FIC: Distant Relations (4/?) (Buffy/Supernatural)
I just gotta say...what's with all these Lifetime Movie moments my muse keeps poppin' out. Ugh.
*****
"She's a beauty, ain't she?"
Xander stared with something akin to terror at the monstrosity before him. Were it not for recently seeing a giant snake nearly decimate his graduating class he might even say it was the most horrifying thing he'd ever seen. "She's…something," Xander managed, his face twisted in a grimace.
Uncle Rory gave Xander a hearty slap on the back that almost sent him stumbling forward. "Well, she'll get you where you're going."
Xander eyed the beast in front of them. He had serious doubts that the car in question could get him to Oxnard without its engine falling out, much less make it through all fifty states.
"I fixed her up real good," Rory informed Xander. "It's good to have a hobby you know."
Xander had serious doubts about that too. Rory had recently retired from taxidermy and had decided to fill his newly acquired spare time with some freelance mechanics. Now Rory's yard was filled with cars in various states of repair…or destruction as the case might be. It was really ironic, Xander thought, considering the man had had his license revoked due to outstanding DUI's and couldn't actually drive any of the cars he fixed. Xander would be willing to bet, though, that any car Rory got his hands on would never be road-ready again.
Rory sighed at Xander's silence, "It's the color, isn't it? I knew I should have gone with the green."
Xander tilted his head as he looked at the car. It was certainly an eye-sore. He couldn't decide if it looked more like a shade of vomit orange or merely a vomit-inducing orange.
"I just got a blue one in, but I haven't had a chance to tinker with-"
"I'll take it," Xander blurted out. If his uncle hadn't gotten his hands under the hood yet, then there was a good chance the car was still capable of traveling for longer distances. Rory gave him a strange look, and Xander tried to explain away his hasty reaction, "I'm just really eager to hit the road. Life is a highway, you know?"
Rory gave him a wide grin as if the two were in cahoots in some secret scandal and slapped him on the back again. "Of course you are. A man's gotta make his mark on the world. Come on, I'll show you the other car." Rory motioned for Xander to follow him and led him to the other side of the yard.
"There she is," Rory waved his arm proudly.
The car wasn't new by any means, even the word used was probably a generous statement. The paint was faded and chipped in some places, rust caked on in others, and the dashboard's leather was dry and cracked, but on the whole the car looked sturdy enough and all the windows were intact. Xander figured beggars couldn't be choosers.
"So, where are you going? Gonna leave a heart-broken woman in every city?" Rory asked.
"I thought maybe I'd hit Vegas…maybe see if there are some aliens out in Roswell-"
"Damn government and their cover-up conspiracies," Rory piped in.
"Maybe, um…Kansas…I don't know."
"Kansas," Rory looked at him incredulously. "What the hell's in Kansas?"
"Um…" Xander thought for a moment trying to come up with something in Kansas that would interest Rory. "They have the world's largest prairie dog."
"Is that right?" Rory asked, his skepticism now turning to interest. "You know, I once stuffed a prairie dog-"
"Oh, is that the time?" Xander made an exaggerated show of looking at his watch. "I better hit the road. I still have to go by and see my friends…don't want to waste any daylight."
"That's right," Rory slapped Xander on the back again, and Xander really wished he would stop doing that. "Just remember, son, the world is your oyster."
"I'll…um…I'll keep that in mind, Uncle Rory."
Rory dug the car keys out of his pocket and tossed them to Xander. Xander loaded his stuff into the car and gave Rory a wave before getting in the car and driving off.
*****
Willow opened her front door to find a grinning Xander standing on her doorstep. Before she could even ask what he was doing there, he stepped aside and motioned to something in the driveway, "Check out my new wheels."
Willow gave a look of delighted surprise which quickly changed to a frown of dismay as she followed him over to the vehicle.
"Yeah, I know it's not much to look at, but Uncle Rory didn't have time to lose a wrench it somewhere, so it should still be sea-worthy."
"So I guess you're really going?" Willow asked.
"Call me journeyman."
"I don't think that means what you think it means," Willow pointed out.
