After The Innocence
‘Okay, I’m on this luxury cruiser in the Caribbean and I’m sun baking on the deck. It’s really hot so I order a... kiwi-mango cocktail in one of those coconut thingies with an umbrella and an exotic orchid tucked in the side. And it’s being served by... Noah Wyle!’ Buffy smiled, her eyes twinkling.
‘Wow! That’s so...’ Willow pondered for words.
‘Yum? Yeah, well I haven’t gotten to the bit with the sun lotion.’ The blonde chuckled. ‘Just kidding. Now your turn.’
‘Hmm...lets see.’ Willow thought for a second, then grinned. ‘I know. I’m in one of those crowded nightclubs, and I’m sitting at the bar all by myself. Then the bartender brings me a martini and says it's from the gentlemen over on the other side of the bar. I look, but I can’t see because its so dark. I go up to them to thank him for the drink, but when he turns around, its Xander all dressed up in club hopping gear and he grins in that adorable way and...kisses- no, wait, thats it.’ She stopped abruptly, reddening.
‘No! Come on Will, it’s just a game of ‘Anywhere But Here’,’ Buffy prodded with a gentle smile. ‘Anyway, that’s really sweet.’
‘Hey my buds!’ A voice made both the teenagers jump out of their seats. It was Xander Harris, and he grinned like a child. ‘Whoa, tense much?’
‘Uh, how long have you been standing there?’ Willow inquired with a note of panic. She exchanged a look with the blonde girl who continued to sip at her chocolate milk.
‘Just doing the rounds in the cafeteria.’ He pulled up his regular seat right beside Willow and flopped down. She noticed he looked a little tired and pale.
‘Xander? You alright?’ She asked her best friend as he opened his school bag. He saw her eyebrows raise and heard a tone of gentle concern in her voice.
‘Hey Wills, I’d like to think I was a little more than alright. I’m a ‘pretty cute’ with an abundance of ‘rather witty’,’ he joked, but stopped when he saw the worried expression on Willow’s face.
‘Come on, seriously. You fell asleep in chemistry during a prac!’
‘Yeah, I remember. I was rudely awaked by my best bud about to pour acid on my face.’ He grinned. He recalled waking up to a startling sight just minutes ago.
‘I thought you were awake, and just kidding with me.’ she explained with apologetic tones.
‘Don’t stress Will. Anyway, I’ve just been a little bit tired lately.’
She examined his face and looked into his eyes. ‘You should get some sleep then. You never know when a vamp attack might occur. Giles says we should always be alert.’ She pulled out a sandwich and taking a look at his own empty lunch box, she offered him half a chicken and lettuce.
‘Okay, I’ll get some serious z’s in History. But food now, winks later!’ He nodded automatically and took half her lunch. He took a third of the bread in one bite.
Willow shook her head. At least his appetite hadn’t changed. As she began to eat her own lunch, Xander leaned towards her in a secretive manner.
‘And also, I feel kinda...itchy.’ Xander whispered loudly.
‘Itchy where?’ Willow instantly turned her attention to him.
‘Right...here.’ He pulled down the collar of his jumper and pointed to a pink spot on his upper chest. Willow moved closer and Buffy moved further away.
‘Ug. It's not that strange pink rash you had last time is it?’ Buffy asked half disgusted, half afraid.
‘Hmm. Uh oh.’
‘ ‘Uh oh’s are the total opposite of ‘eureka’s. They signal the discovery of something you hope you would never find.’ Xander explained.
‘It-it looks like...’ Willow trailed off. She looked at the spot, then Xander, then the spot again.
‘Like what? Just don’t say herpes. They keep popping up when you least expect,’ he joked.
‘It looks like...chicken pox.’
‘ARGH!’ Xander jumped back in horror. He stepped on someone. Turning to face the victim, Xander cried out again. It was Cordelia.
‘You moron!’ She screamed. ‘I need to talk to you!’ She dragged Xander away by his collar. Willow sighed.
‘Lighten up, Will. Maybe Cordy will catch it from him.’ Buffy commented. Willow brightened.
* * * * *
‘What’s up? Sorry about the foot thing.’
‘Geez, you’re such an unco.’ Cordelia complained. She thought of the new student, Marcus Leyton. He was a quarterback. A co-ordinated, muscular, girlfriend-less quarterback.
‘Uh, yeah. I just need to tell you something. No smoochies today.’ he announced. He thought about Willow’s diagnosis of his itchy spot.
‘What, you think I’ve been pining away for your dorky lips since the moment I woke up? As if, Harris. I have what you in the scooby gang call a ‘life’.’ Cordelia said with stinging sarcasm.
