One thing that has always impressed me about Xander has been his incredible bravery, from the first eps to the last. In "The Harvest" when, after they finally got inside the Bronze, he was the first one in, leading the way to rescue the people (he had no idea what awaited them in there!). Then, in Chosen, Buffy puts Dawn with Xander, because she knows he would've given his life to protect her . . . and he backs up the ubervamps enough so Dawn can kill them with the sunlight. Then, too, I felt so bad for him when, in "Innocence", Willow saw him and Cordelia and Willow said "You'd rather be with someone you hate than me." That has to be one of the most heart-wrenching lines in the series.