’t like his findings. A good power hammer would cost him around $10,000 on its own. A belt grinder and the propane fire forge were the next big price tags at $3,000 and $1,000, respectively. Then there was the cost of hammers, tongs, sanding belts, other tools, and perishable materials that summed up to a few thousand as well. Xander had only earned $7,700 from selling his scratch-offs, which meant he had no choice but to continue forging at Wild Dinks in the meantime.

‘But our deal was five for a single sword,’ Xander thought with growing worry.

Grabbing his things, Xander waved to his friends and rushed out of the library. He needed to talk to the short, scruffy owner about a more permanent situation. Sadly, Pete’s forge shop was primarily for profit, which meant they mostly sold specialty parts, kitchen knives, and furniture frames. The deal Xander struck with Pete was five hundred dollars for a few weeks’ worth of work and enough equipment-time and material for a single sword. If Xander worked at Wild Dinks on a more permanent basis, it’s possible he wouldn’t be able to forge what he liked.

At the shop, Xander and Pete walked into his office to talk. The rough-looking man was barely five-foot-tall, but he looked mean with his unkempt, long hair, thick beard & brows, and an angry resting expression around his green eyes. His arms were tatted and clearly defined, and he dressed casually in thick, bland-colored smithing gear. Xander asked the short man if they could extend their initial deadline longer. In his swivel chair, Pete hummed and scratched his jaw in thought.

“I like you, Harris,” he gruffly began. “You remind me of me; brimming with potential, but not someone most can hardly tolerate.” Xander nearly snorted at the sarcastic truth. “And I’ve seen you with a hammer. You’ve got more smithing skill in your untouched foreskin than ninety percent of my guys.”

“Uh, eww,” Xander snuck in as Pete finished, “You’re made for smithing, like me. So, out with it. Tell me what you want cuz this’ll be the last time you’ll hear me say anything nice about you again.”

“I want my own locker, keys for grave work, and space in the cage,” Xander said. A locker meant he could use their showers after work, so he didn’t have to go home completely covered in layers of dried sweat, ash, metal flakes, sawdust, and grime. Keys for the shop would be ideal if he wanted to work when there were fewer people around. Wild Dinks’ security cage was much stronger than the library’s cage and Xander felt safe leaving his magical weapons there.

“Naturally,” a bored-looking Pete asserted. “If that’s it, you’ll get the same rate as the others, and I’ll have you start under Jay next week. He can show you how to work orders.”

Before Pete could get out of his seat, Xander quickly remarked, “The guys don’t pay for perishables.”

Pete quirked his thick brow and looked at him oddly before slowly voicing, “Obviously. What sort of business would charge their employees for materials the business sells?”

“I want to pay,” Xander quickly asserted, eager to spring the deal on the dark-haired owner. “A hundred a month to rent out the equipment, and two hundred for the stuff I use; the ore, propane, wood, sanding belts, the whole nine.”

Eying Xander as if he were a fool attempting to fence snake oil, Pete nearly snickered before replying, “You’re not exactly instilling me with confidence in your negotiation skills, Harris. What’s your angle?”

Smirking, Xander explained, “You’ve got guys filling orders, making what sells; so kitchenware, furniture frames, jewelry, car keys, repairs-”

“And I take it you don’t want to do any of that,” Pete easily filled in. “You just want to make swords, don’t cha, ya little Viking?” He chuckled to himself a bit before laughing. Xander wasn’t sure if he should laugh with the shorter man, but awkwardly chuckled along. The owner eventually noted, “Swords don’t make shit, but it’s the draw for most smiths. People love a fresh sword, even if they use it on nothing but fruits and bottles. Basically, you want to pay me to do whatever you want, whenever you want.”

“You still get your cut if I sell anything,” Xander informed him. “Just, no oversight.”

Pete stared into Xander’s stern eyes for several moments as he scratched his beard. His mind ran fast because soon, he made a counteroffer. “I’ll accept under one condition. You work at Dinks when you hit eighteen. I’ll even waive the monthly dues for equipment use. Final offer.”

