Contents

Homely Contentment.

Friends in Low Places.

Oz's Bad Day.

Spoiling Space

Weddings Do Make You Feel Like a Queen.

Bombs Away!

Hunting.

Confusing Family Situations.

New Trigger Trips.

You F***ed Up!

One of *Those* Days.

Asking For Help.

Meeting the Family.

Coming Home to Problems.

Odd Helpers Helping To Fix The Problems.

After The Honeymoon Is Long Gone.

Out and About.

Portals, Part Deux.

It Itches!!

Back to Work.

Screw the Rules, I'm Going!

An Unhappy Xander

Confusing The Naughties.

This Was Supposed To Be Fun?

Homely Contentment.

Xander danced slowly in front of Jace, tempting her to break her word and get up to dance with him. She whimpered and clutched Oz's arm for strength, but he was focused on his lover too. Xander shifted away from her and she almost reached out to bring him back to her, but a warning growl, just barely audible, stopped her. She settled herself back in her seat, watching his face now, trying to figure out what spot in his mind he was in. Xander's face was blank, totally unemotional. She wondered what would send him back to that spot, but she knew she'd never make it there. Not even to be able to dance like that. She felt a tickle of power on the back of her ear and smiled slightly. One of her friends was watching too.

Xander finished up the abbreviated version of the dance story and bowed to her. "That's the short version, without all the side stories." He grinned at Oz. "How was it?"

"Much better this time," Oz told him. "No riots, no orgies, no having to keep you from being kidnapped." He stood up and handed Xander a bottle of water. "Drink and I'll take you to dinner?"

"Sure. Here or outside?"

"Here. I don't want to deal with the press that's still hanging around." Oz put a towel around Xander's shoulders and led him from the room, going back to their suite.

Jace looked over her shoulder and smiled. "I want to do that," she whispered.

Cupid appeared and smiled down at her. "I don't think anyone could do that. I've had some talented priestesses," he stroked down her nose, "but none of them moved like that guy." He held out a hand, smiling as she took it and gave him a hard, searching, passionate kiss. "Oh, you need *that*, huh," he said with a grin, fading out. "Come find me, Joxer. We'll fix that little problem of yours."

She ran from the room, willing to search the whole six hundred bedroom resort to find her God.

***

Xander was leaned against the shower wall as his mouth was taken. "Hi," he said in surprise. "I thought that one had worn off for you."

Oz grunted, falling to his knees to kiss and lick across Xander's cock. "You showed it off," he mumbled against the flesh. "It's a weakness I like."

Xander grinned as he was swallowed, his eyes rolling back in his head. Oz had never blown him like that before. He kinda liked it.

Oz answered the door with a grunt, letting Ray in. "Forgot your keys?"

"Meth has them," he said, giving him a kiss. A happy kiss. "He helped me pick out something for our house with my winnings."

"Cool," Xander said from the couch, waving him over. "Have you thought about our offer?"

Ray sat down on the other couch, looking at Xander. "You really think Sunnydale would hire me?"

"We don't have a detective right now," Oz noted, "he was eaten last year sometime." He sat down under Xander's head, running his fingers through the damp hair. "I wouldn't mind if you guys moved to Sunnydale."

"It's warm," Xander offered. "A little rainy sometimes so you wouldn't get too homesick."

"LA's only a few hours away when you need to go wander through a city," Oz added. "We'd even help you find a house."

Methos walked in and looked at the scene in front of him. "What's going on?"

"They're trying to talk me into applying to Sunnydale's PD." Ray patted the seat beside him. "What do you think?"

"I think it'd be an excellent idea, if that's what you wanted," Methos said calmly. "Or you could apply to LA's if you'd prefer."

"Or even one of the town's around and in between," Xander told him. "We wouldn't want you to move to Sunnydale if you didn't want to."

Ray smiled at them. "I'm not sure what to do about Chicago and my problems there. I have a hearing in two days, but otherwise I'm not sure." He looked at his lover. "Are you coming back with me?"

"Yes. I wouldn't dream of leaving you alone for that." Methos looked at the other couple. "Are you two going home?"

"Yup," Xander said with a frown, "with a stop on the way to fix a little...problem."

Methos looked clueless so Oz explained. "During the mediation meeting, Xander found out Devi is selling a tape of him."

"Ah. I thought he had died," Methos said, thinking about the latest gossip he had heard from the demon community. "The last I heard, he had double-crossed someone and they had killed him." He looked at Xander. "I'm sure it's a specialty item."

"It's on the 'net and the opposing lawyers found it," Oz told him. "Not that specialty."

"Would you like to wait and have my help?" Methos asked.

"No, I've got it," Xander said with a cruel smile. "Don't worry about it. I've got *just* the plan to fix this." He looked up at Oz. "You going to wait on me or are you going home?"

"I'm going to wait on you and pretend to be your bodyguard," Oz told him. "I don't want you going around demons without backup. Not like this."

"Cool." Xander relaxed, going back to his happy self. "I drove Jace into a frenzy."

Ray nodded. "We saw. She was racing around the front desk area looking for something."

Oz smirked. "I'm more immune to it now."

"Then I guess I'll have to find something else to titillate you," Xander teased, running a fingernail across Oz's arm. Oz groaned. "Was that a no?" he asked, pouting up at his mate.

"No, please, find it," Oz groaned, leaning down for a kiss, having to lift Xander's head to get it. "Find whatever it is and show me first," Oz told him.

Methos cleared his throat. "I guess we should leave them alone."

Oz pulled back. "I'm in control," he told them, clearing his throat and shifting so his pants weren't as binding.

Ray smirked. "I'll call you once I know how it goes, okay?"

Oz nodded. "Please. We'll be home by then." He looked down at Xander. "Have you packed?"

"Yup. Can I go play Baccarat one last time?"

"Sure," Oz sighed, letting Xander get up and go get dressed. "He enjoys beating it too much," he complained.

"At least it's daytime so those problem people won't be able to get him," Ray reminded him.

Oz hopped up and went to help Xander, getting dressed himself.

***

Xander waved to Ray and Methos as they walked onto the ramp up to the plane, taking Oz's hand as they walked up to the plane. He handed over their tickets, smiling at the woman standing there. "Hi. First class?"

"The first seats in the plane," she said, handing them back. She smiled at the ticket noting that they had animals. "Did you bring any on?"

"That wouldn't have been fair to the sixteen others," Oz told her, leading Xander to his seat. He cuddled up next to him so no one walking onto the plane would bump into him. "Remind me next time that Spike hits really hard?" He rubbed the sore spot on his chin. It had healed, all but the bruise.

"I will," Xander promised, giving the spot a kiss. "Why don't you sleep and I'll figure something out. Okay?" Oz nodded, putting his head on Xander's shoulder and closing his eyes. Oz was really tired; first there had been the fight with Spike in the casino, then there had been the whole questioning thing, and then they'd had a quick round of 'you're okay' sex in the shower before they had left for the airport. It was an hour flight and Xander expected Oz to sleep most of it, so he had to figure out a new dance while Oz was out of it. There was no way he could do it at home, not with being watched so hard by his overprotective lover.

He pulled a piece of paper and a pen out of backpack, drafting out a story to tell with a new dance.

***

Xander strode into the brothel, glaring at the man who tried to get into his way. "I'd move," he warned, pulling out a large, silver knife. "I'm not here for you. Not this time." He walked back to the office, trailed by the guard, and kicked the door in. "Hi," he said coldly. "I do believe you've been selling something with me in it without my permission."

"According to the contract you signed," the demon behind the desk started, smiling at him. He stopped and his smile fell away when the knife was planted a mere hair's breadth from his balls.

"I will tell you this *once*," Xander said. "I didn't agree to letting Devi tape and I know he didn't because I checked." He leaned over the desk, planting his hands on the papers. "If I don't see every copy of that tape, and whatever others there are in existence, I will do something that you won't like." He stood back up, tapping his foot. "Well?" he asked after a second's silence.

"You signed a contract saying we could tape," the pimp said, gulping air.

"No, I didn't," Xander said, pulling out his contract. "See, I had him modify that when I found out about that clause." He waved it in front of the demon. "This is a copy of the contract I signed the second week. It has precedence over yours. You've got two minutes or I walk out and you'll be sorry."

The pimp cleared his throat. "I can't do that."

"Fine," Xander said, leaning over to pull out his knife, cutting the pimp in the process. He pocketed it and walked out, looking at the boys, none of whom were ones he had worked with. "Guys, I used to do this job for Devi, but this guy's screwing with me. What's he going to do to you, if he let's you go when your contracts are up?" He walked out, heading to get some help from an old friend.

***

Xander walked into Angel's new office like he belonged there. Cordelia looked up at him in shock. "Go get your boss and I'll tell you the newest gossip, if you haven't heard it," he offered.

"Paying job?" a voice said from behind him.

Xander turned and smiled at Wesley. "Yes, a paying job. I want to stop my old boss' heir from selling a tape of me." He pulled out his wallet and showed off the money inside it. "I've got the cash, but I'm angry enough to do something stupid, like call in a favor with a more powerful demon. I thought I'd come try reasonable first."

Cordelia hopped up and hugged him. "You're okay?" she squealed. "You're really still you?"

Xander nodded. "I always have been me. What did you hear?"

"Buffy stopped by and told us Spike was going to turn you, that you'd make him a lot of money."

Xander shook his head. "Willow took care of Spike for us. She walked out of the hotel while he and I were fighting and she got him from behind." He looked down. "She's not happy with what she is," he said quietly.

"We know," Angel said from the doorway to his office. "What's happened now? And how is Spike?"

"Spike is now cowed under Willow's spell." He let go of Cordelia. "I need your help before I do something stupid."

Angel waved him into the office and shut the door. "This would be about Devi's old brothel?"

"Yup," Xander said as he sat down. "I want them shut down."

"There's a lot of demons who want that place open," Angel reminded him. "This new owner's got a very soft touch with them, everyone says he's easy."

"Yes, but he's also selling a tape of me," Xander said in mock sweetness. "I want him shut down. If I have to, I'll talk with some of the higher demons, make them understand it."

Angel shifted uncomfortably. "There's another way," he said quietly. "They're being run by a law firm in town. If you could go through them, then it'd be a lot easier for everyone, especially you." Xander nodded. "I can get you an appointment if you want."

Xander shrugged. "I'll let you handle the details." He leaned closer. "How's Buffy? She didn't look too stable when I saw her in Vegas."

"Seeing you made her realize what she's become," Angel said grimly. "She's in town, trying to atone for all those she's eaten. She's even tried to get in to see her mother a few times but Joyce wouldn't let her in the house."

Xander nodded, he understood that issue, and stood up. "Tell me?"

"Home or in town?"

"Home. I miss my house."

Angel smiled. "Fine. I have your number. If you need anything else, call us."

Xander leaned over and gave him a hug. "You're a great man most of the time, Angel. If I can ever help by using my unique problem, tell me."

Angel took a deep sniff and got a dreamy look on his face. "You're the one with the pheromone problem," he sighed, patting Xander on the back. "I wasn't sure before."

Xander pulled back and smiled. "Yup, that's why so many demons try to kidnap me." He winked and walked out. "Cordy, bill me. I'll send you guys a check."

"Where are you going?" she called as he walked out the door.

"Home!" he called back. Xander slid into the car beside Oz, giving him a kiss. "Home," he said finally.

"Home," Oz agreed, starting the engine to the sound of howls of the feline variety.

"Hey!" Xander yelled. "Quit. We'll be home in two hours and you guys can terrorize the house then." He turned to look at them. "See? You can be good," he said at the silence. He petted a nose that was resting against the bars. "We know it's crowded but just one more hour, please, guys?"

Oz pulled away from the curb. "I called the moving company. Our stuff's back at home already. They even set up the furniture." He sped up as he merged with traffic, going with the flow as always. "It'll be nice to be at home again."

"Yeah, traveling was nice, but I missed home." Xander laid a hand on Oz's thigh. "Hurry up, Oz. I miss the house and I want to see it again."

Oz sped up some more, pulling into the fast lane.

***

Xander walked into LA's branch of the demon bank. His last day of research had led him here and he knew just what he was going to do about the brothel problem. He even knew how to solve a few of Angel's problems. He walked up to the receptionist and gave her a brilliant smile, then covered his mouth. "Oops, need to brush my teeth." She smiled up at him, amused. "I need to talk to someone about getting part of my account transferred from the New York branch of your bank? And I need to discuss a financial matter with them also. I want to buy something that you have a lien on."

She pushed a button on her phone then looked up at him. "Sir, if I may say so, you smell extremely good. Which cologne is that?"

"It's not," he admitted with a grin, "it's just how I am." He held his arms out, letting her sniff him.

A male demon in a three piece suit walked out and cleared his throat. "Thank you, Sala." He waved a hand at the doors behind him. "Shall we?" He followed Xander, and knew what she had been going on about. He walked into the office first and sat down behind his desk. "Do you mind if I burn some incense? Your particular... problem can be quite intense for some of us."

Xander sat and smiled. "I understand fully. Burn away." He watched as the demon walked over to a small brazier in the corner and lit it, taking a deep smell of the scent. "Oh, hey! I remember that stuff. It's one of my favorites that I smelled at the bazar in Bombay."

The demon smiled. "I have it imported. There's a small shop in town," he said, watching as Xander leaned forward. "You visited India recently?"

"Yes, just a few months ago," Xander said, leaning a little more forward to smell it. "Where do you get it? I've been looking for sari's recently." The demon looked startled. "I sew," he explained. "Sari's are some of the most beautiful pieces of cloth. I appreciate that."

"Ah. Go here," he said, pulling out a card from his rolodex and writing the address out. He pulled out another one and copied it down too. "Or go to this one. The first one's a bit more commercial and they have people here in town who make sari's for them. The second one is a more family-owned place and they import. They're both excellent."

Xander stuffed the papers into his pocket. "I'll go there after we get done here." He leaned back and got comfortable, crossing his feet. "I need to transfer some money from the New York branch and I want to know if there's any way I can buy a loan that you have outstanding."

The demon smiled. "The first is easily done, the second may take a bit more work. Which loan?"

"Wolfram and Hart's."

The demon choked. "Excuse me? You want to buy the law firm?" Xander nodded. "May I ask why?"

"Because they're pissing me off," he said with a grin. "And I'm tired of dealing with them."

"Are you going to disband them?"

Xander shook his head. "I'm going to give them to somebody. They'll have a lot more on their minds than the demon brothel they run and the tapes of me that they're sending out."

The demon coughed. "I see. Um, Mr. ..."

"Harris. Xander Harris."

The demon's mouth fell open. "Oh, my GOD!" he shrieked. "You live in LA? You're one of the most talked about people in certain circles."

Xander shrugged. "I didn't know that, but I live in Sunnydale." He looked around. "I almost expected you guys to have a branch there, but I couldn't find it."

"We have one, but it's very well hidden," the demon said quickly. "We can give you a chip that will let you find it. We had to spell it because of certain humans in the area." He swallowed. "Are you still hunting?"

"Only the bad ones," Xander told him, giving him another smile to relax him. "I've never hunted anyone that wasn't trying to cause trouble for the humans in that town. Or any other town."

The demon sighed. "I respect that. It's a lot harder to stay anonymous when some men are running around robbing banks."

Xander snorted. "I ran into that group. Twice!" He started to laugh. "They came to LA to get away from me in New York and they robbed the bank with my financial advisor in it the day I was supposed to meet with him for the first time."

The demon burst out laughing. "Oh, that's too good, Mr. Harris. You do have the touch."

Xander waved his hand. "Call me Xander. I'm not a bad guy, really."

"I know," he said, calming down. He pulled a few forms out of his desk. "Let's get the easy part out of the way, shall we?"

Within a few minutes, and after three calls, Xander's bank account in New York was halved and on it's way to LA. The Wolfram and Hart buyout took a few more minutes. There were calls to a higher authority in the demon bank. There were papers that needed to be filled out. Xander wondered why he banked at human banks, the demon he was working with was much nicer and he was getting better interest here. He got up and shook the demon's hand, walking out of the office.

The demon called his boss again. "It's done," he said. He snorted as he leaned back in the chair, putting his feet up on the desk. "Yes, it was very wise of us to demand ownership of the firm as collateral for that building improvement loan." He smiled. "I have no idea but I'd like to be there when it happens."

Xander walked back in and grabbed his briefcase. "Sorry, forgot this."

"My boss would like to know what you're going to do with Wolfram and Hart, if you don't mind."

Xander grinned. "It's a secret, but," he leaned closer, "I'm giving it to Angel."

The demon laughed so hard he fell out of his chair.

Xander waved. "Thanks for the help and for telling me where those stores were." He jogged out, heading out to his car so he could treat himself by shopping.

The demon pulled himself up and pulled down the phone. "Did you hear that?" he gasped, still laughing. "No, he's giving it to *Angel*!" He snickered and hung up, needing to calm himself down before he got another client.

***

Angel tapped on Xander's door, smiling as it was opened almost instantly. "Hey, you busy?" he asked.

Xander shook his head, leading the way into the living room. "We were just brushing the kittens. They needed it." He sat down and the long haired one jumped into his lap. "Hey, Ribbon. How are we? Did you need some attention too?"

Angel sat down and he had a cat in his lap before he could blink. He looked down at the yellow puffball curiously. "Why did you do that?" he asked it.

"Because he likes you," Xander told him. "Pet him, he won't bite."

Angel hesitantly reached a finger out and touched the ball of yellow fur, jumping when it purred at him. "It likes me? Is it insane?"

"Hey, my kittens know who they like," Xander said, pointing with his brush. "Pet him before he decides to bite. He's very demanding, he got Oz's toes this morning while he was making me coffee."

Angel snorted. "Anyway, the reason I came.... Ow!" He glared at the cat. "Don't bite!"

Xander snickered. "That's strange advice coming from you, but I told you so," he told the vampire.

Angel looked startled but laughed after a second. "I guess it is." He petted the blond fur again. "He reminds me of Spike," he said after watching the cat.

Xander snorted. "I wouldn't let him hear you say that." He shared a smile with Angel.

"Sire's prerogative. I get to make fun of him sometimes." He glanced down at the kitten then back at his client. "I talked to someone at Wolfram and Hart and they refuse to close the brothel or to stop the tapes."

Xander smiled. "I figured as much when I didn't hear from you in three days. Don't worry, I have a backup plan already started, I figured out what to do the next day because I figured it wasn't going to be that simple. You'll see it tonight." He pulled the brush away from the cat, cleaning it off. "There you go, Ribbon. Go find Oz and tell him to brush you." She jumped down and scampered off, chasing some of her hair floating in the air conditioning. Xander looked at Angel again. "How's Cordy doing? She didn't look too good."

"She's been tired recently," Angel admitted. "She's got some stress in her life that she won't tell me about." He shifted uncomfortably. "I can't help if she won't tell me and she won't tell me because she thinks I'll make it worse."

Xander nodded. "I'll call her tonight and ask. How was the Hellmouth while we were gone?"

"Quiet," Angel sighed. "That's a good thing, but we're hoping it doesn't speed up again now that you're back." He looked Xander over. "You're the last guardian of it, Xander. You've got to be careful."

"What about the new Slayer?"

"She's highly into the Anne Rice stuff so she's in New Orleans." He looked out the window. "If something happens, we're two hours away, Xander. It's worrying all of us."

Xander gave him a gentle smile. "I wouldn't worry about us," he said quietly. "We've got it under control." He patted his lap as his first puppy walked past, but she didn't jump up. "Okay, be that way," he said, watching as she went to nose at the sliding glass door. "Oh, you need out." He stood up. "Excuse me for a few, we don't let her out without a leash." He grabbed the leash from beside the door and clipped it on, leading his puppy outside to do her business.

Angel looked down the hallway as he heard footsteps, nodding at Oz as he walked down the stairs. "How's your end of the spectrum?"

"Quiet. Giles called yesterday. The Hellmouth won't open again for another year. Most of the bads have been pulled because there's a new Hellmouth forming, and of course the Watchers don't believe him. What do you know about dragons?"

"They don't exist?" Angel guessed.

Oz shook his head. "I know they do. One's sitting above the fireplace in my house." He sat down on the couch and watched the vampire pet the kitten. "He likes you. Take him with you."

Angel shook his head. "I doubt he'd be very happy with me."

Xander walked back in carrying Rocky. "She wanted to sniff the thistle again," he said, putting her down and taking off her leash. He closed the door before she could get back out. "We need a fenced in area so she can go run outside, Oz."

"I'll see what I can think up," Oz told him, patting the couch. Rocky jumped up into his lap.

"Oh, be *that* way now," Xander said, sitting down next to his lover. "Angel said Cordy's got major stress but she won't tell him."

"You gonna do the whole dinner and shopping thing with her?" Oz asked.

Xander nodded. "I think I might. Would you mind if I did? We might be able to find that little Indian store that we were told about in Bombay."

"Okay. If you do, no sari's. You're not female."

"But I looked good in it," Xander reminded him.

"Yes, but you're still not female." Oz patted him on the leg. "Any word from Ray?"

"Not a one," Xander admitted. "I'm going to call them tonight if I haven't heard anything."

"Good. Tell me when you do so I can listen in." Oz looked over at the vampire, who had his eyes closed and a look of total enjoyment on his face. "I think Stake found a home," he whispered.

"Huh?" Angel asked. He stood up and put the kitten down. "I can't take him with me," he said, adjusting his trench coat.

Xander smiled up at him, noticing the blond lump crawling into the deep pocket. "I'm sure it's for the best," he said, getting up to let him out. "Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow what?" Angel asked.

"Tomorrow can I come steal Cordy?"

"Oh. Sure. Lunch or dinner?"

"Lunch." Xander waved as the vampire walked out, turning to snicker as Oz walked up behind him. "He said Stake reminded him of Spike," he gasped.

"Yeah, I can see the resemblance now," Oz agreed, pulling Xander back inside so he could go catch the dog that ran out. "Rocky! You're allergic to that!"

Xander sat down on the couch and picked up the next animal to brush, going back to his plans for the night.

***

Angel opened his jacket and tossed it onto the chair as he walked toward his kitchen, toeing off his shoes as he walked past the couch. He missed seeing the pissed off lump of blond fur wiggle it's way free and start stalking him. "What the...!" he screamed as he felt the tiny teeth sink into his ankle, making him jump. He looked down and could swear that the cat was smiling at him. "Oh, no, you are not going to stay," he threatened.

"Oh, a kitten," Wesley said as he entered the kitchen. "How cute." He picked it up, rubbing noses with it. "My, you're a friendly one, aren't you?" He cradled it gently in the crook of his arm, petting it behind the ears. "When did you get Stake?"

"Stake?"

"That's what it's collar tag said," Wesley told him, holding up the cat so he could see it.

"Xander," Angel sighed. "Why do you do this to me?"

Wesley handed Stake over. "I'm sure you two will get along well. He reminds me a lot of you when you're in a bad mood." He winked and walked away. "I'd get him some necessary things tonight, Angel, before he does something horrible to Cordelia's plants." He came back with the envelope he had been bringing to his boss, handing it over. "This came while you were away."

"Thanks." Angel put down the cup he had been holding this whole time, trying to ignore the warm fuzzy feeling that was twining around his feet. Finally, he bent down and picked the kitten up to hold so he could read in peace. "He didn't," he said once he got the envelope open. He looked at Wesley and handed over the letter. "Xander fixed a lot of our problems!" He hugged the kitten to his face, cooing at it.

Wesley looked at him and smiled, wishing that vampires could be caught on film, just that once.

***

Xander walked into Cordy's office space and held out a hand. "Your chariot awaits, my lady. For today, we dine and shoppest so that I may look cuter." He grinned when she looked up. "Come on. I already cleared it with your boss."

"I can't," she said dully.

Xander walked around and lifted her up, leading her out of the office. "Of course you can. Even a jealous boyfriend..." He stopped. "You didn't want to tell Angel about him?" he asked, looking at her makeup for something he hoped wasn't there. He finally found the trace he was looking for and ran his index finger lightly across the bruise. "You always were the best at covering those for me." He pushed her back a step. "Tell me who," he ordered.

She smiled weakly. "I can't, Xander. I really can't. He needs me and the world needs him."

"Not that much we don't," he said coolly. "At least explain it to me," he suggested. "Maybe there's another way, one without the bruises and sunken eyes."

She took his arm and let him lead her to the car. "His name is William, and it's not Spike before you ask. Oh, that kitten you gave Angel is *adorable*."

Xander listened as her wall fell down between them. He could work with it, he'd known her too long not to be able to breach her protections when she needed him to.

Xander tapped on William's door, pushing him inside once it opened. "I think we should have a discussion," he purred, looking the demon over. "I don't know how you convinced Cordelia that the world needed you, but I'm not seeing a reason for your existence." He sneered as the demon produced a sword of bone from the back of his hand. "What do you do?" he asked, pulling his sword out of his specially designed jacket's pocket. He faced off with him, kicking the door shut so no one would have to know what was going on. "Unless you're vital for the survival of the race, I'd give up and leave," he warned.

"Who are you?" the demon screamed, backing away from him.

"I'm Xander Harris, maybe Cordelia's talked about me." The demon backed away faster. "I'm also a Slayerettte." He advanced, cutting through the bone spike easily. "What hold do you have over her?"

"I need to be on this realm for two more days," he begged, tripping over a footstool and landing on the floor. "I'm not trying to hurt her, but I need her to stay."

"Why do you need to stay?" Xander asked coldly.

"I'm the key to the realms staying closed!" he cried, hiding his face from the sword. "There's a keystone around this town and I have to find and destroy it."

Xander held up his pendant. "It goes to a house with a realmal gate. There's no need to destroy it. We know how to manage it. We even removed all the keys from the other side."

The demon sighed. "It's not your key, it's another key."

"Xander!" Cordelia shrieked as she walked in. "What are you doing with a sword?" She walked over to stand between him. "I told you, we need him."

"No, actually you don't," Wesley said, following her in. "I checked on him for Xander, he's not needed. The gateway he's trying to keep closed is the Hellmouth and it's staying closed for the next year, whether or not he's here." She opened her mouth. "I checked with the Powers," he told her, removing her from Xander's path. "They came to Angel and I this time, very worried about you." He pointed at the demon. "He's not here to keep it closed, he's here to open it."

"I'm not!" the demon shrieked. "I'm here to find the key and destroy it."

"What's the key look like?" Xander growled. "Now!" he ordered when it wasn't forthcoming. "I guard this one, I'll guard that one too."

The demon's eyes grew round. "You're offering to guard the keystone?"

Xander nodded. "Like I said, I'm a Slayerette, I already guard the Hellmouth."

The demon pulled something out of his chest and handed it over. "At full strength, this will reopen the Hellmouth as a gateway," he whispered, looking at Cordelia. "She wasn't being drained, I was draining the stone into her to destroy it." He popped out in a breath of steam.

Cordelia cried, leaning against Wesley's shoulder.

Xander put up his sword. "Tell her to call me when she wants to talk to me again," he said quietly, heading for the door.

"Xander!" she called, getting free of Wesley to hug him. "Thank you. I feel better." She smiled up at him. "But you're still an ass."

He patted her on the back. "I know. When you're ready to forgive me, you know where I am." He nodded at Wesley. "Giles is coming home tomorrow, I'll give him the key. He'll guard it." He left them alone, heading home.

***

Angel walked into the lobby of Wolfram and Hart, smiling at the receptionist. He had this all planned out and he had everything ready for this meeting. "I'm expected in the Senior meeting room?"

She pointed at the elevators. "Up to the fifth floor please, Angelus."

He shook his head. "Angel." He smiled and started to whistle an old tune Doyle had reminded him of as he got onto the elevator, starting the spells that would protect him no matter what went on during this meeting. He got off the elevator and walked down the short hall to the massive meeting room, smiling at everyone there. "Hello, all," he said as he pulled out the deed he had been sent last night. "I believe a roomful of lawyers should be able to tell me what this is."

One of the senior partners snatched it and went pale, looking up at Angel. "How did you buy this? You're not that wealthy."

"Ah, but I have *friends*," Angel crowed, smiling. "Welcome to the new Wolfram and Hart, *ethical* attorneys at law!"

A few of the lawyers passed out and one got up and went to the window, testing it to see if it opened.

"Come on, it's not *that* bad," Angel said happily. "I'm sure we can figure out how to make sure that each and every thing that this firm does is not only ethical, but legal, moral, and *nice*!"

The lawyer next to the window pulled out a gun and blew it out, stepping out into thin air.

"I'm not that mean," Angel called after him. "Not anymore!"

***

Xander rolled as Oz hung up and told him what Angel had done. "See, that's a very good investment," he howled.

Oz patted him on the foot. "Yeah, it was." He sat down on the couch, pulling Xander up to rub his shoulders. "Are you okay with Giles coming back tomorrow?"

"Yup." Xander touched the warm hands, stopping them. "We talked last night over the computer. Jace made him see what I was feeling and now he understands why I was so upset." He kissed the left hand, pulling it down to wrap around his neck. "Is Ray coming out with Meth or not?"

"He is. It didn't go well. They were too drunk that night to call and tell us what went on, but Ray's so pissed he couldn't talk. They're driving out."

"Cool. They can have our guest room until they can find their own place." Xander leaned back against the hard body. "Is the key safe?"

"Very safe. That was another good thing you did. Did you see her flowers?" Xander nodded. "She doesn't sound that pissed."

"She's not." He turned his head to rest his cheek on Oz's thigh. "I'm content," he confessed. "In a way I wasn't before."

"Me too," Oz said, going back to his shoulder and neck rub, now one sided. "The traveling was nice but I guess I missed home."

"Me too," Xander said, yawning. "And I'm still tired."

"That's the key probably," Oz suggested. "Giles will take care of it."

"As long as the dragon doesn't come through if it becomes a gateway," Xander yawned, closing his eyes. "Can I nap?"

"Sure, you nap, babe. You deserve your naps." He continued to rub, feeling very content, something he hadn't felt before. All they still needed to do was to meddle a little bit for Ray and Methos's benefit. Then they could happily retire for a while and hide again.

***

Giles walked into the house, ignoring everyone as he followed the trace of power he had been drawn by since the outskirts of town. He walked into the guest bedroom, snatching the silk wrapped stone off the bed to look at it. "A heartstone?" he asked himself as he looked it over.

"It's a keystone for the Hellmouth," Xander called from his sewing room.

Giles walked back there, bending down to get through the doorway, his leathers creaking. "It's a what?"

"A keystone to the gateway that's the Hellmouth," Xander told him. "Once it's fully charged, someone will be able to use the Hellmouth as a normal gateway, like we could Oz's house." He smiled. "I'm guessing it likes you?"

"Yes, I've felt it calling to me." Giles looked at the stone again. "We must drain this a bit to make it safe."

"Hey, as long as it quits feeding off me, we're all happy," Xander told him, standing up to give him a hug. "How was your trip?"

"Jace's motorcycle fetish renewed my own," he said with a smile. He waved a hand at his outfit. "No longer the stuffy librarian?"

"Nope, now you're very unstuffy and yummy," Xander said, giving him a smile. "Anyway, the demon was draining it into Cordy and it was about to kill her so I took care of the demon."

"Did he give it to you?"

"Yup. I told him I'm a guardian of the Hellmouth and he gave it to me, that's when I found out he'd been draining it instead of draining Cordy to feed it."

Oz walked into the room, carefully carrying the big mass of flowers. "This came from Angel." He nodded at the stone. "Can you make it quit sucking off Xander?"

"I believe it's not sucking, it's draining off into him," Giles said, considering the stone. "I believe I can fix this tonight. Why is Angel sending us flowers?"

"Because Xander bought him a law firm," Oz said with a grin. "The one's that's been trying to kill him for years."

"It's also behind most of the bad things happening on this coast," Xander added. He looked at the card, taking off the CD attached to it. "Here, it says to run this. It's a copy of the speech he gave them."

Oz put the CD into the player, letting Xander deal with the flowers however he wanted. Angel's voice came out of the speakers, making Xander snicker at the steady words. He cheered at the end, clapping. "Good job," Oz agreed, getting a hug from Giles. "You ready to come back this time?"

Giles smiled down at them both. "Yes, I believe I am." He walked out, going out into the backyard. "Xander, I need to build something, may I?"

"Sure, want to do a fence while you're at it?"

Giles' laughter floated through the house.

"He's back," Oz said, wrapping an arm around Xander's waist. "Are you okay with this?"

"Yup," he said. "I can show off the dances to him now."

Oz nodded. "I'll go find the restraints. You go get ready to do it tonight." He walked out, letting Xander go back to sewing his new outfit.

***

Giles said the words binding the keystone into the fieldstone pillar he had dug into the ground, smiling as he felt the rapid draining of the stone. He turned as he heard Xander's whoop, barely having enough time to catch him as he came running out.

Oz walked out to the door. "Hey, Giles, want to see something great? Ask him to dance for you. I've got the room all set up."

Giles looked down at Xander. "You dance?" he asked, sounding surprised.

"Yup, I do. I even made up a new one," Xander said, pulling Giles back into the house. "Come on, I want to show you what I learned." He set Giles on the bed, letting Oz tie him down while he went to get changed.

"Is all this necessary?" Giles asked Oz.

"Yup," Oz said, leaving the room. "I want to see the new one too," he called, closing the bedroom door behind him.

Xander stepped out of the bathroom, leaning against the doorframe so his lover could see his outfit. "I got this across the portal too," he said as he walked out, taking up a place in the middle of the bedroom floor. He started to move. "You have to stay silent," he ordered, "and I'll do the whole series for you, including the new one."

Giles nodded, blinking at the hypnotic movements of the lithe hips. He couldn't help it, his eyes followed the glowing body's every movement, and he suffered as only a man tied to the bed and unable to reach his cock trapped inside leather pants could.

Oz smirked as he heard Giles screaming in pleasure. "Wow. Xander must have finished the first story already." He looked at the clock, seeing that it had only been about six minutes since he had come up from the bedroom. "Another hour and I should be able to go watch the new one with him. I'll need the destresser before Methos and Ray get here to do their spell. I fully intend to make this reciprocal with him." He checked the clock again at the muted gasping. "Ah, he's doing the *whole* thing. My, what a treat Giles is in for. He'll never leave Xander again." He smirked.

Friends in Low Places.

Xander opened the door for Ray and Methos, smiling as their animals all ran inside. "Hi, guys," he said, bending down to pet them. "We just put down food if you'd like to go eat with our animals." All but Fluffy went to go find food, she climbed up the gym Oz had bought for the kittens and perched in the top cubbyhole. She meowed as her father walked past, getting ear scratches.

"We've got coffee," Xander said, accepting a hug from Methos, now that Ray was on the couch. "Oz went to get real food, but he'll be back soon."

"I can't eat," Ray mumbled, looking down at his hands.

Methos turned and hit the wall. "Do you think you could help Ray find a job on this coast?" he asked in a voice that was obviously trying to be calm but missing that state greatly.

"Sure," Xander said calmly, going to sit beside Ray. "What did they say?"

"They said it was my fault that the other officer shot me, I wasn't wearing my badge openly," he said bitterly. "And the other three incidents were all coincidence."

"Can you appeal?" Xander asked.

Ray nodded. "I am, but I can't be there anymore." He looked over at Xander. "Can you help me?"

"Sure. Anything that we can do to help, we will." He gave him a hug, being careful of Ray's injured arm. "Which one did you want to apply to? LA or here?"

"We were thinking about a nice suburb of Los Angeles," Methos told him, coming over to sit on Xander's other side. "Did Giles make it in all right?"

Xander gave him his best 'naughty' grin. "Yup. I danced for him last night, the whole series."

Methos groaned and squeezed Xander. "He'll never leave you again," he whispered.

"I know. That was Oz's comment, but that wasn't why I did it. I just wanted to show off." Xander winked and looked at Ray, pulling him into his lap.

"Hey!" Ray complained. "I'm not that little."

"Nope, you're not, but you could use the cuddles," Xander told him. "This way, you get ones from both of us and we don't have to hurt your arm."

Ray snorted but accepted the hugs gratefully. "What's the thing in the backyard?" he asked once Methos pulled back.

"It's a stone holding a keystone to the Hellmouth. It's presently being drained down to a constant, safe level. Giles magiced it in before I danced for him."

Ray nodded. "You still need a fence so the guys can go run."

"We know," Oz said as he walked in through the garage. "Hey. How'd it go?"

"Don't ask," Methos told him. "Need help?"

"Nope, I've got it." Oz put down the paper bags and pulled down plates and silverware, dishing out breakfast. "Xander, did you want to share with me or did you want the french toast?"

"I'll nibble off yours. Ray could use the french toast more. He's healing and sugar helps that." He pushed Ray into his lover's lap, going to pick up plates and bring them out to the living room. He handed off the bigger plate to Methos, making sure it had two forks on it. He turned and found Oz behind him. "I'm getting you a bell," he told his lover.

Oz grinned. "Do you want this food or not?" he countered, sitting in one of the chairs.

Xander plopped down in his lap and stole the first bite of food. "You feed me or I'm going to have a whole day of nibbling on you," he whispered. He jumped as he felt the spank. "Hey!"

"Be good. No free shows for the other two." They both looked over at Methos, who was trying to make Ray eat something.

Xander snuck over and tickled Ray, letting Methos stick the food into his mouth. "You need to eat, Ray, otherwise you're going to get sick and all that'll do is prove to those guys that they were right." He kissed him on the cheek, taking Ray's fork to feed him. "Come on, eat for me, precious one. You don't want to make Methos worry, do you?"

Ray shook his head and took another bite. "I'm not a little kid," he complained between bites.

Xander stole a kiss. "No, you're not a kid, but you still need to eat." He grinned. "Besides, most people consider it a compliment to have *two* people who want to feed them."

Ray grunted and ate the next bite of food.

Oz finished off his and Xander's portion of the breakfast, smiling internally. He'd be deep in code before Xander realized it. He scraped his plate and escaped up the stairs.

Xander glared at Oz's back, one eyebrow going up. "I'll get you later," he promised, feeding Ray another bite of food.

"What's going on in here?" Giles asked sleepily as he walked out of the bedroom. He smiled at lover and the couple. "Good morning. Did Oz get breakfast for all of us?"

"Not sure," Xander said, giving him a smile. "Oz ate mine, he might have eaten yours too."

Methos shook his head, using his fork to feed Xander a bite of eggs. "Go get yourself something to eat, I'll feed my Ray."

Xander nodded and got up, going to search the paper bags carefully. He crowed as he came up with two more boxes of food. "He just saved himself some torment," he said happily, pulling down a plate for him and Giles, dishing them out food too.

Giles sat down in Oz's chair and accepted his plate.

Xander sat on the couch and curled into Ray, nibbling on his food. "Want to go shopping with me today?" he asked quietly.

"Sure," Ray said, glancing at Methos, who nodded. "Can we swing by the town I want to work in and pick up an application?"

"Sure," Xander agreed. "Is it on the way or way out of the way?"

"It's on the way," Methos told him. "It's a beautiful suburb of LA, just off the highway. It's near the fabric store that you told us you went to."

Xander hummed because his mouth was full. "Okay, I think I know which one. The one with all the stucco houses?"

Methos shook his head. "The next exit up. The one with the motels and such."

"Okay," he said with a shrug. "We can do that." He kissed Ray on the cheek. "Do you two want to do the spell today?"

"Spell?" Giles asked.

"We'd like you to do the spell that you did with Xander and yourselves," Methos told him, taking Ray's hand to hold. "I want him to be mine for a very long time, Rupert."

Giles stared at them then nodded. "I'll go over the necessities later today if you'd like."

"I'm not letting him out of the house without it," Methos said calmly.

"That's fine. We may have everything that we need here. Of course, you'll have to get Oz out of the house."

Xander shook his head. "No." Everyone stared at him. "No. I'm bound to Methos, it'd add some extra protection for Ray to be bound to Oz." He looked at Ray, who was staring at Methos.

"It's up to you," Methos whispered, taking a gentle kiss. "But he does have a point."

Ray nodded, licking his lips. "I'll go with that suggestion then." He looked over at Xander. "No sharing unless it's pre-arranged."

"Hey, not an issue," Xander told him with a smile. "Never should have been one."

Ray grinned. "Good. As long as you agree."

"I agree and I think Oz was planning on it anyway, even if you hadn't agreed. He said that the bonding was pretty hard on the quickening."

"Yes, I remember passing out," Methos said dryly. "Well, he'll be bound to three of us then." He squeezed Ray's hand. "Giles will have to be here to do the ceremony," he said when he got a confused look.

"Oh. Okay," Ray said with a shrug. "I guess that's okay. When?"

"Let me finish breakfast first," Giles told him, smiling at him. "Xander, what will you be doing?"

"I'll be in my sewing room working on something," he said. He nudged Ray gently. "Want to help me sew for a few minutes while they get the stuff ready?"

"Sure," Ray said, nudging him back. "I want to see all the saris your bought."

"Saris?" Giles asked.

"They're some of the most beautiful examples of clothwork there is," Xander told him. "I bought a number of them, they're being shipped from a mail place where we rented a box today. We sent a lot of stuff there to be held for us. Jace gathered it all and is sending it, I think."

Rupert smiled. "Ah, that stuff. Yes, she told me that she'd send it out yesterday by rapid courier." He finished off his breakfast and stood up, going to put the dishes in the sink. "Let me go check on that for you," he said, waving at the stairs. "Would you like to help me, Methos?"

"Of course." He handed Ray the plate and followed the young immortal up the stairs.

Xander looked over at Ray. "Want to eat in there? I'll let you as long as you don't smear syrup."

"Sure," Ray said, getting up and heading back to the craft room.

Xander followed, grinning because someone here appreciated him.

***

Xander squealed like a five year old at Christmas as he opened the door to the guy with their things from their trip. He signed his name as best he could with the vibrating he was doing, and let the guy move the boxes inside. He caught the one kitten that came out to investigate, sitting down in the middle of the boxes as the last three were wheeled in.

The courier wiped off his forehead. "What did you guys do, move with us?" he asked.

Xander tossed him a tip. "This is all stuff we found on our trip through Europe and Asia."

The courier smiled and walked out, coming back with a small box. "This is yours too, sir." He tipped his cap at Giles as he walked out, leaving the house.

Xander looked up and grinned. "Our stuff from the traveling." He let the kitten sit in his lap as he worked on the tape of the first box. Giles pulled out his pocket knife. "Easy," Xander warned. "Some of the things in there are fragile, like a few of the saris."

"I'll be very careful," Giles told him gently as he opened the first box. He held up the bit of fabric that had been taped to the box. "I'm sorry, Xander," he said.

Xander looked at it and frowned. "I really liked that one," he pouted. He took the full piece of cloth and looked it over. "It's fine," he said with a sigh. "That wasn't part of this piece."

Giles held up the little piece. "Then why would she tack that little piece of fabric to the tape?"

"Because it was to tell us which box had all the saris," Oz said from the hallway, walking in a second later. "We get it all?"

"Yup, but what's in this one?" he asked, handing over the little box.

Oz sat down and opened that one, smiling as he pulled out the CD's in there. "Our tape shipment." He scanned the back. "They messed it up too. I didn't order Enya at all."

"I did," Xander said absently, pulling out each sari to look at. "Hmm, this one is wrinkled." He set it aside. "I'll iron it later," he told whomever was listening. He pulled out a small cardboard box and smiled, handing it to Oz. "Here, you do the honors."

Oz opened the box carefully, then nodded and closed it. "Methos, come here," he called up the stairs. Ray sat on the couch beside him, relocating from the floor. Methos jogged down to the living room, sitting beside him. "These are something that we picked up for you two in New Delhi, and I think it's appropriate today." He let Ray handle the present, getting out of the way.

Ray opened it and gasped, pulling out the intricate glasses. "Oz, these are great," he whispered, handing them over to his lover.

Methos looked at them in the light then nodded. "Very nice work." Ray nudged him so he smiled. "Thank you, Oz. We'll use these this afternoon, when we do the spell." He put it back in the box and kissed his lover on the cheek. "Was there anything else in there for us?" he asked, craning his neck.

"Yup, but we can give them to Ray," Oz said, watching as Methos ran back upstairs. "He's chatting with Joe," he told Xander. "What else can I do to help?"

"Start unpacking the boxes with me," Xander told him. He reached down and removed Ribbon from the top of the pile saris. "We don't need fur covered things, sweetie," he told her, giving her a kiss before handing her off to Giles. "Don't put her somewhere up high, she doesn't like heights."

Giles sat down with her, watching Xander unpack his presents. He was surprised when he got one, but he took it and held the leather jacket tenderly. "This is beautiful work, boys."

"It's the product of letting Xander loose in London," Oz said. He looked over at Xander. "I want to look at your accounts this afternoon. We've been splurging greatly again."

Xander nodded. "I've been living off the interest," he reminded his lover. "You can be paranoid and look them over if you want though."

"Xander, you just bought a multi-billion dollar law firm," Oz said warmly. "That wasn't from the interest."

"No, that was buying out their loan for a few thousand and foreclosing on the same day," Xander said, not looking up from his examination of the next sari.

Oz rolled his eyes. "You went through a bank?"

"Yup, the demon bank." He grinned, still not looking up. "They're really nice there. Much nicer than the bank in town."

"You did what?" Oz asked quietly, tipping Xander's head up so he had to look at him. "You went around demons without a bodyguard?"

"He burned incense because I'm still emanating. Giles, why would my pheromones be getting stronger? Oz used to be able to cover it up, but not anymore. And I've had an increase of desire too."

Giles raised one eyebrow. "That's possible?"

Xander gave him a bland look. "Yes, it's possible."

"Oh. I'll look it up but I suspect it's a normal surge due to your age." He smiled at the cat that landed in his lap. "Which one are you?"

Oz looked over. "That's Jermaine. He reminded Meth of a Jackson member." He looked at Xander again. "When were you going to tell me about this?"

"As soon as I figured out what was going on," Xander told him with a bright grin. "I have a meeting with a Chemist at the college tomorrow. The demon network said he was studying this phenomenon."

Oz grunted, "I'm going with you."

"Sure." Xander tipped that box up to pull out the flat cardboard box on the bottom. "The silverware I think," he said, handing it to Oz.

Oz opened it and nodded. "Yup, silverware." He got up and went to put it in the sink to clean it. He came back and moved the empty box out of the way, tipping it on it's side so the animals could play with it. As soon as the flaps were covering it, one of the cats shot into the box and hissed. "Yeah, you have fun. There's going to be a few more soon." He looked at the seven remaining boxes, not counting the boxes Xander and Ray were digging through. "When did we get all this stuff?"

"It built up," Ray told him. "It always does." He held up a statue of a dragon. "Yours?"

"Yup, it'll remind me of home," Oz said, taking it up to his office upstairs.

Xander grinned at Ray, his 'mischievous' grin. "Not only did it build, but it gained interest," he said, holding out another present. "For you, from Paris."

Ray opened it and started to laugh. "An Eiffel Tower dildo?" he giggled.

"Yup," Xander said proudly. "I thought it'd be a cute idea." He winked and went back to his unpacking. "Oz, more of your stuff," he called, pushing that box aside after taking out his two bags at the bottom, and the velvet box from the middle. "I got gifts from someone while I was in India," Xander said, showing them to Ray. "We came back from shopping and they were lying on the bed."

Ray shook his head. "I'd be worried about that."

"So was I," Oz said as he walked in. "You said that you were going to let Angel look at those for you."

"I can do that," Giles said quickly.

"We think it's demonic," Oz told him. "It appeared while the maid was cleaning and no one was in there with her."

Giles nodded. "Then I'll definitely help Angel look those over tonight. Is he coming up?"

"No, we're going to intrude on him early tomorrow," Xander told him. "He knows that we're coming so that's not a problem." He held up a piece from a bag. "If there's nothing wrong, can I give this to Cordy? It's really too femme for me."

Oz nodded. "Please, it's very gaudy. Maybe she can do something tasteful with it."

Xander shrugged. "I wouldn't be surprised." He dropped the necklace back into the bag and pulled the next box over. "Um, this sounds like something broke so I'm guessing it's the plates," he said, handing them off to Giles. "Can you please pull those out and put them up?"

"Leave them out to be cleaned," Oz said.

"Of course." He pulled the box into the kitchen and opened it, gasping at the plates. "We had custom plates made?"

"No, we found a pattern we agreed on," Oz said, looking up at the blue, teal, and silver decorated plates. "You like?"

"Yes, I do. Where did you find these?"

"At the bazar in Bombay," Xander said. "That's where most of this came from." He accepted the next box from Ray, opening it with a cheer. "Oh, the *Paris* stuff, Oz." That box was snatched from him and taken into the bedroom.

Xander winked at Oz. "Before we found Amanda, we ran into a guy who was looking for models to make dildos off of."

Ray shivered. "That's got to feel really strange," he said quietly, looking at his new toy. "Did you get one made?"

"Yup. I did and Oz did. Actually, that's where we met Amanda, she was shopping in his store."

Oz walked back out and looked at Ray's present. "I see he found that." He looked inside the next box and sat down, handing it to Xander. "This is all your stuff. What are you going to do with these?"

"Decorate," Xander said simply, pulling out the two saris sitting on the top of the box. "There aren't that many things in there."

"Nope, just fluffy fabrics." Oz pulled out the thick velvet pile, showing it off to Giles.

"That's a very interesting shade," Giles said, leaning on the bar. "Why silver?"

"Because I think it looks pretty," Xander told him. "It's thicker than I usually work with but I'm sure I can find something to do with it."

Oz shuddered. "As long as I don't have to sleep on it, wear it, or see you wear it," he complained. Xander pouted at him. "Disarm those lips or I won't go find the fabric for you," Oz warned.

"Okay," Xander sighed, putting the fabrics back into the box. "I guess this can be dragged into the craft room."

"You have legs," Oz noted. He pulled out the top piles of fabric, coming up with a small velvet box. "What's this?"

Xander snatched it from him. "Not for you to see right now," he told him, tucking it back in between the fabrics.

Oz shrugged. "Whatever." He pointed at the last two boxes. "What are those?"

"One's the rest of your stuff and the other's probably the rest of the stuff from Paris, and Italy."

"Okay." Xander pulled over one and grunted. "Oh, yeah, this is the one from the food shopping expedition." He pushed it toward the kitchen. "Rupert, can you please put these up?"

"Of course." Rupert came out and got the box, carrying it into the kitchen with a grunt. "What is this?"

"Wines," Oz said. "Xander decided he liked European eating."

"Hey, I liked Japanese eating too, and it had wine with it."

Giles nodded. "I can see how that's a necessity." He opened the box and looked down inside it. "These aren't wines," Giles said, holding it up so Oz could see it. "It looks like cheese."

"Oh, is that that?" Xander asked, getting up to go look. "It's been repacked though, so the wines should be on the bottom." He went back to the other box and opened it, nodding. "Oz, the stuff for your office."

Giles unpacked the box, admiring the contents greatly. Someone had good taste in his family. He came to the layers of wines and smiled. "You have very good taste, Xander."

"Oz," Xander corrected.

"Well then, Oz has very good taste."

Oz got up to come over and look at the contents. "That's not all that we ordered." He looked at Xander, who shrugged. "Okay, well, we've got at least that much coming still."

"I'll be looking for it," Giles told him with a smile. "So far, I've only found a broken wine glass." Xander looked up, giving him a hurt look. "One of the simple ones, dear heart, not the ornate ones." Xander nodded and went back to unpacking Oz's box. "What should I do with these?" he asked Oz.

"Go put them down in the cold room in the basement," Oz told him. "While we were gone, and when Xander figured out that he wanted to bring food home, he had someone come put in a wine rack and a cold pantry."

Giles smiled and opened the door beside the counter, heading down into the basement with the contents of the box.

Oz turned to look at Xander. "How did we afford all this?"

"Wasn't hard," Xander reminded him. He looked up. "Are you going back to your house tonight?"

"Yup. After the bonding ceremony." He walked over and stole a kiss. "Will you be all right with Giles?"

"Yup," Xander said, giving him a smile. "I think we'll get along fine. We'll talk, I'll get cuddled. We'll figure it out." He shrugged. "Anything else?"

"Nope. I think we'll deal really well with him being back." He stole a kiss. "Want to call Jace or should I?"

"I'll call her, you get online and finish our orders from Italy," Xander told him with a grin. "I want that ham."

"Of course." Oz took his box of things with him upstairs. "Out!" he yelled, and a dog came running down the stairs.

"Cocoa?" Xander called, bringing her over. "What did you do to Oz?"

"He was typing," Oz called down.

Xander kissed the dog on the nose. "Lay on the couch and I'll take you out to play in a few minutes. Okay?" The dog barked and hopped up onto the couch. "Thank you." He loaded all his fabric stuff into one box and got up, dragging it into the craft room to deal with it later. He made sure the closet door was closed, he didn't want kneading marks on the delicate fabrics. He walked back out, looking at Ray, who had new boxes in front of him. "Where did those come from?" he asked as he sat down. He looked at the bottle of wine coming out. "Giles, we've got the rest of the foodstuff," he yelled.

Giles jogged up the stairs and came over to get the boxes, taking them down the stairs with Ray's help.

"Wow," Ray said as he came back up. "That's a killer space you've got started. What are you going to do with the rest of it?"

"Not real sure," Xander admitted, examining the sari he had left out to play with. "It's partially finished but I'm not sure if we want to make it a few guest rooms or not."

"We could make it one guest room," Giles suggested as he came up. "I'll finish putting the wines up in a few moments. Xander, you mentioned something I could do around here?"

"We need a fence because of the animals," Xander told him quietly, looking at the back yard. "I'm not sure how to do it without wrecking the view though."

"A short fence shouldn't do that," Giles told him.

"Rocky can jump a short fence," Xander told him, "and she's been running out into the road to get at the thistle bushes across the street. She's allergic but she loves their smell."

Giles shrugged. "I'll go look at fencing options today, how's that?"

Xander smiled. "Okay. Just not chainlink if you can help it?" Giles smiled and nodded. "Thanks, you're being way too helpful though." He winked. "Relax, we still like you."

"I will, I feel I should help though."

"Cool, then you can put up a fence and we'll be happy," Oz said as he walked down the stairs carrying Ribbon. "Someone wanted loves."

Xander took the cat and hugged her. "Hello, sweetness. Did you need cuddles?"

"Yes, she crawled into my lap," Oz told him. He looked at Giles. "I'm going to agree about the chainlink. Not unless there's another way to not notice the fence."

"If we put it far enough back, it shouldn't be a problem," Giles told them. "Putting wood close to the house and chainlink farther back should be fine."

Oz nodded. "Okay, you check the codes?"

"I'm going to do that as soon as Xander calls Jace."

"Okay." Xander took the phone from Ray, who was sitting next to it. "Thanks." He dialed, then grinned. "Hey, babe, you okay today?" He laughed. "Yup, I think we got it all. Huh?" He looked at Oz. "Really? Wow. Yeah, send it on to me please. No, I have no idea who's doing that," he complained, trying to keep Oz from stealing the phone.

"Did someone send him stuff again?" Oz asked once he had control of the phone. He looked down at Xander. "Do you have any idea who it was? Was there a note?" He hummed. "What was it this time?" He grunted. "Yeah, send it on tonight. We're going to get it examined by someone tomorrow, as well as getting Xander examined for his pheromone problem." He laughed. "I'm sure." He hung up. "Those jewels are expanding your collection," he complained.

Xander shrugged and gave Oz a helpless look. "I don't know where they come from, Oz, I promise. I haven't been doing anything."

"I know, but it's disturbing," Oz said gently, sitting down beside him to give him a hug. "Someone's giving you expensive stuff and I don't know why. This is supposed to piss me off, Xander."

"Well, it does me too," Xander complained. "I'd like to know what they're expecting too!"

"I know." Oz calmed his lover down. "We'll figure it out tomorrow. Until we find this person, or whatever, will you please be careful? I don't want you taken again."

Xander nodded. "I will. I won't leave the house without someone with me and I won't wander off while shopping." He gave his lover a kiss. "Is that okay enough?"

"Sure. It's great actually." Oz stole another kiss and stood up. "Giles, want help with the foodstuff?"

"No, I think I have it," he said, sharing a worried look with Oz over Xander's head. Oz nodded so he went back to his task downstairs.

***

Xander looked at his new fabrics and sighed. "Oz, why can't I do things like this?"

"Because you don't weave or embroider?" Oz suggested from in front of his loom.

Xander sighed again. "What am I going to do with them if I can't wear them?"

"Hang them on a wall?" Oz said, turning to look at his lover. "That's what other people do when they buy stuff they can't wear." He saw the unhappy look and moved over to hug the young man. "What's really wrong?" he asked quietly. "Is it Meth and Ray?" Xander shook his head. "The hormone thing?" Xander shrugged. "Ah, it's the worrying that the hormones caused this new jewelry explosion," Oz guessed and Xander looked at him. "Know this, I'm not letting you go, not even for some rich guy who can give you everything that I can't."

Xander snuggled into his arms. "You do give me everything I want, Oz," he said quietly. "I'm worried about what whoever is doing this really wants from me. No one gives people expensive stuff without wanting something."

"True, that's why you have me though."

Xander put his head on Oz's shoulder. "I know, but I can't help but worry about this. I don't like being kidnapped and this seems like a reason I'm going to be snatched away from you."

"It won't happen," Oz told him. "If they try, they die. I have no problem defending you from someone who wants to steal you from me."

Xander smiled. "Thanks, Oz. Are you coming with me everywhere?"

"Even to the bathroom if you want me in there," Oz told him, stroking through his hair. "Now then, what did you want to do with the saris?"

"I want to make an outfit out of one," Xander said, pointing at the purple, blue, and gold one. "I want to make a new dance outfit out of that. Top and bottom."

"Can you do that?"

"Easily and still have a scarf sized piece left. So I can do that one dance." Oz hummed deep in his chest, making an almost purring noise. "I like that noise," Xander said, looking up at him with a grin. "Can you do it again?"

Oz repeated the noise, his eyes closed. "I think I'd like to see you in that outfit. What about finding another piece like that from one of the Indian shops and making it from that instead of the sari?"

"I was going to go looking tomorrow while Giles and Angel did their stuff with the new jewelry. Want to come with me and Cordy?"

"Sure. You know I like watching you pick out fabric." Oz kissed him on the nose. "Get back to your planning and I'll leave in an hour to go back to my house and pick up all your fabric." Xander sat back up and went back to his planning and drawings, and Oz went back to his weaving to calm himself down.

***

Xander peered out the window at the dark streets. "He should have been back a while ago," he said when a cool hand touched him on the back. He looked over his shoulder, giving Methos a weak smile. "How are the new dishes holding up?"

"Very well. We've found two broken glasses and one of the extra little bowls. All things that you can have replaced." He sat down beside his student, giving him a hug. "I'm sure he's fine. No one snatched him."

"We don't know that those jewelry pieces were for me," Xander whispered. "They could have been for him."

"We repel demons," Methos told him. "We couldn't ever be in a relationship with one. These gifts speak of a very powerful demon, one who would have to be old enough to know that. They wouldn't be after Oz."

Xander nodded. "But I still can't be sure of that," Xander admitted. "I won't know that for sure until we find out who's sending them and confront them."

Methos kissed him on the side of the neck. "I understand, but you're going to make yourself sick over this."

Xander gave him a peaceful smile. "I'm trying not to, but it's really hard." He jumped up as he saw headlights, going out to meet Oz in the garage. "What took you so long?" he asked, pulling his lover into a hug as soon as he got out of the car.

"Ran into Richie," Oz said, pointing at the man getting out of the other side of the car.

"Hey, want to camp in the basement?" Xander said between kisses. "You're okay."

"Yup, I'm fine," Oz said calmly. He got free and looked at Xander. "The whatever wasn't coming after me," he said quietly, staring into Xander's eyes. "I promise, it isn't after me."

"You don't know that," Xander countered with a grin for the confidence he saw, moving to the back of the car. "Did you find it all?"

"And then some," Oz told him, slamming his door and walking back to grab some of the fabric. He nodded at Richie to help and they got the bolts carried in with two loads.

***

Xander looked across the desk at Angel. He, Cordy, Oz, and Ray had already been shopping and had been called back to the office because someone had found something. He gave the vampire an expectant look. "So?" he asked finally.

Angel gave him a smile, a grin really. "I know who it is and we've had a discussion already. He's decided that maybe you're not the easiest person to woo in the world, but that he still likes you. Matter of fact," he said as he leaned back in his chair and put his feet up, "he said that if you ever left Oz and Giles, then he wanted a shot at your attention."

Xander shuddered. "What is it?"

"It's a demon, but a very powerful one, not one of the ones you're used to dealing with." He looked at the doorway, waving Wesley in so he could take the book he held. "This is what was wanting some of your time."

Xander took the book and looked it over, reading slowly. He finally looked up. "This is what was after me?" Angel nodded. "He's a slime demon, he only comes out during the monsoon season." He looked back at the book. "He's not even real during the rest of the year."

"Which explains how he managed to give you the trinkets," Wesley reminded him. "This is not a demon to be trifled with, Xander, it's very powerful in it's own right. It was seeking a consort and thought that you'd be willing to be that for him."

Xander shrugged. "But I was never away from Oz, ever, while we were in India."

"Yes, but to him, Oz is only a bodyguard, or someone that's been hired to watch over you, possibly to teach you but mostly to watch over you."

Xander's mouth fell open. "After we almost got arrested for kissing in public?"

"Yes, even then," Angel told him. "To him, you didn't smell like you belonged to anyone so you didn't."

"But I smell like Oz," Xander protested.

"Not enough apparently," Wesley told him. "I'd go fix that, it may fix some of the more extreme hormonal problems you've been having."

Xander shook his head. "I don't know, but we're going to go see a scientist this afternoon. He's been studying this for a few years now. Maybe he'll know how to dampen it." He looked at the book again. "Now what do I do? How do I get the jewelry back to it?"

"It said to keep it. It can make the stuff easily so it's nothing to him," Angel said calmly. "Did you already give Cordy a piece of it?"

"A really gaudy necklace, I thought she could do something useful with it," Xander told him. "Why? Is that bad?"

"No, he'll consider it as you giving it out to your harem." Xander started to cough. "That's the way he thinks. He's decided that Oz is your favorite in your harem and your personal bodyguard. He was willing to integrate your harem with his, but he decided that you really didn't need it now that he's found out about you. He also said that guardians were precious and that they shouldn't be taken from their duties."

Xander sighed. "Thanks, Angel." He stood up. "Where're Oz and Giles?"

"Downstairs with Cordy, looking at decorating books. She wants to redecorate her apartment in something other than neutral."

"Hey, I can help her do Asian," Xander offered.

"I told her that already," Oz called from the outer office. "That's why she was shopping with us this morning." He walked into the office.

"Ah, my faithful harem," Xander joked.

Oz glared and Angel pushed over the book. "The demon wanted to have Xander as a consort, he was even willing to integrate Xander's harem with his, letting him keep you as his favorite concubine and bodyguard." He held in his smile, but it was starting to show around the corners of his mouth and his eyes.

Oz grunted and pushed the book away. "Did you straighten him out?"

"Yes, he did," Wesley said from the couch behind Xander. "He told him Xander was a guardian of a gateway and that he couldn't leave. He also explained that Xander wasn't the sort to become a consort, and that you had a much more important role in his life than that of a concubine." He smiled. "That was a very hard description from what I heard of it. It seems that he thought that Xander, being what he is, was a trained courtesan."

"He is," Oz told him. "He learned by crossing through a gateway."

Angel's mouth fell open. "You let *him* cross a gateway?"

"Pure accident," Xander told him. "But that's where I learned to fight with a sword, and where I learned how to dance. And I took a lot of lessons in political intrigue and the ways of a court at the same time. I got pretty good at my job."

Angel blinked a few times then slowly shook his head. "I don't want to think about that too much," he said as he got up and went down to his apartment. Maybe waking his kitten up and getting played with would clear his mind of that thought. He didn't want to think about Xander being one of the power movers like the courtesans he had once known.

Wesley smiled at Xander. "I do believe you gave him a headache. Would you like to continue your shopping trip with Cordelia? I can cover the office if you need her."

"Nope, sorry, we've got to go see a scientist about my hormones," Xander said, standing up. "Cordy, we're leaving!" he called. She walked into the office, glaring at him. "Sorry, I didn't know if you were downstairs."

"No, I came back up when Angel came down muttering your name." She looked him over. "Going to do more shopping?"

"No, going to go see someone about fixing my hormones so I quit drawing demons to the Hellmouth." He winked as he walked past her. "If you want help decorating, just yell."

"I will," she promised, giving Oz a smile. "Have fun watching him."

"Usually," Oz agreed. They joined Giles at the car, getting into the back to be together while Giles drove. "Do you think of me as a concubine?" Oz asked quietly, cuddling against Xander.

"Nope. I think of you as my lover and my friend. You're not a sex slave to me." Xander grinned at him. "I would rather be in that role than you."

Oz shook his head. "You're not my concubine either, Xander. I don't keep you." He took the young man's hand to hold. "If that demon saw us like that, then how do other's see us?"

"Probably not the same way," Giles said from the front seat. He pulled over and turned around. "Oz, no one would see you as his concubine. Maybe as his bodyguard sometimes, but never as his concubine. Most likely, people would think that you're keeping Xander as your boytoy." Oz shuddered. "I know, it's not a favorite thought of yours, but to some that's how it would look."

"Then why did he think I was Xander's concubine?"

"He probably saw us in the bazar while I was being pushy and figured that the rest of the time I was humoring you," Xander told him gently. "I did get dominant while we were there."

Oz relaxed. "Okay. As long as no one sees me as your possession or anything like that."

Xander giggled. "Like I'd be able to keep you," he cooed, kissing Oz. "You're much stronger than I am and I could never keep you in a golden cage." He smiled at his lover, turning on all his charm. "Of course, you could keep me that way...."

Oz growled and pushed Xander down, stealing his ability to talk with a kiss. "I'm not keeping you, we're equals. Got it?" Xander nodded. "Good. Anytime you want to be submissive, I won't mind, but we're equal partners in our relationship. I want it to stay that way."

Xander smiled, reaching up to pat Oz's cheek. "Of course, so do I, but there are still days when I want you to chain me to the bed."

"Hey, those days I appreciate," Oz told him, taking another kiss. "Giles, we're going to be late," he said as he sat back up.

Giles smiled at them. "I was hoping for a kiss myself."

Xander leaned forward and brushed a kiss past his lips. "There, more when we get back to Sunnydale and the college."

Giles nodded and turned around to pull back into traffic. He may have driven a little faster than normal, but with that promise, he wanted to get to the college a little early.

***

Xander waited while the skin swab was taken from his arm and under his armpit, turning his head as the woman with the needle came closer. "Can you not make it hurt, please?" he asked.

"I'll try," she said with a smile, tapping the crook of his arm to find a vein. "You have very nice veins," she said as she stuck him, putting a tube into the collection slot. "Very visible and easy to stick." She switched tubes, watching as that one filled, and grabbed a third one. When that one was filled, she pulled out the needle and put a bandaid over the hole. "There you go, Mr. Harris."

Xander looked at the other helper. "Are there any more tests?"

"Just one," she said, holding up a wand of some sort. "We're going to measure your pheromone output." She motioned him to stand and waved the wand over him, frowning. "He's human," she said in shock.

Xander nodded. "I know I am. I'm one of the lucky point-five of a percent that have hormones that like demons instead of humans. That's why they keep trying to kidnap me."

She shook off her shock and looked at him. "From these readings, you're attracting humans and demons," she told him carefully. "They're not discriminating at all anymore."

Xander sighed. "Does that mean I need to hire a bodyguard now? I'm tired of being kidnapped. Fifteen times in one day was enough to last me a lifetime."

"You've been taken fifteen times?" the woman collecting blood asked. "By demons?"

"That was just one day, I've been taken almost seventy times, but never for very long. I've always had someone to come get me. That doesn't count two vendetta things though." He sat back down. "Is there any rational reason that this is happening to me?"

"No," the women said together, looking at each other and shaking their heads.

Xander sighed. "That's what I figured. Can I be told what your boss figures out about me? I'd like to know."

"We'd like to bottle it," Oz said from the corner he had been watching everyone from. "Think about what a stir that would make, Xan."

Xander smiled at him. "What would they have to do to collect it though," Xander told him. "I might be willing if they could do it with simple swabs or something, but not needles. I don't like needles." He pouted at Oz, who crumbled and came over to give him a hug. "I don't want to be a lab rat," he said quietly.

"You won't be," the woman who had done the swabs assured him quickly, taking everything she had collected and walking away. "We'll be in contact with you soon," she said from the doorway.

The other woman smiled at them. "Don't worry about it. We may find a way to tame the scent down now that we have some of the most pure extract." She left the room with her vials.

Xander took his shirt from Giles' hands as he walked in, putting it on as they walked out together. "I need lunch," he decided. "Call home and see if Methos is cooking or if we're picking it up?"

"I already did," Giles said, patting him on the back. "He's taken some of the excellent meat and cheese that you had shipped back and is making us a light salad to go with it."

"Cool." Xander climbed into the back, snuggling up against Giles, who got in with him. After all, it was only fair, Oz had gotten Xander on the ride to the college.

***

Xander looked up from his sewing as Ray walked in. The detective had put off the bonding ceremony with a last-minute bout of nerves the night before and now he looked sheepish. "Do you think Methos hates me?" he asked his friend.

Xander thought about it. "No, I don't. I think he figures he rushed you and you weren't quite ready for the prospect of eternity. It's a scary thing," he told his friend, reaching over to touch him on the knee. "I was really scared when it came close to the time to do ours, the first try anyway. I wasn't ready to think that promising forever meant that you couldn't break up. I also had this little thought about it being really unnatural because I wasn't going to be a vamp to get forever. I mean, everything dies, and I will eventually, but I'm not seeing an end to my life anytime soon, ya know?"

Ray nodded. "That's what I'm feeling, but a little stronger on the it's not natural part." He looked out the floor-to-ceiling windows that were the back wall of the house. "It's so natural for me to accept this is Methos, who's lived so long that he's outlived history. But for me to think about myself in those terms just seems so *wrong*."

Xander hugged him. "Why don't you tell Methos this? I got past my fears because I wanted Oz and Giles more than anything. I didn't care if I had to go back to working for Devi in a few years to keep them, I wanted that forever, for however long that forever lasted."

"Yeah, I guess it won't last forever." Ray looked back at Xander. "Why do I still feel funny?"

"Because you're measuring the possible time," Methos said from the doorway. "I didn't know you felt that way, Xander."

"Yup, fully thought it was unnatural for me to be around for nine hundred years. That's my goal, to have them around for that long."

Methos smiled. "That's a very worthy goal. Ray, would you be willing to talk to me about this? I'd like to help you with these fears." He held out a hand, which his lover took, and they went back to their room. Methos shut the door behind them and locked it so they wouldn't have any interruptions during this critical moment. "It's not me, correct?" he said.

Ray groaned and flopped back on the bed, covering his face. "I knew you were going to ask that, it's never been about you. It's about me and my faulty thinking."

"That's curable though," he reminded the young man, sitting down beside him. "Ray, if you'd like, we can put this off. Permanently even if you'd wish. I'm willing to stand beside you as you age and die if that's what your heart desires." He laid down, resting his head over the simple heartbeat, measuring his life against it. "I'd rather have part of forever with you, even if it's only for the next two hours. I will not force you into this binding."

Ray uncovered his face. "You're willing to watch me die?" he said quietly. Methos lifted his head and looked at him, and he saw the truth in them. "I'm not going to become stale and boring after a few years? You're not gonna dump me after a century?"

"No, but I may consider taking month-long vacations from you now and again to keep everything fresh. That's how a set of married immortals I know have done so well for close to five hundred years, I think." His face temporarily scrunched up and then cleared. "I've forgotten how long they've been married," he admitted with a Gaelic shrug. "Why would you think I would leave you?"

"Because I have faults and things that piss you off sometimes," Ray said quietly, looking away from those eyes. "I don't want you to be pissed at me forever like you were last Christmas."

Methos chuckled and hugged his lover tightly. "I could never be that upset with you *forever*. Maybe for a few days, or a week, but that's how we'll know when we need a vacation from each other." He tipped Ray's face back up. "May I also ease another fear?" Ray nodded. "I don't want Xander, Ray, I want you. Yes, Xander's nice to play with, as is Oz, but he's not the one I could stand to spend forever with. We'd kill each other within a few months. I couldn't put up with his neediness in the emotional arena and I wouldn't put up with his wantonness the way Oz and Giles do." He kissed the area over Ray's heart. "I would like to put up with your low self- esteem forever; maybe in nine hundred years I'll have you believing that you're worthy of love all the time, even when you piss me off."

Ray grinned faintly. This was an old argument, one that Methos had been trying to win for a few months now. "I know I'm worthy of love, but you don't seem to see that I need the more affectionate love, like you give the puppies." He poked his lover a little harder than expected.

Methos grunted and rolled onto his side, bringing Ray with him. "Now, now, no fighting in bed. That is one of our rules, is it not?" Ray nodded, relaxing into the warm embrace. "I'm going to try to give you all the types of love that you need, Ray, no matter how long our lives go on." He started a soothing backrub. "I'd like to not have to watch you die," he whispered, "but I will follow your wishes on this matter. It's entirely up to you now."

Ray pulled back and looked into his lover's eyes, seeing the determination, pain, and love in them. "Giles?" he called. "Can we do the spell now?"

The door lock rattled and Giles walked into the room with the necessary equipment already on a tray. "Of course we can. Are you willing to go along with Oz's plan?"

"Yes," Methos said. "If something happens to me, I want Ray protected by Oz. Same as I will protect Xander if something happens to the both of you."

Ray kissed Methos gently. "I don't mind at all," he whispered, giving his lover a smile Methos hadn't seen in months, a truly happy look.

Giles lit the first candle and put it beside the bed, sprinkling some of the incense into it. "Now we shall begin," he proclaimed, handing over the candles to each of them.

Xander walked in with the glasses they had gotten for the couple, waiting until they were holding them to fill them with pretty decent champagne. He smiled and raised his own glass, toasting them. "May you two have as much happiness as we've had," he saluted and took a drink. He winked at Ray and grabbed Giles, pulling him from the room. "We're fixing dinner tonight; call when you think you'll be hungry." He closed the door behind them.

Methos smiled at Ray, taking the glass of champagne from his hand and putting them down beside the bed. He then rolled on top of his lover, trapping him to take the first of many kisses that night while their hands wandered.

"Bermuda," Ray mumbled against Methos' lips. His lover pulled back and looked at him. "Shouldn't we be going somewhere for our honeymoon?" he asked with a grin. "Somewhere warm, with warm water...." He stopped as his neck was attacked, making him scream with laughter. "Okay, I give. We'll honeymoon here!"

An envelope came trotting through the door in Rocky's mouth. She jumped up and dropped it on Ray's chest, barking to show what a good girl she was. She got loves and pets from both of them, then left the room.

Ray opened the envelope and grinned, showing them off to his husband. "Can we?" he whispered.

"We leave tonight," Methos said, looking at the tickets. "We'll have to get supper rather soon."

"Hey, I could eat," Ray told him, still smiling. "Do you know where our passports are?"

"In my suitcase." Methos stole another kiss and sat up. "I told you we'd travel and I thought now would be a good time to do some of that," he explained, looking at the tickets. "We even have two weeks worth of reservations." He looked back up. "Would you like to go see the Italian Rivera with me, Raymond?"

"Yes," Ray pleaded, begging with his eyes too.

Methos smiled. "Then pack and we'll go have dinner. We'll leave in a few hours to make our flights."

"Just come eat," Xander called. "I've got the rest done."

Ray hopped up and jogged out, giving him a hug. "Thank you."

"Honeymoon was all Oz," Xander said with a smile, kissing Ray on the forehead. "The trousseau is all me." He laughed at Methos' groan. "No peachskin thongs for you, I promise. I found a cute underwear pattern and did all yours in cotton. I only have to finish one thing and make sure the clothes fit Ray and then you can go." He led Ray back into his craft room and tried the tightest outfit on him. "Hmm, fits?" he asked.

Ray nodded as he shifted and moved. "Fits really well. Did you make a pattern of my sizes?"

"Yeah, while I was doing your jammies." Xander pointed at the two bags in the corner. "It's all easy clothes: T-shirts, loose pants, drawstring shorts. If Meth thinks you'll need dress clothes, you'll have to pack those. I put enough in there for a week and a day, the hotel has a laundry service." He gave him a hug and handed over an envelope. "So I get a postcard. No other mementos needed, Ray." He walked away, letting the other man get dressed.

Ray sat down and looked in the envelope, wincing as he figured out these were not the pants to be sitting in, at least not like that. He spread his thighs apart and the creeping feeling that had attacked his crack quit, and he was comfortable again. He smiled as he lifted the paper cover, his mouth falling open as he saw the money inside. "Xander, I can't," he called.

Giles walked in. "That's from me actually. It's traditional to give the bride a gift and I figured that you were the one that could use it the most. That's meant to be a dowry of sorts for you, or a fund to start your home in more recent times. I, too, shall expect a postcard from the Rivera. I hear it's a beautiful place."

Xander walked back in and saw how Ray was sitting. "Too tight in the crotch?" he asked.

"Only when I sit," Ray told him.

Xander nodded. "Give me ten minutes and I can fix that and get the other outfit done." He held a hand out. "Pants, now please. Go eat and I'll be right out." Ray took off the pants and pulled his jeans back on, going out to show Methos his present.

Xander sat down and snipped the seam allowance, making sure it was more flexible.

***

Xander climbed into bed beside Oz and was immediately cuddled. "I'm glad they settled it," he whispered, not wanting to wake up Giles, who had had a bit too much champagne at dinner.

"I'm just happy that they're happy," Oz whispered back, rolling to be cuddled this time. "Are you happy? I heard what you told Ray earlier."

"Yeah, I am," Xander said after a short pause. "I don't think I could be any happier really. And I got over that whole 'unnatural' thing almost as we were doing the binding." He kissed the top of Oz's head. "What would you like for your birthday?"

"A program that worked the first time through."

"Okay, how about something I can give you?"

Oz lifted his head. "You know how you said you were going to find homes for all the animals?" Xander's face fell, he had come to love all the animals and he thought Oz had too. "Just for one more of them? Cocoa and I don't get along very well. She messed up my program earlier."

"Okay, I'll try to find a home for her. Maybe Wills would like a dog."

Oz shook his head as he put it back down. "First you gave Angel a cat and now you want to give Willow a dog?"

"She needs something," Xander reminded him. "She's miserable."

"I know. But it's a strange concept, giving furries to the vampires to mellow them out."

"I could try to give her to Cordy. She could use a friend."

"True," Oz sighed, getting comfortable by smooshing his face into Xander's chest. "Do we have to go back to the college tomorrow?"

"Nope, they'll fax over the results when they're done."

"Cool. I don't want to move tomorrow."

"Then we won't," Xander decided. "I'll declare tomorrow a house-bound day." He watched as Oz fell asleep on him, mesmerized by the ease with which his lovers relaxed around him. He never had that feeling anymore. Maybe it was waiting on the results of his tests, but he was anxious for some reason tonight, and he had one of those 'don't quite fit in my skin' feelings too. Well, he knew how to cure the last part. A good orgasm did it for him every time. He reached under the covers, slowly moving his hand down to his cock, then stopping as it was caught.

"Let me," Giles whispered, curling up to rest against his back. "What did you need?"

"Just a quick getting off, I've got that creepy 'stuck in my body feeling' and that always cures it."

"Then that's what I shall do," Giles said, stroking over the limp flesh. "I've never felt you soft before," he whispered, working to cure the problem. Just a few more pulls and Xander groaned, getting off on his hand. "There, is that better?" he asked, bringing his hand up to lick it off.

"Yeah, much," Xander said, smiling at him. He pulled Giles' arm over, forcing him to cuddle up against his back. "Much better," he noted as he fell asleep.

Giles smiled and drifted off again, comfortable for the first time in a long time with the place he was in his life.

***

Xander looked up from his lounging beside the pool as he felt something tingling at the back of his neck. "Giles?" he called. "Do you feel that?"

Giles looked up at him and shook his head. "I don't feel a thing," he said as he walked over to sit beside Xander. "What are you feeling?"

"Just a tingling thing, a crawling feeling on the back of my neck." He rubbed it, giving the pool an irritated look. "I don't know what it is."

"Neither do I," Giles told him, giving him a pat. "How does the fence look?"

"It looks good," Xander said, giving him a smile. "Is it up to codes or are we going to get a call from the neighbors down the street?"

"I think that we shouldn't be getting a call from anyone. Our nearest neighbors are a good half- mile away around a bend." He patted Xander's leg again, then got up to go back to his fencing project.

Xander looked over his shoulder as the sliding door in the wall of windows opened, letting Richie out. "Did you just feel something?"

"No, but Motocat did. He went and hid under the bed." He shrugged as he sat down, looking at the fence. "Well, it doesn't block too much of the view of the decrepit house next door," he quipped.

"Yeah, but this way the animals can come out on their own," Xander told him with a smile. "I was thinking about a stone fence to follow the pattern from the front of the house, just a little one, but Rocky can jump that. We don't need to keep giving her benadryl." He looked down at the animals crowding his feet then grimaced as the feeling got stronger. "Tell me you can't feel that!" Xander yelled as he stood up and started looking around. He stopped when he saw a little man standing at the edge of the property. "Who are you?" he called, walking over.

"I'm one of the Neighborhood Watch people." He smiled. "We wish that you wouldn't put up a fence."

"Yay," Xander told him. "We checked with codes."

"Yes, but what if a burglar runs this way?"

"Then he'll hit the fence and be stopped," Richie said as he walked over. "Besides, they have animals that need to be able to run outside." He looked the little man over and shuddered. "What are you?"

The little man looked at him. "What are you?" he asked calmly.

Xander held up a hand. "We don't want to bother anyone, but I won't be harassed by your type either, and yes, I do now know what type you are." The little man backed up a step. "I'm a guardian of the Hellmouth," he said quietly, "and we will not bother anyone. But I'll be damned if I'm going to be bothered by a wood demon. We're doing what we have to to protect ourselves. This will also give you something to stop the people against."

Giles walked over and looked at the little man, then at Xander. "Do you know this demon?" he asked.

"No, but I'm guessing he doesn't like our fence at all."

"Well, you are blocking the view," the little man said.

"Yes, from my sunbathing nude." Xander crossed his arms on his chest. "Deal with it. It's within code."

"I should go get a copy of that," Giles muttered, going into the house to make that call he had put off.

Xander bowed at the little man. "Leave us in peace and we'll do the same," he told him. "If not, we have enough here to kill you outright."

The little man bowed deeply. "I will respect your wishes then, Mr. Harris. By the way, your fence is three inches too high." He smiled and left them alone, walking over to the empty house on their left, the one that had once held a man who had killed his wife and one of his children.

Xander shook his head and went back to his lounging. "It's three inches too high," he called.

Giles walked out and sighed. "That's what they just told me. But I believe I can fix that easily enough with the circular saw." He smiled at his young love then went back to his project.

***

Xander looked up from his sewing as he heard the doorbell. "Coming," he yelled, hurrying out through the small door to go answer it before whomever it was disappeared. He opened it to find a courier standing there. "I'm not expecting anything," he said in way of greeting.

"Well, you've got something anyway," he said, holding out his clipboard, "and it's heavy." He looked down at the animals and frowned. "Do you run a rescue service?"

"No, it just looks like it," Xander said with a gentle smile. "I'm a sucker for someone in distress."

The courier snorted and went to his truck, coming back with two boxes. "Here, someone apparently thought these were yours, no matter whether or not you're expecting something."

Xander patted himself down. "I left my wallet in the other room, if you'll wait, I'll get you a tip."

The courier shook his head. "I'm not allowed to accept them, sir. Have a nice day." He walked back to his truck, making sure none of the animals had followed him.

Xander dragged the two medium sized boxes into the middle of the living room and went out to retrieve Rocky from the thistle patch, carrying her into the kitchen to give her some medicine before she had trouble breathing, then did a quick head count and outside check before closing the door. He sat down in front of his boxes, ripping open the tape. He looked down inside and blindly searched for a phone. He got a discordant sound so tried again, looking at the keys this time. He heard a friendly voice on the other end. "Cordy? I need Wes and Angel *real* bad," he whispered. "Can you send them up?" He hung up, hoping that it had been her he'd been talking to. He touched the velvet box on top and knew what it was without looking. Only one thing came in that sort of box and it wasn't something Oz would like.

***

Angel hurried into the house from the garage entrance, looking down at the stunned man still staring at the boxes. "Harris," he called, making him look up at him. "What's this?"

"It came today," he said, pushing it closer to Angel. "I don't know what it is." He looked at Wesley, who was standing behind him and carrying Angel's kitten. "Put him down," he said dreamily, getting up and heading to his room. "I'm going to go nap now."

Angel shook his head. "I've never seen him this upset before, not even when Buffy and Willow kidnapped him." He picked up the first small, thin velvet box and opened it, whistling in appreciation. "Well, the Monsoon demon has good taste at least," he noted.

Wesley pulled out his pocket knife and opened the other box, searching it for a note or an address. He looked at the shipping label, then up at Angel. "Why would an Indian demon be living in Las Vegas?"

"Oh, I know that answer," Cordelia said as she walked in through the front door. "You two drive *way* too fast." She looked at the necklace Angel was holding and nodded. "Very nice work. His demon again?"

"Who lives in Vegas, Cordelia?" Wesley asked, trying to get her back on track.

"A friend of Oz's," she said, pushing some hair behind her ear. "Why?"

"Because that's how sent it to him, this time," Wesley said, showing her the shipping label.

"She could have forwarded it," she reminded them. "Oz did say that they had rented a mailbox in Vegas to ship stuff back to."

Angel nodded. "I had forgotten about that, but you're right." He looked over at Wesley. "You find a number and call this person. I want to know if it was forwarded and when it showed up." He stopped as the front door opened and Oz walked in with another redheaded man. "We got called," he said before Oz could say anything.

Oz looked at the boxes, then at the label. "I'll call her and see when it was sent," he said quietly. "Where's Xander?"

"Napping," Wesley told him. "Shall I start by making an inventory of the pieces?"

Oz nodded. "Sure. Paper's beside the breakfast bar." He walked back to their bedroom to look in on Xander, smiling as he saw him curled up and chained by the ankle to the bed. "I'm not mad," he said from the doorway. "She said there was some that was sent there."

"We got that the next morning, before we went to see Angel," Xander mumbled through the pillow he was clutching. "Why me?"

"Because someone else wants what they can't have," Oz told him, walking in to give him a hug. "You be okay in here for a while?" Xander nodded so he gave him a kiss on the side of the neck. "I'm going to go call Jace."

"I tried. She won't be in for an hour," Xander said, looking up at him. "I don't ask for this, Oz, really I don't."

"I know," Oz said, kissing him again. "Just relax in here and we'll be fine." He walked out, not shutting the door so the animals could go in there and nap with him. He sat down on the couch and looked at the open boxes. "He's called her and she won't be in for an hour."

Angel looked up from his appreciation of the craftsmanship of the bracelet he was holding. "These are all female pieces," he noted.

"Yeah, I noticed," Oz sighed. "Someone did that to him once before, when he was in New York." Angel nodded, giving him a grim look. "Xander turned that guy down too," he told him coldly. "Xander won't leave me because someone gives him really good jewelry."

"Of course he won't," Cordelia scoffed. "Who'd want to leave their sanity, their love, and their home?" Oz looked at her in surprise. "Hey, we talk and you *are* his world." She smiled. "Why don't you go hug him for a few minutes?"

"Because he's with the animals," Oz told her. "I want to know what this is about." He picked up the phone and dialed the resort. "Is Jace back yet?" He sighed and hung up. "At least another hour. She's in a meeting with a new chef." He looked at the list Wesley and Cordelia were making. "Is there anything male in there?"

"A few pins," Wesley noted, holding one up. "They're nominally gender neutral if you consider them."

Oz shuddered. "I don't want to know, I just want this stuff stopped." He got up and went to go cuddle his lover. They both needed it right now.

Angel looked at the dragonfly pin and shrugged. "I might wear it," he noted.

Cordelia looked at his outfit. "With what? Are you still hiding that purple velvet cape from when you had to do that benefit show? Really, Angel, you looked like that Chairman guy on that Japanese cooking show," she snorted.

Wesley snorted but bent to go back to his cataloging before Angel could say anything to him.

***

Xander sat in the middle of the protection circle Giles had cast and looked at everyone else in his living room. "So, when's the big demon supposed to show up?" he asked finally, bored with the waiting.

"Eventually," Oz told him, shooting him a quick smile. "Relax, let us handle it."

Xander nodded. "Sure. Isn't that why I'm in here?" He looked up at Angel. "Why does he think I'm a woman again?"

"Probably because of the clothing that you bought," Cordelia told him. "Now, quiet!"

A stirring in the kitchen sent all the animals running for the upstairs, except for Angel's kitten, who was lying on the back of the couch, staring at her daddy. Xander craned his neck to watch them run away. The breeze turned a little more solid, about the consistency of a ghost, and walked toward them. "Who calls me?" it said, breathing the words and sending a breeze at the same time.

"I do," Giles said stiffly, staying formal. "You have sent my mate more gifts and we would like to know why."

The ghost-like creature looked at Xander, then back to him. "I didn't see you with him."

"I wasn't invited on their trip," he said.

Oz stepped forward. "I was though, you saw me. Why send him gifts for women? He's obviously not one."

"I thought he might spread them about his harem," the ghost said, sending everyone's hair into disarray.

"He's *my* harem," Oz said coolly. "I do not appreciate outsiders giving my lover presents."

The ghost laughed. "Are you sure of that? He's your master more than you are his."

Xander stood up but stayed inside the circle. "Hey! I may be GHS but I'm not a concubine, not in this day and age." He looked at Oz. "Really. I thought we had settled this the other day."

Oz nodded. "Yeah, we did, but I'm still rearranging my thinking," he mock-admitted. They had set this story up earlier. He looked at the demon again. "You're still sending gifts to my mate and I don't appreciate it."

The demon sighed. "If it bothers him, I'll stop. I wanted to wait until you were gone, but I will do so quietly."

Xander shook his head, breaking the circle by grabbing Oz's hand. "If he goes, I go," he said firmly. "There won't be an afterwards."

The demon looked at Xander, staring at him. "You desire this one that much?" he said, starting to send a light sprinkling of moisture with the breeze now. Xander nodded. "Then I will leave you alone. Give these to those in your ...whatever you have between you." He bowed to Xander. "You would have made the perfect consort and I would have gained status. But it is not meant to be." He dissipated.

Xander looked at Oz. "So, do we give some of this away?"

Oz shrugged. "I say lock it in the vault for now. As long as he doesn't come back." He pulled Xander's head down, kissing him hard. "Are you happy?" he asked.

"Almost always," Xander agreed. "I'm not taking these as anything other than ill meant birthday presents."

Oz grinned. "Good, 'cause I better not see you wearing them." He patted his lover on the butt. "Go put them in the safe." He walked into the kitchen. "Anyone want food?"

"Sure," Cordelia said, walking in followed by Wesley and Giles. "What do you have? I can help fix something."

"We have got some of the best imported hams and cheeses in the world," Oz said proudly, showing off the contents of the refrigerator. "We've been doing a lot of nibbling on them."

She smiled. "Hey, nibbling is good for my figure. Got any bread?" A loaf was handed to her. "Cool. I'll slice this, you get the cheese. Wes, you can do the ham." She put down the bread and went to wash her hands.

Xander looked at Angel. "He's gone, right?" he asked softly.

"He won't come back," Angel told him. "What are you going to do with those pieces?"

"Not sure," Xander admitted, nodding at a box. "Help me drag it into the room under the stairs?"

"Sure." He picked up the second box and carried it after the one Xander was dragging.

***

Xander slumped down onto Oz's lap, deftly avoiding the kitten already sitting in it. "Hi," he whispered, giving him a hug. "I got the results back."

Oz looked up at him. "And?"

"And, there's an idea on the forms they forwarded to us." He gave his lover a kiss and held out the papers. "See?"

Oz looked at it and shrugged. "How messy is this?"

"It's not, but it's worse than BO from what they said." Xander stole another kiss and stood up. "There's another suggestion on there. That we go wear it out of me. I'm producing more because I need more sex. Eventually, we'll wear me out to the point where I'll be over this need and I'll be back at the beginning again, like I was when I came home."

Oz sighed and moved the kitten off his lap. "I'm going to need some help with this. Where's Giles?" Xander grinned. "Oh, went to him first?"

"Yup, I've already gotten him tied to the bed for us," Xander said, running a fingernail across Oz's lips. "Are you ready?"

"Maybe," Oz agreed. "At least we know it can be worn out of you." He followed Xander's wiggling rear into their bedroom and closed the door.

Richie, who was in the kitchen getting a snack, shuddered as he pulled back from inside the refrigerator. "I don't want to know. I'm not like that and I'm not having thoughts about that guy," he told himself as he took his sandwich downstairs.

Oz's Bad Day.

Xander looked across the table at the woman examining their latest jewelry gifts, giving her a helpless look. "They were a gift from a very persistent suitor," he said quietly, openly holding Oz's hand on the tabletop. "He just wouldn't take no or 'I'm taken' for an answer."

"When we tried to give it back, he got disgusted and stormed away," Oz finished.

Xander looked around the store the demon bank had suggested he go to when he had called them to arrange a safety deposit box for these new jewels. "And really, do I *look* like a woman?" he asked her. "I don't know what he expected me to do with these pieces. He said to give them to my harem, but I don't have one and I only have one female friend, who wouldn't wear a lot of these things."

She looked up. "I can see what a quandary you're in, Mr. Harris." She put down her magnifying glass. "These are some excellent pieces. Where did they come from?"

"India," Oz told her.

"Was that where your suitor was from or where the jewelry was from?" she asked pleasantly.

"Both," Xander told her, leaning closer. "He's a monsoon demon." He sat back up at her knowing nod. "Now you see why we were referred to you."

She clapped her hands. "I quite understand. We've had a few women in here that have had similar problems with an African Rainforest demon." She looked at the collection. "What do you plan on doing with it?"

"We not have not a clue," Oz told her. He got his hand free and rubbed over it. "Easy, Xander, I need the feeling in that."

Xander grinned at him. "Sorry, Oz."

"Boys," she said, still smiling. "It's easy to see how he would have gotten confused. What I was thinking was a private sale of a few pieces. A few of these necklaces would be *divine* this season, especially with all the award shows coming up in Hollywood."

Xander shrugged. "I'm not sure of the protocol. Would he get pissed if we did that?"

She shrugged. "I don't know but I know who to ask. I could call them and see if they would know." Oz nodded. "All right, I'll do that then." She got up and went into the back room for a few minutes.

Oz looked at Xander, who looked calm. "Is this bringing up memories for you?" he asked.

Xander gave him a faint grin. "Yeah, kinda. That guy in New York got pissy when I kept turning him and his jewelry down. He threatened me a few times and even threatened Devi once."

She came back out and sat down across from them. "Unfortunately, it will be a breach of protocol. He'll think that you're doing it because you need money and send you more." She almost laughed as both men shuddered. "You could always show the pieces off though, make it some sort of exhibit. We could do something like that here if you'd like to try it."

Xander shrugged. "I don't have a clue what to do with them. Most of my jewelry's platinum, and the rest is gold." He saw her subtle glance at Oz and nodded. "All I know is that these are something I'll never wear and neither will anyone else unless we decide to adopt a girl and give them to her."

"We could try and send them to the little girl that came through to us," Oz suggested lightly.

Xander grunted. "We were told to leave those portals closed. We don't want a permanent rip to her world, Oz. Though, her dad's a carpenter from what Jace was told. There's something very strange going on over there, but we're not supposed to know what. Besides, she won't be back for many years from what Jace was told by her ... friends."

"Ah, I recognize that name," the woman said, giving them brilliant smiles. "She owns a resort in Vegas?" Oz nodded, brow starting to furl in thought. "Well, she's bought from us a few times. She has *excellent* taste. Why don't you let her keep these for you and allow her to wear them when the mood strikes?"

Oz looked at Xander, who looked happy. "We can send it by courier," Oz suggested. "Just a note saying 'wear these for us'?" Xander nodded. "Cool." He looked back at the woman doing the appraisal. "Got any ideas on which pieces to send?"

"Of course," she said, pulling out pieces to be set aside. "Send her these," she said, pointing at the pile. "These are more her style and I'm sure she'll be able to find somewhere to wear them to."

Oz picked up one that was collar-like and added it to the pile. "I want her to have this one too," he told Xander.

"Still cool by me." He handed Oz some of the boxes, looking at the crude labels Wesley had stuck to the backs to tell them what was supposed to go in each. "There, that should be all the cases. Everything else will go into the bank?"

"Okay," Oz agreed, putting the pieces leaving their custody into the velvet-lined boxes so they wouldn't be damaged on their journey.

***

Jace looked up as the door was knocked on, pushing the unlock button to make it open. She stood up as she saw what was standing on the other side, waving the scaly, furry, seven foot or so demon into her office. "What can I do for you?" she asked politely.

"I'm here to give you something," he growled, handing over the box that had been entrusted to him. "From your boys." He bowed to her and left.

She sat down and delicately opened the box, not sure what was inside, but not sure she really wanted to know since it had come by demon courier. She stopped as she saw familiar velvet boxes. "Oh, they didn't," she said, taking out the note on top to read it. She snorted and put it aside, taking out each piece to examine it. She stopped when she got to the collar, not sure if she should laugh, cry, or pick up the phone and yell at her teacher. "Well," she decided finally, putting it away, "it's much more fancy than the one I had to wear when I lost the bet that year." She put the boxes into her desk drawer, confident that she could find a safe place for them. Even if Amanda was in the resort at the moment babysitting McCleod.

She picked up her next invoice, checking it over to see if it was correct before writing out a check to cover it.

***

Xander curled up on Oz's lap as the car took them back home. They hadn't wanted to trust driving in without some protection, those jewels were worth more than some companies in LA. It had been Giles' idea to call a car company and have one sent out for them. This way they'd have protection and be able to talk freely without worrying about the other drivers. Right now, all Xander wanted to do was sleep.

Oz kept looking out the side window and checking the inside pocket of his jacket. He carefully moved Xander to the seat and leaned forward, looking at their driver. Who wasn't the same as it had been on the way down. "What do you want?" he hissed. "I'm not a combatant."

"You are now," he said, switching lanes until they parked at a rest area. "I'll keep your *man* busy while you fight."

Xander opened his eyes and kicked the back of his seat. "Like hell." He looked at Oz. "You don't have to go fight."

The driver held up a gas container. "If he doesn't you buy it too."

Oz looked at Xander, who nodded, and got out of the car, facing off with the immortal next to the bathrooms. "You want to fight, you'd better come get me," he called. "I refuse to fight in a bathroom."

Xander chose that moment to pull out one of his daggers, one of the ones he had gotten across the portal. He grabbed the driver by the neck and took the canister from him, tossing it out the window. "I'm safe, Oz. Go fight." He got out and stood beside the car, watching them head back behind the building. He quickly pulled his knife up his sleeve as a police cruiser pulled in. "Officer, this man abducted our normal driver and he threatened me with this," Xander said, picking up the gas canister, handing it over quickly.

The officer looked at it, then at Xander. "Why are you using a car service?"

"Because we had to take a present I got to the bank and put it safely away. We didn't want to trust it to us driving in. You never know who you're going to meet out here." He looked at the car, but the driver was gone. "Man!" he sighed.

The cop smiled. "Don't worry, I saw where he went. The dogs'll get him." He waved Xander over. "How did you get the gas canister from him?" Xander held up his knife. "Ah, Rambo?" he asked politely.

"Fight training," Xander said with a shrug. He winced as he heard metal crashing against metal from behind the building. "Um, no," he said, trying to block his way. "I wouldn't want to go back there if I was..." He stopped when he saw the tatoo, pulling it up to look at it. He saw the smile and shook his head. "Oz is back there with the driver's friend," he said. "He got challenged."

"I figured when I saw who was driving the car." He leaned against his. "So, you're Xander, right?" Xander nodded. "I'm Tony, Joe trained me. I'm supposed to be watching out for all you guys when you come to LA and have troubles with the cops."

Xander snorted. "I don't usually have trouble with cops. Usually I have troubles with non- humans." The cop frowned. "Not that I'm a bigot, but have you seen some of the people down around Eleventh avenue?"

The cop sighed. "Most of us don't see anything down there, kid."

"Ah, but I do, and I know about them. They're the ones who give me trouble." He looked at the building again. "It's real quiet back there."

"You can't go," he said, trying to stop Xander.

Xander snickered. "I refuse to let Oz lose alone. Besides, if he's went beserk again, you're not going to last too long without me." He shivered as the quickening started, jogging back to the rest stop building to go make sure his Oz was all right. He stopped and almost screamed when he saw both men on the ground, but then he saw the sparks and flashes hitting Oz's limp body. He stayed where he was until the quickening ended, he had gotten hit by a tendril of one once and it had been an effective trainer. Once it was done, he walked over and squatted beside Oz, pushing him over to look down at him. "Wow," he said, touching the long cut from Oz's forehead to his neck. "That looks really bad."

Oz opened his eyes and babbled something.

"Yeah, we'll go home," he said, lifting his mate up and carrying him back to the car. The cop was gone. "Huh. That was nice of him. What should we do about the car? Hmm? Should we take it and send it back later? Should we call home and get a ride?" Oz nodded at that one. "Then that's what I'll do." Xander pulled out his cellphone and dialed home. "Hey, Richie, glad it's you. No, we just got ambushed. Oz is pretty badly battered and cut up, and it was our driver that ambushed us. Can we get you to come give us a ride back?" He looked around. "Um, a rest area on the interstate? Yeah, we were heading home. No, not that one. This one is run down and nasty. No, of the never been cleaned, looks like it belongs in a summer camp sort of nasty." He snorted then started laughing. "Maybe. Two hours is fine. Yeah, I'm going to pull the car up next to the building so I can clean Oz up a little." He hung up and looked inside the car, making sure he had the keys. He closed the back door and got into the front, pulling up to the building so he could get Oz cleaned up.

***

Richie pulled into the rest area and looked over at Xander and Oz, who was still lying in the back of the car. He pulled up beside them and got out, leaning against the hood. "Is he okay?"

"He took some pretty heavy damage," Xander told him. "Did you know that those bodies disintegrate when you leave them alone but water hits them?"

Richie shook his head. "No, I didn't." He looked at Oz. "Maybe I should have brought Oz's VW bus."

"Maybe," Xander agreed, "but I'll give him the backseat." He tapped Oz gently on the forehead. "Richie's here. Want to switch cars?" Oz nodded and got up, crawling into the other backseat once the door was open; Richie had parked only inches from them so it was easier on him. Xander nodded at the payphone behind him. "I've got to call the car company. Give me a minute. Oh, which rest area are we at?"

"The closed one," Richie said as he slid back into the driver's seat.

Xander jogged over to the payphone and looked up the number for the car company, putting change into the phone to dial it. "Hi, this is Xander Harris." He frowned. "He said what? No, we came out of the bank and there was a different driver, who kidnapped us. No, the car is at the closed rest area on the Interstate, on the way back to our house. Yes, Oz was hurt in the kidnapping. No, there's some blood in the back seat. I don't know. I only saw him for a second. I promise you, we didn't steal the car!" He hung up and slowly walked back to Richie. "Why don't you take him home, but call Giles and tell him to come pick me up," Xander said, tossing over his phone and all but one of his daggers. "The fake driver said we stole the car from him." He leaned against the company car, watching as Oz was driven away. He didn't have long to wait, a police officer was there within minutes. "We didn't take it, we were kidnapped," he explained as the officer got out, walking over to him. "I had to have someone get my lover, he had a few cuts and he needed to go see our doctor."

The officer walked over to him and patted him down, Xander letting him. "All right, what's with the knife," he said, holding it up.

Xander took it back, putting it in an obvious and well-noticed place. "Would you go anywhere with a couple million in jewelry and not carry a weapon?"

The officer shook his head. "Good point." He waved a hand at the car. "Tell me what happened while I look it over."

"Well, we came out of the jewelry store and I'm sure we had the right driver then," Xander said as he led the way over to the car. "Then, we got out of the bank and I didn't think to check...."

***

Xander got out of the car and ran inside his house, heading straight for where he could hear Oz typing, giving him the hardest hug he could. "Oh, you're all right," he whispered.

"Yup. Died twice, or three times, not real sure. He got the arteries in my neck." He pulled Xander around. "What happened? Richie explained it to me when I woke up between deaths."

"The fake driver called the company and told them that we had stolen the car. When I called them, I told them we had been kidnapped." Oz nodded for him to go on. "I explained the blood away as you being hurt, and that you were being taken to our private doctor to get stitches by a friend while I waited on the cops." He kissed Oz's nose. "Oh, I found a cop that's a Watcher. He showed up during the fight. I told the cop that we had been kidnapped and explained about not seeing the switch when we came out of the bank. The car company came to get their car just before Giles showed up and I had to repeat it for them too. They weren't happy but they weren't pressing charges against us either. The cop that came during the fight was the one I gave the gas canister to, so I'm going to let him explain that away."

Oz squeezed him. "Good story. I'm fine though. You knew that."

"But I needed to see for myself," Xander told him, stealing another kiss. He looked at the screen behind him, frowning at the solitaire game. "Program not going well?"

Oz hesitated before nodding. "Yeah, not well at all." He pushed Xander back up. "Why don't you go play, Xander? I'll be down soon."

Xander continued to frown but he went downstairs. He sat beside Giles and leaned in close to his ear. "Oz isn't right," he whispered.

Giles looked over at him. "How?"

"Like it's not him," Xander whispered. "Really not him. He's playing solitaire. He told me to go play."

Giles patted him on the head. "I'm sure it's just an after effect of the quickening. It can take time to return to normal."

Xander shook his head. "That's not this. Go check if you don't believe me."

Giles got free of Xander and stood up. "I'll do that if it makes you feel better," he promised, heading up to the work/practice/play area. "Oz, how are you feeling?" he asked as he came over the top of the stairs. He ducked the blade by millimeters, hurrying back down. "Xander, I believe you're right," he called as he dove for his jacket and the sword it contained.

"He's mine!" Oz shouted, lunging at Giles.

Xander grabbed Oz and held him still, keeping his arms wrapped around his lover and his hands on the sword. "Disarm him!" he commanded. He watched as Giles grabbed the blade to hold it still, wincing at the blood that started to flow from around it.

Richie came up the stairs and looked at them. "Um, is this a bad time?" he asked.

Xander nodded. "Oz isn't Oz!"

"Oh." Richie nodded and came over, kicking Oz in the shin so he could take the sword, carefully removing it from Giles' hands too. "Okay. Dark quickening or not?"

"Possession," Giles panted, looking at Oz, staring at him to try and figure out what had control of him. "Richie, would you please go set up the restraints on the bed? They're in the blue box on the closet floor." Richie grimaced but he went to do as he was told. "Oz, what happened to you?" he said, moving closer. "Who has control over you?"

"You can't have Xander!" he shouted, breaking free of the strong arms and pummeling Giles onto the floor, continuing to hit him until Xander grabbed him again.

"How do I do this?" Richie called.

"Come do this part, I can do that within seconds," Xander called.

Richie came out and stabbed Oz in the stomach, killing him again. "Okay."

Xander brushed his sweaty hair back. "Thanks." He jogged into the bedroom and after a minute called, "Bring him in here."

Richie hefted Oz up and carried him into the bedroom, letting Xander tie him down. He backed away from the bed. "This was a lot more than I wanted to know about your sex lives, Xander."

Xander shrugged. "Sorry, but sometimes the truth has to come out. I need to be tied down so I don't hurt them." He grinned at the shocked look. "What? You thought we tied Oz down? He'd never stand for it." He checked the last buckle again and stepped back from the bed. "How long?"

"That shouldn't take more than a few minutes to heal," Richie said. He groaned as the doorbell rang. "I'll get that. Giles should be up and walking around by now." Oz took a breath. "Well, that's something," he noted as he walked out. "Xander, cops," was called from the living room.

Xander looked at Oz then walked out, shutting the bedroom door. "He's sleeping," he told Giles, checking on his injuries. "You okay?"

Giles nodded. "I believe I'll go lay beside Oz for a bit," he said, walking out of the living room.

Xander walked over to the door, nodding the officers inside. "You've got to forgive us, but Oz got frantic when he woke up. Anesthesia does that to him sometimes." He waved a hand at the couch. "Sit, please. I'm not that mean and that couch is more comfortable than your seats are."

One of the officers, the one from during the fight, looked around the living room, taking in the two saris decorating the walls. "This is a nice place," he said, looking at Xander. "Why didn't you tell him about the gas?"

"Because I wasn't sure how you were going to deal with it," Xander told him. He looked at the other officer. "Yes, I did take a canister of gas away from the driver. When this officer pulled in, I gave it to him, but he didn't call it in right away so I figured he'd have to report it some other way. I didn't want to get him in trouble." Oz started to knock the bed against the wall and the officers looked back there. "Oz, well, he''s very ... unstable when he comes off anesthesia. Our doctor warned us to at least tie one wrist to the bed. But my other lover is in there with him," he assured them. He looked at this new officer. "How else can I help you?"

"For one, there seems to be a time gap," the senior officer said, looking at the other officer. "Would you like to explain that to me?"

"You guys came after I called the car company. Again, I don't know how these things go. I reported that the driver got away and this one took off, I'm assuming to go look for him."

The officer from the fight nodded. "That's what I did. I was doing a quick turn in the area around the rest stop. He shouldn't have been able to get far on foot, but he got away. I was about to call it in when I heard the call to go out there. I called you with this and you decided we needed to come here," he reminded him.

"So, this gap of about an hour happened because you were searching, alone, for a fugitive?"

"I told him he wasn't that strong. I was able to get the gas from him from the backseat using only a knife." He shrugged at the hard look. "I'm not trying to cover anything up. I used that hour to call someone to come pick up Oz because he didn't look like he needed an ambulance and I called the car company once I knew Oz was safe. I opted to wait once I heard what they were saying about us."

"Oh." The senior officer nodded and stood up. "May we go look at your man, sir? Just to make sure that he isn't too badly injured?"

Xander stood up too. "Let me go check with Giles. He gets a little....well, rabid is the best word I can think of to describe this attitude." He calmly walked down to his room and tapped on the door. "Is he fit to be looked at?"

Giles smiled. "Yes, he is," he said, letting go of Oz's lips. "I think he'll be fine. Won't he?" he asked the older immortal. "If not, Xander will have to explain why you bit me to the nice officers." Oz growled but didn't make another move.

Xander turned and found the senior officer there so he got out of his way. "Like I said, it's a funny drug reaction."

He walked over but stayed a good distance away from the bed. Oz tried to get him, tried to bite or kick him, but he was too far back. "If you say so. I'd say he needs other medication," he said, backing slowly away from the bed. "How long does he usually last like this?"

"Not more than a few hours," Giles said, standing up to get away from the sharp teeth trying to bite his thigh.

"What was his position in this fight?" the officer asked Xander.

"He was knocked out by his injury," Xander said, pointing at the obvious blood spots on Oz's shirt. "I handled it all myself. I've had some excellent personal safety and fight trainers."

"All right. Would you be willing to give us a description of the second driver?"

"I only saw him for a minute," Xander temporized. "There's a camera ...." He shook his head. "Never mind. We disabled that before we got in. We didn't want anything we did while cuddled together to be caught." He mentally berated himself for mentioning that. Fortunately they had asked the driver to disable it for that very reason. They were both very wary of tapes now. "Um, I know he was about an inch or two shorter than I am sitting down. He had light brown hair. He was white, but he was tanned or somewhere just under a Mediterranean skin-tone." He shrugged. "Other than that, I didn't get a good look at his face. I'm sorry, officer."

The officer nodded and made a note on his pad. "Every little bit helps. Why were you taking a hired car anyway? I noticed that you had a few here."

Xander smiled and led the way to their vault room, letting Giles handle Oz again. He opened the door and pulled out one of the pieces they had forgotten to pack that morning. "We had approximately six million dollars worth of stuff like this," he said, opening the broach's box.

The officer whistled. "No wonder. All right. That explains a lot. Where is it now?"

"Most of it was shipped off to a friend who has much better security. Some of it went into a safety deposit box at a bank I have an account in. That was where we switched drivers I think. I know I checked to make sure it was the same driver when we got in from getting them appraised."

"That's fine, Mr. Harris. Thank you for showing me why." He pulled a gun. "I'll take that if you don't mind."

Xander handed it over. "What's going on?" He looked at the door behind him, seeing the other officer there. "Why are you doing this?"

"Like I said, Joe trained me, but some of us can't live with his cause." He took the broach. "Open the safe."

"I can't," Xander said, holding out his hands. "I don't have the new combination. Oz changed it this morning." He backed away as the officers both pointed their guns at him. "I swear, I don't have it. If I try to get it open without the right combination, then an alarm goes off." He kept backing into a small corner near the shelves. "There's nothing I can give you guys, really. That's the only piece out besides my bracelets." He nudged a box out of his way, running into the wall, and the panic button down near the floor. "You can have those if you want. They're platinum," he offered.

"No, we don't want those," the senior officer growled. "What's that stuff about Joe? Who's Joe?"

"Joe's a friend of theirs," the junior officer said with a sneer. "He'd do *anything* for them."

"Yeah, but he doesn't have the combination to the safe either," Xander told them. He relaxed as he heard sirens. "That's the local police," he told them. "Oz hit the panic button in the bedroom when you showed up. I'd leave."

"We can always say we're arresting you and take you with us," the senior officer said, looking him over. "I'm sure a *man* like you would be worth something to somebody. I'm sure we could find the right somebody."

"Freeze," a deadly voice said from the hallway. "You're not touching Xander." Oz walked between them, looking them over. "You're not very smart, are you?" he smirked. He waved a hand and their guns were forced to point at each other. He looked at Xander. "I've seen his memories. You really love him?" Xander nodded, his eyes starting to water. "Then I will leave you alone this time. I would never touch a bonding like yours." Oz jerked and Xander caught him, carrying them both to the floor.

"Oz? Oz, please be okay," Xander whispered, cradling Oz to his chest. He looked up at the stunned officers. "I'd leave," he swore, "before I do something very dumb." The Sunnydale officers walked into view. "These two aren't officers," he said, still cradling and rocking Oz. "They tried to steal from us. They held us at gunpoint." He wiped off his cheeks. "One of them has a broach of mine on them."

The Sunnydale officer patted down his colleagues, coming up with a velvet box. "This yours?" he asked, holding it out so Xander could see.

"Yeah, it should be a ruby broach, I don't remember what shape right now. They wanted me to open the safe." He shifted forward, no longer leaning against the panic button. He kicked at the officer that came closer to take Oz. "Mine! He's fine!"

"I'm sure he is, but wouldn't you like him to be checked out?"

"It's an anesthesia reaction," Giles said from the hallway, rubbing his head from what Xander saw in the floor-to-ceiling windows.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Giles assured him, pushing his way in to smile down at them. "Come, let's get him to the bed, shall we?" He held out his hands.

Oz opened his eyes and looked up at Giles. "Gee, I know I need a hug, but in front of the police?" he quipped, allowing himself to be helped up and out of the storage room.

Xander stayed to look at the cops. "I don't know what you do to people like them, but I want them buried for this. They hurt me, they hurt Oz at a time when he was vulnerable." He pushed his way out of the room and went to get a hug.

Giles stopped the officers from walking in. "It's been a most stressful day so far," he explained, taking the officer out to the living room to tell them the story Xander had told him, all of it. By the time he got done, the two bad cops were babbling about strange winds and rabid people, but they had also managed to babble their confession during it. They were led away and the family was left in peace after filling out a few forms.

Xander stayed curled up on Oz's chest, not sure he wanted to move. Even when Oz had gotten up to go to the bathroom, Xander had sat outside the door, making sure the Monsoon demon wouldn't come back again.

Oz finally had enough of it and pulled Xander's head up to look at him. "It was just another someone that wanted you when they didn't deserve you. I heal from possessions too."

Xander nodded. "But I can't be sure of that yet," he told Oz, repeating words that Oz had once told him when he had been in trouble. "I won't be sure of that for many months to come."

***

When Methos and Ray walked into the house five days later, they found Xander curled up on Oz's lap and the old immortal ready to take his lover's head off. Methos quickly diffused the situation by smiling at Oz and giving him an innocent look. "Did something happen while we were gone?" he asked quite nicely.

Oz got up, carrying Xander over to Methos, and handed him over. "You'd be surprised at what happened while you were gone." He backed away slowly but Xander reached for him. "I'm going upstairs to work out and type, okay?" Xander shook his head. "Tough, you wouldn't let me stalk you around my house, you can't do it here." Xander gave him the look that had made him let the young man cling to him for the last five days. "No, tell Methos." He turned and ran up the stairs, kicking Giles and all the animals out so he could have some time alone.

Methos put Xander down and made the young man look at him. "What happened this time, imp?"

Xander sighed and hugged them both, slowly telling them everything. About an hour later, Methos walked into the trio's bedroom and then went upstairs, cuffing Oz to the desk. "There, now he'll know where you are," he said with a roguish grin. He walked back down the stairs and found Xander cradled in Ray's lap. This would not do at all! He walked over and plucked Xander, standing him up. "Why are you so upset by this?" he asked calmly. "You knew people might come after Oz to get you." Xander shook his head. "That never occurred to you?" Xander shook his head again. "Why not?" He sat down, taking his rightful spot beside his lover and husband, letting Xander sit on the other side of him.

"I wouldn't think that people would come for you to get to me," Ray pointed out. "It doesn't make much sense from our point of view." He looked over at Xander. "Did Oz really bite Giles?"

"Twice. Richie was here during all of it," he said quietly, looking at his unmoisturized hands. "I don't know why I'm so upset this time, Meth, I really don't."

Methos gave him a hug, slinging his arm around Xander's shoulders. "I'd be upset if I found Ray possessed by the spirit that had promised to leave me alone also, but you can't hover. Oz hates it when you hover. That's his thing, you can't copy it."

Ray reached over and tickled Xander side. "Hey," he said, pinching him to get a reaction. "Oz is fine, right?"

"We can't be sure of that," Giles said as he walked up from downstairs, holding up a bottle of champagne. Methos nodded. "Because the spirit gave itself up voluntarily, there's a chance that it may still be hiding inside Oz. It may be waiting for a moment when there's discordance between us to come back and woo Xander away." He pulled down some glasses. "Oz, we're going to have a glass of bubbly. Would you like one?"

"Yes, but I'm kinda tied to the chair right now," he called down. "Methos, get up here and set me free!"

Methos smiled at Giles. "I thought it'd be best if you knew where Oz was for a bit."

Giles snorted. "It's been five days. Oz hasn't been allowed out of the house without one of us with him, and Xander's practically riveted himself to Oz's side." He nodded. "Go set him free so he can come toast you with us."

Methos sighed but he got up to do as he was told.

Ray scooted over and gave Xander a hug. "Relax, watch him on the qt, not openly. Use your innate sneakiness to watch him."

Xander leaned into his body. "I can do that," he admitted. "Thanks, Ray."

"Hey, it's a thought I wouldn't like to have either. Especially not during a holdup where I was the victim." He moved back so Methos could sit between them again. "Ya know, part of this is probably a reaction to the near shooting Xander almost had. First it was gas, then it was guns. He was almost arrested in there. That's pretty scary stuff for a guy who's more used to being snatched on the run."

Xander nodded. "Yeah, that was part of it. I was clinging to make myself feel better."

Oz leaned down and kissed the top of his lover's head. "That's why I let you do it for so long," he told him. "I agree with Ray, watch me without clinging or stalking and I'll accept it. Start clinging to me again like that and I'm going to have to blow off some steam."

Xander looked up at him. "I'll try, okay?"

"Okay." Oz walked into the bedroom and came out with a long, silver chain attached between two cuffs. "Ankle."

Xander grinned and held up his ankle, watching as Oz slipped the cuff on and lightly clasped it. He watched as the other end went around one of the couch's legs, then his lap was filled by his lover. "Thank you."

"Hey, I just figured it out from what Ray said. I forgot that you need to be reminded sometimes, especially when you're insecure about us." He patted Xander's hands where they lay clasped around his waist. "Let me up."

Xander let him go, giving him a smile. "Better?"

"Much." Oz walked into the kitchen and grabbed the tray of glasses, carrying them out while Giles got the wine. He let everyone take on, saving the last two on the tray so they could be poured into without him or Giles having to balance anything.

Giles popped the cork as loudly as he could, smiling as it dented the ceiling. He sniffed the bottle then smiled at the couple. "I think today deserves a celebration." He poured for everyone, starting with the happy couple, and even poured some for Richie when he came out of hiding in the basement. "To happiness. May we all have it again soon and keep it for a long time."

"To keeping it for a long time," Xander said, lifting his glass.

Everyone drank to that.

***

Xander crawled across Giles' very sated body, grinning his most naughty grin at Oz as he flopped down beside him in the big antique bed. "What can I do to satisfy you?" he whispered, running a finger down Oz's stomach. The niggling doubt about it being only Oz in there still remained but he could deal with it privately.

"I think I'd like a Xander special moment," Oz whispered back, pulling him down for a kiss.

In the living room something thumped, making everyone jump. Xander and Oz both got up and went out to see what had happened, joining Methos and Ray.

Richie was sitting in the middle of the living room floor, looking up at everyone, near tears. "I don't want to think these thoughts," he told them weakly. "I don't want to think about what Xander does to his men or why Methos always looks so smug after spending time with Ray. I don't want to think about Methos' friend Blair and what his hair must feel like." He hit himself on the side of the head. "I need fixed," he begged Methos. "Please? Fix me?"

Xander got down and gave the young man a hug. "Shh, I know, it's a confusing time, but just because you have those thoughts doesn't mean that you're gay. It means that you've learned to appreciate the beauty of your own gender."

Ray snorted. "Richie, get up here," he said, holding out a hand to pull him up. He looked into the blue eyes. "Get this straight now. It can't be fixed. You gotta roll with it and drown a little to figure it out, or you drown permanently when someone takes your head." He slapped the young man lightly. "Now, get over it already, some of us are still on our honeymoon." He took Methos' hand and led him back to their room.

Oz waved and left. "You handle it," he told his lover.

Xander pushed himself up onto the couch and patted the far end. "Come sit, tell me why you're ready to go play in razor blades."

Richie sat down and looked at the young man. "I never had these thoughts until I started spending time with you," he accused.

Xander snorted. "Honey, there's a reason that I got so many so-called straight men on my shift. There are days when I can make *anyone* doubt their orientation." He shifted closer. "Just because you're doubting doesn't mean that you're gay. Or even bi. It means that your mind has hit upon something that it would like to figure out, whether or not it disturbs you is irrelevant. Ray was right about one thing though, you either swim through this or you drown. And it's all up to you which one you let happen." He stood up, patting Richie on the head. "In the morning, if you want, I'll sit down and talk to you. If not, you could ask Ray. He had a much harder time coming to terms with loving Methos than I did with being gay." He smiled gently at the confused young man. "Until then, go get some sleep and quit wondering what I do with my men. It's the same thing you do with your women, only with more dicks." He winked and walked away, heading to his bedroom.

Richie curled up against the arm of the couch, staring out the back window. He briefly sat up and stared harder as he saw a little man wander across the back of the fence, but he must have been mistaken. There wasn't anyone out there. He relaxed again and let his mind wander where it wanted to, no longer hampering it. Maybe it would come up with a solution he would like on it's own.

Spoiling Space

Xander looked up at Oz, giving him a smile. "Will you fix me dinner?" he asked quietly.

"It's almost ten at night," Oz reminded him, sliding down onto the couch beside him. "Want a snack?"

"No, I was going over the inventory of our stuff and I forgot to eat." He leaned his head against his lover's shoulder. "Are you happy?"

Oz nodded. It had become Xander's favorite question of late. "I'm still happy, but you need to quit asking. Every time you ask it makes me think that you're not."

Xander looked out the window. "I'm worried."

"I know, but that demon's going to stay gone," Oz told him, wrapping his arms around his lover's body. "I promise, he's not coming back. Especially not through me. Remember, Giles searched me for traces of him and he wasn't there anymore." He kissed the back of the young man's head. "Relax, Xander, and quit worrying. Even if we have a bad spot, I'm not going to be repossessed. I promise."

Xander turned to look at him, straddling his lap. "You can't promise that, Oz. You can't control him and we can't be sure we got rid of him for good. He could be watching right now."

"He might, and you might be paranoid. Even if he's watching, he's not getting you." He squeezed the lithe body lightly. "Now, relax about it. What would you like for dinner?"

"Maybe something light?"

"Something light it is. Without ham and cheese?" Xander nodded. "Okay," he said with a smile. After a few seconds, he pinched the firm rear. "To do that, you have to get off."

Xander put his head down and cuddled his lover for a few seconds. "I will in a while."

Oz rolled his eyes but let it happen. He knew Xander needed to be reassured, the incident with the Monsoon demon was still too fresh to him and it was all right for him to be worried. He'd just have to prove it to Xander that it was all right for him to move on. He gently shifted the young man back onto the couch and got up to fix them something to nibble on. He found some frozen treats in the freezer and smiled. Yeah, that would be best, Xander needed treating.

***

Oz woke up and looked up at the canopy above him, wondering why it was still dark. He turned his head, watching Giles head for the hallway. He knew what it was once the door was opened, two of the cats were fighting again. He flipped onto his side, running into Xander's sleeping form. He pulled him closer, nibbling on the soft lips. It was time to move his lover past this. He had a whole day planned tomorrow, but a little treat tonight wouldn't hurt either. He ran a hand down his lover's stomach, earning a sleepy mumble. "Hey," he said when the chocolate brown eyes opened to look at him. "Can I touch you?" Xander nodded and yawned, hiding his head under Oz's head, making him chuckle.

Oz's hand moved lower, gripping the semi-hard cock lightly. His lover snuffled his neck so he changed his grip, making it a little tighter as he started a long, slow stroke. He felt the grin and inserted a knee between Xander's legs, giving him a little more room to play. "This would be easier if you were on your back," he whispered.

Xander immediately flipped over and spread his legs so Oz could crawl between them. "Can I have cuddles afterwards?" he asked quietly.

"Sure. As always." Oz licked over the head of the hard cock while stroking it, making him groan. "Ah, you like," he noted, moving his mouth back to suck on the balls as he kept up his handjob, making his lover wiggle. He knew this tickled Xander, that's why he was doing it. They both needed some fun right now. He let a finger from his free hand slip under his head, heading for the soft opening, almost smiling when Xander jumped. "Problems?" he asked, looking up. The young man shook his head frantically. "Okay. Want more?" Xander nodded just as hard. "Good." He went back to his playing, alternately making Xander laugh and try to wiggle away, and then moan in extreme pleasure. It was one of the great things about having a lover for almost three years, you knew exactly what turned them on. That thought stopped him, making him count backwards. Their three year anniversary was in a week. He mentally shrugged and planned on using the week to find him a present, going back to his teasing and tempting.

Finally, Xander couldn't take it anymore and he came, making a high-pitched keening noise. Oz looked up at him, giving him a questioning look but not asking anything. Xander grinned down at him. "Great," he panted, patting his stomach. "Give me a sec and I'll give you some too."

"Not needed," Oz said as he slid up and cuddled his lover. This had all been for his love, he could wait until their usual morning session. He smiled as Xander fell asleep, noticing how his smile lit up the room.

***

Oz led Xander out to the car, waving over his shoulder at Cordelia. They had stopped in to say hi, and to drop off Cocoa. Cordelia had complained and balked, but all it had taken was one look at the dog. And if she couldn't have dogs because of her lease, well, Cocoa was safely ensconced in Wesley's lap right then so Cordy didn't have to be covered in dog hair when she went in for an audition later. He settled his lover comfortably into the passenger's side of the car and hurried around to get in. He slid into the leather seat and slammed his door, turning to look at his lover. "How would you like a treat?" he asked. He saw the light of joy come back into his lover's face. "I planned your day for you, but we've got all night. Giles agreed to stay home with the animals tonight so we could have some time alone." He reached over and touched Xander's lips, but it was interrupted by the back door opening and Wesley climbing in.

"Good, I caught you before you left. Giles just called. Richie got a call and a challenge. He's headed this way to answer it."

Oz shook his head. "Why today?"

"It was McCleod. That's why he called," Wesley told him. "He thought you'd like to know."

Oz nodded. "Yeah, I wanted to know." He looked at Xander. "Will I be able to drop you off at the spa and go watch this?" Xander shook his head. "Okay. Does Richie have one of our cars?"

"Yes, he has Xander's sports car."

"Which has my carphone," Xander noted as he pulled out his cellphone, dialing the number. "Hey, Richie, it's me." He handed the phone over to Oz.

Oz leaned back in his seat and took a deep breath. "Hey, me. What's going on?" He snorted. "You're bringing your sword, right?" He nodded. "Okay, do you need us?" He glanced at Xander. "Yeah, we've got plans. When do you meet him?" He checked his watch. "We'll be done by then. Why did you leave now? Ah. Okay. You know where the spa is?" He chuckled and hung up. "Richie will meet us at the bar closest to the spa. He doesn't have to meet McCleod until sunset." He looked over at Xander, leaning over to give him a kiss. "We're going to go spoil you and then we'll meet Richie for a drink. We'll figure out what's going on after that. All right?" Xander nodded, giving him a brilliant smile. "Thanks, Wesley," but the man was gone. "Okay." Oz turned back around and started the car, checking behind him before he pulled out into traffic, not stopping as Xander turned to make sure the back door was closed.

***

Xander looked up from his body scrub, smiling at Oz as he walked in. "Hey, have I told you yet that I love this?" he asked with a silly grin.

"Yup." Oz pulled a stool over to sit on, holding up a glass with a straw for his lover to drink from. "Here, lemonade."

Xander blew a kiss and sucked on the straw, moaning as the sea salt scrub was worked over his legs. "Oh, I like this," he groaned, putting his head down. "Oz, can I be thankful and not make you upset?"

"Sure. As long as you don't have to become clingy, I won't ever mind." He ran his fingers through the damp hair, Xander had been subjected to a steam bath before this. He got a dreamy smile and a nod. "Then we're good." He stole a kiss and looked up at the person doing the scrub. "What's he got after this?"

"A cleansing body wrap. It's meant to pull the rest of the toxins out of his skin." She smiled down at the purring noise her client was making. "This was a good idea."

"Yeah, we needed it and he needed pampered," Oz said, grabbing another kiss. "After this, we go see a friend, and later we have a wonderful dinner planned." Xander opened his eyes and looked at him. "We do. And then tomorrow, you get to take me shopping."

Xander grinned. "Okay," he said sleepily. "This is really nice."

"So I noticed. You rest, babe, I'm not leaving."

***

Xander slid into the seat next to Richie, giving him a brilliant smile. "Hi. Oz gave me a great treat."

"So I can tell. You're glowing." Richie looked at Oz. "He said he only wants to talk."

"So he says now," Oz said. "Are we sure he's sane?"

"For good from what Joe said," Richie said before taking a drink of his beer. "Xander, order a drink, you look very out of place in here."

Xander waved a waitress over. "What imported beers do you have? Better yet, do you have Guinness?"

She smiled. "We have it, and we have the lager too. Which would you like?"

"Oh, the lager please," he said happily, pulling out his wallet, but Oz pulled out his instead. "I can get this. You're getting dinner."

"Point," Oz agreed. He looked over at the waitress. "I'll have a regular Guinness and what snacks do you have?"

"We have a whole supply of wings, or we have a sampler tray with things like potato skins and peppers."

"Wings please," Xander said. "Mild?" She nodded. "And some ranch dressing?" She wrote it down for him. "Thanks. Oz did you want to share a sampler plate with Richie?"

"Honey, the plate has seventy wings."

"He missed lunch, he's always hungry when he's happy and sated," Oz told her. "Give me a sampler plate. Richie?"

"No thanks. I've been nibbling on pretzels and peanuts." He handed her the bowl. "Can I have some more nuts?"

She smiled and walked off.

Xander pulled out his wallet and took out a few bills. "Um, do you have anything smaller?" he asked, checking to make sure the hundred was the smallest.

"Nope. They'll have change," Oz told him. He patted him on the hand. "No overt actions, Xander, please."

"I won't. I know about this stuff too." He smiled at Richie. "So, what else have you done today? Besides play with the cats?"

"Well, Motocat needed a bath, so I spent a good hour fighting with him." He finished off his beer, waving the waitress over. "Want to get my tab for me too?" he asked.

"Sure," Oz said. "If he won't, I will."

Xander handed the waitress the hundred. "For his tab and our stuff." She nodded and walked off, coming back a few minutes later with their drinks. Xander took a sip of his beer and grimaced. "A little warm but it'll do." He looked over at Richie. "Were you coming back tonight? I noticed the furry lump that seems to be wiggling."

"Yeah, I'm coming home tonight, but I didn't want to leave him at home," Richie said, patting his moving lump of cat. "Besides, maybe Mac will respect that I'm real if I show him that I have something that depends on me."

"Maybe," Oz agreed, taking a sip of his beer. "Oh, you're right, warm." He looked over at the bar, bringing their waitress back. "Cold beer?" he asked.

"Our cooler broke about an hour ago." She leaned closer to Xander. "Sir, that bill didn't look right."

Xander pulled out his wallet and looked at bills in it, holding them up to the light. "These look all right. Why didn't that one? I got it at the bank with these." She handed him the bill, letting him look at it. "Huh. It still looks fine to me. Did it fail the light test?"

"No, our bartender questioned it."

He shrugged, handing over an older bill. "It's probably just a case of new billitis." He gave her a smile. "Can I get a cooler glass?"

"I'll see what I can't rig up," she said, bringing it back to the bar. She turned and smiled at him, nodding.

"Maybe we should go get the new bills changed," Oz suggested. "Not everyone seems to recognize them."

The waitress walked over with their snacks. "He admitted that he hadn't seen any of the new bills." She winked at Xander. "I'll be getting a good tip, right?"

He nodded. "I always tip very well." He picked up one of his wings and nibbled on it. "These are great."

"Honey, they're frozen." She gave Richie an extra smile and walked away.

Richie shook his head. "I don't want flirting, not when I've got to face my teacher down."

Oz looked at him. "It'll help take your mind off it if you flirt back." He looked over at Xander. "Did you realize that an anniversary is coming up?" The young man stopped nibbling and shook his head. "Three years."

"Oh." Xander put down his food and wiped his fingers off. "Um, what do you want?"

Richie snorted. "That's what he was going to ask you."

"Oh." Xander shrugged. "I can consider our travels a gift."

"Okay." Oz picked up a potato skin and bit into it. "Xander, eat normally," he said quietly.

Xander started to take bigger bites. "Where's dinner tonight?"

"It's a surprise. Oh, and Amanda's in town." Richie rolled his eyes. "She's been really nice to us ever since we caught her stealing," Oz told him.

One of the guys at the next table got up and came over to look at them. "What are you guys, fairies?" He laughed.

Xander looked up at him. "Why would it matter?" The guy quit laughing. "After all, we're not here to bother you and no, we're all straight, but why should it matter in the first place?" He wiped off his fingers as he stood up, facing off with the guy. "Listen, I just wanted a beer with my friends, same as you did. If that bothers you, I'm sorry, but tough."

The guy growled and took a swing, which Xander ducked and Oz dodged

"That was stupid," Oz said, starting to get up.

Xander held up a hand. "I believe he was just leaving," he said, doing a picture perfect heel strike into the guy's abdomen, making him bend over in pain. "Weren't you?" The guy nodded and backed away, heading back to his friends, who were jeering him. Xander smiled at the waitress. "Maybe we should get these to go," he said, tossing down some of his change for a tip.

She stayed smiling but left, coming back with boxes for them.

Xander dumped his wings into it and looked at Richie. "Want to go picnic in the park?"

"Sure. But I can't let Motocat out. I don't have a leash or a collar for him."

"We can fix that," Oz reminded him. He dumped his plate into his box and stood up. "Let's go find a grocery store to get Xander more dressing and you a leash for the kitten." He walked away from the table, going to their cars. Richie followed and they headed off to find a grocery store.

Richie looked around the park they had chosen and nodded slowly. "This is a nice place. No thugs."

"There shouldn't have to be thugs," Oz reminded him. "Or cops, but it's still a nice place for a picnic." He picked up one of his stuffed peppers and bit into it, waving a hand in front of his mouth. "Hot."

Xander handed over his bottle of ranch dressing without looking up from fixing his next wing and sharing a little with the cat lounging in the middle of the blanket.

***

Xander hopped up onto the hood of his car as Oz and Richie walked over to meet the car pulling in. He had control of Richie's cat and was cuddling him for all he was worth. He knew that if both men fell, he would kill McCleod. Even if he couldn't take Oz's quickening from him, he refused to have him keep it. His eyes narrowed as Amanda got out of the car with him, taking in her now red hair and the bronze outfit she wore. "Oh, she didn't," he groaned. "That's tacky."

Someone cleared their throats and he turned to find an old man with a cane beside him. "Hey, Joe, pull up some hood?" The old man walked around, his gait stilted because of his prosthetic legs, and climbed up onto the hood. "Want to pet Richie's cat?" he offered.

Joe looked down at the motor oil and yellow colored cat, shaking his head. "When did Richie get a cat?"

"One of ours liked him. This is Motocat. Motocat, this is Joe. He's a friend of Richie's." Motocat meowed up at them. "Yes, sweetness, I'll keep petting you." He went back to scratching behind the tiny ears. "He rides around in Richie's jacket. We just got our first collar and leash today," he said, holding the tan leash up. "Right before we went to have lunch in a park."

Joe snorted. "Yeah, I heard about the bar fight."

"Wasn't much of a fight," Xander noted. "I only hit the guy once. He didn't connect at all." He shrugged at the stunned look. "What? I've had some very good fighting teachers recently. Oz is very good at teaching me some of the more basic moves to defend myself without a knife."

Joe nodded. "I can see how that might be necessary. Good save with the cops by the way. We kicked the guy out."

"Thanks, but I don't want to think about that. When I do, I get clingy." He handed over the cat and slid off the hood, pulling out his own sword and setting it in plain view as Amanda moved like she was going to pull hers. He saw her startled look and gave her a steady one in return. She backed off. He got back onto the hood and relaxed against the window again. "It'll be a fair fight," he told Joe.

Joe saw the determination on the young man's face and wisely left it there. He knew Xander was more than capable of doing someone some damage and he had no doubt that McCleod would be the victim of it if Oz got even the tiniest scratch.

Oz looked his nemesis over. "Well, you look sane," he said in greeting. He nodded at Amanda as she walked closer. "You his babysitter this time?"

"Yup. We've just spent a week with Jace, hearing how wonderful Xander is." She smiled at him. "How is he? I heard he had a run-in with some bad people again."

"Just the one and a few cops," Oz told her, turning his attention back to McCleod. "Are you really stupid enough to follow through on your challenge? None of us respect those that take their student's heads."

McCleod bristled and stood straighter. "I needed to talk to him, not fight with him. I'll never attack Richie again." He looked at his former student. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, I have been fine." He saw Amanda start and watched as she backed away, glancing at Oz, who nodded. "Sorry, Xander's a little paranoid and he seems to have adopted me too."

"Yup, you're just like another kitten to us," Oz quipped.

Richie reached over and shoved him. "Stop it. Grumpy." He turned back to his teacher. "Why did you want me here? I'm real, you're possibly sane. What's this about if it isn't a challenge?"

"This is him needing to make sure that you're real," Amanda said from where she was standing. "His slip down the insane slide started when he thought he had killed you. He'll start going down again if he doesn't reassure himself now that he's sane again." She glanced at Xander again. "Is he serious?"

"Yup," Oz told her, nodding. "Xander will probably jump into any fight that I lose, but I can't keep him away. It doesn't work. Besides, if I lost and he wasn't there, then he'd be even more destroyed."

"You'd better keep winning," she told him, sizing Xander up. "I don't think I could beat him, not when he was that angry."

McCleod shuddered. "I couldn't beat him, Amanda." She stared at him in shock and Richie nodded.

"Yeah, I got there and Mac had a sword in his lung. But, Xander's got a very unique fighting style. I've worked out with him and I've seen Oz and Giles working out with him. He's very fast, very lithe, and very much into his dancing." Oz snickered. "Not that!" He grabbed his head and held it. "Oz, you promised."

"Sorry, man, was just a flash of Xander doing the sword dancing." He looked at Amanda. "I'd put him at some of the hundred year old's level. He's been learning though. He gets kidnapped far too often to not keep up with his practice."

McCleod gave Oz a pitiful look. "I was out of my mind," he grated, his brogue getting thick again. "I'm sorry, Oz. I never meant ta hurt either of you."

Oz shrugged. "Whatever. I may forgive you one day. Remember this, McCleod, Xander feels the same way about me that I do him. You harm him and I'll come after you. You harm me, and he'll kill you easily." He turned and walked away, leaving it between Richie and his teacher, the way the challenges were supposed to go. He slid up beside Xander, smiling at the cat purring in Joe's lap. "I'm thinking you get Motocat if anything happens to Richie."

Joe nodded. "He told me that if he was killed and I was alive, everything he had was mine." He looked down at the cat. "I guess that means him too." The cat looked up and licked his lips. "What? I don't have any treats on me, sorry."

Xander reached into his jacket and pulled out a cardboard container. "Here. We're never without them anymore."

"Speak for yourself," Oz said, watching Richie get uptight. "Relax," he called.

Richie looked over his shoulder as Oz yelled at him. "Man, he's good."

"He's an artist," McCleod reminded him, moving closer. "May I touch you?" he asked. "Just your face?"

Richie stepped back. "Nope, but I can prove I'm real." He pulled a knife out of his jacket and sliced his palm, letting it bleed on the ground. "See, very real."

McCleod grabbed the hand, feeling it as he watched it heal. "You're real," he sighed, looking into the green eyes. "You really were trapped in an alternate dimension?"

"Yeah, it was all very swirled and boring. I'm not sure how long I was there, but there I was." He pulled his hand back. "Cut the crap, Mac, you knew I was alive. You weren't willing to give up any of your precious beliefs to admit it though. Your pigheadedness has always been your undoing." McCleod looked embarrassed. "It has!" Richie insisted. "And it always will be unless you lighten up and look at the world as it is instead of the knight-and-carriage place that it used to be."

"Is was never really like that," Amanda called out. "But he has to be himself, Richie."

"Drop it," Oz called over.

"My, he's very protective of you," she noted, looking the young man over. "What's going on out there?"

"Nothing," Richie ground out. "I'm living in his basement until I figure something out." He looked at his teacher again. "When will you learn? Just once, I'd like to see you embrace reality as something other than an affront to your moral code." He turned his back and walked away, heading back to the car with all the people on it. "I messed up," he moaned as he got there.

"No, you gave him a kick in the ass and you made it clear you were still pissed. That's very normal," Oz told him. He slid off the car. "Of course, one of you may die tomorrow, mostly likely him because he's thinking about everything too much."

Richie turned and ran over to McCleod, stopping him before he could get into his car and pulling him aside to talk to him.

Xander nudged Oz with his foot. "Good job," he whispered. Oz turned and winked at him. He took Motocat and walked over to his friend with him. "Here, you forgot him," he said. Richie looked at him in shock. "I'm thinking you guys are going to be talking all night. We aren't going to be able to watch him, and that leaves Joe."

"Oh, yeah." Richie nodded, then smiled. "Thanks, Oz. I'll see you back at your place?"

"Sure." Oz turned and headed back to his Xander, getting a hug as he slid in to drive them to their hotel.

***

Xander looked around the room, then at his lover. "This is where a lot of this stuff began," he reminded Oz, who nodded. "Here, I found out about immortals, and about you being one. I found out about Meth and I first heard McCleod's name." He turned and gave his lover a long hug. "Thank you. This place has good memories for me."

Oz gave him a kiss. "I know. That's why I got it for us." He patted the firm butt. "Go relax in a bath until it's time for dinner. I've got both wallets and I'm going to have the new bills looked at by someone here." He walked out of the room, making sure it was locked behind him.

Xander grinned and looked around. He needed to surprise his love with something when he came back. He pulled out his backup credit card and sat down with the phone book, searching for a number. He found it and dialed it, smiling as a familiar voice answered the other end. "Hi, this is Xander Harris." His smile turned into a grin. "We're fine, but I need to spoil my lover and I noticed those flyers on your table. Yeah, those. Can I?" He cheered. "Cool. Um, Mastercard number...."

***

Oz watched as a deliveryman walked in with a big bouquet of flowers, shaking his head. Some woman was getting lucky tonight. He turned to look at the man examining his bills again. "So, are they real?"

One last one was held up to the light. " From what I can tell, yes. You did say you got them at a bank, correct?" Oz nodded. "Then they should be real. Did you have a problem with one earlier?"

"Yeah, we got a bartender that couldn't tell because it was one of the newer bills." He pointed at the only new hundred in the pile. "That one actually. I wanted to make sure before I paid for dinner with it."

The manager smiled. "That's quite reasonable. From what I could tell, these are real and the new bills are what they appear to be." He sorted the stack and evened them up, handing them back. "I'm glad that they were real, sir. Was there anything else we can do for you? Check your reservations?"

"We're eating here," Oz said with a faint smile. "Our bags are already upstairs. Um, computer access?"

"Of course. There's a public terminal across the lobby, there between the payphones."

Oz checked, then nodded. "Thanks." He walked over and checked his mail quickly, not sure if he was expecting anything from Methos and Ray or not, but he got a very nice virtual card from them. He sent a naughty one back then went up to his room, having to knock because he forgot his key.

Xander's head peeked around the edge of the door and grinned. "Go do something for the next ten minutes," he said and shut the door.

Oz considered breaking the door down, but thought better of it and went to get another bottle of lube. They had a full bottle, but from the look in Xander's eyes, it might not be enough. He came back eleven minutes later and knocked again, but the door was open. He strolled in and looked around, first noticing the big bouquet of flowers that he had seen in the lobby. "Xander, did you buy a flower shop too?" he called. He didn't get an answer so he looked around. There was a trail of drops of something on the floor, so he followed them into the bedroom. There, he found a small present sitting on the bed. He picked it up and rattled it, it sounded like paper. He saw more of the strange droplets and followed them into the bathroom, where his lover was kneeling beside a bubble bath. "I thought you were supposed to be taking the bath," he said, leaning against the doorway. "Just a question," he asked at the smile his lover was trying to hide. "What are those drops?"

"They're drops of grape jelly. It's the only thing I could think of without tearing up the flowers." Xander held out his arms. "Come strip and let me bathe you," he said, giving him a smile. "You deserve to be spoiled."

Oz groaned. "I'm supposed to be spoiling you, not you spoiling me." He sat down next to Xander, holding his chin still so he could get a kiss.

"What makes you think that spoiling you won't spoil me?" Xander asked with a grin.

Oz thought about that for a second, then handed over the present and stood to get undressed. He climbed into the hot bath without another word. He leaned back against the neck pillow and enjoyed the neutral smelling bubbles. "When did you have time to find anti-smelling bubbles?"

"Remember the jewelry store?" Oz nodded. "Well, I saw this very nice brochure while I was there. It's a whole surprise-pamper-your-lover thing in one package. So I called them and told them what I wanted, and they had almost everything in stock. The only thing they didn't have...." He jumped up as the doorbell rang, putting Oz's present on the back of the toilet. He came back with a large box and a huge grin. "The only thing they didn't have on hand was the treats." He gracefully folded himself next to the tub and put the large box on the floor, well away from where it might get splashed. He opened the red top, smiling as he saw what was inside, and picked up the chopsticks. He picked up the first piece of broccoli and held it out to his lover. "Remember, the veggies are always hotter than the meat," he warned as he fed it to him.

Oz started to laugh as he swallowed. "You got me Chinese food as a treat? I love it!" He started to lean over but Xander leaned up instead, so he wouldn't have to move. "Every time you do something like this, you get more and more special to me," he said, reaching out to touch the young man's hair. "What else is in that box?"

"Well, I wanted to try sushi so there's a small sampler box of that. And we've got some nuts, and some chocolates under some separating material." He grinned. "I wanted us to be able to snuggle for a while, and to be able to have a snack tonight." He snapped his fingers and reached behind him, handing Oz his present. "Yours."

Oz carefully opened it, not wanting to get whatever was in there wet. He pulled out a piece of paper and looked at it, absently handing the box off. "Xander, this is..." He looked at the young man, his mouth open. "You, um, wanted...."

Xander got to his knees and pulled the other item out of the box, holding it out. "Not right now if you don't want, but whenever you're ready, I'm good to go for the whole thing too," he said with a grin. Then shook his head. "That wasn't the way I rehearsed that. Sorry."

Oz snickered. "It never goes the way you rehearsed it." He rolled onto his side, handing the paper off so it wouldn't get wet. "Xander, are you sure? I get very possessive."

"Gee, Oz, I had no idea," Xander quipped gently, still holding out the ring.

"What are you going to wear?" Oz asked, taking the ring to look at. "This is beautiful. Did you pick this out that day too?"

"Yup. I saw it while we were waiting and I explained which one it was. She said I had very good tastes because this would sparkle on your hand."

Oz nodded, turning it around. "Where's yours?"

"I was kinda hoping you would help me pick out mine," Xander told him with a self-conscious grin. "Make it an exchange of rings?"

"Um, okay." Oz nodded. "Can I have a bite of Chinese?" Xander quickly picked some up and fed it to him. "This is really good. We need to know where they got it from." The receipt was held up for his inspection. "Huh. Keep that." He swallowed and smiled. "Okay, you got me if you really want me that much."

"YES!" Xander crowed, leaning over to give him a kiss. He found himself sitting in the water on top of Oz. "We didn't get the food, right?" Oz looked over then shook his head. "Good. I want that to be around later." He climbed out and grabbed the box by the bottom, going to put it in the other room. He came back naked, except for a sparkly thong. "I started working with beaded stuff," he said proudly, showing it off to Oz. It was a very nice striped design done in beads.

Oz shook his head and crooked a finger. "Come here, after taking that off."

Xander wiggled out of the thong and jumped back in, straddling his lover's lap so he could steal a kiss. He took the ring and put it aside so they wouldn't lose it. "I'll put that on you in a few days."

"What about Giles?" Oz whispered.

"Um, I was going to ask him first."

Oz nodded. "Good idea. Springing the whole marriage thing on him as we do it wouldn't be good. When did you want to do this?" He moved his hand through the water, bringing up bubbles to sit on top of his lover's head. "And where?"

"That I wasn't sure of. I know the whole guest list though."

"How many of them are presently at our house?"

"All but Jace and the LA crew."

"Okay." Oz nodded. "I want to invite Joe."

"Cool by me."

"And I may want to invite someone else." Xander nodded. "I think I want to invite Buffy and/or Willow, if we can find them. They deserve to know that we're happy."

Xander paused then nodded. "I'd like that too," he admitted, putting his head back down on Oz's chest, forcing him back onto his back. "I think I know how to get in touch with Willow. I got a card from her last week."

"Good."

"And Angel knows where Buffy is."

"Also a good. How are we going to feed them?"

"Gee, Oz, I don't know," Xander said dryly. "We could cook, or we could cater, or we could just be cheap guys and order enough food for everyone from Maise's and tell Angel to bring enough blood for himself and the girls." He got poked for it. "Sorry. I don't want to wait and do the whole 'wedding' thing with the caterers and the big cake. I want something small and more us."

"Okay, sword salute it is," Oz said, then grinned at the groan. "You mean that's not us?"

"Yes, that's very us. Do you want Meth or Ray as your best man?"

"I want Meth. You get Ray. Jace can marry us. She can do that."

"Yup, she can do that. She probably would even have the blessing of her *friends* to do that."

"Good point," Oz said, staring up at the ceiling. "You know this means we're never breaking up, right? Oz's mate for life."

"Good. Then all I'll have to worry about is those long vacations when we get cranky with each other."

"Fine by me." Oz pulled the phone down off the wall and handed it to Xander. "Want to tell Giles to join us so you can ask him?"

"I'd rather do it when we went home tomorrow and I have the ring in hand," Xander admitted quietly.

"Okay. Want to call and tell him to be home tomorrow then? Say something about needing to talk to him?"

"Sure." Xander dialed their home, smiling as Ray picked it up. "Hey, you. Is Giles still there?" He nodded, looking up at Oz. "Hey, you, it's us. Nope, we were just sitting here talking in the bathtub and we decided we needed to talk to you tomorrow when we got home. No, as in sending Ray and Meth out to do something interesting while we talk sort of talk." He grinned. "Yeah, but don't worry about it. Okay? It's nothing bad, but it's a talk I need to have with you."

"We," Oz said.

"We," Xander corrected. "Nope, Oz has already fallen to my diabolical plans...." He had to stop because the phone was taken from his hand and tossed back into the cradle, Oz rolling over to pin Xander against the side of the tub so he could kiss him.

"Naughty," Oz sighed. "Such plans in your head."

"Can I wear the silver velvet?" Xander asked with a grin.

Oz shut him up with another kiss.

***

Giles hung up the phone and looked at the other men in the room. "That was Xander and Oz. They said they needed to speak to me tomorrow, alone." He sat down hard in a chair, looking at his friends. "I've tried my best to reintegrate myself back into this home. What did I do wrong?"

Methos came over and stood in front of him, staring down at him. "What did Xander say? And more importantly, how did he say it?"

"He sounded happy," Giles said, shaking his head. "All he said was that they needed to talk to me tomorrow and that I was to send you both somewhere interesting."

"Ah, the key is he was happy," Ray said. "Xander couldn't sound happy about a bad thing. He can't act that well." Methos nodded. "So it's probably a great new plan of his."

Giles' mood lightened. "He did say that Oz had fallen in with his diabolical plan, but the line went dead right after that." He shrugged it off. "I'll worry about it later. What am I making for supper and do you think Richie will be coming in?"

"No, we got a call from Joe," Methos said, snapping his fingers. He picked up the phone and dialed Joe's cellphone, smiling as he took it into the garage.

Ray stared at the door, confused for a few seconds, then shook it off with a shrug. "Want help? I can do pasta or meats really well." He jumped as he heard the laughter from the garage, getting up to go see what was so funny. Methos refused to tell him though, so he'd have to wait it out too. He glared at his lover, but all he got was a smile and a kiss.

"It'll be fine," Methos told him as he came back in. "Xander was in a spoiling mood and I have no doubt that it's going to extend to you also." He looked at the kitchen. "Ray, why don't you start that pasta dish with the wine and the chicken. Giles, why don't you go relax or work out? I'm sure you'll soon need the practice." He mentally cheered his students on, but he wondered what sort of ceremony Xander would want. How traditional could he be? Oh, but he couldn't wait to see this happening.

***

Oz got off the phone with Jace and nodded. "She'll be up in three days but she can't stay more than a night." He leaned back into Xander's side, watching him pick at the sushi before trying it. "It won't bite," he promised, picking up a piece and eating it. "Hey, they did good, it's still cold."

Xander picked up a piece like Oz had eaten and nibbled on it, then shook his head, handing it over. "Okay, I didn't like that. I liked the other Asian stuff we had in Kyoto."

Oz ate that piece too and took out the sushi tray, and the ice pack between it and the chocolates. He settled down to eat it while Xander called Angel. Or actually, Cordelia. You never told Angel anything, you let Cordelia get him wherever you needed Angel to be.

"Cordy?" Xander asked, grinning. "Sit. No, good news, sit!" He snorted. "I'm sure Cocoa did. He's a very good dog." He nodded. "Yes, I'm aware that dogs need that. Um, lint brush?" he suggested lightly. "No, not the point. Sit." He took a deep breath and then babbled it out. "IaskedOztomarryme andhesaidyes."

He pulled the phone away from his ear and even Oz could hear the squeal.

Oz took the phone. "You're loud," he said in way of greeting. He looked over at Xander. "No, he's fine. He's grinning again. Nope, we're asking him tomorrow when we get home."

Xander stole the phone back. "No, in three days. Tell Angel that we've decided to ask Buffy and Willow if he can find them, and that he's responsible for any food he might need that's non-people edible." He chuckled. "No, I don't need to find an off-white dress. I need to find a pattern for some heavy silver velvet I have."

"Pants," Oz said. Xander looked at him. "Your drawstring pants. And a shirt."

Xander grinned. "Thanks, no Oz just told me what to wear. Yes, I said silver. Because I like the color." He laughed again and hung up. "She said she'd get everyone there barring a vision."

"Coolness." Oz stole one of the chocolates, but it was taken from him and fed to him. "Even better. I always loved the story of Godiva."

Xander nodded. "Me too. She was such a brave woman to defy everyone that way."

"And that's where we get Peeping Toms from too."

"It is?"

"Yup; according to the legend, a guy named Tom watched her and they poked his eyes out for it."

"Oh. Then why aren't they called Poking Toms?"

"Because he peeped first?" Oz suggested, stealing a chocolate and eating it himself this time. "Are you feeling spoiled yet?"

"Yup. Feeling truly spoiled. But not bratty."

Oz looked him over and saw the smirk. "That's up to interpretation."

***

Xander danced up to his house and through the door, on cloud twelve or so if anyone had bothered to ask him. He plopped down into Giles' lap and gave him a kiss and a hug, then held out the box, ignoring his pale face and shaking hands. "Oz said yes, and I was very devious about it, but I figured that you wouldn't want me to be devious so I'm not being sneaky at all."

Oz walked in and shut the door. "As you can see, he's very nervous." He looked around. "How long did it take Methos to call Joe last night?"

"He called within a minute I think," Giles said, staring at the box. "Is this what your plan was?" Xander nodded, standing up and getting to both his knees, making Giles smile. "You don't have to beg, dear boy." He took the box and opened it, his mouth opening and closing before he promptly passed out.

Oz looked at Xander, then at the ring they had picked out, a simple band of diamonds, often known as an eternity band. "Huh. Worrying must have caught up with him." He shrugged and headed to the refrigerator to put up the rest of their chocolates. "Xander," he said, turning around and running into him. "Teleporting again?" The young man grinned and grabbed him, pushing him against the counter to get a kiss. "Hmm, someone ate the last strawberry at breakfast."

"It was nummy too," Xander whispered against his lips. "Now I want more."

"And more you deserve," Oz agreed, pulling him in tighter against him.

Methos and Ray banged through the door, Ray heading over to where Giles was slumped on the couch. He picked up the box dangling from his hand and shrieked, coming over to give his friends a hug.

Methos wiggled a finger in his ear. "Raymond, kindly never make that sound around me again."

Oz looked over Xander's and Ray's shoulder and stuck out his tongue.

"Just for that, you're getting a tuxedo," Methos admonished, going over to wake Giles up so he could enjoy this moment too. He looked at the ring and whistled. "Xander, you still have very good taste," he called, slapping the young immortal lightly to wake him. "Up and at 'em. You don't want Xander to get a wild hair up his ass and force you to elope, do you?"

Giles moaned and pulled a pillow over his head. "Anything but that. Please?" He looked at the ring, then up at his friend and teacher, giving him a mischievous smile. "It's beautiful," he admitted. "Should I accept?"

"I think they're counting on it," Methos agreed with a smile of his own.

"You'd better, or I'm going to let Xander pout," Oz called.

Xander came over and got to his knees before the couch, giving Giles his most powerful pout, full of sorrowful begging eyes and even a hint of chin quiver.

Giles immediately felt like an ass and gave him a hug. "Of course I accept. When are we doing this? I'll need some time to figure out who to invite and all."

"Three days," Oz said from the kitchen, searching for leftovers. "Jace is doing the ceremony, everyone's already invited. All you have to do is find something that matches with silver velvet."

Ray smiled. "I can do that part." He looked at Oz. "Who gets me?"

"I do," Xander said, instantly turning happy and smiling at him.

Giles shook his head. "Xander, those eyes of yours should be registered as lethal."

"Tell me about it," Methos sighed as he sat on the end of the couch.

Weddings Do Make You Feel Like a Queen.

Xander threw down his scissors and stomped out to the living room. "This sucks!" he told everyone in there. "Nothing's going right!" He sat down and pouted at Oz. "This is all wrong." He crossed his arms over his chest.

Oz rolled his eyes behind the cover of his book. "What's wrong?" he asked calmly. Xander had gone into queen overdrive since they had gotten back, and after Giles had accepted his proposal.

"The fabric's not big enough," Xander pouted. He looked at his best man. "It won't be enough for more than one piece."

"So go find another piece of fabric," Oz suggested lightly. "Ray, take him fabric shopping." He heard the snort so lowered his book. "Listen, this way you can make sure your outfit is something that only you will ever wear. You'll be able to make sure it's perfect this way." Xander continued to pout and it was a pitiful sight. "Xander, pick which part of your outfit you want to make from the beautiful velvet and go see if you can't find another piece," he told him.

Xander gave him a helpless look. "But it won't be the same," he complained.

"Only you will know that unless you change your design," Oz reminded him, trying to control his temper. "Ray, take him fabric shopping."

Ray got up and grabbed Xander's hand, pulling him out to the car. He came back a few minutes later and took the wallet Oz was holding up. "Is this his?"

"No, but two of his cards are in there and so's a bunch of cash." Oz looked up at him. "Try and calm him down, okay? I can't take two more days of this."

Ray grinned. "Really? All I see is normal worrying." He walked out, going to take Xander wherever he needed to go.

Oz pulled his book back up and sighed, shaking his head. "I can't take two more days of this," he told the book. "If I do, I'll be more insane than he is."

Methos snuck up and patted Oz on the head. "Of course you can." He strolled past him, going upstairs to get away from all of them. Maybe Richie would spar with him.

***

Xander looked at all the velvets and shook his head. "It's not here," he called.

Ray walked up behind him and rested his head on Xander's shoulder. "Then pick something that'll make it look good."

Xander turned and gave him a hug. "But I wanted the silver velvet."

"But you'll look some disco throwback," Ray told him, giving him a smile. Xander didn't like that at all, he stomped off.

"Fine. Be that way then." Xander stormed over to the cotton section.

Ray slumped his shoulders and followed after him. "I'm sorry," he called as he walked over to him. "I know you're stressed." He stopped and picked up a pewter piece of silk. "Xander, I found it," he called, holding it up.

Xander looked up and squealed, jogging back over to hug him. "I love you. That'll go *so* well!" He searched the remnants table, looking for more of it. "Um, we need more," he said, looking around for one of the women that worked in his fabric store. "Hello?" he called.

"In a minute," floated out from the back. An older woman walked out carrying two bolts of blue fabric. "How can I help?" she asked as she set them down on a rack near them.