"What? I'm a man and I'm going on a journey," he said, as if it should be obvious. Willow shook her head but smiled and humored him anyway. "Anyway, this is my last stop before I hit the open road."
"Last?" Willow questioned indignantly.
"Well, I saved the best for last," Xander explained. "Though it might be difficult for you top the going away present Buffy gave me."
"Oh!" Willow exclaimed, suddenly remembering she had something to give to Xander. She took off back into the house without bothering to explain where she was going. Once she found what she was looking for she ran back out to the driveway where Xander was still standing next to his car with a befuddled expression on his face.
"Here, this is for you," Willow handed him an envelope.
"Ya know," Xander said critically as he took the envelope, "I don't think you could have fit a million dollars in here. Unless, of course, you simply wrote a check."
Willow merely raised an eyebrow in response. "Well, all right, but it better be Hallmark," Xander joked.
The card was, indeed, a Hallmark card along with a little something else. "It's a calling card," Willow told him, "So if you miss me you can call me from wherever you are, at any time." Willow thought for a moment then added, "Actually, it's more of a mandatory 'you better call everyday so I don't worry, Mister,' kind of card. And if you run out of minutes I can always renew it."
Xander looked down at the calling card then back up at Willow, "I don't know, Will, 600 minutes? I'm thinking I haven't spent that much time on a phone my entire life up to this point…I don't know if I can squeeze that many minutes in over the summer."
"Well, just remember," Willow said, "I expect you to call often."
"Got it. Daily check-ins."
"So does my gift beat Buffy's?" Willow asked, curious as to what the other girl had given Xander.
"I don't know," Xander stalled, holding up the calling card in one hand and something imaginary in the other as though balancing the two. "Calling card versus stakes and holy water…that's a tough one."
"Drat," Willow complained. "I suppose a calling card won't be much good against a gang of vampires. Out done by the slayer goodie-bag," Willow pouted.
"I don't know, though," Xander commented, "I'm kind of hoping I don't run into any vampires. The idea of a vacation is to get away from that sort of thing."
"Yeah, I'm going with Oz to a gig in L.A. Should be pretty exciting," Willow grinned happily for a moment and then regarded Xander more seriously. "So how did Buffy seem when you talked to her?"
"Still kind of down about Angel leaving, I think." Xander sighed and leaned against the car, "I know she misses him, but I say good riddance. We've got enough bad in this town as it is."
"Xander, Angel isn't bad," Willow sighed as she began the tired, old argument of defending Angel's goodness to Xander. Xander had disliked Angel from the moment Buffy took an interest him. And he'd hated vampires since their childhood friend Jesse had been killed and turned into one. Factor in Jenny Calendar's death at the hands of Angelus, and Angel was about as low on Xander's list as he could get. He had been practically livid when he found out Angel fed on Buffy to cure himself.
"I know," Xander said, and Willow gave him a disbelieving look. "I do. Look, it's no secret that I hate the guy - soul or not, but I do know the difference. It's just that, even with a soul, whenever he's around Buffy gets hurt. And call me simple, but as far as I'm concerned, whatever hurts my friends equals bad in my book. I just think it's better for everyone if he's not here."
Willow wanted to contradict him, but, truthfully, Xander had a point. "So…" Willow said thoughtfully, searching for something to say that would lighten the conversation back up. "Stakes and holy water?" She made a quizzical face.
Xander laughed, "Yeah, but her mom gave me a disposable camera and sandwiches, so that kind of balances it out."
"Oooo, you'll have to take pictures of all the cool places you go," Willow said, excitement tinting her voice at the prospect. "You could get pictures of the Grand Canyon and all those historical monuments." Willow's academic mind was awash with all the possibilities.
"Actually, I was thinking I'd use the whole roll taking pictures at every Elvis museum I come across." Willow frowned at Xander. "You're right, I should save a couple of shots just in case I see an alien in Roswell. Want to get proof and all."
Willow just rolled her eyes, "You're hopeless. So, have you thought anymore about going to Kansas?"
"Well," Xander considered, "It is home to the World's Largest Ball of Twine."
