FIC: Distant Relations (3/?) (Buffy/Supernatural)
The longer it took to find Buffy the more worried Xander got. Not for Buffy, of course, but for himself. Buffy could handle herself when it came to the things that liked to lurk in the cemetery, while Xander, searching alone through the shadowed graveyard, was at an extreme disadvantage when it came to fending off demons and the undead.
It would have been a lot simpler to track Buffy down if Sunnydale didn't have twelve cemeteries through which he had to search. He was just about to give up on Rosemont Memorial when a strange scuffling sound drew his attention to a clump of bushes off to his right.
"Hello," Xander called loudly, then cursed himself for doing something so stupid. "Good idea, Xander. Alert the creepy, crawly thing that you're here."
The scuffling noise sounded again, and Xander inched closer trying to peer into the dark depths of the shrub. He tilted head and leaned in a little further, if he only had a flashlight, he could-
Something clamped down on his shoulder in a strong grip, and Xander jumped and gave a girlish shriek. He spun around and was surprised to find himself facing a very bemused Buffy.
"Xander?" Buffy questioned wryly, raising an eyebrow.
"You startled me," Xander told her, still trying to get his breathing under control.
"Yeah, I guessed that with the girly scream and all."
"I'll have you know that was a very manly yelp." Xander gestured toward the bush next to them and explained, "I heard something scurrying around in there, thought I'd check it out."
Buffy's features took on that determined slayer look she got when she was hunting. She moved Xander aside and leaned in close to the rustling bush. She reached her hand out and was about to pull away some of the branches when something small, brown, and furry came darting out from the bush straight at them.
Buffy gave the girlish shriek this time and jumped back which caused her to knock into Xander which caused him to trip backward over a headstone which sent them both sprawling to the ground.
"Ugh," Buffy groaned and struggled to her feet. "Are you all right?" she asked, reaching a hand out to help him up.
Xander took her hand and let her easily pull him to his feet. "Yeah, I'll live. But that's probably going to leave a bruise," he complained.
"I can't believe I let Ricky the Raccoon get the drop on me," Buffy lamented, dusting bits of grass and dirt off her pants.
"Well, I'll tell you what. If you don't tell anyone I screamed like a girl," Xander suggested gamely, "I won't tell anyone that you…screamed like a girl."
They both frowned at the last part of his suggestion, each thinking that Buffy was a girl and therefore would scream like one.
Finally, Buffy merely shrugged. "Sounds fair to me."
It was then that they both remembered there was an unresolved issue between them that had yet to be addressed, and an awkward tension crept in and stilted their conversation.
"So what are you doing here?" Buffy asked. "I mean…besides checking the bushes for demonic raccoons."
"Actually, I was looking for you. Willow told me she told you, and I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry for not telling you."
"You know, you're starting to sound like Will," Buffy joked.
"I really am sorry," Xander said. "It wasn't that I didn't want to tell you, it's just with everything you've got going on with Faith and the Mayor and the gloom-and-doom day that graduation promises to be…I didn't want to give you anything else to worry about."
"Xander, the thing is," Buffy countered, "all that stuff I'm dealing with, I can handle it because you guys are there backing me up. That's what friends do, and I can't back you up if you won't let me."
"I know," Xander replied, "And did I mention how sorry I am?"
"No, you don't have to be sorry," Buffy sighed, waving off his apology. "I just…I want you to know that I'm here. You know I," Buffy stopped and glanced away, apparently having difficulty getting out whatever it was she wanted to say.
She moved to sit on one of the headstones, and Xander sat down next to her. "Back when I was living in L.A.," she started, "and I found out my parents were getting divorced…I didn't tell any of my friends."
Xander looked over at her in surprise. She had mentioned her dad before, but she had never really talked about her parents' divorce.
"I was going through this thing that I didn't think they could understand," Buffy confided. "I mean, how could they? Even I didn't understand it."
Xander nodded. He couldn't deny that he'd felt a little that way too. He could barely keep track of his own fluctuating feelings on the whole matter, much less sort them out enough to talk to somebody about them.
They were quiet for a moment, then Buffy added dryly, "And considering my friends then were the biggest gossips in school it would have ended up all over campus and probably on the six o'clock news. Anyway," Buffy shrugged, "I just want you to know that if you need anything, I'm here."