"I'm getting married!" he said happily. "My outfit, at least the lower half, is silver velvet." He held up the pewter piece of fabric. "Do you have any more of this? It'd go so great."

She took it and looked around the store, pointing at an area. "If it's anywhere, it's over there," she called after him. She smiled at Ray, a very sympathetic look. "How long before his day?"

"Two more days," Ray said, shaking his head as he followed after Xander. "You don't need the whole row," he complained. "It won't fit in your car."

"But Oz and Giles need new outfits. And you and Adam too," Xander reminded him with a grin. "Even one for Richie if I can get him to hold still so I can fit him."

Ray turned around and banged his head against a rack of silks. "Oz is going to kill me," he moaned.

"Not," Xander said, frowning at him. "Which color for you? Or do I want to do everything in one color?" He looked at the available wall of fabrics. "Ray, should I make you guys all in one color?" He looked over but Ray was still banging his head. "Hey, bruises go with nothing." He jogged over to hug his friend. "Me sewing means that I can't jump Oz or do any of the planning."

"Good point," Ray said, breathing in relief of being let go of. "Um, make us all in green? And you in a nice, neutral color?"

"Silly," Xander said, pinching him on the stomach. "I'm still wearing my silver pants." He turned back to the wall, not noticing as Ray slipped away.

"Hey," he asked the saleswoman, "do you have tranquilizers? We won't live through this otherwise."

She laughed and patted him on the side of the face. "This is always a stressful time for the bride. Especially when it's rushed." She looked at what Xander was picking out and shook her head, going over to help him. "Honey, you can't dress people in that. Not in this heat." He pouted at her. "I know, but you can't. Maybe a shirt, but not a whole outfit." She looked him over. "What are you wearing? Silver velvet and what?"

"Well, I got this big piece of silver velvet in India recently, and I love it, but it wasn't big enough. I'm making my pants out of that, now I need stuff for a shirt."

She nodded and pulled him over to another rack, pointing at the contents. "Try one of these. They're lighter, they won't stain like silk, and it's washable." She watched as he examined them, holding the three rolls he picked out. "That's enough," she reminded him. "You've only got two days."

He looked up, giving her a smile. "I know, but I can stock up this way." He picked up one of the light green pieces. "Think this would go well on my friend over there?"

She looked at it, then at the young man who had asked her for drugs. "No." She put down the ones she had handed him, picking out one of the ones he had picked out and handing it back. "Take this one, and this one," she said, pulling out a light, textured tan one. "This one goes well on most people. Make them *shirts* out of it and let them find their own pants." He nodded, looking down at the others. "Come back for those when you're less frantic," she suggested, bringing him over to the register. "Are you doing a veil? I don't know much about homosexual marriages."

"I can," Xander said, looking at the walls of lace. "Oh, but I found an *exquisite* piece of fabric the other day in one of the Indian shops." She nodded. "But it was for brides and I don't think they'd count me."

"We can go ask," Ray suggested as he walked over. "If not, then what here would do it for you?"

"Um," Xander said, running over to where the lighter, see through, fabrics were, coming back with two bolts. "Which one with pewter and silver?"

She looked at them, then at the tan fabric, pointing at the red one. "It's a traditional color of joy in Asia. I'm assuming it's the same in India." She shrugged when Ray looked at her. "He'll have to go find shoes anyway."

"Barefoot," Xander said. "Oh, Ray, can I ask you to do something nasty for me later?"

He nodded. "I'll go clean up the backyard for you," he said, handing Xander the wallet. He went over to a piece of cloth he had seen, coming back with it. "Xander, what about something like this?"

Xander felt it, considering it. It was almost see through, but not quite, and it was soft as newly moisturized and scrubbed skin. It was perfect. A whole new idea formed in his head for his wedding outfit if the silver didn't work out. "Oh, I can do a whole outfit in this," he said, smiling at his friend. "Was there any more?"

Ray pointed behind him. "A few." He winked at the woman behind the counter. "This'll go with the tan, right?"

She laughed and smiled. "Yes, that and the blue one would both go. What about his man?"

"Men. They'll dress themselves without him. They always do."

"Oh, and I can do this for Giles," Xander called out, grabbing a dark gray fabric. "And a blue one for Oz."

Ray hung his head and shook it. "Why?" he asked.

She laughed, putting aside the pewter fabric.

"Oh, I want that too, just in case," Xander called. "It'll go great under the vests anyway."

Ray picked up the wallet Xander had left on the counter, checking it for money content. He pulled out one of the cards and handed it over. "You might as well ring all this up now, or we'll be here forever."

She picked up her scanner and ran it over the end tab of the first flat of fabric, typing in the yardage when it asked for it.

***

Oz looked at the fabric lumps lying on the bed, then at his sleeping mate. He picked up the fabric and put it aside, going to climb in between his men.

Xander hopped up and grabbed the fabric, going back to his hand stitching. "Got to get this done," he complained. "I can't sleep."

Oz pulled a pillow over his head and curled up against Giles. "Come to bed whenever you're ready," he called out, waving at his lover.

Xander walked out and went back to his sewing. Everything had to be perfect. He fell asleep surging one of the seams on a pair of pants from the nearly see-through material, that's how he was found in the morning.

Richie walked into the sewing room, investigating the noise. "Um, Xander," he said, nudging him with a foot.

Xander popped up. "I'm okay," he said, looking down at the seam, and the four foot string behind it. "Shit." He took his foot off the pedal and cut the string at both ends. "It's okay. I didn't ruin it." He held up the half-finished pair of pants. "You're the only one who's seeing this. Oh, I need to fit you for your outfit." He stood up and grabbed a set of pins and a pile of fabric. "Come on, get into these; if you're going to be a best man to Giles, then you'd better look like the other ones. It only needs to be fitted, I used a standard pattern that I use on all their pants."

Richie got a panicked look and ran out of the room, narrowly missing hitting his head on the door.

"But I need to fit this!" Xander called petulantly. "You won't look good if I don't."

"Quiet!" Giles yelled. "You can do that later."

"Sorry," Xander called in a little kid's voice. He sat down at his machine and went back to his seams. These needed to get done if the wedding was going to go on. Oh, they'd see how hard he had worked.

***

Oz looked at the outfits lying on the bed and looked at Giles. "He outdid himself," he noted.

"Yes, I'm assuming that our honeymoon night will be full of him taking a nap."

Oz shrugged. "Hey, we'll have fun if he does." He picked up his outfit and went into the bathroom to try it on. He came out five minutes later with a smile. "He made it loose but comfy."

"Good." Giles walked in to try his on. He laughed, opening the door so Oz could see it. "He does know his colors," he said, turning to admire himself in the mirror. "This also fits very well."

"He has a permanent pattern set for us. These are all things that he's made before. It's a matter of little adjustments to make them looser." He touched the overly loose crotch area. "He messed up there."

"No, I believe he thinks we'll need it." He smiled and took off the outfit, carefully hanging it up and handing it to Oz so he could hide them from the cats. They didn't need hair on the clothes for their wedding. He walked out and lounged on the bed with a book. It was just better right now for him and Oz to hide in here while Xander fitted everyone else in the house.

***

Xander hopped up as he heard the doorbell, running past Richie to answer it. "Jace!" he squealed, pulling her inside. "You came early!"

"Yes, dear," she said, hugging him to try and keep him from bouncing again. "How are the plans coming?" she asked, pulling them both inside and closing the door before any of the animals could get out. She could get her bag out of her rental car later.

"Oh, I've got to fit you," he said, getting free and grabbing her arm so he could tow her back to his craft room. "Duck," he called, ducking through the short door.

She ducked just in time and looked around the chaos. "My, you've been busy," she noted, looking at the soft, flowing outfits hanging up. "Are you in the fitting stage?"

"Yup," he said proudly. "Did you want a dress, a robe, or a pants outfit like everyone else?"

"An outfit?" she asked, trying hard not to panic. "Dear, I brought my own clothes."

"Give in," came from all over the house.

She looked behind her but there wasn't anyone in the halls, not even an animal. She grabbed his shoulders and pushed him down onto the chair. "Xander, you need to calm down before you alienate everyone. This sort of activity can't be good for you, dear."

He grinned. "It's keeping me from fussing over everything else."

"Oh." She looked at the outfits again. "Those are nice," she admitted. "I'd prefer something more feminine though."

He pulled over a piece of material he had been working on. "Here, try this on," he said, getting up and helping her into the piece of material. "I had to guess your size, and I think I got it too small," he said with a frown. "Huh. Oh, well, I can always put a large border on it." He clasped the silver frogs on the front, turning her around to look at her. "Arms up." She did so, still looking confused. "Yup, definitely need two sizes larger so I can fit it perfectly." He helped her out of it and turned to his table of patterns, using the original pattern and some tracing paper to make a new one. "Give me about an hour and come back," he called. "This isn't that hard."

She hurried away before he could get her again. She walked through the open door, giving Oz and Giles a panicked look. "Has he been like this for long?"

"Since the day he proposed to Giles," Oz said, not looking up. "What are you getting?"

"A cross between a robe and an oriental dress," she said, smiling at the animals. "I see they're resting in peace and quiet too?"

"There's no sewing allowed in here," Giles said, looking up and giving her a smile. "After he tried to fit a few of the animals with carrying pillows and sachets, they all came in here or went into one of the other rooms to hide." He got up and offered her his spot on the bed, but she waved him off and sat on the padded chair. "It's been most frantic," he told her. "Xander's not gotten a lot of sleep for the last day and a half."

"There's only one day left," Oz said, putting down his book. "Would you like to sleep upstairs? It doesn't have much Xander protection but it's free right now."

She laughed. "I'm sure that will be fine." She looked at the door, watching the animals sniff at it. "I believe the little ones should go out," she said, pointing at them.

Giles let the animals out, following them so they could use the backyard.

"Hey!" Ray called. "I just cleaned that up. Scoop up after them."

Oz shook his head. "It's been a manic two days so far." He laid back and went back to his book. "Expect to be pounced in about an hour. He's been sewing like he's possessed."

"Are you sure he's not?"

"No, he's simply anxious," Giles said as he walked back in. "He's turned all that nervousness into energy for his projects. We've all gotten wonderful outfits out of it though."

"That's good. Has anyone thought about the ceremony?"

"Xander has and I wrote it," Oz said, holding up a finger as the sewing machine stopped. "Get ready," he whispered.

Xander bounced through the door a few minutes later, grabbing Jace and forcing her to come with him. "I'll bring her back," he called as he dragged her out of the room.

Oz looked at his watch. "That was fast."

"He probably only did rudimentary seams until he could fit it perfectly," Giles said, lying back down. "Should we check about the food?"

"Nope, I suggested that and I got pouted at. He's done it, or so he said. If not, I guess we're cooking."

Methos walked into the room and shut the door. "Did I hear Jace?" Oz nodded. "Did Xander already snatch her?"

"Twice," Giles told him, giving him a smile. "Have you double checked anything for him?"

"I've made sure that there's food, and I've made sure you have enough music here. I've even asked him what he wants to walk out to since he's doing the bride's part." He smiled at Oz as he shuddered. "Don't worry, all you have to do is stand there and let your mouth hang open. Richie's seen his outfit and he said it's positively gorgeous."

Oz nodded. "That's what I'd expect. I'm wondering about the lack of velvet scraps on him at night."

Methos smiled, getting out of Jace's way. "Did he fix it?"

She nodded, sitting down to catch her breath. "Give that boy some drugs," she told Oz. "Before he drives himself to death."

"He'll be fine," Oz said, turning the page.

Giles tossed her a bottle of water from the cooler beside him. Oz held out a hand so he got handed a bottle of juice. "We have some limited amount of food in here," he offered.

Methos waved it off. "Don't worry about me. Ray and I have been ordering out." He walked out. Xander had just called for Richie and he knew that the young immortal wouldn't come at that bellow without some encouragement.

Oz looked at Giles. "Bet on who stays up the longest tomorrow night?"

"No, thank you. I know that Xander could wear me out every time." Giles lay back down. "We'll go fix up your space in a few minutes," he told her. "Feel free to use our bathroom whenever you need to." He picked up his book and started to read it again. "I'd hide," he said as the sewing machine went off again.

Jace got up and started to leave the room but the pale, soft hand grabbed her once she walked into the hall.

"Come on, and you've got to figure out which necklace you're wearing with this."

***

Xander walked out of his sewing room and looked around, watching everyone look at him. "Did anyone go get the food?" Methos nodded. "Did anyone pick up champagne? Because we're out." Ray nodded. "Did anyone pick up the flowers?" Oz pointed at the table, where a dozen red roses were spread out. "Cool. What am I missing?"

"About an hour's worth of dressing?" Oz suggested, still looking at him. "Go take a nap, Xander."

"I'm good," Xander told him, sliding down into his lap and possessing his mouth. "Hmm, do we have time to do anything?" he whispered.

"Nope." Oz pushed him up and stood up. "Come on. You need to get ready. Our clothes are in Richie's room. Jace has hers and she's using Meth's and Ray's bathroom. Go destress and get ready for us," he said, pushing Xander into their bedroom and closing the door, making sure he had the garment bag holding his outfit. "We'll be out here, waiting on you." He walked back out to the living room and sank back onto the couch. "Do we have everything?" he asked Methos.

Methos raised one eyebrow. "Yes, Oz, I've gotten everything together and it's all ready and waiting. All we're waiting on now are the guests."

"They'll be here in a half-hour," Ray told him. "They called before they left. Did you move the cars out of the garage so they could get out without bursting into flames?"

"Yes," Methos sighed, getting up to go upstairs and play solitaire on the computer.

Oz looked at Giles. "You want to get ready first or me?"

"I'm getting ready second," Giles told him. "We arranged that last night with the coin toss."

"Oh, yeah, I forgot." Oz got up and went downstairs to get ready.

Giles smiled at Ray, who was already dressed. "We'll all get there eventually," he told him.

Ray nodded, sinking into the chair and closing his eyes. He had time to take a nap now. He'd need it; keeping Xander calm was a hard job and that last half an hour was going to be insane.

***

Oz and Giles stood at the end of the aisle Methos had laid out with flowers and candles, watching Jace fidget. "It fits, right?" Oz asked quietly. "He'll hurt himself if it doesn't."

"Relax, it's a wedgie," she whispered, giving him a smile. She stood up straighter as Ray opened the sliding doors and stepped aside. Then her mouth fell open, as did everyone else's who was attending.

Xander, at least they assumed it was Xander since they couldn't see him, walked out into the twilight. He was covered, head to toe, in thin red silk with gold and silver embroidery. He stepped one step closer, his foot coming out from under his veil, showing off the rings on his toes. They could faintly hear bells ringing as he stepped. Apparently Xander had decided to take an Indian custom and wear all his jewelry to show his new husbands his wealth and dowry.

Oz wiped his mouth off and held out a hand. "Come to us, Precious."

Xander moved closer, stopping a step away from them.

Giles held out his hand. "Come, Precious. We're waiting on you."

Xander took their hands under the veil and his head turned to face Ray. Ray nodded and he stepped closer to his future husbands. "Will you protect and care for me?" he asked just loud enough to be heard.

"As always," Oz said, bowing to him. Giles followed his lead. "May we see you, Precious?" Xander tipped his head down, letting Oz see the small platinum pin holding his veil down. Oz stepped closer and undid the pin, motioning Giles to help him remove the veil. Ray stepped up behind them and took the veil, making sure that none of it touched the ground. He folded it over his arm and handed it to Cordelia, who had been asked to hold it during the ceremony.

Methos' and Richie's mouth fell open as they saw Xander's outfit. It was pants of the same material, in the same pattern as his dance pants. Loose, flowing, tied in front and the ankles, but you could see the outline of his cock through it quite clearly. You could almost see the color of his skin, but not quite...it was the most frustrating and erotic thing the men had ever seen. He was shirtless, and his chest glowed with something that could almost be glitter, but it wasn't visible.

Methos blinked and looked up at Jace. Jace smiled down at them, opening the scroll with the wedding ceremony Oz had written on it. "Friends, brethren. Lovers," she said, nodding at Xander. "We are gathered here to rejoice in the union of these three men. If there are any objections, I'm siccing Xander on you." Cordelia snickered. "Shh," she said, smiling at the young woman. "Oz, do you accept the challenge Xander has presented you with? To protect him, to honor him, to cherish him as your love?"

Oz coughed and then kissed the back of Xander's hand, avoiding his many bracelets. "I do," he said, looking into the chocolate brown eyes. "As he has submitted himself to be mine, so shall I take him and keep him. I will keep him safe from all that would object to us or try to harm us. I will make sure he has all he needs and most that he desires. I will keep him healthy and happy as I am able."

Xander smiled at him. "I accept." He looked at Giles.

"Rupert, do you accept the challenge Xander has presented you with? To protect him, to honor him, to cherish him as your love?"

"I do," he said, smiling at his lover, taking his other hand and kissing it. "I will help Oz protect and cherish him, and will do so in my own right. For whatever Xander lacks in Oz, I shall be to him, and I will be the same to Oz." He took Oz's free hand and kissed the back of it. "To you both, I pledge myself."

Xander smiled and kissed him lightly on the lips. "I accept you as an equal to us," he said, wiping off the moisture from his kiss. He looked up at Jace.

"Xander, do you challenge these men to cherish, protect, and love you?"

"I do. As such, I shall let them know when I am needy, when I have something that is missing, when I need their attention to protect me or to hold me." His smile got brighter as he heard the sniffling from the crowd. "I will allow them to cherish me as I do them. I will love them as they do me. For however long we live, they are mine from this point forward."

"So be it," Jace announced. "These men are bound. By all that was once Holy and all that is still Holy, I announce them joined. Step forward to witness the binding."

Cordelia stepped forward. "I witness," she said, handing the veil back to Ray. "I witness their love and their devotion. Let none harm them before going through me." She glared at the rest of the crowd, who backed away from her.

"I witness their love and devotion," Buffy said, stepping forward, startling Giles. He hadn't seen her hiding behind Angel. "Let none harm them before going through me." She smiled at Giles. "And I'm still a formidable fighter."

Jace nodded. "Let us rejoice then, and let us feast!" She rolled the scroll back up and handed it to Ray, walking down to kiss Xander on the forehead. "You are bound by all that I have ever found Holy." She did the same to the rest of the couple. "Inside," she ordered. "And someone blow out the candles. It's fire season out here."

Everyone trooped inside, followed by the happy couple.

Methos leaned over to Ray. "Did you know about that?" he whispered.

"Richie did," he answered back, stealing a kiss. "I found out when I went in to get him. I had to help him with the veil." He winked and walked into the bedroom, going to put Xander's veil on the bed. He brushed the single blade of grass off the bottom of the veil and tossed it away. Xander would be devastated if he found out it had touched the ground.

"Did it?" Xander asked from the doorway. "Did she drop it?"

"No," Cordelia said, following him in to give him a hug. "It picked up a blade of grass from the chair but I couldn't pick it off without you noticing." She smiled at Ray. "Shouldn't we make him change? He looks cute, and I'm sure his lovers are getting a thrill at being able to see everything he has in shadowy detail, but I'd like to see the other outfit."

"Okay," Xander said happily, turning to give her a hug. "Go wait, I'm changing. Ray, are you helping me?" he asked when the young man hadn't moved. Ray shook his head and left the room, closing the door. Xander walked into the bathroom, where his second outfit was, and closed the door. He had to prepare himself for his husbands.

Richie tapped on Xander's door a few minutes after he had disappeared, sticking his head into the bedroom. "You almost done? Everyone's hungry," he called.

"Coming," Xander said, and there was running water. He walked out with his silver velvet pants, which had long slits in the side, and a pewter tank top. "See," he said, turning around so the young man could see it. "So?" he asked.

"You look good." Richie opened the door. "Come on. You've got to cut the sheet cake." He led the way out, stepping out of the way so Oz and Giles could see him.

Oz handed him the knife, licking his lips at the outfit his lover wore. "You look radiant," he said, stealing a kiss. "Come cut this with us so we can feed the starving horde."

Xander grabbed the knife with him and cut a line, sharing the knife with Giles to cut the second one, then letting those two share to make the third cut to get a square of cake out of the side. He held the plate it was placed on and picked off a corner, feeding it to Oz as he was fed by Giles and Oz fed Giles. Then he fed Giles as Oz fed him and Giles fed Oz. Everyone clapped and Ray whistled. Xander licked his fingers off and took that piece of cake, going to sit down in one of the chairs.

Someone chose that moment to try and get through the door. Amanda and McCleod met with seven swords pointed at them. "Oh, my," she said, rubbing her throat. "Did we miss a party?"

Xander got up and walked over to them, giving her a smile. "Oz made an honest man out of me and Giles." He waved them inside. "Come in, if you want to celebrate with us."

She smiled and kissed his cheek. "Congratulations." She smiled at Oz. "I promise to be good if you do," she told him.

Oz put away his sword and all the others disappeared, except Buffy's and Angels, who went back into holders on their backs. Buffy looked at Giles. "Where did you hide yours?" she asked him. "I want to learn that trick."

Xander turned his head and smiled at her. "Oz won't teach me that either." He winked at Ray, the only mortal he knew who knew that trick. "Come in, Amanda, Mac. Party with us. We ordered enough for a royal feast." He led her to the table, letting Oz cut her a piece of cake. "Why did you come?" he asked as he led her out onto the patio around the pool, where most everyone else was congregating and playing with the animals.

"He wanted to have a talk with Joe and Richie. He's going back into seclusion to think and he wanted them to watch his things for him."

"He almost lost his head," Oz said as he walked over to where they were sitting. "You're always welcome here as long as you don't try to steal from us again." He took a bite from his cake and smiled at Methos. "You did great, old guy."

"Thank you, Oz," Methos called, feeding Ray a piece of his cake.

Oz looked at Xander, and at his outfit. "I'm really glad you didn't wear that earlier," he said, stealing a kiss. "I would have hated to need sunglasses as sunset hit you."

Xander grinned. "I wanted to share some of our trip with everyone here," he said, waving a hand around. He got up as Willow walked past, giving her a hug. "Hi, you came," he said happily.

She smiled up at him. "Yup, I came. And I'm staying in LA. I need my sire." Xander gave her a squeeze. "Thanks. For all of it."

"Hey, we love you," Oz said, holding out a hand to get his own hug. "It's more platonic now, but we do still like you lots."

She smiled at them, wiping her cheeks off. "You guys are just *so* perfect." She got free and walked away, going to sit beside Angel.

Methos cleared his throat and stood up. "In ancient times, which this ceremony had hints of, it was usual to mark one's bride. Some did it with a tattoo." Oz grunted in annoyance and he smiled at his student. "Some people did it by marking them with a necklace. Others did it with a chain around the stomach."

"But which do we do that to?" Buffy asked. "Do we do it to Xander, or to Oz and Giles? It sounded like he owned them or those two owned him, I'm not quite sure which."

"We do it to all three," Ray told her.

"And since there are three, we decided to do a little mixing and matching of our own. We, Joe, myself, and Ray, have gotten together to buy you a gift. Because of certain...allergies of the couple, we've decided to make them in platinum." He pulled up three long, thin boxes. "Step forward and be marked as each other's."

Oz took the boxes and looked inside them. "You bought us t-collars?" he asked, pulling out the first line of chain. He nodded Giles over, watching as he took off his shirt. "You can take this off only for a good reason," he said.

"Only when at least one of you agree," Methos corrected. "Or if Xander's kidnapped again and they take it off him, but then he's honor bound to kick their ass and get it back." Mac glared at him and mumbled something too quiet to hear, earning a look from Methos. "Or his mates," Methos amended. "Sometimes Xander's too pissed to fight back without killing them both."

Oz nodded. "Don't worry, we always go after him."

"I don't think that they need to ask to take it off when they take a shower," Giles told him, turning the conversation back to the present.

"You mean you don't shower with them, Xander?" Ray asked.

"Nope, Oz refuses to. He said that he needs *some* time away from me." He grinned and winked at his best friend. Everyone laughed.

"I do," Oz complained. "Xander, want a new pattern?" Xander leaned over and gave him a kiss. "Thanks. Is that a yes?"

"Sure, I'll take some new patterns so you can have some time alone." He worked the clasp on the stomach chain to Giles' set, watching as Oz got the necklace part. "Those are cool."

"Good. Strip, shirt only," Oz amended as Xander reached for his drawstrings on his pants. Xander grinned and took off his shirt, and a few of the girls gasped. "What?" He looked down at himself and frowned at the red marks. "Hey, someone gave me lipstick kisses," he complained.

Oz wet a napkin in his glass and wiped off the lip marks. "It's the Monsoon demon," he mumbled. "He was watching."

Xander stopped his rant with a kiss. "Then he knows that he can't ever get between us again." He stepped between Oz's legs, letting him wrap the stomach chain around his middle.

"The other box," Methos told him. "That one's yours."

Oz switched boxes and pulled out the last set, wrapping them around Xander's stomach while Giles got his neck. Then he stood and took off his shirt, letting Xander get his neck and Giles his waist to avoid any temptation of Xander's naughty side. They all pulled back on their shirts and sat back down to applause.

Angel stood up. "I couldn't think of what to get you three, so we, as a family, got you something practical." He was handed a long box by Buffy and Willow, and walked it over to Xander. "For the times when they're not there," he said, presenting it to him and stepping back.

Xander unwrapped the gold paper, inhaling sharply as he saw the sword inside it. "Oh, my," he said, standing up to hold the sword up. "And it's something I can use too."

Methos took it and looked at the handle. "McCleod, let me see your sword."

"It's the same maker," McCleod said after pulling his sword to compare them. "This sword is older than most of the people here. It was made in Japan approximately nine hundred years ago." He bowed to Xander. "It's got a unique balance. If you need information on caring for it, I've written them down for the person who gets mine after I'm gone." He sat down.

Methos walked the sword back over and carefully presented it. "I'll help you learn the sword later," he promised. "Each one is different and you must practice with that one."

Xander nodded, wiping off a tear. "Thank you, Angel. This is really special to me." He carefully put the scabbard on his back by the red leather strap. "I'll cherish this as much as I do Oz and Giles."

Willow sighed. "I knew it was the right gift. It was in bad shape when we got it. Angel spent almost a week shining it up."

Oz nodded at him. "Thanks."

"Hey, I was going to give it to him anyway," Angel said with a shrug, going back to his seat.

Amanda reached into her purse. "Well, I obviously didn't come with a present but I do have a gift for the young ones." She walked over and whispered in Xander's ear. He beamed up at her and she pressed something into his hand before going back to her seat. "What?" she asked innocently when Methos looked at her. "It was a private gift."

Xander pulled Methos down and whispered in his ear. "Oh," he said, his eyes going wide. "Yes, that would be a most useful gift in this family." He smiled at Amanda. "Let's remember things like allergies though."

Xander winked at her. "We'll talk later, before I kidnap my mates and make everyone run for cover." Everyone laughed, except Oz, who blushed and shook his head.

"I lost the bet," Oz told Giles. "How much did I owe you?"

Giles smiled. "I'll let you work it off," he said with a leer.

Oz got up and went into the house, coming back with his sword. "Any jokes and you get it."

Everyone laughed, except Amanda, who blushed. "My, Oz, are you a bit possessive?" she asked jokingly.

"Yup," Oz said seriously. "Xander's mine, and so's Giles." He sat down and looked at everyone.

Joe leaned over to Amanda. "He's a berserker, you won't win," he told her.

Angel looked at Oz, his mouth open. Oz nodded. "Which is why I don't fight that much."

"Which is why I got fight training," Xander said proudly. "And why I got so good."

"So we heard," Joe said, smiling at him. "How do those feel?"

"Feels good," Xander said, touching the necklace. "It feels right actually." He smiled at Giles. "I can see someone's going to have to get used to it though."

"Yes, well, I've never been used to necklaces, much less things shifting around my waist and down my chest." He pulled Xander's head over for a kiss. "You, though, are in for quite a time later. We're going to make you clean up your craft room."

Xander grinned. "Is that *all* I have to do?" he asked sweetly.

Angel started to laugh. "Giles, give it up, he's going to talk you into the bedroom one way or another."

"And he's got a beautiful bed," Buffy added. "Maybe they'll be able to admire the view tonight?"

Oz shook his head. "Haven't yet."

Xander blushed. "Like you complain."

Methos snickered and walked back to his seat. "I think that's all we have for you three. Unless someone bought them an individual present."

"I did," Cordelia said, standing up and walking a small envelope over. "I figured you'd like this," she said with a smile to Xander. "Maybe you'll even convince your men to go with you. Oz could definitely use some moisturizing."

Xander opened the envelope and grinned up at her. "Thanks, Cordy." He held it up. "She got me a spa gift certificate and a year's membership." Methos clapped. "Oh, and I will get Oz moisturized tonight, don't worry about it. I intend to pamper them later."

"Naughty," Oz sighed. "Not in front of the guests."

"Yes, Oz," he said, grinning his most lecherous grin at him. "I'll be good."

"You'd better be good," a new voice said from the doorway. "I challenge the immortal," he said coldly, looking at Giles. "You killed my student."

"Your student killed my teacher," Giles said, equally cold as he stood. "We're having a celebration, this is not the time for this."

"That's why I'm here," he said, throwing back his hood to show his bald, pale white head. "You took my life from me, now I take yours from you."

Xander pulled his new sword. "You dare interrupt my wedding?" he hissed, getting between his lover and this strange man. "Know this. Even if you won, your life would be over." He looked him over then spit. "No real man interferes with a marriage ceremony or it's reception."

The immortal looked this young man over. "You're not one of us, yet you talk like you are." He looked at the hard faces around. "My student did this?"

"Your student killed Connor McCleod. I was honorable enough to wait for his quickening to die down and for him to be able to grasp his sword before challenging him," Giles stated. "Name yourself and we'll go battle." He pushed Xander down into his chair, looking at him. "You may not kill him if I die."

"It's a losing battle," Oz told him. "He knows he can't interfere, but I wouldn't count on your winning opponent making it for very long. Xander's got enough of what I am in him to lose it when we're gone."

Methos nodded. "I've noticed." He looked at this stranger. "Know this, imbecile, you challenge my student. If you win, I will challenge you next. You will not walk out of here alive."

McCleod stood up. "Let me. He killed my clansman. It's my right to have him first." He nodded at Giles, almost bowing. "Thank you for avenging him when I wasn't able. Do you want this challenge or do I take it?"

"I remove my challenge," the man said, looking at Xander, who was burning holes through him with his stare. "The young one was right. I have no business interrupting a happy occasion. It was my grief that drove me to it." He bowed deeply to Giles and Xander. "May you two have happiness together. I will avenge my student tomorrow."

Giles bowed back. "I'll await you here." The stranger left and everyone relaxed. He looked at the crowd. "I wouldn't worry about it. His student was foolhardy. He couldn't hardly fight at all." He looked at McCleod. "He tripped over the other man as he fell. That's what did him in. The young immortal was faster to his feet. He kicked Connors' sword...." Xander placed a hand on his arm.

"Why don't you two go talk about it," Oz suggested gently. "That way you don't have to deal with it alone."

McCleod stood up. "I'd be honored to hear about that fight," he said, waving a hand at the house. Giles followed him inside.

Xander looked at his sword, then easily put it back. He knew Amanda was looking at him, but he didn't care. He had to make Giles forget about his challenge for tonight. He looked over at Oz and grinned. "I think we need music. Ray, weren't you in charge of that?"

"Yup," Ray said, getting up and going inside. After a few seconds, music floated out the open door. Something light, contemporary, but without words. "There ya go," Ray said, walking back out. He walked back in when he heard the phone and came out a few minutes later, giving Xander a hug. "Stop me from exploding," he begged quietly.

"Shh," Xander said, pulling him down into his lap for a hug. "Who was it and why do I have to go beat them?"

"That was my boss. Chicago wants me to come back and go undercover as a hooker."

"No way in hell," Xander said coldly. "Haven't you applied out here?"

"Yeah, but they won't release my service record without me coming back to at least fill out the paperwork again in person."

Methos walked over and took Xander's chair so he could take his lover back. "What did they do this time?"

"They won't release my records without my coming back. They're pushing for me to do that job still."

"Over my dead body," Methos said quietly. "I'll go back with you."

"So will I," Xander said, looking at him. "No one gets around me easily." He gave Ray a squeeze and shifted him back to his lover under Oz's watchful gaze. "Chicago's being crappy to him."

"Then *we'll* go fix it," Oz told them. He looked at Ray. "What do you need most? Your records or their consent to let you leave?"

"I already quit, they're saying that they lost the paperwork," Ray told him.

"Oh, let me," Angel said with a cold smile. He got up and walked over, smiling at Ray. "We all stick up for each other around here, even for the new members of the group." He smiled at Xander, who grinned back. "After all, we do have a bespelled Spike twiddling his thumbs while his conscious works overtime on him."

Willow cleared her throat. "Sending him out as a weapon would break my spell."

"Not if we don't send him out," Angel said. He stood up and waved at his table. "Let's go plan how to manipulate him," he told his family, giving Xander a smile before they all left. Cordy mimed 'call me' before she trailed out after them.

Xander looked over at Ray. "Or I can go and fix this too."

"We," Giles said as he walked back out. "Ray, are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Giles. Thanks for askin'."

"Well, you are a member of our group now, and Angel was correct that we do stick up for each other when we need it." He smiled over at Richie, who was talking quietly with Joe. "Even for the ones on the fringes of our group." He caught Joe's eye and smiled at him, getting a nod. The Watcher would take care of Richie tonight so he didn't have a problem with the noise they would be making.

The party slowly faded out, everyone going back to their room, Amanda and McCleod going to the craft room to sleep on the pillows spread around in there. Xander led the way into their bedroom, getting out of the way so his husbands could see the way he had set up the bed. He nodded at Oz, who railroaded Giles into stripping and being tied down before he knew what had gotten to him.

Giles looked up from having rose petals sprinkled across his body. "This isn't my usual position," he noted.

"Yup, but we're going to prove to you yet that you're here as an equal," Oz told him, kissing him.

"Yeah, we all get time down there with you," Xander grinned, sliding his cloth-covered body down his lover's, grinding the roses between the velvet and silk.

Giles pushed up against him, panting as the fabrics rubbing across his cock changed. "Xander!" He tried to grab him when the young man moved, but he got grinned at when he reached the end of his restraints. He growled and started to work on his left wrist restraint with his teeth.

"No-no," Xander said, pulling his mouth away from the strap and possessing it. By the time he pulled back, Giles was breathless and willing to go along with whatever he wanted, just what he had planned. "Now, isn't that better?" he cooed, taking off his own tank top. Giles nodded, watching his new husband be uncovered. "Did you like my outfit?"

"Loved it," Oz told him, reaching around to untie Xander's pants. "I want to see if that glowing stuff goes all the way down. Xander arched up so he could get the pants off him, and Oz nipped him on the back of the neck. "Calm down, you're getting it soon enough," he told his youngest lover. He noticed the gleaming cheeks and looked down at the cleft between them. "Naughty," he mock-sighed, looking at Giles. "He was lubed all this time and not even plugged. How are you going to get that out of velvet?" he asked, kissing the back of Xander's neck.

"I'll wash it," Xander groaned, taking a kiss from Giles. "Same as I will you after we're done." He winked at his lover then turned to look up at Oz, using Giles as a pillow. "Hi," he said, lifting his hips up to rub against Oz's still-covered cock. "Don't you think you're overdressed?"

"Probably," Oz agreed, letting Xander go. "Why don't you have Giles while I go shower? I'm sweaty and nasty." He stood up, watching as Xander crawled up Giles' body for a kiss before planting himself firmly down on him. "No foreplay?" he asked.

"Later," Xander promised, grinning at him. "After I have Giles." He leaned down for a hug while he was riding the immobile man. "Want more?" he asked.

"Yes, I'd like some more," Giles said, smiling at Oz. "Go shower. I can handle him alone for a bit."

"Then you're a stronger man than I am." Oz left them alone, going to take his shower.

Xander grinned at his lover. "So, you think you can handle me, huh?" he smirked, being down to lick over the hard, dripping cock. He used every dirty trick he had ever learned to make Giles scream, and when he hadn't after ten minutes, he looked up and smiled. Giles had passed out. "Damn, I'm good," he told himself, getting up to go bother Oz in the shower. "Oh, Oz," he called out as he walked through the door. "I made Giles pass out."

"Huh." Oz stuck his head out of the shower. "Congrats." Xander beamed. "Go finish playing with him and then you can play with me before we get down to the serious honeymooning."

Xander turned and jogged out, taking a flying leap and landing on top of his lover's insensate body. "Giles," he said, waking him up with lots of little kisses. "Time to get up, big boy."

Giles blinked and looked up at his lover. "Xander, please let me up," he whispered. Xander jumped up and released him, helping him sit up. "Thank you. I'll be right back." He walked out of the bedroom while he put on his robe, knocking on the room next door. "Methos, may I talk with you?" he called quietly. The door opened and Ray let him in. "Thank you. I know I'm interrupting, but I'm not feeling the best right now." He sat down on the bed as the room started to spin again. "Oh," he said, grabbing his head. "That doesn't feel that good." He passed out again.

Methos picked up Giles' hand to look at the nails, then leaned down to look at his eyes and smell his breath. "Cyanide," he said, sitting up. "Ray, I need to help him. Can you go get Richie? If he's been poisoned, that one will know." Ray nodded and left, and Methos killed Giles by clamping down on his carotid artery. He looked up as Richie walked in. "What haven't you two eaten together?"

"Almost nothing," Richie said, coming over to sit beside him. "What happened?"

"Cyanide poisoning," Methos said, getting up to close the door. "Let me see your hands. Have you been feeling faint?" Richie nodded. "For how long?"

"A few days," he said, sitting down beside the reanimating body. "Before Xander proposed to him, I think."

"Which would explain why he passed out then," Methos agreed. He looked down at Giles, giving him a faint smile. "I know why that keeps happening. You've got something in your system that's contaminating it. We have to force it out before you worry Xander sick."

"All right. What will help me in the fastest time?"

"The bomb," Methos said, getting up and going into the bathroom. He was in there for a few minutes and came out with a thick, oily glass of fluid. "Each of you drink half of this. Give it twenty minutes and your body will rid itself of *everything*."

Richie grimaced as he drank his portion. "Eww. What is that?"

"Castor oil and Milk of Magnesia," Methos said with a smile. "I've never known it not to work."

Giles got up and ran into the bathroom, and gross sounds came out of the open door.

Richie got up and closed it, looking at Methos. "What did it?"

"I'm not sure. For now, eat things that only one of us have fixed. All right?" Richie nodded. "And whatever you do, don't let Joe eat anything that we haven't fixed."

Richie held his stomach and ran from the room, going to the bathroom downstairs.

Giles walked out of the bathroom, wiping his hands off. "Well, they certainly named that aptly." He turned around and ran back into the bathroom, this time shutting the door all the way.

Methos smirked as he walked back over to the bed and laid down. "But the important thing is that you're fine and that Xander will never find out," he said quietly as he picked up his book. He smiled as Giles walked out of the bathroom wiping his hand off. "Just be careful," he reminded him. "And don't tell Xander."

Giles shook his head. "I'm not that dumb or naive, Methos, but thank you for fixing it." He left the room, going back to his own, where Oz was now lying strapped to the bed. "Did I miss anything?" he asked them, closing the door behind him.

"Just an excellent blow job," Oz told him, waving him over. "What's wrong?"

"Just an upset stomach. Methos had just the thing for it." He looked at the bathroom. "I think I need a shower, before I do anything else. I'll be right back."

Oz looked down at Xander, who was grinning at him. "What did you overhear?" he whispered.

"Lots, but he's fine and so's Richie." He winked. "Methos' got it." He knew better than to tell Oz. What Methos thought he would do was nothing compared to what Oz would do if he found out. Oz was overprotective of Giles, just as much as he was of him. He bent down, going back to his blowjob, taking Oz's mind off Giles' stomach.

Oz growled and pulled Xander's head up, taking control of his mouth. "Enough with the sucking. Do more," he ordered.

Xander grinned and wiggled his way up Oz's body, tempting him with his movements. His new husband grinned as he sank himself down onto his cock and grabbed his hips. "Did you really want me to do more?" he teased, squeezing with his internal muscles. Oz squeaked. "Oh, did you like that?"

Oz pulled Xander's head down and took control of his mouth. "Dance on me," he said against the lips, then his eyes rolled back in his head as Xander did something that he'd never done before. He heard the evil chuckle before he passed out and promised himself to pay Xander back for whatever it was he had done.

Xander hopped off Oz, checking to make sure he was all right. Then he padded into the bathroom and jumped onto Giles' back, riding him. "Hi. Are you okay enough to let me play with you? I heard the first part."

Giles reached back and patted the firm rear. "Yes, love, I feel much better now." He choked as Xander slid his way down his back and slid himself into the hole he had just prepared for later. "Xan... Oh," he moaned, bracing himself against the tiles to take all he was getting. He noticed Oz walk in but he doubted Xander did.

Oz stopped to watch Xander hump Giles like a poodle on top of german shepard, then shook his head, pulling his youngest husband off and bending him over the edge of the sink. "Naughty, naughty you," he chastised, "leaving me like that. Coming in here to hang on Giles' back and screw him into the shower wall."

"I didn't mind," Giles said as he rinsed off. He turned off the water and got out of the shower, pulling Oz away from Xander and bending him over his lap as he sat on the edge of the tub. He stuck his fingers into the slick hole and proceeded to fuck him that way for a few minutes. He spread his legs so Xander could get between them and suck on Oz's cock, completing the circle between them as the young man's fingers found his hole. "Oh, yes," he sighed, coming against the soft stomach.

Oz groaned and came, sitting up so the blood would leave his head for a while. He pulled his cock away from Xander, ruffling his hair. "Who gets tied down now?"

"Me!" Xander said, hopping up to go strap himself down, at least as far as he could.

Oz leaned against Giles' side. "He just did something to me that I've never felt before. It was all inside and it felt like his muscles were sucking on me."

"I'm waiting," Xander called.

"Oh," Giles sighed, standing up and pulling Oz up with him. "We'd best go satisfy him. We can figure out this new trick later, once we've all rested."

Oz patted him on the back. "I can buy us some time." He walked out and unstrapped Xander's wrists, not saying anything about the wet strap on one of them. "You're going to show us what you want us to do to you," he told his lover, pulling out the drawer with their toys. "Pick your weapon and tease us, babe."

Xander leaned over and looked at the choices he had. He pulled out a few and weighed them in his hand, putting most of them back. He ended up with two toys, one a flesh-like, smaller one, and the other the cast made from Oz's cock. He licked over the signature Oz had put on it, making his eldest husband shiver. He laid back on the pillows, letting Giles put a few more under him so he was propped up. He sucked on the Oz-cock, deep throating it a few times before pulling it out to play it around the inside of his mouth, making sure they could hear his sucking. He shook it in his teeth, lightly holding it like he would the real Oz, and Giles moaned, picking up the second toy to use it on him. "Let me," Xander said, taking it from him, moving them both in an intricate rhythm.

Oz sucked in his breath and took the cock from Xander's mouth, replacing it with his own by sitting across his husband's chest. He knew Giles had replaced the one below with himself, both of them energized by watching their lover play.

"Yeah!" Xander shouted, bucking up to get more of both of them.

Oz rode the waves of Xander's chest, leaning forward to let him have more of the cock he was begging for. He came with a grunt as he felt the tongue trying to get inside him, holding Xander's head still so he had to take it all.

Giles thumped Oz on the back as he came and flopped onto his side. "Oh, lord," he groaned. "I think I'm dead."

"Not yet," Oz promised, pulling out of Xander's still sucking mouth. He took a gentle kiss in apology for the roughness he had given him.

"More," Xander demanded, lifting his hips up.

"Babe, we need time to recuperate," Oz reminded him, flopping down to cuddle between his men. And they were his men now.

Xander picked up the toy and stood on the bed, chaining himself to a hidden loop up in the canopy. He used his free hand to use the toy on himself, spreading his legs so he was straddling Giles' body. "I don't," he smirked, starting to move it harder and faster. He came a few minutes later, shooting all over Giles' chest and face. Then he sighed and let himself down, laying between his men. "I think that'll hold me for a few more minutes," he said, closing his eyes.

Oz gave Giles a panicked look, but he got a smile of confidence back. "We can handle this level of need," Giles assured him gently. "We've done it before."

"True," Oz agreed, pulling Xander tighter against him to take a nap himself. He was going to need it.

***

Jace looked across the dining room table at Methos, who looked haggard this morning. "Did they keep you up too?" she asked sweetly.

"Yes," he sighed, picking up his cup of coffee to take another drink of the strong brew. "Between their six times last night and Ray wanting some every time they woke him up, I don't think I got a bit of sleep." Ray leaned over and bit him on the arm. "Oww. Bloody cannibal this morning."

Ray grinned at him. "But I like how you taste," he purred, leaning in for a kiss.

Methos granted him the kiss then pushed him away. "Ray, immortal doesn't mean always ready. No matter what Xander's convinced Oz of." He patted him on the head. "Give me a while to rest, all right? I'd hate to be hard on you, which I tend to get when I need a nap."

Ray shook his head. "I've never noticed it before."

"I've never been this tired before," Methos said dryly. "If we did anything now, I'd fear that I'd hurt you unintentionally. I can be quite savage when I'm exhausted."

"But I still love you," Ray said, giving him a hug. "You can sneak off now and get a nap. They're not up yet."

"Yes, but I'm sure they're going to wake me up if I do," Methos sighed, getting up to go take his nap.

Ray grinned at Jace. "He's a sweetie. He takes very good care of me."

She nodded. "I can see that. Is he going to train you too?" Ray shrugged and she put down her cup of tea. "Ray, I shouldn't tell you this, but you read like a pre-immortal to us. There are many who'd kill you that first time to take your head as you woke up."

He smiled. "I know. Xander told me about that part. Oz didn't want to tell him that either, but Amanda told him that he read like a pre-immie and he figured the rest out. You guys are great at protecting us, but we don't need it. A gun won't stop you permanently, but it'll stop you long enough for me to get away."

Jace smiled, relaxing. "Yes, it will. Just be careful, all right? I'd hate to see Methos falling apart because something happened to you." He got his sappy grin back. "More than already has," she amended. "If you thought he was overprotective before, you're in for a treat now. He's very possessive of what's his. Even more so than Oz can be." She winced as Oz screamed, his voice hoarse from the last night's passion. "Well, they're awake," she sighed, picking back up her tea to take a sip.

"Stop it," Methos called, slamming his door as he stomped down to the trio's room. He shoved their door open, not caring that it hit the wall. "Stop it right now! Some of us haven't slept yet and we'd appreciate having the time to take a nap."

Xander got off Oz and came over to give him a hug. "I'm sorry," he whispered, leading Methos back to his room. "I promise to make Oz be more quiet," he soothed, tucking his friend into his bed. "We won't keep you awake any more," he cooed, kissing him on the forehead. "Comfy?" Methos nodded. "Good. We'll be quiet and you'll nap." He blew another kiss and padded back to his room, closing the door and locking it. He looked at Oz, who Giles had helpfully filled his mouth for. "Thanks." He climbed back onto the bed and went back to his blowjob. He loved his Oz in the morning, it was an addiction now, even stronger than coffee for him.

In the living room, Jace and Ray shared a smile, both going back to their breakfasts.

Richie walked up the stairs from the basement. "Is it safe?" he asked Ray.

"Yup, the naked Xander is safely back where he belongs." Ray pointed at the dishes on the stove. "I made them. Eat. Hey, Joe."

Joe smiled at him. "Was it as loud up here as it was downstairs?"

"No," Ray said with a bright, naughty grin, "you guys got sound proofing."

Jace snickered. "I didn't, and let me tell you, it was an amazing feat those three did last night. It belongs in some record book." She winked at Joe as she pulled up a piece of toast to nibble on.

Joe laughed and went to dish himself up some food. "Ray, thanks for feeding us."

"No big. I'm used to being the first one up becausa work and all." He looked toward the back room where he could hear people moving around. "Sounds like more grumpy people are up," he noted.

Amanda walked out, fluffing out her hair. "Do they ever stop?" she complained. She patted Ray on the head. "Where's your other half?"

"Back in bed." He smiled up at her. "How did you sleep?"

"Sleep?" she asked with an enigmatic smile. "I think we got some." She winked at Joe. "How was your rest?"

"It was more peaceful that everyone up here," he told her, handing over a plate. "Ray cooked."

"Good. I'm horrible at the domestic applications." She dished herself up some of the food and went to sit beside Ray. "When is Methos going to teach you how to fight?"

"He might not," Jace said. "Ray's a Police Officer. He's trying to switch to a department out here, but Chicago is being most uncooperative."

Amanda raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?" she asked, faking disinterest. "Maybe they need a friendly chat with Ray to make things go smoother?"

"They're trying to blackmail me," Ray said, staying calm. "They're not getting me to go undercover again; I refuse to lose myself to the streets ever again."

"Good," Jace said, letting her pride echo in that one word. "We'll help any way we can."

"I can get someone to talk to the LAPD if you'd like," Amanda offered. "I know a few people in there that might be able to help you get on faster."

"Nah, I want to work for a small department," Ray said wistfully, looking around the house. "I want a place like this, with better security, and no more Vice assignments, somewhere that the homicide rate is below eight percent."

"That leaves this town out," Jace said.

"Yeah, but there's this nice town about thirty minutes away," Ray told her excitedly. "They've got an opening for a detective and I applied. I should be hearing something any day now." He looked at Amanda. "I even told them about my problems with Chicago. I'm not the first person they've heard this from. A few years ago, they got someone from New York with the same problem." He checked his watch. "I'm going to go check my mail." He brought his plates into the kitchen then jogged upstairs to use the computer. "What's the password?" he called down.

"Which account," Oz called hoarsely, opening the door to go up and help him.

Xander walked out wearing a pair of dance pants and sat in Ray's chair with a hiss of pain. He grinned at the women. "I didn't make the sound," he told them quietly.

"Of course you didn't," Amanda said, reaching over to pat his hand. "Would you like your craft room back? I straightened up a little last night, just enough to spread out the pillows."

Xander got up and ran into his craft room, coming back after a few minutes. "You didn't mess up the forms," he said, giving her a hug before sitting down. "Thank you."

"Sweetie, I used to work with a seamstress. I know what not to touch." She smiled at Jace. "As I'm sure she does."

Jace nodded. "She does. She remembers those days quite well. Trust her, if she had the money, she'd be going to a designer all the time." She looked at Xander, who got a wicked glint in his eyes. "I'll come to you sometimes, but not enough to bother your men."

He nodded excitedly. "I'm starting to get really good and change patterns now. Give me a year and I'll be good enough to take a design you give me and make it."

"I'll keep that in mind," she said, giving him a smile. "A warm bath might be in order."

"Giles is in there," he said proudly. "He's *sore*."

"Honey, so are you," Jace reminded him gently.

"Yeah, but I've got a reputation to uphold," he said, winking at her. "I'll be fine. I'll get a long bath later."

Oz walked down the stairs and grinned at Jace. "I heard that," he said happily. "You admitted that you're sore. The first time in the three years I've been with you." He stole a kiss. "Want me to go run you a bath in Ray's room?"

"Nope. I'll do it in our room after Giles gets out."

"Come get me when you get in," Oz told him. "I'll spoil you this time, like I was going to in LA." He kissed the top of Xander's head. "How's everyone else?"

"Tired," Amanda said sweetly. "There seems to have been a bit of noise...." Xander was blushing so she stopped. "We got to sleep well enough," she admitted, trying to keep him calm. "McCleod snores, he can sleep through anything."

Oz shrugged. "It was a honeymoon. What else did you expect?" He walked into the kitchen, looking at the mess. "Who cooked?"

"Ray," Jace said, gathering her plates together and bringing them in. "I could fix you something so you can rest," she offered. "I know how much you hate to cook."

"I like to cook for Xander," he told her, patting her on the arm. "I've learned that cooking wasn't evil. Don't worry about our starving."

"He's even pretty good at it," Xander told her. "Which is good, 'cause I can make microwave stuff but that's about it."

Amanda looked at him. "You can't cook?"

"I can cook enough to feed a bachelor," he corrected. "Which I'm not anymore. But Giles can cook pretty well, and Oz can cook pretty well, so all I have to do is dress up the table."

Oz looked at his husband. "And do the dishes."

Xander grinned. "Me?" he asked innocently.

"Yes, you," Oz told him, walking out to give him a hug. "We'll teach you how to cook. Don't worry about it." He looked at the remains of breakfast on the table, then at Xander. "What would you like? We should still have a bagel or two."

"Okay," he said, rubbing down Oz's side. "Just as long as you make it for me, we're good to go. What about Giles?"

"He wasn't hungry yet," Oz said as he walked back into the kitchen. "I'll make him something soon."

Methos walked out of his bedroom and over to where Oz was, examining what he was pulling out. "Not that," he said, taking the leftover pastries from yesterday away. "They're not fit to eat without warming up again." He put them back and gave Xander a hug. "May I please nap for a bit? I couldn't get to sleep until you were all out of that blasted pleasure hole you call a bedroom and the noise stopped."

"Sure," Xander said graciously. "Nap away. I'm going to bathe later."

"Thank you." He and Xander looked at each other and Xander nodded, so Methos went back to his room and his nap.

Oz looked at Xander, staring at him. "What?" he asked, gripping the edge of the counter.

"Nothing," Xander said. "Methos said something tasted funny yesterday."

"Uh-huh." Oz walked out and pulled Xander's chair back, sitting in his lap. "I can tell when you lie, you're not very good at it with your friends," he reminded his new husband. "Don't start us off like this."

"It's nothing," Methos called.

Xander gave Oz a helpless look. "It's nothing," he repeated.

Oz got up and walked into Methos' room, coming back a few minutes later. He stared at Xander, who looked pitiful enough. "When did you find out?"

"Last night while you were in the shower. I snuck down to listen at Meth's door."

"Oh." Oz rubbed through his hair. "Does he know what went bad?"

"Nope," Xander said, keeping in his sigh of relief. "All we know is that Giles and Richie both ate it."

"Okay," Oz said, looking at the kitchen. "What have they eaten that we haven't?"

"Sports bars," Amanda said. "I saw him eating one last night after you left for your room."

Oz stopped and looked at her. "True. I haven't eaten any. Giles and he have been working out together, they might have shared." He walked down to the basement, where Richie had retreated to eat in peace. He came back up with the bag of sports bars and took them in to Methos. They could test a few. A few minutes later, his aggravated voice floated down the hall. "That's not botulism, that's Cyanide!" He stormed out and looked down at Xander. "You knew last night?"

"Meth figured out what was making Giles pass out so often and he cleaned both their systems. That's why Giles needed the shower last night."

"We didn't want to tell you," Methos said from the hallway, where he was lounging against the wall. "We know how you can be, and we're very sure it wasn't a move against your family, Oz." He walked closer at the stiffening body. "You trust me as a doctor, do so for your mates. I took appropriate action once I figured out what it was. They're both fine, as evidenced by Richie cleaning out the leftovers."

Oz turned on him. "You should have told me!"

"Yes, I probably should have. Would you have wanted this to ruin your honeymoon?"

Oz shook his head. "I still should have been told. You told Xander."

"No, Xander snuck down and overheard," Xander told him quietly. "I knew how you'd react and I wanted us all to have one night free of stress. Methos sounded like he had it and I was going to help him search for what was contaminated today." He looked up at Oz. "I was trying to keep us all happy, Oz, don't be mad. Please don't be mad," he asked pitifully.

Oz pulled him into his arms, cradling him tightly against him. "I'm not mad at you. I know you were trying to do what was best for us. Was there anything else that might have been contaminated?" he asked his teacher.

"Not unless Richie has been sharing something else with Giles," Methos said lightly. "I've tasted his sports drink last night when I found one in the refrigerator. He's eaten most of what we have and it's been a recent as well as a long term contamination. I think the sports bars are it."

Oz nodded, kissing Xander on the neck. "Fine. Go tell him, I'll go tell Giles."

"He has a challenge today," Xander whispered.

"I know. I'm trying to forget about it too," Oz told him. He gave him a squeeze and walked them both to their bedroom. "Giles, we found what was making you sick," he called from the doorway.

Joe walked up the stairs and looked at the sports bar in Methos' hand. "That's it?"

"This is it, we think," Methos amended. "This is all we could figure out that they alone shared."

Joe nodded, looking around. "I heard Oz get upset."

"He is. He's in their room talking to his lovers. Probably telling them not to keep him out of the loop."

"But, Oz, I'm sore there too," Xander's voice drifted down the hall.

Methos shook his head, hanging it. "I stand corrected. He's making sure they're all fine."

"Oz," Giles called out. "Not yet. I can't take that yet. I'm not ready."

Methos sighed and went to lay down on the couch. "Maybe some space will make them less noisy and I'll get some sleep now."

Jace snorted as she made some more eggs. "Joe, would you like something else? I am a passable cook. I've even taken some lessons from my chefs."

He smiled. "Thanks. I'll take that challenge." He sat down next to Amanda and gave her a smile. "Richie's fine. He's presently sleeping it off too." He looked at the couch as a horrendous snore came from it. "I hope that's one of the dogs."

"One of the human variety," Jace said, giving him a brilliant smile. "He used to snore so *horribly*," she complained. "It was hard enough to get to sleep on the trail, but with him snoring it was impossible. Oz and I used to take turns clamping his nose shut." She cracked the eggs into the bowl. "Scrambled okay, or did you want fried?"

"Scrambled goes farther," he said, returning her smile. "Jace, we don't have a thing on you in the Chronicles. Would you mind if I talked with you today to put some information in there?"

She laughed lightly. "Me, talk about myself?" She shared a look with him. "That used to be one of my favorite activities. I even used to have a theme song."

"Please, not that," Methos complained, still sleeping. "Leave Joxer the Mighty dead. Please!"

She laughed again, throwing a bagel at him. "Quit. You definitely need sleep, old one." She winked at Joe. "Of course, but what I can tell you may go against some of your deeply held beliefs."

Joe shrugged. "If it's that odd, I'll have them put it in as 'this is your story, as you told it'. Some will question it but others will look at it as the truth." He leaned on his hands. "How old are you?"

"Let's see, I'm two years younger than a former immie named Theodonius."

Joe nodded. "I remember reading about him. He disappeared, we don't have a clue who killed him."

Methos made a noise and rolled over, falling off the couch. "Damn," he muttered, getting up to go to his room.

Joe saw her frown of concentration and started to get up. "Can I help?"

She shook her head. "There's a story you probably should know but never record, but it's not mine to tell." She looked toward the bedroom, seeing Oz standing in the hall. He nodded to her and went back into his bedroom, closing the door. "But I just got permission. Amanda, can you finish this?" She nodded and got up to help while Jace led Joe outside. "You may not spread this around to anyone," she said quietly, sitting him beside the pool. "Theo still lives. He was one of my two teachers."

"But I thought Methos and Oz were," Joe said, looking confused. She nodded and his face cleared up. "Methos?"

She shook her head. "Oz." She sat beside him. "You know he's a berserker, correct?" He nodded, getting comfortable. "Well, about four hundred years ago, a year before Oz came to be, Theo attacked his best friend because his woman was sleeping with the best friend. Now, this was all her doing. She wasn't in love with Theo, she was using him to get to his best friend."

"So, Theo tried to take his head," Joe finished. She nodded slowly. "Then what?"

"Then Theo, once he realized what he was doing, ran away. He was mentally blocked for most of that year. His friend stopped in to ask if I had seen him, and when I found out, I helped in the search for him. We found him on a cliff in Greece, where his temple used to sit. The one his teacher and friend had saved him from. He thought it was back then. He was even speaking in Ancient Greek."

"So, Theo changed and became Oz?"

"Who hardly ever fights," she noted. "He can't. Whenever he does now, he loses control. So far, Xander's the only one who can bring him back. Oz becomes possessive to the point of needing to claim his mate. It happens when he dies also."

"So the whole trip to your place after Chicago was all to help him?"

"Yes, and to protect Xander. At the end of that trip, I found out that Xander can handle him in that state and bring him back. He's very good at it actually." She smiled at the house. "Those two are meant to be together. Giles will be here and there in their relationship. He's going to use his eternity to study everything he can."

"That's what he's good at though," Xander said from the doorway. He closed the door behind him and walked out. "Joe, we know you know why you have to protect Oz, but do you know why you have to protect me?" Joe shook his head so he sat down next to him. "The binding spell worked. Same as it did for Meth and Ray. I'm reading as a pre-immortal by all the immies around." He pulled out a dagger and sliced into the back of his hand, watching as the flames sprung up to heal him. "I do it a little differently, but I still do it somewhat, only I scar." He put away the dagger and looked at Jace. "Amanda knows, she thinks I'm some strange immortal. We're not spreading around this spell though, it's too dangerous. Mostly for the immortal."

Joe nodded slowly. "I heard that Oz had a problem with his quickening a few years ago. Was that...." Xander held up a hand.

"Yeah, it was. And I helped solve it." He showed off the pale, thin scars across his chest. "I helped cure him, but I doubt that a one-on-one thing would work. When we did the spell, I got linked to Connor, Giles, Oz, and Methos. Ray's linked to all *three* of us." Joe started. "Yeah, I felt it too. He doesn't know that, and he won't if I have my way. He's very insecure about me taking Methos from him, but he shouldn't be. Methos and I consider each other fun for a while, but nothing else." He smiled at Jace. "As someone has seen on her security cameras."

Joe coughed. "All right. If that works, then what else works?" He looked at Jace. "What else is real?"

"For one, the old Gods are," she said calmly. She looked at Xander, who left. "Joe, this is a strange, twisted, heartbreaking tale to me. I used to be a man named Joxer. I fell under a curse from Hera." She held out her arms. "The Gods helped me to become what I am today. They changed me when I refused because it had to be. I had to stop them from dying and taking the world with them."

Joe went pale. "Are they still around?"

"It's a matter of belief," she told him, reaching over to touch his hand. "I'll give you the whole story, but it cannot be recorded in any way. They've demanded it."

"I'll make up a lie," he said quickly. "I'll mention you, how old you are, who trained you. That you've been seen. Can I mention the resort?"

"Of course," she said with a smile. "It will be like free advertising. Make sure it's known to be a neutral place. I refuse to have any more Watchers there that try to kill an immortal."

He nodded. "I heard about that, that's how I learned of the resort." He leaned closer. "What did Xander do that got him in the news? I never heard the whole story."

"He danced," she said smugly. "He's very good." She leaned closer. "It's positively sinful, the way he moves when he dances or fights." She leaned back again. "Like I said, I used to be known as Joxer. Or as I called myself, Joxer the Mighty. I was learning how to be a warrior from a woman named Xena."

"I know that name," Joe said, surprised. "She saved a few of you."

"Including me," she told him with a smile.

***

Joe finished up his report and ran it through the fax machine, with the cover sheet overtop. He picked up the finished pages and folded them up to put them in his pocket. He jumped as the machine started, reading the pages that came back out. He took them down to Xander, who was probably going to be the best to help him. "You guys made the Chronicles," he said, sitting down next to him and handing over the paper.

Xander read it and snorted. "Uh-huh. Why do they want to know about me?"

"Because your family's last Watcher thought that you were an immie when you pulled out your sword during McCleod's and Richie's talk."

"Excuse me?" Oz asked from his reading corner, making Joe notice he was there. That guy could hide amazingly well in plain sight, you could look directly at him and never notice he was sitting there. "They thought he was an immie?" Oz asked, getting up to walk over and look down at them. "They did?"

"They did," Joe agreed. "And now they want to know who and what he is, which means I need a story."

"Tell them the truth," Xander suggested. "I'm an anomaly. I'm not an immie, but I'm married to one and I'm going to be living a very *long* time."

Joe smiled. "If I do that, someone's going to want to know why."

"Not necessarily," Oz said, sitting behind Xander once the young man had gotten up. He pulled his husband into his lap. "I've seen one of the Chronicles. There's some things in there that have never been explained."

"Yeah, but a lover of an immie, who's not an immie but will live forever, isn't one of them," Joe told him.

"Well, Amanda thinks I'm some strange sort of immie," Xander offered. "Put it in as interviews with the other immies here, ones that they know you know, that say that I'm not an immie, but that I'm a something that they can't identify. Have them state that I did something to keep myself with my men forever, or for as long as they live. Oh," he looked back at Oz, who nodded. "Giles said that he's willing to preform the spell, as long as the immie truly wants to be with that one person forever."

"Like that Kate woman, the mercenary," Oz added. "She and her man. They're very together too."

"We could let it slip to them," Joe agreed. "She knows her Watcher." He looked at Oz, who nodded. "What about the needing more than one immie part?"

"I'm sure she could fix that problem," Oz told him quietly. "Speaking of which, he'd better start getting Willow to preform it. We don't want too many immies linked to him."

Joe chuckled. "Yeah, that's a good consideration."

"Is that why Methos feels so different now?" Amanda asked as she walked down the halls. "Whatever Oz did to Xander to make him one of us was linked to him?"

"It's a spell linking our energies, our quickenings, to his life energy," Oz told her. "And yes, probably. I've noticed that I can tell when Methos and Ray are about to walk in, they do feel more...familiar isn't quite it."

"Then the real question becomes does it link the immortals," Amanda said, sitting down in a chair. "What about when the Gathering happens?"

"It won't be," Joe told her. "Giles found that out. He's working with me to prove it."

Amanda's mouth fell open. "It won't? Then why have we continued to fight?"

"Because it's an innate drive," Oz told her gently. "And to weed out the bad ones for some of us." He squeezed Xander. "Giles found where the endgift was coming from and he found out that the demon who was offering it was dead."

She gave him a hard look. "Demons don't exist."

"And neither do vampires, right?" Xander asked. She nodded. "Then how do you explain Angel, Willow, and Buffy last night?"

Her mouth opened and closed, and she shook her head. "This is one of those things that I need to see to believe. Is this ...spell available to all?"

"It's got to be given to those who want their lovers forever. Not in the flush of first love, not the comfy companionship that we can get. The true, heartwarming, I'm going home to them tonight, sort of love. It won't work otherwise. That's the stipulation."

"From what Giles said when we were talking about it, those companionship relationships would be killed off if they tried. He said it has to be love," Xander told her. "We're going to have to make sure that they understand this, we don't want a grieving immie to come after us."

"True," Oz agreed. "I'll talk with Giles about it tonight." He looked at Joe. "Who is his challenger anyway?"

"All I know is that he's the teacher of the guy who killed Connor. I've never seen his picture before," Joe admitted. "We have a lot of you, but not all of you." He cleared his throat. "Maybe you should read this," he said, handing over the fax he had received.

Oz read it then nodded. "Tell them Methos killed me. It was a fight over a woman, we were both lit." Xander looked up at him. "Theo's disappearance has been widely wondered about."

"So tell them that you went into hiding, in case you need to become him again. That way you can still be Oz and no one will know." He looked at Joe. "Tell him that Theo had a heartbreaking experience and he went into deep hiding until his grief abated. Say something like only Methos knows where he is."

"Yeah, Methos is still a myth, right, Joe?" Amanda asked.

Joe nodded. "Pretty muchly. Except for certain contributions to the Chronicles by a former Watcher named Adam Pierson, no one's seen him in almost six hundred years."

"Then have him and Theo together," Oz said quietly. "They got into a stupid fight and decided they needed to retreat from life to recuperate and think. When the time's right, they'll come back."

Joe wrote that on the fax. "And we're listing Xander as an anomaly, right?" Oz nodded. "Good. I'll make up something sappy about you said that your love's keeping him with you for however much of eternity you two have." He stood up.

"Mention Giles in that part," Xander reminded him. "It's both of them that love me."

Joe smiled down at him. "Yeah, it is. It's very evident to the rest of us. Oz, can I use your computer?"

"Sure. You might have to kick Meth off though."

"Okay. Thanks." He walked away, going up the stairs. "Oh, you're cute," he said from the hallway.

Amanda looked out and then smiled. "That's Fluffy, Joe. It's Methos' cat."

"You may *not* have my pink one," Methos said from upstairs. "Steal another of Xander's cats if you want one."

Xander looked over his shoulder at Oz. "Does Meth have a second identity?"

"Yup. It's gone away though. He might be making a new one as a different Adam Pierson, I think that's what he's doing now." He shrugged. "It's pure protection once we get old enough." He looked at Amanda, who waved it off as she stood up.

"I don't need one, boys. No one comes after me unless they know me." She walked into the kitchen. "I'm stealing a beer for Mac."

"He may *not* get drunk in this house," Xander said sharply. "No one can."

She looked startled but nodded. "I'll tell him you said that, but I don't think it's going to be a problem." She held up two cans. "Just for us. We're going to go lounge beside the pool."

"Take the animals out with you," Oz told her, resting against Xander's back. She nodded and went outside, after a quick trip to the craft room for Mac. "Relax," Oz reminded him. "We'll cut off the booze before anyone gets drunk and no one's going to hurt you, even if they are allowed. I wouldn't let that happen." Xander nodded and sank back against him. "Good. Let's go get you back into a bath, naughty. I think you'll need one soon."

"Yes, Oz," Xander said, pushing himself up and pulling Oz with him. He had to let go of Oz so his husband could head to the refrigerator and grab the rest of their chocolates. "Pampering me?" he asked, looking at the half-empty box.

"Yup. As always. C'mon. We've got good smelling bubbles for you to use this time." He took his husband's hand and led him into the bathroom, running him a soothing bath.

Amanda looked in from the back porch. "It must be nice to be that in love," she sighed. "But it's got to be a pain in the ass sometimes."

Mac nodded. "Aye. It is." He took a drink and closed his eyes. "At least they're happy now. That's what's important." He took her hand. "We'll find it again one day," he promised her. "There's got to be reincarnation."

"Maybe," she agreed, trying not to think about it. She didn't want to be a child again, not even in this day and age. "Hey, maybe we could come back as the kid's they'll adopt some year."

McCleod laughed. "Maybe. Wouldn't that beat all."

"Yes, it would," Joe said as he walked out. "I can just see Xander trying to teach Amanda how to pick locks." He sat down near them. "I want to get your take on the marriage ceremony for the Chronicles."

Mac smiled. "It was a beautiful mixture of old and new, just like they are."

Amanda agreed. "And Xander's outfit was stunning."

Joe wrote that down. "Thanks, guys. What about Xander? Do you guys want to add anything about him?"

"No," they said quickly, shaking their heads.

"Never say anything about Xander," Amanda said. "There's going to be someone hunting for him if you do."

"He's already hunted," Joe told her. "That boy's been kidnapped so many times it's not funny." He looked at his papers. "From what he said, about seventy times so far."

She shuddered. "I'd hate to be the next one."

"I hated being the last one," Mac said softly, finishing off his beer. "Give me yours."

"We promised, you can't get drunk," Amanda reminded him as she handed it over. "You don't want to fight Xander again, right?"

He turned pale and put down the beer. "I never want to fight that boy again. I just want to know how he learned to move that way."

"He dances," Joe said. "Jace told me."

Amanda smiled. "I saw one of the tapes when we were in Paris. He wanted my opinion on the background, if he should rerecord it or not." She looked at Joe, still smiling. "I've never went on such a toy buying trip before. Met them there too. They were having casts made of each other."

Joe choked. "That I didn't need to know," he said, but he made a note of it. "Those two are amazing."

"Add in Giles and it's a charged situation," Amanda said, looking up at the sunlight. "I like this place. We should think about visiting this area again, Mac."

"With the Hellmouth in town?" Joe asked. "I'm not that brave." He stood up and walked off.

"What's a Hellmouth?" Amanda called after him. "Joe!" She got up to follow him, determined to know what was going on around there.

Bombs Away!

Xander looked up as Joe walked over to him. "Did they buy it?"

"Yes," he said as he sat down, a look of relief on his face. "They were very interested in your wedding, and if anything unusual had happened. I told them no, it must have been before we got here. I mentioned seeing our old Watcher Adam, they sent him many choruses of 'hi' and 'who is Ray'." He smiled. "You are now officially an anomaly in our books."

"Cool. I always liked being different." He winked and went back to his book. "Joe, where would Angel have gotten that sword?" he asked without looking up.

"Not a clue. You'd have to ask the guy himself, or even Mac. He's the resident sword expert." He looked outside. "Mac," he called. The immortal walked over to the door. "Xander wants to know where that sword might have come from."

"I'm not sure," he said as he walked inside. "I've never seen it before, but it's definitely by the same man that made mine." He sat down and looked at Xander. "We know he did a lot of custom work at the time, and we know that he did do a few royal orders."

Xander frowned. "Tell me it's not from the Monsoon demon," he pleaded.

"I don't know about such things, but I doubt it. The sword maker was firmly on the side of good. There's a legend of a Japanese elemental spirit challenging him, he walked away from the challenge, damaging his honor."

"Hmm," Joe said. "So it probably wasn't from him. Then who could have put it where Angel would have gotten it?"

"Oh, I know a few people," Xander said, holding up a finger to answer the phone. "Hello? Hey, Blair." He grinned. "Yeah, my sweeties made an *honest* man out of me." He laughed. "What? No, we did invite Angel though. Yeah, everyone in his family but Spike was there. No, he's come down with a bout of conscious due to a spell. No, Angel's childe did it. No, not that one. Willow. Yeah, her. I don't know, all I know is that it was life or death and he was forced to turn her or he died." He shrugged. "Not a clue, man. What? Really? You didn't have to do that." He smiled, a sappy, warm smile. "Yeah, thanks. Nope, I'll be looking for it. Oh, your new childe? Wow. Very wow. Yeah, I'd like to meet this person." He laughed again. "Thanks, Blair, I'll tell him you said so. Yes, both of them." He hung up. "That was an old friend. Oz!"

"What?" floated down from upstairs.

"Blair is sending us a present via his new childe, whom he wanted me to meet. Seems he found a guy that was a lot like me and turned him."

Oz walked into the living room a few minutes later. "The vampire we had dinner with in Paris?" Xander nodded. "How did he know we were married?"

"Remember when we went to put your name on my account at the demon bank?" Oz frowned but nodded. "Well, they put an announcement in the demon paper for us."

"There's a demon newspaper?" Joe asked.

"Yup. Has been for centuries." He looked up at Oz. "But anyway, his son is coming tonight to threaten you and Giles into treating me well."

"Cool. I'd like to meet the guy that this vampire thinks is like you." He stole a kiss then went back to work. "I'm working on a new program. Call me when he shows up."

"Okay," Xander called. He looked at Joe and smiled. "I made a lot of friends while I was in New York."

Joe choked. "You still keep in touch with them? They let you?"

"Yeah, a few of them and I became friends." Xander winked at him. "Blair's seriously liberal about that. He wanted to meet Oz when we saw him in Paris. Of course, Blair had to take me from a few demons the night he took me from the club, but I guess he's very protective of what's his."

"You're not his," floated down from upstairs.

"At one time, I was his," Xander called back.

"Who's this Blair?" Mac asked.

Xander picked up his book. "A former client of mine." He read the last line on the page and turned it, not looking up. Let him think about that!

Mac spluttered for a second but Joe stared at him. "Oh," he said finally and went back to Amanda and his sanity.

Xander glanced over at Joe. "He thought I was still one and I'm not," he whispered.

"Don't mess with his mind, kid, there's no telling what's going to come out." Joe picked up a book off the coffeetable and read it's title, flipping it open to read the summary.

***

Xander opened the door, smiling at the dark haired man on the other side. "Hi, you're Blair's son, right?" he asked, looking over his shoulder as Oz walked up.

"Come in," Oz said, getting Xander out of the way. "We're used to having vamp friends."

This young man, who did look a lot like Xander, walked into the house and looked around. He was the same height, had the same messy hair, the only real difference was his nose was a little bigger, and this guy had more muscles than Xander would ever have. "My sire sent you this," he said quietly, looking at the floor.

Oz got upset at that. It's a good thing that his Xander had never been that submissive, except on a tape, with him. "Come sit?" he asked, waving a hand at the couch. The vampire walked over and sat down, looking at them.

Xander waited until Oz had sat, then sat in his lap. "So, what's your name?"

"I'm Seth." He smiled. "My sire was right, you do look a lot like me."

Xander nodded, but he was grinning. "Yup. We could be cousins, or brothers." He moved over to the couch, hugging the young vampire. "So, let's see if we are," he said. "Who's your father?"

"Frank."

"Frank what? That's my dad's name too, may he rot in jail."

Seth grinned, and it was almost exactly like Xander's grin when he was young and more innocent. "That sounds like my dad. I don't know his last name, that's all my mother ever got from him. Or at least that's what she told the Social Workers when they came to talk to her." He looked at the floor again.

"That means that you could be brothers," Oz noted. He looked at the fabric wrapped package, then up at Xander. "Want me to open this or do you want to do it together?"

"You open it and come show me," Xander told him. "I want to get to know Seth better. After all, I was offered his position once." One of Oz's eyebrows went up. "It was during that last night," he defended. "How old are you, Seth?"

"About twenty-five."

Xander's mouth fell open. "Gee, I'm twenty-three." He got up and jogged into the bedroom, coming back with the only picture that he had of his natural parents. "Do these guys look familiar?"

Seth ran a finger over the picture, then looked up at Xander. "We're related," he said flatly. "That's the woman who gave me up for adoption."

Oz's mouth almost met Xander's on the carpet. "Oh, wow," Xander said, giving him a hug. "She never said anything about having another child." He sat down beside his brother, both of them staring at the picture. "I know where she is if you want to go talk to her." Seth shook his head. "Okay. Want me to tell Blair for whenever you're ready?"

"If you wouldn't mind, I'd rather not tell him this," Seth sighed, looking at Xander. "I already get compared to you."

"He shouldn't do that," Xander told him, wrapping an arm around him. "You're not me, you've had a whole different set of experiences. And, I noticed something else, you're not real comfortable with the clothes he dresses you in." Xander frowned at Oz, who was holding up a beautiful silver box by the fabric. "What's in it?"

"All I saw was a letter," Oz told him. "Seth, if you wanted, we could help you get out on your own. We do know a Master vampire here on this coast. He could probably shelter you long enough for you to refind your identity."

"Yeah, then you can demand to be treated as yourself," Xander added.

"That would violate protocol," Seth told him. "Sire's very big on that matter."

"We could call him and tell him that we sent you to Angel because he had information on your parents," Oz offered. "I would do it so Xander wouldn't get a chance to bitch him out for it."

Seth looked hopeful. "Really? Would he be mad?"

"I'm not sure. Xander, phone book?"

"Drawer under the phone."

Seth rattled off the number.

"Oh, he's in LA," Oz said, shrugging at Xander's worried look. He dialed the number. "Hey, Blair, yes, he's here. Thank you for the gift. No, he's going to look at it farther. No, they just found out that they share a relative. We were wondering if you'd allow him to be sent to Angel for a few days. No, Angel knows where Xander's mother is and she could fill in a lot of gaps for him." He smiled and looked at the vampire. "No, he just walked out the door. We already told him but he said something about protocol so I was going to make sure. I figured you could always go talk to Angel if it wasn't all right." He grinned. "Would we do that?"

Xander took the phone. "Hey, Blair? Yes, the box was beautiful. No, I let Oz open it while we talked. No, we share at least one parent. I don't know, I gave her money and she left." He snorted. "No, but he seemed awfully confused about us sharing a parent." He smiled. "No, Blair, I'm not trying to take your childe away from you, just ease a bit of his confusion and tension about his past." He smiled. "Of course," he purred. "But do you really want a childe that has longings for his human life?" He chuckled. "Yes, I'll try to not corrupt him too much, Blair. I promise, I won't teach him about GHS at all. Okay?" He mentally cheered and held up a thumb to Oz. "Of course I will. I'll catch up with him and I'll make Angel take us." He grinned. "Yes, dear. You be careful. There's a new Slayer somewhere. No Spike found her dying and turned her. Angel was *not* pleased at his childe's move. He sent his last childe after him for it." He grinned. "Yup, she's safely in LA with Angel. Okay?" He nodded. "Cool. We'll work on that tonight. You can have him back in a day or so." He hung up quickly. "I am to take you shopping, young man," he said, standing up and holding out a hand. "Blair admitted he was making unfair comparisons and I am to take you shopping to get you clothes that you like." He grinned at Oz. "Apparently, Blair's run into an older vampire who told him doing this would only drive him insane and stalker-like. He is graciously allowing me to remake Seth in his own image."

Seth grinned and jumped up to hug them both. "He won't be mad?"

"Nope, he won't be mad," Xander told him. "If he is, and you *ever* need anything, then you come find us. No matter what year it is," he said, pulling back to look at Seth's eyes. "Really. No matter when." Seth looked confused but agreed. "Good, Oz, call Angel and tell him that the three of us are coming."

"Go open your present while I do that," Oz told him, grabbing the phone. He checked for a dial tone then hung it back up a few times. "We got fuzzy lines," he explained.

"Watchers?"

"Which branch?" Oz noted.

"Point." Xander sat down and opened the box, his mouth falling open as he saw the diamond encrusted collar sitting in it. "Oz," he squeaked, picking up the note to read it. He showed it to Seth, who looked like he had been hit with a stake.

"He really wants me to be me?" he asked, sitting down at Xander's feet.

"Yup. He doesn't want a Xander clone," Xander said, giving him a hug. "We'll get you fixed up and Angel will have my mother's addy for you. He's keeping it for me after all."

Oz hung up the phone. "I got Cordy's answering machine. She picked it up at the end and said she'd call him." He looked at the collar. "That's pricy. But I can see you wearing it," he told his husband.

"I can see me wearing it and my ankle chain," Xander agreed, giving him a smile. "Want me to put it in the safe?"

"You'd better. Amanda's still in the craft room."

She came out, peeking around the corner. "Did someone mention me?" She walked over and looked down at the box, inhaling sharply. "Oh, that's *gorgeous*," she said, picking the collar up. "May I? Just for a second, Xander?"

Xander looked at Oz, who nodded. "Sure," Oz said. "As long as it stays here once you leave."

She gave him a dry look. "I promised I wouldn't steal from you guys ever again." She looked down at the young man at her feet. "Um, am I missing a family story?" she asked as she undid the three clasps.

"Yes," Xander told her, motioning her to turn it around. He did the clasps for her and she stiffened then went limp. He turned her around and she didn't resist, she just gave them a smile.

"I feel like a Princess," she said, beaming at them. Then she kissed Oz.

"What the ..." Xander said, jumping up to pull her away. "Mine!" he said.

"If you'd like it that way," she whispered, leaning into him for a kiss.

"Um, I think it's the collar," Seth said timidly.

"Probably," Oz agreed, pulling her off. "GILES!"

Giles walked out of their bedroom and then down at Amanda when everyone pointed at her. "Yes, she has a slave collar on. It renders the wearer mindless except for the subject it's been spelled for." He looked at the three people, staring hard at Seth. "Who put it on her?"

Xander raised his hand. "She wanted to try it on. That's Blair's wedding present."

"Might be handy if it was for obedience," Oz muttered. Giles glared at him. "What?"

"You like me independent," Xander sniffed, going to remove it from her neck. He had trouble with the last clasp and looked over at Giles.

"You have to want to remove it from her," he said gently. "Surely you don't want her attacking either of you again."

Xander nodded and thought for a second, then undid the last clasp. By the time he had stepped back, she looked horrified. "It was the collar," he told her.

"Still believe magic isn't real?" Oz asked her.

She shook her head and ran back to the craft room.

"I'll go talk to her," Giles said, glancing at Seth again. "What were we going to do tonight?"

"Well, this is Xander's brother, Seth," Oz told him. "His sire, Blair, has agreed to give him his own personality back so we're going to go see Angel."

"He's got my mother's address, and he knows all the best vamp places to shop," Xander agreed.

"Ah. Should I wait or would you like some more company?"

"It's up to you," Oz said.

"But I want my new sword," Xander said. He looked down at his outfit. "I need to change anyway." He placed the collar back into the box and took it with him, stopping in Methos' and Ray's bedroom first, then heading into his to go get ready.

"Did the note mention what it was?" Giles asked Oz.

"Not that I saw when I read it. It did say it had an interesting history but that Blair hadn't had time to research it yet." He stopped talking as Xander came back in his blood red leather pants and a tight black t-shirt. And a pair of suede boots. "Trying to fit in?"

"Yup. I figure being dressed as me would bring more attention to us. Besides, I missed my leather pants while we were gone." He looked down at himself. "The boots really don't go, do they?" Oz shook his head. "Okay, give me a sec. I almost put on a different outfit." He walked back into the bedroom and came back a minute later in the clothes he had gotten across the barrier. An even tighter pair of black leather pants, high leather riding boots, and a loose poet's shirt. His new katana was strapped to his side. "Better?" he asked.

Oz licked his lips. "Didn't I say you were never to wear that outfit in public again?"

"Yes, but there's no dragons here that will kidnap me either," Xander said. He pulled Seth to his feet and out to the car. "Come on, Oz, I want to go see my brother in his own outfits."

Oz looked at Giles, giving him a helpless look. "We should be back tonight," he said, heading after his husband. "You sure you don't want to come? I'm sure we could use the extra bodyguards."

Giles smiled. "No, I'll be here later when you take all that energy out on him though." He waved and walked into Methos' room, politely tapping first. "Is the collar somewhere safe?"

Ray grinned. "Yup. How's Amanda?"

"I was just going to check on her. I wanted to make sure that no one would be able to get to it again."

"I hope not," Methos said from behind him. "Didn't the vampire say that he knew what it was?"

"No, from what Oz said, it was a new acquisition and he hadn't had time to research it yet."

"Ah. That explains it." Methos walked over and sat on the bed. "Did Xander take his brother to LA?"

"Yes," Giles said, giving him a smile, "after Oz complained about his second outfit. Something about it being an outfit he had gotten across the gateway?"

Methos swallowed. "The black leather pants?"

"And a loose shirt, a high pair of boots, and his new sword."

Methos nodded. "Good. It's good that one of them's armed." He looked at Ray, who was laughing. "What?"

"Xander told me Oz forbid him to wear that in public again. The last time he did, a dragon kidnapped him."

"Well, he did just say that there weren't any in LA," Giles noted. "Maybe they'll be safe." He smiled at their laughter. "I said maybe," he reminded them, going to check on Amanda.

Methos rolled into Ray's side, hugging him. "At least I don't have those problems with you, dear one."

Ray gave him a squeeze. "Nope. And I'd better never be kidnapped by a dragon either. Xander said the one that had him had terrible manners."

Methos started to laugh again, rolling Ray under him. "Then we'd better never let you near one. I'm sure they'd find you very attractive."

"As long as you come for me," Ray said, lifting his head up to lick across his husband's lips. "Can I be pampered too?"

"Of course. What would you like first? A massage? A bath?"

"Oh, a bath," Ray said quickly, wiggling to get free and jogging into the bathroom. "Meth, when we get a house out here, it's got to have a really nice tub."

"I'm sure it will," Methos said, following him in to pamper his lover the way he deserved.

***

Xander looked up as Angel walked out of the office, getting off the side of the car go give him a hug. "Hi. Blair said he wanted his childe to be himself," he said happily. "Do you have the addy?"

"Yes," Angel said, looking Xander's outfit over. He licked his lips, then noticed the sword. "Good, I don't need weapons," he whispered, getting into the back with Seth. "I'm Angel," he said, holding out a hand.

"I'm Seth. It appears I'm Xander's older brother."

Angel handed over a piece of folded paper. "This is what we know about your mother and where your father is," he said quietly, watching Xander slide into his seat. "Oz let him out in that?"

"Oz didn't have a choice," Oz said from the front seat. "Xander said he wanted to fit in." He looked over his shoulder. "You're in charge of this shopping trip, where to?"

"The demon bank," Xander said, checking his wallet. "I need their ATM."

"Okay," Oz agreed, starting the car.

Angel leaned forward. "You go there?"

"I've had an account with the one in New York since I worked for Devi," he told his friend. "I got some of it switched out here." He waved his ATM card. "I think we'll need some cash to outfit the bro though." He smiled at Seth. "Don't worry, I am the shopping *king*."

Everyone else in the car nodded.

***

Angel glared and hissed at the fourth vampire to come up and ask him if he was Xander's keeper. Oz took the direct route and pulled Xander's sword, walking towards this newest stupid person. "Mine," he growled.

The vampire nodded and backed off.

Angel looked at Oz. "Are you sure the lycanthropy is gone?" he asked.

Oz shook his head. "No, but I don't change anymore so I don't care." He handed Xander his sword when the young man held out a hand. "Sorry, but I got tired of it."

"S'okay, I know you're in protective overdrive," he said, giving him a hug. He flashed his ring at the vampire walking over to Angel and gave Oz a possessive pat on the ass. "He's my toy," he said loudly enough to be heard. "And I'm keeping him!" He put his sword back and went back to helping Seth pick out some jeans.

Angel walked over and looked at the choices in the cart. "He dresses like Spike," he told Xander. "Comfortable, but easy in a fight."

"He grew up in a foster home, I'm sure he's been in a few," Xander told him, looking at his brother. "Is that what you wanted? Street cred stuff?"

Seth nodded. "Please. Some of these overshirts are *way* too airy for me."

"Cool." Xander nodded at a nearby rack. "You'll still need dress clothes, use those for that. Besides, Blair likes the opera."

"I don't," Seth said sullenly.

Xander gave him a hug. "Me either, but it's a good place to go people watch." He picked up a few denim shirts and held them up. "These?"

"Yeah!" Seth said happily, taking them and putting them in the cart. "Who wears silk overshirts?"

"Spike," Angel told him.

"You know Spike, the Spike?" Seth asked, looking at him.

"He's my childe," Angel said with an embarrassed look. "How do you know Spike?"

"He hung with me in New York. He thought I was my brother too for a few hours."

Xander blushed. "He tried to snatch me, but I got stolen from him too." He shrugged at Angel's dirty look. "What? Like it was my fault."

"Point," Oz said, breaking up the fight. "Yeah, we know Spike. He's presently under a spell of conscious, one of Angel's other children did it to him."

"Wow," Seth said. "I've never seen that. Can I come meet your family?"

"Sure. If your sire agrees," Angel amended. "Blair's very big on protocol."

"Cool. I'll call him and ask him." He jogged over to the pay phone and pulled out some change, dialing home. "Father?" he asked. "I met Spike's Sire!" He bounced lightly on the balls of his feet.

Oz leaned closer to Angel. "I remember when Xander did that."

"I still do that when I'm really happy. You complained the whole time we were in Europe that I was bouncing."

"I forgot, I'm sorry," Oz said, turning to give him a hug. He growled at the vampire walking over to them. "What?"

"I'm here at Blair's behest," he said quietly, pointing at the young man. "Is he calling Sire?"

Angel nodded. "Yeah, he wants to come over and meet Spike. Is there a problem?"

"No, Blair wanted to make sure that the boy wasn't getting his brother into trouble and that you weren't making too many comparisons."

Xander shook his head. "Not at all," he told him. "We're trying really hard not to compare us. We're really very different after all." He smiled at him. "I know you. You helped Blair steal me back that one night he took me out."

The vampire nodded then bowed as Seth came over. "Sire wanted me to make sure that you're all right and not being upset any."

Seth gave him a hug. "You kidding? This is *great*, Homer! Not only did I find a really cool brother, who uses a sword, did you know that, but I found Spike's Sire and he's going to introduce me."

"I'd better call Willow and tell her to remove the spell," Angel said, pulling out his cellphone. "Spike wouldn't want anyone to see him this way."

"He's suffered enough," Xander agreed gently. Angel nodded and walked a little ways away. "Seth, he wanted to make sure that you're not being compared to me, and I'm sorry if I've been doing that. I've tried really hard not to do that, and I want you to know that I like who you are. I don't want you to become me in anyway."

Seth gave him and Oz a hug since they were still connected. "That's so cool!" he said, grinning at his minion. "Hey, did Sire send any money with you so the bro here doesn't have to buy my clothes?" Homer handed him a credit card. "Oh, way big spender tonight then." He looked at the rack of clothes and picked up the six closest ones, dumping them into the cart.

"Sire did say for you to get a suit," Homer told him. "Something respectable. He said something about meetings with a lawyer sometime this week."

Seth sighed and walked over to where the suits were, pawing through them to find something that he liked.

"Try the eggplant one," Oz called.

Seth held it up and shook his head, putting it back in favor of a darker suit, a black one. He brought it over. "Sorry, but sometimes my accountant nature comes back to bite me." He shrugged and headed for the leather jackets. "Maybe a leather suit," he said considering the racks.

Angel walked over and looked at the young man, then pulled down three jackets. "These would look best. They're also light in case you're staying on this coast."

They went into the cart without question.

Xander looked around the store and led Oz away, going to do a little shopping of his own.

***

Spike looked up as Xander walked down the stairs, standing up to face off with him. "I'm sorry I ever thought about kidnapping you," he spat.

"Good," Xander said calmly, sitting down. "One of your friends from New York's coming down in a minute, he wanted to change." He pointed at the chair. "Spike, technical question. Do you still feel whatever urge it was to take me?"

Spike glared at him but sat down. "It's not as strong," he said.

"Is it just hormones? Or am I putting out something else that's helping my hormonal problem?"

"No, it's just the pheromones," Spike said, looking him over. "Though, you've got an air of 'I'd be good if you took me'. It's a sort of innocence that'll never die."

"Ah. That explains that remark then." He smiled at the vampire. "Would it bother you if I said I'd slept with a Sarthna demon?"

Spike's eyes widened. "You did?" he said faintly. "And you liked it?"

Xander wiggled his hand in the air. "It was part of the job, Spike. Which I'm not doing any more." He leaned closer. "Which is it that tempts people to take me, Spike? I want to save Oz from going batty every time we go out in public."

"Mostly, it's your smell. They catch it then look you over. You look tasty," Spike said, looking him over. "I can't tell ya how to fix it though."

"That's okay, now that I know, I can fix it," Xander told him, relaxing. "So, you picked up Seth because you thought he was me?"

"For a minute, then I noticed how tough he was. Liked him for that, I did." Spike relaxed too. "He's really your brother?"

"Older one," Xander told him. "My mother proved she was a bitch when she dumped him though." He ran a sweaty hand down his leather clad leg. "Spike, is it my clothes? Tonight Angel had to warn off like seven vamps from asking if I was his."

Spike laughed. "No doubt. No, it's not the clothes, though you're an attractive package. Leather actually makes you look more dangerous to us. The more innocent and fluffy you look, the more we want you because of what you are. You're the perfect person to debouch and we want that."

"So, letting him wear the leather helps keep him safe?" Oz asked as he came down the stairs.

"A bit," Spike temporized. He jumped up and gave Seth a hug as soon as he saw him. "You made it," he said proudly, looking him over. "Who's your Sire?"

"Blair," he said with a grin. "He's even letting me become my own person now. Baccarus told him to."

Spike laughed. "Good for you, mate. You're definitely not your brother." He looked the young vampire over. "You did good for yourself. Glad I didn't turn you now."

Seth punched him on the arm, grinning at him. "Yeah, me too. I love my Sire. He likes me to be smart and read." He grinned brighter at Angel. "Did you know that he doesn't want to have children that can be smart?"

"They'd take over on him," Angel said dryly. He looked at Xander. "Were you civil, Spike?"

"Yes," Spike said, rolling his eyes. As soon as Angel was in front of him, he flipped him off, much to the delight of Seth. "So, you're here now?"

Seth nodded, flopping down beside Spike on the couch with Xander on his other side. "Yeah. Sire wants to go talk to some lawyers about handling something for him. Something about a wolf." He shrugged. "I overheard it."

Angel smiled. "I own Wolfram and Heart," he said.

Spike looked at him. "How in bloody hell did you do that?"

Xander smirked as he raised his hand. "They had a loan that was still being paid off with ownership as collateral."

Spike burst out laughing. "Oh, Peaches, you've got your hands full."

"Yes," Angel said, holding up a finger, "but that means that they're too busy to come after me again. I haven't had any problems from them in weeks," he said happily.

"Then it was worth the few hundred grand," Xander said with a shrug. "What about when they decide to retaliate?"

"Then, I can legally have them arrested," Angel reminded them. "I'm the owner, they have to turn over all papers that I ask for." He smirked. "We're working it out now. They're supposed to be ethical, moral, and nice."

Oz snickered. "Good job. Tell us if you need to hide."

"I will," Angel said, reaching over to pat him on the head. "Xander gave me the best present that night." He looked around. "Spike, where's Stake?"

"Loungin' on your bed, same as always." He leaned closer to Seth. "Xander forced a kitten on him. Said it reminded him of me, he did."

Angel nodded at the incredulous look. "I didn't pet him at first, so he bit me. Stake's very much like Spike. They're even about the same color." He got up and went to get his cat, bringing it back so the young vampire could see it. "Seth, this is Stake. And no, Spike, Xander didn't give him to me; Stake snuck into my jacket and came with me of his own free will."

Seth and Spike both looked at Xander, who nodded. "We saw him climb into Angel's pockets and didn't say anything. We knew the cat would make him feel like Spike was still around." Spike flipped him off. "Thank you, but I'm married," he said, showing off his ring. "I'm surprised Angel didn't bring you too."

"Nope, not even," Spike said. "He told me I was grounded."

Seth looked from Spike to Angel and back. "You two really don't have the best relationship, do you?"

"Nope," Spike said. "See, he got a soul and turned into a bloody brooding pouf. Me, I got smart and took my dark princess with me."

"Angel, delivery," Cordelia called down the stairs.

"Coming," Angel called back, getting up to go upstairs and get it. He dropped his cat into Seth's lap. "Watch him for me. He doesn't like Spike."

Seth hesitantly touched the cat's head, and the kitten purred up at him.

"Hey! You don't do that for me," Spike complained.

"He knows who he likes," Oz reminded him. Any further explanation was stopped by the blast of the bomb.

Oz was the first one awake, but that didn't bother him. He found Stake crouched down under the remains of the couch they had been sitting on and reached out to pet him, to reassure him that it was safe again. Then he looked around. The blast had obviously come from the office, it was right above the living room. Xander had been flung forward, so he went to check on him first. He was breathing, his head was intact, he would heal. He walked over to where the vampires were laying, Spike still covering Seth from the blast. He picked up a shard of metal and slit into his wrist, putting it in Spike's mouth. The vampire gradually started to slurp at it, and after a few seconds opened his eyes. He got out of the way, letting Oz do the same for Seth.

Spike stood up and then ran upstairs. Everyone else had been up there. He checked the office, finding only Cordelia and Angel. "Oz!" he yelled.

"In a sec," Oz called back. He came up the stairs with a hardly moving Xander clutching him. "What? Is Angel okay?" He bent down and reripped open his wrist, feeding him.

"How?" Spike asked, then shook his head. "I'm not gonna ask. Find Cordy."

Xander looked around, moving his head as much as he could. He saw a shoe under a cabinet and hit Spike to get his attention, pointing at it. Spike walked over and lifted the filing cabinet, tossing it aside easily. He bent down over her, checking her over. "She's not gonna make it," he called out.

Oz looked down at Angel, who was starting to wake up. "Cordy's gonna die," he whispered.

"No," he moaned, trying to get up. "Spike, help her," he ordered. Xander was shaking his head. "Yes, Spike! Do it!" He glared at Xander. "She's not going to mind!"

Xander nodded.

Oz stood up. "Can she speak, Spike?"

Spike shook his head, looking at her injuries. "It hit her in the head first. Part of it's crushed." He looked at Angel, then at Xander. "You'd rather see her dead?" he asked coldly.

"She'll be Dru," Xander mumbled, talking as loud as he could while the flames worked on the inside of his body.

"You don't know that," Angel told him firmly. "I turned Dru and made her that way."

Xander grabbed him and shook him. "I know Cordy!" he said. "She'll become Dru!"

Spike growled and pushed Xander down. "I'm gonna save her." He bit into her, letting her suck on his injured palm. He felt her go as the sirens started to get closer.

Angel looked around and grabbed his cat, he was standing right there by his feet. "Go get Seth, Spike. We can rescue her from the morgue." He waited until his childe was gone. "Xander, I did that to Dru," he said quietly. "Willow didn't turn out bad."

Oz shook his head. "What he was trying to say was that Cordelia's got an unstable side already. The demon's going to get it and bring it out. We saw it the night I caught Xander cheating with Willow."

Angel shook his head. "I've never seen it."

"Only when fighting," Xander mumbled.

Oz turned to look at him. "Come on, we're going to take you home." He led him out the door as a fire engine pulled up. "No fires," he told the fireman. "It was a bomb, we think." He walked them over to their car, sitting on the hood and cradling Xander gently. "Are you healing?" he whispered in his ear. Xander nodded. "Good. I want to take you home." He shook his head at the paramedic coming over. "We were knocked out but he's fine. We were downstairs when it went off." He clutched Xander tighter as a bodybag was brought out. "We'll be here for her too," he whispered. He waved Willow over as she ran up. "Everyone's fine but Cordy. Spike pulled a Buffy on her though."

Willow went paler. "He did?" She looked at Xander. "Didn't you tell them about her problem?"

"I did," Oz told him. "Angel didn't believe me." He shrugged at her dirty look. "He tried, but he's having problems speaking right now." He glared at the paramedic coming over to them. "It's shock," he said.

"I just want to make sure there's not any bleeding."

Xander looked back at Oz, who shrugged. "It wouldn't hurt."

Xander opened his mouth and the paramedic shined a light down there. The paramedic pulled back and looked at Oz. "What's that?" he asked calmly.

"He's healing. He'll be fine." The paramedic nodded. "Just forget about it, and everything will be fine."

Xander patted down his side, then looked at Oz.

"Um, did anyone find a katana? Xander was showing off our wedding present."

A fireman walked over with it, handing it over. "You're lucky. It was under the girl's body." He frowned at the stunned paramedic. "New guys. Always gets them the first time. You guys all right?"

"We were downstairs," Oz told him. "We were knocked out for a few but we're fine. Xander's got a few bruises but he'll be fine too."

Willow bounded over to Angel when he came out with Seth and Stake, pulling him down to whisper in his ear. Angel looked down at her in shock, then over at Xander. He walked over to where they were sitting, putting his kitten in his pocket. "She really is?"

"Yeah, she really is," Willow told him. "She's gonna be the next Dru pretty soon. You'd better go stop her."

"I will," Angel promised. He looked at his building, then at Willow. "Go get Cordy some clothes, we'll come to your place today."

"I'm sure my Sire wouldn't mind if you came with us," Seth offered. "He's very polite when these things happen." He looked at Spike. "You could come too."

"I'll do that," Spike said, looking at Angel. "After." He looked at Willow. "She's mine." She pulled him down and told him the same thing she had told Angel. "Fine. I've seen it before. Go get her somethin' to wear. I'll meet you down there." She nodded and ran off. He looked at the couple. "You two okay?"

Oz nodded. "We heal."

Spike grinned. "Yeah, I tasted that. Never had that sort before. Gonna give me some more?"

Xander glared at him. "Mine!"

"Yours," Seth agreed, backing off. He pulled Spike with him. "Come on, I'd better go call my Sire before he ..." He stopped as a long, black Cadillac drove by, waving at the window. One of them rolled down and he leaned inside, telling his Sire's second in command what had happened. He came back out. "My sire invites you, Angel, and all of your family that need it, to come stay with us for a few days."

Angel nodded, walking over. "I'll come over tonight. I have to stay with Willow tonight to make some plans and make sure that my other children are safe." He looked at Spike. "You can have him if you want. I want him safe."

Seth grinned. "Of course." He opened the door, letting Spike get in. "We'll stop and get her while we're gone. Don't worry about that." Angel nodded so he got in and the car pulled away.

Angel looked at Xander. "Your brother's in a very odd position," he told him. He walked away, heading for Willow's house. He had already told the firemen where to find him so he could come back and paw through the wreckage for his things.

Oz slid off the car, bringing Xander with him. He got his husband settled into the front seat, with the back tipped back so he could nap, and then got in to drive. Xander crawled over to lay his head on his lap, taking comfort from it. And so did Oz. He started the car and drove away, heading home. They'd wait and see what became of Cordelia.

***

Methos came out as soon as he heard the engine, swearing as he saw how limp Xander was in Oz's arms. "Is he all right?"

"He's sleeping, but he's pretty torn up inside," Oz told him, carrying his mate in through the house and into their room. "Angel's place got bombed," he told Giles when he woke up. He tucked Xander in and got out of Methos' way so he could be checked over.

"He's healing," Methos pronounced. "Oz, can you transfer any of your quickening over to him? It'd make it go faster."

Oz shrugged but laid down beside him, touching their hands together. He willed his quickening across to his mate, doing as Ramirez, a former student of Methos', had taught him. After a few seconds, a flickering blue flame joined their hands, and Oz forced his quickening over to Xander, not allowing any of his to come across. Xander needed the energy more right now.

Xander's whole body arched up and he screamed hoarsely as the energy ripped through him, but by the time he had calmed down, most of his internal injuries were healed. He blinked up at Methos and gave him a weak smile before rolling into Oz's body and forcing Giles to cuddle up behind him. "We'll deal with whatever she does," he told Methos, closing his eyes. "Oz, are you all right?"

"I've been all right since I woke up," he told him, stroking down his young husband's back. He looked over at Giles. "Expect Angel. Spike turned Cordelia because she was dying."

"Oh, no," Giles sighed, clutching Xander to him. "We'll deal, he's right about that."

Oz nodded and rested his head on top of Xander's, that was how he liked to be held when things got to be this bad.

***

Angel knocked on the door, waiting impatiently until it was opened. "How's Harris?" he asked Giles as he walked past him.

"He's better. He's been in bed all day with Oz," he told him, leading the way into the living room. "How's Cordelia?"

"She knew. She waited until Spike got there and screamed and ranted at him for a while. Then she staked herself." Angel hung his head. "I didn't know, Giles, but she knew the demon had gotten hold of her bad side. That's what Spike said she screamed at him."

"I said she was going to become the next Dru," Xander said wearily from the hallway. He walked out, still gripping Oz's hand as tightly as he could. "Was everyone else all right?"

"Yeah, they're all fine. Blair even said that he thought my cat was a cute affectation. I told him my soul wanted it and the cat agreed with me." He shrugged with one shoulder. "He laughed but Stake's safe. Your brother's his most cherished thing in the world, Xander. You don't have to worry about him."

"What about Spike?" Oz asked, sitting them both in his reading chair.

"He's fine too. Blair thinks he's cute." Angel sighed, standing up. "Xander, I should have listened to you last night. She staked herself almost as soon as she woke up."

Xander nodded. "I heard. When's the memorial service?"

"You're being very calm," Giles complimented.

"I knew what she was going to do," Xander told him, looking up at him. "She told me once what would happen if she was ever turned. I told her goodbye a long time ago, Giles," he said, looking down at his hands. "We don't last that long when we do what we do."

"I know, and I'm sorry you lost her this soon," Giles said, giving him a hug. He shared a look at Oz, who nodded.

"I'll be fine," Xander said, pushing him away. "I knew this was going to happen and I'll be fine." He looked up at Angel. "Do they know who sent it?"

"Yeah," he said with a cruel smile. "I've already taught that lesson. They'll never do it again." He nodded at Giles. "I thought you should know," he said quietly. He left them alone.

Xander looked up at Giles. "You knew, same as I did, that none of us were expected to live through our teens," he reminded him quietly. "Those of us who have, have been very, very lucky, Giles. We all knew that." He turned in Oz's lap to stare at the backyard. "I don't have any more friends to lose," he whispered.

"We still have Willow and Buffy," Oz reminded him. "They've changed but they're still here."

"Yeah, but we're not friends with them the way we used to be. Cordy was the last one of the gang that I was really friends with," he told his husband, hugging him around the neck. "I'm going to miss that."

"Me too," Oz agreed. "We'll go to the memorial, and host one if Angel doesn't," he said gently, going back to his backrub. "Want to go back to bed?"

"No, I want to go float in the pool," Xander told him. He got up and stripped on his way out, diving into the water as soon as he was close enough.

Giles sat on the arm of the chair, watching his young husband swim off his grief. "Maybe you should consider taking him away for a few days," he said gently.

"No, Xander won't want that," Oz told him, giving him a hug. "He's got a right to be upset. I'm upset too. He's been comforting me all day and now he needs us." He got up and walked out to go sit on the edge of the pool, letting Xander come to him whenever he was ready.

Giles went back to his studying. There was a wonderful view of the pool from the second floor if you sat in the right spot. He'd sit there and read up on the binding they had done to each other. There were still some anomalies to be explained.

***

Xander signed for the package from the delivery man, looking at it curiously. "Why would Angel send us stuff by courier?" he called as he walked into the house.

Oz got up and came over to look at the box. He immediately snatched it from Xander's hands and ran outside with it, throwing it away as hard as he could. Then he had to stop a few of the animals that had followed him from trying to retrieve it.

The bomb went off with a shocking blow, flatting Oz and the animals to the driveway. When he could see again, he looked at the front of the house, running up to the wreckage to see who had been hurt. "Xander? Giles?" he called.

"We're out back," Xander called faintly.

Oz walked out to the back of the house, looking at everyone huddled against the back of the fence. "Are you guys okay?"

"We're fine," Xander said quietly. "Are Rocky and Fluffy?"

Oz looked around, then went back through the house to go get the animals, bringing them back to the backyard. He handed them over. "They've probably got injuries," Oz told him. "Come on, we'll take them to the vets while Giles deals with this."

"I'll take him," Giles said, standing up and getting free of the animals. "They like you better." He led Xander to the garage, taking the two cats so the young man could get in.

Oz pulled over the inner gate so none of the animals could get close to the house, then headed back to the wreckage of the house. The whole front was damaged. There were large cracks in the front of the house, a few pieces had fallen out and were lying on the driveway. The front of garage showed similar damage and the bottom of the open door looked warped. Oz looked back at the floor-to-roof windows on the back of the house and shook his head. "Too many cracks," he said as he heard sirens coming. "I will get whomever did this," he promised himself. "Even if it's the last thing I do, no one hurts my Xander this way." He jumped out of the way as the cop car pulled up. "It was a letter bomb," he said tiredly, pointing in the direction he had thrown it. "We were attacked the other day at a friends house, this is all about something that he owns." He sat down on the step, after brushing some of the siding off it.

The cop looked down at him. "Where're your men, sir?"

"At the vets. A few of the animals followed me out when I went to go throw it. They're living but not real healthy. We go to the guy that's about half a mile away." He looked up. "The rest of the animals are in the back yard. We installed a secondary gate to give them a smaller run area towards the back of the fenced in area. They're in there."

The officer nodded and went to make a call on his radio. Pretty soon, there was a Blazer pulling in that had 'Fire Chief' stenciled on the side.

Oz looked up at him, then pointed where he had thrown it. "I tossed it," he said calmly.

The Fire Chief gave him a hug. "At least you're all right."

Oz snorted. "I usually am. I'm just glad they're all right." He looked around. "Um, I forgot the illusion thing, right?"

The Fire Chief smiled at him. "We're just figuring that you're one of the semi-human inhabitants. We've known you've been back for a while now, Oz." He stepped back and looked at the officer. "Go find out where the bomb landed. I've got to see whether or not this can be fixed."

"Not without a lot of work," Oz told him., standing up to follow him into the house. He did a quick check on the animals, then went back to following the Fire Chief around.

Hunting.

Xander walked into the jewelry store and sat down in front of his favorite person. "Hi," he said quietly. "I know you checked, but would a sale still be very bad?"

She nodded and put down her fork with the bite of salad still on it. "Well, yes it would," she said. "What happened?"

"Our house was bombed," he said with a shrug. "We're all okay, but I want to move somewhere safer this time."

"Ah. Well, we heard that you had a few loose stones. We could take a look at those and it wouldn't upset the Monsoon demon that took a liking to you."

Xander flinched as the door's bell rang and someone walked in.

"Shh," she said, reaching over to touch his hand. "It's just a courier." She smiled up at him. "Did you have a package for us?"

"No, for him," he said, handing over the bundle. "He said to tell you that you needed it and don't complain. I've already told your mate because I was instructed thus." He bowed to Xander and held out the package.

He took it, looking at it. "Who sent it?"

"You'll know when you open it," he said, backing away, disappearing after a second.

"Well, it wasn't vampire sent, they refuse to use those demons," she said thoughtfully, holding a hand out. "Want me to open it?"

Xander nodded and handed it over. "That was really strange."

"Not really. We use them as couriers too. They go onto a different plane to travel so they get there almost instantly." She unwrapped the dark brown cloth and looked down, trying hard not to look impressed. "Well, I can safely say it was your Monsoon demon," she said, putting down a corner to let him see it.

Xander pulled out his cellphone as it started to ring. "Hey, Oz," he said, smiling in relief at the voice on the other end. "How's Rocky?" He grinned. "Good. Did you get a messenger?" He nodded. "Yeah, they're here." He handed the phone over. "You tell him."

She took the phone and delicately put it up to her ear. "Hello? Oh, yes, sir. Of course I remember you. You two made such a beautiful couple. I'm glad it fit, he has excellent taste. Yes, he did get a package, it's full of stones. What?" She looked up at Xander. "If he would like to, we'd be more than happy to look at those too. We do have a branch there. He could call them and tell them where the stones are so they can go look at them."

Xander shrugged. "I've got more, but they're in Vegas," he told her. "Tell him the contents of the warren went to Vegas."

She repeated the message. "That would be fine sir. Yes, of course." She hung up. "He said we may cash out two of these and that he'll have our branch there deal with them. All we need is the bank address."

Xander pulled out his wallet, he kept this information with him at all times now, and handed over the bank's card. "I'll need to call them," he said as he pulled out his phone and dialed it. "Hello, this is Alexander Harris and I have three large safety deposit boxes with you?" He hummed the tune the hold button was playing, forcing himself to sound happy as someone else came on the line. "Yes, this is he. No, I'm having them evaluated by a jewelry store out there. Yes, I'll expect that they'll be taking some of them. No, Branchson's Jewelers?" He sighed. "Yes, them. No, our house exploded yesterday. No, ma'am, a bomb because we know someone who was trying to make changes in an established tradition." He smiled. "Thank you. Yes, they should be there today. Yes, Branchson's. Thank you." He hung up. "They have a voice recognition system set up for phone orders," he explained, pushing the card back over. "Please?"

"Of course." She picked up the handset of the phone nearest her and punched in a code. "Hello, Merle. Yes, it's a good day on this coast. No, I have a client here that desperately needs to cash out some of the stones he has in a bank safety deposit box. A Mr. Alexander Harris, and the box is at the bank in the middle of the Luxor." She smiled. "No, he said you were from Branchson's." She laughed and hung up. "He said give him an hour. How much did you need anyway?"

"Oz found a house he likes, it's about half a million though, which is way too steep for Sunnydale." He slumped a little. "I'm not sure right now. Enough to do the whole new house thing?"

She nodded. "I can see how that might be necessary. Don't you have money?"

"Yes, but I keep putting it into hard term investments. I won't have access to any of it for another two weeks and I can't live in that hotel anymore." He shuddered. "Everyone's so *nice*," he complained. "I'm in mourning for my house and they're nice."

She nodded, giving him a sympathetic look. "Would you like me to start with just the two, or would you like to do a few more?"

"I'd rather do a few more," Xander admitted. "Oz can shit, but we need the money to live on right now." A messenger appeared beside him. "Um, hi," he said, looking up at him. "Another something for me?"

"Just a message. Your mate finally agreed with our Master," he said, bowing to the woman behind the table. "Do as you would like with the stones."

"Is Oz okay?"

"He's fine. He's found a house that he thinks you'll love, but it's more than he wanted to spend."

Xander nodded. "That's what he did yesterday." He looked at her. "Okay, do about two-thirds of them?"

She nodded and started to sort them out, leaving a few big ones in case they needed to do this again later.

Xander looked up at the messenger. "Why is he helping us?"

"Because he said it's necessary," he said with another bow, disappearing.

Xander shrugged. "I don't have a clue why this happens to me, but I'm very thankful for it right now." He scratched a spot on his arm that had been itching on and off for most of his life.

She leaned over and lifted his shirt, shaking her head when she saw at the mark. "That explains it," she said, pointing to it.

Xander looked at his arm. "It's a birthmark," he told her.

"It's a sign of having been blessed by someone," she corrected. She sat back in her chair. "You're a very lucky man, Mr. Harris. Someone is looking out for you," she said seriously.

"I know," he said, giving her a smile. "I never thought it was anyone but my Oz though."

She shook her head. "Much more powerful than that." She showed him the piles she had made. "How's that?"

"Good," he said, nodding. "How much is that?"

"Roughly, I'd say about a third of what you need if you like your mate's suggestion." She picked up the beeping phone, listening to the voice on the other end, but she kept looking at his arm. "That explains a lot, Merle, thank you. No, he doesn't know. He thought the mark on his arm was a birthmark." She hung up and then stood up and bowed to him. "You've been touched by one of the senior demons. They've chosen you for an heir. All those that help you gain stature," she said, giving him a smile at his shocked look. "You never knew? Merle just got a messenger that told him what was going on."

"No," he squeaked, trying to pull out his phone. He looked down as he dialed. "Wes?" he croaked. "Help? No, an answer to a lot of problems. Please? Branchson's." He hung up and looked up at her. "What, exactly, does that mean?"

"It means that even though you're human, you're the equivalent of demonic royalty," she said, sitting back down. "Who's this Wesley person?"

"A former Watcher," he said, blinking a few times. "He works with Angel."

She smiled. "We all thought that was hilarious," she confided. "That thing with Wolfram and Hart? It was just such a kicker." She pulled out her magnifying glasses and put them on, picking the first stone up to look at it.

***

Xander leaned wearily into Wesley's side as he was led back into the hotel. He waved at the manager, who looked very disturbed as they walked up to the desk. "I'm fine," he called. "It's been one of those days. Say hi, Wes."

Wesley gave him a grim look. "He's had a bit of a shock," he explained as he took the waiting messages. "Are they upstairs?"

"I've got my keys," Xander reminded him, struggling to pull them out. He looked at the messages, then up at the manager. "Have you ever been told something so shocking that it makes sense?"

The manager shook his head. "Not yet, sir. Are you sure you're all right? I can have our doctor come up and look at you, maybe give you a sedative."

"No thanks," Xander said quietly, steering Wesley toward the elevators. "Maybe later," he called. He got onto the elevator and stabbed the button as hard as he could. "Wow," he said finally, looking up at his friend. "This really sucks." He slumped a little more. "Is this a reason to take up drinking?"

"It might be for the night," Wesley agreed, trying hard not to let the young man fall. Oz wouldn't like that. He led the way off the elevator, heading to the penthouse suite. He tapped on the door, and before his knuckles could hit for the third time, it opened to show Ray and Oz standing there. "It's been one of those shocking days," he explained, walking inside after him. He sat on the couch, looking at Giles. "Did you never noticed the supposed birthmark on his arm?" he asked lightly.

Giles looked up and shook his head. "I don't really pay that much attention to them. I know that he has one and in times of stress, it itches. Why?" He put his book aside, letting the dog jump down from his lap.

"Because, he's been formally adopted by one of the higher demons, Rupert," Wesley said lightly. "Apparently when he was very young because he's said he's always had the mark."

Giles groaned and leaned back. "You'd best tell me all of it."

"Yeah, that would be good," Oz said as he walked out and sat down. "Who and what adopted my mate?"

"Our," Giles corrected him gently. Oz tended to go more wolfish when he was under stress. "Do you know which demon it was?"

"It was one of the senior Metharn demons from what I could tell," Wesley said quietly. "The ones that come to help gamblers lose?"

Oz nodded. "That would fit. His father promised him to any God that would get him out of a jam. Strife likes him by the way," he told Giles.

"Yes, I heard that from him, but he never said anything about a competing claim." He leaned his head back to stretch his neck. "Is this harmful?"

"Not as long as the Metharn demon is alive," Wesley told him. "I've called Angel, who told Blair, who laughed and said he recognized the mark when he first saw it. Angel's presently cursing himself for never seeing it."

"Xander covers it up when he doesn't wear something over it," Oz told him. "He said sunlight tends to make it itch worse when he's stressed out."

"It may at that, but the itching is his adoptive father's way of checking up on him probably." He smiled at Oz. "As far as I know, your mate's fine for now, Oz. As long as this particular demon stays alive, he should be fine. They don't tend to hurt their rival's heirs in the demon world, it goes against protocol."

Oz nodded slowly. "So, Xander's okay then?"

"He's safe," Wesley corrected. "He does have some status though. Especially with some earth- bound representatives of his adoptive father." He touched Oz's arm. "The Metharn aren't bad demons, Oz, they're very caring about what's theirs. Xander would fit in with them very well if he were forced to accept his position. I believe, and this is just speculation mind, that he's a secondary heir."

"The spare as it were?" Giles suggested.

Wesley nodded. "Having a human heir be the only one would be disastrous to his father's status. He's probably claimed that he felt something odd about the boy and adopted him before he realized he was fully human."

"Would this explain his funky hormone problem?" Oz asked.

"No," Wesley sighed, "it doesn't. It goes nowhere near an explanation for that. I think his personal family history might account for some of that, if we could do a genealogical chart on him." Oz shrugged. "Maybe you should suggest it to him, or to his brother Seth."

"Would this affect him any?" Giles asked.

"No," Wesley said. "He's the older brother of an heir." He stood up. "Angel and I will try to find some information out about this demon, see if he's a detrimental fellow at all." He nodded at the doorway. "I'd best get back, Angel will be worried sick by now." He left the suite, closing the door slowly to avoid hitting the cat trying to follow him.

"Ribbon," Oz called, bringing her running. "Thank you." He looked over at his other husband. "Well?"

"I'm not sure," Giles said slowly. "Wesley's had more dealings with the demonic system than I have. We do have some resources available to us though. We could call Blair and see if he knows anything in particular."

"Angel's doing that."

"Yes, but we'd best do it too. It'll look better if we, as concerned mates, pump him for information. Image is everything to the demons, it's all a matter of protocol with them."

"Good," Oz said, standing up. "You stay here." He walked out of the suite, heading for the garage.

Giles sighed and went into the bedroom, taking the bag that Xander was holding to put it aside. "Come, love, let us take a rest while Oz goes to research something about this."

Xander looked up at him. "I'm a Prince in Hell," he said quietly.

"Or on another plane. Not all demons are confined to Hell." He lay down with his mate, pulling him into his arms. "Don't worry, we'll figure out exactly what this means and fix it for you," he promised.

Xander nodded and snuggled into his husband's arms, continuing to stare at the wall while he thought.

***

Angel strode in behind Oz, guarding his back. He nodded at the vampire up on the dias, giving him a smile of relief. "Blair, you found him," he said, stepping forward to get closer to the dark haired vampire.

"Yes, Stake was curled up on one of my silk shirts," he said, handing the cat over. "I can see why you like him so much, he reminds me of your childe."

Spike snorted from the sidelines. "Does not. I'm not a bloody fluffball."

Angel looked at the cat, then at him. "Well, if we gelled him to death like you do your hair, you'd look the same."

Oz grunted. "True. That's why he likes you." He looked up at the vampire. "You saw the mark on his arm and knew?"

Blair walked down. "Yes, I did." He led Oz to a private room, closing the door behind him. "Sit, Oz, I have much information for you. I wanted to find out who I had pissed off once I saw the mark." They sat on the Elizabethan love seats, facing each other. "He was adopted because his father offered him. The Metharn who adopted him is of the secondary order, but he does like Xander. I've met with him since that time and he seemed most amused at what his fifteenth son was doing." He smiled gently and leaned over, patting Oz on the thigh. "He was also most impressed by your love. He said he saw you in London a few times and took the chance to watch you both."

Oz relaxed. "I knew I felt something watching us," he admitted. "So, his father, for lack of a better word, doesn't want him to come join him or whatever?"

Blair smiled. "Father and son would be the proper terminology, and he would like to meet with him if Xander would want to, but he doesn't want to keep him. He knows that his place is with you, Oz."

"Okay. So, was he the one helping us?"

"Mostly. He has instructed a few people to help his son in his absence if it's large enough of a problem. This doesn't explain his problem with the Monsoon demon though."

Oz nodded. "So, are we expecting anything to be done about the bombing? Just so I can watch for backlash?"

Blair chuckled. "I doubt there would be any backlash. Not once he found out what had happened to his son. Oh, I can image the visit Angel is going to get over his new toy."

Oz grinned. "Hopefully they know that Angel's trying to fix it too."

"Then I'm sure they'll want to help." He smiled at the young man. "I'm sorry if that gift of mine caused any trouble."

"We had a female friend who tried it on first, we found out what it was." He leaned closer. "Blair, I'm worried here, about a lot of things. I'm worried about what'll happen to Xander if he meets with this demon. I'm worried about the demon wanting more from him."

"He won't," Blair said gently, giving him a reassuring smile. "To his people, Xander is an anomaly and an inconvenience. He won't last as long as they will." He looked Oz over. "Unlike you."

"Unlike Xander too," Oz admitted quietly. "We made sure he was going to stay with us for a *very* long time." He stood up. "Could you maybe put us in touch with his father? Xander wants to thank him and I'd like to thank him for helping Xander so many times."

"You couldn't go to where he is," Blair said calmly. "What you are is something that is not allowed in their plane." Oz nodded. "Xander could go see him, if he wanted. I could even make sure he was tutored in the protocols that he'd have to work with. Was he really a courtesan for a while?"

"Yeah, in another dimension." Oz waved and left the room, going to find Angel. "Want a ride back?"

"No thanks, Oz," he said, patting his cat's head. "Seth's invited us for supper."

"Xander needs me," Oz told him. "His being an heir has pretty well wrecked him for the day." He nodded at Blair again and walked out. He came back a few minutes later and leaned against the door, until after the explosion. "Um, Angel, you need a new car," he called.

Angel looked over his shoulder. "Then someone else will have to learn that lesson, won't they?" he said with cold humor.

Oz nodded. "Cool. Bus stop?"

"Down the street on the other side," Blair said, pointing to the right. "Have exact change, they don't make any of it here."

Oz shrugged. "Then I'll pay for a few more people." He waved at Angel and walked out.

Angel looked at Spike. "Follow him, make sure he makes it back to Xander," he ordered.

Spike sighed and followed Oz out.

Blair looked down at Angel. "You let him get away with too much."

Angel smiled, then started to laugh. "You try to punish him. It doesn't work. He enjoys it too much." He held up his kitten, rubbing noses with it. "You should not sneak off, Stake."

The cat meowed pitifully to be put down. He didn't like it when his daddy was in these moods.

***

Xander climbed out of bed and looked out the window, staring down at the cars sitting across the street. "I want them," he said quietly.

Giles walked up behind him, folding him into his arms. "I know, Xander, but it wouldn't be correct for you to go after the people who tried to blow us up. Let Angel handle them."

"Why?" he asked, turning to look at his lover, seeing the pain in his eyes. "Angel's going to be being watched by the cops too."

"Yes, but he's got methods of getting past them that you don't," Giles reminded him gently. "Besides, you gave the law firm to him."

Xander sighed and turned back around. "Then it really sucks that they came after us." He looked down at the two black cars, frowning when he saw people getting out of them. "Giles, I have a bad feeling about them." He pointed at the men waiting to cross the street.

"I'll go down and wait on them," Giles said quietly, backing away from Xander and heading out of the room. He reached the front desk as the first man walked through, looking him over. He leaned across to the man working the reception desk. "I think you'd best call security on them," he whispered. "We think they may have been sent by the people that tried to blow us up." Someone tapped on his shoulder and he turned around, ducking the punch. "I don't think so," he said, kicking the man in the stomach. "I don't play nice with people who try to blow us up." He looked around. "Did the rest of them go upstairs?" The man nodded, his eyes very wide. "Get security up there," he said as he ran for the elevators. Hopefully he could get up there before Xander hurt them too badly. Any alternative to that was unthinkable.

Xander grabbed his sword out of his jacket as soon as Giles walked out the door, heading out to make sure all of his precious ones were safely hiding. He found Ribbon looking up at the door and picked her up to give her a kiss. "No, sweetness, you need to go hide too." He looked down, shooing Fluffy back too. He answered the door, his sword held to the ready. "Gentlemen," he said, not letting them in. "What do you want?"

The one in front sneered and tried to throw a punch, but Xander stabbed him first, following his thrust out into the hall, swinging left and right, dancing out of the way of the multiple knives. He swore as he got sliced shallowly, glaring at the man and taking his hand off for him. "Never touch me," he growled, going after the remaining two men. They backed up and Xander stepped closer. He felt the circle close around him and did an amazing flip up, grabbing the sprinkler overhead. He swung down behind the guys, slicing the one in front of him before he could turn around. He heard the elevator door open behind him, but ignored it, he had more pressing engagements in front of him. He swiped at the man stupid enough to come forward toward him, kicking the one walking up behind him. He spun and took another limb off, not quite sure what it was as he caught sight of who was standing behind him. Hotel security. "Hey," he said, stepping back and waving a hand. "Join in, please. I don't want to be blown up this time."

The security guards wisely went to go mop up the mess, one of them keeping an eye on Xander.

One of them coughed and picked up a puppy. "Is this yours?" he asked.

Giles ran off the elevator, sighing when he saw his lover mostly unharmed. "Oh, you're all right," he sighed, pulling him into a hug. He looked over his shoulder at the dog. "Inside, Whimpers. Now, please." The dog wiggled as it wagged it's tail but got down and trotted inside.

The guard that had picked up the dog looked up at him. "What do you guys *do*?" he asked in shock. "You don't look or act like drug dealers."

Xander smiled at him. "Never touched the stuff, man, I'm the prize in a vendetta war. A friend of mine now owns a law firm and they're pissed at him for it so they're taking it out on his friends." He got free, walking over to look down at one of the men in the dark suits. He put his sword against the guy's throat and his foot on his bleeding stomach. "You've got a choice," he said. "You can tell them exactly what's going on, or you can get up and face me again."

The man looked from the guards to Xander and back. "But I'll be killed," he protested. "They know more tortures than you do."

Xander leaned down, pressing his foot harder into the stomach. "And Angelus is already going against your bosses with some help. Who do you think know more tortures? *Lawyers* or the Scourge of Europe and his family, including a witch and a former Slayer?"

The man blinked up at him. "Please? They can do it from far away."

"I can do it now," Xander told him, "and I'll have more fun after what you did to my first house." He moved the sword a little more, pressing it against the pale neck. "I'd speak now, or *forever* hold your pieces," he warned.

"Wolfram and Hart hired me," he told the guard, looking up at him. "They hired us to eliminate these three because it would make Angel suffer greatly and they want him bad." He looked up at Xander. "Will you spare me now?"

"Sure," Xander said, getting off him. He wiped his sword off on the man's pants, nearly taking off his balls in the process. "As long as you continue to tell them the truth." He looked at Giles, then at the hall. "I'm going to get a drink. Want one?"

"Yes, I believe we should have one," Giles agreed, bringing his lover into their suite and closing the door. He came back a minute later and found Fluffy, bringing the pink cat inside with him. "What would your father say?" he admonished gently, giving her ear pets to make her let go of the finger she was nibbling on.

The guards looked at each other and shrugged, one of them pulling out his radio to call for an ambulance. They would file the report on this later, when they had figured out what had happened.

Oz ran off the elevator and looked at the bodies, then up at the guards. "Did they attack Giles?" he asked, walking over.

"No, they attacked your younger husband, sir," one of them said respectfully.

Oz calmly handed the man his bag then walked over to the one that Xander had been torturing earlier. He jumped up and landed on the man's stomach and chest, squatting down to look at him. "You attacked Xander?" he asked with a cold smile. The man nodded frantically. "Are you really that stupid?" he hissed.

"No," he begged. "Please, don't let him come back out and hurt us."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about him. *I'm* the cold one in the family," he said, reaching down to run his thumbnail over the man's lip. "I'd tell them, and the cops, everything that you know. Before I let Xander *help* me." He stood up and walked up the man's chest, took back his bag, and went back into their suite.

The guards flinched as the elevator door opened, not knowing if it was the other two that were staying with them or not. Fortunately, it was the ambulance crews. They got out of the way and the leader walked down to give his report to their boss. That was the price of leadership, and no one else would take it from him, not even with a bribe.

Oz walked over and handed Xander the candybar he had picked up for him on the way home. "You okay?" he asked as he sat beside him.

"Small cut," Xander said as he unwrapped it. "Already healing." He broke a piece off and offered it to Oz. "Share with me?" Oz nibbled on it, then handed it to Giles, who smiled down at him.

"He was magnificent, what little I saw," Giles told Oz.

"Yeah, I saw the mess." He leaned his head on Xander's shoulder, watching him clean his sword. "Are you sure you're okay? A couple of people out there weren't...."

Xander put a hand over his mouth. "I know. I don't want to talk about it. I did what I had to do to protect myself and the furries." He hugged his head down on Oz's. "Okay?"

"Good," Oz agreed. "Where did Meth and Ray go?"

"Ray had a meeting with someone in the department he wants to work for," Giles told him. "Did you find anything of use?"

"Xander's his fifteenth heir," Oz said, looking up at him. "He's not really in the line of succession. You were right, humans are an embarrassment to their lineage, but he likes Xander. He was watching us in London. Blair said he approves of us."

"That's good at least," Giles said. "What about our escorting Xander to see him?"

"We can't go. Immies can't go to their plane, it causes social problems." He looked at Xander. "You could go, if you wanted. Blair might even escort you. He said there's a lot of protocols to master, which was more your thing than mine anyway."

Xander nodded and continued to wipe down his blade. "I'll think about it." He looked at the door as someone knocked. "Come in?"

"Don't say that," Giles reminded him.

"The only vamps coming here would be friendly ones," Xander reminded him. He looked at the door as Spike walked in. "Did Angel send you?" he asked.

"No, he sent me after Oz and I noticed the git running away." He smiled down at Xander. "You made him run away screaming, Xander, congratulations."

Xander nodded and went back to his cleaning.

"Let me," Oz said, taking the cleaning cloth from his hand, gently taking the sword too. "Why don't you go rest," he suggested. "I'll finish cleaning the sword and join you in a few." Xander nodded and got up, going to their room. Oz looked over at Spike. "One ran away?"

"I saw the ambulances and one of the guys was muttering about sword wielding maniacs." He grinned. "Thought I'd come up and see if I could get some of the action."

Oz shook his head and squirted the cleaning cloth with some seltzer water. He wiped down the sword and handed it off to Giles. "Here, do this, I don't want to leave Xander alone." He walked into the bedroom, closing the door.

Giles looked at Spike as he heard the quiet words floating out. "Did you recognize them?"

"They're from the law firm. One of them was crying because his boss, Lilah something or other, was going to kill him. So I smirked and told him it was going to be too late for her." He shrugged at the amused smile. "Angel woulda approved."

"I'm sure he would have," Giles told him, looking at the door as it opened. "Methos, were you accosted too?" he asked once he saw the bruise his friend and teacher was sporting.

"No, the desk boy got jumpy and I was in his trajectory to the man in the dark suit behind me." He looked out at the woman cleaning the hall. "Did we fall under attack again?" he asked as he closed the door.

Ray walked over and flopped down. "They still can't get my records from Chicago and I can't be approved by their hiring board until they get them." He waved at Spike as he left.

Giles patted him on the shoulder. "I'm sure they'll relent soon enough. It's not like they won't recognize futility when they see it." He looked over at Methos, who was waiting on his answer, his hands on his hips. "We got a visit from some of the people at the law firm Angel now owns." He handed over the sword, letting Methos check it out for him. "I think Xander may have chipped it."

Methos examined the blade in the light, then shook his head. "It was probably that weak spot he found while he was sharpening it last night." He handed it back and looked at the doorway. "How many?"

"Sixteen that I saw," Giles admitted with a smile. "I know one was probably able to walk if he was bandaged properly." He patted Ray on the head. "The security people were most upset with us."

"I have no doubt," Methos agreed, going to get a drink. "How is he?"

"He's not willing to talk about it," Giles sighed, turning to lean against the back of the couch. He moved when Ray hit him for leaning on his hair. "Sorry, Ray." He looked at his teacher. "Methos, I'm not sure if Xander will be fine after all."

Oz walked out of the bedroom. "He said he will be, he's upset right now, but he'll get over it." He nodded at Methos. "Get it settled?"

"No, Chicago is still being hard asses," Ray told him. "Would he like a major cuddle? From all of us maybe?"

Xander walked out and padded over, sitting in Ray's lap to hug him. "I killed someone," he said pitifully.

"Yup. I felt that way when I did it the first time," Ray told him, giving him a hug. "Come on, let's go back into the bedroom. I'll even cuddle you in a bath if you want." Xander nodded and got up, dragging Ray with him. "We'll be back later," Ray called from the doorway, kicking it shut behind him.

Methos looked at Oz, who shrugged. "He'd understand more; it's been too long since I've been there," Oz told him.

"I've forgotten when my first kill was also, all I remember was that he was a vampire," Giles said, staring out the window. He pointed at the dark shape. "Oz, does that look like what I think it does?"

Oz looked out the window and nodded. "Yeah, it looks like a dragon heading for Sunnydale. Do you have the keystone?" Giles held up the pendant he wore. "Good. At least it won't be opening the Hellmouth." He looked at Methos, who was staring at him. "What? It's not like they're going to find any virgins in this city to eat."

Methos shook his head and turned around to make his drink stronger. He took it into his bedroom, closing the door soundly behind him.

Oz looked at Giles and shrugged. "There's no monasteries or nunneries between here and there, right?"

"Carmel is the closest I know of," Giles told him.

"That's good, I don't want to worry about nuns and priests tonight." Oz flopped down onto the couch, looking at their bedroom door. "Should we be closer?"

"No, I think we should stay out here. If Xander needs us, he'll come get us." He sat down beside his husband, cuddling up with him. "At least it worked out all right," he whispered. "I wouldn't have wanted to come back up here and have seen Xander on the floor."

"Me either," Oz agreed. "That would have been bad." He got up and ran into their bathroom, going to get sick.

Giles looked a little green himself, but he stayed where he was. Oz needed Xander, not him, not this time. He picked up the phone and dialed Willow's cellphone. "Hello, dear," he said cordially. "Has Angel gotten back yet? Or Spike?" His smile turned nasty. "No, we had a small attack here. Xander defeated most everyone. All sixteen of them, except Spike said that he talked with one." He flinched as he heard the growl. "Willow, please! It was warranted at the time. They came up here and tried to attack us with weapons. It's a good thing Xander still had the sword you gave him." He smiled as Angel wrested control of the phone from her. "Yes, you did hear me correctly. Spike knows, isn't he back yet?" He laughed. "I have no doubt. No, Xander defeated them all. All by himself. I went down to see if his guess about what they were was correct." He looked over his shoulder at their bedroom door. "No, he's presently commiserating with Ray in the tub and I have no doubt Oz is leaning against him right now." He listened for a moment then hung up. He got in to go lay on the bed. He had some things he wanted to think about.

***

Oz walked in behind Xander, following him to the front desk of the demon bank. He nodded at the receptionist, making sure Xander was firmly tucked into his side. "We need to talk to his account manager," he said quietly. "We're trying to figure a few things out."

Xander pulled out his cellphone as it rang, smiling. "Hi," he said happily. "Yup, nope, we're at the bank right now. We can stop by in a minute if you'd like." He looked around. "Yeah, there." He smiled at Oz and hung up. "Our check from our jewels are in."

Oz nodded. "Good. We still need to talk to the person managing your money here." He looked up as a large, human-looking demon walked over to them. "Hey," he said calmly. "Are you the person dealing with his money for him?"

The demon held out a hand. "Yes, I am, Mr. Osbourne." He waved at the aisle. "Come back to my office and we'll discuss whatever you need," he said, smiling at Xander. "How are you dealing, young man?" he asked quietly as he followed them.

Xander flopped down into a chair. "Crappy, but I expect that. First my house got blowed up and then I had to defend myself from idiots." He frowned at the wall. "It's not been a good week for the most part."

The demon lit his brazier of incense before sitting down. "I can understand how devastating that could be. What can I do for you today?"

"I want to look at his account statements," Oz told him, taking Xander's hand to hold. "I'm more money oriented than he is and we've had to spend a lot recently to keep afloat. I want to make sure he's doing okay."

"Of course." The demon turned on his computer and clicked on a few buttons, printing out summaries for him. "Was there anything else we can do for you? A loan to help you buy a house possibly?"

Xander smiled but shook his head. "Not really," he said. "I have the money, it's all in long term investments, that's why I'm in deep right now." He shrugged at the smile. "I was trying to be good and have money for a very long time."

"We have an insurance check coming," Oz reminded him. He flipped pages, pulling out the summaries he had taken from Xander's binder earlier. "Okay, so we've hemorrhaged a lot of money in the last year," he noted, handing them over.

"Well, not quite," Xander told him. "We didn't look at the stuff in the main accounts." He looked at the bank's manager. "I have a major investment account with one of the multi-national banks in town. We still need to look at them."

"That's okay," Oz told him. "I was wondering about these, but we're okay otherwise." He handed the papers back. "Thanks. Do you guys have any real estate going on auction up our way?"

"We have one house," the bank manager admitted, "but it's not something that you would enjoy. It's Angel's old mansion. The man who owned it died and he was deeply in debt to us." He looked at Xander. "Are you sure we can't help you with a loan?"

Xander shook his head. "We've got it, we've just got to do a little management. Oz is being paranoid about how much we've been spending."

"Well, sometimes it's best to be cautious, especially during the bad times." He stood up. "How else can I help you, gentlemen?"

"I think that's it," Oz said, standing up and shaking his hand. "You guys are a lot nicer than the people at the human banks," he complimented. "I called to get a summary sent to Xander yesterday and they got snotty with me. Your receptionist was very nice." He led the way out, letting Xander shake his hand too.

"Thanks," he said with a shy grin. "We shouldn't have to bother you again today." He left after Oz, following him to the car. He slid in beside him, hugging him. "I want to liquidate a few things," he said softly, leaning his head on Oz's shoulder. "We don't need four cars."

"Okay," Oz told him. "Which ones?"

"I don't like this one, and I don't really like my sports car."

"We can do that." Oz started the engine and listened for the telltale clicking noises of the bomb. "We're clean," he said as he pulled out. They drove toward Xander's other bank, they could pick up the check later. "Was there anything else?"

"Nope."

"No? Not even talking about the rest of the warren's contents?"

"Oz, I'd like to have some money in a year," Xander said dryly, sitting back up.

"Hey, I said I'd help pay for the new house," he reminded. He pulled off to the side, looking at his husband. "Are you pissed because you've been splurging?" Xander shook his head. "Then why are you worried about the money issue?"

"Because I'm still not used to having it, I guess," Xander admitted. "And now I'm going through what I do have so fast that it's going to be gone in a few years. Then what will I do?"

"Well, maybe by then, something will have come up," Oz suggested. "Maybe you'll take up tailoring or something." Xander shook his head. "No?"

"No." Xander looked over at him. "Oz, I know I'm on firm financial footing, but I'm not happy with how stable we are. We need cash to live off of. That's a fact of life that's going to become more necessary as times goes by. Things are getting more expensive, not less. I don't want us to have to work anymore."

Oz sighed and picked up Xander's hand to kiss the back of it. "I have a surprise for you," he said, staring into the deep eyes. "I started that software company I was talking about. We'll be getting a check soon for the first program."

"You don't exist," Xander reminded him.

"Yeah, but my new identity does," Oz told him. "I've already fixed all that stuff. The program's coming out soon and we'll be getting paid for it then. And I've got the new one coming out soon too. If I can ever get back to work." Xander nodded. "So, yeah, we've all got money and I am working. I like working."

"I do too," Xander admitted, looking out the window. "I miss having something to get up for in the morning."

"Then I'll let you start to take classes or start working," Oz told him, leaning over to give him a kiss. "Sunnydale has a jewelry restoration program."

Xander smiled at that suggestion. "Yeah, they do. Do you think I could do the making part instead?"

"Sure. I think that'd be a good idea." Oz restarted the car, pulling back into the traffic.

***

Xander walked into his account manager's office, smiling at him. "Hi, it's been forever since I've had to come to you for advice."

The man stood up and waved a hand at the chairs. "Sit, please. What can we do for you, Mr. Harris?"

"Our house blew up," Oz told him simply as he sat. "I'm his husband by the way." The man looked startled but nodded. "We need to look at his accounts and take stock of his direction."

The man moved his mouse and typed for a few seconds. A printer behind him started to spit out pages, which he handed over. "Do you know much about money management?"

"A lot," Oz told him, not looking up. "Xander, I thought you had more in here," he said, pointing at an account.

"I should," Xander said with a frown, taking the paper to show it to him. "Where's the interest in that account? Isn't it supposed to be earning interest?"

The man cleared his throat. "The bank has charged you a fee for ..." He glanced around. "They thought it was quite strange how you came into your money and they've decided that you're to pay a fine."

"We're removing it," Oz said, putting down the papers. "Xander didn't do anything wrong to make the money."

Xander laid a hand on his arm. "What do they think I did?" he asked calmly.

"They think that you run drugs."

Xander snorted. "I don't touch the stuff, really. You want to know what I did? I was a high classed prostitute for six weeks. I had a client pay a hundred grand to spend an hour with me." He stood up. "We're starting procedures to remove all my money from this bank. Now."

The man went pale but pulled out the forms. "You're going to incur some more fines," he warned.

"We shouldn't, not for you taking our money," Oz told him, leaning over him. "We could go above your head," he offered. "Make sure that they know it wasn't you."

He smiled. "Please. I'll arrange an appointment." He picked up his phone and dialed an extension. "I have a client here who would like to speak with you, sir?" he said politely. He hung up and pointed at the door. "Go upstairs two floors and there's a waiting area up there."

Oz nodded. "Thanks." He led Xander out, taking him upstairs. He stopped to listen as the man typed in something on his computer, going back in and staring down at him. "Whatever you're doing to his money, I'd quit," he warned. "I wouldn't take any more of it." He walked out, heading up after Xander.

Xander smiled at the man sitting across the desk, whom they had run into while looking for the person they were supposed to be talking to, falling back into his courtesan/power playing role. "Yes, I think it was most horrible of him to steal from me," he said, sipping at his coffee. "Oz caught him frantically typing as we came up here. Did he really steal all that?"

The bank's CEO smiled. "I'm afraid so, Mr. Harris." He looked around his office. "I have no idea why he chose you."

"I do," Oz said, putting down his bone china cup. "We don't touch our money that often. He might have gotten away with it if our house hadn't been blown up."

The CEO hissed. "Do you know who did it? A man like Mr. Harris must have a few enemies."

"Yes, but none of them are *here*," Xander told him. "I helped a friend purchase a law firm recently to turn them around. Bought a loan that they had outstanding, you understand," he said with a little smile. "They're not very pleased with him so they've been taking it out on him and his friends."

"Which are us, basically," Oz told him. "Our other husband is presently playing with our animals. We're just glad no one was hurt." He touched Xander's hand. "In either attack."

Xander nodded. "I'd rather not talk about that, Oz," he said quietly. "I don't want to think about how I had to defend myself." He turned his attention back to the CEO. "Unfortunately, we were attacked last night in our hotel." He shrugged at the pity look he was getting. "We're only there until we can find a new house."

"We do have a few very fine houses that have been repossessed," he offered. "I have a catalog that can be brought to you."

"Please," Oz said. "There was one that I was very interested in, back in our town." He got comfortable. "It's on a private lot, has a pool, has excellent security."

"Ah. I can understand those needs. We have one that's overlooking the beach. There's stairs down to the beach, but it's a public beach instead of a private one."

Oz looked at Xander. "That sound familiar. Is that the Henderson house?"

"No, the Mitchell house," Xander told him. "Big white house? Got columns?" The CEO nodded. "Maybe. We'll consider it," he said, turning to Oz. "I really think that I'd like to have really good security this time. Last time, it wasn't that good. Everyone could get through it."

"True," Oz noted, giving him a squeeze. "Can we look through that catalog?"

"Of course," the CEO said, pushing the intercom button. "Marcia, may I please have the auction book with entries for the area around Sunnydale?" He turned it off, smiling at them. "If I may say so, you two look very happy and content together."

Xander grinned. "He made an honest man of me just a few weeks ago," he said happily. "And now we need a new house." He turned to look as the door was opened, smiling at the woman walking in with a large binder. "Is that the auction listings?"

She nodded and handed them to her. "That's the car and real estate ones, that was the one that you wanted, correct?" He nodded. "I'll be at my desk in a few minutes if you'd like to sign up and bid for any of them."

Oz scooted his chair closer as soon as she was gone, flipping through the cards until they came to the houses. He stopped at one, a two story with lots of glass and porches, and looked up at Xander. Who marked the page and moved on. "That was the one I saw that I liked," he told him.

"Okay. Let's see what else they have before we make a decision." He stopped and looked at one picture then shook his head and moved on. They both stopped at the picture of one house, a large stone house. Oz looked down at the descriptions, then up at the man helping them. "Does this one have security?" he asked, taking the book to let him see it.

"It does," he said, running a finger over the codes. "It has two floors, including the renovated attic. It's got a decent security system included, and a fence around it. It's got some landscaping, mostly trees and shrubs."

Xander snickered. "We have fifteen animals living with us right now. Plus our friend's six."

The man looked at him in shock. "You do?" he asked. Xander nodded. "How do you manage that?"

"There's three of us," Oz reminded him. "Where is it?"

"It's just outside Sunnydale, toward the beach. Actually, according to the map, it's past the old high school by about five miles." He looked up. "It's got seven bedrooms, five baths, one study, a dining room/living room combination, and a huge kitchen. I expect that the house is one of the best in there."

"Is there any way we can see it?" Xander asked, taking the book back, holding the place as he flipped through the rest of them. He nudged Oz, showing him one of them. "That's sorta like our last place."

"It's on the same street as our last place," Oz told him. "It's right next to the group home."

"Oh." Xander flipped through and stopped at a beautiful old house. "Oz, I *love* this one," he said, showing it off.

Oz looked at it, then up at his mate. "It's pretty," he noted. He brought the book back over to the desk. "Can you interpret for us again?"

"Of course." He looked at the codes and the map. "It's out in the forest. It's a transplanted house, it was brought over around the turn of the century. It's got lots of windows, also seven bedrooms and four baths, a library and an adjacent study. It's got a massive kitchen, complete with two ovens." He smiled. "I can call our real estate agent out there and have him show you those three?"

"Yeah," Oz said, giving him a smile. "I think we'd like that."

"Is it the one in town? He seemed to think we were gangsters or something when he helped me buy my house."

The CEO laughed. "I know better than that," he said, smiling at Xander. "Of course, for a few days, we wondered how you made the money too, but your story about the inheritance was plausible enough."

Oz looked at Xander. "Let's put it this way," he aid softly. "It's a past thing. He's never going back and it's all being hoarded for the future."

The CEO smiled. "That's what I figured. I had heard something from certain clients," he told Xander. "They said that you were almost famous in certain circles."

"Was," Xander told him, standing up. "Definitely was. And all it took was six weeks." He grinned. "You aren't going to hold that against me, right?"

"Of course not, Mr. Harris. You're not breaking the law and we have no problem with holding money for people of various reputations. We even have a few gangsters that bank with us. Not to mention a few rappers."

Xander laughed. "That's good to know." He took Oz's hand to hold. "Can you call him and get in touch with us at our hotel?"

"Of course." He looked at the book, letting Oz find the pictures for him again. "I'll have them called today, and he should call you soon after. Hopefully, you can get this straightened out soon enough." He stood and shook their hands. "Good luck, gentlemen. I'll get the missing money issue straightened out this afternoon."

Xander waved as Oz led him from the room, making him stop at the receptionist's desk. "He's calling someone to let us look at them. Do we need to fill out forms to bid?" She handed one over and he filled it out quickly. "We'll tell you which ones after we look at them?"

"Of course," she said, initialing the form. "Good luck. Some of those houses won't sell for that much." She smiled at Oz. "Take good care of him, sir. He seems to be happy with you."

Oz nodded, leading Xander back down to their car. "So, we go look tomorrow?"

"Yeah, we could do that," Oz told him. "Will you look at the house I like?" he asked seriously, looking at his husband.

"Sure. Want to hit it first?"

"Sure," Oz said, relieved. "I think you'll like it. It's easy to see people coming from far away."

"Cool. That's a good thing right now." Xander buckled himself in and leaned over for a kiss. "I like the one in the forest," he told him. "If it doesn't need too much updating, and I don't like the one you did, could we get that one?"

"I wouldn't mind," Oz told him, "but we might have a problem putting up a fence. That's in the middle of a Federal forest, Xan, and it's got a lot of rules about things like fences."

"Hey, we can look into that too," he said quickly. "But maybe I'll love your house."

"And maybe I like the one in the forest too," Oz admitted. He started the car, listening to the engine. "Good, we're still okay." He pulled off into traffic, heading home to the hotel.

***

Methos jumped as they walked in, and Oz gave him a steady look. "Where did you go?" he asked sharply. "Ray was worried sick when he found out you weren't here."

"We went to talk to the banks," Oz told him. He dragged Xander over to make him sit down. "My love had a brilliant idea on the way over," he said as he poured himself a beer.

"Oz," Xander called, giving him a helpless look.

"It's the only one I'm having, I promise," Oz said as he came over to sit down. "We're going to look at houses in a few days. The smallest has five bedrooms. The other two have seven."

"One's a house that was stolen from Europe and brought over," Xander enthused, leaning toward him. "It's in the forest itself, instead of on the edge like we were. It's *huge*," he said, waving at Ray. "We went to the banks to check out my money situation, and we may have found a house for all of us until your stuff is straightened out with Chicago. Pretty houses, all three of them."

"All have security," Oz told him, saluting Ray with his beer. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I thought Xander might have had a bad night and you might have had to take him somewhere."

"Nope," Xander said, shaking his head, getting up to sit in his lap. "I think I found it, Ray. All the houses gave me the tingly feeling my house gave me."

Oz looked up at Methos. "Xander wants to switch cars."

"Yup, we need more cuddleable cars." He squeezed Ray lightly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Ray sighed, patting him. "I called my old boss and he said he couldn't do anything about it." He looked up at his lover. "It'd be great to be out of the hotel again," he told him.

"Yes, it would," Methos agreed, sitting beside his lover and Xander, giving them both a hug. "Where are the other two?"

"The rich part of Sunnydale," Oz told him. He looked around. "Is Giles dealing with the animals?"

"He took them all to the groomers. A few of them started to itch this morning and he thought a bath might be for the best." He watched Oz drink. "Richie met him there."

"Good," Oz said, saluting him with his glass. "Xander found out his money manager was stealing from him."

"Oh, no," Methos sighed. "How much?"

"Enough," Xander temporized. "We talked with the guy over the whole bank about it and he said he'd fix it for us. He's also the one that showed us the book of properties."

"Very nicely done," Methos congratulated. "When do you think you'll get to go see them?"

"Hopefully tomorrow," Oz sighed. "I don't like living in hotels."

Xander got off Ray and climbed across the coffeetable to steal Oz's glass and sit in his lap to cuddle him. "I don't like it either," he admitted. "I was much more free at home." He stole a kiss. "We'll have a home again soon, Oz, I promise." He cuddled down onto his chest, smiling at the contented noises his husband was making. "Yeah, we'll have a home soon, and the big, strong moving guys can move my bed again for us, and everything will be okay."

"I'm glad you think so, but nothing's ever that easy," Oz reminded him, gently stroking his lover's back. "Can we go cuddle in the bed or somewhere more horizontal? I really would like cuddles."

"Of course." Xander stood up and held out a hand. "Where would you like to cuddle? Bath or bed?"

"Oh, bath," Oz sighed, waiting until Xander had gone to pick up his glass of beer and finish it. He waved at Methos as he followed his lover. "We'll be out in a while. You can bring in chairs if you want. We wouldn't mind." He closed the door and snuck up on Xander, grabbing him and making him squeal. "I miss that sound," he said softly, licking the back of Xander's neck. "We haven't had sex since we got here. I'm starting to worry about you."

Xander turned under his hands. "I'm in mourning for my house, Oz, but we'll be good soon. I'll be better soon. I promise."

"Okay. As long as you're mostly okay now, and will be fully okay soon." He walked them into the bathroom and started the water for them.

Methos looked at Ray. "That's not such a bad idea for finding our own house," he suggested. "Going to a bank auction?"

Ray smiled at him. "I know you want more permanence. We'll look at what they've got, after we figure out where I'm going to be working. Do you wonder how Amanda's working on this for us?"

"No," Methos said, pulling him into his arms. "It's always better to not wonder with that one." He gave him a kiss. "Would you like a bath also?"

"Yeah," Ray said with a bright grin. "I need to be pampered again."

Methos smiled, pulling both of them up and into the bedroom. "As long as it's not the diapers, I'm perfectly happy with that plan."

***

Amanda breezed into Ray's prospective employer's office and tapped the file on the desk a few times. "I need to talk to someone about someone's application?" she asked nicely.

The man pointed at a set of double doors. "Through there, to the door marked Captain." He looked her over. "Are you applying?"

"No, I had to retrieve a file for an applicant." She smiled at his whispered 'pity' and went where he directed, tapping on the door. "Hello, I'm from Chicago and Raymond Kowalski asked me to stop by and threaten his old bosses?" she asked nicely, waving the folder.

The Captain smiled. "I knew it'd take a delicate touch, ma'am. May I see that?" She handed it over. "Oh, his abbreviated service record. Are they sending the original?"

"The *very* nice Commissioner out there said that he would. He wasn't sure *what* the problem was, but he was going to fix it. He even said he was sorry to lose Ray, that he had filled in during a few very rough times." She smiled at him. "Do you know where Ray might be? I saw the wreckage of the house they were staying at."

"Yeah, he gave us a contact number in LA, at one of the more upscale hotels," he said, copying it down. "When you see him, tell him that we'll submit it to our hiring committee this afternoon."

She licked her lips. "Good. I'm sure Ray will be ecstatic." She wiggled her fingers before walking out, giving him an excellent view of her tightly clad ass.

He tipped his head to watch her walk away, then opened the folder, looking at the commendations and the single incident report. "Huh, he was shot recently," he noted, picking up a pen to chew on. "Ah, his complaint is in here also." He circled it. "That's good to know."

***

Amanda snuck into the suite and smiled at Giles. "Hi," she said, waving at him. "I wasn't sure if any of you were here. Is Ray? I have some news for him."

"He's in the bath," Giles told her, patting the couch beside him. "How did your manipulation in Chicago go?"

"I got an abbreviated version of his record right away. They're supposed to be sending out the full one later today." She gave him a hug. "I saw the wreckage. What happened?"

"Wolfram and Hart," Oz said from their bedroom doorway, lounging there with a towel around his waist. "They're probably asleep in the tub, but you might want to go tell Ray the good news. He and Meth have been chewing nails again."

She smiled and got up, tapping on the other bedroom door. "Methos?" she called, walking in. She backed out at the scream. "Is that any way to thank the woman who went to take on your former boss?" she called through the closed door.

The door opened and Ray launched himself into her arms. "Oh, I love you right now," he said, picking her up to swing around. "Thank you. They gave it to you?"

"They gave me the abridged version, they're sending the real one. Oh, and a note was in there about your complaint." She touched the healed gunshot wound on his arm. "I handed it to your possible new Captain this morning, he told me where you were." She looked around, noticing that all the animals were missing. "Oh, were they hurt? I liked Fluffy."

"No, they're all being groomed," Giles told her. "Xander?" he called.

"He's napping in the bubbles," Oz said, walking out to get his own hug from Ray. "Congrats. You'll know soon. And if worse comes to worse, you can always come work for Sunnydale."

Ray grinned. "Yeah, it's a good backup plan. Xander said he'd teach me how to stake and everything." He looked at the door as it was tapped on. "Who is it?"

Oz walked over and opened it, accepting the leashes. "The furries," he said, releasing all but Fluffy, who was curled up in her leash. "Yours," he said, handing her over to Methos. He turned around but Giles was giving the man a tip. "Thanks. Were they good?"

"For the most part. The pink one kept trying to steal a hose." He smiled at Methos. "She was the best though. Very calm in the water."

"She's had many baths," Methos said solemnly. "She likes to garden."

The valet smiled and left them alone, walking around the woman still trying to get all the blood out of the carpet.

Oz shut the door and looked at the animals, all sitting looking at him. "Happy to be back, guys?" he asked. Rocky trotted over and tried to get under his towel. "Hey, my clothes," he said, getting down to scratch her behind the ears.

All the animals mobbed him to get their own lovies.

***

Oz looked around the house they both loved, squeezing Xander's hand gently as they saw some of the ancient fixtures in the house. "How long since it's been lived in?" he asked.

"Maybe twenty years. The last owner was adamant about keeping everything the same as it had been when it had been brought over." He looked up at the cathedral ceiling above the kitchen, studying the mural. "It's a beautiful house."

Xander nodded, tearing up. "It's going to take forever to update though. This is nowhere near codes."

Oz flipped a light switch and all the lights came on. "Maybe we have something better than codes," he suggested.

Giles walked in and looked up at the lights. "I thought I felt something like that." He smiled at the realtor. "We should probably look at the other two houses before we decide."

Xander nodded and snuggled between them on the walk back to the car.

***

Giles looked around the alternate house and shook his head. "This place has no charm," he told Oz, who nodded.

"It does on the outside," Xander told them. "Some decorating might help."

"Not," Oz told him, wrapping an arm around his waist. "I want to go look at my choice, okay?"

Xander nodded. "Okay." He waited until they were out in the car, following their realtor. "Why didn't you like the first house? It was perfect."

"Too perfect," Oz told him from the front seat. "It's exactly what we want and it's in an inaccessible place."

"Oh. You think someone set it up for us?"

"No, I think someone set it up for a demon's usage," Giles told him. "It's perfect for one of them, especially one who's been running the Hellmouth. I think we should consider very carefully before moving in there."

Xander nodded. "Okay," he said as they pulled into a driveway. "Um, Oz, do you really like this house?" he asked, looking up at the outside.

Oz got out and opened the back door. "Yeah. But I want to see inside." He took Xander's hand and led him inside, looking around. "What?" he asked when he felt the reticence.

"It feels like a jail," Xander complained. "You can't see the neighbors. You can't see anything but your own yard and the trees."

"It is very cool in demeanor," Giles agreed, turning to look around the house. "I still like the country cottage we saw first."

Oz nodded. "What about the problems?"

"It can be fixed," Giles told him. "It's not very hard to do actually." He walked over to the kitchen and shook his head. "Oz, can you imagine fixing us a meal in here?"

Oz walked up behind him and shook his head. "Nope. You're right." He looked at the realtor. "Anything else like the first house?"

The realtor smiled. "I may have one," he admitted. "It's much older. It's also a transplant from the Olde Country." He waved a hand. "We can go look at it if you'd like."