“Deal,” Xander quickly accepted.

“Not like you could’ve filled out an application, anyway.” Peter got up to get him a contact sheet to fill out. As he was rifling through the cabinet behind him, he asserted, “If anyone asks, you’re a client. You don’t work here. Got it?”

“Thanks, Pete,” the teen smiled as he took the emergency contact sheet and began filling it out.

“Yeah, yeah,” the owner grumbled as he waited. “And feel free to call me Beast.”

Xander looked up in confusion and remarked, “But… no one calls you that.”

“I know,” he was upset to admit. Looking at the group of men working outside his office window, he added, “I’ve been trying for years. Bastards.”

Xander spent the next seven hours at the forge, prepping a Damascus billet and drawing it out with the power hammer. By the end of the day, he got the billet ready to begin the folding and rune etching the following day. Before Xander left, Pete gave him his keys for the shop, his locker, and the security cage. The gruff man also gave him a printout of state sword competitions for the year, which Xander taped to the inside of his locker. Eying his yellow locker with a sense of starting something special—something unique to him—Xander smiled in delight.

The last thing the scraggly-haired owner told him was, “And get yourself some proper gear, would ya? This is a respectable establishment, not prom. You’re supposed to look like shit here.” Looking at his soot-covered school clothes, Xander couldn’t agree more. He needed tougher clothes that could handle the blasting heat, plums of smoke, and sparks of embers.

The next day, Xander checked the results of the aptitude test on the posted list in the square. The teenager found he had potential in several fields; prison guard, soldier, police officer, carpentry, and engineering. Even though he couldn’t find Willow’s results, he noticed Buffy also shared a knack for police work. He smiled at the thought of them working federal cases together like Mulder and Scully. He wondered if they should go to the career fair together and check out the police booth.

Since Buffy and Giles left somewhere during lunch, Xander returned to the library after school to drop off Wild Dinks’ contact information. Mentally working runes into his billet like Eitri would during classes, Xander knew it was going to take him a while to get right.

‘Years of practice…’ he mentally groaned with some dismay.

Xander entered the library after school let out and immediately panicked at the sight of Giles piling stacks of thick tomes on the long center table. It was painfully clear something sinister was afoot and would require a lot of research. Xander felt torn. He wanted to drop off Dinks’ contact info and go forge, not sit in a chair and read all day. However, he calculated that Giles’ anxiety level was at DEFCON 2; one step shy of the Master level threat. Which meant he needed to help, despite wanting to go.

Willow was helping the frenetic Giles categorize the stacks of books while Buffy watched on with mounting dread. Xander greeted everyone with, “So, this doesn’t seem horrible at all.”

“Ah, good, you’re here,” Giles began before explaining Josephus du Lac and the plundered tomb they investigated during lunch. “He was a Catholic priest, mystic, theologian, and mathematician belonging to a sect that was excommunicated by the Vatican at the turn of the century. Josephus and his sect wrote a number of books containing several dark rituals and spells, many of which are said to reap unspeakable evil.”

“They couldn’t just write a Vatican cookbook like everyone else?” Xander joked, making Buffy snort before admitting, “I totally went with the cookbook joke too-”

“Enough,” Giles irately voiced. He took a deep breath and apologized to the teens. “Apologies, but first a book is taken from the library, and now, vampires steal something from du Lac’s tomb… whatever’s coming, I guarantee, it won’t be good.”

Though he was eager to forge, Xander stayed to help. In two hours, the gang discovered the invention stolen from the mausoleum was the Du Lac cross. Additionally, every text surrounding the artifact was written in archaic Latin only the sect members could read, meaning Buffy, Xander, and Willow were in for an all-nighter. Worse yet, the Du Lac cross didn’t ring any Old-Man-Xander-bells, which meant he couldn’t speed up the research process even if he wanted to. It was all new to him.

Though he felt the constant pull of the hammer and forge calling him, he couldn’t ignore Buffy and his friends when they needed help stopping the big bad coming. Xander was about to ignore a crucial day of smithing to help research why the cross was stolen when Buffy stood and stated she had other plans.

