DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything at all, okay?
Clark Kent knocked on the door and waited patiently for his friend Xander to come answer it.
Clark knew from experience he looked innocent. He wasn’t too worried his story wouldn’t fly. He normally would butt out of what was clearly not his business but he really wanted to know what was wrong.
Xander and he talked at work, sure, but he didn’t know that much about him. He had funny stories. He also seemed to like to reminisce about his childhood with Willow and a guy named Jesse. He had assumed for a whole week that Willow was the ex he was talking about, or possibly a girlfriend, but he had learned the as yet unseen Anya was. He got warnings about her frankness every day. He didn’t understand about the heads up, considering the sisters were as direct as was humanly possible with him.
Xander opened the door suspiciously and stepped aside. He was still in his boxer shorts but had himself covered with a couch cushion.
“Clark, what are you doing out this late? Did you just finish?”
“No, but I went home and my aunt and uncle weren’t there. I forgot my key. I wanted to ask the taxi to wait at the house but he wouldn't so I asked him to drive me here instead, is that okay?”
“You took a cab here?”
“Yes I did, he just left; I heard some screaming though, so I wasn’t sure if it was safe to come up.”
“Sure it is, Willow’s just having a rough night.”
“So can I come in?” Questioned the teenager.
“Wait one second,” asked the older brunette. “Can you hold this please?” he said, handing Clark the couch cushion. Hi hand disappeared behind his back. “Think fast,” he said, throwing a cross at Clark, who dropped the cushion and caught it with ease.
Clark looked up from the cross in his hand to Xander, back to the cross, and then back to Xander.
“Is everything okay?” “Yeah, no problem, come in,” he smiled, relief all over his face.
Xander took the cross out of Clark’s hand and set it down on the table. “Sit down, make yourself comfortable.” He went to the refrigerator. “I’ve got beer, beer, beer, orange juice or… tap water.”
“No milk?”
“There is, but I’m not sure how long it’s been in there. If you want to take a chance though...”
“I’m fine.”
“Sorry about the milk but I really shouldn’t let you have it without proper medical insurance.”
Xander pulled out a beer for himself and joined Clark at the table.
“Sorry about my nakedness. It’s just I don’t want to wake Willow up to get a robe.”
“That’s okay Xander.” Clark noticed Xander’s that eyes were red from rubbing; that he looked sickly, slightly flushed like he had a light fever. A quick scan of his internal organs told him his boss wasn’t functioning so well. “So what’s wrong?”
“Remember I told you we hadn’t had the best year? Well, among other things, Willow’s girlfriend got shot. Willow was close enough to get blood splattered all over her, and she hadn’t been doing too well before that so-”
“Oh, no.”
“Yeah. Tara was everything to Willow and she… Well she sort of lost it after she died. They were living with Buffy and Dawn, but because that's where it happened she hasn’t set foot there since. I had some of her clothes brought over… She sleeps in my bed. We sleep in my bed. She doesn’t want to be alone, you know?”
“But what about you? You’re clearly exhausted and you’re injured-”
“Taking care of Willow is my #1 priority. If she needs to be clingy and co-dependant; I’ll be there. If she needs to hit someone, I’ll be there. If she needs to scream and curse and destroy things I’ll wait and pick up the mess. She would do the same for me.”
“You have a wonderful friendship.”
“It depends; we’ve been taking each other for granted on and off. That’s all changing. We all promised each other.”
Xander took a deep breath and smiled a half-smile. “Thanks Clark. It feels nice to talk about it with someone else. There hasn’t been a boy Scooby since… well, Oz I guess.”
“What’s a Scooby?”
“We didn’t tell you? Since High School we’ve been calling each other the Scooby gang. Like Scooby Doo, the cartoon,” he pulled out his counting fingers. “See Buffy was Daphne, Willow was Velma, I’m Shaggy, Oz was Scooby, Dawn, well I guess she was Scrappy, but don’t tell her that, Cordelia was… Daphne… Wait… how did that work?”
“Don’t look at me.”
There was a long pause. Xander finished his beer and went for another. He stared at it for a long time before reluctantly putting it back in the refrigerator. He sighed. “Hey, do you think your substitute parental figures are back?” The man changed the subject.