Xander nodded and followed him out, getting in to drive so Oz and Giles could cuddle. He followed the car out to the only gated community in Sunnydale, which had never been finished. There were only two houses built on the sixteen lots, and some scrub trees and brush had grown up around them. He looked at the houses, then back at Oz. "I like the lots," he said.

Oz leaned forward to watch as they pulled through the gated community, past a second gate and up a winding driveway. He breathed in as he saw the house, pointing. "Look," he said quietly.

Xander stopped the car and looked at the old house. Then he smiled at Giles and Oz. "What if it needs work?"

"Then it can be fixed," Giles said. "Drive, Xander, let's go look at the inside of this place."

Xander started the car again, narrowly stopping before hitting a cat sitting in the middle of the driveway. He got out and picked it up, petting the black cat. "My, you're a beautiful one," he said, taking it back to the car. "It wants to come with us."

Oz looked at the cat, then at Xander. "How do you know?"

"Because she said so." He shrugged and drove up the long driveway, stopping and turning off the car. He picked up the cat and got out, going to look at the house. "I love it," he called from the backyard.

Oz walked around the house, smiling as he saw Xander lounging beside the sculpted and landscaped pool. "Very nice," he agreed. He petted the cat and sighed. "Xander, this is a gift too."

"I know," he said, getting up to go inside. He wandered around the bottom story, smiling at the large library. He found a room with a long desk already in it and nodded, going to find a room for himself. "We found it," he called. Oz came jogging up to him. "I like this room. It's great for sewing."

Oz wrapped his arms around his husband's waist. "You're not wary because of the gift aspect?"

"Nope," Xander said, handing over the black cat, smoothing down it's white socks. "This definitely has Jace's friends' touch to it." He smiled at Giles. "I like it here. It has everything we could ever want."

Giles nodded, looking up at the stained glass window around the top of the atrium. "I like this too," he told Oz. "How much is this one, and is there another access?"

"There is one, but it's overgrown," the realtor told him. "I can start the paperwork today. The last owner moved about a year ago. There's a line specifically for computer things, the wife used to hack I think." He smiled at Giles. "This house used to belong to a gangster, one of the more modern ones, the ones who like legitimate businesses but keep enough of a hand into the old ways to make sure things went smoothly."

Oz chuckled. "Gee, didn't you think we were one of those once?" The realtor looked embarrassed. "It's okay. I'd be wary of people walking in with seventy thousand in cash too." He turned Xander around and saw the look of absolute joy on his face. "You like this one more?"

"Yeah," Xander said dreamily. "I love this place. It's just so right. And it's safe," he told Oz. "It has everything we might ever need. Including a fenceable area for the animals."

"True," Oz agreed, looking at the wood paneled hallway again. "I like it. We'll have to invite Jace out soon though. Let her bring her friends out to thank them."

"Cool," Xander said. He looked at the realtor. "Can we have some specifics?"

"It's got a master suite upstairs, and six bedrooms beside that, each with their own bath. It's got a rec room in the attic with a half-bath. The upstairs is a lot less formal than some of the rooms down here. It's also got a wine room and an attached laundry next to the kitchen." He nodded and they followed him up the stairs. "This should suit you all well." He opened the first door they came to, showing off the light, airy room.

"Wow," Xander said, walking into the room. "I like this," he said happily. He looked back at Oz, watching him look through the door. "You could come in and look with me," he offered, holding out a hand.

Oz walked in and glanced in the bathroom and the closets. "Very nice," he agreed. He led Xander out and down to the door at the end. He opened it and gasped, walking in to look at the cherry wood paneling and light blue wallpaper above it. "It's perfect," he whispered, smiling at Xander.

Xander had never seen that look of joy on Oz's face before, but he wanted to see it again. He looked at the realtor. "How much and when can we move in?"

The realtor laughed and pulled a form out of his briefcase. "It's a good thing we worked with you before, Mr. Harris. This house is just under two hundred thousand, complete with seven acres. There's a small path through the woods, down to the auxiliary gate. That gate leads down to a small road that comes out next to the beach part of town." He looked around the room. "This is a magnificent house," he said smoothly. "Maybe a bit bigger than you really need, but you'll never have to ask guests to double up again."

"Good point," Oz said, looking at Giles, who was staring in rapt wonderment at the room. "You like?" Giles nodded. "You're paying part of it, right?"

"It's not a problem, Oz," Xander said quietly.

"Yeah, but I want it to be *ours*," he protested. He gave his youngest husband a kiss. "Get over it, I always wanted to be Lord of the Manor."

Xander relaxed. "Okay, but can I tell you my idea later?" Oz nodded. "Cool." He looked at the realtor. "We only have sixty thousand ready right now. We should be able to get the rest in a few days though."

"That would be fine," he said, handing over the papers. "You could even apply for a loan for the time being if you wanted."

Xander looked at Oz, begging him. "So we can move out sooner?"

"Sure," Oz sighed, pulling out his phone. "Call your normal bank."

Xander dialed with two thumbs, smiling as he got the automated system. He pressed the button for loans. "Hi, this is Xander Harris...." He grinned at Oz. "Yeah, it's me. No, I wanted to talk about getting a temporary loan, just until we can get into all of our investments." He walked into the bathroom and squealed. "Oz, come look, it's *enormous*," he called.

Oz looked at the bathroom, walking in to appreciate the tub that was big enough to fit half a football team. He counted the jets, then looked at Xander. "I want this house," he told him.

Xander smiled at the voice on the other end. "Sorry about the noise. No, we are looking at the *perfect* house for us. Yeah, a big, huge house. No, it's two hundred grand, but we'll need about five hundred due to moving and furniture expenses. Sure." He rattled off his account numbers. "They're probably frozen, we found a little embezzlement." He sat on the edge of the tub. "Yeah, that's us. We can?" He gave a thumbs up to Oz. "Coolness. Yeah, we can come in...." He looked at his watch. "Tomorrow morning, really early?" He nodded at Oz again. "Okay. We'll be in about nineish." He hung up and put the phone away. "We can get it tomorrow. We should be able to move out of the hotel in a few days." He walked out, smiling at the realtor. "We'll sign papers for the loan tomorrow morning. What do I have to give him?" The paper was pointed to. "Okay. We'll come up and sign everything tomorrow, hopefully with a check." He waved and jogged out, going after Giles, who was examining the kitchen by sticking his head into every cabinet in the room. "We can get a temporary loan until we get our money back," he said happily, bouncing into him to give him a hug. "Want to go tell them the good news?"

"We have pictures so you can show the bank officer," the realtor suggested, holding out a folder. "This should also impress your friends."

"Very cool," Oz said, taking it. "We'll call tomorrow?" The realtor nodded and left them alone. Oz looked at Xander, who was smiling so brightly he was lighting up the room. "Come on, let's go back to hotel for another night," he said, pulling Xander off Giles. "Come on," he repeated, tempting Xander with puckered lips to get him out to the car.

Giles followed behind him, smiling at their antics.

***

Xander signed the final paper and handed it back. "Oh, we've got to unregister for the auction." The loan officer smiled and shook his head. "You did that?"

"Yes, we did, while I talked to the head people upstairs. They said that you'll have access to your money in the next three weeks, after the investigation is done. We'll automatically take out the amount of the loan." He handed Xander a check, looking at the picture he was clutching. "Is that the new house?"

Xander showed it off. "It's perfect," he sighed. "It's got room for all of us and our animals, plus our friends whenever they want to come over. And if you stand out past the pool, you can see down to the ocean."

Oz relaxed, taking the check from him. "Can we get this cashed today?" he asked. "I think he wants to move and I don't like living in hotels, not even ones that nice."

The loan officer smiled. "Of course. You can go right out to the tellers and have them cash it for your, Mr. Osbourne. I can't believe this house is that little."

"Sunnydale has low land value," Oz told him as he stood up. "We have a high death rate."

"Plus, some people are very wary because the high school blew up," Xander added, waving before following Oz out to the tellers. "Hi, we need this cashed," he told her. "We're buying a house."

She smiled and looked at the check. "Sir, I need to see some identification." Xander patted himself down, and Oz pulled out his wallet. "Is your name on his account, sir?"

"Yes," Oz told her. "It was put on there a few months ago." He patted Xander's shoulder. "We got married then too."

She chuckled. "That's always a good reason for joint accounts and buying houses." She ran the check through the machine, and her drawer popped open. "How did you want this?"

"In bills," Xander said, nodding at her, still smiling. "We're going to pay the realtor after we do this." He looked over his shoulder as Ray and Methos joined them. "And here are our loyal bodyguards."

Methos took the envelope of money and stuffed it down the front of his pants, then nodded at the teller and walked away.

Xander giggled and followed him, Oz right behind him, with Ray bringing up the rear. They got into the car and headed for home.

***

Xander bounded into the realtor's office, handing over the money Methos hand counted out for him. "You need to go to the bank," he said happily.

The realtor's eyes opened very wide. "Yes, I think I do," he said as he took the cash, counting it quickly. "Let me call a police officer to come escort me and we can fill out the paperwork while we wait on them." He pulled the phone over after stuffing the money into his pocket. "Hello, this is Mr. Reynolds at the realty office. I need an escort to the bank, please?" He hung up. "We've got about ten minutes." He pulled out some papers and handed them over. "These are the same papers you filled out the last time, Mr. Harris. We'll call you with the results of the title search tonight, but it shouldn't be a problem."

Oz walked in and made the realtor jump. "Sorry. What about the old owners?"

"They've been trying to sell it for a few years now. They're in jail right now and could really use the money," he said, giving him a smile. "I wouldn't worry about it, but I might search for listening devices."

Oz sat down. "Okay, I have the equipment to do that in storage." He patted Xander on the thigh as he signed his name. "Me?"

Xander signed the last one and turned to hand them over to Oz, letting his husband use his thigh to sign everything. "Do we need Giles' signature?"

"We'll fix that later," Oz told him as he scanned the pages. He signed the last one as the door opened, handing them back. "Hi," he told the officer, standing up. "Xander, hotel?"

"Keys?" Xander asked plaintively.

The realtor smiled at him. "After everything's final. You don't want another round like the last time, correct?"

Xander nodded. "Definitely." He pushed past the officer, going out to their car. Another officer was standing there. "Hi, guys. What's wrong?" he asked, leaning against the trunk.

"Nothing, sir, we were admiring the car. Did you find somewhere to live?"

"A beautiful transplanted manor house out near the ocean," Xander told him, smiling as the realtor was walked out. "Have fun at the bank," he called, walking around to get in. "He's happy, but he's very jumpy."

"I would be too if someone handed me two hundred grand," Ray told him from the front seat. He nodded at Methos, who drove them away. "Keys?"

"After everything's final," Oz told him. "Hotel or shopping?" he asked Xander.

"We'll figure that out after I get happy," Xander purred as he leaned over and stole a kiss, moving into Oz's lap to grind against him.

Methos groaned, "Not in the car, Xander. Wait for two hours."

Ray smiled at him. "That's just them, dear." He patted his lover on the thigh. "Drive faster, Meth. I want some of that too."

Methos grimaced. "You'd have to do this to me while I'm driving," he complained, reaching one hand over to pat his lover's cock. "Keep this ready for me, Ray, I'm sure I can satisfy you in a few minutes." He pulled into a rest area, noticing all the rocking cars. "See, we're in the right spot." He pulled Ray onto his lap and pulled his head down to kiss him.

From the backseat, Oz's mumbled pleading made them hotter.

***

Xander bounced into his new house, looking around at his furniture. "Wow, we don't fill up this space at all," he told Giles, who was walking in with the last of the animals. "Hey, Rocky," he said, reaching down to pet her. "Welcome home, baby," he cooed, letting her go so she could explore. "I wonder if that black cat's all right," he said as he walked into the kitchen. The movers had managed to get all of their dishes out too, which impressed him, as well as the food from the refrigerator. "Oz, lunch?" he called, not looking outside to where Oz was standing, watching the water.

Oz walked in and sat at the table, watching his lover slice some of the good ham off the bigger part, taking the plate of it so Xander could work on the cheese. "What are we doing tonight?" he asked.

"Christening the bathtub," Xander said firmly. "I want to try out that bathtub." He looked up as Ray and Methos walked through the front door with a blanket wrapped lump. "Come in, Seth, have lunch with us?"

Seth shook off the blanket and looked around. "Killer place, bro," he said in appreciation. He spun around to look at the view. "Very killer place." He shrugged at Oz's dry look. "What?"

"Nothing, bad choice of words." Oz held up a glass of the wine Giles was pouring. "Want some?"

"Sure. Wine I can do. Food doesn't seem right to me somehow." He sat at the table waiting on his lunch. "How did you guys find this place?" he asked his brother as he sat down.

"We found a house we adored, but it had a lot of magic tied up in it, so we asked if there was anyplace similar. He said yes." He nibbled on his ham. "It's still good," he told Oz.

"You forgot about the cat stopping us," he noted, nibbling on the cheese. "We need some bread."

Ray waved a loaf of bread he was cutting up. "If ya'd waited, then you'd have had bread," he told them, coming over to put the bread in the middle of the table. "Meth, salad?"

"Coming," Methos said, bringing out a big bowl of salad. "There we are. Dressing's already on." He sat down beside them, grabbing his own food. "So, Seth, how goes your independence?"

"Good," he said, smiling around his wine glass. "Blair's very good about letting me be myself now." He winked at his brother. "On the other hand, someone may be going to him for some lessons in protocol."

Oz choked, looking at his husband. "Oh, really?"

"Really," Xander agreed. "I want to go thank the guy who's helped me so often."

"Build a shrine," Methos suggested.

"I can do that too," Xander told him. He smiled at Oz. "I'm sure that it'll be fine."

"I wasn't worrying about that, I was worrying about you going somewhere that I can't protect you."

"I'll be fine," Xander told him, reaching over to touch his arm. "I love you and I'll be back in a few days, once I go."

Oz looked at him. "As long as you have an escort or are protected," he said quietly. "I don't want you going somewhere like another dimension without some protection."

Xander nodded. "I'll be bringing my sword. Good enough?"

"Maybe," Oz agreed. He took a bite of salad out of the bowl, nibbling on it.

"Use a plate," Methos sighed, rolling his eyes.

"No one put any out," Giles reminded him, getting up to do that, and grab forks too. He came back and handed out the dinnerware, sitting back down to dish himself out some salad. "Xander, I'm going to put a protection spell on you." Xander nodded. "You aren't going to fight?"

"No, I figured that you'd want to do something like that to make yourself feel better about not being able to go."

"Why can't they go?" Ray asked.

"Beings such as them would start to unravel that dimension's stability," Seth explained. "They are very feared by most demons, mostly because they aren't understood. Demons have a hard time considering anything that doesn't have powers like them, but will live longer than they will."

"Okay," Xander agreed. "Ray, you could go with me."

"Nope," Ray said, shaking his head. "I can't do that, sorry. I can't leave Meth alone to cross dimensions. He said so after almost getting lost at Oz's house."

"Okay," Xander said with a shrug. "I'll let my men ward me to the best of their abilities and then I'll go." He finished his nibbling. "I'm going to go check the rest of the house out, see if we really need anything." He got up and jogged up the stairs, going to look at the bedrooms first. "Oz, we need more stuff," he called down a few minutes later.

"Of course we do," Oz agreed, looking at Giles. "You want to take him shopping while I set up my computer?"

"I can do that," Giles agreed, giving him a kiss. "Will you all be fine while we're gone?"

"There's plenty to explore," Ray told him. "Is the cable hooked up?"

"Should be," Oz told him. "It was supposed to be done yesterday." He looked at Seth. "We'll set up a vamp-safe room tonight. Until then, there's so many rooms around here that you shouldn't have problems with the sun for a while."

Seth smiled. "I won't worry about it, I can run from the encroaching sun." He finished his wine and went up to help his brother plan. "Wow, the bed looks great in here."

Oz patted Giles' hand. "Don't worry, it won't be that bad. It'll all be delivered. We won't have to carry anything up the stairs."

Giles sighed and got up, grabbing the money from the drawer in the kitchen. "I'd best take him now, before the list gets too long." He walked to the bottom of the stairs. "Xander, come along. I'll take you shopping."

Xander ran down the stairs and jumped into Giles' arms, giving him a hug and kiss. "We love you," he said, taking another kiss before sliding down the firm body. "Come on, before all the furniture places close." He dragged Giles out the door and to the cars. "I'll talk to you later," he called. "Oz, we still need to discuss my plans."

"Go for it," Oz called back. "I like that idea." He looked at Seth as he came back to the table. "Did you know Branchson's was having financial difficulties? They're looking for a partner."

Seth shook his head. "No, I didn't. Are they going to go under?"

"No, Xander wants to buy into them so he has a steady income and somewhere to go train his skills." Oz dished out some more salad. "You sure you don't want any? It's really good, imported and everything."

Seth shook his head, pouring himself some more wine. "It's not good for me," he said, sipping at his refilled glass.

Oz shook his head and dug into his meal. He would need the strength later, Xander was determined to christen the house.

Confusing Family Situations.

Xander hung up the last of the saris in the living room, stepping back to make sure it was straight. "I like that there," he announced. He had been fussing over the house for the last week, and this was the final touch. He turned to look for his lovers, but they weren't in the room with him any more. "Oz, Giles," he called petulantly. They had promised to help him decorate.

"We were admiring the other room," Oz said as he walked in. He looked at the sari hung behind the chairs, then at the chairs. "Those don't go," he noted.

Xander stepped back to look at the whole picture. "Throw pillows," he decided. "I'll pick some up tonight when I go in for my protocol lesson."

"Okay, but I was talking about the color of the chairs," Oz told him. "The maroon leather doesn't go with the red and gold."

"Hmmm." Xander considered them then shrugged. "I'll look for another sari," he decided as he got up to take that one down. He came down off the step stool and looked around the room. "Blue chairs?"

"As long as they're not gold," Oz told him, walking around his husband to get at his desk. "Out, I need to work to afford those chairs."

Xander stuck his tongue out at Oz, then grinned, waving before he walked out of the office. "I'll be home in a few days," he called as he headed for his already packed car. He was just pulling away when Oz ran out the front door. He tooted and stuck his hand out to wave, heading down the new driveway to the main road. They didn't like going through the housing development to get up to the house so they almost exclusively used the secondary access. He waved at the truck that was letting him out, sure that Oz would be able to handle watching the workers put the new beds and stuff in the right spots. After all, he had given the furniture store a diagram of where everything went. He sped up as he neared the onramp, heading for LA and the portal that would take him off dimension for a few days.

Oz turned to look at Giles, who shrugged. "We knew he was going to go today," Giles noted.

Oz grunted, staring at the truck coming up the driveway. "He stuck us with something to take our minds off him for a while," he said dryly.

"Go work on your program, I can handle this part," Giles said, giving him a smile and a pat on the back. "I've a fair hand at decorating." He ignored the look Oz gave him, walking down to meet the movers. "Hello, the last of our stuff?"

"All but one table," the guy agreed. "It's still on back order." He slid out of his seat. "So, where's the fussy one going?" he asked as he walked back to the back of the truck and opened it.

Giles looked at all the furniture, shaking his head. "I do believe Xander bought too much this time," he sighed. "We can't possibly use all this."

"It's not all yours," he said, handing over the clipboard. "Sign on the line, again, and can we get some water today? Your man was really nice about giving us some on our breaks when we came up the other day."

"Of course," Giles told him. "I'm sure we have some already chilling in the refrigerator. If not, I'll start some as soon as I get back inside. Do you know where everything goes?" He headed back to the house.

"Yup. He made us out some really pretty plans." He smiled at Giles back, turning to look at his helper as he got out of the truck and joined him. "They're newly married," he explained. "It's the kid's second house, the first one blew up."

"That won't happen here," the helper said in appreciation. "I'd like to have this sort of money. Whaddya think it's worth? A few mil?"

"Nah, not in this town. There's a real high murder and missing persons rate. I bet they got it for a steal."

"Two hundred grand, property included," Oz said as he walked out with two bottles of beer. "How much of this is ours?" he asked as he looked in the back of the truck.

"Back to that armoire. That's to go up on the third floor." He saw the appraising glance. "Yeah, I know, better us than you," he said with good humor.

Oz shook his head. "I was just considering how Xander would have gotten it up there himself." He looked around. "Did you see the pink cat yet?"

"Yeah, she ran that way," the helper said, pointing toward a big bush. "What's up with her anyway, you dye her that shade?"

"Nope, that's her natural color. Her father's looking for her. Fluffy," he called as he walked that way. "Your daddy's looking for you." She jogged out and stopped to rub against his leg, trotting inside the house to go look for her fathers.

Methos came to the door, clutching his kitten. "Thank you, Oz, I have no idea how she got out of the play room." He rubbed his nose in her soft fur. "Come, my pink one, let's get you a treat for being so good and following orders."

Oz shrugged as he walked past them. "You're going to spoil her," he called, making sure both doors were unlocked and the center bar was removed so the movers could get everything inside. He went back to his program, stopping in the animal playroom. Xander had converted one of the bigger end rooms into a play area just for the animals. There were two climbing systems put together for the cats, along with assorted toys and mats for the dogs. Fluffy was now queen of the roost and she ruled beneficently over the other animals until the time Methos and Ray found their own house. He checked to make sure Rocky, Xander's first dog, was still napping then headed to his office, making sure the door was open for her to get in. She liked to lay beside his desk and help him program.

***

Xander stepped through the portal, adjusting his vest and putting one hand on his sword hilt as he walked up to the demon behind the desk. "I'm here to see my adoptive father," he said calmly and formally. "I have been summoned to attend him."

The demon looked down at the paper, watching as it magically scrolled. "I'll have someone escort you." He looked at the sword. "You can't take that with you."

Xander started to pull the blade. "I come here in good faith, without guardians, but I refuse to go unarmed. I don't know who's going to come for me this time, and I refuse to be kidnapped ever again."

A bigger demon clapped and smiled at him. "Son," he said, looking him over. "You really don't need that here. It would be a egregious insult to my family to kidnap one of my sons."

Xander cocked one eyebrow up. "You've seen me kidnapped how many times?" he asked lightly.

His father laughed again and held out a hand. "Close your eyes, traveling can be dizzying for mortals." He touched a stone on his longest necklace and brought them to his corner of the dimension. "Sit," he said, waving a hand at a chair at the bottom of his dias.

Xander sat down and looked over the demon who had helped him. He didn't quite look as big as Jabba the Hut, but he was approximately the same shape, only seafoam green with a crown of little horns around where his forehead should be. He had a lot of necklaces on, but Xander was sure each one had a specific purpose. The protocol lessons he had learned from the vampire Blair had shown him how very stringent some rules could be and how everything his father did, said, or wore had a certain overtone, connotation, or ritual significance. He shifted so he could cross his legs, smiling at the old demon. "So, my father gave me to you too, huh," he said at last.

His father looked him over. "I did tell Blair to tutor you in protocol," he said firmly, frowning down at the man.

"Yup, but I was a courtesan in another dimension and it taught me that there are times when all the formalities can be disposed of, and there are times when ignoring certain items of the protocol is most appropriate." He grinned. "And I'm still not what you think I am."

"I know. I felt it, as did the demon who let you in. How did this happen, son?" He leaned forward. "I know you weren't an immortal when I first saw you."

"Nope, but I'm bound to two or three. Unfortunately, I couldn't bring my husbands to officially meet you." He shrugged lightly. "So, why did you adopt me? You knew I was human."

"Yes, but even then, your specialness radiated through. Your mortal parents never recognized your specialness." He leaned back, looking the boy over. "I saw how happy the redheaded one made you. Is he one of your betrothed?"

"He's one of my husbands," Xander corrected, holding up his left hand to show his adoptive father his ring. "We were married by another immie named Jace, one who had ties to some very...old ways." He grinned. "They put up with me," he said with a shrug.

His father chuckled. "That's a good thing, son." He stood up and walked down, giving him a hug. "You chose a good time to come here, we're having a celebration tonight. There will be many sons like you around." He led Xander from the room, into a more opulent dining room. "You will sit here," he said, patting the back of a chair. "You will push anyone who gets in your way out of it. You are to defend yourself if a mortal threat or challenge is given, but you are only allowed to be snide to any who do less than that." Xander nodded. "Did Blair give you clothes also?"

"He told me that the portal would eat anything that I wasn't wearing."

"Ah, yes, it is Fall in your plane, isn't it," he said thoughtfully. "We've always had troubles with the portals in fall. I used to wonder why we had the festivals then." He shook himself.

"Why do you?" Xander asked.

His father smiled at him. "Because it became a competition, son. Whomever can get the most sons over here for it gains stature. Having you here for the first time during this will raise my status a bit." Xander nodded. "Did Blair tell you about that also?"

"Yup. While he was beating manners into me," he said with an impish grin. "You wouldn't *believe* some of the stuff he tried to pull over on me." He sat down in his appointed chair, wiggling around a little bit. "Just what I expected, hard enough to keep you awake, but soft enough so you don't bruise. Some things don't change no matter which court you're in."

His father, patted him on the back. "That's all too true, son. Come, I'll show you to your quarters for the time being." He stopped and looked his son over. "You can't wear your sword tonight, it would be a mortal insult to all demons present."

"Hey, I won't wear it if they promise to leave me alone about my hormones," he said lightly. "If I so much as have one tentacle touch me inappropriately, I'm taking it off." He let one of his daggers slide down his arm. "You'll find I'm very well trained in more than the courtly arts," he said, his smile turning a little more adult.

His father nodded. "That's good. I wouldn't want you harmless. As long as you keep those out of sight, you may wear them. Come, I'm sure the journey made you thirsty, it does everyone else."

"Yeah, it did," Xander said, following him back to the throne room and to the door behind but beside the throne, back into a hallway of doors. "Gee, this looks like a maze I once had to go through in a game," he said, frowning at the marks. "Huh, one has my name," he said, pointing at it, stopping to try the handle.

His father walked back and removed his hand. "That is a visual portal back to the earlier parts of your life so I could keep track of you." He let go of his son. "I doubt you need to relive your own history."

"True," Xander admitted, following him down the hall. "You really watched over me? Even when I was in New York?"

"No, that part was blocked out as soon as I saw who was picking you up." His father stopped to look at him. "Did you really need to do that, son?"

"If I hadn't, I wouldn't be the man I am today," Xander reminded him quietly. "Without that, I wouldn't have found GHS, I wouldn't have gotten Oz and Giles, and I wouldn't be here now."

"Point," his father hummed. "It was only for a month and a half." He waved a hand at a hallway full of curtains. "Yours is the last on this side."

"Okay." Xander bowed to him, like he had been taught, then walked away, going to his room. He walked in, looking around the simple furnishings, taking everything in. He sat down in front of his desk and made a note to Oz to tell him he had gotten here all right, folding it up and putting it into the delivery slot. It disappeared instantly and he got up to get himself a drink.

***

Oz looked up as the demon appeared in front of the desk, taking the envelope it held out. "Thank you. This is from my mate, right?" The demon shrugged as he disappeared. Oz opened the letter, snorting at the simple message. "I love you too, stubborn, but it took you two days to get there?" He put it aside, bending down to look at the phone, trying to find the intercom button. He gave up after a second's search. "Giles, we got an 'I'm okay and I'm here' note," he yelled.

Giles walked in, smiling at him. "It's the green button, Oz," he said gently. The phones were his idea, that way they wouldn't have to try and shout across the house. He took the letter, smiling at its simplicity. "At least he hasn't pissed the demon off yet."

"Good point," Oz noted, going back to checking his mail. "Oh, Ray," he shouted.

"Oz, the green button," Giles sighed, rolling his eyes as he walked out.

Ray stuck his head around the doorway. "You bellowed, oh lord of the manor?" He grinned.

"You got mail," he said, getting up. "I hate intercoms. This isn't a bus station."

"It's big enough to be one," Ray quipped, coming over to sit behind the desk. He opened his letter and sighed. "I can have a job with them but not for another three months. They had to hire a detective and they couldn't wait any longer on my records." He looked up. "But now that they have them, I have a job in three months."

"Way to go," Oz praised, giving him a grin. "Want to go tell Methos so he can celebrate with you?" He pointed at the drawers in his desk. "Top, middle one, the little box inside it."

Ray opened the drawer and pulled out the envelope in the small box, opening it slowly. "Oz, you didn't," he sighed, smiling up at him.

"Hey, you said you wanted to travel," Oz noted. "There's even arrangements for you to take your furries with you. All you need is papers from a vet." He waved and walked out. "I'll go find Meth while you contemplate our generosity," he joked.

Ray smirked. "Sure, and Xander didn't put you up to this at all," he said quietly, looking at the tickets. He jumped up and headed up to their room. He only had three days to pack if they wanted to make their plane. He stopped to look at his wardrobe, shaking his head. "Xander did it again," he sighed, pulling down the new clothes bag and taking it over to the bed to open it.

"It was Oz that gave us the trip this time," Methos said as he walked in. "He told me to correct you. Oh, and Xander didn't do the clothes, he was too busy with his own trip to worry about ours. Giles picked you out some clothes he thought you might like." He patted his lover on the butt. "Where are they sending us this time?"

"London, then Paris for the last month. There's a note in here about you having a place to live there." He looked up at his lover. "You do?"

Methos nodded. "I do. I have a wonderful house in London and a small apartment waiting for us in Paris. When are our tickets?"

"Three days," Ray said, handing them over. "You keep them, I'll lose them." He looked down at the clothes, then bent down to finger one of the suits. "Well, they're nice," he noted, looking at his lover.

"Pack them, I'm sure we'll be going out to dinner at least once," Methos said with a smile. "Pack jeans, and at least one sweater. Fall can get chilly in London." He looked around the room. "Where are the animals?"

"Lounging in their room," Ray sighed. "They're so lucky, they can lay in the sun and nap."

"We can do that too," Methos whispered, pulling Ray into his arms. "Come, love, let us go find a sunny perch to rest ourselves on for a bit. Packing can wait until after dinner and we'll arrange the animals' visit later." He led the way down to the area around the pool and the comfortable double loungers Xander had put out there for just this purpose. He lay down with Ray in his arms, holding onto him as tightly as he could while they soaked up some of the warm sun.

Oz and Giles looked out at them about an hour later then at each other. "Awww," they said together, then walked into the kitchen to fix a meal for all of them.

***

Xander skillfully moved away from the human trying to paw him, giving him a scathing glance. "I'm not interested," he said coldly, touching his wedding band.

The human laughed. "Your wife let you come here alone?" he sneered, stepping closer to try and pin Xander against the wall. "Why would you be so stupid as to come in unguarded?"

"Because I don't need one," Xander said, slipping one of his daggers down and holding it against the human's balls. "One, I have *two* husbands. Two, they're not allowed here because they would start to unravel the domain. Three, fuck off before you die," he finished coldly, putting his dagger back. He smiled sweetly at the people around them that had stopped to listen. "What? I'm *happily* married and someone needs to know the meaning on the word 'no'." He sipped his wine and walked over to another group, smiling at a demon he knew. "You work in the bank in New York," he said in greeting, holding out his hand. "I helped you with a bank heist attempt."

The demon laughed. "Yes, you did. How long did it take you to get taken back that time?" He shook Xander's hand. "How are you? What are you doing up here anyway? You never told us that you were related."

Xander shrugged. "I didn't find out until a month ago or so." He took another sip of his wine and kicked backwards at the stupid human coming towards him, knocking him away. "I'm fine. I got married recently," he said, showing off his ring. "Both of my men can't come here, but I was assured that I wouldn't have to put up with people like him." He smiled sweetly as his father came over. "Isn't he my brother and wouldn't that be incest?" he asked calmly.

His father patted him on the back. "Yes, it would, son. I wouldn't worry about your older brother." He nodded at the demons around them, taking Xander away. "I believe that your hormonal problem may be out in full force," he explained, just loud enough for the other demons to overhear. He looked down at his son. "I don't know what came over Micah. He's not usually such an ass."

Xander gave him a bland look. "Let him keep it up and he'll be a eunuch," he said sweetly. "I won't be forced into anything and I haven't cheated on my mates in the three years that we've been together."

His father smiled as he walked over to where his other children were. "That's good," he praised. "Solid relationships are always for the best, especially when you've got some very strange skills."

"And problems," Xander agreed, nodding at the family he had barely met earlier.

"Why does he get to ignore protocol," one of the other sons complained.

"Because I'm like that," Xander said, leaning closer to him. "I'm not like the rest of you guys, and it's very well known. Everyone expects me to be the bad one of all of us."

"I thought so," the one that had hit on him said snidely. "You're the one that father had to almost go save from a brothel."

Xander snorted. "Why would he have had to save me?" He smiled at the idiot. "I was discovering myself. The only thing he would have had to of saved me from was all the people who tried to kidnap me." He saluted him with his glass. "Of course, if I hadn't been there, then I wouldn't have my mates, my abilities, or anything else that I value, like my animals." He turned his attention to the one that was almost vibrating. "Yes, dear?" he asked.

She shrieked, "I knew it!" Everyone in the room turned to look at him. "He's the one who had that *dance* video that was stolen from him."

Xander nodded. "Yup, but I got that fixed." He smiled at one of the shocked faces near him. "What? It's actually a form of self defense. Those are the basic steps I *had* to learn." He smiled at his only sister. "I really didn't want that spread around," he said quietly.

"Oh, why not?" the irritating son asked. "Why don't you give us a show?"

"Because my mates asked me to never perform in public again," Xander said quietly and coldly. "Unlike you, I happen to care about my mates' happiness and wishes." He blinked, turning back to his sister. "I'm just really glad that they didn't get all of them."

"There's more," she gasped, her mouth falling open. "I saw a copy of that one and it was very..." She stopped to fan herself, earning a smile from him. "You knew?"

"Which is why I was asked to never perform in public again," he told her. She giggled and he patted her on the arm. "Don't worry, I'm working on a new series to the dances to keep my men interested."

She giggled again and their father cleared his throat. "Video?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said, dragging him into the other room and down the hall to the viewing chamber.

He came back a few minutes later and looked at his son, giving him an appraising look. "Well, that's definitely an interesting form of self defense," he said slowly.

Xander snickered. "I know. The fighting is directly related to the dancing, the dancing gives me flexibility to fight, which is taught at the same time." He glanced around. "I can do a small one, one with daggers if you'd like. I don't usually have to worry about being jumped when I do that one. The sword ones are a bit more risque though."

His father shrugged. "We might schedule that for tomorrow, Xander." He looked at his heir, frowning at him. "You will leave Xander alone," he ordered. "The boy is involved in his life and is no threat to you." He turned around. "My fifteenth son has offered to put on a show of some of his fighting skills tomorrow if anyone would like to see it," he offered.

The demon from the bank in New York stepped forward. "I've seen him fight," he said with a bow. "Would you be willing to put on a mock-battle, or just to do one of the harder training exercises?"

"Either," Xander said confidently. "But I promised my Oz I wouldn't ever perform any of the dances in public. I can do some of the training exercises easily."

"Oh, do you have a sword?" his sister asked, hanging onto his arm.

"Yes, dear, I do. Because of a very odd hormone condition, I'm never unarmed anymore." He glanced at the heir as he walked closer. "Never," he repeated, making sure his point was clear.

"I'd be glad to fight against him, father," the heir said. "That is, if *Xander* would agree to fight against me."

"Of course I can spar with you," Xander said gently, talking down to him. "It's not that hard. I've sparred against men much older than you." He looked at his father. "With your blessing of course."

His father looked at them, then nodded. "Yes, I believe that would be fine. Unless someone else wants to take a shot at Xander?" No one said anything. "Then we'll do this tomorrow morning." He clapped his hands. "Onto the food," he ordered, waving at the table.

Xander escorted his sister over, placing her in the chair to his left, she was lower in status than he was. He made sure to pull her chair out for her, pulling out his most chivalrous attitude for her. She was only sixteen or so, but his father had taken her in when it became apparent that her original parents were going to harm her. He sat down beside her, looking up at the man behind him. "Did you need something?" he asked. "This is my seat."

The man shook his head and moved to a free chair, sitting down.

She leaned over to him as the first course was being put down. "Be careful, Micah wants to kill you. You're taking attention from him."

Xander patted her on the hand. "I know. Don't worry. I have a lot experience with hostile people," he said quietly, leaning closer to her. "I've been kidnapped too many times to fall for his ploy. Besides, I'm very good," he told her, sitting up as their food was put before him. "What is this?" he asked her.

She giggled. "I have no idea but it usually tastes like fajitas to me."

Xander watched his father for cues, only picking up his fork after he had eaten something. "Father," he called, standing up. "It's customary in my new family to thank the host with a toast."

Micah stood up, not to be outdone. "Yes, let's do that. To father, for his generosity in taking in so many of us."

"To father," Xander agreed, lifting his cup. "For saving all of us from bad problems."

His father smiled and nodded. "Thank you, sons. Eat, please."

Xander sat back down and took a hesitant bite, smiling as it came out tasting like pizza. "This is very good," he said, smiling at his sister and mouthing, 'pizza' to her. She giggled and dug into her food, patiently ignoring the man on her other side.

The man across from Xander cleared his throat. "So," he said, looking him over, "I heard you just bought a new house."

"Yes, unfortunately when I helped Angel take over Wolfram and Hart, they didn't like it too much. They're trying to punish Angel by hurting his friends."

"Aren't you worried about your family?" his sister whispered.

"Not a bit," Xander said calmly. "One of my mate's is ...." He glanced at his father, who nodded.

"That is known up here but it is not usually spoken of. One of his mates is immortal," he told the man. "A very old one from what I could tell."

Xander nodded. "Very." He smiled at the man across from him. "And the other is a sorcerer. I have no doubt that my kittens and puppies, as well as my mates, will be safe in my absence."

The other man nodded, looking a little panicked. "You really are the black sheep of this family, aren't you?"

Xander grinned his most impish, naughty grin. "Who, me?" he asked innocently in his best make- Oz-run-for-the-hills voice. A few people up and down the table shivered. "I've been a *very* good boy recently. Oz has to keep a very tight rein on me or I sew all day."

His sister nudged him. "You sew?"

"Yup, I do most of my dance clothes now. And I did both outfits for my wedding." She grinned at him. "Oh, do you know my actual brother Seth?" She nodded. "I thought so, he said to tell you hi. His Sire, Blair, taught me protocol."

She winked. "I have no doubt. He's a lot like that." She looked down the table at her father's cleared throat. "Yes, sir?" she asked.

"Eat, dear, you can talk to him for the next two days that he's here."

Xander grinned sillily at him. "But dad," he mock-whined.

"Eat," he said again, this time smiling. "You two can catch up tomorrow." He looked at the woman on his right. "Dear, did you know that Xander grew up on the Hellmouth?"

"You worked with the Slayer," Micah accused.

Xander stood up and took out one of his daggers. "Yes, I did. Every time that a *bad* demon came to town to hurt the population, I've been there. I've *never* hurt an innocent demon while I was hunting." He glared down at him. "As a matter of fact, I and my mates are considered guardians of the Hellmouth now that Buffy's died."

His father reached over and slapped Micah's face. "He's the one who protects the humans from the ones like Angelus," he said coldly. "You will leave him alone, Micah, or suffer my displeasure. Sit, Xander, and put the dagger away."

Xander bowed to him. "Of course, father." He sat down, taking a bite of food. He looked at his sister. "Actually, Angelus has his soul again and he's still atoning for his past. That's who owns Wolfram and Hart now."

She snickered. "I've heard. That was a brilliant move." She looked down at her mother, who was frowning at her. "Yes, ma'am?" she asked.

"Dear, eat. You two can talk later."

She started to eat again. "Yes, ma'am," she said, looking down at her plate.

Xander smiled at her. "It's nice to see someone so enthusiastic about life," he told her. "It's not very frequent that I see too many of them outside of my friends these days."

Their mother nodded. "I understand that, but she promised to follow matters of protocol tonight. She may still be a bit young to be invited to such events."

Xander smiled at her. "But I need someone to hang with. It's not like Micah would ever agree to sit and talk with me."

She smiled, looking at her natural son. "I think that would be a good idea," she said firmly, staring at him.

He bowed his head. "Yes, mother," he sighed.

His father beamed at Xander, and saluted him with a bite of food. "Eat, sons, before the food is taken from you."

Xander dug back into his food, eating politely, but quickly. Between courses was more discussion time and he was really hungry.

***

Oz took the newest note from the demon's hand, rolling over to cuddle Giles while they read it together. "Well, he got into a pissing contest," he noted, handing it over as he ran his hand under the sheets to tease the bare body.

Giles slapped at the hand, reading the note for himself. "Do you think the challenge was real?" he asked. "Xander's not always rational."

"He'll be fine," Oz reminded him. "He's very well trained and it's supposed to be a mock-battle. I'm sure Xander can wear the idiot down if he has to. Remember, our love bunny has stamina that's unbelievable."

"Yes," Giles agreed, rolling against Oz and putting the note aside. "He'll be fine, Oz. We'll go meet him when he comes back."

"I'm not sure when that will be," Oz reminded him.

"Me either, time runs funny in most of the dimensions. He might actually come back a few days when he returns through the portal." He kissed his husband lightly. "Oz, I need to get some of my things out of storage for my office. Would you like to help me tomorrow?"

"Sure," Oz said, running his hands down the soft, smooth back, using them to tease the firm butt cheeks. "But I want paid," he said quietly.

"Of course." Giles reached back and took out the plug he'd been wearing since his shower. "What would you like in payment?" he asked with a smile.

"Surprise me," Oz said, waving a hand down his body.

Giles gave him a gentle smile and shifted down to lick over the hard cock. "How's that?" he asked, pulling back.

"Finish it," Oz warned, "or I get to play."

Giles winked. "Really?" he asked innocently.

Oz flipped them over and kissed his lover. "Yes, really," he said, going down to tease his lover the way he wanted. Giles was predictable but it was nice sometimes.

***

Xander stretched against the dias as Micah walked in, grimacing at him. "Give me a sec, the bed's too soft," he grumbled, grabbing his sword as he lunged up as far as he could stretch and then crouched back down. "Okay, I'm ready," he said, waving his opponent on.

"We have to wait for father," Micah said sullenly. He looked the young man in his spandex pants over. "Did you wear those yesterday?"

"Under my leathers. I don't want to accidentally rip them so I decided not to wear them today. They're strong, but they're not very supple," he explained. He bowed as their mother walked in, standing upright as she patted him on the face. "I didn't think you'd be coming?"

"Sarah wanted to but your father said she could come only if I was here to guard her from lunging out at Micah," she sighed, going to sit in a chair beside the dias. "Are you both prepared to put on a good show?" The admonishment was very evident in her voice.

"Of course," Xander agreed.

"Yes, Mother," Micah sighed again.

She laughed lightly. "I had wondered where your father went last night." She looked at Xander. "Do match yourself to your opponent," she reminded her natural son.

Micah looked Xander over. "I'm not sure he can fight that well," he complained.

Xander stepped away from both of them and started off one of the more intricate sword katas he had learned across the dimensions. He was almost sweating when he was finished but his mother looked very impressed.

"That's very cute, but what about real fighting?" Micah sneered.

"Like I said, I'm married to an immortal," Xander said with a shrug. "What do you think?" He stopped as his father walked in, bowing to him. "Father, you missed it, I was entertaining mother with one of the katas I know."

"I saw," he said, climbing up into his seat. "Micah, I will not have to warn you again."

Xander snorted. "Leave him alone. I can handle a cocky little boy, same as I can a cocky immie, a cocky vampire, and anything else that's ever tried to attack me." His father waved a hand. "Thanks." He turned to Micah and bowed slightly. "Shall we?" he asked as it was returned.

Micah started off by testing his opponent with a lunge, which was danced away from. He frowned and tried to pin the young man again, groaning when Xander did a perfect leap over his arm and kicked him in the back. "Fight like a normal man," he swore.

"I am. This is how I was taught to fight. It takes advantage of my natural flexibility." Xander turned and parried at the same time, his elbow connecting with Micah's stomach, making him groan and bend down. "You'd better be thankful that I'm an honorable opponent," he said, squatting down to look at his brother's face. "You give or do you want more? I'm known for having the stamina of a God."

Micah swore and stood up, taking a swing at Xander's unprotected shoulder. Xander chuckled and danced backwards, turning and doing a beautiful backflip out of the way. "Stupid tricks," he swore loudly, charging his brother.

Xander calmly disarmed him and put him onto the floor with a foot on his throat. "Yeah, and? They worked, didn't they." He got off his brother at the cleared throat, and bowed to his father. "Was there something else you wanted me to show you?" he asked politely.

His mother laughed. "No, Xander, that was quite beautiful. Did you really learn to fight as a dance?"

"Actually, the two were intertwined. See, there's two series of dances that go with the training. It's about a warrior and how he does faithful service to his Lord and Master, that's the first story, then he's taken captive and used as a sex slave. That's the second story line."

"So it teaches lessons as you learn how to fight," his father said thoughtfully. "Why did you take this style up?"

"Because of my natural abilities in the stamina and the lightness department, my arms teacher decided I should learn this style. It's improved my grace and my dancing ability also, which I'm very grateful for considering I used to look spastic." He looked down at his brother and held out a hand. "I don't have a quarrel with you. I don't want your place in the lineup, I don't want to stay up here very often, and I really could care less about your machinations. I miss my Oz and I'm going home to him tomorrow."

Micah took his hand and allowed himself to be pulled up. "That was the most frustrated I've ever been in a fight," he noted carefully. "You really can fight though." He looked Xander over. "I will leave you alone from now on. If you need anything and can't get hold of father, call upon me."

Xander looked him over. "Do you know anything about Monsoon Demons?" he asked.

His father cracked up. "No, but I do. I have told him to leave you alone."

"Actually, can you pass on a thank you for the last thing of rubies? They really helped us survive until we got into the house."

His mother looked embarrassed. "That was me," she admitted. Her husband looked down at her. "The boy needed it, leave me in peace about the matter," she said coldly.

Xander walked over and gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you." He smiled up at his father. "You guys are way nice." He looked down at himself. "I should go take a bath, I probably smell bad." He looked at Micah. "Walk me to the bathroom since I get lost?"

Micah shrugged and led the way. "You really have no sense of direction?" he asked once they were in the hall.

"Only when it's under two miles. Otherwise, I'm okay. But I can get lost in malls." He shrugged as the bathroom door was opened. "Thanks, bro." He slipped inside and went to get clean.

Micah shook his head and went back to the throne room. "He really doesn't fit in here," he reminded his father.

"Which is why he lives on the mortal plane," his father reminded him before starting to cough.

"Father," Micah called, running up to help him. "They said it was a fast onset, but this was too fast for it to be natural."

"There's no magic involved," his mother said firmly. "I would know."

"Guenevere," he gasped, holding a hand out to her. "Come, help me back to bed."

She walked up the stairs and grabbed his other side, helping him back to the bed. "The spell wore off," she told her son as they went down the hallway to his private quarters. "He's been hiding it for months now."

***

Oz opened the latest letter and sighed, getting up to give it to Giles, who was sitting on a couch brushing Rocky. "He proved his point, but he's going to be later than we thought," he said as he handed it over.

Giles read it then nodded. "I suspected as much. His adoptive father wouldn't have made himself known if he hadn't needed to see him for whatever reason. I wonder what the funeral rites are like? Maybe Xander could give me some insight."

"I could," Xander said as he walked in the door, "but I'm guessing you'd like the book I brought you better." He handed it over. "Oh, and before you ask, Mom said that the portal reversed time by two days on the way back, same as it took it on the way up. That was before she did the whole throwing-herself-on-the-fire thing." He flopped down between them.

"So you've been where for the last two days?" Oz asked.

"I called on Jace to talk to one of her friends." He showed them the leather bracelet on his wrist. "We came to an understanding too." He pointed at the door. "Would one of you please be a dear and go get my stuff from the car? I'm too tired to move." He snuggled into Giles' side as Oz got up to walk out. He closed his eyes and was asleep almost instantly.

Oz walked in with the three bags, and the two swords, putting everything down so he could look through them. "I wonder where his outfit is," he mused as he opened the first bag.

"It's probably in one of those," Giles said, frowning at him. "I doubt you should be doing that. Xander will show us when he's ready."

"Go ahead," Xander said, wrapping his arms around Giles as best he could. "Just let me sleep. I'm a tired halfling."

"Halfling?" Oz asked, almost squeaking.

"Yeah, halfling," Xander sighed, opening one eye to look at him. He held up his bracelet again. "Ask Jace, okay? I'm not too sure of the particulars and I'm too tired to consider it right now."

"Shh, precious," Giles murmured, pushing Rocky down off his lap. "Let's get you up to bed, shall we? Rocky, come," he called, picking Xander up to carry him up the stairs.

Oz waited until they were gone to pick up a phone and dial Jace. "Halfling?" he said in greeting. His brow scrunched up as he listened to her explanation. "Oh. Yeah, I guess. But what about..." He nodded. "Okay, that makes sense. No, he's pooped. He's in bed right now with Giles." He snorted. "Of course you may, after all, your friends had to help us find it. You're more than welcome here, as you are in any house of mine." He opened his mouth. "Yeah, I felt it. No, a black cat with white socks. Yes, I'm sure. It felt like one of your friend's touches." He shrugged. "Whatever. We'll be here." He hung up and looked at the things sitting around him, going back to his pawing through them for harmful things. Xander had excellent taste, but he didn't always have common sense. That's why he had husbands.

***

Jace got out of the car and looked up at the front of the house, smiling at the understated elegance of the manor house. "Yes, I definitely think that Xander picked this one out," she told herself, walking up to the door. She found it open so walked in and looked around. "Hello?" she called.

"Oz, I thought I told you which button was the intercom," Giles yelled from outside.

She followed his rant out, stopping in the doorway. "That would be nice if I were him," she said quietly.

He jumped up and looked at her, smiling. "I didn't feel you at all," he complained, coming over to give her a hug. "Why not?"

"Because sometimes we can hide our quickenings from each other." She patted him on the side of the face. "Is Oz horribly mad at me?"

"He's not mad at all," Oz said from behind her. "He just wanted information." He gave her a hug and led her back to his office, where Xander was napping on the couch. "He's not been very far from us at all. Did he mention a threat to you?"

"No, but I'm not surprised. Traveling can be very draining on one, especially with all the recent stress in his life," she reminded him gently. She tapped Xander's thigh, waking him up. "Good morning," she said softly. "How are we?"

"We're tired," he complained, sitting up so she could take up the end of the couch. "Life's recently caught up with me." He looked up at Oz, giving him a sheepish grin. "Sorry I crashed again."

"That's okay," Oz told him, leaning down to give him a hug. "As long as you're all right, then it's all good to me." He pulled a chair over to sit across from them. "Now, can I please have the whole halfling thing explained to me? I thought that had to be a natural thing, something that you're born as."

"Not quite," Jace told him. "It can be given as a status when you're adopted. When such a thing happens, then it's usually in name only. Xander was fully accepted by his adoptive family though, so his title is very valid."

"Yup, I'm the fifteenth halfling son of my adoptive father," he said through a yawn. "And I'm still tired."

"Xander, did you eat anything over there?" Giles asked as he came in with a tray of breakfast for his husband and their guest.

"Yeah, we had a banquet the night I showed up and most meals the next few days were given to me. Why?"

"Because, if I'm right, then that's what's sapping your strength. It's basically removed itself from your body."

"But I've eaten since I got back," Xander pointed out.

"True, but you're still very stressed out and the lack of food for almost a week is taking it's toll on you." He handed over a bowl of fruit. "Try to eat some of that, dear one, and we'll figure out later if that's all this is."

Jace pulled something out of her pocket and sprinkled it on the fruit. "Here, *he* said to give that to you. The *other* one said that he shouldn't have done it, but you can't argue with your own father." She picked up a bagel from the tray and delicately bit into it. "Thank you, Rupert, you're always very nice to me." She looked over at Oz, who looked stunned. "Yes, dear?"

"They really like him?"

"Of course," she said with a smile. "The one he was promised to is *very* fond of him, Oz. The boy positively radiates mischief. The other two have decided that they like him, they've adopted him as some sort of mascot." She gave Xander a fond smile. "I used to have that job, way back when. It was nice to see them fighting over someone else though."

Oz groaned. "Jace, Xander doesn't need to be Ares' mascot. I don't like him fighting."

"Honey, I never really fought back then, I didn't know how to." She licked the butter off her fingers. "Besides, he's more Cupid's mascot than not. All GHS are."

Xander cleared his throat. "I'm in a very odd position," he told his husband. "By being GHS, I'm automatically consecrated to Cupid, but my father promised me to Strife. Not to mention the whole halfling thing." He shrugged. "I don't have to do anything, it's just who I am." He finished off his berries. "Those were good, what was that stuff?"

"Something Strife stole from his grandmother," she said with a shrug. "All I got told was to sprinkle it on your breakfast when I got here, that it would help you." She put an arm around his shoulders, pulling him into her side. "You rest, dear. Let me talk to the boys for you." He nodded and closed his eyes, falling asleep again. "Oz, you have to relax. They're not going to corrupt him, he's not like your last student."

Oz grunted. "I know," he said miserably, "but I need to worry about this. Xander means more to me than Philip ever did." He looked up at Giles, who patted him on the head. "I have to worry, Jace. I can't lose him."

"And you won't," she said, leaning over to sprinkle a little of the silver powder on his lip, watching as he licked it off, a look of surprise coming across his face. "See, they want you to be happy. Especially after Philip."

"Who was Philip?" Giles asked.

"He was my last official student," Oz told him. "He got cocky and he went after a former football player-sized guy. He was about my height so he died." He looked at Jace again. "Do *they* consider him a halfling?"

She shrugged. "I'm not sure, but Strife's still very amused by Xander. Oh, they thought that it was fitting that he was buying into a jewelry store to hone his skills." She yawned. "May I use a guest room to take a short nap? It was a long night for some of us. I got lessons and lectures all night long."

Oz stood up. "Of course. Come on, I'll show you to a room." He led her up the stairs once she was free, stopping at the top. "Jace, you are always welcome in my house, you know that. Even if I was horribly upset with you, you're still welcome here." He traced her bottom lip with his thumb. "You're my student, babe, that's deeper than being pissed at your other friends." He continued on his path to the blue bedroom, opening the door for her. "Here you go. This one or one that's like this only yellow?"

"I like blue," she said, giving him a hug. "Thank you, Oz. They're only trying to help this time. Ares said he wants you two to be the model couple. Cupid wants Xander to be happy because he most personifies the ideal GHS member. And Strife just wants the guy to be happy now; he said Xander suffered enough in high school." She winked and walked in, closing the door behind her.

Giles came up the stairs with a sleepy Xander, leading him to their room. "Whatever Jace gave him seems to be doing the trick. He's feeling stronger but he still needs a nap."

Oz followed them into the bedroom and shut the door. It was time for cuddles. Questions could come later, once everything was back to normal.

New Trigger Trips.

Jace looked down at the sleeping body, tracing the new mark on his chest. "You will do fine," she said, almost crying because of what the mark meant. She pulled herself together as she felt one of his husbands coming, settling herself in the lounger beside Xander's and picking up her book.

"Breakfast," Oz said as he carefully put a tray down across her lap. "Xander, did you want to get up?" he called loud enough to wake his mate up.

"Am up," Xander mumbled. "Tickles." He scratched the spot on his chest.

Oz leaned over to look at the spot, but couldn't see anything. "Don't open your skin, we've got some creme upstairs for itches." He stole a kiss. "What do you want to eat?"

"You?" Xander asked in his best little boy's voice, opening his eyes to look up at his mate in time to see the lustful smile bloom across his face. "You haven't touched me," he whined.

"You've been asleep too much," Oz reminded him. "I wasn't going to wake you up to get sex. I can wait until you're ready to join the rest of us in being awake most of the time."

Xander grinned. "Okay, but I want some tonight, even if I am asleep."

"Sure, if you can stay awake long enough, then I'll let you tie me down and do whatever with me." Oz sat on the edge of Xander's chair, watching Jace eat. "So, what's the spot on his chest?" She choked. He picked up her napkin and handed it to her. "Here. I saw you looking at the same spot."

She nodded, wiping her eyes. "Yeah," she gasped. She caught her breath and stared at him for a second. "Oz, you know why I became female, right?"

"Hera's curse."

She nodded. "That was just the mechanics of it." She put the tray aside and shifted onto her side so she could look at him. "Oz, I was born to anchor the Gods into this world."

"Ah."

She shook her head. "You don't know the full story. Xander, you need to hear this bit of history," she said, waking him up again.

"I'll tell him if he doesn't catch it," Oz told her gently.

"If you're allowed to remember," she pointed out.

Oz grunted. "Point." He nudged Xander. "Okay, give."

"You see, back in my time, there were a lot of threats to the Gods remaining in power. The biggest one was a self-fulfilling prophecy about a child." Oz nodded. "Xena's child." Oz's face scrunched up. "The day I died, the day you found me, I was delivering a message from Ares that reminded Xena that she couldn't have another child, ever. Or the Gods would die trying to kill it."

Oz yawned. "Sorry, it's not you. What's this got to do with you?"

"It happened, Oz," she said quietly. "The Fates found it while they were weaving and turned that lifetime off into another version of this world. To keep that there, they needed anchors. They needed more at first, but they needed one very long lived one to anchor it permanently for them."

"Which you became," Oz said, catching on. "Why did you have to become female?"

"Because I had to be able to know *two* Gods' territories and I wasn't really getting one's as a man. The Fates saw I would only be effective as either a neuter, which is what happened to me in that village because I didn't hit on the only woman in town, or as a woman, where I could be retaught everything I needed to know."

"Ah." Oz caught on and looked down at Xander, who was asleep again. "Him?" he asked quietly.

"When I die in battle, he'll take over my role as the anchor. That doesn't mean that you guys will be visited like I am, but he'll become necessary for the Gods' survival. He'll become their anchor to this realm."

Oz shuddered. "All right. But why him? Why not another Immie?"

"How many immies do you know that could take the knowledge that the Gods exist and shrug it off as just another something good in the world?" Oz's face fell. "Yeah. Everything that he is makes him a better anchor than I am." She looked down at her hands. "I was told I had to mark him the next time I saw him when Ares showed up, the night before he came."

Oz reached over and tipped her face back up. "What happens now?"

"Now, I go on living," she sighed, giving him a faint smile. "My life is now as every other immie's is, expendable."

Oz nodded slowly. "You've been keeping up with your practice, right?" She nodded. "Good, 'cause we don't want to lose you."

She smiled. "Don't worry, I'll come haunt you. I've got too much stuff I still need to do at the resort to leave."

He snorted. "I bet. What's going to happen to it?"

"I'm not sure," she said faintly. "I haven't found anyone to take it over yet. I was hoping one of my students would be able to do that, but no one's shown themselves to have stunning business sense."

"Or common sense," Oz noted dryly.

She laughed. "Too true." She picked up one of her pieces of toast and bit into it. "Thank you, Oz, for not laughing."

"Hey, this is an important piece of you," he told her, reaching over to draw a finger down her cheek. "I'll deal when you die many years from now." He stood up and walked inside, going to find Giles. This would be something that he wanted and needed to hear too.

Jace smiled at the young man sleeping next to her. "Many years it won't be," she said quietly, "but you'll be around much longer than I have been." She got up and went into the house to pack. She had a challenge to face tomorrow.

Xander rolled over and watched her back disappear, frowning. "That sucks," he said quietly, getting up to pad into the house. He caught Oz and gave him a hug, whispering in his ear. Oz nodded and they separated with a kiss, going back to their respective tasks. For now.

***

Jace fell as Xander hopped off the car's hood, but Oz tried to keep him there. "No, you can't," he told his mate. "You can't interfere, Xander," Oz reminded him, turning him around to give him a hug. He pushed Xander's face into his shoulder, memorizing this immie's face so he could hunt him down later. He watched as the quickening floated up out of his student and hung in the air.

It wasn't going for the other immie.

It was coming for them?

Oz hopped off the car and tried to bring Xander with him, but Xander got caught by the quickening, fully caught the blast in the chest. He jerked and spasmed with each new jolt of Jace's spirit, falling to his knees.

Oz pulled his sword as the immie came over to him. "He stole it," the immie shouted. "That's my quickening!" He stopped, sensing the situation. "He's a pre-immie," he accused.

"Not quite," Oz told him. "But I'll still gladly take you on. You did kill my student and force something onto my mate."

"And who are you?" the immie sneered.

"Theodonius." Oz waved his sword while the other immie searched his memory. "I'm the second oldest immortal," he informed him. "And you just killed my most loved student. Get it now?"

The other immortal backed away a step. "What was between she and I is no business of yours."

"Gee, and how many times did your teacher take a challenge for you, Sevarn?" he asked. The immie hissed and pulled up his sword. "Thought so." Oz rushed the immie, planning on making this quick. His opponent was tired and he was pissed, a very bad combination to fight with.

Xander came to as he saw Oz drop the other immie, croaking and holding up a hand for him.

"Shh," Oz said, coming over to touch him. "You're okay now, Xander, I promise. You're okay and it's going to be all right."

Xander pointed at where he could feel something strange, his mouth feeling like it was full of peanut butter.

Oz walked over to the other immie, stabbing him in the chest and leaving his sword there. He could finish him off in a few minutes.

A big flash of dark light happened around Jace's still body, and three men leaned down to touch her chest, one putting her head back on. She moaned and Oz felt his mouth hang open, but the dark, older, leather clad man walked over to them.

"She's coming with us. It's time for her to take her place with us." He smiled at Xander, then frowned at Oz. "Finish him honorably or let me do it," he vowed hotly.

"I always try to fight honorably," Oz reminded him. "Ares, is she..."

"She's whole and living, but no longer an immortal," he said, patting Oz on the head. "You did a great job protecting and training her, Theo, and for that, we're all very much in your figurative debt." He smiled at Xander as he walked over. "We won't bother you, but if you need anything, yell for Strife. Joxer and I will be...busy for the next few years I think." He smiled and walked back to where she was struggling to get free of the arms and wings holding her. "Stop wiggling and let's go," he said gruffly, holding a hand out. She took it, and all but one of them disappeared.

The younger God, the one wearing pleather and safety pins, walked over and smiled at Xander. "Hi again," he said happily. "She's never been mine, I just had ta help." He led Xander away. "Finish the fucker before I do, Oz," he warned.

Oz shrugged and walked over to the still body, pulling his sword out of the unmoving chest. He stepped back and squatted down to wait on his rival to wake up.

Xander looked at Strife. "Is she okay?" he asked quietly.

"Oh, yeah," Strife said with a nod. "She's being royally fucked right now by her two men, but otherwise, she's great. Probably gonna be sore by tonight though. Ares has been waiting a *long* time to break his new toy in." Xander choked. "Hey, it's okay. She's gonna love it." He grinned and pinched Xander's wrist above the leather bracelet he had given the young man. "Just remember, you've got to keep both love and the fighting ability alive in you. And if ya need somethin', then I'm your God." He blew a kiss at Oz before disappearing.

Oz frowned at Xander. "I doubt that you're going to need to call on him," he said, turning back to the body that just jerked. "You've got five minutes to get up and grab your sword or you'll die there," he told him matter-of-factly.

Sevarn got up and shook his head, looking around. "Where did her body go?"

"It was picked up by some other friends of hers," Oz said, slowly standing up. "Grab your sword, we're finishing this. I promised her I would."

Sevarn got up and backed away from Oz's still form, looking him over. "I have no quarrel with you," he tried.

"Yeah, you do," Xander growled, taking Oz's sword from him and threatening the immie with it. "Fight him or fight me."

Sevarn looked at them both then nodded. "I'll fight the real immortal. Your time is not yet here, young man. Don't rush your life away."

Xander snorted. "You have *no* idea who you're talking to."

Oz took his sword back and looked over his shoulder. "Strife, hold him please," he begged.

"Sure," Strife said as he reappeared, walking over to grab Xander and pull him back to the car's hood. "Sit," he ordered, sitting beside him and making sure Xander couldn't move. "You can't interfere with this if Ares can't."

"Yay," Xander said coldly, glaring at Oz's opponent. "I want him. He killed my friend."

"Oz has the longer claim," Strife said calmly. "You really do well as a warrior, ya know that?"

Xander looked at him. "Huh?"

"You've got the attitude down perfectly. How do you do it when you're such a lover?"

"I protect what's mine," Xander said with a shrug. "I protect when I have to, otherwise I'm fully GHS."

"Ah, that explains why you're the new anchor." Strife nodded then looked up and disappeared.

Oz shrugged off the funny feeling between his shoulders as he faced off with his opponent, giving him a salute with his sword. "Let's finish your life," he said calmly. Sevarn lunged at him and Oz stepped aside, taking his head as he fell past him. "Like I said, bye," he said, waving. He dropped his sword as the quickening lifted out of the body, accepting it gratefully. He blinked when it stopped early, looking at the ball of energy floating in front of him. "Not funny," he growled.

"Hey, I'm still stuck," Xander called. "It wasn't us." He looked beside him at the form that appeared. "Or maybe it was him," he said, giving Oz a helpless look.

"Why should you have that?" the deep voice said from the ghostly form.

"It's my right. I challenged him because he killed my student," Oz said coldly. "Butt out."

The form smiled. "I'm sure, but what about the anchor?"

Xander raised his hand. "Right here," he said snidely. "Let Oz have the rest of the quickening. It's his right. He won." He was released from the hood and slid down to look at the ghostly form. "Leave here, I have no congress with you." He blinked a few times then turned to look at Oz. "Was that her?"

"Yeah, that was her," Oz said, walking over to the ball of energy to touch it. He absorbed it in a flash, then shook himself. "Much nicer than usual." He walked over to give Xander a hug, taking care to make sure his husband was in the car safely before looking at the ghostly form. "You are not allowed at our house," he said calmly. "We hold no congress with you. We are Ares', Cupid's, and Strife's followers, not yours." He opened his door and slid into the driver's seat, starting the car to back away from the desert.

The ghostly form started to laugh. "We'll see about that," he promised, waving at them. The car stopped and he floated closer.

Xander got out, holding one of his daggers to his chest. "If you bother us in any way, I will remove the anchor's mark," he threatened. "I have what I need in life without your interference and I will not allow you to screw my life up in any way. It's complicated enough already."

"Get in the car, Xander," Oz called. "That isn't wise."

"Jace's memories show me that each time a new anchor comes to be, they have to face off with him. I'm not going to wait for this fight, I'm taking control of it now. Bite me, Zeus, I'm not your anchor, I'm *Strife*'s anchor." He got back into the car and slammed the door.

"I can make your life very difficult, young man," Zeus called out.

Xander got back out of the car and faced him off. "Gee, yes, you could. But then again, I'm a guardian of the Hellmouth in LA, so if you made my life difficult, then it would go off again. And I would be too busy to go fight the demons that would take over your world and kick you out of it for good." He put a hand on his chin to look like he was thinking. "Gee, Oz, wouldn't I be safe from most of that anyway?" he asked.

Oz got out and leaned against the side of the car. "Yeah, Xander, you would." He looked at Zeus. "Each new anchor may need to face you down, but you've already lost. He won't be doing anything for you except existing so you can. He won't be doing anything for your wife except existing. We are *Ares'*," he pointed to himself, "*Cupid's*," he pointed at Xander, "and *Strife's*." His hand went back on the roof of the car. "We hold no love for you or for the other elder Gods, and personally, I could care less about all of you." He looked at his husband. "Get in the car, Xander, or no sex tonight."

Xander grinned at his mate. "You'd be that mean because I was taking on a ceremonial duty?"

"Yes," Oz ground out. "I need to wear this energy out." He smirked as Xander dove into the car and stripped partially, waiting on him. "Zeus, go home and never come near us again. I don't care if the world ends, I never want to see you near us." He slid back in and drove away, letting Xander do what he did best in the car.

Zeus chuckled. "Oh, they picked a good one," he told his wife as she appeared. "He stood up to me right away."

"Good," she said, pursing her lips. "He doesn't show the proper respect for us and he's not an immortal."

"He'll live long enough," Cupid said as he appeared, glaring at Hera. "He's linked himself to a few immortals and he'll outlive all of them if he has to. We made sure of it." He looked her over. "We still have the anchor in hand, as the Fates demanded. Leave him alone or never feel the touch of love again. Either of you."

Zeus looked him over. "Who do you think you are, Cupid?"

"The God of Love," Cupid said smartly. "The one who will make sure you can't ever get it up again." He looked Zeus over. "I'd never bother Xander. You don't know what sort of firepower that boy can bring against you and he will destroy the anchor to be rid of you." He mock-bowed at them then flashed back out, right before his father got there.

Ares ran his hands through his messy hair, laughing. "Oh, my son's *good*," he sighed. "The Fates ordered us to hold sway over the anchor so you couldn't destroy it without killing yourselves. See, the rest of us have something or someone that will give us shelter if something happens to the anchor. You two don't. I wonder why that is." He faded out, blowing a kiss to them. "Later," he said coldly.

Strife sighed as he appeared between them. "Leave my halfling alone, Zeus. A mortal that is offered to a God and accepted is sacred and no other God can interfere with them without consent. If ya *touch* my mortals again, I will make your life a living hell. I promise you that." He glared at Hera. "And you, no funny tricks, Xander's much too valuable for you to lose this time."

Zeus shrugged. "Fine, then keep him in better check."

"Sorry, I let Xander have his head. That's what makes him such a good anchor, same as it did Joxer." Hera's face puckered. "Yes, *her*, Hera. The one you cursed for being polite." He sneered. "*Nevah* touch what's mine. You've never seen me angry before, but you will if you touch or hurt Xander in any way, shape, or form. I will not tolerate you breaking a holy law." He looked them both over. "Get back to Olympus before someone sees you and you start off another Holy War. I refuse to fight in one ever again." He disappeared.

"How dare he!" Hera shrieked.

"It is his right," Zeus sighed. "He has partially removed himself from our Pantheon because of our treatment of him. He has the right to withhold his services if we need it."

"We need all our Gods," she said coldly. "How could you let him be treated that way?"

"Me? I had the Hinds destroyed. You're the one who gave Ares the dagger." He disappeared, bringing her with him.

Strife reappeared next to Ares, smiling up at him. "Thanks, Unc, I never would have been able to do that without you."

"Yeah, but now you owe me," Ares purred, tapping him on the forehead. "Go make sure Xander gets home all right. There's another Immortal in town."

"Sure." Strife flashed out, but came back instantly. "What about the resort?"

"Huh? Oh, go talk to that Joe guy. Get him to run it until she finds someone else."

Strife nodded and they both disappeared, going to their respective tasks.

***

Xander relaxed in his own bed, looking up at his lover, who had tucked him in. "Was I okay?" he asked quietly. "Not too big of a shrew?"

"Nope, I think you got it just right." Oz leaned down, kissing his husband's nose. "Besides, I'm sure everyone stuck up for you. That's the way the ritual goes. Your Gods protect you, you stand up to the two in charge that don't have a say over your life because of what you are. And then you come home and hope like hell that they weren't offended this time." He shrugged and allowed himself to be pulled down on top of the covers. "Yes?" he asked quietly.

"Can I have a story?" Xander asked, giving him a grin. "You haven't told me a story since the last time I couldn't sleep."

"That's very true," Oz agreed. "Are you sure you want me to do it? Giles can come tell you a story."

"He's playing with the animals before he goes back to Jace's to get his research notes." He frowned. "I'm gonna miss her. I liked her, Oz, and she was really nice to me, even though she knew what I had been." He looked away, but his face was tipped back up and he was given a kiss. "You really don't mind?"

"I haven't ever minded. If you hadn't gone to New York, you wouldn't have found yourself and you'd be miserable without me." He pinched the mark on his mate's chest. "Besides, if you hadn't, then you'd still be working fast food."

"Point," Xander said with a grin. He pulled Oz down for a hug. "How did I get so lucky as to have you?" he asked quietly. "Someone must have blessed me to allow me to keep you."

"I feel the same way," Giles said from the doorway. "About the both of you actually." He walked in and joined them on the bed, giving them both a hug. "I have to leave again," he told them while he still held them.

"Okay," Xander said. "For how long this time?"

"Not over a month, but Joe has asked for my help. It seems Jace gave him the resort."

Oz grunted. "Okay by me too. But I'm taking you to LA and getting you something before you leave," he said seriously. "We will never wonder where you are again."

Giles smiled and kissed Oz's forehead. "Of course not. I didn't want you to worry the last time." He pulled back and his smile fell away. "Did either of you think to call Methos?"

"No," Oz groaned, putting his head down on Xander's chest.

"I'll do it," Xander said quietly. "I'll call Ray and have him break the news so he can comfort Meth."

Oz shook his head but didn't lift it. "It should come from me."

"Let me," Xander told him, rubbing down the firm back. "You have to mourn a lot more for her than Ray and I do." Oz nodded. "Good."

"Tell Meth directly," Oz warned. "Never give him bad news through someone else."

Giles frowned as he heard the doorbell, getting up to go down and answer the summons. He came back a few minutes later with Amanda. "I think we have some more bad news to tell him," he said quietly.

"Mac was jumped in Tibet," she said, sniffling and wiping her nose.

"Watcher or immie?" Oz asked.

"I'm not sure. All I know is I got a call. His body's being flown back for burial." She sat down on the bed, hugging them both. "Can I leave Richie here for a few days?" she pleaded. "I can't take his grief and my own."

"Sure," Oz said, hugging her. "We're more than able to take care of him."

Xander sat up and hugged them both. "Do you want the other bad news?" he asked gently.

She wiped her eyes as she nodded. "What else happened? Another bomb?"

"Jace was killed earlier tonight," Oz said quietly. "I avenged her immediately."

Amanda started to cry again. "But she was *good*," she sobbed, clinging to Oz.

Xander got out of the bed and nodded at the doorway, going toward Oz's office. He stopped in to look at Richie, going in to give him a hug. "It'll be okay," he promised. "The pain gets better." He touched the cat curled up on the young man's chest, making him hiss. "Shh, it's okay," he promised. "The other cats have a big room downstairs when you need to get free. Just ask any of them." He patted Richie on the head. "Do you want more bad news?" he asked.

Richie shook his head. "Tell me tomorrow," he whispered hoarsely. "I can't take any more tonight." He looked up at his friend, seeing the sadness. "Who was it?"

"Jace."

Richie nodded. "Oz finished the fight for her?" Xander nodded. "Good. I'm sorry."

"Me too," Xander told him, smoothing his hair back. "I'm going to call Methos. I'll tell him about McCleod too." He got another numb nod and walked out, finishing his trek down the stairs. He pulled the small white card out from under the phone and dialed the Paris number. "Ray, get Meth for me. Yeah, it's really important. No, bad news. No, I can't," he sighed. "Oz told me to tell him directly. Just get him and then pour him a beer for a few minutes." He turned to look out the window while he waited, grimacing as he heard the cheerful voice on the other end. "Sit," he ordered calmly. "Yes, it's that sort of news. Sit down, Methos." He cleared his throat. "Earlier today, Jace was challenged." His voice cracked but he went on. "Oz avenged her immediately." He sighed. "I am, Methos. I'm the new anchor." He leaned back, covering his face. "No, that's not the only news. Mac was ambushed in Tibet. Amanda and Richie are here. Amanda's crying on Oz and Richie's numb." He checked the date on the clock. "No, don't hurry back. You're due back in three days anyway. Richie will still be here but I think Amanda's going to travel with Giles to Jace's to help Joe." He nodded and hung up. "I don't like giving bad news," he told himself. He picked up the phone as it rang. "Hey, Joe. No, they're all upstairs. Giles and Amanda are coming, I know that much. Can you handle it for another day?" He grunted. "All right. I'll make sure he's on a plane out tomorrow. Think of it as a fuller service bar," he suggested. "Good point, but it's still just a resort, Joe. It probably runs itself for the most part." He cleared his throat. "Um, did you hear from Amanda?" He sighed. "Good. I didn't want to have to tell you too. Can you tell me if it was an immie or not?" He frowned. "Really? No, Oz never told me that they existed. Yeah, I guess bad people are in every organization." He sighed. "I will. No, we've got Richie here. Want me to go get him?" He snorted. "All right, I'll have him call you tomorrow as soon as he wakes up." He hung up and stared out the window, watching the black cat play on the lawn. "Go home," he whispered. "I'm safe and we're here now." The cat stopped chasing the air and looked directly at him, then vanished. "Thank you, whomever sent you, but we're fine now," he said quietly, looking up. He got up and went to tell Oz and Amanda the bad news.

***

Oz walked Giles into the electronics store and looked around. He waved a salesman over, glaring at him when he was slow. It was his turn to be the dominant one he was going to enjoy this. "This is my husband," he said coldly when the man looked him over. "I'm getting him things to make sure that I can find him whenever I want to. He'll need a cellphone that can do a secure line and a laptop with a modem so he can get my notes."

The salesman nodded and led them over to a shelf. "These are the laptops we have in stock," he said, waving a hand. "Which one would you like?"

Oz checked each one's specifications and pointed one out. "That one. He'll also need a traveling case, a rack of writeable CD's, and some headphones." The salesman nodded, blinking as another man walked up behind them. "Um, sir, I'm with someone," he said politely.

"I'm with them," Xander said with a shrug. "Oz," he purred, leaning into his side, "can I have something to help me design now? I'm ready to start working on original stuff."

Oz nodded. "Sure." He patted Xander's leather-clad bottom. "He wants the purple one."

"Oh, do they have it in *teal*?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, we don't. We have it in red, in black, and in vermilion."

Xander shuddered. "Um, are those compatible with the rest of the house?" he asked.

Oz shook his head. "Good point. He wants one like my other husband has." The salesman nodded. "With the same accessories, but he'll be getting a different program later." He patted Xander's butt again. "He'll also need a light pen and an external mouse. He designs."

"Of course," the salesman said, looking the trio over. "What else can we get for him? You said your older husband needed a cellphone? Does this one also?"

"He has three," Oz said dryly. "Him I keep losing track of. Giles is usually very good about calling but he's been slipping recently and he has to go on a trip." He beamed at his other husband, smirking at the disgusted look. "Don't argue," he reminded him. They followed the salesman to the cellphones, where Oz picked out one for Giles, and a new one for himself. "These will do secure lines, correct? We happen to run a software business."

"They should," the salesman said. "I'm not an expert in that sort of technology."

"I'm okay in it," Xander said, pointing at another phone. "What about that set up? It's meant for businessmen, or so it says."

Oz looked at the card then shook his head. "I don't like that one. Besides, it's too small." He hefted the one he had chosen. "If it won't do secure lines, then we'll have to put an external device on it. I can do that." He handed the phone over. "Was there anything else we needed?" he asked his men. He was getting a kick out of being the dominant one.

"Oz, can I have a dummy?" Xander begged. "Or a form of some sort?"

"Sure, babe," Oz told him, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Which did you want?"

"Well, since I only design for us, I think a form should be okay, but it has to be adjustable. I want to try out some designs of my own now and it'll be easier to do that."

"Sure." Oz smiled at Giles. "Did you need anything else?"

"Does the computer come with an instruction manual?" Giles asked.

Oz leaned into him, pulling him down for a kiss. "If not, I can always teach you," he reminded him gently, copping a slight feel of his butt too. "Did you need anything else?"

"A scanner," Giles moaned, leaning into the touch. "I want to start saving some of my books down."

"Sure. That'll have to come home with us though." Giles nodded. "Good. What else did we need today?"

"Um, puppy and kitty food," Xander said quickly.

"We can get that on the way home," Oz reminded him. He looked at the headings around the store. "Xander, did you, or you Giles, want a home office?" Both men shook their heads. "You sure?" Both of them nodded. "All right." He looked at the salesman. "I think that's all."

"Very well. Will this be MasterCard or Visa?"

"Cash," Oz said, pulling a roll of money out of his pocket. "Can we get the phones activated today? He's leaving tonight."

The salesman went pale and nodded. "We should have everything in stock but you should be able to take your phone to any cellphone company and get it activated before you leave, we really don't do that part here. Which scanner did you want?"

"One that can do books," Xander said helpfully. "Really old books."

The salesman nodded and jogged off to go get everything that they needed. He came back a few minutes later. "Sir, my boss really would prefer that larger orders use credit cards in case there's a problem and something has to be returned."

Xander shrugged and pulled out one of his platinum cards. "Okay." He took the money Oz handed him. "Goody, now I can get some more fabric."

"Only if you're shipping it home," Oz reminded him. "We won't have very much room in the car."

"Oz, I'm leaving this evening," Giles reminded him gently. "You'll have the whole backseat."

"Yes, but he wants to stock up," Oz reminded him stoically. "We'd be better off if we shipped it." He put an arm around both their waists, leading them to the check out to pick up their slips for their new toys.

"Oh, can I get the deluxe sewing machine this time?" Xander asked happily.

"You're still not embroidering," Oz told him, giving him a squeeze. "You don't need it."

"Point," Xander sighed, kissing Oz's cheek. "You're always good about keeping me firmly on the common sense side."

Oz snorted. "I try at least." He looked up at Giles. "Happier?"

"Yes, I am," Giles said, giving them both a hug. "I will miss you both of course, but I do think that it's best if I go study some more. I'll be back in a month though." He gave Xander a kiss. "You behave while I'm gone, young man, or I'll have to punish you terribly when I get home."

Xander gave him his best innocent look. "But I always behave, Giles," he said, grinning at him.

Oz shook his head. "He'll behave. I'll make sure of it." Oz signed the slip in Xander's name then took their copy and headed for the pick up window. "Come on, boys. We have to get Giles to the airport and then we have to visit the pet place before it closes."

Xander clapped. "More kitty toys," he said happily. "And Rocky gets a special treat this time too."

Oz nodded. "Okay. How about being fixed?"

Xander stopped. "She's having puppies?" he squealed.

Oz wiggled his finger in his ear. "Don't do that," he complained. "Yes, she is."

Giles patted Xander on the back. "I'm sure your beloved dog will allow you to watch over her while she delivers." His hand slid down as they walked, squeezing the rear he would miss for the next month. "Do be good and don't wear Oz out every night," he admonished as he took his portion of the new toys to carry. He led the way to the car, letting Oz get the trunk with the keychain remote. "Oh, good," he said, sitting down in the back seat while Oz gathered everything together for him.

Oz handed over the new briefcase with a kiss then gave Xander his. "We'll have to get you some CD's on the way home," he told him, going back to shut the trunk and get in to drive over to the airport. "Giles, are you sure you want to wait for an hour and a half extra?"

"I will gladly wait so I don't miss my plane. Which I will do if I follow Xander around the pet store."

"Good point," Xander said, looking over his shoulder. "I'm a happy boy but I'm not happy that you're going."

Giles nodded. "Don't worry, Xander, I'm not happy that I'm going either. I'll be home soon though, so you can spoil me when I get back."

"Okay," Xander said, grinning at him. "Can I call you up late at night and breathe heavily into the phone?"

"Sure," Oz told him. He stopped off at one of the major cellphone retailers, the one Xander used, and got out, going in to sign contracts and get everything for their phones activated. He came back a half-hour later and handed over Giles' phone. "It goes in the mesh pocket," he told him.

Giles looked at the new case on his phone and nodded. "Most handy." He slid it into it's proper place and patted Oz's back as he buckled up. "Thank you, Oz."

"You're welcome," Oz said. He looked over at Xander. "I adjusted your plan too, making it the same as ours." Xander nodded. "Good. Airport?"

"Can we stop and get Giles some food to eat in the airport?" Xander pleaded. "Airport food is never as good as real food."

"Sure," Oz said, starting the car and pulling away from the curb. His phone rang and he handed it over to Xander. "Here, you answer it."

Xander opened the case and pushed the right button. "Hello?" he asked. He snorted. "Hi, Willow. How did you get this number so fast?" He looked over at Oz. "Really? No, we're taking Giles to the airport so he can go study for another month." He pouted back at the older man. "Willow said I had to pout at you for this."

Giles held out a hand and got the phone. "Willow," he said once it was near his ear. "Don't encourage him." He smiled. "Of course I will." He hung up. "She said she'll call the house tonight, that she's got something for you both." He handed the phone to Xander to keep. "Where are we getting me a meal, Xander?"

"Um, what do you want? Sandwich or Chinese?"

"A sandwich would be fine," he told him.

"Subway's out by the airport," Oz noted, taking a turn to go out that way. "They're the best sandwich place I can think of that's not in the center of town." He pulled into the drive-thru and went around to the speaker. "Hello?" he called.

"Welcome to Subway, may I take your order?"

Xander leaned over and whispered in Oz's ear, then looked back at Giles and whispered something else.

"Yeah, I'd like three subs...."

***

Xander danced into his favorite fabric store and smiled at the woman behind the counter. "It's time for me to stock up and to try new things," he told her, heading for some fabric that he had wanted to try and work with.

The worker looked at Oz, giving him a sympathetic look. "At least we're stocking tonight," she said lightly.

"Good. Can you ship it to us? Our car's not that big."

"Oh, I found it," Xander called, hauling an adjustable form off the display table and carrying it over. "I need this, Oz."

"I told you it was yours," Oz reminded him, patting him on the face. "Go pick out the rest that you want and we'll have it shipped to us." He waited until Xander was back in the fabrics to shake his head and pull out his roll of cash, handing her three of the biggest bills. "I promised him I'd pay for him to restock his habit," he explained, going back to help Xander find everything that he wanted.

She put the cash under the register and pulled out the receipt book. Some days, it was a good thing that she had a commission on top of her salary.

Xander carried an armful of bolts over and dropped them onto the counter, heading back for more.

She picked up the phone and dialed her boss' home number. "Hey, it's Angie," she said. "No, Mr. Harris is stocking up right now." She smiled. "Yes, I think we'll need to do a small amount of ordering tonight." She watched as he brought another six bolts over and dropped them too, one onto the floor. He pouted and picked it up, putting it out of Oz's way so he could put down the three he was carrying. "Or maybe not so little of an order. Mr. Harris, how many bolts are you getting tonight?"

He grinned and shrugged. "I'm getting my usual seasonal list plus some stuff that I've always wanted to work in." He waved. "Tell your boss I said hi." He ran back to the silks, coming back with only two bolts. "I have the others I want at home." He walked over to the section where Oz was, picking up one piece to rub it between his fingers. "I made my wedding outfit out of this," he told his husband, giving him a hug.

"I liked it," Oz said after swallowing. "Get some more, Xander. Don't forget thread and thread for your serger."

Xander grinned and picked up six more bolts, carrying them to the other side of the check out. "I'll go get threads while you look for more neat fabric, Oz. Okay?"

"Sure." Oz walked over to the thicker fabrics, examining them. He came back with three soft flannels and a roll of blanket material. "We need some throws," he told Xander, who was looking at it funny.

"Oh. Okay." He shrugged. "Was that the only one you wanted?"

"No, this is the one I wanted in our bedroom and in my office. If you wanted one in your space, go find a good one."

Xander hopped back to the blanket fabrics, coming back with a single roll. "I like this one," he said, stopping to give Oz a hug. "Do you need more threads? You haven't woven in a few months."

"Yeah, but I've already got three projects started. I haven't had time to work on them yet." He patted Xander on the back. "This it?"

"No, I found something else but I wanted your opinion." He held up the line of beads. "What do I use this for?"

"Decorating," the saleswoman said as she hung up, after telling her boss what the boy was getting and promising to fax over the receipt as soon as they were gone. "That's mostly for decorating projects. The smaller ones can be sewn onto women's clothing."

Xander handed them over. "I don't need more decorating projects, I just did that." He smiled at her. "Okay, I want this."

Oz patted his fabric. "I only need about five yards of this one."

"We need it all," Xander told him. "Just in case." He patted himself down but Oz kissed him on the cheek. "I thought I was paying for it."

"I already did. I promised to take you fabric shopping when you came back."

"Yeah, you did," Xander said, pouncing on him to give him a hug. "I love you, and I would even if you didn't spoil me."

The saleswoman laughed. "I'm sure. It's very obvious to us." She checked her watch and picked up the phone again. "Let me call over to the shipping place so they don't close on you." She dialed quickly. "Hi, this is the fabric shop. I'm checking someone out that's bought too much to carry home. Yes, they need it shipped." She looked at them. "Sunnydale, right?"

Oz nodded. "Yup. Where is this place?"

"I think it's the one across the parking lot," Xander said, pointing at it. "Can they get it to me tomorrow?"

She shrugged and looked down at the receipt she was writing out. "Yes, it's a *big* order. About seventy bolts all told. Plus thread." She laughed and hung up. "They'll bring some boxes over here to ship it for you," she told them, finishing the receipt so she could ring them up. She took the cash out from under the register and put the bills into the drawer, making change for what was left.

Oz waved a hand at it. "Use the rest to ship it to us," he said, taking the receipt to write their address on.

"That's the old one," Xander told him gently.

Oz scratched that one out and rewrote it. "We just moved," he explained as he handed it back. "Whatever's left, just stick it in a box. We won't need it today." He led Xander from the store, going to take him home.

She shook her head. "My, they're very brave," she told herself, gathering up everything so it could be easily packed up. She waved the guy with the boxes inside, letting him in before closing and locking the door. Her boss said she could close early.

***

Oz looked up as the demonic messenger appeared beside the bed, trying to take the message from him.

"I can only give it to the recipient," he whispered, his species' normal tone of voice.

"He's sleeping," Oz told him, waving at the form curled around him. "I'll take it, I'm his husband and mate."

The demon shook his head and disappeared, coming back a few minutes later with the same note. "You can have it, but you can't read it. It's spelled for him only."

Oz took the note and watched as the demon disappeared. He put it aside, vowing that if it was from Xander's adoptive family, he was going with him this time. Xander rolled over and snuffled Oz's stomach, making him get hard and groan. A wet tongue came out and licked across his navel, but it was followed by another snore. "Great, now he's having sex in his sleep," Oz mumbled, relaxing and enjoying what he was getting.

***

Xander opened the letter and snorted. "Micah wants to see me on the demon plane as soon as I can get there," he said.

Oz shook his head. "No way in hell. Not without me this time."

Xander grimaced. "I can't bring you, Oz."

"Then you're not going." He sat down in Xander's lap, kissing him until he stopped resisting. "I have a bad feeling about this and you're not leaving me here," he said quietly. "There's no way. I come or he can come to this plane to meet with you."

Xander rubbed a stone on the necklace Micah had given him, summoning a messenger. He got up once Oz had moved and wrote out a note, which he showed to his husband, then sent it on it's way with the messenger. "There, better?" he asked.

Oz nodded. "Much. Why did you say Angel's?"

"Because I can trust Angel to be loyal to me, not to Micah."

"Hmm, point," Oz said as he curled into Xander's side. He looked up as a messenger appeared, taking the note from him. "What do you guys get out of this arrangement?" he asked him.

"We travel," he said humbly, bowing to Xander. "He was not pleased. He gave me a verbal message also." He leaned down and whispered something in the recipient's ear.

Xander stiffened. "No way in Hell," he hissed. "You can tell him I said that too. I will meet him at the portal and he will come across. I *refuse* to step foot in that dimension again until this stupidity is over with. I am *married* and *mated*!"

Oz handed over the note. "We'll be in LA," he reminded his lover.

Xander nodded, taking Oz's hand. "We'll meet him in LA in two mortal day's time," he told the messenger. "Tell my brother to meet me there." The messenger disappeared. Xander opened the note and snorted. "I'll be damned," he said, handing it over. "Protocol and politics aren't that important to me."

Oz rubbed his mate's thigh. "Calm down. We'll deal." He looked up into the brown eyes, giving his own calming influence. "Calm down," he repeated, more quietly this time. "We always deal and we will this time."

Xander nodded, shifting so he was curled around Oz's body to get comfort from him. "I will not allow myself to be used as a pawn," he whispered into Oz's shoulder. "I need you there with me."

"That's where I'll be," Oz reminded him. "I don't care if the whole realm dissolves because I step across that boundary, you're not going back there alone, ever."

Xander nodded, closing his eyes. "Thank you."

"Hey, that's what Oz's do for their mates," he said, soothing his lover so he could calm down.

***

Xander looked across the border of the portal at the demon manning the reception desk. "Either you get my brother out here or I will come in with my lover, who will destroy this whole dimension," he warned.

The demon looked at Oz, then sighed and did something to the scroll in front of him.

Elizabeth, Xander's only sister, ran out of the portal and gave him a hug. "Thank Gods you came," she whispered, clinging to him. "Save me from them, please, Xander?"

Oz pulled her off, holding out his hand. "I'm Oz," he told her. "I'm Xander's mate."

She wiped her cheeks off and took the veil off her head. "Thank you. May I seek refuge with you?"

"Yes, anytime you need us, we're here," he told her, nodding for her to get behind him. "The portal ends about a foot behind me," he told her. "Stay out of it and they can't pull you back through."

She nodded, measuring off the distance plus a little more just to be safe. She smiled at the demons looking at her. "I refuse to be married," she said coldly. "I am not a pawn and I will not marry a Methsalzn demon." The on-looking demons hissed and nodded, and one offered her a cup of tea. "Thank you," she said with a smile, taking the chair it pointed at.

Xander stared down his brother Micah as he walked up to the portal. "You know I'm married," he said coldly, touching Oz's hand. "I'm mated and married by something stronger than your people can handle." He swallowed as Oz squeezed his hand and stepped forward.

"You dare take my mate from me?" Oz asked, pulling out his sword.

Micah stepped across and closed the portal behind him. "I don't want to, but you have to be reasonable. By *our* standards, Xander, you are not married to either of your men."

"We are," Oz told him, holding up his ring. "We were married in the name of the old Gods, the ones I grew up under."

"The ones I anchor for," Xander added quietly.

Micah sighed. "Xander, there are protocols, you know that." Xander nodded. "According to our protocols, your marriage hasn't been consummated for over a year and is subject to be broken by your family."

"And if you try," Xander said, making one of his daggers appear next to Micah's groin, "you won't need to worry about heirs."

Micah blinked a few times. "All I'm asking is that you meet with them. You're not going to be made to marry any of them." He glared at Elizabeth. "What are you doing here? You have no choice in the matter."

"By all that we believe, she's too young without a parent's permission and I doubt that you qualify as a parent," Oz reminded him. "She's asked for sanctuary in our home and she's gotten permission for it." Micah's mouth fell open. "See, some of us play by totally different rules." He stepped closer, taking all the blockages off his quickening to make sure it was felt. "You are not allowed to take my mate from me."

"All he has to do is listen to the offers," Micah gasped, trying to back away from the knife. "Xander, if you harm me, you have to take my place," he groaned as he felt the knife cut him.

"Or I can appoint someone," Xander pointed out. He removed the knife, cleaning it on his brother's shirt. "If I come, then my mate comes with me and Elizabeth goes back to my house. I refuse to let my sister be forced into something that she doesn't want."

"It's a matter of politics. Father promised one of us. If you, or one of the other brothers accept, then she's still free."

"She's still free," Oz pointed out. "You could take the offer up."

"I don't like men," Micah pointed out. He backed away from them and reopened the portal. "Xander, just for the ritual three days and then you can come back."

"He's not going without me," Oz pointed out.

"I can't allow you through the portal," Micah sighed. "What you are will destroy our ...." His voice trailed off as Oz put the blockages back on his quickening. "You can hide it?"

"Yup. I'm that old."

Micah swallowed. "I still can't allow you across."

Xander looked back at Elizabeth, who looked ready to cry. "Oz, take care of her, I can kill anyone who dares to approach me."

"No, you can't," Micah said quickly. "You can't do that. Father promised one of us and we have to honor it."

"Then I'd take a mate really quickly," Xander said, patting him on the chest and pushing him backwards. "I will not be taken from my mates. Not by a promise I wasn't informed of, and one I didn't make. By all the protocol I know, I cannot be held to a promise that my father made before I was adopted. That means that only the ones that were *around* then are eligible for this promise. Which means none of us, right?"

Micah thought for a second. "True, and I could argue it, but they'll still demand the right to proposition you. You have the right to keep anything they give you of course," he added quickly.

"I don't need anything," Xander told him. "I have everything that I could ever want." He looked at Oz, who shook his head. "If they want to offer to me, then they can come to this realm and come to me at Angel's new office. I will be in town for the next four days and I will be there starting tomorrow night. If they can't come, then they're not eligible for consideration by this family as they're not that powerful."

Micah nodded. "How did you know?" he asked.

"I had a vampire teach me protocol," Xander said dryly. "Blair did a very good job of it."

Micah bowed his head. "Fine, but I must take Elizabeth back with me."

"No," Oz said in a deathly quiet voice. "She stays with us. We'll decide her future for the insult that you have given our marriage."

Micah went pale. "You can't adopt her from us," he protested.

"I can and I have," Xander told him. "She's now mine because, as an adult, she's allowed to make the offer for herself."

Micah spluttered. "She's not an adult."

"Then you couldn't marry her off," Oz noted. "Those are the rules of your kind." He pulled Xander back beside him. "You have until tomorrow to contact us." He backed up a step and turned, bringing Xander with him, Elizabeth coming quickly behind them as they left the demon bank. And a few of the demons applauded.

***

Xander walked into Angel's new office and grimaced at Wesley, who was sitting behind the desk. "We're here for your help. It seems that my adoptive family has decided that I have to listen to offers of marriage because mine is under a year old." Wesley dropped his pen. "I chose this as a neutral spot so Angel could act as a demonic liaison."

Wesley coughed. "Angel and Buffy are out of town on a case," he squeaked. "How bad is this?"

"Oz went to tear something up," Xander said dryly, sitting in front of him. "Is Spike here?"

"He and Seth are downstairs, as is Blair. Would they do?"

"Yeah, they'd do." Xander stopped him as he walked past. "Oz can't be here, that's part of the rules of the game," he said quietly. "I need a stand-in mate."

Wesley nodded. "I'll gladly stand in for him," he said quietly, getting free and running down the stairs of the hotel. He came back a few minutes later with Seth and Spike, watching as Xander got up to hug his brother.

"They bloody well buggered you greatly, mate," Spike said in greeting.

Xander gave him a cold smile. "They said I have to listen. I don't have to accept, but I can't kill them. That's your job, if you accept."

Spike laughed. "Of course, Xander. Where's your mate?"

"Destroying something at home with my adoptive sister." He bowed to Blair. "Well, you warned me that they were going to try and get me deeper into the family," he said in greeting, keeping the cold smile.

Blair gave him a hug, patting him on the back. "We will act as your demon escort and liaison, Xander. There's never any problem with that. I often enjoy butting heads with your family's heir."

"He's the head son now," Xander said quietly. "Father died while I was up there."

"Ah. I'm sorry." Blair looked around at everyone. "Oz is off killing something?"

"A tree, I think," Xander said, relaxing again. "With Elizabeth."

"I'm sending Willow over there right now," Wesley said, hurrying back downstairs.

"You challenged him over the rights to your sister?" Blair asked. "Why?"

"She asked us for our help."

"Ah. But is she an adult?"

"She was about to be married off if I wasn't roped into it."

"Ah." Blair nodded. "That explains it all. Your brother Micah was most pissed when he contacted me to train you right this time." He smiled. "I think this will be fun," he said quietly, looking back at his childe. "Have you got the book I lent you last week, Seth?" It was handed over and given to Xander.

"I know this book," Xander said, flipping through the demon protocol manual. "Blair, I know I already owe you big," he said, looking back up. "What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that you have influence with your family, no matter how pissed you are at them." Xander nodded. "There's a matter of a deal that I want you to help me with. All you have to do is tell them that you're for it."

Xander shrugged. "What is it?"

Blair smiled. "Is that really important?"

"Um, yes," Xander said, nodding. He handed the book back to Blair, tapping him on the chest with it. "See, I learned protocol long before you taught me, Blair, and I know this game. I know it a little too well since I used it a few times with the King I was serving at the time." Blair went a little paler. "Tell me what it is, or the deal is off and I will remind everyone why you actually owe me."

Blair swallowed. "I don't owe you," he said softly. "I saved your life."

"You offered me to a slaver," Xander said sweetly. "That was the guy with the syringe. And you did it at the behest of one of the other pros. You saved me because one of the older vampires there reminded you that you couldn't do that without making someone very pissed." He turned his smile on Seth. "I didn't want to bring this up, but watch your back, bro." Seth nodded, looking stunned. Xander turned his attention back to the vampire in front of him. "See, Blair, there's a lot that I remember. And I can destroy you in the community because I was under your protection at the time, but you didn't own me. Same as I know where the tape that went out over the internet came from, Blair. So, let's cut the crap. What did you want me to suggest to my family?"

"I have a small business entity that I wanted them to invest in," he said, backing away from him. "Xander, do you know what you just threatened me with?"

Xander stopped and almost thought, then nodded. "Yup." He gave him a bland look. "Any other questions?" Blair shook his head. "Good. Then in the light of this information, you don't have to act as my demonic escort. I can gladly settle for Spike and/or Seth to do so."

Blair bowed deeply to him. "I thank you for relieving me of that duty. I will send you the details of this business transaction tomorrow with my childe." He nodded at Seth, who followed him out, still looking confused.

Xander looked at Spike, the vampire that had once wanted to kidnap him. "Will you act as my escort?" he asked him.

"Sure, it'll be fun!" he said, grinning at Wesley as he walked back in. "You in this too?"

"Yes, Spike, we're both in this. I'm standing in for Oz and Rupert, who's where, Xander?" "Las Vegas helping run Jace's resort," Xander said quietly. He handed over a card. "I'm here. I'll be back around sunset tomorrow night."

Spike took the card, whistling at the address of the hotel. "You don't play around, do you?"

Xander grinned slightly. "They have good security." He grinned at Wesley. "I'll be back tomorrow before sunset?"

"Of course," Wesley said, taking his glasses off to clean them.

"Gee, Giles does that same move when he's upset. Is it a Watcher thing?"

Wesley smiled at him and nodded. "Yes, they taught it to us in a class as an acceptable method of wearing out our worry and stress," he joked dryly.

Xander giggled. "Thanks, Wes, I needed that." He gave both of them hugs and left, heading out to the car he had hired. He wasn't going to make it easy for anyone to take him this time.

Wesley looked at Spike. "Does he have a good handle on this situation?"

"Very," Spike said with a cold smile. "His family's fucked." He tapped the card a few times. "You callin' his mate?"

"Yes, I probably should. He should know that Willow's on the way before she shows up." He reached across the desk for the phone, using the auto-dial feature to dial the house. "Oz, yes, it's me. Yes, he's been here and just left. I was calling because I'm worried about the young woman's safety so I'm sending you someone to help out with the magical end of things." He frowned. "Really? Where is she?" He blinked a few times. "Really? Oh, my. Is she safe there?" He chuckled. "I'm sure she is then. Expect Willow anyway, you could always use the protection." He hung up. "He sent her to somewhere even safer. She's at a resort on holy ground."

Spike snickered. "Good on him." He looked around the office. "Wanna go play poker? Seth was winnin' anyway."

Wesley shook his head. "I'll be down to play with you in a few moments," he said, then blushed when he realized what he had said. "Never mind. I'll be down in a few minutes."

Spike laughed and walked downstairs.

Wesley groaned and shook his head, hitting it on the desk a few times to shake his sense back into place.

***

Xander sat in the comfortable chair, glaring at the demon standing in front of him. "Get on with it, my mate's waiting on me to get home." He'd been through this for two days now and he was really tired of this.

The demon looked at Spike and said something. Spike nodded, leaning down to whisper in Xander's ear.

Xander snorted. "No, Spike. I like my mates. I don't care how many dicks he has." He looked at the demon. "You really have three cocks?"

The demon nodded and reached for his belt, but Spike said something, making him stop. The demon shrugged and left, taking his flowers with him.

Xander looked up at Wesley as he walked in. "How many more?" he whined.

"Only two," Wesley said, patting him on the shoulder. He stood behind the chair, again, fulfilling his role. "This is ..." He looked at Spike, who said something guttural. "Yes, that's his name," he said brightly. "He wants to make you his primary husband out of the sixty in his harem."

Xander looked up at Spike. "Is this a Monsoon Demon?"

Spike laughed. "No, mate, it's an African Rainforest Demon. He's been active lately."

Xander shuddered. "I heard at the jewelry store." He looked at the demon walking into the room. "Tell him I'm already married and mated, but that I'm fulfilling my family obligation."

The demon listened to Spike then nodded, bowing to Xander and saying something.

"He said he understands, that's why he's here too." He patted Xander on the head and said something else, which made the demon look at him again.

"What did you say, Spike," Wesley sighed.

"Just that Xander's older brother didn't believe that his marriage was right because his mate was so much older than he was. Then I mentioned why he was older, that his sword was very sharp."

"Which is a subtle way of telling the demons what he is?" Xander asked.

Spike patted him on the head like he was a dog. "Exactly, whelp." He said something else to the demon, who laughed as he walked away. "I told 'im he's become popular at Branchson's."

Xander snickered. "Really popular. The woman that evaluated the stones that I got from the Monsoon Demon told me about the women she had done the same for after he courted them." He shifted, crossing his legs. "One more, right?"

"They have until midnight to show up," Wesley reminded him. "It's only nine."

Xander groaned. "Shoot. I wanted to go snuggle with my Oz tonight." He looked at the demon walking in the room, taking in the silk drapings it was wearing. "Where's this one from? He looks familiar."

Spike's attention was pulled away from Wesley's blush and he stepped in front of Xander, growling something as he vamped out.

Xander stood up and drew his katana, stepping around Spike. "Tell him that if he's here to harm me, I've killed more demons than he personally knows."

Spike pulled Xander back and handed him off to Wesley, growling something else at the demon, who backed away. He calmed down and stepped back into his position. "He's here to offer for you, not to kill you."

Xander snapped his fingers. "Giles knew one of you," he said, standing up and putting his sword away. "One of you helped one of my mates."

Spike translated that and the demon bowed deeply, looking at Spike as he said something. Spike laughed. "This is Giles' friend's brother. He said he wouldn't dare take you away from him." The demon said something else and Spike growled back at him. "Oh, he said that your other mate must be very strong to make Giles yield to him too."

Xander gave him his most alluring smile. "That's all my doing," he said with a wink. Spike slapped him across the back of the head.

"Don't do that," Spike groaned. "You don't want to attract them."

"I wasn't trying to," Xander protested, rubbing the back of his head.

Wesley coughed and said something to the demon, who laughed and backed out of the room. "He said he's heard of you and that he respects your power."

Xander shrugged. "It's good that someone does."

Spike shook his head and groaned. "Don't do that again, whelp. You don't want them comin' again later, right?" Xander shook his head. "Good, then don't turn them on. They don't need more jollies, Micah's been doin' enough advertising."

"Advertising?" Wesley asked.

"Yeah, how else would they know to come here?" Spike jumped as the floor shook, looking out the door. A big, fat, puss-looking demon waddled in, barely fitting through the door. "Whadda you want?" he asked him.

"I know what you are," Xander said quietly. "You're corrosive to my kind."

The demon burbled something. Spike shook his head. "No way. He's not able to be killed and turned." He tapped Xander on the shoulder. "Out."

Xander got up and Wesley walked him into the other room in the office, closing them in. "What's going on?" Wesley asked.

"He came thinking that Micah offered me to die for the family," Xander told him, turning to hit the doorframe with the palm of his hand. "I am *so* gonna kill the brat this time. I had his throat under my foot the last time and I gave it up to spare him."

Wesley hugged the young man loosely, hoping to calm him down. "I'm sure Spike will get this cleared up. This couldn't have come from your family, it would bring great dishonor to them."

"I could destroy them for this," Xander said hotly. "And I will."

Spike opened the door. "He wasn't told by your main brother, he was sent by one of the younger ones. I told him to go complain to Micah over it. He's gone."

Xander nodded and went out to sit in his chair again. He smiled as Angel and Buffy walked in. "Hi, I'm using you as a safe place to thwart my family."

Angel nodded, dropping his bag on the desk. "I heard. What was that last one about?"

"Brotherly maneuvering," Spike explained. "He's gonna go talk to the head son." He looked at the door as it opened again, looking this human over.

"Micah, you've got a lot to answer for," Xander said coldly.

Micah fell to his knees before Xander and put his head on his brother's thighs. "I'm sorry, but I had to," he said quietly. "I can't be married to them."

Xander stood up and pushed him off. "You have no right to order me to do anything!" he said hotly.

"I do, I'm the head son," Micah said, giving Spike a look. "Tell him, vampire."

"That vampire has a name and I know the pertinent regulations."

"Ah, but there's an outdated one that says I can force one of my brethren into marriage for the good of the family." Xander crossed his arms across his chest. "Even if I have to break up their present relationship."

Xander growled and started for his sword but his brother was holding up a very familiar ring. Oz's ring. "You better not have hurt him," he growled, lunging at his brother and knocking him to the floor. "I will kill you over that and give your position to Elizabeth." He took the ring and looked at it, tossing it at Wesley. "That's not Oz's. His is engraved." He punched his brother, cracking his jaw. "You will not even try," he growled, and everyone backed away from him.

"Xander, fur!" Buffy shouted, pointing at him.

Xander glared at her. "Oz and I had to share a quickening when the bomb went off." He turned his attention back to his brother, who was turning purple. "Oh, die," he said mock-sweetly. "I want to see it happen."

Spike pulled Xander off and held him to keep him from going back. "If you kill him over this, he'll win," he reminded the human. "You're not a were?"

"No, I got some of the more spiritual properties when Oz and I joined, and the shared quickening allowed some of it to come out." He spit on his brother's body. "I refuse to be a member of a family with you in it," he vowed, taking off the necklace to throw at him. "Come near me again and I will make you sorry."

Micah stood up and brushed his light brown hair back. "I can't do that, Xander, this was Father's will."

"He's dead!" Xander shouted. "And he never told me. He would have if he had wanted to break me up! He *liked* my relationship with Oz! He gave us his blessing!"

"He did," the soft voice came from behind them. "He had me watch the couple and evaluate them for him," Blair said as he walked in. "Xander, do you understand what you're giving up? You're giving up all status in the demon community."

"I don't want it if it's tainted by him," Xander swore.

Micah went pale. "Xander, you can't mean it. There's too many things that will come for you if I disown you."

"They already do," Wesley pointed out. "Due to his hormonal problem, there's been too many demons that have come for him already, even though they knew who he was." Xander looked at him. "It's easy enough to see," he explained. "Especially since your father probably put it around that you were his when you were younger. Most every demon in any large community knows who you are." He looked at Micah. "Your ploy has failed. He's saved his sister, and you don't have to honor a deal that was made before you were born. There's always a way out of them."

Micah ran his hands through his hair again. "There isn't, I've tried."

"There is," Blair pointed out. "And there's also a way around letting them have Xander or Elizabeth. You have a brother who sent a corrosive demon to Xander tonight, hand him over as punishment for what he did." He looked the boy over. "I withdraw my request to you the other day," he said formally. "I would not do business with them if they would do this to you."

Micah looked at Angel, giving him a helpless look. "I can't manage all this," he whispered. "Everything's falling apart and all these demons are coming for me now, wanting things."

"Do any of them have it in writing?" Wesley asked. Micah looked at him. "Verbal contracts aren't usually upheld after one of the members of the contract have died. Unless they have a firm contract or commitment, then you owe them nothing." He let go of Xander and walked over, sitting Micah down. "Tell me what's going on and I'll stop them for you, or at least give you a way around it."

Micah smiled at Wesley, then at Angel. "May I borrow him for a few weeks? Just until everything is straightened out?"

Angel shrugged. "Ask him, not me. I don't own him."

"He's not a minion in training?" Micah asked.

"No, he's a friend," Angel said firmly. "I don't have minions anymore, I gave that up when I got a soul."

Xander grinned at him. "You gave up on a lot of useful things, huh? Is this like a demonic version of Lent?"

Spike snickered and sat down on the couch. "Mostly, yeah," he said between laughs.

Angel tossed a paperweight at his child. "Where's my cat?" he growled.

"I have him," Xander said, reaching inside his shirt to hand over the cat. "He's been very comforting while I was the object of demonic leering." He glared at his brother again. "Like I said, never again."

Micah nodded. "I will not stoop to this level again, Xander, you have my word on it. You are the one brother that I never really wanted to piss off, but Father favored you over me." He looked at Wesley. "Would you please help me?"

"Of course. Angel, may I have the time off?"

"Sure. Where's everyone else?"

"Downstairs, except Willow, who's with Oz to protect him from any incursion."

Xander looked at him. "And she's doing what?"

"Probably doing a lot of laps in your pool," Spike said. "She's been missin' the beach."

"Ah." Xander reached over to pet the cat, but smiled when his finger was pulled away from. "I know, you've got your daddy and the world's all right again." He turned and gave Spike a hug. "Walk me home?"

"Don't you have a driver?" Spike asked in disgust.

"Yeah, but you're much more fun," Xander said, grinning at him. "Angel, Spike has been very good, he's only made rude comments to every fourth demon or so, and he's protected my virtue with the greatest of effort on his part. He deserves a treat."

Angel raised one eyebrow and looked at his childe. "Really?" he asked dryly.

"Really," Xander said, frowning at him. "Let him have a treat or I pout," he warned.

Angel held up a hand. "Don't do that," he said quickly. "Spike, what sort of treat would you like?"

"I'd like to take Seth far away from all the bloody poufs around here," he grumbled.

"Travel is often broadening," Blair said quickly. "You may take him, but not for more than a few months this time. He will call me every week so I know he is all right and I will pay for his share of the trip." He looked at Angel. "Would you agree that our children could go out together?"

"Sure," Angel said, waving a hand. "I'll give Spike traveling money if it means he goes away." Xander pouted at him. "Don't do that," he begged. "Fine, Spike can have enough money to really travel. For four months."

Spike jumped up and hugged Xander. "Thank you," he said, wiping a tear off. "I'm going to leave now. Have a check ready for me by dawn." He ran out the door, leaving them alone.

Xander grinned at the Master Vampires. "Wasn't that a good treat for you both," he said.

Blair chuckled. "Indeed, it was. Seth has become enamored of Spike and his ways. I think some more exposure to them might cure him of some of the less desirable traits he's picking up."

Angel laughed. "Hey, I'm getting rid of Spike!" he said happily.

Blair laughed. "I understand perfectly." He watched as Micah and Wesley walked away to go discuss things together, then nodded at Xander. "Would you like a ride to your hotel?"

"Nah, I think I've got it covered," Xander said, holding out a hand. "Friends again?" he asked.

"Friends," Blair agreed. "And even?"

"Very even, unless you try to pull something like this on me."

Blair shook his head quickly. "I'd never do that, Xander. Trust me, I don't want you on my bad side." He looked up as someone cleared their throat from the doorway. "Yes?" he asked.

"I'm here to challenge the immortal," he said quietly, staring at Xander.

"I'm not one," Xander said, holding up his hands. "I'm pre-immie." The immortal shook his head. "I am. You can ask any other immie around."

"He's mine," Richie said, pulling the immortal around to glare at him. "He's my student once he dies. He's not ready for that yet."

The immortal's eyes widened. "I've never felt a pre-immie that strong," he whispered.

"Yeah, we know. That's why Xander lives in peace." He let him go and frowned at the young man. "Oz told me to go pack your hotel room for you and then to bring you home."

"Okay," Xander said, checking his watch. "Actually, I have to be here for another half-hour, it's part of the ritual." He looked at Angel, who nodded and took Spike's place. Xander sat back down on his chair and waved at the one behind the desk. "At midnight, we can go," he said calmly.

Ten minutes before they could go, three demons walked in, demanding to see Xander. He frowned at them, checking his watch. They spoke English, which was a nice change, and they got to their knees in front of him. "We come for our Master, who has admired you from afar for many months now," the one in front said.

"No," Xander said, checking his nails. "I am being forced to listen to this, but I have no intention of breaking up my mating."

The demons all stood up and pulled out guns. "You will come with us and marry our master or everyone here will suffer."

Richie looked at Angel, who was putting his cat safely out of the way, then at Wesley, who was still in the other room. "What makes you think that bullets will stop any of us?" he asked snidely.

"Are you his mate?"

"No, but I speak for him."

Xander held up a hand and stood up, staring down at the four-foot tall demon. "I will not go with you and I will not marry you master. Your use of force is absolutely unacceptable and I refuse to go anywhere with the likes of you."

Micah walked in and then looked up at his brother. "They're from your Monsoon Demon," he said.

Xander laughed. "Oh, that's wonderful," he said dryly. "I'm still not going!" He kicked one of the demons back and backhanded another. "I go with *no* one other than my mates."

Richie picked up the phone and dialed the house, holding the phone out to Angel. "Oz said that it might happen this way," he said with a shrug.

Angel pushed Xander back into the chair and put the phone near his ear. He watched as Xander clutched the phone like it was his sanity, then turned to look at the smaller demons. "I'd leave," he said, going to game face. "I really would leave. I will not tolerate disrespect to this man."

The demons looked at each other then tried to gang up on Angel, but Blair pulled two off and held them still. "I believe they were just leaving," he said, taking his two outside to dump them. He came back with one demon, a pitiful looking demon, who fell at Xander's feet and clung to his legs. "He wanted to try his luck," Blair explained. "He still has two minutes."

Xander handed Angel the phone and looked down at the demon. "John?" he asked, seeing the familiar face from New York. "Man, they said you had disappeared," he exclaimed, pulling him up to hug. "What happened?"

"I need help and only you can give it," John said, his voice slurred from his split lip and broken teeth.

"I can help," Angel said, tossing the phone back to Richie. He bent down and looked at the mostly-mortal man, tipping his face up. "Who did this to you?"

"It was a vampire, a female. She said I was tainted so I was her new toy. She was babbling when she found me and she's still probably babbling now, something about me becoming her newest daddy."

"Druscilla?" Angel asked in confusion. John nodded. "Then I will help you. She's my childe and I will stop this." He helped the demon up, handing him off to Buffy. "Go clean him up and get particulars from him." He looked down at Xander, who was staring at his watch. "Go."

"I've got two minutes," he said glumly.

"Go," Micah said. "I release you from my stupidity." He handed Xander his necklace back as he stood up. "I will not bother you again, but this is still yours."

Xander took it and put it in his pocket. "I'll think about it," he said. He looked at Richie, who was standing right behind him. "I'm going back to my mate now. Angel, yell if you need me to help him. Micah, why don't you try to help him? He's done many good things for me."

Micah nodded. "One who helps a member of the family is helped by the whole of the family," he quoted. He followed Buffy down the stairs to help her with the prostitute.

Wesley patted Xander on the arm. "See, it wasn't so bad."

"Yes, it was," Xander told him, giving him a hug. "Thank you. I know I put you in a difficult position by coming here, but I knew you'd be safe."

Wesley nodded, watching the young man walk out while licking his lips.

Angel smacked him across the face. "Get over it, it's hormones," he said coolly.

Wesley nodded, going down to see if he couldn't help Micah with this too.

Angel sat back down on his couch, smiling at his kitten as it jumped into his lap. "Were you a good little Stake?" he asked, petting him, his smile getting bigger as his cat purred at him.

***

Xander walked through his house and into Oz's office, pulling Willow up to look at him. "Why does my house look like it's wrecked from the outside?" he asked in a deceptively calm voice.

"I put a spell on it to discourage people from coming up here," she said, giving him a bright smile. "It should hold for anyone you didn't invite."

"Gee, Willow," he said, releasing her, "it looked like a wreck to me and I am supposed to be here."

She frowned. "I think I put too much whammie on it. I'll fix it."

"You'll take it off," he told her, nodding.

She nodded. "I'll take it off. And I promise, I won't wreck the house doing it." She trotted out of the room, going to undo her magic, after a few more laps in the pool.

Xander shook his head and walked up the stairs, going to lie down in his own bed, beside his own mate, and preferably with his own animals. He smiled at the picture Oz made, surrounded by animals on all sides, and sighed, closing the door behind him so he could strip off and join his mate in the bed.

"How did it go?" Oz asked as Xander tried to slip in without disturbing the cats between them. Both cats glared at their other father but got loves so it was all okay with them if they moved to include him too.

"Okay, I guess," Xander said, snuggling into Oz's warm body. "I'm tired, very tired." The warm, strong arms wrapped around him and he instantly felt comforted. "I got Spike a reward for being so good. He and Seth are getting to travel for four months on their sire's wallets." Oz hummed, resting his cheek against Xander's forehead. "And I got to face down my brother, who admitted that he didn't want to do this. He's never going to do it again by the way."

"I saw, he sent a letter." Oz grumbled as his lover shifted. "Don't move, you're perfect. We'll talk in the morning."

"As long as the spell's gone by in the morning," Xander said quietly. "Otherwise, we'll both be yelling at Willow."

"Huh. Spell?"

"It makes the house look like a wreck. She said she put too much whammie on it because I saw the illusion."

"I won't hurt her if she removes it," Oz told him. "Sleep, babe, I'm right here."

"Coolness. That's what I needed," Xander whispered, clinging. "Oz, we might have a small problem," he noted after a few moments of quiet.

"What one? The furry one or the anger one?"

"Um, both?"

"It's probably related and we'll figure it out tomorrow." He gave Xander a squeeze. "Shh and sleep with me, babe. We need to sleep together."

Xander giggled wearily. "Yeah, I need to sleep with you." Xander wiggled his way closer to Oz's body, plastering them together so he could sleep in the comforting and loving arms of his true mate.

Oz grunted and backed up some so he could get to sleep at all. Xander didn't sleep-cuddle that well and he always ended up kicked in the balls if they slept that close. He rolled them onto his back, making sure Xander's knees were nowhere near his groin before falling asleep.

Xander grinned and shifted so he was more comfortable once Oz started to snore, clinging like he wanted to.

You F***ed Up!

Oz checked around his car, it hadn't been that long since Wolfram and Hart had given up on bombing Angel's friends and he was still security conscious. He stuck the key in the car door, opening it slowly, just in case. The fireball from the bomb hit him on the face and chest, throwing him back into the not-usually busy LA side street next to Angel's office. Oz died, again, vowing that he was going to get those people back.

Angel ran to the door, stopping when he saw Oz lying in the street. He checked the sky for clouds then swore and started to yell, "WESLEY!"

Wesley Windham-Pryce walked out into the sunlight and grabbed the old immortal, dragging him back inside so they could take care of him while Angel called a fire truck for the car before the fire spread to a building.

A little while later, Wesley walked out and looked at the wreckage, bending down to pick something up and carry it back inside. Oz had said he wanted it, even though he didn't know why.

***

Oz walked past the receptionist, glaring at her when she stood up to yell at him. "Sit down," he ordered quietly, and she did so, looking scared as he walked back over to her. "Which floor is the Senior Partner's meeting room on?"

"Th..third," she stuttered. "I can page them and have them waiting on you," she offered hesitantly. "I'm not supposed to, but I will make an exception for you."

Oz nodded. "Do that. They've got until I get up there." He headed for the elevator, the twisted piece of what had been his steering wheel clutched in his hands. He stabbed the button for the third floor and watched as the doors closed, checking the floor indicator as it started to move. He walked off the elevator and looked at the large oak doors, pushing them open hard enough to slam them against the walls. "I am Theodonius," he said coldly, staring at the men and demons surrounding the table as he slapped his former steering wheel down on the large table. "I am the world's second oldest immortal, student of Methos. You firebombed my car today, one which belongs to an heir of a Metharn lineage." He smiled cruelly as he saw a few of the demons go pale. "If I have to, I can make a call and have Methos here to help me destroy you within ten minutes. If I have to, I can call upon my mate's family and have them help me destroy you within the same ten minutes." He leaned closer. "You....fucked...up," he said slowly and clearly, making sure they had the message. "Fuck with me again, and I will destroy you." He pulled his sword as he heard someone walking up behind him, spinning and resting the blade against the lawyer's throat. "Try it," he growled, his eyes starting to change colors.

"I have no intention of it," he squeaked, wetting himself. "I told them going against Angel that way was a bad idea. He'd kill us all for any of you, especially over his cat and your mate. I didn't plant that bomb," he wailed when the sword pressed tighter against his jugular vein. "Please, Oz, I didn't do it."

Oz nodded and stepped back, his sword going back into it's hidden scabbard in a graceful move. He turned to look at the Senior Partners. "I'd take a lesson from him," he said quietly, leaving the meeting area and the building. He had to get home, before Angel or someone called Xander.

The lawyer that had been tortured cleared his throat. "I did try to warn you," he pointed out, then he ran for his office, hoping no one would kill him before he could update his will.

***

Oz walked into Angel's office and stopped when he saw who was standing there. "Micah," he said coolly. "Did something happen to Xander?"

"No, he's here for some advice," Wesley said quickly, hoping to stop an argument from starting. In the mood Oz had been in since he'd woken up, a fight would be a messy thing. A very messy thing if Wesley was any judge of body language. "Did you need something else?"

"Just a way home," Oz said dryly. "I don't think any of the local cab companies would drive me back to Sunnydale and all the hired car places have us on a blacklist due to the kidnapping incident."

"There's a demonic one," Micah offered. "I could call them for you."

"Are they trustworthy?" Oz asked. "I know how the Hellmouth affects some people."

"They should be fine," Micah said, giving him a faint smile. "Does Xander know?"

"Not sure yet. How did you?"

"It was on the news," Angel said as he walked in. "And yes, Xander knows. He recognized the building and screamed hysterically for about ten minutes." He gave Oz a once over. "Be prepared to be jumped as soon as you get home."

"Okay," Oz said with a shrug. "I was going to expect that anyway." He looked at Micah. "Please. I'd like to get home before Xander gets here."

"That may not be an option," Angel muttered. "I think Ray was the only thing keeping him from leaving." He shrugged at the dirty looks he was getting. "What? I'm just a messenger. Don't blame me for the message, I only work here."

"And you sound *so* Jewish when you say it that way," Ray said as he walked in. "We compromised. I get to come get Oz and bring him home safely and Xander gets to make sure he's all right once we get home." He nodded at the door. "The faster we leave, the easier he'll be on ya once ya get home."

Oz nodded and waved. "Later. I'll call if I live." He followed Ray out to Xander's sports car. "Break many speed limits?"

"Yup. Got three tickets, almost. Told them I was coming to get you from the hospital, that your car had been blown up earlier and you were getting ta come home tanight." Ray turned to look at Oz before he started the car. "Ya really okay?"

"Yup, and I got my point across with the Hell-lawyers too," he said smugly. "Ray, I need to stop at my bank. I have to check on something in an overseas account."

"Okay," Ray said with a shrug, starting the engine. "Whatcha gonna do about the car?"

"It's totaled," Oz sighed. "And I know Xander loved that thing."

"Nah, he still wanted ta trade it in next week." Ray spun the car around, pulling out into the traffic heading downtown.

***

Oz walked into the house, dropping the bag he had asked Ray to pick up for him while he was in the bank, and braced himself for Xander's running leap. Which never happened. Xander walked over to him and stood in front of him, pouting at him. "Baby, it was the lawyers. And I stopped them," he offered when the pout got bigger.

"You never called," he said quietly. "I was worried."

"I know. Angel told me, right before Ray showed up."

"Ray called," Xander said, glancing back up.

"Yup. I was getting you a prezzie, something to make you worry less," Oz offered.

Xander gave him a gentle hug. "As long as you're okay," he said once Oz's arms were around him.

"I'm very okay and you're still pouting instead of making sure of it."

"You stopped."

"I know." Oz pulled back some. "I stopped because there's something I wanted to tell you, and I was going to do it anyway after I got done with Angel and Wes. Threatening the lawyers made me late."

"Did they understand?" Xander whispered, pulling Oz closer.

"Yup. I threatened them in my name, and your name, and in Meth's name." He squeezed Xander. "Wanna go upstairs and make sure I'm all right?"

"Actually," Xander said, giving him a slight grin, "I was working on a room down here when I heard the news. It was on the *radio*, Oz.!" He squeezed his lover harder. "Come on, let's go upstairs. I need to see you." He led the way, tugging Oz along behind him.

Oz looked around their comfortable room, smiling at the non-decorator touches Xander had left around the space. The clothes thrown over the arm of a chair, the stuff littering the top of one of the dressers. He stopped Xander, pulling him against his body. "I thought of you first," he whispered against the younger man's neck, licking the skin afterwards. "And I thanked the Gods that you weren't there with me today like we had originally planned." He licked over the tender skin again. "And I'm getting you a housekeeper."

"A housekeeper?" Xander asked, confused. "What does a housekeeper have to do with anything?" He turned in the firm arms, hugging his mate while he untucked his shirt. Once he had that done, he pulled back and gave his lover a kiss, starting to work on his buttons. "I don't need a housekeeper, Oz, I need you chained to the bed all day long."

"We can do that for a while," Oz noted. "But not forever. I'll still need to go out."

"Only with me," Xander said firmly, stopping his mission to undress his mate to make his mate look at him. "You're not leaving this house again, not without me."

"Then you would have been there with me and you might have gotten hurt even worse," Oz pointed out gently. "I don't want to see you hurt because of a stupid human's idea of revenge. I won't allow it, Xander." He nipped his husband's chin. "Now, let's get us both undressed and then we'll talk about it in bed, later?"

Xander grinned. "That's what I was doing, until you came up with the housekeeper distraction." He grabbed both sides of Oz's shirt and ripped. "I'll make you another one," he promised, and his mate rolled his eyes. "It'll be cuter," he promised with his usual impish grin.

"We'll see," Oz agreed, going limp under Xander's hands. He knew the younger man really needed to check him over, he was wondering when the rough, ready, searching side of Xander was going to come out and do so. He didn't have long to wait though, as soon as he started to look submissive to his mate, his mate picked him up and tossed him onto the bed, stripping him brutally. Oz stayed limp, watching Xander's face as it changed and his mate started to lick him, checking every inch of his skin for a single mark or bruise.

Xander finished his tongue's appraisal and moved to follow over the damp body with his fingers, staring at Oz. "Mine and no one had better try to take you away from me again, Oz."

"Trust me, if I had known there was a bomb, I wouldn't have tried to open the door." Xander flung himself down and clung to him, shuddering. "Shh," Oz whispered, rubbing down the tense back. "I promise, I'm okay. I wasn't in the car when it went off. I was actually blown out into the street." He looked at the remains of his shirt, what had been just his overshirt before and shuddered. "It was too close," he mumbled. "And I'm still glad that you weren't there." He grunted as Xander got free and grabbed him by the leg, flipping him over. "Hey!"

"Shut up," Xander growled. "You're mine and they'd better not take you!" He grabbed the lube sitting on the bedside table, pouring a puddle of it out into his hand. He tossed the bottle aside and bent down to Oz's back, using his free hand to prepare his mate's body as quickly as he could. As soon as could, he slicked himself up and slid into the prepared hole, stretching himself across Oz's back. "Mine," he growled, licking across Oz's neck.

"Yours," Oz gasped, wiggling. "Move it or I'm going to," he warned. He went limp as his lover bit him hard on the side of the neck and pulled out a few inches. He shuddered under the hard teeth and hot breath as he was slammed back into. "Oh, yeah," he moaned.

"Shh!" Xander yelled, releasing Oz's neck. He got to his knees, roughly pulling Oz up to match him, then riding him as hard as he could, all the while scratching down his back with his nails. "Mine! Those people are *DEAD*!" he shouted.

"No," Oz complained, trying to get free. "Xander, you can't..." he tried but his head was pulled back at an awkward angle so Xander could take that part of him too. "No," he panted once he was released to breathe. "Let me handle it, Xander, they're going to get theirs."

"No," Xander said, pulling out of Oz and forcing him onto his back. "No, they hurt what's mine and I had warned them when they came after all of us. I won't allow them to get away with this, Oz. No way in any dimension." They locked gazes and Xander felt a cool hand start to rub down his back. "And no amount of soothing is going to make this be all right!" he said, pulling back.

"It's being taken care of," Oz promised quietly, sitting up to pull Xander into his arms. "I promise, they'll never come after us again, not without getting stomped." He made Xander look at him again. "Let me deal with this, Xan. Trust me this once?"

Xander snorted. "I trust you all the time, but I've already warned them."

"Then we'll do this together," Oz suggested. Xander continued to stare but eventually nodded. "Thank you." Oz gave his lover a squeeze. "Now, I believe you were screwing me into the mattress?"

"I'm sorry, I got worried and scared," Xander said softly, almost whispering it as he touched the reddened spot on Oz's neck.

"Hey, I understand that. If you had been blown up..." Oz had to stop and swallow. "Well, let's just say you wouldn't be able to walk in the morning."

"Even worse than our marriage night?" Xander asked with a grin.

"Much worse," Oz agreed, smiling back at him. "Can I have more? Since I'm so worked up and all?"

Xander wiggled on his mate's lap. "You'll have to let me go for that, Oz."

"Hmm, then maybe we should do something else instead," Oz suggested as he lay back, pulling Xander with him. "How about you cuddle me into the mattress? I'd really like that right now."

"Sure," Xander said, shifting down some so he could reenter his husband's body while they cuddled.

"No fair," Oz complained. "I'm not that flexible."

"But I am," Xander said, looking up and grinning at him.

"Yes, you are," Oz said in appreciation as Xander wiggled again, inserting himself deeper. "Hmm, very bendy. But we can't really cuddle this way."

"So flip onto your side," Xander said, pulling out and getting to his knees. "Come on, roll over." He curled up behind Oz's back once he was comfortable, reinserting himself so they could cuddle. "Better?" he asked.

"Yup, much less bendiness needed for this position." Oz wiggled backwards and the arms around him tightened farther. "Very nice."

"Good, because you're not moving," Xander whispered, kissing the back of Oz's head. "Never going away again."

"I'll have to go sometime," Oz reminded him. "Just to go to the grocery store?" he asked when he felt Xander shake his head. "Or out to get more lube?"

"Nope."

"Hmm, not even to get you a housekeeper or to get you a prezzie?"

"Nope. I don't need either one."

"Hmm, you're being tough about this." He reached over to pick up the ringing phone, handing it back to Xander. "It's probably Giles."

"Hey, Rupe," Xander said quietly, not letting go of Oz, letting the phone rest against the side of his head. "Yeah, he's here. No, I'm not letting him out of the house again. I don't care! They can be fucked sideways and painfully for all I care. He's not leaving the house."

Oz reached back and took the phone, listening to the calm voice on the other end of the line. "Hey. It's still too close to me being blown out into the street..." He had to stop, he couldn't breathe, Xander was squeezing him too hard. "Hey, I'm not squishable," he complained.

"Shut up," Xander growled, pushing his body as close to Oz's as he could. "Mine, don't complain."

Oz picked back up the phone and sighed into it. "He's still not ready to listen to anyone else. Want to try later?" He snickered at the advice on the other end. "I tried that, he's got me pinned." Xander took the phone and tossed it at the wall, rolling Oz under him. "You needed something?" he asked flippantly.

Xander's eyes narrowed. "Don't you *dare* joke about being blown up!" he said hotly. "You could have been killed!"

"I was," Oz reminded him. "But my head was still in place."

"And it doesn't take that much energy to blow a body into small chunks, Oz, even when it's attached to a car." Oz suddenly looked like he understood. "Yeah, that's what I've been worried about. And I *warned* them!" He started to get up, but Oz caught him. "Let me go," he said calmly.

"Nope. We agreed, we were going to take them on together, Xan." Oz nuzzled Xander's ear, trying to calm him back down. "We'll take care of them tomorrow if they haven't given up."

"No! I promised them that I'd destroy them if they continued." He passed out suddenly, forcing Oz to catch him.

"Um, hi?" Oz called out, looking around the bedroom.

A skinny male appeared in the corner chair, grinning and waving. "Hi." He giggled at the disgusted look he was sent. "What? You wanted him to run out the door and hire a personal army of demons to take on the lawyers?" Oz shook his head. "Tell him that they're being dealt with on a...bureaucratic scale. I made sure of it. Oh, and Cupes is *way* pissed by the way. That's why it's being taken care of." The skinny male leaned forward some. "Theo, man, you've got to get him back to his roots soon. He's gonna forget soon if you don't remind him of what he really is." He waved and disappeared.

Xander snorted and started to wake up, blinking up at Oz. "What happened?" he asked.

"You got so pissed that you passed out," Oz told him, hugging him fiercely. "Listen, before I came home, I called in a few favors. They're gonna be punished the old fashioned way, by the government for not paying taxes and stuff." He squeezed Xander as hard as he could. "Okay?"

"No, I want their heads under my bloody, soccer cleat wearing feet," Xander mumbled.

"Me too," Oz assured him, "but that wouldn't be good enough. I'd have to go after their clients and others. This way, we have the dirty work done for us by people who enjoy it and we can sit back and watch."

"Yeah, the planning is the most fun," Xander admitted, looking up. "You swear they're going to be punished?"

"Yup," Oz said, kissing him on the forehead. "If they aren't, then we can work on destroying them. Okay?" Xander nodded. "Now can we please get back to the cuddling me as hard as possible?"

Xander stretched up, not at all like usual. There was no grace in this stretch, none of the usual lithe, cattiness that Xander usually showed. "Sure."

"How about we do it in a hot bath with bubbles?" Oz suggested lightly, watching Xander's eyes. There was something seriously wrong with his mate. What Strife had said suddenly made sense.

"No thanks. I'll shower with you if you want."

Oz got away from Xander, looking him over. "Are you feeling all right?" he asked cautiously. "You never let the chance to take a bath with me go by."

"No, that's okay. I'm not in the mood for one right now."

Oz heard a shout from the phone and walked over to pick it up, listening to the voice on the other end. "Yeah, I'm gonna do that. Can you have him meet us there?" He nodded and walked over to hang it up. "Go put on some clothes. I've got a treat planned for you." He watched as Xander walked into their large, walk-in closet, shaking his head. "What happened this time?" he muttered, going to sponge down with a washcloth before they left the house.

***

Oz dragged Xander in the front door of the spa Giles had recommended, smiling at the man behind the counter. "Hi," he said, tugging Xander up beside him. "I want him pampered until he admits that he likes it."

"Of course I do," Xander snorted, looking around. "I'm not in the mood for it though, Oz. Why are we here?"

"Because Adam's meeting us here." He took the forms the man had handed him, tossing over his platinum card. He glanced at Xander before filling them out, then handed them back. "Here, we need this."

The man smiled and typed in the information, running the card for them. "I have just the program for you," he said, his cute German accent light and soft. He handed over a pamphlet. "How about this program? Of course, we can design something if you'd prefer."

Xander tried to look over Oz's shoulder but was pushed away. "Hey, I'm the GHS here, I should know what feels best to me." He could see the reception clerk looking him over and shrugged. "I've had a few rough days. The whole moving thing."

"And the whole being threatened thing, and the whole family thing," Oz muttered, circling a few things. "Let's start with these and let's give him the most intense package we can. Does our friend have his reservation yet?"

"Yes, sir, a note was made in there that you were to have adjoining rooms." He handed over another brochure. "How about this package?"

Oz read it then nodded, crossing one thing off. "Everything but that one. And I'll want a scrub myself."

"Of course." The clerk typed it into his computer then handed over the card that popped out of the box next to it. "This is your room key, we'll bring your schedule up to your room tonight." He glanced at the floor behind them. "No baggage?"

"This was an emergency," Oz whispered, leaning closer. "He really is GHS, that's Xander Harris." The man looked stunned. "Yeah, so this was an emergency."

The clerk's eyes got very big. "I'll be sure to pass this on," he whispered back. "Please, go up to your room. We can send down to the local town for you if you need us to."

"I'm sure your gift shop has shorts and stuff," Oz said, taking the card and leading Xander up the stairs. "Please send our friend to find us as soon as he gets here."

"Of course, Mr. Harris," he said, waving.

One of the girls that had been sweeping next to the stairs jogged over. "That's really Xander Harris?" she asked.

"The dark-haired one," he said grimly. "His life has made him forget what he is." She looked shocked. "Yes, so it's up to us to make sure he remembers. That's why he was sent here by his other keeper." He smiled at the stairs. "I'm sure his husband will take good care of him during this time of stress." He shuddered. "I'm so glad our boss never went through that, it might have destroyed him."

"Yeah, Adam's been very cool about being GHS, but he's never been that stressed." She shrugged and went back to her cleaning. "I'll pass it on," she called as she finished sweeping up her dust pile and walked away.

"Good," he told himself, finishing his notes in the computer. "That man's going to need much help to get himself back to his usual stature. I remember when Adam came in and told us about his newest student." He licked his lips. "He is delightful to look at. No wonder he got two men."

***

Methos walked into the spa resort he owned, looking around in admiration. "I do have good taste," he told himself as he walked up to the desk. "Where are they?"

"In the scrubs, Adam," the girl behind the desk said, giving him a smile. "Your student is really bad, isn't he?"

"Very," Methos/Adam agreed, taking his keys to his private room as he walked back to the where the body scrubs were given. He tapped on the door, smiling at the masseuse working on Oz's back. "Where's the damaged one?" he asked Oz.

"Next door. They're doing a different sort of scrub on him," Oz moaned. "Oh, I needed this."

"Yes, I noticed," Methos said, looking at Oz's back. "Are you all right?"

"I was opening the door," Oz told him.

Methos leaned down to look at his face. "You were lucky. Bombs often take off people's heads." He let him go and stood up. "Which next door?"

"Marianne is working on him," she whispered. "He was bad, sir. Are you sure he's your student?"

"Yes, and then someone taught him how to fight," Methos grumbled, leaving that room to go find Xander. Maybe he'd get some hands-on time with him.

Ray walked into the spa, looking around the grand entryway. "Adam really decorated this?" he asked the woman behind the desk.

"Yes, sir," she said respectfully. "Do you know our owner?"

"Yeah, I'm Ray," he said, holding a hand out. "His man."

She squealed and grabbed him for a hug across the desk. "It's *so* good to meet you, Ray. He's been telling us about you every time he comes here." She pulled back and smoothed down her uniform when she saw his shocked looks. "Most of us that work for Adam here are college kids he's helped to find ourselves," she explained. "He's sorta like a surrogate big brother to us. So we're all *real* interested in who he's dating." She winked at him. "We never thought you were this cute though. We pictured some street-tough guy with a bad hair cut."

Ray snorted. "That's what I was when I met him. Where did the fearless one go?"

"Back to help your friend, Xander," she said, her smile falling away. "I was so sorry to hear that he's having real problems like that. Losing himself totally and all that."

Ray shook his head. "Someone taught him another way of life and he's been tryin' to work them together, but his GHS side is falling aside." He shrugged and walked down the hallway she pointed at, heading to where he could hear the argument. "Hey," he said as he popped his head into the room, smiling at Xander. "Hey, I heard you lost yourself again." He walked in and closed the door, coming over to give Xander a hug and force him to lie back down. "There, now let him give ya a backrub or whatever. Oz asked us ta pamper ya for a few days and all that good stuff." He grinned up at his lover, winking when Xander sighed and let himself be worked on by Methos.

"Thank you," Methos mouthed, grabbing some of the seaweed extract to smooth onto the young man's back. "Tell me if this is too cold and I'll have it rewarmed," he ordered.

Xander mumbled something but he didn't protest anymore.

***

Methos looked across the dinner table at Oz, who was eating silently. "Is it working?" he asked.

Oz dropped his fork and looked at Methos. "Not really. He says he's having fun but I'm not seeing anything that says he's going back to what he used to be." He glanced around then lowered his voice again. "Did Giles hear the warning we got?" Methos nodded so Oz stared at the table. "I don't know what's going to happen, but I don't want them mad at me for letting him learn how to fight."

"It's not that," the waiter said, putting down their cups of coffee. He was a blond man, tanned, fit, very handsome. One of those sort of people that for some reason you wanted to throw you across a table and fuck you to death. "It's more that he's unbalancing and forgetting his other side, which can be dangerous to those that he protects." He winked at Oz. "Give him this note," he said, handing a folded piece of paper over. "Then get him rebalanced. However you have to do it, dude, before he hurts himself trying to please you." He walked off and disappeared through the kitchen doors.

Methos looked at the paper Oz had put between them on the table. "Well, that certainly clears up a lot. You two need a bodyguard so Xander doesn't feel obligated to fight any longer." He leaned back in his chair, glancing around the room. "It's hard to believe that I've had this place for so long."

"To you and I, fifty years isn't long," Oz mumbled. He sipped his coffee, moaning at the taste. "That was gross," he mumbled, getting up and taking the note with him. He walked up to their room, tapping before he walked in. "Hey, I was given a note for you," he said, holding it out.

Xander looked up from his book, taking the note. He blinked as he felt it shock him, then stared at Oz. "One of Jace's friends?" he asked quietly.

"Yup." Oz closed the door and sat on the footstool in front of Xander, stroking over his ankle. "They're worried about you, Xander. You've overbalanced on the warrior side and forgotten who you were. You're not even swimming anymore and we have a sinful pool at home."

Xander put his book aside, sitting up and taking his foot back from Oz's grasp. "I know. I'm trying to balance it, but I haven't been able to."

"Then let me help," Oz begged. "You're scary like this." He smiled at the snort. "Xander, when you first came back from New York, you had a hard time fighting vamps. Now, you'd stake Giles if you had to. And I realize this is necessary right now, but I miss your other side. It's what drew me to you. *I* can protect us both if I have to, you I wanted for company and love."

"Oh." Xander glanced down at the blank paper he held. "But I like being able to defend myself."

"Which you do very well, but that doesn't mean it has to become your whole life, Xan." Oz shifted closer, lifting Xander's chin up. "Do you remember when I came up to Vermont for you?" Xander nodded. "You're like you were then. Are you depressed?"

"I'm still sad about the house and everything," Xander admitted.

"I'll have the house rebuilt," Oz promised quickly.

"That isn't it," Xander sighed, leaning back to get free. "Oz, it was my *first* thing, the first major thing that I had done on my own. Yeah, I have all that money and I had a nice apartment, but the house was *mine*, and I made it *ours*."

"Ah." Oz nodded, giving his husband a smile. "I can understand that. This new house can't compare to the comfiness of the old one, where we couldn't be that far apart from each other, but it does have a few advantages over the old one. The old one was *your* house. Yeah, we lived there with you but it was still your house. Same as my house is still my house, dragon and all." Xander nearly smiled at that one. "But this new house is really *our* house. We picked it out together. It's like this island of calm for us, Xander. A place where reality can bend for a little while." Xander looked a little happier about that. "And I know that you're worried about the lawyers for Hell, but don't. Strife promised that the government was going to take care of them for us."

"Which one? Human or demon?"

"I'm not sure, maybe both," Oz said with a shrug. "Does it matter?"

"No, I guess not," Xander said quietly, staring at the window over Oz's shoulder. "I miss what we used to have."

"Hey, we only use seven rooms in the house, I'm still feeling a little confined," Oz offered gently. Xander shook his head. "I know, I miss having you be right there every time I turned around, but now we have a little bit of room and no one can trip over each other."

"But I liked that." Xander looked at Oz, seeing the understanding there, but he decided to explain it anyway. "Oz, I felt comforted by all the closeness. If you were that close, then you'd see when I needed some attention."

"And you think I don't now?" Oz asked. Xander nodded. "Babe, I knew you needed attention for the last week, I was hoping I was giving you it by staying home instead of going to do something that I've been needing to do at the bank." He got up and grabbed the only bag they had brought with them, the one Ray had picked up for him from the bank. He brought it over and sat on the footstool again, holding it out to Xander. "A long time ago, I was told that I was going to find my true mate in this time period, so I've been planning presents for her most of my life." He shrugged at the dirty look. "Hey, the seer said it was a gentle person, I thought she meant a woman. For the longest time, I was thinking it was Willow. And then I started to see the man that you really were. That's when I figured out it was you." He ran his thumb across Xander's bottom lip. "In that bag is something from each time I've lived in, it was meant to help my lover better understand me."

Xander opened the bag and pulled out the stack of pictures. "Where are they?"

"In with the rest of my stuff, in special crates to protect them." He leaned forward to look at the pictures. "The only thing that's not in there was my favorite horse. I kept a member of his line around for almost six centuries. I lost the last of him right before World War 1 when he died. There had been a few problems in the line that were in him so I couldn't breed him." He accepted the hug Xander gave him. "Thanks, babe. I knew you'd understand but I wanted to share this with you, not the scary warrior you've become recently."

Xander smiled at him. "Okay, Oz. I get the point." He went back to looking at the pictures. "Oz, most of these things are jewelry."

"Yup. I thought you were gonna be a girl," he said with a shrug and a smile. "It's all very butch though. I never could stand seeing women in delicate little things that might break in a strong wind."

"But you gave Willow that delicate little filigree locket," Xander said in confusion.

"Meth gave that to her, supposedly from me. He wanted to get rid of it so he gave it to her. She never knew he was the messenger that brought it." He pointed at the pictures. "If you'd like to look at any of them, I'll gladly take you to my farm. I think it's still standing. It was last year."

"Okay," Xander said, flipping to the next picture, his mouth falling open. "Oz, is this really a jade collar?"

"In four pieces," Oz said, smiling at him. "Someone found some great big pieces of jade back then." He flipped it over. "Each one has the date and city where I got it."

Xander blinked a few times at the scrawl. "Byzantine?"

"Yup. I was there too. Bunch of fruitcakes half the time; I used to hang out with the priestly caste and some of them had some very odd ideas about life." He relaxed at the grin that his husband was giving him. "There was this one that thought Ox innards were the purpose of his existence. It was his job to gather them from the sacrifices. He thought his God had caused him to be born just to take care of the innards."

Xander shook his head. "I don't understand that way of thinking at all," he sighed, flipping to the next picture, after checking the date. "Pre-Catholic France?"

"Yeah, I didn't remember the exact year, but I remember that was before Charlemagne. I always thought that piece was the most femme thing I'd ever bought."

Xander peered down at the small, delicate cross and then looked up, nodding. "Yup, very femme for you." He grinned. "What are you going to do with them since I'm not a girl?"

"Well, a few of those pieces will still be yours, but I'll give you my journals that I kept up until I became me." He coughed lightly. "I quit writing down my thoughts about the same time I lost my mind, I didn't think anyone would ever want to hear them." He accepted the hug gratefully. "Thanks. Things like that cross I was thinkin' about auctioning off some day. There's people who collect things like that."

"And museums," Xander added with a grin. "What about that jade collar?"

"I want you to have that. It's got an inscription on it that I want to know what it says. Maybe I'll ask Giles to translate it for me, I've always sucked at languages."

"But you do computer code and that's another language."

"That's because I started in computers back when they first came out," Oz told him. "Back when it was command strings on punch cards that went into machines that were as big as gyms." He stroked down the side of Xander's face. "I'm not the programmer Willow is."

"But you're still great," Xander defended.

"Thanks." Oz glanced at the pictures. "Keep going. I'll have them brought to the house next month, when the rest of my stuff from my farm shows up." Xander gave him a quizzical look before flipping to the next picture. "The same lady that told me when I was going to find you told me that when I switched houses in this time, I had to bring everything from all my safe spots to be with me. That was the only way to protect them and us."

"Ah." Xander looked up and smiled. "Gee, it's a good thing I was working on rearranging the library, huh?"

"Yup," Oz agreed, leaning over to rest his head against Xander's thigh.

"Um, I had beans for lunch," Xander reminded him delicately.

Oz shrugged. "Wouldn't be the first time I've heard you fart. You do it at night all the time." He looked up. "That's all part of love, Xan. If you can stand their bodily functions then it must be love." He grinned and went back to resting on his husband's thigh. "So, which one is that?"

"Out of order I think, it says ancient Greece." Xander showed him the picture of a chalice.

Oz took the picture and crumpled it up. "You never saw that," he said quietly, not looking up. "We're protecting it until I can find the true heir to the chalice." He tossed the picture away. "Keep going. What's the next one?"

"Um, was that a *famous* and *searched for* cup, Oz? Maybe even in the Monty Python way?"

"Yup, very Life of Brian sometimes too. Our lives can be that way." Oz scratched his cheek on the soft fabric. "Don't ask, Xander, I'm just a protector of it. I'm only allowed to tell the person who I give it to."

"Okay," Xander said with a shrug. "Will I know them too?"

"Maybe. It'll have to be someone who comes not looking for it. That's what the person I accidentally took it off of said." He glanced up. "What's the next picture?"

"Um, it's the same one," Xander said, handing it over.

Oz looked at it, then at the spot where the old one was. "Huh. Guess I should go see who just checked in." He got up and walked out of the room, heading down to the front desk. "Hey, Marcus," he said, smiling at the other immortal. He pulled him aside. "Were you the only one who just checked in?"

"No, a few of my patients checked in with me, I'm forcing them to rest. Why?"

Oz shook his head. "I can't tell you, but it's not bad. Are any of them...holy?"

Marcus, the dark skinned immortal who Oz had once met in Giles' apartment, smiled gently. "Yes, one is. Tell me you've got something good for him?"

"Yeah, I do. But he's going to have to come get it from me when we're home in a few weeks. Okay?" Oz took Marcus' pen and wrote the address down for him.

The desk clerk craned her neck. "Sir, you have a different one in the records."

"Crap, that's to the old house. Guess I'm not so okay with it blowing up after all." He glanced up. "What sort of doctor are you?"

"General. Why? You got a problem?"

"Minor ones from something strange." He pulled him away. "Have you heard of that new spell?" Marcus opened his mouth, then shut it and nodded. "Well, we started it and it works, but Xander has flames and he still scars sometimes."

"Huh," Marcus said, glancing around them. "I feel another of us."

"That's the owner, Adam. You might have met him when you came to challenge Xander that time." He handed over the right address and the pen. "That's where I am. Just tell him he's to come not looking for it, okay?"

"Sure," Marcus said, confused. "Will he understand that?"

"He will if it's going to him," Oz assured him, nodding at the dining room. "Want me to introduce you to Adam?"

Marcus glanced in there, catching sight of someone peering out through a window. "Oh, that's him?" Oz nodded. "Okay. No, I met him last year in San Francisco. He was wandering." He shrugged. "I'll go tell them. Any idea what a sea salt scrub is?"

"Heavenly," Oz purred, patting him on the arm and running up the stairs.

The other immortal shook his head and headed up the stairs at a much slower pace. He didn't need this strangeness, and neither did his patients.

***

Oz leapt onto the bed beside Xander, pulling him into his arm. "I might get rid of that thing yet."

Xander handed over the note that had been delivered while Oz had been gone. "We have to go back," he whispered.

Oz looked at it, shaking his head. "How did Angel get stabbed?"

"Buffy went off on him." Xander rolled over to hug his husband. "Angel's still living, barely. Wes called Spike and Seth back from Europe too."

"We'll leave in the morning," Oz assured him, giving him a squeeze. "Give me the phone?" Xander handed it to him, letting him make the hard call. "Hey, Wes," he said, listening. "Is Spike back yet?" He grunted. "Okay, we're leaving tonight then. We'll be there by this morning." He hung up. "Buffy was drugged by Wolfram and Hart. It was their last ditch effort before the Demonic Counsel closed them down." He tossed the phone away. "Pack, we've got to catch the next flight back to LA." He got up and left the room, going to find Meth or Ray. He tapped on their private door, pushing his way in when Ray opened the door dripping wet without a towel. "We've got to go back. Wolfram and Hart drugged Buffy so much she tried to stake Angel. He's not in good shape and he's asked for us." Ray nodded, looking concerned. "Buffy realized what she did and staked herself for it. Or that's what Wesley said. You can go home to the house if you want when you come back. Tell Meth that I'm taking Xander with me. We're waiting on Spike to get back before we can do anything but I've got a decent plan in mind."

"Why don't you tell him yourself," Methos said dryly from the bathroom. His head popped out of the open doorway. "Is Angel all right?"

"No." Oz shrugged at the distressed look. "He'll probably live, but this is going to be a major guilt thing for Xander when he finds out. We're taking them down this time."

"I'll come back with you," Methos offered. "Back you up maybe?"

"If it goes that way, we'll call," Oz assured him, nodding at Ray. "We're leaving tonight, but Xander's realized the problem at least. I'll send him back if I have to."

"All right. I'll leave notice with the front desk in case he shows up. If we're gone, he'll be allowed to stay up here." Methos disappeared back into the bathroom. "Kill someone for me," he called.

Ray gave Oz a hug. "Get one for me too. I hate lawyers," he whispered before letting him out the door. Then he walked back to their mutual bath.

***

Oz stepped into Angel's office and looked around at the mess littering it. "Spike?" he called out, letting Xander walk in front of him.

"What?" Spike snarled from the storeroom behind them. "Come to gloat?"

"No, Angel asked for us," Oz said calmly. "After all, they blew me up the other day. Xander and I both want them too." He held out a hand. "To ruin?"

Spike slapped it. "Just let me have first bite."

"Deal," Willow said, coming up the stairs. "Oz, Xander," she said, smiling at them. "He's better. The herbs have drawn out the poison nicely." She frowned at Spike's bottle. "He said if you were drunk I was supposed to spank you until you got sober."

Spike snorted and took another drink from his beer then tossed it in the trash. "There, better?"

"Not quite," she said. Then she shrugged. "He's sleeping." She led Xander to a couch because he was yawning. "Crash there." She looked at Oz. "Do you have plans to destroy them?"

"Yup. Just before the cops and everyone gets there." He patted the bulge of his sword. "I've got it on good authority that they're going to be gone after by at least one government."

"Demon police?" Spike snorted. "Bloody ineffectual buggers. Not worth their weight in salt."

"Ah, but we've got the IRS," Willow reminded him. "Which has taken down the mafia where the FBI couldn't." She looked at Oz. "Is your teacher showing up?"

"Right after I figure out if I need him," he said gently, walking over to take off his jacket and cover Xander with it. "You sleep," he said quietly. "You can go babysit Angel in a few minutes."

"I want to do something more," he whined.

"Then we'll figure out what you can do," Oz told him. "Sleep now, plot the lawyers' downfall later." Xander nodded and curled up on the couch, closing his eyes. It wasn't more than a few minutes before Xander was asleep.

"Nice trick," Spike said as he walked past him. "Red thinks the pouf's up."

"I resent that remark," Oz said quietly. "I'm one too."

"The great broody one," Spike tried. Oz shook his head. "Bloody Hell, you're not Angel. Okay, how's this? The undead pouf who's been bleedin' like he's a stuck human?"

"Okay, I'm not one of those," Oz agreed, smiling as soon as Spike's back was turned. Willow had to clamp a hand over her mouth to hide the giggles. He followed Spike down the stairs, wrinkling his nose at the smell. "Eww."

"It's the herbs Red was usin'," Spike grumbled. "Seem to work well enough."

"Let me check him," Oz grunted, pushing Spike away. "Willow!" he yelled once he saw what was in there. He took a notepad from beside the desk and the pen Willow was playing with, writing down a list. "Go get these herbs. And hurry. You're poisoning him further with one of the ones you're using."

"Hello, vampire?" Willow suggested, waving a hand at Angel.

"Yay, and? Former High Priest of Athena and Bacchus, at different times. Go do it now." She looked shocked but she jogged up the stairs and left them alone. "Never let her use Henbane on a vampire, it'll suck what blood that's still in the system out eventually."

Spike looked impressed. "Good to know. What did you send her for?"

"A counteractive. It'll keep the blood from clotting, but it's dense enough to not allow bleeding through the wound. We used to use it on the battlefield." He shrugged. "Besides, it means she's gone."

"She's a handy little fighter," Spike reminded him.

"Yay," Oz said again, bending down to look at the wound. "Well, Angel won't live," he said, straightening up. "And he shouldn't have any scars either."

Spike smiled at that. "He's really okay then?"

"Yup, he will be once we work the Henbane outta his system. Got any fresh blood around here to infuse him with?"

"You mean like with a needle?" Spike asked, looking confused.

"Only if he had a heartbeat to pump it along. I was thinking more along the lines of someone feeding it to him."

"Oh, that I can do. Not sure if he has any human though."

"He does," Wesley said as he walked in, handing over a warmed packet. "Thank you for coming tonight, Oz. Where's Xander?"

"Napping on the couch upstairs." Wesley shook his head. "With Willow?" Wesley shook his head again. "Huh, gonna have to chain him to the bed after all." Oz shrugged. "If I know him, he's going to try and find the biggest demon he can and sweet talk him into helping him stomp the building."

Spike snorted. "Bit o'fun that would be. Got security and everything."

"Ah, but we're talking about Xander here," Oz said quietly, smiling at him. "The man who has dueled over my honor." Wesley looked stunned. "When we were across dimensions, someone suggested in court that not only did I not have any honor but that I was after the King's daughter, that I was using Xander to get to her." He smiled in fond remembrance. "Xander threw down his glass and beat the snot out of him, then challenged him to a duel, right there."

"Swords?" Wesley asked.

"Magic." Wesley choked. "A mage over there, actually the dragon that had taken him hostage, gave him a parting gift before he died. He gave him an amulet with magic stored in it. It's only got a few spells, but they're very powerful and...." Oz swallowed. "Wolfram and Hart's gonna be a puddle."

Spike looked really impressed. "What's trapped in the little trinket? An elemental?"

"A spirit," Oz said, shaking himself free of the past. "The spirit of the dragon who had captured him. It had a piece of his heart in it."

"But those are myths," Wesley exclaimed.

"I killed one," Oz said dryly. "If they're myths, they're smelly, enormous ones that bleed really nasty, foul smelling blood."

Spike snorted, then started to laugh. "I wanna see that," he said, jogging for the door. "Yell for me if he wakes up," he said as he grabbed the video camera. "I hope I'm not too late and this thing still works," he yelled as he walked out the door.

Oz shook his head, looking at the floor. "Well, better him than me. All dragons hate what I am." He shrugged it off and started to unpack Angel's wound. "I'll need the stuff Willow's bringing and some more of this moss if you have it."

"That's all we have of that," Wesley said, carefully separating out the moss to save it.

***

Xander tapped on the front door of the building that Wolfram and Hart owned, giving the security guard a bored look when he came to the door. "Yeah, I gotta package for one'a the senior partners," he said, trying his best to mimic Ray's voice. "Get one down here for me?"

"No." The guard held out a hand. "I'll see that they get it."

"First of all, I was told to only allow this into a senior partner's hand. Second of all, as you're wearin' a uniform, I doubt you're one. Now get one'a them down here now or I'm gonna leave and this is somethin' special."

The guard grumbled something that sounded like, "You can never be sure of anything around here," and walked back inside, making sure the door closed again. He came back a few minutes later with a man in a suit. "Here, a partner."

"You a senior partner?" Xander asked, looking him over. "That don't look like no Gucci suit or nothin'."

The dark-haired man smiled, trying to look calm. "Not exactly but I'm the assistant to one. I can bring it right to him."

"I was told no one but a senior partner was to get this." He canted his weight off to the side. "Now, do I gotta go back and tell the person who sent this that ya don't wan' it after all?"

The lawyer shook his head. "No, not at all. Who is it from anyway? Maybe that would make one of them come down faster."

"Some guy named Harris."

"Xander Harris?" the guard asked, his face scrunching up. "He's trouble, Mr. McDonald."

