HAPPY BIRTHDAY tinpanalley!!!!!!!!!!! I wish you all sorts of wonderful things for your birthday! You are such a bright spot on LJ! In honour of your birthday I've written you a Xander/Dawn ficlet.

Title: What You Didn't Know You Needed
Author: cordelianne
Pairing: Xander/Dawn
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 368
Feedback: Yes please! Concrit is very welcome by email.
Disclaimer: Not mine, Joss owns them.
Summary: Set post-Chosen. Dawn's in Rome. Xander shows up at her door.
A/N: Thanks to the marvelous and awesome savoytruffle for the beta. Any mistakes are mine.



What You Didn't Know You Needed
by Cordelianne


His sandals are taped in two places. Three, if you count the tape he’s shoved into the sole to replace the chunk that fell out a couple of months ago. The splattered stains on his shoes stand out in the bright hallway. He’s not sure if it helps that he’s sure – well, mostly sure – that the brown marks are demon blood.

The warm light filtering under the door he’s standing in front of seems to highlight his frayed and ripped jeans. His only jeans, because why carry more when traveling? Especially when it’s fucking hot there.

He adjusts his eye patch and knocks. It’s not until the door opens he realizes that he’s been holding his breath.

“Xander!”

Dawn stands there, eyes wide as a huge grin spreads across her face.

She has the same shiny hair, and smile that he can’t help but return. But when she hugs him, she feels like a different person. Instead of some overly sweet and strong teenage girl perfume he just catches whiffs of a flowery shampoo.

He has an instant of Ahh! Breasts of Dawn! Don’t think about her breasts! No dirty thoughts about Dawn! but the wrong feeling is fleeting. Her grip feels stronger, like she’s holding him instead of him holding her.

He feels his shoulders lower. He exhales softly and rests his face in her hair. He’d forgotten how tall she is, he’s used to thinking of her as small, as a kid.

The hand that’s smoothing down his back doesn’t feel young. It feels good. Like something he’d always wanted but didn’t know he wanted it until he got it.

She eases back, but not out of the embrace, and looks him in the eye. Her hand stays on his back.

“Coming in?” The tone of her voice hits that part of Xander’s heart he’d forgotten about. That part he’d tried to leave back in the crater where his home used to be.

He looks down at his sandals – they’re even more out of place in the clean apartment with red throw pillows and framed art on the walls – and then up at Dawn’s hopeful face.

He clasps her hand and steps over the threshold, smiling.


*end*