‘That’d be right. A fulfilling life full of personal satisfaction from gaining pleasure from other people’s misfortune.’
‘Is this another one of those arguments that you plan to end with you being a pervert?’ Cordelia accused.
‘I’ve taken enough of you crap. Wait, there’s still more to go around for everyone!’ Xander announced sarcastically. ‘ *I* am leaving you now. That is, you will no longer be able to see me again once I exit this closet.’
‘Wait! I’m dumping *you*! You can’t dump me!’ She shouted hurriedly.
‘Whatever! As long as I don’t have to see your face from close range again. It gives me hives.’ Xander threw open the closet and, scratching his itchy spot in dignity, stormed down the hallway. At that moment, Marcus Leyton walked passed the closet to see Cordelia Chase standing among the mops and buckets, and shook his head.
* * * * *
Xander was walking down the corridor in angry strides. He stumble into another student.
‘Watch it!’ They cried. He nodded an apology. He stumbled some more, and then fell down at the entrance of the cafeteria.
* * * * *
When Xander woke up, he found himself in his bedroom. He felt a wet cloth on his forehead cooling his brow. He looked up and saw the concerned face of a girl looking down at him in worry.
‘Willow?’ he said in tired surprise.
‘Yes, it’s me. You had us worried when you fell unconcious. How’re you feeling?’ Willow asked in concern.
‘Tired, and itchy. More itchy.’ As if to illustrate his point, he scratched himself on the arms, legs and chest. The red spots seemed to be spreading. ‘How’d I get home? I know I didn’t walk. I wouldn’t have come here.’
‘Buffy and Giles dragged you here. Apparently, they’ve had chicken pox already,’ she explained.
Xander pulled away from her hand. ‘Hey, you haven’t had it yet. You better not touch me.’
‘It’s-it’s ok. I need to help you now. Where, uh, where are your parents?’ Willow asked softly.
‘Beats me. Oh wait, that’s right. They left for the week for who knows where.’ Xander said with mild bitterness. Willow squeezed his arm in sympathy. ‘Oh yeah, Will. Keep that up. It’s really itchy there!’
* * * * *
Xander and Willow had talked for about two hours about anything and almost everything. At eight, Willow said she’d be back, and left the room quietly. Xander put his head put deeply on his pillow, inhaling the fading air that was Willow. It was like a dewy morning, fresh and sweet. He closed his eyes, and drifted into sleep.
About half an hour later, Xander was woken by a soft shaking of the shoulder.
‘Xander. Have some food.’ Willow saw her best friend lying there. Some spots had appeared on his neck and she knew he must be feeling a mixture of tiredness and restlessness. Tonight they were supposed to meet Angel, Buffy and Cordelia at the Bronze.
‘Uhh, what’s happening?’ he asked in confusion. He saw Willow carrying a tray with a bowl of soup, a plate of toasty bread and vegetables with noodles. ‘I’m not hungry. But it looks really good.’ He added when he saw her crestfallen face.
‘You should eat, it’ll make you feel better.’ Willow tried to coax him, but Xander shook his head like a stubborn child.
‘I feel like I’ve been run over by a stampede of wild chickens.’
‘I know! I read about this in the medical book you have downstairs.’ Willow put down the tray and opened a volume she had tucked under her arm. ‘It says patients of chicken pox may have a lowered appetite. Well, for once in my life!’ She joked.
‘Well, what does it say about how long it’ll take to cure?’
‘Hmm. It actually says...about a week or two, to be totally fine.’
‘Two weeks? No way!’ he cried out in surprise. ‘Geez, what am I going to do for the rest of the day, let alone a whole fourteen days?’
‘Well, it does suggest taking a bath to momentarily take away the itchiness.’ Willow closed the book. ‘Okay, you get ready and I’ll run you a bath.’ She headed for the bathroom and Xander sighed. Then he smiled. < I think I’ll need help having a bath! >
* * * * *
When the bath was a third of the way full, Willow rumaged through the bathroom cabinet. She retrieved a jar of pink baths salts and spooned in a few scoops. They dissolved quickly in the hot water. She then turned on the tap and filled the bath tub up to three-quarters with cold water. She hummed as she tested the warmth of the water. She was in the middle of wondering if he’d appreciate a bubble bath, when Xander walked in covered in a terry toweling bathrobe.
‘I don’t suppose *you’re* the owner of that Aladdin bubble bath mixture?’ She motioned innocently to the genie-shaped bottle next to the tub.
‘Uh, whatever made you think that? It belongs to daddy dearest.’ He said with a straight face. Willow looked at him in surprise. The Xander smiled slyly. She grinned and poured in two capfuls of the bubble bath. She shook the water to make it foam slightly.