"I know," he said quietly, waving a hand. "Leave, we're fine." The guard left them alone. "He said to only give it to a senior partner?"

"Yeah, he said it was a peace offerin' or somethin'." He shrugged and held it out. "You sure you work for one direct like?"

"Yes, I do," Lindsey McDonald said, smiling again. "I'm actually a Junior Partner and head of Special Projects."

"Oh." Xander looked down at the box. "Okay, I guess. But you gotta give it to him right away like. The Harris guy said it was dangerous to anyone but one'a them." He handed over the box and pulled out a small slip of paper. "Sign for it," he ordered, shoving it over with a pen.

"You're not a professional deliveryman, are you?" Lindsey asked.

"Nope, I just do this part time. Someone in his family made him come ta me." He shrugged and took the paper back, waving. "Have fun." He jogged away, heading for a beat-up car parked down the street, camouflage enough for right now. He was pulled into an alleyway by Spike, who put a hand over his mouth to keep him quiet.

Xander snickered as he leaned against the wall, counting to see how long it would take to get to someone who could open it. About five minutes later, the windows of the third floor blew out and a ghostly tail flew out one of them. Xander hit the ground laughing, rolling around in the grime and things best not thought about.

Spike kept the camera on the building, but he was laughing so hard the camera was shaking. "What was that?"

"Spirit of a dragon who kidnapped me," Xander gasped. "Thought I was a Knight coming to hurt him so he decided to explain life to me. He was an honorable dragon, and he hated lawyers as much as I do now." He started to laugh again. "We talked," he gasped, "and he asked to come."

Spike filmed the exodus from the building, and the cops that showed up later, being careful to stay hidden from them so they wouldn't confiscate the tape. Finally, it was over and Spike pulled Xander over to his car, forcing him into it. "Come on, your mate'll love this one."

Xander cracked up again. "I'm sure. The dragon wanted to adopt me and he *hated* Oz. Wanted me to marry a nice girl and give him grandkids to tell stories to."

Oz fell off the bed he was laughing so hard, grabbing Xander to roll around with him. "Brilliant," he gasped, squeezing his mate to his chest. He looked over at Angel, who had wanted to watch it too. Angel was holding his stomach while he laughed, and it looked painful. "Spike, blood," he said, pointing.

Spike handed over a cup, grunting in displeasure. "I wanted to torture them," he pouted.

"So go catch a few," Angel suggested between sips. "They're in the open now."

Spike brightened up at the prospect of hunting. "Yeah, they are." He grinned at Xander. "Good job, mate. And a crack-up too." He walked out, grabbing his duster from the back of the couch as he walked past it.

Oz looked at Wesley, who was looking very pale. "Don't worry, the one over my fireplace said he really preferred virgins over other food."

Wesley stared at him in shock. "You have a dragon trapped at your house?"

"The one with the portals," Oz agreed. "He's stuck in the portals, dropped his key."

"Oh, my, I'd like to see that," Wesley muttered, glancing at Angel.

Xander whispered in Oz's ear, and got a nod. "My lovely husband has just suggested that I need to sell the house anyway, and it has to go to someone responsible."

"I could never afford a house," Wesley said, flushing. "Not even a small one."

"Easy payment plans," Xander offered. "You watch the portals."

Oz nodded. "Say fifty grand?"

"That's a lot of money," Wesley sighed.

"Hey, the house is worth almost a mil," Oz told him. "This is a steal. I don't want to deal with the portals again and you're responsible like that."

Wesley looked at Angel again. "Where is this one?"

"Carmel," Xander said quickly. "Just this side of the town actually."

"Angel could go into the realms and do good stuff," Oz offered.

"Oh, and I could go learn other sorts of magic," Willow said happily. "Maybe even from a dragon."

"You'd have a demon-free town," Xander added. "I didn't see a one while we were there."

Angel coughed. "He'll take it," he said quietly. "We could use a base of operations out of the area and Carmel is one of those very safe places. Wes, you could go down there and do research all you wanted."

"But fifty thousand?" Wesley said.

"Hey, loans are good," Xander pointed out. "I could even get you hooked up at the demon bank."

"No," Angel said. "You don't want them to have access to the portals at all. Talk to someone at your bank tomorrow, I'll co-sign," he sighed at the stunned look Wesley was giving him. "Just...no dragons in LA, okay, Wes?"

"Of course not," Wesley said quickly, straightening up. "I shan't let them out at all." He looked down at Oz and Xander. "How much of a guardian do I have to be?"

"I show up about once a decade or so," Oz told him.

"Ah, so I could conceivably do this on the weekends?"

"Yup," Xander said, giving him a grin. He looked up at the screen, watching as the cops arrived on the scene. "What do you think they put in their reports?"

"Unidentified smell or something probably," Oz said, wiggling to get free. He stood up and held out a hand. "Home?" he asked his husband, who was staring up at him.

"But I want to make sure that they're wrecked," Xander pouted.

Wesley froze the tape, pointing at the screen. "That's a Federal Agent," he noted. "They're taking care of them as we speak."

"As long as they can't jump us for releasing a spirit," Oz said with a shrug. "Come on, let's go, Xander."

"Okay." Xander hopped up and followed his Oz, hanging onto his belt loops. "Can they arrest us for releasing a spirit?" he asked as they walked out the door.

"Probably not. There's not a lot of laws regarding sprits on the books," Oz told him, opening the car door cautiously. He stopped at the click, turning to look at the blonde woman holding the gun pointed at them. "What? We're going home."

"What did you do to Wolfram and Hart?" she asked coldly.

"I released a spirit who hated lawyers, especially unethical ones," Xander defended, trying but not succeeding to get in front of Oz. "It's not against the law."

"They've been bombing us for over a month now," Oz put in quietly. "Our house, a few of our cars. Angel's old office." She looked stunned. "Yeah, so a little spirit is nothing compared to what they've done."

She firmed up, her gun no longer drooping. "Still, you endangered people."

Oz snorted. "Only if they were already bad," he told her. "Everyone else was safe."

"Did it eat someone?" Xander asked. Her pissed expression said it all. "Hey, they had to be bad for him to eat them. He was an ethical dragon when he got killed and trapped in there. He only attacked people who were trying to get him or people who were bad. Even when he kidnapped me, he only lectured me."

Oz looked at Xander. "Which can be a worse torture than being eaten," he reminded dryly.

"Actually, not with him. His was interesting and funny. He made Knights sound like boys out catching bugs at night."

"Ah." Oz shook his head and turned back to the woman with the gun. "Don't even think about it," he warned her. "You too can die and you won't stop me with a simple bullet."

"Why? Are you a vampire too?" she scoffed, looking him over.

"No, he's *much* more dangerous," Willow said from the doorway. "Go home, Oz, we can deal with her." She waved as they left then looked at the cop. "Kate, they were saving themselves being blown up, again. Oz was the one who was blown up about five feet from where you're standing just the other day." She stepped back and slammed the door.

The cop shook her head and put her gun away. "This is stranger than I ever wanted to deal with," she said, looking up. "Make it stop, God, please? I'll believe whatever, just not people who come back from car bombings." She walked off into the night, trying to figure out if she wanted to go somewhere simpler, somewhere where there's no demons or vampire detectives.

***

Oz walked into their house behind Xander, one hand around his lover's waist. "Can we start again?" he asked, keeping Xander from moving further into the house.

"I love you," Xander said, grinning at his husband. "Whatever you want, as long as you won't stop making me sew or love you." He stole a kiss. "See?"

"Much better," Oz sighed in relief. "Do you want to go back to Meth's spa?"

"Nah, there's a really good one in Beverly Hills that I'd like to try."

"Okay," Oz said, walking them into the kitchen. "We're still getting a housekeeper." He pulled out a bottle of wine and popped the cork, letting Xander pull down glasses for them.

"Why? I don't need a housekeeper, Oz."

"Think of it this way, Xander. No more sweeping all these floors."

Xander looked up at the ceiling, considering the house. "Okay, but are you sure only one person will be enough?"

"If not, they'll tell us." Oz poured the wine out, stealing a kiss as he handed over Xander's glass. "We'll put out a call for someone tomorrow?"

"If you want to pay for one," Xander said quietly, staring at his lover.

"It's not that you do a bad job, but we have a life," Oz reminded him gently. "And I'd like that life to not include vacuuming for hours on end each week."

"Okay," Xander sighed, grinning at him. "Twist my arm, find me someone who cooks and cleans up for us. Maybe they'll even take over litter box duty."

"Not likely," Oz said, taking a sip of his wine. "Are you hungry?"

"Yup. Want me to cook?"

"No, I want us to order," Oz said, opening the drawer with the menus in it. He checked his watch and pulled out the only 24-hour pizza place one's, handing it over. "Pick us something and remember that they have a hard time finding either gate." He walked out onto the porch, leaning back in one of the loungers to look up at the stars. "Hurry up," he called. "We've got shooting stars."

Xander jogged out and climbed into his lap to watch and cuddle at the same time. "Wow."

"Those used to be considered magical signs from God," Oz whispered to him, wrapping his free hand around Xander's waist.

"They're still really magical to some of us," Xander told him.

"Yup. To me too," Oz sighed, getting comfortable.

One of *Those* Days.

Oz looked down at the ad he was writing for their housekeeper, then up at Xander. "How's this? Housekeeper needed for gay couple living in large house, with pets. Must be open-minded and ready to help us with the housework."

Xander clapped. "Cool. Think we'll get an answer?"

"Yup." Oz turned to type it into his computer, he had pulled up the form to add a classified ad before he had started to write it. "Okay, done," he said, sending it in. He leaned back in his chair. "I sent it to the LA Times and to Sunnydale's pitiful paper."

"Also cool," Xander said, not moving from his chair, just swinging the leg with the chain on it. "Oz, have I been good?"

"Yup." Oz got up and walked over, coming to kiss his husband. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I wanted to go to that spa again," Xander said, looking up at him, giving him one of his better begging looks. "I really want to go. I miss being myself."

"Sure, babe," Oz said, unhitching the ankle cuff from his husband's leg and pulling him up. "Go get dressed while I grab the phones and we'll take you to LA to go be pampered." Xander jogged from the room and Oz picked up everything he thought they'd need during their trip. "Xander," he called as he headed for the front door. "You ready yet?" He pushed in the sequence to start the alarm system, waiting to activate it. Xander jogged past him and he activated it, following him out of the house.

As soon as the door closed, a furry little body peeked around the corner and headed for the laundry room. The best clothes were in there, they smelled like the daddies.

***

Oz answered his phone from his position in the corner, watching Xander have his back massaged. "Hello?" he asked, curious. "Yes, we put an ad in the paper for a housekeeper, but I thought it wasn't going to go out until tomorrow." He shrugged when Xander turned his head to look at him. "Sure, we're in LA today. Are you here or in Sunnydale?" He shrugged. "Okay. Xander, where did you want to eat dinner?"

"Um, that nice pub-like place."

"The Rose and Dagger," Oz said into the phone. "Do you know where that is?" He nodded at Xander, holding up a finger. "Okay. How about five?"

"Six," Xander called. "I won't be done until five."

"Xander just amended and said six. Is that still okay?" He smiled and nodded. "Okay, we'll meet you there. Yeah, two men, I'm a redhead and Xander's a brunette." He smiled. "That's fine. Six o'clock. Bye." He hung up and put the phone into his pocket. "She has a nephew who delivers papers and someone let it slip to him."

"Mmmmm," Xander purred, putting his head back down. "We'll have to do a lot of explaining."

"We'll try to get a seat in the back," Oz assured him, crossing his feet so he could watch Xander turn into a puddle. "But you'll have to warn her about your nakedness problem."

"Okaayyyyyyyyuuuummmmmmmmmmm," Xander said, smiling at his masseuse. "Want a job?" he asked, giving her a sleepy smile.

"No, thank you, Mr. Harris. I like working with different people, I get to study them."

Oz snickered. He loved this side of Xander. "And when we get home, what are you going to do, oh, great GHS?"

"Long bath," Xander sighed. "With bubbles and you."

"Okay," Oz agreed. "I'll even scrub your feet for you."

The masseuse laughed but she worked harder on Xander's lower back, making him purr louder.

***

Xander smiled as a relatively young middle-aged woman walked up to their table. "Hi, I'm Xander," he said, pushing a chair out with his foot. "What would you like to eat?"

She laughed. "My, you're eager," she said happily, smiling at Oz as he walked over. "Oh, that looks good," she said, staring at the stew.

"It is," Oz agreed. "I'll go get you a bowl." He kissed Xander on the head, surreptitiously watching the woman for her reaction.

Xander smiled at her again. "My Oz is so good to me," he sighed. He picked up a piece of his bread and stuck it into the broth part of the stew. "So, have you done housekeeping before?"

She laughed. "Oh, yes. I was married for twelve years and I've got three children." She nodded at Oz as he set a bowl down in front of her. "Thank you, sir."

"It's Oz," he said as he sat down. "So, I heard the married with children part."

"And I've worked for a family in your area already. Maybe you heard of them. The Chases? It was such a shame Mr. Chase lost all his money."

"Ms. Chase was our friend," Oz said quietly.

"Was?"

"She died recently," Xander said, stabbing his bread in the broth. Oz put a hand over his and he calmed down. "She died in a bombing here in town a few weeks ago," he said, looking up. "But I do remember her talking about you."

"Yes, little Ms. Cordelia must have complained about me a lot. I never did take an order from a child."

"Well, we don't have any of those," Oz said. "But we do have animals." He glanced at Xander. "Lots and lots of animals."

"And a puppy who's about to have puppies," Xander said happily, regaining his earlier mood, even if it was just for show. "We also have another partner, who's off studying right now."

"I see." She pushed her bowl out of the way. "What would you need me to be doing?"

"I would need you to do the housework," Oz said.

"And maybe some laundry?" Xander asked.

"And do the dusting, Giles can't stand cat fur on his books." Oz shrugged at her snort. "He used to be a librarian."

"Ah, yes, Ms. Cordelia used to complain about him a lot."

Xander snickered. "I bet. He used to make her do work." He looked at Oz, then back at her. "Well, there's a few other things that you should know."

"Giles practices magic so there's some stuff that you probably shouldn't touch in the house," Oz told her.

"I sew and I'm fiercely protective of my stuff in that room."

"Our animals have their own playroom but they wander all over the house."

"It's a three story house," Oz noted. "A large, transplanted manor house."

"And sometimes I run around naked," Xander finished.

She thought about then nodded. "You wouldn't be hitting on me?" she asked.

"Nope, not even going in that direction. Maybe in two centuries or so."

Oz looked at Xander. "Two centuries?"

"Yeah, I figure I might ask to try sleeping with a woman again in about two centuries to see if it still doesn't do much for me."

Oz nodded. "Okay. In two centuries, I'll find you a woman to sleep with so you can remember that part of you." He kissed Xander on the cheek. "You forgot to tell her that we have a pool that you swim in naked."

"Oh, yeah, and I have a pool that I swim in naked," Xander added, grinning. "And I also have a small ankle chain that occasionally ends up around my ankle when I need to feel like I'm being kept."

She laughed. "You aren't asking for much, are you?"

"We realize that we are, but we're willing to pay according the worth of the person," Oz told her. "Also, I should tell you, both Giles and I have a lot of weapons lying about. Mostly of the sword- like variety."

"You Ren-Fair?"

"Not really," Oz sighed. "It brings back too many bad memories."

"Oh, and we have a couple of friends, who are a couple, who might pop in at odd times. They're staying with us right now until they can find a house."

"Oh." She blinked a few times. "Are they gay too?"

"Yup," Oz said. "And I know this can bother people, but we don't usually have sex in the hallways."

"Or the living room anymore," Xander pouted at Oz. "I miss our couch cuddling."

"We'll do that in front of the TV, okay, Xan?" Oz asked, glancing at the prospective employee.

She giggled. "I'm sure you will," she said, picking up her spoon to take a bite of the stew. "I have no problem with gay couples, or trios," she told them between bites. "I'm more concerned about the level of work that you want."

"If you want to try it out and decide that you need a part-time helper, we'll allow that," Oz told her calmly. "We won't make you pick up after the pets, besides sweeping and dusting."

"We also have all the cleaning supplies," Xander told him. "I used to use a maid service in Sunnydale but they went out of business because there weren't enough clients, so I'm used to getting lists of specific cleaning supplies."

She nodded. "All right." She reached into her purse and pulled out a paper. "These are my prior references. I expected you'd be wanting them," she said at the shocked look.

Xander shrugged. "Okay, but I think you've pretty well gotten the job unless you have something like theft in your background," he told her.

"That brings up another point," Oz said quietly, leaning closer. "We do have a lot of money, and jewelry, including some loose jewels, in the safe in the house. We also have a security system. Are you used to that sort of arrangement?"

She shook her head. "But that's all right, I probably won't be dealing with them."

Oz relaxed. "Good. That was the right answer." He looked at Xander, taking the sheet of references. "We'll check these out tomorrow and get back with you within three days?"

She smiled. "That would be good, but I'm not working right now so you don't have to hurry."

"Yeah, we do," Oz argued. "Xander tried to vacuum last time."

"Hey!" Xander said, smacking him on the arm. "Not fair. I did my best."

"Like I said, you tried," Oz agreed, giving him a smile. "Okay?"

"Very okay," Xander said, grinning at him. He looked at the woman, who was picking stuff up. "You can eat with us if you want," he offered. "Oh, and can you cook stuff that's not cheese and ham?"

"Of course," she said with a smile. "Will that be part of my duties?"

"Not all the time, but maybe sometimes," Oz told her. "I'm a computer programmer and Xander sews compulsively."

She laughed. "I understand. I was going to go eat out where the music was though, letting you two have some privacy."

Xander grinned at her. "But I can't do anything here. I learned that lesson in Rome."

Oz groaned and put his head down on the table. "Xander!"

She laughed and walked off. Xander leaned over and kissed the back of Oz's neck. "Does this mean you don't want your stew?" he asked innocently.

***

"I still like Henrietta," Oz said after three days of struggling with the housekeeper question. Xander gave him a 'huh?' look. "Nice lady, late thirties, you tried to embarrass her?" Xander nodded. "I still like her for the job."

"Much better than the woman who promised to pray for us every day she came to work. I didn't even get to the scaring her part." He caught the ball of paper Oz threw at him and tossed it for the cats who were in there with them, watching Fluffy chase it. "So, how did her references look?"

"Great," Oz admitted. "Everyone said they were really sorry to see her go, but that she always quit due to family problems." He looked over the edge of the desk at Fluffy, who had meowed at him. "What? Ask the Xander to toss it for you."

"You'd better not be teaching Meth's cat how to play fetch," Ray warned from the doorway. "He'll spank you for that."

Oz snorted. "I'd like to see him try that. I'm faster."

Xander tipped his head back to look at Ray. "I'll catch him if Meth really wants to spank him." He wasn't able to catch the paper ball this time, but he threw it down for the cats anyway. "So, Henrietta?"

"Yup, Henrietta." Oz searched for her references page, finally going to pick up the paper balls and check them. He found it was the one Fluffy had been gnawing on. "Thanks," he said as he took it and carried it back to the desk, dialing the number listed on the paper. "Hi, this is Daniel Osbourne, is Henrietta there please?" He sighed and put it on speaker phone. "Si, Henrietta?" he repeated. "Ella espera que nosotros llamemos (She's expecting us to call). Nosotros le ofrecemos el trabajo (We are offering her the job)."

"Un momento, por favor," the male voice on the other side of the line said, and there was a thump as the phone was put down.

"Si?" a familiar female voice asked.

"Henrietta?" Oz asked, smiling at the chuckle. "I'm glad I remembered some Spanish, I don't think he was going to get you just based on your name. Do you want the job?"

"Of course," she said happily. "When do you need me to start?"

"When do you want to start?" Xander countered.

She laughed again. "I still need directions, boys."

"You know the little gate off the road to the beach?" Xander asked. She grunted. "Well, that's our gateway. There's a release button right in front of it."

"Which one?" she asked. "Obténgame una pluma (Get me a pen)," was muffled. Then she came back. "All right. Which gate was it?"

"The second one," Oz said.

"The one nearer the ocean," Xander added. "It's surrounded by trees and the road after it looks like a bike path."

"All right, I think I know which one that is. When do you want me there?"

"We don't like mornings much," Oz told her.

"All right, I'll be there by noon," she said, sounding like she was smiling. "Do I need to bring anything?"

"Not unless you really like some cleaner that we probably wouldn't have," Xander told her, swinging his feet around so he was laying sideways in the chair. "And you won't have a uniform so wear something comfortable."

"I'll agree with that," Oz said. "Also, if you wanted to swim on your breaks, we can do that too."

"All right," she said. "Anything else I should know?"

"Yeah, we do have a puppy that's ready to pop any day now," Oz told her calmly. "So if we're not here and only the animals are here, then we're at the vets. But the alarm system should be off, I doubt we'll have the intelligence to turn it on as we rush for the vet's."

"Okay. There's no gate code?"

"No, there's an automated recognition system which I'll be turning off tomorrow. We'll program your car into it tomorrow," he told her. "Any other questions?"

"No. I'll be there tomorrow," she said happily, then she hung up.

Oz pushed the button for the speaker phone, looking at Xander. "You still feel okay?"

"Very," Xander said with a grin. "She's a mom type person. We'll do okay with her here."

"As long as you think so," Oz said, leaning back in his chair. "We'll give her the job and I'll put you in charge of instructing her tomorrow."

"Why? You're the one with the cleaning pickiness."

"Because if I do that, I'll scare her off," Oz pointed out. "I'll check over her work and correct any problems."

"Sure," Xander sighed. "Make me a list, Oz." He closed his eyes. "Oz, I'm *bored*," he sighed after a few minutes.

Oz looked up in panic. "Bored? Well, why don't you go sew? You still owe me a shirt."

"I did that this morning, it's sitting on the bed. That's the advantage of having set patterns for you guys."

"Oh." Oz thought about everything else in the house. "You could go watch TV."

"Nothing on, I checked."

"Um, want me to teach you how to email and stuff?" Xander frowned at him. "You could start a list for GHS members."

"There's already one of those, I'm on it," Xander pointed out, "and I know how to check my mail."

"Well, what do you think will cure your boredom?" Oz asked, dreading the answer. A bored Xander was a dangerous Xander, that was his motto.

"I don't know."

Oh, crap. "You're having one of *those* days, huh?" Xander nodded, giving him a pitiful look. "Please, don't do that," he said, turning away from his lover. "Have you looked at the stuff from the jewelry store? I know Branchson's was waiting on an answer."

"I already told them yes," Xander sighed, getting up to walk over and kneel in front of Oz, putting his head on Oz's thigh. "I'm bored," he whispered, staring up at his lover, who was trying hard not to look down at him.

"Shopping?" Oz suggested. "Online? We could get tapes and stuff."

"Nah, I did that yesterday." Xander grinned when Oz looked down at him. "What? It was our monthly shipment. It was time."

"Well, why don't you go swim," Oz suggested, trying to find a new idea to make his mate go play somewhere else. "Or, you've been wanting to go buy a new car. We could go do that."

"We made an appointment to go do that tomorrow," Xander pointed out. "And it's the hot part of the day, I don't want to get burnt."

"Hmm, have you cleaned out the furries' room?" Xander nodded, turning up the level of pitifulness. "Oh, God. Up, come on, we'll go find something for you to do." He pushed Xander up and walked him out of the room, heading for the main living room. He found Ray stretched out on the couch reading and handed Xander over to him. "Here, be bored with Ray. I still have to finish that program."

"But he's not bored," Xander pointed out, adding neglect to his pitiful look. He saw Ray pull his book up higher, but ignored him for his real target.

"You still have to clean out your house, Oz," Ray pointed out.

"Yeah, that will take a few days at least," Oz said, grinning down at Xander. "We could go do that."

Xander grimaced, looking like he had just eaten monkey brains, again. "Not. I don't want *work*, I need something to do." He inched up the level of his pitifulness, hoping to get a good answer this time. "Please, Oz?"

"Xander, honey, I can't think of anything for you to do if you've already went shopping, done sewing, and you won't lay out."

"But I don't wanna burn," Xander complained. "I'm miserable when I get sunburnt."

Oz had to admit, that was true, and a sunburnt Xander made him miserable too. "Well, where's Meth? You might be able to get him to tell you a story about his travels or something."

"He's shopping," Ray said, turning a page. "Our anniversary is coming up. Xander, why don't you find a book?"

"Because I don't wanna read," Xander said sullenly, turning up his pout a little more. "Oz, please?"

"Xander, if I don't get this program done during the day, I'll have to stay up at night to finish it," Oz reminded him. "And you'd really hate that."

"But I'm bored!" Xander sighed.

Ray reached down and patted Xander on the head. "I know. It happens to the best of us. Why don'tcha go masturbate or somethin'?"

"Because that won't do anything for me, I'm not that sort of bored," Xander told him.

"It'd kill time," Oz offered. Xander frowned at him and he sighed, pulling out the credit cards he had confiscated last month after the last 'I'm bored' shopping trip. "Why don't you go shopping?" he said finally.

"Because it's no fun when I go by myself," Xander said pitifully.

"Then take Ray," Oz said, getting frustrated. He handed over the three platinum cards and the bank card he had on him. "Don't get into trouble."

"You don't ever let me out alone," Xander said in awe, taking them from the outstretched hand. "I get into trouble."

"And you probably will this time, but it's coming out of your bank account." Oz looked down at Ray, who was trying very hard to look like he was reading. "Where did Meth go shopping?"

"The little shopping center that has the Office place you bought your cellphones at," Ray mumbled.

Xander gave Oz one last pitiful look before going out to his car. Once he had started it and pulled down the drive, it changed to an evil grin. "Oh, you are *so* going to regret not coming with me today, Oz," he whispered, shifting up as he pulled out onto the main road.

***

Xander hopped up onto Methos' back when he found him, giving him a hug. "Hi, I'm *bored*," he said happily. "And Oz sent me out by myself."

Methos removed the boy from his back and turned to scowl at him. "Good, then you can help me find something for Ray for our anniversary."

"Get him a new gun," Xander suggested innocently. He smiled at the computer salesman that Methos had been talking to. "Are you finished with him? Because I wanna get my lover something nice and computerish. He's a programmer," he said innocently in just that perfect 'little boy with a first boyfriend and they need a present' voice.

Methos groaned, the very tone of Xander's voice told him this was going to be one of *those* days.

Xander loaded the boxes of computer components into his trunk and turned to find Methos standing behind him. "Hi, can I help you pick out Ray's new gun?"

Methos nodded, rolling his eyes as soon as Xander had turned around. "Are we taking your car?"

"Maybe," Xander agreed, sliding in. "Or I can follow you."

Methos squinted, he really didn't like that innocent tone of voice when Xander used it, it usually meant there was trouble to be had. "No, I think I'll ride with you," he said, getting in and buckling up as Xander pulled his sports car out of the parking spot with a squeal of tires. "Easy," he yelled, grabbing the dashboard.

"What?" Xander asked innocently. He grinned at Methos. "So, where should we go find Ray a new gun?"

"How about a gun store," Methos suggested lightly.

"Okay, tell me where to go." He grinned at the muttered noises. "I heard that," he sing-songed. "Where's the nearest gun store?"

"Ten blocks toward town," Methos said, pointing. He relaxed when Xander pulled out of the parking lot at a normal speed, and stayed relaxed even though he sped up once he was on the highway.

Xander looked at all the guns, pointing at one. "That one's pretty," Xander sighed, bringing Methos over.

"Yes, but it's not very practical, Xander. Ray's a police officer, he needs a practical gun."

The salesman snorted. "We've got one that's both. My brother paints a few Sig's every year. I've got a blue one and a red one left."

"Nah," Xander said, grinning. "We need something flashy and big. Ray is switching out here from Chicago."

"Ah." The salesman walked back into the back and came out with a large box, putting it down on the counter. "This is large, beautiful, and very well made."

Methos picked the gun up out of the box and sighted down the barrel. "Hmm, it is pretty," he said, looking at it's side. "How much?"

"Five."

Methos handed it back. "Done."

"And I want to get him that one," Xander said, pointing at the pretty one. "Just so he can have a pretty one."

Methos shook his head. "Whatever." He pulled out his license. "What other pieces of identification did you need?" he asked.

"Just that," the salesman said happily, handing them both forms. "Fill those out and I'll start the Brady process."

Xander grabbed a pen and started to fill his out. "Do I fill this out like it's for me?"

"Yes," Methos said dryly. "You have to. You aren't allowed to try and buy a gun in anyone else's name. Ray can switch the licenses into his name when we get passed through." He completed his form and handed it over. "Here." The man took his license and noted some information on it. "We're waiting until we find a house to switch our licenses," he said at the glance up at him.

"They're living with us right now," Xander told him, pushing over the form and pulling out his own license. He watched as his own form was noted on. "Anything else?"

"Well, you do have to pay for the guns," the salesman said with a smile. "We'll refund it if your application doesn't go through."

"Okay," Xander said, shrugging as he pulled out his platinum card.

Methos groaned and shook his head. "Oz gave you those back?" He remembered very well helping carry in the furniture and bags from the last shopping spree

"Yup. Because I was bored."

The salesman snickered. "I've had those days." He walked over to the fax machine and sent both applications. "It'll take about three days."

Xander took his card back, grinning. "Okay." He waved. "Three days. Coming?" he asked his friend.

Methos gave the salesman a helpless look but he followed Xander out of the store. He knew that as soon as the door closed behind them the salesman was rolling on the floor in laughter.

Methos followed Xander out to the car, looking over the top of it at his friend. "Now where?"

"Well, we could go car looking, or we could go to the pet store. Or we could go shopping. I'll let you decide."

Methos sighed as he walked around the car, pushing Xander out of the way. "Get in," he said quietly, sliding in to drive.

***

Xander hugged the side of a lavender SUV. "I keep seeing these, but this is the first one I've seen with *leather* seats," he said happily.

"Oz will kill you," Methos reminded him.

"No he won't. We're going car shopping tomorrow."

"Xander, that's really for people who fly rainbow flags off their porch."

Xander frowned at him. "I'm just as gay as the people who march in the parades," he said with a foot stomp.

"Of course you are," Methos said gently, "but Oz wouldn't want to drive around in a purple SUV."

"Why not?" Xander asked.

"Because I know he won't," Methos sighed, rolling his eyes. "Go look at something more practical, Xander."

The salesman walked over to them, giving them a brilliant smile. "So, do you like this one?"

"Yes, but he doesn't think my lover will," Xander pouted.

"Oz will make you sell it as soon as you drive up the driveway and he sees it."

The salesman waved a hand around the lot. "We have many more neutral cars if you'd like to look at them."

Xander grinned and walked away, running around to go look at them.

Methos almost whimpered. It had been centuries since he had been forced to make that noise but this one bored young man had almost wrung two of them from him. He was going to have to talk to Oz when he got home, a very *long* talk. He jogged over when he saw Xander getting into a sports car, stopping him. "No, you get a new one tomorrow."

"So? I'm trying them out," Xander pouted. "Can't I try them out?"

"Wouldn't you rather have Oz with you?" Methos suggested slyly. "That way you could see how well you can cuddle in it."

Xander pretended to think about it then nodded. "Okay, but I *like* this one," he purred.

"Then make note of what it is and we'll tell Oz," Methos said, pulling Xander back over to their car. "Come, let's go to the pet store."

"Oh, or we could go to the bookstore. Oz needs more books."

"All right," Methos agreed. How much trouble could a bookstore be?

***

Methos cringed when he saw what store Xander had pulled up in front of. "I thought you said a *book* store, Xander," Methos complained as he followed the young man into the store, as advertised the largest porn store on the West coast, which he was sure Xander was going to be making very rich. "Freeze," he called, catching Xander before he could disappear into the confusing maze of shelves. "You will not get more than a foot away from me, Xander," he warned, staring down at the younger man.

Xander shrugged. "Okay. But I need to go look at the books. Oh, and I need a new toy, something to make Oz beg." He grinned, turning and running for the back shelves, under the sign that said 'books'.

Methos almost whimpered for the third time that day, but he followed Xander back there, not sure he wanted to know that much about his pleasure reading.

Methos pulled Xander away from the cart he was filling, glaring at him. "I think you have enough to last you for the next decade," he said quietly. "Get some lube and let's go."

"Lube!" Xander cried, hitting himself on the forehead. "I knew I forgot something." He grabbed another toy off the rack in front of them and jogged over to where the lubes were stored, letting Methos bring the cart to him. As soon as it was close enough, he loaded the industrial-sized case of lubricant onto the bottom. "There, that should last us for a month." A few nearby people looked from the cart to him and back. "I'm loved," he told them, grinning sappily. "By *two* men." He trotted off to the counter. "Come on, Adam!" he called.

Methos groaned and pushed the cart after him, not sure he wanted to be at the house when Xander came home. Maybe he should warn Oz.... No, he deserved this for giving Xander back the cards and not finding him something to do. He bumped Xander with the cart. "Unload it," he ordered. "You're buying it and I'm not *touching* this." He flinched at the pout, but steeled himself. "And if you give me that look again, you're carrying everything inside yourself." He walked out, heading for the car, the whole way considering the idea of taking the cards from Xander.

Xander gave the man behind the counter a slightly insane grin. "He's just jealous," he stage- whispered, starting to unload the cart. "I'm loved."

"I can see that," the man said, looking impressed at the case of lube. "I've never sold one of those before."

"But we *need* it," Xander said quietly, winking. "My lover's coming home soon and the other one's got to learn not to ignore me." He giggled, then clamped a hand over his mouth. "Sorry, I'm giddy with the power of my platinum cards."

The salesclerk just nodded as he scanned the first cock ring.

***

Xander squealed as he walked into his favorite store, running over to the racks of clothes. "Oh, I found it," he called out to Methos, who was looking up at the sign. "What?"

"This looks like someplace Angel would shop," Methos said grimly.

"It is, he brought me here the first time." Xander grinned at him, then looked around his body at the familiar couple shopping a few rows over, bouncing over to them. "Hey, bro!" he said, hugging him.

Seth hugged his younger brother hard, smiling at Spike. "When did you get here?" he asked, letting Xander go.

"A few minutes ago."

"In LA?"

"No, that was *hours* ago," Xander said with a wave of his hand. "I was *bored*." Spike and Seth both groaned, a nice harmony with Methos' groan. "What are you guys doing?"

"Sire wants Spike to accompany us to dinner and the club tomorrow," Seth said happily.

"He wants to make me bleed from the ears," Spike mumbled, looking at the suits again.

Xander looked Spike over, then shook his head, grabbing Spike's arm to drag him over to another rack. "Here, try one of these," he said calmly, pointing at a blue one. "Try that one actually. And it's silk so it's not going to be that hot or binding. You'll even be able to kick ass in it if you have to."

Seth watched with a look of tolerant affection as his brother railroaded Spike into buying his first suit in almost two centuries.

Methos shoved the last bag into the tiny space left in the back seat, then glanced around the nearly empty parking lot. "Are you done being bored now?" he asked dryly.

"No, but I figure I'll be not so much bored when I get home," Xander said with his most naughty grin. "Want a ride back to your car?"

"Xander, I won't fit in your car. Air molecules won't fit in your car."

Xander slid into his seat and slammed the door, after moving a bag. "Bye," he called as he sped away.

Methos pulled out his cellphone and auto-dialed for a cab. He wasn't sure he wanted to be at the house when Xander got home, but it might be humorous in the least.

***

Oz glanced out the window as he heard the car pull up but quickly went back to his program. He had just hit his spot, where everything was coming right out at high speed, and he couldn't stop right now. He could go confiscate the credit cards in a few minutes, after he got this part done. He was so engrossed he didn't even hear Ray running to hide from Xander.

The first thing Oz saw to make him really realize Xander was home was a flying dick. Which landed on his desk in front of him and bobbed.

Pink.

Fleshy.

Bobbing up and down at him, making his gaze follow it, making him nod in time with it as he watched it bob.

"XANDER!"

Oz stood up, making sure he had saved his program, and followed the sound of running footsteps out to the sports car. He stared in shock at the packed car. "How did he do that?" he wondered out loud. Xander was amazing, but really! No one should be able to pack a car that way. He walked around to look in the opened trunk, taking a step back in fear as he saw all the dicks lining the trunk. "Xander!" he called again, trying to bring his lover out. "Did you at least remember to go to the pet store?"

The passenger's door popped open with a beep from the remote control and a bag fell out, a jingling sound coming from inside it.

"Uh-huh. You're carrying it," Oz said as he walked back inside. He found a few more dicks in his office, some of them on the shelves, one hanging on his monitor by a suction cup. Even one walking around his desk on it's little wind-up feet. He sat down in his chair and squeaked as he jumped back up, looking at the one he had just sat on. "Xander," he called, softer this time as he started to stalk his husband. "No more credit cards, Xander. You are never leaving this house again with a credit card." He continued to stalk his mate, heading out to where his scent was stronger, out beside the car. He searched around it, but the number of bags and dicks seemed to be less this time so apparently his lover was unloading the car himself this time. He stalked back inside, sniffing to find his errant, and naughty, lover, stopping to check his office for more sprouts. He shook his head when he saw the penis on his screen fall off onto his keyboard, going up the stairs to see if Xander was up there. He hurried back down when he heard running footsteps. "Gotcha," he called, catching Xander beside the now empty car. "How did you do that?" he asked quietly.

Xander giggled and got free, running down the lawn. "Catch me if you can," he called, tearing off his shirt as he ran.

Oz took off after him, if only so Xander wasn't lost in the dark. He'd worry about who unloaded the car in a few hours or so.

***

Ray 'eep'ed as he saw all the bags that had been in the car pop into his room. "Hey, wrong spot," he called. They disappeared, all but the case of lube. Intrigued, he got up to check it out, stealing a few tubes for himself and Methos. Xander wouldn't mind, he still had plenty left. That too disappeared and Ray grinned as he laid back down on his bed. He knew what he wanted to give his lover for their anniversary.

***

Oz carried Xander into the house and kicked the door shut behind him, letting him down but not letting him run away this time. "How did you get the stuff into the house?" he asked.

Xander grinned sweetly. "A boy's got to have some secrets," he said finally, trying to make the frown go away. "I got necessary stuff. I promise."

"All the dicks in my office were necessary?"

"Yup," Xander said, wiggling free and running up the stairs, his stride just a little slower this time.

"I know where you're going and you can't escape," Oz warned, walking after him. He slammed their bedroom door and stood in front of it, looking at the open closet doors. "Where did it all go?" he asked quietly. Xander shrugged. "Tell me or no sex," Oz warned.

"It just went, Oz," Xander swore, looking innocent as he stripped out of his dirty clothes. "I didn't do anything wrong, Oz."

Oz held out his hands and the credit cards were put into them. "You're not getting them back again," he threatened, putting them into his locking dresser drawer. He turned back to find Xander spread out on his stomach on the bed and again, one eyebrow went up. "And you wanted what?" he asked.

"Well, I did buy a case of lube," Xander said with a grin. "And I was hoping that we could do something with at least a tube of it."

Oz shook his head. "I think you need punished."

Xander's grin got bigger. "Okay," he said, wiggling his butt in the air.

"And you won't like it," Oz said, walking out the door, closing it behind him. He nodded at Methos as they passed on the stairs. "I'm punishing him."

"Oh, have you seen all the interesting things he bought?" Methos asked.

Oz stopped and turned to look at him. "Only a few toys." He shuddered when he heard the amused laugh. "Oh, man," he sighed, trudging back up the stairs to go search their closets. He stopped when he saw the room next to their's door was open, pushing it open slowly to look inside. He blanched when he saw the pile of dildos and the opened case of lube. Then he saw the pile of boxes that had computer pictures on them.

"Nope," Xander said, catching him before he could go in. "Prezzies are only for good boys who thank their lovers. Or punish them, either one."

Oz pulled Xander in for a hug, squeezing him tightly. "You just have bad timing, babe, I was rolling on my program." He glanced at the room. "How did it get up here?"

"Um, have you noticed anything odd about this house?" he asked gently.

"Yup, many things." Oz gave him another hug. "Can I look at least? Make sure I can use them?" Xander nodded, grinning and walking him over to the pile. "Wow," Oz breathed, falling down to look through the fifteen boxes of computer accessories. He glanced up. "You bought me stuff while you were bored?"

"First thing," Xander said, smiling at him. "Can you use it all?"

"Most of it," Oz said, nodding. "And the one thing I can't, you actually can." He held up the box. "You keep this one, it's more for your type of system anyway." He stood up, clutching his boxes to his chest. "Can I go toss these down stairs?"

"Sure, but if none of them work, I need to know. The toys went on top of them."

"They should be fine," Oz said, giving him a quick kiss on the way past him. "Pick *six* things that you want me to see and meet me in the bedroom," Oz called as he walked out of the room.

Xander looked at the spirit next to the piles of stuff and grinned. "Thanks, Dad." He pulled out his six things, exchanging the last one a few times, then ran to their room to get ready for his Oz.

***

Henrietta, the new housekeeper, walked into the house she would be taking care of, looking around in awe. "Well, they have good taste," she said as she walked into the kitchen to put her things away. She walked around the downstairs, nodding at the cats and dogs she saw. She stopped when she came to the office, one hand going to her chest when she saw what was littering the desk. She snorted and walked on, going to find the animals' room. She stopped when she saw the gym setup, smiling at the pink cat lording on the top of it. "Hello, pretty one," she said, waving at her. "Do you need anything?"

"No," Xander groaned, trudging down the stairs.

She turned and watched him, her mouth falling open. "I thought he was trying to scare me off," she whispered, following him to the kitchen, where she put on some coffee for him so he would quit glaring at the empty pot. "Shh, Xander, there will be coffee very soon. Go play with your animals." She turned him around and gave him a little push. "Go check on your pregnant one."

Xander nodded, yawning as he walked toward the play room. "Oz!" he shrieked when he got there, bending down to touch Rocky's stomach. "Oh, poor baby. You should have come got us." He picked up the basket she was lying in and carried it to the front door. "Rocky's in labor," he yelled.

Oz and Methos both ran down the stairs, taking the basket from him.

"Xander, maybe you should be dressed," Henrietta suggested as she handed him a cup of coffee. Xander looked down at himself, then jogged up the stairs, after handing back the cup. She looked down at the men who were staring at her. "What? I said I would be here before noon."

Oz shrugged. "Okay. Meth, this is Henrietta. She's the housekeeper. We're going to the vets, Henrietta."

"Call me Henri," she said as she handed Xander back his cup of coffee, trying not to look at his short cutoffs. "Go, and does the vet know that you're going to be coming in?"

"We've taken her three times in the last few weeks for checkups," Oz said as he lifted up the basket, carrying her out to the car. He got into the back with her, letting Xander slide in next to him, and waited while Ray went back into the house to find the keys to this car. By the time they were on their way, Rocky was breathing harder and whimpering. "Shh, I know it hurts, but it's okay," he told her quietly, reaching in to touch the top of her head. "I promise, Rocky, it's okay." He looked up and saw the fear on Xander's face, remembering the last time they had witnessed a birth and the tragedy of that one. "It'll be okay," he soothed. "I promise, Xander, she won't hurt like our kittens' mommy." Xander gave him a trusting smile, reaching over to squeeze his hand. "We're almost there and the nice doggie doctor will fix her. Even if she has to go through a c- section."

Ray pulled up in front of the doctor's office and got out, opening the door for Xander, who carried his favorite puppy inside. He followed Oz, who was doing all the talking while Xander cooed at Rocky, trying to keep her calm.

"She's in labor," Oz told the receptionist. "And she's not that old."

The receptionist led them to a room and let them inside, going to find a doctor after a glance at the dog. Pretty soon, a man in green scrubs walked in and looked down at Rocky, poking her in the stomach. "Well, it feels like it's time," he said, looking at Oz and Xander. "Boys, this happens all the time in nature."

"But ..." Xander started, but Oz squeezed his hand. "The last time we had a birth, the mommy ended up dying," Xander finished quietly. "Rocky was my first puppy and I don't want her to die."

"And she won't. She's not a puppy anymore, Mr. Harris. I've known her since she was one." He saw the really worried look and relented. "Okay," he said, picking up the basket. "Let's go take her to the back. I'll let you stay with her to make sure she's okay and I'll check on her every little once in a while." He looked over Xander's outfit. "Just threw whatever was at hand?" he suggested lightly.

"Yeah, it was his turn to play pool boy," Oz joked, going first to hold open the door for them. He sat down beside the spot where Rocky's basket was set down, stroking over her head.

"Let her do it," the doctor advised. "Dogs won't whelp when they're being stared at and petted. It's against the natural instinct."

"Can't you make it not hurt her?" Xander asked, biting on his bottom lip as his baby cried up at him.

"The only thing we could do would be to do a c-section, and then I'd probably end up fixing her."

Oz looked at Xander, who stared at him. "I don't want her to hurt like this," Xander said softly.

"Me either. Do you want her fixed though?" Xander looked down at his puppy then nodded. Oz looked up at the doctor and nodded. "Please. We've had some bad experiences with whelping and we'd really rather this was over for her."

"All right. Do you want me to fix her too?"

Xander looked up and nodded. "Yeah, I don't want her to go through this again." He leaned down and kissed Rocky on the head, narrowly missing being nipped. "Shh, it's okay. The nice doctor's going to make it all better, Rocky, and we'll never do this again, okay?" She growled.

"No, it's okay," Oz told her, handing the basket off. "Can you keep her in that?"

"No, but we can put her back into it as soon as she and the puppies are out." He smiled down at them. "It'll take me a little while. Do you want to wait in here?"

Xander scooted over and hugged Oz. "Whatever you want, just make her not hurt."

"I will, Mr. Harris." He walked off with their dog, passing Ray in the hallway. "We're going to be fixed after this," he told him.

"Okay," Ray said, shrugging. "I'm just the driver."

The doctor looked at him. "Did Xander really mean to put on those shorts today?"

"It was entirely possible that, if the housekeeper hadn't said something, that he'd be here naked right now," Ray told him with a grin.

"Ah." The doctor continued on his way to his surgical room, taking the young dog to have her puppies.

***

Methos answered his phone, sitting up right as soon as he heard the voice on the other end. "How is she?" He smiled and waved at the housekeeper through the window. "Three? That was all?" He snorted and hung up. "She's fine. They took them out surgically, and she had three puppies, they all lived." He stood up and stretched as she opened the window wider. "Apparently their father was a big dog in the old neighborhood. The doctor said it was a good idea for them to have taken it surgically after all."

"And she's fixed now?"

"Yes, he did that also. One fell swoop and there's no more of those problems in this house." He looked toward the room for the cats, frowning. "I still need to get my pink one fixed," he sighed, going to check on her. He was almost certain the other animals were fixed, but it never hurt to make sure of it. He noticed the strange black and white cat sitting in the bushes and looked it over, shaking his head. "You are not getting to my pink one," he told him, closing the door firmly behind him. He missed the sight of George sneaking around the bushes to jump on the other cat.

***

Oz opened the door so Xander could carry his puppy in, smiling at Methos, who was cradling his own cat. "What's up?"

"We were being naughty," he said, holding up George. "There was a strange cat and we went out to play tag with him near the pool."

"Ah." Oz nodded at the basket. "Three puppies, all very big, and one fixed mommy dog."

"She's a baby," Xander reminded him. He sat down on the couch and put the basket at the other end, watching as Rocky finished giving one of her puppies a bath. "And she's a good mommy too."

"Yeah, she is," Oz said, coming over to give him a hug. "But she needs some privacy to take care of the puppies or she'll take them and hide them from us and the other animals."

"I'm not going to try and grab them again," Xander pouted. "But I want to watch her. And them."

"Then do it from across the room," Methos told him. "Watching her means that she will take them and hide them away, Xander. That's the way animals are. Bring her basket into your sewing room and go sew. She'll be fine with very little monitoring." He walked into the kitchen and opened a can of wet food, ignoring all the animals that came running.

Oz walked in to help him, getting the rest of the animals a treat. It was going to be another one of those days.

Asking For Help.

Henrietta opened the door and looked at the young man on the other side, wondering how he had found the house when no one else ever seemed to be able to. "Yes?"

"I was told to come here and see someone about a book," he said quietly, stepping inside. "Is there an Oz here?"

"Just a moment, he's working on a program." She shut the door, frowning at the kitten who had just run out. "At least she's safe here," she muttered as she walked into the office. "Hey, Oz, you've got a visitor," she said from the doorway.

He saved his program and looked up. "Visitor? Someone actually found the house?"

Henrietta smiled. "Yes, he did something not even the pizza guy could do. Said something about a book. Nice young man."

Oz nodded and grabbed a bag that had been sitting in his bottom desk drawer, taking it out to the front sitting room, where the young man had sat down after going out to retrieve the errant kitten. "Hi," he said, sitting down next to him. "I'm Oz."

They shook hands. "Philip Callaghan." He looked down at the bag. "A friend o'mine said I was to come see you about a book."

"We'll not quite a book. See, a very long time ago, I was given this and told that someone who wasn't looking for it would come for it." He handed over the bag. "And then the picture of it started to show up when you and Marcus got to the resort."

Philip opened the bag and peered down inside, pulling out the small silver cup, then stared at Oz in shock. "When were you given this?"

"Um, about fourteen hundred years ago," Oz said with a shrug. He stood up. "But it's yours if it likes you. I don't know why someone gave it to me in the first place. That knight was very creepy. Kept going on about it being the Chalice of Healing, that the blood it held would heal all the sick, as long as they weren't sick in the head."

Philip shook himself. "You were probably the best camouflage available," he said quietly, staring up at him. "You're really that old?"

"And a few years more," Oz said dryly. "Some of us are like that." He pointed at the cup. "It's yours if you want it," he told the young man.

Philip stood up, cradling the cup to his chest. "Did this...knight give you anything else?"

"Oh, yeah." Oz nodded back toward the library, smiling when he saw him stop to look at a few titles. "One of my lovers studies the paranormal." He searched and brought down a book, bringing that back over to him too. "Here, this was the rest of what he gave me, besides the creepy 'he who isn't looking for it will find it with you' prophecy."

Xander stuck his head in. "Hi, Oz. I'm going to go do laps, want to come sit out there with me and work beside the pool?"

"In a few," he said, waving Xander inside. "This is one of my lovers. Xander, this is Philip Callaghan, he's come for that cup in the picture that kept showing up."

"Cool." They shook hands. "Rocky and her pups are all snuggly again and I'm going to go swim. Have fun with the cup and all." He grinned and jogged off, going to do something enjoyable.

Oz nearly smirked at the shocked look, but he held it in, barely. "Xander can be a bit stunning some days," he advised, walking out of the library to go gather up his computer so he could work outside. He watched as the young man left, still looking stunned, and felt kinda sorry for him. After all, it wasn't every day that you had a precious artifact dumped into your hands by someone who really didn't want it in the first place. He carried his backup laptop outside and sat down to work on it, keeping an eye on Xander as he did laps, and on George, who was watching from the other side of the pool.

***

Oz looked up as Xander crawled across him, tossing his book aside and grabbing the trim body, rolling Xander under him. "Hi," he said, licking across Xander's lips. "How was your day?" He stole a kiss, deepening it as soon as Xander opened his mouth. "You didn't have any plans tonight, right?" he asked when he pulled back to breath, using a free hand to strip himself.

Xander giggled and wiggled around until he was sitting on Oz's back, helping him strip. "Nope, not a one," he admitted. "Not a plan in sight. Well, except to maybe try out some of my new toys." Oz snorted and Xander leaned down to lick across his now-naked shoulderblades. "And I was thinking about letting you try them first," he whispered, kissing the bump that marked Oz's spinal cord. "But I haven't decided if you get to play with them first or if I do," he purred.

"You do," Oz groaned, arching up to the gentle, feather-light touches he was receiving. "More?"

"Of course," Xander said, leaning down to kiss him on the spine again. He continued to stroke across the warm flesh, his fingertips barely brushing across Oz's back. He scooted back, moving his fingers down to stroke across Oz's lower back. During a pass, he suddenly hardened his touch, rubbing firmly into the hard muscles.

Oz groaned beneath him, wiggling to get the magic fingers over to the sides, and Xander went with it, stroking and kneading the well-used muscles. He moaned, relaxing just a little more, forcing his body to spread out a little farther on the bed. He groaned as the phone rang but reached out to answer it. "Do you know you're dead," he moaned into it. He waved Xander's hands off him and sat up, frowning. "Sorry, you were interrupting a killer backrub from my lover. Sure, I can get Ray. No, no problem at all, sir." He glared at Xander, who had climbed off the bed and was padding out into the hall naked. Within a minute, Ray came running into the room and Oz handed over the phone, getting out of his way. "Your potential boss," he said as he climbed off the bed.

Ray smiled at them, pointing at Oz. "You might want to do something about that, like oil," he suggested, smirking at the red marks on Oz's back. "Hi, this is Ray. Yes, sir, oh, no, sir, they were in the middle of a backrub." He snickered. "Yes, sir, I'll tell him that. What? Thank you, sir. Of course I can be there tomorrow. Sure, one's fine for me. Gives me plenty of time to worry about my clothes." He snorted. "Of course. One at your office." He hung up and looked at Xander, who was leaning on one of the canopy supports and peering at him. "I have an interview tomorrow at one here in town." He hopped up and hugged them both then jogged out to go tell Methos.

"I'm buying you a stake," floated down the hall a few moments later, then the sound of wet kisses.

Oz shrugged as he looked at Xander. "Go get some oil and finish me off?"

Xander grinned. "Yup, that's what I had planned," he said, pouncing on his mate and forcing him back onto the bed during the kiss. "Finishing you off is everything I had in mind."

***

Xander looked up as Ray walked into the house, giving him an expectant look from the kitchen. "Well?" he asked, bringing a plate of snacks out for them to share at the table.

"I got it," Ray said, smiling. "And the guy actually asked me if I knew about strange stuff. So I told him I was staying with you until we could find a house. And they *do* have a domestic partnership arrangement going on." He picked up a topped cracker to nibble on. "What is that?" he asked in disgust.

"That's the smelly cheese that Oz likes," Xander said dryly. "I was bringing him a few snacks while I munched." He smiled at Oz as he peeked his head around the doorway. "Ray got a job here in town."

"Cool." Oz walked in and took the cracker Ray had put down, stuffing it into his mouth. "Cheese is still good," he noted as he looked down at the plate, stealing the ones Xander had obviously made for him, which was most of the plate. "Thanks, babe. I just got the new program finished. Your extra harddrive is now holding it securely for my publisher." He took Xander's glass of water with him when he left to go make a call and tell them it was done.

Xander shook his head at Ray's rolled eyes. "It's good that it's done, that means he can pay more attention to me again."

Ray laughed. "True. Is Meth back yet?"

"Yup. He's reading out by the pool." Xander pushed over the plate. "Here, take these, tell him you stole them from my culinary genius." He got up and walked back into the kitchen to remake his snack.

Ray walked out onto the patio, smiling at his lover, who was engrossed in his book. "I got good news," he sighed as he sank down into Methos' lap.

"What?" Methos mumbled, not pulling himself away from the book.

Ray took the book and tossed it at the chair next to them. "We can find a house now."

Methos smiled and gave him a hug, subtly reaching for his book. "Congratulations," he praised. "Where did we get a job?"

"Here. And they do have an insurance plan for us." He looked up into the deep eyes, seeing the good humor in them. "I start tomorrow."

"Then it's a good thing that my anniversary present for you cleared last night," he said, giving Ray a hug as he pulled up the book, including him in the reading. "Did you want to read with me?"

"Yup. For now. Then we can go get my present."

"Or you could take Xander to get your present, he felt the need to get you one too."

"Really? Why?" Ray nipped Methos on the neck and stole his book again.

"Really, Ray, you've only been in Sunnydale for a few months and already you're biting people on the neck?" He took his book back. "Ray, please, this is priceless and it's on loan."

"And one night is too long?" Ray pouted.

"No, love, but I won't be able to read for a few days because I'll be worried about you patrolling in this wretched town."

"Hey!" floated out of the window.

"I won't have to pay attention to any of the strange stuff that happens, my boss forbid it. Unless I actually see someone going after someone with a sword or an axe or somethin', I'm not to get involved into the strange stuff. He actually counted knowing Xander and Oz against me because he thought I might want to get involved with what they do."

Methos gave him a hug and took his book back. "Let me read for another hour and we'll go pick up your present and cuddle, Ray," he promised. "And I'm still buying you a stake and some Holy Water."

"Okay," Ray said, grinning. He would get his own way yet, he just had to finish training Methos to put him first, *before* the books.

***

Oz looked at the packages Ray was carrying into the house and shook his head. "We keep them unloaded in here," he said quietly, staring into Ray's eyes. "Got it?"

Ray nodded. "Definitely. Even my old service revolver is kept unloaded, Oz." He knew what Xander had been through the last time a loaded gun had been in the house, and the pain Oz had went through trying to get Xander back. This time, no one would be forced to shoot anyone so their immortal lovers could win. He knew his part of this argument. "They're going up in my closet." He looked down at the smaller box. "Xander gave me that one if you wanted to see it."

"*Xander* gave you a gun?" Oz asked. Xander had been scared of them ever since he had shot someone to stop the fighting in their old house. He looked inside the box and whistled. "It's a pretty gun," he admitted.

"That was while he was going insane with the presents phase of the shopping trip," Methos told him, steering Ray up to their room. "We'll go put these up where no one can find them." Oz nodded, watching them go.

Xander padded over to the door and stuck his head in, being careful not to drip on the rug this time. "Did he like it?"

"He liked it a lot," Oz said, walking over to steal a kiss. "Why did you get him a gun?"

"Because he doesn't wear jewelry," Xander sighed, pulling his husband out to sit with him. "I wanted to get him something nice, but he doesn't wear jewelry and he doesn't really do clothes like you and I do."

"You do," Oz corrected. "As long as I'm covered so I don't burn in the sunlight, I don't really care what I wear."

"Okay, that I do. So I figured this was the only way I could get him something pretty and nice."

"Which was a very cool idea," Oz noted, giving him a hug. "You won't have to see them, Xander, I promise."

"Okay. As long as they're not loaded and I don't have to directly see them. I never minded it when I saw Ray wearing his back in Chicago."

"He'll take it off as soon as he walks in," Methos promised from the doorway. He got a nod from Oz so walked out. "Xander, I know how much guns bother you now, and we both appreciate what you bought him, but he didn't need a present from you to continue to like you."

"It was more like a friendship bracelet," Ray said as he walked out. "Right, Xan?"

"Right," Xander said, smiling at him. "But you don't wear jewelry."

"It gets caught on stuff when you're chasin' someone down," Ray said with a shrug as he flopped down beside them. "Actually, I'll probably end up putting that one in a locked case on a wall or somethin' and showin' it off. It's not really carryin' quality."

"I know," Xander said, giving him a faint grin. "But it was pretty and kinda useful."

"Very," Ray agreed. "So, now all we need to do is to find a house."

"Or at least a condo," Methos told him, sitting on the end of his chair. "Any ideas where you want to look since you and Xander have trotted all over town recently?"

"I've seen a few nice neighborhoods," Ray admitted. "I was going to have Xander help me sort out which ones I wanted to go looking in and then go talk to the realtor in town with you."

"Ah." Methos nodded. "All right. When you're ready for my opinion, ask."

Ray frowned at him. "I'd like it right now but you haven't been out in the town hardly at all."

"Yes, but it's been safer for me not to venture out too much. There's been a number of immortals who have ridden through this town in recent years."

"Good point," Oz said quietly, "but only one's been insane and only two others have challenged me." Xander got up and walked inside, closing the door behind him.

"He still doesn't want you to fight, does he?" Ray asked quietly.

"No, he still hates the game." Oz got up but Methos put a hand on his arm.

"Let him think, Oz, he'll come back out when he's ready. It's hard to think that your lover may die by some stranger's hand just because he was playing a damned game."

"True," Oz agreed, relaxing again. "That's not all this is though, Meth. Really, it's not." He was released and got up, heading back into the house to try and find his husband. "Hey," he said, stopping in the animal's playroom, watching Xander pet the new puppies. "Rocky's not barking?"

"She's napping," Xander said quietly, not looking up. "Oz, why do they keep coming after you? Is it about age?"

"It's not all about that," Oz said as he walked in and sat next to Xander, letting the unfamiliar black and white cat slide into his lap. "Which one are you?"

"That's the one that led us up to the house," Xander said, glancing down at her. "Back again?" She headbutted Oz for pets and meowed up at him. "Okay." He looked over at Oz. "It's not about reps?"

"Not all of it. Some immies do search out people who have certain types of reps. McCleod, back when he was living and sane, only went after the bad guys. Richie's following in his footsteps now I think. The only one of us that ever has to really worry about our reps is Meth. Everyone wants him because of how old he is."

"So, if Theo was well known and you were still going by him, then someone would be coming after you?"

"Yup." Oz reached over to make Xander look at him instead of the puppies he was stroking over "Listen, those people are why I stay out of the game. I don't like to fight and it shows. I never practice anymore. *You* get in more sword fights a year than I do." His husband almost smiled at that. "Almost no one knows who I am, Xander, and no one comes looking for me. I only ever get challenged when I'm out in public somewhere and someone feels me." He leaned in for a kiss, yelping when he was scratched for it. "Hey, be nice," he told the cat. He saw Xander smiling and grinned back. "Are we better now?"

"Can we just stun all the ones who come up here?"

"That wouldn't be very fair."

"Hey, Jace told me that there's an immortal that inhabits a haunted wood over in Scotland. She keeps everyone away with that. Why can't you keep people away with magic?"

"Because it's not fair and it would keep away our friends," Oz reminded him gently. "Not all immies are bad and out for my head, Xander, I promise you." He stole another kiss. "All better now?"

"No," Xander said, going back to staring at the puppies. "Remember when I had to listen to all those people and demon's offers?" He saw Oz nod out of the corner of his eye. "Well, there was an immie who charged into the office and tried to challenge me."

Oz slowly blew out a breath. "I wondered when you were going to tell me about that." Xander glanced at him. "Richie told me he claimed you as a student. Which I thanked him for. Are you okay?"

"Do I feel like one?"

"No, you feel like a pre-immie to me. A pretty strong one, but still just a pre-immie." He nudged Xander. "Is that why you went all 'warrior stud' on me there for a while?" Xander nodded. "You know you don't have to, right?" Xander nodded again. "Okay, just as long as you know that." He stood up and held out a hand. "Come on, let's go car looking. We missed our appointment the other day."

"Okay," Xander sighed, standing up and brushing his butt off. He waved down at the puppies. "You guys be good while we're gone." He let Oz lead him out of the room and up the stairs to get dressed.

***

Xander looked around the offerings of the car lot, giving a hesitant smile at the salesman walking over to them. "We're sorry we missed our appointment," he said, holding out his hand to be shaken. "Our first puppy went into labor and she needed a c-section."

"Well, I guess we can do this now. We're not that busy today." He took the pictures Oz handed him, and handed back the one of the car that had recently been blown up. "I saw that one on the news."

"Oops," Oz said, stuffing it into his back pocket. "Can we do this now? Like Xander said, we've been a little busy with the puppies and the mommy needing medical attention."

"Sure." He nodded back towards the office. "Want to get into the air conditioning?" They both nodded and followed him back, taking seats on the near side of the desk. "Okay, are you sure you want to trade in all your cars?"

Xander took Oz's hand and squeezed it. "We can't cuddle in our cars. We used to have a nice Lexus we could cuddle in but then I was stupid and went for what we have now." He grinned at his lover. "I miss cuddling."

"Ah." The salesman stared at the cars, not wanting to see the look Xander was giving to his husband, or if there was any in return. He didn't mind gay couples, but he really didn't want to watch them eye each other. He cleared his throat after a few seconds and then looked up. "All right, I think I can give you some fairly good trade-in value for these three. Do you know what you want to buy?"

"We each need a car," Oz noted. "And I wouldn't mind if Xander gets another sports car, it just has to be a good one with decent safety features. He tends to drive a little fast sometimes."

"Not to mention having people who try to play bumper cars on the highway," Xander said, rolling his eyes at the worried look everyone sent him. "I was in the middle of a high speed chase area the other day, guys. It's okay, it was only the cop."

"Were you pulled over?"

"Yeah, but the guy decided to weave in and out among us that were pulled over. So there's now a scratch on the fender that I've since covered up," Xander told the salesman.

"All right. I'll look at it and if it's that bad, I'll have to reduce the trade-in value."

Oz looked at him. "Do you really think that matters to us?" he asked quietly.

The man smiled. "No, I didn't figure it did, but I had to mention it. It's the law you know." He stood up. "Which car did you bring with you today?"

"The backup sedan," Oz said, standing and pulling Xander up with him. "We parked it just outside the lot."

"Let's go look at it then and we'll start from there. Have you seen anything on the lot that you like?" he asked as they walked back out into the heat.

"Well, I keep seeing these purple SUV's," Xander said.

Oz shook his head. "No."

"But they're cute."

"No."

"But, Oz," Xander begged.

"No. That's very faddish and you'll want to trade in a few weeks. We need cars we want to keep for years."

"Is that why you're keeping the van?"

Oz stopped their walking and made Xander looked at him. "I love my van, Xander. I love that you loved me enough to get it for me, even though you didn't know how much it would mean to me. But if you want me to give it up, I will."

Xander gave him a hug. "Nope, I want you to keep it. I think you're very cute driving it. All you need are the funny colored sunglasses." He pulled back with a grin. "What about your old van?"

"That we might be able to sell," Oz admitted, getting free and leading Xander out to where their car was parked. "Sorry, we were talking about the vehicles I own besides ours."

"Ah. Were you wanting to put one of those in here?"

"He's not sure," Xander said. "See, he has a van from his high school days, from back when he was in a band, and ...."

"Ah, sentimental value. You might try putting an ad in the paper for young musicians. Or start going to concerts and listening to people to see if they need a van," the car salesman suggested. "That way, it stays with your music." Old vans really didn't sell that well and usually needed more work than they were worth anyway. Besides, it made Oz happy. And he was one odd man, so the salesman didn't want to be on his bad side. Anyone who could come back to life after being shot a few times was not the person he wanted to piss off. But things like that happened in Sunnydale. "Well, I'd say I can give you a good amount on this one. Say, six thousand?" he asked, looking at them.

Xander, who had been resting his head on Oz's shoulder nodded. "Okay. We'll have to clean it out, but yeah, that's great actually."

"All right then. As for the sports car, I think I can give you about the same, but I'll need to see the scratch on the front that you've fixed," he said, walking back into the lot. "And I can come up tonight and pick them up?"

"Sure," Xander offered, looking up at Oz, who nodded. "That means we need two cars today to replace them."

"Yes, you will," he said with a smile, waving a hand around. "Why don't you go look at these, and I'll be over in the shade." He walked away, knowing they were going to be buying something. High pressure pitches weren't necessary with people who needed to get a new car, they would always buy something, and he had the best selection in town. He sat on the shaded steps, just close enough to feel the air conditioning if he opened the office door a few inches, and watched the two men wander around his lot.

Xander stopped in front of an SUV and looked at Oz, but got a headshake. "But it'll hold all the cats," he pointed out.

"Which we can do in the van," Oz reminded him. "Which is why we rented one for Europe." He pointed at a nearby sedan. "We don't need something that big, let's go look at the practical cars." He led Xander over to the more practical cars, looking at the interiors first. He didn't really care what they were driving as long as it ran and it was comfortable to drive. He could let Xander pick out the outsides of the cars.

"Oh, how about this one?" Xander asked, pointing to a car in the next row. He walked back to it and looked inside. "It's got an okay interior," he told Oz.

"It's an economy car, are you sure you want to go that route?" Oz asked.

"I'm not sure yet," Xander admitted, "but I like the car."

"Okay, we'll look in that size and see if there's something you like more," Oz said, leading him over to where the more compact sports cars were. "I know you wanted one."

"Oh, that one," Xander said, pointing to a jade green sports car. "I like that one." He jogged over to it and opened the door, sitting down inside it. "It's a cradler," he called out.

Oz walked over and looked at the inside. It was a nice sports car, but not something they could cuddle in. "Now, we won't get to have sex in this one," Oz warned.

Xander grinned up at him and got out, pointing at the seat. "Sit."

Oz sat down and sighed, wiggling to get deeper into the seat. "Oh, I like this one," he noted, gripping the wheel. "Okay, we'll mark this one a definite and we'll get a car we can cuddle in." He got out and closed the door, noting the car's position before leading Xander back to the sedans. Soon, he found one he liked, even though it was a little old fashioned. He slid in and nodded to himself, bringing Xander over.

"Oz, it's a Caddy," Xander pointed out.

"So?"

"Only pimps and grandpas drive Caddys," Xander complained.

Oz pulled his husband down onto his lap and pointed around the interior. "Rich people drive Caddys."

"Nope," Xander said, shaking his head. "Rich people drive more expensive, but understated cars." Oz frowned. "Really, trust me, I like this car, but it's not us. Can you imagine driving this in a few months?"

"Well, no," Oz admitted. "But it's a nice car."

"And it should go to a nice older couple. Maybe in a few years we'll get a Cadillac." He got up and tugged Oz up with him. "I think I found something in the sedan range, and it's definitely a higher end car." He hauled Oz over to where he had been looking, pointing out the slightly beaten up car he had been looking at.

"It's a Saturn," Oz said, looking it over. "Needs a coat of paint and a little body work." He looked back at Xander. "Why this one?"

"I don't know, it looks like one of our strays."

The salesman was hurrying over so Oz waited before saying anything. "You might not want that one," he said as he stopped next to them. "We've had six people try to buy it and bring it back the next day. They're all saying it's cursed."

"Oh." Oz looked at Xander, who shrugged. "We might send our other lover down here to look at it," he told the salesman, glancing around. "He tends to know about such things."

The salesman smiled. "Of course. Whenever he gets back." Like he knew before, strange things happened in Sunnydale, and these two were usually in the middle of it or knew about it. "If you're looking for a good sedan, we've just got something in that's not our usual fare. I could show you that one. I've been using it for my personal car the last few days and it's a dream." He led the way back toward the office, pointing at a car sitting under a metal awning. "Try that one. It's very understated, and it could probably use an upgrade in features, but it's a very good car."

Oz walked over to it, but he knew he didn't like it that much. "Xander?"

"Well, it's nice," he tried. "But it's a little old and stuff for us." Xander cheered when he saw the car parked behind the trailer that was the office, jogging over to look at it. "Oz, come see," he called, pointing. "It's just so us."

Oz looked at the inside of the car, whistling. "Very fly car," he agreed, trying the door. "But I think this one may not be for sale." He looked around, then whistled for the salesman, who came running. "Hey, is this one for sale?"

"It might be," he said with a smile. "I thought you boys might like something closer to that end of the spectrum for a sedan. This actually belongs to someone who's thinking of selling their car. They're planning on asking about twelve grand or so for it."

Oz looked at the inside again. "Can we get in and check it out?"

"Sure." The salesman pulled out a key and opened the door, letting them inside. "How does it feel?"

"Very soft and comfy," Xander said, he was getting first check of it. "And I like the bench seat option. How did they find one to fit?"

"It was a custom choice," the salesman told him. "This person had to search for a bench seat, they wanted to cuddle in the car too."

Oz pulled the salesman a few feet away and looked at him. "Did the former owner of this car sell drugs or people?"

The salesman shrugged. "I never asked, but I think the second might have been a little applicable. Why?"

"Because I didn't want it to become confiscated by some confused cop." He walked back over and leaned down to say something to Xander, who pouted. "As long as you know," he told his lover.

"Oz, this car has *everything* I could ever want. Including a link to the web from the backseat."

"Hmm." Oz got in and looked at the built-in monitor and the plug for the modem. "Well, it does at that. Is it bulletproof?"

"Very," the salesman said, smiling hopefully at them. "The owner insists that he's going straight now, that he's found a woman he really likes."

"Okay, let's look at the trunk," Oz said, sliding out. "Is the seat comfy to drive on?" he asked Xander, who sat him down on it. "Not bad," he noted, patting it. "Little firm." He got out with a groan. "Oh, never mind." He leaned against the side of the car.

"It does take some getting used to," the salesman said carefully, popping the trunk. He looked down and then closed it quickly. "I don't think you two want this car after all," he said, waving back toward the trailer. "Why don't you go talk in the shade while I make a phone call." He jogged into the trailer and closed the door.

Oz looked at the car, then at Xander. "We can have one customized if you can find a body that you like," he said finally. "I think it'd be a good idea for me to have one anyway."

"Okay." Xander pointed at a smaller sedan, walking them over to it by the simple expedient of grabbing Oz's hand to hold. "How about this one?"

Oz got in to the driver's seat and wiggled. "It's a little small," he noted, climbing back out and closing the door. He pointed at the sedan he had tried a few minutes earlier. "Go close that for me, Xan and let me check things out for a few secs." Xander jogged off and Oz watched as a police cruiser pulled into the lot. He walked around the other sedans, imagining them custom fitted like that other one was, then stopped beside an newer model Saturn. He climbed into it, then into the back and stretched out. "This one is a little cramped," he told the salesman when he walked over. "We liked that one, and how it was customized."

"That's what your mate said," he said with a sigh. "We can't do work like that here, Mr. Osbourne."

"No, but we can buy the car here and have it customized," Oz pointed out as he climbed out. "I really liked how the back of that one was done. Do you have anything else here that might be able to be worked that way? I need a good sized backseat." He snorted at the shocked look. "For when I'm in the mood to work on a new program and Xander's shopping. Not for what you think, we do that in the front seat." He pointed at the little jade sports car. "And we liked that one we think."

The salesman brightened up. "That is an excellent car. I got two speeding tickets in it in under a day so my wife said I had to quit bringing it home," he confided with a smile. "And such sinful seats."

"Which is always a good," Xander noted as he came over. "This one?"

"Has too small of a backseat if we want to customize it like that one," Oz told him. "How about it? Got any bigger cars that aren't Cadillacs, since Xander doesn't like them."

The salesman looked at Xander, then back at Oz. "Which is surprising if you're going for spaciousness. Cadillacs are the most roomy."

"But they're *old* people cars," Xander sighed. "I don't want to drive an old person or a pimp car."

"All right," the salesman said, hiding his smile. "I think I have something that may be nearly as roomy. It's also not your usual fare, but it might be nice enough," he said, leading them back to the small service department next to the trailer. "This is one we just recently got in. It's for sale at the police auctions next week."

"Oh, forgot about those," Xander told Oz. "Can we go again, just to look?"

"Sure," Oz said, distracted because he was looking at the car. "Will they sell it early?"

"Sure. I was told that if I could find a buyer, I could sell it at the higher rate. After all, auctioned cars tend to go for very little money." He walked in and opened the door. "We were repainting it and pulling out a dent in the side, so whatever color you'd like would be fine with us."

Xander walked in and looked at the enormous back seat. "What sort of car is this?"

"Well, it started out as a Benz, but it was customized a bit. Whomever first had this, and we got it from the second owner, had the carriage expanded a bit for the extra room."

"Looks like some rapper bought it and then went bankrupt," Oz said, sitting down on the zebra- striped fuzzy back seat. "We'll have to change this pattern."

"Plaid?" Xander suggested slyly.

"I like plaid," Oz sighed. This was a long term teasing argument. "We're not covering the backseat in plaid though. How about a nice, neutral blue?"

"Depends on what color the car becomes," Xander pointed out.

"How about a nice, dark gray?" the salesman suggested, pointing at where part of the car was painted already.

"That works for me," Xander said with a shrug, sitting down on Oz's lap to feel the fabric. "That does feel weird," he agreed, kissing Oz on the cheek. "Do you like this one?"

"I'd like to hear how it runs and feel the front seat," Oz told him. "Then we'll decide." Xander got out and held out a hand to help him out, which he took. He got into the front seat and was handed the keys, so started it. He adjusted the seat up for himself then took off his jacket and put it under him. "I'm going to need a cushion," he noted.

"That can be fixed. The first owner had that lowered by lowering the support bar, but we can fix that back," the salesman noted quickly.

Xander looked down at Oz, then pouted. "Can I try it too?" he asked. Oz scooted over and let him in, and he gunned the engine a few times before shutting it off. "I like," he said, turning to look at Oz.

"I like too," Oz agreed. "Seat colors?" He scratched across the harsh, rough fabric on the front seat. "Leather?"

"Leather is good," Xander agreed. "Or at least a nicer fabric. Customized?"

"It's at a nice level, but I wouldn't mind being able to plug into the back seat and work while you shop sometimes," Oz admitted. "Yes?"

"Sure," Xander said, giving him a smile. "And the jade one?"

"And the jade one," Oz agreed, watching as Xander slid out, following him to cradle his husband against his stomach. "We like this one, but we're going to need that seat to be fixed."

"And the seats to be recovered," Xander pointed out. He turned his head slightly. "Do we want to wait and do that with the recustomization?"

"We could," Oz agreed, looking at the salesman. "Unless you have someone who can do that for us."

"Well, we do have someone who can recover both the seats after we fix the front one, but it will take longer. If you want, we could recommend you to a place in Los Angeles that does that sort of work."

"Okay," Oz agreed. "Can they put a power plug in the back?"

"Oh, and one of those small DVD players," Xander said happily. "For road trips."

"We're not doing any of those," Oz reminded Xander quietly. "No more road trips."

"But Oz...."

"No. Picnics and trips to LA."

"Okay," Xander said, sounding like he was pouting but smiling and winking at the salesman. "How much will we owe you?"

"Technically, I think we'll end up about even." He waved a hand toward the trailer. "Let's go figure that part up." He closed the door as he walked past it, then the one to the service department, walking up the few stairs of the trailer after them.

***

Xander looked over at the salesman's invoice, smiling at Oz when he saw what the customizers were going to do. He bounced over to hug his husband, very happy that he had gotten his way.

"And, just to make sure, you want to keep that fabric, right?" the guy asked, smiling at Oz.

Oz shook his head. "No. Uh-huh. No keeping of those fabrics. What can you recover it with?"

"Grab the green book," he said as he finished filling the order out. "Okay, so we've got a recover, we've got an installation of a power plug and a web interface, and one of those little portable dvd players, right?" Oz nodded, flipping through the book. "Any of those strike you hard?"

"Well, that one," Xander said, pointing at the light gray leather. "But that's not really what I'm in the mood for. Do you have any softer fabrics that'll work well?"

The supervisor walked over and pointed at a small tab near the back of the book. "Back there's some of the more custom fabric choices we have available."

Xander let Oz flip through the front of the book while he flipped through the back. He found a few he liked and nudged Oz to look at them, and Oz found one he liked so he nudged Xander. They silently looked at the four possibles then decided on Oz's because it would last longer and wouldn't stain as badly. "This one, with that stain guard stuff please."

The supervisor looked at their selection and made a note of it. "In light gray?"

"Yeah," Oz said, nodding after checking with Xander. "How much?"

"Not that much, compared with what we normally do." He patted the side of the car. "It's already got bulletproofing. You guys don't want anything outrageous. Six hundred for the recover, another couple hundred for the install of the stuff, plus the price of the player. So about a grand, maybe a little over with labor."

Oz nodded and pulled out his wallet, handing over fifteen hundred dollars. "Tell us if it's going to cost more," he said, walking Xander out to his new sports car and getting in to drive.

"Those two are very ... unusual," the supervisor said as he finished the form for the car. A little blue skinned man ran over and said something, though he was around the supervisor's waist, he still heard him clearly. "Huh. Really?" The demon nodded, looking out the door. "Are they the good guys or the bad guys?" He showed him the form and the demon smiled and said something else, going back to where he was covering a carseat in glue. "Well, at least that's good then," he muttered, sticking the order onto the car. "The bad ones don't tend to get as good of service." He walked away, going back into his office.

***

Oz walked into the house, stopping when he saw their housekeeper sitting on a couch with an ice pack to her eye. He walked in and lifted the pack to look down at her. "What happened?" he asked, handing it back. "Do you need to see someone?"

"No, this was my neighbor's fault." She sighed as she sat up, putting the ice pack aside. "We got into a fight over our children. She said my son had forced her daughter and he said he seduced her." She shrugged. "We parents got into it and it just made it worse."

"Is he the reason you left those other places?" Oz asked quietly. She didn't answer, just looked down at the floor. "Henrietta, tell me and let us help."

She laughed bitterly. "Why would you want to?"

"Because we don't like to see anyone suffer that way," Xander said as he walked in, handing her a glass of ice water. "Here, ice packs always make me thirsty when I use them." He sat down beside Oz, giving her a smile. "Listen, we know some people. Some really strange and unusual people, but they also know people. If you need some help with this stuff, just tell us and we'll see what we can't help you with."

She shook her head, sipping the water. "There's nothing that can be done."

"Was he arrested?" Oz asked quietly. She nodded. "Is this his first one?"

"No," she sighed, finishing off the water. "It's not his first time. Not even on this charge." She looked up at them. "I didn't want to have to take time off..."

"Hey, time off we can give you. Letting you quit is out of the question," Xander said with a smile. "We're not losing someone who our animals like and who we can agree on." He reached over to touch her on the wrist. "Henrietta, can he make a deal? Get professional help this time?"

"They want to send him to a new program in a mental hospital for people who sexually abuse others," she said, looking at Oz. "I'm not sure that's what's for the best and I'll have to make that decision."

"Then let me do some quick research and see if it's a sound idea," Oz said, holding out a hand, which she took. "Okay?" She nodded. "Okay, let's go into the office so I can do the search on the web. And who knows, maybe this'll be a good thing for him." He led her into the office and closed the door.

Xander picked up the ice pack and went to put it back into the freezer, she might need it again later. He puttered around the kitchen, making them a snack, so he picked up the phone when it rang. "Hello?" He listened for a second then nodded. "Let me get her, she's in the other room." He put the guy on hold and pushed the intercom button. "Henrietta, phone." He hung up and watched the lights, going back to his puttering once he saw her pick it up. He looked up as he watched her and Oz walk out, Oz holding up the car keys to say he was going to drive her. Xander walked them out, waving from the doorway. This was not a good sign.

***

Xander stood up as Oz walked in, alone, and sighed. "Bad?"

"Very," he said, coming over to give his husband a hug. He whispered something while they were together then pulled back.

Xander closed his eyes for a second. "It had to be done. Can Angel handle him?"

"Yeah. But I had to tell her everything." Oz pulled back some and turned, punching the wall next to the doorway. "Who would let a vampire work as a prison guard?"

"Someone who didn't realize what they were," Xander suggested quietly. "It's not always that obvious. They wouldn't vamp out during the interview. And mostly likely, there'd be enough blood spilled in there to feed him without him having to hunt."

"So it was a brilliant plan on the vamp's part?" Oz asked bitterly.

"Maybe. But maybe he thought turning the kid would make it easier on someone to get justice from him." Xander pulled Oz back into his arms again. "How did Henrietta take it?"

"Not well. She's going to Mass tonight for the first time in almost eight years, she said. I introduced her to Angel, and to Spike and Seth, who came up through the sewers while we were there. Angel promised her to take care of her child and to try and help him."

"And you're thinking that the best thing would be for him to be staked?" Xander asked. Oz looked at him and nodded. "Was it true?"

"Yeah, it was. Henrietta's son had eight prior arrests for sexual assault or threatening, all since he hit fifteen. He needed something." He relaxed under the skillful hug he was getting, mostly so Xander would let him go. "I know we promised Ray and everything...."

"I'll explain that you were too pissed at the world to come," Xander told him, turning him and giving him a push toward the stairs. "Go read or work this out, Oz. I can make excuses."

"Um, she doesn't want them to know," Oz said as he walked away. "She really didn't want you to know but I didn't promise her that."

"Okay, I'll try my best to look like I don't know. Just about the vamp stuff." He shrugged and sat back down with his book, waiting on the time to be right to leave for his dinner with Ray and Meth, who were out house hunting.

***

Methos stopped his story and lifted Xander's chin up. "You weren't listening, little one. Would you like to tell us what got Oz so upset?"

"I can't, I promised him and he promised her."

"Ah, a her," Ray said, shifting closer. "Was this a case of Angel's?"

"It is now," Xander said darkly and shook himself. "I'm sorry, guys, but I can't tell you. I promised and so did Oz."

Ray nodded. "Okay. So, you wanna run by the houses that we liked?"

"Sure," Xander said, giving him a smile. "That I would like to do." He looked down at his half- eaten meal and waived the waiter over. "Box please?" he asked. The waiter smiled and hurried off. "I'm sorry I was such lousy company tonight, Methos, I really thought I could put it out of my mind."

"It's all right, Xander. We understand that sometimes things happen in your lives that don't impact ours." He handed Ray his credit card and pointed over at the display case of sweets. "Go pick something out for later, Ray. Something like a coffee cake." The lovers shared a look and Ray got up, leaving them alone. "What happened to Henrietta?" he asked quietly.

Xander shook his head. "Her family, not her." He glanced around then sighed, leaning closer. "I still can't tell you, but it's not a pretty story, okay? Can we please drop it? Oz was pissed enough to come home and hit a wall."

Methos sat back up. "Ah. Are you two helping her with this?"

"Us, and Angel," Xander told him. "Please, Meth, I promised."

"I'm sorry, Xander, but I happen to know a great deal more about many things and I thought I could help."

Xander punched him on the arm. "If the help stage wasn't behind us, we'd have already asked you."

"All right then, I'll leave it alone," Methos agreed, giving Xander a reassuring smile. "If you need to talk about it, then simply come find me, young one, and we'll talk."

"Good, does that mean I can come back now?" Ray asked as he sat down, handing Methos the box he had been carrying and his credit card. "Dinner's all paid for too." He took the box from the waiter and put all their leftovers into it, letting Xander have it. "Here, make sure Oz eats tonight."

"Deal," Xander said with a smile. "So, let's go look at these houses, huh?" He stood up and walked out, Ray and Methos sharing a look before they followed him.

***

Xander stood in the doorway of Oz's office, watching him drink a beer and read something on his monitor. "Hey," he said, not moving any closer. "I brought you my leftovers." He held up the box.

"Thanks," Oz said, waving him in. "How long did it take you to tell them?"

"I didn't," Xander said, sitting across from the desk. "The closest we got to talking about it was me saying that I had promised you and that I would go find Methos if I needed to talk to someone. He doesn't know about what, but he offered," he justified when Oz looked at him. "And he knows that Angel's involved."

"Okay." Oz clicked on something with his mouse. "How were the houses?"

"Three of the five looked really good. One was okay but it wasn't in the best of places. One, well it was out by the industrial park so I had to warn them about that." He shrugged, hoping to get a little of Oz's attention back on him. "What're you reading?"

"Finishing my research from earlier." Oz clicked on something else. "Anything else happen?"

"Well, lets see," Xander said dryly. "A big demon jumped out at us and gave me a hug and asked for an autograph." Oz raised an eyebrow but didn't look at him so he got up and walked out, going up to their room. If Oz wanted to be left alone, he could do that. Even if he did need someone to hold him so his thoughts would quit swirling. He lay down on the bed with his latest book, hoping the story would catch him again and take him away.

Downstairs, Oz continued his searching, hoping to find an answer to something that had been bothering him.

***

Xander walked down to breakfast the next morning and stopped when he saw Oz was still wearing the same clothes. He walked around his husband and went into the kitchen to get himself some cereal and toast, bringing it back to the table to sit next to him. "Up all night?" he asked finally, when the silence got to be too much.

"Yup." Oz looked at his husband, giving him a weak smile and holding out a hand. "I just needed to think, Xander."

"That's okay," Xander said, taking his hand. "I didn't expect you to come to me, not really at least, but it might have been nice if I had been able to work through it too."

"I'm sorry." Oz leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "How about we go talk today?" Xander nodded. "Okay, we'll go talk today." He stole a bite of Xander's toast then went back to reading his printouts. "Oh, and I'm expecting a call today from the people who I sell programs to."

"If they call, I'll send it through," Xander sighed, looking down at his cereal. "I still haven't worked that through," he admitted.

"Me either, but we'll go out for a drive after breakfast." He looked up as the front door opened, frowning at Henrietta. "I thought you were taking today off."

"I couldn't," she said as she walked in.

"You can," Xander said, getting up to give her a hug. "If Oz says you're supposed to be taking today off, then you shouldn't be here." He saw her wariness and smiled. "What? You're complaining about day off?"

"If I don't keep control of the pet hair, it will never be fully cleaned up again," she said weakly.

"We've let it go for a week at a time before," Oz noted, drinking some of his juice. "Go home, Henrietta. I'm sure your children could use you today. We'll even be nice and give you the day with pay." She smiled at that.

Xander hugged her tightly. "Come on, go have fun with your kids and come back tomorrow, when we might not have sex in the living room. Oz is getting told today if the software people want his last program."

"Ah." She looked at Oz, who nodded. "All right, I'll go back home. Thank you, boys." She patted Xander on the side of the face. "I hope you hear good news today."

"Me too," he said with a grin. "It's more than time for me to get cuddles on the couch." He winked and went back to the table, watching as she left.

"Congrats, you've become a better actor," Oz said quietly.

Xander leaned over and stole a kiss. "Thanks, but I don't like doing it." He finished off his breakfast and took his dishes back into the kitchen. He didn't want his housekeeper to come back to a mess tomorrow.

***

Xander and Oz walked into the house after their drive and talk, and stopped when they saw Ray lifting fingerprints off a glass. "You could just ask to print us," Oz pointed out dryly. "We've done much more for you when you asked."

Ray put down the juice glass he was dusting and frowned at them. "Do you really want prints available down at the station?"

Xander shrugged. "Why not?"

"Because they're still looking for who bombed the high school," Oz reminded Xander.

"Oh. Well, why do you need prints right now, Ray?"

"Because you guys were in the car that's now an investigation site," Ray told them. "Nice sedan...."

"Oh," Oz interrupted. "That. Okay. Want mine? You can pull Xander's off something."

"Nah, I've got one'a both of ya now." He finished pulling the print off the glass and put everything back into the small leather case that had been open on the counter. "Where's Henrietta?"

"Day off. Problems with a kid." Oz walked over and looked at Ray. "If they do check Xander's against that," he started

"Then I'll come for him," Ray assured him quickly. "I'm not gonna let someone hurt Xander, Oz, you know that." He stood up. "What did happen at the high school anyway?"

"Big snakey demon," Xander told him. "Used to be the mayor. Was going to eat everyone there." He shrugged. "It was the only way to kill it."

Ray shook his head. "Now I know why most of the other cops wouldn't talk to me once they found out I was stayin' with you two." He gathered everything up and walked out, getting into his car and driving away.

Xander looked at Oz. "Think I'm going to be missing for a while tonight?"

"Probably. Which lawyer do you want to use?" Oz walked back to his office to check the answering machine. "Hey, they took it!" he yelled a few minutes later.

"Cool," Xander sighed, walking back to give him a hug. "How many does this make?"

"This means I have one more on my contract," Oz said, squeezing Xander hard so he could pull him down into his lap. "And then, my darling little lover, our software company will be just ours. We'll move to a distributorship with those nice people in Seattle but I won't have a deadline at all."

"Very cool," Xander said, nuzzling Oz's neck. "Then what?"

"Then, as you're listed as the secretary, I'll get to chase you around the desk," Oz joked.

"Wanna practice?"

Oz tickled Xander, sending them crashing to the floor to play.

***

Ray pointed Xander into the interrogation room, and closed the door behind him and his boss. "Okay, so you wanted him here, he's here," he said to his boss. "Now what?"

"It's okay, Ray," Xander said calmly. "Go watch through the little window or whatever." Xander waited until Ray was gone to look at the Captain in Sunnydale's very small police force. "What did you want to know?"

"How about, did you plant the bomb that set off the explosion in the high school, Mr. Harris?"

Xander snorted. "No." He leaned forward. "Let's play a game. I remind you of what *really* happened during graduation and you listen." The cop nodded, sitting down across from him. "You were there, right?"

The Captain nodded, starting to sweat. "Yeah, but I was outside."

"Does that mean you didn't come running at the screams when the big snake-looking thing showed up?" The Captain shook his head. "That's what the bomb was for. That was Mayor Wilkens." He paused for a few seconds. "Nothing could kill that demon."

"Demon?" the Captain snorted. "What world do you live on."

Xander smiled sadly and leaned a little closer. "I've lived on another, but I can prove everything I'm about to tell you." He took a deep breath and glanced at the mirror/window. "How many people are back there?"

"Not many," the Captain said. "Ray definitely is."

"Good." Xander gave him that same sad smile and launched into a discussion of why Sunnydale was unique. By the time he was done, the Captain was in shock. "And I can prove everything I've just told you," he said finally, ending the speech he had thought to one day be giving to a son or a daughter.

The Captain shook his head, probably to clear it. "You can prove it? How?"

Xander stood up and walked to the door, looking out at the guy cleaning the floors. "How do you see him?" he asked, pointing at him.

The Captain groaned when he saw who he was pointing to. "He's got a skin condition."

"That makes him mauve?" Xander said dryly. "Can you really say that you've ever heard of that?" He turned to look at the older man. "Listen, not all of them are bad. I'm sure that guy's just trying to survive, like most everyone is. Most demons, including most that I've run into, have been decent people who just want to live their own lives in peace. Some come here because there's a ready source of power in this town."

"Under the old library?" the Captain said.

"Yeah, under there. That's not the only one though. I know where other portals are. This one is just out of control. It's my family's job to keep it under control now, I vowed to do it." He grimaced. "Giles should be back any day now, you can ask him about the magical side of stuff. Haven't gotten into that yet." He turned to look at the demon mopping the floors, smiling and waving at him. He got a hesitant smile back and watched as the demon trotted off. "See, they just want to live their own lives." He looked at the Captain as he walked back over to the table. "Unfortunately, sometimes the bad ones come here. That's when it becomes my job, and my family's job, to finish that. And you guys usually ignore those moments anyway."

"But you blew up a high school!" the Captain protested.

"Yeah, we did. It was the only thing that would kill the snake-looking thing at graduation. Did you really want to be eaten by it?" The Captain hung his head, but he shook it. "I'm sorry we blew up the school, but it saved a lot of lives. And I have donated to help the school be rebuilt. Matter of fact, I even donated a specific floor in the room that's going over where the hole is. We're hoping that means it won't be able to open up *in* the school again."

The Captain looked at him. "What about around the school? Or don't you remember the snakes and wasps?"

"Yup, I was there then. I even know what solved it," Xander said with a smirk. "That sort of stuff may still happen if everyone really wants the school to stay in that same spot. If you move it, then there might be a chance that some of that wouldn't happen. Turn the old school lot into a park and let us put up a marker there for everyone who died," Xander said quickly and quietly. "It really would cut down on the strange stuff in the high school."

"What about this girl? Where's she?"

"Well, Buffy's in LA. The newest one is in New Orleans last we heard. Seems she believes Anne Rice." He shrugged. "She'll probably be here eventually. And when she does, the city workers will start finding more piles of dust in odd places, like they used to."

"And the odd bodies that were all sent up to the college before?"

"I think we can find someone to take care of those now that the assholes up there are gone." Xander grimaced and clenched his fists. "The Initiative idiots weren't what the town needed. They actually took a few of the half-demons in town and tried to experiment on them. And not all of them were fully grown." He looked at the window again, then back at the Captain. "If they're still around and you're getting odd bodies, then it's them. Before I became what I am now, I fought them too. And if I have to, I will again."

"What would you do if I say that we're already getting odd piles of dust?" the Captain asked gently.

Xander chuckled. "I'd go looking for the girl tonight to introduce myself and to check her out. Are you?" He nodded. "Cool. I'll get Giles back here and we'll go talk to her." He shrugged. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"No," the Captain sighed. "I can't even charge you with blowing up the school, you'll tell all this in court, right?" Xander nodded. "Then I can't charge you, can I?"

"Like I said, I'm making restitution. It's not like I got off scot free."

"Good." The Captain stood up. "You're free to go, Mr. Harris. And please, do what you said you were going to. She put one of my officers in the hospital last night."

Xander frowned. "Did he get a good look at her?"

"No, unfortunately not. She got him from behind. He was coming to see what the disturbance was."

Xander nodded and walked out, heading out to where Oz was waiting in their car. "We've got the new girl in town," he said as he got a hug. "She knocked a cop out."

Oz glared out at the darkening night. "Let's go find her then." He nodded at the car. "Want to drive?"

"Sure. We can go do a run through the usual hunting spots." He got in to drive, letting Oz look for her. "If not, I guess we hit the Bronze."

"Okay," Oz agreed, putting his hand on Xander's thigh as they took off.

***

Xander and Oz walked up behind the young girl who was fighting the big, horned demon and Xander said something to him, making him run away. "Hi," he said, holding out a hand. "Xander Harris, Slayerette to Buffy."

She looked at him, then at Oz, then growled and stepped into a fighting stance. "You're through here," she told him.

Oz shook his head and looked around. "Where's your Watcher, Marilyn? We knew you were coming, we didn't expect you so soon."

"No Slayer would work with the supernatural," she snorted.

Oz looked at Xander. "No one told her about Angel?"

"I guess not," Xander said with a slight shrug. He looked at the girl again, and at the man walking up behind her. "You're the Watcher, right?" The man looked up, startled. "Hi. We're Rupert's kids. I'm Xander, this is Oz, we're the present guardians, and your girl was just beating up on a helpless demon who was out looking for oak leaves to eat."

"Oh, my," the Watcher said, looking them over. "I had heard that Rupert went native when he got over here, but I had no idea that he had brainwashed you children too. Where is Ms. Summers?" he asked, looking around.

"In LA with her sire, where she belongs," Oz told him. He pushed the girl out of his way and walked over, holding out a hand. "We don't want a fight but we're not going to let you take on the innocent ones."

"They're demons," the Watcher said slowly and clearly, like he was talking to a child.

"Yes, who were born that way," Xander said in the same tone of voice. "That one was about ten. Most of the demons in town, and in the world, aren't out to eat people." He hauled the girl up, holding her steady for a moment. "You okay?" She nodded, glancing back at him. "Yeah, I know. They're all trained that way. It took me leaving town and finding another demonic community to realize that most of them have things like families and friends, and jobs. They're not all bad, just the ones who rampage and kill people." He let her go and walked over to be beside Oz. "Now, we do protect this town. There haven't been that many deaths here since we got back with the key to the Hellmouth, and we've got it handled. If you wanted to do something useful with her, go find a new Hellmouth and terrorize it," he said politely.

The Watcher looked stunned. "Who told you that drivel? Demons don't have families or children."

"I personally know a few," Xander said dryly. "They do. If you don't believe me, I can give you Rupert's number in Vegas."

"Please. I'd like to see him come back here and straighten this all out."

Oz pulled out his cellphone and dialed the resort, handing over the phone. "Ask for him if he doesn't answer," he suggested, pulling Xander over to sit under a tree. "What did you say to him?"

"That she was the Slayer. That's one useful phrase I learned in many demon languages while I was in New York." They watched as the Watcher sat down heavily in the grass then watched as his girl continued to look confused. "Sit," Xander called out. "This is going to take a while."

***

Giles walked into the house and stared at the man sipping tea at the table. "Wesley?" he asked.

"No, his younger brother. But have you seen him?"

"He's in LA, helping Angel," Oz said from the kitchen. He waved Giles in and gave him a hug. "From Xander, he's out doing laps. Expect to be jumped." He went back to chopping mushrooms, letting Giles fend for himself.

Giles sat down across from this younger Watcher and simply stared for a few minutes. "How did you come into possession of the girl?" he asked finally.

"Giiiiiiilllllllllllleeeeeeeeeessssssss!" Xander screeched as he ran inside, dripping wet and naked, and pounced his lover for a hug.

Meeting the Family.

"Giiiiiiilllllllllllleeeeeeeeeessssssss!" Xander screeched as he ran inside, dripping wet and naked, and pounced his lover for a hug. He continued to ignore the man at the table, he'd been doing that ever since he had shown up that morning, so it was okay. He pulled back some and gave his other lover a kiss. "Hi, how was your trip? And Vegas?"

"They were both fine, Xander," Giles said, patting him on the rear. "Maybe you should go put on some clothes."

Xander snorted. "I'm going to finish my laps. *Then* I'll put on some clothes." He winked and jogged back out to the pool, diving into the shallow end. "Oww," floated through the window.

"I told you not to do that," Oz called after him. He looked at Giles. "Told you so," he smirked. He brought over a cup of tea for his lover, and put another on the table for the fussy man that had shown up very early that morning, at eight. "He's Marilyn's Watcher and he thinks we're strange," he warned his lover as he headed back to his office. "The software people wanted a different color on the backgrounds so I've got to change that," he called.

Giles sat down at the table, looking at the young man across from him. "Why did you take on a girl, Frederick?"

"Not much of a choice," he snorted. "She showed up on my doorstep asking for my help. Do you know what those... boys of yours tried to convince her of? That demons had children, Rupert!"

"They do," Rupert said calmly. "I've met a few. One of them even adopted Xander as a residual heir to save him from his actual family. We've all seen some very young demons, just not here on the Hellmouth." He sipped his tea. "If you want, I can call in another Watcher, Fredrick, I do still have some contacts over there."

"Please. But make sure you get one who knows what they're talking about."

Giles shook his head. "Frederick, there are so many amazing and unusual things in this world. If you'd allow yourself to unbend, you'd see them. Even Wesley has by now, though it took him quite a while to find himself."

"Is he still pretending to hunt demons?" he said snidely.

"Actually, he's helping Angel in LA. He's been a great help to him from what I've heard. I can call and ask if you could pop around." Frederick glared at him. "I'll pass on a hello for you then." Giles got up and went to the living room, coming back with one of the cordless phones and his address book. He looked up a number and then dialed it slowly, eventually, listening for a grumpy voice on the other end of the line. "Hello, Mum. Is Father there? Yes, it's me, Mum. No, I've got Marilyn's Watcher here and there's a slight problem." He tapped his fingers a few times. "Yes, Father, that's what I said. It's Wesley's brother Frederick." He smiled at the young man. "He said hello and where did you find her? They've been looking for her for the last month or so."

"On my doorstep, literally," he said grumpily. "Tell them the rest."

Giles handed over the phone. "Go right ahead. My Father's probably already heard it."

"Sir, yes, this is, Mr. Giles." He smiled triumphantly, then it fell. "Really? All right." He paled a little. "You mean he was correct about that?" He glanced at Giles again. "Really?" he asked weakly. He firmed up a bit. "Yes, we both thought that might be for the best. No, he said my brother was in LA helping someone named Angel..." He quickly handed the phone back.

"Yes, Father, he's helping Angel and Buffy, who's training with her Sire and Grand-Sire." He rolled his eyes. "I'm not sure, but I can ask one of the boys. They'd know." He pulled the phone away from his face. "Xander? My father wants to know how Buffy got turned. It wasn't recorded in the Chronicles."

Xander climbed out of the pool and padded over to the sliding door. "Spike found her dying from a fight or something and decided to turn her for fun." He grinned at him. "That's your father?"

"Yes, and you're still not talking to him," Giles said firmly, putting the phone back against his ear. "Did you hear that? Yes, that Spike. Which is why she's training under both Angel and him. Yes, Father," he sighed, rolling his eyes. "No, actually, she seems to be very repentant." He looked at Xander, who walked in and sat on the floor, so he wouldn't get Giles' jeans wet, and took the phone.

"Hi, this is Xander Harris. Yup, me. No, that's not it. No, he found her already dying and he turned her because he thought it'd be funny." He snickered. "Not anymore. She was for a little while. She and Spike ran into me in Las Vegas and tried to corner me, that's how I found out what went on. No, she's fine too. She's Angel's and they've mended their fences." He looked up at Giles. "No, he looks good actually," he said with a grin. Giles groaned and finished off his tea. "What?" Xander asked in shock. He pulled the phone away from his head. "Rupe, your father wants to know if we made any tapes."

Giles spluttered, spitting tea all over the counter. "What? Of what?"

Oz jogged out and took the phone, taking it back to his office. "Hi, this is Oz," he said in greeting. "We have pictures from the wedding, but no video." He glanced back at the naked Xander and Giles who were looking like they wanted to stalk him. "Of course. Whenever you'd like. We have a large house and we can put you up for a few days." He smiled. "Sure. I'll tell him. Who?" He nodded, frowning a little. "Deal." He hung up. "Giles, she's to go to Wesley until your father comes for her in a few weeks." He walked out to the end of the hallway, looking at them. "And he wants to see pictures of the wedding. Apparently, Wes told someone and the news got back to him. He's really pissed with you for not telling him yourself."

"Yes, well, there's a few things I'd like to discuss with my father anyway," Giles said grimly. "Call Wesley and get him up here to take the girl. Where is she, Frederick?"

"Sleeping in the den," Oz said dryly. He dialed the new office number in LA. "Hey, Wes. Yeah, but a small bit of Watcher-type business first. Giles' father said you're to take over the new girl until he gets here in a few weeks." He pulled the phone away from his ear and handed it over to Giles. "For you," he said with a smirk.

Giles listened to the loud swearing for a few seconds. "Really, such phrases from such a proper boy," he said sharply, ending the diatribe. "Yes, Wesley, it was my father. Because your brother Frederick was chosen by her and he's been having a few problems." He looked down at Xander, who was still sitting there. "Go get dressed, Xander. Now please," he added when the young man continued to stare up at him. "What?" he asked, turning his back to listen to Wesley. "No, he told Oz a few weeks. She's here. So's he." He hung up and put down the phone. "Xander, clothes," he ordered when he noticed the younger man hadn't moved.

"But I'm comfy," Xander said. "And you haven't seen my latest things from when I was bored." He smirked when Giles rolled his eyes. "Does this mean I can't finish my laps?"

"Yes, go finish your laps and then get dressed," Giles told him, looking exasperated.

Oz smirked, watching Xander's rear as he left again. "You missed it, Giles, we had an attack of dicks. Xander got *bored*."

"Oh, dear," Giles said, looking around. "Where did you put them?"

"In the new trunk he bought for toys." He smiled. "He even bought a case of lube. Ray and Meth took two bottles and we've worked through another, but I'm expecting that at least one more bottle out of the twenty-four will be used tonight.."

Giles shook his head and sighed. "That boy. Did we get the car issue resolved?"

"Yup. Oh, the car dealership needs you to go down and look at one. It's cursed."

"I'll do that tonight," he said in resignation. "I had just found the right person to talk to," he said, frowning. "I could have finished my research in days."

"Hey, bad timing sucks," Oz agreed, "but it happens in life." He went back to his office. "Think they'd like puke green?"

"No," Giles called after him. "Make it a nice color, Oz."

"Make it one of those funky dye colors," Xander called, sticking his head back in. "Giles, that black and white cat's back."

"The touched one?" he asked in shock. "What ever for?"

"Because he likes George," Xander said with a shrug. "He's in with the kittens and Rocky's puppies." He ran back to the pool and dove into the deep end, finally going back to his laps.

Giles went back to the room with the animals, stopping to pet Fluffy, who was queen of the harem at the moment. He got down to look at Rocky's puppies, patting her on the head when she growled. "I simply wanted to look," he told her. "I won't touch them, dear." He got up and smiled down at her. "They're very beautiful, Rocky. I'll be here the next few days if you need anything, all right?" He reached down to pat her once more then left the room, going up to their bedroom to see what else Xander had bought.

A few minutes later, Oz looked up at the ceiling as an, "Oh, dear God," floated down the stairs. "Looks like he found the new toy chest," he told himself as he went back to changing all the backgrounds to puce. He was tired of these people's pickiness about his background colors.

***

Wesley walked around the back of the house, knocking hadn't brought anyone so he was now searching for someone. He found Xander sprawled naked, sleeping in the sun, and he found his brother staring at Xander. "Frederick," he said quietly, breaking his concentration. "They've destroyed people for less," he warned his brother, coming over to shake his hand.

Frederick looked his brother over, snorting. "I see you've changed for real this time."

"I had before," Wesley reminded him. He pulled his brother into the house. "Frederick, believe me, Xander is the most deadly of the three, but it only comes out when he's taken away from his mates."

"So you say," Frederick sneered. "Tried that have you?"

"No," Wesley said with a smile. "I helped buy him a sword for a wedding present. Which I've seen him use to defend himself against fifteen people or so. All I'm saying is be a bit less obvious." He looked around. "Where are Oz and Rupert?"

"Upstairs. Marilyn's in the den, still sleeping." He grunted in dissatisfaction when Xander flipped onto his side. "How do you know what he's like?" he asked his brother archly.

"Because I've seen both before and after he found himself. He's become an amazing young man, Frederick, but he's very taken and satisfied to remain that way. Besides, if Xander didn't kill you, Oz would."

"Which would be worse?"

"Yes, it would," Wesley said seriously. "I've seen Oz in a possessive mood and it was not pleasant for the person on the receiving end." He waved at the living room. "Maybe you should tell me what you've trained her to do so far." He walked in and sat down, humming in appreciation of the couch that was just right. "What has she run into so far?"

"Besides the demon-sympathetic trio that lives here?" he asked sharply. "Not much. A few vampires. A demon that they stopped her from killing."

"It was ten," Oz said as he walked in. "It was out looking for some oak leaves, or so Xan said." He smiled down at Wesley. "You're brother's a lot more stiff and much more of an asshole than you were when we first met."

Wesley smiled at him. "Thank you, Oz, I think that's the nicest compliment you've given me to date."

"Hey, you saved me from going to the hospital the other day. You deserve it." He started to turn away but then turned back. "Oh, did they ever remove the spirit?"

"No," Wesley said with a smirk. "The dragon seems to have taken up residence in Wolfram and Hart's offices. I doubt they'll be starting again soon though, I've heard the Demon Courts aren't allowing them to argue cases any longer."

"We heard the IRS was auditing them too," Oz told him. "Want a snack?"

"Just some water if you would," Wesley said politely. "I borrowed Angel's car and had the top down the whole way up. It's a bit dry out there."

"Sure. Frederick?" The other man shook his head so Oz pulled a sword out of a nearby potted tree. "Good, then let's get one thing straight. I've used one of these longer than your line has been alive and you just fucked with my mate. Who do you think's gonna win my Xander?"

Wesley sighed and pointed at the sword. "It's not necessary, Oz, Frederick's not that much of an idiot. He's simply too young to realize that not everyone fools around."

Oz nodded and put the sword back. "As long as you vouch for him. And don't let Xander find out, not if you don't want to have to do CPR tonight." He walked away, heading for the kitchen.

Wesley looked at his brother. "I warned you," he said quietly. "I won't stick up for you again."

"Like that's so unusual," Frederick snorted.

"I have stuck up for you, in my own way, but I won't go against my friends for you, Frederick. Especially not against these. These people are like extended family to me and I won't break the trust they have in me, not even for my brother. You can leave Xander alone."

"And I will. Does he actually know how to use one of those?" Wesley nodded. "And he's really that old?"

"You'd have to take up the issue of his age with him," Wesley said firmly. "I'm not going to discuss that with you." He reached over to tap his brother lightly on the cheek, making him stare at him instead of Oz. "Leave them alone, Frederick. It really is the most healthy." He stood up. "Now then, let's go meet this girl." He took the glass of ice water Oz handed him and glanced around. "Where is she?"

"In my office. I'm going to go wake Xander, before he burns." He walked away, letting Wesley wander around to find the office.

He found the animals, and incidentally Marilyn, first. She was sitting in the middle of the floor petting one of the puppies that had escaped the basket. He leaned against the door and sipped his water, the ice cubes clinking making her look up. "Be careful, Marilyn, mothers are very protective of their puppies. She's bitten Xander from what I've heard."

Marilyn nodded and helped the puppy back into the basket, pausing to pet the mother dog too. "I know. My mother used to raise dogs." She stood up and faced him. "You're Wesley?"

He nodded. "Yes, dear. How long ago were you called?" He sipped some more of the water as he walked in and sat down, accepting a kitten into his lap immediately. "Hello, little one. Ribbon, isn't it?" He petted the long hair cat and nodded at the floor. "Sit, we can discuss this in here. The animals are very soothing." He stared at the black and white cat staring at him. "Except that one." He shook himself. "Even my boss has a kitten, given to him by the trio who live here."

"Buffy?"

"No, dear, I work for Angel. Though you will be meeting Buffy. And please, ignore most of her stories. It was never that easy for her either." He smiled gently. "You never answered me."

"I woke up with a vampire standing over my bed and I staked him," she said quietly, looking away from him. She gave him a shocked look when he squeezed her shoulder. "What was that for?"

"Because you obviously needed some comfort and I doubt my brother did it. He's not the sort." He finished off his water and put the glass aside, then picked up the cat and removed her from his lap so he could scoot closer to her. "Marilyn, I don't need to know the details, but should I try calling your home to tell your mother you're fine?"

She shook her head. "My mother would be very pissed at me because I killed her last boyfriend," she sighed. "It was instinctive though," she complained, slumping in on herself. "I ended up running away." She looked up at him. "Do you have to say anything to her?"

"We'll just send her a note saying that you're living and fine."

"Can we wait? Until she's not pissed?"

"Of course, if that's what you feel is best." Wesley reached over and gave her a hug. "There now. Do you have anything that we need to stop and pick up?" She shook her head. "Surely you have more than one set of clothes."

"Nope, I didn't have time to pack. Like I said, she was *pissed*." She looked around the room. "Do you think the next Watcher will mind if I asked to take a cat with me?"

Wesley smiled. "It depends on which one it is," he said lightly. "If it's Giles' father, then I'd hazard a guess to say yes. If not, then you might want to ask him. The worst he can do is say no. And if he does something worse than just saying no, then you have my permission to come to me and allow me to get you one." She laughed. "There, much better. A girl your age should be smiling and happy." He let her go and looked at the doorway, where Oz was standing. "She was thinking about asking her Watcher if she could have a cat."

"As long as she doesn't try to take Meth's cats, or the top ones here, that might be okay," Oz agreed. "Ribbon could probably go. If not, all you have to do is find one and take it to the vets to get travel certificates and shots. We did a lot of that in Europe." He shrugged. "Giles' father just called back and amended his date. He'll be here tomorrow. And he's not handing her over." He held up a hand at Wesley's shocked look. "That's what he said. I have no idea if it means you're keeping her or if it means he is." He shrugged and walked away. "I'm fixing supper in about an hour if you wanted to stay."

"Please," Wesley called. He smiled at the young girl. "Well, Marilyn, I've been dying to wander into the woods here, would you like to walk with me?"

"Sure," she said happily. She stood up gracefully and helped pull him up, then followed him out of the house and out onto the few acres of trees.

Oz looked out at Xander, who had refused to wake up, then shook his head as he watched the duo disappear into the trees. "Well, someone enjoys walking out there," he reasoned. He went back to chopping garlic for his stir-fry.

***

Giles spit his food across the table. "What did you say?" he asked harshly.

"I said that your father moved up his arrival date," Oz said calmly, ignoring Xander's intense look. "He said he had to so that you would be here." Giles muttered something and Xander stared at him. "He wanted to actually see his son this time, or so he said," Oz told him again.

"It won't be that bad," Xander told him, reaching over to pat him on the hand. "Really, it won't. If he gets mean, I'll spank him for you."

Giles moaned and put his head down on the table, shaking it.

Oz reached over to tap the back of Xander's hand. "Maybe you shouldn't mention spanking and his father together again," he suggested.

"Please," Giles moaned. He pushed his head back up to look at his husbands. "Though, if you wanted to smite him, I wouldn't complain."

"He seemed nice over the phone," Xander said with a pout.

"Xander, no offense, but he thinks you're my wife. He believes that you're some very effeminate man who I pretend to love." He sat up and brushed his hair back off his forehead. "He's never believed that I was really gay and he still happens to believe in the stereotype."

"So I'll be more butch," Xander said with a shrug. "You need to spar anyway."

"True," Oz agreed, nodding. "And I'm not 'femme by any stretch of the imagination."

"No, but he'll think that we're sharing Xander," Giles pointed out.

"Then let him, because you do," Xander said happily. He passed Wesley some water when he started to choke. "You all right?" he asked, looking concerned.

"Xander, I think you've missed the point. I know Giles' father. Even if you suddenly became one of those horrid bullying macho motorcycle gang members, he's still going to see you as an effeminate man. That's what he's expecting to see. Even if he sees you put his son onto the ground and paddle him raw, he'd still see you that way."

Xander leered at Giles. "Can I do that?"

"No," Giles ground out. He took a deep breath. "We'll simply have to avoid any personal interaction so I don't smite him over what he'll say."

"You know, and this may sound strange, but your father might just accept it," Xander suggested. "Even fathers have been known to change when it comes down to their only children."

"He's not an only child," Wesley told them.

"We don't discuss him," Giles said firmly.

"Why not?" Oz asked. "That bad?"

"Very. It's more of a hypothetical adoption in this case." He looked at his family. "My father adopted a young Watcher when I was ten. The man is a bloody arse and I don't want to talk about him."

Xander's face clouded up. "Do we need to go hurt him for you?"

"No, dear," Giles said, his mood lightening as he leaned over to give Xander a hug. "You don't need to go hurt him, he's a pain but he's never harmed me physically." He let Xander go. "But we won't speak of him again."

"Okay," Xander said, looking over at Marilyn and smiling at her. "Sorry. So, what part of the country are you from?"

"Virginia," she said quietly. "Will your father be nice?"

"To you, probably," Giles said calmly, giving her a reassuring smile. "At least until you don't train hard enough for his expectations. Then he'll be cutting and cold. At which point, we'll expect you to yell at him for us. The man has no idea what he's doing at most times, especially when it comes to you girls." She looked a little more at ease. "Eat, Marilyn. He's not cruel, he just has very high expectations."

She nodded and tucked back into her dinner. "This is really great, Oz. Thank you."

"Welcome," he said, looking at Wesley, who was looking very worried. "Marilyn, would you like to sleep upstairs in a bedroom or down here on one of the couches?" She dropped her fork and looked at him in shock. "No, sweetheart, nothing like that," he soothed when he realized what it must have sounded like to her. "Just wanted to know if you wanted to be bothered by the animals. We'd *never* hit on you. You're not our type, we only do willing and non-obligated people." He gave her a bland look. "Trust me, you never have to worry about that with a Watcher or with us. And our house is often a refuge for wayward Watchers."

Wesley snorted. "Yes, Oz, and thank you for having me stay tonight, though Angel was most upset when he found out I had taken his car instead of my bike." He smiled at Marilyn. "Trust these people, Marilyn, I've fought beside them before and they're all very decent. They would never hurt you without reason."

She nodded and started to eat again, staying silent through the rest of the meal. Everyone around her looked at each other and Xander looked determined. As soon as she was done eating, he grabbed Marilyn and walked outside with her, heading towards the woods. Down there was a nice little bench where a former owner had apparently wanted a garden. He sat her down and looked at her. "Marilyn, who did it?" She looked up at him in shock. "Really. We're not like that here. No one here would ever presume to ask you for sex. First, you're underage. Second, you're underage and a guest. Got it?" She smiled and nodded. "Good. Now tell me who tried that trick. 'Cause if it was Wesley's brother, I'm sure we can go beat him up for you."

She shook her head. "No, it wasn't. It was long ago, Xander." She looked around then back at him. "Do you usually run around naked?"

"Mostly," he agreed, sitting down next to her. "But if it makes you that uncomfy, I'll put on some clothes when I get up tomorrow. At least a robe and dance pants."

She shook her head. "No, that's actually a pretty cool and funny thing." She leaned her head on his shoulder. "You're like this adult guy who's done it all."

"Eww."

She snickered. "Sorry. I realize you're not that old, you or Oz, but you've seen all this stuff that I'm gonna end up seeing soon. Am I supposed to be looking up to you?"

"Not unless you want to," he said dryly, giving her a one-armed hug.

"Okay, but can I call and ask for advice?"

"Sure. Anytime. All three of us would gladly help you whenever you needed us to." He let her go and stood up. "Come on, it's time to go scoop the litter boxes and I could use the help." He walked up to the house, her walking right behind him.

***

Giles glared at Xander as he opened the door, they'd just started an argument, and was rudely brushed aside. By his father. Who went straight to Xander and gave him a hug. "Father, that's Xander," he said as he closed the door. "The man walking up behind him is Oz, my other husband." His father switched over and gave Oz a hug too. Giles shook himself. This was certainly odd.

"Son," Giles' father said, turning to look at him with a smile. "I'd say you've chosen very well for yourself." He smiled over at Xander. "You were Xander, correct?"

"Yup," he said, nodding, looking a little shocked. "You are *nothing* like Giles described you like though."

Giles' father laughed. "That's the way it is with all children." He looked around. "Is Wesley still here?"

"He's in the woods," Oz said, managing to get free so he could head to the kitchen. "Henrietta," he called long before he got there, giving her a panicked look. "Did we make snacks yet?" he asked her.

She pointed at the refrigerator. "Your men have been fussing over them all morning," she said with a smile. "Want me to go home?"

"Nah, you're fine. Besides, every time you walk out the door, Ribbon follows you." He shrugged as he picked up the two trays of snacks and nodded at the pitcher of ice tea. "Please?"

"Sure." She grabbed it and a few glasses, walking into the living room behind him. She set them down with a smile for Giles, then left them alone, the long-haired cat trotting after her giving her loving looks.

"You're taking the cat with you," Oz called. "She likes you best." He heard her laugh and turned his attention back to the meeting in progress. "So, Marilyn is out in the woods with Wesley, it seems he's missed having woods."

"His family's house is out by a small wooded area, he used to play out there," Giles' father said quietly, looking at his son. "How have you been, Rupert?"

"Fine, father, but I would like to know something. Why did you never tell me I was adopted?"

"Because we didn't," his father sighed, getting comfortable on the couch. "We actually found you but we never formally adopted you. It seemed like a bad idea at the time," he explained at the hurt look. "Your mother figured that you were left in that horse field for a reason and she didn't want the people who had left you to come looking for you when they saw the notice. So we never made it official." He shrugged lightly. "Has it made a difference in your life?"

Giles glanced at Oz, who shrugged. "Yes, actually it has. But I'm not sure I can tell you about it."

"He's used to keeping secrets," Xander pointed out, leaning into Giles' side. "I'm sure he could keep this one."

"You're one of those immortals?" Giles' father asked lightly. Everyone stared at him. "There's another branch of the Watchers, a horrid split a few centuries back actually, but we're still taught about them and all. Which is why I was all for adopting you when we found you, son."

"Yeah, he is," Oz said quietly. "So am I and Xander's actually a very good fighter in his own right."

"Ah." Giles' father nodded. "That's good to know. At least he's not facing this alone. Which one are you?"

"Oz," he said firmly. Giles' father smiled. "Really. Sixteen hundreds. I'm in the Chronicles."

"I see. Oh, yes, I've heard of you from my boy. You were a werewolf there for a bit."

"Yup, and we're still wondering why the contagion hasn't quite left me yet." He looked over at Xander, who was looking a little queasy. "Want to go play with the animals?"

"No. I just have a very bad feeling suddenly," Xander said quietly, glancing at the windows. "Henrietta, is there anything on the security monitor?"

"Yes," she called back. "A troop of people in body armor with guns. They're just coming through the gates."

"Wow," Oz said, blinking a few times. "We're being raided." He stood up and held a hand out to Xander. "Coming to meet them with me?"

"Sure," he said lightly, taking the hand to be hauled up. He walked out with Oz, letting the father and son catch up, locking them into the living room actually. He stepped out onto the porch beside Oz, looking at the man walking up the driveway. "What do you want?" he asked coldly.

"We're here to search the house for illegal weapons and drugs," the agent said, holding out a paper.

Oz took it and shook his head. "That must have been with the last owner," he said, handing it back. "That's not our names."

"We bought the house a few months ago," Xander told him helpfully. "The old owners are supposed to be in jail. A nice federal one, right, Oz?"

"I think so," Oz agreed, nodding. He looked down at the agent. "You can go tell your boss that because the warrant isn't right and you have no right to search anything without a real warrant with the correct identity on it." He pushed Xander back into the house. "Now leave, or I'm going to have you thrown off the property."

"Oz," Xander yelled from inside. "We just got a messenger. My brother was watching. Watch out!"

Oz stepped back closer to the house and looked around, then frowned down at the agent. "I'd leave, his brother's got some very vicious bodyguards that are probably on their way here."

The agent sneered. "Oh, really?" he asked. Just before he was picked up by the demon who appeared behind him and tossed him away into the rest of them.

The demon turned and growled at the remaining humans, who turned tail and ran. He turned look at Oz and bowed. "Your brother-in-law has suggested that I come look out for you," he said, his voice high-pitched and squeaky. "I will have a talk with their bosses." He faded out, leaving the grounds to go talk to a higher authority - the demon guarding the White House, who just happened to be his brother.

Oz shook his head and walked back inside, taking the phone Xander held out. "Hi, this is Daniel Osbourne. We just had some Feds up here trying to serve a false warrant..."

"With someone else's names," Xander added.

"True, with someone else's name on the form, and they got into a big fight. No, not ambulances, at least not for most of them, but they might need a ride back into town until they wake up." He hung up and walked into the living room, looking at Giles. "It got cleared up," he said calmly as he sat down. "Ray's going to come pick them up with the rest of the cops."

"Who-hoo!" Xander said, grinning and jogging off. "I've got to give him that present that he'll need for tonight!" he called as he jogged up the stairs.

Giles looked at Oz. "Do I want to know?" Oz shook his head. "Thank you." He looked out the window as cop cars started to pull up with their lights on. "My, they're fast today."

"Feds make trouble for local guys," Xander panted as he jogged back in, showing Giles what was inside the cloth bag. "See?" He jogged out and hugged Ray, handing him the bag. Eventually he stuffed it into Ray's jacket so he would have to take it. He came running back inside and closed the door. "The local guys are *not* happy with them. The Captain's chewing out the guy who was talking, and he *told* him that we weren't those guys." He sat down in Oz's lap, giving him a kiss. "We're okay again."

"Maybe," Oz agreed, looking around Xander's cuddling body at Giles' father, who was looking a little shell shocked at the moment. "As you can see, it's never dull around here."

Giles' father laughed hard, having to bend over to breathe while he was doing so.

***

During supper that night, Xander uttered his most scary phrase. "Oz, I'm bored," he sighed. Oz and Giles both patted down their pockets, and Wesley handed Xander his wallet. "Not that sort of bored," he said, grinning at Wesley. "Want to go shopping with me next time?" The young man shook his head quickly. "Oh, did Spike like his suit?"

"Suit?" Oz asked.

"Spike?" Giles asked.

"Why?" Giles' father asked.

"Seth's Sire wanted him to go out to dinner with them and he decided Spike needed a suit," Xander said with a shrug. "I helped him pick one out while I was shopping last time."

"I heard he liked it quite well. He even admonished one of the demons he was beating up not to spill blood on it. Said it was not only comfortable but also the only one he was ever going to have." Wesley smiled at Xander. "It seems he liked it."

"Cool." Xander looked at his husbands. "No, I was thinking that I could use my knowledge to help others." Oz closed his eyes and shook his head. "Maybe write a book or something."

"Ah," Giles said, giving him a smile. "Well, that's a much better idea than either Oz's or my head could come up with. I think it would be good for you to try at least, and we would help you as much as possible."

"Okay," Xander said happily, picking up his fork to eat again.

Marilyn looked from Xander to Giles and back. "What special skills does he have?" Wesley choked, making her focus on him.

"Let's just say he's very ... talented in certain areas," Oz said, not wanting to traumatize her, or to make her attracted to Xander. He liked her too much to have to kill her, not that he wouldn't if she tried to take Xander from him.

Xander smirked at him and winked, promising he was going to get rewarded later. He looked over at the young girl. "I'm a member of a very special society called GHS and I wanted to use what I had learned over the last few years to help others."

"Oh." She nodded politely. "What do they do?"

"They enjoy life," Oz told her, pointing at her plate. "Eat or I'm telling Henrietta and she'll fuss over you again."

Marilyn smiled but ate, remembering the fussing she got earlier. The woman was like a grandmother. She looked up at Giles' father once she swallowed and gave him a timid smile. "Are you really the bastard Frederick said you were, Mr. Giles?"

He snickered. "Not quite. Frederick and I never got along, he was always so self-centered." He smiled at Wesley. "It's a shame your first girl had to be Faith, Wesley. I think you would have made an excellent Watcher if you had been put under someone else for a bit." Wesley blushed and looked away from him. "And call me Leslie. Everyone else calls my son Giles so it's better if you don't confuse us."

"He's also very short sighted," Oz pointed out. "Frederick argued with us about demons having children."

"Yeah," Marilyn said, putting down her fork. "He had me attacking this little demon that Xander said was only out gathering oak leaves to nibble on. That's not really fair, you know."

"No, it's not," Leslie agreed, looking at Xander. "But then, some of us have had more interaction with demons than people like Frederick." Xander raised an eyebrow and took a drink of water, refusing to blush. "But," he said, smiling at her again, "Frederick was right about one thing. Not all of them are good."

"No, but we've taken a 'wait until you see them harassing someone' approach to it here in Sunnydale," Oz said calmly, reaching over to tap Xander's knee under the table. "Most of the ones we've ran into recently haven't been planning anything sinister."

"Yes, but we've also got the Hellmouth under control here," Giles pointed out. He grimaced at his father. "I can see both sides, Father, but really, she must learn that not all demons are cruel and mean, or out to eat you. They're not."

"True," Leslie agreed, "but we'll have to show her which is which, won't we," he said, his voice growing a little colder. "An active Hellmouth would make some of the demons more prone to violence."

"Actually," Oz said quietly, putting down his fork, "it's not the Hellmouth, it's the energy that's leaking out of it. This one has a portal key, which we've grounded, to draw out some of it's energy. If the Council could find a way to drain any other Hellmouth and keep it safe, then you'd probably have a lot less problems with the bad demons."

"Then you'd find them by their sinister plans to take the keys," Xander added. "The bad ones always show themselves, but they don't always do it graphically," Xander told Marilyn. "I had a teacher that turned out to be a Praying Mantis. I found that out when she captured me to bite my head off and make babies." She looked sickened. "Sorry." He grinned at her. "Just remember, if it's too pretty/nice/or good, it's not right and you need to find out why."

"Except for some people," Oz argued. "Some people are just that nice."

"And they usually need medication," Giles put in quietly, looking over at Oz. "Trust what Xander said, if it's too nice to you, then you need to leave it be."

Leslie nodded. "That is a very good rule to live by," he agreed. "Most demonic communities are very closed and you never hear or see of them. It's only places like Sunnydale where you see openly walking around demons. Those are the ones we have to worry about." He leaned back in his chair, picking up his glass of water to play with and look at. "You see, a Slayer's job isn't only to protect the humans from the demons, but also to protect the humans from the knowledge of the demons. We're there to make sure that the two worlds don't combine." He glanced at Xander. "Except in certain areas."

"Yup," Xander said, shooting Marilyn a grin. "The demon bank we use gives us great interest rates."

"They're much nicer than your other bank too," Oz pointed out. Giles just shook his head. "Headache?"

"No, being caught in the middle," Giles sighed. "Father, I know how important it is to keep the two worlds apart, but in this day and age, you really can't do that like you used to. The world is getting smaller and the demons have had to come out into it so to speak. It's more a matter now of protecting both sides from each other. The humans are very vicious when they discover a demon in their midst."

Xander nodded, swallowing fast. "While I was visiting my adoptive family, there was a lot of discussion over the increased violence towards demons who were only trying to live peacefully. Even against some children." He cut up his lasagna some more and took a bite, chewing slowly. "I think," he said after swallowing, "that we have a duty to become a barrier between the two communities now, or maybe a buffer. That might be the most important job a Slayer will have in the future."

Leslie thought for a second, then nodded. "I can see that, but we still have to teach Marilyn how to protect the humans."

Marilyn smiled at him. "Yeah, but protecting the humans can still make me a buffer between the two communities, Leslie. I can still protect the humans while acting as a buffer. I'll have to learn the different sort of demons and what their average behaviors are, but I think I can do that. That's more my area of interest anyway."

He nodded to her. "All right, then we'll start on that with you."

"I can help with that," Wesley spoke up. "I have been very active while out and about with Angel. Also, I believe Angel could help her. He and Spike are very knowledgeable about the various types of demons and what you can expect from them. Also, Spike happens to know many demon languages. She might be able to talk him into teaching her a few of them."

"I only know a few phrases in the most popular one," Xander admitted with a grin.

"Including 'Watch out, that's the Slayer'," Oz pointed out.

"In eight," Xander said proudly. He winked at Marilyn. "So, how about it? Can we drag you to LA and have Angel and Spike give you a crash course in demonology?"

"Perhaps we should call first," Giles pointed out gently. "They might be in the middle of a case."

Wesley got up and walked over to the phone. "Xander, may I call home?"

"Go ahead," Oz said. He looked at Giles' father again, giving him a bland look. "So, what were you going to teach her first, before we ganged up on her?"

Leslie laughed. "Oh, dear, now I can see why my boy likes you so much." He smiled at Xander. "And I must say, you're nothing at all like what I imagined you to be."

"Nope, I'm not," Xander said politely. He looked at Giles. "After supper, you owe me a sparring session."

"Of course," Giles said, giving him a grateful smile. "Where's your new sword?"

"My katana's in the bedroom. Or we could use staffs. Your choice." Xander finished his dinner and pushed his plate back, smiling at Marilyn. "Giles still has to spar every day. He's still got a lot to learn, same as I do."

"Cool. You really fight with a sword?" she asked Giles. Who nodded. "Wow. Can you teach me?"

"I can show you the basics," Leslie told her.

"Or I could," Oz suggested. "I have got a lot of experience with them." He looked at Marilyn's plate. "Finish eating and we'll do sparring lessons out on the front lawn. It's more like what you're going to be fighting on."

"Except in clubs," Xander pointed out. "Buffy did a lot of that, and in the alleys behind them."

"That's because the local vamps liked the music and clubs are easier to hunt in," Oz pointed out. "But yeah, Marilyn, clubbing is an essential part of your job in this day and age." He gave her a slight smile. "There's a lot of people so if one disappears, they aren't noticed for a good few hours."

"Primo hunting ground," Xander tacked on.

"Just don't fall into the fashion trap Buffy did," Giles sighed, giving his men a hard look. "The outfits she used to wear," he said, shaking his head.

"She only ended up topless once," Xander pointed out.

"She did?" Leslie said, shocked.

"Well, yeah, but it was one of those little tops that wasn't much more than a band-aid and a few straps." He shrugged then turned his attention back to the girl. "Get good clubbing clothes, but make sure you can fight in them."

"That was one thing Faith always had," Oz said quietly. "She was always ready to fight in whatever she wore."

Xander shut up and looked down. "True," he agreed quietly. "She was always ready to fight. No matter what she wore."

Oz leaned over and whispered something in Xander's ear, making him nod and relax. "I think we should go sit down and let dinner settle so we can spar. Xander, I think your sword needs to be found."

"I think we'll work with staffs tonight," Giles said quickly. "I'm not really in the mood, especially not with the agents that showed up earlier." He pushed his chair back and smiled down at Marilyn as he stood up. "Come, let's go check on the animals. It's my night to do so." He walked out of the room, with her following behind him.

"Boys," Leslie said once they were alone, "I'm sorry if Faith was a touchy subject, I had no idea of what she has done to this group." He stood up and followed his son out of the room.

Oz leaned over to kiss Xander on the cheek. "We okay now?"

"Yeah," he sighed, looking at his husband and giving him a weak smile. "She just brings up some bad memories and I don't like to dwell on them." He took Oz's hand to squeeze. "Thank you for bringing me out of them."

"Hey, anytime," Oz told him, giving him a smile. "Go find the staffs. I know Giles doesn't know where they are." Xander got free and jogged out of the room, leaving him alone. Oz lost his smile and took a deep breath to calm down. Xander wasn't the only one with bad memories of Faith. He shook himself out of them and got up, going to help Giles with the puppies.

***

Giles backed away from Xander, leaning on his staff to catch his breath. "My, you're vicious tonight," he complained, glaring at his husband. Xander gave him a slight shrug. "I have actually been practicing, Xander. You don't need to kick my ..." He glanced at his father. "Rear."

Oz walked over and gave Giles a hug. "You just need some more time with our love bunny," he said quietly. "You know he has more stamina than you do."

"I had forgotten how much," Giles sighed, bowing to Xander. "I concede, you win this time." Xander grinned at him and jogged over to give him a hug too. "Thank you. Now go terrorize Marilyn for a bit." Xander jogged over there, picking up the short staff Oz had dropped to start working with her. "Oz, what's he doing now?"

"Standing there watching you with an odd look," Oz told him. He patted Giles on the back. "Ready to go with me?"

"Not really," Giles complained. "Do we have to do this tonight?"

"The only way to gain stamina is to practice and build it," Oz noted, going for Xander's staff. He twirled it around a few times and motioned Giles over. "Come on. I'll kiss all the bruises later."

Giles sighed but he walked over and took up a fighting stance, ready for Oz's attack.

***

Xander rolled over and hugged Giles, snuggling into his chest. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly, not wanting to wake Oz up; after all, he had spent a lot of energy wearing Oz out so he could sleep. "We can cuddle."

Giles stroked through Xander's hair, taking comfort from the simple action. "I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop I think. He's never been this nice before. Even the minor argument we had over dinner was much more calm and reasonable than we've ever had over that subject. We've always fought tooth and nail over every little thing."

"And now he wants to stop fighting and appreciate having a grown child," Xander told him, letting Giles continue what he was doing. "Maybe he's here to make amends. Maybe he's ready to see you as an adult. You never know, maybe he's here to apologize for some of those other fights."

Giles chuckled. "Xander, if I had that sunny of an outlook on my father, we would have parted long ago and never talked again."

"Didn't you?" Xander asked. "I've never seen you call him. You never talk about him." He looked up. "Haven't you already parted?"

"Yes, we have," Giles agreed, "and not on good terms. Maybe you're right, this is my chance to work it out with him. The Gods know he's getting older ever day." He rolled into Xander's body, cuddling him tightly. "Thank you, Xander. What are you doing tomorrow?"

"I'm going to go to my new room and redecorate it for my unique tastes," he said with a smile into his husband's chest. "Then I'm going to set up shop in there and think up very wicked ideas for everyone." He looked up. "Can I count on you as a test subject?" he asked with a naughty grin.

"Of course," Giles said, returning the smile. "I'm always ready to try out new things for you. Though, I would ask that you remember I'm not as flexible as you are." He gave Xander a squeeze. "Go to sleep, precious, it's time. I'll help you figure out what you want in your room tomorrow." Xander nodded and scrubbed his face against his chest, making Giles smile at the homey feeling. "I will miss this when I go back in a few weeks," he whispered.

"If you leave before I start writing, I'm gonna pout," Xander warned.

"I have to get back, but only for a few more weeks," Giles promised, rolling his eyes at the dissatisfied grunt. "I'm sorry, Xander, but I really did find someone I need to talk to. I really should be leaving tomorrow."

Xander looked up at him. "If you leave, you have to promise to come back to me and you have to promise that you're gonna edit *everything* that I write."

"Of course," Giles said quickly, giving him another squeeze. "Now go to sleep, Xander. It's long past time when we should be asleep." He closed his eyes and pulled Xander just a little closer, hugging him tightly.

"Night," Xander said, yawning. "I'll make you help me clean the kitty gyms tomorrow before you leave."

Giles rolled his eyes but he was smiling as he fell asleep.

***

Xander walked into the kitchen and gratefully accepted the cup of coffee the housekeeper was holding out. "Thanks, Henri," he murmured as he walked away.

"Put on some clothes," she called after him. "You have guests." She chuckled at the flip-off she was sent, shaking her head. "That boy," she sighed, going back to cleaning the top of the stove. A few minutes later, she looked up in shock as she heard a scream, running back to where Xander had just made the horrible sound. She stopped when she saw the condition of the animals' playroom, looking around at all the mess. "It wasn't like this when I got in," she told him, patting him on the back. She got out of Oz's way, staying clear of his sword. "It really wasn't."

Oz nodded, letting her go. "We'll deal." He shoved Xander, making him look at him. "Check all the animals and put them in the living room," he ordered. "We'll need to figure out where this came from." He looked up. "When did the ceiling fall in?" he asked, pointing.

Xander looked up and frowned. "It was fine yesterday." He walked out to the front door, finishing off his coffee. "Henrietta, didn't you rearm the alarm when you came in?" he yelled.

"Yes, I did, and after Mr. Giles' father walked outside earlier," she called. She walked out. "Though, it did go off for a second but by the time I got to the control panel, it was all right again, but not set." She shrugged.

Oz nodded. "Okay. Help Xander move the animals. I'm going to search the house. If Giles comes down, tell him that I'm searching and to guard you guys." He walked away, heading for the far end of the house to start his search there.

Henrietta went to help Xander move and count the animals, helping him calmed her too.

Oz growled as he found the man hiding in Xander's sewing room, pulling him out of the closet and putting the sword he carried against the stranger's throat. "Who are you?" he hissed. "Speak now or be in pieces."

"I'm an FBI agent," he gasped, trying not to get cut deeper by the sharp sword. "My ID's in my pocket." Oz reached for it. "My boss told me to come search the house," he whined.

Oz glared at him and tossed the badge back at him. "We'll see about this. The warrant you tried to serve was in the wrong name and now you're violating our rights." He walked over to Xander's phone and dialed Ray's new cellphone number, frowning when he didn't get an answer. He tried Methos' cellphone and got an answer, a grumpy, pissed off one. "It's me and I need Ray," he said when the grousing stopped. "We have an uninvited guest." He grunted and hung up, turning to find the Agent still in the same spot on the floor, with a wet spot growing under him. "Eww," he complained. "I should make you clean that up."

"Please don't kill me," he begged.

"Huh?"

"My boss said you were mafia," he whined.

Oz shook his head. "That was the *former* occupants, not us. I'm a computer programmer and my husbands are researchers." He walked over to stare down at the errant man. "Did you really think we were the former occupants? They were a man and a *woman*, not three men with a lot of animals." He looked over as Xander walked into the room, stopping him from touching him. "Is everyone okay?" he asked quietly.

Xander nodded. "Mostly. We're going to have to give everyone baths at the groomers to make sure none of the insulation hurt them." He glared down at the man kneeling on the floor. "I will tell you this *once*," he hissed, getting free of Oz to walk over and tip his head up. "You hurt my animals. You hurt my house. If I see you again, I will kill you. *No* one touches what's mine and gets away with it *twice*." He let the man's chin go and stepped back. "We may not be who you think we are, but I will do my best impersonation of the Godfather if I see another of you back here." He turned and left, going to crate his animals up and bring them to people who could make sure they were all right.

Oz nodded once Xander was gone. "You're lucky, I'm the cold one." He crossed his arms and waited for Ray to show up and arrest him.

***

Ray walked into the manor house and stopped in the animal's room when he saw the mess, whistling. "Someone's got to have paid for that," he muttered as he walked back to Xander's sewing room, where he could hear voices. "Hey," he said, leaning in the doorway. "My boss said I could arrest him and we might be able to charge him, but it probably won't stick."

"As long as somewhere in the court statements it states they tried to serve a false warrant," Oz said with a shrug. "Get him out of here so I can clean the carpet before Xander gets back. He's already promised this guy a bad death if he sees him again." He got out of Ray's way, watching as he was arrested. "Please," he said, stopping Ray by putting a hand on his arm. "Make them see that couple isn't us?"

"I'll try," Ray promised, walking the Agent out of the house and out to his car.

Oz looked at the carpet and shook his head. "That's gonna stain," he complained, going to get some cleaning supplies.

***

Xander strode into the Police Station, glaring at the officer that tried to stop him on his way to the Captain's office. He tapped politely but walked in immediately, glaring at the man standing behind the desk. "You let him go?" he hissed, slamming the door. "That man constitutes a threat to my home and you let him go?"

"We had to," the Captain said quickly.

"Goody," Xander purred, his eyes narrowing. "If I see him on our property again, then you can come pick up a body." He turned and stormed back out, heading out to his car. He was stopped by Ray. "What?"

"Xander, calm down. They're not comin' back," he said quietly, trying to calm him down. "His boss was yelled at by their boss and they were told to leave you alone."

"Yay! Do you think that someone saying so would stop people like them? It didn't stop them when the law wasn't on their side. What makes you think that a boss will stop them?"

"Because he's got some authority behind him," Ray said quietly, pulling Xander over to the car to sit him on the hood. "Xander, there's some major people behind you on this. The threats weren't necessary. We all knew that you were willing to kill the man just from how he came in."

"That was Oz," he admitted. "But I will not allow him back onto my property."

"Okay," Ray agreed quickly. "That's good. But he won't be comin' back. I promise ya, he won't be comin' back, not if he wants to keep his job, which is his life. I've seen his type, if they lose their jobs, they're lost for good. You're not worth his life."

"I don't care!" Xander complained, getting free of the comforting grip. "I don't want him back at my house, and I don't want to see him ever again. If I do, I'm gonna do something very bad and mean to him." He glared at the cop that stopped when he said that. "Go away," he growled. The cop's eyes widened and he walked into the station. "Ray, I will tell you this *once*. I will not allow that ... man," he spat, "back onto my property. If he shows up again, you're going to be getting an official call to come clean up the body. I don't care if I go to jail for a few years, it's worth it." He walked around and got into his car, speeding away.

Ray shook his head and went in to talk to his boss. This was going to take more a delicate touch than he had and his boss had more experience with calming enraged people.

***

Xander walked out onto his front porch with the hand-held crossbow, pointing it at the ground between the agent that just gotten out of the car's feet. "I warned you," he said. "Get off my property." He glanced at the man getting out of the car, but his attention came back to the man in front of him. "Now, or I'm gonna send one your way."

The man who had gotten out of the car cleared his throat. "Mr. Harris, I'm Special Agent Mullens. I'm over his unit, and we've come to apologize to you for the recent invasion of your home."

"*Illegal* invasion," Xander ground out. "I refuse to be a victim to a system that I pay for."

"And we understand that," Agent Mullens agreed quickly. "Please, Mr. Harris, put down the crossbow."

"Aren't those illegal?" the first agent sneered. He flinched as a bolt landed between his feet.

"And I'm a *very* good shot," Xander told him, turning up the heat of his glare. He looked at the Agent in charge again, giving him a cold look. "I told you not to let him back up here. Didn't you get the message?"

"Oh, I did," Agent Mullens said with a grimace. "All the way from the top actually. We only came today so Agent Baker could apologize to you for his earlier actions."

"Yay," Xander said coldly. "A letter would have done it for me." He crossed his arms and looked at Agent Baker. "Well? I'd like you to be gone before my lovers get back."

Agent Mullens shoved Agent Baker, making him stumble. "Ah. Yeah. I'm sorry, Mr. Harris. I was mistaken about you being the former owners. I was also wrong to send in that agent to search your house." He looked down. "I really am sorry." He looked up at the cold laughter. "What?"

"If it was any less sincere, there'd be snow in Hell." Xander looked at Agent Mullens. "I'm not holding this against you, but get him off my property before I lose control."

Agent Baker stepped forward and a bolt went between his thighs. "Mr. Harris," Agent Mullens protested.

"What? I warned him," Xander said coldly. "Get him out of here or the next one goes through his balls."

Agent Mullens nodded. "I understand completely. Please, you have *my* heartfelt apologies." He pulled Agent Baker back, shoving him toward the car. "Go, now," he hissed. "Mr. Harris, if I may have a word for you?" he asked, stepping forward. Xander shrugged so he pulled out a paper from his pocket. "If you wouldn't mind signing this," he said politely, holding it out from a relatively safe distance. "It's a letter saying you won't sue us for this."

Xander took the paper and sat on the porch, reading it. "I'll have to discuss this with my husbands," he said, looking up. "Like I said, I have no problems with you, you seem like you follow the law and you do your job. Yeah, I could have understood it if we had just been mixed up with the last owners, but you put them in prison over a year ago." He folded the paper back up. "I'll present this when they get back and send it back to you one way or another in three days time." He walked into the house and shut the door.

Agent Mullens breathed a sigh of relief as he walked back to his car, getting into the back and nodding for his driver to go on.

Xander sat in the living room, watching the car pull away. He looked over at Henrietta, who came in from the kitchen. "They want us to promise not to sue," he said, handing over the paper.

She snickered. "Of course. They don't need the bad publicity."

"We don't need it at all," Xander said quietly. "Not with our lives." He looked at her. "Have you ever felt so dirty because you knew you had to do something that wasn't really right?"

She shook her head, but she wouldn't look at him. "No, I've always tried to do what was right."

He reached over and patted her on the arm. "It's okay. Sometimes we don't have a clear path to what's right." He took the paper back and went back to planning what to do with his room. "Tell Giles to come find me when he gets back," he said as he left the room.

Henrietta pulled her mind away from her son's problems and went back to scrubbing the bathtubs and sinks. It helped her to work her thoughts out while she scrubbed things very hard.

***

Oz looked up as Xander tapped on the office door, saving what he was working on so he could focus on him. "Hey," he said, turning so he could pat his lap and get cuddles. "What's wrong?" Xander handed him the paper, which made him grunt and grab a pen. "It sucks," he agreed, sensing the silent debate his young husband was going through. "It's better this way though."

"If you say so," Xander said, taking the pen to sign his name. "Where's Giles?"

"About ready to pack and leave. I think he had to run out for something from the store. He should be back soon. I'll make sure he signs it if you want." Xander nodded, cuddling into his body. "Shh, I know. It sucks but it is for the best."

"I know." Xander was quiet for a few minutes. "Oz, the guy in charge said he got orders to leave us alone from the higher ups."

"Wow." Oz shrugged as he wrapped his arms around Xander's waist. "That's impressive. I feel kinda honored. And scared."

"Me too," Xander said softly. "Should we worry?"

"No, I don't think so," Oz said, giving him a pat on the rear. "I think we'll be okay. And if we're not, we can disappear within a day." He gave Xander a squeeze. "I'm rewriting my will. Want to help?" Xander shook his head violently. "I didn't think so. Why don't you tell me what you're planning for your new room?"

"I was thinking some of those tapestries we found that I've been storing and maybe some pretty draping over nice paint. Some soft furniture and low lighting." He looked up. "Would you like to help me?"

"Sure. Just not for another hour, okay? I swore I'd get this done today." Xander looked pained. "Not for any reason, just to get it done." He gently shoved Xander off his lap. "Go watch the puppies for an hour and I'll come help you afterwards." Xander gave him a light kiss and left, much happier now. Oz forced himself to go back to rewriting his will, arguing with himself about who should get what and out of all he had, what should Methos get for all the years they had been friends.

***

Xander looked up from his new couch, smiling at Giles' father. He was still here, even though Giles had left almost three weeks earlier, training Marilyn and her Watcher. He put aside his laptop and uncurled from his oversized chair, giving the older man an interested look. Giles' father wasn't *so* bad, just a little set in his ways, something he and Oz had been trying to help him get over. "What's up?" he asked, pointing at the soft, fire-colored couch. He noticed the older man looked uncomfortable as he sat down, but he also tried very hard not to look at the tapestries hanging around the room that depicted sexual acts. "What's wrong, Leslie?" he asked again, when the older man had stayed silent for a few minutes.

"Xander," he started, then cleared his throat. "Young man," he started again, more formally this time, "I know that you love my husband, but is all this really necessary?"

Xander snickered. "Leslie, this is who I am. I'm sorry if you don't approve, but Giles has known what I am and what I've been." He raised one eyebrow at the stunned look. "He knew when I got back. We've talked about it, especially before we started to sleep together." He curled up again. "I'm sorry if *you* don't approve of my *past*, but I can't help that. That's all on you."

"No, actually it's more a concern about you and your intentions toward my son." He looked at the young man, frowning at him. "My son will live a long time."

"And so will I," Xander retorted. "Oz found a way for me to stay with them for as long as they're alive." He examined his nails. "I know you're worried about your son's future, but I'm actually a very decent man, my past notwithstanding. That was a one-time exploit to find myself and there's no reason for you to hold that against me. That whole incident has made me the man I am today," he said, waving a hand around the room. "If I hadn't found myself, Giles and I wouldn't be together. Actually, if I hadn't found myself, I'd probably be dead," he said quietly, looking back up again. "Because of that incident, I stopped fighting in every battle. I stopped being the White Knight I was and started being the person who actually saw the other sides of life."

"Which you drew my son into," Leslie said coldly.

Xander snorted, then started to laugh. "Me? Giles was gay *long* before I got to him. He was sleeping with Ethan Rayne for quite a while before he came back to the Watchers. It's your fault he felt uncomfortable and had to hide what he was." Xander gave Giles' father a smile. "I know that you only want what's best for your son, but I'm it. I keep him happy and safe, same as I do with Oz."

"Then why isn't he here now?" Leslie said, losing some of his coolness. "Why isn't he with his family?"

"Because he needs some time with is other love, research. We understand that so we let him go, but he comes back to us each and every time. We've worked out a very pleasant arrangement, he goes to study for at the most a month and then he spends an equal amount of time at home. It works for us," he said with a one-sided shrug.

"My son would never be with a man who could top him," Leslie explained. "He's always been closer to women who were weaker."

"I think, if you'd look at your son's former lovers and girlfriends, then you'd see that some of that weakness was an act for you, which I refuse to do. I'm sorry if you don't approve of me, but I won't let you get between us. Not even to make him miserable, which you would if you tried to break us up."

"What about giving him a family?" Leslie asked.

Xander shook his head. "Immortals are infertile," Xander said quietly. "He never would have had one, no matter if he was with a woman or not."

"He could have adopted," Leslie thundered, standing up to loom over Xander.

"And he still can," Xander pointed out calmly. "Gay couples do it all the time in this state. By the time he's ready, maybe most of the rest of the world will recognize that we're not bad too." He stood up, forcing Leslie back some. "Listen to me, Leslie Bertram Giles, if you try to harm your son by taking him away from me or Oz, I will make your life a living hell. I will take away everything that you still hold dear by exposing Marilyn, and ever other Slayer I can find, to the truth that you don't want to show them. I will make sure that you are pointed out as the reason that the girls die, because you refuse to acknowledge the new realities of modern life. And then I will personally come and financially ruin you and the rest of your family, and give everything to my Rupert." He crossed his arms. "No matter what you think, Giles is mine and is going to stay mine. So is Oz. There is *nothing* on *any* plane that can take either of them away from me, not even you as his father."

Leslie nodded. "That's fine, but if you go back to your whoring ways...."

Xander laughed. "Me? I've left that life *far* behind. I only did it for *six* weeks, and that was to find myself."

"You still know the people who you used to service."

"Yeah, and one of them is half of the couple that's staying with us right now, he taught me how to enjoy my body and became one of my dearest friends. Unlike *some* people, sex for me isn't about monetary exchanges and being bored while acting like I'm not. For me, it was an exploration of who and what I am." He looked Leslie over. "Maybe, if you actually started to enjoy your body and everything it can do, then you might find out that sex isn't about money or about marriage." He sat down and curled up in his chair again. "Now then, do you have anything else you wanted to say to me before you left?"

"No," Leslie said, but he looked shocked. "You'd really do all that if I talked to my son about my concerns?"

"No, not if you talk to him about them. If you *force* him to do something because of them, then yes. And I'll enjoy doing it," Xander finished, staring into his eyes. "This is all on you, Leslie, and you need to fix it before Giles never speaks to you again. You already aren't that close and I can't remember the last time he called to talk to you." He pulled his feet back up beside him. "Face it, Leslie, you're getting older and you've only got so much time, same as Giles' does. You need to fix this before one of you dies." He picked back up his laptop. "Call him if you'd like, I'll even allow you to use the phone in my sewing room if it'd make you happy." He read over the last few lines he had written and fixed a grammatical mistake he had made before starting to write again. "Out. I can't think when I'm being stared at," he said after a few minutes. By the time he looked up, he was alone again. "And let's hope you took the hint," he sighed, starting on a new chapter.

Coming Home to Problems.

"Ya know," Ray said as he walked with Xander into the kitchen of the manor house, "ya'd think in six months we'd be able to find a house we *both* like, but *no*, not my Methos. Everything's so suburban and he hate's bein' 'part of the neighborhood'."

Xander snorted. "Trust me, there's not many neighborhood meetings around here." Xander picked up an orange and started to peel it. "Have you thought about the empty lots just down the hill from us? There's a lot of them and you could decide together what you wanted to go on it."

"Houses take *forever* to build," Ray sighed. "If it was that easy, I woulda suggested it long ago and gotten shot down." His face scrunched up while he thought. "Never mind, I did and I was shot down." He shrugged at the apologetic look. "We'll find somethin' and be outta your hair sometime this year," he said with a grin.

"Hey, we like you," Xander said, patting him on the side of the face. "You living here has been great for my writing." He winked at the shocked look. "Want to take a test read of a few chapters?"

"I'm an awful slow reader," Ray warned as he followed Xander back to his work room. He sat down on the soft, flame colored couch, the weave of the material holding every color that'd ever been in a flame. He took the laptop computer and blinked at the screen, pulling out his glasses to read the beginning two chapters. "How far along are you?"

"That's a surprise for supper," Xander giggled, waving at him. "I'm gonna go be naked in the sun, happy reading. Tell me if you find anything *glaringly* wrong." He jogged out, going out to swim in his pool.

Ray's mouth started to drool after a few pages and he wiped it off, continuing to read because he was sucked into the manual. By the time he managed to pull himself away, the dinner bell had just been rung. He wandered out to the dining room, hungry and eye sore, but wanting to give Xander the best blow job of his life for making him this hard. He grabbed Methos from his chair and continued walking, dragging him into the laundry room for a quickie. He had to do something about this, before the head on his shoulders exploded.

Methos looked at his lover as the door closed. "Read part of Xander's book?" he asked lightly.

"The whole thing," Ray croaked, his throat dry. "Sex, now!" he demanded, starting to take off his pants.

Methos chuckled and complied happily, allowing his Ray to take him this time, and loving every second of it.

Out in the dining room, Xander just smirked at his lovers. "As soon as they're done, I've got an announcement to make," he told them, passing along the thinly sliced pork steaks.

Oz swallowed. "Does this have something to do with why Ray looked like he was going to jump Meth at the table?"

Xander's impish grin got wider. "Maybe," he said slyly, dishing himself up some vegetables. He clapped when he heard Methos scream, giving Ray a standing ovation when he walked out with his lover. "Join us for a few minutes?"

Ray sat down and helped Methos into his chair, grinning at Xander. "I read it all, man, it was great!"

"Cool." Xander stood up and looked down at his family. "I've finished the sex manual."

Oz and Giles both hopped up and ran for Xander's room, going to find a way to print the thing out right then. Anything that could do that to Ray was something they wanted to read. Besides, even if it wasn't that satisfying, it gave Xander a major ego boost, which he could use. Oz hooked up the printer and checked the cartridges, then stuffed paper into it, nodding at Giles to hit the print command.

"What did I do?" Giles asked when the screen went blank.

Oz came over and hit a few commands, and the document came back. "I think this is it."

"I saved it," Xander said from the doorway, giving Giles a smile. "Even before I let Ray read it. The only thing that might not be saved was the dedication page, which is still probably at the back."

Oz flipped through it and nodded. "It's all here," he said, starting to print out the short book. "Not very long," he noted.

"Ten chapters, very condensed," Xander countered.

"And Ray started reading this when?" Oz asked.

"Um," Xander checked his watch. "I got my orange at about one. It's about six-thirty." He preened under Giles' fond smile. "I think you'll like it too." He walked back out to the table, sitting down to eat. He smirked at Ray. "No big errors?"

"No," he said, chewing and swallowing as fast as he could. "Not that I could see. But how do you get into some of those threesome positions? A reversed windmill?"

"That's why it's easier with three," Xander said knowingly. "Oz and I managed to get into that one by ourselves, but it was easier with Giles there. Lying between Oz's thighs with my face in the sheets while he was staring at the ceiling was hard without Giles there to help guide things into the proper positions." He handed over the plate of bread. "Here, you probably need some carbs."

Ray took a few slices with a smile, then groaned as his pager went off. "Damn work," he shouted, getting up to call in. He came back with a frown. "I get to go on a stakeout tonight," he complained. "The other guy's wife went into labor." He walked into the kitchen and got the largest tuperware container he could find, coming back to make himself a care package. "Oz, any chance I could get a copy to read again at work?" he called as he filled it.

"No!" Oz shouted. "Not yet. Wait until you get an official copy. Then spread it around." He walked out, reading his copy as he walked. He ran into his chair before he realized he was there, then sat down and ate while he read. "Needs a few grammar corrections," he noted.

"I know," Xander said patiently, winking at Ray. "Which chapter are you on?"

"The first. Which one has us?"

"The third. It seemed fitting."

"Ah." Oz looked up long enough to shoot his lover a grin. "I like so far."

"Cool." Xander pointed at the full plate. "Maybe you should eat, Oz. Ray, you be careful tonight and wear your vest for me?"

"Sure," he said, walking around to give Xander a hug. "I'm all for wearing a vest and bringin' a pillow right about now." He walked back to their room to get his gear together for his shift, taking his food with him so he could pack it in his bag.

Giles walked out, nose buried in the manuscript, his eyebrows going up and down and he read. "My, I'm very glad I'm getting a chance to read this now," he said as he sat down, absently picking up his water glass to take a drink. "Xander this is quite graphic." He looked over and saw the smirk. "But it is very informative."

Oz got to the next chapter and he gave Xander a helpless look. "A het section?"

"I wanted it to be inclusive of everybody. It's got tips in there that work for gay relationships too. Actually, almost everything is for everybody. You can take some of the positions for threesomes and modify it to make it two women and a man, or whatever."

"Cool. Broader appeal." Oz went back to reading, tearing through the manuscript as fast as he could.

Xander went back to enjoying his dinner, content that his men were at least trying to like what he had written.

***

Oz shoved Xander hard enough to wake him up, after having carefully put his copy of the book aside. By the time Xander's eyes were mostly open, Oz had his husband's cock down his throat in reward for writing something that arousing, and in punishment for writing something that arousing. "Naughty," he said, pulling out to look up at his husband. "Trying to make everyone horny enough to jump you." He licked over the swollen tip a few times then crawled up to steal his husband's breath. "I'm going to have to play bodyguard when you go out to sign copies." He took another kiss, rubbing his jean-clad lower half against Xander's naked one. "I'm gonna have to hire a team of bodyguards for you to keep the panting gay men and straight women from taking you from me."

Xander flipped them over, straddling Oz's still thrusting body. "So I take it you liked it?" he asked dryly. Oz growled and pounced on him, driving Xander backwards into the mattress. "Clothes," he gasped as Oz laved over the sensitive spots on his neck. "Clothes bad," he tried again.

