One year later
“Hello?” Dawn called, opening the door to Buffy’s house slowly. Buffy came from the kitchen, drying her hands on a towel and hugged her sister.
“Long time no see, Dawnie,” Xander said as he leaned against the door.
Dawn raised her eyebrows. “Nice freaking eye,” she commented, impressed. Xander grinned and blinked, moistening one eye with his eyelid while the other remained perfectly stationary.
“It doesn’t do everything I’d hoped it would. I get lots of funny looks,” he told her, and hugged her likewise. “Where are your bags?” he asked, stepping forward.
Dawn stopped him before he stepped away from the door. “Wait, stop. Let’s just… sit down and talk, first.”
Buffy looked suspicious. “This doesn’t sound good.”
Dawn grinned as she sat down on the sofa. “Actually, I think it’s good. I think it’s very good. Oh my, is it good,” she repeated, waving her arms around a bit in excitement. Xander smiled. She never changes, he thought.
She cleared her throat. “I… met someone.”
Buffy rolled her head back. “I was wondering when this was coming.” She put the towel down and sat down across from Dawn. “Okay. Who is he?”
“His name is Pete.”
“Pete,” Buffy repeated. “Nice, simple name. Not like Angel or Spike. I approve so far. Go on.”
“He’s a vampire.”
Buffy frowned. “Okay, disapproving now.”
“What! Buffy…”
“Dawn, Angel was different and the thing with Spike was just me being stupid. How many times do I have to tell you?”
“He has a soul.”
“Oh! Okay, approving again. Did you bring him?”
“Yeah. He’s hiding under blankets in the back.”
“Wonderful. Sunset’s in what, an hour? Go be with him. We’ll grill you about your Watcher-training later.”
Dawn grinned and hopped away. Xander watched her go and shouted after her, “And make sure he knows that the eye that doesn’t blink isn’t real.” He sat down next to Buffy. “Are you sure the vampire thing’s a good idea?”
She nodded. “It’s a great idea. The sex is great…”
Xander stared. Buffy amended. “Uh, well, I mean… they care a lot, more than usual because they’re so bent on all the killing they did, so they’re extra-nice to people they care about. Dawn’s being well-treated if she’s with a vampire with a soul.”
“Nice save.”
“Yeah, well… you’re good, too.”
He smiled sarcastically. “Thanks. That makes me feel so much better.”
Buffy grinned and leaned against him. “When are we going to tell her?” she asked quietly.
“When we catch her and Pete’s not around. He doesn’t care, he’s a vampire.”
She turned around. “You are never going to approve of that relationship.”
“Remember what I said the day Jesse died? ‘I don’t like vampires. I’m going to go out on a limb and say they’re not good.’ That still stands, Buffy. I’ve never wavered from that.”
“And that’s one of the reasons I love you, Xand. But can’t you at least act happy?”
“Of course. You believed me so many times in High School.”
She turned around and kissed him playfully. “That’s cheap.”
“Hardly.”
Buffy went and finished the dishes while Xander worked on plans for a house for work. Time passed quickly and Dawn shortly reappeared in the door with Pete en tow.
“Pete, this is my sister Buffy and her boyfriend Xander… Guys, this is Pete.”
He looked almost identical to Spike. Buffy suppressed the hysterical laughter and settled for a warm grin while Xander excused himself and locked himself in the training room, laughing until the tears rolled down his face as he rolled around on the floor.
“Wha’s his deal, love?” he asked Dawn. Buffy bit hard on the inside of her mouth to stop herself. He even spoke like Spike. They had obviously met at some point. Buffy excused herself also after inviting Pete in and suggesting they make themselves at home. She joined Xander in the training room and together they had a grand old time. When Buffy could speak again, she spat out the words slowly.
“He… even talks… like Spike… oh, man,” she said, and promptly resumed her laughing fit, interrupting herself occasionally to imitate Pete’s words.
Up in the living room, Pete heard the noise of them laughing. Dawn didn’t. “Wha’s that noise? Sounds like laughter or sommat.”
She frowned. “I don’t know. Maybe they have haunted pipes now or something.” She knew what he was hearing, and she excused herself to go to the washroom. She opened the door to the training room when she thought she heard the pair calming down and promptly stepped inside, closing it behind her. “You’re both terrible,” she told them, and they started laughing so hard again that Dawn actually chuckled along.
Buffy was the first to calm. “Oh, Dawn, we’re sorry. It’s just… he’s so much like Spike, it’s so funny. They must have met at some point, and Pete decided Spike would be his new undead role model or something…” the last of her phrase disappeared in more laughter. Xander calmed first this time and stood up, taking several deep breaths.
“He doesn’t talk like Spike, you know. He tries, but he fails miserably,” Dawn admitted.
“Do you think you could maybe… convince him not to try?” he asked Dawn slowly.
“No. I did once. The upshot of it was only that he was very excited that I knew Spike for as long as I did and wanted to hear all about him. I’m staying away from the subject; it was actually kinda creepy.”
Buffy stood, too. “Okay. I’m support-o-sister now, really. I think we’re done laughing,” she said, pursing her lips to hide her grin.
“Good.” She shook her head. “You guys are weird.” She stepped out of the training room first and went to Pete, who was examining the weapon cabinet with incredible interest. Buffy followed Dawn, with Xander not far behind.
“We’re sorry about that, Pete,” she said.
“No problem, love. Say, these your weapons?”
“They are indeed.”