"Xander," Willow gave him a 'get serious' look.
"Seriously," Xander said, "we're talking seven million feet of twine here. That doesn't happen just over-night. There's history there."
Willow stared at him.
"All right, I've thought about it," Xander said.
"And?" Willow prompted when he didn't say anything else.
"And, I figure it can't hurt to just stop by. If I'm going to see the largest ball of twine I can take some time out to skip over to Lawrence and ask around a bit. But I'm not going to get my hopes up," Xander warned.
"But what if you do find them?" Willow asked.
"I don't know," Xander said quietly. "I guess I'll just play it by ear."
"Well, remember, you can call me anytime."
"Got it," Xander said, waving the envelope with the calling card.
"So, did you get any other cool going-away goodies?" Willow asked.
"Well Giles, smart man that he is, gave me a map. Of course, that led to a ten minute instructional course on how to read a map, followed by a ten minute lecture on the dangers of picking up hitchhikers."
Willow smiled, "I think he's going to miss you."
"Yeah, who will call him G-man in my stead."
Willow smiled, "We're all gonna miss you." Willow suddenly realized that Xander was really leaving and could be gone for a very long time. They'd been friends since the sandbox and in that time neither Xander nor she had ever been far from Sunnydale and certainly never for any length of time. "Are you sure you don't need me to go with you?" Willow asked suddenly.
"Nah, I'll be fine. Besides, you've got plans with Oz."
"But what if you do run into vampires. Or zombies. Or what if you meet a werewolf, I've got experience with that you know," Willow's sudden panic, brought on by the realization that her best friend was leaving and could be gone for a very long time, was about to send her into full-on babble mode.
"I have a feeling a certain werewolf would be disappointed if you did come with me. And I think this might be something I need to do by myself, you know?" Xander tried to console her.
"But," Willow couldn't contain what was really bothering her anymore, "you'll come back, right?"
"What?" Xander exclaimed, surprised she even had to ask. "Of course I will. Will," Xander took her by the shoulders and forced her to face him, "No matter what I find or what happens out there…I'm coming back. Why would you even ask?"
Willow shrugged, "You've always talked about how much you want to get out of your parents' house. And anyone would have to be crazy to want to stay on the hellmouth."
"Well then count me in the crazy crew, 'cause there's no where else I'd rather be than here with my girls. I'll be back before you know it."
"But what if you find your family and they turn out to be really great?" Willow protested.
"I don't care if they turn out to be millionaires who welcome me with open arms…I'm still coming back. And the chances of my finding them are probably slim to none anyway." Willow continued to pout. "You know…maybe I shouldn't go?"
"What?" Willow looked startled.
"I mean, what's out there that the great state of California doesn't have?"
"You can't!" Willow yelled, suddenly realizing she was being selfish. "This might be your only chance to find your dad. You have to go."
Xander gave her a knowing smile and Willow realized she'd been played, "You did that purpose just to make me forget how upset I was."
"Did it work?" Xander asked.
"A little," Willow relented. "But I'm still going to miss you."
"And I'm still going to call you every day," Xander promised. "Trust me, you're young and fancy-free and you're about to start the college thing. You and Oz and Buffy are going to have so much fun that the summer will go by before you can say," Xander stopped to think of a word, "actually, you can say whole sentences pretty fast when you get going."
Willow rolled her eyes. "Just promise me that you'll take care of yourself and that you'll be careful."
"I will," Xander told her. "And you be careful too. After all, you guys are the ones who will still be on the hellmouth."
"We'll be careful. Besides…summers are always slow on the demon front.," Willow said and then suddenly grabbed Xander in a tight hug.
Xander smiled softly and hugged her back, "I'm gonna miss you, Will."
"I'll miss you too," she whispered back.
They held tightly to each other for a few seconds longer before finally breaking apart. Xander gave her a smile and moved to the driver's side of the car. "I'll bring you back some souvenirs," he said before he opened the door and got in the car.
Willow waved as he backed out of the driveway and then followed his car with her eyes down the road till she could no longer see his taillights, all the while doing her best to keep tears at bay.