"Clothes will be taken care of in a minute," Oz growled, letting Xander go once he had sucked a big, bright mark onto his neck. He stood up and stripped, then lay down on top of his mate again, kissing and licking his way down the firm body. "I'm never letting you out of this house again," Oz warned. "We can't afford the bodyguards." He made it back to the hard cock and swallowed it, sucking hard on his lover, wanting him to be as aroused as he was. He let it go with a wet 'pop' and searched around blindly for some of the lube Xander had bought.

"Drawer," Xander gasped, lifting his hips up. A bottle was tossed at them by Giles, who was trying to sleep. "Thanks." He was forcefully flipped over and some of the lube was abruptly stuck into him, and then Oz was slowly lowering himself into his body. "Oz," he groaned.

"You wrote a book that turned me on," Oz hissed in his ear. "And it's gonna get us hunted by gay men everywhere." He bit the earlobe as he drew back to push in, harder this time. "You wrote something that did this to me, Xander. How naughty you are." He let go of the earlobe with a little tug on it, then started to ride his husband hard and fast, working out all the arousal he had gotten from that book, the one he couldn't put down. By the time he was ready to cum, Xander was panting and wiggling beneath him, begging for him to get off. Oz leaned down and latched onto his husband's mouth, howling into it, then throwing his head back to continue the howl as he came, hard. He collapsed on top of Xander, panting. "I have never come that hard," he complained.

Xander patted him on the back. "It's okay," he said, smirking, even though he *knew* he was going to be sore. "I won't make you read the one for demons."

Oz looked up at him, glaring at him. "Bet me." He pushed himself up a little and looked down at the cock trapped between their bodies. "Can you finish that? I'm way too exhausted," he begged, hoping Xander wouldn't be pissed.

Xander grinned. "Cool! You've never been too tired to get me off before," he said in wonderment. "This is so cool." He reached down between them and gave himself a few strokes, coming between them. Then he pulled Oz back down. "You sleep, babe."

"We're facing the wrong way in the bed," Oz noted, his eyes starting to close. A pillow hit them and Xander tucked it under his head. "Thanks," Oz whispered, almost asleep, comfortable where he was.

Xander fell asleep with a grin on his face.

Downstairs, Methos looked up from reading off the laptop, one eyebrow raised. "Where does that boy come up with this?" he muttered, going back to his reading. Now he knew why his Ray had jumped him like that before dinner.

***

Xander tenderly sat in his chair at the table, making the housekeeper smile at him. "My Oz liked my book," he said with a goofy grin.

"So I can tell," she said, putting down some coffee and juice in front of him. "I've made pancakes, would you like some?"

"Please?" he asked in his best 'little boy' voice. "Thank you," he said as she set it down. "Giles is correcting my mistakes for me."

"I'm sure. Are you going to try and publish it?"

"Maybe," Xander said with a slight grin and a glance up the stairs. "Oz swore last night that I was going to need an army of bodyguards to keep me safe though," he whispered.

Henrietta snickered as she went back into the kitchen. "I'm sure he'll be able to hold them off all by himself. He's very protective of you."

"Yup," Xander said happily, cutting into his pancake. "Henrietta, is there any of the green sauce left?" She carried the little jar over. "Thanks." He drizzled a little bit all over the pancake then picked a bite up to eat it. "This is good," he moaned, wiping the syrup off his mouth.

"I was thinking," Oz said as he walked down to join him, "maybe you could bundle a pair of those peachskin thongs in with the book once it's published." He pushed the rhubarb sauce away from him. "Henrietta, have I told you what a wonderful woman you are?" he asked as she put a big stack of pancakes down in front of him.

"No, but I know you love me," she said, waving at them as she headed for the animals. "I'm going to play with the kittens, call if you need anything."

"Okay," Xander said between bites. "We could, but then we'd have to deal with the size issue. Unless I could find a way to make them tie on the sides," he considered.

"You'd still have to deal with a few different sizes," Oz pointed out. "It was just a thought, since you mentioned them and all in the book." He coughed. "When did we do that windmill thingy?"

"The night that you and I both got it at the same time," Xander told him. Oz's face lit up. "That's a reverse windmill. Me on my tummy between your legs and you lying facing up."

"Oh." Oz licked his lips. "Yeah, that definitely belonged in there." He swallowed hard. "Um, when are you thinking about shopping for a publisher?"

"As soon as Giles gives me corrections for it. I figure that's why he's reading so slowly."

"He likes to *savor* the words," Oz reminded him, purring the one word. "Next time, I'm doing the same." He picked up his juice and drained the glass. "Xander," he asked, making his mate smile and nod, "where did you get those ideas?" he squeaked.

"Like you keep saying, Oz, I have a very *naughty* mind." He finished off his pancake and stood up. "I'm going to go make sure Meth turned off my computer." He walked away, heading into his personal writing space. Oz needed to finish breakfast and he wouldn't be able to if Xander had stayed; Oz definitely wouldn't have been able to eat if he had stayed.

***

Xander accepted Giles' copy of the book back, looking at all the notations he had made. "That bad?" he asked, starting to pout.

"No, more parts of speech than anything," he said, patting Xander on the shoulder. "I'm sure it's easily fixed. You did get better as you went along." He sat down, looking at his husband. "Are you sure you want to put this out, Xander?" he asked quietly.

"If you want, I can wait until after you've told your father," Xander offered.

"That wasn't what I was thinking of, but yes, I probably should tell him before he sees it on the shelves." His grimaced cleared up after a second. "No, I was thinking that some of the items in there are rather...graphic. I'm not sure you can print some of those things."

"Yup, I can do that," Xander said, giving him a sly smile. "There's whole shelves in the bookstore with books like this. Some even have illustrations."

"Which this one doesn't at least," Giles sighed. "All right, I will stand behind you on this." He stood up. "If you need my help making more corrections, just let me know. I'm sure you'll be wanting a second draft of the story."

"Nope, I'm going to make corrections to this one and then shop it around. Why would I want a second draft? I thought it was pretty tight already."

"Oh, yes, it was," Giles said quickly, wanting to stave off any doubts Xander was starting to feel. "Most writers write a second draft after they've looked over the first."

"Nope, I combined all that into this one. I went back and reread all the new stuff each day and changed it then, and I've reread it twice since I finished. After I do another reread and make these corrections, then I'm going to try and get it published." He sucked on his bottom lip lightly. "That's okay, right?"

"That's fine," Giles agreed, giving him a smile. "You've managed to put the whole rewriting process into the first draft, and if you're happy with it, then I'd say go for it." He bent down and kissed Xander on the forehead. "Are you really writing one for demons?"

"Yup, for the human lovers of them, or for cross-species interactions. I know who I'm going to go through for that one. I'm not sure yet if they do human publishing though."

"You could always send an inquiry their way," Giles suggested as he left the room. He leaned against the hallway, eyes squeezed closed. "Please don't let my father see the second one," he whispered, then he gathered himself together and went back to the library to help Oz catalog all the books he had had in storage.

***

Xander tightened down the last fastener on his first official copy of his first book and looked up as Oz walked into his room to give him a kiss. "I checked," Xander told him, pulling him down to cuddle in the oversized chair. "I can bring in the manuscript and hand it over personally. They've got a department there which handles all sorts of materials."

"This would be the demon one?" Oz asked.

Xander nodded. "That way they could do the second one too and I wouldn't have trouble with it when it went out." He looked at his computer. "Actually, I'm almost finished with that one, so I was wondering if I should bring the first few chapters of that one too."

"You might want to if it makes you feel better," Oz suggested, cuddling into him. "What else were you going to do in LA?"

"Um, stop in and check on Willow and Wesley."

"Who make an adorable couple," Oz noted.

"Then I was going to get lunch somewhere and come straight home?"

"Sounds good to me. Want me to come along? I need to send out the program again, they didn't like the puce I chose for the background." He rolled his eyes. "I had a nice one the first time but they thought it was too boring."

"I hate to tell these idiots, but a solid color background on a program is very nice as long as it's not bright." He squeezed his husband a little. "Puce just wasn't nice, Oz. That would have been horrible to read on."

"I changed it to a nice, medium blue this time, one that still doesn't have graphics, and I'm including a note that says it's going out with this one or the original one, or it doesn't go out, citing those very same reasons." He nipped at Xander's neck. "Can I read the demon one?" he whispered.

"It's almost done. Give me another few weeks and I'll give it to you to proof read," Xander promised.

"Cool. How did you get two done at once?" Oz asked, pulling back to look at his husband.

"Easy, I didn't let anyone see the finished first one for a good month and a half," Xander snorted. He smiled when his husband's fingers ran through his hair. "I wanted it to be good enough to be read so I was scared of showing it to you. And I started on the second one in my head back when I was in New York. It was a list of how to please my clientele the best."

"Ah." Oz nodded wisely. "Still cool. You know," he said, stealing a kiss, "I would have wanted to read it, even if it was crap." He stood up. "Never be afraid to show something to me, Xander. I'll always give you my honest opinion of it." He held out a hand. "Come on, let's take this to LA and maybe start you on the road to being a published author." Xander allowed himself to be pulled up and packed his briefcase with both books, and followed Oz out to the car.

***

Xander sat down for his second interview with the editor, giving him a hopeful smile. His name had gotten him the first interview with the editor, and they'd had the first book and the first three chapters of the second for over a week now. "You liked it?"

"We actually liked it a lot, Mr. Harris, but it's not really our sort of book." He held up a hand at the disappointed look. "But I have passed it on to someone at another publishing house who I know does this sort of book. Also, I read the first few chapters of the second one," he stopped to smile, "which had things I never knew in it. We would like to see you finish that one."

"But won't there be a problem?" Xander asked. "If I give you the second one and...." he stopped at the laughter. "No?"

"No, most first time authors aren't given multi-book deals. No matter how good it is. Also, we do have an agreement with this other publishing house for it's submitted demon texts. We found it makes it easier in the long run." He patted the papers before him, a small pile. "When you finish this one, I would like to see it. All right?" he asked, standing up to shake Xander's hand.

Xander shook it, grinning. "When will I know if they accept it?"

"I gave them the information sheet you gave us. It usually takes a week for anything to make it to a submission editor to be looked at. So maybe two weeks at the most." He smiled again. "Good luck, Mr. Harris, and like I said, please finish this second one and bring it back to us."

Xander grinned and almost danced out of the office, going down to the car. "They want the second one," he said happily, giving Oz a hug.

"What about the first?"

"They've got an agreement with another place and they sent it over there. I should know in about two weeks whether or not it's getting a second reading." Xander wiggled in his seat. "Home to celebrate?"

"How about a really good dinner out to celebrate and then we go home and finish the celebration," Oz suggested, laying a hand on his husband's thigh as he started the car.

"Okay," Xander said, making it easy. "Here or at home?"

"Here. But I have to stop in with Wesley and give him something for Marilyn. Deal?"

"Deal, but I'd rather eat nearer to home. The long drive back might just be too much."

"Okay," Oz agreed, smiling as he pulled out into the street. "We'll eat back in Sunnydale."

Xander's cellphone rang and he answered it. "Hello?" he asked, listening to the gravely voice on the other end. "Yeah, Wes, we're on our way there right now. Give us...."

"Twenty in this traffic to the office," Oz supplied.

"Are you at the office?" He shook his head. "Where? UCLA Medical Center?"

"Fifteen if I break a few speeding laws," Oz said, turning the sports car around and heading that way, ignoring the honks behind him.

"Fifteen minutes, Wes, okay?" He hung up and put the phone away. "Someone attacked Marilyn at her apartment."

"Crap," Oz sighed, hitting the wheel with the hand he took off Xander's thigh. "Okay, call Meth and tell him we might not be back tonight."

Xander dialed home and sighed when he got the machine. "Meth, it's us. Wes needs us, something happened to Marilyn." He pulled the phone away as he heard a click. "That was odd. The machine hung up on us."

"Try his cell. Or Ray's."

"I'll try his, Ray might be in the middle of something." Xander dialed Methos' cellphone, grunting when he got an answer. "Are you at home? No, because I just tried to leave you a message on our machine and it hung up on me. Yeah, it's important. Marilyn got jumped at her apartment and Wes needs us. No, we're not sure yet. But can you please go check back at the house? Really?" He grinned at Oz. "They found a house, they're having a picnic on the rug."

"Congrats," Oz said loudly. "Go check on the house for us, Meth."

"Please?" He grinned and hung up. "He'll be up there in an hour." Xander put his phone away and rested his head on Oz's shoulder. "She's okay from what he said. Badly beaten but not dead."

"Which is always of the good," Oz agreed. "Xander, got a funny feeling, but call your brother's office."

Xander pulled back out his cellphone and turned it on, answering it as it rang. "Yeah?" He sighed. "Micah, I was about to call you. Oz had a funny feeling... Oh, really? Gee, that's not nice of them. No, I'll get them later myself." He hung up and dialed Methos' phone as fast as he could. "Don't leave," he called as soon as it was answered. "Or if you do, take a few of Ray's coworkers with you. No, a demon got really pissed that we've worked with a Slayer. He declared vengeance on us for it. Because Faith got his brother or something." He listened for a few seconds. "No, I don't think that they would, but please, be careful?" He hung up. "Micah said that..."

"Heard that part," Oz admitted. "Do you know this demon?"

"No, but I know that Micah's pissed enough to start a family war over it. Two of the family's guardians are going after this particular demon. Oh, and Faith's out of jail," he said dryly. "This happened last night."

"Goody," Oz said dryly. "Did she go after Marilyn?"

"Maybe, Micah wasn't sure about that part. Which he admitted. How much longer?"

"Ten." Oz pulled up the hill to head up to UCLA, swearing as he saw the blue lights come on behind him. He pulled over and got out, going back to talk to the officer. "Listen, one of our friends just called, a girl that we've been helping on and off is in the hospital. We're headed up there right now to check on them. If you're going to write us a ticket, do it fast."

The officer looked him over. "You're mouthy," he said with a glare.

"No, I'm in a hurry. You'd be in one too if someone beat up one of your friends, especially if she's a minor."

"Oh, a *friend*?"

Xander got out and looked back at the officer. "Officer, is my *husband* giving you problems? I'll gladly take over driving if necessary."

The officer glared at him. "Back in the car, now."

"Bite me," Xander said, pointing a finger at him. "You have no right to tell me where to stand. Not even during a traffic stop. And if you don't just give us the damn ticket, we're going to leave. Oz?"

"Coming."

"Who do you think you are!" the cop yelled, grabbing Oz and pushing him down against the trunk. "I think I smell drugs."

"Then you'd better arrest us," Xander said calmly. "'Cause if you try to search us here, then I'm going to have it noted in the court records while we sue you that you're harassing us because we're gay."

The officer glared at him. "That won't work in this town."

Xander shrugged. "It's my right to try. And I will if you try crap like that. Oz?"

"Coming," Oz said, getting free. "I'll gladly take the ticket, man, you didn't have to make it personal." He noted the guy's badge number for future reference and leaned against his door. "Your choice, man. We've got to be somewhere to support a friend."

"I'll call him," Xander said, pulling his cellphone out slowly, he really didn't want to be shot today. He dialed the number he had for Wesley, then shrugged when he got an 'out of service' message. "Do you know the number for UCLA's Intensive Care Unit?" he asked the officer.

The officer pulled out his ticket book and wrote one out, snatching the license Oz held out to finish it. "Oh, out of towners," he sighed. "No wonder." He handed the book over, and Oz signed it, then tore them off their copy and gave it to Oz with his license. "Go away," he growled, getting back into his car and storming off.

Xander slid back into his seat and took the ticket, writing the number from the car on it. He handed it to Oz as he slid in and watched as Oz wrote the badge number on it, and then they were on their way again.

***

Wesley looked up as Oz and Xander walked up to him, standing up to get their hugs. "What took you so long?"

"Fight with a cop," Oz said, sitting down so he could force Wesley to sit beside him. "What happened?"

"This demon," he said quietly, glancing at the nurses at the desk. "He came to her building and trashed her apartment. She walked in on it."

Xander sat down on his other side. "Did he mention anything about Faith?" Wesley looked stunned but nodded. "See, someone's declared war on me personally because we worked with girls like Marilyn. We have someone up checking the house for us."

"What would Faith have to do with this?" Wesley asked.

"Micah said she got out last night and killed this guy's brother. That's why he's coming after me and went after Marilyn." Xander patted Wesley on the arm. "How is she?"

"Better than expected. Her speed healing is serving her well this time. I tried to call your house but I got hung up on by your machine."

"Yup, me too," Xander told him. He stood up and glanced around, then walked over to where the nurses were standing. "Hi, we're here to be with a young woman named Marilyn. Is there any way we can go in and see her soon?"

"Are you family?"

"No, we had custody of her for a few weeks though," Xander told her, giving him a winning smile. "See, she's technically in limbo about custody right now. She stayed with us for a few weeks."

"We've already called Children's Services," the nurse said, checking the chart. "They thought she was a runaway when she came in last night."

"It was for a good cause, and she ran out to come live with me," Wesley said, coming over. "She's my niece. I'm having some forms faxed over from our attorney in England as we speak." He looked at Xander. "He watched her for me until I could get myself settled and able to handle having someone her age in my life."

"Ah." The nurse held up a finger and went to talk to an older woman, who shrugged. She came back and smiled. "I don't see the harm in it. Do you know where her mother lives?"

"Somewhere on the other coast I believe," Wesley said bluntly. "Marilyn has said that they had a fight about her mother's boyfriends. May I go in?"

"One at a time for ten minutes max," she said, pointing at the door. "The Social Worker won't be here for another hour or so." She watched as Wesley hurried in there, looking at Oz. "You two are together?" Oz nodded. "Ah. A stable relationship?"

"Yeah, a very stable one," Xander said, taking Oz's hand. "We're going to be together for a *very* long time." They walked back to the chairs to wait on Wesley.

***

Xander walked into the main police station in LA and gave the woman behind the desk a weary smile. "Who do I make a complaint to about an officer's conduct?" he asked. She pointed at a form so he took one and filled it out, attaching a copy of the ticket to it. "His information's on there," he told her as he handed it back in. "Thank you." He walked out, going back to his car. He got in to drive, Oz was asleep in the passenger's seat.

"Where did you go?" Oz whispered, reaching out to touch Xander's hand.

"I went in to fill out a complaint form."

"They'll have to look at our background," Oz warned.

"And they'll see what, Oz?" Xander asked tiredly. "That we live together, we pay taxes, and we have some money saved up. Nothing else is in the official records."

"Point, but if this goes south, we might have to ditch Sunnydale," Oz warned, sitting up a little bit.

"As long as we can take the animals, we can sneak everything else out after a few weeks," Xander said reasonably. He pulled out into a lull in the early morning traffic, heading for home.

Xander gave the cop car sitting in front of the house a dirty look but walked inside past the cop sitting on it. "Ray?" he called, bringing their friend running. "What happened?"

"The alarm started going off an hour ago," Ray told him, leading him into the living room. "I checked the animals first," he said when Xander opened his mouth. He held up a little metallic device. "Know what this is?"

"A reason to kill someone in the FBI?" Oz suggested as he walked in.

"That's what my boss said too," Ray said, giving him a hug. "How's Marilyn?"

"Okay enough," Oz temporized. "She might be screwed with Social Services though. She's a runaway," he said at Ray's blank look.

"Oh. Man, that sucks." Ray scratched his scalp. "That being fixed?"

"Yeah, it is," Xander told him, reaching up to pat him on the stomach. "Give us the rest of the bad news."

"Henrietta isn't able to be contacted," Ray said quietly. "Do you know her home number?"

"We have it on file, but I think it's a neighbor's and they speak Spanish. That's the one she gave us on her resume anyway," Oz said thoughtfully. "I can go find that."

"All right, but one more thing," Ray said, stopping him from getting up. "We found this sucker on your machine, Oz. Xander, we found one on yours too, but yours wasn't connected to the internet."

"It hardly ever is," Oz sighed, looking at his mate. "Have you been online since you started writing?"

"Once, when I sent an inquiry email to the publisher's." Xander's face scrunched up. "Is there any way to check and see if we've been hacked? Oz has a secure connection but I just plug into any phone line."

"We actually have a shield on the whole house," Oz told him. "I just have an extra firewall between myself and the 'net because of the programming stuff." He got up and walked into the office, nodding at the officer sitting at his desk. "Did you know some of the guys in LA are assholes?" he said conversationally as he pulled out the filing drawer in his desk. He pulled out her resume and handed it to the cop. "That's her neighbor's phone, he speaks Spanish."

"Thanks," the cop said. "Have a bad run in with a cop in LA?"

"A friend of ours was attacked yesterday at her apartment and taken to UCLA. We were heading up there, breaking the speed limit, and I got caught. I got out to explain it to the cop and to try and get him to write the ticket quickly, and he tried to pull crap. Xander filed a complaint this morning."

"Ah. Good luck. They don't usually listen to those these days." He whistled, bringing another cop. "This is the neighbor's phone number and they speak Spanish. Go get Ramira." She nodded and took the paper, running out again. "You were in LA all night?"

"Yeah." Oz pointed at the computer. "Did anyone check it for hacking?"

"No. We opened it and found a bunch of programs." He sat up. "Are you a hacker, Mr. Osbourne?"

"Former. Myself and Ms. Rosenburg are both former hackers. I'm writing real programs now." He picked up the phone and hit their second line button, dialing Angel's office. "Wills, me, when can you get up here? Because some cops found bugs on mine and Xander's computers. Please. Yeah, thanks." He hung up. "Expect a redhead to be running up here around dark." He shrugged at the smirk. "She's better at this than I am." He walked out, going to check on the animals. "Hi, guys," he said, leaning in the doorway, watching a few of the cops pet their animals. "What's up?"

"They were crying pitifully," one of the officers said. "The boss said to shut them up but Ray went to meet you at the door so we got to take over." He held up one of the puppies. "Are you guys keeping this one?"

"You'd have to ask Xander. He decides where all the animals go." He walked out to find Xander and Ray talking in the kitchen, and interrupted them to get a hug. "One of the local guys wants to know if they can have one of the puppies."

Xander frowned at him. "Why?"

"Because he's been wantin' a dog," Ray told him, patting him on the shoulder. "Your brother have any idea where this idiot is?"

"Nope, but he said he was ready to start a war over it. No one does that and gets away with it."

"What about your sister?" Ray asked.

"She's still with Joe actually," Oz told him, giving him a hug too. "Thanks for coming over."

"Hey, it was nothin'," Ray said, looking embarrassed. "Meth's outside though, you might want to get him to show you pictures of the town house."

"Cool." Oz stole a bite of the english muffin Xander was fixing to nibble on as he walked out. "Hey," he said, closing the door behind him. "You okay?" he asked when Methos didn't look at him.

"What is all this about, Oz?" Methos asked, looking at him.

"The last owners were mafia and the Feds believe we're them," Oz said, sitting down beside him. "Any other attack may be someone trying to get Xander for working with Buffy. Faith killed this guy's brother last night and he attacked Marilyn and declared war on Xander. Xander's brother has declared war back though."

"This is like a bad soap opera."

Oz snorted, but he was smiling. "Hey, it could have been worse. Xander filed a complaint on an LA officer this morning for his conduct with us yesterday."

"Ah. Yes, that might have been worse." Methos went back to enjoying the sun. "We did find a house."

"Ray told Xander that yesterday. Congrats. Do you like it?"

"It's inside a gated community of townhouses. It has a gym and a recreation area for Ray, and it's quiet enough for me." He smiled. "Nothing at all like the cozy place we had in Chicago."

"At least you finally found one," Oz said, patting him on the shoulder. He swung around to enjoy the sunlight too. "You really don't like it here, do you?" he asked after a few minutes.

"I feel more secure in a bigger city, it's easier to hide if someone comes after me," Methos said quietly.

"Ya know," Ray said as he walked out, making sure the door was closed behind him, "anyone who didn't *know* would assume that you're some sort of odd organized crime family. All the 'coming after me' and the 'hiding' and the 'secrecy' stuff." He sat on the end of Methos' lounger and smiled at Oz. "So, did he show you the pictures?"

"Nope. But I think I know where it is. The big brownstones down by the ocean?" Ray nodded excitedly. "Been in one of those, one of my friends used to have one." He smiled at Ray. "Congrats, man, you deserve it. That and a lot more."

"Yeah," Ray said, a sappy grin on his face. "So, what did the publisher say? Xander wouldn't tell me."

"Well, the first one went to another house by agreement between this one and that one, but the publisher he first submitted to definitely wants to look at the second one."

"Cool," Ray said, drawing it out. "And the first?"

"He should know something in two weeks or so."

"Ah. No wonder. He didn't want to jinx it or anything." Ray patted Methos' leg. "The boss said I can go if you want."

"No, I think I'll enjoy the sun." He smiled at his lover. "Go nap, Ray, you deserve it after the night you've had." He waited until Ray had left to look at Oz. "There were three instances of the alarms going off last night, each one Ray answered personally."

"We won't call on him exclusively," Oz promised. "I'll break Xander of that habit." Methos smiled at that. "Not the idea?"

"No, actually Ray would kill me if I insisted on something like that. Three times, Oz. And once, Xander's computer was plugged in."

"Huh. He never leaves it plugged in. Into the wall or into the phone?"

"The wall. Though I did find something sticky on it. I'm not sure what was going on."

"That's why I've got Wills coming up tonight." Methos gave him a smile. "Hey, trap a hacker using a hacker. I'm not good enough for the job, but she definitely is."

"Good." Methos stood up and ruffled Oz's hair. "Maybe you and Xander should take a nap also. You look tired."

"Wesley and the Social Worker got into it, even though the Council sent him custody papers. They want to put her in foster care until this is settled."

"He's fighting it?"

"Very hard. But she also yelled at him because we had been watching Marilyn for him. It seems we aren't good enough to do that because we're together."

"Ah. Yes, well, if you married someone in the legal sense, just for show mind you, then it might make things much easier in these situations."

"No way in hell," Oz told him. He suddenly smiled. "If this gets too bad, I'm going to do something a little more drastic. I'm going to ask for help." He stood up and walked his friend back inside, going to find Xander, who was asleep on the couch, him on one end and Ray on the other, their feet meeting in the middle. "Aaww," he sighed, looking up at Methos.

Methos rolled his eyes. "Do you have one of those throws around?"

"The chest that's the coffee table," Oz told him, pointing. He had just seen a car drive up and he wanted to know who this one was since it didn't look like a cop. He looked the man in the tacky blue suit over, shaking his head and barring the way in. "No. Badge."

The man flipped out his badge to show it to him. "I'm Agent Mullins. I was called by your local Captain."

"I called him," floated out of the house.

Oz put a hand on his chest and held him in place for a second. "If I find out that the hacker who put the bugs on our computers was one of yours, I will make you sorry you ever messed with me," Oz warned him quietly. "It does take a hacker to catch one." He let him go, getting out of his way. He noticed that the agent looked back at him but he kept going.

***

Oz held the door open for Willow, pointing at the office. "Xander's and mine are both in there now," he told her, following her in. "Our friend said he found sticky stuff on Xander's laptop. The bug was after my second firewall. We have a firewall on the house."

"Good," she said with a smile, opening her own laptop. "Who do you think it was?"

"FBI idiots," Xander said from the doorway, waving. "How's Marilyn?"

"Better. She was released into Wesley's custody. Seems her Social Worker fell and broke her leg bad enough to need surgery so they couldn't consult with her." She smiled and shrugged. "Go figure." She connected her computer to Oz's, watching as it booted up. Once she got the message she was waiting for, she typed in a command and then turned on his machine. Almost instantly, she swore and started to type something, opening files quickly. After a few minutes she sat back and wiped off her forehead. "Well, they did hack you and virus you," she said, looking at Oz and Xander, and the man in the uniform behind them. Oz nodded for her to go on, so she glanced at him and he nodded again. "They got something worse back though, it's a whiplash. I retuned their virus and sent it back at them. It will only activate if they try to hack you again." She unconnected Oz's computer and started the same process on Xander's, blushing when she saw what had been downloaded. "I didn't know you could do that with that sort of creature," she said, glaring at him.

"They got the second book," Xander sighed, throwing up his hands as he sat down on the couch.

"Not that they can do anything with it," Oz reminded him.

"Except to print it," Xander pointed out. "Or to somehow put it out there what I was writing."

"Good point," Willow told him. "But I can fix that too." She gave him an evil grin and started to type again, this time crowing when she was finished. "Unless they have a copy already printed out, this is useless to them now. It's encoded in one of the demonic languages."

"Ah," Oz sighed. "And if they published it already?"

"Then you may be screwed but Xander is writing a book," she said with an innocent expression. "Bibles are popular things for *fiction* writers to work from, especially when they have a more complicated structure for the novel."

Oz grinned. "Thanks." He sat down beside Xander, giving him a hug. "See, it'll work out."

"No, I'm tired of this," Xander sighed. "And I know this is somehow related to Wolfram and Hart's downfall. I want this stopped, Oz, before I'm forced to do something so very not me."

"Xander, let us handle it," Oz warned. "We don't need the attention you can bring down on us," he said quietly.

Willow stood up as a man in a tacky blue suit walked in, handcuffs already out. "Since when has hacking been an acceptable form of investigation in this country?" she asked him, stepping around to meet him. She picked him up by the throat and held him up. "I only sent back to him what he put into their systems. You need to learn how to manage your people better." She tossed him back a few feet and glared at him, her arms cross on her chest. "Now then, you actually can't arrest me."

Agent Mullens snorted. "And why not, missy?"

"Because there's no place in your rules to arrest dead people." She saw his appraising glance over her body and her glare got hotter. "And I can prove I'm not living if you'd like."

He nodded, standing up. "Please do."

"Are there any paramedics or someone here who has a stethoscope?" she asked the cop standing behind him. He nodded, his eyes wide. "Would you please bring them in here?" He nodded and ran away. She looked at Oz. "Sorry, guys, but it has to be done." She smiled at the paramedic walking in. "This idiot thinks I'm living and I need you to give him some proof. Can you do that?" He looked confused but nodded so she uncrossed her arms and stepped toward him. "Check my vitals," she suggested lightly when he hesitated to touch her.

The paramedic/cop put down his tackle box and pulled out his stethoscope, checking her heartbeat first. He frowned and moved it around some, then looked at the agent. "She's not kidding. She doesn't have a heartbeat."

"A zombie?" Agent Mullins said in shock.

Willow went to feeding face and jumped at him, sinking her teeth into his neck. She pulled back after a few sucks, wiping off her mouth. "Nope, sorry." She smiled at the paramedic. "You can have him now. I'm tired of idiots for the day. It's bad enough I have to listen to Spike." She looked at Oz. "I'm leaving my system here for *you* to use," she told him then walked out the door and out of the house, none of the cops coming near her.

Oz looked down at the Agent on the floor. "I'd stop the bleeding," he suggested lightly.

The paramedic shook himself and bent down to take care of this new patient. When the wounds were bandaged, he looked at Oz. "She really was..."

Xander nodded, giving him a gentle and reassuring smile. "She really was. Has been for a few years now. She's still one of the good guys though." He patted Oz on the thigh. "Was there anything else that can be done tonight?" He sighed as the alarm system went off again, the fourth time since they'd been home. "Release the gate," he called. The alarm went off and within a few minutes an ambulance pulled up to gather the hurt agent and take him away. Xander stood up and walked to his private room, shutting the door. He sat down in his writing chair and sighed tipping his head back. "I know I have the right to do this, but I had hoped never to have to," he whispered. "Please, a little help down here?" he called out.

With a muted flash of light, two bodies were standing in front of him. "What's up, kid?" the dark haired, skinny one asked.

Xander got comfortable as he looked at them. "Guys, this has gotten to be too much and I'm damn sure it's about Wolfram and Hart's breakup. Can you please help us just a little bit? Someone's even gotten hold of my demonic sex manual," he whispered, not sure if the room was bugged or not.

Cupid, the other man, shuddered. "That's so not good," he agreed. He looked at Strife, who shrugged. "We'll check it out."

"Thanks," Xander said, giving them a smile. "How does this work?"

Cupid pointed at one of the multi-candle holders on a low table next to Xander's chair, changing what the cups were holding. "One silver, one black. Every day, dude," and then he disappeared, taking Strife with him.

Xander relaxed and looked at the candles, nodding when he saw they were lit.

***

Oz woke up the next morning to find a note sitting beside him on the bed. He picked it up to read it, nudging Xander after reading the first sentence. "You didn't have to go there," he told his husband. "It would have sorted itself out."

"Not really," a tired voice said from outside the bed curtains. They were opened and Ray sat down at their feet, looking at them. "I got a message, and this is a good one. You should have come to them when this first started and let them deal with Wolfram and Hart." Ray pulled out a lollipop and started to suck on it. "Guys, this is going to be hard to fix at this stage, but it's doable. You might get some exposure though. Especially with Xander's second book being out on the 'net." He grimaced. "We've shut down the site but there's no telling who's been there already." He pointed the sucker at Oz. "You, you should have known to call on us."

"We didn't want to have to make you protect us," Oz pointed out, sitting up. "Which one are you and where's Ray?"

"He's safe. Methos asked me for help yesterday and I'm using Ray's form to get things done. Ray's boss does know, but he doesn't know why he knows." He looked at Xander. "This is all because of Wolfram and Hart, but not because of the breakup. This is because they want the key stone you three have." He stood up. "Strife's in the lead in this one, with every other God behind him on this right now. Oh, and Cupid said to tell you that the first book was killer and he really enjoyed it." He winked. "And so did Strife when he stole it from Cupid." He faded out, leaving them alone.

"Oh, fuck," Xander sighed, earning a hard stare from Oz. "Hey, this is a swearing occasion."

"True," Oz sighed, sliding back down to cuddle him. "We're staying inside for the next few weeks."

"Henrietta?"

"Is somewhere safe I hope."

"She is," floated in through the window. "She's comin' to work."

"That's something at least," Xander said. "Should we let her go so this doesn't impact her?"

"No. We'll need contact with the outside. But I might consider giving her a few days off if this goes on too long." He buried his face in Xander's neck. "Do you know where the backup laptop is?" he whispered.

"Yup, and Giles'. He left it this time." Xander smiled a grim little smile. "I think it's time I had a talk with someone more powerful," he noted.

"No, not your family. Let the Gods handle it."

"No, not about that." Xander rolled over to hug Oz. "You never knew this, but something Amanda said to me has stuck with me. Nothing magical around here ever seems to get me."

"Ah." Oz smiled against the warm skin. "We've noticed. You're not taking up magic."

"Wasn't what I was thinking but okay," Xander agreed easily. "I was thinking that I've had other... friends who would probably like to see that second story never get out."

"Ah." Oz looked up. "Gonna call Blair?"

"Nope, gonna call someone else. I know where Devi is," Xander said, smirking.

Odd Helpers Helping To Fix The Problems.

"I know where Devi is," Xander said, smirking.

"He's dead, Xan," Oz pointed out.

"Nope. He's not. Jon told Angel about it and Angel told me. And I know that there's some people he knows that do not want that story to get out."

Oz lifted his head. "Does this mean I have to hear details about what you did while you were at work?"

"Maybe," Xander said softly, touching Oz's cheek, "but I'm still not going back to it."

"Good. If you have to," Oz told him. "I really don't want to go that far. I'd rather trust Strife."

Strife appeared beside them, smirking at them. "Good to know, Theo. Oh, and Xander, he already knows. One of the demons at the publishing house got an anonymous tip and all that. They've been told it wasn't your doing, and they're calling it a bible for a fictional novel." He winked. "Maybe you should try that."

Xander shrugged. "I can try but I'm not sure how good I'd be." Xander gave him a pitiful look. "We're gonna be okay, right?"

"Very okay," Strife agreed. "Did you know that there was a demon guarding the White House?" Oz shook his head. "Yup, there is, and he's fully behind you. He's even asked the Pres, who's a major Christian, to back you guys. Explained everything to him and all that good stuff." He giggled. "Mr. Right-wing-fundamentalist almost had to be hospitalized for it, but hey. Oh, and if that doesn't work, it still won't happen. We've made a few...deals to make sure of it." He winked at Xander and left.

"Deals?" Oz asked Xander tiredly. "What sort of deals?"

"That I have no clue about," Xander said softly, holding onto Oz.

"Not those sort," Strife sighed as he reappeared, rolling his eyes. "Like with some of the other Gods and higher Demons. Who all are waiting on Xander's second book now." He sat on the side of the bed, curling up behind Oz to hug them both. "See, what got all this started was actually a certain demon's wish. He really wanted Xander to be unhappy so he could take care of him." He paused while they groaned. "But, and this is the kicker, he put an out into the wish. And we've started working on that out. All Xander has to do is say that he loves Oz more than life itself and prove it."

"I gave up my life for him," Xander pointed out. "And I do love him more than my human life."

"We are human," Oz contested warmly. It bothered Oz that Xander sometimes equated immortality with not being human. He was very human, thank you.

"Not the point," Strife told him. "But he did give up his life during the spell. He literally died and came back with your energies as part of his soul. Which is why," he pulled Xander's arm up and squeezed it hard, making Xander whimper and a shining blade appear," he has a soul sword."

"Those are impossible," Oz noted, sitting up to look at it.

"Not if you have more than one soul in your body," Strife told him. He sat up, letting go of Xander's arm. "See, when the spell bound you, he took in part of each of your souls, the immortal ones, which are stronger, and the mortal ones which were around."

"But only immies were in the house," Xander pointed out.

"But yours was still there," Strife told him. "And you're all so mixed together right now that Xander's got enough soul energy to manifest a soul sword, which are impossible to be seen without more souls than one." He grinned at Xander. "Which somehow Wolfram and Hart found out, which is why they wanted to destroy you pretty badly before you came after them."

"Which would explain how this is tied back to them," Oz finished. Strife nodded. "Okay, now what?"

"Now, well, I'd stay inside. Henri's comin' with groceries for ya, and kitty food. She took one of your platinum cards last time because someone sounding like Xander called and told her to, just in case because he had a bad feeling. So, this mornin', in her email is a note tellin' her what to bring and what to go buy for you guys." He grinned. "My Cupie's brilliant with those things, I just mess 'em up really bad." He shook himself. "Anyway, this will all be settled but you've got to stay out of the limelight. Oh, and the cop that bothered ya, he's havin' a *real* bad day about now." He smiled over at Xander. "Just be scared enough to use it when the demon shows up." He disappeared again, leaving them alone.

"Whoa," Oz said, holding his head. "Strangeness rush."

"Truly," Xander agreed, looking at his undamaged wrist. "Way strange stuff, Oz." He flipped onto Oz and held onto him. "I'm not moving."

"Fine by me," Oz agreed, holding onto Xander, his lifeline to sanity... usually.

***

"Yes, Giles, I said soul sword," Xander sighed, rolling his eyes as Oz walked in to get in on their conference over the computer. He held up his arm and it came back out. "Strife showed it to me this morning."

"Ah. Well. Those aren't supposed to exist," Giles said suddenly. He glared at Xander. "Why did you bring him into this?"

"Because they can fix it without us having to move," Oz said, sitting on the arm of the desk chair. Xander pushed him off. "It's my chair."

"You won't let me do that," Xander reminded him. "You told me it'd break the arms."

Oz shook his head but he went to get another chair to sit in. "Okay, I'm back," he said once he was sitting in front of the computer, watching Willow's computer to see if anyone was trying to get into this system. "What is it?"

"It's supposed to be a physical manifestation of his soul, a substance harder than any metal as long as he's holding hope and strength."

"Which is why most people can't do it?" Oz asked.

Giles took a sip from his mug and nodded. "So it's thought. It's thought that most people might be able to manifest one but most don't know how or want it bad enough. It also has a downside. As soon as Xander gives up, his sword will disappear, possibly forever."

"Gee, good to know," Xander noted, looking at his arm. "It didn't hurt."

"It wouldn't," Giles told him, giving him an irritated look. "You really had to bring *them* into this?"

"Yeah, he did," Oz told him. "They're the only ones who can fix it."

"Then I guess it is better that way. Are you safe?"

"For right now," Oz told him. "We've got groceries and animal stuff. Everything's taken care of that we know of."

"The only thing that might remotely go wrong is if one of the animals gets sick or someone tries to storm the house again," Xander added.

"Then I suggest you get some rest, Xander. This will wreck havoc if your first book is put out." Xander nodded and left them. "Oz, you can't allow him to use it except in the most dire of circumstances. That sword of his will easily kill him when it leaves."

"Hey, I'm not looking forward to getting into a fight," Oz pointed out. "I want us to hide for a week or so and come out of seclusion to have this all fixed. Fighting is not on the agenda."

"As long as you realize that you've got to stay hidden. There's no way for you to sneak out of this one, Oz. You'll have to stay there and I here."

"Hey, as long as we can talk to you," Oz said, waving and turning off the camera, then the call. He walked out into the living room, catching Xander hugging one of the puppies. "You going to give that one to the cop?"

"I want to talk to him a bit longer," Xander admitted. "There's something I don't like about him. I'll explain it as I'm fussy about where my babies go." He smiled up at him. "I just got a beautiful note saying that it's all done with and that we can continue to hide if we want."

"Uh-huh. And what if it didn't come from *them*?" he asked, not wanting to call Strife back to their house.

"Oh, it wasn't. It was a nice little 'I'm calling you out' note." He handed it over. "We'll see what happens when he shows up tomorrow."

Oz read it and shuddered. "All right, want me there with you?"

Xander leaned over and gave him a kiss. "Always, babe." He put down the puppy and stood up, looking around the room. "Want a snack?"

"A Xander snack," Oz told him, grabbing him to pull his husband down into his lap and kiss him.

"Hey, I'm up for that," Xander smirked, rubbing his cock against Oz's hand.

"As usual," Oz teased.

"Yup, that's me. Always ready to please my Oz." He scooted backward until he landed on the floor and then leaned back, opening himself to his husband's attentions. "Do what you want to with me, I'm still yours." Oz growled and pounced on him.

***

Xander looked up from his reading as a wind started around his chair, reaching over to take Oz's hand to hold while the Monsoon demon formed in front of them. "So, I hear you've been having a bad time," he said jovially, crossing his feet on the lounger. "Oz, maybe you should go inside," he told his husband, who shook his head. "You're sure?"

"Very," Oz said, letting Xander go, watching as he lithely got up and went after the demon, his soul sword coming out. "Say the words," he reminded his mate.

"I love Oz more than my life is worth," he told the demon, stabbing him with the soul blade. "And not even you will take me away from him. There's not a power on any plane that can do that," he hissed coldly, stabbing him again, almost stumbling as the demon returned to it's air state and swirled away. "I'll figure out a way to capture you and make sure you never touch us again!" he shouted. "Oz is *mine*!"

The demon remanifested a few feet away, looking at the both of them. He pointed at Xander's blade. "Those aren't possible for humans," he hissed, his voice breathy like the air he was.

"He died and was soul-bound with us so we could be together forever," Oz told him, swinging his feet around so he could sit up. "He's mine."

"I *died* for Oz and I came back because I love him. No one, not even you, is good enough to take his place."

The demon bowed his head and nodded. "I understand now." He sent one last look at Xander. "You will not relent?"

"I'll die first," Xander told him. "It wouldn't be the first time.

"And it probably won't be the last." The demon bowed to Oz. "You have captured something much more valuable than anything in my realm." He looked at the person standing behind Xander. "As per our agreement, I will leave him alone and take my geis and curse off them." He faded out, leaving them alone.

Xander looked at Oz. "Are you feeling possessed?"

"Nope," Oz said, holding out his arms. "Not at all this time." Xander rushed over and jumped onto him, forcing Oz backwards into the chair. "Hey," he complained.

"What?" Xander asked, smirking. "I love you."

"Me too," Oz said, kissing Xander on the chin. "But this is not a comfy position, Xander."

"Huh," Xander said, grinning at his husband. "But I'm comfy."

Oz wiggled under his mate's weight until he was in a more comfortable position, but Xander wasn't. "There, now I am too."

"No fair." Xander got up and pulled Oz into the house and his writing room, the nearest source of really comfy furniture. "There, now we can both be comfy," he said, lying down and patting his stomach. Oz laid down on top of him and he wrapped him in his arms. "Much more comfy now," he whispered, taking a kiss.

"Yup, I could nap like this."

Xander snorted but he pulled the throw down to cover them.

Outside, the Monsoon demon reappeared, looking at Strife. "You were correct," he sighed, "my plans would have made them miserable, but stronger together." He looked at the window where the two were napping. "I relent, you may have complete control over them." He bowed. "Tell them I am sorry, I only wanted what they had." He disappeared, this time for good.

Strife punched a fist into the air and disappeared, going to find Cupid and tell him the good news.

***

Xander and Oz woke up from their nap to find Ray, and Strife, standing there watching them. "Hey," Xander said, limply waving a hand. "How was your trip, Ray?"

"Good," Ray said, winking at Oz, who was glaring at him. "It's really me this time, guys, I promise." He looked around. "Where's Meth?"

"At your place," Oz told him. "He's decorating."

"Na-uh, he's bossing the moving guys around," Xander countered, nipping Oz on the Adam's Apple. "Hey, Ray," he asked, staring into Oz's eyes. "Where were you?"

Ray snorted. "Like I know. All I heard was this, 'Hey, Ray, I got somethin' I wanna show ya' and then boom, there I am in this leather and chains hall with no doors out."

Oz looked over at him. "Are you okay?"

"Sure. There was food and everything. Oh, and this *incredible* tub, guys. The sort you can swim in, or fit a football team inta."

"Cool," Xander breathed. "Was it heated?"

"Yeah, and it had places that had bubbles, like a fountain, but the rest was just plain water. You could even drink it."

"Way cool," Oz agreed, looking over at Strife. "I never imagined you for the soaking type."

Strife groaned. "It's not *my* place, it's Unk's and he let me bor'ow it." He winked at Xander then disappeared with a 'Later'.

"Wow," Ray breathed, sitting down on the floor next to the couch the couple was lying on. "Someone really important thinks I'm special enough to lend his place to."

Xander leaned down and kissed him. "I do too," he noted, bringing Ray back from his contemplations of life. "So, what did you do besides soak?"

"There were all these porn movies," Ray said, his nose wrinkling. "Much heavier than I've ever been into." His face lit up. "Oh, and there was a copy of your book there, so I reread it. I just wish Methos had been there to share it with me."

"We can call him if you'd like," Oz offered.

"Nah," Ray said, standing up. "I want to surprise him." He grinned and waved, leaving them alone so he could go surprise his lover.

Xander snuggled back down onto Oz's chest. "Think it's over with?"

"I guess that would depend on how many people read that excerpt from the second book," Oz told him, stroking down the long back. "Want to go back to sleep?"

"Yeah," Xander admitted, closing his eyes. "Wake me when it's time for me to get up and jump you."

"Anytime, you know that," Oz agreed, starting to drift off himself.

***

Giles walked into the manor house and stopped, looking around for his warm welcome home. He grunted in annoyance, but he decided to search for his lovers. The Gods knew that they could get lost in various projects. All his anger dissipated when he found them curled up together, taking a nap on a couch. He actually smiled as he walked over to cover them up, then went to grab his bags and carry them upstairs.

There would be time for his warm welcome home later.

After The Honeymoon Is Long Gone.

Xander gave his lover a disgusted look as he tossed his jacket onto the couch. "Oz, he was just admiring me. He said he thought I was cute. There was *no* reason to get so upset with him over him checking my ass out."

"He had that 'kidnapping the Xander' look," Oz argued, flopping down into a chair and pulling his husband down onto his lap. He gave him a squeeze. "I refuse to go through what we went through last time, Xander. He deserved that cup of ice in his lap and more."

"Oz," Xander said, rolling his eyes. "He wasn't going to kidnap me. I knew he wouldn't. He said he thought I was cute. He was flirting, not making plans to take me away."

"Sure he was," Oz snorted. "That's what they always want you to think. Remember the last time another immie got you? You thought he was only flirting too when we ran into him in the club."

"Yes, and I remember beating his ass because he said that he was going to take you on and spit on your body."

Oz pulled back to look at him. "You did?" Xander nodded. "Wow. By the way, nice sword work. I was very impressed by the little chunks. Always wondered what he did to piss you off that bad."

"Yeah, well, he shouldn't have picked on you," Xander said, looking down at his hands. "Oz, never threaten people who flirt with me, not until they make an overt move to take me. Okay?" Xander thought about how far Oz had come in his possessiveness, and how much he had learned to let go, but the idea of someone taking him still pushed all of Oz's protective and possessive buttons.

"Sure. I'll try and be calm about it next time," Oz sighed, giving him another squeeze. "We okay again?"

Xander leaned back into the hard body. "We were fine while we were fighting. I think your overprotective side is very cute." He stole a kiss. "But I have to get to work."

"Xander, I promise, that book won't disappear."

"I wish it would," Xander sighed as he stood up and went back to struggling with his least favorite hobby, writing fiction. Writing sex manuals, and porn, hadn't been a problem. He didn't need to do things like think about character's backgrounds.. Now he had to worry about what the character had done and why they had done it. Now, he had to worry about all that and more. He flopped down onto his writing chair and stared at his laptop, shaking his head. "Not doing this today," he told himself, leaning over to light the candles to Strife and Cupid. "There, that's done. What else can I do instead of that book?"

"Clean the animal's room," Oz called as he walked down the hall. "It's furry again."

"Of course it is, there's twelve animals in there," Xander snorted, getting up to clean out the animal's playroom. He had found homes for most of the animals they had adopted through the years, keeping the ones that really loved them for themselves. They now had two dogs, including their beloved Rocky, Xander's first dog, nine cats, and a ferret, which ironically was Rocky's best friend and playmate. Oz had worried when the baby ferret had been carried in by the cats, who apparently thought it had been an orphaned kitten, concerned that the cats would kill it. Then Rocky had decided to play tag with the ferret, and he had freaked, but later that night, they had curled up together as friends and napping buddies. Xander walked into the cat's room, smiling at all the sleepy looks he was getting. "Guys, I've got to clean the room. That means the loud, scary noise is going to happen." He watched as most of the animals ran out as soon as the vacuum appeared, glaring at the two that liked to come over and get sucked into the machine. "Out," he told them, turning them around and patting them on the butts. "Out so you don't disappear with all the fuzz." He plugged in the vacuum and walked over to the two joined kitty gyms, starting on the top and working his way down, sucking up all the hairs and hairballs. He rescued the ferret half-way down and went to drop him into the hall, ending up putting him on Rocky's back because she was waiting on her friend. "Watch your friend, he almost disappeared into the loud machine," he told his puppy, giving her a pat before going back to his chores.

Oz walked into the hall and shook his head when he saw the ferret lounging on the dog's back. "You are not a normal ferret," he noted, going back into his office, still shaking his head, Rocky and her ferret following him to come lounge on the couch in there.

***

Xander snuck into Oz's office and under his desk, waiting for his husband to get back from getting a snack. There was always one thing that cured his boredom and it was time he reminded his husband *exactly* what sort of man he was. He smiled as he heard the door open, ready to pounce his Oz. The chair was pulled back and sat down in, but the legs that appeared in front of him had pantyhose on. "Henrietta," he groaned, covering his face.

"Xander!" she squealed, getting up and bending down to look at him. "What are you doing underneath there?"

"Waiting on me probably," Oz said from the doorway. "Naughty, you're supposed to be doing something." He patted his leg and the second puppy jumped up, getting a piece of ham for it. "Come on, naughty, we know you're under there."

"Yes, he is," Henrietta said, glaring at Xander. "Can't a nice woman sit down and check her mail? We've have this talk about you trying to tease me before, young man, and I am still a taken woman."

"Of course," Xander said with a grin. "I wanted my Oz snack though." He chuckled as she rolled her eyes and got out of his way. "Gotcha," he said as he stood up and gave her a hug, then grinned over at Oz. "So, can I have my Oz snack now?"

"Today is not the day for Oz snacks," Henrietta said, pushing him back. "Have you forgotten Ray's funeral?"

"No?" he said.

"Go get dressed," she said, pushing him toward the door, patting him on the back. "The grave- side service is in two hours."

"Point," Xander sighed, going to get dressed.

Oz winked at their housekeeper. "I'll keep a better leash on him." He walked up to go get dressed too.

***

Oz walked up beside Methos and gave him a hug. "How's it going?" he whispered.

"Fine," Methos said, smiling over Oz's shoulder at Xander, and the redhead leaning on his arm. "It's upsetting though. He really hated this part of the life." He turned to look at Xander and the redhead, holding open his arms for both of them to give him a hug together. "Hello, precious ones," he said, patting them both on the lower backs. "How are we this dreary day?"

"I scared Henri," Xander said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "I was waiting for Oz under the desk."

"I believe she had warned you about that before."

"She didn't quit, I promised to keep him on a better leash," Oz said, turning around as the minister walked over. He stood on Methos' left, beside Xander, who was clinging to Methos' arm, like the man on his other side.

The minister walked up to the empty casket and cleared his throat. "Today, we celebrate a life lost much too soon," he said, nodding at Methos and Ray's old boss, who had figured out what was going on and surprisingly had helped them plan all this. "Though we could not find our brother Ray's body, we do still bury his badge and uniform today, to signify the loss." He coughed. "Is there anyone who wanted to say a few words?" He looked at Methos, who shook his head, then at Ray's boss, who stepped forward.

"I will miss Ray," his boss said. "He was always a great cop, very good with the other guys and the people he was helping. The whole department will miss him." He nodded and stepped away.

The minister stepped up and sprinkled some dirt onto the casket. "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust." He nodded at the family and walked away, going to leave the town for good this time, and possibly the ministry. The town had finally gotten to him; disappearing bodies were just too normal here.

The redhead walked forward and placed a white rose on the casket, then turned to look at his lover. "Coming?" he asked, giving his former boss a smile as he walked past. He and Methos went back to their condo, Xander and Oz following to celebrate Ray's life.

Xander toasted the new redhead, smiling at him. "Good job, Ray," he said softly. "Where are you guys going now?"

"Your house," Methos said, sipping his beer. Oz dropped his fork and looked at him. "At least until we can figure out where we want to go from here." The two immortals had a silent discussion and Oz finally nodded and looked away.

"Don't try the 'cousin' thing," Oz advised. "It's too hard to stick too." He stole a piece of meat off Xander's mostly full plate. "Eat."

"Yes, dear," Xander said, grinning at Ray. "So, you're coming home about the same time Giles is?"

"Tomorrow," Methos told them. "We've got to finish packing the little things tonight." He squeezed Ray's hand. "We'll figure it out. I promise." He kissed the back of the hand he held, giving his lover a smile.

"Can we do some traveling again?" Ray asked. "Or maybe go visit Benny?"

"If you'd like," Methos agreed. "Though if he's in the middle of a blizzard, I'll wait in a nice motel for you."

Ray snickered. "Of course you will. He's in Regina now, teaching."

"Ah, then I will definitely wait for you in the motel."

Oz sneezed.

"Shoot," Xander said, reaching over to give him a hug. "I thought you were over that cold already." He got pushed away. "Not loving it?"

"I'm fine," Oz reminded him. "It's a cold and it'll be gone in a few hours."

"You've had it all day," Xander reminded him.

"He's fine," Methos reminded Xander. "We don't tend to get very ill." He looked at Oz. "Though, if you've really had it all day, then I am concerned. We never keep colds for more than a few hours."

"I still say he got into something when we had to go get that demon from the college," Xander told Methos. "We were in the bio labs."

"Xander, Sunnydale is not a germ-warfare center," Oz said, rolling his eyes. "Most likely, it's some sort of allergy."

"You guys get allergies?" Ray asked Methos.

"Some of us do. Usually, they're very mild and annoying, but we do occasionally get them. McCleod used to have some bad bouts of hay fever, depending on where he was. Paris in the spring was not his best friend."

"So it's an allergy?" Xander asked. "To what?" He looked stunned. "You only get it around me."

Oz grabbed him for a hug. "I'm not allergic to you," he said, shooting Methos a glare. "And I'm not allergic to the animals, so quit worrying."

"It might be the fabric though," Ray pointed out. "It might be the cashmere he wears in the fall and winter."

"Maybe," Oz agreed. "We'll try it out later."

"Here, you can sniff my pants," Xander offered.

"Later, in private," Methos said dryly.

"Huh?" Xander asked, looking confused. He looked at Ray for translation.

"I'm pretty sure he was thinkin' about you two sniffing each other's parts in private," Ray told him.

"Not my parts," Xander said, rolling his eyes. "My pants. They're cashmere, and if he's allergic to that then I'm going to have to do a lot about my cold weather wardrobe."

"True," Oz sighed, leaning over to sniff at Xander's shirt, then at his pants. He sneezed as soon as he came near his husband's pants. "Crap," he sighed, leaning back and holding his now-bleeding nose. "I guess we know what it is now."

"It depends actually," Methos noted. "Xander, do you have a lot of cat hair on your pants?"

"I was petting the animals earlier and not sneezing," Oz noted. "Even our ferret."

"How is Jedi?" Ray asked.

"Fine. Still not really a ferret," Oz told him, putting his head back down. "I think it's stopped. All the tingles have stopped."

"And it looked weird too," Xander told him, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Will this expand to wool?" Ray asked. Everyone looked at him. "Isn't cashmere a sort of wool?"

"I guess it is," Xander said thoughtfully. "It's goat's wool." He looked at Oz. "Do you have problems with my purple sweater?"

"Only when I wear it," Oz told him, looking at him. "You like cashmere. I can stand the sneezing. They make drugs for this sort of thing," he assured his lover, who was looking upset.

"I don't want to make you uncomfy, Oz, I can find a good substitute. Maybe more silk or something." He looked at Ray. "Want to go fabric shopping with me and Oz the next time we go?"

"We can all go," Methos told him, leaning across the table to pat him on the wrist. "Don't worry, we'll find you a good substitute."

"Dense, natural cottons," Oz said. Everyone looked at him. "Very comfy, but can be very warm. It's one of those fabrics that keep in body heat when you need it to."

"We can look at that too," Methos agreed.

"Or, hey, I saw an ad for that new synthetic the other day," Ray offered. "We could check that out."

"If the fabric store has it," Oz said.

"True, but it's supposed ta be around now. We should be able to find some of it."

"Or we can look at some other sorts of fabrics that you've been wanting to work in, Xander," Methos told him. "Though, all natural fabrics are getting a bit expensive now, what with more and more of the growing room going to grow crops."

"I had an investment offer the other day," Xander said out of the blue, not looking at anyone, but playing with his fork. "There's a new hydroponics conglomerate, formed by a bunch of farmers, and they've bought this huge plot of land. They want to build a massive hydroponic's facility for natural veggies."

"Which is very cool," Oz agreed, reaching over rub his back. "How much did you give them?" He might handle the finances for them, but Xander's initial fortune from his working in the demon brothel had multiplied many times over and his husband had some very strong ideas about what he wanted to do with it. Technically, if they pooled their monies together, they would be one of the richest couples in the world. That's why they hid it all very carefully.

"Just a few thousand," Xander said meekly, giving Oz an innocent look.

"A few *hundred* thousand?" Methos asked, giving him a sly grin. "I know you, imp, you're very generous when you want to be."

"Hey, I've got it, and that's something good that I'd be more than willing to help gain footholds into the normal markets. Same as Branchson's was when I invested in them. They needed some help to get into the mainstream of rich people's jewelry habits. Now, they've turned my original five ..." he coughed, "into over five times as much."

"I'm pretty sure we all know how much you invested there," Ray told him. "Don't worry, we don't hold the money against you."

"I should hope not," Methos said dryly. "We ourselves happen to be worth quite a bit, Ray. Most immortals, if they're intelligent, have saved over their lives until they're a bit more than comfortably well off. It makes it easier to leave dangerous areas and switch identities when you have money."

"True," Oz agreed. "I've carefully hidden most of my assets. Most of them it'll take me a day or so to get into but they're there when I need them." He picked up Xander's hand to hold. "I don't begrudge him his money, or how he made it, and most of the time happen to like how he spends it." He looked at his lover. "Except when you go on an 'I'm bored' shopping trip."

"I haven't been on one of those in *months*," Xander said, rolling his eyes. "And it's not like you don't usually benefit from those too." He looked at Ray, wanting to change the subject. "Are you going to change your name?"

"Well, I *did* suggest he start calling himself 'Eve'," Methos said, smiling at his husband when he was hit on the arm. "Yes, dear?"

"I'm not becoming a drag performer, get over it," Ray said, glaring at Methos.

"But, dear, you could be in the limelight like you always wanted."

"No."

"All right. If you're going to become insistent."

"Then what do you want to do with the next twenty years, Ray?" Oz asked.

"I was thinkin' about doing somethin' more professional like. Maybe something more to do with a business sorta stuff."

"An accountant?" Xander suggested.

"They don't get shot at," Ray agreed. "I'm tired of being the guy everyone wants ta shoot. I'd like ta be safe for a while."

"Then become a new-age priest," Xander suggested. "No one wants to shoot them."

"Most of them are celibate," Methos said warmly.

"And most of them require believing in their faiths," Oz added. "I don't think Ray fits into any of them anyway."

"I heard of one the other day," Xander told them. "Really nice people. Looking towards space to find a reason to keep going as a race. They're more techy then I'd like, but they're very 'let's go colonize'."

"No," Oz said.

"But, Oz," Xander protested. "I only asked for brochures."

"No, Xander," Methos said quietly. "You do not need to take up with a cult. Oz and I would have a horrible time trying to get you free."

"Hey!" Ray protested, hitting Methos on the arm. "I'd help."

"You'd be beside him," Oz said dryly. "Then we'd have to take down the whole camp and kill everyone for brainwashing you."

"It's not a cult," Xander sighed. "It's a society. They're astronomers and people like that. Some of them work for NASA and are looking for habitable planets and ways to get us there."

"How much did you give them?" Oz groaned, knowing this was one of those times that letting Xander handle his own monetary affairs was just not such a good idea.

"Nothing," Xander said, pouting at everyone. "I just asked for some information. They're not asking for donations, but for people with ideas."

"And you thought *we* would have ideas of how to get people to the stars?"

"No, but *I* have some ideas," Xander defended. "I wanted to see if they were good ones or not."

"Are you talking to them already?" Oz asked, turning so he could look at his mate. "I want to see the literature when we get home," he ordered. Xander nodded. "Then you will tell me your ideas and I'll see if they're scientifically founded or not."

"Sometimes, it's people like him that have the ideas," Ray noted. "Not all the great thinkers were old men who wanted to sit around and look at their bellybutton lint."

"Good point," Methos agreed, "but I think Oz is worried that Xander's gotten himself in over his head."

"Not really. They've been looking for people who can deal with textiles," Xander said quietly. "Sort of like designing and stuff."

"Fabrics or costumes?" Oz asked, one eyebrow going up.

"Both," Xander said firmly. "And I've got a few ideas. Most of them would keep you very warm, and would be much more comfy than spandex or anything like that." He crossed his arms. "I just wanted to help them, not become their personal fashion guru."

"We'll look at the literature together," Oz told him, more gently this time. He hadn't wanted to hurt his husband's feelings, but he needed to touch reality sometimes. "Eat, Xander. You're going to need your strength for later."

"Okay." Xander started to eat, looking over at Ray, who looked sympathetic at least. "What are you doing tomorrow?"

"Just packing," Ray sighed, leaning back in his chair. "We've got to do all the clothes first so we can bring those and the animals over to your house. The bigger stuff, like furniture, will go into storage."

"We'll probably be up sometime before dinner," Methos said, watching Xander as he began to sweat and look dizzy. "Are you feeling all right, imp?" he asked, reaching over to touch Xander's forehead. "Oz, he's running a fever." He looked at his oldest friend, checking him for a fever too. "Oh, dear. Ray, they need to be put into beds. I think Xander may have been right about them catching something in the biology labs." He pushed his chair back and got up, going over to physically lift Oz out of his seat and carry him up the stairs, letting Ray help Xander walk up them. He put them both in bed, making sure Ray had them well in hand, before he went to call in a favor to see what had been going on in those labs.

***

Xander rolled over, hot, sweaty, and sticking to the sheets, and groaned. He reached for one of the necklaces he always wore, calling on his step-brother's help. Almost instantly, a demon messenger appeared beside him. "Get him?" he whispered, reaching out. The demon's eyes opened very wide, and he might have made a sound that was a squeak, before he disappeared.

Xander's step-brother Micah tapped on Methos' door a few minutes later, his personal physician standing right behind him, checking out his equipment that another demon was carrying for them. He walked in as soon as the door was opened and headed up the stairs to check on him. He got out of the doctor's way when he saw how sick both his step-brother and his mate looked, watching as his doctor started to administer an IV from the boxes. He turned to find Methos and Ray standing there. "It's a demonic version of the flu, impossible for humans to catch." He glared at them both. "How did my totally human, adopted brother, get this disease?"

"They had to go catch a demon in a biology lab up at the college," Ray told him.

"I see. Which one?"

"College or lab?" Methos asked. Micah looked at him. "UC Sunnydale, and I'm not sure which lab it was, I haven't been able to get any information on it yet," he said after a few minutes. "Could they be working on making it applicable to humans?"

"It's possible. Like I said, it's impossible for humans to catch supposedly. This is the third time anyone's caught it in a six million year history." He walked out and went down to send a messenger back home. It was his problem to deal with now. He sent the messenger off and waited for his return, accepting the note gratefully. "Thank you," he said, bowing his head. "You must leave, there are ill people here." The demon left as quickly as he could. Micah read the note and nodded. "It will be taken care of by some of Angel's friends," he told Ray, who had come down to watch him. "They'll be up here tonight."

"I should probably warn someone then," Ray said, going for the phone. He called his old boss, hanging up until he got the man he wanted. "Hey, it's me. We just found out that up in one of the bio labs, they're workin' on a demon virus. No, there's people comin' in to deal with it. No, Xander's gotten it. You can't, we're not sure if it's gonna keep spreadin' ta humans or not." He hummed and hung up. "They won't come up and get in your way." He checked to make sure the phone was hung up, then stepped away from it. It wouldn't be the first time his phone had been bugged. "The only thing he could promise was to take a long time," he warned.

Micah nodded regally. "I understand. With all luck, no one will ever know we were there." He stood up. "Have they started to come around yet?"

"Some," Methos said as he walked down the stairs. "Just rehydrating them?"

"No, the fluid has some medicine in it. It's more of a large vaccine." He smiled at Methos. "It *will* be taken care of."

"If you need my help, let me know. Humans mucking around with these sort of things are dangerous to us all." He walked away, heading to get himself a drink. Oz had started to come around already and he wanted to be able to talk to him as soon as he was clearheaded.

***

Oz blinked up at the bright light, then rolled his head over, looking at the large blur sitting beside them. "Methos?"

"Not yet, he'll be here in a few moments," the doctor said gently. "I'm your brother-in-law's personal physician and you've both come down with a horrid case of demonic flu."

"Xander?" Oz asked, groping around until he felt the body next to him. The too still body. "Is he okay?" he asked, sounding scared.

"He's fine. We had to sedate him because he kept moving and the IV kept getting pulled out." He laid a hand on the immortal's head. "I'm not sure how you got it, but you got a very bad case of it."

"Is that why my vision's off?"

"Yes, though I expect you'll heal," the doctor said, and you could hear the smile in his voice.

"Xander's?"

"Should be fine. You got the much stronger dose of the disease."

"We were given it?"

"That's my pet theory at the moment. No one *gets* this disease from a demon, it's impossible."

"What about at the lab?" Oz asked.

"It will be taken care of. We think that might have been who gave this to you, while you were fighting the demon." He brushed back some of the damp hair. "Rest, Oz, you're going to need it once the cramps start in."

"Can I curl up around my Xander?" he whispered.

"Of course. Let me adjust your IV's." There was a few scraping sounds and then Oz was carefully moved onto his side and slid over until he could grab his Xander and cuddle him. "There you go. I'll be right here if you need anything."

"Thanks," Oz said, sniffing his Xander to make sure he was mostly all right. He fell back asleep.

The doctor smiled, getting up to go tell the other humans that their friends had woken up and went back to sleep already.

***

Across town, Angel led Spike, Seth, and Wesley into the lab the lovers had chased a demon through, slipping in and shorting out the security system. He looked around the lab, nodding at Wesley to go pull the experiment records. Seth and Spike went looking for samples of demons, Spike being much more attuned to that side of their life than Angel himself was. Angel looked down at the computer he was standing in front of, shaking his head as he turned on the screen. He whistled, bringing Wesley over. "I think we've found it," Angel whispered, bringing Spike.

"Dear heavens," Wesley whispered, pushing Angel out of the way so he could look at the chemical drawings. "They're not only making it mutate to be applicable to humans, but also to animals and crops." He looked up. "This is a biological weapon strong enough to wipe out Europe if dropped in the right spot."

Everyone spun around as the lights were flipped on.

"You're trespassing on Government property," the soldier said, pointing his rifle at them. "Well, what have we here?" he asked, looking Angel over.

"Someone you don't want to fuck with," Spike noted for his benefit.

"I won't," Angel said harshly. "He's human."

"He's going to kill all of mankind with these germs," Wesley countered, fingering the charm Micah had given him for anytime he needed to call on his help. Outside the lab, he could hear a siren start to go off and the sound of running feet, so he set it off. He felt a tingle go up his arm, and then there were many more demons in the room. "They're making a biological weapon of your diseases," he called out to them in the only demon language he knew. "They're going to destroy the planet, not even leaving the plants."

The demons grumbled and one walked forward, pushing the soldier against the wall to sniff him. Then he took a bite out of the side of his face, nodding as he chewed. "Good humans," he grunted, and the rest of them went off, heading after the soldiers they could hear coming towards them.

Wesley hid behind Spike and Seth, protected from the personal army of his friend.

"Figures we'd be left behind," Spike snorted, looking over at Seth and shrugging. "Wanna toss the lab?"

"No, let us do it," Micah said as he appeared. He stepped through the portal and it closed. He nodded at Angel. "Most humans are worth saving, these are not. No more so than the ones who harmed your child at one time." Angel nodded and left, he might not be part of the hierarchy, but he knew when to follow orders. "Spike, take Wesley out of harm's way. Take Seth to guard you both. We will take care of this matter," he said calmly, getting out of his own people's way so they could go through everything and stop this project from going any farther.

Seth dragged Spike with him, both of them grabbing Wesley to tow him behind them as they walked through the fighting.

"The succession will be maintained," Micah said, looking at his people. "I want this mess cleaned up. No more humans should become infected with our germs than necessary."

***

Giles picked up the ringing cellphone, answering it with a grunt. He sat up and frowned at the mirror across the room. "Yes, but they had a reason I dare say," he argued. "Yes, and I know that they had a reason. A demonic army doesn't appear and take down a military-funded research project without a very good reason." He blanched. "They were? Then I definitely stand behind their action." He snorted. "Most likely, it was Xander's adoptive brother. They are rather close these days. I doubt he will want to use what they stole against humans." He hung up and shook his head, dialing his home. He frowned when he didn't get even the answering machine, dialing the other number he knew by heart. "Methos? Are they...." He took a deep breath. "Are they fine? Does it have anything to do with a demonic army taking down a laboratory?" He nodded and hung up, going down to tell the manager that he was having to leave unexpectedly.

***

Methos leaned down to test Oz's forehead with his lips. "Almost normal," he said, giving the awake man a smile. "How do you feel?"

"Tired," Oz said. "Has anyone fed the animals?"

"No, but I'm headed over there right now. It's only been two days, Oz, I'm sure they're fine."

"Clean the litterboxes," Xander whispered, rolling into Oz's side so he could go back to sleep.

Oz stroked down the sweaty back. "And watch out for the ferret," he whispered as his friend walked out, waving when he got glared at. He curled up around his Xander so they could both be cuddled. "It's okay. We'll be home soon."

"Oz, I feel bad," Xander whined.

"I know. So do I."

***

"Oh, Jedi?" Methos yelled as he opened the door, startling a few of the cats, but wanting to make sure the ferret didn't run out the door again. "Hello, precious ones," he said, smiling down at them. "I'm here to feed you and clean up a little bit. May I do that?" One of the kittens reached up to bat at the finger he stuck out for them to sniff. "Yes, you know me. I'm Fluffy's father." He looked around. "Where's the ferret?" The cats all scampered off, leading him to where they were out of food. He got the necessary things taken care of then went to do a quick turn around the house. He started to yawn as soon as he made it to the second floor and decided to take a ten minute nap. Surely the boys wouldn't mind if he borrowed their bed. He laid down, next to a lump in the blankets, and closed his eyes.

That's when the lump moved, dashing up to get into his face. "Holy God!" he yelled, rolling off the bed. He looked up, frowning at the ferret that had suddenly appeared. "Playing bed monster, Jedi?" The ferret wiggled his nose and disappeared back under the covers, letting him back up on the bed.

Methos shook his head and got up, deciding he didn't really need the ten minute nap after all. He walked around the rest of the house, the ferret following him as fast as it could, squeaking when it couldn't keep up. Once, it even nipped him because the game of chase wasn't going fast enough. When he finally made it down to the kitchen, Rocky looked up at him and gave him the most sorrowful look. "No, scamp, I'm not taking your best friend from you." He picked Jedi up and put him on Rocky's back, giving them both a pat on the head. "There you go, go play." Rocky trotted off, her ferret riding her like a pro.

Methos shook his head. "That is not a normal ferret." He checked all the doors then left the house, going back to his own so he could complain to Oz about his pet ferret.

***

Ray gave Methos a hug as soon as he walked in. His lover gave him a funny look. "What? You look like Jedi played with ya," Ray said with a grin.

"We played chase the human," Methos said dryly. "How are they?"

"Nappin' again. But the doc says they can go home tonight as long as we go with them. Well, us or Angel and his crew, whichever they'd prefer." He shrugged. "We've still gotta pack though."

"I'm sure Angel could be persuaded to stay up at the manor house for a night," Methos told him, giving him a hug. "We'll finish the essential packing soon enough, once everyone's out of the house."

"Should we send the animals ahead? Bruiser and Fluffy are pretty bored. They've been playin' with the remote again."

"And how did those two find the pornography channel this time?" Methos asked as he walked in farther, looking at the television. "You changed it?"

"Nah, there was a special on trained lions. They decided to watch that instead of their usual lesbian porn." He grinned. "They're so cute when they do that, all curled up in front of the tv on their little kitty bed with the remote between them so they can find something else to watch." He saw the eye roll but ignored it, he knew his lover thought their lesbian cats were cute too. He walked them up to the upstairs bedroom the other couple was sharing, waving at Xander, who was drinking some water. "How ya feelin'?" Ray asked as he walked in, giving Xander a hug.

"Better," he croaked. "I can see, but Oz can't."

"I'm sure he'll get better soon," Methos said, coming in to give him a hug too. "Much better or only a little better?"

"Much better. I can drink again," he said proudly. He gave the doctor a look and he walked out, leaving them alone. "They said we can go home tonight. But we don't want you guys to keep running the risk of getting sick."

"We can't, imp. There's no way we can catch this from you. Otherwise we'd already be sick and have to be cared for by your doctor." He brushed some of the hair off Xander's forehead. "Do you feel up to a bath?"

Xander grinned. "Aren't I always?" he asked weakly.

"Good. I'll check with the doctor, just in case, and then we'll get you into a nice, warm bath." He stood up. "Oh, and the doctor said you could have either us watching over you tonight, or Angel, Spike, and Seth if you'd prefer."

"There's a chance you guys may still get it," Oz said, not opening his eyes. "We asked. Since they mutated the virus, there's now a risk of contagion. We *really* don't want you guys to go through this with us."

"Yeah, but we could cuddle you if you do end up sick," Xander offered.

"I'm afraid Ray is more of a hide under the covers sort when he's sick," Methos told them both. "We'll figure it out, Oz. Don't you worry. Remember, we do heal."

"Then why can't he see?" Xander asked.

"Because the virus must still be working it's way through his system. That's the only explanation I can think of." Methos leaned down and gave Oz a short hug. "Don't worry so much, old friend, we'll be fine. We've been sick before, we can get through it this time if need be. After all, we got through all the plagues during the middle ages."

"Did Angel have Stake with him?" Xander asked in his best 'little boy' voice.

"Not during the fight probably," Methos snorted. "He'd hate to lose his favorite friend. Same as we would." Methos gave them both kisses on the forehead. "Let me go check with the doctor and we'll make sure that you two can have a bath." He walked out, leaving Ray with them.

"Guys, this isn't something you have to worry about," Ray reminded them. "I'll heal, same as Xander will. Same as you and Meth will. That's the benefit of being us." He patted them both gently then stood up and left them alone to cuddle again.

"Maybe it wouldn't make them sick," Xander said, trying to make Oz change his mind. He liked having Methos there when he's sick, the man had been a doctor for centuries and he had a very gentle manner that made you want to get better.

"I don't want them sick too, Xander. I don't want to curse Methos to being blind for a while."

"Then don't," Xander said reasonably. "He won't get sick. They haven't yet and it's been two days since we passed out at the table."

"And our symptoms came up after three."

"Yeah, but they found little needle marks on us, Oz. It had to be injected."

"But now that it's hit a human body..." Oz argued.

"No buts," the doctor said as he walked back in. "There's almost no chance that either of those two will get ill from you. And the little chance is if you do something like have sex with them while you're ill." He looked at the two men on the bed. "I'm going to allow the bath, but I don't want you to do anything more energetic than lie there and let someone bathe you." He smiled at Xander. "Yes, you two may take a bath, together if you want, but you will continue to relax until someone drives you home tonight." He nodded at Methos as he walked in. "Don't make it too warm, just comfortable." He walked around the bed, starting to gather up his equipment. He turned at the cleared throat, Ray rolling his eyes as he held up the ferret. "What is that?" he asked, pointing at the wet ball of fur.

"It's a ferret," Oz sighed, not even having to look to know what was going on. They only had one animal that got that sort of response after getting into trouble. "He crawled into Meth's sword holder, right?"

"Yes, he did. And then he took a bath when I put the jacket into the washer."

"Ray, I hope you emptied my pockets this time," Methos called.

"I did of everything but the ferret. But I forgot to check that hidden pocket...." Ray watched and grinned as his lover ran down the stairs, winking at Xander to show him it was a joke. "Anyway, Jedi decided to take a bath and now he wants you two."

"Come here, Jedi," Xander cooed, cuddling his wet ferret. "I know, you were lonely without your humans, weren't you?" He kissed the wet head. "Ray, can I have a...." A towel was handed over. "Thanks. We don't need our baby getting a chill, do we?" he cooed, smiling down at his animal.

"That's not my kid," Oz muttered, allowing the doctor to help him up and into the bathroom. "I did not spawn that animal."

Xander spit at him. "He's just jealous," he told Jedi, continuing to dry him off. "And next, we're harness training you so you can go for walks with Rocky."

"I'm not walking a ferret!" Oz yelled from the bathroom.

Xander spit at him again. "He's just jealous," he whispered, giving his ferret another kiss before tucking him into the bed and allowing himself to be helped into the bathroom too. He got to get in first, then gratefully accepted Oz in his lap. "Hi," he said, kissing the back of Oz's neck.

"Hmm," Oz hummed, relaxing into the warm water.

Ray put down a tray table with two bottles of water and a very light snack. "Here we go," he said, kissing them both on the forehead. "You rest until the water gets too cold, then yell for us." He walked out, shutting the door behind him.

Xander grinned and picked up one of the bottles, feeding a little of it to Oz. "I'm sorry you're so sick," he said.

"Yeah, me too. I miss looking at you."

"How long do you think it'll take to make you all better?"

"Probably a few days. If it takes more than that, I might have to go the whole death route to speed it up. I've *never* heard of an immie going blind before, not for two days."

"Maybe Meth's right and the virus is still trying to get us." He shrugged. "You'll get better eventually."

"I know, but it's dangerous to be this sick, especially in this town."

"That's why you've surrounded yourself with other people that you trust," Xander said gently. "So you don't have to worry about who's going to come up and challenge you."

"He's right," Methos said from the doorway. "You know very well that Ray and I would keep all challengers from you while you're down. Same as you know Richie and Steve would, though Steve does still need some major work before I'd consider him competent."

"Has he taken his first head yet?" Xander asked.

"Not that Richie's told me about," Methos told him, coming in and sitting beside the tub. "Oz, you *know* I would gladly guard you when you're down. I've always done it before, our fight a few years ago didn't change that." He picked up Oz's hand and squeezed it. "We are still brothers, Oz. Trust me."

"What happens if you get sick?" Oz asked quietly.

"Hey, we've got Angel, Spike and Seth, and Willow on our side, not to mention Wesley and Marigold. She could probably use a few days of training out in the country." Xander swallowed, being sick was making his saliva glands go into overdrive. "And we've got Richie and Steve that can be back here within a day. We've got *tons* of protectors, Oz."

"I guess," Oz said, sounding reluctant.

"Your problem is that you hate having to be the weak one," Methos said, standing up. "Xander, Ray wanted you to eat those little bits of pastry and meat if possible. The doctor said you should start trying to eat again."

"Yes, sir," Xander said, giving him a smile. He reached a hand up and got a squeeze himself. "I want you two to come home with us," he said, wrapping his legs around Oz. "You always make me want to feel better."

"I'll send Ray and the animals home with you tonight," Methos said, giving him a smile. "I'll be up tomorrow, after I finish a packing a few more things." He leaned down and kissed them both on the cheek. "Rest, the both of you. Don't make me get harsh and bossy." He walked out, giving them some privacy.

"Xander," Oz started.

"No. I want them with us. We've both heard that there's so little chance of them catching it that there's no reason to worry. Also, this way, you don't have to worry if another immie comes across us. We'll be protected in our castle."

Oz didn't say anything, he just shifted so he could snuggle in more.

***

Methos looked over at the door, waving Spike in. "Come in," he called. "Is everything cleaned up?"

"Yeah, Micah told me you'd want to know." He handed over the letter Micah had written them. "He wanted to know how the boy's doin' too."

"The doctor said they're doing fine," Ray said, finishing up his preparations for supper. "We're leaving after we eat ta go home."

Spike nodded. "Which one got the blindness?"

"Oz," Methos said, sighing as he folded back up the letter. "They've analyzed the notes the researchers made, it's not mutated yet. It's still applicable to demons."

"The doctor?" Ray asked. Methos shook his head. "Then why is that a bad?"

Spike snorted. "The Demonic Council decided to destroy the whole lot of it. Much too dangerous to be known about."

Methos looked at Ray. "Micah's trying to talk them out of it, but a few of the older members of the Council believe that the only way for them to be safe is for our memories to be either stolen or for us to lose our lives."

"I'll be damned," Ray said dryly. "I've had enough of bad guys." He looked at Spike. "Why're you here?"

"To make a report to the Council," he said, making a face. "Not that they'll care, but I've been assigned to do it."

Xander walked in and wrapped an arm around Spike's neck, squeezing it so he could keep his balance. "You can go back and tell them that they have to reason to fear from us. None of us want the demonic community wiped out. Even Wesley's stood up for their decision."

"As has Giles," Methos said, patting Xander on the head. "He's at home by the way. He called a bit ago to check on you, right after his plane landed."

"Cool, now I can get the rest of my cuddles," Xander said with a weak grin.

"Hey, go sit down," Ray said, pointing with his wooden spoon, noticing how the younger man was starting to shake. "Spike, chair."

Spike picked Xander up and carried him over, dropping him into one of the table's chairs. "There, better?"

"No, not yet," Xander said, looking around. "Where's my messenger summoning necklace?"

"Upstairs," Ray told him. "You can write them later."

"No, I need to send them a message now." He looked at Spike, then at Methos and Oz, who were wandering in together. "If I make a promise, will you guys keep it?"

"Definitely," Methos said. Oz nodded. Ray shrugged. "He will too," Methos said when Spike looked at him. "He's really got no means of breaking it if Xander's going to do what I think he is." He pulled out their knife drawer and handed him a small one, going to get him some paper and the summoning necklace. He came back and put them all in front of the young man, watching as he wrote out a statement, a promise, and sealed it with his blood. The demonic messenger appeared and he handed over the letter. "For his brother," Methos told him.

The demon disappeared.

Oz coughed. "Did you tell them that we wouldn't use this knowledge or that we wouldn't do anything with it?"

"I told them that they could trust us, in this instance, to do what was best for the demon community, and that none of us had the knowledge or skills to do anything with this event." He looked at Methos. "You can't do that, right?"

"No, imp, I can't do that," Methos said, giving him a hug. "Don't worry, we won't sully your reputation."

"Okay, just making sure. 'Cause if you do, I'm, like, dead according to their rules." One of Oz's eyebrows went up. "What? I won't use that to hurt them. Will you?"

Oz shook his head. "No, but that's a pretty stiff punishment."

"That's why I did it," Xander told him, rolling his eyes. "That way, we wouldn't have to fight off a squad of assassins or whatever they decided to send at us."

Spike jumped as a messenger appeared behind him. "You bloody well enjoyed that, didn' you?" he accused, taking the messages the demon was holding. "Thanks, mate." He opened the one addressed to him, tossing the other at Oz. "Well, you're safe. They said they wouldn't do anything to you because of the promise Xander made."

Xander craned his neck to look at the note Oz held. "Is that from Micah?"

"Yes, and he thanks you for the timely assistance in proving his case." Oz snorted. "And he told me to spoil you rotten because you just brought great honor to the house." He folded it up and put it on the table. Xander snatched it and read it, smiling at the end. "You did good," he praised, reaching over to caress his lover's cheek. He jumped as he felt a nip to his ankle. "What?" he asked, looking down at their ferret. "You don't get lovies."

"Give me Jedi," Ray sighed, coming over to pick him up. "I know, you just wanted to be given a kiss too, right?"

"If you kiss that rodent, then you will be cleaning your mouth before you give me one," Methos noted, not looking up.

Ray kissed Jedi on the nose then handed him off before grabbing his lover and kissing him long and hard. "You were saying?" he asked in his smart-ass way. Methos ran out of the room, going to brush his teeth.

Spike shuddered. "Don't do that to me, I'd hate to have to beat you for it." Ray blew a kiss in his direction.

"Hey, my brother's boy toy," Xander said, grinning at Ray. They were just so alike some days. He snuggled his ferret, giving it all the lovies it wanted.

***

Oz led the way into the house, getting pounced on by Giles as soon as the other man could run toward them. "Hey, we're better," he noted, heading for the nearest couch so he could lie down again. Walking from the car was tiring. Maybe a short nap and then he'd do the stairs.... He fell asleep with that thought.

Xander let Ray help him into the house, giving his other husband a grin. "We're back," he said.

"Thank God. I think Jedi has gotten into the ductwork again," Giles said, giving him a hug and a peck on the cheek. The ferret only listened to Xander when he was in trouble.

"Nah, he's hidin' in our bed waiting on Meth," Ray said, blowing Oz a kiss.

"Ah, that's good then," Giles said, smiling down at Xander. "Are you feeling better also?"

"I can eat and drink," Xander agreed, still smiling. "Bed?" he asked pathetically.

"Of course." Giles picked Xander up and carried him up the stairs, going to put him into their bed. "There we are," he said once he had his husband tucked in and comfortable. "Do you need anything for right now?"

"Just another hug," Xander said, holding up his arms.

Giles gave him one then walked back downstairs, giving Ray a hug. "I'm sorry, I heard that you had to move on already," he said.

"No big, Meth has promised me that we could do a little more travelin' and then I could figure out what I wanna be for the next twenty years." He looked down at the cat he had brought in with him. "We're home," he told Fluffy and Bruiser, their cat couple, and his dog Mutley, all of whom had wandered in after them. "Go play." Fluffy meowed at her consort and scampered off to go reclaim her dominance of the cats. Bruiser, their very femme, delicate, and gentle cat followed her lover along, trying to stick her nose under her lover's tail.

Giles shook his head. "I thought Jedi was bad," he sighed, looking down at the dog. "Hello, Mutley. I do believe that Rocky and the other one are in the playroom also." He pointed the way and the dog trotted off that way. "Ray, why are you here if they're better?"

"Because we decided to come mooch off you guys before we traveled," Ray said with a naughty grin worthy of Xander. "You don't mind, right?"

"No, not at all. No one told me, but I don't mind." He gave the young man a hug then walked toward the kitchen. "Are you hungry?"

"Sure, I could eat," Ray said, following him. He ignored the hissing going on down the hallway, sure the cats had it well in hand. Even after Fluffy came out and pouted in his lap, he was calm about it. "So, who's the new alpha female?"

"Ah, I believe that would be Princess. She's that rather large long haired one." He shrugged. "I can't keep up with all the animals most of the time, they're the boys', but she is mine. I have my hobbies and they have theirs. It's what makes us work so very well together."

"If ya say so," Ray said, shrugging at his dirty look. "I like doin' things with my man. It helps me to understand him and it gives him a way to relate back to me."

"Yes, but I've known Xander longer than you have Methos. I got to see him go from an awkward adolescent to a very confident young man." He sighed and put it down. "Though I do wish we had some more things in common than sex."

"Hey, I'll teach you how to program," Oz said, walking over so he could sit beside Ray. "Sorry about the nappage, but it was needed."

"I understand, I've been that sick before," Ray said, patting him on the shoulder. "I had chicken pox while I was in the Academy. I spent the next two weeks apologizin' for fallin' asleep in classes."

Giles snorted. "I remember that state as well." He smiled at Oz. "Would you like something to eat, perhaps some soup?"

"We're up to real food, and can I have a sandwich?" He looked around. "Where's the food thief?" Giles frowned at him. "What? The walking-stomach known as Xander reappeared earlier."

"I'm sure he was just hungry from the time you were down," Giles said in gentle disapproval.

Oz clapped. "Dad act, I get five bucks," he noted.

Giles sighed and pulled out his wallet, handing over five dollars. "I have been trying to stop doing that, Oz. I don't mean to treat you both like you're still high school students."

"That's an idea," Ray said, looking at Oz. "You could do that the next time you have ta change."

Oz shook his head. "Once every century is enough for me. Thanks though. College maybe but not the cultural wasteland known as high school."

"What about Xander?"

"The people at Branchson's recognized what we are," Giles told him, putting sandwiches down in front of them both and sitting down with his. "He can continue learning how to make and design jewelry for as long as they stay open."

Oz looked around. "I wonder where the stuff he got from that *society* is."

"In his sewing room, top drawer of the filing cabinet," Ray told him. "I asked him earlier," he defended when Oz looked at him.

"As long as we don't have to go destroy a cult to get you both back," Oz said, getting up to go find the information. Ray pushed him back down and went to get it for him. "Thanks."

"That's what buddies are for."

Giles cleared his throat. "Oz, are you all right now?"

"Better. My vision started to come back earlier. I have partial sight in my left eye." He took another bite of his sandwich. "Xander made a blood oath for all of us to not use the knowledge gained from the lab."

"I figured as much when you came home," he said dryly. "They would have killed you all to keep that under wraps. Was it that bad?"

"They were mutating it to afflict all life forms."

"Ah. Yes, then I will keep that promise. Though the Watcher's Council has wanted to know what was going on."

"Ask Micah. Or call Wes and have him ask." Oz yawned. "Sorry."

"That's all right. I've already tucked Xander into bed. Would you like some help upstairs?"

"Sure, in a few. I want that information."

"What information?"

"Xander's been in contact with a society of scientists who are planning the best way to explore space."

"Oh, dear," Giles sighed. "Do you think it's a cult?"

"He says it's not," Ray said as he walked out of the hallway. "No asking for donations, no asking for faith or belief. Just asking for ideas." He handed the brochures over. "That's all I could find. Well, expect some physic's thing."

"I'll go over that one later," Oz said absently, reading the top brochure. "Huh, not a cult. He was right."

"He does tend to do that sometimes," Ray said gently.

Oz nodded, giving him a weak smile. "I know. Xander is still very naive about people, Ray, and that's the one thing that I still feel we have to protect him from."

"No, he trusts," Ray countered. "That's not naive, that's being a good guy."

"Maybe, but it gets him in trouble more often than not," Giles reminded him. Ray glared at him. "How many times have we had to save Xander from someone who decided that they wanted him? Or from someone who wanted to give him something and then took him?"

"Not as many recently," Ray reminded them.

"True," Oz agreed, "but it's still safer for us to look over things like this *before* he gets stuck in them. And he agrees with that most of the time."

"What happens when he doesn't?" Ray asked.

"Then we watch out for him. Usually, those are the times when Xander's picked the right choices and is moving forward with his life," Giles told him. "We've seen a lot more of those recently than we did when we first got together. Xander's sheer impulsiveness, his desire to jump into any situation, has cost him greatly over his life. We're simply trying to protect him from any more pain of that sort. He doesn't need to become lost to a cult, or to make radical changes without knowing what they'll mean to all of us."

"You sound like his parents, and he's not three," Ray complained.

"We know, but he can act like it," Oz noted. "He's got this *desire* for life, Ray, this impulse to jump in first and ask questions later. That's what happened the last time we had to launch a major rescue effort for him. He went to India to help with a program for children and almost ended up in jail for it. He never checked it out to see why the children were being gathered, whether or not it was a social service organization or not."

"He hates himself for that," Ray said quietly, staring over Oz's shoulder. "He's still havin' nightmares about it."

"I know, Ray," Oz said, reaching over to give him a hug. "I'm still having nightmares about it. At least he did all he could to protect the children once he found out that they were being sold. That's what was most important to him, that and that he blew the whistle on them. He's made peace with that action." He pulled back. "But he does that all the time."

"But he's still not a kid," Ray argued. "He could do everything he wanted, and still not get into trouble."

"True, which is why we've taken more of a wait and see attitude about what he jumps into next," Giles agreed. "We want to know what it is, we'll have him talk it out with us, but we won't force him to change his mind or to stop whatever he had planned."

"Basically, it's like what Methos does to you when you want to speed off and see the world," Oz told him gently. "He makes you sit down and think about where you want to go this time and what you'll need to go."

"Oh." Ray shrugged. "As long as it's okay with him."

"We're easing off on it because it was frustrating him, but we're never not going to care about what he's jumping into. He knows that and he's come to accept that this is all done because we love and cherish him."

"He's recently come to the realization that if he tells us about it first, while he's still enthused, that we tend to lay off on the protective parts. His way of thinking through a situation best is to tell it to someone else. He's talked himself out of many dangerous projects by talking to us about them when he had the idea."

"But that's also hampered him some," Oz complained, looking at Giles. "He's talked himself out of some good stuff too because he thought it sounded dumb. I've had to balance a fine line of letting Xander go off and do crazy things and talking him into doing them."

"I see. I'll listen more carefully from now and let him sway me more often."

"Good, 'cause you talked him out of tryin' ta design a new fabric recently," Ray told him. "That's one of the ideas he wanted to submit to those people," he said, pointing at the brochure.

"He comes to you first?" Oz asked dryly.

Ray nodded and stood up. "Yup. You guys get the secondary rush, after I tell him ta come ta ya and tell you two about it." He patted Oz on the head. "But he's doin' pretty good recently. His mind's really occupied by this stuff." He grinned. "He's thinkin' about how ownership would be given right now."

"Oh, no," Oz groaned, putting his head down. "Not planets."

Giles patted him on the head. "I'm sure we're a very long way away from then."

"Maybe not, not with what he was talkin' about," Ray told them, then went to go check on the animals. He walked into the animal room and stopped when he saw Mutley and Rocky giving each other a bath, and he saw his dainty little Bruiser sitting in the Queen's position on top of the kitty gyms. "You got it?" he asked her, coming in to pet her on head, giving her gentle scratches between her eyes. "How?" He looked down at the usual queen cat, looking confused. "You let her have it?" He squatted down to check on that cat, frowning when he saw the bite marks and the one long claw cut. "Guys, one'a your cats needs ta go to the vets," he called.

Giles came running. "What happened?"

"My little femme darling apparently kicked her ass," Ray said, frowning at his cat. He picked up Fluffy to look her over, shaking his head as he showed off the bites on her neck too. "I think mine decided to suddenly become more like her name."

"We'll cart them to the vets this afternoon," Giles sighed, glaring at that cat. "Did you have to injure them this way?" He stopped then looked at Ray. "Has she had her shots?"

"All'a them. Methos and I made sure. We've got her shot record if you want to see it."

"No, that's not necessary, but cats don't usually attack this way." He looked down at his cat, who was hissing and trying to bat at this new cat. "Oh, dear. I think mine started it." He carried her out, going to call the vets to make sure they could get in that afternoon.

***

Xander woke up to the smell of really good soup and the sound of Oz snoring beside him. He forced himself to sit up and smiled at Ray, who was holding the tray. "Hi, for me?" he asked happily, making room for his best friend on the bed.

"Yup, all for you. Methos decided to cook." He glanced at Oz. "Um, he wanted me ta tell ya that the cats got into a major fight." Xander's spoon paused on the way to his mouth. "Princess, Fluffy, and Bruiser all had ta go get stitches. But Bruiser won."

"Any idea who started it?"

"Princess did when they walked in, we think," Ray said quietly. He looked out the window. "We paid for all the vet bills though."

Xander dropped his spoon and tipped Ray's head so he had to look at him again. "I'm not mad, this is what animals do when they get together. And Princess has been picking on Jedi too. We've had to take him in for stitches twice in the last two months because of her."

"She's only here because she's Giles' cat," Oz mumbled, snuggling into Xander's side and opening his eyes. "Hey. For me?"

"Nah, you got one downstairs," Ray said, grinning at him. "Meth even pounded out his frustration by makin' the bread bowls."

"Which is great," Xander said, going back to eating his soup as fast as he could. "Tell him you guys can come be the new chef and chef's playtoy if he wants," he said between bites.

Ray laughed. "I'll tell him ya said that. And I'll go get Oz his dinner."

"Here it is," Methos said as he walked in, smiling at the picture Xander made as he picked up the bowl and slurped the soup directly from the hollowed-out bread. "Oz, careful, it's still hot. Xander, not a chance." He smiled at his former student. "There's too many tempting things here for my Ray, I might lose him to your animal kingdom."

"Oh, come on," Xander pouted. "I could use Ray as a model, and I could always buddy around with him while you beat up on Giles and Oz." He gave his most pathetic look. "Please?"

"We'll stay," Methos reminded him, "for a while, but I will not become your chef."

"That means you have to put up with our cooking," Oz reminded Methos before picking up his own bowl to drain it. "Thanks, great," he panted once it was gone, then he tore into the bread.

"You can do that?" Xander asked, ripping off a large chunk to devour. "Even better," he mumbled as he ate the bowl too.

Oz looked faintly green as he watched Xander eat, so Methos snorted, drawing his attention. "I take it you both enjoyed the soup?" he asked.

"Yup," Xander said, launching himself over to give his best friend a hug. "Thanks." He looked down at Oz, then over at Ray, then kissed Methos on the cheek. "I'm not mad about the animals. Princess has been a really big bully recently. She's even went after Jedi a few times."

"We've had to pull Rocky off her once or twice for it," Oz agreed as he finished his bread. He swallowed then stacked his tray with Xander's so they could be put on the floor. "Speaking of which, where is Jedi?"

"Downstairs. He went to go find his playmate as soon as we walked in," Methos told him, giving him a hug also. "As long as you know that there's a problem."

Giles walked into the room, holding Rocky. "She attacked my cat."

"You cat's been attacking her ferret," Oz told him. He took Rocky, putting her on the bed with them. "Where's Jedi?"

"I have no idea. He scampered off somewhere." Giles ran a hand through his hair. "You're going to have to get rid of that ferret, Xander."

"Not," Xander argued. "Princess hasn't just been picking on Jedi. She picked on Ray's cats too." Giles looked stunned. "We've had to take Jedi to the vet's *twice* for stitches in the last few weeks, and one of those times, I was sitting there. Jedi was napping and she just got this evil look over her face and attacked him."

"Are you saying she's possessed?" Giles asked, still looking stunned. "My cat is perfectly normal. Ferrets in the wild would be their prey."

"And Goober?" Oz asked. "I had to take him to the vet's the other day for his injuries from her."

"Well, that might have been a case of dominance issues," Giles said stiffly.

"If it was a case of dominance, then Goober would have taken on the animal above her position, not tried to jump the top one," Methos told him. "You could check and see if your cat's possessed you know."

"I know she's not."

Xander held up his hand to show off the newest scar, a long tear beside his thumb. "Giles, she bit *me* the other day when I was cleaning the litterbox. No sudden moves. Nothing that would have frightened her, but she pounced me and then bit me, hard, and started to shake. I'm not her natural prey."

Giles shook his head. "I know she's not possessed."

"Then something needs to be done with her," Oz said gently, getting up to give him a hug. "She's tried to attack me in the office before too." He pulled Giles back to the bed and climbed in again. "Xander, check Rocky." He cuddled up to his husband, trying to keep him calm. "She either needs in a single cat family, where she can't hurt anyone else, or we need to do something about her."

"I'm starting to see that," Giles sighed. "What would you have me do?"

"I'd have you adopt her out," Xander said, checking under Rocky's ear. "She got her but they're not deep. The last stitches weren't torn, and there's another next to her collar, which is shallow too." He looked at Giles. "They were fighting and she did that much damage? How badly injured is she?"

"Not at all," Giles noted, looking at Rocky. "I'll find her an adoptive home."

"No, we let the Xander do that," Oz reminded him. "He's the best at finding animals new homes."

"Actually, I know someone who might need a cat. He was looking very lost when I saw him last, while I was out with Angel shopping for Seth's birthday present." He curled up, wrapping his arms around his legs. "I'll take her tomorrow, I know where he'll be." Giles nodded. "Now I need to go find Jedi." He got up, with some help from Ray, and they walked downstairs together, Rocky following them.

Oz shrugged at Giles' inquisitive look. "I have *no* idea who he means. Xander knows some of the oddest people though, I'm sure he does know someone who needs a bossy cat."

***

Xander walked up to the young priest, giving him a smile. "Hi, Father Philip," he said, giving him a hug so he could lead him over to a pew and sit down. "Sorry, I'm just getting over the flu." The priest he had met while crossing realms, and had come to make his acquaintance with once he had come home, smiled at that. "I've got a major problem and I think someone here in your parish might help." He pulled off his backpack and unzipped the top to show the cat napping on a large towel and her water and food containers. "She's been terrorizing our other animals, especially my ferret and his dog, and we can't keep her. I know she'd do good in a single animal family. Maybe some little old lady that'll be willing to groom her bald?"

Philip smiled and reached down to pet the soft head. "She's a beautiful cat, Xander," he said quietly. "I think we can do that. I might even keep her myself. I've been needin' a reason to come outta my studies." He looked up and smiled. "Are you really all right?" he asked when he saw the tiredness in the young man's eyes.

"Yeah, I got a version of a demon flu. I'm fine." He smiled at the woman who had walked up to them. "I'll be done with him in a few," he said, being nice.

"Alex, this is Xander. He and his crew met another version of all of us when he went travelin' across realms."

Alex smiled and shook Xander's hand. "What was I doing?"

"Complaining about the me, the Nick, and the kids from there."

Alex's eyes opened. "You really met...." She looked at Philip. "How?"

"I've got it all recorded for ya," Philip said, giving her a smile. "A demon flu?" he asked.

"Yeah, stupid humans playing around with things they should have left alone and I chased a bad guy through a lab." He shrugged. "It's been taken care of, Philip, never worry about that."

"Oh, I know ya'd do that much," he said, giving the young man a hug. "All right, what's her name?"

"Princess, because she thinks she's one." He handed over the backpack. "Specially made for carrying kitties. She's got a few toys in the front. And watch out, she got me the other day too," he said, showing off his latest scar.

Philip nodded. "I will. Thank you."

"Hey, anytime." Xander grinned at Alex. "Don't worry, it wasn't that bad. The Derek there adopted the me there as his son." He walked around her and out to the car, where Ray was waiting.

Alex stared down at Philip. "They told him about us?" she asked.

"No, the him from there probably did," Philip said, standing up. "Give me a few, I've still got some books ta pack," he said as he led the way back to his rooms. He set the cat down, watching as she sniffed her new environment. He frowned as he watched what books the cat was investigating closer, pulling down a small vial of water to sprinkle a few drops on the cat. It howled and went for his hands. "Ah, no wonder. It's possessed." He looked at Alex. "Lock it and grab 'er, we need to fix this first."

Alex wisely just locked the door and let him handle this, it was his area of expertise.

***

Xander walked into the house and headed for where he could hear Oz and Methos talking out by the pool, sliding down into Methos' lap. Oz gave him a funny look. "What? You're too weak to want me in your lap and Ray said I could borrow him."

"That's fine, dear one," Methos said, stroking down the shaking back. "Did you give that nice priest the cat?"

"Yup. And his version of Alex was there," he said, grinning at Oz, who hadn't met her. "She was very nice when they came here. It was kinda obvious Buffy was trying to get with her but it wasn't working out so well."

"Buffy got very possessive too," Oz reminded him.

"Yeah, I guess she did." Xander closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth of the sun. "I'm sleepy," he announced.

"Would you like to nap like you usually do in the sun?" Methos asked.

"Sure," Xander mumbled, fisting Methos' shirt so he wouldn't be able to move. "Comfy. Night."

Oz smiled and Ray shook his head. "Hey, even I've said you were a comfy pillow," Ray reminded his lover.

Methos groaned but he accepted the role he was given, enjoying being Xander's body pillow.

Oz was helped up and into the kitchen so he could make them dinner with Ray.

***

Methos woke up from his nap and found Xander giving him a sheepish grin. "Hello, imp," he said, reaching up to brush some of the dark hair out of the younger man's eyes. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yup, but I didn't mean to make you nap with me."

"Ah, but you're a very good person to nap with. You hardly moved at all. Ray, now he moves all the time when he naps on top of me." He smiled at his friend. "Don't worry about it, Ray was out here when you fell asleep."

"Ya know, I'm not pissed about that anymore," Ray said as he walked out, shutting the door behind him. He walked over and gave them both a hug. "I understand that nothin' happened that day five years ago, that it was just a backrub. I calmed down after a few seconds, after realizin' I was overreactin' to a backrub between you two." He curled up beside Methos on the chair, giving Xander a smile. "After all, buddies are like that." He tweaked Xander's nose. "It was Oz that went psycho."

"True," Xander sighed, putting his head back down. He didn't like to think of that bad time between them, but Oz had went insane when he had found him giving Methos a backrub while they were both naked. His husband had even called the bank and had his withdrawal privileges suspended because Oz thought he was going to leave him. That had not been fun, but they had worked through it, and Oz was trying to be less possessive now. There was no more confiscation of credit and ATM cards, no more criticizing what he bought when he went shopping. No more making sure he was only going to certain places in LA and having Angel tail him there. It was much nicer now, though he used to be able to count on Angel to send Willow to tail him so he had a shopping buddy, but it was better now. Not fully fixed, but better. He looked up at Ray. "Think I could travel with you?" he asked out of the blue.

"Sure," Ray said, looking up at Methos. "I think it's about time you two had a break. It's been ten years since you were last apart, while you were crossin' realms with those kids."

"I think he meant us and just him," Methos said gently.

Ray nodded. "And? I know. It's still good for me." He grinned at Xander. "Wanna go shoppin' with me in Paris? I think we could find some of the oddest shops."

"Sure."

"Oh, dear," Giles said as he walked out. "Is this something I need to be worried about?"

"No," Xander told him, not looking at him. "Just planning a little solo vacation of my own."

"Oh, all right then." He smiled at Methos. "We would approve of them chaperoning you. We would even send them with you so they wouldn't have to worry about getting tickets and the like."

"Eurorail pass," Methos whispered in Xander's ear.

Ray, who had heard, snickered. "Definitely." He looked up at Methos. "Want to be a chaperone?"

"If we must, but I had plans that included just the two of us and one of the observation decks on the Eiffel tower, especially since they're fixing it again."

Giles shook his head and went back into the house, going to talk to Oz. "He wants to take a solo vacation."

"It's been fifteen years. I'm sure Methos and Ray will be close enough in case he gets into trouble." He handed over some carrots and green peppers. "Chop those into chunks please." He finished the lettuce and put it aside.

***

Xander walked out of the bathroom and collapsed on the bed, looking at Oz, who was staring up at the canopy of the bed. "What?" he asked warily. Usually when Oz got that look, Xander had to curtail his fun.

"Just thinking about you taking a solo vacation for a month," Oz said quietly, then looked down at his husband. They were alone tonight, Giles was sleeping in another room so he wouldn't get sick too. "I'm okay with the concept of you going, but the animals and I are going to miss you."

Xander leaned in for a kiss. "I won't be gone a month, we both know that, I just planned for a month at the most."

"Okay. Can I make a request though?" Xander nodded. "I don't want you to go on your vacation as yourself." Xander looked confused. "I don't want you going as 'Xander Harris, trouble magnet'. He touched the dark hair. "Maybe do this in another color for a few weeks? Different clothes?"

"Ah, you want me to turn into a different Xander."

"Yup, one who won't be recognized for his sex manual, or for his other books." Oz rolled over and cuddled him. "I want you to have a happy vacation, not one where you have to get away from people like that guy in Prague, who thought you were willing to give lessons since you had written the book. Just a nice trip, maybe some hobnobbing with some of the more affluent in London, that sort of thing."

"I'll think about it," Xander temporized. He shook his head. "I don't want to have to pretend."

"Not asking you to, just to change a few physical things in the name of safety." He dragged his thumb across his husband's lip. "It's not like I don't know that you're going to ditch Methos and Ray as soon as you get to London. I just want you to be safe."

"All right," Xander said, understanding the premise behind the request. "Will you be able to live with me with different hair?"

"Sure. And you can take all that cashmere with you to Europe since it's winter there too."

"Okay, I'll do it, on one condition." Oz nodded quickly. "That I want you to spend the time we're apart working on some more of your possessive issues."

"Deal," Oz said. He nuzzled in. "Am I really still that bad?"

"Only when someone looks at me."

"All right, I'll work on that. Just don't get into trouble."

"Me?" Xander asked, grinning. "Besides, Spike and Seth are both in London somewhere. Methos and Ray will be somewhere in main Europe. There's plenty of people I can run to if I need help."

"I'll only worry a little then," Oz said, matching his smile. "Deal?"

"Deal," Xander said, sealing it with a kiss. "I wish I weren't so tired."

"Me too," Oz sighed, reaching down to touch his soft cock. "This is only the second time I haven't been able to get it up for you."

"I forgave you the other one," Xander said sweetly. "Being that injured was a good excuse." He stole another kiss. "Same as being this sick is." He pulled the covers up over them, snuggling in to be held. "Night."

"Night, Xander."

***

Xander finished making his reservations, making sure the hotel knew he was paying for the whole month at once, even if he wasn't there for the whole time. It'd be good to have a base to explore from. He looked up at Methos, who had showed him the site he used to make travel plans, grinning. "Okay, I'm done."

"Hit the submit button," Methos said, pointing.

Xander took a deep breath and hit the submit button. His first real vacation alone. What a depressing thought.

Out and About.

Xander looked across the aisle at Ray and Methos, giving them a brave smile. They were both worried about how he was going to handle himself, this is first vacation away from Oz in fifteen years. "Okay, so we've got one day in Paris for shopping, right?" he asked Ray, who nodded. "And one weekend wherever?"

Methos nodded. "We'll call you in two weeks to come join us for a weekend, and you and Ray can plan on going shopping then, imp." He shut up as a woman sat down next to Xander.

"Hi," Xander said, leaning around her. "Okay, and you guys know the hotel's number in case you get worried too," he said with a grin.

"Yes, we will be checking on you," Ray said, doing his best Oz impersonation.

Xander chuckled. "You should do that for him sometime, Ray." He leaned back in his seat and smiled at the stewardess. First class was nice, but he really didn't want to sit next to this woman, her perfume was a bit strong. "Do you have any of those handwashing packets?" he asked her. He touched his finger and thumb together. "I spilled my soda before we boarded and didn't have time to clean up."

She smiled and nodded. "I'll get you one the next time I walk past the kitchen, Mr. Harris." She checked Ray and Methos' seats too. "Please put them upright for now, gentlemen, we're about to move away from the gate."

"Finally," the woman next to him sighed. "Maybe *then* I'll get some work done."

"Xander, why did you choose a window seat?" Ray called over.

"Because this way, I can goof off and watch the clouds instead of working on that *book*," he said in disgust.

"Ah," Methos said wisely. "I'll help you with it when we get back, imp."

"Yes, dear."

"Did you want to switch seats?" she asked dryly.

"No, I like the window seat." He took the small package from the stewardess with a smile. "Thanks." He jumped as the front door slammed shut, only to be opened a second later for one last, straggling, passenger and her child, then they were shut for good and the plane moved away from the gate. Xander listened to the entire safety speech, then forced himself to relax as the plane started to gain speed for take off. He counted to 100, knowing that if the plane didn't crash then, it might not crash at all, a silly superstition he had learned the first time he had ever flown as a child. Once they were airborne, he brought out his laptop and his light pen, expecting to get something useful done, eventually.

After a few minutes of watching him draw, the woman craned her neck over. "You're a designer?" she asked, looking over his velvet pants and tanktop.

"Only for myself and friends," he mumbled as he corrected a the line he had just screwed up on. He looked her over. "Why?"

"Just wondering," she said defensively. She pushed the button for the stewardess and demanded a pillow and blanket. "I'm going to sleep," she said self-importantly.

"Night," he said absently, already back in his work.

The next time Xander got brought out of his work was when the stewardess tapped him on the shoulder. "Drink, sir? We're going to be serving dinner in an hour or so."

"Sure. Twenty ounces?" he asked.

She smiled. "Beer or Coke?"

"Dr. Pepper?"

She handed him one. "What did you want for supper, sir? We're having broiled fish or pasta alfredo with shrimp."

"Which veggies are in the pasta?"

"As far as I know, there's a little bit of broccoli, but nothing else."

"I'll have a small serving of that. I have to watch my weight and my diet," he told her with a smile. "My doctor from my heart attack said so."

"That was a long time ago," Methos said dryly, looking up from his reading. "You're fine now if you wanted to eat a whole panful."

"But I've gotten used to the diet now; it took me ten years, but I don't feel like I'm starving anymore."

Ray snorted in his sleep and rolled over, reaching a hand out to the stewardess' leg.

"Ray," Methos sighed, pulling Ray's hand back. "Sorry, but he tends to cuddle in his sleep." He watched as the woman sitting next to Xander huffed and got up to go find another seat.

"Gee, maybe I should have mentioned I have two husbands," Xander said, smiling at Methos. "If you want, you can send him over here."

"I know. I might later." Methos smiled at the stewardess, who was looking a little confused. "We live with his family sometimes, these two are best friends."

"Oh." Her smile got brighter. "It's good to have support." She looked at Xander. "Are you *sure* you only want half a portion? They are small, Mr. Harris."

"Then I'll have the regular sized one. Oh, and can I have some of that snack mix too?" he asked with a grin. "I get munchies when I write now."

"Of course." She pulled out a small packet of snack mix and handed it over. "I'll get you another bag if you need one." She ruffled his hair and turned to look at Methos. "What would you two like for dinner tonight, Mr. Pierson?"

"I'll have the fish and Ray will have...."

"The pasta," Xander finished for him.

"Yes, he'll have the pasta." Methos looked around her at Xander. "Behave, imp, or we might have to stay in London an extra day to make sure you behave."

Xander gave him, and the stewardess, his best innocent look. There was an advantage to being frozen at the age of twenty-one. She walked away laughing lightly.

Ray chose then to wake up.

And the guy from coach decided to come through the partition with his gun held before him.

Ray rolled over and grabbed the soda Xander tossed at him, lifting up his glasses so he could see long enough to toss the bottle at the guy with the gun. "I retired," he grumbled. "I thought the bad guys were supposed to go away when you retired."

Methos patted him on the arm. "I'm sure this one was just a fluke, my darling former cop."

The stewardess looked down at them in shock. "How did you do that? What are you?"

"Former cop, and I used to have a Mountie as a partner," Ray mumbled, on his way back down into his nap.

"He just retired a few weeks ago," Xander told her gently. "He's still working on the instinctive problems. He's even shot an alarm clock because it went off."

The stewardess looked upset, and confused, but she nodded and got another person to help her restrict the passenger to a bathroom until they could make an emergency landing. Methos stopped her on the way back. "He *really* doesn't want this mentioned. All right?" She nodded. "Not at all connected with his name."

"Tell them I did it," Xander said, munching as he looked out the window. "Hey, it's Chicago."

Ray groaned and hid his face against Methos' side. "Just what I need, my old home."

"It's all right, Ray, the Federal people take care of things on airlines," Methos soothed. "I doubt you're going to see any of your former coworkers this time." He looked up at the Stewardess. "Really, he would like his name kept out of this."

"All right," she agreed, walking away. She had thought they were three nice, if a little young, men. Now she wasn't quite sure what they were. A cop? His husband? Their best friend, who reacted instantly to the sight of the gun? Oh, this was going to be one of *those* flights.

The Captain came on and told everyone that they were making an emergency landing in Chicago, but that there was no need for alarm. The problem had already been taken care of, the landing was just a formality.

***

Xander walked out of Customs and looked around for Methos and Ray, who were spending the night in London before going on to Paris the next afternoon. He found them waiting on him, Methos looking delighted when faced with decent beer choices at the pub in the airport. He slipped an arm around Ray's waist, giving him a squeeze. "You'll have all night at the pubs," Xander reminded Methos. "I want to go check in. I need a nap."

"That's why I sleep when I fly," Ray told him with a shrug. "That, and I won't know it if we crash." He picked up their bags and headed for baggage claim to pick up their swords. He and Xander met Methos outside, the old man was arguing with a cab driver over the best brewhouse in the surrounding country. "Let it go," Ray advised him, getting into the back. "We're heading into London Proper. Xander's staying at..."

"The same place we did last time, the Lanesborough in Hyde Park," he said, pulling out the business card to hand to the driver. "We're going there first, then they can be dropped off, they're only a few blocks away."

"We're not staying at the apartment tonight," Methos said as he slid in beside them. "Oz arranged for me to stay with you tonight, just so you don't feel lonely your first night in town."

"Gee, guys, I was gonna go find Seth and talk him into a game of pool. After a nap," he said with a grin.

Methos gave him a hug. "I know you're trying to sound confident , but Oz told me that your first night in a new city was usually very upsetting for you, that you felt you should wander around, but not wanting to get into trouble you wouldn't."

"Yeah, but I've been here before," Xander reminded him with a grin. "I'll be okay, Adam, really." He kissed him on the cheek, then gave Ray one too. "Really, I'll be okay without my Oz. I might have to hire an escort to take me to a play, but otherwise we'll be fine."

"So, the Lanesborough?" the driver asked.

"Yes, please," Methos told him. "Ray, did you load the luggage?"

"You did," Xander told him, relaxing into the comforting embrace and starting on his nap a little early.

***

The clerk looked a little embarrassed as she looked at Xander. "Sir, we sent you an email..."

"I haven't checked my mail in about a week," Xander told her, leaning on the counter. "You couldn't give me what I wanted?"

"Well, no, most of the Junior Suites are filled due to a business meeting in two weeks." She looked a little abashed. "We can upgrade you, but it's going to be a little extra."

"How much extra?"

"About fifty-four hundred pounds extra," she said with a wince. "We have one of the Executive Junior Suites open, but it's seven hundred seventy-five pounds instead of the five hundred ninety- five one that you originally booked. That's a difference of fifty-four hundred pounds over the month."

Methos patted Xander on the back. "You brought over six hundred thousand pounds, Xander, accept it."

"Sure," he said with a shrug. "Methos is right. I might not be here all month, but I need a secure base to play from." He gave her a grin and handed over some of the cash he had changed at the airport's bank. "Let me dig the rest out." He got down and dug around, bringing out the rest of the cash he would need from his pile. "And you have my credit card number still right?" he asked her as he handed that over too.

She nodded. "Definitely, sir. If I may ask, why are you paying in cash?"

"Because this way, I have to limit how much I spend while shopping," he told her dryly. "Otherwise, I'm going to be sending a *lot* of stuff home."

She chuckled. "I understand that, sir, your last stay here was almost legendary among the bellhops." She printed out the forms and handed them over. "There you go, just sign please and I'll have you brought upstairs immediately." She watched as Xander signed his name, then handed him the security card and the key. "You're on a secure floor, Mr. Harris, so you'll need both to get into your room." She pointed up at the camera above her, making him look up. "If you have any troubles with your security card, please let Security know, they've got your picture now." She admired his newly blonded hair. "That's a nice look on you," she complimented.

"Thanks," he said with a smile. "You've got me under the pseudonym?" She nodded. "Good. That was just an Oz overprotective thing." He ran his fingers through his hair. "So's this." He shrugged. "My Oz worries about me, as always."

Methos ruffled the blond hair too. "But it does look good on you. The stylist picked a perfect shade."

"I did it," Xander mumbled as he picked up his carryon and laptop case, following the guy with his luggage up to his room.

Methos looked at Xander's back, then down at his Ray, who was napping against their bellhop. He shook his head and handed over his reservation letter and credit card.

"Mr. Pierson," she said, smiling at him as she typed him in. "Here we are. One night?"

"Yes, his Oz wanted him to be guarded tonight," Methos sighed, rolling his eyes. "He gets into such *trouble* when he's alone." He signed his papers too, then woke Ray up gently and followed Xander upstairs.

***

Xander sent Oz an email as soon as he woke up, including a cute part about a dream he had of his husband wearing a leopard-print thong, then stood up and stretched. He looked out the window, smiling when he saw it was nearly dawn. "Oh, they're going to hate me," he said, heading for the cordless phone. "Hi, can you connect me with Mr. Pierson's room?" he asked. He chuckled and looked at the clock. "How long before the block comes off?" He snorted. "Thanks. Yeah, tell them I'm down getting breakfast when you wake them up please." He hung up and looked around the spacious room, taking in the nice, open floor plan, and the antique furniture. He nodded to himself. "Well worth the extra money." He opened the safe and took out a few of his larger bills to have ready for breakfast and a trip through the in-house store, he knew he had forgotten something, as usual, then went to take a shower. By the time he got back, he had a message waiting on him from his Oz, who got mushy. He 'aww'ed over the picture of Oz and the ferret, Jedi deciding apparently that napping on Oz's head was one of the better spots, then went down to eat. He was starving!

He sat down at one of the smaller tables in a corner, picking up the complimentary newspaper to read while he waited on his coffee. He had to have coffee before he had anything else. As soon as it came, the paper was tossed aside and the entire pot was drained. Then he felt like breakfast. He picked up the menu and looked it over, remembering what he and Oz had eaten the last time they had been here, smiling at the memories he had of this place. The waiter coughed delicately, making him look up. "Sorry, lost in my memories. My mate and I were here last time."

"Is he all right, Mr. Harris?" the waiter asked.

"Yup, we're taking a vacation from each other. It's been fifteen years," he sighed. "I hate it." He put down the menu. "I'd like an order of the quiche and some of those really fluffy eggs that we had the last time. And some ham please?"

"Of course, sir. More coffee?"

"No, milk please, I'll have more coffee afterwards." He smiled as Ray wandered in, still rubbing his eyes. "Get him coffee though. He's a lot like me." He handed over the empty pot and the waiter buzzed off immediately go to fill the order. "Good morning, Ray," he said, trying to look cheerful.

"Hey," Ray grunted as he sat down, looking around the nearly empty room. "Where's that waiter?"

"Gone to get you some coffee," Xander said, patting the back of his friend's hand. "I left a message for you to both come join me when you got up."

"Meth kicked last night," Ray complained, rubbing down his bare thigh.

Xander checked the bare leg, ignoring the tight running shorts and t-shirt his friend was wearing, for now. "Not a single bruise," he said, looking impressed. "The last time he kicked me in jest, I got a bruise the size of a grapefruit."

"Yeah, I don't do that," Ray said, grinning at the waiter as he was handed coffee. He watched as the waiter said something to Xander then left. "Let me guess, he objects to my shorts?"

"No, to your entire outfit." Xander stood up and dragged Ray over to the in-house store, getting him a pair of walking shorts and a shirt, letting him get dressed in their bathroom before going back to breakfast. "There, how's that?" he asked as he sat down, the waiter putting down their food.

"Sorry, sir, but the manager can get persnickety about such attire," the waiter said softly. "I just wanted to warn you."

"No big," Ray said, waving it off. He looked at Xander's plates. "Can I have fried eggs and bacon? And maybe some of those little pastry things? The little fluffy ones with fruit?"

"Of course, Mr. Kowalski, I'll be right back with them." He walked away, going to get his order also.

"That's the only good thing about early mornings," Ray noted, sipping more of his coffee. "There's no one here and the waiters are *real* nice to ya." He looked down at his khaki shorts and green shirt, then over at his best friend. "You had ta make me look preppy?"

"This is London. When Oz did it to me, he said it was a mandatory look for at least a day." He grinned. "I got blue though."

Ray patted him on the head. "That's nice." He took the plates from the waiter's hands, starting in as fast as he could. "Great," he said between bites. "Tell everyone I said so."

Xander smiled at the waiter. "He's just retired as a police officer."

"Ah," the waiter said, nodding. He refilled the coffee urn then left them alone to eat in peace.

By the time Methos joined them, they had polished off a good number of Ray's pastries and all of their breakfasts, and were about to bounce around the room. Methos took one look at them and grabbed the coffee urn, pouring himself a cup as he sat down, just so he could be ready for whatever they would do.

***

Xander waved at his friends through the security gates, then headed for the busses. He wanted to go ride around London, get his bearings again. After a nice, twenty minute ride, he found himself in front of an old bookstore, and shrugged. He needed something to do while he ate. He walked in and smiled at the man behind the counter, heading back to the sci-fi section. He had picked out about six books before he knew it and had to check his wallet to make sure he hadn't left his money back in his room. He came up with one big bill and mentally counted up his purchases, then pulled down two books he wanted to give Giles and Oz. He walked up and handed them over, paying for it.

"American?" the man behind the counter asked as he rung them up. He gave the Book of Egyptian Spirits a funny look.

"Yup. On vacation from my husbands." He took the bag and walked out, heading back to his hotel. If he only remembered where it was. He decided to wander down the street, looking in all the little shops along the way. The he saw a tour bus and decided to go ask them. "Hi, how do I get to Hyde Park?" he asked the driver.

"Back that way," he said, pointing over his shoulder. "A fair bit though. We've just come from there. Should be a bus you can take." He looked the young man over. "You live there?"

"For the next month," he said with a slight grin. "Thanks." He started walking that way, knowing if worse came to worse, he could always ride around London some more until he got back there. By the time he got back to his hotel room that afternoon, he was broke, he was exhausted, but he was feeling better about being alone. He dropped his bags on the couch and sat down in front of his computer, looking for a new message from Oz. He found one from Giles, reminding him not to go bother his father, but smiled at it. He hadn't planned on it, but hey, if he ran into his father- in-law then wouldn't it be rude not to say hi? He logged out of his mail account and went to take a nap before dinner.

***

Xander walked into the Concierge's office, giving the woman behind the desk a smile. "Have you heard of this play?" he asked, setting a clipping down in front of her.

"I've heard it's very highly thought of by the critics," she said, reading over the review. "I've not seen it personally, Mr. Harris." She smiled up at him. "Would you like a ticket to go see it?"

"Yup. But can you find me someone to go with?" She looked faintly shocked and he frowned. "Nothing like that. I hate going to plays by myself. It's always better when you can talk about it with someone else."

She nodded. "I see. I do have the number of a very professional escort service, I could call them for you."

He nodded. "Please. Just to go to the play. Nothing more than that. I doubt my husbands would like it if I had dinner with her or something."

Her smile got brighter. "Of course, Mr. Harris. Would you like to try for tickets for tonight, or tomorrow's afternoon showing?"

"Tomorrow's afternoon showing," he said happily. "You get to see some of the understudies then and they're usually much more into the acting parts than the usual actors are in the afternoons."

She nodded. "Of course. I'll have them sent up to your room."

"Thanks." He reached over to touch the ring on her finger. "How long?"

"Six months," she sighed. "And he's not all I wanted."

He showed her his. "Fifteen years and this is our first apart vacation." He shrugged and left her alone, going back to sulking alone in his room. He picked up a copy of the newspaper on the way, then decided he wanted to go look for his brother and Spike tonight. He logged onto the internet as soon as he got upstairs and went through his bookmarks until he found where he had hidden the demonic newspaper's page, heading for it's classified section. "Pubs," he muttered as he searched them, coming up with a page of addresses after finding the site for local hangouts. He checked himself then went to take a shower before dinner.

***

Xander walked into the second pub of the night and headed straight for the loudest corner, running into Spike as soon as he walked up to them. He gave him a hug. "Hi, Oz let me out on my own and I wanted to invite my brother and you out to do something," he said when he got growled at.

The few demons around them stared at him in shock. "What?" Spike grunted.

"Xander Harris," he said, holding out his hand to shake the demon's claw. All the demons got very wide eyes and went back to what they were doing. "You were saying?" Xander asked Spike.

Spike snorted and led the way over to their back corner table, letting Xander sit next to his brother. "The boy wants to take us out."

"Okay," Seth said, putting down his pint of blood. "Where?"

"Pick somewhere not like this," Xander offered. "Dinner if you'd like."

"Hmm," Seth said, looking Xander's outfit of jeans and long-sleeved shirt over. "You'd have to change to go where Spike refuses to take me."

"Formal or leathers," Xander offered.

"Formal," Seth said, grinning at his younger brother. "You look good for a man that's thirty- eight."

"Yeah, I do," Xander said happily. "I'm going to be young and pretty for a little while longer." He looked over at Spike, giving him an innocent look. "Why won't you take him out? That's mean."

"Don't like the fancy, frou-frou places his Sire did," Spike snorted. "Let you take him though."

"Thanks," Seth said dryly. "Spike, I want to have dinner with the *both* of you." He looked at his brother. "What do you have planned for the rest of your trip?"

"Just taking it as it comes," Xander sighed. "I have a play to go to tomorrow, then I'm going to do some prezzie gathering after that. Methos and Ray promised to call next week and force me to come to Paris with them for a weekend." He gave Spike a pitiful look. "I'm bored."

Spike shuddered and got up to get himself another pint of beer.

Seth and Xander shared a secretive smile and got together to plan what to do for the rest of the night.

***

Seth and Xander danced together on the dancefloor, Spike watching from not that far away, enjoying themselves for the first time on this trip. Spike, who had already been offered for some of Xander's or Seth's time, growled at the latest demon to walk up to him. "Devi," he snarled. "What do you want?"

"I need to make Harris an offer," he said calmly.

Spike laughed, drawing some attention to them. "I know he won't come back to work for you."

"That wasn't the question," Devi said, bowing to Xander as he walked over with his brother. "Hello, Xander. I wanted to know if...."

"No," Xander cut him off.

"Not to work, to run one of the clubs. I have to leave for LA in a few days on an emergency that's going to come up and I'll need someone I trust to be there for my boys." He looked Seth over. "You're Blair's childe, correct?"

"Seth," he said, shaking the older demon's hand. "I doubt my brother would acquiesce to such an offer." He looked at Xander, who was not looking happy. "I'd say the answer is no, Devi. Please leave us alone." He dragged his brother away, knowing that Spike was watching out for them.

Spike punched the brothel owner, sending him crashing to the floor. "I watch out for the boy, and I doubt his husbands would like it if he did anything for you," he said, then he spat next to his head. "Leave and never come near the boy again." He followed his boyfriend over to the bar, getting himself a whiskey. Xander laid a hand on his arm. "Relax, not gettin' drunk," he sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Please, Spike, not tonight," Seth pleaded. He and Xander shared a mutual distaste for drunkenness, no matter who was doing the drinking. And Spike routinely got violent when he got drunk, another good reason to keep him from drinking if they wanted to continue to have fun together that night. "Please?"

"Sure," Spike sighed, putting down the shot. "Was my first."

"I know," Seth said, giving him a hug. "Thank you."

"Welcome." Spike looked at Xander, who was steadily drinking his first beer of the night. "Maybe you should stop him."

Seth nodded and took the bottle, draining the rest of it himself. "None of that, bro," he whispered. "He's not worth it."

"I *so* want to kill him," Xander said quietly. "Can we find somewhere else?"

"This is the only one that'll allow humans," Spike told him. "Everywhere else checks."

Xander reached over and picked up a copy of the demon paper from behind the counter, flipping over until he found a listing for another club. "What about this one? It says it's a mixed place."

"That would be Devi's," Seth noted. "Sire goes there." He patted Xander's back. Then another demon grabbed him and tossed him backwards.

"Oi!" Spike shouted, but he too got thrown away.

Xander looked at the large demon, one eyebrow going up in a mock-Oz look. "What?" he asked calmly. "Can't I have a drink with my brother?"

"You smell good," the demon hissed.

"Yes, and I'm the mate to a werewolf, a very old one." He stepped out of range of the hand trying to touch him. "Touch me and die," he warned. "I'm very well trained to kill you."

The demon snorted. "You don't even know what I am. You're human and they're blind to us."

"You're a second generation, Realm 23-spawned demon, though many of you do now live on Realm 12. Your kind have acidic spittle properties and greater than average strength, but have proven on intelligence tests to not take a clue. Your reach is about three feet, your tongue has suckers on it, and your kind cause more trouble annually than vampires do in the matter of property damage. Did I forget anything?"

"Their pricks have prickles," Spike said helpfully, enjoying this. He hadn't known the boy was this good.

"Are you a Watcher?" the demon asked, his eyes narrowing.

"No, I'm a guardian of the Hellmouth in California. All I'm trying to do is have a nice time with my brother, Seth, and here you go interfering with it. How decent is that?"

The demon growled and took a swing at him. "You are a Watcher."

"No, I'm *married* to the Watcher," Xander noted, pulling his sword out of its sheathe in his leather jacket, a present from Methos last Christmas, and hacked off the demon's left hand. "Did you want to discuss this anymore?"

"Who are you?" the bartender asked, looking calm but sounding scared.

Xander dropped his sword back into it's special holder then turned to look at him. "Xander Harris," he said, holding out a hand.

The bartender nodded. "Heard of you. You're a fair one." He looked at the demon. "Out or I'll have you bounced," he ordered.

"You haven't seen the last of me," the demon promised. He picked up his hand and lumbered out.

"Bye," Xander called, waving. He looked around the club, everyone staring at him. "What? A boy's got to defend himself against idiots like him. After all, my Oz would not be pleased if I hadn't." The crowd started to disperse.

Spike snorted and nodded. "True, he'd take it out on me though." He put an arm around Xander's shoulder. "You brought your weddin' gift with ya on the plane?"

"Yup, but we had to check them in at the airport. Adam was *not* happy." He smiled at the bartender. "Can I have a bottled water please?" he asked, putting down a bill on the bar. "And I'll pick up Spike and Seth's next drink too." He looked over at his brother, who was talking into his cellphone. "Tell your Sire I said hi," he said, waving.

Seth groaned and turned around, walking into the bathroom to get some privacy. Spike decided to like this human, he was a good one to get into trouble with. Especially if he bought the drinks.

***

When Xander got in, he sent an email to his Oz, telling him Seth said hi and Spike had taken over his Ozly duties that night. He conveniently left out the fight, or the attempt by a vampiress who wanted to eat him on the dance floor, and said good night to him and the babies.

He turned and found a small envelope on the desk, picking it up to look inside it. "Tickets," he said in appreciation, liking the seating. He saw the small slip of paper and took it out. "Sorry, could only get you evening tickets. Hope this was okay. Her name is Lacrecia and she'll be downstairs at seven tomorrow night so you can get there in time," he read. "Coolness." He put them aside and went to wash the sweat off. He had forgotten what fun a night out clubbing was.

***

Xander looked his escort over, liking what he saw. "Xander," he said, shaking her hand. "Ready to go?"

"Of course," she said, her voice gentle and quiet. Once they were in the cab, she turned to look at him. "My boss said that you only need accompanying to the play?"

"Yup. I think plays and movies should be shared so you can talk during them," he said with a grin, holding up his ring. "My husbands aren't with me this time."

"Oh." Her smile got more genuine. "Why didn't you pick a male escort?"

"Because my Oz gets very jealous, but he knows I hate going to plays by myself so this is okay," he assured her. "He's back in California right now with our animals."

"Are you in town for business?"

"No, a long vacation. It's been fifteen years, it was time."

"You must have gotten married to him very young," she said, looking him over. "You don't look like you're over twenty-five."

"Thirty-eight."

"Oh." She blinked a few times. "How do you stay so young?"

"Lots of clean living," he noted, smiling at her. "Have you seen this one before?"

She looked him over to judge and see if she should tell him her real opinion of the play, then decided he would take honesty well. "Yes, and I thought it was horrid the first time," she said honestly. "It's a bad take-off of Romeo and Juliet, but they don't die and she's pregnant before they get married." She shook her head. "It's a lot more art than substance."

"You sound like you know plays," he offered.

"I was a theater student, moved here from LA actually."

"I live in Sunnydale," he told her.

"Wow. This is a small world. So, you have an Oz?"

"And a Giles. He's from a town just north of here somewhere."

"Are you going to visit his family for him?"

"He's asked me not to," he said with a faint blush. "They don't really like me, they think I'm a little wild." He paid the cabbie and got out, helping her out of the cab. "Come, at least we can talk. We've got a small box."

"Up near the Queen's?" she asked as she watched him hand over the tickets. She glanced at the crowd, pulling him back as someone a lot more famous came up behind them. "Bow," she reminded him gently.

"M'lady," Xander said in his best courtly manner, "M'lord."

The King chuckled. "It's been a long time since I've heard that." He looked at his daughter, who was practically bouncing. "Yes, dear?" he asked her.

"Father, introduce me please?" she begged. "It's a wonderful birthday present to find someone amusing."

Xander stood up and clicked his heels together, holding out his hand. "Xander Harris, American." She giggled again. "This is Lacrecia, my date for the evening," he introduced her.

"This is my daughter, Carolyn," the King said. "It's her thirteenth birthday." The crowd cheered. "Come, dear."

"Bye," she called, waving at him.

Xander waved back, then took his ticket stubs, allowing Lacrecia to lead him up to their box. "Was that okay?" he asked her.

"Where did you learn court manners?" she hissed. "The Middle Ages?"

"Basically," he agreed, sitting down. "Long story, full of strangeness."

She just looked at him.

***

After the play, Xander took her out for coffee, then sent her home, sipping his very good coffee as he watched the people go past the windows.

"Oh, it's you," a young female voice said from behind him.

Xander turned to look at the young Crown Princess, giving her a smile. "Yup, it's me," he said, waving at the other seat. "Sit, if your father says it's okay."

She sat down, waving her hand at him. "He's being fussy. We're escaping the press."

"Ah. I don't usually have that problem anymore."

"You wrote something, I remember your name but I don't remember what," her father said as he came over. "You don't mind, correct?" he asked as he dragged a chair over.

"No, not at all. I was just thinking that my Oz would have hated that play too."

"Your Oz?" the King asked.

"One of my husbands, the one that's always there," he said, showing off his ring.

"Then that woman....?"

"Was just so I had someone to talk to. Very nice, but a little stiff. She thought I was odd," he told the young girl.

She laughed. "Only sometimes." She looked at her father. "I'm supposed to be learning about normal people now."

"Which is seriously a good idea. The normal, average, person wouldn't have went to that play tonight," he said, still smiling.

The King nodded. "It was one of the many and the best lesson my mother ever taught me, to learn about the average person." He looked Xander over. "You seem average enough."

"Well, I started off that way, and then a semi-aunt," he did the quotation marks, "died and left me her retirement funds, which consisted mostly of jewels."

"Loose ones?" the King asked.

"Yup. She didn't trust banks." He shrugged. "With some good planning, I'm now eccentric and moderately wealthy."

The Princess laughed. "I'm sure you're very normal. What part of America are you from?"

"A few hours outside of LA."

"Do you go to the theater there?"

"Not if Oz can help it."

She giggled again. "He sounds strict."

"No, he's just very private. We've had some problems in the past few years."

"How long have you been...married?" the King asked.

"Fifteen years," Xander sighed, looking at his ring. "We're working on taking vacations right now. It was time for us to spend some time apart and want to come back home."

"That's romantic," the Princess said.

"Yes, it is, Carolyn," he father noted. "Did you write something a few years back? A book perhaps?"

Xander blushed lightly. "Yes, but it's probably not something you want to discuss in front of your daughter."

"Ah." The King nodded. "I think I remember what it was now. My father got it for me for my wedding night to her mother." He patted the back of his daughter's head affectionately. "I do miss her some days."

"I know that feeling," Xander sighed. "I miss my Oz. It's only been a week." He looked at the King, who was looking shocked. "Oz and I are so very close that even a few hours away feels like a permanent separation. By the time I go home, I fully expect to have missed him so badly that I'm ready to waste away if he doesn't take me immediately in hand and pamper me silly." He smiled at the Princess. "I wish you a love like that when you're old enough."

"Yes, so do I," the King agreed, looking at his daughter. "Coming, Carolyn?" he asked as he stood up.

"Father, may he come on the hunt this weekend?"

"No, dear," Xander told her, "I'm supposed to be visiting my father-in-law this weekend. He lives somewhere up near Stonehenge." He patted her hand. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll bump into me sometime if you're meant to." He wrote something out and gave it to her. "For your great- grandmother, I've always thought she was an amazing woman with all she's been through and seen." He bowed to her. "Your majesties."

Carolyn took her father's hand and allowed herself to be led away. She looked up at him once they were outside. "I think he was a knight sometime," she told him.

He gave her the indulgent smile again. "One never knows, dear, one never knows." He let her get into the car first, nodding at their bodyguard to go once he was safely inside.

Xander finished off his coffee and paid his tab, getting up so he could go back to his empty hotel room and email his husband.

***

Xander looked at the directions again, grinning at his silly little plan. Giles wouldn't mind *too* much if he went to visit his family. After all, the old man had invited him. He pulled up in front of a house that had Giles' last name on it and got out, going to ring the bell. The woman who answered the door slapped him. "Gee, thanks, that was a typically warm welcome," he noted, then he smiled at the boy standing behind her. "My husband has a picture of you," he told the boy.

The woman let him inside. "Yes, we know. Your very name makes my father go insane," she said stiffly, leading him up to a room overlooking the small fields around the house. "Father, it's *him*," she said, sounding disgusted.

"Who?"

"It's me, Leslie," Xander said as he stepped in, handing him the package of apricots he knew the old man liked. "Hi."

Leslie glared at him. "Are you here to tell me my son lost?"

"No, we're on vacation from each other right now," Xander said, sitting across from him. "It's been fifteen years since we were married, it's time for our first vacation." He looked at the boy watching them. "You can come in, I don't mind," he said gently.

The boy walked in. "Grandpa, is this really Rupert's naughty husband?" the boy asked.

Xander laughed, falling backwards on the bed he was sitting on so he could howl. "Oh, yeah, I know who said that," he gasped.

"As you can tell," Leslie said dryly, "it is." He patted the boy on the head. "Go read the Absicom series, boy."

"No, don't, it's a worthless waste. The only demons in there that still exist are also in McKinley's," Xander said, pulling himself back together. He looked at the young boy. "And, I know this for a fact, the last of the Hermanics died out last year."

"Yes, you probably would know," Giles' father said snidely. "Go study, boy."

"What's his name?" Xander asked after the boy had left.

"That's Leslie also. He'll follow in my footsteps."

"Yeah, I guess it's a comfort and all that stuff," Xander told him, going back to being nice. "So, you invited me up to be slapped by Giles' sister-in-law?"

Leslie snorted. "I like her, she's spirited."

"She's mean, there's a difference," Xander noted. "I brought you the apricots you wanted."

"I saw." Leslie cleared his throat. "How is the boy?"

"He's good. He's picked up a new area to study, one which pisses Oz off greatly. He's studying the rumors of different were's, including someone who changes into a werehamster, or so she said. He's off interviewing right now." He crossed his feet, smiling at his sister-in-law as she walked in with things for tea. "Thanks, I can do that," he said, taking it from her and putting it on the low table. "Giles did say hi, in case you wanted to know," he said as she left.

"What's he doing now?"

"Interviewing other were's. He thinks it'll become helpful sometime in the future for someone, maybe even little Leslie." He smiled. "After all, when Giles' ran into one, he wasn't really well prepared, he thought Oz was a myth." She 'humph'ed and left them alone, slamming the door. "Gee, I can see now how you think she's nice," he said dryly.

Leslie smiled. "She's got the same fire I see in you, Xander." He accepted his cup of tea, nodding at the tray. "Drink with me."

"I hate tea," Xander told him. "It tastes like boiled leaves to me."

Leslie snorted, then started to chuckle. "I had that reaction too, but I've been raised on it." He took a sip. "How's the new girl?"

"Marigold? Or did Oz forget to tell me something?"

"No, her. How is she?"

"She's fine. Wes is fine. Willow's thinkin' that if Faith doesn't grow up soon, her eternity's going to be kinda short." Leslie chuckled at that. "Giles is fine, Leslie. He's doing what he loves. He left after we got better and went back to his research. Everything's normal in our house."

"I see. Does that boy of mine see any children in his future?"

"That you'd have to ask him about. Oz and I are satisfied with our animals. Giles' cat was possessed and we had to give it away to a Priest we knew to protect it, and us from it." He showed off the scar on his hand. "Anyway, you'd have to ask him about it." He looked out the window, frowning at the man carrying an axe through the woods. "What is he after?" he asked, scanning the woods. He stood up when he saw it and ran out of the house, out to go stop the idiot before he killed a protective spirit. "You can't," he said, stopping the guy with an axe just before he swung at the demon. "It's a protector."

"It's killing my Grandmother's tree."

The demon mumbled something. "He said it's already dying, he was talking to the spirit in it so it could be moved to another tree." He took the axe. "This demon protects all the lands, that's why it hasn't been taken over in centuries." He looked at the demon and said something to it, getting a shrug and a response. "He said he guards your grandmother because her mother asked him to watch over her."

The man shook his head. "She was a watcher."

"She was a witch," Leslie said from behind them. He said something to the demon and the demon ranted at him. "Yes, I know," he sighed. "The tree's dying, Xander got that part right. He is trying to get your grandmother to switch trees, but he can't find a good one for her."

Xander looked around, then pointed at a very old oak. "What about that one?"

"It's got a spirit," Leslie said. The man looked at him in shock. "What? I've known about this since before you were adopted. You really should pay attention to your own home, Reynold."

Xander walked over to the demon and laid a hand on his shoulder, saying something to him quickly. The demon nodded and walked over to the tree, wrapping his arms around it and mumbling into the bark. He smiled at Xander and nodded. Xander looked at Leslie. "That tree's willing to house her."

"I had no idea they could do that," Leslie said thoughtfully. "Can he move her spirit?"

"No, but I'm sure another witch could. I think he's going to call one of the ones he knows and ask her to help him. That's what he said he was going to do at least." He shrugged. "Have you thought about calling someone to look at your Grandmother's tree? In America, we have people who just doctor trees for a living."

"Botanists would do the same thing, he's just too stubborn to find one."

"Call the closest university to find out if they have someone," Xander suggested. "That's how I found a doctor studying my pheromone problem." He handed back the axe. "Next time," he said coldly, "make sure you have your classification right. *Never* go after a protective spirit, you'll be driven from your home within a month." He looped his arm through Leslie's leading him back to the house. "I think the harridan would be really upset if she found you out of your deathbed," he said dryly. "Let's get you back up there, before she slaps me again, okay?"

"She hit you?" Leslie asked.

"As she opened the door." Xander walked him back into the house, smiling at the little boy. "Did you know that you had tree nymphs in the woods around here? And that the house had a protective spirt?"

"No," he said, looking shocked. "Father said that all demons are bad."

Xander shook his head. "Always judge them by their actions. I know *plenty* that are okay. Of course, I took one's hand the other day when he tried to touch me, but most of the time they want to be left in peace to live their lives." He patted the boy on the head. "The next time your father says that, tell him Rupert said so." The boy nodded, looking entranced.

Leslie laughed. "I do believe you're going to start a revolution within the Council, my boy." He patted his grandson on the head and started up the stairs to his room.

Xander grinned and handed over a chocolate bar he had in his pocket. "Go play. Every child deserves to run free and ignore their parents for a few hours every year or so." The boy whooped and left, running out the back door. Xander trekked all the way back up to the attic of doom and sat back down across from Giles' father. "So," he said finally.

"I think the boy'll be fine, once he grows a backbone," Leslie advised.

"It's really hard to do that when all you get is bitched at," Xander told him. "It took me finding Buffy to grow one of my own."

"You helped that girl?" the wife said from the doorway.

"Yup, I was her White Knight."

"And where is she now?"

"She had been studying under Angel, until she killed herself for hurting him. Spike turned her when he found her dying after a fight." He grinned. "He thought it'd be fun." He waved her in. "Come on, I'll tell you about the new one if you'd like. Marigold's a hippy child, every bit a peace and love person."

His sister-in-law shook her head. "She won't last long then."

"She's got Wesley as a Watcher," Leslie told her.

"She's managed to get Faith, the new vampire concubine, to feel sorry for her and watch out for her," Xander told her. "They're a very cute couple, though Wesley is still not very fond of Faith. He said he's almost staked her a few times but Marigold always shows up just in time to save her."

"Wesley wouldn't like her, not after she killed his last charge."

"True, and I about went and staked her for that myself," Xander told Leslie, getting serious. "It was your son that told me it was Wesley's right, so I offered to champion him. Wesley kissed me on the cheek and went for his favorite battle axe, going to hunt her down. When he found her, he interrupted her fight with a pitiful vampire and dragged her away after knocking her out. He handed her to Micah, asking him to put her in some dimension where she wouldn't find another human or other being to screw for the next century or so." Leslie smiled at that. "She got away from Micah and was turned by Angel, as a present for Buffy, who wanted to go kill her herself. Buffy broke poor Faith in and then Marigold showed up and stole her away from Buffy." He shrugged. "It was all very soap opera for a bit."

Leslie started to laugh so hard he started to cough, bending over to try and catch his breath. "Go," she said, nodding at Xander. "He'll come up and see you again before he goes home," she told the old man. Xander slipped her the card for the hotel, then left, going back to his lonely room. He sent an email to Giles, and got a nice postcard from Oz in return.

***

Xander looked over his pitiful stack of clean clothes, then around his room. He had already scanned all the movies on tap, he had already coasted through all the cd's. He had even thought about emptying out the mini bar, but he had held himself away from the expensive beer and macadamia nuts. He had thought about finding a good day spa and treating himself, but he really liked it when Oz was there with him, having someone to talk to made it all the more special for him. He flopped backwards on the bed and thought about doing what he usually did when he was this bored, but even that had lost it's appeal. He picked up the phone and dialed home, hoping to hear Oz's voice, even though his husband had said that he wasn't going to answer the phone, that he wanted to give Xander a real vacation from him, but maybe.... He sighed as he got the answering machine and hung up, his arm going to cover his face. The phone rang and he picked it up. "Yeah?" he asked listlessly. "Sure, send 'em up." He hung up and got up to open the door for his brother, going back to his pathetic pose on the bed. "Hey," he said as he heard the door open.

"Good, you do exist," Seth said, slamming the door. "We weren't sure." He tossed something down onto his brother's chest, but the younger man didn't move. "What happened?" he asked, irritated at his usually competent brother's attitude.

"I miss my Oz," Xander whined.

"Yay. You made the papers."

"Yay. Whatever." He pushed the papers off.

"Gee, you mean that you don't want to send home a copy of the picture of you with the Princess?"

"Not really. She's a nice girl, we met at the play, and afterwards we ran into each other at a coffee shop." He uncovered his eyes. "Why are you in a snit? Her father was there."

"Why? Why!" Xander, you met a *Princess*!"

"Been there, done that," he said quietly, covering his eyes again. "Did that across the realms."

"Huh?"

"No one told you about that?" Xander asked, forcing himself to sit up. "When I traveled across the gateway in Oz's house...."

"Oh, that," Seth said, waving a hand. "That was nothing. You said he was a Lord."

"Over all the land," Xander said dryly. "He had three daughters, all of which thought Oz was really cute." He stood up and looked down at the picture. "Oh, well. At least her rep won't be ruined." He shrugged it off. "Why were you bitching about that?"

"Xander, does the term 'well known' mean anything to you? There's got to be other people who read that paper and live in the real world. There's going to be people following you around now and they'll want to take pictures of all those you're with, including any demons, vampires, or immortals you might be hanging with at the time. That's very dangerous for everyone in your life."

"No they won't. I was at a play and we arrived around the same time," Xander said dryly. "No big."

"Very big big, Sire was most pissed. He woke me up to come talk to you." He saw his brother glance at the curtained window. "Yes, London does have an Underground specifically for us."

"Why was Blair concerned? It wasn't like I was telling her about you, or him. Or anything for that matter. We talked about Oz."

"Oz!" Seth snorted. "Why does everything in your life have to revolve around Oz!"

"Because he's my Oz," Xander said calmly, starting to not understand his brother at all. "Why are you so upset about Oz?"

"Does he own you?"

"No!"

"Then why are you so concerned about him?"

"It's called love," Xander said quietly. "Ask Spike about it, I'm sure he knows." He stood up. "Out, Seth. I didn't do anything wrong and if your Sire wants to come bitch at me, he can do it himself. He's not chained to that desk of his." He pushed his brother out of his room and slammed the door, sitting down at his desk to check his mail. He found a cute card from Oz with a picture of Rocky begging. "I love you too, sweetness," he whispered, touching the picture. He picked up the phone and tried home again, and this time he got Giles. "Hi," he said, faking cheerfulness. "Your father invited me up for a chat. I corrupted your nephew." He snickered. "Really? That's cool. No, she slapped me as soon as she opened the door, said something about my very name irritating your father." He lay down on the bed, listening to the voice on the other end. "Yup, that was me," he said after the second time the question had come up. "Why is everyone so upset about this? I do know how to act in front of other people, I promise." He rolled his eyes. "Giles, I didn't say a thing about that." He sat up. "Like I'd do that!" he yelled. "I do know better, you know." He frowned at the phone then hung up. "Bite me. For that, all you get is a sweatshirt from the airport." He laid back down and sulked. After a few minutes, another idea came to him. He decided to get even. He got up and changed clothes, grabbing his money and his credit cards, and went to town.

***

Xander looked across the club, trying to find a reason to go have some fun by himself. As he looked around, he felt a faint shimmering presence, another immortal was in the room. He glanced around again, careful to not look like he was searching for someone, but he did find the very lost looking young man sitting at one of the tables. He walked over and sat across from him. "Hi."

"You gave me tingles," the man said, closing his old book. "Usually I run away when I feel those." He looked down, smoothing his hand over the cover of the book. "I've learned it's safer that way. Some guy came at me with a *sword*!"

Xander nodded. "Yup. Welcome to your new life. Xander," he said, shaking hands.

"Daniel. Do you know what's going on with me?"

"Yeah, I do, and it's going to sound really odd and bad, but it's not a fairytale."

"Oh. Okay." He shrugged. "With what I work with daily, that's probably nothing."

"Cool. You're immortal."

Daniel laughed. "Really?" he asked.

Xander nodded and pulled out his pen knife, sticking the young man's palm. "Yup," he said, watching as the blue lightning spread over the small cut. "That's one of those things."

"Um," Daniel said, then he grabbed Xander's beer and drained it. "Okay, now what?"

"Now, we go back to my hotel room, I tell you a big, long story, and I get you a teacher," Xander said calmly. He pulled out his wallet and laid a few dollars on the table.

"I've already paid my tab."

"It's a tip, I like the waitresses here, they were nice the last time I was in." He stood up. "Come on. You've got to be told about this." They walked outside. "So, what do you do?"

"Classified," Daniel said, yawning. "Am I supposed to be this tired after doing that?"

"Sometimes. Sometimes not. I think it all depends on how young you are. When did you die?"

"Six weeks ago. I came to just as the rocks above me were pulled off. My teammates didn't sense a thing. And then I got to come study here for a another month."

"Good. That'll make it easier." He patted the young man on the back. "Come on, Daniel, let's go talk." He waved a cab over, trying hard to ignore the man in the shadows tailing them. "What?" he asked finally, turning around. He took the camera and exposed the film. "Thank you. Why are you following me?"

"Because you were seen with the Princess," he stammered, looking shocked.

"Yay, we talked about my husband."

"Then who's this?" the photographer asked, pointing at Daniel.

"Someone who also wants to talk about my husband. He knows him back in the states. My Oz described him to me, but we've never met, so I'm going to get stories to embarrass my Oz from him." He looked at Daniel and nodded.

"Yeah, I've known his husband now for a long time. We're just going to talk somewhere not at that club...." He looked around then ran back, going to get his book. When he came back, the guy was gone. "Nice work."

"Thanks, I think I'm going to have to do something when we get back though," he said, frowning. He let Daniel get into the cab first, then got in and leaned forward. "Lanesborough please."

"Yes, sir," the cabbie said, sounding impressed. "Did that man bother you?"

"Yup. Um, do you know of anyplace that sells spy equipment? With what just happened, I think I need to search my room for bugs."

"Sure. You got money on ya? They'll want a pretty penny."

Xander pulled out his platinum card. "I think I've got it covered," he said dryly.

"Whoa, I've never seen one of those," Daniel said, taking it to look at it. "Those are nice."

"Yes, they are," Xander said, gently taking it back. The cab pulled up in front of the store. "It looks closed."

"Nah, you just gotta figure out how to get in."

"Ah." Xander nodded and got out, walking over to look at the door. Eventually he shrugged and followed the sign, walking around the corner to the club. In there, he found all the stuff he might ever want.

Xander let Daniel in after sweeping the room for bugs, putting his new toys away safely in case he needed them when he switched rooms in the morning and dropping the listening devices into a pitcher of water in the bathroom. He sat down on the couch and pointed at the comfortable chair across from him. "Long story or short one?" he asked.

"Short for now, I'm good at finding questionable spots."

"Okay. A long time ago, there was something that happened, and it marked some people to be different. And no, before you ask, I'm not sure what. All I know is that those that are different are very different. They're orphans. They're stronger. They become immortal as soon as they die a violent death." He coughed lightly. "And then they have to play in something called 'The Game'. The only way you can now die is by having your head cut off. Anything else will regenerate, though it might take some time. Everyone like you fights with swords."

"Um, hold on. You're talking like you're not in it."

"No," Xander said, leaning forward, "I'm not. I'm on the outskirt of it. I'm one of the people who have to stand by and watch it happen."

"Participant observer," Daniel said with a nod. "Okay. I have to learn how to use a sword?"

Xander nodded. "And that's where me calling one of my best friends comes in. He's like you. See, that tingle you felt, that's a warning that another like you's going to show up. Most of the time, that's a very bad thing and your instinct to keep running was good."

"But you give off one."

"That's because of something I did with my husbands, who you'll probably meet later this month when we all go home. I read as a pre-immie, but I'm not one."

"Ah. So that's why you could tell...."

"Only sometimes. Usually, they learn how to shield the aura a little bit, but you haven't had those lessons yet. You were putting out a big 'tasty newbie' sign and I decided you shouldn't do that. Good enough?"

"Yeah. Will this friend know more?"

"Definitely." Xander got up and went over to find the phone, dialing the number Ray had made him memorize. "Hi," he said cheerfully. Then he laughed. "I'm sorry, Ray," he whispered. "But it's really important. I just found a newbie. He's already been attacked once." He came back and sat down. "Yes, Ray, that sort of newbie. And I still say that sound effect is way silly." He rolled his eyes. "Just give the phone to the cuddly one. So poke him for me and tell him I found him one." He rolled his eyes. "They're in post-sex haze."

"It can wait," Daniel offered.

Xander shook his head. "No, it can't." He perked up. "Hey, old guy. Yup, I found me a newbie. Yes, as in one of those. Putting out a big 'tasty, please come get me' sign in a club. Yup, of that sort. I just explained that part, I think you need to be here to do the rest. Would I know this person and would I trust them? Well, he is an American." He rolled his eyes again. "How about lunch, tomorrow? Of course I'm buying, silly," he said as he hung up. "They'll be here tomorrow. You're staying on the couch so you can't get into trouble, and I need a shower," Xander announced, tossing the phone onto the bed. "Pick a movie and watch it while you think."

"Thanks," Daniel called after him, waving. "And I thought my life was already strange," he sighed, getting up to go look through the DVD's the hotel had in stock.

***

Methos walked in, nodding at the flinch he saw in the young man sitting across from his Xander. He leaned down and hugged him. "A Princess?" he asked gently.

"We met up after the play and talked, her father was there. And I've been careful since then. Get over it."

"Of course," Methos said smoothly, sitting down. "Ray's went upstairs to drop his coat off. My name is Adam," he said, shaking the young man's hand.

"Daniel, Daniel Jackson."

"Ah, yes, you had some very interesting theories about Egyptian civilization and the cross pollination of ancient cultures a few years back." He laughed lightly at the shock. "Don't worry, I was rather impressed with your work, even though I was somewhere different and not affected by it." Daniel's mouth fell open. "Yes, I do remember those days of scholarly works." Daniel closed his mouth and nodded. "How much has the imp told you?"

"The short version of the story, up to and including needing to meet you," Xander said as he buttered his scone. "Eat, Daniel."

"Um, sure. Okay." He picked up his own scone and buttered it, eating it slowly. "But I wasn't an orphan."

"Most likely, you were a foundling and your parents wanted you enough to not tell you," Methos told him gently. "We've seen it before."

"Oh. But my mother had pictures of being pregnant."

"Which she might have been," Xander noted. "But things happen when you're in the desert."

"True," Daniel admitted, smiling at the young man coming up to him. "Ray," he said, getting up to hug him.

"Danny?" Ray looked at his lover. "This is our new student?"

"You're in this?"

"He's mine," Ray said, pointing at Methos. He sat down, smiling at the other young man. "I had ta save him a few years back, back in Chicago. He was justa scrawny kid that a buncha others were pickin' on for bein' younger than them. We clowned around while he was in town at school." He patted Daniel on the arm. "It's okay, we'll get it all straightened out now." He blew a kiss at Xander. "Thanks for the wakeup this mornin', we almost missed the sunrise."

"Hey, anytime. You know I'm always good at breaking into special moments," Xander said with a grin. "At least you didn't start off with a remark about a Princess."

"Why would I?" He looked at his lover. "Did we do something about a Princess?"

"No, he was talking with one, and now is probably being followed around by photographers."

"But I stopped them, and I swept my room last night," Xander said calmly. Methos just looked at him. "What? I'm not going to laugh this off. I did get the point and I did discourage her from inviting me out anymore."

"All right, that's enough," Ray said. "Who's sniped at ya so far?"

"Seth started it off, and then Giles' got into it," Xander sniffled. "And Oz wouldn't talk to me. Not even when I said I missed him."

Methos pulled him in for a hug. "He wanted you to really have a vacation away from him, Xander, you know that."

