'Fidget is an odd word. How did a word like 'fidget' come to be? Where's an etymology book when you need it? How do I know the word etymology? Anyway, there has to be some impressive backstory to the word 'fidget'. Maybe some explanation of why guilt, or, well, possible guilt, causes the 'fidgets'.' Xander thought as he fidgeted through his reunion with Buffy and tried his best not to look like he might have just had sexual congress ('What does congress have to do with sweaty, moany and very satisfying sex anyway,' he tangented.) with her little sister.
The way Dawn was looking at Xander when she thought Buffy and Giles weren't looking did not help Xander's fidgeting at all. Willow's valiant attempts at not outright laughing at him also didn't help. Luckily, Buffy had plopped herself down and was happily telling stories about her time in Rome. No mentions of the Immortal though, but she did beg everyone to make sure her room was well away from Andrew's. Dawn of course interjected that they wouldn't have gotten within a hundred miles of Andrew if Buffy hadn't just broken up with the Immortal.
The uncomfortable silence that comment introduced to the room lasted through a very dark glare from Buffy to her sister before a well-timed beep from Giles phone set everyone into motion. Extracting a promise that everyone would get together that night over a special dinner, Giles left to attend to school business. Buffy and Dawn both said they needed to get settled in their rooms. Willow and Xander shared a look at Dawn proclaiming she hadn't gotten any sleep that night. With everyone dispersing, Willow and Xander headed back to Willow's room and more research.
Xander began pacing as soon as soon as Willow's door shut. Willow immediately started giggling at the same time as she sat herself at her computer. "It was Dawn, it had to be Dawn, I slept with Dawn." Xander repeatedly said to himself, only making Willow giggle harder.
"No, you might have slept with Dawn. I still need to check the card swipes to see who it could have been."
"You saw how she was acting, how she was flirting with me. It had to have been her," Xander said as he flung himself on Willow's bed.
"Honey, she was flirting with me too and I know very well she wasn't with me last night. Would have been nice not to have gone solo," Willow said, the last part a mutter to herself that was loud enough for Xander to hear. At his very interested look, she hastened to continue. "You were so busy freaking about her flirting with you that you missed her flirting with me. She was just having fun tormenting you. I think. Depending on the card swipes, she may be on the list."
"Great, another on the list of impressionable young women I may have sullied." The straight and serious manner Xander delivered that line set Willow off laughing again.
Xander lay on the bed, vaguely scowling at his friend as she laughed her way through her computer search. When scowling lost it's appeal he rolled back, thinking he'd count the tiles or patterns or something on the ceiling. He was distracted from that when he saw a couple of heavy duty bolts in the ceiling with a couple of hooks. For a moment he thought maybe that's what his power drill was in here for until he focused on the bolts. "Willow, why do you have hooks on your ceiling?"
Willow's typing stopped suddenly. Xander picked up on his best friend's discomfort and suddenly it clicked in his head what the hooks were for. 'After all,' he thought, 'Anya had wanted one.' Out loud he said, "Nevermind, let's just focus on the girls." Meanwhile deciding to bring up the hooks, and their meaning, at such time as to best embarrass his best friend.
The only-slightly-uncomfortable silence was interrupted as Willow's printer sprang to life in the non-literal, non-Hellmouth sense. As the files printed, Willow turned her seat around to look at Xander. "I have good news, more good news, bad news, some more good news and finally a bit of bad news. And I'll only give them in that order Mister."
Xander smiled a little as he sat up. "Okay, give me the good news first."
With an eye roll, Willow began. "First good news is that I was able to eliminate five of the girls from the list. They weren't here when the power went out. More good news is that I was able to eliminate two of the seventeen year olds and three of the sixteen year olds."
Xander let out a sigh at that. "Could be better, but at least now it's a bit more likely that I wasn't with a… you know…"
"Yeah. Now, the bad news. Two new girls arrived yesterday and I don't have their measurements yet. So it's still twelve possible Slaybees," seeing Xander cover his head with her duvet, Willow continued, "some more good news though is that both these girls are over eighteen. They were found at the same school and are looking into a local college, so they're old enough you don't have to worry."
"Thank god," Xander started, then added at seeing Willow's look, "and goddesses for small favors. Wait, they wouldn't have had the flu and could have spoken."
"True. Maybe one of them was just kinky."
"Thanks so much… Though that's better than a sixteen year old."
"Very good, now, the last bit of bad news is that there are four Watchers who were in the building at the time. And since we didn't compile their measurements, we'll have to check them out."
"So there are sixteen possible elevator nookie monsters, of which nine are over eighteen so I don't feel like a pervert or… you know, Angel," Xander said with a shudder.
"Well, you are brooding right now…" Willow trailed off at the glare. "And it's not sixteen with nine fully legal. It's seventeen with ten fully legal."
"What?"
"Dawn's card showed, it could have been her."
"Oh no," Xander was now trying to suffocate himself with Willow's duvet.
"Oh stop it you big baby. You got laid, that's good. If it was one of the underage Slayers, it's not like you forced yourself on her. She could have whipped you into butter if you had tried anything. It was consenting, so stop beating yourself up," Willow said with full Resolve Face on.
"Okay," Xander said meekly.
"Good," Willow said before grabbing the papers she'd printed up and handing them to Xander. "Here are the twelve Slaybees files, and what I have on the Watchers. And you already know Dawn."
"What am I supposed to do?"
"Talk to them, try and find out what they were doing during the blackout. But be subtle."
Xander laid his best Puppy Dog look on Willow. "Will you help me?"
With a resigned sigh Willow agreed.
"Thank you so much my bestest bud. Now, where do I begin?"
"I suggest you begin with the sixteen year olds," Willow said as she took a couple of the pages from him.
"Why?"
"Two reasons. One, so you won't dwell on it maybe being a girl so young as we do this. Two, so if it is one of them we can get you the therapy I'm sure you'll need. And three, so Giles can get the shotgun for the wedding." There was far too much perkiness in Willow's voice.
"You said only two," Xander complained petulantly.
"It must have been a sixteen year old. Just look at how you're brooding."