Title: Night Gone Black
Summary: Some Xander/Graham quality time is rudely interrupted
Rating: R
Spoiler: Major for Primevil
Warning: Character ouchies
Disclaimer: They?re not mine
Archive: UCSL, Xanderslash, Graham Crackers
Date: June 4, 2000
E-mail: Saone@yahoo.com

**********

I never thought I?d die like this. Not that I?ve spent a lot of time contemplating my mortality, but. . . this kind of scenario never even factored into the equation.

I had never imagined that my end would come lying on the floor of some old, forgotten crypt, killed off by something that isn?t even supposed to exist. My parents will probably get a weighted casket too, just like Forrest?s.

At least. . . at least I?m gonna go to whatever otherside might be out there knowing that I did it.

I swallowed my fears. I damned the consequences.

I kissed Xander Harris.

Course, then my skull got cracked. . .

The night started out so nice, too. . .

*****

Looking back, I probably should have figured out that this was going to end badly when I got a twinge in the middle of the Scooby meeting. You know. . . a twinge. Like someone walked over my grave. With the whole 20/20 thing, I guess I should have done what my gut told me to do - go home and pull the covers over my head.

But, I ignored all of my finely honed instincts. Well, actually, my finely honed instincts were beaten into submission by my relentlessly screaming hormones. See, Buffy had decided that Xander and I should patrol together after the meeting.

I could have kissed her. . . ?cept, I really didn?t want to.

Anyway, do you have any idea how hard it was for me to keep from grinning like an dummy? In case you were wondering. . . it was very difficult. Of course, why would *I* have to grin when Riley was doing it for me.

I swear, if I find out that the reason Buffy made that suggestion was because Ri told her how I feel about Xander, then I?ll. . . uh. . . haunt him really, really, badly.

So, I ignored the various sirens, bells, whistles, and drum beating mechanical monkeys, of warning, and went on patrol with. . . Xander.

It was nice. I had never truly been alone with him before. Just him and me, and a full moon illuminating the headstones. Romance Sunnydale style.

Course I don?t think Xander actually realized he was being romanced, but that's beside the point.

We talked. About anything, and everything, and nothing. Okay, okay, so truthfully, he babbled, and I listened, but. . .

Everything was just so perfect, and my memory was working overtime trying to record every single little detail. In fact, I was so involved in trying to get a good mental picture of the way the moonlight lit up Xander?s face, that I didn?t even notice the demon. Luckily Xander wasn't quite as distracted.

?Shit!? He grabbed my arm and dragged me behind a nearby tree.

It took a few seconds for me to realize that the incredibly out of place statue he was frantically pointing to wasn?t actually a statue. ?What the hell is that??

?Well, taking a stab in the dark here, but, I?d say that?s a demon.?

Now, I?ve only been dealing with stuff like this for a year now, and Xander?s had much, *much* more experience in the whole fighting evil department, but I was still a bit concerned at how easily he reacted to that. . . thing.

Maybe I was still too green, or maybe it was the sight of all those spines. . .or claws. . . or the drool dripping from those curved fangs. . .

Whatever the reason, any fight I may have had in me went screaming out the back door. All I wanted was to get me and Xander as far away from that thing as possible. . . of course I also wanted to know where the hell a Slayer was when you needed her.

I grabbed Xander?s hand, and tried to disregard the tingle that shot up my arm at that contact. I think. . . I think that was the first time I had ever touched his skin.

A night of firsts.

I crouched down, pulling Xander with me, and we began to slowly move away from the demon. We did pretty well for about a minute. . . until the wind changed.

Our scents drifted over to the creature on the nicest of summer breezes. I saw it?s nostril?s flare, and then we were running.

I kept hold of Xander?s hand while we raced through the cemetery, with a beast straight from Hell on our heels. It was definitely not the festivity I had hoped the evening would cumulate in.

The whole running for our lives thing, which had seemed like a really good idea at the time, didn?t seem so great after a few minutes of hard sprinting. Unfortunately, no other plans were coming to me, so when Xander tugged me towards an open crypt I didn?t even try to resist. I just hoped he had some clue as to what he was doing.

He did.

We bounded into the structure and threw the doors shut. We put our full weight against the iron gates and prayed they would hold against the demon?s onslaught.

The creature banged around for a few minutes, then the attack stopped. I looked to Xander, and he shrugged.

?Maybe it decided to find an easier meal??

?We should stay in here for a little while, just in case it?s lurking.? I said, still leaning against the door.

?Good idea.? He glanced around. ?You know, I think I?ve already visited this crypt.?

I didn?t say anything, I just looked at him. He was standing not more then a foot from me. He was panting slightly, out of breath from the run, and his mouth was open, just the tinniest bit. He looked so flushed, and wild, and inviting.

I really don?t think I made a conscious decision to kiss him, I didn?t even realized what I was doing until I was an inch from his face. I don?t think I could have backed off, even if I had wanted to. Something I had dreamt about for months was finally happening, and there was nothing on Earth that could have stopped it.

My lips touched his, and I swear, I felt a tremor straight down to my toes. As kisses go, it was chaste, almost innocent, eyes shut, mouths pressed together. It was heaven to me. . . until my common sense started screaming.

As I broke the contact, I fervently tried to infer his response to my action.

Xander looked. . . kinda dazed, actually, and I really hoped that that was a good thing. On the plus side, there was no running away or punching.

He just stood there, and stared at me with this inscrutable look on his face. Maybe I should have said something, but what? I?m sorry? It?ll never happen again?. Please take your clothes off?

Suddenly Xander got this horrible look on his face and shouted out the word ?No!?

At first I thought it was some kind of delayed reaction, until it hit me. . . literally. . .

Seems the demon had found another way into the mausoleum.

*****

Which, brings me back to now, cause I don?t really remember what happened after that. I think, maybe, it threw me across the room, and I hit my head on something. Yeah, I?m pretty sure something?s wrong with my head.

Everything just keeps getting fuzzy.

I really wish this wet stuff would stop dripping in my eyes.

It?s all swimming. . .

I hope. . . I hope Xander got out. . . okay.

Don?t let that thing. . . have gotten him too.

Please let him be sa. . . . . . . . . .

**********


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