"Hands off what's mine," Oz said as he walked in. He looked at the fourth man at the table. "Hey, I'm Oz." They shook hands and the waiter quickly brought him a chair. "I got the nicest call from Giles' father saying that I had better come over and take you in hand because not only were you about to get into trouble, but you'd lost weight and were miserable looking," Oz said as he sat down, giving Xander a hug. "It's okay, I'm not abandoning you," he whispered. "I just thought you wanted some time alone." Xander shook his head against Oz's shoulder. "Good, then we'll finish our vacation together." He looked at Ray. "How's yours been? I guess I barely missed you guys at the airport."

"Odd," Methos said dryly. "Your own?"

"Bad. But Jedi and I are now friends." He let Xander pull back some, giving him a gentle kiss. "There, better?" Xander nodded, giving him a smile. "Good." He glanced at Daniel. "Where did you find him?"

"At a club," Daniel told him. "He said I was putting out some sort of signal?"

"Ah, yes, the shielding lesson," Methos and Oz said together.

"You're one?" Daniel asked. "But I didn't feel..." He looked at Methos. "I don't feel you anymore either."

"That's because you're on the inside of my warnings. There's an outer rim and an inner rim, you're on the inside of it now. I was probably masking Oz to some degree, but we'll work on that also."

"I'm supposed to be researching," Daniel said quietly. "I've just found a reference I need for my job, something really important."

"That's fine, I may even be able to help you with that," Methos reminded him. "I was *there*, child, don't worry, we'll fix this all so you won't get into trouble. But you will need to take a short sabbatical soon. Training while you're working is not that easy."

"Okay," Daniel said, nodding. "I can do that. If I can pump you for information."

"As long as I know the reason why."

"That I'll have to check on."

"He can't tell us what he does," Xander said calmly, putting a hand on Methos' arm. "Oh, and I made contact with a few people in that society. They're very nice."

"No."

"But Oz," Xander protested.

"What society?" Daniel asked.

"Some group of astronomers and stuff that want to go explore space. They're looking for ideas right now," Oz told him.

Daniel looked thoughtful. "I'd like to see their brochures. I might be able to tell you if they're legit." He blushed when Methos stared at him. "I'm kinda in that field myself you might say."

"Ah," Methos said, nodding. "Now I know what you were talking about when you presented your dissertation." He patted the man on the back of the hand. "Don't worry, they feel us too and are usually given to fear us."

It was Daniel's turn to look stunned. "Really?"

"Really. I know why one of them left, it was an old...acquaintance of mine named Kronos."

"Let's not bring up the bad guys," Ray said quietly. "What ya told me about him still gives me nightmares."

Oz gave him a hug. "It's all right, Ray, he's dead. If he comes back, then we sic Xander on him." Methos raised an eyebrow. "What? You don't think Xander could make him not hate you? I think Xander could turn even the most homicidal among us into purring lap kittens for a few hours."

"Then I'll bring Xander with me," Methos agreed.

Daniel's eyes widened. "I know that name," he gasped. He looked at Methos. "I know you too."

Methos put a hand over his mouth. "You do not say my real name, ever," he instructed quietly. "There are too many people who would love to find me and challenge me." Daniel nodded so he removed his hand. "Thank you." He cleared his throat. "Let's change the subject for now. All right?"

Daniel nodded. "Sure. What to?"

"How about what Xander has been doing?" Ray suggested.

"He's been so bored, he's been forgetting to eat regularly," Oz said, after looking over his husband's body.

"I agree," Methos said gently. "Xander, when was the last time you ate?"

"We had breakfast," Daniel told them. Everyone looked at him. "He forced me to spend the night on his couch."

Oz nodded. "It was probably safer. If he felt you, then you were putting out the big sign like he said." He patted Xander's hand. "So, you said you saw Seth and Spike."

"They're okay. Seth's pissed at me."

"About?" Ray asked.

"The whole Princess thing. He thinks it's going to expose them."

Methos nodded. "I had thought about that aspect myself."

"So did I," Xander reminded him, his voice turning icy. "I've been very careful, Adam."

"I wasn't saying you weren't," Methos said quickly, he hated it when Xander was mad at him. "I don't think Seth knows how careful you are either."

"Maybe," Xander agreed, calming back down as Oz pulled him into his side.

"Maybe Xander and I should go upstairs and cuddle," Oz suggested gently. "I doubt he's been sleeping very well." Xander shook his head. "Was that a 'no, I don't want to go', or a no, I haven't been sleeping'?"

"No, I don't feel like going to the room."

"Xander, you really can't crawl into his lap down here," Ray reminded him.

"Which is a good point," Oz agreed, kissing the top of Xander's head. "You sure? We can have a whole tea tray brought up to the room and talk up there in private."

"I'd like that, I guess," Xander said, looking up at him. "Really?"

"Really."

"Are you still in the same room?" Ray asked.

"Nope, I got switched this morning, after I handed over the two bugs I found in the fruit basket to the security guys." He forced himself to sit up. "Okay, let's go to my room. I have to stop by the desk first and get Oz keys." He stood up and walked out, Oz following right behind him.

The waiter materialized next to Ray's shoulder. "Was everything all right?" he asked, gathering up Xander's plate.

"Sure," Ray said, grinning at him, "but we'd like this sent up to Mr. Harris' room. His husband just got here and we were all going to talk in there."

"Would you need coffee or tea?" he asked.

"Both," Methos said dryly. "I never could convince Xander that tea was decent." He smiled at the waiter. "Could you also send up a few of the tea sandwiches. We don't need all that sugar alone."

"Of course." He handed over a bill. "Please put his room number on it." He saw the confused look. "Ah, then put your room number on it and we'll have it switched later tonight." Methos did as he was told then handed it back. "Just the rest of this, some tea and coffee, and some sandwiches?"

"Yup," Ray said, standing up. "We'd better go catch up." He walked Daniel out, talking quietly with him. They ran into Xander and Oz at the elevators, waiting on Methos to join them. "He ordered sandwiches and stuff ta drink," he said with a nod behind him.

"Cool," Xander said, giving him a weak smile. "Oz, I don't feel good."

"You haven't felt good in a few days probably," Oz told him. He put a hand over Xander's chest and frowned. "When was your last physical?"

"Do we still need those? All the physicals and the insurance and everything?" Daniel asked Methos as he walked up to them.

"Usually not, but it's always better to be safe than sorry. Oz, there is a wonderful physician in town that I can call upon if we need it. Let's go up to the room."

"He's got a first floor room now," Oz told them, walking down the hallway beside the elevator. "This is the ultra security wing. When Xander explained what had happened to the security guys, they moved him down here to get away from the press." He caught Xander as he fell down. "What the hell?" he noted, watching as Xander aged quickly.

"Willow?" Methos suggested.

"Magic?" Daniel asked, pulling out his glasses to get a closer look.

"Room, guys," Ray said hastily, looking around.

"Room," Methos agreed, picking Xander up and letting Oz get the doors. He dropped the young man on the bed. "Well, he's his actual age." He touched Oz, sucking on his finger after it got zapped. "Someone broke your connection I believe."

"Maybe," Ray said. He frowned. "Didn't we have a spurt of this after Connor died?" Oz blanched and ran for the phone. "I'm sure he's fine," he called after him.

Methos patted him on the shoulder. "Oz, he's in Las Vegas again." He nodded toward the sitting area. "Go sit, Daniel, we'll get back to telling you all about this in a few moments. After the snacks have arrived." He went to answer the door, nodding the security man inside. "Is there a problem?" he asked.

"We noticed Mr. Harris collapsed but no one's called a doctor yet."

Methos nodded him in to go look at Xander. "That's why he collapsed," he said gently. The man just nodded. "We have no idea what happened, but it's probably not physical."

"Oz?" Xander whined, reaching a hand out.

"Right here," Oz said, sitting down to give him a hug. "The guys at the resort said Giles is fine."

"Then why does it feel like I'm broken off from you guys?"

"Because we think someone may have," Methos said, letting the security man go. He walked in and shut the door. "Who might have done this?"

"Giles' brother," Xander said, counting them off. "Seth, if he's still pissed, he knows a little magic. Willow maybe, but she knows I'd kill her for it." He shuddered as he felt his energy being warped again. "Oz, there's a Hellmouth in town," he said, taking off the keystone and tossing it away. Instantly, he was back to his usual state, if looking a little more tired and worn out. "It's trying to open." He grabbed the phone and dialed Giles' father's house. "It's me, I need to talk to Leslie. Yes, it's important. Because there's a new Hellmouth opening in London. I have the keystone for the one at home and it's reacting. Yes, I said a keystone. Just put him on!" He took a deep breath. "Mary, right?" he asked, not remembering his sister-in-law's name. "Right, it is. Yeah, we have a keystone for ours. Hellmouths can be changed into normal portals, and probably the other way around. No, it reacted, I was wearing the keystone and it started to drain into me again." He snorted. "Like I have a clue," he noted dryly. "No, I'm in the Lanesborough, me and Oz both." He grabbed Oz's hand. "Yeah, I needed him," he said sappily. He shook himself. "I don't know, but I think something needs to be done before something really *big* comes through the portal or whatever it is." He nodded and hung up. "She'll call the Watcher's Council together and tell them." He looked up at Oz. "Okay?"

"If we have to," Oz agreed, giving his hand a squeeze. "I want you to rest, Xander."

"Can I come out there and rest?" Xander asked sweetly.

"Sure. My lap is always open to you, so are Ray and Methos'." He stood up and helped Xander up, bringing him out to the living room. "There's a portal near here," he told Methos. "The keystone was doing it, it bent the bond."

"Oh, dear," Methos sighed, slumping in his seat. "Do you have to go deal with it?"

"The Watcher's Council is a few hours north of here," Xander told him, sitting down between Ray and Oz. "I just called them. We're not sure if it's a portal that's changed suddenly or one that's just now opening."

"Is what's-her-name comin' down?" Ray asked. Xander shrugged. "What about Giles' father?"

"He's old, Ray. Very, very old. He lives in Reynold's attic right now," Xander said sadly. "The first thing he asked was if I was there to tell him his son had lost a challenge."

"Damn," Oz whispered, hugging Xander. He touched the firm cheekbones, his fingertip tracing over the dry lips. "Methos, do we have any water?"

"I'm fine," Xander told him.

"I doubt it," Methos said, glaring at Xander. "You will sit there and relax."

"The keystone's attuned to him," Oz reminded him. "If they need it, they'll have to take the both of us."

"Then you'd better take my sword," Methos said.

"Mine's in my stuff," Oz told him. "Xander brought his, I watched him pack it."

"Fine," Methos sighed, getting up to answer the door. "Ah, food," he said, signing the receipt. "Thank you." He wheeled the cart in and put it next to Oz, getting himself and Ray a cup of coffee.

Ray bounced up as the phone rang, going to answer it. "Yeah?" He handed it over to Oz. "It's what's-her-name."

"Hey, Mary," Oz sighed. "Yeah, we do have a keystone. No, Xander thinks it might have been a portal that either just opened or it switched over to a Hellmouth. He said ours drained into him that same way. No, tell Leslie it bent our bond." He waited then removed the phone from his ear when Giles' father started to yell. "He's fine, Leslie. I can feel it, it's back in good shape now that he's tossed the keystone off. No, in the bedroom." He nodded at Ray to go get it. "The real problem is that the keystone is keyed to him, Leslie. If you can find it, and have a magic user, we can drain it, whether it's a portal or a Hellmouth."

"The real problem is the person who's wearing the keystone has to stand in the event horizon," Xander reminded him quietly. "I'm going to have to stand in the horizon to get it keyed to this one too."

"Did you hear that?" Oz asked. He nodded, kissing the top of Xander's head. "Okay, we're in the Lanesborough. Call first and I'll meet you at the desk. No, he's sapped."

"He's fine," Xander said, struggling to sit up.

"No, Xander," Methos ordered. "You're not in any shape to go do something like stop another Hellmouth from opening."

"Um, Hellmouth?" Daniel asked.

"Another long story," Ray sighed.

"Of the odd and strange variety?" Daniel suggested lightly.

Ray nodded. "Exactly." He looked at his mate. "We need Spike. He can be overprotective and go where we can't, including into the portal if he has to."

"He's at the Excelsior, that run down little inn out toward the suburbs," Xander told him. "I have his number."

"Cool." Ray got up to answer the door this time, letting the doctor in. "Hey," he said, nodding behind him. "The security guys got paranoid and decided to call one anyone."

"It's exhaustion," Xander told him.

"Young man, I can *feel* you," the doctor said, smiling at Methos. "Hello, old one."

"Doctor Magnis, this is Xander Harris."

"Yes, I've seen his picture a few times in the paper. Always with the caption of he's moping and not even our darling Crown Princess can make him cheer up." He pulled out his stethoscope and listened to his new patient's chest. "Definitely weak. Into the bedroom, young man."

Oz covered the mouth piece of the phone. "You know about magic, right?" he asked. The doctor nodded. "Where would a portal or a Hellmouth be opening around here?"

"Down the street in the actual park probably. There's always something going on in Hyde Park that no one wants to see." He forced Xander into the bedroom, letting Ray come in with him.

Oz repeated it and hung up. Then he took Xander's notes from Ray, searching it for Spike's phone number. "It's not on here. Xander, where is it?"

"On the computer, email," Xander called back. "That's cold!" he whined a second later.

Oz got up and went to log in, knowing that they needed the stabilizer this time. The Watcher's Council wouldn't want to do a whole lot about a portal going rogue. Spike being there meant that he could focus totally on Xander and not have to worry about the Council getting in their way.

***

Xander stepped up to the portal, holding the keystone. He closed his eyes as waves of pain washed over him. "I know," he told the portal. "We're going to fix this now." He took one last step and nodded, letting the magic workers do their thing, knowing Oz and Spike were within easy reach if something happened. As long as they didn't get sucked in if he did.

He heard the siren about the same time everyone else did, so he concentrated on pulling the energy into the stone he wore. He felt someone walk up next to him, knowing somehow that it was Oz, and let him help. Together, they grasped the stone and helped the energy be drawn into it.

They heard a shriek but kept it up, watching as the portal changed from a roiling blue to a calmer, more distinct gray. When it was done, they walked out and handed off the stone, letting someone else burn their fingers for a few minutes. They looked at Leslie, who was lying on the ground, both of them, tipping their heads to watch the paramedics work on him. Xander looked at his sister-in-law. "Couldn't make him stop?" he asked.

She nodded, biting her lip.

Oz gave her a hug. "It's okay. This is how he would have wanted it." She nodded again. "Let it go, Mary." She turned and cried on him as the other magic users got the portal closed until someone with a keystone could come finish it off.

Xander looked at the ashen police officer, patting him on the arm to get his attention. "Did you want to know what happened?" He shook his head. "Okay. Just say it was a heart attack during a ceremony." He let Spike take his arm and walk him away. It was his duty to call Giles, Oz was comforting the rest of the family.

***

Oz picked up the note they had received from Mary a week after closing the portal, reading it out loud to his husband, who was supposed to be resting next to him. "Mary says, and I quote, 'Please don't come to the funeral. Most of the family don't like or accept your arrangement with Rupert, and it would only hurt him further by having you both attend. But we do thank you for the flowers and the kinds words.'" He looked at his husband. "That okay with you?"

"Yup, I hate funerals," Xander said, listlessly flipping the pages of his magazine. "I'm bored, still," he announced, tossing it away.

"Hey, we've only got two more days before we go home. Can you live with it that long?" Xander shook his head. "Oh." He shrugged. "What do you want to do?"

"I want to go check on the portal, make sure it's closed. Then walk around the park." He swung around until he was sitting up. "Can we go walk in the park?"

"Sure," Oz agreed, getting up to find their jackets and shoes. He made sure that they both had their swords, then headed out together, not saying anything about Xander's backpack. Once they were standing in front of the portal, Oz had a sneaking suspicion about why Xander wanted to come here. "No."

"But, Oz, we need to know what's on the other side. And I still have both my keystones."

"No," Oz sighed, grabbing Xander's hand. "Dear, we've been through enough portals for a lifetime the length of Meth's. If we keep this up, we're going to become Gate Masters or something."

Xander just gave him an impish smile and got free, jogging for the opening.

"If you make us miss our plane, I'm siccing Meth and Ray on you," Oz said, following him through. There was *no* way Xander was going to go there alone.

***

Methos looked at the woman checking people in. "Have Daniel Osbourne or Xander Harris checked in yet?" he asked quietly.

She typed something then shook her head. "Not yet, sir." She smiled at the happy-looking men walking up behind them. "Is that them?"

"Yup, it's us," Xander said, handing over his tickets. "Oh, I have another two things to check," Xander said, handing over the small brocade bag and laptop case. "I really don't feel like working on that while we're flying."

"Xan, you need the computer," Oz reminded him. He looked at Methos, who was staring at them. "What?"

Methos touched Xander's waist-length dark hair, then Oz's shoulder-length red hair. "You crossed over, didn't you," he accused.

"Yup," Xander said, filling out the forms for the boxes he had checked already, and the one for his sword and his brocade bag. "Oz, do I have to check this?"

"Unless you're going to catalog it on the plane," Oz agreed. He looked at Ray, who was looking at them over the rim of his glasses. "What?" he asked, smiling a very Xander-like smile at him. "We had a vacation. Actually, don't check either of them, I want to go through the bag," he told his mate.

Portals, Part Deux.

Methos dragged Xander away from the desk, looking him over. "Where were you, imp, and what did you do this time?"

"I've made a very nice report for you," Xander told him, leaning in to kiss him on the cheek. "Don't worry, we were both *good*." He walked back over and finished the forms Oz had been working on for him. He handed them in and Oz hefted the brocade carpet bag, carrying it and Xander's laptop case, letting Xander get their usual carry-on bag so they could board. They could talk on the plane.

Methos shook himself, then went after them, after getting his boarding pass from the check-in agent, Ray right behind him. They sat across from their friends, this plane being more like a train in set up so they had facing seats and a privacy curtain. "What did you do?" he asked them quietly.

"I wanted to see what was on the other side," Xander told him. He patted the bag Oz held in his lap. "This was just part of what we came away with."

"Excuse me," the steward said gently, breaking into their conversation. "We'll need to put that bag up front, sir, I don't think it will fit under your seat."

"It's not that tightly packed," Oz told him, putting it under his seat and pushing against it with his heel. "That okay?"

"Yes, sir, but there's a question about what...."

Xander pulled it back out and opened it, showing him the contents. "Ease some fears?" he whispered.

He licked his lips at the little figurines, single dagger, and old books then nodded. "Yes, actually, it does. It was just a security precaution, gentlemen." He wasn't going to take away the dagger and it was partially buried under a lot of stuff. Besides, they were all so nice. The forms that had been attached to their tickets said that they had other antique weapons checked already so he guessed it was all right. It's not like they were a threat.

Xander shrugged. "I can understand that. You're not the first that's asked. Did you need to check my laptop too?" He shook his head and walked off. "Okay," he said when Ray snatched the brocade carpet bag to look inside.

"Please stow that for now, gentlemen," a stewardess said as she walked past them.

"Yeah, in a sec," Ray said, searching down through the big bag. "What's with this thing? It's huge!"

"Yes, it is," Oz said, taking it back and sealing it so it could be put under his seat again. "It's okay, Meth, really. I promise, I checked up on Xander compulsively."

"Why was there some wood in there?" Ray asked.

"Because it's my new traveling staff," Xander told him, grinning as he touched the pendant he was wearing. "We've got one of these for you guys too, it was time to spread around the power a little bit."

"We were somewhere totally safe," Oz told him. He looked at Xander. "Did we ask to have our stuff sent to the airport?"

"Yup. I asked before we walked out while I handed in the keys," Xander agreed. He grinned at Ray, pulling his best friend forward so they could whisper at each other.

"Was it really that important?" Methos asked Oz.

Oz nodded. "Yeah, it was. Xander got back to himself again. No more worried guy, no more tense and uptight person, just a nice, normal Xander, like he used to be." He grinned suddenly. "And even I had to loosen up during the last harvest festival."

"Harvest?" Methos asked dryly, checking his watch. He leaned forward. "How long were you two gone this time?"

"800 years," Oz admitted in a whisper, kissing the side of Methos' head. "Xander's much more balanced now. He's done every single power trip thing he could think of, he's found himself again." He patted his friend's shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Xander really did keep a diary, I made him."

"I see. And what about," Methos asked, waving his hand at the window, not wanting to say anything about the flight in case someone was listening.

"Not a thing. We found someone who taught Xander all about gates and fixed the keystone for him. We really do have one for you guys, we know that you're safe."

"I would hope so," Methos said, looking a little offended. "Was it like here?"

"Nope," Xander said, grinning at him. "Not at all like London. Or home. Or anywhere else we've ever been." He sat back, letting Ray go, watching as the other man gathered himself together. "Okay?"

Ray nodded. "Odd but okay." He looked at his lover, then leaned over and whispered in his ear.

Methos sighed and nodded. "Fine. Though I would like to read your diary."

"Fine," Xander agreed. "That's why Oz made me keep it. He even bribed our wizard buddy to spell my laptop to run there."

"That and so you can write about it," Oz reminded him, putting a hand on his knee. He looked behind his shoulder as the door slammed shut and groaned.

"Not again," Ray sighed, putting up his hands as the men with guns walked over to them. "What? I'm a retired cop, guys."

"Incendio," Xander muttered, pointing at the gun. It melted. He smiled at the man and waved. "Hi. Go away." The man swallowed and started to sweat as his body temperature went up. "Not listening?"

"You're not supposed to resist," a stewardess reminded them with a squeak.

"He's not," Oz told her. "He's being his normal, charming self." He looked at the men. "Don't touch him, I'd hate to have to resist." One of the men laughed and swung his gun around to point at him. "Fine. Xander, have them," he said, waving a hand. He looked at his best friend. "I've learned that my bad side is much better off when it gets to talk to Xander's uber-warrior side. I don't have to berserk anymore. He does it for me."

"Good deal," Ray said, nodding at Xander's move to disarm one of the guards. "Um, maybe you should...." he started but Xander anticipated and kicked the person behind him. "Never mind."

Xander wiped off his brow and sat down, taking the bottle of water the stewardess handed him, who was still looking very shocked. He looked at Ray and shrugged. "I took the bodyguarding I did very seriously," he noted for their benefit. He saw a flashbulb go off and groaned. "None of that, please," he whined, closing the curtain. "I wonder how long it'll take before we get to take off," he asked, looking over at Oz.

"Not a clue. And speaking as who you were bodyguarding, I was very happy with it too." He took Xander's hand and kissed the back of it. "Happy anniversary."

"Thanks," Xander said with a grin. "I love prezzies." He looked at Ray. "You should see some of the stuff at the bottom of the bag," he told him. "It's really pretty, from when Oz and I were working with some jewelers. I got to design *tons* of stuff for him."

Methos groaned and covered his face. "Xander, give me the laptop please," he asked, wanting to hear all about this *before* something happened that would suck him and Ray down into it too.

***

Somewhere in a castle in Scotland, a young girl squealed, bringing her father. "I told you he was a knight!" she squealed, pointing at the news report.

Her father patted her on the head. "I'd say that was a fairly accurate description of what he's like." He gave her a fond smile. "And that must be his Oz," he said, pointing at the redhead. "He certainly does seem to love him quite a lot." He misted up, recognizing the look he was giving his husband as one he had given his beloved wife all the time. "Dear, do tell me that they've made it home safely?"

"Yes, father. This happened *hours* ago. He asked that they wait until he could disappear back into America to show his face." She smiled up at him. "I'd like a knight like that some day."

"I'm sure you'll find one if you look hard enough, Carolyn," he said fondly, going back to his paperwork.

****

Xander walked in the door of their house and went directly to where he could hear his animals playing. "We're home," he called, sitting down and holding out his arms. Rocky barked at him but no one came over to get lovies. He pouted at them. "Daddies are sorry we had to leave, guys, but we needed some time alone. We still love you."

"Give them treats, they won't punish you for long," Oz called as he walked past the patio door. "Jedi!" was screamed a few minutes later.

"Is he okay?" Xander called.

"Yes, she is," Oz called, coming out with one of his favorite pillows and the three baby ferrets on it. "I think you got the 'him' part wrong, no matter what the vet said." He put it down when Rocky started to growl. "Sorry, girl." Rocky came over and sniffed them, then howled, making Jedi come running to look at her babies.

"I think we might be missing a few," Xander said, getting up to go look for them himself. He came out a few minutes later with two more and laid them down on the pillow too. "There we go. Is that all of them, girls?" he asked them, patting her on the head. Jedi tried to nip him but that was okay, it was maternal instinct. "We'll get you a nice basket all fixed up for them," he promised.

"On it," Oz said, getting up to go do that.

"Remember to leave room for this pillow," Xander called after him, picking up his mommy ferret to give her a hug. "I promise, your kittens are as safe as you are here, Jedi," he whispered into her fur, giving her a kiss on the nose. "We'll protect them like they're our own children."

"I keep telling you that I did not help you spawn that ferret," Oz said as he walked back out with Ray and Methos. "Here, they can help too." He dropped down and started working on the basket, carefully filling it with soft material that wouldn't hurt the little creatures as they rolled onto it. He added the pillow last, under the watchful eyes of the proud mamas. Then he dropped the last two into the basket and put Jedi in there with them. "That okay with you?" The mama ferret looked up and squeaked, allowing him to gently pet her on the back. "Good." He looked at his husband, who looked entranced. "We're always going to have a Rocky and a Jedi, aren't we?" he sighed.

Xander nodded. "Yup." He looked at Methos. "Our ferret is a mommy," he said happily.

"So I can see," Methos said, picking Jedi up to look her over. "Well, you look like you've done well enough on your own. No obvious signs of infection. We'll bring you to the vet tomorrow sometime." Xander hugged him. "Umph, Xander! You didn't need to strangle me."

Henrietta snapped a picture from the doorway. "It's good to have you home," she called, waving. "I'm going home. The Chinese place now knows where you live." She left them alone, going home.

Xander looked at Oz. "I remembered something while we were over there. You once told me Buffy was a preimmie."

"She does read like one," Methos told him. "She turned out not to be."

"It was something about her being the slayer. Her powers called out to ours. She still reads like a preimmie." Oz shrugged. "It happens. Marigold reads like that to us too."

"So, we'll be able to tell which girls are called by that?"

"I'm assuming it's something like how the Watcher's Council tells which girl's going to be called." Oz got up and went into the house, coming back out with menus and bottles of water. "Okay, where do we want to eat? And please, no deer."

"Oh, yeah," Xander said, rubbing his stomach. "I am *so* tired of deer." He looked at the carpet bag Ray had brought out with him. "I think there might still be some jerky in there."

"Eww." Oz shuddered. "Let's not talk about deer jerky, okay? Had enough of that to last me a few lifetimes and I don't want to see it again. We'll do something with it if there's some left in the bag, give it away to a shelter or feed it to Rocky or something."

"Deer?" Ray asked.

"Yes, Ray, you can eat those," Methos said as he looked over the menus. "I miss Maises'," he sighed. "They always had something, no matter what mood you were in."

"Hey, Sunnydale's only street gang was picked up becuasa what they did to her restaurant," Ray reminded him. "It was good in a bad way."

"I guess, but I still miss it." Methos wrapped an arm around his lover's shoulders. "800 years?"

"Yup," Xander said, nodding. "800 years. We did everything from being jewel dealers to mercenaries, to being rulers over a small land until the real heir was found."

"Which was not fun," Oz reminded Xander. "I sucked at that." He looked at the other couple. "For some reason, everyone decided that Xander wasn't serious unless he was wearing his sword. No one thought he was selling when we were doing the jewel thing. No one thought he was going to be a decent merc until our boss challenged him and he took the guy's head off. Which got us kicked out of the land," Oz complained.

"Which we later ruled over until the rightful heir could be found," Xander reminded him.

"True. Even then, I had to be the serious one."

"Hey, you got to be the jester some days. I got to be the official noble, or whatever else you needed me to be." He frowned, looking at Ray. "I never got to do any of the fun stuff. He got to sell the jewels, he got to do all the money stuff. All I got to do was fight and look pretty."

"You do it so very well though," Oz told him, giving him a smile when the frown was turned on him. "What?" he asked innocently. "You do."

Methos clapped his hands. "Enough, boys. At least you had a vacation together."

"Yeah, somewhere in there, we did have one," Oz agreed. "Somewhere between getting out of the jewel business because we had to kill the people after us, and becoming mercenaries, we did get a vacation."

"Yup, heartily sick of trees here," Xander said, holding up a hand. "Hey, Oz, how do I count my age now? Am I 838 or just 38?"

Oz shrugged. "Figure it out and tell me. But I'd really like not to be over three thousand years old right now. Not yet anyway."

Methos snorted, "You young ones. Always so concerned about your age." He stood up. "Let me go find that nice caterer's number, maybe they've finally opened a restaurant. They've been threatening to for a while now." He walked into the house, Jedi sneaking off to follow him.

Ray snickered. "Yeah, we're home," he said, looking around the pool area. "Um, ferret about to go swimming," he said, pointing it out for Oz.

Oz picked up the baby and put it back into the basket. "You're not old enough to swim yet. Deal with it and move on."

"I wonder who their daddy is," Xander said thoughtfully.

"I'm wonderin' where ferrets that are only supposed to live in Arizona came from in Cali," Ray noted.

"Point," Oz offered. "There was a captive breeding program at the college for a while, I figure Jedi got loose from there." He stood up and brought the babies over to the low table near the chaises. "Maybe their daddy got out of there and was adopted too."

"I think maybe we should consider getting the ferret fixed," Xander said dryly. "Six ferrets..."

"No, Xander," Oz cut him off. "We're adopting them out."

"But, Oz."

"We may keep *one*!" He held up one finger. "One! No more."

"And Jedi?" Xander asked pitifully.

"And Jedi," Oz sighed, knowing what his husband was feeling. After all, he had kept a horse from the same lineage for close to six hundred years. He sat down to watch the new babies sleep.

Xander looked at Ray. "Giles' dad wanted to know if Giles was going to adopt. I told him we were satisfied with the animals, but that was up to Giles."

"No," Oz called. "No children! Animals are fine, they're able to be left overnight. You can run around naked in front of them." He looked around. "I feel like I'm missing something."

"That would be your horse," Xander said dryly. "You wouldn't believe how attached he became to the last one." He saw the unhappy look and got up to go hug his Oz. "I'm sorry, babe, but she was ready to retire and have a good life. You found her a good home. The boy will take good care of her and love her for however long she has left." Oz nodded, burying his face in Xander's chest. "Shh, it's okay. I promise. And we did take that one sample..." Oz looked up. "You didn't know? Our personal wizard buddy took one and sealed it for me. If we're ever somewhere that we can have horses, we can have one of her's." He looked happier. "Okay?"

"Deal," Oz agreed, pinching Xander's rear. "Don't you miss your horse?"

"Honey, my horse loved you, not me. He hated me and everything about me. Remember having to check the bag to make sure it didn't rip because he bit into it when I ducked?"

"I told you to fix him."

"Oh, we did that too," Xander said dryly. "He still hated me, probably more because we did fix him."

"Hey, I'd hate ya too if ya fixed me," Ray offered.

Oz snorted. "I'm sure you wouldn't be the only one."

"Please tell me he's not whining over his horse," Methos sighed as he walked out.

"No, we found her a good home," Oz told him. "But I do miss her."

"I don't," Xander said, pulling back to look at him. "I'm tired of having the horse come in and lay down next to you." Ray's mouth hung open, he knew, but it had to be said. "Besides, she kept trying to bite me whenever we kissed."

"She was protecting me," Oz told him.

"Good for her, but I still wanted kisses."

Oz pulled Xander's head down and kissed him. Rocky barked at them. "See? Just protection."

"She's happy," Ray called, cuddling up with Rocky. He watched as Jedi trotted out and headed for her babies. He snickered as the ferret climbed up on the chair and walked over her fathers to get to her babies.

"Are you comfy now?" Oz asked her. She licked one of her children, glaring at him. "Okay. Guess that's a yes." He looked down at Xander, who was snuggling in for a nap. "You know that we have strange animals, right? That none of them are what they really appear?"

"Yup," Xander said with a yawn. "Night."

"Bed," Methos called.

Xander waved. "Yup, in a minute."

Oz shook his head and settled in for a long bout of being used as a pillow. "Ray, bring the bag over here and we'll dump it out to see what treasures Xander brought home this time."

Ray got up and picked up the bag, bringing it over to the big clear area around the chaises, opening it and staring down in it. "Um, it's full," he said.

"Wonderful," Oz sighed. "Xander managed to fill a neverending bag." He shook his head. "Just be careful, I know there's some glass figurines down in there somewhere."

Ray looked confused but he started to take things out one by one. After about twenty minutes of this, he looked down inside, then at Oz. "You were kidding, right?" he asked. "It doesn't even look like I've emptied any of it."

Oz shook his head. "It was a prezzie from our wizard buddy, who sent Giles his books because he wanted Xander monitored."

"He has magic?" Methos asked.

"Nature magic," Oz agreed. "In very little quantities."

"So, he can make a plant grow, but not a whole field?"

"Not without some help," Oz agreed. "Our wizard buddy thought it was very clever of us to hook up with a wizard here, thought it was some sort of innate drive of Xander's to find a teacher." He smiled over at Methos, who wasn't looking very happy. "I explained to him that Xander had already found his favorite teacher, but he didn't believe it would hold over for magic."

Methos got up and came over to look at everything Ray was still pulling out. "What is all this?" he asked.

"Some of it's crap, we used the bag for general packing every time we had to move. Some of it's stuff we wanted to keep. I'm sure later on Xander will pull out stuff that he keyed so that only he could take it out." He grabbed the small vial, looking at the white matter inside it. "Freezer, now," he ordered. He loved his horse.

***

Xander finished pulling stuff out of their neverending bag and put it aside. "Oz, when did we get wind chimes?" he asked, holding the crystal wind chimes up.

"Like I know," Oz said from the bed. He looked up, trying to remember every time they had packed, especially those near the beginning. "Those were in the window of the wizard's cabin, he put them in there when he packed everything else."

"Then why didn't he *unpack* it when he grabbed his stuff?" Xander asked.

"Maybe it's something so that we have to go back and give them to him," Ray suggested from his spot next to Xander, looking through all the stuff.

"Kinda hard to do, he died," Oz noted, going back to his reading. "He bequeathed Xander all his stuff since he had the bag."

"Giles is getting most of it," Xander told him. "I know enough magic now to be dangerous."

"Then maybe you should finish your studies," Methos suggested lightly.

"Not that sort of dangerous," Oz told him, looking up. "Dangerous as in not to us or himself. I made sure of it."

"As long as he's not dangerous to us," Methos said, relaxing. "I have no problem with Xander becoming more well-rounded."

"I'm actually more confused because there's more doors opening for me now," Xander told him. "I have more choices now than I did before."

"Ah, but you can ignore some of those," Methos reminded him. "You probably aren't going to become a mercenary in this time and place, correct?" Xander nodded. "But you can still do what you were doing."

"You can still write about our adventures," Oz reminded him. "Just remember, I am not a brunette anymore." He went back to his book.

"Raven haired beauty?" Xander suggested.

Oz dropped his book and pounced on Xander, rolling him underneath him so he could tickle him. "What was that?" he asked.

"Red haired!" Xander screamed, laughing.

"Hey're you're smooshin' stuff," Ray complained. "I haven't even gotten to see most of it." He pushed Oz but ended up being attacked by both of them. "No fair!" he complained. "Methos!"

"Yes, dear?" Methos asked from his seat, smiling down at him. "You need to play too."

"So do you," Xander declared, getting up and pulling the old man up to tickle him too. He pouted when he couldn't find a ticklish spot. "You're not ticklish?" he pouted.

"No, imp, I'm not."

"Get his knees!" Ray squealed.

Xander knocked Methos down and used his unfair knowledge from when he was trained by Methos to get him now, making him writhe and grunt on the floor.

"Hey, no fair makin' him hard," Ray complained, coming over to pounce on Xander.

Oz shrugged and pounced on Methos himself, doing what Xander had been.

"No!" Methos shrieked as his knees were attacked. "Not there!"

Later on, as the two couples were lounging on the bed, Oz lifted his head and looked at Methos. "I'm comfy like this," he told his oldest and dearest friend.

"I should hope so, I doubt I could wake Ray or Xander up to move either of them." He looked up and saw the seriousness in the green eyes. "So am I, Oz," he said quietly. "It always comes back to us, doesn't it?"

Oz nodded, scooting next to the tangled-up duo. "Yeah, it does. No matter what, we're always together somehow." He took Methos' hand, playing with his fingers. "I miss what we used to have, Meth."

"As do I," Methos agreed. "Can we agree that Xander is just Xander?"

"As long as it's mutual and both couples agree?"

"That would be fine with me. We'll put it to the dynamic and loud ones in the morning. All right?" Oz nodded. "Thank you, Oz."

"He made me see it," Oz said quietly, rubbing down Ray's naked back. "How much I missed being able to cuddle with Ray. How I missed being able to curl up next to you and talk." He glanced up, then went back to paying attention to the skin under his fingers. "Xander said I should come find you as soon as possible and beg for forgiveness for what I pulled after I found you getting that backrub from him."

"There's none needed, Oz. I forgave you that day. And after Xander straightened you out, I forgave you for how you treated him." He tipped his friend's face up. "Oz, the only one who had to forgive you was yourself. You had to realize that I wasn't the enemy or going to steal your Xander from you. No one can ever take Xander from you, you can only drive him away when you get petty and possessive. Now that you've learned that lesson, I hope that you put it into practice."

"Yup. I have already. I even let Xander dance for someone else while I was sitting down." He grinned. "That really stabilized his image as a concubine and consort. They decided that I had stolen him for good reason and the only reason he had to learn to do anything was so that I had time to work."

Methos snorted. "I know the feeling. What else did you figure out?"

"That Xander really does know all. Every time I'd start to get homesick, he'd look at me and smile. He always knew."

"Why didn't you stay near the portal?"

"Because we walked into a civil war and Xander stopped it after about four hundred miles of being captives." He grabbed Methos' hand before he could move. "He wasn't touched, neither of us were. Xander came out with something about how we were visiting wizards in training, come to find a teacher. Their wizard tested him and found he did have magic. He sensed what I was and let it go. He convinced their king to listen to us, he hated the war too, and to let us go. So we got free, then he passed us on to his favorite student after he died, making sure that Xander got some sort of training. We slowly made our way back to the portal."

"Is that why all animals love him?"

"Probably. The second wizard and I talked, he thought that might be the case. Of course, I described Jedi and he wanted to know if it wasn't some sort of God in disguise."

"I've often thought it was actually Strife."

"It's his son," Xander mumbled, still asleep.

"That would explain a number of things," Methos said, smiling down at the sleeping bodies. "Oz, I missed you horribly while you were so distant. Don't do it again, Xander might not make me stay next time." He looked up and saw the nod and the seriousness. "Good. Now what do we do?"

"Now, we sit down tomorrow and listen to the ideas Xander has, giving him good and constructive feedback for the scientist group. What about Daniel?"

"He's taking a sabbatical as soon as he gets home. He's in Colorado actually. He's going to meet me in Las Vegas while I go run the resort for Rupert for a bit."

"I always thought it was neat of Jace to give it to him," Ray said, opening his eyes. "Are we okay again?"

"We're perfect again," Methos said, giving him a smile. "Would you like to stay in here tonight?"

"Sure. I like the cuddling Xander doll, he's very loveable." He grinned at Oz. "He's like a big, warm, breathing teddy bear, without the body hair."

Oz snickered. "Oh, I know. My horse used to curl up behind my back and Xander against my front; it was very odd at times in our tent."

"Was she fixed?" Ray asked.

"No, she was being protective. It's the same thing Arabians used to do to their owners in the desert," Methos told him, brushing through Xander's hair. "Is he keeping all this?"

"Yes, I'm making him keep it," Oz said firmly. Methos raised an eyebrow. "He can do some amazing things with that hair," he defended. He grinned. "Besides, it's another excuse to bathe with him."

"I see," Methos said, touching the softer-than-silk hair. "Well, it is very arousing just to touch it."

"He used it as a cock ring one night," Oz groaned, getting hard as he remembered that night. His cock rubbed against Ray's lower back, giving him some of the friction he needed.

"Hey!" Ray complained. "It don't go there!" He looked at Methos, who was smiling down at him. "Up to me?"

"All up to you," Methos agreed, giving him a kiss. "Make sure the curtains are drawn though, we don't want any of those nasty photographers showing up, now do we." He waited until Ray was out closing the curtains to steal a kiss from Oz.

"Mine?" Xander asked sleepily, lifting his head up. Methos leaned down and gave him a kiss too. "Thanks. You guys have fun, I'm going to snuggle Ray."

"I think Ray was going to get snuggled by me," Oz told him.

"Then I'll snuggle Methos. That works for me too." Xander rolled into Methos' stomach, rubbing his face on it until he got comfortable, then going back to sleep.

Ray came back, after closing the bed's curtains, and pounced on Oz, diving in to give him a kiss.

"That's my boy, always eager," Methos said, stroking down Xander's back and hair.

"Finger comb it," Xander murmured. "Love that."

"All right, imp, I can do that," Methos agreed, running his fingers through the soft hair, sectioning the thick mass up so he could comb through it. "I'll even help you braid it in the morning."

"Little ones?" Xander asked, looking up at him with adoration.

"If you'd like."

Xander smiled. "Okay. You ponytail it and then you put in little braids. Small, tiny ones so it takes *all* morning and I get waves by that night." He got a nod so settled back down with a happy sigh, turning his head so he could see what Ray and Oz were doing. "Go back farther, he's got a point about an inch below your mouth," he told Ray, who was nibbling on Oz's chest.

Ray moved back and Oz groaned, holding his head there. "Let him discover it, imp, this is the part that he likes so much," Methos whispered, holding onto Xander but letting him flip over so they could watch. "Ray has a deadly skill at cock sucking, a natural born swallower, but he has as of yet to learn your patience."

"Can I teach him that?" Xander asked, looking over his shoulder at Methos. "I'd like to teach that lesson."

"I'm sure you will enjoy it, Xander, I'm very sure you will. Oz and I will help you, if you'd like."

"Oh, yeah," Oz groaned. "Slow down, Ray," he said, holding the head still. "Slowly, draw it out for me. I'm a long time guy."

"Why does everyone always want it slow?" Ray complained, pulling back to look at them. "What? Wasn't I doin' it right?"

"Looked good from here," Xander told him with a grin. "Oz likes it to be drawn out, like a long tease. It's his favorite thing in the whole world to just be sucked and licked for over an hour."

Ray's face lit up. "Really?" He looked down at Oz, who nodded, continuing to stroke himself. "Huh. I guess I can try that."

"And tomorrow," Xander said, stopping Ray before he could go down again, "is my turn to teach you more."

Ray grinned at him. "Ya think?"

"Oh, I know," Xander purred. "Trust me on this, Ray, there's *many* things that you could still learn. Including how to put on a show for him while he's tied to the bed and not able to touch you." He saw the delighted look and continued. "Also, there's the whole 'getting into a role' thing. Oz *loves* it when I get more and more like a sexkitten for him."

"He's always wanted a concubine of his very own," Methos agreed, smiling down at him. Oz moaned, his hand speeding up.

"Make him slow down, Ray, he likes it like that," Xander advised, rolling over to give Methos a kiss.

Ray grinned down at Oz, taking his hand off to kiss and lick the palm. "You can't do that yet," he whispered, leaning down to kiss him again, drawing it out this time. He managed to wiggle his way down until he was lying across Oz's body, blanketing him so that the tense and wired body beneath him had just enough to rub against to frustrate him. He glanced over once, only to find Methos and Xander locked together in a deep, passionate kiss that threatened to go on forever. Maybe Xander would teach him that trick too. He went back to his earlier nibbling, working his way across the stretched neck, the tight chest, the wiggling stomach. He managed to find that one spot again, laving it with his tongue while he sucked around it. He teased that spot until Oz forced his head to lower, going with the direction until he found the hard cock. He put all his skill into keeping Oz teased until he was ready to go on himself, but Oz apparently had other ideas.

"Need it faster," he groaned, pulling Ray up to kiss him. "Want to rub, want to suck, or want in you?" he panted, rubbing against Ray's thigh.

"Hey, it's all good to me," Ray said, grinning down at him. "Whaddya want?"

"I want," Oz said, lunging up to capture his lips. "I want you to ride me, Ray. Can you do that for me? I want to see you as you get off."

"Still good to me," Ray said, stealing another kiss. "Slippery stuff?"

"Drawer," Xander panted, holding out a hand to touch Oz. "We need some too. Want this."

"Cooooolllllll," Ray breathed, watching what Methos was doing to his friend. He felt Oz reach for something but he was engrossed with the show the other two were doing. He felt the cool fingers enter him, but he wasn't paying attention to it anymore, what he was watching was much more enticing. The way the other two were writhing against each other, the way they touched, the way they devoured each other's mouths. It was better than getting it himself. Oz pulled him up and onto his lap, piercing him quickly but letting him rest across his chest.

"They're pretty together, aren't they?" Oz asked hoarsely. Ray nodded, his eyes getting wider as Xander surrendered to Methos, giving everything to him with one simple relaxation. "That's what Xander does for me sometimes. Just surrenders to my will." He watched as Ray swallowed. "Yeah, you could do that too and be so pretty," Oz breathed, starting to move.

"No, I like being the wall you fight against," Ray gasped, holding onto Oz's arms for dear life as he was thrust into. This was his sort of ride, long and hard. They continued to watch Xander and Methos, Oz making a sound close to a whimper when his husband was taken, knowing the look on Methos' face meant he was going to savor his time with Xander.

It couldn't last though, Oz wasn't able to hold off for that long, the torturously slow lovemaking next to him drove him insane and he came with a howl, pulling Ray down as hard as he could. He felt the wetness hit his stomach but he was still focused on his Xander. "Suck him," he ordered, pushing Ray that way. He curled up to watch as Ray started to gently suckle Xander, watching his mate's face as he got closer and closer, but knowing that Methos wasn't going to let him come yet. Oz fell asleep before either of them could come, not wanting to but his body overrode his desire to watch.

Methos smiled down at Xander, kissing him on the neck. "I think he wore your Oz out," he whispered. "Ray, I've got it if you want to nap also."

"Nah, I'm havin' fun," Ray said, peeling Methos' fingers off Xander's balls, letting him come right then.

Xander went limp in Methos' arms, giving him a weak smile. "I'd forgotten how much of a torturer you could be."

"But you enjoy it when I draw it out," Methos reminded him with a smile. "Ray, would you get something to clean us all up as you're so not tired?" He yawned, for show, then released his own control, pounding Xander hard until he came himself. "Ah," he sighed, sinking into the bed. "Much better."

Ray came out with the bowl of warm soapy water and a cloth, and stopped to admire the beautiful men sleeping on the bed. He shrugged and went to clean them anyway, knowing Methos hated to be sticky when he woke up.

***

Oz sniffed into his pillow, smelling something odd. He thought at first it was Xander-butt, but then he realized there was something furry against his nose. "Damn ferrets," he muttered, opening his eyes to look at the baby ferret sitting on the end of his nose. "Even worse than Xander-butt," he mumbled, pushing the ferret off him, "ferret-butt. Just what I needed." He rolled over, coming face to face with Jedi, who had her favorite toy hanging from her mouth. "What? You have him sit on your face when you wake up." He reached up to scratch her on the head, taking the toy and tossing it for her, a recent hobby of his was to teach the ferret how to play fetch. Of course, the ferret wasn't having any of it, she was teaching him how to play go-get-it. He reached down and grabbed the toy, handing it back to her so he could go back to sleep in peace.

That's when Ray screamed.

"It's just a ferret," Oz called.

Ray picked up the baby he had accidentally almost smooshed, checking it over. "Oz, I hurt it," he said softly, handing it over.

Methos woke up and took the ferret, looking it over. "Possibly a concussion but I don't feel a skull fracture," he announced finally. "We'll take them all to the vets today. How's that?"

"I didn't mean to," Ray said, looking sad and pitiful.

"We know," Oz soothed, rubbing a hand down his back. "It was an accident. The baby was in the wrong place." He gave Ray a hug. "You didn't hurt it too much, Ray, I promise. Okay?" Ray shook his head and climbed off the bed, going into the bathroom and slamming the door.

"We going now?" Xander mumbled, reaching down to pet the furry thing on his rear. "Baby ferrets?"

"All five and Ray shifted, pinning one to the bed," Methos told him.

"I heard that part," Xander said, opening one eye. "We going now?"

"Let me call," Oz said, opening the bed's curtain so he could climb out too. "Yeah, we can probably go now," he called a few minutes later. "It's almost noon. I'll still call."

Xander put the ferret down, reaching beside the bed to get one of the hair ribbons he had brought back. "Here, tie this around his neck, that way we don't get confused. Let me get dressed and I'll get their basket." He climbed out, making sure not to hurt any more of the little ones. He joined Ray in the bathroom, giving him a hug. "I did the same thing to Jedi when she first crawled in with us," he whispered as he held his friend. "I promise, ferrets are very hardy creatures. You didn't kill him so he'll probably be okay." He let go and looked down at his not-sticky body. "Let's get dressed. We'll bathe when we get back," he decided, reaching around to push his hair off his back. "Remind me I need hair things?"

"Sure," Ray said listlessly, letting Xander lead him out and get him dressed. On the way to the vet's, he held the ferret's basket, petting the one he had hurt. He was helped inside the office, giving the woman behind the desk a pitiful look. "I rolled over on one with my knee," he told her.

She gave him a pat on the back of the hand. "Ferrets are incredibly strong, I'm sure you didn't hurt it too much. Go sit down and we'll take you back in a few minutes, okay?"

"Sure," Oz said, guiding Ray over to a seat and making sure he was sitting down. Since there weren't anymore seats, he sat between Xander's feet, reaching up to play with a lock of his hair. "You need hair things," he noted absently.

"Yup," Xander sighed. "Lots and lots of hair things."

"We'll work on that after we get home from the vets." He looked over at Ray. "Make sure Jedi's not eating the fabric?" he suggested.

Ray looked down and frowned at the mommy ferret. "Don't do that," he said, taking the fabric wrinkle away from her mouth.

"Harris?" the nurse called, making everyone jump up. She led them back to an exam room, closing the door behind the group. "Why are we here today? Just a routine checkup?" she asked, looking down in the basket. "Four?"

"Six, including mom," Oz told her, reaching into Ray's shirt to retrieve Jedi and the hurt one. "And this one got rolled over on this morning."

"Oh." She took that one, holding it up so she could look at it. "Back or head?"

"Head," Ray said miserably.

The nurse smiled reassuringly at him. "Dear, these little ones are nearly indestructible right now. I've seen them kicked across a room and shake it off. A little kneeing is nothing to them." She tucked the baby ferret against her chest. "I'll take him to be xrayed and the doctor will be in a few minutes to check the rest." She left them alone, making sure the door was closed so that none of the mischievous animals could escape.

Everyone decided by silent communication that Ray should have the lone chair and that Xander could hold the basket. They waited silently for the vet, every once in a while looking over at Ray, who was still looking pathetic and miserable.

The vet came in a few minutes later, as promised, and smiling at everyone. "The little one is fine, we just read her xray. She'll be back in a few minutes, once we weigh and measure her." He smiled at Xander, then down at the ferret. "So, Jedi's a girl?" he asked with amusement.

"It appears so," Oz said dryly. "We came home and found babies. Henrietta never called and told us about them, but we seem to have a few."

"And they're *cuddly*," Xander told him. "That one got smooshed while in bed with us."

Ray looked up. "I didn't mean to, Xander. I just wanted to shift around."

"Oh, hey," Xander cooed, coming over to give him a hug. "I'm not mad, Ray. The baby's not hurt and I'm not mad. If anything, I'm glad it was a little accident that's going to teach this lesson instead of something like Oz throwing it one of those mornings when we have to use the alarm clock." He made Ray look up at him. "I promise, I'm not upset, not at all. We love you and we know you didn't mean to hurt him."

"Her," the vet said as he started to check the other babies. "Are we going to fix Jedi now, Oz?"

"No," Xander said, not looking over. "We want to find the daddy before we do anything." He looked over at the skeptical look. "Trust me on this, okay? I'm not fixing her yet. Soon maybe, but not yet."

"All right," the vet said. "Remember, she can have up to five babies twice a year." He stuck a thermometer in the first baby's rear, taking it's temperature. "Yes, I know, it doesn't feel good," he told the wiggling little body in his hands. "Tough. Everyone else has to have it done too." He looked over at Ray. "Really, this was nothing compared to some of the injuries Jedi's had."

"We got rid of that cat," Oz said, scratching his eyebrow. "A nice priest adopted it and did an exorcism. It's fine now."

The vet laughed. "If you say so." He put down the first one after listening to it's heart, making sure it stayed outside the basket for right now, and picked up the next one to start the process all over again.

Xander smiled at Ray. "Really, we love you and we know you didn't mean to. It's still all good. You didn't hurt her too badly, just a gentle pressure with your knee." He lifted Ray up and dragged him over to help hold the ferrets that had been checked. When the baby came back, it was handed to Ray.

Methos rolled his eyes. "We are not taking her home, Ray. A dog and two cats is enough."

"Yeah, yeah," Ray mumbled, staring down at the black eyes. "Hey, you. You're really okay?"

"Just fine," the nurse said, handing over the clipboard with the chart for the vitals on it and taking the next two to be weighed and measured.

***

Ray climbed into bed in front of Xander, fresh from their shower together. He smiled at the gentle nuzzling against his back, pulling the soft sheet over to cover them while they napped.

"No, just cover your front," Xander ordered quietly. He arranged the sheet how he wanted it then started to stroke Ray's abdomen. "Do you mind if I teach you the joys of long-time sex?" Ray shook his head. "Good. Methos said I could do this to you." His stroking hand started larger circles, now making figure eights across the other man's chest and stomach.

Ray mumbled something but bit his tongue when the hand pinched him on the stomach. "What? I do just fine."

"Yeah, but Methos and Oz *love* it when we take a long time, like forever sort of long time."

"But I can't do that, I'm not built that way, Xander," Ray complained.

"Not trying to change you, just trying to give you a new perspective," Xander said defensively.

Ray rolled over and hugged him. "I know. But it sucks that they don't like it like I do."

Xander grinned. "You've been trying to change Methos' mind for how many years and it hasn't worked yet?" Ray snorted. "So, let me teach you this part and then you can show him that it doesn't do everything for you, maybe make some arrangement together."

"Ya mean that sometimes he gets it his way and sometimes I get it mine?" Ray suggested with a smirk. Xander nodded. "We tried that, I could never lay back and take it like he wants me to."

"Shoot. And here I was gonna make you enjoy that too," Xander said, his smirk turning into a leer. He pulled down the restraints Oz had hitched up for him earlier, getting Ray into them before he could protest. Then he rolled the older man under him and grinned down at him. "You're at my mercy now," he whispered, leaning down to take the first kiss. "All mine. Methos and Oz are outside beating up on each other and they won't come save you this time."

Ray's mouth opened in shock and Xander took advantage of it, giving him a deeper kiss. "Um," Ray said, once he could speak and think again. "Safety rules?"

"Just say the word," Xander agreed, grinning again. He winked then kissed him on the nose before moving back a little so he could work on his best friend's neck. He nibbled on the spots he had watched Methos attack earlier on the ride home. He licked over the spot that made Ray arch up. He bit down onto Ray's neck and sucked a dark bruise onto the pale skin. "Mine," he proclaimed, laughing when Ray frowned at him. He moved backwards, licking and sucking across the narrow shoulders and heaving chest, stopping to consider the pale nipples. "Hmm, these could use something," he said, flicking one. "I know I brought something back that would work great in there." He looked up at Ray, who was shaking his head. "No?"

"Nope. No extra holes in the body."

"Why not?" Methos asked from the door. "I think you'd look stunning with a nipple ring; it shows ownership quite well." He looked across Xander's body. "I know what would work best on his body too, but Oz told me I couldn't pierce him," he sighed in regret.

"No," Ray said clearly and loudly. "No piercing my body. Not my nipples, not my balls, not my ass."

"You can do that?" Oz asked as he walked past Methos, heading for the bathroom. "Don't mind us, we tripped over Rocky and landed in the mud." He walked over and looked at Xander from behind, then looked up at Methos. "You wanted to do what to him?"

"A nice piercing between his cock and balls, one in his balls, and a cock collar, all connected by a thin chain."

Xander looked over and shook his head. "No. A nipple ring I might okay. A hole in my balls I will not."

"But it'd be cute," Oz told him, pinching the hanging flesh. "Here?"

"No, lower. Between the balls but nearer to the bottom." Methos walked in and touched a spot just below Oz's fingers. "Here. With a chain connecting the two, hanging down and swinging as he moved."

"Nope," Xander said, shifting to get his balls free, looking at his lovers. "No. No putting new holes in my balls."

"*New* holes?" Oz asked, one eyebrow going up.

"Long story and you're not getting it," Xander said, pulling the curtains around the bed to block them out.

"Now I can't see," Ray complained. Xander turned on the hidden light he had had installed in the canopy. "Thanks," he said, grinning at the younger man. "So, you want a nipple ring?"

"All part of that same long story, and I'm still not sharing it," Xander said, shutting him up with a kiss. He moved down to make Ray speechless before he could ask anything else, knowing he wasn't going to want to share this one, not with how Oz could get.

***

Methos answered the phone, stopping when he heard the voice on the other end. "Daniel?" he asked, sitting down to listen to him. "What's wrong?" He sighed. "Did you tell them.... Oh, dear," he sighed. "Yes, put me in touch with him. No, I won't allow that, you know that, Daniel." He sighed again and hung up, going to find everyone and talk to them. He found Oz and Xander sitting together outside, watching Ray swim. "We've got a problem," he noted, sitting down next to the other couple. "Daniel got found out. Apparently, he's in the middle of a secret war and he got shot, repeatedly, in his last battle." He rubbed his forehead. "He's one of the bigger targets of our enemies."

"Which would be *who*?" Oz asked. "The US isn't at war right now, we're actually kinda at peace for once."

"Well, it's not just us it seems," Methos said, leaning back so he could get comfortable. "Apparently, it's all humans against some sort of aliens."

"Which is who Kronos drove out?" Xander asked, remembering that little side conversation during their lunch together.

"Yes, Xander," Methos said, looking at him. "And the government now knows what we are."

"They're fucked then, aren't they?" Ray asked as he got out of the pool. "What's going on now?"

"Daniel got found out."

"Gee, not a good thing."

"Especially since he works for the government," Oz told him.

"Heard that part," Ray admitted. He sat down beside his lover, giving him a hug. "What's the plan?"

"Ray's boss wants to talk to me," Methos told him gently, patting him on the back. "I'm being forced to appear, or they'll come find us."

"We can still disappear," Xander reminded him.

"Not from them. These people have ways of tracking you down," Oz said quietly, calming his lover down by wrapping his arms around his waist. "What do they really want?"

"To pick his brain?" Xander suggested.

"Maybe it's not a lab-rat position," Ray said optimistically.

"Hey, it's got to be classified," Xander said, catching Ray's mood. "After all, it's really hard to hide something like a war from the news. "They've got to have a hefty classification."

"Oh, they do," Methos agreed. "They've got Senior Officials only clearance."

"The Pres and a few trusted people?" Oz suggested.

Methos nodded. "Yes, that's what Daniel told me when I forced him to give me an idea of what he did." Methos looked over at Ray. "Daniel asked me to bring you also."

"Then you're bringing me," Xander said calmly. Methos and Oz both started to shake their heads but he stood up. "I'm going," he told them. "If you try and leave me, I'll come on my own. I *refuse* to lose you, even to our own government." He stalked off, going into the house to go think and plan.

Oz looked at Methos. "Oh, shit," he whispered.

"Yes, I think that's how'll they'll see it when we all show it," Ray told him.

"You're not going," Methos said quickly. "I want you far away from these people."

"Touch crap. Get over it." Ray stood up and looked down at his lover. "Deal with it, or deal with me," he said, then went back to his laps.

Methos shook his head, reaching out to Oz for support.

Oz squeezed his hand, knowing exactly what he was feeling.

***

Xander stalked ahead of Methos, Oz and Ray back at their hotel for the moment, tied up together. He glared at the man at the head of the table, giving him his iciest stare. "If you think that you're going to do something with this knowledge and hurt my Adam or my Oz, you've got another thing coming," he hissed. One of the guards beside the door shifted and Xander pulled out his hidden dagger, throwing it at the man's neck, hitting the wall close enough to have grazed the skin, stunning him. "I have many years of doing that, I'd stand down."

"Stand down," the General ordered, standing up. "And you are?" he asked, trying to sound calm.

"He is Xander," Methos said, slamming his briefcase down on the table. "I am Adam. That is all you need to know."

"That and the fact that we're not working for you," Xander told him. "I *refuse* to lose anyone else in my life to any sort of stupidity."

"Saving the human race isn't stupid, son," the General said quietly.

"Then bomb the assholes and get over it already!" Xander told him.

"They're humans that have been taken over by a symbiot," Daniel said, speaking up for the first time. He looked at Xander. "I thought you were normal."

"No, I'm not normal. I'm not immortal, but I'm *far* from normal," he said, glaring at the young man.

"I didn't mean to!" Daniel said, jumping up and moving away from him. "We never expected to run into a unit of Goa'uld, Xander, I promise."

"But you did," Methos reminded him. He looked at the General. "I'm old enough to have done your job a few times over. I have no desire to fight in another war, even to save myself." Xander hit him on the arm. "I will fight if I'm attacked," he said, glaring at the young man, "but Xander is quite correct." He looked at Daniel. "I'll gladly finish my training of Daniel, I had that planned anyway, but I doubt that my skills with a sword will help you any."

"No, but some of your knowledge might," the General said, sitting down. He waved a hand at the other seats. "Please. I'd like to talk to you, both," he said, nodding at Xander. "I promise, nothing you say will be taken out of this room." He nodded at the guard and he left, closing the door behind him. "Is that better?" he asked Xander, who had looked at the guard.

"No, we're still here," Xander said, sitting down. "Usually a call from someone like you sends the rest of us running for cover. You must know that there's people out there that would use us as experiments."

"I do. But here, we don't do that."

"True," Daniel jumped in. "We've actually got a warrior that turned from our enemy working with my team. He's one of our greatest allies. We've protected him from everyone who'd want to use him to date." He looked at Methos. "You have to know I didn't plan on this."

"I know you didn't," Methos said, relenting and relaxing a little. "I know that you had no intention of telling anyone, I have no doubt I drilled that lecture into you quite well." He almost smiled at the young immortal. "But this is not the situation we want to be in, Daniel. Xander was quite correct in saying that this sort of questioning endangers us all. Information does leak out, no matter how careful you are."

The General cleared his throat. "The only people who know about this program are the President and three Senators outside of the Chief of Staff. None of our findings are released outside of things we can genuinely verify here on Earth. We need your help though. This war is messy and long. I have decided not to make a report on this incident, not of Dr. Jackson's accident or of our meeting, so that none of the information you give us will get out. We'll list you as a confidential source known only to those of us in this room."

The old one thought it over, considering the man before him. He'd known many Generals over his life, and he knew this one was going to keep his word. "I may be able to help with some strategies," Methos admitted, "but I will not fight for you, or for any army. Never again."

"I understand that," the General said quickly. "We just wanted to pick your brains." He looked at Xander. "If you're not like him, then what are you?"

"My bodyguard and favorite student," Methos said, patting Xander on the hand. "Xander knows much about many strange things. In truth, there is another immortal with me, he's tied up right now, with my own lover."

"I see," the General said, nodding. "That's fine with us. I can understand your need for secrecy." He looked at Daniel. "If I may ask, how old are both of you?"

"I'm over five thousand years old," Methos said quietly. "Xander is thirty-eight, unless you count the time he's spent off this plane."

"Then you can add about eight hundred years of fighting," Xander told him.

"Other planes?" Daniel asked. "Can you do that? Create gateways or whatever?"

"No, but Giles can."

"Um, your other husband?" Daniel asked, not quite sure. Xander had only mentioned his second husband a few times in London.

Xander nodded. "Him. He's a sorcerer." The General snorted. "Think I'm kidding?" He pointed at the plants in the room and concentrated. "Grow," he ordered, sending his meager power at it. The plant grew as he started to sweat.

"Enough," Methos ordered, not looking anywhere but at his student. "If you make yourself ill again, Oz will skin me to make you a blanket during your recovery."

Xander released it and blew his remaining breath out. "Still think I'm kidding?" he asked, looking at the General. "There's some places that it doesn't work, but where it does, people with the right skills are very useful." He leaned against Methos while he got himself back to normal.

"He's very weak in those arts," Methos explained, "but what he can do is very helpful at times."

"I bet," the General said, smiling at Xander. "I can have some coffee sent in if you'd like some. Or some sandwiches."

Xander nodded. "Coffee please," he whispered. "This place is not conducive."

"To magic?" Methos asked.

Xander nodded. "It's a big, sucking hole."

"Ah, a lot like Buffy then."

Xander glared and punched him on the arm. "She was not a *big* sucking hole, she was a *whiny* sucking hole from what Angel said." He looked over at the plant. "Huh, only two inches."

Daniel got up and grabbed the plant, bringing it over to the table. "Well, it did grow," he admitted, looking at Xander, then at his General. "It was trimmed this morning and it needs it again."

The General nodded slowly. "All right. If we may, would it be possible for one of our scientists to watch you do this? Maybe find out how you do it?" he asked Xander.

Xander waved a hand. "It'll have to be outside, and away from this mountain. Like I said, this place sucks energy massively." He looked at Daniel. "I might be able to bring Giles up so you can watch him. No promises, he's very wary of this sort of attention too."

"Maybe we can show him some things that might change his mind," Daniel said, looking at the General.

The General stood up, smiling at his officer. "I think that could be arranged. After all, they wouldn't want to tell anyone anything, would they?"

Methos smiled. "Of course not." He patted Xander on the shoulder. "We'll be going back to our hotel room and face our lovers. Daniel, call on us sometime tomorrow and we'll come help you." He stood up and helped Xander up. "May we have an escort to the surface?"

"Of course," the General said, smiling at them. "Daniel, take them up please and get their contact numbers." He watched the three young men leave, shaking his head at the oddity he had seen today. He touched his prize plant gently, smiling at the new healthy looking growth. "Is that what you needed to feel better?" he asked it before leaving. This would take some very careful planning.

***

Xander walked in first, and ducked before the statue Ray was holding could hit him. "What? We had to prove our point," he said, ducking a thrown ashtray.

"Enough," Methos said tiredly as he walked in and shut the door. "Xander, go lie down."

"What did you do?" Oz asked as he emerged from the bathroom. He looked his husband over and pointed at the bed. "Down, now," he ordered, walking over to help him out of his jacket. "What did you do?" he asked once he had Xander firmly held against him.

"I proved my point," Xander whispered.

"You made a plant grow?" Ray asked, frowning at him. "How could you risk Methos that way!"

"I was in no danger," Methos told him, coming over to hug him. "I was in no danger, nor was Xander. We had a nice discussion with the General, who only wants some of the information we hold - some help planning a few raids and the like."

"And he wants to know about what from Xander?" Oz asked.

"They want to see if they can quantify magic," Methos told him, smiling down at the sleeping young man. "He said the mountain sucks energy."

"And Danny?" Ray asked.

"He really didn't mean to do anything, or to tell his commanding officer, who was very nice. We now have mutual blackmail on each other." He gave his lover a hug. "Do you feel better now?"

"We're coming next time," Oz said quietly, but firmly. He looked over his shoulder. "You were wrong to try and protect us."

"Oz, if something had happened to me today, I'm sure they would have let Xander go after a few days. You, on the other hand, would then become the oldest living immortal. You have to live on, if only for my benefit," Methos told him, sitting down beside him and touching him on the shoulder. "You must live on and keep the knowledge going, young one," he said quietly, sharing a long conversation with their looks. "You may not fall if I do."

"If you do, then someone's dead," Ray said firmly. "We'll make sure of it."

Methos pulled him down into his lap. "I know you will, Ray, you and Xander both, but this is more important than even that. Oz must live on, he holds most everything that I do in knowledge and he's got to be around."

"We both do," Oz protested harshly. "If someone takes you, they're mine first, and then Xander gets them. Got it?" He sat up, shaking his best friend as hard as he could. "You will not be lost, not while I'm still living!"

"He won't be," Ray promised, sliding over to give Oz a hug. "You won't lose him or Xander, I promise. We won't let it happen," he soothed, rocking him. "It won't happen, you won't lose them, I won't let it happen," he cooed.

Oz nodded and took the comfort from both of them, needing to know that everything that had ever been his stability wouldn't suddenly disappear into a government lab under a big mountain.

***

Xander opened the door, nodding Daniel and the woman behind him inside. "Oz is in the bathroom and Adam's out getting lunch." He sat down on the bed, looking the woman over. "So, you're going to tell me that what I can do isn't possible?"

She smiled and held out a hand. "Sam Carter."

"Xander Harris," he told her, shaking it. "And?"

"No, I want to believe that it exists. I have no idea how we'll measure it, or how much energy it takes from you...." She trailed off as the bathroom door opened and two men walked out, blushing. "Hi," she said carefully.

"Ray, what did you do to yourself now?" Daniel asked, giving him a hug.

Ray gave him a few pats then pulled away. "Let me guess, you tripped?"

"No, he was trying to save me," Sam said. "Our team is the biggest thorn in their side and they want us all dead. They got an easy bead on me and Daniel knocked me out of the way." She brushed her bangs back. "He won't tell me anything about any of this."

"Good," Oz said, sitting down beside Xander. "There's a lot that he's not supposed to tell anyone that's not a new student or a lover of his." He looked her over. "Science of what?"

"Astrophysics," she said, swallowing hard. "Which one are you?"

"This is my Oz," Xander said, laying a hand on Oz's thigh. "Giles refused to come up and yelled at me for even agreeing to talk to you."

"I'm sorry," she offered weakly. "We have to know though, it might be the turning point in this war. We've almost lost *so* many times." She pulled a chair over, facing them. "I don't want to steal any information, I want to find a way to step around what they've done and give us a way to beat them. I don't want to make a weapon, I want to make a shield, or find a way to sidestep all their troops during a fight so we can take out the heads instead of the average foot soldier. I have no desire to kill them all, most of the soldiers are just being used by the symbiot." She stopped as the door opened, looking at the man who walked through it. An older man, with silver hair at his temples and starting to spread throughout the rest. "Hi," she said carefully.

"Giles," Xander said, looking at him, still not happy with him over being bitched at. "Sit, you might as well. Oh, this is Daniel, I found him in London."

"And Jedi had babies," Oz added. He wasn't happy with how long Giles had been gone this time. He had promised to come back every month and it'd been at least three since Giles had come home last, or at least it seemed like it. Now here he was, ready to defend them from their own badness. "We're fine."

"Actually, Xander could use a rest," Ray said, giving Oz an apologetic look. He patted Daniel on the shoulder. "Relax, that's their Giles. So, what brought you up here?" he asked when Giles still hadn't said anything.

"I'm here to stop Xander from spilling our every secret to the Government."

"Wasn't his fault," Oz defended. "They found out because Daniel died," he said, pointing at Daniel. "This wasn't Xander being indiscrete. He's not like that."

"True," Xander said, nodding at Giles. "I haven't told anyone anything that they didn't already know." He looked Giles over. "Who got to you?"

"No one," he snorted, standing up.

"Ray, that's not Giles," Oz agreed.

"All right," Ray sighed, standing up. He jumped Giles, getting knocked on his ass for it. "Some help?" he asked, considering the man he needed to take down.

Xander got up smoothly and held a hand out. "Giles?" he asked when it wasn't taken. His hand was touched and he did the second thing he had been taught, a fascination spell. Then he led the older man into the bathroom, locking him in there before he knew what was going on.

"What was that?" Sam asked, looking from Xander to the closed door and back.

"Fascination spell," Oz said dryly. "He's always drawing in the wrong people so his teacher thought he needed to know how to do it on purpose. It saved us a few times."

Xander leaned down and kissed him deeply. "Yes, it did. But that doesn't get you out of finding out what's going on."

Oz nodded and got up, going into the bathroom to talk to his student and husband.

Xander sat on the bed and looked Sam over, nodding finally. "All right. I know you can measure my vital signs, and probably somehow figure out how to measure the energy I'm putting out. But there will be *no* needles."

"Fine," Sam agreed quickly. "Can I call in a doctor that works for us, get her to figure out which machines we'll want and how to get them to a secluded field and set up?"

Xander shrugged. "Fine by me. As long as she's not interested in a weapon either."

"Janet's not like that," Daniel told him, giving him a smile. "What can Giles do?"

"Lots more than I can," Xander sighed, relaxing. "He's got a lot more skills than I do. I'm really limited to nature magic, he's a sorcerer who can jump across fields." He snapped his fingers. "I need to find someone really bad. That will either explain what's going on, or you guys can test him. He's another sorcerer but he's Giles' sworn enemy."

"Ethan?" Oz asked as he walked out of the bathroom. Xander nodded. "He's in town. He's not happy with what you're doing so he's enchanted Giles." He held out the cellphone he had taken off Giles'. "It's him. You explain it to him."

"Set up a meeting, we can tell him if he agrees to help us and not spread it around," Sam offered. "We've gotten clearance for that much."

Oz nodded and put the phone up to his ear. "Okay," he said after listening. "He'll meet us in the park later tonight, just at sunset." He hung up and folded up the phone.

"All right," Xander said, grinning. "He's the one you want to test. Chaos sorcerer, very strong, very competent in causing mischief and beyond."

Oz, knowing what Xander was planning, shook his head and walked over to close the door. He opened it again at the kick. "What? Oh, hi," he said, letting Methos back inside. "Giles showed up. He's been possessed by Ethan."

"Was that the nasty little man you told me about?" Methos asked as he set the food down on the small table. "Xander, they didn't have any decent food so I got you something you'd probably like." He looked at Daniel, then at the female in the room. "And you are?"

"Sam Carter, Astrophysicist," she said, holding out a hand.

Methos shook it gently. "That's fine. You're here to study Xander?"

"And she's not out for a weapon," Xander said gently.

Methos nodded, but he relaxed. "That's good then." He came over and sat beside Xander, giving him a hug. "When do you fix Giles?"

"We meet with Ethan tonight," Oz told him, pushing him away from his mate. "Mine."

"Yours," Methos agreed, standing up. He looked around. "It's very odd not to have any animals around."

"Especially not the ferret babies," Ray said, almost pouting. "I miss her."

Methos groaned and walked over, going into the bathroom. He shoved Giles out a few moments later, then slammed the door.

"What happened?" Giles asked, looking down at Xander. "Did you do something to get me here?" he asked harshly.

"No, Ethan did it," Oz told him. "Chill and go get a room."

Giles snorted and walked away, heading to try and get the adjoining room. Maybe then someone would explain all this to him.

Xander relaxed again, looking over at Daniel and Sam. "Now what?"

"Now, we need to find out where would be best to measure what you can do," Sam said, getting down to business. "Would a wooded place be better?"

"Yup, definitely," Xander agreed. "One nowhere *near* where you work. It sucks energy."

"That probably explains why it takes so much energy whenever we gate," Sam muttered, sitting down with the maps she had brought, spreading it across the empty bed to get his opinion.

"Gate?" Oz asked.

"Yeah, um, gate," Daniel agreed, looking at Sam.

"Hammond said we could give them that much," she reminded him.

"Okay." Daniel looked from Oz to Methos and locked on his teacher. "We gate to other worlds using a piece of alien technology to go fight the aliens that are endangering Earth."

"Okay," Oz said slowly. Then he nodded. "Sounds reasonable. We've gated to planes. You gate to planets."

"Different sort of gate probably," Sam noted, not looking up. "What about here, Xander?"

"He'll have to be there to make sure it won't suck energy," Oz told her. "Sorry," he said when she looked at him. "Gate? As in portal or as in other?"

"As in wormhole technology that moves us really quickly to another place," Daniel explained.

Oz shrugged. "Okay, different than our gates." He looked at Xander. "Did you remember to bring the parts in your diary about realmal gates?" Xander nodded. "Share that with her, maybe there's something in there that might help her. After all, most sorcerers have to know something about Chemistry and Physics to work on spells."

"Point," Xander agreed, getting happier. He grabbed his laptop and handed it over. "It's the one marked dairy. I haven't sorted it out at all so all my magic tutoring is in there and everything we went through."

She smiled. "I won't pay any attention to any of the personal stuff," she promised. She opened the laptop and booted it up, looking for his word processing program.

"It's Star Office," Oz said, catching her searching. "It should be in the most recent opened file list."

She nodded and opened it, then the file. She looked at Xander after a few minutes. "You've got a very easy style of writing to read," she praised. "Can I make a copy of this?" He shrugged. "Thanks. This way, you can have your laptop later tonight." She paged down, checking the length. "Man, how long were you gone?" she asked when she got to page six hundred.

"Eight hundred years," Xander said dryly.

"Oh." She blinked a few times. "Can this burn CD's? Otherwise, I'm going to have to email it to myself."

"It should," Oz told her. "It's got a burner. Not sure if it still works or not. Xander's dropped it a few times." He looked at his mate. "Including into a swamp."

Xander stuck his tongue out. "My horse threw me and my stuff. I told you he hated me."

Sam smiled. "You two have this great relationship. It's really evident that you're in love."

"Thanks," Xander said, grinning at her. "I do love my Oz, he's just a bit overprotective some days." He looked at Daniel. "Have you ever thought about praying for help?"

Oz looked at Xander. "Where did that come from?"

"From the little voice that sounds amazingly like Strife," Xander told him. "Something about an 'Unc' and how he'd probably help because he's pretty bored right now and wants more people to talk to."

"Oh, yeah, that'll help," Sam sighed. "Which Gods do we pray to? These aliens took on the roles of almost all the traditional Gods."

Xander gave her a slight smile. "Who said that the real Gods weren't there and didn't know that?" She started. "Trust me on this, Sam, some of them *do* exist. All you have to do is search them out and call on them." He stood up and patted her on the head. "Read the thirtieth page. It'll explain a lot." He walked into the bathroom and closed the door, leaning against it, looking up. "Better?" he whispered.

Strife appeared and gave him a hug. "Sure. Thanks, babe." He blew a kiss but left before the person rattling the door could get in.

"I know he's in there," Methos called.

Xander opened the door and peeked out. "He's gone and I need in here. Deal with it." He closed the door again, locking it this time. He shook himself and unzipped his pants so he could use the facilities.

***

Xander watched as Oz talked to Ethan, Daniel beside him. He saw Ethan nod and grinned.

"Don't do that," Ethan called over. "I have many words for you." He looked at Daniel, who was talking too quietly for anyone not there with them to hear. "Oh." He glared at Xander. "Fine, I will participate in this experiment, but I will want compensated."

"Hey, he would probably work for you if you would take him places so he could take their skills too," Xander offered to Sam, who was sitting near him, helping him picnic.

"We'll have to think about that," she said quietly. "This is a top-secret project, Xander."

"True, and he's got a big mouth, but he's always willing to do anything to get more power." Sam looked thoughtful. "Think about it. You could probably talk him into it fairly easily."

"That's a good point," Giles said, coming over to sit next to them. "I'm sorry I've been overreacting recently, Xander. I have no idea why your recent escapades have bothered me so much."

"Maybe because you think of them that way," Oz said as he walked over. "Ethan's willing to help you, as long as you don't out him or magic."

"Sure," Sam said easily. "Not a problem. Like General Hammond told them, none of this is going into a report, and if we have to make a report for whatever reason, nothing specific's going in there and no names will be mentioned." She smiled at Ethan. "Would you know where you wanted to do the testing?"

"In a forest would probably be best," Xander said carefully. "Their workplace sucks energy, Ethan."

Ethan glared down at the younger man. "I have no doubt that you tried something there."

"He grew a plant," Oz told him. "That's what he's good at." He patted Xander's head fondly. "He's right, I can feel it sucking things in too." He and Methos shared a look, they both felt it trying to suck in their quickenings, a decidedly odd feeling to say the least.

Ethan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "All right, I will accept that warning. Are there any forests due north of here?" he asked Sam, who pulled out a map and handed it over. "Meet me here, by this river, tomorrow afternoon," he said, pointing out the spot that had drawn his attention. It had a road up to it and it had multiple means of escape if he needed it. "You don't want to study us, correct?"

"Not in any long-term way," Daniel told him. "We're looking more for a way to protect ourselves against an attack or a way around the soldiers so we only hit the head people." He sat down across from Xander, taking the sandwich the younger man handed him. "Thank you. Sit and eat, Ethan?"

"I have a dinner date," he huffed, then walked off, taking the map with him.

Giles smiled at Daniel. "If you could manage to keep him, I'd be most thankful. He's a pain in my arse some days." He looked over at his husbands, who were snuggled together now. "I am sorry for my attitude problems, but I have no idea why I'm doing this."

"Maybe you're not meant to come home yet," Xander suggested quietly. "The resort's been weighing on your attention and your time. You probably haven't had sex in months." He smiled sadly. "We'll let you out of our deal for a while, until you can get the resort able to run itself without you having to be there."

Oz looked at Xander, then kissed him on the neck, trusting him. "You're sure?"

"I'm sure," Xander said, looking like he was regretting it already. "As long as I have one of you around, I'll be fine. For a while."

"So," Daniel said, breaking the somber mood. "Ray, you never did say what you were going to be doing now. College so you can go with the teacher? Helping Giles at the resort?"

"The last is an option," Methos agreed, taking Ray's hand to kiss the back of it. "We haven't decided on anything yet. It's all up to Ray at the moment."

Ray shrugged. "I don't have a clue. All I know is that I'm tired of being shot at." He looked at Methos. "You really want to go live in Vegas?"

"Well, I can't say as I've lived there before. It will be warm, but the resort has air conditioning and there is a nice college near there if you decide you want to take classes."

"But it don't snow," Ray protested.

"Massachusetts?" Oz suggested. Methos gave him a dirty look. "What? There's many colleges, most of them in rural areas, but there's always Boston."

"And it snows," Xander offered.

"Yes, but I hate the snow," Methos complained. "I'm meant to be somewhere warm."

"So we're moving to the *desert*?" Ray asked. "Isn't that going a little too far to satisfy wanting warmth?"

Xander looked at Oz. "If they move that far away, do we have to move?"

Oz shook his head. "Nope, they'll always come home sometime."

"Actually," Giles said, breaking into the couples staring at each other, "there's no reason for you to stay on the Hellmouth, Xander. As long as you take the keystone with you and you ground it properly, then it should be fine." He looked at his hands. "I have no idea what your teacher taught you about that part but that's what everything I've found so far has said."

"He said I had to be on the same line of the gate," Xander broke in. "From the way he explained it, I'll have to stay on the West Coast until we can find another guardian."

"I see," Giles said calmly. "He didn't say that you could leave?"

"Not for extended time," Oz put in. "Maybe for six months, but not for any longer or the Hellmouth will start to destabilize and have to be drained again."

"Hellmouth?" Daniel asked. No one had explained that to him yet.

"Long story," Oz told him.

"I've heard that," he said bitterly.

Xander leaned over and tipped Daniel's face up. "If we told you, there'd be a few changes in the way you saw history, including the fact that humans aren't the only sentient species. That there's *lots* of them, and not all of them are good."

"But we already know that," Sam said, looking confused. "That's what the..." She glanced around. "That's what we're working against."

Xander shook his head. "No, not like that, though I guess ...." He looked at Oz, then at Methos. "Have you heard of any that were that old?"

"No," Methos said carefully, "though I only know a few demons, Xander. You might want to ask your brother."

"Good point," Xander said, searching Oz's jacket for a pen and a piece of paper. Giles handed him both and he quickly wrote out a note, playing with his summoning necklace as he spoke. He jumped as a familiar voice spoke behind him.

"You rang?" Micah, Xander's adoptive half-brother asked, smiling at the extra people.

Xander glared at him. "Since when are you a messenger?"

"Since I've been keeping track of what you're doing so you don't get anyone in trouble," Micah said calmly. "What's going on?" He took the note, reading it. Then he nodded and disappeared.

"I guess he had to go check," Oz said, patting Xander's hand. "So, Giles, any luck with the werehamster?"

Giles looked a little flushed. "It seems she couldn't prove her claims. Though, I have run into one that turned into a wereferret."

"Gee, just what the world needs, another Jedi."

"Why did you name the ferret Jedi?" Methos asked. "I've never heard that story."

"Because, like the Force, she's everywhere," Oz told him. "You can usually tell by the chocolate chip cookie crumbs."

Xander snickered. "Just because you found them inside your computer doesn't mean she was in there," he reminded his husband. "After all, you like those cookies too."

"True, but when I found them inside my tower, we hadn't had any of them in the house in months and it had only been a few days since I'd had to open my computer up," Oz reminded him. "It could only have been the ferret."

"Well, it could have been the kittens," Xander offered.

"Xander, it had to be something smaller to get behind there in my desk. Really, not even the little fluffy one that hid under the fridge could have done it. She can't bend that way." He patted Xander's arm. "It's your ferret, but she's a pain."

"She's not a pain," Xander countered, pouting at him. "Not a pain at all. She's a lovely little ferret doing ferretish things." He looked at Ray, who nodded, stunned by the force of the pout.

Daniel found himself wanting to get up and hug Xander, and to yell at Oz for making him pout. Sam put a hand out, stopping him from moving. "What?"

"Xander, you're affecting the newbie," Oz complained. "Quit before you end up getting Daniel in trouble."

"Sorry," Xander said, giving him a hopeless shrug.

Oz groaned. "Xander's got an innate ability to make everyone want to protect him, even though he's better at protecting himself than I am at doing it for him. He's GHS to the bone."

"GHS," Sam spluttered. "Really?" she asked, looking at Xander, who nodded.

"I have been since Adam taught me," Xander said, grinning at her. "Fortunately, I have my men, who love and protect me, no matter how many people want to kidnap me."

"Hey, you could put Xander wherever you need him to draw out the major bad guys," Ray offered. "Have them take him, after puttin' a tracer on him, and then follow them to rescue him."

"No, Ray," Oz said.

"But, Oz, it'd be really helpful. And Xander always draws the biggest putzs."

"No, Ray," Oz said a little more firmly.

"But it'd help," Ray said again. Then he had to get up and run because Oz was going to show him the error of putting his Xander in danger.

Xander sighed and got up, but Methos pulled him back down. "He's going to tickle Ray until he gives in and we're not sure how safe this town is for that sort of stuff."

Methos got up and jogged after them, going to find them before some random gang of thugs could find those two playing dominance games.

Xander shrugged at Sam's incredulous look. "Ray needed to play," he explained. "He knows better than to do that to me. He knows I wouldn't wait for backup to kill the people who take me."

Daniel squeezed his eyes together then looked at Xander. "Can you really do that?"

"Yup," Xander sighed, nodding. "I can do lots of stuff that draws bad guys to me."

"Oh, gee, a party," a drunken voice said from behind them.

"Oh, fuck," Xander muttered, standing up and looking at the college-aged guy sneering at them. "Got a problem with a few friends having a picnic?"

"Yeah, especially *fags*," he sneered, looking Xander over. "What are you?"

"Very likeable," Xander told him, looking him over. "I've got a lot more than you've got and I can guarantee you that if there were any bundles of sticks for burning or British cigarettes, then they'd be put toward their functions."

"Huh?" the drunk guy asked.

"Technically, a fag is defined as a bundle of sticks for burning in a fire, usually in a desert environment, or in slang as a British cigarette," Daniel told him. "Now, none of us are either of those so why don't you take your narrow mind and leave us alone to go find an education."

"Hey!" the guy complained, sure he had been insulted. He jumped towards Xander, but he was put on his back almost immediately. "What are you!" the guy yelled, looking up at Xander in fear. "Are you one of those freaks you hear about in the newspaper?"

"No," Xander snorted. "I'm just well trained." He let the guy go, stepping back. "Go away, man, before I have to use some more of my really good training." The guy got up and ran away. Xander turned around, looking around for Oz. "Okay, no need to talk about this, I don't want to hear about it later, all right?" he asked, smoothing his long hair back into place. He sat down and took the bottle of soda Sam held out. "Thanks, dear."

"Welcome," she said, looking and sounding impressed. "Where did you learn that?"

"Bodyguarding and my fight teacher. I've learned a lot from those two occupations." He looked over at Giles, who looked stunned. "Problems?"

"Well, yes," Giles said, scooting forward so he could touch a strand of Xander's hair. "I hadn't noticed this. When did you do that?"

"Across the realmal portal," Xander said, moving his hair back over his shoulder again. "We were over there for eight hundred...." He glanced around, seeing a few people walking around them now, but none close enough to really hear. "Let's just say we spent long enough over there for me to learn every trade I think I'll ever need. Including designing jewelry."

"All right," Giles said, giving him a faint smile. "I'm glad you were safe. Did Oz go with you on your trip?" Xander nodded. "Good. I'm...I'm glad that you're happy and safe, Xander. I have no desire to see you unhappy."

Xander gave him a hug. "It's okay. I know your research is calling out to you. Oz and I both understand that, and it's okay with us most of the time."

Giles smiled as he pulled back, cupping Xander's cheek in his palm. "Thank you, love. I knew you'd understand if Oz didn't."

"Hey, I've known you longer," Xander said with a faint grin. "Eat, we're all hungry and those three will be back sometime soon."

"They'd better be back sometime soon," Sam said, checking her watch. "We've got to go soon. We need to make a little verbal report and get things set up for tomorrow."

"They'll be fine," Daniel told her, smiling. "You can go back and I'll make sure they can get back to their hotel."

"Are you sure?" Sam asked.

Daniel nodded. "Yeah, not a problem, Sam. After all, I know my way around the town, and I can sleep in my own apartment tonight too." He smiled. "And, if you see Jack, you can tell him I'm working on my hand-to-hand."

"Yes, you'd probably better work on that," Methos said as he walked up behind them. He sat down, looking at Sam. "Are you ready for tomorrow?"

"Almost. We have to requisition equipment through our base doctor, who's working with me tomorrow. She's going to have to find stuff that can be moved easily and get it all set up that morning." She shrugged. "It's all right though, we're used to scrambling with less time and getting it done."

"All right," Methos agreed. "Daniel, we will be at your apartment tonight, practicing. Xander, you, Ray, and Oz will go back to the hotel." He looked at Giles. "You also, if you desire." He looked at Daniel. "Have you found a sword you like yet?"

"Yes," Daniel said, blinking. "Um, are you still mad...?"

Methos shook his head. "No, but this is where the real work begins, young one, and it will be work." He looked at Giles. "I will be taking over for you in Las Vegas for a few weeks so I can help him train. He'll need some intense training to be able to get through the next year."

"I've arranged to, um, take a few weeks off after this is settled," Daniel offered. "If that's okay."

"That will be fine," Methos said, giving him a faint smile. "I'll see you in Las Vegas when?"

"In about three weeks. I've got one thing that I have to do before I can get free, then I'm all yours for a month."

"Good," Methos said, smiling more now. "A month will due to start. We'll be able to get you time off here and there for a while to finish your training, but a month will do for the basics and making you competent enough."

"Okay," another voice said, walking up to them. "Daniel, would you like to introduce us?" the older man said, sitting down next to him, nodding at Sam. "The General sent me out to look for you, seems you left your phone at the base."

"Jack, we're fine," Daniel told him, smiling at him. "Adam, this is Jack, my friend." Jack and Adam shook hands. "Jack, Adam's going to train me."

"Oh, good. You're going to learn how to use whatever funny thing you can do now?" Daniel nodded. "Does something that happened to you at work have anything to do with this?"

"Not a bit," Methos told him smoothly. "This is all about how he was born." He looked at Daniel. "I believe we should start packing up soon. Xander's warning about idiots roaming the park is well taken." He looked over his shoulder at where Oz and Ray were wandering toward them.

"Gee, they look comfy," Jack said, looking at Adam.

"Yeah, they're big cuddle monkeys," Xander said, grinning at him. "My big cuddle monkeys." He looked at Sam. "Did you want me to show up tomorrow too?"

"No, I'll go," Giles told him. "I don't want you to wear yourself out anymore than necessary." He got up as Oz and Ray walked up to them and he saw the blood. "Oh, dear. What happened now?"

Xander hopped up, looking Ray over. "Who did it and who do I have to kill?" he hissed, tipping Ray's face up.

"Xander!" Giles said, shocked.

"Shut up," Oz told him. "He's got the skills to do that now." He looked at Xander. "We're fine. We took care of them when they jumped us." He looked over at Sam. "I believe they were a few of yours," he said as he tossed over the two wallets he had stolen during the fight.

Sam clenched them hard. "Don't worry, I'll hand them personally to the General," she promised. "No one does that on his watch." She stood up. "Danny, you're still going to get them home?"

"Sure," he said, standing up, looking Ray over. "Do you need to go to the hospital?"

"No, I've got it," Adam said as he stood up, looking his lover over. "Where's the ones who did this?"

"They ran when we started to kick their ass," Oz told him, handing Ray over. "He's got a cracked rib I think. Maybe a sore jaw."

Methos nodded and took control of his Ray, leading him back toward the cars. "Xander, clean up and follow," he ordered.

Xander looked Oz over, but his husband nodded and followed Methos. Xander gave Sam a shrug and a 'sorry' look as he gathered up their stuff. "If you need me, call tomorrow. Giles?"

"I'll come back later, after I talk with Dr. Carter about what we'll be doing tomorrow." He watched as Xander jogged off, then turned his attention back to the young woman. "If you wouldn't mind, that is."

"Of course not," she said, smiling at him. "As a matter of fact, there's a lot of stuff that we can go through tonight and make it easier tomorrow." She stood up. "Sir?"

"Coming," Jack said, standing up and helping Daniel up. "You going home or coming back?"

"He's under orders to go home and to get more training," Sam told him. "We'll see him tomorrow night." She tugged on Jack's arm. "Did you drive? I rode in with Daniel."

"Yeah, I can drive you back," Jack sighed, looking at Giles. "You too?"

"No, I drove," Giles said with good humor. "If you'd like, I can drive her in as we're going to be working together tonight."

Jack shrugged. "Okay. Then I'm going home with Danny." He followed Daniel, going to tell him that.

Sam shrugged and picked up everything else, making sure she had those two wallets so she could go turn them in.

***

Xander paced back and forth as Methos answered questions in another room, tired of the waiting. He saw Daniel walk past the door carrying a backpack and walked out, going to catch him. "Hey," he said, catching him and turning him around. "What's going on?"

"Um, we've got a mission. You really should be wherever they put you to wait," he said, glancing around. He led Xander back to the meeting room, closing the door behind him. "You can't go wandering around out there, Xander, trust me on this. This is a shoot-first place. You've got to stay in here."

Jack opened the door and looked in. "Come on, Daniel, we've got to go." He nodded at Xander.

"He's bored, Jack. They're making him wait."

"We've still got to go." Jack looked Xander over. "I'm sure they'll get to him soon." He waved at the hallway. "Come on. We're on a timetable."

Daniel shrugged and gave Xander a 'sorry' look. "I've got to go, but you need to stay in here. All right?"

"Sure," Xander agreed, hopping up to sit on the table, looking very innocent.

The waiting lasted almost two minutes and then he was up and pacing again, glancing at the door every now and then. He started to go for the door again, but it opened and the nice General walked in, giving him a smile. "Dr. Jackson told me that I should probably come in and talk to you now, before you ran around the complex." He sat down and waved a hand at the other chairs. "Please, sit." Xander sat down, then jumped up when the door opened again. "Thank you," the General said, nodding for the Private to put down the tray he was carrying. He waited until they were alone. "Now, son, what do you know that can help us?"

"Well, that depends. Is the stuff Sam pulled off my laptop helpful?"

The General leaned back, nodding. "It's interesting, and there's a hope that something in the portal parts might give her an idea. How do you do what you do?"

"It's a matter of concentration and sending my energy out to do my will," he said quietly, looking down at his hands. "I'm not sure of the physics of it, but I do know that I had to learn how to concentrate and how to send my energy out to do what I wanted it to do." He glanced over. "I'm not sure how I do that though."

"It's something more instinctual than it is something you can explain?" the General suggested mildly. Xander looked up and nodded, looking a little surprised. "Dr. Jackson said the same thing when asked how he knew over thirty languages." He thought for a second. "How about the other part of your life? Dr. Carter said that she found something in your diary about designing a weapon."

"Um," he went pale. "That's something that not even my Oz knows," he said, glancing around.

"No one's going to know," the General assured him, leaning forward.

"Sam said you guys didn't want a weapon," Xander said.

"I'd prefer something that froze the symbiot in the older, higher-ups, the ones who run the show." He scooted closer, touching Xander on the arm. "Listen, son, I know that you don't want to deal with this sort of thing, but if I gave you something that we've already found, would you look at it?" Xander looked up. "It is a weapon, I won't lie to you, but it's like the energy weapon you described in your journal. Speaking of which, where were you?"

"Across realms," Xander sighed, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. "I can do that, but it's not what I want to do."

"I understand," the General said. "Would you look at it?"

Xander looked at him, staring him in the eyes. "General Hammond, can you swear to me that the average person, the ones who usually get hurt in any war, won't get hurt?"

The General shook his head. "I can't promise that. I can promise you that I wouldn't want to harm the average person. The people we're fighting are possessed, just as possessed as anyone in your world is when they're taken over." Xander nodded. "I have no desire to harm them, even though their symbiot's will eventually grow up and breed. We do know that if we destroy the symbiot, then it will kill the person housing it, we've found that out when our friend offered to have his taken out and he started to die during the operation." He touched Xander's arm again. "I have no desire to harm the average person. I do want to harm the false-Gods, the ones that stole humans to seed the universe with slaves. Those people I want to wipe off the face of every planet in the galaxy."

Xander looked at him, then nodded. "I'll look at it, but I won't promise anything," he said quietly. "But can my Oz come and help me? I know he wasn't there, but I need his support."

"All right. We'll send for him if you'd like." The General smiled at him. "Thank you, son. You made the right decision." He stood up and pointed at the tray. "Eat something, I'm pretty sure it's going to be a very long time before you feel better about this." He walked out, closing the door gently behind him.

Xander put his head down on the table and sighed, contemplating breaking a promise and the good reason he did it for.

***

Xander looked at the little pieces, picking up a few to look them over. He joined two together, taping them how they should go together. Within a few minutes, he had a few more pieces together. He linked the pieces together to form a collar, taping them together, searching for the one piece that he needed to make it whole.

"Xander?" Daniel asked, making him jump. "Hey, sorry. He gave you that to work on?"

Xander nodded, biting his lip. "I saw something like this before. He wanted to know if I can make it work." He pointed at the hole. "This needs to be fully here, it's a matter of vibration and tone."

Daniel put down his jacket and grabbed the box with the rest of the pieces, pouring them out on the table. "We found a dust around it too. It could have been a weak stone, but we couldn't find a big enough piece to tell."

Xander nodded. "It was. A very carefully faceted stone." He found the piece he needed and fit it in place, taping it so it would stay. "Here, this needs to be connected, but it can't be done in a way that'll mess with the resonance. It's tuned to a pitch that then vibrates the crystal." He glanced over. "It's got to be precise or it won't work."

"Oh." Daniel blinked a few times, then shrugged. "If you say so. Want Sam to come help you?"

"No, Oz'll be here in a few minutes," he said absently, putting together the prongs that held the stone in place. "I wish I remembered what the crystal looked like. I might be able to fashion a new one if I remembered how many facets it had and how big it was." He wiped off his forehead. "Daniel, this sucks," he said, not looking up.

"Yeah, it does," Daniel agreed gently, patting him on the back. "I'm going to take a shower and go do my routine physical. Will you be okay?" Xander nodded so he left him alone.

Xander went back to his puzzle, knowing that it still might not work and he would be off the hook with his conscience.

Oz walked in a few minutes later, stopping to put a cup of coffee next to Xander's workspace and give him a hug.

"Thank you," he whispered, stopping Oz to give him a real hug. "This sucks."

"It does," Oz agreed, patting him and pulling back some. "You okay with this?"

"I got the whole situation explained to me, the people who did this are very bad. They stole people, Oz, and made them slaves far from their homes. I can't not help, but General Hammond did say that he wasn't after the average person, that he wasn't going to do anything to them if it could be helped."

Oz pulled away and patted Xander on the back. "Good. Does it help?"

Xander shook his head. "Not at all. I'm breaking a promise."

"I know." Oz sighed and sat down on a stool. "It'll be okay though, I promise, Xander. What you're doing isn't going to kill the average person, the General had no reason to lie to you about that." He looked at the pieces and handed over something that looked like what his husband was working on. "That help?"

Xander examined it. "That goes on top." He pointed at a group of round pieces. "It goes with that." He started on the second collar, joining it together too.

Sam walked in, carrying the first section Xander had put together. "Okay, Daniel said this had to vibrate?" Xander nodded, putting down what he was working on. "Explain it to me, please?"

"It's got to vibrate," Xander told her. "It's specifically tuned to the pitch that the crystal vibrates on, enforcing it's vibration. Then an energy beam is sent through the crystal, which spreads it out like a prism, but one of the spectrums is good, one is bad, and one destroys everything it touches. The resonance of the vibrations determines which beams are allowed through and which are absorbed by the metal." He pointed at the collar he was putting together.

"Basically, it's like a big tuning fork with a crystal that splits the sound wave?" Oz asked.

"You weren't there?" Sam asked him.

"No, I had to go stop the person who was messing with this other weapon, the one I saw like this one, by myself. I was the sorcerer, it had to be me and no one else could get hurt. So Oz waited and hung with the Elders, who were trying to figure out how badly trained I was."

"Didn't you pout at him?" Oz asked, looking at his husband.

"Something like that," Xander agreed. He sighed and put down the pieces he had been working on. "There's going to be a big problem. The stone he had was specifically faceted for his machine. It only worked on the one frequency."

"So, we have to figure out how to join these without harming the harmonic, and then find a stone that resonates on the same frequency?" Sam hypothesized.

Xander nodded. "Which can be hard to do. It has to be in perfect pitch to do more than immobilize. And the death ray part of it only happened at one frequency, no matter which sound was put through it."

"Whoa. I thought the stone vibrated only on one tone."

"It does, but you can force other tones through it," Xander told her. He pulled out a stool and sat down. "Same as you can put different wavelengths of light through a prism and get results, you can put different sounds through the crystal once it's vibrating and get beams."

"So the problem is finding out how to join these together while not altering the pitch and finding a stone that resonates just right," Oz surmised. Xander nodded. "Would one of our keystones, the resonating ones, work?"

"I've been thinking about that, but since they opened portals I'm not sure how safe that'd be." Xander looked down at the pile of pieces. "The big thing right now is to join that so you don't change the pitch. I'm guessing it's made of a very specific sort of metal for a reason, and that it's almost bare of carvings for the same reason."

Sam looked over the piece she held, holding it up to the light. "It does have pictrograms," she agreed. "Maybe Daniel can decipher it and the words will tell us something."

"It's probably 'inspected by number five'," Jack said as he walked in. "Xander, Oz," he said, nodding at them. "What's the chance of getting this thing running?"

"It all depends on if we can figure out how to solder it without changing the pitch, Colonel," Sam explained. "It works on a vibration principle."

Jack held up a hand, he didn't want Sam to go into one of her long scientific explanations. "Will it work?"

"Only if you don't change the pitch and if I can remember what the stone looked like in the one I saw," Xander told him, starting to put more pieces together. "This one had an arm?"

"Maybe it was to hold or aim it by," Sam said with a shrug. "I'll get you some better tape," she said, putting the piece she was still holding down. She walked out, Jack following her. "Sir," she said once they were away from the door, "if this works, then there's a chance that we can get a stun beam out of it. It's all a matter of hitting the right pitch though." She glanced back at the door. "This is killing him, sir. He didn't want to make a weapon."

"I understand that, but if this gets rid of the Goa'uld, then I'm all for it, aren't you?"

"Yes, sir, but this is still killing the civilian. Think of Daniel doing this, sir, he'd be miserable right now."

Oz stuck his head out of the office. "So are we," he told her. "And some of us have excellent hearing. It's from being turned for a bit." He pulled his head back in and shut the door.

"Gee, that was unexpected," Jack said, looking around the hall. "Now what?"

"Now, we get him a better type of tape and we don't check on him every hour." Jack shrugged and walked off and she went back into Daniel's office. "Sorry about that guys, but we're all pretty anxious to see if this works."

"Can we say long shot?" Xander asked without looking up.

"Yup, but we've got to try our best anyway," Sam told him, patting him on the back. "Do you need anything from the cafeteria? It's not the best food but it's pretty decent compared to some bases I've been on."

"No thanks," Xander said quietly.

"Please. He'll need to eat soon," Oz told her. "Even if he doesn't want to," he said when Xander looked up at him. Xander went back to his work. "Something vaguely healthy but without lettuce?"

"Sure. Want to come help me pick it out?" she offered.

Oz nodded and followed her out, walking down the halls beside her. "Sam, we're worried. We need to get home soon, we've got animals, baby animals, that need Xander's touch."

"I'll talk to the General, but I don't think he'll be able to work on this at home."

"We never have visitors outside of our few friends, most of which are like us, but we have to get home soon. It'll be better for Xander."

"I'll talk to him," Sam agreed, smiling at him. "You're very protective of Xander."

"People try to take Xander," he explained as they entered the elevator. "And Xander's one of those rare people that will kill himself to protect others." She hissed. "Yeah. He had a heart attack trying to help me with a problem I encountered after our original bonding. He didn't know how to use magic then, but he cast something that almost killed him by giving him a heart attack the next day after he recovered from being passed out." He put a hand on her arm before they left the elevator. "I have my reasons for being protective of Xander. They're all very valid, and I will not let this hurt him any more than it has to."

She nodded. "The General will understand that." She tilted her head toward the hall. "Come on, it's almost rush hour in there." She got free of his hand and walked out, letting him follow her.

Downstairs, Daniel came back from his after-mission routine and sat down across from Xander, looking at the piece he had already gotten together. "I have no idea what this is," he admitted after looking at the symbols.

"I don't recognize it either. Ask the old guy," Xander said absently, trying to fit another piece in. Daniel silently handed him the piece he needed and got a smile in return.

***

Daniel looked across his couch at Methos, who was drinking all the beer faster than Jack ever could. "How did Kronos drive a Goa'uld away?" he asked quietly.

"He hated anyone having power over him," Methos sighed, turning to look at his student. "Kronos came looking for me while I was hiding in Egypt. One of the soldiers found him and brought him before whichever one it was, who tried to enslave him with one of the little snake- beings. Kronos' body rejected it and he went after the man, eventually making him run away in fright. Kronos managed to save humankind a lot of suffering by being a bastard basically."

"All because he wanted the power?"

"Definitely. I shot him before he could name himself a God, never getting close enough for him to sense me, and the local priests that owed me had him buried with all the attendant rituals." Daniel chuckled at that. "Needless to say, he was not very pleased with me when he finally caught up with me a few years back." Methos drained that bottle of beer and put it on the coffeetable. "Did you need to ask me anything else?"

"Just if you know what the thing Xander's putting together for us says," Daniel admitted, pulling a photograph out of his briefcase. "Xander and I don't know what language it is."

"Hmm," Methos said, turning the picture around. "I do have an idea, but it's a maker's language," he looked at his student. "Basically, it's the technical language of it's day. Another weapon maker would know what this said." He tossed the photograph down, turning so he could fully face the young man. "Is Xander dealing with having to put this thing together?"

"He's holding out hope that it won't work right," Daniel offered. "General Hammond's been very good about making sure Xander knew that we don't go after the average person, just after the Goa'uld." He took a sip of his tea. "He's not happy doing it though. None of us expected him to be happy with it, but he's managed to hide it from all but the most observant." He took another sip. "He's going to ask to go home soon though. Oz talked to Sam about it today. She'll go to Hammond and ask him for permission, possibly to go and stay in the town near them so she'll be close enough to work on it."

Methos shook his head. "No one should have to move to Sunnydale, Daniel. Not unless they really want to study demonology."

"Demons exist?" Daniel asked, looking incredulous. "I always thought they were a metaphor."

"So did I," Methos sighed, giving him a smile. "Until I ran into one. Xander's much more connected than I am. Though, he does have stories about beating a military group that had focused on the demons a few years back. Initiative or something like that."

Daniel looked interested. "That means that there's a base near there then."

"Yes, but there's also a lot of energy floating around out there. It tends to make strange things happen. Xander had to blow up his high school to stop one of those strange things from taking over the town during his graduation."

Daniel grinned. "At least Jack won't think I'm the cause of all the trouble then."

"No, I doubt you could be the cause of a forty percent death rate," Methos agreed. "I would suggest that if you plan on moving out there, that you have a long talk with Xander, Oz, and Giles about the realities of the town. It may have calmed down since Xander graduated, but the menace that is the Hellmouth is more than able to come back any day now."

Daniel blinked a few times, then nodded. "Okay," he agreed. "Jack will love that. He *hates* the unexplainable or the scientific."

"Then magic should drive him batty," Methos said with a grin. A very naughty grin.

Daniel smiled back. "Probably," he agreed, then they laughed together.

***

General Hammond walked into Daniel's office and coughed to bring Xander's attention out of his work. "I hear you need to go home?"

"Yeah," Xander said, wiping his hands off as he pushed aside the pieces he had been working on. "We have baby animals and we're the guardians of the Hellmouth. We can't be away for that long without something bad happening to one of them."

"What's a Hellmouth?" the General asked.

"Did you ever hear of a group called the Initiative?" Oz asked, scaring the General because he hadn't noticed him sitting the chair reading. "Go look up their sealed files, it'll tell you a lot about our town and why we're needed there. We're the fence between the two worlds."

The General looked them both over, wondering what was so strange about that town that they couldn't just say it. "Is it classified?"

"Destroyed probably," Xander said with a shrug. "It was a great embarrassment that a girl, her friends, and a vampire took them down."

"They exist?" Hammond asked.

"Yup," Oz said, nodding. "They do. Look at our friends Angel and Willow."

"And Seth and Spike," Xander added on, glaring at Oz. "You always forget Seth."

"That's because I'm not pleased with your brother right now," Oz said dryly. "He yelled at you over something that you couldn't control, over something stupid that you were handling."

"So did Giles," Xander argued. "Methos came close to it, he only mentioned it and I got snipey."

"Why didn't you go off on Seth? I'm sure Spike would have backed you up."

"I did, I just wasn't as harsh with him."

"Boys?" General Hammond said, breaking into their minor argument. "Back to the point?"

"We have to go home or the ferrets will take over the house," Oz told him. "Jedi's already got the 'being everywhere' part covered and the other little ones need more than Ray, who left two days ago."

"I know," Xander sighed. "He's good with the animals though."

"Yeah, he is. Maybe he'll make them really want us home this time," Oz suggested.

"Hopefully. Rocky was still mad at me for our vacation."

"Boys?" General Hammond repeated.

"Sorry," Xander and Oz said together.

"That's all right." He looked around the office. "Let me think about how to do this and maybe I'll find a way to get you both home this week. All right?" Oz nodded. "Maybe I'll even let SG-1 come with you, they need some down time." Out in the hallway, an alarm started to go off, making Hammond jump. "You two, stay here," he ordered as he ran out of the room.

"Got your sword?" Oz asked his mate.

"Yup. You?"

"Never leave home without it," Oz noted, standing up to go stand watch at the door. As he got there, it was shoved in and a big man in a metal dog head walked in and grabbed Xander, stepping over Oz's unconscious body.

"Oh, fuck, I'm tired of this," Xander said, fighting against him. "Oz! I'm going to kill him!"

"Shut up," the creature commanded. "You will be a willing slave."

Xander snorted. "I doubt it." He twisted around and got the guy in the nuts, then managed to get free and run back towards the office, expecting to run into Oz. Instead, he ran into a group of the soldiers, which grabbed him. "Oz!"

Oz sat up, shaking his head. He jumped up and ran for the door, running into one of Daniel's teammates, the quiet, big guy. "Which button's the trigger," he asked as he took the extra weapon the guy was carrying.

"The back one," Teal'c said, trying to take it back. "You are not trained on this weapon."

"Yay," Oz said dryly, running after his mate. "Strife!" he yelled as he ran. "Someone's taking your anchor away."

"Oh, I *so* doubt that," Cupid said as he appeared in the gate room. He kept himself invisible, getting out of the way so no one would feel he was there, but he started to work on the soldier that had Xander, making him trip and slide, and his weapon go off into someone else's body. "Kick ass!" he yelled, kicking the guy in the ass.

Xander wiggled a finger in his ear and looked at his God. "Thanks, I'll light a second candle once we get home." He grabbed one of the staffs the aliens were carrying and went to work on the one who had grabbed him. "Oz, about time," he said as his mate ran in. "Kick the big guy's ass," he offered. "I'll let you have him."

Oz ran up to him and butted him with the staff, getting into it with his remaining bodyguard. "Their armor sucks," he called down. "Too many weaknesses." He felt the trigger under his finger and pushed the blast end into the guy's stomach, firing it at point blank range. "This is why smart people wear *full* armor," he said snidely, spitting on the body.

"Get down from there," was yelled as the ring started to spin again, starting the sequence to activate it.

Oz dove off the platform, rolling as he landed so he could beat someone else's ass. He got lost in the familiarness of the battle, starting to enjoy the ebb and flow of the fighting he was part of. He never slowed down when his opponent dropped, heading for the next one.

"That's not one of them," Daniel called.

"He's a beserker," Xander yelled back. "He attacks anything or anyone near him. Oz! Need a little help here?" he suggested. His mate's head came up and he found himself knocked to the floor by Oz, who stood over him, panting. "Yup, so gonna yell at you later," Xander panted, looking up at his husband. "Want to come back now?" he asked. Oz growled and turned on another person near him, taking them on. "I'd drop your weapons," Xander called. "He'll attack anyone."

"Someone shove him towards the Goa'uld," Sam yelled, ducking Oz's swing with the staff weapon.

Xander looked stunned as the staff that had been taken from him was fired, looking up at the man next to him. "Hey, Jack," he said as he bounced up. "How do you do that?"

"I'll show you later, kid."

"Cool, then give me the staff." He took the staff forcefully, jumping back into the fray. Soon, he worked his way over to Oz's side and grabbed his lover, kissing him hard and passionately. "Stop fighting, now," he whispered. "It's just us. I promise, no one took me for real." He kept talking, calming Oz down as he got him moved away from the battle and against a wall. He had to duck an enemy coming at them, but he hit him back into the fighting before he could do anything. "Oz," he said, sitting down next to him. "Come on, Oz. You've had enough time in there, it's time to come back out here." He looked up and saw the alien standing over him, pointing a weapon at them, and lost it. He came up with a roar, attacking the alien viciously with his own weapon. By the time he was aware of the alien falling down in a heap, he was panting hard and just about the same place mentally as Oz. He looked around, looking for his next target, when he felt the needle.

Oz jumped up to defend his mate, almost back, but not back enough to not attack the doctor. He too was sedated and dragged off to the infirmary.

"Bummer," Cupid said as he appeared next to Daniel, letting only him see him. "That was not of the good. Oz is gonna be *way* pissed at Xander for doin' that." He shrugged when Daniel stared at him with his mouth open. "What? You thought we were a myth?" Daniel nodded, pointing at the aliens. "Nah, that was supposed ta be a test. Humans were supposed to prove that they could believe strongly enough in us to not accept the fake assholes." He shrugged, his wings fluttering a little. "You should have trusted."

"Wait," Daniel said, trying to stop him by putting a hand out, but not touching him. "Will you talk to me, tell me the truth?"

"Truth?" Cupid snorted. "You guys always want the truth. You know the truth," Cupid said, flipping him on the forehead. "You decided to ignore it in favor of stuff that you do with our permission and with science." He shrugged again and left.

Daniel turned around, finding Sam, Jack, and General Hammond staring at him. "They are real," he whispered, sitting down on top of a still body. He looked down and stood back up, trying to get the blood off his butt. "The Goa'uld didn't take over all the Gods' positions, it was a test."

Jack looked at the doctors. "Medics, he needs to go," he ordered, pointing at Daniel.

"He was having a conversation with someone," Sam defended her friend.

"We'll talk about it later, after we get this all cleaned up and find out why no one was stationed at the computers," General Hammond said calmly, looking around at the mess of bodies. "Don't forget to check and see if any of the larva are still living. They're still yelling for one in Washington." He walked away, heading up to the computer center to check on them and the rest of his base.

Jack and Sam followed a babbling Daniel out of the Stargate room and down to the infirmary. Even though it was going to be a long wait, they couldn't wait to hear Daniel's explanation.

***

Oz rolled over, growling at the restraints holding him to the bed, trying to get to his mate. A familiar figure walked over and released him, helping him over to Xander, who was also released. Then the figure walked away. "Mine," he growled at the man walking up to them. The curtain was pulled so he sniffed his mate, checking him to make sure he was all right. When he got to the place where Xander had needed stitches, he licked over them, instinctively needing to check their cleanliness. When the curtain opened, he growled at the woman and the man standing there, covering Xander to protect him.

"Shh, Oz, she's here to help you," Methos said, closing the curtain around them. He stepped closer, letting Oz smell him. "I promise, I won't let her harm you, not either of you." He nodded at the doctor to move closer, taking her hand so Oz could smell it. "She's a healer, Oz, she needs to check you both over."

"Mine," Oz repeated, but it was a quieter growl this time.

"Yes, he is, and when you're both able, you can claim him again, but not right now. You have to let the healer help you both or you'll be drugged again." He moved Oz off to the side a little, but let him stay connected to Xander as much as possible. They both watched as the doctor worked on Xander, then moved over to check Oz too. "Are they fine?"

"They're both good," she admitted. "Will Daniel heal like this?"

"Yes, but it'll probably take him more time," Methos said quietly. "Why do you know?"

"Because I'm Daniel's doctor and I have to certify that it's really him each time he comes back from a mission," she said, crossing her arms. "All I had to know was that he could now heal a lot faster and a lot better, and that unless his head came off he would come back. Correct?" Methos nodded. "Is there anything else I have to know?"

"Just that it may take *days* for a while for him to fully heal from a severe injury. Even if he dies and comes back, it may take days for that process too." He looked her over. "This goes no further?" She nodded. "Then you must try and keep Daniel from dying too much. It takes a great bit of energy to come back after dying the first few times. He'll need special dietary requirements afterwards for a while. And if he takes a head, the energy will overload him and force him to release it somehow before it drives him insane."

"I bet swallowing another person's soul can do that to you," the doctor agreed, leaving them alone. "Keep them in here."

Methos walked out and came back a few seconds later with a tube of lubricant. "Just in case," he said, putting it beside the pillow so Oz or Xander could easily find it. Then he went out to sit and guard them.

Oz sniffed at Xander, then at the tube, grunting when he saw what it held. He tested it between his fingers, considering his mate. "Wake up," he demanded, shoving him.

"Get off," Xander complained, shoving back. He opened his eyes and looked up, looking confused. Until Oz climbed on top of him and planted himself down on his hardening cock. "Hey! No fair."

Outside the curtain, Methos sighed and shook his head whenever anyone wanted to walk in on them. "They're calming each other down," he told the main doctor, who smiled and walked off, giving her people orders to leave them alone.

***

General Hammond looked up from the file he was reading at the tap to his door. "Come in," he called, putting it aside. Jack, Xander, and Oz walked in together, Jack grimacing at his babysitter role. "Sit, please," he ordered gently, watching how Xander sat down very carefully. "I've been reviewing the case files of the group that used to work in your town," he told them. "And I also saw that they were going to fill in the old base with concrete."

"They never got around to it," Xander offered. "I was working construction on the only crew in town at the time. I would have heard if a crew came in from out of town."

"Yes, it says that their budget came up short so they didn't get a chance to fill in most of it." He cleared his throat. "I'm going to make a jump in logic here. This town is dangerous because of these....demons?"

"Demons, sir?" Jack interrupted. "As in horns and tails?"

"Only in a few species," Xander told him. "Horns are more prevalent, but tails are pretty rare." He looked at the General again. "It can be managed. As long as Oz and I are there, the big, evil power source is under control and it's mostly just the ones who want to live in peace."

"Good. Then can I count on you to give my men and women lectures on safety?"

Oz nodded. "Sure, easy enough. Don't go into certain parts of town and never out at night alone and without a stake. Why?"

"Because, we're in need of a new laboratory facility and this one happens to be open, Oz." He patted the folder. "As it was already top-secret before, we can assume that no one except a few of the town's residents know about the base and even fewer know how to get on to it."

"Sir, you want to put a lab where there's a known threat?"

"It's a manageable risk according to the Pentagon. I'll get to pick the base's commander from our staff, we'll set up a lab there, and ...."

Oz cut in. "You'll have to warn everyone it's an underground lab. Closer to the surface, but it's under a frat house at the university."

"Oh, great. Frat boys drunkenly wandering in," Jack snorted.

"Not unless the elevator that had the retinal scanners works," Xander told him. "When we stormed the Initiative, we had a hell of a time getting in. It's safe enough." He looked at Hammond again. "All this so you don't have to deal with us?"

Hammond burst out laughing. "No, boys, but that is part of it. Actually, this facility will be for scientific research only. The old one's going to go back to doing just the artifacts and cultural research."

"No big weapons in Sunnydale," Oz warned. "They'll be the first to go if the Hellmouth goes off again."

"Hellmouth?" Jack asked.

"Ask Daniel," Xander told him. "Adam explained that to him." He looked at the General. "We can live at home, right?"

"Are you close?"

"We're on the other side of the town," Oz told him. "We've got good security and not even the delivery guys can find us."

Jack sighed. "Sir," he started but the General held up a hand.

"I know, it's not an ideal situation, but it's better than wasting this base. It's very heavily fortified."

"Um, there may need to be some body cleanup," Xander said mildly. "I know some people died in the last fight as it fell."

"We can do that too," the General agreed. "Colonel O'Neil, I want you to take a report from them about the base."

"I can't be of any help," Oz admitted. "I was taken by them too."

"I wasn't aware that they took humans," the General said, frowning at the folder.

"No, but they did take werewolves," Oz told him. Both military men looked at him. "Just stating a fact. You've got to learn to live with these sort of things in Sunnydale. This is what happens there." He grabbed Xander's hand and squeezed. "Deal or you might want to find a better base."

General Hammond laughed. "That's not how the military works, son. It's already a done deal and we'll have to learn to live with the risks. Please give us an outline for a security briefing so we can give it to the first crew before they leave in a week. You two will get to go home before they do, so we have someone in the area to come running to if we need help with something specifically local." Xander nodded. "We'll also need to know how to get up to your house and I'm sure Dr. Jackson will need to know where his teacher's staying."

"Last part's easy," Xander told him. "Adam and Ray are staying with us right now. I'll let Oz draw the map while I work on the safety lecture tonight. Can we leave tomorrow?"

"If you want," the General agreed. He stood up and shook their hands. "Thank you for your help, gentlemen. I'll be seeing you in a week since I'll have to come out for a few days to overlook the project." He smiled at Xander. "We'll cart all of your project out there for you too. Go home and relax for a while."

Xander grinned. "Thanks, General Hammond." He snapped off a salute and walked out, dragging Oz with him.

"Kid's good," Jack admitted.

Hammond tossed a folder over. "This is the 'eyes-only' file from a group called the Initiative on Mr. Harris. Not only is he good, but he is a major part of that town surviving. Anyone who's fought like he has has earned my respect."

Jack pushed it back. "I'll take your word for it, sir," he said, standing up. "I'm not leading, am I?" he asked hesitantly.

Hammond laughed. "No, Colonel O'Neil, you're not leading a new base for us. I wouldn't do that to my men." He laughed harder at the hurt look. "Can you imagine yourself running a base of scientists?"

Jack shuddered. "No, sir, thank you for taking me out of consideration." He snapped a salute of his own and left quickly, before he had to go there too.

***

Xander walked into their house and flopped down on the thick carpet, gratefully accepting all the little furry bodies that ran up to give him cuddles. "Yup, daddies are home for good this time," he told them, giving each one some individual attention and a kiss. He looked up as Ray walked in, carrying a ferret. "You're going to tell Methos before you take her, right?" he asked, grinning at his best friend.

"Yup, just as soon as he notices," Ray said, grinning back. "So?"

"They're moving a lab here," Oz said as he came in, getting mobbed himself. "Hey, little ones, yes, daddies are home and we love you," he said, giving them all hugs. "How about a treat?" he asked, standing up to go into the kitchen and put out treats for every animal.

Ray looked Xander over. "You look tired."

"I am," Xander admitted. "We had a small fight."

"Oz!" Ray shouted.

"Not with me," Oz called back. "With Daniel's bad guys." He walked back in, carrying a tray full of plates of special food treats. He set them out so the animals didn't have to go far, counting heads. "Rocky?" he called. "Want a treat?" She came running, snuffling at the tray before finding her own plate. She barked and walked over, licking Xander, then Oz, before having her treat.

Oz looked around. "Why do we only have four ferret babies?"

"Because one's in the kitty gym and can't get down," Ray told him, starting to stand up, but Oz pushed him back down and went to go find the little annoying one.

Xander leaned against Ray's shoulder, smiling when he recognized the scent the other man was wearing. "You're wearing my aftershave," he whispered.

"Didn't think you'd mind much," Ray said, stroking down the tense back. "You need to relax."

"We'll sneak off tomorrow," Xander agreed, closing his eyes briefly. It had been a long day.

Oz walked back in and smiled at how Ray was holding Xander. "Aww," he whispered, coming over to help put Xander on the couch, letting Ray sit under his head. He covered them both up, watching as Ray fell asleep too. Then he sat down to play with the animals all by himself, something he rarely got to do these days.

It Itches!!

Xander and Ray snuck past the doorway, going out to have a day to themselves. They were sure their lovers wouldn't notice for a while, but they didn't see the housekeeper in the kitchen. Xander giggled as he started his sports car, pulling away from the house with a squeal of tires.

In the house, Henrietta smiled down at the kitten that always followed her around. "Yes, Ribbon, your daddies have went to be naughty." She reached down pet the kitten, smiling at the pitiful look she was getting. "Did you want a treat?" she cooed, tossing down a piece of her lunch for the cat.

***

Oz checked the time on his computer, frowning. He hadn't been jumped by Xander or Ray in a while. He got up and walked out into the hall, looking both directions in case Jedi wanted to run him over again, her favorite game recently, then headed for Xander's writing room. No one. He walked into the craft room, but there still wasn't a single person. He headed out to the pool area, one eyebrow going up when he found Methos napping beside the pool. He shoved him to wake him up. "Where're the boys?" he asked.

"I have not a clue. Ray was gone when I woke up this morning," Methos told him, making room so Oz could sit beside him on the lounger. "Haven't you seen Xander?"

"Nope. Not in his writing or his sewing rooms." He looked around the pool area. "Think they took off?"

"Probably," Methos agreed. He looked toward the open kitchen window. "Henri, did you see the two young and energetic ones?" he called.

She walked over to the sliding door and looked out. "Yes. They snuck out earlier, matching naughty grins brightening the house." She walked out, the kitten following her as usual. "I don't think they had anything major planned."

"No, they're probably shopping or something," Methos said, looking at the kitten. "When are you going to bring her home? She mopes after you every night."

"I'm not allowed to have animals," Henrietta reminded him. "Otherwise, we'd already be at home with me." She picked the cat up, petting her. "Isn't that right?"

"Of course it is," Oz agreed. "Spa or shopping?" he asked Methos.

"Probably a bit of both," Methos said with a shrug. "I'm not worried about them."

"You're letting *Xander* run around with *Ray* by *themselves*?" Henri asked, looking at Oz. "Don't you have to usually go save him when he does that?"

Oz groaned. "Maybe it'll be different this time. After all, he has Ray with him." He looked at Methos, who was starting to look concerned. "Ray would protect him."

"People have been looking at my Ray recently," Methos admitted. "They've been getting a bit too friendly for my tastes." He sat up, looking at Oz, then he nodded. "You call the spas he usually goes to and I'll look to see if there's anything on the news yet." He got up and jogged inside, Oz right behind him.

Henri smothered her laughter in the soft fur. Those two were so predictable when it came to their mates.

***

Oz and Methos stalked into the day spa, scaring the man standing behind the desk. "Harris and Kowalski?" Oz grunted.

"I...in room three," he stuttered, pointing. "Sir, is there a problem?"

"Do you have a badge?" the woman walking up behind him asked, looking them over. Oz shook his head. "Then I suggest you wait and talk to them once they're outside," she said firmly.

Methos snorted. "I have no desire to wait to talk to my husband," he said snidely, heading for room three, Oz following him.

One of the girls from the nearby giftshop ran over and said something quietly to the woman, who smiled. "I see," she said, relaxing. "As long as it doesn't become a problem, I don't have a problem with that." She patted the receptionist's shoulder. "That's their husbands. Mr. Harris is often here with his. Apparently, they snuck off without telling anyone this morning," she told him, going back to her office.

The receptionist wiped off the back of his neck, smiling at the girl who was running back to her register.

Oz pushed open the door, making it slam against the wall, and strode in. He and Methos looked at each other, then spanked their lovers at the same time.

Xander squealed and jumped. "Oz!" He gave Ray a helpless look. "They found us," he pouted.

"Yes, we found you," Methos said, leaning down to nip Ray's shoulder. "You could have left us a note." He got out of the masseuse's way, pulling a chair over to sit in front of Ray's head. "So, what else have we got planned for today?"

"We got a call from Danny and Jack on the way in," Ray murmured, putting his head back down as the nice man started to work on his back again. "They want us to bring them out."

"That'll be fine," Methos agreed. "Xander?"

"I wanted to stop by and see my old friend," Xander said, grinning up at Oz. He saw the questioning look and shrugged. "The one with the scales."

"Oh. I guess we can do that," Oz agreed. "What else did you have planned?" He picked up the bottle of oil warming in the tub of water and poured some out, starting to work on Xander's back, making him moan in pleasure. "What else?" he asked again, his voice dropping down to sound more intimate.

"Animal stuff," Xander groaned. "And lube."

"We're finally out of lube?" Ray asked him. "I thought that last case would last forever with our lives recently."

"Yup," Xander agreed, turning his head so he could look at Ray. "He does this really well," he sighed, pushing up into the warm hands. "You should feel this."

Oz looked at the masseuse, who shrugged and switched places with him. Ray moaned loudly and kicked his feet as he got off after only a few minutes of Oz's special treatment. "Oz," Ray whined. "I wanted to relax."

"And now you're really relaxed," Methos said, leaning forward to get a kiss. "Sooth him, Oz," he ordered. He watched carefully as Oz worked on his lover, watching what he did and which places he worked.

Oz looked over at Xander, who had his eyes closed and looked like he was having a moment of bliss. "You good?" he asked his husband.

"Perfect," Xander purred.

Oz let Methos have Ray's back and went over to work beside the masseuse on Xander's back. Between them, they turned Xander into a large mass of goo.

Xander held up a piece of paper, not opening his eyes. "Go pick them up?" he whispered.

"If you wish," Methos agreed, taking the paper. "How much longer do you have in here?"

"He's still got a wrap and a soak," the masseuse told him. "About two to three hours."

Methos looked at the paper and sighed. "Xander, they've probably landed by now." He went to find a payphone and a phone book, wanting to call them and tell them to wait for him. "I'll bring them back here," he said a few minutes later, sticking his head in the room.

Oz waved a hand. "We'll be here. Remember to have them rent a car." He moved down to work on Xander's calves, knowing his love had been having a few cramps in them lately. He looked up, smiling when he saw Xander was asleep. "You do good work," he noted.

The masseuse grinned. "You too." He nodded at Ray. "That's normal?"

"Sometimes," Oz agreed, continuing to work on the tight muscles. "You need to relax, my love," he whispered.

The masseuse backed off and wiped his hands. "I'll go check on their wraps. It should be about time." He left them alone, letting Oz wake them up.

Oz pulled a candybar out of his pocket and woke Ray up first, giving him it. "Here, I know your blood sugar tanks after you get off." He stroked through the red hair, frowning at the dark blond roots. "You need redone."

"I'll do it later," Ray grunted, tearing into the candy. "Thanks."

"It's all good," Oz reminded him, moving over to wake his husband up. "Xander. It's time to move onto your next treatment," he said quietly, gently touching the soft shoulder. Xander blinked up at him, looking adorable in a child-like and innocent way. "It's time to get up," Oz repeated. "You've got to move on to your next treatment." Xander blinked a few more times then shook his head. "Yes, love, you have to get up. It's time to move on and get wrapped on the smelly stuff."

"But I'm comfy," Xander whispered, holding out a hand.

Oz smiled at him, taking the hand to kiss and squeeze. "I know you are, but you've got to walk over to the next part, then you can nap again. I promise, I'll stand guard so you can nap if you'd like." Xander gave him a sleepy smile and put his head back down, but he stayed awake. "Ray, you okay?" he asked, looking over at their friend.

Ray had eaten all the candybar and was now back asleep, head pillowed on his arms.

Oz groaned and Xander chuckled, still sounding half-asleep.

The masseuse walked back in and smiled at Oz. "They're ready if you can get these two moving."

"Not wanting to move," Xander whined, his eyes closed again.

Oz rolled his eyes and poked Xander between the globes of his ass, making him shift upwards. "If you can do that, then you can walk down the hallway and nap in the next room while you're wrapped in warm stuff," he noted, going over to wake Ray up again. "Ray. Come on, Ray, it's time to get up again and move."

"No," Ray pouted, not opening his eyes.

"I'm sorry, but it's time for you both to wake up. It's someone else's turn in this room."

"They can't have the Oz," Ray said firmly, gripping Oz's arm and not letting go. "Our Oz."

"Ours," Xander agreed sleepily, starting to nap again.

Oz rolled his eyes. "Help?" he mouthed, making the masseuse smile. When they had finally gotten everyone into the next room, and both lovers were smothered in seaweed, Oz leaned back and relaxed, watching them nap together on the table. He considered Ray's statement and how protective Ray was of him, and decided he liked it.

***

Xander bounced into Daniel as Methos led him into their waiting and changing room, giving him a hug wearing only his peachskin thong. "Hi. We're almost ready," he said, going back to find his pants.

Jack walked in and covered his eyes, turning around so he didn't have to watch Xander change. "Geez, don't they have a bathroom?"

Xander looked down at himself. "What? I'm covered." He frowned at Jack. "Be thankful I'm wearing clothes." He pulled on his pants and let Oz hand him his shirt. "We've got to do a few things before we head home. Did you two want to come with us?"

"Sure," Daniel agreed. "Where did you need to go?"

"Pet shopping," Oz told him. "That and Xander wants to stop by and see a friend he helped find a home." He looked at his mate, giving him an inquisitive look. "When did you get that shirt?"

"Earlier," Ray said, walking out wearing Xander's loose button-up shirt. "I messed mine up and he got a new one."

"Oh." Oz nodded. "Okay. Is yours dirty or ripped?"

"Um, let's not go there," Xander said quickly, making sure he had everything in his pockets. He walked out, dragging Daniel with him for protection from Oz.

Oz put a hand on Ray's arm. "Am I going to be pissed and hurt someone?" he asked quietly.

"Did anyone ever tell you ya're possessive?" Ray asked. Oz nodded. "Good. It's handled, deal with it." He got free and followed Xander out so he could find his own lover.

Oz looked at Jack. "I worry," he said at the confused look. "People like to take Xander." He walked out, letting Jack follow him. "Xander?" he called, handing over the wallet the younger man was patting himself down for. "I was sitting on it." His lover grinned at him. "What happened?" he asked gently. "I promise not to overreact."

"We got pulled over for speeding and the cop started to make comments," Xander said, not looking at him. "He intentionally spilled something on Ray's shirt."

"All right. Did you make a report?"

"Would they listen this time?" Xander sighed. Oz shook his head. "Then why bother?"

"Because it'll be recorded," Jack told him seriously.

Xander shrugged. "It happens a lot. There's been cops that have accused me of selling it. There's been ones that have accused me of stealing my own car."

"There's been ones that tried to kill us both because we were together," Oz added. "We deal, Jack. It's okay." He stroked down Xander's arm. "You okay?"

"I'm fine, Oz," Xander said, giving him a smile and a hug. "Thank you for not overreacting."

"Hey, I just want to protect you from people like that," Oz whispered. "I don't want to be possessive, but protective." He pulled back and brought Xander's head down to kiss him on the forehead. "Ready to go?"

"Sure. Can we go see our friend first?"

"Sure. It's on the way to the pet warehouse." Oz took the credit card slip and signed it, handing it back to the receptionist. "Anything else we needed?"

"No," Xander said, walking out to their car, holding Oz's hand. "Ray?" he asked, pulling him away from kissing Methos. "You two take that car, we'll take the sports car. Jack, you two follow us. We're heading downtown." He slid into the passenger's seat, letting Oz drive them.

Xander looked up at the office building, smiling at the ghostly head that came down to sniff him. "Hey," he said, smiling at his dragon friend, ignoring his new ones. "How are you?"

"Good," the dragon said, his accent still crisp. "I do wish I had been able to bring my body. There's been an annoyance that I would have liked to bite to make disappear." He looked behind Xander at the men standing there. "I recognize your mate. How are you, Oz?" he asked, dipping his head.

"Good. We just got back from another cross-realmal trip." He touched Xander's braid. "He found the teacher you said he needed."

"Yes, I had noticed that his gifts seemed more stable." The dragon snorted, ruffling Xander's clothes. "Are you happy, young man?" he asked Xander.

Xander beamed at him. "Yup. About most everything in my life." He looked around then grabbed Daniel, pulling him forward. "This is Daniel, one of Oz's students. He's one of those people who study cultures."

"Ah," the dragon sighed, "research. How I miss that."

"You used to research?" Daniel asked, stepping forward on his own to get a closer look at the apparition.

"Whoa," Jack said, pulling Daniel back.

The dragon chuckled. "I'm very peaceful to all who aren't lawyers and aren't out to harm me." He smiled fondly at Xander. "He showed me that not all humans were bad and out to get me." He looked up at where his tail was hanging out of the window. "Damn lawyers," he muttered. "I will be right back. Please, if you'd like, come up and get comfortable." He disappeared, his smoky form flowing back up to the floor he inhabited.

"Cool," Xander said, walking across the street to go into the building, Oz and Ray right behind him, Daniel trying to get away from Jack. "Hi, we were invited up by the dragon," he told the man sitting behind the desk as he walked past it. They got on the elevator as the security guards got to it, the door shutting in their faces. Xander pushed a second button, getting off on this other floor, waving everyone on. "He's down here," he said, heading for where he could feel the spirit. He walked into the meeting room, smiling at the lawyers. "Sorry, we were invited up by the dragon and I felt him here." He smiled at the lawyer that jumped up and backed into a corner. "What?" he asked innocently.

One of the demons stood up and glared at them. "You released him," he accused.

"But he needed a good home," Xander said sweetly, leaning closer. "You really shouldn't have blown up my house or my Oz," he told him, standing back up.

Oz stepped out from behind Xander, glaring around the room. "Dear, I don't think we're supposed to be here."

"No, you need to be here for this," the dragon said as he walked through one of the walls, making a few people scream and run away. "Good, the worlds need less lawyers," he called after them. He looked at Xander, giving him a smile. "Thank you for this home, young one. It's most appropriate, but I do need to ask you for a favor. I miss my lair. Might I get you to go get me some things from my old one?"

"I don't own the house that has the gate anymore," Oz told him. "I do know the owner and I can ask him if we can go," he suggested.

"Please. I need my sunrock and I need my two trunks." He smiled at both of them. "That will truly make my floor a home." He turned his smile on the lawyers. "These still need to learn that I have taken over their territory." He stopped as Xander leaned up to whisper in his ear. "Young one," he said, looking shocked. "Is that ethical?"

"More ethical than they are," Xander agreed. "They blew up my house, while I and my pets were in it." He looked at Oz. "They blew him up too."

"Does 'blow up' have a different meaning here?" the dragon asked Daniel.

Daniel looked pained. "No, probably not. I heard that their house was destroyed but thankfully Oz managed to throw the first bomb away. And with what Oz is..." he said, trailing off.

"Oh, they know," Oz said, looking at the head lawyer, who was still standing up. "Don't you?"

The lawyer promptly sat down, nodding. "Yes, we know," he said, swallowing. "It was a tragic mistake of my predecessor, who has been fixed." He looked at the dragon. "Truly, it was not this Board of Directors."

"Yay," Xander told him coldly. "You worked for Wolfram and Hart then, you were probably aware of the decision to make Angel's life a living hell. Now you can live with my friend and teacher," he said, waving a hand at the dragon. "I hope some of you will listen to him, he's a very good ethics teacher." He bowed to his teacher. "I thank you for all you taught me. It's kept me from becoming an insufferable whiny person." He took Oz's hand, entwining their fingers. "I wouldn't have been able to keep him if I had become what I might have."

The dragon smiled at Oz. "You've got your hands full with this one."

"Oh, yeah," Oz agreed. "I know." He tugged on Xander's hand. "You never know, they might have changed under Angel's rule." He watched as everyone went pale. "Or not," he said, shrugging. He looked at the dragon. "If you ever need us, send us a message and we'll come." He squeezed Xander's hand. "Did you need anything else? Just your roost and your trunks?" The dragon nodded. "Then we'll try to go get them this weekend for you."

"No one stays for tea," the dragon sighed.

Xander grinned. "I will if you want." He looked at Oz, who nodded. "We both will."

"No," the dragon said, smiling down at them, then at Daniel. "I believe his mate is most discomfited by me. You will have to come back to tell me about my lair anyway."

Xander nodded quickly. "Sure. We'll come and stay for tea then." He looked at Daniel, then at Jack, who wasn't looking very happy. "You're right, we'd better go. These two aren't used to beings like you," he said. He looked the smoky form over. "I wish you were solid. I'd like to get a hug."

The dragon laughed. "As would I, Xander, as would I." He smiled at Oz. "Protect him well, Oz. I know how many people would like to have him as theirs." Xander got free and leaned into the smoky form, whispering to him. "Come with me for a minute, young man, and we will discuss this further." He and Xander disappeared together, Xander coming back alone after a few seconds.

"Okay, we can go now," Xander said, leading the way out with a wave over his shoulder for the lawyers. "Leave him alone or he's going to make your lives a bigger hell," he called as they walked onto the elevator. Oz looked at him and Xander gave him a hug, whispering in his ear.

"Do you feel better now?"

Xander nodded, snuggling into him. "Much. He made me see that this isn't that bad of a thing. He even told me one of his books had something that might help me." He looked at Daniel. "He really was my Ethics teacher. A three day lecture that changed my life. You can come have tea with us if you'd like." He got off the elevator as the door opened, striding out to their cars.

Daniel laid a hand on Jack's arm. "Maybe I should drive," he suggested gently. Jack handed over the keys without any comment.

***

Jack ran around the front yard with the dogs chasing him, playing to forget all the strange things he had seen so far.

Oz watched him from the window, checking every now and then on Daniel, who was calmly sipping tea on another couch. "You okay?" he asked, turning away from the window.

"I'm fine," Daniel said. "Jack's convinced himself it was some sort of illusion. I'm not sure what it was, but I'm open to all new experiences." He finished off his tea in a large gulp. "It was strange, but I'll work through it tonight while I write in my diary."

"We're kinda used to it here," Oz told him. "This town is full of strangeness. You get used to it after a while." He relaxed. "I was turned into a werewolf for a while by a bite from a 'nephew'." Daniel's mouth hung open. "We hang with some vamps too, gotta remind them to come up and talk to you guys too. Maybe Marilyn too. Her new form's mutable."

"Huh? Mutable?"

"Yeah, she used to be the Slayer," Oz sighed. "Nice girl, very friendly and good at her job. We were helping train her when an older, bad Slayer started to come after her." He looked down at the ring Xander had made for him while they had been on their trip. "Anyway, Faith, the bad girl, decided to use magic against Marilyn. She bartered a night with a sorcerer for a spell that would strip Marilyn of her powers during her next fight, thereby killing her." He looked at Daniel. "Unfortunately, it didn't work. The spell did strip her powers but Marilyn lived, mostly. Now she's working with Angel and Wesley to train the next girl."

"Was she turned? Is that the right word?" Daniel asked.

Oz snorted. "No, she got infected by the demon she was fighting. Our friend Buffy, who I met Xander through, she had been a Slayer too, got infected with the same sort of demon and got telepathic for a while. Marilyn became like the demon, she's a halfie now." He shrugged. "She's still a great kid, very good at what she does, and she's still fighting the good fight beside Angel."

"I see. Is she happy?"

"Not particularly, but Wes has done a lot to help her. There for a while, she told everyone that the old her had died and took on a new name, Keeper, and decided she was now some sort of knight. She'll answer to Marilyn, but only from those of us who knew her before."

"Has she sought help?" Daniel asked.

Oz chuckled. "In our world, we are the only help. Wes is a Watcher, they deal with the Slayers on a training and helping level. He's used everything he's ever been taught, and picked everyone's brain that he could, to help her return back to her old life. She's still insisting that Marilyn died that night during the fight. Even the Watchers have her listed as dead."

"And the new one?" Daniel asked.

"Marigold? She's cool. A hippy love child. She's actually taken Faith in hand, once she was turned and broken. They make a decent team most of the time. Wes wants to stake her *so* bad, but Marigold won't let anyone harm her Faith-snuggly."

Daniel smiled. "It sounds like everything's pretty normal for you."

"Oh, it is. This is normal around here. You learn to deal with the strange after a few weeks of knowing what's going on."

"Stakes?"

"Are a must if you're going out at night, or might be out at night. Wooden, fits in a pocket is best, but we've seen some pretty ornate ones in the past. Just make sure you always have one in this town. And a vial of holy water helps too. Things that won't die by wood can usually be hurt by holy water. You'd have to ask Xander though, he's made a chart for you guys."

"Where is he anyway?" Daniel asked. "I looked for him earlier and he was nowhere to be found."

"I think he went to get the stuff for the dragon," Oz sighed. "He didn't tell me where he was going but he was wearing his favorite leathers and sword when he left." He scooted down until he was lying down. "He'll be back by tonight, or early tomorrow probably. I don't worry about Xander going into that sort of situation. He's very well trained to go into anyplace that needs a sword." He looked up at the ceiling. "If he would put the same sort of effort into his writing as he does his fighting and jewelry making, then he'd never be bored again."

"He makes jewelry?" Oz nodded. "I'd be interested in seeing some," Daniel said. "He seemed like he had a very fine touch with metals."

"Oh, he does," Oz said, taking off his ring and tossing it over. "He made me that while we were gone."

Daniel looked over the small emerald, turning it around in the natural light to see the delicate metal work on the band. He hummed in appreciation and got up to hand it back. "Your wedding band?"

Oz shook his head, holding up the hand he was sliding the ring onto. "No, he said I deserved an engagement ring but never got one so he made me one." He looked at it against his simple platinum band, touching the tri-necklaces he wore. "Our wedding was very special. Xander went into clothing overdrive and made everything, including this incredible outfit in barely there red gauze that felt like silk." He looked up at Daniel. "We'd gotten back from India recently and Xander really loved our travels there."

"I noticed all the saris," Daniel said, sitting on the end of the couch. "Where did he learn to make jewelry?"

"He's been interested in it for a while now so he bought into a small jewelry business. He's taken some lessons with them, and on our trip across the portal with another master over there. He's got a very delicate touch with metals and stones. Nothing he does is big or chunky, but it's all substantial."

"Which means it's probably unisex?" Daniel thought out loud. Oz nodded. "Wow. Is he going to show any of his work?"

"Maybe. I think he's going to talk to the store he works with and ask them what they think about a private showing." He sat up. "I'd better go check on the babies, I haven't heard a squeak from a ferret in a while."

"They were napping by the pool last time I looked out back," Daniel offered.

"Great. Jedi's teaching them how to swim." He got up and walked out to the back patio, going to make sure all the animals were fine.

Daniel settled in to watch Jack play with the dogs.

***

Xander walked into his house after being gone a few days and dropped the neverending bag he had brought with him on his trip, leaning against the wall beside the door. "Oz? Methos?" he called lightly, knowing at least one of them were waiting on him. Ray came jogging out from the kitchen and stopped when he saw the condition his friend was in. "Upstairs," Xander said quietly.

"Sure," Ray said, helping Xander up the stairs to his room. He watched as Xander stripped down, wincing at the nasty-looking cut on his back. "Why hasn't that healed?" he asked, pointing at it.

"It has," Xander noted. "It was much larger and poisoned yesterday." He walked into the bathroom. "Come talk to me? I'm not ready for quiet yet." Ray got up and followed him in, sitting on the little stool in the corner where Xander's vanity sat. "Ray, do you know what it's like to walk in during the crucial battle in a civil war and have both sides want you to stop it by being on their side?"

"No," Ray said honestly, "but I guess it'd suck."

"Big time," Xander agreed. "The guy that was ruling when we were there died and his kids were fighting with each other, and both of them wanted me to stick up for them. I ended up picking the one that didn't want it at all and had gone into seclusion to get away from everyone." He turned on the shower, testing the water. "Oh, man, this is gonna feel so *good*," he sighed as he got under the steaming spray. "I ended up spending almost a month there, trying to get it all straightened out without getting killed, and then I when I finally got to go get the things that I was there for, a young dragon had taken over the lair and was renovating." He sighed again as he pulled the braid out of his hair and got it wet, starting to work it through his fingers. "Ray, is my comb out there?"

"Yup," Ray said, tossing it to him. "So, did you get the war solved?"

"Yeah, and when I chose, the sibling reacted by trying to have me killed. She *really* didn't want the throne." He finished combing the leaves and dirt out of his hair and picked up the bottle of shampoo. "Damn, empty," he muttered, tossing it at the sink. He picked up Oz's, but it was empty too. "Ray, is there any shampoo in the house?" he asked, leaning his head against the wall.

"Sure, I'll go get mine," he said, hurrying out to go do that. He came back and found Xander in the same position so shrugged and stripped so he could climb in and help him. He touched Xander's hair, making him flinch. "Shh, it's me," he promised calmly, pouring some of his pear- smelling shampoo out to work through the bottom of Xander's hair. "It's just me and you're home."

"Yeah, I'm home," Xander said, turning around to give Ray a hug. "Where are they?"

"With Jack and Danny, going over the lab with the architects and those guys." Ray gave Xander a squeeze. "Want me to wash your hair for ya?"

"Please," Xander agreed, turning around so he could lean against the wall again, making sure his head was free of the spray. He relaxed as the semi-familiar motions of someone washing his hair calmed him down, forcing him to focus on this reality instead of what had happened in that other one.

Ray looked at his friend's slowly relaxing back, knowing that Xander would need to share the story sometime, but not with Oz. This was definitely something Xander wouldn't want to share with Oz or Methos. "So, wanna talk?" he asked as he poured out some more shampoo and started on Xander's scalp, working the lather in so the two sections could be joined.

"Nope."

"Okay. Well, if you do, then I'm here."

"I know," Xander sighed, turning and grabbing Ray's hands. "I know you're here, but this is another one of those things that's not getting out, no matter who it is." He gave his best friend a hug. "It's not you," he said at the hurt sounding sigh. "It's totally me. I'm not spreading this poison any farther."

"But if you keep it in, it'll fester," Ray pointed out. "It'll make it worse."

"I'll be able to forget about it," Xander promised, pulling back to give him a weak smile. "Just keep everyone off me tonight, okay?"

"You sure?" Ray asked, not looking convinced.

"Yeah, I can store it somewhere tonight, same as I have with everything else, I just need a little time. And for my hair to quit itching!" he said, reaching up to scratch.

"Let me," Ray said, turning Xander around and attacking his hair again. "Maybe we should get you some of the dandruff shampoo," Ray suggested when Xander started to growl as he scratched the tender scalp.

"Just keep doing that and I'll let you go later," Xander promised.

"Um, maybe you need a medicated shampoo after all," Ray said, after having pulling Xander down so he could look at his scalp. "I think it's itchin' because it's toasted down here."

"I know," Xander admitted. "But it itches, Ray."

"Thought I heard water," Methos said as he walked in, a plastic bag swinging at his side. "I bought more shampoo." He peeked into the shower, looking down at the reddened scalp. "Rinse and let me look at it," Methos said, giving Xander a smile. "One never knows what sort of creature may be waiting for you in a cave or a forest."

"At least it's not lice," Ray noted, pulling down the hand-held attachment to rinse out Xander's hair. He looked into Xander's eyes, giving him a smile. "Just your scalp?"

"No, I've got itching on my legs too," Xander admitted with a sigh, standing up so Ray could finish rinsing the back length. "Do I have to do this now?" he asked Methos. "I'm trying to shower off the stink from over there."

"If we do this now, you'll be able to wash everything off and then put on medicine, which we can go get while you finish your shower," Methos told him. "Now, come along and let me look at your skin, Xander." He held out a towel, helping to dry the long mass and get Xander motivated to go lie on the bed. He noticed Xander's look at the door and kissed him on the shoulder as he laid the younger man down. "Oz is downstairs taking care of the animals. I'm here purely as your physician." He looked at Ray, nodding him back into the bathroom. "Go run him a hot bath. Most of the time, a soak before the shower will help some of this." He waited until they were alone to look at Xander's calves. "When were you burned?" he asked quietly, looking up at Xander.

"When I was trying to stop the civil war," Xander told him, nearly whispering. "It started out as a fight for the throne, moved into a civil war, and then another country attacked that one and I ended up defending the castle as it burned and was gassed."

"And you came back after how long?"

"After a few weeks. The other leader apparently admired me for my abilities and had me taken off the field as a prisoner. At least until he realized I wasn't a politically worthy pawn." He snorted. "And then I was cast out and warned to leave the area for good."

"Is that when you came back?" Methos asked, gently probing the new skin. Xander nodded. "Good. At least you didn't stay around."

"Nope, not into torture. I did manage to save all the kids before I left though, got them away from the sadistic bastard."

"I see." Methos dropped the leg and pulled Xander up, looking down at his scalp. "This looks more like a chemical burn."

"It was a burning gas. Felt like acid as it ate into my skin." He pulled up a piece of his hair, looking at it. "Lots of this broke off later that same night. Can the itching be stopped?"

"Most definitely. There's some excellent things to do that with these days." He looked down at Xander. "Is there anything else I need to examine for you?" Xander bit his lip but he shook his head. "I saw the mark on your back."

"Claw mark," Xander noted. "It's healing. The poison's all gone."

"Good. And everything else is..."

"Fine," Xander agreed. "He never touched me that way, Methos. Just innuendo and that crap." He forced himself to sit up. "I'm fine, Methos. I itch, but I'm fine."

"Then I'll go down and get some oatmeal to soak you in. That should take care of most of the itching, it's a very neutralizing agent. Did you wash off after this gas hit you?"

"I was bathed later that night and wrapped in stuff that's basically equivalent of aloe. Long bandages soaked with the stuff." Methos nodded for him to go on. "It's like a gassy form of napalm. It's very slimy feeling when it hits your skin and then it burns like someone set it on fire."

"I see. Maybe we should scrape some of your skin and check it over."

"Do my pants. They're in the bag," Xander said, pointing at where Ray had dropped it for him. "Better yet, give it to Danny and Jack, let them do it. Maybe they can make more of it and fill the starships with it."

Methos patted him on the shoulder. "I'm sure they can. Have you visited your friend?"

"Yup. He said thank you. Kept me for tea until I started to itch. Told me I needed to shower this stuff off."

"No bathing?"

"I'm not sure. But don't worry, if it hurts, I'll yell," Xander said with his usual humor. He stood up, grabbing the bedpost to steady himself. "I'm really just tired and hungry. And you're not telling Oz."

"Of course I'm not," Methos said smoothly. "If something serious happened there, then I'll expect you to do that yourself." He gave Xander a smile, watching as he walked back into the bathroom. His smile turned cold as soon as the door was closed. "I'm very sure I don't need to tell Oz anything. I'm sure he'll pick up on it just fine," he said quietly, going down to find the oatmeal he had promised the young man.

Oz walked into the bathroom, smiling at the picture Xander made sleeping in the tub. He sat down beside the tub, picking up some of the long, dark hair to look at it. His smile fell away when he saw the condition of the usually soft and unbroken hair. He measured it's length, one eyebrow going up when he noticed how much longer the strand he held was now, it would have reached the middle of Xander's butt if he had been standing. "To the salon you go," he whispered, dropping the hair to give his husband a kiss. "You okay?" he asked when he noticed Xander was staring at the ceiling.

"Fine," Xander said. "Who told you?"

"No one told me anything. I just picked up your hair to play with." He gave him another kiss. "But if you want to tell me anything, I'm here."

Xander turned his head to look at his mate. "Ray and Methos didn't say a thing?"

"Only that you had some strange rub marks on your skin and they thought you'd been riding hard for a few days," Oz lied. He saw Xander's eyes, and knew his husband recognized the lie. "Okay, Methos let slip that you needed pampered because it wasn't a simple 'go get this for me' mission, but nothing else. I just figured on the rub marks because he said you'd been there for a while." Xander silently lifted a leg out of the soothing oatmeal-laced water, and Oz moved down to look it over. "Huh. Did you get the guy who burned you?"

"It was a gas and not quite. He let me go."

"Good," Oz said emphatically. "Did you need to talk about it?" Xander shook his head. "Okay then. If you do, I'm here and so are Ray and Methos." He leaned in for another kiss. "Want help bathing or showering this stuff off?"

"Please. I don't think I could hold the back brush right now," Xander said tiredly.

"Okay. Can you stand?" He helped Xander up and sat him on the closed toilet lid, going back to drain off the water and start a shower. He knew Xander expected him to throw a fit and go burn down the castle over there, but if his mate was upset enough to want to hide it from him and he said it was taken care of, then he would trust him this time. Besides, Xander talked in his sleep. He'd hear about it eventually. He brought down the hand-held attachment and rinsed out the tub, adjusting the water for the perfect shower. He put the attachment back and started the waterfall head, going to help Xander back into the tub to get clean.

***

Ray carried the tray into Xander's bedroom, giving him a smile when he saw he was awake. "Methos took pity on all of us and made lunch," he said, setting the tray across Xander's lap before curling up next to him on the bed. "Ready to eat?"

"Yeah, I could eat," Xander agreed, sitting up a little farther so he wouldn't spill anything on the bed. One hand fell to Ray's hair and the other shoveled the delicate little sandwiches into his mouth. When he got down to the plate and the mint, he used both hands to unwrap it, then moved the tray out of the way and curled up against Ray. "Hi," he said quietly. Ray's smile got brighter. "I'm sorry if I was an ass yesterday."

"Not at all, just kinda shell shocked, ya know?" Ray asked, rubbing over the tense back. "Think you're ready to go do something about your hair?" Xander shrugged. "It needs worked on, Xan. It's got bad knots and it needs conditioned." He touched the dry, brittle mass. "Really needs conditioned," he repeated.

"I'll go get that done today," Xander told him. "Want to come with me?"

"Sure. Or Oz is free. He's downstairs talkin' Jack outta wakin' ya up to go work in the lab."

"I'm sure that won't be necessary," Oz said as he slammed the door. "I told Jack that you had to de-stress from going back over there and needed a day to heal a few injuries. When he got stringent, I noted that everyone defragged differently. He seemed to understand that part." He sat down beside Xander, pushing the bedtray over further. "Want to go to the salon today to fix your hair?" Xander nodded. "Good. Ray, are you coming with us?"

"Yeah, I could use a trim," Ray agreed. "Want Methos...."

Oz shook his head, interrupting the thought. "He and Daniel are working out. They're out in the woods somewhere."

"Okay," Ray said with a slight shrug. "Whenever you're ready, Xander."

"Oz, I still itch," Xander complained. "I'm not sure I can handle clothes."

"Hey, they've got skin treatments and a salon at that one spa we went to recently," Ray offered. "Why don't we call them and tell them what's going on?"

"That I got exposed to an acidic gas?" Xander asked.

"Or that you had a reaction to some chemicals here at home," Oz suggested. "That you're itchy and aching, that your hair's a wreck because of the drugs they gave you."

"Okay," Xander said weakly, letting Oz handle it. Oz was great at this part of taking care of him. He got up, heading for the closet to find something that he might be able to stand wearing. He came out with a pair of his lightest dance pants, a pair of sandals, and a thin tank top.

"It's cool outside," Oz warned him as he picked up the phone and dialed. "Hi, this is Daniel Osbourne calling for Xander Harris?"

Xander tuned him out as he searched for an overshirt to put on. Ray handed him his and he smiled at his best friend. "Thanks," he whispered. "I'll try not to make it a lump of fabric in the car."

"Hey, whatever you need," Ray noted. "You can even sleep on the way down," he offered. "I'll be a good pillow this time."

Xander kissed him on the cheek. "I know you will. I might nap, but you get the front this time." He pulled back, pulling a thong out of the underwear drawer to put on under the pants.

"You can tell which color those are," Oz noted as he hung up. "We've got an appointment in three hours." He watched as Xander switched thongs to a skin-colored one, then finished getting dressed. "Will you be warm enough?" he asked gently.

"My skin feels like it's on fire," Xander complained. "And no, I don't have a fever," he said when a hand started for his forehead. He let Ray finish taking his temperature, looking up at him. "I promise, it's okay."

"Good," Ray said. "We can give you some benadryl if you want," he offered. "We've still got some."

"I don't think it'll help," Oz told him. "I told them he itched and they said they have a wrap that might help." He touched Xander's back gently. "Ready to start that way? We'll take our time."

"Sure," Xander said, allowing Ray to help him up. "Um, did anyone pull things out of the bag yet? My sword probably needs to be scoured to get the rust off by now."

"I'll do that later," Oz told him, helping Xander out of the bedroom and downstairs. Jack stopped them before they could leave. "Jack, there's a TV upstairs and my computer's on if you want to go log on and chat with your people back at home," he said as he walked past them.

"Actually, I've already done that," Jack said. He looked at Xander, then at Oz. "We analyzed what was on Xander's clothes. The doc said to have him swaddled in stuff that will neutralize it, that it is acidic, and it'll continue to eat into his skin if it's not stopped." He gave Xander a 'sorry' look. "When Oz told me you had some clothes that needed to be looked at, we sent them back right away, kid. Anyway, the lab guys said this was the nastiest stuff they'd encountered recently, but it would continue to eat at your skin unless you could kill it. They're working on what exactly will do that, but they did say the aloe and oatmeal stuff Adam was doing last night was probably the best they could come up with on short notice."

"We're going to get his skin treated by a pro," Ray told him. "They've got stuff for itching, it might kill this stuff."

"I'll tell them it's acidic," Oz said. "Thanks, man."