“I promise I’ll be back bright and early tomorrow, perky and ready to slay,” she said as she gathered her things.

Giles looked at her, perplexed, before conveying with urgency, “This is a rather serious matter, Buffy.”

“I know,” she assured her watcher as she back-stepped toward the door. “But you have to admit, I lack in the book area. You guys are the brains. I’d just be around for moral support.”

Looking at her with Giles-level of perplexity, Xander told the girl, “That’s not true. You totally contribute. We’d be dead if it wasn’t for the snacks you bring.”

It wasn’t until Buffy looked at Willow for backup that the teenage boy understood. Xander’s been around them long enough to recognize the discreet look that came over their faces when Angel was involved. His shoulders slumped in disappointment.

‘If her vampire boyfriend was more important than figuring out the latest baddie on the way, then I’m not skipping my important stuff either,’ he mentally yelled. The time looper knew there were nefarious problems nearly every week on the Hellmouth, so he needed all the free time he could spare if he was ever going to forge a legendary weapon.

Clearing his throat, Xander stated, “Actually, I can’t stay either.” At the blatantly confused looks on their faces, he answered, “I got a job,” which surprised all three of them. He extended a piece of paper to Giles as he explained, “Here’s the number of the smithing shop I’ll be working at.”

Willow was the first to repeat, “Smithing?”

Xander ignored their skeptical looks, as if they couldn’t picture him hammering over an anvil, and answered flatly, “Yeah. I thought I’d be helpful in other ways besides bringing the much-needed funnies and stopping punches with my face. Buffy uses weapons to slay. I’m good with my hands. So, maketh weapons I shall!”

“Aww, that’s sweet,” Buffy told him with her radiant smile. “But Giles gets all the weapons I need, so…”

“Very true, Xander,” Giles agreed. “Though thoughtful, your gesture, I could really use another pair of eyes to research. I cannot stress how important this is.”

Reluctant to lose the smithing time, Xander thought for a second before asking, “So… if I got another pair of eyes, I can go?”

Half nodding and half exasperated, Giles listlessly answered, “I suppose.”

“I’ll be right back,” Xander called, running past Buffy and out the double doors. He rushed across the hall, straight into the computer lab, and fortunately, found the alluring Jenny marking papers while staring at the computer screen. As he approached her, he called out, “You’re going to go blind if you keep staring at that light-box.”

Looking up, she smirked before asking, “Please tell me I’ve at least taught you the name of this magical box.”

“I know what a CRT monitor is,” He casually assured her, thanking Old-Man Xander’s memories. “Wait until they turn flat.”

Looking at him curiously, she squinted her eyes in confusion as she asked, “Why would they be flat?”

“Because people would rather buy a flat-screen than a huge, heavy cube?”

“That… actually makes sense,” she agreed with a shrug. She turned to him on her swiveling chair and crossed her legs as she asked, “Now, what can I do for one of my precious students?”

Xander tried not to notice her sexy legs, but he smirked knowingly before stating, “Since we’re on school grounds, I’ll keep it school-related.” Jenny rolled her almond brown eyes as he continued, “Giles needs some help researching the latest doom & gloom itching to destroy our lives, but I’ve got other stuff to do. Sooo, I was hoping you could assist.”

Instantly, she was hesitant. When her eyes unfocused, he could tell she was recalling what had happened to her the previous week. “…I don’t know Xander,” she eventually voiced. “I’m still not a hundred percent over what happened.”

Xander moved closer to her as he offered, “I can help you with that… again.” Her legs were between his as he charmingly added, “If you want, I mean.”

The wavering woman pressed her palm on his stomach and hesitated. She groaned before kindly pushing him back, “Fine- to the helping Giles part! Not your- your… Where is he?” Xander smiled before they went across the hall.

Xander expected Buffy to be gone by the time he returned with Jenny, but she waited. Giles readily approved the substitution, and as Xander grabbed his bag, he asked the watcher if it was possible for there to be another Slayer. The teenage boy was hoping big-brain-Giles would back him on the second slayer.