*****
Las Vegas was full of bright lights and had more Elvis look-a-likes than could have been fit onto the Titanic. People seemed to be coming out of the woodwork and to a small town boy like Xander it mostly seemed just daunting. Of course, on his budget he was forced to stay at some out-of-the-way roach motel rather than the shiny, casino motels along the main strip. He supposed the appeal of the place was mostly based on gambling and the big casino shows, both of which cost money which was something Xander didn't really have enough of to waste. So the appeal was pretty much lost on Xander. All in all, he was glad to see the city in his rearview mirror, even without a memento, as Las Vegas souvenirs were also too expensive for Xander's budget.
Roswell, on the other hand, disturbingly reminded Xander of Sunnydale. He half expected to run across a vampire in the cool desert night; he didn't though. He didn't find any men in black either, and the closest thing he saw to an alien was the Green Martian Shake he had at the Crashdown Café. Although, there were a few suspicious teenagers, suspicious because they could pack away more Tabasco sauce than Xander could pack away Moon Pies, and that was really saying something. Apparently they liked their food spicy in New Mexico. He left Roswell with an 'I was abducted by aliens, what's your excuse?' T-shirt.
After Roswell, Xander took a short drive through northern Texas just to see if things in Texas really were bigger than everywhere else. However, the only things that seemed bigger there were the gigantic belt buckles and the large amounts of wide-open spaces where there was nothing but cows and land as far as the eye could see. He came out from a gas station one stop to find a 'Don't Mess with Texas' sticker attached to his bumper and guessed he'd found his souvenir for that state.
Xander's heading turned directly north after Texas, and Xander had to admit to himself that he was heading straight for Kansas now. With every passing mile of scenery that flew by outside Xander's driver-side window, his anxiety increased ten-fold. He'd thought he had out-thought every possible scenario that his mind could conjure up, but still his head was spinning with an endless flood of what-if's and outcomes. Whether it went well, badly, or if he didn't find them at all, he just wanted to get to Kansas and finally put an end to the nagging suspense.
Six days and fourteen hours into his road trip, Xander finally crossed the Lawrence city limits.
*****
"She's a beauty, ain't she?"
Xander stared with something akin to terror at the monstrosity before him. Were it not for recently seeing a giant snake nearly decimate his graduating class he might even say it was the most horrifying thing he'd ever seen. "She's…something," Xander managed, his face twisted in a grimace.
Uncle Rory gave Xander a hearty slap on the back that almost sent him stumbling forward. "Well, she'll get you where you're going."
Xander eyed the beast in front of them. He had serious doubts that the car in question could get him to Oxnard without its engine falling out, much less make it through all fifty states.
"I fixed her up real good," Rory informed Xander. "It's good to have a hobby you know."
Xander had serious doubts about that too. Rory had recently retired from taxidermy and had decided to fill his newly acquired spare time with some freelance mechanics. Now Rory's yard was filled with cars in various states of repair…or destruction as the case might be. It was really ironic, Xander thought, considering the man had had his license revoked due to outstanding DUI's and couldn't actually drive any of the cars he fixed. Xander would be willing to bet, though, that any car Rory got his hands on would never be road-ready again.
Rory sighed at Xander's silence, "It's the color, isn't it? I knew I should have gone with the green."
Xander tilted his head as he looked at the car. It was certainly an eye-sore. He couldn't decide if it looked more like a shade of vomit orange or merely a vomit-inducing orange.
"I just got a blue one in, but I haven't had a chance to tinker with-"
"I'll take it," Xander blurted out. If his uncle hadn't gotten his hands under the hood yet, then there was a good chance the car was still capable of traveling for longer distances. Rory gave him a strange look, and Xander tried to explain away his hasty reaction, "I'm just really eager to hit the road. Life is a highway, you know?"
Rory gave him a wide grin as if the two were in cahoots in some secret scandal and slapped him on the back again. "Of course you are. A man's gotta make his mark on the world. Come on, I'll show you the other car." Rory motioned for Xander to follow him and led him to the other side of the yard.