"Hey, you're welcome." He handed over the letter he had printed from his e-mail. "This is the exact letter she sent over about it." Oz read it over, nodding at the blacked out parts. "That should give whoever a chance to help slow it down at least."

"Thanks," Xander said, giving him a smile. "We'll be back tonight. Do *not* let Jedi con you into giving her cookies again." He continued toward the garage with Ray's help.

"How long before he shows signs if it does continue?" Oz asked. Jack shrugged. "Not a clue?"

"It ate through the leather," Jack told him. "It also ate through the slide when they were able to find a sample. They said it's like a gassy napalm."

"That's how Xander described it too," Oz agreed, patting Jack on the arm as he walked past him, heading out to get his mate treated by a professional skin care expert.

***

After a consultation with the skin care people, Oz sat back and watched as Xander was smothered in an oatmeal and seaweed wrap. He smiled at the haircare person who came in, knowing she had been told about this stuff too, and was ready to do her worst to Xander's hair to restore it. "He's got an extra five inches," Oz told her.

"All right," she said, setting up her box on a rolling table she had pulled out of the closet before sitting down. "Mr. Harris, my name is Cherise and I'm going to work on your hair, all right?" He nodded and she smiled. "I've heard some wonderful things about your hair, Mr. Harris, and I'm going to try and make it all better for you. Did you want me to trim off that five inches if I have the choice?"

"Please," Xander whispered. "Oz, I'm still itching."

"I'll go get someone," Oz said, getting up to go find the person who had done his wrap.

Xander looked up at her. "My hair's a wreck. It's dry, it's tangled, and it's nasty feeling," he said weakly.

"I can deal with those three," she said, giving him a smile. "How about we start with a detangler and comb it through?" He nodded, putting his head back down and letting her unwrap the towel from his head. "Oh, my," she said, rubbing her fingers together. "Did you dye this recently?" she asked, checking the towel for more of the odd color that seemed to be running from his hair.

"No," Xander told her. "It's from the same stuff that's making me itch."

"But it's not a dye?" she asked, just to make sure. He shook his head. "Then, um, you're leaking your natural color." She showed him her fingers and the towel. "I think we need to do a full wash before we do anything else." She lifted up the mass and looked at the tangles. "Maybe I'd better work on combing it out first," she decided, picking up her bottle of detangling spray and spritzing his hair. She picked up her widest toothed comb and started at the bottom, working her way delicately through the mass, using the stained towel to wipe her fingers and comb off when the color got too much. She showed Oz the towel and the hair she was working on when he walked back in with the skin care person. The skin care person looked at the towel, then frowned at Oz. "He says he still itches," Cherise told them.

"Then let's get this washed off," the skin care person said firmly. "We're going to have to send him to the hospital."

"Fine," Oz agreed. "Braid his hair up?"

"Of course," Cherise said, working to quickly braid the long mass. "I'll go get the manager to call an ambulance," she said once she was done, leaving them alone.

The skin care person looked at Oz. "Is this some sort of new biological weapon?"

"No, this was something he wandered into. We're having it analyzed by a friend who works for the military."

"It was a natural gas," Xander said tiredly. He looked up at Oz. "I *really* itch," he whined.

"We're taking you to the hospital," Oz told him, gently touching his face. "Does your face itch too?" Xander nodded. "Okay. Is there anywhere that doesn't itch?"

"My ass," Xander said with a faint grin. "The crack doesn't itch."

"Good," Oz said, smiling down at him. "We're going to find you a good doctor and we'll get this solved, okay?" Xander nodded, putting his head back down. Oz got out of the way of the woman wielding the hose to rinse his mate off.

***

Xander looked up at the familiar woman, giving her a smile. "Hi, Doctor Janet. You got here fast."

"You've been sedated for the last day," she told him, giving him a smile too. "How do you feel? Still itchy?" He nodded. "All over still?" He nodded again, more frantically. "Has it spread to that one area that wasn't itchy?" He nodded even more frantically. "All right. I'm going to give you a shot that will hopefully take away some of the itches." She picked up the end of his braid, showing him the new white streaks in it. "These, I can't do a thing about."

"Hey, I won't look twenty-one anymore," he quipped. "Just make it quit itching," he said, grabbing her arm and staring into her eyes. "Please make it quit itching."

"I'll do my best," she promised, getting her arm free of the surprisingly tight grip. She uncapped the syringe and moved his sleeve up, swabbing it with an alcohol pad she had ready. "This may make you sleepy again, Xander. I'm not going to lie, this is a drug that's in trial at the moment. The only side effects we've seen," she told him as she stabbed the needle into the muscle and released the medicine, "has been nausea, dizziness, and headaches." He nodded, closing his eyes. "All done," she said, giving him another smile. "You okay in there?" she asked when his eyes stayed closed.

"I can feel the itching picking up on my legs," he whispered. "It's getting worse."

"This medicine should take some of itching away," she said, sitting on the side of his bed. "Xander, I have to ask. Are you like Daniel?" He shook his head. "All right. Then I'm going to get someone in here to wrap your legs with what we were using in the emergency room. Okay?" He nodded, staring at her. "What? What's wrong?" she asked, flustered by the 'hurt little boy' look she was getting.

"I'm so screwed," he whispered. "I was wearing leather and Jack said it ate through it. I'm nowhere near as tough as leather."

Her smile got gentler and she moved the wispy, broken strands off his face. "Don't worry, I'm pretty sure where it matters you're tougher than any little piece of leather." He shook his head. "Yeah, you are. Your skin's thicker than those pants were," she told him as she stood up. "Don't worry, I'll be right outside the room if you need anything."

Xander looked around, noticing for the first time that the walls of his room were concrete and there were no windows. "I'm back at your job?"

"Yup, I'm afraid so," she said, opening the door and letting Oz back in. "But we brought him with you. He insisted."

Oz laid down next to Xander on the bed, holding onto him. "You're much tougher than any tight piece of leather," he agreed in a whisper. "You've always been tough when it mattered." He flinched as the door closed. "You're in decontam," he told his mate, not looking up. "They wanted to know how this was done and what the source is."

"The source is this little sulfurous rock that crumbles when you touch it. As it crumbles, it turns into this gassy stuff. It's thrown into places and it dissolves as it hits."

"So it's that soft rock that everyone screamed at us not to touch?" Oz asked. Xander nodded. "Did we bring back a sample of that?" Xander nodded again. "Where is it?"

"In the case in my sewing room. And you might want to warn them to wear gear, the case was looking a little smoky the last time I looked at it," Xander said through his yawn. "I guess I'm going to nap again."

"You don't scratch as much when you're asleep," Oz agreed. "I promise, Xander, it's going to be okay. I will make this all right." He kissed the slack cheek and got up, going out to talk to Janet. She needed that sample of rock.

***

Methos sat up straight as he read over one of his formerly lost journals. "I don't remember this," he said to himself, rereading the passage. "When did I run into someone else using magic?" He looked over at Daniel as he walked in. "Translate this," he said, handing it over and pointing out the passage.

Daniel sat down, reading over it. "When ... one loves another enough to give up their life....there is a magic link between them that can bind them closer or kill them both?" Daniel suggested, finishing the sentence. "This bond may be used to destroy them or it can be used to heal them if it is at all possible to...access it. If...no, but, the person who interferes with the bond...must....be ready to...." He looked up. "Survive with them?"

"Live with them, as in forever," Methos corrected. "I don't remember writing that."

Daniel looked at the cover. "Is this your mark?" he asked, handing it back, the place marked by his thumb until his teacher took it.

Methos looked it over then nodded. "As far as I can tell, it was mine. I've never seen this journal before though. I have no idea when or why I wrote this." He relaxed. "If it's true, then we may be able to help Xander." He picked up the phone and handed it to Daniel when he heard the female voice on the other side.

"Yeah, Janet," Daniel said, brightening. "Really? Okay. Do we need hazmat gear?" He nodded slowly, mentally making notes. "All right. I'll go find it then Jack and we'll get it for you." He hung up and tossed the phone over as he stood up. "They brought back a sample of the rock when they first came back. It's in a case in the craft room?"

"It's that nasty yellow stone then," Methos said, standing up. He walked into the craft room, going to look in the case. He pointed at the small stone, much smaller than it had been when it was placed in there. "It's that one. It's very fragile. It was easily two-thirds bigger when we put it in there." He considered the two other stones in the case with it. "You might want to take the whole thing, the other stones may have some residue on it." He carefully took the case down off the wall and handed it over. "It's locked and I have no idea where Xander put the key, but you'll need to pad the stones, if only to make sure that one doesn't finish breaking down."

"Okay, kids," Jack said as he walked in. "Janet just called me." He stopped when Daniel pointed at the display case. "Okay. Are we taking the whole thing?"

"Yeah, but we need to get in there and pad the stones. It seems that the one that got Xander is easily broken down."

"And we need what equipment to do that, besides the key?"

"Which we don't have," Daniel admitted. "And we'll need hazmat gear. That little yellow stone is dangerous enough to send us into the same problem as Xander has."

"I'll leave this to you two, I'd best go call Rupert." He walked away, heading for Oz's office and the computer sitting in it.

Jack lifted the case carefully, letting Daniel guide him out to a room where they could lock the doors and not have to worry about the animals that were lying around the sewing room. Once they were inside, Jack called on their new base's personnel, getting some of the tougher guys out there with hazmat gear. But while they waited. "So, Danny, immortal?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, immortal," Daniel agreed with a light sigh. "Only until I lose my head though." He looked at his best friend and commander. "Does that bother you?"

"No, but it does mean that I don't have to be as careful of you on missions. Hopefully Adam will be teaching you about being careful and all that along with the sword stuff?"

"Oh, he is, but he's like me, Jack. He's one of those people that thirst for knowledge."

"Ah, but does he run *toward* the danger is the question," Jack countered. "Because you do that, and it's pissing me off."

"Yeah, well," Daniel said, looking down and rubbing the back of his neck. "It always makes sense at the time."

"Good. That's nice. And what about later, after you've dragged us with you?"

"Well, then it usually doesn't make as much sense," Daniel agreed, giving Jack a faint smile. "But you usually don't complain that much, Jack. I'm not always running toward *trouble*."

"Danny, you've managed to find more trouble in the most out of the way places. No one on any other team in the SGC can match your skills."

"Was that a compliment or a complaint?" Daniel asked as he bent over to look down at the stones. "I can see the residue it's left on the case."

"It didn't eat through it?"

"It's lead and leaded glass," Methos said as he walked in, leading two of the security personnel from the base. He quickly caught the ferret trying to come in and help, taking her with him. Ray would never forgive him if his beloved ferret got hurt. Even if Ray didn't know that he knew they were taking her with them if they ever got around to leaving Xander and Oz.

Jack and Daniel evacuated the room after Jack gave the guys some specific instructions, letting the people with the large rubber suits do this job. He dragged Daniel into Xander's writing room, stopping to look around at the wallhangings, and shuddered at what they portrayed.

"This is where Xander writes," Daniel told him, hoping to calm him down. "What do you want, Jack?" he asked tiredly. This particular discussion was keeping him up at nights. He'd been avoiding Jack for a while now, not wanting to have this discussion, but he knew it was coming.

Jack shook himself, staring at his friend instead. "Daniel, how long had you know about this before you died?"

"About a week," Daniel admitted, sitting down on the sinfully soft, flame colored sofa. "Xander found me in London and told me what was going on."

"And he's who got you a teacher?"

"Yeah, he and Adam are close friends. Oz and Adam are closer, but that's not going to interfere with my training."

"And what about your training?" Jack asked.

"I've got to learn how to use a sword. There may be other lessons that might help me as much, we'll have to see about those," he repeated Adam's words. "Jack, I'm sorry this has upset you, but it's not my fault. I didn't chose this. I didn't ask for this. And I really am not thrilled with the idea of losing everyone else in my life at the moment."

"Okay," Jack said, running his hands through his hair. "Why would you lose us?"

"Jack, I'm *immortal*," he said quietly. "Adam's over six *hundred* years old." He saw the realization dawn and nodded. "Yeah, so I'm not real thrilled with this whole thing right now."

"Daniel, promise me you won't do something stupid," Jack ordered quietly. Daniel gave him a funny look. "I know you're not going to walk into a fight without a weapon, but you've got to try for me, okay?" He sat down beside his best friend and pulled him in for a hug. "Promise me, Daniel, that you'll always try to win your fights."

"I promise, Jack," Daniel whispered.

A cleared throat interrupted them. "Yeah?" Jack asked, pulling back.

"The case and the stone are secure, sir," the soldier said. He looked at the wall hangings and quickly focused only on the two men. "What now?"

"Now, it gets back to Cheyenne Mountain as fast as possible," Daniel told them, smiling at him. "I'm going to start undergoing much more rigorous training and Jack was making me promise that I wouldn't give up."

"Oh," the soldier said and nodded, apparently that explained it enough for him. "Is there a flight scheduled?"

"No, call Doctor Frasier and have her set all that up. And make sure that little yellow one doesn't dissolve any more," Jack warned. "It's acidic."

"We've got one of our civilian helpers in the infirmary back at the base, the one who this house belongs to," Daniel told him. "He's being eaten through by the yellow rock. It's analogous to sulfuric acid."

"Yes, sir, we'll be very careful." He saluted Jack and then left, much at ease that one of the better Colonels in their program wasn't turning against the Air Force Way.

Daniel shook his head. "I think he's pretty thankful that you're not the owner," he said with a faint smile, waving a hand at the tapestries.

"They're very...graphic," Jack said, admiring the work if not the content. "Where do they find these things?"

"In India," Methos said from the doorway. "Xander finds some of the most amazing things in little out of the way places." He smiled a feral smile at Daniel. "Are you ready for another go, young one?"

"Sure," Daniel said, jumping up. "Let me go get my sword. I was sharpening it in the living room," he reminded his teacher. "You've told me often enough this is a safe place." He pushed past him, going to find his sword and make sure it was ready for practice.

"How's he doing?" Jack asked, getting comfortable, waving a hand to show he wanted to talk to the older man.

"He's doing as well as expected. Most intellectuals don't do well at first, though I must say he's a lot less whiny than most have been." Jack nodded. "Tell me more about what he does and I'll be able to incorporate that into his training," Methos offered after a few minutes of silence.

"We're in various environments," Jack told him. "Nothing's ever standard except the base. Sometimes we're in snow up to our hips. Sometimes we're in a rainforest environment." He shrugged. "I'm hoping this training won't be the most necessary for our missions."

"Ah, but it never hurts to be prepared and he will at least be bringing his sword with him from now on," Methos told him. "And I'm going to teach him some other weapons as we go along. It will be important for him to be able to fight with whatever weapon's at hand."

"Hey, that I can understand. As a matter of fact, I like that idea a lot," Jack admitted. "Can you give him a more practical weapon? Something that'll help on any planet?"

"Something like an axe?" Methos asked dryly.

Jack nodded. "Yeah, even just a little one might help. I'm tired of having to shoot at trees."

"Most fighting axes aren't suitable for cutting down trees," Methos told him, getting comfortable. "I will let Daniel choose his own favorite weapon, but I will tell him about this, though I believe he's been considering this while he researches his weapon choice."

"What about the sword he has?"

"That's his first sword and always will have a special place in his heart, but it's not a very heavy weapon. There are a few of us who fight with rapiers, but it's very hard to take a head with one, or with a lighter sword. I'd like to see him with a more substantial weapon myself."

"Good. So you want Danny to stick around also?"

"I wouldn't train him if I didn't," Methos told him as he stood up. "We'll be out in the front yard." He walked away, heading to go find his student and make him bleed and learn some more.

Jack thought about that for a few seconds but then the room got to him and he had to go find somewhere else, maybe somewhere with more of a sports motif, to go think in.

***

Methos answered the phone, listening to the quiet voice on the other end. "Yes, Steven, bring him down," he sighed, hanging up. "Oh, dear. What has my little Blair gotten himself into this time?" he whispered, curling back around his Ray's body.

"Who was that?" Ray mumbled.

"Steven. Another of my students is looking for an escape from his present lover and he's bringing him here."

"Xander and Oz might not like that," he noted.

"Xander knows Blair. They met while Xander was coming back from New York."

"Oh. Do they *know* each other?"

"Yes, dear. Xander reawakened Blair's own GHSness. Blair's a lot like you in some ways," he said, rubbing over the soft, but firm stomach skin. "He's also an intellectual like Daniel."

"Do you think they'll hit it off?" Ray asked, rolling over to get proper cuddles. "I mean, you've got to have Daniel around for a little while."

"True. Actually, if I remember right, Blair's also an Anthropologist. They might already know each other professionally."

"Maybe," Ray yawned. "Nap?"

"Yes, dear one, go back to sleep. Steven's helping him get here, but he and Richie aren't coming with him tomorrow."

"Cool." Ray closed his eyes and fell back asleep, safely held in his lover's arms.

"I do love you for your mind also," Methos whispered, kissing Ray's forehead. He relaxed as he thought about all that Xander could really teach Blair, if he were back.

***

Xander woke up and looked around the dark room. He blindly reached out for a lamp, running into a warm lump instead. "Lights?" he suggested.

"Sorry, we're looking at the areas of your skin that've been attacked." Janet flipped on the lights, after taking off her special goggles. "They glow under certain lighting conditions." She smiled down at him. "How do you feel?"

"Better," he admitted. "Is it cured?"

"Nearly. Six treatments and four more wraps ought to do the trick with the way it's decreasing. You're down to your primary contact point now, your legs and your left arm."

Xander looked at the bandaged extremities. "Is it that bad?" She nodded. "So I have to be a mummy?"

"Just for a few more days," she said, giving him a brighter smile. "So, what are you going to do when you get out?"

"I'm going to go jump my Oz," he said with certain conviction. "He'll need the reassurance."

She shook her head. "I meant besides that and going home to your animals."

"Oh. I don't know yet. Maybe going to a spa to get a treatment for my skin, because I'm thinking it's going to be really dry." She nodded. "And having someone really good look at my hair at the same time."

"All right. I'll be giving you a list of herbs to stay away from for a little while." He nodded. "Just as a precaution. Which spa do you go to?"

"It's this nice little place in LA, not in Beverly Hills, I went there and they didn't like me because I was a guy," he told her. "But it's down by the better plastic surgeons."

"Surely you're not thinking about that," Janet asked. "With how young you look?"

He grinned. "Nope, I won't need plastic surgery for a *long* time," he told her.

"But I thought you're not like Daniel," she said, starting to look confused.

"I'm not. But there is a way for Oz to keep me around with him, and we did it. So I'm going to be around with him."

"Oh." She nodded. "Okay. Anyway, it looks like it's only going to be a few more days." She looked at the corner. "Oz thought you might like something to eat so I had him escorted down to the cafeteria." Xander nodded. "He'll be back soon." She patted his arm. "Just relax, you're almost better." She picked up her goggles and walked out, making notes on his chart as she walked.

Xander settled down in the bed, waiting for his Oz to show back up so he could get cuddles. Food was much less important to him than cuddles.

***

Blair got out of his car and ran over to his teacher, jumping on him to give him a hug.

"Shh, you're safe too," Methos promised Blair, dropping his sword to hug him and lead him a little ways away. "What happened?" he asked once they were sitting together on the front steps.

"He decided he was going to be an ass about what I am and shove it in my face every fight we had, which were getting worse," Blair said, giving him a helpless look. "I thought he respected me."

"He probably does, but he didn't realize what he had," Daniel said as he walked over. "Hi, are you Blair?" he asked, holding out a hand.

"Yeah, I am," Blair said, smiling at him.

"Daniel," he said. "So I guess our present spar is done for a while?" he suggested lightly.

"Yes, go pull Jack away from the Sports channels and have him help you in your weapons research," Methos ordered.

"Yes, Adam," Daniel sighed, rolling his eyes as he went inside.

Blair looked up at him, grinning. "He's a new student?"

"Not like you were, but yes," Methos agreed.

"Cool. He seems really nice."

"He is. He's an Anthropologist also," he noted, gauging Blair's interest. It wasn't often that he played matchmaker, but when he did, it often went well.

"That's cool," Blair said, snuggling back into the comforting arms. "When do I get to meet this Ray guy?"

"In a few moments. He's out back watching the ferrets."

"Ferrets?" Blair asked, looking up again. "Xander has ferrets?"

"And about eleven other animals," Methos said dryly, "not to mention ours are here right now also." He stood up, pulling Blair with him. "Come, let's introduce you to my Ray and then we'll get you settled into a room." He led him inside, going slowly so Blair could absorb his surroundings.

"Wow," Blair said, stopping in front of one of the saris Xander had hanging around the house. "This is beautiful work. Where did Xander get it?"

"In India. He and Oz spent some time there a few years back."

"How is Xander?"

"Not changed that much," Methos said lightly. "He's grown up a bit, became a better fighter, but he's still Xander."

"So he's still rescuing everyone that needs it?" Blair asked.

"Yes, Blair, and I'm sure if he were here, he'd invite you in for a bit too." He continued the trek out to the pool, coughing to get Ray's attention from his trimming of nails. "Ray, this is Blair," he said, smiling as his mate jumped up and ran over to give the other guy a hug.

"Hey, Blair." He smiled up at Methos. "The babies have sharp toenails."

"All babies have sharp toenails," Methos said.

"I can help," Blair offered. "I had a pet ferret for a while, but my mother made me set it free." He shrugged at the horrified look. "I was eight, I couldn't argue with her. Of course, I set it free with the help of one of the neighborhood boys and his setup for his own ferret, but hey, it was free from our house," he said with a grin.

"Cool," Ray said, leading the way back over to the napping ferrets. "Let's finish these guys off and then take them back inside. Mom's not real fond of them lying out here without her." He picked up the one he had been working on, getting sleepy protest squeaks, but he cuddled that one until it had calmed down. "Yeah, let's finish this so you can go back to your nap," he whispered, letting Blair hold the baby while he cut it's toenails.

Methos shook his head but sat down to watch. He had no doubt that he'd be trimming their ferret's claws sometime.

***

Daniel looked across the table at Blair. "So, what's your field of speciality?" he asked, passing over the plate of meat.

"Tribal cultures," Blair told him. "Yours?"

"Ancient. Particularly Ancient and Primary cultures, the ones that founded a lot of other ones."

"Wow. Mine's kind of a static field," Blair told him. "Most tribes are relatively similar.

"True, but aren't there always differences?" Daniel asked.

"Oh, yeah. But the basic structure of the society...."

"Never changes," Daniel finished for him with a smile. He glanced at Jack, who grunted. "Anyway, I'm in with a few expedition groups right now, if you'd like I'll help you find a new job."

"Thanks," Blair said, shooting him one of his most brilliant smiles. "I love teaching but sometimes I really miss being out in the world, doing it all again."

"How many languages do you speak?" Ray asked.

"About fifteen fluently and another ten reading, not counting a few dialects and slang versions of some of the languages," Blair told him. "Are you a scientist too?"

"Nah, I was a cop." He saw the sad look and laid a hand over Blair's hand. "Methos told me. I'm sorry about Jim and all."

"Yeah, me too," Blair sighed. "It took me a long time to get over him." He shook himself.

"Jim?" Jack asked. "Was he a cop too?"

"Yeah, a detective with Major Crimes in Cascade," Blair told him. "Are you a cop too?"

"Military," Jack told him. He saw the inquisitive look. "Danny's helping us with a project right now."

"Oh. I didn't know the military was into archeology," Blair said, looking at Daniel.

"Not really, but it's a side project," Daniel told him. "Someone's pet project." He shrugged. "It pays well and it's exciting work. Though I do have to give the cultural relativity lecture a lot," he said, looking at Jack.

"And those that get the field version never forget," Jack said with a smirk. "Blair, this guy's got a nasty left hand, it likes to come out and smack people across the back of the head when they're not paying attention to the cultural stuff when they need to."

"Yeah, I wanted to do that to a few students of mine in the past," Blair said, grinning at Daniel. "Feel good?"

"Very. After the third time of telling this one guy to leave the sacred object alone, he understood the reason." He looked at Jack. "So, Jack, any word on Xander's condition yet?"

"Condition?" Blair asked.

"Yeah, he got exposed to some chemicals somehow and we imposed on our physicians to take a look at him," Jack told him. "And no, not yet."

"I got a call from Oz," Ray told everyone, putting down his fork. "He said Xander's better. It's back to the areas it first started in, and someone named Janet said he might be home in as few as four days."

"Cool," Blair said. "I'd like to touch base with Xander again."

"How do you know Xander?" Jack asked.

"Um," Blair looked at Methos for guidance, who nodded. "I'm another GHS member, but I'd had to hide it for a while due to working with Jim at the police station. Xander made me remember what I was." He looked down at his plate. "It's kinda because of him that Jim kinda happened."

"Ah," Daniel said, nodding. "I've heard of GHS, but until I met Xander I never understood it." He looked at Ray and Methos. "I know both of you two are members too, Xander let slip that Methos trained him when he first became a member."

"GHS?" Jack asked.

"Greedy Hedonistic Sluts Society," Ray told him. "It's all about the pleasures in life."

Jack blinked a few times as he absorbed that. "Danny, are you learning that too?"

"No."

"No, but Adam taught me the ways too," Blair offered. "I could never be the GHS that Xander is, but then again, I'm not meant to be someone's concubine either."

"I've often said Oz should start his own little kingdom somewhere and set up Xander as his official concubine and bodyguard," Methos said dryly.

"I thought that's what this was," Daniel joked.

"Yeah, it is in a way," Ray said, grinning across the table. "I'm the secondary concubine in the house and chief animal helper, and Methos is the cook." He grinned at his mate, and got kissed for it.

"You're *my* concubine, Ray," Methos reminded him.

"Yup, all yours," Ray agreed, lighting up his face with a bright smile.

"That's what I wanted," Blair said.

"And thought you had?" Daniel asked sympathetically.

"Yeah," Blair sighed. "I thought I did, but then things started to go downhill. He started to shove what I was and what I had done before in my face and I started to scream back. Then I got less than happy and left." He shrugged. "It happens."

"Yeah, but it sucks when you lose your lover," Daniel said, reaching over to touch Blair's hand.

Blair looked into his eyes. "You do know," he said.

"Yeah, I've been widowed."

"Oh, man, I'm sorry," Blair said automatically. "How long ago?"

"Nearly eleven years," Daniel said with a smile.

"Without anyone else on the horizon?" Blair asked hesitantly. He could really start to like Daniel if he was allowed to. That military thing was still bothering him, they rarely liked people like him.

"Only some very good friends," Daniel told him.

"Daniel," Jack warned. He knew the signs of his best friend falling in love all too well. He'd seen them the first time. Besides, this would take clearance and he wasn't sure where General Hammond stood on couples going on missions. Because, from the looks of Blair, there wasn't anyway they'd get away with not letting him join the team. He pushed back from the table and got up to go find a more private phone.

"Jack?" Daniel called after him.

"Just going to check in," Jack called from down the hall.

Daniel shrugged and went back to discussing their field with Blair. "So, what do you think about that new Greek site? The Dionysian temple?"

"I think it's a wonderful find, especially since they found some decently preserved scrolls in there," Blair said, turning back on his mega-watt smile.

***

Ares and Strife popped in together, both staying invisible, but both smiling down at the couple curled up on the cot in front of them. "Gee, they're cute," Ares noted. He looked at Strife. "Why am I here if no one here believes we exist? They didn't pass the belief test either."

"Cupie said that's because they're fighting the schmuck's that tried to take over for us," Strife told him. "He appeared to one of their people and he seemed to think that it was only the aliens, the knowledge that we're real has been forgotten by all but a chosen few."

"Oh." Ares considered this for a few minutes. "All right. I'll watch over them and check things out." He looked out at the hall. "Anyone in particular?"

"Well, the guy that Cupie appeared to isn't here right now, he's back at Xander's," Strife sighed, "gettin' a new honey from what Cupie can tell, but the other two members of their team are here. A blonde lady who's *real* smart, Unc, and a real warrior from the old ways."

"Huh." Ares nodded and walked out through the door, going to find this warrior. Maybe it was time to show up and scare some people back into belief. Strife leaned down and kissed Xander on the cheek. "You rest," he ordered when one brown eye opened up to look at him. "I need you bettah, no one's lightin' your candle." He winked and left before Oz could wake up too.

Xander grinned and started to fall back asleep, Oz still buried partially inside of him from earlier. He came awake when he heard the door open, silently reaching for the knife right beside his hand under the pillow, not wanting to overreact in case it was Janet, but wanting to be careful in case it was their nightly visitor.

"Fags shouldn't be here," was the harsh whisper.

Xander rolled over Oz's body and came up with the knife held up. He and the soldier fought for a few seconds. Xander lost his knife because of the weakness from his injury, but the soldier lost his rifle, which Xander ended up with, holding it under the soldier's chin. "Oz," Xander said calmly. "Call someone."

"Okay," Oz sighed. "You okay? You're not supposed to be this active, Xander, you'll start to itch again." He went over to the alarm button, that went straight into the infirmary, and pushed it. "Janet should be on her way up." He got out of the way as the door opened and an unfamiliar doctor ran in. "He tried to jump us," he told him as the guy tried to tackle Xander.

"I'll be damned," Xander said, kicking the doctor. "Where's Janet?"

"Coming," the doctor gasped, looking at the soldier. "You attacked him?"

"He's a fag!" the soldier yelled. "He can't be tolerated here, he'll destroy us all!"

"I see," General Hammond said as he walked in. "Son, the gun please?" he asked, holding out a hand.

Xander unloaded it and tossed it over. "He's been in here every night for the last three nights."

"We'll deal with him," General Hammond said, giving Xander a smile. He glared at the doctor. "Sedate him and take him to the brig," he ordered. "I don't want him spewing this across the base." He turned and left, letting the doctor do his job with the help of the section's guards. Generals did not get their hands dirty with people they wanted to beat up. Besides, he had to consider his best people's dilemma. And maybe he'd offer a job to these two too.

Xander laid back down on the bed, starting to scratch his arm.

"I warned you," Oz told him, coming over to grab his hands. "Janet'll be down here soon to rewrap you but you've got to let me handle these things for a while."

"But I like protecting you," Xander pouted.

"And you will," Doctor Frasier said as she walked through the door, needle already uncapped, "but not for a few more months, Xander. Let Oz protect you both for a few months, then you can go back into overprotective mode." She stuck the needle in his arm, watching as Oz got him calmed down and back under the blankets. "We'll come wrap him once he's asleep," she said, sharing a smile with him. Xander *hated* the feel of the wraps, so they only did it while he was asleep.

"Can we still go home tomorrow?" Xander asked pitifully, trying to stay awake for just a few minutes longer.

"I don't have a problem with it," Janet said, smiling down at him. "We'll send some of the gel home with you, along with bandages and instructions." She patted him on the head. "Because of you, I've got a better way to treat burn patients," she told him, then left to go get the burn gel.

Oz snuggled down beside Xander, holding his hands so he couldn't scratch.

***

Xander walked off the plane and headed for the parking lot, figuring Oz probably had parked the car somewhere near the airport in short-term parking. He met his husband out beside their car, smiling at him. "Spa?" he pleaded.

"Sure. I called while we were in the air, you've got an appointment in about an hour. You got the list Janet gave you?" he asked as he put their single piece of luggage in the trunk.

"Yup," Xander said, getting in as soon as Oz opened his door. He leaned over and gave Oz a hug. "I wouldn't mind going home first, but I don't want to stay like this anymore."

"Shh, we'll get you moisturized and your hair trimmed while we're there," he promised, returning the hug. It was good that Xander was back to normal. And two hours was something tolerable, he could wait that long to get back to his sanctuary.

***

Xander looked up from his table, smiling sleepily at his Oz. "I'm not itchy," he whispered, bringing him over for a kiss. "I love you."

"Love you too. Just relax and let them work on this part of you and then we'll go do the hair thing." Oz pulled his chair closer, wanting to be able to touch Xander. He really wanted to make sure his Xander was all right. He hadn't been so scared about Xander for a number of years, and it bothered him. His lover wasn't immortal like he was, just very long lived. He didn't know how the spell would react if Xander were shot, or heaven forbid, burned to death. Maybe it was time for him to get his inner warrior back under control and start to protect his Xander instead of the other way around.

"Quit worrying," Xander said, not looking up.

"I wasn't," Oz lied.

Xander snorted. "Sure." He lifted his head to look at his husband. "Nothing's going to happen to me, Oz. Even if you had been there, it wouldn't have saved me from that rock." He reached up and touched his husband's forehead. "Just relax about it. No one's going to hurt me, and if they do, then you can have them."

"Xander, there was a chance that you wouldn't come back. I should have went with you."

"Maybe," Xander admitted, "but then both of us might have been trapped over there until I found someone else to create a portal back to the house." Oz looked confused. "The mirror had a crack on the side, I wasn't sure it was going to work. Actually, I almost got caught by the guards when I snuck in to get back to the portal. I had to hide for two days," he yawned, "before it opened," he finished, blinking sleepily. "Thankfully, the guards weren't immune to a fascination spell when they caught me trying to go through."

"The mirror was broken?" Oz asked quietly. Xander nodded, putting his head back down. "You might not have been able to come back," he whispered, leaning over to hug as much of his husband as he could.

"I would have come back," Xander promised, patting Oz's arm. "I knew where at least two mages were and I would have made them create me a portal to come home."

"Is the mirror working now?" Xander shook his head. "Okay then I won't worry about what might be coming through."

"Nothing can. The mirror was shattered on this side," Xander told him.

"Wow. You shattered one of the mirrors?"

"No the guy in the armor running around the house did," Xander told him, giving him a grin. "He's fine by the way. He's the guardian of that area. Once I un-horsed him, he listened to why I had crossed over. He was very impressed with me." He yawned again. "Oh, one of them goes to a dragon's lair. A dead dragon's lair from what he could tell. We really need to empty out the bag."

"You didn't," Oz sighed.

"Well, she wasn't there."

"A nest?" Oz said, his mouth falling open at the nod. "You're sure she's dead?"

"Her body was in there," he noted, wiggling up to get more of a hug. "I checked, Oz, she was dead and so was her child. Both by lots of arrows."

"Oh. What about the people who did that?"

"Well, I found six bodies," Xander admitted. "If there were any more, then they weren't there when I was. But, boy, are they going to be surprised when they come back," he snickered.

Oz groaned. "Xander, that's like stealing. They killed her, they deserved it."

"Oz, I left the only non-jewelry thing there. It was a crown wrapped around a sword and a sash. I only took the jewelry stuff," he pleaded.

Oz shook his head and closed his eyes. "Fine," he sighed. "I'll call Wes and have him go watch that one." He got up to go make that phone call but Xander pulled him back down. "Xan."

"I told him to," Xander told him, kissing him on the nose. "I was responsible."

"Okay," Oz agreed. "We'll put it in with the stuff you made, but you can't show it, Xander."

"Deal," Xander agreed. "Though, there was this one thing that I found that I want to investigate," Xander said thoughtfully. "Oz, is it possible for a stone to be a power source?"

Oz nodded. "We saw a few of those in the realms, they kept those lamps that had been lit forever going. Why?"

"Because I found a stash of them in the cave. If it works the way I think it does, then can I give them to those scientists?"

Oz shrugged. "We'll see. You know I want to look at their stuff first," he reminded him.

"Yup, but Daniel did and said they were legit."

"Good, then we'll sit down and look at everything tonight," Oz agreed. He soothed his lover by stroking over his neck, putting him back to sleep. He had a lot to think about before they got home.

***

Methos ran out to help Xander from the car, immediately enfolding him in his arms. "You're all right," he whispered, hugging him as hard as he could. "I'm not letting you out of this house or my sight for a very long time."

Oz walked around the car and tapped Methos on the arm. "Mine."

Methos pulled him for a hug too.

Daniel leaned against Blair's side, smiling down at the three men. "Xander's home," he noted for Jack, who was walking up behind them.

"Good." Jack walked past them, waving at Oz, who was looking over at him. "Hi. How was the base? Did you get a letter for me?"

Oz pulled it out of his back pocket and handed it over. "He never sealed it," he said before Jack could say anything. "Of course, he offered us your job, but hey," he said with a grin.

Xander poked Oz. "I don't want to work there yet."

"Yes, dear," Oz said, grinning up at Methos. "You too?"

"Of course. I'm not letting Xander go anywhere without some severe supervision."

"Good," Oz agreed.

Jack shook his head and walked back to the porch, reading the letter. "Okay, Danny, you explain it to him," he said, handing over the letter and walking back into the house.

"Hi, Blair," Xander said, waving. "When did you get here? And for that matter, why are you here?"

"His boyfriend became an ass," Methos told him.

"Oh. Okay. Welcome home," Xander called, snuggling in just a little closer. He was enjoying his cuddle.

Ray jogged out to get into the hug too.

Daniel walked down and started to lead the huggers inside. "Come on, guys, there's lots of soft surfaces to cuddle on in the house."

"Last one up gets the outside," Ray called, and he and Xander took off running, chased by Oz, and lastly Methos went running after them.

"That's not fair," Methos called as he ran.

Blair grinned at Daniel. "Yup, that's definitely Xander."

"How did you meet Xander?" Daniel asked, bringing him into the kitchen.

"He was found by Jim while trying to stop a ...something," Blair said with a shrug.

"Ah, the ubiquitous something," Daniel said with a grin. "We've met a few of those while in town at night."

"Ours was terrorizing a mall trying to get clothes to eat," Blair said with a shrug.

"Ah. Ours was trying to eat a tree." Daniel reached over and pulled Blair against him. "Blair, can we talk seriously?" he asked in his ear. Blair nodded, relaxing into him. "Want to come work with me and Jack?" he whispered.

"What?" Blair asked, turning around to look at him. "You mean for the military?"

"More like beside the military," Daniel admitted. "I'm still a civilian." He smiled a little self- consciously. "I wasn't quite truthful with you the other night. Yeah, I do work with the military, but," he took a deep breath, "it's not around here."

"Around here?" Blair asked.

"Yeah. As in we travel a lot. Um, across a gateway."

"Gateway?" Blair asked, crossing his arms. "Tell me the whole story, Daniel, please," he said in his best 'teacher' voice.

"Okay, I was going to do that anyway," Daniel said, getting a little cooler. "And I want you to listen to all of it." Blair nodded, hopping up to sit on the counter. "All right. Back in 1928 a large metal circle was found in Egypt. The military took control of it shortly afterward to study it, thinking it was some sort of weapon."

"And is it?"

"No, it's actually a gateway to other worlds. Worlds that were seeded from Earth's population."

"And you can prove this?" Blair asked.

"Yeah, I can prove this, and I will prove this later, if you agree." Blair nodded for him to go on. "All right. Anyway, the stargate, as it's called, is a gateway to other worlds, and we've found the aliens that did this. We're at war with them still. It's a slow process, but we're taking care of them."

"And you kill these aliens?" Blair asked.

"Only when we have to. I'm more concerned with the cultures we find and make contact with. We're learned so much from these cultures. I...I have had to fight," Daniel stammered. "It was a matter of life or death for me and the team."

"Which includes Jack?"

"He's my team's leader." He pulled one of Blair's hands free. "I want to show you my world, Blair. I know you don't want to be part of the military, but we will protect and take care of you. They do me."

"What would I be doing?" Blair asked quietly.

"About the same thing he does," Jack interrupted. "He's the first-contact person. We guard him until we see him running into danger and then go save his, and our, butts."

Daniel groaned. "I haven't done that in a while, Jack."

"Gee, he sounds like Jim," Blair joked. "He used to say that I was a trouble-magnet."

"Oh, geez," Jack sighed, going out onto the patio to get away from them.

Blair grinned. "Okay, that's reasonable. But I should probably tell you what my supposed diss was on."

"Gee, mine was on the cross-pollination of ancient cultures, due to the aliens."

"Mine was on tribal protectors."

"Oh, sentinels. We've run into one of those." Blair looked a little shocked. "Yeah, he was kinda nice. His Guide wasn't, but I understood her territorial imperative."

"Gee, Jim got that," Blair said quietly, considering it.

"Jim was one?"

"Yeah, he was. And he caught me after I had some fun with Xander."

"Oh. Fun?"

"Just a quick thing in my office." He sighed. "Jim was a very...one way sort of lover. I was so stifled I had forgotten what I had been before I met Jim. Running into Xander, and having fun with Xander, made me remember that, and Jim threw me out."

"Oh, man," Daniel said, pulling him into a hug. "What happened then?"

"Jim got hurt the next day. Xander saved him. He spent a long time in a coma."

"Oh, wow." Daniel gave him a squeeze. "You all right?"

"Yeah. I'm good. Jim's not, but I'm good." He grinned up at him. "Aliens?"

"Yup. They took over the roles of the Ancient Gods and made slaves of a lot of people. Then they took them away to become slaves on other planets."

"Okay. And could I work with you?"

"That I'm not sure of," Daniel admitted. "You might get assigned to another team or to the Archeology team." He shrugged. "My boss..."

"Would probably like to talk to me before he can make that decision."

"Yeah, and then there's ...."

"Training with weapons and learning about these aliens," Blair finished for him.

"Yeah, and besides, you can stay at my place," Daniel offered.

"How cluttered is it?" Blair asked carefully. "I've got a warehouse full of my stuff."

"We might need a new one then," Daniel said with good humor.

"Did we get this settled yet?" Jack called.

"Yeah, Blair's coming back with us," Daniel called. "And then I'm going to have to find a bigger place."

"Danny, with our salaries, a bigger place..." Jack walked back in and shook his head. "Never mind. Let me guess, Blair's got stuff like you do?"

"About a thousand books if I ever get all my stuff out of storage," Blair said, not looking at him, staring into Daniel's eyes. "And stuff from my travels. Plus my clothes."

"Hmm, I've got stuff from digs," Daniel told him. "And about as many books if I ever get them all back from people who borrowed them." He smiled.

Jack shook his head. "You two need to live in a library," he said as he went back to watching the ferrets chase each other around the pool. "Get out of there!" he yelled a few minutes later.

Ray came running out of the house to save his ferrets.

"Oh, it's going to be a *long* day," Jack sighed as he walked back into the house.

Back to Work.

Xander waved as Daniel, Jack, and Blair drove off in their cars, silently wishing Blair luck in Colorado when they got there tomorrow. He leaned back into Oz's arms, relaxing. "I hope Blair likes their boss."

"He likes you, I'm sure he and Blair will get along," Oz told him gently. He guided his husband in and onto a couch, settling in with him. He was taking the 'Xander must rest' order very seriously. He wasn't even allowing him to go do anything more strenuous than pet the animals. They could go do what Jack's boss needed them to in a few days, after he was very sure Xander was all right.

Xander snuggled into Oz's arms. "I'm going to work tomorrow," he whispered.

"Not."

"Yup. The faster I get it done, the better I'll feel." He looked up, giving his husband the big begging look. "I have to get it done sometime and the faster I get it done, the sooner my conscious is free and the faster I quit having nightmares about people being killed by it."

"All right. Is my pass still there?"

"It's in my jacket," Xander admitted. "We got them while we were walking out of the base."

"Okay." Oz shifted his grip, starting to rub over Xander's stomach. "You really want to go in tomorrow?"

"I'll be putting little pieces together, Oz, it'll be like putting together a puzzle."

"Which can frustrate you to no end," Oz reminded him. He got glared at. "Okay, we'll go in tomorrow. Do we have to call first?"

"Nope. Just show up. The General was really nice and told me as soon as I was bored with recovering to come in and work. He said someone'll call him when I get there."

"We."

"We," Xander agreed, leaning up to give him a kiss. "Can we go through the jewelry stuff now?"

"Sure. I want to see the nipple ring you made Ray." Oz let Xander get up and get the neverending bag, sitting up as his husband came back with it and upended it on the floor. Then he reached in to one of the inner pockets and pulled out their bags of stuff from the jewelry trading days. He took Xander's tools, putting them onto the couch beside him. He looked over his husband's shoulder, watching as he opened the jewelry pouches, something Xander had made to fold the individual pieces in, and poured them out onto the floor. "Whoa," he said, picking up a small jade and purple earring in the silver-derivative they had found across the portal. "Is this Ray's?"

"No, that was for someone else," Xander said, taking it and handing over a small blue stone set in the silver-like ring. "This is Ray's. He's got very small nipples."

Oz looked over the stone that had been one of the most expensive gems in the other realm. "We bought one of these?"

"No, I happened to find one of those," Xander admitted.

"Did we *steal* one of these?" Oz asked, looking at his mate.

Xander gave him a smile. "Nope. It was a gift."

"Oh, it was from *him*," Oz said, handing it back.

"Hey, a gift given in supposed love can be made into a gift given in total love," Xander defended.

"True," Oz agreed, kissing him on the back of the head. "I'd like to see him in it." He rubbed over Xander's shoulders. "What else did you make that I never saw?"

"Oh, she never came for it," Xander said, picking up a dainty ring. "It was supposed to have been her engagement ring." He held it up for Oz's benefit.

"Xander, she died in the attack that leveled the town and killed all but four people and us, all of which were magic users who ran away," Oz reminded him quietly.

"Yeah, I know, but she never came back for it."

"She was probably going to but couldn't get away," Oz soothed. "What else is there?"

"These," Xander said, opening the bag and pouring the loose stones. "These were the last lot we bought."

"Wow, nice purchase," Oz noted, picking up one to look at it in the light. "Is this an inclusion?"

"Yup. I have a fondness for certain inclusions," Xander defended. "Like my emerald with the piece of grass."

"I know." Oz handed it back. "What is that one?"

"It looks like a seed," Xander told him, holding it up. "Yup, a seed of some sort."

"Cool. What else is there?"

"Well, there's the pieces I was working on when we had to pack up," Xander noted, putting everything back and opening another of the larger bags to pull out some smaller ones. "Um, this one," he said, opening one, "was for that inn-keeper's wife," he said, handing it over to Oz.

"Oh, the red-stone bracelet," he said, nodding. "I kinda miss her. She was nice to us when we got into town."

"Yeah, she was," Xander said, carefully packing it away again. "Oz, I don't think it's right that we keep these pieces."

"Xan, we searched for over a year for survivors or for relatives to give the pieces to. We only found the one and we gave her the earrings you were making for her cousin." He pulled Xander up into his lap with a grunt, giving him a hug. "I miss them too, and I don't think it's right either, but it happened. We never found anyone to take them." He turned his husband's face so he had to look at him. "We did try our best, love, that's all that matters."

"I guess," Xander sighed, looking down. "What's that?" he asked, noticing the odd colored bag. "When did I make a midnight blue bag?" He slid down, picking it up and opening it. "Oz," he breathed, pulling out the single black earring.

"I'm impressed," Oz said, taking it to look at it. "Did you make this?"

"Only if I've forgotten about it," Xander noted. Oz looked at him. "I don't remember making it."

Oz hummed and handed it back. "It's pretty. What do you want to do with it?"

"Keep it hidden," Xander said, frowning at it. "I don't remember seeing this before, Oz."

"Yeah, me either, but that doesn't mean we have to hide it."

"No, I want to hide it," Xander decided, putting it back into the bag. "Maybe I'll make it an offering to Strife," he murmured.

"I think he might like that," Oz said, tugging on the long braid Xander wore today. "Did you light the candles yet?"

"Yup, this morning, and said a quick 'thank you'," Xander said, standing up. He walked into his writing room, blowing out the black candle he lit every morning and picking up a match to relight it. He sent a quick thought up as he lit the wick, and turned to find the God of Mischief standing behind him. "Hey," Xander said, giving him a smile. He handed over the bag. "We just found this in our stuff from across the realms and I don't remember making it, but I think it'd suit you really well," he offered.

Strife squealed and opened the bag, pulling out the small black earring. "Xander!" he shouted, giving him a hug. "Wow!" He grinned as Oz walked in. "I have no idea where this came from either, but it's a very pretty piece."

Cupid appeared and took it, looking at it in the light. "Strife, it's from somewhere else, you might get sick if you wear it," he warned.

"Yay," Strife said, snatching it back. "My prezzie." Cupid pouted at him. "Xander gave it to me. Get your own."

"Actually," Oz said, holding up a silver bag. "I just found this in the stuff too," he offered to Cupid. "It's not like the other bags either."

Cupid opened the bag and peered down into it, then grinned as he pulled out a bellychain that matched Strife's new ring. "Whoa," he said, holding it up. "Really pretty." He grinned at Xander. "Yes, you did make them, I can tell that much. It should be fine." He handed it to Strife. "Put it on me?" he asked with a grin.

Strife handed him both bags and wrapped the chain around Cupid's waist. He hitched it, smiling as the clasp disappeared. "Gee, Xander," he purred, "did you maybe have some help making these?"

"Yup, he did, but I'll tell you about it later," Cupid said, pulling out the little ring. He concentrated then smiled at Strife, who grunted as the ring disappeared and rubbed his chest. "Better?" he smirked. Strife nodded and grinned back. "Good, catch me," he whispered then disappeared, leaving the bags there.

"Help?" Oz asked once they were alone, Strife having disappeared right afterwards.

"Well, there were those times when I kinda came out of a trance-sorta state," Xander admitted. "You were really good about coming in and interrupting them."

"Point. I remember those," Oz admitted, helping Xander up and back out to the living room. He smiled when he saw Ray poking through all the bags, with a ferret baby helping. "Hey," he said, sitting down on the couch, letting Xander go play with him.

"You do pretty work," Ray said, smiling at Xander.

Oz tossed over the bag Xander had put Ray's prezzie in. "That's yours whenever you're ready."

"Oz, you guys shouldn't have." He opened it and pulled out the ring, looking at Xander, who was doing his best impersonation of innocence. "No," he said slowly and firmly. "Not getting a nipple ring."

"That could work in bellybuttons," Oz offered. Ray shot him a dirty look and shook his head. "Just a suggestion."

"Oh, my," Methos said as he walked in, smiling at the little earring his Ray was holding. "Where did that one come from?"

"From Xander," Ray said, pouting up at him. "He thinks I need a nipple ring." His eyes narrowed as Methos looked interested, even going so far as to lick his lips. "No," he repeated. "No extra holes in my body."

"All right, dear one," Methos said, sitting down next to him, and moving the ferret so he wouldn't sit on her. "I won't force the issue, but I wouldn't object if you got a nipple ring, they used to be used to mark one's love."

"No," Ray repeated. "You mark me every night. You don't need ta put an extra hole in my body to do that."

"All right, I won't ask you to do that," Methos agreed, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "But do keep the gift, Ray, it's a beautiful piece of work."

"Thanks," Xander said, grinning.

"You made this?" Ray asked. Xander nodded. "Wow." He looked it over again. "It's *real* pretty, Xan. I'll put it in my box'a special stuff." He got up and headed up to their room.

Methos smiled at Xander. "Did you do all the work?" he asked Xander.

"We didn't hire anyone, Methos," Oz told him, patting Xander on the head. "He took lessons from a master jeweler and learned very quickly from him. He's great at the small stuff."

"I can even do a little bit of forge work," Xander told him, "but I can't do anything bigger than a dagger."

"Horseshoes?" Oz asked. Xander shook his head. "I thought you were learning that."

"I was, and then we had to leave in a hurry," Xander reminded him.

"Oh. Okay." He shrugged as he looked back up at his teacher. "Yeah, Xander did it all. He's got a very delicate hand but he's never made anything very femme and tiny."

"Oh." Methos waved a hand at the little bags around them. "May I look?"

"Sure," Xander offered. "The lavender ones are the ones I made over there. The others are stuff that I picked up on the way." He pointed out two more bags. "And there's another set of those bags."

"I remember you picking out a different fabric for those because they felt special to you," Oz told him.

"See, I don't even remember that," Xander said, pouting.

"So check them and see if you need to finish any of them," Oz suggested. "We can set you up a little working spot outside."

"We could," Xander agreed, picking up some more of the odd-colored bags to check inside them. "Hey, these aren't finished," he said, frowning. "I think I'm going to need somewhere to work, Oz."

"All right. What do you need? Just one of those little mini forges?"

"That'd help, that and the clamps and stuff that we couldn't bring along," Xander said as he looked over the ring in his hand. "Remember the gas forge we saw?"

"Yeah, but I'm not sure we can do that," Oz told him. "We don't have a gas line up here and I doubt they were using natural gas."

"Oh." Xander shrugged. "Just a thought." He turned the ring around again. "Yeah, this one just needs a little more decoration to make it balanced." He held a hand up. "Can I have one of those little picks?"

"Sure," Oz said, handing over the roll of tools. "Be careful. Every time you use one of those littler ones, you stab yourself."

"I will," Xander sighed, searching for the tool he wanted. "Ah-ha!" He pulled out the small pick and started to probe the little swirls on the band. "Yeah, this just needs a few hours of work. It's almost perfect," he said, not looking up before grabbing the next piece. "Oh, I remember this one," he said, glaring at it. "It did not want to do what I wanted it to."

Methos leaned over and took the carved bangle, looking at the carvings. "This one looks finished, all except the clasp." He turned it to show it to Xander.

"No, there's something else that goes there," Xander told him, holding out a hand. "It won't take me that long to attach the maker's emblem." He got the bracelet back and looked it over, rubbing his thumb across the blank part. "I can stamp this later tonight if I could get our stove hot enough."

"Wait until we get your forge set up," Oz advised. "You don't want to risk screwing up the maker's mark."

"Point," Xander agreed, putting the bracelet back. He looked through his tools. "Oz, I'm missing my maker's mark stamp."

"You didn't get a chance to pack it in the tools, but it was in there loose," Oz told him. "I remember tossing it in."

Xander picked up the bag and reached around inside, ending up with his head and one arm inside while he searched. He came out, dragging a few more bundles of stuff, then went back in and turned the bag inside out. A slim rod fell out of a fold, landing on the floor with a soft thump. "Here it is."

"What're those?" Oz asked, pointing at the bundles. Xander shrugged. "Okay. Hand them up and I'll look them over." Methos grabbed them and tossed them up. "Thanks."

"Xander, what's in those two?" Methos asked, pointing at the still-packed larger bags.

"Um, stuff I found while I was across the boundary at the house," Xander told him, pushing them aside.

"I said I wanted to look at them," Oz noted as he untied the intricate knot on the top of the first bundle. "Well, you packed it," he said after freeing the fifth knot.

"Five knots?"

"It was his thing to make sure it stayed together," Oz explained. "He does the same thing whenever he has to hand-tie a knot while sewing." He unfolded the heavily embroidered cloth. "Oh, hey, it's your betrothal robe." He tossed it across the room. "And your trousseau." He threw those too.

"Would you mind explaining that?" Methos asked gently.

"Yup. Someone decided I was marrying their daughter," Xander said, not looking up. "They took me, forced clothes on me, almost married me off. When I got to meet with the priest to make sure I knew what was going to happen, I told him I had a beloved, my shield brother, and he sighed and had to let me go." He shrugged, picking up one of the pieces of cloth to look at. "That's just sick," he noted, pointing at the fertility symbols.

"Yup," Oz said, tossing another pair of pants across the room.

"Hey!" Ray complained as he walked back in and the pants hit him. "I don't need tights." He looked at the trim. "You get bored?"

"No, someone wanted him to marry their daughter, these were his marriage clothes," Oz told him, tossing a shirt.

"Hey, that one was mine," Xander complained. "It was clean."

"A clean shirt?" Oz asked, one eyebrow going up. "We always needed clean shirts." He held out a hand. "Toss that back."

"Sure," Ray said, picking it up and tossing it back. "Gonna use the others for scrap, Xan?"

"Nope," Xander noted. "I don't want to see them ever again." He tossed a little piece of gold up at Ray. "A coin from our time there."

"Wow." Ray turned it over, looking at the design. "That's pretty cool." He flipped it to the other side. "Hey, what's this? A naked woman?"

"Ah, Talvandars," Oz sighed. "I hated that town."

"Me too," Xander said, reaching back to grip Oz's hand, missing it and getting his leg instead. "But we're home now and those holy virgins won't bother you anymore," he promised.

"Holy virgins?" Ray asked, still playing with the coin.

"Yup, holy virgins," Oz said, nodding. "And they decided Xander didn't exist because he didn't bow to them as they walked by."

"Hey, they were funny looking. They should expect stares from people who aren't from there. People from other lands probably wouldn't expect holy virgins to be wandering around wearing only long veils."

"Maybe," Methos said, "but most holy virgins can get a bit...persnickety about people looking at them."

"Us being together didn't help that any," Oz told him. "They were worse than the Hestians were to 'shield brothers'."

"Which are what?" Ray asked, sitting down in his lover's lap.

"What gay couples are called over there," Oz told him. "Xander, did you want to do anything with that coin?"

"If we have any more, I was going to give them to Ray so he could collect them for us," Xander said, examining another piece of jewelry he had made. "This one needs fixed majorly," he said, tossing it down beside him in the growing pile.

"Traveling bent them?" Methos asked.

"No, they were in the forge when the attack started," Oz told him. "We were packing while we were defending our area. It's no wonder that they're hurt. They were put into cold water so we could pack them, even if they were at the wrong temperature to be taken from the fire." He watched as Xander growled and put another piece in the growing pile. "Relax, babe. You can fix them. Or remake them." He reached down, rubbing over Xander's shoulders. Xander remained tense. "Or are you itching?" He got a slight nod. "Okay, where did you put the gel?"

"In the fridge, like Janet said," Xander said, looking up. "Do we have to?"

"If it works, yes," Methos answered promptly. "You will follow doctor's orders, even if I had make sure you do."

"He needs the goop and the bandages we brought home with us," Oz told him. "And we need to sedate him because the gel makes him act funny at first."

"I'm sure we can take his mind off it," Methos said as he stood up and headed for the kitchen. "Ray, go get me those bandages while I get the gel. Are there instructions?"

"On the bottle," Oz called after him. "Shh, it'll be okay," he promised, pulling Xander back into his lap. "I know you don't like the gel, but it'll be okay. We'll take your mind off the crawling feeling."

Xander nodded and snuggled into his Oz's body, willing to believe him, until he begged to be sedated later when nothing took his mind off the crawling feeling.

Methos came back in with a small bowl of the gel, stirring it with a popsicle stick. "Just your legs?" he asked as he knelt beside the couch, pushing things out of his way with his knee.

"Yup," Xander murmured. "Just my left one really."

"Pants off then." He saw the head shake. "Little one, we've all seen what you've got. Pants off." He watched as Oz untied them and slid them down his hips, letting Ray grab them to pull them off. "All right, Ray, as I slather this on, lay the gauze over it, all right?" He got a nod and dipped out some of the gel, slapping it onto the bare skin.

"Oh, snakes," Xander cried, reaching down to scratch it.

"Shh," Oz said, catching his hands. "It feels like something's crawling," he explained at the worried looks.

"So we distract him," Ray said, shrugging. He leaned down and sucked Xander's cock into his mouth, making him scream.

"And it makes him very sensitive," Oz said, watching what the other couple was doing to his mate.

"So I noticed," Methos said, working on getting more of the gel over Xander's leg. He reached for the cut gauze, laying that over the wet patches. When he was done, he pulled Ray off. "Xander, does anywhere else itch?" He got a whimper in response. "Is that a yes?" Xander nodded, biting his lip. "Tell me, little one. Your other leg?"

"Ankle, that one," he panted, pointing.

Methos let Ray go, pushing him back down as he worked over the ankle too. When he was done, he looked up and saw Xander had his eyes closed and Oz was rubbing over his bare stomach, working around the bunched up shirt. "Is that good enough?" Xander moaned, nodding frantically. "All right." He sat back and watched Ray take Xander's mind off his injury, smiling when Xander screamed as he came. "Are we letting him sleep down here?" he asked Oz, who nodded, watching Xander as he fell asleep.

Oz finally looked up, giving Methos a grim look. "This is bad. He can't get emotional because it makes him itch. He can't get physical because it makes him itch. We can't do more than gently touch each other because it makes him itch."

"Oz, you know that if he could, Xander would happily be pouncing you at this very moment," Methos reminded him.

"Yeah, but he can't and it's driving him nuts."

"And you?" Ray asked, finished with his cleaning Xander up. He laid another piece of gauze over a spot that had leaked through.

Oz nodded at Ray's candid look. "I need to make sure he's all right, but if I do that, then he'll start to itch in the middle of it."

"Which sucks," Ray agreed, "but why can't you tie him down and do it. He likes that."

"Because if Xander gets too happy, then he'll start to itch, even if he's just laying there," Oz told him. "We tried right before we came back. I managed to get into him but I couldn't move, every time I tried, he started to itch."

"So you'll wait," Methos said calmly. "Anticipation is an art form, Oz."

"Yeah, but Ray just did something that I haven't been able to do in weeks," Oz said, nearly pouting.

"Ah, but Xander loves you," Ray pointed out. "We're buddies, but I'm not that important to him, not like you are," he said at the glare from Oz. He knew they hated his low self-esteem, but it's not like he could fix it. "Trust me here, Oz, you'll have all the Xander you can handle in a few weeks. Just let him finish healin' and you'll get all the Xander you want."

"Yeah," Oz said, giving them both a goofy smile. "I know I will, but that's a damn long time. After his heart problem, he had trouble waiting two weeks."

"Yes, but this time he knows what will happen if he breaks doctor's orders," Methos reminded Oz. "Then he had no consequences outside of having a longer recovery. Now, if he tries, you'll end up having to keep him chained up so he won't dig into himself anymore."

"Yeah, but it still sucks," Oz sighed, pulling Xander up a little so he'd be more comfortable. "Thanks for distracting him, Ray, the gel for the first ten minutes or so is almost as bad as the itching itself."

"Hey, anytime," Ray said, grinning at the cute couple on the couch. "Can he bathe?"

"Yes, all the time," Oz said with a smile. "As a matter of fact, the doctor that took care of us said that he was to bathe instead of shower, and that he was only to shower to rinse off the gel, before he bathed, and to do his hair, which she really thought was cute."

"Cool," Ray said, nodding at Methos. "Can we?"

"Later, Ray. Let the gel work first." He stood up, starting to pick up all the little bags and stuff them into the bigger one that had been holding them. "What is in those other two bags, Oz?"

"Stuff he found in a semi-empty dragon's lair."

"Oh." Methos shook his head. "Empty how?"

"Dragon mommy and baby had been killed, and so had a bunch of people. Xander took almost everything before anyone else could come across it." He pointed at the phone. "Can I have that? I want to call and check in with Wes."

"Of course," Ray said, getting up and getting it for him. He handed it over then started to help Methos with his self-appointed task.

Oz used the memory dial for Wesley, smiling when he heard the cheerful voice on the other end. "Hi, Marigold. Is Wes back?" He pulled the phone away from his ear as she yelled. "Thanks," he said, once he could hear again. "Hey, Wes. Yeah, Xander told me about that. That's why I'm calling to check. Really?" He hummed. "I guess that's cool. Did you go over and check?" He nodded slowly. "All right then. Yeah, if anyone comes in, I'd like to know about it. You did? How? Oh. No, he never figured that out. No, I didn't know it was there until he brought in a keystone. No, you remember the annoying humming crystal? Well, that was the original keystone we had. Yes, that thing." He rolled his eyes. "Not a clue, Wesley, really. He did? Yeah, go ahead and send that up. No, we're home. No, Xander had to go get a little bit of medical treatment from his trip the first time through... Really? Great," he sighed. "But it's definitely broken?" He looked relieved. "Thanks, Wes. No, it's not an imposition. It's just Adam, Ray, and us at the moment. Sure, come on up. No, you'd better make her leave Faith at home. Because the stuff Xander got doused with makes him itch frantically when he gets emotional and he still wants to kill Faith, same as you do." He pulled the phone away again as he heard Marigold screech at her Watcher. "Yes, Marigold, her. Because we liked the girl before you too and your Faith-snuggly killed her. No, if you come up, you have to leave Faith at home. Yes, it's a rule now, Marigold." He sighed as Wesley took the phone away from her. "Thank you. Anyway, no one's come looking for anything?" He chuckled then hung up. "Wes says hi and that he'll be up sometime tomorrow to bring us something that Xander dropped in the house on his way back through the portal."

"All right, we'll be expecting him if you're gone," Methos said lightly.

"Gone?" Oz asked.

"I do believe Xander has shown a desire to go to work tomorrow," he reminded his former student.

"Oh. That." Oz grimaced. "Not if he has another one of these attacks he won't. We don't want to go through this tomorrow when he's at a military instillation."

"Won't Danny be there?" Ray asked.

Oz nodded. "Yup, he, Jack, and Blair will all be there tomorrow. They're teleconferencing today with their boss to get Blair into the program and then they'll take him back to Colorado late tomorrow afternoon."

"So, if anything happens, you go find Danny and he'll make sure you get home. And if he has to, Jack can come pick him up here."

"Good point," Methos said, clapping Ray on the back. "Now, let's get him up to the bed, shall we?" Oz made a gross face. "What?"

"If he gets this stuff on the sheets, it won't be coming out but we'll have to strip the bed."

"So we'll add another bottom sheet, just in case," Ray said, standing up. "And I'll rewrap his leg in more gauze too." He smiled at Oz. "You just wanna cuddle on the couch."

"Of course," Methos said, pulling his Ray in for a hug. "Don't you?" Ray grinned at him. "See? Who wouldn't want to cuddle Xander on the couch."

"Oz?" Xander breathed.

"Right here," Oz whispered in his ear. "How's the itching?"

"Better," he said, opening his eyes. He smiled at Ray. "Thank you."

"Hey, that's what buddies are for," he said with a pop of his neck. "Now, bed, young man." He got free of Methos' grip and jogged up the stairs to go fix the bed for them.

Methos held out a hand, helping Xander to his feet until Oz could get up too. "I'll bring the gauze up and wrap his leg again before you both go rest," he said, letting them go first. Once he was alone, he shook his head. The trouble that boy could get into by being in the wrong place at the right time.

***

Xander handed over their passes at the gate the next morning and yawned, then waved away the salute. "Where am I going?" he asked the guy.

"Second level, sir. Your equipment should be all set up for you already and the base commander is waiting on you."

"Thanks," he said dryly. He took their passes back and let Oz drive into the new parking unit for the compound. "They've been busy since we were last here, huh?" he asked as their car sunk down into the underground parking facility, newly renovated from some of the Initiative's barracks.

"Real busy," Oz agreed. "You sure you want to do this?" he asked as he parked the car in their assigned spot. He turned to look at his husband. "You're really sure?"

"Very sure," Xander agreed. "If I start to itch, then we'll go home again. And besides, I do have medical clearance to leave if I need to." He gave Oz one last kiss, knowing that they couldn't do this inside. "Okay, now I'm ready," he announced.

Oz snorted and got out, waiting behind the trunk for Xander so he could help him inside. "We did pack some of the gel, right?"

"It's in the trunk, in that nice cooler that we installed when we had the car customized," Xander told him, grabbing his arm.

"Just take it slowly, Xan," Oz said quietly, watching him as they walked over to the elevator. "You're absolutely sure...."

"Yes, Oz," Xander sighed. "The faster I can get this done, the faster I can forget I helped build a weapon." He punched the button for the elevator, then noticed the card slot. "I think we need to run these," he said, taking his off to run it. "Yup," he said as the door opened. "It's definitely the military." He let Oz led him onto the elevator, taking comfort from him as the most mild of warning itches started. If he needed to, all he needed to do was sit down suddenly and Oz would immediately run for the gel, but he didn't want to worry his husband. "Let's hope the base commander's waiting after all," he noted as the door opened. An older man smiled at them from across the small hallway.

"Yes, I am," he said, coming over to shake Xander's hand. "And Mr. Osbourne, I was told to expect you whenever your...husband was here with us."

"Yup, especially right now," Oz said, looking around. "Can we sit somewhere?"

"How about in your office?" he suggested.

"Major Mayfield," a strident voice called down the hall and running footsteps came toward them.

"Just a chair would be nice," Xander said with a smile. "I'm going to need one soon."

"Oh, are you ill?" the Major asked.

"No, he was exposed to some chemicals," Oz said. "He's still in recovery, but he itches if he gets upset or too active."

"Oh. I wish someone had told me."

"Doctor Frasier looked him over," Oz said as a young man came skidding around the corner and barely stopped before running into them, saluting quickly. "Sir, we've just gotten a long fax from Home Base."

"All right, I'll pick it up on my way to their suite." He pointed at Xander. "This is Civilian Harris, he's working on that special project in room 8."

"Yes, sir," he said, saluting them. "Do you need me to take them there, sir?"

"No, I've got it," Mayfield said gently. "Bring me the fax at their suite while Civilian Harris briefs me."

"Yes, sir," he said, saluting then running away.

Oz shook his head. "I don't think I was ever that young."

"And the surprising thing is, he probably ran up a good two flights of stairs in under ten minutes to find me." He smiled. "You're just down the hall. All civilians are on this floor, and only on this floor, with the exception of Dr. Jackson. He requested to be in a room near you as he's helping you work on your project?"

"He's translating the writing on the pieces I'm putting together," Xander said, stifling a yawn. "Sorry, just got up." He saw the appraising look and shrugged. "I don't have to keep military time and mornings bother me. Is that going to be a problem?"

"No," Mayfield said quickly. "Not at all. I'll have to make a note of that before the permanent base commander gets here, but I don't have a problem with that. You have free access to come and go as you please, but your project has to stay here."

"I might need to take it home once it's complete," Xander told him. "I'm going to have to find a crystal that'll work in it and figure out how to facet it the best way."

"You can't do that down here? A resin model...."

"Won't vibrate and that's what this thing does," Oz told him. "And Xander's a master craftsman when it comes to jewelry. That's one of the reasons he agreed to take on this project, that and he's seen one before." Mayfield gave them another appraising look. "Ask Hammond, he knows."

"*General* Hammond didn't say anything about this project to me, but he did say to trust your instincts."

"Very true," Xander agreed, smiling as he saw the familiar faces ahead of them. "Hey, Jack, Blair," he said, holding out arms to get a hug from Blair. He grinned at Jack. "I'd give you one too, but the last time I tried, you about popped me one."

Jack grunted. "Finally here?"

"We had another itching episode last night," Oz told him.

"Oh, man, that sucks," Blair said, leading the way into Xander's workroom. "Here you go," he said, flipping on the bright overhead lights.

"Ow!" Oz complained, turning them off. He pulled out a candle pack and put it on the table, lighting it. "Better."

"Lamp," Xander made note, and Oz wrote it down.

"What's wrong with the lights?" Mayfield asked.

"They're too bright for humans," Xander told him. He sat down on the stool and then got up and pulled a little table in front of the only comfy chair in the space. "How much redecorating can I do?" he asked as he pulled the box with his name over so he could pull out the pieces he had already done. "Did Sam tack this together?"

"Yeah, but she said it was only enough to hold it together for you and it was temporary," Daniel told him. "And if you want, we have a lamp in my office for the time being," he offered.

"Thanks," Xander said, looking at the pieces. "Um, you might want to call someone, some of the pieces are missing," he said as he looked in the box for them.

"No, I was working on them for you," Jack said, going to get them. He brought them back in, handing over the arm he had completed. "I was bored," he explained at the happy look.

"Hey, works for us," Oz said. "The faster we get done, the faster Xander's conscience quits giving him grief over building a weapon."

"This is a weapon?" Mayfield asked, sitting on the stool. "What sort is it?"

"Harmonic vibrations," Daniel told him. "It works like a prism does with light and breaks sound waves down into specific wavelengths, but it'll only vibrate on one pitch. So we can't just solder it together and we can't just stick any stone in there."

"Hence needing a master jewelmaker," Mayfield finished. "All right. If you need anything, Mr. Harris, the cafeteria's the next floor down. I'm sure your ....husband will easily find it. It's the only place that civilians are allowed to go at the moment."

"Yup, it's the thing that's making grease," Blair said as the commander left. He shut the door. "Good. Now then, weapon, Xander?" he asked.

"I've seen one before," Xander said quietly, leaning back in his chair. "It has a stun frequency, if I can get it to vibrate on the right wavelength."

"General Hammond found out that he'd seen one and begged him to help," Daniel explained.

"He all but promised not to use it on the average person," Xander told him. "That's the *only* reason I feel comfy working on this thing." He looked at the piece Jack had handed him then up at Jack. "Did you find something that looked like a cross between an elbow and a hook? That's what this thing sits on and we'll need two." He looked at his pile of parts. "I don't seem to have any."

"I found one," Jack admitted, "but I couldn't fit it onto this."

"Go get the rest of the pieces, Jack, and the lamp, and we'll work on it with them over here."

"Cool, I like puzzles," Blair said, sitting down in front of Xander. "Can I help?"

"Sure, if Jack says it's all right," Xander said, looking up at Jack.

"Sure, why not? General Hammond said he was going to be our team's fifth member anyway." He walked out, going to find their lamp and the last few pieces he had brought over with him.

Daniel sat on the arm of the chair, delicately picking up the handle to look at the writing on it. He started to squint and looked up, frowning at the lights.

"I'll call Henrietta and have her meet us in town with a few of the extra lamps," Oz said, pulling out his cellphone.

"Those don't work down here," Daniel told him. "When they reinforced the roofs, they put in something to jam signals."

"Carpark?" Xander suggested.

"Sure. In the carpark you can get one," Daniel agreed. "Or at least I could."

"Why doesn't he just use one of the base phones?" Blair suggested, handing Xander a piece. "Does that go on the top row of the base somewhere?"

"Yeah, under one of the prongs to hold the stone," Xander said, trying it into the available spots. "Or maybe it goes on the top one instead," he said with a shrug. "We'll get there."

Blair looked over the piece they had. "Can you sketch it out?"

"I can," Oz said, grabbing some paper off the table and sketching what they were going to be seeing, remembering the one Xander had sketched out for him. He handed it over to Blair. "I'm not sure how it works, but it does on that one frequency."

"Which is just about the same pitch as the one that breaks glass," Daniel said dryly. He opened the door for Jack, who had his arms full. "Hey, two lamps," he said in appreciation.

"I ran into Mayfield, he was bringing the second one." He pulled out a sheaf of papers. "And this. One of the physicists on the base wanted to know if you knew what metal would do this? He's trying to make one out of Earth metals and can't figure out which one."

Xander considered it. "It'd have to be able to vibrate like a guitar string does, but it'll have to be stronger than a metal that thin would be." He shook his head. "Nothing comes to mind, not from here."

"That odd silver-like metal," Oz suggested. "We saw instruments made out of it, and they were thick."

"Yeah, but I doubt they have that here," Xander said thoughtfully. "I did bring a few blocks of it back. I can give them a sample of this and let them see if it'll vibrate like they want but they'll have to find a similar thing on this planet."

"Or another," Daniel said lightly. "We might have something close to it now."

"Oh, hey," Oz said, sitting up straighter from where he was on the floor. "That energy metal. You wanted to send them a piece too, right?"

Xander nodded. "True, but I was going to send that to those scientists for their project instead. I doubt the military's willing to share."

"Not really," Jack agreed. "Energy metal?"

"Yeah, it turns into a liquid that's burnable," Oz said. "We saw lamps that had been lit for thousands of years with a fingernail-sized piece of this stuff."

"And you wanted to give it to who?" Jack asked Xander.

"There's a group of scientists that's looking for stuff to help us explore space faster," Xander explained. "Not what you guys do, but more in the Buck Rogers way. They're looking for scientific contributions of stuff that might help them."

"How much of this metal do you have?" Daniel asked.

"A damn big pile," Oz told him.

"Is it a natural metal?" Blair asked.

Xander shook his head. "I don't think so, I've only ever seen it in bars and chunks of bars."

"So, theoretically, if they can figure out what's in it, they can make it," Blair pointed out. "You can still give some of it to those scientists you want to help out, but giving some to Jack and his team might make a difference now too."

"Point," Oz agreed. "Okay, so besides a better stool for us to sit on and the metals, what else do I need to bring back when I go home at lunch?"

"Um, let's see, did you bring any of his itching stuff?" Jack asked, waving the papers. "Janet's orders are in here too."

"We've got an electric cooler in the back of this car and there's some in there," Xander said calmly. "If I have to use it, I'm going home."

"All right," Jack agreed. "That's a very good idea considering Janet didn't want you to come in at all until you knew whether or not you could stand to be down here."

"Jack, I helped take down the last inhabitants of this base. As long as I didn't have to clean up after the fight, then I'll be fine," he told him gently.

"Then you could probably explain some of the very strange bodies?" Daniel asked. "I know one scientist here wanted that explained but he was told it was too classified even for this project."

"Yeah, we know what they were," Oz agreed. "And one of these years, we may tell you." He looked at Xander. "Anything else you wanted?"

"Soda?" he asked hopefully.

"Yup. I'll be back in a few," Oz said, hopping up and heading back to the elevator.

Jack closed the door. "Xander, watch out for Mayfield. He'd love to get his hands on a working prototype. He's very much a weapons person," he said quietly, looking at the young man.

"I kinda figured that the only person I could hand this to would be you or General Hammond," Xander agreed. "Don't worry, Jack, I can handle Mayfield. I've dealt with people who like weapons a little too much before. This baby only goes into Hammond's hands."

"Good," Jack said firmly, smiling at him. "Danny, did you need anything topside?"

"Only to finish packing and to snap a few pictures to work on while we're in the air," he said.

"All right. You work on that as soon as you have good light, I'll go pack up your mess in the hotel room, and I'll be back in time to pick us all up and take us to the airport."

"I don't know why you guys don't just use one of the old fields out of town and land helicopters there," Xander said, giving Jack a frown. "Wouldn't that make it easier to get in here?"

"Yeah, but it blows the whole 'low profile' thing."

Xander snorted. "Jack, did you see some of the bodies that they had to clean out of here?" Jack nodded. "The whole town ignored them, even when they were living here. This town is the *champion* at ignoring strange crap. They ignored the Initiative when they were bringing in materials to build this, I don't think a little helicopter every now and then will upset them that much."

"We'll check it out," Daniel said, patting Xander on the arm. "Let me go get my notes and I'll come look at the armpiece." He walked out with Jack, giving him instructions about where everything in his room was.

Blair looked at Xander. "You really okay with this?" Xander shook his head. "I understand that, man, I really do." He stood up and walked over to hop up and sit on the table. "Want help?"

"Yeah, in a few. I'll need an extra hand to help me tape what I get together."

"All right, I'll be here until Oz gets back."

"Cool, thanks," Xander said, bending back down to get back into his work, repeating to himself that the sooner he got this done, the faster he could know Jack and Daniel socially instead of this way.

***

Oz walked in the door, straight into Wesley's back. "Hey," he said, taking the bundle. "I'm on a run-through visit. Xander's back at work today. But make yourself at home." He looked in the bundle and turned around, looking at Wesley. "He dropped this much metal and didn't notice it?"

"No, I believe he was most tired and it just fell from his fingers," Wesley told him, smiling at him. "Marigold found it later that day and brought it across for me to hold for him. What is it anyway? I tried to figure that out, but it's not magic reactive."

"No, it's a huge friggin' power source," Oz told him, leading the way into the living room. "Sit, Wes, let me explain this metal to you."

"So, then Xander wants to use it to send humans into space?" Wesley asked almost an hour later. Oz nodded. "Can he do that?"

"There's a group working on that right now. He wants to give them some of this." He glanced at his watch. "Crap. I need to get back. Help me pick up a few lamps and a few of the barstools please?"

"Of course. I suppose Xander needs these?"

"Yup, very muchly," Oz said, taking this metal to add to Xander's pile in his writing room. He picked up three bars of the energy metal and one of the silver-like metal, tucking them into separate pockets just in case, and then grabbed Xander's favorite lamp and throw, taking them out to the car too. He smiled at Wesley as he got in. "Have fun, we'll be back before dinner time," he called as he drove away.

"Oh, my, Xander must be in trouble again," Wesley told himself as he went inside. He smiled down at the four ferrets sitting there looking at him. "Hello, darlings, I hadn't known that Jedi had children yet." He reached down to touch one. "Where's your mother?"

Rocky came out and sniffed him, then barked, getting the ferrets to follow her, all except for one that was very much like her mother and hopped on the dog's back.

Wesley laughed as he watched them troop off. It was good to have something around that made you happy.

***

Oz carried in his goodies with a little help from one of the guys in the parking garage, tapping on the door, or the one he thought was the door. "Sorry, Harris?" he asked the woman who answered.

"That's probably who's moaning, and it's two more doors down." She looked at the stuff. "That's a good idea, I should bring my own things too." She gave Oz a smile then shut the door.

Oz walked down two more doors and tapped again, this time Jack stuck his head out of the door next to them. "Down there?"

"Yup." He got out of the way of the guy carrying stuff, giving him a salute in return. "Thanks, Corporal." He shut the door behind him, looking at the pile of stuff. "Two stools?"

"Yup, so Xander can work on the desk. Moaning?"

"Blair was giving him a foot rub when he got tense."

"Oh. Cool, I guess. Help me set this up?" Oz looked down in time to see a furry tail scurry under the chair, glaring down at the now-empty space inside the throw. "Jedi, get out of there," he ordered. He heard a squeak and got down to look under the chair. "Oh, even better. One of the babies." He felt a nip at his neck and turned his head, coming face to snout with the pissed off mama ferret. "What? You're not supposed to be here. You could get your daddy in trouble." He pointed at the baby. "Get him out of there, Jedi, before I have to move the chair." He stood up and went to help Jack, being careful to watch the ferrets. Once both of them had come out, he grabbed them and stuffed them in his shirt. Jack gave him a funny look. "Jedi likes this," he said dryly. "She's not really a ferret, she's just wearing a ferret suit."

"Sorta like in MIB and the Egger suit?" Daniel asked as he walked in. He looked at the moving lumps and then at Oz. "Ferrets?"

"Jedi and baby," Oz agreed. "Where's Xander? Jedi only listens to him."

"Our office. He got lonely in here by himself," Daniel said, watching as Oz left, then came back to hand over four bars of stuff. "What're those?"

"The dark ones are the energy metal. The light one is the silver-like stuff," Oz explained, then went to find his mate.

Daniel pulled out his handkerchief and handed it over to Jack. "Here, wrap at least one of those in here. I'll go get sample bags from the storage closet." He walked out, leaving Jack holding something he didn't understand.

Xander looked up as Oz walked in, grinning at the lumps he was trying to remove. "Jedi came to see me?" he asked, holding out his hands.

"They snuck into the car," Oz said as he handed over the ferrets.

"Ah," Blair said as he watched Xander snuggle them. Someone tapped on the door and he looked over, nodding Mayfield in. "His animals snuck into the car," he explained at the dirty look.

"Well, they need to go home."

"They will when we will," Oz told him. "There's no forcing a ferret. Even if I took them home, Jedi would find some way back into the car before I could get in. She snuck in by hiding inside a lamp."

"And the other one?" Blair asked, touching the baby's back.

"The throw from what we could figure," Oz told him, shrugging at the commander's renewed dirty look. "Hey, they're his, I'm just a surrogate and plaything to them."

"Harris, you may not bring animals into this base," Mayfield said.

"They'll go home when I do," Xander told him calmly. "After I go install a few lamps to work with." He got help up and walked back over to his office, smiling at how Jack was looking down at the bars. "Oh, good, he remembered those. The dark ones liquify really easily, at a lower temperature than boiling water, but higher than the average body temperature, unless pressure is applied to them."

"Is it volatile?" Jack asked. "We're going on a plane."

"I'd seal it but it won't produce a gas," Oz told him. "By the time you get off, it might have started to liquify, but it will take a spark to burn."

"So if the plane goes down?"

"There's going to be a huge smoking crater the size of London, including suburbs," Xander told him.

"All righty then," Jack said, looking over as Daniel walked in. "We need to somehow pressurize this."

"Why not leave it here?" Mayfield asked.

"Because one is a metal sample that the guy back at Home Base wanted," Xander told him, "and the other's a fuel source. I'm pretty sure Sam wants that one."

"Oh, yeah," Daniel said, nodding. "Very badly. Ever since you told her about it, she's been trying to figure out how it'd work. It takes a spark?"

"Fire, but we're not sure about electrical," Oz told him.

"And pressure? I heard something about that."

"Pressure regulates what temperature it liquefies at. As far as we were told, higher pressures mean lower liquidization temps."

"So we need a pressure locked container," Daniel said, looking at Jack's other hand. "What about the lighter metal?"

"It's very malleable," Xander told him. "Easily jewelry grade metal. We've seen instruments made out of it, but we don't know where it comes from naturally. Only one species ever traded it and they were very picky about who bought how much."

"How much can we get out of this one block?" Jack asked.

"Out of that one block, I can make enough chain to make three full chainmail jackets."

"So, a lot, right?" Jack asked, not understanding that measurement.

Oz nodded. "That's about forty times as much as you would get out of a block that size in silver. It's stretchy when it's at just the right temperature but strong when it's cooled."

"Good," Daniel said, smiling at him. "This might be the help we needed. Xander, did you have any other instructions?"

"Is Blair taking home his ferret?" Xander asked, giving Daniel the pouting look.

Jack felt his heart melt. "Sure, give us your vet's phone number and we'll get his records on the way out of town."

Daniel whapped him on the arm. "No, he can't. I can't have animals, Jack."

"But he loves you," Xander said, taking the baby ferret and moving closer to Daniel. The baby squeaked happily when it saw him, wiggling to jump over to Daniel. "See? He likes you too." He turned up the intensity of his begging.

Daniel took the ferret and hugged it to him, nodding. "We'll take him home with us. You get to tell Blair."

"Blair, you're taking home a ferret," Oz called.

"Really?" Blair asked as he walked in, handing over Jedi. "She likes books."

"Yup, we know," Oz sighed, taking her back. "That one's yours." He looked down at the mother, who was talking silently to her child. "You okay with that?" She looked up at him then stared at her child again.

"I'd say that's a yes," Jack said smartly. "Mayfield, we'll need a pressurized container, or three, and something to put this silver stuff in."

"Yes, Colonel," Mayfield said grudgingly, going to find something for him to use.

Jack looked at the young people around him, shaking his head. "Work, kids. So we can all go home at the right times." He looked at Xander. "You all right?"

"Fine," Xander agreed, putting Jedi on the work table and sitting on the stool from home. "I've been wanting to buy new ones for the bar," he noted.

Oz shuddered. He *hated* it when Xander went furniture shopping. "This weekend?"

"Okay. Or maybe online if we can." He accepted his pieces and the tape, laying everything out for himself. Jedi pushed a piece over to him and he took it. "Thank you, Jedi. Why don't you sit and tell me when I'm going in the wrong direction, 'kay?" He picked up a second piece after looking them over, fitting those two together after a few tries. He handed it off to Oz, who taped it down for him.

Jack nodded for his crew to leave them alone, taking their goodies with them.

***

In Colorado that night, a girlish scream of joy could be heard all over the Cheyenne Mountain Complex.

Screw the Rules, I'm Going!

Xander looked up as someone tapped on his workroom door, smiling at the man walking through it. "Hey, Jack, what's up?" he asked, giving him a little hug, remembering that Jack was not used to male interaction like that.

"General Hammond okayed Daniel to go back to where we found those first pieces," he said, pointing at the pieces Xander was working on. "We found a few more." He pulled out a large bag and handed it over. "Some of them are really small."

"Yeah, but I guess we'll have to get this one to work before anything else can be built," Xander said with a grin. "Thanks. Why else are you here?" he asked with a smirk when he saw how uncomfortable Jack was.

"General Hammond has our whole team on downtime and I've to come take over for Mayfield until this base's real commander gets out of the hospital." Xander looked concerned. "Heart attack a few months ago."

"Been there," Xander sighed. "Recovery sucked." He looked at the box. "Is that the metal?"

"Yup. Sam wanted you to work with it and show her how."

"Okay."

"And they wanted you to look over a substitute we made of the energy stuff."

"Cool, you guys figured out how to make it?"

"Almost," Sam said from the doorway, giving him a smile. "We found one that works, but it's much more volatile. More like nitroglycerine." She leaned against the doorframe. "So, will you work with me?"

"Sure. Um, have you talked to...." She nodded. "Cool. And did they figure it out?"

"They said something about smelting that I didn't understand. I really don't deal in metals," she admitted.

"That's cool. Do you have the evaluations? I might be able to read them."

She laughed. "Yeah, we do." She waved at Jack. "I'm going to take over Daniel's office space for now."

"There's an empty place on the other side," Xander offered. "She stormed out yesterday because of Mayfield. *Major* argument."

"We know," Jack told him sourly.

"That's why we're here," Sam told him. She smiled as Daniel walked behind her. "Hey, you taking over your office?"

"Just for a few minutes," Daniel told her. He stuck his head in the room. "Mayfield just left. Teal'c gave him the orders and watched him pack to make sure he didn't take any of the reports with him."

Jack smiled at that. "I'm sure he was thrilled," he said sarcastically. "Okay, everyone get settled in."

"Xander, can we steal one of the lamps?" Daniel asked, pointing at the two military issue ones sitting in the corner.

"Sure and I've got an extra one under the counter," he offered, pointing. "Sam, Oz is at home setting up my forge right now, so let me make sure it works and then we'll invite you up for supper and work. 'Kay?"

She nodded. "Yeah, that'd be great. I'll go find the chemical analysis of the energy metal." She headed for Daniel's office, taking one of the lamps from him.

Jack listened. "Eww," floated down the hall in Sam's voice. "Who can work under these lights!"

"That's why we have lamps," Xander called. He looked at Jack. "So, now I answer to you?" He nodded. "Cool. I may need to take a few days off this to work at the forge with Sam. Where are you guys staying anyway?"

"There's room here for base personnel," Jack told him.

"No cheap motel this time?" Xander said. Jack shook his head. "Crap, that sucks."

"We took over the house above this and are using that for bunking down," Jack told him, giving him a smile. "How's it going?"

"Well, I've got the second ring together, but there's a bunch of stuff that I'm not sure where it goes. I sent the second ring to Sam yesterday, but I guess she didn't get it."

"No, it went to the people who tacked the first one together," Sam said from the doorway. "When's Oz getting back?"

"He won't be coming in today," Xander said with a faint shrug. "Where's Blair?"

"He'll be down in a little while. He had to get supplies," Jack said, grimacing at Sam, who was smirking. "Wipe it, Carter," he warned. "Those two are going to drive us all into old age very quickly."

"Some of us faster than others," Daniel said from behind her, smiling at Jack to take the sting out of his comment. "Blair'll be down in an hour or so. How's it going?"

"Not great. There's a bunch of pieces that I don't know where they go. The other one I saw had covers both ends, but that wouldn't account for all these extra pieces." He looked at the pieces Jack had brought him. "Unless there's some sort of strings inside to help resonate." He shrugged. "I'm about lost."

"Just don't get too upset," Sam warned. "Janet said he might still be itching," she explained at Jack's confused look.

"Yup, very muchly," Xander agreed. "The base doctor had to give me tranqs to help with the first minutes of gelling the last time I got frustrated." He looked around her at Daniel. "How's the baby ferret?"

"Dessie's fine," Daniel told him, coming in and showing pictures of his and Blair's ferret.

"Dessie?" Xander asked.

"We argued about his name for days but since he kept heading right for our sociology books to snuggle up with, we named him after Desmond Morris."

"Ahhh, how cute. I caught one of his lectures on TLC the other day, one of the ones on human sexuality using animalistic drives."

"Yup, that's Dessie," Blair said as he walked in. He handed Sam the box he had been carrying and gave Xander a hug. "Hey, you. How's it going?"

"Frustratingly," Xander told him. "I've got extra pieces." He glanced at Daniel and Blair's smile got brighter. "Congrats," he whispered as he gave Blair another hug. "So, what're you guys doing here?"

"We're all here to work on this project," Sam said, handing the box back to Blair. "Any idea how long it'll take to set up the forge?"

"It should be set up by tonight, but it'll take me most of a day to make sure it heats up right. Come out tomorrow night and we'll work on the metal stuff."

"Thanks, Xander." She left the men alone.

Blair rolled his eyes. "The military works on a timetable," he reminded the younger man.

"They all do," Xander agreed. "So, Jack, what else can I help you with today?"

"Just with the lamps and to help Sam." He waved. "I'm going to go survey the wreck Mayfield left."

Daniel closed the door behind him. "Xander, are you just frustrated because you have these extra pieces? Or is it the whole 'weapon' thing?"

"Both," he admitted, "but the extra pieces part is getting bigger every minute I try and figure out where they go." He pointed at the bag Jack had handed him. "I'm guessing some of these are the missing pieces from the rings and handle, but I have no idea where the others went."

"Well, I've got tape of the chamber where we found it if that'll help," Daniel offered.

"Yeah, it might," Xander said, frowning slightly. "Were there any drawings?"

"There were, but they're very faint."

"Which would suck if it's the instruction manual," Blair pointed out.

"True," Daniel agreed. "Xander?" he asked when he noticed the young man was playing with the necklace he always wore. "What's up?"

"I'm thinking that as a template, this piece sucks," he told Daniel. "I've been trying to remember everything about the one I saw and I'm coming up with blank spots."

"Try relaxing about it," Blair suggested.

"Hypnosis?" Daniel suggested.

"No, I need to sit down and create," Xander said, standing up. "I'm heading home, guys, tell Sam to come out tonight if she needs me." He left in his haze, going home to create something new.

***

Oz looked up as Xander walked through the house and out onto the back patio, getting out of his way when he saw the look on his face. "I'll go get you some water," he said quietly, not wanting to break into his creating trance. He hurried into the house for the rest of everything that they would need for Xander to create something. He'd seen this state too many times to not understand it.

He grabbed the phone on his way back out, dipping the bucket into the pool for water for the forge. He put everything down and called the resort in Las Vegas, where Methos and Ray were helping Giles. "Hey, he's in that state again," he reported to Giles, who was very interested in it. He snorted and hung up, going to get the videocamera to make a record of this. But he couldn't find it. He eventually gave up and went back to guard Xander while he worked, trusting Henrietta to take care of anyone who came to the door. He watched as the forge started to burn, impressed with the ease Xander handled this skill. It'd been a long time since they'd done this.

He jumped as the phone rang, answering it. "Yeah?" He smiled at the voice on the other end. "Yeah, he's back in one of those states," he told Ray. "Fully down, didn't even hear the phone ring." He looked at Xander, who was coaxing the fire a little higher. "Yeah, we're fine," he told Methos, who took the phone. "Yup, one of those." He smiled. "Yeah, I remember when Jace went into them. You think Heph's helping him?" He nodded. "Makes sense to me. Especially when you count the other stuff he did when he was in this state." He watched as Xander tossed a block of the energy metal in there. "No, Xander!" he yelled. "Not that one." But he couldn't move. He had to watch as the fire grew and spread as the metal liquified. "Oh, hell," he muttered, then remembered about the phone. "He tossed in a block of the energy metal," he told Methos. "Yeah, that stuff. It's liquified around the stones and coals. No, he wanted a coal one. We agreed on using the clean coal, but yeah, he did just put one in there." He watched as Xander stirred it around. "No, it's not flaming," he said, getting up to look at it. "The stuff spread around the coals. Xander, is that going to keep it hot?" His mate nodded absently. "Yeah, that's what he said, Methos." He sat down, watching as Xander put in a chunk of the silver metal to heat. Then he watched as Xander pulled it out and started to chisel into the soft metal. "Huh. It's some sort of sign. All right." He hung up and tossed the phone back toward the chairs, not noticing when it hit the pool.

A few hours later Daniel, Blair, and Sam all walked out to come join them, Sam staring at the block Xander was carving.

"When did he get near the gate?" she asked Daniel, who had spent more time with him than she had.

"He didn't," Daniel said, coming over to look at what Xander was working on. "They are the chevrons."

Oz pulled them away. "Give him a few more. That's his second one and the first one took almost this long." He waved Blair over. "Hey, how's it going?"

"They're happy together," Sam told him, sitting down next to him. She caught the block Xander sent over his shoulder, looking at the chevorns on the block. "Is this an address, Xander?"

He shrugged as he used a clean cloth to wipe off the second block. "Not a clue, Sam," he sighed. He picked up one of his picks to make a few final scrapings in the points, then tossed that one at her too. He wiped off his hands as he turned to look at them. "All I know is that I had to come do that."

"Oh." She looked them both over. "Well, did you know *why* you had to make them?" He shook his head. "All right, I'll send these home tonight," she said, standing up. "Oz, can I use your office? Daniel said you had a good scanner."

"Sure, let me get you logged on," he said, leading her into the house.

Daniel looked over at Xander. "What else have you *had* to create?"

"Well, there's been a few pieces of jewelry," Xander told him, thinking about it. "About eight from what Oz said."

"Nothing else?" Blair asked.

Xander shook his head. "Not a thing. I don't do more than jewelry and the occasional dagger. Boot knives are bigger than I usually do."

"Huh," Blair said, looking at Daniel. "If I were to ask if I could hypnotize you, maybe to find out a little more about those, would you let me?"

Xander nodded. "As long as Oz is here. I don't want to go under without him."

"Hey, it's all good with me," Blair agreed. "Got something to do it with?"

"We've got *lots* of jewelry, pick something," Xander offered. He smiled at Oz as he walked out. "Blair wants to hypnotize me to see what I was thinking when I was working."

"If it works, okay," Oz agreed, taking off Xander's keystone necklace. "Here, use this. It's our version of the keystone that controls the Hellmouth." He sat behind Xander, holding him tightly. "Just relax," he said quietly, "and watch Blair."

Blair wrapped some of the chain around his finger around to shorten it then started to move it. "Watch the chain, Xander. Relax." He shifted a little closer, watching as his newest subject started to relax under his careful care. "Just a little farther down," he coached. "Relax a little more for me, Xander, okay? I need to get you to the point where I can talk to you and have you tell me what you were thinking while you were creating."

"I had pictures that popped into my head," Xander told him in a little boy's voice. "Just a few of them, but they appeared."

"All right, that's good," Blair said, smiling at Oz. "Do you know where they came from?" Xander shook his head. "Okay. Did you get any other pictures?"

"A really pretty ring. Oh, and a light holder as a peace offering."

"That's good," Daniel said. "Do you know what those symbols meant?"

"They're somewhere that I don't have to go to finish the weapon," Xander said innocently. "I make jewelry and pretty things."

"I know you do," Daniel said, looking at Oz, who shrugged. "Do you know where the symbols came from? What place they go to?"

"Nope," Xander said, grinning. "I just know that I can go there. That I need to go there."

"All right. That's good. I want you to come back now," Blair said, reaching over to rub Xander's arm. "You do that very easily," he said when Xander came back.

"Yeah, they do that at the spa to relax me," Xander told him. "So, when can we go?"

"Xander," Daniel said gently, "you can't go. Even if it's a real spot, you can't go."

Oz snorted, backing away from Xander. "I'm staying out of this," he said when Blair looked at him. "Blair, want to help me with supper?"

"Sure," Blair said, standing up so he could follow Oz inside. He knew a wall of stubbornness when he saw one, he'd run into many times in the past with Jim.

"Xander, you...."

"Will be going just as soon as I make a prezzie for them," Xander said, standing up and going back to his forge. "And if you try to keep me from doing this, then I'll go around you," he said without looking at his friend.

Daniel's mouth fell open. He'd never run into this attitude before. "I'll call Hammond," he said carefully, not promising anything as he stood up and walked back into the house. Maybe the General would be able to talk some sense into the younger man.

Xander smiled as he tossed a block of metal into the forge, watching as it heated. "Yeah, I know what to give them. We have to prove that we're ready to talk to them." He flipped some coals over the metal, waiting patiently while it heated.

***

General Hammond smiled as Xander walked in with a small bag tied to his belt. "How goes your project?" he asked kindly, waving Xander at a seat. He wondered why no one had told him that the boy had come in, but that was all right, he could talk some sense into the boy now.

"It'd go better if I understood why there were so many extra pieces, but now I know where I have to go to find that out."

"Xander, you can't go," Hammond told him gently.

Xander just gave him a gentle smile. "I'm sure, but I'm still going. Otherwise, you guys will never prove that you're ready to talk to them." He stood up. "I'm going now, Daniel's running this way and so's Jack. They can go with me, Sam's waiting on me so I'd better go join her." He smiled at the General again. "We'll be back in a few minutes, I promise." He walked out of the office and the General found himself pinned to his chair.

"What the... Let me up!" he yelled.

"It isn't him," a dark voice said as a dark haired man appeared. "Now, if only you humans hadn't believed the lying bastards maybe none of this would have happened."

"Who are you!" Hammond yelled.

"One of the people who Xander anchors for," Ares told him, then disappeared, at the same time as the Stargate fired up.

By the time the General got out of his office, the gate had closed. He looked down at the computer, frowning at the symbols on it. "Where does this go?" he demanded. The guy just looked up at him and shrugged. "Well, find out!"

"Yes, sir," the man said smartly, working to figure out where it was.

***

Xander looked around the chamber they found themselves in, nodding in appreciation at the subtle colors the marble was accented with. He lit the metal on his brazier, holding it out to the person coming towards them. "We come in peace and hope to talk to you about an alliance," he told the man.

The man smiled at Xander, taking the small gift. "So, you've found that already?"

Xander looked up, smiling at the God who was standing in front of him. "Yes, Hephaestus, we've found it, but we're working on making it for ourselves as I found it across the realmal boundary." He bowed again and pulled his second gift out of the pouch. "I also have a gift for you, made without your help," he said, handing the cuff over. "I thank you for all your help while I was learning and hope to serve you while I do what I enjoy."

Hephaestus laughed in joy at the light cuff the man had made for him. "I accept your offer. Come, talk to me and the people I chose to help." He limped off in the direction he had appeared from, leading them into another room. "These humans are ready for you now," he announced, and the people around him cheered. He turned to smile at Daniel and Sam. "Welcome to Atlantis, young ones."

Sam blinked a few times. "At..Atlantis?"

Hephaestus nodded, still smiling. "I saved the artisans and scientists that I could and put them here, where they would be safe from the test we allowed for you." He waved a hand at the empty couch in front of his throne. "Sit, please, and discuss with us." He looked at Xander. "You, take the warrior and go home. Your mate will not be happy and neither will the Gods you anchor for."

Xander grinned and impulsively hugged him. "Thank you, Hephaestus. You were a very good teacher and I hope to make you proud with my jewelry. Feel free to pop in anytime and tell me if I need to worship you." He stopped for a second. "Oh, when I threw some of that into my forge, it wrapped around the coals and heated them much faster, and kept them hotter, than I thought was possible. The intense heat liquified it instantly instead of letting it burn."

Hephaestus nodded. "Good. I'd always thought that this might have a use in that area. Go home, young man, before we get invaded by Strife."

"Sure." Xander waved at all the gauzily-clad people. "Bye. Be nice to them. Should I send the other one?"

"Sure, why not," Hephaestus said. "And the other warrior. You can even send this one back once you're home safely."

Xander nodded and turned, jogging back to the gate. "Home?" he asked Jack, starting to push in the symbols backwards from what they had been to come here.

"The sun over the pyramid," Jack said, grabbing Xander's arm as the gate opened. "We are going to have a *long* talk, young man," he promised as he dragged Xander back through the gate. He found Blair and Teal'c at the bottom of the ramp. "Give me a second and then we've been invited back there." He looked around but Xander had disappeared. "Never mind. Sir, we've been asked to come back with these two? It's not a dangerous situation but I will be talking with Xander," he promised.

"Good," General Hammond called down. "You'll be able to show me where he lives. Go and give me a very good report, SG-1." The microphone clicked off.

Jack nodded his people through the gateway. "It's Atlantis," he told Blair before they left.

No one saw Teal'c go pale but cross anyway.

***

Xander reappeared on his couch, smiling up at Strife. "Thanks. It's worth the price."

"Oh, I'm sure they'll make you pay," Strife promised. He rubbed his chest. "You and Unc Heph make pretty things," he said before leaving him alone to face Oz.

"I'm home," Xander called. No one answered him so he went looking for Oz, who was sitting in his office. "Sorry, but I had to," he offered hesitantly.

"That's what I suspected," Oz said, not looking up from his programming. "Who was it this time? Ares?"

"Hephaestus. He helped me learn by giving me those trance-like states." Oz looked up at that. "I made him a prezzie after he called me to come to him, that's what those blocks were."

"Ah." Oz leaned back in his chair. "You do know that General Hammond's going to be pissed, right?" Xander nodded, leaning against the doorframe. "As long as you're prepared to deal with the consequences."

"I am," Xander agreed. "He called and I had to answer, Oz."

"I doubt they're going to understand that, Xander. Probably none of them are very religious and they believe the old Gods are aliens."

"Well, the old positions were stolen by the aliens, but the Gods used it as a test. I asked Cupid about that and he let me see it in a dream. Everyone decided it was time for these guys to know the truth."

"So, what, it's *your* job to tell them?" Oz asked hotly. "You, who still itch whenever you get too excited?" He stood up. "Xander, this wasn't *your* job!"

"No, it was," Xander argued. "Hephaestus called to me. Not to Sam, not to someone else, who can make horseshoes, but *me*, Oz. I had to lead this time."

"That's nice," Oz told him. "You deal with the General by yourself then."

"I had planned on it," Xander said coldly, going out to work on his forge. At least there he could work out his frustration and not start screaming.

Oz flopped down into his chair, staring at the doorway.

***

Xander looked up as he felt someone walk out onto the patio, but he kept banging on the dagger he was working on. "If you want to yell, do it fast. I'm pissed enough right now not to do anything but this."

General Hammond sat down next to Xander, looking down at the thing he was working on. "That's very nice, son," he congratulated.

"Thanks," Xander said. "And if you're here to bitch, don't. Hephaestus called me not the other way around."

"I know, he told us that." He shifted. "Can you stop that for a few minutes so we can talk?"

Xander hit the blade one last time and put it back into the fire to reheat. "Sure, you've got about five or so until I need to pull it out." He looked at the General. "If there had been more time, then I would have done it the right way," he promised.

"I know," General Hammond said, giving him a smile. He pulled something out of the bag he had been carrying, handing it over. "Was that what you were trying to build?"

Xander looked it over, nodding. "Yeah, that looks a lot like it." He carefully handed it back. "Did he give you that?"

"No, but Dr. Carter found one and asked." He put it back in the bag. "They did say it wouldn't do what I wanted it to do." Xander looked a little relieved at that. "They did give us ideas to help ourselves with the problem you were trying to solve."

"So I'm off the hook?" Xander asked.

"For remaking that, yes," General Hammond said. "For using the stargate without permission, no."

"Gee, but I kinda expected that," Xander said with a self-conscious grin.

"How did you get there so fast?"

"I had Strife help me. He heard Hephaestus call me and he's Strife's favorite uncle so he agreed to help." He gave the general a pitiful look. "I'm really sorry, General Hammond, but I was doing what I had to do. The portal was only open for a little while."

"As they told us, which is why you're not in a brig at this moment." He smiled at the young man, reaching over to pat him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, you're not in trouble for it, we're actually kind of thankful for it. The ideas we've gotten have breathed new life into some of our scientist's plans. In other cases, it made them abandon other things and start work on some of these newer ideas." His smile got brighter. "You are being kept on the register as a civilian helper, but I think we'll only need to come to you for presents and the like." He stood up. "What's that going to be?"

"A bodice knife. I can't make anything bigger than a boot knife and the ones I've made haven't been that sturdy. That silver-like metal is stronger when it's smaller."

"All right, son. Just remember, you can't say a thing about any of this. Though, I'm sure that you'll be seeing Daniel and Blair sometime in the near future. You have a... unique way of looking at things."

Xander grinned. "That's just the way I am," he said saucily. "But anytime I can help, just yell our way. I'm sure Oz will be finished being pissed sometime in the next century or so." He looked over at his knife, shifting it in the coals. "Oh, did you need the passes back?" he asked, but the General had left.

General Hammond knocked on the office door, walking in when Oz grunted. "Mr. Osbourne?" he asked, sounding serious.

"Are you taking him to jail?" Oz asked, leaning back in his chair after saving his program.

General Hammond smiled. "No, he was right. The portal would only have opened for him, it was keyed to him because he was the one who was called." He held up the bag. "We found a version of the weapon he was building but it wasn't really what we wanted. It's best used in breaking down buildings that were already partially destroyed." He looked around the office. "Not only is he not in trouble, but we're putting him on our books in case we need a special something made as a present. He found us a very important ally so we're overlooking the tossing aside of protocol."

"I'm sure he'll like that," Oz told him. "Have you yelled at him yet?"

"No, and I didn't feel the need to. He was right, we needed to listen to him, even though he broke so many rules as to pass Colonel O'Neil in that one area." He stepped in and closed the door. "He didn't do anything wrong, son, he's done everything right, what he had to do. If he hadn't, we wouldn't have been able to contact Hephaestus for another five hundred years, when they were willing to judge us again. But he thinks that you're mad at him for it."

"No," Oz sighed, "I'm scared for him. And sometimes of him. He's gotten so *strong*," he whispered, looking at his hands.

"I guess he has. He's went from someone who needed you for everything to someone who has many skills and wants to be with you anyway. You've got one chance, son, and I'd suggest you use it wisely before he takes off on you." He opened the door and left them alone, going to the base in town to give some new assignments.

Oz got up and walked out to the patio, going to sit beside Xander and watch him pound on the dagger he was working on. "Gonna shove that in me?" he asked quietly, still watching Xander work on the blade's edge.

"No, I just felt like pounding something instead of carving," Xander said, not looking at him.

"Oh. I'm sorry you know."

"No, I didn't know."

"Well, that's because I'm an ass," Oz said, taking the hammer and putting it on the concrete. "I'm scared, Xan, I feel like you don't need me anymore."

"Well, I don't," Xander admitted. He turned to look at his mate, running his thumb over the lips Oz had just wetted. "Not like I used to at least." He gave him a smile. "Just because I'm not dependant on you doesn't mean that I don't need you with me. Let's face it, I'm a pretty pitiful Xander without my Oz." He gave him a hopeful look. "Just because I don't need to cling to you," he said when Oz hadn't said anything for a while, "doesn't mean that I don't want and need you beside me. I need you to watch over me. I need you to ground me. And hey, I even need you to just be there and hold me. You're part of me and I want, no need, it to stay this way."

Oz nodded. "So you're not leaving me?"

Xander snorted. "Why would I leave and where would I go?"

"To work with Daniel?"

"Not. God, can you see me working for the military, Oz?" He chuckled, pulling his braid around to play with. "I'd have to cut this first and you know I'm not willing to do that, not unless you get really pissed with it."

"No, I love that you grew it long for me," Oz said, reaching over to play with it too. "I'm glad you're not leaving me," he said quietly. "I need you too, Xan."

"And I love you, Oz, but you can't worry like this. Remember me, guy with big ideas and not a lot of common sense when I'm working on them?"

Oz tugged on the braid. "Don't say things like that about yourself. You're brilliant. You recognized the potential of that metal right off, especially to what you do best."

"Think up strange stuff?"

"No, the forge and making stuff," Oz said, pointing at it. "I've never seen anyone who used it in their forge to help maintain the temperature."

"Hephaestus gave me that idea," Xander told him. "Not mine."

"Maybe not, but you figured out how to use it best. He didn't give you that. You've done a lot of stuff that I never expected from you, not the nice little hedonist that I first took up with." He leaned in and gave him a kiss. "Finish the dagger and come inside?"

"I'm working on the design today, I'm going to decorate it tomorrow," Xander said, picking it up and tossing it into the pool, a great cooling area. "I'll work on it tomorrow," he repeated, leaning into Oz's body to kiss him again, laying his mate back on the concrete to have his way with him.

"It'll rust," Oz gasped.

"I'll clean up after this by diving in for it," Xander said.

Oz rolled him over, licking over the bare chest. "I love it when you're sweaty. This used to be my favorite time, after your workouts, when you were just sweaty and smelly." He rubbed his cheek against the soft skin. "When all I can smell is pure you."

"Shh," Xander said, laying a finger across his lips. "Just enjoy it, Oz. I remember you liking me sweaty. I'll even spar with you tomorrow to get more sweaty if you want." Oz looked up and grinned as he licked over a damp nipple. "Hmm," he hummed, "nice Oz." Oz nipped him. "Good Oz." Oz bit him on the nipple. "Great Oz!" he shouted, arching up into his mate's body. "More, Oz!"

"Yes, dear," Oz sighed, liking this part too.

***

Methos walked into the house, following Ray, who headed immediately for the pool area to see the new forge. They let Giles make his own way in. He smiled when he saw Xander hard at work on something, walking over to sit next to him. "That's pretty," he said quietly.

"Shh," Xander said. He chiseled the last few marks he wanted, finishing the vine he was working on, then put it into the bucket of water next to him to rinse it off. He pulled it out and wiped it off, looking at it in the sun. Then he smiled at Methos. "Since I made him a nipple ring, I thought I'd make you something equally as useful," he said, presenting the newly finished dagger to him. "It's a bodice dagger, but I think you could probably use it somehow."

Methos looked it over, misting up as he saw all the work that had went into it. He looked up at Xander, pulling him in for a deep kiss. "Thank you, whelp. I'll cherish it." He held it up for Ray's inspection. "He made this for me."

"He takes good care of us," Ray said, smiling down at them. "He made me use your gift."

"Oh, where?" Xander asked happily. Ray slowly pulled off his shirt and showed off the small blue stone set in his nipple. "Wow, he made you get a nipple ring?" he asked, reaching up to touch it. "Does it feel okay?"

"Does now," Ray admitted. He sat down beside Xander, giving him a hug. "You were right, I like it. It's still pretty tender," he warned as Xander reached up to touch it again. He slapped the hand when it was tugged on. "Not yours," he protested.

"Sorry, Ray," Xander said, sucking on his injured fingers. "But you like it?"

"Yeah, I like it lots."

"And it matches his eyes," Methos said, giving Xander a smile. He looked over as Oz and Giles walked out to join them, holding up his new dagger. "Xander made it for me."

"Cool. I was wondering how he was going to decorate it." Oz sat down beside him, looking at Ray's bare chest. "You need some sun to set it off," he advised.

Methos coughed, breaking everyone's stare at his Ray's chest. "So, what happened with the program?"

"He got called, made a new ally, is being kept on to make prezzies," Oz said simply. "We're forbidden to talk about it."

"All right, I can accept that. As long as Xander's not in trouble."

"Nope, not in trouble," Oz told him. "How's Daniel?"

"Danny's fine. We saw him this weekend for a day or so for some training," Ray told him. "He thinks he wants some sort of battle axe because it'd be useful."

"But very hard to hide," Xander said with a frown.

"And he found a way to explain his not aging for a while," Ray added. "He said something about a spring on one of the places they've went that retarded aging. Said he took a few sips of that."

"A good cover story for most everyone," Methos agreed. "He'll be up next weekend, if you don't mind of course, for a bit more training. He and his teammates are coming to the base in town for a week of scientific meetings for him and Dr. Carter."

"That's cool," Xander said, smiling at him. "Can I help with the lessons?"

"If you'd like," Methos agreed. "Are you thinking about offering him your first sword?"

"Thinking about it," Xander agreed, reaching over to touch Oz's hand. "It's a good sword."

"I've got sixteen of them somewhere in the attic," Oz said. "I'll bring down my stash and see if there's something there that he might like besides a small axe."

"I've sent for my extra ones also," Methos told him. "We'll compare what we have and swap a few." He hugged Oz, putting his dagger under his belt. "How have you been?"

"Pissed but we worked it out," Oz told him.

"Oh, dear," Methos sighed, looking at the other couple. "You worked it out?" Xander nodded. "It's all better?"

"Yup, Xander still needs me, if not the way he used to, in an even better way."

"Good," Giles said, breaking into the conversation. "Xander, may I look at what you took out of that lair?"

"Sure. Oz has been cataloging for me, you'd have to ask him what was what."

"You can help me if you want," Oz offered. "I've still got most of it to do."

"I'd like that," Giles told him. "I'd be very interested in seeing what Xander had learned how to make."

"He made me this," Methos said, pulling out his dagger. "He just finished it as I sat down."

"Well, I still need to put on the maker's mark," Xander admitted.

"Can you do that now?" Methos asked. He hadn't seen his favorite student yet, and there was a chance that Xander would be his to teach again.

"I'll have to heat the metal and the stamp. Shouldn't take me too long." He took the dagger back and put it into the coals, searching for his maker's stamp and putting it in there beside it. "I'll wrap the handle tonight," he told Methos.

"All right, I'll sit and watch you. Can you make larger ones?"

"I never learned how," Xander told him, pulling out the dagger but leaving the stamp. He clamped the dagger down then grabbed the stamp and swiftly put it in the clear spot he had left for it. "There," he said, unclamping the dagger and swishing it through the water. He dried it off and handed it back in the towel. "I've only really worked with this metal," he told Methos. "I was starting to learn how to work with steel and iron, but I never got to it due to an attack. I'd like to try though. Maybe start with something simple?"

"I've done some," Methos admitted, "but it's been a *very* long time. We'll see what we come up with together, all right?" Xander gave him a smile. "Now then, what did we have planned for tonight?"

"Another conditioning treatment," Xander said glumly. "My hair still feels like nasty wool and it's forever tangling."

"We got him a new treatment from the spa," Oz told him. "It seemed to work for a while the time before last."

"About three showers worth," Xander protested. "Is it that mud stuff that they said wouldn't come out of my hair and took three people to rinse out?"

"No, this one's an oil treatment. It's supposed to help rebuild and strengthen as well as make your hair softer." Oz ran his hand over the braid. "I get to help him work it into his hair," he told Ray, who sulked. Ray *liked* to play with Xander's hair.

"Okay, but I get to help rinse it out and brush it afterwards," Ray demanded.

"Sure," Oz agreed. "By then, my wrists should be pretty sore." He looked at Giles, who looked a little left out. "Sorry, but the pastime of playing with Xander's longer hair is a demanded treat."

"Not with how it is now," Xander said. "It is not play-worthy."

"I think it is," Methos disagreed lightly. "I'd like to help Oz if I may."

"Sure, and Giles can help Ray rinse it out," Oz agreed, looking at Ray, who shrugged but was still looking happy.

"I fear this is a ritual I never understood," Giles sighed, smiling at Xander. "I would be honored to help you with your hair. I've never seen it down before."

"I get to braid it tomorrow," Methos said.

"No braids tomorrow," Oz told him. "I want it loose. You can brush it though. I forget time when I start to play with his hair and I've got to finish that program within a month."

Giles reached over to touch the end of his hair. "I'm sure it's very addictive," he said, letting it go, still not understanding the treat it was to play with Xander's hair. He coughed as he looked at the forge. "Are you going to shut it down for the night?"

"It's been staying on," Oz told him. "The energy metal we found bonded with the coal and it's staying at a constant temperature, even when we tried to dump ice in it one afternoon. We mostly cover it since we can't turn it off and bring all the little things over to the new locking cabinet," he said, pointing it out where it sat embedded in the wall nearby. He got up and closed the cover, making sure all the coals were away from it, then gathered all the tools up and brought them over to lock them up. "There, now you can't work tonight, you'll have to enjoy yourself."

"But, Oz, I wanted to finish that one ring tonight," Xander told him.

"Do it tomorrow when you and Meth can bond over the fire." He tugged Xander up and wrapped him in his arms. "Come on, I've got to brush out your braid before we can start working the oil through your hair."

Xander looked over at the other three men. "Come up and talk to us?"

"Of course," Methos said, standing up quickly and helping Ray up. "I'll brush and Oz can work the oil through, and Ray and Giles will tell you stories." He followed Ray in, looking at the white streaks through the dark sable hair. "Are those permanent?" he asked, touching the swinging braid.

"'Fraid so," Oz told him. "All the new growth has it too. Maybe in a few years, it'll stop growing out white."

"But I don't look twenty-one anymore," Xander pointed out. "No one cards me anymore."

"Yeah, lookin' twenty-five must be a lot easier," Ray agreed, pinching Methos' rear as they stepped into the upstairs hall.

"Why, Ray, whatever did you do that for?" Methos teased.

"Because I like your butt. It's nice," Ray countered with a leer.

"We have lube if you guys wanna play," Oz offered. "I can take care of his hair and Giles can entertain him." Methos gave him a dirty look. "Okay, whatever floats your boats, but Xander still can't get excited."

"Why not?" Giles asked, opening the bedroom door for them.

"Because the itching comes back," Xander told him. "I can get mildly excited but I'm still at the 'lying there and taking it' stage."

"Which suits me just fine," Oz told him, kissing him on the cheek. "Oil's in the wooden box on the main dresser," he told Ray as he walked Xander into the bathroom. "Strip, babe."

"But, Oz," Xander complained, giving him a lightly panicked look.

"Xander, we have seen it all before," Methos reminded him as he walked in. "Please, strip. I don't want to imagine getting the oil out of those pants."

"Um, but I don't want to," Xander said.

"Just do it," Ray told him, trying to figure out what this was about. He remembered something was different the last time he had played with Xander but....

"Dear heavens, is that what I think it is?" Giles asked, bending down to get closer. "Why would you put a tattoo there."

"Wasn't optional," Oz told him, pushing Xander until he was sitting down. That was not a happy memory and it's one he would rather live without.

"But that's a harem slave's tattoo," Giles protested.

"Yeah, and I got it when I was kidnaped the last time," Xander countered, sounding a little frigid. "Unfortunately, it's a little hard to get it off of there."

"I...I'm sorry, Xander, I had no idea," Giles said, taking the few steps to give him a hug. "How did that happen?"

"Easy, they killed me and they took him," Oz told him. "It only took me two weeks to track them down but by then, they'd already tattooed him and he was not happy. Matter of fact, neither of us want to remember that, 'kay, Giles?" he asked, also sounding a little cold.

"I'm sorry, boys, I had no idea that something that horrid had happened to you while you were across the portal."

"Yeah, well, they're dead now," Xander told him. He looked up at Methos. "Undo my hair? Please?"

"Of course," Methos said, coming over to start trying to unravel the long braid and the twisted knots that made up part of it. "When was the last time you combed this mess?"

"Day before yesterday," Oz told him. "I couldn't get a comb or a brush through it this morning. Hence the oil treatment today."

"It might be better to oil it down and then comb it out," Methos suggested after breaking off part of a strand. "It's breaking, Xander."

"It's been breaking," Xander told him. "That's why we've got to condition it."

"Anti-tangle spray?" Ray suggested. "I know you had some."

"I did buy some more," Oz said, going to find it under the sink. He came back up with a nice white bottle and handed it to Methos, going in search of the ever-moving large tooth comb.

"Jedi had it I believe," Giles told him. "She was playing with it."

"Ah," Oz sighed, going in search of the even more elusive mamma ferret, she, who like the force, was everywhere. He found her dragging the comb into the playroom and took it from her, giving her pets when she protested. "We've got to do your other daddy's hair," he told her. "We need this more than Rocky does." He jogged back up, handing it over too. "She likes to give that to Rocky to play with," he told Giles.

"Somehow they got it out of a closed dresser drawer," Xander said, frowning up at his mate. "How did she do that anyway?"

"Not a clue," Oz told him, bending down to give him a kiss. "Just relax, he doesn't pull your hair like I do."

"Will we have to wash it out before we put on the oil?" Ray asked.

"Probably," Oz agreed. "You calling washing rights?"

"Yeah," Ray said, grinning. "Can I?"

"Sure," Xander said, smiling at him. "I like it when you wash my hair. You do the scraping nails on my scalp thing really well." He looked up at Methos. "You okay with that?"

"It's fine with me if Ray's comfortable with it," Methos agreed, working on one of the bigger knots. "Xander, this is horrible. Did you not get this one out sometime in the recent past?"

Oz looked over and shook his head. "I couldn't work through it. And I don't let Xander do his own hair unless there's no other option." Giles stared at him. "What? I *like* playing with Xander's hair. It's very calming."

Giles nodded. "I'll take your word for it."

"You'll see," Oz threatened. "You won't want to leave his hair alone either. Even when it is dried out and knotted all to hell it's still a rare pleasure to play with his hair."

"Gee, thanks, Oz," Xander said, smiling up at him. "I love you too." Oz kissed him while Methos pulled on one of the worst knots, trying to get it free. "Oww!" Xander complained.

"I'm sorry but this is horrible," Methos told him. He worked another section free, putting it off to the side so he could work on the higher knots in a few seconds. He growled as he continued to be thwarted, finally conquering the knot. "Pernicious bit," he noted as he started to work on one of the higher knots.

"You say some of the cutest things about me," Xander said, tipping his head back.

"I like to make you think and expand your vocabulary," Methos said with a smile. It was an ongoing joke that Methos was always going to be teaching Xander something, this was just another episode of it.

"Meth, leave him alone," Ray sighed. "He's very well educated already. You wanna teach something, teach me how to do that without pullin' his hair."

"I'm going to teach you something," Oz said, letting Xander go and running after him, pouncing him out by the bed to tickle him until he screamed.

"Ah, home," Xander sighed, grinning at Methos again. "Feel like it to you?"

"Definitely," Methos agreed. "How are we going to leave this place in a few years?"

"Easy, we move Henri and the animals with us and we come back after another fifty," Xander said smartly. "I asked Oz and that's what he said."

"Ah. Any idea where you'll be moving?"

"Not yet," Xander told him. "I know we're staying somewhere in the region until we can find a new guardian for the Hellmouth."

"Good idea," Methos agreed, working on another knot, one off to the side. "So, no idea where you want to move to yet?"

"Not yet," Oz said from the doorway. "We were thinking East Coast this time."

"How about Middle America?" Ray suggested.

"Missing Chicago again?" Xander asked, holding out his arms for a hug.

Ray walked over and gave the requested hug, grinning up at his lover. "Not really. But I'd like to go visit sometime soon."

"Canada?" Oz suggested.

"It's cold up there," Methos protested.

"Not all year long," Ray said, giving Methos his own version of begging eyes. "Montreal's pretty."

"So's the capital," Xander added. "We had to stay there overnight on one of our trips through Canada."

"When were you in Canada?" Ray asked.

"On our year-and-a-half jaunt around the globe," Oz said, looking down at his lover. "You really want to live where there's snow?"

"I liked Vermont," Xander reminded him. "And Ray and Meth can go somewhere warmer for a few months after Christmas."

"Those are very good ideas, but it's cold up there, whelp," Methos reminded him. "I prefer warmer climes, like the ones I lived in for centuries."

"You mean you didn't go hang with the Vikings?" Xander asked innocently.

Methos looked over at Oz. "I will kill you if you told him that story."

"Not me," Oz said, giving him a smile.

"Amanda did," Xander said, giving Methos a sweet smile. "She said you were so cute while you were drunk and telling it to her."

"Ray, remind me that the next time I see Amanda I want to have a long discussion with her at sword-point."

"Sure," Ray said, nodding at Oz. "I think they could bond over sleeping on the couch if that happened."

Oz nodded. "I can see that." He looked at Methos. "We like Amanda, remember. She's just like that."

"Yeah, Amanda's supposed to tell embarrassing stories about the people she likes. She was probably meant to be a court lady at one time."

"Nope, gutter snipe commoner," Ray told him. "She became a court lady during her training." Methos looked at him. "What? She told me about it one night while she was lost in her memories. She misses her first teacher."

"I wish I knew mine," Methos muttered, combing through Xander's hair to make sure all the knots were gone. He found a little one and quickly worked it out too. "There, all done." He stepped out of Ray's way, letting him take Xander into the shower to wash out the detangler. He looked at Oz once the water had started, glancing at Giles, who was sitting at the vanity watching the shower. "What about...."

"It'll be fine," Oz promised. "Giles, any idea where you want to move when we have to leave here?"

"No, though I had thought to spend most of my life at the resort," he said, giving them a smile. "I'll come and join you wherever you go of course, but that's a lot like home to me." His smile got brighter as he looked at Xander. "You could both come and live with me for a bit."

"Yeah, and I could go play baccarat," Xander sighed happily as Ray worked the shampoo into his hair. "You have great fingers. You should work at the spa instead of the women who do this there."

"Thanks," Ray said, kissing him on the shoulder. "I'll think about it." He finished getting the ends soapy and started moving up the long length, taking his time with the delicate strands.

"Ray, remember, you get to do that later," Methos called, frowning at the shower door then at Oz.

"Xander, come on, let's get this into your hair. Remember, we've got to put it on still and heat it up."

"Coming," Xander called, bending down so Ray could get his scalp. "We need to put a bench in here," he decided.

"Yes, dear," Oz called, stripping and getting in to help Ray with the hair. This was his job after all.

Methos looked over at Giles. "What else did you have planned? Even Jace had to take a vacation from her places at times, just to make it seem like she died and came back as her daughter."

"I realize that," Giles said, giving him a patient look, "but I'm at that age where I could be late thirties to early fifties if I stretch it."

"Ah, so you're counting on time being on your side then?" Giles nodded. "Never count on time, it's a fickle creature, Rupert. It tends to go much faster when you're not paying attention to it." He picked up the oil packages and looked at the directions. "We have to heat up the oil so you have a few more minutes," he called, running hot water into the sink so he could soak the packages to warm the oil. "Rupert, would you mind going down for more towels?" he asked, noticing how small the pile was for three men, one that needed two for his hair alone.

"Of course. Has Henri done any laundry recently?" he called.

"No, I did," Oz called back. "It's folded on top of the dryer."

"All right, I'll be back in a few moments with towels." He walked out, going to warm the towels up for his lovers.

Ray peeked out of the shower. "What's up?"

"He's feeling out of place again," Methos told him, coming over to steal a kiss. "Is he almost done?"

"Maybe," Ray said with a grin. "You said we had five more minutes." He pulled back in and shut the door, going back to playing with Xander and teasing Oz.

Methos shook his head and went to check on the oil.

***

Methos looked up from his stroking of Xander's hair, smiling at Ray as he brought in a tray with coffee. "Thank you, Ray," he said, taking his cup. "Where's Oz?"

"He and Giles are goin' over what Xander brought back. Giles' found a few things that are enchanted."

"So did I," Xander told him, looking up with a grin. "Can I have one?" A cup of cocoa was handed to him. "Thanks, Ray."

"Welcome." Ray snuggled up beside Methos on the couch, resting his head on his lover's shoulder. "Methos, are we leaving again?" he asked quietly.

"Not for a long time, unless you want to travel some more." He looked down, smiling at the content look his lover had. "Did you want to stay for a bit?" Ray nodded, giving him a sleepy smile. "Then we'll stay."

"Cool," Xander said, looking up to grin at him. "Are you guys curling up with us again tonight?"

"I think that Giles wants some of you himself, imp."

"I think he's going to be in his own room," Ray said quietly. "He and Oz were talking about that. It's been too long and he's not fully comfy yet with being back."

"That's okay," Xander said. "I'm irresistible, he'll be back soon." He bent his head back down, urging Methos to start carding his hair with his fingers again.

Methos smiled down at the obvious begging and started to work through the hair again, sipping his coffee with the other hand. Ray took the hand from Xander's hair and held it instead, smiling at the hurt look the younger man gave him. "Mine. Go get Oz to play with your hair."

"Okay." Xander got up, giving them both a kiss on the cheek. He padded out of the room, searching for his Oz. He found him in the craft room and flopped down with his head in Oz's lap, silently begging for some attention.

"Dear, that's one of Rocky's moves," Giles said, giving him a smile.

"Nah, it's a Xander move now. This is 'I want petted'." He stroked through the dark hair. "Want Giles to try this?" he asked his younger husband. Xander shrugged and shifted over, letting Giles play with his hair.

"I see why you like this so much," Giles said, watching his hand move through the soft strands.

"Yup, do it all day long sometimes." Oz looked down at Xander. "You settled in there?" He got a happy nod. "Okay. Where's Meth and Ray?"

"Cuddling."

"Ah, a fine pastime," Giles said, smiling down at his lover. "Will you give me some space for a few days, love?"

"Sure," Xander agreed, tipping his head. "Scratch there?" he asked. The short nails worked over his scalp for him. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Giles picked up another artifact and looked it over, continuing to absently card through the soft hair.

Oz and Xander shared a smile.

***

Oz looked up from his typing, smiling at the housekeeper. "Hey, Henri, what's up?"

"I don't want to do this," she said, walking in and handing over an envelope, "but it's time for me to move on and let someone younger do the job."

"What?" Xander asked from under the desk, his head worming it's way into Oz's lap. "Not gonna happen. You can have a young helper, but you're staying!" His head disappeared again.

Oz looked up, giving her a semi-grin. "I agree," he said, leaning back and starting to play with Xander's hair again. "If you want a helper, then that's cool with us, Henri."

"Oz, this house is a disaster if I don't take care of it every day and it's getting to be too much for just one person."

"So find a helper and train her," Oz suggested.

"You're not leaving us," Xander called.

Henrietta shook her head but she was smiling. "Where will I find a helper, boys?"

"Classifieds?" Oz suggested lightly. "That's how we found you."

She shook her head. "I'll try, but I won't promise anything, and if I can't find anyone then I'm going to have to let you find someone else." She smiled at the head coming up again. "Xander, you shouldn't do that in polite company and not around women," she chastised gently.

He grinned at her. "That's okay because you're family now."

She shook her head and walked out, leaving them to their play.

Xander looked up at Oz. "Crap," he whispered.

"We'll get through this too, Xan. She's been with us for about eleven years now." He ran a hand over his husband's cheek. "We'll deal."

"But I'll miss her."

"This is the immortal life, Xander. You lose people you care for," he reminded quietly. "And if you're lucky, you make friends that are like you." He leaned down and kissed his mate. "Will you be okay with this?"

Xander nodded. "I knew, but I didn't expect it'd be this hard," he complained.

"That's why some immies never let anyone get close to them, they can't stand losing others."

"I know why they do that now," Xander told him pitifully.

"It'll be okay," Oz promised. "We'll make it a nicer transition." He pulled Xander up and settled him in his lap, cuddling him. "I promise, we'll make it as easy of a transition as possible. We'll do everything we can to ease the pain of losing people we like."

"Does that mean we can have a housekeeper all the time?"

"Sure. I was planning on it." He squeezed Xander. "Have you thought about where you want to move next time?"

"Not yet," Xander admitted. "Somewhere nice? Maybe a suburb of somewhere bigger so we have more options but aren't in the city?"

"Sure. That'd work for me and Meth."

"And I could still keep my forge?"

"Of course."

"Can we have a gym nearby?" he asked nicely, patting his expanded stomach.

"Yup, I'd like that idea. Or maybe just a home gym?"

"Are we getting a house like this one?" Xander asked, putting his head on Oz's shoulder.

"Maybe something smaller than a castle," Oz said dryly. "Somewhere comfy and cozy but with enough space." He rubbed over Xander's still-flat stomach. "Who do you want to have as a gateway guardian?"

"I was going to let Angel find someone," Xander told him, kissing the neck beside his face. "I think he could probably find someone pretty decent."

"I can agree with that," Oz noted. "He might even already have someone in mind." He stroked over the soft skin, enjoying himself. "Do you want to travel to some of the places first this time? Check out the locals and stuff?"

"Please," Xander requested. "Otherwise, we're moving to somewhere like here."

Oz snorted. "I don't think there's anywhere like Sunnydale, Xander."

"But we'll be back?"

"Yup, we'll be back." Oz gave him a squeeze. "I've got to get back to work so we can afford to move," he noted.

"Yay."

"Xander."

Xander slid to his knees and rubbed his cheeks across his husband's thighs, trying to tempt him to quit working for a while.

"Xander," Methos called from the hallway. "Time to go work on the forge."

"Oops," Xander said, hopping up and giving Oz a deep kiss. Then he jogged out of the office. "Got to change and braid my hair," he called.

"Don't you dare," Methos called, following him up to his room.

Oz shook his head and started an internet search for places to move to.

***

Xander looked at the metal Methos had gotten for him, turning it around in his hand. "Iron?"

"Not quite. More of a mix. This is what most people are making horseshoes out of these days." He took the piece of metal. "This will probably take more heat to melt than what you're used to."

"All right," Xander agreed, tossing it onto the coals, blowing some air to heat the coals back up a little. "The energy metal is really good at keeping the fire at a constant temperature."

"What one?" Methos asked, looking at the built-in thermometer. "Oh, that might be enough," he said when he noticed how hot it was. "Did the other metal need that high of a temperature?"

"No, but I've found that if I cover it for a while with the heat-tile lid then the temp goes up," Xander told him. "It's a really strange metal mix that makes up that energy metal. I can't bank the fire more than it is now."

"Xander!" Oz called, running out waving a piece of paper. "Here, yours," he panted, watching his husband read the news release.

"They credited me!" Xander squealed, hugging both of them, waving the paper. "Ray, they credited me!" he screamed. "Henri!"

"You make a lot of noise," Henri called. "What happened?" She walked out, smiling at the picture the boys made together. "What happened now?"

Xander bounced up and handed over the paper, still squealing. "They credited me!"

She put a hand on his shoulder, holding him down and still while she read. "I see," she said, handing it back and giving him a smile. "Very good work, Xander. Very good work." She kissed him on the cheek. "Are they going to be able to use it?" He nodded. "Very good work then, boys. I'm glad that you found that metal while you were away." She sighed heavily.

"What's wrong?" Xander asked, leading her over to one of the chaise loungers and sitting her down. "Henri?" he asked when she didn't answer. He checked her pulse, frowning. "Methos, I think she needs a doctor." She weakly pushed him away. "Now," he said frantically.

Methos got up and walked over, coming to check her over. "Call an ambulance," he ordered Xander.

Xander ran inside, his happiness forgotten at his favorite person's illness. "This is Xander Harris," he said once someone picked up, "we need an ambulance. Yes, now. No, I think it's her heart!" He gulped. "I... Address? You guys have been here before! Why don't you remember!"

Ray took the phone from his hands. "Hey, we need an ambulance at the old manor house above the housing development. Yeah, that one. No, cardiac," he said, looking at Xander, who was so frantic he was nearly crying. "Yeah, hurry up. I think it's a real emergency this time." He hung up and gave Xander a hug. "I'll go get the gate, you go cling to her and get in Meth's way." He let Xander go, turning him back toward the patio and went to do what he had said he was going to do, then he had to hide.

Xander fell to his knees beside the chair, staying out of Methos' way. "She needs to go to the place I did," he said, taking her hand to squeeze and kiss the back of it.

"We'll tell them," Methos promised, looking at Oz.

"He hasn't been good in crisis for a while now," Oz said, coming over to sit next to Xander. "Henri, can you hear me?" She weakly tried to pull her hand back. "We're going to have you sent to a special cardiac hospital in LA, don't worry about anything. Xander went there when he had his, before we were married, and they were really good." She tried to mumble something but he didn't hear her. "What was that?" he asked, leaning closer. The whisper he heard made him smile. "I will, I promise. He won't fall apart and smother the animals." He patted his husband on the head, pulling Henrietta's hand out of his as the paramedics ran out onto the patio. "We want her to go to the cardiac care hospital in LA," he told them. "We've had to go there and we want them."

The lead paramedic nodded as he took out his stethoscope and listened to her chest. "Yes, sir, we'll note it in the records." He moved the stethoscope. "How long has she had a heart condition?"

"Not at her last physical," Oz said, pulling Xander up next to him. "Not that she told us anyway. She goes to Doctor Canbraan in LA for her work physicals."

The second paramedic made a note of it. "Thanks. Do you have an emergency contact number for her?"

"We'll do that," Xander said firmly. "She's like family to us. We're basically her family."

"Yes, sir," the second paramedic said, backing off. "Do you want her to go to Carter Cardiac or the old one?"

"The old one was where we went," Xander said firmly.

"We want the best for her, so whichever's best," Oz joined in.

"The old one it is then," the first paramedic said, putting up his gear and picking up his microphone. "Sunnydale, this is unit two. We have a cardiac patient in arrest, vitals stabilizing on their own. Employers want her transferred to LA for cardiac care." He listened then nodded. "Will do. Please bring the 'chopper in." He hung up and looked at Oz. "We'll bring the life flight up onto the front lawn to take her faster." He grabbed an IV kit and tore it open, uncoiling the cord so he could start the saline drip. "Mr. Harris, please hold her arm down?" he asked. He shared a look with Oz, giving him a smile.

Oz nodded, appreciating the skill the paramedic had with panicking people. "He's good when it takes action, but the waiting stuff is not with him," he said quietly. He stroked over Xander's back, trying to keep him calm. "She's going to go to the best," he promised his husband. They both got up as the second paramedic unfolded the gurney and they put her on it, walking her out to the front lawn. Within a few minutes, the helicopter arrive and she was brought over, the paramedics sharing information. They gave them the thumbs-up sign before closing the doors.

The second paramedic came over and smiled at them. "If you want to follow her, I'd go soon," he advised. "It's a long trip."

"Not with the way I drive," Oz told him, patting himself down for keys. Methos threw them from inside the house. He gave his best friend a smile and hurried Xander over to the car, making sure he was in before pulling out of the garage.

***

Oz paced as they waited, glancing up at the clock every few minutes. "What's taking them so long," he muttered, getting out of a nurse's way as she walked past them to talk to someone else.

Xander jumped up as a nurse walked towards them. "Is she okay?" he asked, grabbing her to make sure she couldn't move before telling them something.

"Xan, let go," Oz said, coming up behind him. He laid a hand on Xander's back and stroked it in gentle circles. "Let her go and she'll tell us."

The nurse smiled at them. "It's better than the shaking we get sometimes." She pointed at the chairs, sitting down in one with Xander and Oz sharing the one beside her. "She's fine, though she's going to have a long recovery. She had a few blocked arteries and we've angioplastied them. Do you know what that is?" she asked.

Oz nodded. "Very familiar with it, fortunately Xander didn't need it when he was here."

"I'm glad about that, especially at your age. Do heart conditions run in your family?"

Oz frowned. "She's our housekeeper, but she's like our family."

"She's been with us for eleven years," Xander said, looking mournful. "We love her like a grandmother."

"She doesn't have any other family that we know of," Oz told the nurse.

"Oh. Then how...."

"We're paying for it," Oz told her. "Well, our insurance is, but we're covering her as an adopted member of our family."

"I see," the nurse said, smiling at them. "Would you like to go see her? We're moving her up to her room right now."

Xander nodded. "What sort of recovery is she looking at? Rehab, diet modification like mine was, less stress?"

"All of the above," the nurse told him. "Come on, let's get you up to see her." She looked over Xander's outfit of old, worn, soft jeans and a ripped tank top. "Didn't take time to change?"

"Why would we?" Oz asked, standing up and forcing Xander to. "We got him to put on shoes in the car." He led his lover after the nurse, accepting the room number from her at the elevator. "I don't think they like semi-family," he said once they were alone in it.

"Probably not," Xander agreed, clutching Oz's hand. "But that doesn't matter to me, she's more important than their rules are. Henri's family to me."

"Of course she is," Oz said, stepping off the elevator first. He smiled at the nurse. "Room 432?"

"Down the hall and to the left," she said, smiling at them. "She's fine if she's up here, boys."

"She's like family to us, and we're the only family she has left," Oz told her. "After eleven years, she's like our grandmother."

The nurse nodded. "I can understand that. Did you want to give us your number in case of emergencies?"

"You go see her, I'll do this part," Oz said, making Xander let go of him. He watched as his lover walked down the hallway, looking at the room numbers. He looked at the nurse. "Is our relationship going to be a problem?"

"Not a bit," she said cheerfully. "It's the family that you like that makes you want to get better, whether they're chosen or genetic." She passed over a form. "Here, fill this out and we'll get everything into her chart. And do you have her insurance card?"

"I gave it to the people in the ER," Oz said as he filled in the blank spots. "Extra phone number slots?"

"Put it in the notes and mark what sort of device it is," she advised.

Oz quickly wrote down every method of contact that they had so that no matter what they would be found. He handed it back with a smile. "Anything else?"

"Do you know who you handed her insurance card to?"

"The person who tackled us as we walked in. Something like a receptionist."

"Ah. Yeah, I know who to call to get this fixed."

Oz pulled out his wallet and put down his unlimited card. "If there's a problem, we've got it," he told her seriously. She stared at the card. "Anything else?"

"Can I get the number, just in case?" He shrugged so she copied it down onto the form. "Thanks. Just around the corner and I'd say your man's probably gotten in a lot of cuddles by now."

"Yeah, he likes to hug her," Oz said as he turned and walked away, tucking his card into his back pocket. He tapped on the door before walking in and found Xander curled up beside the sleeping older woman on the bed. "Hey," he said quietly. "She needs some space."

"Nonsense," Henri muttered. "I'm good with him being needy." She held up an arm and got a hug from him too. "Thank you, boys, for taking care of all this for me."

"Hey, for you, we'd do a lot more," Oz told her.

"Yup, we'll be here during your recovery and everything," Xander promised.

"As often as we can unless we have to make a run for it due to the press," Oz amended.

She smiled up at them. "Good. That makes me feel even better." She yawned and patted Xander on the head. "You should get up before you give Oz the wrong idea, Xander."

Xander snorted. "He knows I love you but not that way," he said as he climbed off the bed, careful of her tubes. "How's that?" he asked after tucking her in.

"Much better. Go home," she said firmly. "Those cats and ferrets will have the house in a shambles while I'm gone."

Oz shook his head. "No they won't. We can stop that much and keep it kinda clean."

"No, you will hire another housekeeper," Henri ordered, breaking into Oz's carefully thought out speech. "You will hire someone to take over for me, that will become my helper when I get back, and *she* will take care of the house. You will take care of each other and the animals. Do not confuse the two. Xander can't dust worth a damn."

"Hey," Xander pouted.

"Save it for Giles, who's probably already cleaned up everything in the house," Oz told him, giving him a smile. "We'll do what we can to find you a helper," he promised her, leaning down to kiss her cheek. "You need to rest and we'll be back tomorrow."

"Evening," she requested. "After they've done all those horrid tests."

"Mine were all 'let's look at the pretty picture' ones," Xander offered.

"Oh, I've got those too," she noted. She smiled at him. "You go home and cuddle your Oz, Xander. You need it right now and that's why he's there." She lowered the head of her bed. "Now out, so I can get some rest so I can come home sooner and play with Ribbon."

"Yes, ma'am," Xander said, leaning down to kiss and hug her again. "You rest. They've got our numbers and so do you." He walked around the bed and took Oz's hand, waving as he was led out. They stopped at the nurses station. "If she so much as belches, we'd like to know," he told the nurse.

She smiled at them. "We understand that. Did you fill out the form?" Oz nodded. "All right, if anything happens, we'll call right away, all right?" Xander nodded. "Good. Now go home and think positive thoughts while you de-stress." She watched them go, shaking her head mentally at the antics of family.

***

Oz opened the document to send in a new classified ad, typing quickly.

"Deja vu," Xander complained, lounging in the chair across from the desk.

"Yup, but she ordered us to find her a helper." He finished and read to his husband. "Looking for a housekeeper to help ours, who's just gotten injured. Not a temp. position, will become a helper to her when she comes back. Gay couple with many animals in large house."

"Put the last sentence first," Xander advised. "Gay couple living with many animals in large house seek a housekeeper to help ours, who has recently been injured. Not a temporary position, will be kept on after she comes back as the assistant housekeeper."

"Sounds good to me," Oz said, correcting it. "There. Sent." He clicked on the mouse and read the error message that came up. "Okay, that sucks," he said, picking up the phone and dialing the number on the screen, backing it up so he could read what they had planned. "Hi, I need to place an employment ad and I got an error message from your webpage. All right, ready? Gay couple living with many animals in large house seek a housekeeper to help ours, who has recently been injured. Not a temporary position, will be kept on after she comes back as the assistant housekeeper. Yeah, no, a heart attack. No, not injured on the job, she had blocked arteries."

"We still need to call the contact number for Henri's neighbor so he can watch her place," Xander reminded him.

"Do that in a minute, come look for the number," Oz said, then listened to the guy reading his ad back. "Yeah. Sure, 555-3945, cellphone."

"Mine's good too," Xander offered.

"Nah, I'll take the calls. You forget your phone too often." Oz leaned back so Xander could dig in the file drawer. "Yup. Thanks." He hung up, picking up the other line that had just beeped. "Osbourne Concepts." He sat up suddenly, blinking a few times. "But you said she was all right." He looked at Xander, putting a hand on his arm. "Sure, we'll be there within two hours. Thanks." He hung up. "She had another one, they've moved her down to Intensive Care. Find that number quick." He got up and went to find Methos, who had taken all the car keys to make sure they didn't go make a nuisance of themselves.

"Hola," Xander said, dialing the number he found. "This is Xander Harris. Please, my Spanish sucks." He smiled at the young voice on the other end. "Hi, this is Xander Harris, Henrietta's employer. No, in the rush yesterday we forgot to call and ask you watch her apartment. No, she's had a heart attack. She's in the cardiac center attached to UCLA." He frowned. "Really? She never told us about him. Can you tell him? Yeah. No, tell him not to worry about that, we've got her medical bills covered, she's on our insurance and we'll cover it all." He swallowed. "No, she never told us," he said quietly. "Tell him we're very sorry for not calling yesterday, but we forgot in the rush of getting her to a decent hospital. It's up beside UCLA, the big stone building with the cancer center on one side and the cardiac center on the other. No, we'll meet him there. She's just taken a turn for the worse." He hung up and took a deep breath, going to find a decent shirt, which was in the living room in case they needed to leave in a hurry. "Come on, Oz, we need to meet her husband down there."

"She said she was widowed," Ray said as he walked in with Oz.

"Well, she's not. He was there. Her neighbor's boy passed on the message for him, he translated for his family too." He took the keys from Oz's hand and headed for the car. "Come on, Oz." He looked down, then tossed them over his shoulder and grabbed the spare set from hood of his sports car. He slid into the driver's seat, starting the engine as soon as Oz got in. "She never told us," he said as he backed out, heading down the driveway at a gentle coast. As soon as he got onto the main road, he sped up, heading for the interstate.

"She said she was widowed," Oz said with a shrug. He petted the animal that crawled into his lap. "Hey, George, Ribbon," he said after looking down at her. "Oh, well, we'll see him once we get there. And no tickets, Xander."

"Bite me," Xander said as he pulled onto the interstate and passed a cop, speeding up.

"If you start a high-speed chase, I'm going to spank you later," Oz promised, checking his seat belt then putting George on the floor. "Get somewhere safe, guys. Daddy's in a speed demon mood."

"Yup. We'll be there in an hour."

"Xander, it's a two hour trip!" Oz complained, grabbing the 'oh, shit' bar above his head as the car sped up again. "At least it's not rush hour," he muttered, giving his lover worried looks.

Xander walked into the hospital, smiling at the nurse. "Can we bring in her cat? She snuck into the car."

"I'm sorry, sir, but animals aren't allowed in the hospital without prior permission." She looked at the chart in front of her. "Who are you here to see?"

"Henrietta, she's in Intensive Care."

"Last name?"

"Not a clue," Xander admitted. "We've known her for eleven years, we stopped being on last name basis years ago." He gave her a confident smile. "She was in 423 until earlier if that helps."

"Yes, it does," she said, smiling back. "Second floor and to the right. But it's a family only ward."

"We're her adopted family," Oz said as he walked in. "Second?"

"Yes, sir," she said, watching them leave. She could let the nurses up there decide if they were allowed.

Xander stepped off the elevator and immediately headed for where he could hear screaming in Spanish. "Shut up," he said quietly as he walked in. He kissed Henrietta's cheek. "We're sorry, we thought you didn't have any more family so we didn't get around to calling your neighbors until this morning. Forgive us?"

"Of course," she said, patting his hand. "Technically, he's not my husband, he's my boyfriend." She smiled at Oz, who was pulling out a ball of fur from his jacket. "You snuck her in?"

"Yup, she's not allowed in otherwise." He looked at the boyfriend, holding out his hand. "Oz."

"Martinez," he grunted, ignoring the hand. "What are you doing up here, this is a family-only floor."

"This is the family I chose," she said firmly. "Get over it."

Xander patted the back of her hand. "Maybe you shouldn't get upset," he said.

"Xander, dear, did you drive?" she asked, having looked at the clock on the wall. "There's no way you made it from home in an hour."

"Oh, no, we did," Oz told her. "And yeah, he drove." He looked at her boyfriend. "We are sorry we didn't call yesterday, we didn't know you existed." He looked down at Henrietta. "Decided not to tell us?"

"No, dear, there's some things that a lady needs to keep quiet." She smiled at the ball of fur that was curled up on her stomach. "Are you car sick, little one?" she asked, petting through the soft fur.

Martinez started to reach for the animal to move it but he found Xander grabbing his hand. "It shouldn't be in here, it's not good for her."

"Love and calming things are always welcome in here," he told him. "Same as they were when I was in that bed." He looked out at the hall, then nodded that way. "Let's go have a talk, shall we?"

"No violence," Oz warned absently, sitting down beside the bed. "So, does he treat you good?"

"No," she said bluntly, "but he's not as big of an asshole as some I've dated." She stared down at her cat. "Don't worry, Oz, he won't be staying if he becomes more than loud."

"Good. 'Cause I have no doubt Xander's about to give him an etiquette lesson." She looked shocked, then shook her head and started laughing. "At least he won't kill the guy for screaming at you like that. Oh, he said you're like his grandmother."

She snorted. "I have no doubt of that, Oz. Really." She pulled Ribbon up to hold her closer. "Such a pretty little one."

***

Xander led the way into the waiting room and shut the door behind them, giving the other man a look. "You had no need to scream at her like that. It won't help her if you're like that."

He snorted. "What do you know about her? You didn't even know about me."

"She's like my grandmother, I doubt she would have told us about you, or any of the other men she's dated, because she knows we'd descend on him and hurt him if he ever hurt her." He looked the other man over, crossing his arms. "I do not want you bothering her. If you want to scream at someone, go find a mirror and yell at yourself. Even though we forgot to call her neighbors last night, you never called us to see if she was all right." Martinez snorted again. "Good, that's what I thought. I think you'd better leave before I make sure of it. And before you say a word, we'll have your stuff packed for you. There's a *lot* of people who would like to have your position right now and there's a few more that'll gladly take mine."

"And who are you? Some rich *fag*?"

"Well, gee, I'm not a bundle of sticks but thank you." The guy sneered harder. "Yes, I am gay, and Henri knows that. She's known since she interviewed with us."

"You're going to hell," Martinez said jovially.

"Not before you get there," Xander said calmly. "After all, it's not like you follow *every* rule in your religion. That makes you a hypocrite in my book, and we'll see you there. What I am is nothing at all like a man who disrespects a woman who's in Intensive Care. You have two choices," he decided. "You can be respectful or you can leave. How you leave is up to you."

"Like you could beat me," Martinez muttered, lunging at him.

Xander put him on his back and put a foot in the middle of his chest, leaning down to talk to him. "Maybe Henri didn't tell you this, but I am a trained bodyguard. I am also very well trained at hurting people. You've got two minutes to say your goodbyes and tell her you're leaving. I'll have someone come help you pack." He got off him, watching impassively as the other man got up.

"I won't be beaten by you."

"Yay, bring it on," Xander offered, waving him on. He did a perfect heel strike into the man's stomach, knocking him backwards, then punched the man while he was trying to breathe. "Get it now?" he asked coldly.

"Um, sir?" a nurse asked, opening the door.

"He was just going to break up with her and leave, and he's not coming back. Is he?" Xander asked, walking away before getting an answer. He pulled out some change and headed for the payphone, calling Angel's office. "Hey, it's me. Do you have Henri's addy? Because her boyfriend's moving out today. Yeah, please, and have Wes pack her some stuff for a long stay. Have the neighbor help if you need to." He smiled and hung up, heading for his Oz. "Henri, I'm sorry to have to tell you he's leaving."

She smiled at him. "Did you hurt him?" she asked sweetly. Xander gave her his best innocent look. "Xander, that was very bad," she said quietly, losing her smile.

"He attacked first," he told her, sitting on the end of the bed. "All I did was warn him that he would never yell at you like that again. He disagreed. He attacked and I put him down." He shrugged. "I'm sorry if this pisses you off."

"No," she sighed. "I know you're just being protective." She looked at the hospital gown she had on. "I was going to ask him to pack me some things."

"Wes is going to help him pack and I asked him to get the neighbor to help him get you something to wear," Xander told her. She looked up at him. "I can call him back if you want," he told her.

She sighed and shook her head.

"I think she was hoping for more tact," Oz told his husband.

"I was tactful, just ask the nurse that kept him from getting up a second time." Her mouth fell open. "He started it, all I did was warn him not to do it again." He stood up. "I'm sorry if I upset you, I'll go wait in the car."

"Get back here," Henri said firmly, pulling him down for a hug. "I know you wanted to protect me, but he wasn't that bad," she told him quietly.

"Henri, he was screaming in an Intensive Care unit at a woman who just had another coronary. He was an asshole." He stood up, giving her a smile. "Let us find you a nice man. We're very good at matchmaking."

She shook her head, rolling her eyes. "This is why I haven't introduced you to any of my paramours."

"We realize that, but Xander's right. If he had the disrespect to yell at you while you were lying there, then you don't need him."

She waved a hand. "Whatever, I'll yell at you once I'm out of here." She looked at the monitors beside her. "I have no idea why they put me down here. It was only a minor MI."

"There's no such thing as a minor MI," Xander countered. "And we're very happy that they moved you down here." He kissed her cheek. "Better this than dying upstairs, okay?"

"Definitely," she agreed, smiling at them. She noticed the nurse at the door. "These two are my adopted, overprotective grandsons," she introduced with a smile.

The nurse smiled at them. "I can understand that. By the way, Mr. Harris, please no more violence against the other visitors. Even though we did appreciate you telling him not to scream on the ward. And what is that?" she asked, looking at the furry lump.

"That's her cat," Xander said happily. "She couldn't have it at her apartment so it's been staying with us."

"She's not supposed to have animals. Next time, don't let us see it," she warned, coming in to check the machines. "If you're very good, you might get to go upstairs again soon," she said, smiling at Oz. "Are you two real family or adopted?"

"Adopted," Xander told her. "She's our housekeeper and semi-official grandmother."

"Ah. Well then, I should tell you that it's not technically visiting hours, but we'll make an exception since she just got down here. We did get her chart, which has the sixteen numbers and email addresses on it, and we'll take good care of her for you."

Oz grimaced. "Are you kicking us out?"

"No, visiting hours start in another half an hour. We're more than willing to make exceptions for things like this. As a matter of fact, we have list of stuff she can have if you'd like to go fetch them for her."

"We've got someone getting her clothes," Oz told her.

"I'll get the rest," Xander said, standing up. He took the list and blew a kiss at Henri. "Get better sooner. The ferrets miss you too."

Everyone relaxed once Xander was gone. "He's very energetic," the nurse noted.

Oz nodded. "Definitely. It's all about his worry though. This is him in hyper-worrywart mode."

The nurse chuckled. "We've seen other cases of that, don't worry about it. Just ring for us if you need anything," she said then left.

Oz shook his head. "Think this is bad, this is where Xander came after he had his coronary. They had to handle a sick, but hyper him for two days."

Henri shuddered. "They must be very patient."

Oz nodded. "Definitely."

***

Xander frowned as he tried to concentrate on his work, but his mind kept working over the problem of what to do with Henrietta. Technically, she was a senior citizen now, and he wasn't so sure she wanted to come back to work. During their last visit, she had said she was enjoying doing nothing. His frown deepened as he carved another line into the bracelet, connecting it to the earlier one.

"That's pretty, who's it for?" Ray asked, startling the younger man. "Sorry. For Henri?" he asked as he sat down.

"Yeah, for her." He handed it over, watching as Ray examined it. "I'm going to set a few dangling jewels on the hand-side. Like it?"

"Very much," Ray agreed. "So, what's the thought of the day?"

Xander shrugged, taking the bracelet back so he could work on it some more. "A lot of them," he said finally.

"Thinkin' about Henri?"

"Yup. She said she's enjoying the vacation."

"Oh." Ray moved closer, wrapping himself around Xander's seated body and putting his chin on his friend shoulder to watch him. "Am I in the way?"

"Nope, Oz does the same thing sometimes." Xander poked a hole for one of the tiny set jewels he had ready, threading the setting through it. "I want her to be happy."

"But you don't want to lose her?"

"Nope."

"How about you ask her," Ray suggested. "Give her a choice. A nice retirement fund if she wants to or a raise when she gets back?"

"Could," Xander said, brightening a little. "Think she'll like it?"

"I do so I'm sure she will." He kissed the side of Xander's face. "Feel better?"

"Nope. We still haven't found a replacement yet and it's starting to worry Oz."

"That's normal. How long did it take you to find Henri?"

"Later the night we put in the ad. Someone let the ad slip to one of the carriers who liked Henri enough to tell her."

"Cool. But no new offers?"

"We've had one, but it was by a professional service and they wouldn't do things like play with the animals. They even said it'd be better if we left while they worked."

"Which sucks," Ray agreed. "Now what?"

"I want to make Henri comfy in her old age, and I'm not sure that I should offer it to her or not. She might get really upset with me."

"Or not. Have an account set up in her name and give it to her, telling her it's for whenever she's ready to retire." He hugged as Xander considered the idea.

"Point," Xander conceded. "I'll do that today. How much?"

"That I don't know. Enough to be comfy for sure, but I'm not sure how much that might be." He stood up. "Want me to go ask Oz?"

"No, I want to do this and I'm not sure that he realizes that Henri's thinking about retiring or not." He looked up. "Just between us?"

"Sure." Ray ruffled Xander's loose hair and went back into the house, going to find his own mate to get a cuddle. He whispered Xander's idea into his lover's ear, getting a hug in return.

"I'm sure he'll do the right thing," Methos said gently, pulling Ray around to hold him. "What do you think about this one?" he asked, pointing at the city.

"Flagstaff? Isn't it desert there?"

"It's foothills. It gets cold, it gets warm, but it's more of a temperate climate as opposed to something like Delaware."

"Who wanted Delaware?" Ray asked, his nose wrinkling. "Are there cities in Delaware?"

"Dover," Oz said from the doorway. "Did you help straighten out Xander?" Ray nodded. "Cool. Do I need to get involved?" Ray shook his head. "All right, I'm going to go clean up after the animals. Someone decided to play with the water dispenser and knocked it over." He left them alone.

Methos smiled at Ray. "If you'd like, we can go visit Flagstaff and check it out."

"Sure," Ray agreed, giving him a smile back. "A weekend? That way there's still surprises?"

"Of course," Methos agreed, giving his lover a squeeze. "We'll go next weekend. All right?"

"Definitely. But we'll leave on a Thursday so we have more cuddle time."

"That'd be fine, dear one." Methos shut down the computer, taking his Ray somewhere more comfortable to hold him.

***

Xander walked into Henrietta's room, giving her a weak smile. He closed the door and walked over to sit beside her. "I heard what you said the other day," he told her, putting an envelope into her hands. "For whenever you're ready to retire."

She opened it, looking at the forms inside. "Xander, what is this?"

"A retirement fund," he told her, relaxing. "I'm not saying it's time, I leave that up to you, but we don't want you to have to work until you're eighty unless you want to." She looked at him in shock and he gave her a sad smile. "We still love you, but I know what it's like to do the same thing all the time without thinking about the future."

