New Beginnings

By PSUBrat

Birthday Surprises

Xander woke to the sound of the alarm going off from Buffy's room. Did she really need to have it that loud? He was going to have to get a silencer for that thing. Then again, a silencer for something that was supposed to wake you up probably defeated the whole purpose. He looked at the clock. Too damn early. Good thing Anya didn't live here anymore. She would have been in Buffy's face about the noise by now. He laid there for a few more minutes, hoping that Buffy would turn that god-forsaken thing off. After about five minutes of continual screeching, he pulled himself out of bed and padded barefoot across the living room to his houseguests' room. He slowly opened the door.

"Buffy," he asked without peering into the room, "are you and the Dawnster awake and decent yet?"

There was no answer. He peeked his head into the room and looked around. The beds were made. It looked like no one had slept in them all night.

"Buff? You in the bathroom?"

Still no answer.

Frowning, he stepped into the girls' room and headed for the bathroom. He had almost made it there when he heard voices coming from the living room along with the sound of the front door closing. With a look of confusion covering his face, he turned to make his way back to the living room.

"Morning Xander," Dawn said brightly, "it's a beautiful day out there."

"Hey Xan. Whatcha doin' in there?" Buffy asked putting down the box of donuts on the table.

"I was looking for you two but I see that you've already been found. Oh! Donuts!"

"Buffy," a female voice called from Xander's bedroom, "do you know where Xander is?"

"He's out here Anya," Buffy yelled.

Slowly Xander turned to look at Buffy, "Anya's here," he asked with a mouthful of jelly donut and wide eyes.

"Yeah," Dawn answered taking a donut for herself, "we met up with her on the way home and decided to walk here together."

"Xander," Anya stated as she came out of the bedroom, "we need to talk."

"Talk about what, sweetie?" Xander asked still eating his donut and trying not to make eye contact. He had a feeling he knew where this was going.

"Sex," Anya said staring at him, "we haven't had any since you've come home from the hospital. And I think it's about time."

Buffy and Dawn exchanged looks. "I'm gonna go take a shower," Buffy said quickly.

Dawn put her half-eaten donut down on the table and followed her sister into their bedroom. This was not a conversation either one of them wanted to hear. "And, uhm, I'm gonna go with her to, uhm, make sure the shower works!"

Once inside they closed the door tightly and turned on the radio, hoping to drown out the voices coming from the living room.

***

Xander motioned to Anya to sit down on the couch. This wasn't the conversation he was expecting to have. He thought she would want to talk about the living arrangements and how uneconomical it was to keep two apartments. Right now, he wasn't in any hurry to have her move back in though. Things were going just fine the way they were. He was thankful that Buffy and Dawn went to their room so that he could talk to his demon girlfriend alone. His sex life was not a topic that he wanted to share with either Summers girl.

"An," he started, looking into her eyes, "I'm not sure that we're ready to take that step in our relationship yet."

"What? Are you kidding," Anya demanded, "we should have had sex the night you came home. It's very important to have sex in a relationship."

"Anya, you do know that I love you, don't you?"

"Yes. That's why we should have sex. Now. We both love each other. And we're happy again. So there should be lots of sex and good orgasms."

He sighed and looked back up at her. This was going to be difficult for him to say but he felt that he needed to say it. "An. I don't know when I'll be ready to make that kind of commitment to you. I'm not sure I can get past the fact that you're a demon again."

She was on the verge of tears. She didn't understand why he didn't want her that way. She had believed that when they got back together, he had accepted every part of who she was, apparently she had been wrong. "Xander, I don't understand. I thought you loved me despite me being a demon? And it's not like I've been a practicing demon. I'm still the same person."

"No Anya, you're not. You're a demon. Not a person. And I'm just not sure I can make love to a demon."

She sat in stunned silence. Slowly she got up off the couch and made her way to the front door. As she was about to leave, she turned to him and said, "When you love someone Xander, you love them for who they are. Not what you want them to be." The tears were starting to come and she needed to get out of there. She didn't want him to see her cry.

Xander watched her leave. Could this day get any worse?