“Maybe.”
“I’ve got to be tired. Buffy was like, the boss of us so she wasn’t a Scooby.” Xander shook his head. “Anyway, Oz didn’t talk much, but he was cool. Then there was Angel, who was a total… I don’t think I can find the right word,” he gritted his teeth, “And Riley was a different experience, but I could see he wouldn’t last. Liked him enough though. Not even going to get into the subject of the last guy that infiltrated our little unit, I broke the punching bag a week ago just thinking about him so…”
“That bad huh?” Clark asked, trying to think of how to move away from the subject. “So being friends with a bunch of girls doesn’t get to you?” He asked, cringing at how scripted he sounded.
“No, it’s the lack of testosterone that can be killer. It gets kind of lonely.”
“Well, I’m lucky then. I’ve got two girl friends, and two guy friends back home.”
“Cool.”
“Yeah, they are. Pete has been my best friend since forever. Lana is this girl I had a crush on since I first saw her, but we’ve become friends this year. Chloe runs the school newspaper, and she’s oh- I forgot! Do you guys have an ‘International House of Press?”
“We have an International House of Pancakes.”
“Chloe’s interning at the Daily Planet in Metropolis. I wanted to see her name in the credits.”
“I’ll ask around tomorrow.” Xander promised, calling a cab with the portable phone. He then gave Clark his full attention.
“And then there’s Lex. He’s… He’s just Lex.” Clark said, always having trouble describing his best friend.
“Like I haven’t heard that name enough. Is that short for Alexander?”
“Yes.”
“Lex sounds a lot cooler than Xander. I’m still kicking myself for not having thought of it.”
“I don’t know.”
“And don’t mention that name around Anya. Please. She decorated the guest bedroom closet with pictures of Lex Luthor. She like, worships him. Every time he’s mentioned she goes into a dream-like state it takes forever to get her out of. When Buffy comes over, they disappear into that room and come out all glowy faced, fanning themselves.”
“Haha. Now that’s funny. She has a picture of Lex on her wall?”
“The whole closet is full! She reads up on him, prints interviews, locks herself in there to do God knows what when I’m not paying attention. She thinks he’s all that.”
“Why?”
“Ladies dig him. He’s been runner up as America’s most eligible bachelor for 3 years now, behind Bruce Wayne. She’s got all the ‘sexiest people alive’ lists he’s been on. She even has a limited edition poster.”
“Really?”
“Anya's role models are people that manage to hang on to money. Plus he’s got that whole ‘bad boy’ thing going on. Personally, I never got the allure.”
“Are you serious?”
“About what?”
“The whole eligible, sexy thing?”
“Yeah, why?”
“He never told me.”
“Huh?”
“My friend… he’s Lex Luthor.”
Before Xander could respond, he heard moaning from the bedroom. Willow was having another nightmare and he ran into the room to wake her up.
“No, no, no…”
Clark stood in the doorway. Xander was sitting on the side of the bed, taking Willow’s pulse and her temperature with his hand.
Clark didn’t know what to do, watching her thrash around, in pain. Xander told him to stay put as he ran to get some ice.
Willow bolted up in bed and lurched forward, like her body couldn’t control itself. Clark surged forward to steady her, grabbing her hands. She opened her eyes, and you could see lightening in them. Clark didn’t have time to do anything before she yelled ‘no’ again and he got majorly electrocuted. The current definitely hit him, because he’d been hit by electricity before. The current made the rounds in his body and then died, he guessed.
Xander had gotten back and pried them apart.
“Are you all right?” He asked, a hint of anger in his eyes.
“I’m fine,” Clark said, “but Willow’s-”
“Your cab’s been beeping, you better go.” Xander dismissed him. Willow had fainted and he used the ice packs on her sweaty hands and forehead.
“Shouldn’t we bring her to a doctor?”
“No, I know what I’m doing. Goodbye Clark.”
Clark scanned Willow quickly and found her heart beating steadily and other vital organs working.
As he walked out, he had to wonder: had Xander seen him get shocked? Had Willow known what was happening? Did they know why she was spewing out electric energy? And how the hell had he not known about Lex’s stud status?