‘Well, it should make your itches feel better. Have a fun bubbly time.’ Willow smiled and headed for the door.
‘Hang on!’ Xander tore off his robe and Willow cried out and covered her eyes. She heard Xander laughing and dared to look up. He was dressed in his swimming trunks and grinning like a maniac. ‘You gotta help me bathe.’
‘No way. We may be best buds, that that only goes so far. I’m not going to sponge you down.’ Willow blushed and looked away.
‘No, it’s just that I can’t reach my back, and that’s where all the spots have decided to congregate. Pretty please, Will? It itches like nothing should.’ He looked at her with puppy-dog eyes.
< Oh no! He’s looking so adorable! > Willow felt like hugging him, but she just reluctantly nodded.
‘Great! This will be fun!’ He clambered into the bath. ‘Ahhhhhh.’
The water was cool on Xander’s pox and he felt the soft foamy touch of Willow handling the sponge puff on his back. He felt a little bit embarrassed about sitting almost naked infront of his best friend, but luckily the bubbles covered his lower half. He spent a long time cooling himself in the bath, and only got out after Willow commented his skin was getting as wrinkly as Giles around the eyes.
‘Uh, I need to go to the bathroom now.’ He took the towel from Willow, who had unconciously been drying him. She reddened and backed off.
‘Sure you don’t need my help?’ She joked.
‘Maybe just the pulling the briefs down bit.’
‘XANDER!’ She cried and tried to slap him, but he dodged and almost fell into the toilet bowl. She shook her head and left Xander by himself.
* * * * *
Willow checked her watch. It was almost ten o’clock and she knew that neither of them had gotten around to doing their homework. She sighed and realised that Xander must be feeling run down so she changed his sheets and fluffed up his pillow in preparation for an early night. Just as she leaned forward to replace the pillow, a force hit her from behind and felled her onto the bed. She cried out in surprise and struggled to turn over. Xander was dressed in only in a pair of flannel pyjama pants and had pinned Willow down with his weight. She laughed and squirmed, but to no avail.
‘Xander! I bet I’ll get the chicken pox for sure now!’ Willow complained with a smile. Xander’s grin faded quickly and he backed off.
‘Sorry, I forgot. You better stay away.’ Xander looked concerned as he crawled into bed.
‘It’s too late,’ she joked. But she was flushed from being so close to her best friend. ‘I-I had better go soon. To tell the others how you’ve been. Buffy, Angel and Cordy are expecting us at the Bronze.’
Willow noticed Xander’s face flinching. ‘Cordelia dumped me today.’ Willow looked shocked, but hid her secret joy. She mumbled, ‘Why?’
‘Oh, her and her superiority complex. It’s a really turn-off.’ Xander sneered. ‘I don’t want to get into that.’
‘I’m sorry, Xander. Look, I’ll hang around till you fall asleep, okay?’
‘But what if I wake up, and I’m all on my lonesome?’
‘Oh Xander...you’re a big boy.’ But Willow thought about Xander feeling sick and all by himself in his big empty house, no friends around and no girlfriend. ‘You want me to hang around tonight?’
‘If you wa- I mean, no. You shouldn’t. Your mom would be worried that you’re spending the night in your best friends bedroom.’ He wiggled his eyebrows.
‘I didn’t say I’d sleep in your room, Alexander Harris!’ Willow exclaimed.
‘Hey! Retract the claws. Retract the claws.’ He held up his hands in a surrender pose. ‘Seriously, thanks, but you shouldn’t have to stay here. I’ll be fine.’
‘Sure?’
‘Sure, lil buddy.’
And then Willow smiled and quietly left the room.
* * * * *
Willow went downstairs to get her backpack sitting on the kitchen counter. A pile of unwashed dishes and a stack of beer cans lay in the sink and on the kitchen floor. A half empty bottle of vodka lay on its side, half hidden in the basket full of dirty clothes. Willow thought sadly. < I can’t believe Xander has to live like this. Maybe I should hang a round for a little. > She began to wash the dishes, and scraped the uneaten meal of Xander’s plate into the bin. Then she threw all the beer cans into the recycling and went to the laundry. It was pretty dusty, but she opened the washing machine and poured the clothes in. She separated the items, blushing when she picked up Xander’s underwear. She briefly chuckled when she saw his name ironed onto every pair, each one upside down. Willow hoped the noise wouldn’t wake him up.
She crept up to his bedroom to gather stray bits of clothing on his floor. She hugged the pile close when she saw Xander sleeping. He lay on the bed, arms and legs splayed and his blanket half off the bed. Struggling to hold the clothes, Willow tucked the blanket into the sides of the mattress. Xander’s mouth was slightly open. She inched closer with fascination. Soon her lips were an inch away. She leaned forward and brushed hers against his.