Pulling his eyes away from Jenny, Giles stuttered to answer, “Uh, n-no. It’s very unlikely, Xander. So long as Buffy is alive, another Slayer will not activate.”

Rolling his eyes, Xander repeated, “But she died.”

Buffy pleaded, “Can you please stop with the ‘she died’ montage? It’s wigging me out; major wiggins.” She obviously did not enjoy the many reminders of her death.

“Sorry,” Xander genuinely apologized.

“In the thousands of years that a slayer has existed,” Giles began. “For not a single one to be resuscitated after death is highly improbable.”

“That’s what I said,” Willow remarked happily.

“I mean, maybe-”

Eager to continue researching, Giles interrupted him. “If there was ever a second Slayer in the sordid past of our troubled history, I assure you, the Watchers would know.” He raised his hand with the paper that had Wild Dinks’ phone number and said, “Thank you for the number. We’ll contact you if we need you.”

Though he didn’t enjoy his claim of a second slayer being dismissed with a reasonable argument, Xander was happy to leave with Buffy. When they were outside, walking down the sidewalk under the evening sky, he asked about her plans. When Buffy dodged the question, Xander didn’t hesitate to deduce, with an unsurprised expression, “Ah, Angel.”

“Don’t, ‘ah, Angel,’ me like I’m some sort of repeat offender,” she chided in her defense. “I just want one little date with my boyfriend. It’s not like I’d be much help in there, anyway. I mean, I’m stuck with this slayer gig. Is it really so wrong of me to have some time for myself whenever I can?”

Xander couldn’t think of a response he liked and refrained from groaning. Aside from his forging, this moment highlighted the importance of his second priority: breaking Buffy and Angel up. Lives depended on it, but Xander knew he wouldn’t get a pat on the back for this. The Casanova within knew that if he warned Buffy against Angel, it’s highly likely she would resist, deny, and or freeze him out. Xander understood that a good friend would support their love, but he knew if he did, he’d always be just a good friend in her eyes.

“You’re not going to say anything, are you?” Buffy cautiously asked him, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Xander replied, “What’s there to say- Oh, you mean to Giles?”

“What’d you think I meant?” she asked.

Shaking his head of heavy thoughts, Xander assured her, “Nothing. I should tell Giles… but what would it help?”

Buffy smiled and hugged him quickly before letting go. “Thank you. I knew I could count on you.”

Flashes of what he imagined evil Angelus would be like terrorizing them and killing Jenny didn’t make Xander feel happy about her gratitude. In a way, it was almost like he was helping Angelus kill Jenny, and that made him feel queasy. He couldn’t help retorting, “Please don’t thank me for this, Buffy. This isn’t something I want to be thanked for.”

Confused by his alarming admission, Buffy stopped walking to ask, “What’s up with you lately? You’ve been really... crabby.”

Turning to her, he told her exactly what he was thinking. “If Mr. Crab is getting more and more tired of saying things that don’t mean anything to his friends, then I’m guilty as charged.”

“What?” she sounded in confusion. Her pause made him wonder if she recalled what he said to her before the Eyghon incident. Buffy walked up to Xander and wrapped her arms around his middle before resting her head against his chest. She gave him such a tender hug, he couldn’t believe the happy butterflies dancing in his stomach. He knew nothing was resolved, and she had said nothing in the vicinity of comforting, and yet, the beautiful girl sucked all the resolve right out of him. Xander couldn’t stay angry at her when she cared about him this much.

Without letting go, the beautiful blonde leaned back and asked with her sympathetic smile, “Feel better?” He didn’t want to smile. He tried so hard not to, but he felt powerless to stop his heart from feeling smothered in affection. At his barely restrained smile, she proudly stated, “Good.” Happy with his response, she let her friend go and called, “I’ll see you later,” before leaving him.

The way she could handle him, Xander felt like she was a witch as strong as Merlin, and had him under her spell. He sighed at that.