"Correct me if I'm wrong, but if this is so very much like we did in Narnia, then why is it that here you're parading around in the nude
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Bart was working on some finishing touches on the sand-table he'd started when he realized Tim's birthday was right around the corner. It had to be assembled in place, since he had no plans to bring anything that large up the ladder, if it was even doable. And to be honest, he liked doing something productive.
That didn't mean that right now it didn't look like a very big box on legs, with enough room for people to walk around it or pull up a chair and sit. He had several boards put aside to piece together into a cover, in case they needed a conference room or something, as well. It just made sense, at least Robin's kind of sense, to plan for several eventualities.
He really wasn't looking forward to the task of bringing up buckets of sand to fill it, but the table only needed a few more touches before that was the only thing left. Leaning back against the wall, he couldn't help a sigh of relief.
When Bart had left the room, Xander had made a point of noting where he'd gone. He hoped maybe the other Titan would know what the heck was going on.
Once Jill had fallen asleep, Xander kissed her forehead before extracting himself from her arms, then gone in search of Bart. He sighed heavily as he leaned in the doorway of the room where he'd found him. "So...do you have any idea what that was about? Because I'm in a mood I usually only associated with Buffy and Spike."
"I have a few guesses, but no names, unfortunately," Bart said, knowing exactly how his friend felt. "Someone tore open an old wound. I'd really hoped she was past most of that. If she starts questioning herself, things can only go downhill."
Maybe he'd been spending too much time with Tim, but he broke down the situation into likely scenarios rather quickly, and wanted to deal with it before Jill worked herself into a state. "Part of me wants to take a very Bat-like approach to things."
With a sigh, Xander slid down the wall and dropped his head into his hands. "I can only hope I helped, but I have no idea. She was so upset..." His voice was strained to show how much this had affected him. "Did anything happen with you guys or at her job? Did someone arrival or disappear?" It was more running the ideas through his head but that's all they were; ideas. Where was Giles and Wills when he need expansion on them?
Then he looked up. "Bat-like approach? Do I want to know?"
"Find out who did this to her and scare the daylights out of them," Bart said, with a bit of a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "But it had to be someone arriving or vanishing, because training's been fine, and she loves her work. She hadn't mentioned anything, because I'd remember it."
Xander wasn't about to admit that he wouldn't know, since he and Jill hadn't exactly been spending as much time together. Both of them had been...busy. "If you ever find out who did this, I wanna help." No on did that to one of his girls and got away with it. "Meanwhile...we just have to make sure she knows we love her...the way she is now."
"Wonder if the bookshelf ever stocks old episodes of Saturday Night Live. 'I'm good enough, strong enough, and gosh-darn-it, people like me,'" Bart suggested, more as a joke than anything.
"She asked me if I thought she was crazy. As if that was ever a question."
It was a joke that atleast made Xander grin slightly. Old SNL was always classic.
"She kept saying that whoever it was said she was wrong and she didn't want to be 'just' Jill Pole anymore. It tried convincing her she wasn't, but I don't know if she believe me.
"She's from a pretty long time ago, as things go. Things have really changed, and she's adapted. I'm hoping some of it is culture shock," Bart said, as he picked up the nail-set and hammer he'd been using to put in a few more nails.
"I mean, you and I wouldn't wear a collar and tie unless we were being well compensated for the indignity."
That earned a soft snort. "I didn't own one. Had to borrow them from my dad or Giles. But yeah, I get what you mean. I think..." Xander sighed, "Yeah some of it is culture shock but from what she said, she was a real wallflower back home and here, she's blossomed. She's so strong and beautiful...and one wrong world from home and she's wilted back to wallflower." Then he shook his head sadly. He knew the feeling.
Bart nodded, not sure what he could say. "She's never really believed in herself. Which is stupid when you consider everything she's capable of," he said.
Xander could only nod. "Yeah...And all she's lived through, that's obvious even from the little bit she's told me about Narnia. Not just anyone could live through that and survive like she has."
"She's one of us," Bart said, quietly. It wasn't something you could really explain, but the people who went through hell and came out helping others were special.
Bart hadn't meant to exclude Xander. If she'd been from Sunnydale, she probably would have fallen in with that crowd, just because there was that drive to do right.
"If you wanted to work that hard, I could always talk to Tim," he said, pretty sure the Scooby wouldn't take him up on it. "I wouldn't know what to do if I didn't spend half the day training and at least part of the other half patrolling. It was part of the reason I took the test to get into the police academy back in LA. But it isn't for a lot of people. Not everyone's cut out to be that kind of cape."
Xander held Jill and the other Titans to Buffy's level, so he'd always feel slightly out of the loop and that really was fine by him.
But he did smile at Bart's offer. "Can you really see me doing that kinda stuff? Plus, I joined the building crew to work off my auctions hours and well, I kinda like. I think I might keep up with it. That and the...uh classes I'm taking are pretty good at filling my day." He didn't mention how classes were kind of akward lately due to him avoiding Clark. "Plus, I'm letting Spike beat the crap out of me every once in a while, so I think that's good enough for me." The last was said fondly, to show he was clearly kidding, but he was actually enjoying the occasionally training with the ex-vamp.
That didn't mean that right now it didn't look like a very big box on legs, with enough room for people to walk around it or pull up a chair and sit. He had several boards put aside to piece together into a cover, in case they needed a conference room or something, as well. It just made sense, at least Robin's kind of sense, to plan for several eventualities.
He really wasn't looking forward to the task of bringing up buckets of sand to fill it, but the table only needed a few more touches before that was the only thing left. Leaning back against the wall, he couldn't help a sigh of relief.
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Once Jill had fallen asleep, Xander kissed her forehead before extracting himself from her arms, then gone in search of Bart. He sighed heavily as he leaned in the doorway of the room where he'd found him. "So...do you have any idea what that was about? Because I'm in a mood I usually only associated with Buffy and Spike."
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Maybe he'd been spending too much time with Tim, but he broke down the situation into likely scenarios rather quickly, and wanted to deal with it before Jill worked herself into a state. "Part of me wants to take a very Bat-like approach to things."
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Then he looked up. "Bat-like approach? Do I want to know?"
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"She asked me if I thought she was crazy. As if that was ever a question."
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"She kept saying that whoever it was said she was wrong and she didn't want to be 'just' Jill Pole anymore. It tried convincing her she wasn't, but I don't know if she believe me.
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"I mean, you and I wouldn't wear a collar and tie unless we were being well compensated for the indignity."
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"If you wanted to work that hard, I could always talk to Tim," he said, pretty sure the Scooby wouldn't take him up on it. "I wouldn't know what to do if I didn't spend half the day training and at least part of the other half patrolling. It was part of the reason I took the test to get into the police academy back in LA. But it isn't for a lot of people. Not everyone's cut out to be that kind of cape."
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But he did smile at Bart's offer. "Can you really see me doing that kinda stuff? Plus, I joined the building crew to work off my auctions hours and well, I kinda like. I think I might keep up with it. That and the...uh classes I'm taking are pretty good at filling my day." He didn't mention how classes were kind of akward lately due to him avoiding Clark. "Plus, I'm letting Spike beat the crap out of me every once in a while, so I think that's good enough for me." The last was said fondly, to show he was clearly kidding, but he was actually enjoying the occasionally training with the ex-vamp.
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