Title: Constructive Conversations
Author: Gileswench
Contact: gileswench@yahoo.com
Date: 10/17/07
Spoilers: Set in a generic S4, but not really dependant on any particular episode.
Summary: With a little help from Giles, Xander discovers a talent he didn’t realize he had.
Rating: FRC
Pairing: G/X friendship
Category: genfic
Distribution: If you've had my permission in the past, you have it now. All others, ask and ye shall receive.
Feedback: Constructive criticism always welcome. Praise abjectly sought.
Disclaimer: It all belongs to Joss, Mutant Enemy, etc., etc., etc. I just let them have all the fun Joss won't. I own nothing except my twisted mind which you really don't want. Please don't sue.
Notes: This one was written for the G/X Octoberfest at the gilesxander LJ comm. I’d always wondered how Xander came to choose carpentry as a career. This is one guess on my part.




Conversation One:

“And you’ll really pay me cash money?”

“Yes, Xander, I’ll pay you money.”

“Just for that?”

“Just for that, yes.”

Xander laughed breathlessly.

“You’re kidding, Giles,” he said. “I would have unpacked books for free. I mean, for you I would.”

“Yes, I’m aware of that, thank you,” Giles said as he unlocked the door and ushered Xander inside. “But you see, there may be a few more books than you realize.”

Xander stopped in his tracks just inside the doorway. He stared in amazement at the boxes stacked on every flat surface and taking up half the floor space of the small apartment.

“Holy moly, Librarian Man!” he exclaimed. “Just how many boxes of books did we sneak out of the library before you blew up the giant snake demon, anyway?”

“Fifty-seven. And of course, there are a few things I’d never quite got round to unpacking over time, and my great aunt passed on two months ago, so there are some books from her, as well. I’d take care of it myself, but, well, it’s a bit overwhelming at this point and I find I keep putting it off. I decided a little help might be in order, and you seem to have both the most free time and the greatest need of cash.”

“Lucky me.” Xander slumped against the doorframe. “Giles, all these boxes…they weren’t here when we had that meeting last week, were they?”

“No, they were in a storage unit downtown. I’ve been bringing them over here a few at a time all week.”

“Why didn’t you ask for help with that?”

“There didn’t seem to be a need. Besides, I could only fit a few boxes per trip into my car. If I’d had you in there as well, I’d only have been able to move one box per trip.”

“We could have borrowed Oz’s van, you know.”

Giles blinked in surprise.

“Funnily enough, that never occurred to me,” he said. “Hm. Odd, that. Nevertheless, it’s done, aside from the unpacking, but I’d appreciate a hand with that part.”

Xander shook his head.

“Giles, has anybody ever told you you need to give a yell when you need a hand?”

“I’ve got hands. Two of them, in fact.”

“No, you big dummy! If you’d just pick up the phone and call me, you’d have four anytime you want.”

“Ah, but then I’d have fourteen appetites to cope with,” Giles said with a sly grin. “I’m not certain I could manage that.”

“I’ll eat before I get here.”

Giles laughed quietly and shook his head again. Then he started explaining to Xander what needed to be done and how to go about it.

*****

Conversation Two:

Giles was outside getting the mail when all hell broke loose in his apartment. He dropped his moterbike magazine and ran inside.

“Xander! What the hell’s…oh dear lord! What have you done?”

The boy screamed and batted wildly at the furiously attacking book. As he flailed, the bookcase came crashing to the floor, spilling more books everywhere. Shards of glass and fragments of splintered wood fell randomly through the room.

“Call it off! Giles, call it off!”

“What did you do?”

“I was just – ouch! – shelving books when suddenly – oh crap! – this one went nuts!”

As Xander defended himself valiantly against the ferocious book, Giles watched for an opening. He carefully lifted the blanket off the back of the sofa and crept slowly up. When he’d managed to get within a foot of Xander, he threw the blanket quickly over the book and pulled it close to his own chest.