***

Several hours later, it was back to business at the Magic Box. Anya was busy behind the counter ringing up a customer while Dawn helped another customer at the front of the store. Giles and Buffy were in the back room training, leaving Xander alone at the round table to read his latest comic book. He tried desperately to enjoy the story but his mind just couldn't focus. He kept replaying the conversation he'd had with Anya that morning. He was sorry he had hurt her, but honestly, he couldn't see himself spending the rest of his life with a demon, especially a vengeance demon. It just wasn't right. Was he wrong to feel this way? He looked over at Anya and studied her closely. She still looked like the woman he fell in love with. She still sounded and acted like her too. He was so confused.

The bell over the door rang as Willow and Tara walked in carrying a tray full of cupcakes. Tara walked over to Dawn to give her a hug. "Happy Birthday, Dawnie," she said squeezing the young girl.

Dawn blushed and thanked her friend. Other than Buffy, no one else had mentioned it yet.

"We brought you cupcakes," Willow said with a grin. She headed over to the table to put them down. Noticing that her friend looked deep in thought she asked, "Xander, what's up? How come you're not at work?"

"Hey Will," he said unenthusiastically, "I took the day off to hang with the Dawnster on her birthday.

"That was sweet of you," Willow smiled.

"Yes. Wasn't it," Anya stated, "Dawn's not a demon so he can do nice things for her."

Confused, Willow looked at Xander with a questioning expression. He shook his head and waved it off, letting her know he didn't want to talk about it.

Willow was concerned about her friend but since he didn't want to talk about it, she wouldn't push the subject. "Hey Dawnie, come on over here and we'll sing 'happy birthday' to you."

"You guys don't have to do that," Dawn said with a grin.

"Yes we do," Buffy said as she and Giles emerged from the training room.

They all gathered around the table as Tara put a candle in one of the cupcakes and lit it. After they were done singing, they sat down at the table to enjoy the confections.

"So Dawn," Xander asked, "how does it feel to be sixteen?"

"Uhm, really no different than yesterday. Except," she said looking at Buffy with hope in her eyes, "for the fact that I can now get a license."

"I said I would think about it Dawn," Buffy said trying to give her sister a stern look.

Dawn just smiled sweetly at her sister, knowing that this wasn't the time to fight this particular battle.

"I think the big question," Giles stated with concern, "is whether or not you feel differently? Have you felt anything unusual? Any new powers to report?"

"No. I don't feel differently. And nothing new to report."

"Very well. I suppose we will have to keep an eye out to see how your new powers will manifest themselves. The sixteenth birthday is always significant in the rights of passage. It dates as far back as ancient…"

"Giles," Buffy interrupted, "I think we get the idea."

"Right. Sorry."

***

Dawn thought the afternoon seemed to drag on. Things had been slow all day around the shop. She sat on the stool and paged through a magazine, hoping it would pass the time more quickly. It wasn't. She just wanted to go home and get ready for her party. As she started to read an interesting article, the sound of raised voices came from the back room. The yelling was getting louder. Anya and Xander had been fighting ever since this morning. The sex talk must not have gone too well. Dawn glanced over at her sister who was talking with Willow, Tara and Giles at the table. They had stopped talking as well and were looking towards the back room.

The yelling got even louder when Xander and Anya came into the shop area. They were oblivious to the others in the room.

"Anya, this is the perfect solution," Xander shouted.

"You have no idea what you're talking about," Anya said emphatically, "I refuse to do that."

"So what you're saying is you don't love me enough to destroy your power center and become human again," he demanded.

"Xander I already told you my answer. I love you but I won't do it."

Willow stared at the feuding couple. She felt responsible for this situation. If Willow had never made the wish, Anya would be able to destroy her pendant and be happy with Xander. She looked over at Tara with pleading eyes. Her lover squeezed her hand and smiled. Willow got up out of her seat and went over to stand between Xander and Anya.

"Xander," Willow said softly, "Anya can't destroy her power center."

"And why not," he demanded again.

"Willow, please sit down. You don't have to…"

"No Anya, I do have to. It's my fault."

"Will, it's not your fault we're fighting. That's just crazy talk," he stated as he put his hand on Willow's shoulder.

"No Xander. It is my fault. You want her to be human again. And the only way that will happen is if we destroy her pendant. Well…we can't do that."

"And again," Xander said with confusion, "I ask, huh?"

Willow looked over at Tara. "Go ahead Willow. It'll be okay," Tara said giving her lover a reassuring smile.

"Because," Willow sighed, "I made a wish and if you destroy it, nothing will ever be the same again." And in her mind she said, "please pass the salt."

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