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Date Posted: 08:52:02 04/09/04 Fri
Author: Kuzibah
Author Host/IP: 12.175.117.195
Subject: Re: New Fanfic- Blanket of Stars (Conclusion)
In reply to: Kuzibah 's message, "New Fanfic- Blanket of Stars (part 1)" on 08:47:36 04/09/04 Fri

Faith was waiting for them at the end of the gangplank. Alongside her were two other Slayers Xander had helped recruit: Swati, from India, and Katarina, from Bellarusse. They smiled and waved when they saw Xander coming, and he felt a little better.

Faith made introductions all around, and the other girls asked Simza about her background and how her powers had manifested. When they climbed into Faith’s car, Simza caught Xander’s eye and gave a tiny, confident nod. Xander waved as they all drove off.

- - - - -

Xander returned to Giles’s home, his home now, really, and things fell back into a natural pattern. He researched, supported Buffy and Willow in their world save-age, played big brother to Dawn, and did a hundred odd repairs around the house.

His tools followed three days behind him, and Xander felt a rush of gratitude when he found Oz had carefully rolled and packed Etienne’s poster of him in the case’s top drawer. By the end of the day he’d built a frame and hung it in the bedroom.

- - - - -

After a week, a letter arrived, addressed in careful block printing and bearing an Italian postmark. Xander stood beside the mailbox staring at it for several long moments before stuffing the rest of the letters back in for Giles to deal with and retreating to the garden shed to read it in peace.

When he opened it there was the subtlest scent of the rosewater Gracie kept in her atomizer, and Xander felt his heart speed up. He unfolded the crinkly pages and began to read.

He could imagine her writing it, propped at the vanity, the pen between her toes.

She told him of the frantic move from Venice and the last-minute previews. She told him the show was going well, mentioning comments overheard, and how Oz was getting along as both manager and attraction.

Then she told him how much he was missed, how at the end of each day she felt his absence like a shortage of stars in the sky.

She asked him to write, including a schedule of performances, with the address in each town. He noticed the ones in England were underlined and starred.

He sat on the bench in the shed, in the quiet, dusty sunlight, and read it through three times. He felt a pang for Anya, but it was a shade, the ghost of guilt, and he knew it was time to try happiness again.

He folded the letter into his pocket and returned to the house, and went into Giles’s study. He pulled out a sheet of vellum and a good fountain pen.

“Dear Gracie,” he began.

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Replies:

[> I enjoyed this a lot once again. -- wwolfe, 14:26:54 04/13/04 Tue (161.149.63.106)

I think it's especially nice to read about Xander, given how little attention he got over the last few seasons.

Also, this served to wash away the aftertaste of "Pinata Island." For which I'm very grateful.


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