He cooed softly to the book and stroked its spine through the blanket. Xander sat on the floor and panted, watching the whole time. At last the book stopped struggling and fell quiet. Giles took it from the blanket and laid it on the breakfast bar well away from all the other volumes.

“I’m sorry, Xander.”

Xander blinked.

“You’re sorry? Wait a minute, aren’t I the one who screwed up? I must have done something wrong. So. Go ahead. Yell at me. It’s okay.”

“You did nothing wrong – well, other than allowing my bookcase to topple while you were flapping about, but I suppose that’s understandable enough. No, this was my fault. I ought to have checked this book wasn’t going on that shelf.”

“Wha…? Huh? Why?”

“Some books are fussier than others, for lack of a better term. This one doesn’t like to sit on a shelf with glass doors. It requires open air, as it were. I ought to have told you to watch for it.” He shook his head mournfully. “Now I suppose I’ll have to repair grandmother’s bookcase again.”

“Wait a minute, that’s your grandmother’s bookcase I broke?”

“No, that’s my grandmother’s bookcase you’re going to help me fix.”

Giles reached out and helped Xander off the floor.

“You mean…you’re not throwing me out? I’m not fired?”

“No, you’re not fired,” Giles said disgustedly. “I don’t fire friends. I do, however, ask that they help repair what they helped break.”

“I thought you said it wasn’t my fault.”

“It wasn’t, really, but it was your action. Come on; let’s go to the hardware store.”

*****

Conversation Three:

“There we are; good as new,” Giles said as he and Xander replaced the bookcase against the wall. “The new glass will be here in a few days. We can repair the doors then.”

Xander looked with pride at their accomplishment. Sure, Giles had done a lot, but he’d made sure Xander did most of the big work.

“I still can’t believe we did this,” Xander said. “It looks…good.”

“Yes, it does. You did well. How much carpentry have you done before this?”

Xander shrugged.

“I took woodshop when I was a sophomore. Mr. Ferguson took one look at me and wouldn’t let me near a power tool or anything sharper than a hammer for the whole semester.”

“Whyever not?”

“Could be because I tripped over my shoelaces when I walked in the first time. Or maybe it was the way I waved the saw around when I managed to get ahold of it. But that was only because Jeff Coleman threatened to punch me when the teacher’s back was turned. After that it was ‘Harris needs someone to cut his pieces for him’ or ‘Harris, how many times do I have to tell you don’t get the glue on you? Just put it on the wood.’ It was supposed to be an easy grade, but somehow that didn’t work for me and it was pretty much the only place other than PE where Will couldn’t help me with my homework.”

Giles shook his head in disgust.

“I always thought that man was an idiot,” he muttered under his breath. “Look, Xander, forget about that. I’d say you have a natural talent.”

“You would? Really?”

“Really. If I’d done as good a job my first time, perhaps this poor bookcase wouldn’t need fixing every six months or so.”

“Or maybe if your books would learn their manners.”

Giles chuckled.

“Yes, well, perhaps,” he said. “Still, you might think about it, Xander. Carpentry. You’re actually quite good at it, thus far, and I believe it might pay more than delivering pizza.”

“I – I’ll think about that, yeah,” Xander mumbled uncomfortably. He looked up nervously. “You’re really sure about this?”

“Very. Now I think we’ve both earned some dinner. Why don’t we go get something to eat?”

“Hey, you know the way to my heart, Giles. I’ll just get my jacket.”

As Giles headed for the door, Xander lingered a moment and stared at the bookcase.

“You coming, Xander?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, Giles. I’ll be right there.”

He couldn’t resist reaching out and running a hand down the smooth side of the case. He smiled to himself.

“Xander, I’m going to leave without you.”

“No way I’m letting that happen, Giles.”

But as he turned and left the apartment with his friend, Xander decided maybe Giles was right. Maybe carpentry would be better than delivering pizza.

“Hey, Giles, could we stop at a bookstore on the way back? I’m thinking maybe I should learn something about this whole wood thing.”



THE END