"There she is," Rory waved his arm proudly.
The car wasn't new by any means, even the word used was probably a generous statement. The paint was faded and chipped in some places, rust caked on in others, and the dashboard's leather was dry and cracked, but on the whole the car looked sturdy enough and all the windows were intact. Xander figured beggars couldn't be choosers.
"So, where are you going? Gonna leave a heart-broken woman in every city?" Rory asked.
"I thought maybe I'd hit Vegas…maybe see if there are some aliens out in Roswell-"
"Damn government and their cover-up conspiracies," Rory piped in.
"Maybe, um…Kansas…I don't know."
"Kansas," Rory looked at him incredulously. "What the hell's in Kansas?"
"Um…" Xander thought for a moment trying to come up with something in Kansas that would interest Rory. "They have the world's largest prairie dog."
"Is that right?" Rory asked, his skepticism now turning to interest. "You know, I once stuffed a prairie dog-"
"Oh, is that the time?" Xander made an exaggerated show of looking at his watch. "I better hit the road. I still have to go by and see my friends…don't want to waste any daylight."
"That's right," Rory slapped Xander on the back again, and Xander really wished he would stop doing that. "Just remember, son, the world is your oyster."
"I'll…um…I'll keep that in mind, Uncle Rory."
Rory dug the car keys out of his pocket and tossed them to Xander. Xander loaded his stuff into the car and gave Rory a wave before getting in the car and driving off.
*****
Willow opened her front door to find a grinning Xander standing on her doorstep. Before she could even ask what he was doing there, he stepped aside and motioned to something in the driveway, "Check out my new wheels."
Willow gave a look of delighted surprise which quickly changed to a frown of dismay as she followed him over to the vehicle.
"Yeah, I know it's not much to look at, but Uncle Rory didn't have time to lose a wrench it somewhere, so it should still be sea-worthy."
"So I guess you're really going?" Willow asked.
"Call me journeyman."
"I don't think that means what you think it means," Willow pointed out.
"What? I'm a man and I'm going on a journey," he said, as if it should be obvious. Willow shook her head but smiled and humored him anyway. "Anyway, this is my last stop before I hit the open road."
"Last?" Willow questioned indignantly.
"Well, I saved the best for last," Xander explained. "Though it might be difficult for you top the going away present Buffy gave me."
"Oh!" Willow exclaimed, suddenly remembering she had something to give to Xander. She took off back into the house without bothering to explain where she was going. Once she found what she was looking for she ran back out to the driveway where Xander was still standing next to his car with a befuddled expression on his face.
"Here, this is for you," Willow handed him an envelope.
"Ya know," Xander said critically as he took the envelope, "I don't think you could have fit a million dollars in here. Unless, of course, you simply wrote a check."
Willow merely raised an eyebrow in response. "Well, all right, but it better be Hallmark," Xander joked.
The card was, indeed, a Hallmark card along with a little something else. "It's a calling card," Willow told him, "So if you miss me you can call me from wherever you are, at any time." Willow thought for a moment then added, "Actually, it's more of a mandatory 'you better call everyday so I don't worry, Mister,' kind of card. And if you run out of minutes I can always renew it."
Xander looked down at the calling card then back up at Willow, "I don't know, Will, 600 minutes? I'm thinking I haven't spent that much time on a phone my entire life up to this point…I don't know if I can squeeze that many minutes in over the summer."
"Well, just remember," Willow said, "I expect you to call often."
"Got it. Daily check-ins."
"So does my gift beat Buffy's?" Willow asked, curious as to what the other girl had given Xander.
"I don't know," Xander stalled, holding up the calling card in one hand and something imaginary in the other as though balancing the two. "Calling card versus stakes and holy water…that's a tough one."
"Drat," Willow complained. "I suppose a calling card won't be much good against a gang of vampires. Out done by the slayer goodie-bag," Willow pouted.
"I don't know, though," Xander commented, "I'm kind of hoping I don't run into any vampires. The idea of a vacation is to get away from that sort of thing."
