Disclaimer: Joss Whedon owns all of the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" characters. George, Kathryn, Alex, Mandy, Bobby, Steven, Juan, Jerry, and the Dragon Team are mine. Larami owns the rights to Super Soakers. I made up the CPS 3000, based on the CPS 2000 and the 300.
Dedication: To Amber and Mary, for keeping the Chinease Night tradition. And, for putting up with me. Thanks, guys.
Part One
"Com' on, Harris. Ain't you got anything better than that?"
I really hate it when the guy just takes everything I have and deflects it. The fact that he'd had a good twenty years of training while I only had five didn't matter. His taunts still got to me.
I faked a punch, then swept his legs out from under him. He landed on his butt with a delightful thump. Then, I followed him down as he caught me off guard. Again.
I lay there for a minute, resting. The session was over, we both knew it. It was an unspoken thing between us. We knew we were done in for the day, and needed rest before tonight's mission. We had just come to the dojo to relieve some tension. Like we had been doing together for three years.
I rose from the mat and helped Sensei up. We bowed to each other, then bowed to the mat before stepping off of it. No one had really explained to me why we did this, only that it was tradition. Like calling George Sensei once we stepped on the mat, or Sergeant Candle when we were in uniform. God forbid tradition from being broken.
I went over to the bench that held my gear and grabbed my towel. It felt good to simply wipe the sweat off my face. I slung the towel across my neck, and reached for another item on the bench.
It was my dog tags. Before I could do more than raise them in preparation of slipping them over my head, George grabbed them, stopping my motion. I looked at him in confusion. What was he up to? He wasn't looking at my dog tags, he was looking at the ring that dangled from the chain, carefully wrapped in rubber so that it wouldn't make noise when it hit the dog tags. I would have rather had it uncovered, but five years of experience had taught me that any noise could be a death sentence. And, I refused to leave it anywhere. I wanted it with me at all times, just in case.
I knew what he was going to say. He had resisted doing so for three years, which had amazed me. His respect of me and my privacy was the only thing that had stopped him so far. But, I guess he had decided that he couldn't keep quiet any more.
"Xander... It's been five years, son. Don't you think it's time to move on with your life?"
I jerked the chain out of his hands. George was the only one of the Team that knew the story behind the ring. He had said he understood my reasons for keeping it. Now, he was giving me this shit. I couldn't believe it.
He put his hand on my shoulder, and I resisted the urge to either jerk away or belt him. Not that the punch would have connected, but it would have made me feel better.
I put the chain over my head, and settled the tags into place, right by my heart. I knew I wouldn't be able to talk without my voice cracking, so I just shook my head. It was bad enough he knew about the ring and it's significance, I wouldn't have been able to handle breaking down in front of him again. Twenty-two year old Army officers don't allow their voices to crack. Not even under extreme circumstances.
After a minute, I was back in control of my emotions. The ring always made me lose control, as did anything related to it. But, despite that, I couldn't let it go. It meant too much to me.
"You're a good looking' guy. Well, at least the girls seem to think so. Why don't you go out with a few of them after we get back?"
"I can't, George. I just can't. It hurts too much."
With that, I walked away. The group didn't meet until dark, so that gave me several hours to get my head straight again. Hopefully, that would be enough.
After taking a quick shower and changing, I drove to the beach. The water had always calmed me in California. On the East Coast, it was no different. The water may be choppier, the wind colder, but the effect was the same. It brought calmness and memories.
I can still remember that night so clearly. It's like it happened yesterday, but it had a dream-like quality. As if it had never happened. If only that were true. It was the night of graduation. The big party. All the seniors were invited, even the ones that no one really liked. That was the one night when the social cliques didn't mean anything, if only because it would be the last time we would all be together.
It was held at the beach. The night was perfect, not a cloud in the sky. The stars were so bright that they were the only light we needed. The bon fire just distracted with the beauty of them, but it was tradition to have one.
Buffy had actually gotten the night off from her slaying duties, and was there with her latest fling. She had so many of them in such a short period of time, just dating each for a few weeks, until they started to get too close. She didn't allow anyone to get close to her that year. She even tried to push away her friends, but we were a stubborn group, and wouldn't let her.
Willow was with Oz. She was so happy that night. She had been accepted to Yale on a full scholarship. Oz was going to go with her and work for some major computer company. Willow was approached by them too, but had decided to wait and see how her first year went. Knowing her, she'd break whatever curve the professors were operating on. She was like that.
Cordy... Cordy was beautiful. Her eyes were the only thing brighter than the stars, and I loved her so much. That night, we didn't fight at all. Didn't even snip at each other. It had to have been a new record.
She was going to go to modeling school. Her daddy had set it all up. I think he was just trying to get her away from me. He always thought I was below his precious daughter's level. But, modeling was what Cordy wanted to do, and I wouldn't argue against it no matter how much I wanted to.
Besides, I had a plan. I had worked hard that year and the summer before, saving my money for a car and something else. A very special something that Cordy never got to see. That now hung from my dog tags, wrapped in ugly black rubber. If she had to leave, I wanted a promise that she was coming back, and a statement to the world that she was mine.
The diamond wasn't as big as some guys would have been able to afford, but I knew that wouldn't matter to her. It was the message behind the ring that was important.
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