"I know," Xander said, contemplating for a moment what his world would be like if he didn't have his friends to rely on. "You and Will…I don't know what I'd do without my girls."
"How have things been at home since you found out?" Buffy asked carefully.
"Pretty much the same," Xander said ironically. "I'm not even sure he remembers telling me. It's quite possible that moment got lost in the drunken fog that is his brain."
"What about your mom?"
Xander shook his head. "She's trying extra-hard to pretend that everything's fine and dandy. Apparently that involves extra-wide smiles and baking lots of cookies. She actually offered to pack me a lunch yesterday, then asked if I needed any help with my homework. It was weird."
For as long Xander could remember his dad had always been a verbally abusive drunk and his mom had been a kind of absent-minded mother who only played the role on random occasions when it occurred to her she was supposed to. He'd learned to fend for himself in most things, had learned to find his own lunches and dinners by the time he was school-age and had realized that if he needed help with something, he'd have to get it from someone other than his parents.
"It probably wouldn't be so bad if she didn't always burn the cookies. I just hope she doesn't try cooking a meal. I might die of food-poisoning before the mayor has a chance to kill us at graduation." Xander sighed, and shook the thought away. "I guess she's trying though. Just seems like too little, too late.
"Dad on the other hand spends his time pointing out my every mistake and complaining if I try to exist anywhere that could be construed as 'in his way'; that, or he just ignores my existence completely. I haven't decided which one bugs me more."
"Yeah, I haven't heard my dad since he had his secretary send me a lovely flower arrangement for my birthday," Buffy commiserated.
"We should start a club," Xander suggested without enthusiasm. "For people with dysfunctional and AWOL dads. We could call it KODD. Kids of Dead-beat Dads."
Buffy threw out her suggestion, "Hey, maybe we could get Giles to adopt us. It could be just like it is now except we get to hit him up for money and presents." Then she added more seriously, "I really am lucky to have him as a watcher, looking out for me." She seemed to suddenly realize what she just said and turned to Xander with a panicked expression. "You won't tell I said that will you?"
"Your secret's safe with me." Xander smiled conspiratorially.
"Good. If he heard me say that, he'd never let me live it down. Buffy, if you don't stop dropping that shoulder, you'll never be able to properly block. Now remember how lucky you are to have me," she mimicked without the accent.
They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes after that. Eventually Buffy broke the quiet again by asking, "Have you thought about finding your real father?"
"Thought about? Yes. Decided? Not so much." Xander shifted on the headstone and dug his hands into his jacket pockets. "Willow was able to scrounge up some information that might be about him…but there's still a big if there. It might not even be the same guy, and even if it is, there's a good chance I'd never be able to find him. And even if I did find him, I can't just walk up to him and say, 'Hi, I'm Xander and I think you might be my dad,' can I?"
Buffy shrugged unhelpfully, "I had someone just walk up to me and say 'Hey, you're a vampire slayer.' It can't get much weirder than that."
"True," Xander conceded, then sighed in frustration. "I just wish I knew what to do."
"Well look on the bright side," Buffy said. "If we survive graduation, you'll have the whole summer to figure it out."
"Yeah, key word there being survive." Xander noticed the offended look Buffy gave him, and he amended, "Which, of course, we will. 'Cause you're gonna kick that ass."
"Right, as soon as we figure out how I go about doing that." Buffy gave an aggravated expression then looked around the empty cemetery. "Man, what's going on tonight? You'd think there'd be at least one vampire out."
"Well, if you're getting antsy, we could always try scaring up a few more raccoons," Xander offered.
"Eh," Buffy replied as stood and stretched, "I think I'll just head home and actually get some studying done. Unfortunately, a note that says 'the mayor's is an evil demon' won't get me out of the last day of class. Besides, we've gotta get there early to pick up our robes."
Xander stood too. "Right, the ever-elegant commencement robes complete with a goofy hat. That's supposed to be our reward for four years of hell? Wearing a goofy get-up while a photographer immortalizes the moment in print? Seems more like a penance to me. At least, they'll make for some stylish death shrouds."
"Hey," Buffy said defensively, as they began making their way out of the graveyard.
"Not that they will be," Xander corrected. "'Cause you're gonna kick that ass."
They left the cemetery together, neither knowing tomorrow would begin the landslide that would end in a massive battle, a giant snake demon blown to bits, and the complete destruction of Sunnydale High.