"Yeah, I'm going with Oz to a gig in L.A. Should be pretty exciting," Willow grinned happily for a moment and then regarded Xander more seriously. "So how did Buffy seem when you talked to her?"
"Still kind of down about Angel leaving, I think." Xander sighed and leaned against the car, "I know she misses him, but I say good riddance. We've got enough bad in this town as it is."
"Xander, Angel isn't bad," Willow sighed as she began the tired, old argument of defending Angel's goodness to Xander. Xander had disliked Angel from the moment Buffy took an interest him. And he'd hated vampires since their childhood friend Jesse had been killed and turned into one. Factor in Jenny Calendar's death at the hands of Angelus, and Angel was about as low on Xander's list as he could get. He had been practically livid when he found out Angel fed on Buffy to cure himself.
"I know," Xander said, and Willow gave him a disbelieving look. "I do. Look, it's no secret that I hate the guy - soul or not, but I do know the difference. It's just that, even with a soul, whenever he's around Buffy gets hurt. And call me simple, but as far as I'm concerned, whatever hurts my friends equals bad in my book. I just think it's better for everyone if he's not here."
Willow wanted to contradict him, but, truthfully, Xander had a point. "So…" Willow said thoughtfully, searching for something to say that would lighten the conversation back up. "Stakes and holy water?" She made a quizzical face.
Xander laughed, "Yeah, but her mom gave me a disposable camera and sandwiches, so that kind of balances it out."
"Oooo, you'll have to take pictures of all the cool places you go," Willow said, excitement tinting her voice at the prospect. "You could get pictures of the Grand Canyon and all those historical monuments." Willow's academic mind was awash with all the possibilities.
"Actually, I was thinking I'd use the whole roll taking pictures at every Elvis museum I come across." Willow frowned at Xander. "You're right, I should save a couple of shots just in case I see an alien in Roswell. Want to get proof and all."
Willow just rolled her eyes, "You're hopeless. So, have you thought anymore about going to Kansas?"
"Well," Xander considered, "It is home to the World's Largest Ball of Twine."
"Xander," Willow gave him a 'get serious' look.
"Seriously," Xander said, "we're talking seven million feet of twine here. That doesn't happen just over-night. There's history there."
Willow stared at him.
"All right, I've thought about it," Xander said.
"And?" Willow prompted when he didn't say anything else.
"And, I figure it can't hurt to just stop by. If I'm going to see the largest ball of twine I can take some time out to skip over to Lawrence and ask around a bit. But I'm not going to get my hopes up," Xander warned.
"But what if you do find them?" Willow asked.
"I don't know," Xander said quietly. "I guess I'll just play it by ear."
"Well, remember, you can call me anytime."
"Got it," Xander said, waving the envelope with the calling card.
"So, did you get any other cool going-away goodies?" Willow asked.
"Well Giles, smart man that he is, gave me a map. Of course, that led to a ten minute instructional course on how to read a map, followed by a ten minute lecture on the dangers of picking up hitchhikers."
Willow smiled, "I think he's going to miss you."
"Yeah, who will call him G-man in my stead."
Willow smiled, "We're all gonna miss you." Willow suddenly realized that Xander was really leaving and could be gone for a very long time. They'd been friends since the sandbox and in that time neither Xander nor she had ever been far from Sunnydale and certainly never for any length of time. "Are you sure you don't need me to go with you?" Willow asked suddenly.
"Nah, I'll be fine. Besides, you've got plans with Oz."
"But what if you do run into vampires. Or zombies. Or what if you meet a werewolf, I've got experience with that you know," Willow's sudden panic, brought on by the realization that her best friend was leaving and could be gone for a very long time, was about to send her into full-on babble mode.
"I have a feeling a certain werewolf would be disappointed if you did come with me. And I think this might be something I need to do by myself, you know?" Xander tried to console her.
"But," Willow couldn't contain what was really bothering her anymore, "you'll come back, right?"
"What?" Xander exclaimed, surprised she even had to ask. "Of course I will. Will," Xander took her by the shoulders and forced her to face him, "No matter what I find or what happens out there…I'm coming back. Why would you even ask?"
