Obi-Wan's legacy
RATING: G
SUMMARY: Xander mourns the passing of a legendary actor.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any characters from BTVS or Star Wars. No infringement intended.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story was written on the day of Sir Alec Guinness' death, although I didn't get around to posting it until now. BTW, Xander is a wonderful character to vent your emotions through. Great therapy, and all that.
Willow bounded down the stairs to Xander's basement apartment. "Hey Xander, you ready for some big summer fun?"
Xander didn't respond. He remained where he was, sitting on the corner of his bed, a stunned and sad expression playing across his face. Willow was immediately
concerned. "Hey, are you ok?" The only response she received was a slight shake of his head.
Willow sat down next to her friend and laid a comforting hand on his. She knew Xander would tell her when he was ready.
After a few moments, he spoke. "Alec Guiness died today."
It took a second for the name to register with Willow. "Obi-Wan?" Xander nodded, and silence descended again.
"The embodiment of all things Jedi." Xander said thoughtfully. "I mean, it's not like I knew the guy. The only thing I know about him is a character he played twenty
years ago. But it still ..."
"Hurts?" Willow finished. "Sure it does. I mean, we all identify with celebrities. Remember the commotion when Princess Diana died?"
Xander sighed. "Yeah. But she was a real person, Will. That's a little different."
Willow smiled. "He was real to us! Remember when we were little, and we used to play Star Wars in your backyard?"
"You used to have your mom do your hair in Princess Leia buns!" Xander brightened a bit at the memory of Willow holding her hands on each side of her head,
trying to keep her hair from falling out of it's pins as they chased each other through the trees.
"And you painted a broomstick and called it a light saber," Willow retorted.
"We saved the universe from the Empire every day that summer."
Xander's comment triggered a memory hidden deep in the recesses of Willow's brain. "Xander, do you remember the very last night before school started that year?
We were lying outside on the grass, watching the stars and talking about the future."
"Are you kidding?" Xander asked. "I have a hard enough time remembering to put on my underwear before my pants!"
Willow elbowed him. "I'm serious! I asked you what you wanted to do when you grew up, and you told me you wanted to be a hero."
A vague recollection of the conversation began to come to Xander. "Like a jedi knight."
"That's what you said. But you were upset because your Uncle Rory told you that heros didn't exist." Willow paused. "He was wrong, you know."
"You're losin' me, Will."
"Don't you get it? How many kids dream of saving the world when they grow up? We actually get to do it." Xander opened his mouth to interrupt, but Willow knew
what he was going to say.
"And don't tell me you're just doughnut boy, because you're not. I mean, just think about Adam. We couldn't have done that spell without you. You were the
Heart."
"I guess, but ..."
"And I think you would be a great jedi! You're great at following your instincts. If you hadn't decided to stop for Jello when we thought Jonathan was going to go on
a killing spree, the lunch lady would have poisoned everyone!"
Xander couldn't help it, he smiled. "I guess so. Maybe it was the will of the Force."
"I wonder if we would be where we are today if it wasn't for those make-believe times," Willow said. "Where else would we have had a chance to practice risking
our lives for someone else's sake?"
"Good point." Xander had a thought. "Hey, Obi-Wan never really dies anyway. He turns into the blue ghost thingy."
"Back to real life, Xander. No blue ghosts." Now it was Willow's turn to frown.
"Yeah, but who needs reality?" He stood. "I say we go lose ourselves in a galaxy far, far away.
Do you think we could convince Buffy and Giles to watch the whole trilogy with us?"
"It's worth a try." With that, Xander grabbed his video tapes, and the two friends headed out the door.
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"The Force will be with you, always."
In memoriam ~ Alec Guiness
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