The Perk, morning

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

After running with Peter, and stopping by to see Jack, Parker headed into town for coffee and to pick up coffee beans. Just in case Jake needed therapy or a security blanket after being kidnapped.

[open for all Perkly needs, and caffiene security substitutes]

Comments

[needsaparrot]

"That was a lot of last Augusts ago for me." Xander smiled ruefully as he took a drink. "But no, I didn't know Bridge had some kind of premonition; he didn't tell me til I got back here."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"See? So, good friend without needing any other reason." Parker took another sip of her mocha, then frowned. "Reminds me. I should whap you for letting that Faith girl stay on your couch. What were you thinking?"

Okay, yeah. She saved the world later. But still. She tried to kill him way before that.

[needsaparrot]

Xander didn't bother pointing out the same arguments that he'd had with himself before he left - that there wasn't exactly a college on the island and what would he have done if he'd stayed here - make coffee? Especially since the barista was passing their table just about that time.

He concentrated on Parker's Fandom-segued question instead. "At first? That Buffy was dead and we needed a Slayer."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker rubbed the side of her face, eyebrows going up. "Still a good friend," she muttered, before moving on to the other subject, letting her voice rise back into a normal range. "Okay. Understandable for springing her from jail, however dubious the choice. But your place? Yours? She could have stayed with anyone else at all?"

[needsaparrot]

"Where - with Joyce and Dawn? That'd have gone well. And Giles had a one-bedroom loft." Xander shook his head. "Anyway... she needed a second chance. I didn't use to be big on those, but it's hard to spend much time around this place and not see that people deserve one, if they really want to change."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker refrained from asking about His-Willow, since she had a pretty good idea from the e-mails they'd exchanged what Willow would have wanted to do to Faith. "I do get that. But still." She grumbled. "You're a better man than I, Gunga Dinn. I would've found her a nice safe storage shed to stay in."

[needsaparrot]

"She did get the couch with the pokey spring?" Xander offered. "For, uh. A while."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker gave him an irritable look, feeling bad couch-sleep wasn't enough for an attempted strangling. "Great. Then what, an air-mattress? Pfttt."

[needsaparrot]

Xander found what was left of his coffee fascinating suddenly. "Well, no, Sealy Posturepedic. But she did have to share?"

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker stared at him. Then very slowly began to bang her head on the table.

[needsaparrot]

"You're gonna get forehead-wrinkles doing that y'know," Xander said mildly. "And possibly brain-damage."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"I am... at a total loss, here." She looked up from the table. "She tried to kill you!"

[needsaparrot]

"Most people I date do," Xander pointed out.

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker facepalmed. "We so have to get you a larger dating pool. If only so you can just date the people who try to steal from you, or break into your house, rather than the violent stuff."

[needsaparrot]

"I don't actually do a lot of dating these days." Whether he meant before or after he got back to Fandom was probably a little academic; both were true.

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"And with that track record, I am not left wondering why," she told him. Relenting a little, she said, "Then again, if you're not going to deal with Bridge-- or just keep avoiding the subject of him-- there are a lot of cute teacher types. You could do worse than one or two of them."

[needsaparrot]

"The guy who says he's a war god's got nice arms," Xander said not at all seriously. "But I don't think that would exactly uncomplicate...things."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"No?" Parker said, leaning her chin on both fists. "What would uncomplicate things? What's the least complicated *your* life can get, anyway?"

[needsaparrot]

She had a point, though it wasn't necessarily one Xander liked. "Could I be nineteen again?"

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker smirked at him. "You really want me to answer that? Or better yet, do work to make it so?"

[needsaparrot]

Well, it'd worked for Willow. Sort of. "No. Especially not around here."

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Then you're stuck with being able to drink legally and owning an apartment building and being adult." Parker gave him a look from under her eyebrows. "And maybe waiting a bit, if that's what it takes, to uncomplicate everything else."

[needsaparrot]

"Yeah. I know." Xander finished off his coffee and set down the cup. "Wanna know a secret?"

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"You know I always do."

[needsaparrot]

"I like being a grownup. I like being able to drink legally and owning an apartment building. I mostly like the guy I turned into."