Willow shrugged, "You've always talked about how much you want to get out of your parents' house. And anyone would have to be crazy to want to stay on the hellmouth."
"Well then count me in the crazy crew, 'cause there's no where else I'd rather be than here with my girls. I'll be back before you know it."
"But what if you find your family and they turn out to be really great?" Willow protested.
"I don't care if they turn out to be millionaires who welcome me with open arms…I'm still coming back. And the chances of my finding them are probably slim to none anyway." Willow continued to pout. "You know…maybe I shouldn't go?"
"What?" Willow looked startled.
"I mean, what's out there that the great state of California doesn't have?"
"You can't!" Willow yelled, suddenly realizing she was being selfish. "This might be your only chance to find your dad. You have to go."
Xander gave her a knowing smile and Willow realized she'd been played, "You did that purpose just to make me forget how upset I was."
"Did it work?" Xander asked.
"A little," Willow relented. "But I'm still going to miss you."
"And I'm still going to call you every day," Xander promised. "Trust me, you're young and fancy-free and you're about to start the college thing. You and Oz and Buffy are going to have so much fun that the summer will go by before you can say," Xander stopped to think of a word, "actually, you can say whole sentences pretty fast when you get going."
Willow rolled her eyes. "Just promise me that you'll take care of yourself and that you'll be careful."
"I will," Xander told her. "And you be careful too. After all, you guys are the ones who will still be on the hellmouth."
"We'll be careful. Besides…summers are always slow on the demon front.," Willow said and then suddenly grabbed Xander in a tight hug.
Xander smiled softly and hugged her back, "I'm gonna miss you, Will."
"I'll miss you too," she whispered back.
They held tightly to each other for a few seconds longer before finally breaking apart. Xander gave her a smile and moved to the driver's side of the car. "I'll bring you back some souvenirs," he said before he opened the door and got in the car.
Willow waved as he backed out of the driveway and then followed his car with her eyes down the road till she could no longer see his taillights, all the while doing her best to keep tears at bay.
*****
Las Vegas was full of bright lights and had more Elvis look-a-likes than could have been fit onto the Titanic. People seemed to be coming out of the woodwork and to a small town boy like Xander it mostly seemed just daunting. Of course, on his budget he was forced to stay at some out-of-the-way roach motel rather than the shiny, casino motels along the main strip. He supposed the appeal of the place was mostly based on gambling and the big casino shows, both of which cost money which was something Xander didn't really have enough of to waste. So the appeal was pretty much lost on Xander. All in all, he was glad to see the city in his rearview mirror, even without a memento, as Las Vegas souvenirs were also too expensive for Xander's budget.
Roswell, on the other hand, disturbingly reminded Xander of Sunnydale. He half expected to run across a vampire in the cool desert night; he didn't though. He didn't find any men in black either, and the closest thing he saw to an alien was the Green Martian Shake he had at the Crashdown Café. Although, there were a few suspicious teenagers, suspicious because they could pack away more Tabasco sauce than Xander could pack away Moon Pies, and that was really saying something. Apparently they liked their food spicy in New Mexico. He left Roswell with an 'I was abducted by aliens, what's your excuse?' T-shirt.
After Roswell, Xander took a short drive through northern Texas just to see if things in Texas really were bigger than everywhere else. However, the only things that seemed bigger there were the gigantic belt buckles and the large amounts of wide-open spaces where there was nothing but cows and land as far as the eye could see. He came out from a gas station one stop to find a 'Don't Mess with Texas' sticker attached to his bumper and guessed he'd found his souvenir for that state.
Xander's heading turned directly north after Texas, and Xander had to admit to himself that he was heading straight for Kansas now. With every passing mile of scenery that flew by outside Xander's driver-side window, his anxiety increased ten-fold. He'd thought he had out-thought every possible scenario that his mind could conjure up, but still his head was spinning with an endless flood of what-if's and outcomes. Whether it went well, badly, or if he didn't find them at all, he just wanted to get to Kansas and finally put an end to the nagging suspense.
Six days and fourteen hours into his road trip, Xander finally crossed the Lawrence city limits.