Reunited

Chapter 5: Coming Out

Xander was still crying when Buffy and the others knocked on the door. Spike let them in, grimacing when he saw the despair in Buffy's eyes. It was obvious she had been crying. Spike was beginning to wonder what it was that Buffy and Xander had done to deserve to be cast adrift in love. They were both strong and brave. They fought and they bled for those around them and the side of the light. Yet neither of them had found a love or even had a date that didn't somehow come back to hurt them in some way.

Buffy walked to Xander and put a hand on his hair. When he looked up at her she could see the tears sliding down his face. For a moment they only looked at one another, then Buffy pulled him into her arms and they wept together. The confrontation at the Bronze had been brutal and painful. Everyone had tried to keep calm inside, but the minute they left the sanctuary of the building, both sides began to demand explanations. In the end, no answers had been given by either side. Instead Buffy and the others had left, distraught and confused.

Buffy's only thought was to get to Xander. "Xander, what is going on between you and Riley's friend?" she asked gently.

Xander sighed and shifted her so that she was sitting sideways on his lap. He wanted to be able to see everyone's reactions when he told them what happened between himself and Graham. "I met him while I was in Oxnard. He saw me dancing one night."

Buffy frowned. "I thought you said Oxnard didn't have dance clubs," Willow said confused.

Xander blushed and looked away, he was unsure how his friends would take this.  Oz knew, of course, and he had more than likely told Wes. The two kept no secrets from one another.

"I lied to you about my job and about how far I got."

"What do you mean?" Buffy asked.

"I never made it to Vegas. I never made it past Oxnard. The first night I was in town my car was taken out by a demon. Then I was hurt, so I had to spend all the money I had on me for repairs to the car and to me. I needed a job to be able to get home. So I went to the club Luca, the mechanic, told me about. It was run by his sister. It was a strip club. She trained me to dance and I spent my summer there, dancing." There was silence for several minutes before Oz spoke up.

"He was beautiful. We nearly got gang banged the night we danced together."  Sounds of shock and humor filled the room.

Dru giggled. "Pretty pictures play in my mind. Thank you," she said with a coy smile at Oz, who winked in response and blew her a kiss. Buffy and Willow were wide-eyed, and both girls blushed at the images Oz's words brought to mind.

"Oh my," Tara gasped, then blushed when everyone looked at her. Laughter started slowly, then gradually built until tears were forgotten. At least momentarily.

"I know there's more to the story luv, spill," Spike ordered gently. Xander smiled sadly.

"The last night I was working at the club, Graham came in with some of his friends. They watched me perform my public dance, then Graham bought a private one. Any other night I wouldn't have been dancing privately, but I lost a hand of poker and a private dance was the stakes.  Anyway, I was dancing for him and something just clicked. The way it did the first time we met and the night Angel came back. He asked me to spend the night with him and I did."

\\flashback//

Xander took a deep breath and left the sanctuary of the dressing room. He was nervous and excited at the same time. His skin felt on fire from where Graham had touched him. Valicity had given him a kiss on the cheek and told him she would see him in the morning. He had blushed and told her afternoon. Her eyes had widened and a knowing smile crossed her face as she watched him walk out the door. When he saw Graham waiting out front for him, his heart began to race again and his body tightened.

Not just with want, but with hope. Xander was confused as to why his heart and soul told him this man was his future, but he was willing to listen, even if he only had one night. Graham shifted from foot to foot and smiled, he was as nervous as Xander. His friends had been shocked and amused when he told them about his meeting with the dancer. They had told him to have fun, before going back to the hotel to sleep. Graham was unsure what the night would hold, but he knew there would be no sleeping. Nervously they turned as one and began to walk to the hotel. Xander was now able to afford a nicer place and used his new wealth to his advantage. The room was large and the bed was a king. Thinking about his bed and what could happen in it caused Xander to tremble slightly.

\\End flashback//

"We spent the night together and it was the most incredible night of my life. I have thought about him every night since. I know it's stupid, but I fell in love with him that night. Now..." he couldn't finish.

No one said anything for a long time, each caught up in their own thoughts.  Finally Xander spoke again. "I want to believe that Dru and Spike will be safe here, but I can't. I think we're going to put my Plan B into action." The others looked at him for a long moment, then nodded.

"Tara, Wes and I will begin the warding spells. Wes, why don't you call Giles,we're going to need him here to help with some of the spells," Willow said as she stood and began to gather the spell ingredients that they had already placed in the apartment for just such an occasion.