| THE ZEPPO |
| Alexander LaVelle Harris grew up an extroverted, wisecracking little boy. Some say that his comedian antics were nothing more than an attempt to hide the pain that living in an abusive household can bring. Whatever the case, it was certain that whenever a good laugh was needed, he would be there. |
| When he was just a squalling infant, Alexander met life-long friend (and some say soulmate) Willow Anne Rosenburg. Many claim that it was Willow who first called Alexander Xander, the name he would inevitably go by for the rest of his life. Together, the two faced many of life's challenges, including evil clowns (one hosted Xander's seventh birthday party), dressing up for the eighth grade cotilion (Willow had to pin on Xander's clip-on tie), and eventually vampires and demons. |
| In fact, it was a vampire attack that quite arguably changed Xander's life. When new girl Buffy Anne Summers came to town, Xander had assumed she would be nothing more than a beautiful new student. Everything changed when he found that she was the vampire slayer, and that vampire's were real. Soon after, Xander's other best friend, Jesse, was turned into a vampire. It was Xander who (accidentally) ended up killing him. At that point, he took a stand and pronounced vampires as not good. From then on, along with Willow, Buffy, and Buffy's watcher, Giles, he was a dedicated member of what would come to be called "The Scooby Gang." |
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| Unfortunately, other than Official Wisecracker, Xander did not have a solid role in the gang. True, he followed Buffy on patrols, sometimes to the point of helping; put in some time as research boy; and even saved Buffy's life on one occasion, but other than that he really did not have a principle role. It didn't help matters much that Willow harbored an enormous crush for her best friend, while Xander went after Buffy and every other female with a pulse. Eventually, this impulse would lead him to pair up with Cordelia Chase – a decision that would result in the gradual downfall of he and Willow's best friendship. |
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| During his senior year in high school, Xander opened his eyes to many things. At the end of his junior year, Xander had confided to a comatised Willow that he was in love with her. Unfortunately, she had thought it was Oz speaking, and a relationship was never sparked. Just before Homecoming, however, the soulmates' feelings came to a head, and Xander came to the realization that his friend was actually a beautiful woman. Upon this discovery, the two shared many hidden kisses, as well as a game of footsy. Unfortunately, the soulmates were committed to other people at the time. When their respective mates discovered what was going on behind their backs, they broke up with the friends. At that time, Willow came to the decision that she wanted Oz back, and informed Xander that they could no longer touch digits. Unhappy though he was by this announcement, Xander agreed. Still, and though Oz eventually took Willow back, Cordelia refused to do the same for Xander. |
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| Perhaps Xander's most important senior year discovery was that he really didn't have a principle role in the gang. Buffy was the slayer, Giles was the watcher, and Willow was now the witch. Xander began to think that he wasn't needed. In fact, one night the gang told Xander that they didn't want him anywhere nearby because they were trying to prevent an impending apocalypse, and they were afraid he'd get hurt. It was that night that Xander broke out on his own. Not only did he stop a dead classmate from bombing the school, he also lost his virginity to wild slayer Faith. Though his friends would never learn everything that happened that night, Xander had learned that he could play a key role in life and death matters. |
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| When the mayor turned himself into a huge snake at graduation, Xander was able to demonstrate his key guy abilities once and for all. Because of the military skills he had learned when turned into his Halloween costume (he was a soldier), Buffy appointed him leader at the graduation activities. Xander thus led his entire class in a fight to the death with the mayor. The class of 1999 won the battle. |
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| Directly after graduation, Xander left on a road trip. When he returned the following September, he found his friends enrolled in college, and a nude Anya waiting for him in his new home (his parent's basement). Anya was an ex-vengeance demon at one time sent to Sunnydale to punish Xander for his unfaithfulness to Cordelia. Nevertheless, she had accompanied Xander to the prom, and was looking to continue the relationship upon his return. Xander eventually took her up on the offer, and she moved into his basement room. Meanwhile, he performed work at a variety of odd-end jobs, everything from construction worker to bartender to brick layer. |
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| Today, Xander is an expert bowler and bricklayer, and has made a place for himself in the Scooby Gang. He is also recently engaged to Anya, and the wedding is set for sometime next year. Of course, when gigantic trolls ask him to choose between Willow and Anya, he cannot seem to do so. Moreover, when Willow asks him why he couldn't have realized that smart girls are hot way back in the tenth grade, all he can do is grant her a look of sadness, humor,and love. |
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