“They’re very nice.”
“I quite like them.”
“Dawn tells me you’re a Slayer.”
“I am.”
“You all right with me?”
Buffy grinned and nodded. “I’ve had relationships with vampires before. As long as they have souls, I’m peachy with them.” Xander made a noise of protest in his throat, and Buffy silenced him with a slight movement of her elbow that connected harder than intended with Xander’s gut. He silently doubled over. Buffy didn’t notice. “So, Pete… sit down, please… tell us about yourself. I’m always fascinated to hear a vampire’s history… minus the killing and all that.”
Pete smiled. “I was born in 1910. Got turned at eighteen. Got a soul about ten years ago, and have been brooding unhappily ever since.”
Buffy nodded, and tried not to notice that the strong English accent was fading into a more comfortable one, probably authentic. It reminded her of Giles. “I’ve seen multiple soul-types. Do you mind explaining how you got yours?”
“Not at all,” he said. “I was wandering through some caves in Africa, and I ran into a very overwhelming voice that promised me what I was seeking as long as I completed the trials. I liked the sound of that, so I completed the trials and it gave me my soul.”
Buffy raised her eyebrows. “Oh! So, exactly the same way Sssss…” she trailed off at the look of alarm on Dawn’s face. “sssome other vampire I know got his. That’s neat.”
Pete grinned. “Same way Spike got his soul, I know. I’m a big fan of Spike.”
“So we see,” Xander said, sitting down next to Buffy. She elbowed him in the gut again and he doubled over again, unable to talk for a while.
“Dawn finds it irksome. She’s crazy,” he said fondly, putting an arm around her shoulders. His accent was visibly comfortable now, and it was still very British, but a different, softer British than Spike’s accent was.
“So, how did Crazy Kid and Old Vampire meet?” Xander asked between wheezes.
Pete smiled. “She was training in Britain, where I’ve been most of my un-life. They accidentally toured my crypt, and I was sort of… not wearing clothes,” he said unblushingly.
“Is that so,” Xander said quietly, trying desperately to hide the disgust on his face.
Pete nodded. “She thought it was funny and apologized profusely. We had a drink that night, and when she left I decided to take a boat to New York and find her. She was the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen, and I had to know more about her.”
Buffy smiled at her kid sister. “Aw, that’s sweet,” she said seriously. A small silence fell and Pete stood. “Well, I’m going to get your bags out of Twig,” Pete announced, standing. “Where should I put them?” he asked Xander.
“Oh, just put them in the front hall, I’ll take care of them for you,” he said.
“Are you sure? Because I’m more than happy to…”
“No, it’s fine. Thanks, though.”
“You’re not intending to stay in the car, are you, Pete?” Buffy asked, having taken a liking to Dawn’s boyfriend.
“Well, I thought I might, I didn’t want to intrude…”
“You thought wrong, mister. Bring your bags in too, we’ll figure out sleeping arrangements later,” she instructed, smiling at him warmly. He reluctantly nodded and disappeared to the car.
“He’s nice,” Buffy told Dawn. “Very honest. I like his impression of Pete much more than I liked his impression of Spike.”
Dawn nodded. “Me, too. I really, really like Pete. Spike, not so much. Too silly. Too many memories of times passed,” she admitted. “What do you think, Xander? And be honest, okay?”
Xander thought for a moment. “He’s… passable,” he decided. “A vampire, but one of the better ones I’ve met. Actually, probably the best one. So, points for Pete,” he finished.
Dawn grinned. “I’m glad.”
"But the question becomes, where does Pete sleep?" he asked. "They can't sleep in the same room."
The expression on Dawn's face suggested they should. "Xander, I'm nineteen."
"Yeah, and that boy's a souled vampire. Any hanky-spanky between you two shortly turns into cranky-look-your-boyfriend's-evil."
Buffy shook her head. "That's only the gypsy curse. The African curse can has no perfect-happiness guidelines."
"What!" Xander proclaimed. He shook his head. "I don't like this. We're finding him another room anyway."
Buffy smiled at Xander, but shook her head secretly at Dawn. We'll put him in your room she mouthed. Dawn grinned. There was a pause.
Xander put his arm around Buffy and she leaned into him. “We’ve got something to tell you, Dawnie.”
“Oh?” she asked, trying not to seem as suspicious as she was feeling.
Buffy grinned, and Xander shortly followed suit. They looked at each other and kissed briefly, before Buffy held up her left hand. “We’re engaged,” she said.
There was ruckus. Dawn sprung up and screamed in happy at the same time Buffy did, and they screamed toward each other and jumped around hugging while screaming. Xander stood up in alarm at all the screaming and was shortly taken up into the small screaming jumping mob. He started screaming in alarm, and Pete ran into the house looking prepared to fight when he realized that it was just a sister thing and resumed moving bags into the house.
“I’m so happy for you guys,” Dawn finally managed after they all calmed. Xander still looked jumpy and he shifted his real eye and fake eye simultaneously. “Geez, that thing is good,” Dawn commented again, observing the eye up close.
“Is everything all right in here?” Pete asked, dropping the last of the bags in the hall and closing the door behind him.
“Everything’s great,” Dawn grinned, and hopped over to him as only Dawn can. Buffy and Xander put arms around each other and the two couples stood in happy silence for a second.
“So, Rae’s pregnant,” Dawn announced.
And the laughing fit between Xander and Buffy resumed. The aspect of Faith ever having kids was much too great a mental image.
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