Xander Harris

Waking up was never on Xander's Want-To-Do list and yet it was something he always had to do. Granted, waking up next to Helen greatly improved the experience but it still was a struggle for him to open his eyes.

So…he didn’t. He yawned and stretched with a small groan before turning over and snuggling more against Helen. He made a few sleepy noises before settling and set himself to going back to sleep. But he couldn’t. Even in his half-awake state, Xander knew something was off. For one thing…Helen felt different in his arms. With a small groan, he opened his eyes and even though his gaze was blurry, he could tell it was still Helen beside him. Maybe he was just dreaming so he was more than happy to close his eyes to tempt sleep again.

But that nagging feeling was still bothering him, so he rolled over to lay on his back. A sleepy frown crossed his face as he felt something heavy on his chest. Not again to think of what it could be, Xander lazily opened his eyes again and lifted his head to look.

Which resulted in him sitting up in bed, screaming.

Usually, Xander didn't really care that much about Valentine's Day. He knew enough by now to be careful what he ate on that day but otherwise, he just kind of left it alone. It was rare that even had someone to celebrate it with and then he tended to screw it up, a particular incident with Cordelia and love spell being the foremost example.

But this Valentine's Day was going to be as awesome as he could make it make it because he'd never had someone like Helen to share it with. And wouldn't you know it, the island was even helping! He'd found the perfect place for dinner on the beach to watch the sunset, complete with rock for a table and chairs. He borrowed a tablecloth from the Club and managed to wrangle some cushions from the clothes box to make the rocks a bit more comfortable, especially Helen's, which looked more like a couch after all the padding he'd draped over it. Candles and dishware were acquired and set up, complete with a vase of candy flowers. While he'd already arranged with Bill for a nice dinner, safely stored in a picnic basket next to the table rock, he'd searched high and low today until he found some bushes in the jungle that were growing an assortment of fancy looking cakes, including what he swore was a fancy green twinkie, and chocolates he'd never be able to afford at home. Those had been gathered for dessert, completing the whole meal.

Xander told Helen he had a surprise for her out on the beach and walked bare foot with her through the sand, getting more and more anxious as they neared the spot he'd been setting up all day. Oh he had one more small surprise up his sleeve but for now...he really hoped she liked this.