She suddenly felt his tongue fly into her mouth and touched hers. She pulled back in shock, but Xander still appeared to be asleep. He mumbled something about ‘be careful not to fall. It’s dangerous here.’ She nodded in silent agreement as she left the room. She had to be careful not to fall. It was a harzard that could hurt her. And Xander.
Willow moved quickly downstairs. The first load of washing was done, so she moved it into the drier. She loaded the washing machine with Xander’s mis-matched items and added powder. Then she decided to get some homework done while she waited.
Some cigarettes littered the coffee table and Willow brushed them aside as she set down her history homework. She set to work and didn’t stop till she heard her stomache rumble. She realised it was past midnight, and the lastime she ate was at lunch in the cafeteria at school. She quickly called home to tell her mother that Xander had come down with the chicken pox and his parents were out of town. Her mother understood, and might even visit the next day with some soup for poor Xander.
Willow opened the fridge. She was shocked to see what lay inside. The shelves were all bare except for two cartons of moldy yoghurt, a bruised apple, and several six packs of beer. She did *not* open the shoebox that lay on the bottom shelf, hoping it wasn’t the dead pet hamster Xander never talked about.
She backed away from the sight, and decided to check the shelves. She found a years supply of two minute noodles. She cooked a packet and ate them, but felt empty. Not physically, but somewhere inside, her heart ached in pain when she saw the house Xander was forced to call home. Feeling depressed about the whole situation, she soon curled up on the couch and fell asleep.
* * * * *
The next morning, Xander woke to hear soft humming from far away. He pried his eyes open to glance at his alarm clock and discovered it was 9:50am! He leapt out of bed and dashed into the bathroom. Splashing water onto his face and brushing his teeth, he almost swallowed his toothbrush. With toothpaste smeared on his chin, Xander raced downstairs and into his kitchen. Where he was so shocked he stopped in his tracks.
The kitchen was as neat and tidy as...well, Willow’s house. The dishes that used to be piled sky high and the beer bottles stained with dregs we missing. The sink shone with radiance and the cups were actually hanging on their little hooks. And most surprising of all was Willow standing in front of the stove, *cooking*.
‘What? We have a *stove*? What happened to my house?’ Xander cried out in surprise. He saw Willow attempt a smile, but he saw her eyes flinch.
‘I’m sorry. I though it needed a bit of cleaning up.’ Willow apologised.
‘Don’t say sorry, Wills. This is great! You shouldn’t have, I mean. It’s not gonna stay pretty when my parents return,’ he joked. ‘Hang on! It’s a school day. shouldn’t the ever studious, never tardy, Willow Rosenberg be at school like a good little girl?’
‘C’mon, you’re ill. I need to take care of you. I’ll pop in at twelve for my French exam, but then I’ll be back.’
‘Willow, my Willow skipping school? What is the world coming to?’ He scuttled over to spy on what his best friend was cooking. Two fried eggs, several strips of oily bacon and french toast. ‘Mmm...’ he drifted towards the hotplate but Willow pushed him away.
‘Hey, not yet. Stay away from the food until it’s ready, ok? Else, you may find a spatula brand on your rear!’ She warned with a smile.
He looked at her with melting puppy dog eyes. ‘But I already have your name branded on my butt!’ She swatted him away, laughing.
< I can’t believe Will is skipping school for me. Cordy hasn’t even called. I’ll bet she does by the end of the day. She’ll want her smoochies. > He grinned evilly to himself.
‘What would I do without you to take care of me?’ He asked as she brought over the plate. He stood up and gave her a hug. ‘You’re my best bud.’ Willow smiled, enjoying the warmth.
‘Yes, Xander. And you’re mi-’ She was interrupted by the ringing of the telephone. Xander immediately let go and ran for the phone.
‘I bet it’s Cordy, begging to have me back!’ He laughed, not noticing as Willow’s face fell. < We were having a moment, then he dashes back to Cordelia. I can’t compare. > She slammed the plate down on the table and made a bee line for the front door, trying to hide her welling tears.
‘I’m- I hafta go. I’ll be late.’ She slammed the door shut behind her, and Xander stared at the door as it shut. He picked up the receiver.
‘Hello?’
‘Xander? Are you quite alright? I was, eh, rather concerned after your collapse in the cafeteria earlier yesterday and I wanted to express my concern and... to- to see as to how you are coming along.’ Giles stuttered his British over the phone.
‘Oh, it’s just the G-Man.’
‘My sincerest apologises. I beg your pardon if you were awaiting a telephone call from Amy Yip.’ Giles amazingly retorted with mild indignity.
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