Page 184 of The Locker Room

Xander swallowed and nodded, and that tiny hand came up and

started to rub a circle between his shoulder blades. Mandy was maybe

five foot eight, but to Xander, she seemed doll-sized. A tremble racked

through him, and he relaxed a little more, and then Penny"s voice said

dryly, “Is this a slumber party? Can I join in too?”

“Oh relax,” Mandy said, keeping good nature in the face of

Penny"s sarcasm. “I"m not going to steal your brother"s man, okay? He

just had a bad dream, that"s all.”

“Oh, Jesus, Xander. I"m sorry. I forgot.”

Xander looked up at the two very different women and tried

pathetically for a little bit of dignity. “I can take care of myself, thank

you. I"ll be fine.” Reluctantly he shook off that comforting hand on his

back. “Really. Ladies, can we just, you know, all go back to our original

beds, right?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Penny walked further into the room and kissed

Xander on the back of the head. “You enjoy your macho posturing,

Xander. I promised Chris I"d take care of you while I was here, and I

will.”

The Locker Room 159

“Thanks,” he muttered into the cave of his knees. He said it

gratefully, though, and Penny tousled his hair as she got up to leave.

Mandy patted his back one last time and did the same thing, and then the

door was closed and he was left alone in the lamplight. Hesitantly,

testing the waters, he turned off the lamp, and was relieved when the

darkness was merely soothing, and not pressing along his flesh like dead

vampire slugs from hell.

Apparently he"d been properly comforted, and the thought made

him drowsy enough to allow him to curl up into his absurdly large fetal

ball and go back to sleep.

MANDY stayed. The next day, Xander had a public appearance, and he