"But..." she started, but her mouth hung open.

"So, whenever you're ready to leave us, you won't have to worry about anything." He laid a hand on hers. "And there's something else I want to give you, a prezzie for making it past thirty days." He pulled out the small silk bag, handing it over too. "That's for you."

She opened it, expecting another shock. Instead, she pulled out a delicate bangle bracelet with hanging stones on the bottom. "Oh, my," she said, trying it on. "It fits. A little loose but it's comfortable."

"I had to guess at the size," he admitted with a shrug. "And we're not running you off, Henri, but you did say you were enjoying your vacation."

She stopped him by pulling him over for a hug. "You are a very dear boy, Xander, but very odd. Of course I'm enjoying my stay without work. It's nice not to have to clean up your own room." She smiled at him, patting his cheek. "But I'm not ready to retire yet."

"Then that's yours for whenever you are. This way, you can volunteer somewhere and do something that you love instead of having to worry about paying rent and things."

"Well," the nurse said as she walked in. "Oh, that's nice, dear." She looked at the bracelet. "Must have cost your boy here a pretty penny."

"He made it," Henrietta told him. "He's a very gifted jewelry maker," she told her nurse. "And he's just done something so sweet I want to kiss him. He's funded my retirement, whenever I'm ready of course."

The nurse smiled at Xander. "Need a daughter?" she joked.

Xander shook his head. "My Oz said no kids."

The nurse laughed and made a few notes on the chart before leaving them alone.

"Really, we won't push but we don't want you to have to work when you're ready to go travel or to go take classes that you like or whatever."

"But it's so much."

"Maybe, but I figured it this way. If you had been being paid a decent amount by all your employers, then you might have started saving back when you were first married around thirty." She laughed at that. "So you might already have that much if you included interest and stuff. I made this so that it does all the stuff for you. It's a secured investment, no risk involved. Not stocks or bonds, but CD's which roll over automatically if you don't withdraw them and put the interest money into an account." She smiled at that. "So, poor rate of interest but no risk, and you'll be able to decide when you're ready to move on and enjoy being single and pretty."

She pulled him down and kissed him on the cheek. "You are a sweet boy, Xander, but I won't need this for a few years yet."

"Ah, but we'll be moving in the next few years so that'll work out just fine, unless you want to come with us." She shook her head. "Meth is insisting on Flagstaff or somewhere warm like that."

"No, dear, I doubt I'll be moving with you. I might come along to get everything settled and train a new housekeeper, but I won't move permanently from LA, this is my home."

"Perfectly understandable," Xander told her, giving her a brighter smile. "And the new housekeeper?" She nodded, looking interested. "No one's answered the ad."

"Oh, no," she sighed, looking at her bracelet. "When did you make this?"

"Over the last few days." He touched one of the stones. "Watch out for this one, the round holding it on has broken twice so far. I took it to my jewelry store to have someone there fix it, so this time it might stay on, but just be careful with that one." He kissed her on the cheek. "I should let you rest, I bribed the nurse so I could come in a little early. Oz'll be in soon though and I'm supposed to be getting more stuff for the forge so I can work on that too." He patted his pocket, the one with the CD for the jewelers, so he could set up the showing Oz was demanding. "I'll be back by tonight. You consider what you want to do with your retirement."

"Oh, I think I might find a nice little place and volunteer," she said, watching him go. She went back to staring at her bracelet. When Oz came in an hour later, she showed it to him, making him smile and check it for her. She didn't tell him about the retirement fund, not wanting to get her favorite boy in trouble.

***

Xander sat across from the Branchson's head people, watching as they looked over the few pieces he had brought to show them his work. "So?" he asked once the magnifying glass was put down.

"This is very good work," the head jewelry designer said, smiling at him. "You're a credit to us all, Xander."

"Thanks. I got a lot of training while we were traveling," he said with a blush. "Oz wanted me to show a few pieces off."

"That would be fine with us. Were you interested in selling any of them?" Xander shrugged. "I see. Are these personal pieces that you were interested in showing?"

"No." He clenched his hands on the table. "See, when we went across a realmal boundary the last time, we found ourselves somewhere very ancient but very nice. I learned over there how to make jewelry, from one of the masters. I also learned how to use a forge from him," he said wryly. "But, while we were working selling jewelry, most of the pieces I had made were on commission for the people of this little town." He pointed at the red river stone bracelet. "Things like that were requested by the people we got to know. Then they got attacked and wiped out."

"Ah. So you probably have a story for every piece that you've done," the head jewelry designer said wisely.

Xander nodded. "Yeah, I do. Most of it was already paid for, and we looked for relatives for over a year, but we never found any."

"So this is orphan jewelry?" Xander nodded again. "Then you're feeling emotionally attached to it?"

"Yeah, I think so," Xander told him, looking at him, seeing the remembrance of pain in his eyes. "You too?"

"I used to consider each piece I made as 'mine', that I was just doing this to make presents."

"Which is what I do now," Xander agreed. "See, I knew I could come to you with this."

"I'd say show them and then wait and see if anyone asks," the lead sales associate said, smiling at Xander. "You've seen us doing shows before, we were doing one when you first came in here to check on some of your stones," she said, having fond remembrances of dealing with Xander for all those years. "We can put them on show and if anyone asks, we can get in touch with you."

"I..I'd like that," he decided quickly. "How many did you want?"

"How about the orphan pieces and you write a story with each?" she suggested mildly. "That way, you can start to excise those ghosts."

"Sure," he said, relaxing. These guys were good and they were going to honor his wishes. "That's about twenty pieces, but I have to finish two of them still. The last time they were being worked on was before the attack and they were improperly cooled. I'll have to rework them totally."

"That'd be fine," she agreed. "Bring them to us in a few weeks?"

"I think I can have at least one of them done by tomorrow," he said. "I've been working on it for a few days now, remaking it totally."

"But it will take us a few weeks to do everything to set up a show," the head jeweler noted. "Take three weeks and get everything ready. Did you need something to put them in?" He looked at the bags. "These are very nice."

"Thanks. That's what I had available over there to put them in." He accepted the bags back, stuffing them into his pockets. "Did I need to sign a promissary note or anything?"

"No, you're a partial owner of the store, we can do that when you bring everything in."

Xander grinned and stood up. "Thanks, guys." He left them alone, heading back to the hospital.

The head jeweler looked at the woman beside him. "All artists have exceptionally vivid imaginations. His seems to have sparked with the story about the village."

She just smiled and stood up. The man had *no* idea. "I'm sure it'll be fine."

***

Oz walked out with their investment binder, sitting down beside his mate, who was sewing little bags. "When did we take out a million?"

"When I gave it to Henri as a 'whenever you're ready' retirement account."

"Oh." Oz looked at him. "That little?"

"I put it in CDs," Xander said, finishing off that bag and cutting it free so he could look at it.

"That's pretty. Which one's going in it?"

"The fire opal." Xander kissed him gently. "I thought a million might go far enough for her. She's not going to suddenly buy a mansion and try to live like a movie star. A million should last her at least ten years."

"Good point," Oz agreed, kissing Xander. "You do very good work, love," he whispered against the lips, taking the bag and stuffing it into the binder so they could both be tossed away. He laid his husband back on the fabric beside him, enjoying this moment alone.

An Unhappy Xander

A very frustrated Xander continued to pound on his current work, trying to bend the steel to his will. "Six months," he muttered as he pounded the metal into shape. "Six months without sex."

"Imp?" Methos called from the doorway. He and Ray had become very wary of Xander recently; the young man was having horrible mood swings and was quite irrational at a moment's notice when he was bothered. "Xander?" he tried again. "Sam's on the phone."

"Bring it to me," Xander growled.

Methos quickly brought the phone out, handing it over and stepping back. They were going to have to do something about the itching problem Xander had whenever he got worked up.

"What?" Xander growled, putting the blade back in to reheat it. His expression softened. "Yeah, I'm still having that problem." He curled up, wrapping his free arm around his knees. "Really? No, I never thought about using it like a battery. Yeah, it can be shaped. Sure, I'll try it later. No, I'm working on a sword blade." He laughed then hung up, handing the phone back to Methos. "She's going to talk to Janet for me," he told Methos, pulling out the blade and going back to pounding out his sexual frustration on it. "Can you please get me a few bars of the energy metal? Sam wanted to know if it could be turned into a battery."

"Of course," Methos said quickly, happy that Xander was acting normal for a few moments. He hurried inside to do what he had been asked before the young man's mood changed again. He walked out and handed it over, looking down at the blade. "That's uneven," he said quietly.

"I know," Xander told him.

"All right." Methos hurried back inside, going to hide with Ray and Oz, who were huddled together in the office, hoping for some relief from Xander's mood swings. The pasta incident at dinner last night had scared them all.

Xander turned the blade over and started to make it symmetrical, grumbling about people who wanted to tell him what to do but who wouldn't help make him feel better. He moved the bars of metal, putting them down beside him to work on them later.

***

Sam Carter, Astrophysicist extraordinare, grunted into the phone as she answered it. "Really?" she asked, sounding happier. "Have you told him yet? Because he'll be so happy." She laughed. "No, he's been hell to live with because of the itching. I got the feeling from Oz that he was ready to do that anyway." She ran a hand through her blonde hair. "Thanks. Yes, definitely tell him that. It'll make him feel better."

She went back to her star charts, trying to figure out where the group of people like her were going to look for habitable planets without a stargate. It was an interesting proposition, but she wished she had more information on this other group that was working out of NASA.

***

Oz picked up the phone and sighed when he heard the voice on the other end. "Janet," he said, relaxing back into his desk chair. "Do you know how to cure his residual itching?" He smiled. "Thank the Gods. Yes, them. Because there's nothing more frustrating than Xander right now. Not even that. I've been raided by the Feds before, even they weren't as frustrating as Xander is right now." He laughed. "Thanks. Yeah, I can have you taken to his spa and have him there whenever you want, we'll hire you a driving and everything. Unless you want him in the hospital," he offered quickly. He smiled. "Yup, can do. Sure. Want me to make the appointment and call you back?" He wrote down her phone number then hummed. "'Kay, I'll call them and call you right back with when."

He hung up and dialed Xander's usual spa's number, smiling at the friendly voice on the other end. "Hi, this is Xander Harris' mate. I need to talk to the manager for a sec please?" He hummed in time with the music, his smile picking up when the woman on the other end called him by name. "Hi. No, he's not feeling better, but his personal doctor may have a way to fix that. She wanted to do it at your place so we could do the whole wrap thing afterwards. Yeah, she's more than willing to talk to your skin specialists. Her name's Janet..." He thought for a second. "I don't remember her last name," he apologized. "We just know her as Doctor Janet. No, she works for the military. No, it wasn't a new weapon, it was from a natural rock he ran into somewhere; Janet's studying the rock to see if it's useful for anything so she got his case." He sat up straighter. "Sure, that'd be great. Yeah. I'll give her your number and ..." He wrote down a new number. "Okay, got it. I'll give that to her and she'll call you. And you'll call us with the appointment?" He smiled. "Thanks. Yeah, he's still itching, it's *horrible*." His smile got brighter. "No, he *growls* at me now. We really need this to be fixed." He laughed. "Thanks. Yeah, I'll call her right away."

He hung up and dialed Janet's cellphone number. "Hey, me," he said in greeting. "No, Janet? Oh, sorry. No, she told me to call this number. Thanks." He hung up and redialed Janet's work, getting her immediately. "Did you realize you left your cellphone with your daughter?" he asked her in greeting. "Yeah, let me give you the number to the manager. She's calling in their skin care specialist." He rattled off the number, then the extension, checking the paper. "Um, change that last five to a six, that's the front line I gave you. Yeah, just that last five. Extension's the same." He smiled again. "I know we're both looking forward to him being better. He's become insufferable, Janet. Really bad. Last night, he attacked the pasta we were eating because he said it wasn't being nice. Then he threw the bowl at Ray when he smirked. Really. No, we haven't been able to do anything. Because he starts itching. Trust me on this, Janet. A GHS member who's not getting what he needs is one that no one wants to see. Sure, I'll tell him. Just call us with the time and day. We'll be there early."

He laughed and hung up, going to tell Xander the good news. "Hey," he said as he walked out onto the patio. "Janet just called. She thinks she can solve the rest of the itching problem." He held the man that pounced on him, cuddling Ray tightly. "Xander?"

"Really?" Xander asked, looking up at him.

"Really," Oz assured him. "She's going to do it at the spa. They're doing a phone conference now so they can fix you soon." He had to let Ray go when Xander jumped on him, allowing himself to be knocked down so they could cuddle. "Good news?"

"You are gonna be *so* sore," Xander promised with a bright smile. "We've got to make up for six month's worth of me not getting any."

"Yup." Oz wiggled free, having seen the look that came over Xander's face. "Just a few more days of pounding out your frustration," he promised, kissing the tip of Xander's nose. "And then I'll be pounding you into the mattress." Oz escaped before the desire to jump his husband, no matter how much it hurt him to do so, overtook him.

Xander pouted at Ray. "Will you make sure I don't hurt the Oz when I'm better?"

"Sure," Ray agreed, getting down to cuddle him for a few minutes. "Go finish that, I wanna see how you decorate the sword."

"Okay," Xander sighed, going back to his forge and worktable with clamps to chisel out the design.

***

Xander carefully carved the last small piece off the battery-shaped piece of the energy metal, holding it up to compare it to the battery he was modeling it off of. He shrugged and put aside his carving tools, making sure the metal was cool enough to try in his radio. He slid in the single battery next to it, and jumped as the sound came on loudly. He pulled out the battery, timing the time it took for the radio to turn off. After an hour, he gave up and shrugged it off. He took out the small AA sized battery, a look coming across his face. He got up, grabbing a watch battery from his desk, and headed up to his room and the toy chest it contained.

A few minutes later, a demented howl rang throughout the house, making everyone shudder. Oz started to get up, but a dancing Xander whirled into the room.

"Um, Xan?" Ray asked.

"I found it!" he cheered, lifting the furiously running vibrator up. "I found a way to make my vibrators run *forever*!" he shouted, waving it around. "I found a way to make sure that they *never* die in the middle of sex again!" He ran from the room, heading for a phone. He had to share this. Sam had to know!

Oz looked at Methos, trying to look bland and not scared. "Can you give him something now?" he asked quietly.

"If I had the right to write prescriptions, I would gladly do so," Methos agreed grimly, watching the hallway for another attack of Xander insanity.

***

Sam Carter picked up her phone wearily, putting it next to her ear. "Carter," she sighed, disheartened by her own experiments. She sat up straighter. "Really? You're sure?" She smiled. "You're absolutely sure?" She pulled the phone away from her ear as the buzzing started. "Okay, I believe you," she said, listening to him ramble. "Cool. Yeah, I'll pass this on. You're kidding," she said, brightening farther. "Great work, Xander. Yeah, I'll go tell them right now."

She hung up and walked out into the hall, running into Daniel first. "Xander figured out how to make his vibrators run forever," she said happily, making everyone stare at her. "With the energy metal," she explained happily. She ran down the hall, going to find the General and share the good news with him.

"Sir," she said, bursting into his office. "Xander found a way to run his vibrators forever using the energy metal." She stopped when she saw he was on the special red phone that ran to the White House. "Sorry," she said, blushing.

"Just a minute, sir," the General said, putting the President on hold. "He figured out how to do what?"

"He figured out a way to run his vibrators, which run on batteries, using the energy metal. He had me listen to it. It's running on high when he's got it set on low speed. It's running on just the energy metal and a watch battery. He's had it running for over a half-hour and the only problem he's seeing is that the motor may burn out." She bounced slightly. "He's figured out how to use the energy metal to power battery-powered machines."

"I see," the General said, smiling at her. "I would like to know how. Go to Sunnydale tomorrow with Doctor Frasier and talk with him."

"Yes, sir," she said, saluting then leaving him alone.

The General took a moment to take a deep breath, then picked back up the phone. "Sir? No, there's been an advance in that new metal, the one that puts out that energy. Yes, sir. Someone found out how to use it to power things in place of batteries." He laughed. "Yes, sir, that is what she said. We know that it's never a military application that happens first," he joked lightly. "Yes, sir, I'll gladly submit that report as soon as she writes it. Yes, sir, that metal. That's what I thought," he said. Then he hung up and sat back to consider this new accomplishment.

***

Xander bounced into Doctor Frasier as soon as he ran into the spa, hugging her as hard as he could and dancing around with her. "I figured out how to harness the energy metal," he chanted a few times before putting her down.

"Xander, if you continue to assault her, she won't cure the itching," Oz warned as he walked in. He smiled at the doctor. "It's been six days since he found this out," he told her.

"I know," Janet said, smiling at them. "Sam told everyone on the base. She even told the General while he was talking to the President." Xander looked a little shocked, but he still had that happy/demented look on his face. "Come on, let's get this started. It'll take a few hours to get all the lingering chemicals leached from your skin." She led them back to the private suite and pointed at the bathroom. "Go change into the robe that's in there. You can keep on your underwear," she said quickly when Oz looked at her funny. "You too, Oz. This way, there's no chance of it coming back from anywhere. Did you take off the first sheets you came into contact with and toss them out?" she called while they were in the bathroom.

"They were the first ones I made," Xander called back. "We washed them about six times in a row then put them into a keepsake bag." He came out wearing the robe and his usual peachskin thong. "Is this okay?" he asked.

She swallowed. "Yeah, fine, it'll soak through it," she said, staring at his package. She shook herself before Oz could come out and waved a hand at the double bed. "Lie down and we'll start with the cleansing wrap. We recently found this new herb, which we tested in the lab. It's been shown to take all chemicals off the skin. We'll slather you both in this, then we'll work on the condition of your skin because it can dry it out." She smiled as Oz walked out, waving a hand at the bed. "Up you both get. It's going to take about two hours after we wrap you up, so we thought it's be nice to let you be together." She cleared her throat at the mental image she got from that statement, and saw Oz's understanding look. "Up, both of you."

Oz climbed up onto the table and patted the area beside him. "Come on, Xander. The faster we get this done, the faster you get laid." Xander was beside him instantly, lying down on his stomach. Oz grinned at Janet as he laid back, watching as she and the skin- care person brought over the tub of light green stuff to put all over them. He took off his robe and rolled onto his stomach, poking Xander to get him to do the same. The robe went sailing, and Xander snuggled into his side, getting comfortable for the long session.

Janet walked in and turned up the lights slowly, smiling at the way the couple was cuddling together. She stopped and blushed a deep red when she saw what they were doing under the sheet, or at least what Xander was doing under the sheet to Oz. She cleared her throat, but the hand moving up and down didn't stop. "Boys," she called softly.

"What?" Xander asked.

She shook herself, not wanting to watch this but not able to look away. She swallowed as she started to sweat, starting to fan herself as Oz's low moan reached her. She felt herself getting wet as the sheer eroticism caught her, and she vowed to herself to find someone tonight, even if she had to pay for the time. She unconsciously reached for her stomach, stroking it slowly in time with Xander's hand. She started when she realized her hand was up under her blouse and ran for the bathroom to go finish herself off. They could hose the guys off in a few minutes. She didn't come out until she heard Oz groan Xander's name and the wet kiss that followed it. "Is it safe?" she said from the bathroom door.

"Was before," Oz told her. "We were covered." He grinned as she blushed. "Sorry, but it's been too long for him. Can we wash this off now? It's gotten dry and crumbly."

"Su..sure," she stuttered, coming over to grab the hose. "Um, let me," she said, running back into the bathroom to finish cleaning herself off and gather her professionalism back around her. There was no way she wanted her patients to see her like this. And if it ever got back to Cheyenne Mountain, she was dead. She took a deep, calming breath and walked back out, grabbing the hose and pulling off the sheet to hose them down.

***

Oz walked into their house, his mouth already locked to Xander's. There was no way they were waiting for such niceties as a bed after six months. He didn't care who was standing in the living room. Xander knocked him to the floor and went down on him, so Oz wrapped his hands in the long, soft hair to guide the mouth on him. He shot off incredibly fast, and found himself on his stomach, still panting from having come. He felt his pants being pulled down and grunted the one word he could think of, "Lube?" He felt the warm liquid be spit inside of him and understood what Xander had been going for, relaxing as his body was quickly opened and entered. Then he started to howl at the hard ride he was given.

Xander threw his head back and screamed in pleasure, having missed this for *way* too long. Even after he came, he continued to pound into his Oz until he became too soft. As soon as he slipped out for good, he draped himself across his husband's back, nearly purring as he rubbed his cheek against the soft skin. "I need my stamina back," he whispered.

"I'm sure we'll find it sometime later," Oz panted. "You good for another ten minutes?"

"Maybe," Xander said, nipping him on the back of the neck. He pushed himself up and looked at the older man standing in the doorway. "Hey, General Hammond. Excuse us for a few minutes." He forced himself to stand and helped his Oz up, taking him to the nearest bathroom so they could clean up together.

The General looked at the woman sitting across from him. "Now I see why it was so important that he found a way to make his vibrators last forever," he told Sam.

Sam grinned. "GHS is all about the pleasure principle, sir, and Xander's the most GHS individual in the last hundred years according to the members I know."

The General nodded as he sat down to wait on them. That was definitely something he didn't want to break into the middle of. He looked up in shock as he heard a high-pitched scream, then looked at Sam, who was smirking. "Who was that?"

"Probably Ray. That sounded like his voice." She sipped her iced tea, which Ray had gotten for her earlier when he had let them in. "Give them a few minutes, sir, they'll be back down soon enough."

General Hammond shook his head. "I don't know how. Even when I was their age, I didn't have that much energy."

"Yeah, but he's like that," Ray said as he appeared in the doorway. "Give them time enough to shower. Xander's been looking forward to talking to her." He winked at Sam and walked away, heading for the kitchen.

Sam settled into her couch, listening to the laughing voices on the floor above them.

When Xander came down, he smiled brightly at everyone like nothing had happened. "Wanna to see it?" he asked Sam. She nodded and stood up, following him back to his writing room. "The motor burned out last night," he warned her as he picked it up to show it to her.

She sat down on the sinfully soft, flame colored couch and looked over the device, opening it up to look at how he had done the batteries. "You trimmed some of the energy metal down to make room for the watch battery?" He nodded when she looked up. "Okay. How long did it run? And how much higher than normal did it get?"

"Well," he said, sitting down on his overstuffed chair, "I tried it on high, that's why it finally gave out. It ran for over three hours before then, and it sounded like it was running a little higher than the usual 'high' setting does. I inched it up, that's when it gave out and started to smoke."

"That makes sense," she said, taking out the batteries. "It melted."

"It got *real* hot," he told her. "My radio did the same thing."

"Then we'll have to make sure that whatever we run with this won't overload," she said pragmatically. She put it down and checked the hall before turning to look at him. "What is your life like?" He looked confused. "Blair and I have been talking and he told me what it was like to live in total hedonistic splendor, he did it for a few weekends a month, but I couldn't imagine living like this all the time."

"Oh," Xander said, catching on. "It's mostly a matter of letting go and having fun," he explained, pulling one foot up under him. "I guess most rich people can do that too, but I don't ever do anything I don't want to do. Except the litter boxes," he said with a grimace. She smiled at that. "The only time I work is when I feel like it. I never have to force myself to do anything." He ran a hand over the arm of the chair. "Also, I surrounded myself with things that made me feel good, or sparked my interest, or even just sparked my attention," he said with a grin and a wave at the tapestries on the walls. "I set up everything in this house so that I wouldn't feel pain from anything. The things I have to do while guarding give me enough pain, this is my refuge. And yeah, personal pleasure's a big part of that, but so is mental and physical pleasure. I get a thrill when I finish a piece of jewelry. It's the same thrill I get when I dive into the pool or I go play with the animals. It's also the same thrill I get when I beat Oz and Adam in a sparring match." He shrugged. "Basically, it's a life free from most worries. I gave that up when I gave up pain not of my own making and fear. It's really just letting go of it all and going with what makes you happy and feel good."

"Oh." She got comfortable and looked around the room. "I don't think I could do this," she told him. She watched as he lit the two candles beside him, noticing he said a small prayer. "Who do you pray to? Not to be nosy or anything, but Daniel said something about the ancient Gods existing and one of them telling him that the aliens taking over for them was a test of faith by the old Gods."

"It was," Xander agreed. "They are real, you just have to believe to find them. I asked one of them that I routinely pray to for an explanation and he gave me a dream." He leaned forward a little. "In it, he showed me a meeting of the Gods where they decided to use this as a pass/fail test for humanity. If the belief was there, then the Gods would kick the aliens out of this solar system. If not, then they would let the foolish humans deal with what they had done."

"So, we're screwed because we didn't have the right sort of faith?" Sam asked.

"No, not really. There's always been people who knew the Gods and distrusted these new creatures that showed up claiming to be them. Someone has been anchoring for them for years now." He snorted, thinking of something. "I bet I could pick Strife out of a lineup of look-a-likes by now. He's been very patient with me."

"Who's the other candle for?" she asked.

"Cupid. My GHSness falls under his area of influence. The rest of my life seems to fall to Strife, but Cupid is over my sensual side."

"What do you get out of being an anchor?"

"I get to stay balanced. I've only had to ask for something once -, that was when we were hacked by the FBI a while back." He nodded at the door so she closed it, then turned to find a blade coming out of his wrist. "This is a soul sword," he told her. "It's very rare, and it's something I found out about because of Strife. He's been good to me. All I do is worship him as often as I possibly can and make Oz laugh."

"So, it's not a symbiotic relationship?" she asked.

"No," he snorted, and the blade disappeared. "It's nothing like that. I exist and do things in their area, which gives them energy. My prayers to them, and the candles I light in their names, give them more. Calling me an anchor isn't really the right term, I'm more of a link in the chain that connects them to the world, same as everyone who worships them is."

"Oh." She leaned back when he did. "So, you don't get anything out of this?"

"Not true, I get lots. Strife is a really cool guy. I'm really glad I got the chance to meet him and to talk with him. He's got a very unique way of looking at the world that just makes *sense* to me, ya know?" She nodded. "What I get from my faith in them is the same thing that people who believe in Jesus get from their faith. Though my Gods occasionally show up to say 'hi'."

She grinned at that. "That's really cool." She glanced at the door. "I was thinking recently of asking Daniel about the old ways, he's been studying them to find out which Gods were Goa'uld."

Xander listened to the little Strife-like voice in his mind, then nodded. "Have you thought about taking a look at Athena and Artemis? Wisdom, scholarly thought, warriorism, and the hunt?"

She frowned. "No, I hadn't, but I'll have him tell me about them," she agreed. She got up and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks, Xander."

"Hey, anytime," he offered, watching as she left. His grin turned naughty as he saw Methos walk past his doorway, getting up to stalk and jump him. He was nice, he waited until the old guy put down his cat before knocking him to the floor.

***

Oz finished checking the restraints that were holding Xander down to the bed, then nodded at Methos as he got out of his way. "This way, we all get some sleep," he told his husband, who had already jumped them all three times since they had gone to bed. "Ray, you first," he ordered.

Ray moved up to the bed and bent down, kissing Xander's cheek. "I know ya need it, but really, Xanny. It's too much for the rest'a us." He ran a hand down the hard cock. "If you'd agree not to jump us again tonight, then we'd undo ya and let ya cuddle," he offered.

"But I need it," Xander protested. It was unfair, he had been without for six months and now that he could have sex again, his body was putting out incredible waves of neediness. "Please? Just once more so I can sleep too?"

Oz groaned and walked over to the toy chest, pulling out one of the newly enhanced vibrators. He lubed it and handed it over to his husband, undoing all but one ankle strap. "Here, make it fast or we're going to sleep in the next room." He sat on the edge of the bed, letting Methos rest against him while they all watched Xander work himself off.

Xander stuck the toy into himself immediately and found a rhythm he really liked, using himself hard and fast. He felt his skin start to heat up but didn't worry about it, much, until the burning pain started. Literally a burning pain. He came with a scream of pain and fell into his best friend's arms, letting him take the toy.

"Meth, this is warm," Ray said, handing the toy over.

"Dear God," Methos muttered, taking the toy and turning it off. Then he dropped it and blew on his fingers. "Into a cool bath he goes," he ordered, getting up to go run it while Ray got Xander moving.

Oz watched, frowning at the toy. "No more of you," he said, pushing it under the bed so they could clean it in the morning. "You're going back to normal batteries." He got up to answer the knock at the door, grimacing at Sam. "You have to watch out. That new battery system makes things overheat." Then he shut the door and walked into the bathroom to go help his husband take a bath. Hopefully, Xander hadn't burned himself too bad and he would be able to go again in the morning when they had all recovered.

***

Methos groaned as he woke up, then his eyes opened wide as he tested the bonds holding him down. He turned his head after visually checking the area around him, checking on his Ray first, who was tied down right beside him, then on Oz and Xander, who were also tied to the bed. He groaned and tried to get free, but it wasn't working.

"Stop," Xander hissed. "He's in the bathroom." He wiggled his lower half and managed to almost free one ankle before the bathroom door opened and a young man walked out. "What do you want with us?" he demanded.

"You've got money, and good taste in restraints," the man said, grinning down at them. "I like that in victims." He looked at the doorway, then down at Methos, who he noticed was awake also. "By the way, your friends are all knocked out too. Too bad, she was a pretty one. But I guess having one of these," he said, holding up her uniform jacket, "means that she won't play nice."

"Let me go and you can have whatever you want," Xander offered. "Just don't hurt anyone or the animals."

The robber snorted and started to laugh. "Oh, yeah, like I'm some sicko who's going to waste his time with hurting animals." He looked around the room. "Truth is, there's a lot here I'd be willing to take, but it's mostly too big for me to carry."

"Let us go," Oz demanded. "We're reasonable people. We won't kill you."

The thief snorted again, in derision. "Sure you will. Rich people like you guys couldn't hurt anyone. And I bet your sister and her friend in the next room would probably do anything to keep you four safe." He leered down at Xander. "Though, I'd be willing to take you in trade for some of the pretties I've found so far."

"Yay," Xander said dryly. "Not going for that deal, sorry. Take the jewelry, not me."

"Xander," Oz hissed.

"Oz, if anyone kidnaps me again, I'm killing them, no matter what the cops say about it. Even if I do go to prison for a few years. The Gods know he wouldn't be the first person I did in."

"Oh, goody, bad guys," the thief chortled. "I *so* believe that," he said sarcastically. "Let me see, if you're a killer, then he's a hacker, right?" he asked, pointing at Ray. "And that one," he pointed at Oz, "is the reformed cop? Then what are you, sparky?" he asked Methos.

"Got it wrong," Xander told him. "He's the cop," he nodded at Ray, "I'm the bodyguard, and he's the hacker," he nodded at Oz. "Adam's just the lucky guy who's teaching me how to make my own daggers."

"Hmm, I really could get to like you," the thief said, leaning down to look at Xander's nude body. "What'd you do to yourself?" he asked, pointing at the tattoo under Xander's pubic hair.

"That was another stupid fucker who kidnaped me," Xander said dryly. "He's dead now. Wanna join him?"

"Nah, I think I'll wait for death." He unhitched Oz's right hand. "One at a time you may go to the bathroom. It'd be a shame to harm that gorgeous antique bed." He released Oz and walked him into the bathroom at knife point, kicking the door closed and locking it behind them in case anyone got free.

"Fucker," Xander muttered, working both of his ankles free, then starting on one wrist before the bathroom doorknob jiggled. "Let it get stuck this time," he muttered, needing just a second more to get free. Unfortunately, the doorknob wasn't cooperating today. He was released next, after Oz had been put back, and the thief didn't say anything about him being partially undone until they were in the bathroom alone.

"I'll let your honeys live if you blow me," he told Xander.

"Who says *you're* going to live through this?" Xander asked, looking him over. "I've taken out warlords that were tougher than you."

"Warlords?" the guy laughed.

"Yup, as in guys with swords," Xander said, pulling Oz's hidden one out and moving in on the bastard. "Get out of my house," he hissed, taking a practice swing at the guy to see how good he was. He got a long cut across his stomach for it and shrugged, lunging at the guy. After all, a sword was just a much longer knife and it could do just as much damage. He looked down at his stomach and groaned but shrugged it off as he opened the door. "Spitted him," he said, coming over to release his lovers. "Go call the cops?" he asked Ray.

"Nah, they won't like this."

"Pure self-defense," Oz noted.

"They won't like it; there's a new Captain and he hates you guys," Ray warned them.

"Do it anyway," Methos ordered gently, rubbing Ray's wrists for him. "I'll go check on Samantha and General Hammond." He got up and followed Ray out of the bedroom, watching as his mate went up to get the nearest phone. For whatever reason, Oz hated phones in his bedroom. He checked on Sam first, waking her up and checking the lump on the back of her head for her. "It's all right," he said quietly. "Just a small knot."

"Concussion," she slurred, letting her head thump back down as soon as he released it. "Need Janet."

"I know. We'll get her called to the hospital," he said kindly. He covered her and went to check on the General, who was in about the same condition. By the time he was done, Oz had handed him a robe and the police were pulling up outside. "How's Xander's stomach?" he asked Oz.

"Not healed yet." Oz got out of the way of the running cops, hoping that the illusion spell worked as well for Ray as it did for him. He waved at the detective as he strolled past. "Xander got him when he untied him to go to the bathroom," he told the older man.

The detective walked up to them, looking Oz over. "You look decent for a dead man. Got any idea what happened to Kowalski?"

"No. I was home that night and you guys know that. Oh, and our friends, who are military, are injured too." He pointed at the two doors.

"Concussions, both of them," Methos agreed.

"Fine, we'll get someone up here to see them."

"Sir, a sword," one of the uniforms called out.

"Oh, really?" the detective said, smirking at them. "Why would you have a sword in the bedroom?"

"Because Xander's into learning how to use them and he leaves them everywhere," Oz said quietly. He knew this type and he really didn't want to be arrested today. It would kill his whole day. "The one he used was in the bathroom, not the bedroom."

"Really?" the detective repeated, going to look at the crime scene.

Oz got out of the paramedics way, nodding at the two doors. "Both are concussed. Xander's got a minor cut on his stomach that a bandage will do."

"No it won't," Ray called. He jogged out. "That cut was *way* worse than it seemed."

One of Oz's eyebrows went up but he accepted that statement. "Then maybe they should split up. I'm going to check on the animals. *Greg*, you stay with Xander for me?"

"Sure," Ray said, grinning at him. "Anything for you, Oz." He walked back into the bedroom, going to sit beside Xander while he was looked at.

Methos opened the door for the paramedic going to check on Sam. "She's military," he told the young man. "Works out of Colorado."

"Do you know her base's number? Or her CO?"

"He's the other person that was hurt. They were up here to talk to Xander about a project of his." He got out of their way and headed in to check on Xander, but the cops pushed him out of the room. "I'd like to get my clothes if you wouldn't mind. I was wearing some while we were talking, before we fell asleep last night." He was let in but only allowed to touch the pile of clothing. "Ray, get him dressed." The cops all looked at him and he realized his mistake. "I'm sorry, Greg, but all these officers reminded me of him."

"No big, I understand," Greg said, giving him a smile. "Don't worry, I'll get the Xanny dressed."

"He *hates* that name," Methos warned as he walked out, heading back to his own room. He got dressed quickly and reappeared in the hall as they were leading Xander away. "Is he under arrest for protecting himself?" he asked in shock. "Even the legal system in this odd town doesn't punish people for protecting themselves from assault or deny them medical attention."

The detective pushed Methos away from Xander. "Unless you want to join him in the jail, I'd stay put," he warned.

"Then you'd best arrest me too because I will see you in Hell before you harm that boy." He grabbed Xander and sat him down, looking at the wound on his stomach. "I need bandages," he told the closest paramedic.

"Do you have medical training?" the paramedic asked as he handed a roll of gauze and a few sterile packs of bandage pads over.

"Yes, I trained as a doctor but I never took my final boards." He quickly bandaged Xander's stomach wound and helped him back up. "Are you taking the other two also?"

"Just to be examined," the paramedic said, giving him a smile. "I remember you. You were helping that older woman when she had the coronary."

"That's Henri," Xander mumbled, still trying to hold onto his stomach. "She's better now. She'll be back soon."

"Xander," Oz said, rushing up the stairs. "You're taking him over your dead body," he threatened the detective. "He protected himself and us."

"The thief isn't dead," Xander told him, giving him a hug. "He just told them that I attacked him without reason."

Oz snorted. "Sure. After he came in, knocked everyone out, tied us to the bed, and threatened to kidnap and rape you? And *you're* the bad guy?"

"He never said anything about that," the detective said, looking behind him at the man being wheeled out. "He said this is his house."

"We *bought* this house," Oz told him, looking him over. "Get out of my house or get another officer." The detective laughed. "Fine. Xander?"

"Too weak," Xander mumbled, resting more and more on his Oz's shoulder. "Bleeding?"

"Yeah, you are," Ray said, coming out to help Xander onto the bed. "Um, guys, he's still bleeding." That brought the paramedics running and they got him situated.

The detective looked at Oz. "He goes nowhere without one of us until this is straightened out."

"Hey, all fine and good, you can come to LA with all of us then." He looked down at Xander as he was wheeled out. "We want everyone taken to LA."

"The military people said to go to the town hospital, that their doctor was in town still."

"Janet?" Xander asked, reaching up. "I like her."

"Yeah, that's fine, we'll go where they go. She's treated Xander before," Oz agreed, walking out beside the stretcher.

Ray thoughtfully went to grab Oz some clothes so he was wearing more than a robe when they got to the hospital. If he could have, he would have stomped the arrogant bastard who was filling in for him. Actually, if he had known this was who was going to take his job, he wouldn't have retired so soon, no matter how many looks he got for not aging.

***

Xander blinked up at the bright light as the nurse worked on his shrinking stomach wound. "Will I have another scar?" he asked her.

"Maybe," she said shortly. She tied the last knot and looked up at him. "He threatened you that bad?"

"I've been kidnaped before. I'm not going through it again," he told her. "We've always handled it before because the cops are nasty, bigoted assholes. This time wasn't any different." She just nodded and walked away, letting in a second man, presumably a detective. Xander waved at him. "Arrest me and I'll gladly tell everyone exactly what it's like to be kidnaped," he told the younger man. Or at least the guy looked younger than Xander's actual age. The cop just smiled. "I'm not under arrest?" he asked hopefully.

"I didn't say that," the detective said, pulling a chair over to sit next to him. "I'm here to take a statement."

"Oh. All right. Can I roll onto my side? I burned my ass last night." The detective looked a little confused but helped him onto his side. "Thanks. What do you want to know? Starting from when we all woke up tied side-by-side on the bed, or when he started to let us go one by one into the bathroom?"

"Let's start with before that. Who're your two guests?"

"They're friends. I've figured out something else to do with a metal I discovered. The female is also a scientist and she came over to check what I had found."

"All right. And her CO?"

"He's a friend too," Xander sighed, pulling the pillow up onto his arm so he could rest on it. "We've known him for over a year."

"And which base do they work on?" When an answer wasn't forthcoming, he looked up from his writing. "So we can notify them?"

"Oz probably already has," Xander told him. "Their doctor treated me when I was exposed to a chemical this year. We've got her number on file."

"You rated medical attention from the military?" he asked, looking Xander over.

"Yup. The doctor was studying it. So I got treated for the burns I got when I was exposed."

"Oh. I see. So, they were over to look at your newest finding? Maybe to verify?"

"I think Sam, the female, was looking for a way around a problem I had experienced. I found it tends to overheat motors and make them run at a higher rate. Hence, me burning myself last night." The detective's mouth opened but he shut it quickly. "Yeah, that way." He blinked a few times. "Anyway, after I got out of my bath last night, our friends curled up to talk for a while and we fell asleep. They were wearing clothes as far as I remember, but none of us were this morning. And the thief knew Sam was military, he had her uniform jacket."

"I see. So he probably searched the house?" Xander shrugged. "Do you think he found your safe?"

"I doubt it. I forget where Oz put the safe some days. I let him handle that stuff now. I just sew, write, and work at my forge." He shrugged again. "Anyway, we woke up already tied up, and lying beside each other. Which isn't normal. I always wake up either on top of or under my husband. I'm a cuddler." He blinked at the blush he was getting. "Sorry. Anyway, we woke up tied up, and the guy was searching the bathroom."

"Where was the sword?"

"Hidden in the potted plant next to the shower. There's a holder in that one and in the one in the living room. I'm a very good swordsman."

"Then how did you get your stomach wound?"

"Easy, I was checking to see how good he was before I speared him. I didn't want to have to do anything more complicated than spear him, so I did a minor lunge and he fell for it. I got hurt a little and he ended up stuck to the door."

"I heard you tell the nurse you've been kidnaped before?" the detective asked.

"Yup, a few times," Xander said dryly. "Mostly, I've been taken back pretty quickly by Oz or someone who was watching out for me. A few times I've had to rescue myself. This time, I got pissed and I rescued myself after he told me that he was willing to take me too."

"Oh." The detective wrote something down. "How awake were you?"

"I'm a trained fighter if that's what you're asking," Xander told him. The detective nodded. "I've had to do some bodyguarding work for Oz in the past. Adding sword work came later, but I've been able to fight for a very long time."

"So you *could* have knocked him out but you chose a more lethal form of attack?"

"No, I chose one that wasn't lethal. I hit him in the intestines but away from where most everyone has their arteries. This way, he wouldn't be conscious but it wasn't a fatal wound." He sniffed. "I thought I was being decent. After all, how was I to know how many more friends he had in the house? The other detective let it slip that he had locked the door of our animals' room so he didn't have to deal with them, there could have been many more and I wouldn't have had any warning."

"You didn't trick that information out of him?"

"Didn't even try. I figured they'd come running at his screams and I'd deal with them then, on my own terms. There's too many places to hide in my house." He yawned. "Am I under arrest? If not, I'd really like to go home. I need to call our security advisor, she's a former thief herself."

"What's her name?"

"Amanda."

"Blonde, tight body?" the detective asked.

Xander nodded. "Yup, that's her. She's an old friend of my Oz's. She comes over and tests our systems for us. I need her to check our alarm system, I know I set it last night."

"I see," the detective said, standing up. "Wait here, Mr. Harris, while we figure out what to do with you." He walked out.

Xander relaxed, listening to the not-very busy emergency room around him. When the original detective came in fifteen minutes later, he was more than ready to go home and nap. "Can I go now?"

"I have to take your statement," he said bitterly.

"But the other cop just did."

"What other cop? Sunnydale only has one detective again," he said, sitting down in the chair.

"The guy sat in that same chair, with the same little notebook, but with better taste in clothes, and took my statement. He was just here a few minutes ago."

The detective got up and went out of the room for a moment, then came back. "We're going to find him. Now, tell me what you think you were doing," he ordered as he sat down.

"I've been kidnaped sixty three times in my life," Xander said wearily, ignoring the look he was getting, "that required me to be saved beyond just taking me back. It wasn't going to happen again, and the thief said he was going to take me." Xander shrugged. "It wasn't going to happen again."

"Were there reports made?" the detective asked.

Xander snorted. "Why would we do that? Most cops are bigoted assholes who don't give a damn because I'm gay, so therefore I deserve it on some level of their thinking. No, I'm a trained bodyguard and my husband is more than trained enough to help me get free. We've always taken care of it ourselves."

"Except for that one time," Ray said as he walked into the cubicle, the illusion spell gone. Xander gave him a worried look. "Don't say anything," he warned. "Philips, you're an ass, but Xander's correct, he has been kidnaped and nearly raped before. He wasn't going to let it happen again."

"And where the hell have you been?" Philips asked loudly.

"Safe. There's someone after me and the Captain knew. He arranged for me to disappear." He shut the curtain behind him. He came over and gave Xander a hug. "How you holdin' up?" he asked quietly.

"I ache," Xander admitted. "At least because of the burn. Oh, and the other guy that was in here, the detective said he didn't know him."

"That's okay, he was caught on the security cameras and by Oz, who stopped him to talk to him. We're pretty sure he's an accomplice." He looked at the still-shocked detective. "Give it up, Philips, this is a clear cut case of self defense. I was one of the people tied to the bed and the guy did threaten to kidnap the kid." He stood up and stared the asshole down. "Anything else you wanted to know, take it up with me later. You know where we'll be." He helped Xander off the bed and out of the room, taking him to Oz. "Come on, we've got to go home. Now."

Methos helped Ray into his jacket and led the way out to the car so they could go home.

"Guys, I mentioned Amanda's name," Xander said once they were in the car. "I called her our security advisor."

"She'll be up tonight," Oz promised. "She's put the word out that we are not to be robbed unless someone's really desperate to come up against her."

"She's probably already on her way here," Methos said gently, cradling Xander to him. "Home, Oz. Before someone starts to ask questions."

"I, um," Ray said as they pulled out of the parking lot, turning away from the window so anyone would have a harder time realizing it was him, "told Philips that the Captain had helped me disappear because someone was after me." Methos gave him a bland look. "That was the cover story we made up in case anyone caught on."

"All right then, we'll deal with that part when we get home," Methos agreed. "Oz, why are we stopping?"

"We're out of ice cream and pain killers," Oz said, getting out and running into the convenience store.

"He spoils me," Xander mumbled. "And I ache." He looked up at Methos. "Do we have any of the waterproof bandages? My ass hurts."

"We'll figure out a way for you to take a bath as soon as we get home," he promised. "Ray, perchance, did you hear anything about Samantha?"

"She's fine. Janet was in town and she came down to get them. And Jack and Danny are in town, so's Blair. They've all got meetings with some scientists this week because'a somewhere they went. They're doing the whole brain picking routine."

"So, we may run into military personnel as soon as we go through the gate?" Oz asked as he slid in, handing Ray the paper bag.

"Maybe," Ray agreed. He looked down inside and grabbed the soda. "Thanks, Oz."

"Welcome. Figured you could use a caffeine rush right about now." He pulled out and headed for the house. He was not amused when they got there and the military officer tried to stop them from going in. "This is *my* house!" Oz said firmly. "Get out of my way or I'm going to run your stupid ass over."

"Stand down!" Blair called, running down. "Hey, guys." He leaned in the window. "We're just making sure the house is secure. General Hammond said so."

"Get the assholes off our property or I'm going to hurt them," Oz said calmly, gripping the steering wheel.

"Blair, we don't need bodyguards," Xander said from the backseat. "Send them home and you guys stay." Blair nodded and stepped back so they could head up to the house. "If someone *touched* one of my animals, I'm going to start screaming," he warned as he got out, supported by Ray.

"Hey, I'm all for that," Ray agreed, helping Xander into the house and down to the animals' room so they could check on the furries. "I'd move," he warned.

"We were told to keep the animals under control," the guard said, looking over Xander's skimpy outfit with a sneer. At least he was until he found himself on the ground with his gun at his throat.

"Out of my house," Xander said clearly. "Or I'm going to open fire. And tell your commander I said so!" He tossed the gun away and opened the door, going in to soothe his animals, the only thing as important to him as Oz was.

Ray went looking for the commander, finding Mayfield in the office. "I don't remember seein' anything that said the military had the right to take over a house without a warrant after a breakin," he said, walking in and slamming the door. "Xander and Oz have both told your men to leave." Mayfield opened his mouth. "And Blair's calling to get Hammond's okay on this. But what your men have done is going to get them killed. Xander's not very stable at the moment because the guy tried to kidnap him as well as rob the house."

"How do you explain Mr. Harris having a stash of classified materials?" Mayfield asked, waving a hand at the energy metal he had had brought into the office.

"Gee, it's his?" Ray said snidely. "He found it. He's the one who gave it to you jackasses." He leaned against the door, locking it because he heard footsteps. "I'd leave and take nothing with you."

"Open up," Jack called.

Ray opened the door. "We want them gone and we want them to not take anything with them," he told Jack. "Xander's ready to kill for this invasion."

"Hammond's agreed and the things that have already disappeared are going to be coming back within a few minutes." Jack looked Mayfield over. "This isn't what General Hammond said, and since he's got the Joint Chiefs on the line at the moment, I'd high-tail it back to the base before you become a private again. He was...furious doesn't *quite* state how bad of a mood you put in him into by taking over this house." He watched as Mayfield got up and walked out, trying to look dignified.

"Search him," Ray ground out. "He's claiming this metal's classified."

"It is, but we're not taking it from the people who already know about it." Jack patted him on the shoulder. "Danny's with Xander and the animals, and there's some woman here to see you? Perky blonde lady with a cynical attitude."

"That would be Amanda," Methos said as he walked in. "Has the jackass gone?"

"Yup, with some of the metal," Ray noted.

"We'll get that back too," Jack promised, going to do a turn through the house, just to make sure.

Amanda walked in a few minutes later, watching as the military personnel were being carted off by the local base's personnel. "My, what a nice surprise," she said, looking around the house. "I don't believe I missed this the last time I was here."

"You were in grief and shock the last time you were here," Oz noted as he walked out to greet her. "Did they take anything?"

"Not that's been noted. Though, I did hear something odd about some of Xander's work being given away to certain military leaders as a reward for good service?"

Oz shrugged. "We'll straighten that out too. We've got a friend there now. And a student." He led her into the living room, where Xander and Ray were napping together, and Methos was watching over them. "Here we go, want a water?"

"Please," she said, smiling at him. She looked down as she felt something run across her boot, frowning at the little rodent. "Since when did you start raising big mice?"

"Ferrets," Methos corrected. "That one's a lot like you, likes to run and hide from the people looking for him."

She chuckled as she picked the baby ferret up, petting it gently. "Well, you're pretty," she admitted. "But are you sneaky?"

"Oh, yeah," Xander said, opening his eyes. "We snuck into the bedroom last night and stole a sex toy from out of a locked chest."

"My, that is special," Amanda said.

"He's adoptable," Oz offered as he walked in with her bottle of water and a tray for everyone else. "Sorry, we've only been back an hour. Was everyone else leaving?"

"Most of them," Amanda agreed. "Why is the military in this?"

"Because two of our friends that are military were here and got conked," Ray told her. "The big guy of their unit's comin' down on them at the moment."

"Oh, Xander," Jack said as he walked in, dangling a large bag that said 'Property of United States Air Force', "guess what we found on Mayfield?"

"Besides the metal?" Ray asked.

"Oh, yeah," Jack said as he poured the pieces of jewelry onto the floor beside Xander.

"Hey, that's mine," Ray said, picking up the nipple ring he had taken out yesterday due to being sore from Xander playing with it. He carefully slid it back into place and smiled when he felt the familiar weight of it bumping into him. "That's better."

"The others were the pieces I was working on," Xander said calmly. "Oz, can you do a count?"

"Sure. Give me a few," he said, taking a bite of his sandwich. "Was this the stuff that was in your office for the showing?"

"Yup," Xander said grimly. "And that's not all that was in there, but the rest was under the chair. Oh, and light the candles?"

"I will," Methos said, going in that direction to look for the other pieces of jewelry and to say a quick prayer in thanks for saving them all. He started to light the black candle, but he couldn't find the wick. "What on Earth?" he muttered, sitting down to look at it. "Strife?" he whispered. "Please, I could use an explanation."

Cupid appeared and glared down at him. "Strife's kinda pissed at the moment. He thinks Xander doesn't love him. He didn't light a candle yesterday until late."

"He was having his itching problem fixed yesterday and forgot about it before he left. He was complaining about it on the way there, Oz said," Methos told him. "As for today, we've gotten a little involved in the latest kidnaping and robbery attempt. We've just gotten back from the hospital and gotten rid of most of the military assholes."

Cupid shrugged. "I'll go talk to him, but he's not a happy camper. Light mine though."

"Xander sent me in here to light them while he said the prayer. Oz isn't letting him off the couch until his stomach heals a bit more."

"He got hurt?"

"Just a little," Oz said from the doorway, walking in and closing the door, and narrowly missing walking into the wings too. "He had to have a few stitches. Not that bad of a wound, but bad enough. And no, I'm not letting him off the couch, but he did feel Strife being pissed at him. He's presently trying to reason with him via prayers."

"That won't work," Cupid sighed.

"Strife!" floated down the hall, making both immortals run for the living room. They found Xander holding Strife tightly, quietly sobbing on him.

"Shh," Oz said, coming over to hold his lover. "I know, you're upset because of what you had to do." Strife glared at him. "He's not?"

"No, he is. Why didn' on'a'ya do it?"

"Because Xander was the only one not tied to the bed," Ray told him.

"Oz was up."

"I was too closely watched and I still couldn't have gotten him. He spent the whole time I was in there rubbing against the crack of my ass." Xander looked up at him. "I'm okay," he told his husband, sitting down to hold him. "He didn't do more than rub and make disgusting comments. I just couldn't get to the sword and not get caught." He pulled Xander into his arms. "If I could have, I would have killed him myself to save you the trouble," he whispered, trying to calm Xander down. He knew how much his husband hated having to hurt people, even when it was necessary. This holding and crying was the usual activity after a fight where Xander had to defend himself. "He's still living," he murmured against the long hair. "I promise, if he's dead it's because of the doctors, not you." Xander nodded, balling the shirt under his face into his fist. "Are we right with you again?" he asked Strife snidely. "Just because he forgets to light the candles doesn't mean he's leaving you."

Methos put a hand on Oz's shoulder. "Strife's not the most highly worshiped God," he reminded Oz. "He has a right to feel anxious if Xander's not paying the proper attention to him."

Strife glared at them both. "I wanted Xander to call me himself so I could talk to him. I'm not pissed at him, no matter what Flyboy over there said." He glared at Cupid. "How could I be mad at Xander? He's one'a mine." He stood up, stroking over the back of Xander's head. "Relax. The guy's okay. You're gettin' everything back in a while, and we'll talk when all the old guys are gone." That got a faint smile. "Wanna go talk to me now?" he offered. Xander nodded and held out a hand, and they disappeared.

Xander came back a few minutes later to find everyone sitting and waiting on him. "He said Sam's gotten more into Athena recently," he told Methos. "And he said that I'm still the most cherished of all your things." That got a smile. "Oh, and Ray? He said that it's easy enough to prove. He'll do that for you. He said you'd understand."

"Strife doesn't do anything without a reason," Oz said, looking worried.

"He likes me," Xander reminded him. "He said I reminded him of one of his kids way back when you were a little boy." He grinned at his husband, leaning over to grab a light kiss. "And he told me to go take a long, hot bath to ease the ache I have from the burn. He said it's all taken care of." He stood up, swaying lightly until Ray caught him. "Thanks, babe."

"Welcome," Ray said, walking away with Xander, heading up to their room. "He really didn't want anything?"

"Nah," Xander said, leaning closer. "He said it was my birthday prezzie from him." He kissed Ray on the cheek. "That and the good pain killers," he sighed as he sank down onto the bed and started to snore.

Ray shook his head and took off Xander's shoes so he could cover him up.

***

Cupid popped in behind Strife and slapped him across the back of the head. "What are you doing?" he asked. "You're doing *favors* for the anchor?"

"He's one'a mine," Strife defended. "And besides, it's a belated birthday prezzie for him. I shoulda done this a while ago, but now Xander's more immune from police interference. That's all," he said with a one-sided shrug. "He was being watched too closely for him ta do what's natural to him."

"Uh-huh. You going to explain this to Pop?"

"Sure," Strife sighed, waving a hand to open a portal. "Hey, Unk, I guarded the anchor and gave him a belated birthday prezzie by making him immune from the cops. Him and Ray both because Ray asked for it to be like that. Good enough?"

"That fits in perfectly with my plans," Ares agreed, smiling at them. "How is he? He's got to be shaken up after almost killing the guy today."

"He is," Strife agreed. "I held him for a few until Oz came back from discussin' things with Cupid." He thumbed in Cupid's direction. "And I fixed the candle situation. I told him to make a prayer, he didn't have to light one up anymore."

"Good," Ares praised, smiling at them. "Any luck on having Heph visit him again?"

"Nah, Hephie said that Xander didn't need him as a teacher anymore," Cupid said with a shrug. "He said he's got the knowledge of how to work with the stronger stuff, but that the guy won't be making weapons."

"Just what I anticipated," Ares said gleefully, getting comfortable on his throne. "Any big surprises?"

"Just that the one chick took the hint and headed for 'Thena," Cupid said sullenly.

"Hey, it's good for what she is," Strife said, nudging him. "Doesn't mean that she won't come to you for stuff. A virgin she ain't." He grinned at his Uncle. "Anything else you wanted done?"

"Nope, that's about it. Just make sure that Oz and Methos don't overreact to Xander's present. I really don't want to have to watch them separate."

"Oh, they won't," Cupid promised. "I helped Jace with the wedding. They're bound too tightly for that." Ares looked at him in shock. "What? They deserved it and they're good like this. Now, when Xander hits his own space again, *then* we'll have to worry about what he brings with him."

"I'm sure they'll do their damnedest to bring us up there with them," Ares said, banishing the mirror.

"Think it'll be a garden?" Strife asked, walking beside Cupid off into the ether.

"Nah, Xan's not like that. Maybe less sculpted. He's got a long time to plan, but he doesn't like planned gardens."

"So a forest?"

"Yeah, that'd be my guess," Cupid agreed, wrapping an arm around Strife's shoulders as they disappeared.

***

Xander looked up from his comfy writing chair, giving Ray a weak grin. "Hey. Are the military guys pissed that I lost it?"

"Nah," Ray said, coming in to sit next to him in the overstuffed chair. "No one's pissed except Hammond, and he's pissed at Mayfield. Danny said everyone's good about that day as long as you don't wanna press charges."

"I got it all back and Mayfield was taken care of," Xander noted. "Did Daniel say why he needed a sword to go to this next planet?"

"Yup, seems they're like knights. Methos is doing intensive drills with him today so he can hold his own." Ray nuzzzled Xander's neck. "How you feelin'?"

"Better. My hole doesn't hurt anymore," he said, putting aside his laptop so they could cuddle. "I'm gonna miss this if we move apart."

"Me too," Ray said, nuzzling some more. "Maybe we can convince the guys that we need ta compromise."

"I've been thinking," Xander whispered, pulling Ray into his lap. "How about we do what Meth does and have a few smaller houses?"

"Sounds great to me," Ray noted, stealing a kiss. "Flagstaff?"

"Sure. South Beach Miami?"

"The Gay Mecca?" Ray asked, pulling back to look at his lover. "You wanna move there?"

"Yeah, it's a huge city. It's warm, it's got some great atmosphere. And yeah, I know about the bugs, but I could sit down there and design jewelry for the drag queens."

"Huh," Ray said, then leaned in for another kiss. "I can accept that. Meth still has his apartments in Paris and London. And we've still got the building in Chicago."

"Hmm," Xander hummed. "House in Vermont."

"So, where else?"

"Canada?"

Ray laughed and tickled Xander lightly, arousing him. "Sure. I'd like that. Montreal, Ottawa, or Vancouver?"

"Um, all of the above?" Xander squealed when Ray's tickling picked up. "Vancouver! So we can watch the shows tape!" he panted, using his hands to stroke down Ray's ticklish sides.

"Sure," Ray said, leaning in to latch on to the side of Xander's neck so he could suck and lick at the tender skin. "Now all we gotta do is convince the old guys."

"I can do that," Xander said with a naughty grin. He stood up, carrying Ray over to the soft couch, laying him down. "So, what can I do with you that will make you scream and bring them running?" he asked, looking over the bare chest. "I know." He leaned down and sucked in the nipple ring, tugging and sucking on it until Ray screamed as he came.

"What's going on?" Methos asked. He smiled at the picture his Ray made, limply spread out on the couch.

Xander let go of Ray's nipple ring and slid over to where Methos was standing, wrapping himself around the older immortal. "Ray and I decided where we want to live. We're going to do what you do." He kissed his friend, pulling his head down so they could become more involved. "We want to do the whole 'house in a few different places' thing."

"Where?" Methos panted, trying to get away from the hand that was stroking over his hard cock.

"Flagstaff, South Beach, maybe Vancouver and somewhere else on the East Coast in a small city."

Methos nodded, swallowing as the warm mouth moved down to pleasure his body. "All right," he agreed when his cock was freed and swallowed. "I can agree with that. What else?" he squeaked as pressure was applied to his cock. Xander knew just what he liked.

"Help me convince Oz?" Xander whispered, pulling back to just lick at the tip. "He hates to spend money." He looked up and caught his friend's eye as he swallowed him again.

Methos groaned and wound his hands into the soft hair, holding him in place as he gently used the mouth to get himself off. "Definitely," he ground out after he came.

"Thank you," Xander said, getting up to give him a kiss. "Wanna go jump on the Oz?"

"He's outside," Methos panted, "but I need a rest." He walked in and sat on the couch under Ray's feet, smiling at his lover. "You wore him out that simply?"

"No, I wore him out earlier," Xander said smugly. "I'm working on keeping him in that state today." He giggled and ran out of the room, heading for his Oz to convince him too.

Methos smiled as he heard Oz's scream of 'Yes', pulling Ray up to cuddle with him. "Did you like his idea?" he asked his lover.

"Yup," Ray said through a yawn. He mashed his face against Methos' chest, trying to go back to sleep. "Like Vancouver."

Methos groaned but he knew he couldn't refuse Ray anything. He was much too attached to his young lover to refuse him anything.

***

Oz looked at the building suggestions Xander had made, shaking his head at a few of them. "Why separate but connected condos in South Beach?" he asked his husband.

"Because we can put an adjoining door between them," Xander said reasonably. "This way, they can come over if they want, or they can have their own space."

"Okay. And the renovated apartment building in Flagstaff?"

"Well, it'll have enough room for all of us and the bottom apartments would be good for college students."

"Point," Oz conceded, "but owning an apartment building means that you have to follow some rules and regs."

"So? We can hire someone to do that, give them free apartment space."

"A college student?"

"Sure," Xander said happily. "I think that'd be a great trade off. Maybe include a small salary too."

"Okay," Oz sighed, tabling that discussion for now. "What about Vancouver?"

"Ray wanted that one."

"Oh." Oz looked at the building Ray had picked out, shrugging it off. "It's nice," he noted.

"And we can split everything," Xander offered. "And I was thinking about...."

"Later," Oz said quietly. "4 houses are enough."

"Okay," Xander said, starting to pout.

"What?" Oz sighed, tossing down his pen.

"I was thinking about having a safe house in a small town, one of the little ones where no one would ever think to look for us."

"I can see that, but we've got the house in Vermont for that," Oz reminded him.

"But I want to live there too."

"Okay," Oz said, gathering his thoughts as he looked at the list of buildings. "Some of these are going to take some time to renovate."

"And we'll still need Henri to help us find a new housekeeper."

"Good point. Because we need one now," Oz said with a grimace toward his bookshelves. "Did you talk to her?"

"Yup, and she's got an idea about who to ask but she won't be able to find them for a few more weeks."

"She's coming back when?"

"Tomorrow," Xander said happily. "I'm going to spend most of this afternoon cleaning."

"Good." Oz stood up and came over to give him a kiss. "Go do that while I think about these choices and see if there's something better suited that won't take as much work." He patted the firm rear as it turned away from him and left his office. He sat back down behind his desk and looked at the long list of possible places the boys had found for them, shuddering at a few of them. "South Beach? It's got big, flying roaches, guys," he muttered.

***

Xander looked at the buildings Oz had found online, looking at the printouts of the pictures. "I like this one," he said finally, handing one over for Florida. "And this one," he said, handing over the next one too. He tossed the last one away so he wouldn't have to look at it ever again. He came to the grouping for Flagstaff and smiled as the first one caught and held his interest. He casually flipped through the rest, but none of them caught his interest the way the commercial building had. He went to the ones for Memphis, their agreed upon safe house location, smiling at the small houses. "We're getting something suburban there?" he asked, holding up one of the pictures.

"It's better camouflage," Oz told him. "All of them are four bedroom houses. Enough space for us."

"Okay," Xander agreed, tossing down the pictures. "They're all so boring," he complained. "Anything more architecturally stimulating?"

"One," Oz agreed, turning his monitor around to show his husband. "It's more upscale than a safe house should be, but I thought it was nice."

Xander leaned closer, reading off the screen. "I like," he said finally. "Can we tour that one too?"

"Sure. We'll take a weekend in each spot to scan the area and check out the houses we like." He leaned back in his chair. "You're sure you want to do it this way? You don't like the whole moving process."

"But we can decorate each house and just bring the personal stuff, like the animals."

"Point," Oz agreed. "And we don't really need another manor house."

"Yup," Xander said, looking around the room. "But Giles is gonna be pissed."

"Not really. He's got the big space in Las Vegas for his stuff. And we're coming back here."

"Point," Xander said happily. He looked around the house. "I don't want to leave," he said suddenly.

"Me either," Oz agreed, reaching over to pat Xander's arm. "Can we agree on one to two houses to get away in and let Ray and Meth have theirs? Maybe spend a few months out of the year in South Beach?"

"Sure," Xander said, starting to get happier again. "I like that idea best. Are there ways of hiding the fact that we're up here?"

"A few," Oz agreed. "One of them is not using the gate through the housing community. Another is getting groceries delivered from somewhere and limiting our contact with the outside world."

"We already do that," Xander said, rolling his eyes. "I don't think that we go out except to go visit Henri and go shopping." He grinned at Ray as he walked in. "Do you think the average person in Sunnydale thinks that we still live here?"

"Yup. Remember, whenever you call the cops, it makes it to the papers." He put the paper down in front of Xander, watching as he read it. "That okay with you or do you want to call them and make a statement?"

"I think it's okay," Xander said, pushing it over for Oz to read. "But I could clarify what the cops said."

"Maybe ya oughta," Ray advised from the doorway. "The press can be really vicious when the cops make statements like that."

"We'll call someone up to talk to them," Oz said, reaching for the phone and the phone book. He smiled when he saw the editorial number on the next page, using that instead. "Hi, this is Xander Harris' assistant and he'd like to counter what the stupid cops said?" He chuckled. "Definitely. A one-on-one would be fine with him. That would be fine also. Thank you." He hung up. "Thirty minutes so it can make tomorrow's paper. I'd get dressed," he warned Xander and Ray, who were both wearing dance pants.

Xander stood up and took Ray's hand. "You and he have got to hide anyway," he reminded his husband, but he drew Ray upstairs with him to pick out something to wear.

Oz shut down his computer and got up, going to find something to do that wouldn't jeopardize his supposed death a few years back.

***

Xander sat down across from the reporter, giving her a smile. "You were in the class after ours," he said, looking the young woman over. She nodded, putting down her glass of tea. "Sorry, our housekeeper won't be back until tomorrow. I'm trying to keep the house going but I can't cook."

She smiled. "I can understand that, the microwave is my chef." She pulled out a tape recorder. "So, are you ready?"

"Sure. Ask away."

"How about a blanket statement."

"I was about to be kidnaped. The thief had been leering at me and had told me that he was going to take me along with our valuables. I simply protected myself and my friends in the least lethal way I knew how."

"By putting a sword through his stomach and pinning him to the door like an insect?" she asked.

"I aimed away from his major arteries and organs on purpose. I wanted him to stand trial for what he'd done, but I wasn't willing to kill him."

"What about the military presence that was reported up here later that day?" she asked.

"One of the friends that was spending the night was military. She was here to look at what I had discovered. Did you see the Society for Intergalactic Research's last media announcement?" She shook her head so Xander pointed at the framed paper on the wall. "I figured out a mix metal that's an energy source. It burns on the long-term and takes forever to get rid of scale." She got up to read the article, then sat back down looking confused. "I found the first piece and then figured out to make it, so I shared it."

"What about the original person who made it?"

"They gave me their permission," he lied easily. A tale of going across realms was not going to hit the newspapers. "It's a family thing actually. Anyway, I figured out how to make it take the place of batteries, so she came up to look it over."

"And she got caught in the attack?"

"Yup. Nasty concussion. Her and the person she had brought with her."

"Yes, I was going to ask about him. Is that her fiancé or something?"

"No, he's a friend and colleague of hers. She brought him up to see what I had done too."

"All right." She smiled at him. "So, we've heard that you know something about Detective Kowalski's disappearance?" Xander shook his head. "But the report said he was here when the thief broke in."

"You need to talk to Ray's mate about that. Ray was my best friend and I refuse to say anything that might harm his memory in this town. His lover's in with the animals if you wanted to try and ask him anything," he offered.

"I might after we're done," she said with a smile. "So, you and the Detective were friends?"

"For a lot of years. Which is why I don't talk about what happened. It's not my place to do so."

She chuckled. "I can understand that." Her mouth fell open as Ray walked in and whispered something in Xander's ear. "Um, Detec..."

"Freeze," Ray said quietly, pointing at the machine. "Off." She turned it off and looked up at him. "There's someone looking for me."

"From a case?" she interrupted.

"Nah, from my old life while I was undercover. My Captain knew about this. He helped me disappear. I'd like to not be told about, 'kay?" He gave her a hopeful look.

"It was in the police report that you were there," she told him. "Detective Philips' report stated that he talked to you."

"Yeah, he's a fuck-for-brains," Ray said with a shrug. "Just quit askin' about me, okay? I'd like to be able to stay here for a few more years."

"Sure," she said, nodding. "Are you working on catching the person?"

"Nah, I'm avoiding them. Capturing them could create more problems than gettin' them is worth." He shrugged and grinned down at Xander. "You okay with that?"

"Sure," Xander said, grinning up at him. "My puppy's preggers."

"Huh?" she asked.

"One of the puppies that was in heat a few days ago isn't anymore," Ray told her.

"Ah, so you're breeding dogs now?"

"It's my baby," Xander said happily. "I'm gonna be a grandpa."

She laughed at that. "Good for you, Mr. Harris. If you're ready, we could get back to this?"

"Sure," he said, giving Ray a hug. "Go pet her for me?"

"I'll bring her in," he said, leaving them alone.

She turned back on the tape recorder once he had left. "Well, that is good news," she said. "Are you aware that there were a few other irregularities in Philips' report?"

"Nope, but I'm not surprised."

"He mentioned talking to your husband, Oz, also."

Xander's eyebrow went up. "Really?" he said quietly. "Do you doubt his sanity?"

"I have heard gossip that your husband is one of the odder people that seem to inhabit this town."

"No, *I'm* one of the odder people that inhabit this town," Xander told her. "I was doubting Detective Philips' professionalism before, because he tried to arrest me for defending my friends, but to say that he saw my Oz?" He coughed lightly. "Is he trying to suggest that we've lied about things to everyone?"

"That would be my guess," she offered.

The phone buzzed and Xander picked it up, listening to the calm voice on the other side telling him what to say. He hung up. "Sorry, that was Ray's mate. Listen," he said, leaning forward, "after Oz died, his cousin came to town to look at his programming stuff. He and I became very close friends. Yeah, there's quite a bit of resemblance, but he's not my Oz."

"Are you saying he lied?"

"No, I'm saying he never bothered to ask Oz's cousin who he was," Xander countered, looking his most hurt, "and I'm saying that I think the new Police Captain should have a talk with this detective about spreading stuff around. I think it's really unfair that the guy's spreading this crap around to hurt me on purpose." He stood up. "Want some more tea?" he offered.

"No, I think I've got enough." She gave him a hug. "I'm sure the Captain will straighten him out," she said quietly. "After all, most of us in town know what you've done for us." She caught site of something shiny on the front lawn. "What's that?" she asked innocently.

Xander looked outside and waved at the young woman walking through the portal. "That's my kinda-sister Elizabeth." He grinned at the reporter. "You haven't seen one of those before?" She shook her head. "Wow. Oh, well. Welcome to Sunnydale." He jogged out to go talk to Elizabeth, leaving her to pack her things and make her story.

***

Oz picked up the morning paper with trepidation, having seen Xander's name in the headline even though it was folded. He took a deep breath as he opened it, letting it out in relief when he saw what it said. "Xander Harris proclaims he was protecting himself, Detective whacked in the head," he read for Xander's benefit. "Interesting way of saying he's nuts."

"Well, I did say that the Captain needed to have a long discussion with him. Anything in there about you or Ray?"

"Let me check," Oz said, scanning the article. "Just that you refuted that I was Oz, that I was his cousin who he had left his programming business to, and that Detective Philips needed to have a discussion with the people who were in charge at the time of Ray's disappearance because, obviously, the old Captain hadn't cleared up the mystery of Ray's death for him."

"Oh." Xander shrugged. "Nice enough I guess."

"It is." Oz put the paper aside. "I'll give it to Ray later," he told his husband, who didn't look happy. "What's wrong?"

"Everyone thinks I'm mean now."

"No, they think that you're very well trained and that you defended all your friends and yourself," Oz countered. "That's what she said. Not even Philips can counter your own statement, one which you gave him and he never put into his report." He reached over to touch Xander's hand. "Why don't you think about going away for a few days? Just until the heat clears off?"

"Because that makes me look guilty and like I lied," Xander told him. "I can't leave and I can't run away from this. I've got to face what I did." He sighed, playing listlessly with his bowl of cereal. "And I didn't even get the house cleaned for Henri."

"That's okay," Ray said as he walked in, giving Xander a hug. "I'm sure she'll see that you tried." He took the paper and read through it, smiling at the note at the end. "Thanks to her, maybe everyone'll leave my disappearance alone now." He shared a look with Oz, who nodded. "Hey, Xander, wanna go help me look at houses?"

"On the computer?"

"Yup. We got a few e-tour offers from one of the reality companies."

"Sure," Xander said, getting up and heading for the office.

Ray grabbed his breakfast and followed after him, going to try and raise his friend's spirits.

Oz shook his head and finished his breakfast, trying to figure out what to do for the day if those two were hogging his computer. Maybe Amanda and Methos would let him help with Daniel.

***

Xander looked up as he felt someone walk into his room, giving the older man standing there a faint smile. "Hey, what's up?"

"Xander, I had no idea that you were this upset about having to save your family," General Hammond said, sitting down on the couch. "Wow, I need one of these in my office."

"I can give you the people's number," Xander offered. "And it's not that I didn't want to protect them; it's the whole news story thing that's been going on. I'm tired of having to play footsie with the cops through the paper." He put aside his magazine. "I should be doing something else, but I can't work because their crap is weighing on me."

"I can understand that," General Hammond said kindly. "Do you think this will keep going after they decide not to charge you?"

"In small towns, it's always there. I could be gone for twenty years and come back, and someone will mention it to my face." He popped his neck. "I don't know what to do. It's getting so I can't leave the house."

"So don't," the General suggested. "Come to the base and look at something Sam's working on."

"But then they'll know," Xander pointed out. "I'm not kidding, there's a cop following me every time I leave the house."

"So? At least there, you'll be protected from all this. And you may bring in the other three since they know."

"What did you need help with?"

"We were planning a diplomatic summit with some of the more minor system lords, but one of them was offended at the quality of our present." Xander snorted. "So, we'd like for you to come look at pictures of him and see what you can come up with."

"Sure," Xander said, standing up. "Let me go change."

"All right. I've got the car with me, so I'll take your Oz and Ray back with me, and you can drive the other guy. We need Doctor Jackson back anyway."

"All right," Xander said, giving him a brighter smile. "I'll go get dressed and be there in an hour." He walked out, going to tell Oz what was going on.

Ray leaned in, grinning at the General. "Thanks." He winked and jogged off, going to make sure the animals would be fine while they were gone.

***

Xander walked into the house and frowned at the alarm system. "It's off," he called, going to help search the house for whomever was in here. He found one single officer, the one who had been tormenting him, sitting in Oz's office, reading off his computer. "Get out!" he ordered. "Unless you have a warrant, you are not welcome here!" He crossed his arms, waiting for a response. The other man didn't look up. "Oz!" he yelled, wanting some backup. There was something seriously hellmouthy going on.

Oz walked in and over to his computer, shutting off the screen. The detective looked up at him and smirked. "What?" he asked snidely. "I'm a legitimate programmer."

"I'm sure you are. Same as I'm sure that you're Daniel Osbourne." He stood up and pulled out his gun. "But, if I tell anyone that, then I'm going to be in trouble." He smiled at Xander. "You've only left me one option."

"No," Xander said, lunging forward at the same time Oz did, both of them going for his gun hand. Neither one made it before he pointed it at himself and fired. Xander put pressure on the wound while Oz dialed for an ambulance. "Hurry, he's bleeding," he yelled.

"I am," Oz said, moving a little ways away from the man on the floor. "This is the Harris household. That cop that's been bothering us was waiting on us when we got home, and he just shot himself," he said quietly. "No, lower chest wound. Xander's putting pressure on it, but we need someone fast." He hung up and went to find Methos, who was waiting outside with Ray. "We need you," he told Methos, panting. "The asshole shot himself." Everyone ran for the office, going to help the officer.

"The bullet didn't hit anything most likely," Methos said after prying Xander off the detective. "Go sit," he ordered coldly, making Xander move.

"He did this because of me," Xander told him. "He said he was going to be in trouble if he said anything else." He curled up in the corner, rocking back and forth.

Oz grabbed Xander and pulled him up, shaking him. "Snap out of it," he ordered. "I need you to quit panicking, Xander."

"Yes, Oz," Xander said, looking at him. He looked over his shoulder at the paramedics. "He shot himself," he said, starting to sound hysterical again.

"Xander! Oz!" Amanda yelled as she ran in.

"Clear the room," the paramedics ordered. "Get him cleaned off," he told Oz, nodding at Xander's hands and wrists.

Oz let Amanda lead Xander out of the room and to the downstairs bathroom, then he forced Ray up and out of the room. "Are you okay?" he asked their friend.

"He's gonna be so screwed," Ray whispered, looking at the blood on his hands from trying to help his mate.

"I think he thought he already was," Oz noted, taking him to where he could hear Amanda trying to stop Xander from babbling. "Stop it," he said quietly as he closed the door. "The paramedics know now, it's going to get out anyway." Xander looked at him. "It wasn't your fault. The guy didn't give up."

"He wasn't supposed to," Ray reminded Oz.

"On the case, no, on finding out what was up with you and me, he was, Ray," Oz argued. "He wasn't supposed to go into super-spaz mode until he drove himself to this!"

"Calm down," Amanda said calmly. "Discuss this later, don't argue about it now." She shoved Xander toward the small sink. "Wash. Oz, help him. Ray, explain."

"It's about the guy Xander had to stab," Ray sighed. "The guy on the floor was the detective who wouldn't quit bothering Xander about Oz and me. And now, apparently, the department warned him off our case so he felt he had to shoot himself."

"All right," Amanda said, looking at the three people. "Where's Meth?"

"In there with the paramedics," Xander said, sounding a lot more calm now. "What do we do now?"

"Now, you make a report," Amanda told him. "And then you and Oz worry about leaving here sooner than you expected."

"We're already planning our next move," Oz told her. "This isn't going to drive us away." He looked at Xander, who nodded. "This is our house, he came here to violate our space. He's not going to win by driving us away." He held his hands out to Xander, who came over and clung to him. "We'll go face this together," he whispered to his husband. "Giles will come back tonight and help me move the office to one of the rooms we don't use." He walked Xander out, right into Methos' side. "Go clean up. They're both in there," he told his friend, watching in morbid fascination as the detective was wheeled out. He looked up at the cleared throat, finding the new Police Captain standing there. "He said it was our fault because he couldn't tell anyone about his theories without getting in trouble," Oz told him, leading Xander onto the back porch so there was no way he could see the ambulance. The Captain followed them and closed the door. "He was here when we got in," Oz told him. "He had turned off our alarm system somehow." He pulled Xander back against his body, holding him.

"He all but said it was my fault," Xander said quietly, not looking at the Captain. "Because he couldn't tell everyone what he thought, it was my fault and he didn't have a reason to be a cop."

The Captain walked over and patted Xander on the shoulder. "I wouldn't worry about it. We recently had warning that he was unstable. We were watching him watch you, but we couldn't interfere until he did something. Unfortunately, we didn't see him break and enter today." He looked down at Oz, nodding at Xander. "Take him away from here for a few days. Go join your other husband in Vegas and take a break from it all."

Xander nodded, looking up at Oz. "Can we?"

"Sure," Oz agreed. "Go tell Adam to pack and we'll try and leave tonight." He pushed Xander up, watching him leave. "Now what?" he asked the Captain.

"There's nothing we can do to you because he shot himself," he said gently. "There's no charges we can put on you for any of this. Not that I'd want to, the old Captain told me what was going on. I'm sure that everything will work out all right in the end." He walked away, going to take his people with him. There was no need for a Crime Scene Unit this time.

Oz grabbed the phone on the table between the loungers, dialing the resort. "Hey, it's me," he said, "is Giles there?" He sighed. "No, tell him we're all coming in. Book that large suite upstairs for Xander Harris and company. Yeah, that one. Because we just had a cop try to commit suicide in front of us and we don't want to be in the house right now. Yeah, we'll be bringing the animals." He smiled as the phone was taken from the man taking reservations, one of Jace's first hires, and Giles came on. "No, we're fine. A lot shaken, but fine. Yeah, we'll be in tonight. Animals and all. Amanda, Meth, and Ray probably. That's who's here." He hung up and went to find Ray. "Hey," he said, running into him and Amanda in the kitchen. "We're all going to Vegas to unwind. You're welcome to come share our suite with the animals, Amanda. Ray?"

"Sure. Been wanting to watch Xander play cards anyway," Ray said weakly. "When?"

"Tonight or early tomorrow. I need you to gather up all the animals while I call Henri and tell her not to come in tomorrow." He walked away, heading for his address book, which apparently Xander had stolen from his office as his husband was talking to their housekeeper. "Tell her we'll be back in a week or so, and to work on getting us a housekeeper," he said, sitting down to cuddle up with Xander. "Giles is expecting us by tomorrow."

Xander nodded. "Did you hear that?" he asked. "No, we're going to go hide in Vegas for a few days with Giles. All we need you to do is to find yourself a helper. 'Kay?" He smiled. "Thanks, Henri. Sure, but we're taking all the animals with us."

"We can drop Ribbon off at her apartment if she wants," Oz offered.

Xander listened then nodded. "Yup, she wants."

"We'll do that on the way to the airport." He patted Xander's leg, then stood up and headed up to help whoever pack for them. He found Methos tossing clothes into a bag. "We're going to Vegas for a while," he offered. "You and Ray are more than welcome to come with us."

Methos stopped packing and looked at him. "Really?"

Oz nodded. "Yup, can't imagine Xander staying sane without you two. I'm sure he'll monopolize Ray for the first day or so, but you can have him back whenever you can pry Xander off him."

Methos smiled. "Thank you, Oz. Are we bringing the animals?"

"And Amanda if she wants to come." Oz nodded toward his room. "Come help me pack when you're done in here. Ray's getting the animals and Amanda can make the plane reservations."

Methos finished stuffing the basics into the bag and went to help Oz, knowing Xander was going to need some clothes.

***

They walked into the resort and right into Giles' arms, Xander getting the longest hug. "You're safe now," Giles told them all, smiling at the animals being carted in. "Come, let's get you settled in."

Confusing The Naughties.

Xander looked up as Ray walked into the room with the room service cart, giving him a smile. He really appreciated how Ray had been trying to cheer him up lately, and now that he was ready to leave their hotel room, he was going to do something nice for his friend. "Wanna go watch me play cards?" he asked.

"Sure. You got money on you?"

"Yup, but you're holding it," Xander told him, picking up a fluffy pastry to bite into. "I like that Giles has made his chef branch out into good snack food," he said with his mouth full. Ray handed over a napkin and smiled. "It's been a while since I played, I wonder if I'm still any good."

"You probably are, it's just going to take you a few hands to get back in the groove." Ray leaned over and wiped off a spot of the meat filling that was still on Xander's cheek. "There, better." He finished up his own snack, getting up to get dressed enough to go out, sure that any casino they went to wouldn't let him in wearing a ripped t-shirt and no shoes.

Xander quickly finished up his snack and went to get dressed. A few minutes later, they walked out the door together, careful to make sure all the animals stayed in the room this time. The Head Chef had thrown a fit when he found Jedi trying to steal cookies last night.

Xander frowned as he lost his sixth hand in a row, trying to remember how he had played and won before. Then it hit him. He smiled at the croupier. "Let me go get some more cash and I'll be right back," he said, hopping up and jogging to go find Ray, who was playing poker. "Another hundred please?" he begged. The other guys at the table looked him over as Ray handed him the hundred dollar bill. "Thanks, dear." He kissed Ray on the cheek, listening for his usual smart-ass remark.

"It's hard to keep that one amused," Ray sighed as he asked for another card. "Always wanting to run everywhere." The other players gaped at him. "What? You try to keep up with the perpetual energy machine."

Xander handed over the bill with a bright smile and took his cards, finally figuring out what he had done wrong. Fortunately this was a low stakes game and he only lost twenty dollars. But the next hand he won, and he continued to win until someone suggested he should go play in the high stakes games in the private rooms. "Nah," he said, smiling at his opponents. "Where's the fun in that? I like playing against different people." He tossed down his cards, knowing he wasn't going to be able to win this hand without some help from a god, which he wouldn't ask for. The next hand, he upped the ante, with permission of the other players who were all wanting him to lose badly, and won that one too. He gathered up his pile of chips and tipped the dealer, stuffing them in his pocket as he walked away. "Oh, Ray," he called, seeing him at a slot machine. "Why'd you quit playing poker?"

"Because I won a few hands and I stopped while I was ahead," Ray noted as he pulled down the arm. "I know I'm getting closer to winning this thing."

Xander shook his head. "This one's got the static feeling. Play it and the one next to it, they've been sitting there for a while." He waved one of the change girls over and exchanged a smaller chip for some of the tokens. "Thanks," he said, giving her a smile as he sat down beside Ray and started to feed his own machine. Within minutes Ray was hopping up and down after winning the dollar slots jackpot on the machine Xander had told him to play.

"How do you know that?" Ray asked, giving Xander a hug.

Xander shrugged. "I can feel it waiting to give it out." He smiled at the machine next to his and fed it a coin, making it go off with a minor win too. "The next person who feeds that one about ten coins will win," he told Ray. An older lady immediately stepped up to it and started to feed in coins. She hesitated at the eleventh, but it was the one who paid off. "I said about," he told her. He smiled at Ray, who had gathered up his winnings and looked ready to go. "You done?"

"Yup. Now I can go get that outfit I saw in the window for Adam," he said happily, following Xander up to the window. "Hey, cash this for me please?"

"Of course, sir, but the security people would like to talk to you if you wouldn't mind."

Xander shrugged. "Sure. I've got a gift." He followed the security person to the office and looked around at the pictures. "Hey, I've been there," he said, pointing at the picture of the Ganges River. He held up his arms as soon as the door closed. "Search us if you want. No electronic devices. I can tell when the machine's about ready to go off."

The officer waved a hand. "That wasn't what you were called in here for, gentlemen. There's been a call out from your hotel to watch over you and I'd like to know the reason why."

Xander sighed one word, "Oz."

"No, someone named Adam actually," the officer said. "Is that the same person?"

"No, Adam's mine," Ray said with a matching look of disgust. "Oz is his worrywart and Adam's mine."

"Yup, and they probably think someone's going to try and take me again," Xander said.

"Or me," Ray argued. "I'm very snatch-worthy."

"Point," Xander agreed. "But I'd come save you."

The officer laughed, breaking into their argument. "Whatever. Did you two want a ride back to your resort?"

"Nah, I need ta go shoppin'. We're gonna take a cab outta here and do that, then go home. But I'll gladly call my mate and yell at him for ya."

"Please," he said, handing over the phone, after dialing for an outside line.

Ray dialed the resort. "Hey, this is Ray, is Giles there?" He frowned. "Really? Did they leave a message for either of us? Cool, thanks." He hung up and looked at Xander. "Someone broke the Holy Ground rule at the resort."

"Aw, shit," Xander swore, standing up. "Is everyone okay?"

"Yup. M...Adam had to defend himself." He stood up too. "We'd better get back there before they come hunt us down."

"Yup, they will," Xander agreed. He smiled at the security officer. "Thanks. We're going home after all." He led Ray from the room and went to pick up their winnings, which were being held for them at the window, before going to find a cab home. Once they were in the cab, Xander looked at the quiet man next to him. "Did it come out with a winner?" he asked gently.

"Yup. My guy won." Ray snuggled into Xander's side. "He's not going to be happy when we get back."

"I left them a note," Xander soothed. "They'll be fine or we'll yell at them." Once they were back at the resort, he paid the cabbie and got Ray out, taking him up to their room. "Got your keys and stuff?" Ray patted himself down then went down to see if the cab was still there. He found his things at the front desk and smiled at the man working behind it. "Where is everyone?"

"Your room," he said, smiling at Oz as he walked off the elevator. "All except for him."

"Mine," Xander said, jogging down the stairs to get a hug. "What happened?"

"Upstairs," Oz said, leading the way back up, making sure Ray had everything put back in place. "Methos won, but the guy was cranky because Methos was sitting in the sunlight and casting a shadow."

"Is it insanity day?" Ray asked.

"No, but someone's been spreading rumors that the Gathering's approaching."

"That's not supposed to be happening at all," Xander reminded him. "Giles proved it."

"And we've pointed that out, but the Gathering's too ingrained in some of us. They'll fight without a reason." He led them down the short hall to their room, letting them go in first. Once Methos had grabbed Ray, he felt comfortable giving Xander a hug too. "How much did you win this time?"

"Not a lot," Xander told him, leading him in to sit on a couch. "I forgot how to play for almost ten hands. So I only played about sixty or so." He shrugged. "Then I helped Ray win at slots, and the security guys caught up with us as we were cashing out." He patted himself down, coming up with more chips from his right pocket. "Man, I need to get those cashed in too."

Ray looked over at him. "It was nice that the cabby was honest," he noted.

"Yeah, that was a nice treat," Xander said, grinning at him. "We've got to fix those pockets."

"Boys, there're more important things than fashion," Methos said dryly, sounding tired.

"He lost his winnings in the cab," Xander told him. "The pockets are too big."

"That's something that should be fixed," Oz agreed, squeezing Xander. "What did you two have planned for later?"

"I was thinkin' about spendin' some of my hard earned winnings and getting us a few cute things," Ray said, grinning at Xander, who had said he would go with him to pick up the toga costume he wanted his lover to wear. "Then we were gonna go visit Xander's stuff in the bank so he can see what he has ta work with in the jewel department."

"And I need to find a ready source of metal to work with," Xander added. "I called one of the local horse stables and they gave me the name of the person who does their horseshoes. I'm hoping he'll tell me where to go to get metal."

"Good," Oz said, rubbing Xander's lower back. "Want company?"

"Sure. You three can come with us if you want."

"Good, that's settled then," Methos said, standing up as he pushed Ray to his feet. "Clothing or bank first?"

"Clothing," Ray said, pulling Xander up so they could walk out together. They held a quiet conversation on the way to the elevator, Xander agreeing to take Methos' attention off what Ray was buying. By the time they got down to the car, Xander had a complete plan of action for the afternoon.

***

Xander smiled at the woman across the jewelry counter, looking at the loose jewels she had brought over for him to look at. "Perfect," he said, holding up the slim amethyst with the inclusion. "I like stones like this." He pulled out his platinum card, putting that jewel on top of it as he looked over the rest of the offerings.

"How long have you been designing?" she asked, opening a second tray to show him the jade on it.

"Oh, yeah," Xander said, holding up a light green piece. "I have *just* the right thing for this. And it's a prezzie too." He grinned at her. "Two years officially," he told her. "I like to work in silver and things like that. Though, I like to wear platinum best." He showed off his bracelet. "How much?"

"For that piece? It's about six hundred."

"I think he meant most of the tray," Oz said carefully. He picked up a piece he liked, shaped almost like an arrowhead. "I like this one," he told his mate.

"Me too," Xander said, putting it beside him. "And these six," he said, pulling out a few more. "And if that card gives you grief, we've got the cash on us." He pulled out his wallet and showed it off to her. "I need something special for a present, and it's got to be a butch stone that'll go with this one," he said, touching the first piece of jade. "It's a large cuff. The jade will be the center stone, but I'm thinking about surrounding it with a few more to set the jade off."

"Well, we do have some nice semi-precious stones that would do that," she said, standing up and taking those two trays back to their spots and bringing another out. "How about these?" she asked.

Xander poked through the offerings, coming up with one small green stone that he knew wasn't an emerald, but he wasn't quite sure what it was. "I need about eight of these," he told her, measuring it against the jade. "Maybe a little bigger than this one."

"Ah, then we do have something for you." She took the tray back and came back with a delicate child's bracelet. "It's old but not an antique. The owner's talked about melting it down if it doesn't sell."

"I don't like breaking up existing pieces," he said, looking hurt. "That's like desecrating someone else's work."

"Those stones would work," Oz noted. He subtly signed to the saleswoman that he would buy it if Xander didn't. "Do you have any loose like that?"

"No, and we're the only store in town that sells loose stones." She frowned, looking at the stones. "Let me talk to the manager. We got a few new stones in yesterday, maybe something in there would be good enough." She got up and hurried away, taking the Platinum card with her.

"Why would the card be giving you grief?" Oz asked.

"Because of what happened in Sunnydale," Xander said simply. "I'm expecting the worst."

"Oh. I don't think that'll happen," Oz said, reaching over to touch him. He looked up at the cleared throat. "Yes?"

The older man pulled out the chair and sat down, putting down five stones on the felt mat. "From what my associate said, you were looking for stones to set off that piece of jade?" he asked. "These are an unusual cut, but they might work. What sort of design were you thinking about?"

"A large cuff. The jade being the center stone with the little ones spaced around it, set into some light carvings." Xander picked up the stone and looked at it, picking up the jade to look at it too. "This might work," he agreed. He looked at the manager and smiled. "I'm new to this, I work by mental picture instead of drawing. I can't draw worth a damn."

"He made me this," Oz said, taking off the engagement ring that Xander had made for him. "Most of his stuff is like this, but the cuff is a commission piece, a present for a friend of a friend."

"I see." The manager turned the ring around, carefully looking over the intricate carvings. "I must say, it's a very individual piece." He smiled at Xander, who was arranging them on the table. "Will those do?"

"Yeah, I think they will," Xander said, biting on his lip as he thought. "I think that this might be just the thing." He smiled at the man. "Thanks."

"Where do you sell your pieces?" he asked.

"I'm going to have my first show at Branchson's in LA in about a month," Xander said proudly.

"Ah. I heard they were up and coming. Not Harry Winston, but definitely a nice store." He looked around his modest store. "Why did you choose them?"

"Because he has a minor share in the store, about ten percent of the stock that's offered outside the family," Oz told him.

"Oh." The manager blinked a few times. "Majority?"

"About fifteen percent." Oz shrugged. "They needed some capital to get bigger and more known. Xander was interested and he took a few of his lessons there. Now all we need is to get back to his forge and to find some good metal for him to work in."

"The farrier gave me the addy to get steel and stuff to make the little decorative daggers," Xander reminded him, moving two of the stones around. "This is how I want it." He stole a piece of paper and drew a few swirls on it, setting it under the stones. "Yeah, just like that."

The manager looked impressed. "Well, that's certainly a good design. What about on the sides?"

"This guy's into flashy but only visible jewelry," Oz told him. "He's more of a top done only sort. Though, what we saw of his rings were more of the QVC size."

The manager smiled. "I've met women like that."

"Light carvings around the side," Xander decided. "It should be good." He carefully folded the paper and the stones that went with the design together. "How much more is this going to cost me?"

"Those five together are about eight hundred, I can go look it up."

"We don't worry about things like that," Oz told him. He patted Xander's hand. "We have the money and I fully support my mate in making his pretties."

"Thanks, Oz," Xander said, grinning at him. "So, where do you go to get loose stones? Branchson's can get me some, and I've got some of my own, but I can never find what I want."

"If you'd tell us what you wanted, maybe we could find it," the manager offered.

"He's looking for an aquamarine or a topaz in the light to medium sky blue range with an inclusion for a pendant," Oz told him with a sigh. "He's been looking for one now for over a year."

"I like inclusions. I think it's a great thing in a stone."

"Well, I know we don't have one of those. I've heard of an emerald that has a blade of grass."

"That's ours," Oz noted. He sat up. "Speaking of which, Xander, I want to get rid of the rest of those rubies. I hate those things."

"Sure," he said happily. "All but a few so I have some."

"You have loose rubies?" the manager asked, nearly salavating.

"And some set ones. They were a present from an admirer," Oz said dryly. "Hence me not wanting them around."

"Ah," he said wisely, smiling at Oz. "I'm sure it would drive me batty also." He clapped his hands. "Please, feel free to bring them to us, and we'll gladly look them over for you."

"Sure," Oz said, standing up. "Finish ringing this up."

"And the bracelet," Xander said, pointing it out. "I need a new one. I kinda melted my last good one."

The manager hurried away with the bracelet to finish ringing him up, coming back with a slip for Xander to sign. "Does that sound about right?" he asked.

"A little high, but I understand about mark-up," Xander answered as he signed the paper and handed it back. "Bags?"

"Of course. Would you prefer a small box?"

"No, I like bags. I make my own at home." The manager hurried off to get a few bags to put the loose stones and the bracelet into.

Oz shook his head and went to see what Ray was staring at. "They're pretty," he said quietly, scaring Ray. "Sorry." He laid a hand on the younger man's back. "Which one?"

"That one," Ray said, pointing at the solid silver band with the square stone. "I think he'd look good in it. Don't you?"

"I think he'd look stunning in it," Oz agreed. "You wouldn't if you did matching stones, but it'd fit his hand very well."

Xander jogged over and looked down at the stones, then grinned at Ray. "I have something to show you when we get home," he sang. Ray just looked at him. "What? I made it the same time as I made my Oz's." He took Oz's hand and led him away, letting Ray and Methos come whenever they were ready.

Methos motioned the saleswoman over, pointing at the thin gold serpentine chain. "That one," he said quietly, handing over his credit card. "And put the box in a gift bag please."

She nodded and took the necklace, going to do as he asked.

***

Xander looked through the things he'd had Henri send him, grinning when he came up with the bag with the three rings. He bounced over to Ray, handing it over to him. "I kept seeing you two when I made two of them."

Ray opened the silk bag, dumping out the three rings onto his palm. "Xander," he sighed, picking up the one that matched his nipple ring. The one under it caught his attention though, making him hand over the other two and examine that one. "How much?" he ground out finally.

"Our wedding prezzie to you," Xander said, kissing him on the cheek. Ray started to shake his head but Xander turned his face so he could look in Ray's eyes. "It is. I made that for him, and the only picture I had in my head was you giving it to him. One of the other's is yours, and one's mine. I made them for us." He gave his best friend a short kiss. "Now, go figure out how to ask him."

"I will," Ray said, choked up. He gave Xander a long hug then got up to go downstairs and plan how to give his love a romantic dinner so he could formally propose.

Oz walked out of their bedroom. "I didn't know you made yourself one." Xander held up a small silver band with inset blue/green stones. "Wow." He sat down beside his husband, taking the stone to look at. "This was going to be your engagement ring?" Xander nodded, looking down at the other one in his hand. "Then I think you should have shown it to me earlier," Oz said, taking Xander's left hand to slide it down his ring finger over his wedding band. "There, now it looks right," he said, leaning in for a kiss.

"Dear Gods, stop it already," Methos grumped as he walked out of his and Ray's room. "Where's Ray?"

"Going down to arrange for supper," Oz said. He took the last ring to look at, holding it up in the light.

"What's that?" Methos asked, snatching it to look at it. "When did you make this, imp?"

"The same time I made his nipple ring," Xander said, tipping his head back. "I kept picturing you giving it to him."

"Ray doesn't wear rings," Methos said as he handed it back. "He said it felt uncomfortable when he had to fire his weapon."

"Which he doesn't have to do anymore," Oz reminded him.

"I'll think about it," Methos sighed, going back to his room.

Oz gave Xander a look and got up, heading down to talk to Ray. Maybe now wasn't the best time to ask the big question after all.

Xander wrapped the last ring back up, going to put it back in the care package Henri had sent them. He pulled out the fifth ring he had made, looking at it in the light. "Maybe you'd like this someday," he said, putting it with Ray's ring. He called down to the spa to see if anyone was free to work on his hair, then went down for another moisturizing treatment.

Methos stepped out of his room, looking at Xander's back. "You're not that good at manipulation, imp. Ray and I are already together."

Oz walked in and shook his head at someone in the hall. "Not like some people would like, and I'm not talking about Xander." He nodded in the other bedroom. "Where's the necklace?"

Methos glared at him. "Stay out of it, Oz, and keep Xander out of it too." He walked back into the bedroom and slammed the door.

Oz let Ray back in, giving him a hug. "Take it slow," he advised. "Or totally surprise him. Or do both, that's usually the best way." He patted Ray on the back and headed out to go find his Xander so they could have some time alone.

Ray went to put the ring back, hiding it safely for now. He found an unfamiliar ring in the bag and looked it over. "For Giles," he noted, turning it around in his hand. He stuffed it back in the bag as he heard the door opening, hiding it back in the bag but not where Xander had hidden it. He'd talk to his friend later.

***

Ray lit the candle on the small table in their room, smiling at the perfection of the layout. He tightened his robe, then jumped as the door was opened. "Hey, out," he ordered Oz.

"Xander sent this over," Oz said, handing over the small ring. "It took him about an hour of frantic searching but he finally found it for you. And he sent this too." He pulled the rose out of his waistband, handing the white and red rose over. "He found it in the garden." He waved and walked out, heading around Methos to his room.

"Xander picked you a flower?" Methos asked as he closed the door.

"Nah, he found one for me to give to you." He handed it over, giving his lover a smile as he stepped away from the table. He subtly dropped the ring into his pocket as he sat down. "Come on," he prompted when Methos continued to stare at the table. "Sit, eat, sounding familiar yet? You said food was a constant all over the world."

Methos sat down, sniffing the flower. "Why did you ask Xander to pick you a flower?"

"I didn't, he found it and thought it'd be something I'd like to give to you. He's like that," Ray reminded his lover. "Can we eat without him?"

"Of course," Methos said, putting the rose into the small pitcher of water beside them on the room service tray. He put the napkin onto his lap and smiled at the younger man. "This is nice," he said.

"If you're not gonna be nice, I'm gonna go watch TV," Ray warned.

"I am being nice."

"Then eat. Let's talk like a normal couple."

"Of course," Methos said, dishing up food for both of them. "I'm feeling a bit overdressed. May I go change?"

"Sure," Ray said, giving him a smile. "I got you somethin'. It's on the bed."

Methos got up and went over to look at it, frowning at the toga. "Ray, this is a toga."

"Yup. I'm in the mood to see you wear one. What's wrong with a toga?" he asked when Methos frowned at him.

"They were the worst fashion statement of the world, outside of knit orange sweaters."

"Just put it on," Ray sighed. He stood up and took off his robe, showing he was naked. "See, a nice dinner with just the two of us."

"Yes, Ray," Methos said, stripping so he could put on the toga. He cinched it around his waist and walked back to the table, making sure his napkin covered his crotch, the fabric was thicker than the toga he wore. "What should we talk about?" he asked as he picked up his first bite of dinner.

"How about our plans for when we have to move?"

"I thought Xander had convinced you that we could stay at the manor house for a bit longer and keep houses in places to escape."

"He did. That's why I wanted to know where you had houses."

"Well, you know about Paris and London, though I have thought about giving up the one in Paris. I do have a house in the countryside around there also."

"And Chicago?" Ray asked.

"Yes, we did keep that building," Methos said, reaching over to hold Ray's hand. "I said I was going to keep it and I did."

"Thanks," Ray said, grinning at him. "What about Canada?"

"Why are you so concerned about Canada all of a sudden?"

"Because I think it's a nice place. It's clean. It's like a clean version of Chicago."

"Ray, it snows up there."

"Yay, I like snow," Ray said, looking down at his plate. "I didn't want anything fancy, just an apartment we can escape to in Vancouver. And it's closer and easier to get to than London if something happens."

"Good point," Methos agreed. "I'll think about it, all right?" Ray nodded, giving him a weak version of his usually sunny smile. "Was there anything else you wanted to discuss?"

"How about we just talk," Ray suggested mildly. "We never do that."

"I thought you wanted space," Methos said smoothly. "Last time I tried to ask what you were thinking about doing, you told me to quit badgering you."

"Well, I'd like some input now."

"All right. Have you narrowed down your choices?"

"I found an interesting book today," Ray said, handing it over since he had it sitting next to him. "I think that's pretty neat."

"Skin care for profit?" Methos asked, flipping through it. "Well, it looks simple enough. Were you thinking about making your own line or were you thinking about working in a spa?"

"I'm not sure, but I think it sounds good. It's gonna be hard to find out how to train for it. Especially with some of the licensing that people who do skin care in spas have to get."

"There's a spa downstairs, you could go and talk to the people down there to see how they trained."

"I did that; the girl who worked on me today recommended this book to start me off. She said there's references in there to go on if I wanted to. Or, there's another idea I've been looking at." He coughed lightly. "I've been thinking about learning a new trade. I love being a cop," he said quickly when Methos opened his mouth, "but I'm tired of being shot at. I've been a cop now for almost twenty years, Meth, and I want to do something else."

"I'm behind you in whatever you do," Methos said, giving him a smile. "What trade were you thinking about?"

"Something that's partially physical but mostly mental. I like the problem solving."

"Architecture?" Methos suggested.

"I could, but that's a lotta math," Ray said with a grimace. "Not my best subject. That's as far as I've thought so far - that I don't like math but I like problem solving."

"You could always start taking business classes," Oz said from the doorway. "Methos, phone. It's Richie."

"Coming." He gave Ray a smile before getting up and walking out.

Ray frowned at Oz. "Bad timing."

"I'm sorry, but Richie's frantic." He walked in and shut the door, leaning down to hug Ray. "Take business classes, I suck at that end. Or I can teach you how to program if you want." He looked at the door. "Richie's frantic because he can't find Steve, who got challenged earlier."

"Oh, crap," Ray sighed. "Is he dead?"

"No, the guy who challenged him came looking for him and Steve was gone. Richie thinks that Steve got challenged by someone else on his way to the first one. It was the sort of day Steve had been having."

"Oh, man," Ray said, shaking his head. "It could be worse. Steve could have lost."

"No, Richie said that he's been looking for a quickening flash and hasn't found any yet. No news reports, nothing on the police band scanner. He's sure Steve's alive, but he's not sure where he is."

"Was he heading this way?"

"Richie thinks so. He was with Daniel though, so no one's sure of anything at the moment." He kissed Ray on the cheek. "I'm taking Xander down to dinner if I can ever get him dressed. You get the animals and the room all to yourself." He stood up and walked out, leaving Ray alone.

Ray leaned over and blew out the candle, not wanting it to drip wax all over the tablecloth.

Methos came back a few minutes later. "I think Steve got involved in something at Daniel's job," he told his lover, looking at the candle. "It went out?"

"No, it was dripping," Ray said, giving him a smile. "The other two are leaving."

"Good," Methos said, looking Ray over. "Ray, would you be upset if I gave you a present for our anniversary?"

"Why would I be pissed?" Ray asked, searching for his robe. "I've got one for you too." He finally found the ring, holding it in his hand until Methos came back from retrieving his present. He opened his first, smiling at the gold chain. "Wow." He slid it on, letting his lover clasp it for him. "I like this."

"It doesn't quite go with the nipple ring," Methos said with a slight shrug, "but I think it looks good against your skin." He looked around the table. "You said you had one for me too."

"Oh, I do," Ray said, holding out his closed hand. "But I'm not sure if you're gonna like it. It's a prezzie from Xander to me, he made it with me giving it to you in mind," he explained as he opened his hand.

"Oh, my," Methos said, picking up the ring. He relit the candle, looking at it in the soft light. "This is gorgeous. When did he do this?"

"The same day he did one for Oz and Giles. He said the only picture he could see was me giving it to you."

"Then we'll gladly buy this off of him," Methos said, smiling at his lover. "It's a beautiful ring, Ray."

"Will you accept it and marry me?"

Methos' mouth fell open. "I thought we already were."

"No, we're joined," Ray said, reaching over to touch the ring too. "I want the ceremony in front of our friends, Methos. I want it to be as official as it can be."

Methos looked down at the ring, not able to look at the big green eyes anymore. "Ray, I thought I had made my commitment clear."

"Never mind," Ray said, taking the ring back. "You did," he said, getting up to stare down at his lover. "You made it very clear, but I want the world to know about us. Even if they don't know we're bonded the way we are, I want everyone to know that you're mine."

"Ray, we're as married as we can be," Methos reminded him.

"Yeah, everything but the ceremony."

"Is that what you want?" Methos asked, getting up to hold him. "Do you want us to hold a ceremony and reception? Some sort of ritual to show everyone that you're mine?"

"Yeah, that's what I want. I had it before, and I want it again."

"That's fine, Ray, but have you thought about the downside of having a commitment ceremony?"

"Nope, still not getting it. I want a *wedding*, not a *commitment ceremony*. I want what Xander had with his guys. A real, physical, ritual way of showing that we're together." He clenched the ring back in his hand. "When you want what I do, then I've got this." He walked over to the dresser and put it in his jewelry box. He turned to find Methos had left him alone.

"Great," he sighed. "I was warned he wouldn't take it that well." He sat down and looked at his full plate but somehow the food didn't interest him anymore. He decided to go take a long bath, maybe that would cheer him up.

***

Methos walked into the dining room and over to where he could see Xander sitting. "What idea did you put into Ray's head this time?" he asked Xander.

"Not a one," Xander told him, waving at the empty chair across from him. "Giles is running late, sit." He nodded for Oz to leave them alone. "Let me guess, this is about him proposing?" Methos grunted in displeasure. "Yeah, well, you've got to understand Ray to understand this. Ray sees the fact that you can leave him and get away with it; all the spell needs is for you to be living, not next to him physically." Methos opened his mouth and Xander slapped him on the arm. "Don't even say it. Ray's just as insecure as I am about Oz leaving me at times. No matter how much you say it, there's times that the words don't mean a whole lot. Those are the days when he needs something to be able to look at and *know* that you love him. That's all he wants, something he can look at and *know* that you like him enough not to ditch him someday and go running after the bimbos that keep hitting on you at the beach." He shrugged. "And right about now, I'm guessing he's feeling pretty bad and alone."

"He should already know that."

"Yeah, but there's knowing and then there's *knowing*," Oz said as he reappeared with Giles. "Think about it, you did the same thing a few times with some of your wives. You're Ray's second love, and you left him alone after hurting him that badly."

Methos got up and stormed out, going back up to his room.

"Maybe I should call Ray and warn him?" Xander suggested.

"No, let them do this." Oz looked over at the discrete cough, smiling and taking the leash the woman was holding. "Thanks." He put Rocky under the table, letting Jedi sit in her usual place on top of the dog. "And no sneaking away this time," he told the ferret, who had taken the opportunity last night to see what breasts were like on women. He sat down, making sure he couldn't kick Rocky accidentally, but that she was still in prime begging radius. "They'll work it out. If not, then Ray can stay with us tonight," he told Xander.

Xander nodded, looking around the room. "At least Ray didn't leave."

"No, I believe he's soaking in the bathtub," Giles said, smiling at Xander. "How was your day?"

"He got to go be evil at Baccarat," Oz told him.

"I only won about twenty games," Xander said with a grin, "and they were all low stakes."

"Dear Heavens!" a woman said loudly as she walked in. "Is that a *rodent*?" she asked, pointing at Jedi, who was people watching from the edge of the table.

Xander bent over to look. "No, she's a pet ferret that escaped our room," he told her. "Totally housetrained, she doesn't even beg."

"Except for chocolate chip cookies," Oz noted. "Or at least she does from me."

"It still should not be in here!" she demanded.

"Why? It's not like *it's* got fleas or something. As a matter of fact, *it's* a very good pet."

"Please excuse my wife, she's a bit peckish," her husband said in a clipped British accent as he steered her to the other side of the room.

"That's quite all right," Giles called after them. "Maybe you should go put them in the room."

"We don't want to get in the middle of Ray's argument," Xander told him. "And Jedi's perfectly good. We had a talk last night when I had to toss her back upstairs. She's agreed to be a good little mother ferret and not go investigating while she's in here."

"She was funny," Oz said. Giles groaned and shook his head. "What? It *was* funny when the woman jumped up and started to screech about the ferret in her shirt while beating her chest. Even her date thought so."

"As did I, but I worried all day about her calling someone to come take the animals."

"Why? This place is considered an animal friendly resort, right?" Giles frowned but he nodded. "Then make a small dining room where animals aren't allowed so people like her," he pointed his thumb at the loud woman across the room, "can get away from them. Besides, animal friendly resorts can get more customers these days."

"It is something to consider," Giles agreed. "I'll talk to the manager later." He reached over and patted Xander's hand. "Thank you, love, that was an excellent suggestion, both of them were." Xander preened under the compliment. "What other naughtiness did you get into today?"

"I bought some loose jewels for a special project for Daniel's boss. I'll have to go home soon so I can work on it."

"If we had a way to ship the forge, you could set up a small shop here," Giles told him.

"We could probably use a forge here anyway," Oz pointed out. "Plenty of us run for Holy Ground when our primary weapon breaks. Having one might be for the best."

"And I'm learning how to fix blades," Xander reminded them.

"That's rather handy," the male voice from earlier said, smiling down at them. "I'm sorry if my wife causes a problem tomorrow. Were you thinking about putting in a forge here?"

"We are," Giles said, turning to look at him. "I'm sorry, I didn't feel you when you came in." The other man turned his wrist to show off the tattoo. "Oh. All right then. Yes, Xander is learning how to do more than make jewelry; he's been studying under another of us to learn the art of making blades. I'm sure I could convince him to come in if someone needed their blades fixed but couldn't do it themselves."

"I see. That would help a lot." He smiled at Xander. "And you, young man, are the talk of the Chronicles."

"Gee," Xander said, looking impressed. "Is that good?"

"Very," he said with a smile. "Is this place considered animal friendly?"

"We're working on making it so," Giles told him with a smile. "I'll have to put in a second dining room for non-animal eating, but otherwise, I'm not seeing a problem. Our own animals come with them whenever they come to see me."

"Is there anything you wanted put in about Jace, now that she's gone? I used to work on her Chronicle;, that's why I came actually. I didn't find out until after we had landed, but I heard it was a most unusual fight."

"We'll do that tomorrow," Oz told him quietly. "Somewhere more private."

"Good, I shall look forward to it. Just one last question, what do you think about the rumors?"

"The Gathering won't be happening," Giles told him firmly. "I've researched it quite thoroughly with Joseph, and he agreed with my findings."

"There've been a few times like this before," Oz told him. "It was usually because the participants hadn't died recently. The other times I've seen this situation, once the immies were dead, the urge to kill us all went away."

"I see. Do you know when one was?"

"The last Methos and Theo sighting," Oz told him. The man looked impressed. "If you check, you'd find all those in the throes of a killing frenzy are also young. You won't find an immie over six hundred probably."

"I think the oldest noted so far is only about 289," the Watcher agreed. "So, it's something that age can overcome?"

"If you look at the older of us, they had to live through plagues," Giles told him. "They probably died from the more natural causes often. These new ones don't have that benefit."

"So it may have something to do with their biological clock so to speak?"

"Possibly," Oz agreed. "That's as good as Methos ever got."

"You sound like you knew him," the Watcher said.

"He taught me for a while," Oz told him.

"Do you know where he is?"

"Yup."

The Watcher laughed. "I didn't think you'd tell me. He's said to be a very private man." He stood up, smiling at them. "I'd like to continue this conversation tomorrow, but I may not be able to make it until the afternoon. There's supposed to be a gathering tonight to fight."

"Where?" Oz sighed.

"Outside on the golf course, near the dwarf trees."

"I'll go stop it," Oz told Giles.

"Can't they tell it's Holy Ground?" Xander asked.

"It's been weakening," Oz explained. "The feeling of it being Holy isn't as strong as it was."

"So it needs to be reblessed?" Xander suggested.

"I've been trying to figure out how to get that done," Giles told him.

"I know a priest I can call on. Maybe he'll do it." He got up and headed for the payphones to make a phone call to a Priest he knew. "Is Father Philip there?" he asked when the woman's voice answered the other end. "No, this is a friend of his. No, I gave him the cat." He smiled. "Really. That's great. Do you have the number out there. No, I need to ask him a very important question." He pulled out a pen and wrote the number on his hand. "Thanks." He hung up and dialed his phone card number again, this time directing the call to New York, where Father Philip was working at a school. "Father Philip?" he asked, smiling at the tired voice. "My, you sound like you need a vacation." He laughed. "I'm sure. No, I have a question for you. What would recharge Holy Ground? Because it doesn't feel so Holy anymore. Yeah, someone around me can tell that. No, actually I'm in Las Vegas at a certain resort...." He chuckled. "I know, it's not the most common spot to find Holy Ground, but it's been here for a very long time. The resort that sits on it is a refuge of sorts. Hey, I'll send you a ticket and get you a room, or you can stay in the extra one in our suite. No, I'm in pretty good with the owner," he said with a sappy grin. "It's my other husband, Giles." He laughed. "Father, such language. Well, bring her out. Giles was her former owner, I'm sure he'd love to see her. Oh, please. All five of our ferrets and our ten other cats and dogs are here with us; she'd be welcome here. Yes, I'm sure," he said, rolling his eyes. "Tell you what, if you'd come rebless it for us, I'll pay for plane tickets and a five day weekend?" he offered. He cheered. "Thanks, Father Philip. Yeah, that's us. I'll do the tickets tonight and have them sent to you for day after tomorrow." He hung up and jogged back to the table, having to pick up Jedi to sit down. "He'll be here in two days. We've got to send him tickets and give him a few days off. He's one of the senior teachers at a Catholic Junior High."

"Then he probably really needs the vacation," Giles said with a smile. "I'll have that arranged tonight. Is that who you gave you gave my cat to?"

"Yup, he did an exorcism and the cat's mostly fine, but it doesn't seem to like nuns a lot. Keeps attacking the longer habits."

Giles shook his head; he still didn't believe his cat had been possessed.

"She's never seen them before," Oz reminded his lover. "It's not like we wear clothes that often at home." He looked at Giles. "I think a forge somewhere in the back would be a great idea. We've got one Xander can sit in front of on the ground at home, but the people we ordered from have a lot more that were stand-up-in-front-of ones. There's not that much stuff needed to set one up. A table, a few clamps, an anvil and a hammer, some of the tools. A water source to cool off the metal."

"Ours cost us about eight grand for the forge," Xander told Giles, "plus everything else. There were bigger ones about the same price but if you want a real one, there was a nice one in the catalog for about ten grand. It runs on the good coal or gas. Or they had complete setups if you wanted to go that way."

"And there is that little side hallway behind the salon," Oz reminded Giles. "She was forever wondering what to put back there."

"There's also the matter of special ventilation," Giles reminded them. "Yours is outside, you don't need to vent it."

"So ask the other immies here now if they think it'd be worth it," Xander suggested. "If not, once I know more, you can send them to me at home." He looked at Oz. "The house in South Beach will have a forge too, right?"

"I've already planned one of the rooms for that purpose," Oz agreed, patting Xander's hand. "I'm not going to take away your favorite hobby." He looked at Giles. "Isn't there a shed or something back there, attached to that hallway?"

"Yes, there is," Giles said thoughtfully. "We'll take a look at it tomorrow, see what we might be able to rig up." He smiled as the waiter came over with the food that the head chef had specially prepared for them. "Thank you," he said as his plate was put in front of him. He waited until the waiter was gone to switch plates with Xander; the dish was much spicier than Giles liked, the chef always made his food too spicy. "So, what shall we speak of?"

"I think I might be able to talk Amanda into adopting a ferret," Xander said quietly.

"She won't like it," Oz warned. "She's much more a fashionable cat or dog person." He took a bite of his supper and changed plates with Giles, tasting this one. "Better," he noted. "Not so bland." He tasted Xander's and switched plates with him. "Just right."

Xander shook his head but he was grinning at his husband's antics. "I would have shared, Oz."

"I'm sure you would have," Giles said, smiling at the two younger-seeming men. Xander had grown up so much recently. "How about a few stories from your recent trip?" he suggested. "You should have a few."

"Well, there was this one guy," Oz said, looking at Xander. "The one who wanted the bracelet for his wife?"

"Oh, yeah," Xander said happily. "His wife turned out to be this little guy, looked like the stereotypical accountant, without the glasses. Really weak looking. Turns out he was the power in the family," he told Giles.

"Where were you then?"

"We only made jewelry in that one town," Xander told him, reaching over to pat his hand. "So much of that time you had to be there for," he said gently. "Don't try so hard."

"I won't," Giles told him, grabbing the hand to hold while he ate. "What are you making for Daniel? Any ideas about the style of the piece?"

"I've seen pictures of the guy I'm designing for and he seems to wear these big, heavy things studded with jewels. Today I found a beautiful piece of jade and five stones to put around it. Then I figure I'll put some light carvings on the top and set the little stones around the bigger piece of jade. I've got some real silver on order so I can make it in that instead of the special silver, which I'm running out of."

"I'm wondering if you can mix that," Oz said before taking a bite.

"I've thought about asking Sam what it's made of and seeing if it can be made, but I have a feeling that one of the component metals isn't found around here." He glanced around, making sure no one was listening to them. "I have a feeling that when I run out, I'm not going to be seeing any for a very long time."

"I can understand that, but it doesn't hurt to look, right?" Oz suggested.

"Sure. I'll ask her next time I see her," Xander said, smiling at his Oz. "I delivered everything for the show," he told them.

"Congrats," Oz said, reaching over to free Giles' hand so he could touch Xander now. "How many?"

"All twenty, complete with stories of why they were made." His grin got brighter. "One of the designers thought I made the whole village motif up to inspire myself."

"They're allowed their own beliefs," Giles said calmly. "When is this so I can come in for it?"

"Three weeks," Xander said, taking a bite of his now-cold dinner. "It's still good," he said happily. He was hungry. He hadn't nibbled at the casino like he usually did when he played cards.

Oz and Giles shared fond looks and went back to their dinners.

***

Oz and Methos walked out to where they could feel the young immortals, stereo frowns on their faces as they caught sight of the fighting that had just started. "Stop it," Oz called. "This is stupid, and this is Holy Ground.

"It's the Gathering," a female immie whined. "It's time to do this."

"Gee, none of the rest of the immies in the resort feel this need," Oz told her.

"And who are you?" her opponent sneered.

"I'm Methos," Methos said quietly.

"I'm Theodonius," Oz told him. "As in the two oldest immortals, yes," he answered the unasked question. "This is a stupidity that's cured another way,it's not the Gathering. That won't be happening."

"It will so," the female immie said. "My teachers have all said so."

"My lover, whose main goal in life is research, has looked over *every* pertinent document and there will be no Gathering. It might have happened at one point in time, but now the fighting is to cull the bad members and because some people are too stupid to stop fighting."

"How do we know you are who you say you are?" another male immortal asked, walking around the defined fighting area to look at them. "Neither of you look that old, or feel that old."

Oz shrugged and took all the blocks he had on his quickening off, stunning them all. "Got another question?"

"I challenge you," the woman called, pointing her sword at him.

"I'm not fighting on holy ground, girl. Put it away before my mate comes out here and kills you for threatening me." Oz looked up at Methos. "Think we should cure them now?"

"What cure?" the curious immortal asked.

"This feeling that you're getting only happens to you young ones," Methos explained. "We've seen it before, a number of times actually. In the past, it's been cured by dying." He held up a hand at the outraged screeches they were doing. "Not losing your heads, just dying. Remember, back when this all started, there were plagues every few years and we were not immune to the worst ones. Many of us died quite a few times during the sicknesses that used to plague the world."

"And you think this will cure this current feeling of wanting to kill someone else?" she asked haughtily.

"Yup," Oz told her. "Has before, will again. And just for you, dear," he said sarcastically, "we can put you into a secure room so no one can attack you while you're down. The resort has a few such rooms in the basement for immortals who have lost their minds."

"This would be a lot more believable if there were other old immortals here to back you up," the curious man told them.

"Amanda's on her way in, but I don't think she's made it here yet," Methos told him. "Who else did you want to ask?"

"What about this Oz guy that's married to the owner?" the woman asked. Oz raised his hand. "You?" she scoffed.

"Me. I wanted to disappear, how better to do it?" He smirked at her. "Once you get to be my age, you can do things like that." He looked behind him as he felt another immortal walk up behind them. "Hey," he said, nodding at the nearly familiar immie. He'd seen him before, but he wasn't sure who he was. "What's up?"

"I heard that the Gathering urge was upon some of us," he said, looking the five young ones over. "Is this them?"

"Yeah, we were just explaining it to them," Oz told him.

"Why explain?" this new one said, taking out a gun and spraying the group with bullets. "Now they'll see," he said, smiling at Oz. "And you are?"

"Oz," he said, shaking the man's hand. "The Holy Ground rule still applies."

"I had noticed that the feeling of holiness isn't as strong," the other immortal noted.

"It's being fixed," Oz told him. "There's a priest coming to figure out why that is."

"Does he know?"

"He deals with the paranormal."

"Ah. Then he won't mind?"

"Not as far as I know. My mate talked to him; I'll be talking to him with my other husband when he gets here in two days."

"Good. We need to get this fixed before someone does what another of us did, and look how MacLeod suffered for it," he noted as he walked away.

Oz looked at Methos. "Mac killed on Holy Ground?"

"Yes," Methos sighed, turning and starting the walk back up to the resort, "he did. The newly reborn one didn't give him much of a choice. He was killing mortals and had delusions of being a God. He led Mac to an old sanctuary, and they ended up fighting there."

"Any link to what Mac went through with Ahriman?"

"Not that I could find," Methos admitted. He smiled at his friend. "Shouldn't we be watching over them?"

"All but one's awake," Oz said with a shrug, keeping back a few feet. "We'll watch for a quickening." He stopped and looked behind him. "You don't think one was a Watcher, do you?"

"No, they were in the trees. I saw one nearly fall out off a branch when he saw me and heard my real name."

"Good. Less for me to worry about. Did that guy remind you of Darius?"

"A little bit," Methos admitted, smiling at him. "One never knows, Oz, one never knows." He looked back at the clearing, hearing five voices now arguing. "They're awake. Come help me fix Ray?"

"If you'd realize that he just needs to have a more tangible sign, then it'd all be settled."

"I already consider us married."

"Then consider doing the ceremony like renewing your vows," Oz suggested.

Methos' mouth opened, then he shut it and shook his head. "I can go through the problems that come with a wedding for Ray."

"Good. Maybe you should tell him that before Xander gets him to come back home with him." Methos glared at him. "What? He's got a project he *has* to do. It's due in about two weeks. He'll have to get home soon, we don't have a forge here."

"I've often wondered why she didn't have one installed," Methos admitted, slowing his stride so he could walk beside his oldest friend.

"We're trying to convince Giles to put one in."

"I'm sure he'll have to follow some sort of regulations." Methos stopped Oz by putting a hand on his shoulder. "He really needs the physical reminder? Besides not aging?"

"Yeah, he does," Oz said sadly. "Same as Xander does. Neither one of them is as confident as they seem about us loving them." He shrugged, grimacing at his friend. "I'm not sure why they need it since the spell can only be done with true love, but they do.

"Maybe they think we'll get tired of them," Methos sighed, letting him go so they could finish walking up to the room.

"Yeah, but we'll never get tired of them. I've *told* Xander that."

"Doesn't mean he listened. Remember his vacation?"

"Oh, yeah," Oz said, nodding as they walked in together. He winked at Giles. "All taken care of," he called as they headed for the elevator.

"Thank you," Giles called. "I'll be up in a few minutes." He smiled at their backs, reaching down under the desk to stroke through Xander's hair. It was addictive, Oz had been right about that.

***

Methos walked into his room and pulled the covers off his sleeping lover, bending down to pick him up and carry him into the bathroom. He seemed to have the best conversations when Ray was leaning against his chest and something sensual was involved.

"Wha'?" Ray asked sleepily.

"I'm running us a bath so we can talk," Methos told him. "Give me a minute." He smiled at the half-asleep nod. He leaned down to test the water, smiling when he was spanked. "Why, Ray, how naughty!" he asked, turning around to find Amanda standing there. "Giles must have put a spell on the place," he groaned.

"He did. I asked when I didn't feel him or anyone in the lobby." She smiled sweetly. "Did you get the newbies taken care of?"

"Go ask Oz, my dear, I need to talk to my....Ray?" he called, looking around.

"He just stumbled back to the bed," she said happily. "Was it the needed-death thing?"

"Go ask Oz," he said, steering her out of the bathroom and his half of the suite. Then he picked Ray up again and carried him back into the bathroom. He propped Ray up beside him and stopped the water, after adding in some salts. He turned around and Ray was moving again. He stripped quickly and went to get Ray, leading him back to the tub. He got in first, helping Ray in after him. He sat down and tugged, a little too hard because Ray fell on top of him. He nuzzled the warm neck, breathing in the deep scent. "Ray, please wake up."

"Am," Ray complained, pushing himself away from the warm lips. "Whaddya want?"

"I wanted to talk to you about your proposal."

"Forget it," Ray mumbled, rolling over carefully so he wouldn't knee his lover. "I did."

"I didn't," Methos said, pulling Ray back into his chest, going back to his nuzzling. "After having a talk with Oz...."

"Why did ya have to talk with Oz about marrying me?"

"Because I thought we already were," Methos told him. "I thought that was the meaning of the ceremony we went through to bind us." Ray shook his head. "Yes, Oz made me see that you didn't think so. Now that I know this, I'd be more than happy to marry you. Here if you'd like, or back at the manor house."

"Really?" Ray asked, turning his head to look at his lover. "No freaky feelings about it?"

"Ray, I've been married before. Sixty-seven times in fact. I have no funny feelings about being married to you." He squeezed his lover hard. "As a matter of fact, I thought we already had been. That's why I got upset earlier."

"Oh." Ray blinked a few times then relaxed back into the soft chest. "I won't do what Xander did."

"Get frantic or wear nearly nothing to tantalize me?" Methos asked lightly, stroking over the firm stomach.

"Either. I don't sew and I won' t wear white."

"That would also be fine. I'd be happy to marry you in our normal clothes if you wanted."

"Yeah, I'd kinda like that," Ray murmured, starting to fall back to sleep.

Methos rolled his eyes at the first snore, but he was too comfortable to take his Ray back to their bed.

***

Oz walked into Methos' room the next morning, looking for everyone. They had agreed to eat breakfast together and they were gone. He heard a wave hit the wall in the bathroom and walked that way, smiling at the sleeping couple. Ray was lying on top of Methos' head, using the side of the tub as a pillow. Methos was nearly drowning as he licked across Ray's stomach and chest in his sleep. "Guys?" he called quietly.

"Humph," Ray snorted, then pushed the head tormenting him under the water, creating another small wave which slapped up against the tub wall.

Oz snickered. "Ray, you're going to drown him."

"Am not," Ray said, opening one eye long enough to make an effective pout. Then he closed it again. "What's wrong?"

"Breakfast? We agreed to eat together."

"Later," Methos sighed, coming up to nip Ray sharply. "This one needs a pillow."

"Want help getting him to the bed?"

"Jus' bring a pillow, I'm comfy," Ray said, snuggling his stomach back against his lover's face.

"I'm not," Methos complained, shifting up while pulling Ray back down so they were cuddled together properly. "We'll see you at lunch."

"We won't be here at lunch," Oz reminded him.

"Then we'll see you at supper," Ray noted.

"We're headed back today because Xander has to work on that project."

"Oh, crap," Ray sighed, looking up at his friend. "That's tomorrow."

"That's this afternoon. Tomorrow is when you guys are leaving," Oz noted as he walked away. He went over to his room, smiling at Xander, who was searching for something. "Lost what?" he asked.

"Play toy."

"Ours?"

"No, Mutley's. He's whimpering because he can't find it." Xander looked over, giving his husband a smile. "Get them up?"

"No. They thought we were leaving tomorrow."

"We are."

"No, we're leaving this afternoon."

"Nope, we changed it to tomorrow so I could talk with Philip when he gets in today."

"Oh. When did you do this?"

"Last night, after dinner."

"Ah, no wonder." Oz flopped down onto the bed. "So, breakfast?"

"Sure." Xander got down onto his knees and looked under the bed, coming out with an old, ragged sock. He smiled and walked out, earning happy barks from the dog.

"Quit it, Mutley," Ray called.

"I found his sock for him," Xander called back. "And we aren't leaving until tomorrow; I forgot to tell Oz."

"Breakfast?" Ray called back.

"Unless you don't want to," Xander agreed.

"Whatever," Ray called and a few minutes later, the door opened and Ray walked out in a bathrobe. "How much longer does the buffet run?" He squinted at the clock.

"Another hour," Xander told him. "But the omelet chef leaves in another thirty." He looked at the robe. "Isn't that mine?"

"Yeah, I borrowed it when we packed. That's okay, right?"

"Sure, this means I get to make you one for your birthday," Xander said happily. Ray rolled his eyes and headed back into their room, slamming the door. "Want to order in instead?"

"Yeah, we'll do omelets tomorrow," Ray called. Then he giggled. "And tell the third one."

Xander sat down beside the sofa, picking up the phone to dial his other husband's office. "Hey, it's me. No, we just got Ray and Meth up." He smiled at the comment. "No, they were together. If you'd like, I will," he offered. "No, they're not up to appearing yet," he said with a silly grin. "Sure. I can be down there in a few minutes." He hung up and walked over to where his shoes were, putting them on and grabbing a shirt from the rack beside the door at the same time. "I'm going to eat with Giles," he called as he opened the door and left.

Ray stuck his head out a few minutes later. "What about our breakfast?"

Oz walked out of their room. "Giles wanted us all to come down and eat together," he reminded Ray. "I guess Xander took over the position of all of us." He shrugged, looking at the bare body, what he could see of it. "If you hurry, we can still meet him down there."

"Sure," Ray said, pulling back inside his room. They came out a few minutes later, waiting on Oz to find his other sandal, then left to head down to the dining room together. Everyone looked up as they walked in so the checked themselves then shrugged off the looks, going over to Giles' private table, where the other immortal was laughing quite hard.

"What's the story?" Oz asked as he slid in next to Xander and stole a bite of his omelet.

"Get your own," Xander said playfully, shoving him lightly. "Hey, you two, decided to come down after all?"

"Yes, I fear I'll need a good breakfast before Ray drags me everywhere today." Methos smiled at his former student. "How are you this morning?"

"Good. You?"

"Much better now that Ray's not trying to drown me," Methos said dryly. He pulled out Ray's chair, then his own and sat down, looking around the room. "The omelet buffet seems to be quite a hit," he congratulated Giles.

"Yes, I think I'll keep it once a week though, make it a special something," Giles told him, giving him a smile. "Thank you for stopping those five last night, it was most horrid that they were going to do that here."

"When is Philip due in?" Oz asked Xander.

"Not for another hour and I hired him a car," Xander said, looking around. "Where were you going to put in the second dining room, Giles?"

"I had thought to put it across the hall," Giles said, pointing behind them. "There's a nice room over there that no one seems to use. Just a banquet hall really, but it's too small for a good sized party."

"So you add a few tables and chairs," Oz said, nodding. "Sounds good. What if you need the room?"

"We have two others just like it, only with a few more possible seats, plus the huge ballroom upstairs. I haven't checked the reservations yet, but I think that everything should go according to plan."

"And, if there's a wedding, you can always close that dining room for a few hours," Methos agreed. "That sounds excellent, but why the second dining room?"

"Because it'd make this place fully animal friendly," Xander told him. "Oh, I did some research last night about what you need to get the 'animal friendly' rating from a few of the animal societies and all I could see that you're missing here is a dedicated pet walk and someone to babysit if the guest needs to get away for a few."

"I can contract out the latter with one of the local groomers, I believe," Giles said thoughtfully. "There is an animal spa here in town; I'll talk to them about it tonight. I've heard that they're amenable to helping hotels deal with pets."

"Good," Xander said, patting him on the arm. "Next time we come in, we can send the ferrets to the groomers." He grinned at Ray, who had just snorted. "What? They would like to be pampered too."

"I can just see Jedi running around the place," Oz said, leaning back in his chair so the waitress could put the empty plate down. "I'd like an omelet," he said.

"Of course, Mr. Osbourne, what would you like in it?"

"Ham, green peppers, and mushrooms," Xander told her.

"And cheese," Oz said, glaring at his husband, "and sausage too. Light on the mushrooms if they're not already sauteed."

"Of course, sir. Does everyone else want an omelet or would you like some time?"

"I'd like one with a lot of cheese and sausage," Ray told her. "And maybe some of those spicy tomatoes you guys had last night?"

"I'll see if the chef can do that. For you, sir?" she asked, looking at Methos.

"I'll have a western omelet, minus the onions."

"And to drink?"

"Milk," Xander said, holding up his glass with a smile.

"The rest of us want coffee. Please?" Ray asked nicely.

"I'll bring it right out," she promised, taking Xander's glass to get him a refill. "You certainly go through a lot of milk," Methos told Xander.

"I *like* milk and it's good for me," Xander said with a nod. He looked at Oz. "I was telling him about the Holy Virgins decorating their temple for the celebration and the one falling in."

Oz snickered. "Yeah, that was funny. Purple dye in the water and naked holy virgins."

Giles chuckled. "That must have been a sight. Did she get the purple off?"

"Not until after Xander offered to mix her up something to soak in, and about two weeks more due to her problem with Xander. It didn't match her green veil at all."

Ray looked at Oz. "That poor girl."

"Poor girl?" Oz snorted. "She was a mean and nasty little woman who tormented Xander whenever she saw him. She actually went out of her way to come bother him sometimes. She deserved every comment she got because of it. Even after Xander helped her turn back to her normal color, she still wasn't nice to him."

"But, Oz, it made her itch in indelicate places," Xander said innocently.

"You didn't," Giles said.

Xander nodded. "I did." His grin got naughtier. "She deserved it so I did it. But she wasn't purple anymore."

"No, she just itched like she had bugs," Oz snorted.

Giles burst out laughing. "Oh, that I would have liked to have seen, boys. Next time, do let me go with you?"

"Sure," Oz agreed, getting out of the waitress' way so she could put down their coffee and Xander's milk, and the pitcher this time.

"Thanks," Xander said, winking at her.

She giggled and waved a hand at him. "You're married, you naughty little boy."

"Yup, I am," Xander said happily. "To my work, and my animals, and ...."

Oz leaned over and tickled him, sending them crashing to the floor when Xander couldn't take it anymore. "Give up yet?" he asked.

"I give!" Xander yelled, still laughing. He got a kiss and Oz got back into his chair. "Meany! Eeveryone's going to think we're strange," Xander pouted as he got back into his seat.

"Honey, you're in a three-way marriage with men, they already think that," the waitress said, giving him a wink back before leaving to go get their food.

Methos looked at Xander over the rim of his coffee cup. "Is there something we should be told?"

"She and Xander have been friends since the first time he was here," Giles said tolerantly. "She's a very nice young woman, with two children, and is working her way through school."

"Yup, she showed me around the first time I was here," Xander said happily. "She's really nice. She tells me about her kids, and I tell her about the animals. Her son was the one playing with one of the ferret babies yesterday."

"I thought you said he was a resident," Ray said, looking confused and like he hadn't had enough coffee.

"Yes, they are," Giles said simply.

"Cool," Ray agreed, after a second's pause. "Any chance of him adopting one?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"His mother's allergic to animal dander," Giles told him. "That's why she had to pull her son away from the ferret yesterday. She actually has horrid allergies."

"But I get by," she said as she returned, handing over the three omelets. "Something wrong with the milk?" she asked Xander.

"No, I was listening to the old guy talk," Xander said, nodding at Giles. "I'll have to leave again tomorrow to work on something for someone."

"We're looking into putting a forge in the resort," Giles reminded his young husband.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because a lot of us that come here are into things like swords and jewelry," Oz told her, "and Xander's learning both."

"I'm doing a lot better with the jewelry side than I am with the sword side," Xander admitted. "Besides, there's a local renfaire group and a few other groups that could use it too. The Excalibur resort doesn't have one and the local guys only make horseshoes." He grinned. "It'd be a premiere niche for the resort, same as making it animal friendly would."

"That's really well thought out," she agreed, smiling at Giles. "If you do make it animal friendly, will you cover the allergy medicines on the health insurance?"

"I had thought they were," Giles said, frowning. "I'll check into that this afternoon," he promised her. "I see no reason to not cover those, or certain other necessary medications."

She smiled. "That's why we like you. You're nice. Just like Jace was." She winked at Xander again then left them alone.

"You're really good at runnin' this place," Ray praised.

"Thank you," Giles said, smiling at him. "Eat, the chef is very good at making breakfasts." He poured himself and Xander some of the milk, handing his husband his glass. "You, drink. You need the calcium. You still have accidents and don't heal as fast as we do."

"Now I understand the calcium kick," Methos said, looking at Giles. "He gets plenty."

"No he doesn't," Oz disagreed quietly, looking at Xander, who was gulping his milk. "It won't hurt him, even if he were to gorge on milk and cheese."

"All right," Methos agreed, dropping the subject. "Any other large changes you have planned for the resort, Rupert?" he asked.

"Just one," Giles said, giving him a smile. "I plan on making this place accessible to more of us, maybe even advertising, which I know Jace didn't."

"How would you advertise?" Oz asked.

"Through the Watchers," Giles said simply.

Methos dropped his fork. "Not many of us know about them."

"Yes, but word does get around to the others of *us* through them," Giles pointed out. "That's how Joe's spreading the truth about the Gathering. A Watcher finds out, tells someone that they know, it gets spread around."

"Makes sense," Ray pointed out. "It's like a big network."

"It does," Methos agreed, "but not all of us will understand how the people telling them these things know about us."

"Easy, it'll be other immies telling each other," Oz told him. "And the bad ones won't get through the door if they want to cause trouble. Right, Rupert?"

Giles coughed lightly. "I haven't cast that spell yet. I'm hesitant to do so. Even the worst among us take time off to live on Holy Ground." Methos gave him a hard look. "I can deal with any that try to cause problems," he reminded his teacher.

"Maybe," Methos agreed. "Maybe not. You haven't run up against some of our worst yet, remember that, Rupert. There's always one that's worse than you think and that won't follow the rules."

"Then we obliterate the threat," Xander said calmly, staring at Methos. Ray looked at him in shock. "What? You thought I wouldn't fight for Giles? I've spent most of my life fighting for Giles and Oz. Anyone who tries to cause problems here runs through me. Immie or Watcher."

"He'd have help," Oz pointed out. "It's not like I'd let Giles deal with this himself."

Ray looked at him. "Isn't that against the rules?"

"They'd be breaking one first," Xander reminded him. "This is Holy Ground. There's no fighting here. Anyone who breaks that rule makes themselves a legal target in my book."

"Mine too," Oz agreed quietly, glancing around. He saw the Watcher from the night before staring at him and nodded for him to come over. "Let's get this settled now, okay?" he suggested. Methos saw who it was and nodded. "Thanks."

"So," the Watcher said, sitting down and looking at the table. "That was certainly a rather large surprise last night. The Council sent me because they thought something paranormal was going on here." He looked at Rupert. "Your brother is not pleased."

"Wrong Watchers," Xander sighed. He looked around the room, seeing someone glaring at Methos' back. "I think that's one of them."

"Oh, it is," Methos agreed, waving him over. "We'll talk with him later too. How did you know about the Gathering?" he asked the Watcher that used to work with Giles.

"We've all taken note of what Giles has been requesting for research purposes," he said with a slight shrug. "It was most intriguing. I can even trace the split back to around the Crusades." He smiled at the other version of the Watcher, turning his wrist so they could compare tattoos. "Well, I see not much has changed."

"Why don't you and Wes have one of those?" Xander asked Giles.

"Because most of our generation gave up on having them," Giles said simply. "Pull up a chair, we'll all discuss this rationally," he offered.

The immortals' version of the Watchers looked him over. "Why would I want to talk with you?"

"Because I'm the one who's been working with Joseph," Giles told him. "And, if you want to know what I do, then you'll sit down and act like an adult."

"Oh, really?" he asked.

Xander pulled out a knife and put it on the table. "Yes, you will," he said softly. "Because we'd rather not have a screaming match. You never know who's listening around here."

Both Watchers pulled over chairs and squeezed in beside Ray, one of them picking up the dagger to look at it. "Very nice work. Remanli?" the Slayer's Watcher asked.

"Mine," Xander said, taking it back. He slid it back into his back harness, shrugging at Ray's questioning look. "Like I'm going anywhere without some protection right now."

"Point," Ray agreed. "By the way, we're doin' it at your house."

"Cool. Am I doing anything special?"

"We might contract with you to provide us with clothes," Methos agreed. "It would be on a professional level, not on a friendship one; we don't want to impose on your skills too often."

"Hey, I get a kick outta making stuff for you guys," Xander said, pouting at him. "I like to make you clothes and stuff."

"Yes, but it's not right that we don't pay you back somehow," Methos said, reaching over to touch Xander's hand. "You don't need to make us presents. We'd gladly pay you for the rings and for anything we decided to let you make for the wedding. All right?" Xander shook his head. "Don't argue, dear one, it'll only make me more resolute."

"Yes, Methos," Xander sighed, giving him one last pained look. "I'll be good and let you pay me for it."

"Thank you." Methos rolled his eyes at Oz's amused look, which he was sure Xander didn't catch. "Now then, what should we be clearing up?"

"How about while you were a Watcher yourself?" the immortals' Watcher suggested snidely.

"Andrew, do you know how many of you are immortals?" Methos asked. "I'm not the first; it's a very good camouflage and it's very safe. Almost as good as Holy Ground."

"What about the Holy Ground here?" the Slayers' Watcher asked. "I've heard it's not as strong as it used to be."

"We're fixing that today," Xander told him. "I called in a favor and offered a priest I know a vacation if he would come check it out for us." He smiled at the cleared throat behind him, getting up with a squeal when he saw who it was. "Philip!" he said happily, hugging him. "How was your flight? And where's the cat?" he asked as he put the priest into his chair and grabbed another from a nearly empty table behind them. "Guys, this is Father Philip. He's the one I asked to come look at our Holy Ground problem." He squeezed in next to Giles, looking around his husband at his friend. "Where is your cat?"

"Upstairs. I've already checked in," Philip said, looking around. "This looks like a War Council."

"Nope, just clearing up a few misconceptions," Oz told him. "How's the cat? Giles still doesn't believe she was possessed."

"She was," Philip told Giles. "It took two different times to get her clear of the demon." He smiled at the shaken head. "It did. You can check her yourself if ya'd like." He looked at the two Watchers. "I recognize what one'a ya are. What's the other?"

"They're both Watchers, just in different organizations."

"Now," the Slayers' Watcher amended. "We used to belong to the same group, but we had a rend in the organization back during the Crusades."

"Bloody horrible times," Methos agreed, sipping his coffee. "Basically, what did you each need to know?"

"Maybe we should do this somewhere more comfortable," Giles said, standing up. "Let's bring our breakfast to my sitting room, and we'll discuss that in there. You also, Father Philip. I'm sure there's much you can add to all this." He patted Xander on the rear, treating him more like a personal toy rather than someone with information for the group as he walked away from the table to get a waiter. "I can deal with this," he called.

"Don't be so fussy," Oz warned. "He hates it when we treat him like he's helpless." Philip looked at him. "He's very independent now." He smiled at their waitress as he walked around her. "We'll be in the big guy's office," he told her quietly. "Expect some yelling." He patted her on the shoulder in sympathy before he walked away.

She looked at Ray, who grinned and shrugged as he followed everyone else. Then she blew the hair off her face and rolled her eyes. "Those three need to get a life," she said, tugging the shirt she wore over to cover the tattoo on her shoulder, a totally inappropriate place for it. Who would have thought that a Watcher's tattoo would be put in such an odd place.

***

Giles sat down in his favorite seat, expecting one of his husbands to sit down next to him, not on the floor at his feet. He reached down and started to work his fingers through Oz's hair, smiling when he got grunted at. "Well, you chose to get between me and his hair," he reminded his older husband playfully.

Oz shrugged and let Giles continue, latching onto Xander's mouth to give him a kiss before everyone got settled.

"Enough," Methos sighed as he walked in. "I doubt you want to scare the normals." He sat down beside Giles, letting Ray curl up between them, watching as he fell asleep almost instantly.

"Is he okay?" Xander asked, peering up at his best friend.

"He's fine. It was a long night, and I doubt he slept comfortably in the bathtub." He looked at the other three men as they walked in and picked seats. "Father Philip, could you tell that this was Holy Ground?"

"From about a mile away," he admitted. "It's gettin' weaker because no one prays on it." He looked at Giles. "What was this formerly?"

"As far as Jace told us, it wasn't a Holy spot until the missionaries got here. Then they built a church, which burned, and a convent, which also burned," Oz told him. "It was Holy when she bought the land."

"And no one's been rechargin' it with prayers, so it's been losin' strength," Philip finished. "I can counteract some of that, but it's gonna take more'n me."

"Plenty of us pray here, just for the wrong reasons," Methos told him.

"And not necessarily to the same God," Xander pointed out.

"Good point," Methos agreed, giving him a smile. "I saw what you made for Cupid, very nice work, young one." He smiled at Philip's back as he walked out to go earn his vacation.

"Thanks," Xander said, grinning happily.

"Hold on," the Slayers' Watcher said, holding up a hand. "We'll have to *recharge* the holiness?"

"It's wearing down," Oz explained. "When it gets too weak, then the resort loses its neutral territory rating and becomes fair ground for fighting. We and the former owner agreed to keep this as holy a place as possible so that we all have somewhere to relax."

"Ah, I see," the Immortals' Watcher said, nodding. "That does make sense. What happened last night?"

"There's a problem with the new crop not dying enough," Methos explained. "Back when we were young, there were many plagues, at least one a decade, and we weren't immune to them either, not to the worst of them."

"So, it's because they hadn't died enough?" the Immortals' Watcher said. Methos nodded. "And you came out to tell them that, breaking your cover?"

"Like they'd believe someone around their own age," Oz snorted. "And who was that other guy?"

"I can't give you that information."

"It was Henrich," the waitress said as she walked in, pushing the room service tray. "We are allowed to name names here in the resort," she told the other Watcher. "Joe said it was polite to do so. He's about sixty," she told Oz. "Very calm. Everyone says he reminds them of Darius."

"Yeah, he did us too," Oz agreed, smiling at her. "Undercover?"

"The Watchers have always had someone here," she said flippantly. "But we still would like to keep this under the table. I'm only here to see if there's any new ones that pop up or if there's any new information going around. I was Joe's conduit back to our Council." She patted the other version of Watcher on the arm. "Don't worry, we know about you guys too."

"You're a Senior, a spy?" the Immortals' Watcher said, jumping up. "Impossible. You don't even have a...." He stopped as she pulled aside her shirt. "Oh, dear God," he whispered, sitting back down. "I'll behave."

"Good." She smiled at him. "You're just doing your job, relax." She looked at Methos, who was frowning at her. "What? It took you this long to recognize me?"

"No, I figured you had gone out into the world for a purpose like this, but I never suspected you were going to be feeding the Chroniclers."

"I'm not." Her smile got brighter. "I don't supply any information. This is a neutral area to us too." She winked at Xander. "You are still the most wondered about person in the history of our organization," she told him, "but I like you because you're fun and nice." She handed Giles the slip. "Sign please, so I don't lose my job."

"Not bloody likely now," Giles muttered as he signed his name on it. "We will be talking this afternoon," he warned her.

"Yes, sir!" she said, saluting him. "Later," she said to Xander before leaving.

Oz shook his head. "This is now like a big mystery novel with a bad plot line."

"Yes, it is," Giles agreed, tugging gently on his hair before starting to card through it again. "What needs to be discussed?"

"What are you?" the Immortals' Watcher asked.

"He was one of us," the other Watcher told him. "Trained one of the girls and everything."

"Two," Giles corrected. "I had Faith there for a bit."

"Not officially."

"No, but I was still in control of Buffy then also," Giles countered lightly. "On with the rest of it. Now, I'm one of your sort," he told the Immortals' Watcher. "I was working with Joseph on the Gathering problem, and we've figured out that it won't happen, that we've been fighting for centuries for no reason."

"Did you find a reason for us to exist?"

"No, but I found that, over the years, most of us have decided that we're protecting humanity, or trying to take it over, but no original reason."

"Just one of our own definition," Oz said thoughtfully. "That makes sense." He looked up at Methos. "You've got to admit, we were around still when that started to change."

"Yes, I do remember back that far," Methos said dryly. "As for the earlier question, Oz was correct. It wouldn't have been believed coming from anyone but ourselves. Our *true* selves. Coming out was necessary."

The Immortals' Watcher nodded. "I can understand that. Now what will you two do? Now that others know who you are and all."

"Nothing different," Oz told him. "We're going home tomorrow so Xander can work on something for someone else."

"What about this new student of yours, Oz? And do you prefer to be Oz?"

"I'd prefer to stay Oz," he agreed. "What new student? The only ones I've taught recently are Richie and Steve."

"I think he means Daniel," Xander told him.

"He's my student," Methos told him.

"No, there's a young man who's said he's your student," the Immortals' Watcher said, pulling out his notebook. "This one," he said, passing it over after pointing at a name.

Oz frowned at the name. "I know him, but he's not my student. I've never met him, but I've heard of him." He handed the notebook back. "You might want to tell him that. That's an annoyance."

"Maybe he's wanting to be your student," Xander suggested.

"No, not with what he's saying," the Immortals' Watcher said, smiling at him. "What are you, dear?"

"The same thing Ray is."

"A mortal consort?"

"Not anymore," Giles told him. He smiled at the Slayers' Watcher. "Did you get the transcript of that spell?" He nodded. "Good. It must only be used in the strongest cases of love between what we are." Oz pinched him on the leg. "There's been a few of us that have come out of my old Watcher's Council," he explained. "I've searched through the old Watchers and I've found six of us so far, one of which came in as an adult."

"So, you wanted them to hold the spell?" Xander asked.

"It is safe with them," Giles reminded him. "The copy I sent was also marked very well, if a bit cryptically," he said with a smile.

The Immortals' Watcher cleared his throat. "What spell?"

"Joseph was supposed to get that information out," Giles said with a frown.

"Well, we've heard some rubbish about being able to bond mortals to the immortals." Xander held up his hand. "Yes?"

"That's what we did. It takes absolute true love for it to not kill everyone. I'm bound to Methos, Oz, and Giles. And Connor when he was alive."

"Oh." He looked from Xander to Oz and back, then shook his hand. "How did this happen?"

"It merged our energies," Oz told him. "Xander's got the signature now of a pre-immie. He even knows how to use a sword." He squeezed his husband hard. "It does work, but it's got to be real love so no one dies."

"During the spell, I died and our energies merged," Xander explained.

"Connor MacLeod agreed to this?" the Immortals Watcher asked. "He was always skeptical of magic and anything paranormal."

"He was in the house and got caught," Methos said dryly. "It will bond you to any immortal within a short distance. My Ray is bound to both of them, and apparently somehow to Xander." He frowned down at his former student. "I would like to know how that happened."

"Not a clue," Xander sighed, looking up at him. "I have no idea how any of this happened." He gave him his most pathetic look. "I promise not to take advantage of it."

Methos smiled at him. "Thank you."

The Slayers' Watcher laughed. "You really do have all these people wrapped around your fingers, don't you, young man?"

Xander gave him an innocent look. "I don't need to have them wrapped, they like me."

Oz kissed him on the cheek. "You do have us wrapped and you use it shamelessly on occasion. But we still love you, even when you're in hyper-sexual mode."

Xander pulled up Oz's hand and kissed it. "Thank you, Oz."

"Welcome, babe." He looked over at the Watchers. "As you can tell, Xander's very special."

"And naughty," Giles put in, smiling down at his husband. "A very naughty little bit some days."

Xander grinned up at him. "Me? Naughty?"

Methos nodded. "Yes, you, imp. You've put a whole new definition up for the word. Even among the GHS community, your name is spoken in hushed tones."

"Oh, the convention is next month," Xander said happily. "Can you come back as someone else?"

"Yes, dear one, I'll go with you this year." He smiled down at the sleeping Ray. "We'll all go. It's in Boston this year."

"As long as we don't run into any witch hunters," Oz agreed.

"Oz, they don't exist anymore."

"We ran into one not even fifty years ago," Methos told Giles. "They do not like us."

"They can tell what we are?" Giles asked him.

"Unfortunately, this one was a pre-immie, so we're not sure whether or not they can," Oz told him. "Every other one we've run into knew us, though, so we've decided to stay away from them."

"Oh," Xander said, his face falling into a hurt look. "Does that mean we can't go?"

"No, you may go," Giles said, leaning down to give him a hug. "I promise, we will go to the convention, all of us. We'll all go revel in our GHSness while Oz makes sure we don't do something stupid."

"Uh-huh, that means I get to hold all the leashes," Oz reminded him.

"I'm sure we'll be able to make you let go of your inhibitions too," Methos said with a smile. "Xander, we'll work on my new identity when we join you back at the house, all right?"

"Sure," Xander said happily, grinning up at him. He reached out to touch Methos' leg but Ray kicked his hand. "Ow, meanie."

"Mine," Ray said. "You got yours."

"I was going to give him a pat," Xander pouted. "I wasn't going to make him all gooey or sweet or anything."

Ray slid down to hug his best friend. "I know, but he's mine. You've got the Oz and the Giles."

"I'm not going to steal your Methos," Xander told him, hugging Ray harder. "I could never steal your Methos from you. He's yours. You've trained him to please just you. He could never be retrained to become one of my pets." Ray smiled at him. "See?"

"Yup. As long as you understand that," Ray agreed, pinching Oz lightly on the arm. "Now then, what's the DT?"

"The Chronicles and the GHS convention," Giles told him. "Would you like to go with us?"

"Yeah," Ray said, grinning at him. "It'll be *great*! All the fun of the conventions." He looked at Xander. "Have you been to one?"

"We went to one, but that's the weekend I found out about immies," Xander told him. "I didn't exactly have fun that weekend."

"Ah, but this time, I'm sure we'll have many more opportunities for fun and games," Giles told him, giving him a smile. "There'll be all sorts of games and the like."

"Probably," Methos agreed. "How am I going to get a card again?"

"Easy, you need a sponsor," Xander reminded him. "Same as you did for me, I can do for you."

"What about when they notice how young you look?" Giles asked.

"Hey, I've been being very good with my living in sin," Xander said, his grin brightening. "It's all due to...."

***

"How I live the debauched life," he told one attendant at the convention, playing with one of his white streaks. "All I have is pleasure and a decent diet." He smiled as Oz walked over to him with a glass of champagne for him. "See, I get pampered horribly."

"Yes, and you still have a spa treatment in the morning," Oz reminded him as he handed off the glass. "Here, just like you like." He nodded at the other keeper. "Do you have a lot of trouble from yours?"

"No," he said, smiling at Oz. "Do you?"

Xander nodded. "I'm an imp, or so someone keeps telling me. Oh, Addison," he called, bringing his protégé, Methos, over. "He thinks Oz doesn't have a problem with me."

Addison, better known as Methos, groaned. "You have no idea what it's like having four of us in one house and only Oz to keep us straight."

"It's like a harem of naughtiness and Xander's the ringleader of the group," Oz told him, smiling at Ray. "And here comes his second in command. Ray, what's up?"

"Nothing," Ray sighed. "I just saw Blair and Daniel. And Jack."

Xander snickered. "*Jack's* here? Stiff, men-don't-hug, Jack? In a convention dedicated to hedonism?"

"Yup," Ray said with a grin. "He's here to guard Danny and Blair. Seems the General thinks that they'll get into trouble. Oh, and they brought Desi too. He's up in their room, supposedly."

"Desi?" the other keeper asked.

"Their ferret," Ray told him. "I got one of Xander's brood too. His Jedi's a fertile little girl."

"Hey, she only had three this time," Xander protested.

"We're getting the ferret fixed," Oz said firmly. His resolve melted as soon as Xander pouted at him. "Fine. One more ferret litter."

"Thank you," Xander said, hugging him and taking the opportunity to nip him on the ear. "I should give you a prezzie for being so nice."

The other keeper laughed. "I wish you two had signed up for the play session tomorrow night," he told Xander. "I'd like to see what you can do."

"He's giving a demonstration of his dancing," Ray offered. "There's still a few tickets left."

"No one knows what they'll be missing," Oz told him. "No one here's seen it live."

"Or seen it at all," Xander reminded him, giving him a kiss. "Thank you for letting me show off."

"Hey, anything for you, babe." Oz wrapped his arm around his mate's waist, smiling as the other keeper left to go check out the session. "You're being a tease," he whispered.

"That's what this is all about," Ray told him. "It's all a game of one-upmanship. I got the better keeper, or I've got the better perks. No one's played that with us yet."

"That's because I've got the best perks," Xander said, squeezing his Oz. "Can we go upstairs and prove it? Before we put on a floor show?"

"Sure," Oz agreed. His naughty little toy was back. He hadn't had this much sex with Xander in almost three years, since the last time he went into hyper-sexual mode. This would make the seventh time this day, and he *LOVED* it.

Ray smirked at their backs, looking around to find the others he knew. He headed over to where Blair was giving a small discourse on the beginnings of keeping sexual slaves, stopping him by giving him a heart-stopping kiss. Then he walked away to find his Methos. He needed some of what Xander was going to be getting soon.

This Was Supposed To Be Fun?

Xander let Oz pull him away from the hands that were trying to grab him, rubbing a hand down one of his sore thighs. "I should have stretched earlier," he complained as they met up with security and were escorted up to their room adjoining rooms. "I sucked."

"No, you didn't," one of their escorts said, looking Oz over. "How do you handle him? The rest of the people downstairs I can tell it'd be easier to control, but how do you control this one?"

"It's not that hard," Oz told him. "He runs the house." He tipped their escort as soon as their door was open, letting one of them check the room before they walked in. He waved at them as he closed the door and locked it in as many ways as he could. He turned, leaning against the solid wood so he could look at his lover. "Trust me, Xan, you didn't suck. If you had sucked, security wouldn't have come running, and no one would have tried to jump you while you danced." He reached over to stroke his husband on the arm. "Want a bath?"

"Yeah," Xander said with a smile. "Or a shower, and then I want a massage at the little place we went to this morning. I need some work on my legs."

"Call them and see if someone can come up while I get the water started. We'll bathe, I want to hold you." He buzzed his husband's lips as he walked past him, heading for the small bathroom.

Xander got his usual dreamy look on his face as he watched his husband walk away to help pamper him. He shook himself and rummaged through the stuff on the dresser, trying to find the card from the spa they had visited this morning. He finally found it, cheering silently as he grabbed the phone and dialed it. "Hi, this is Xander Harris," he purred to the receptionist. "I know this is very short notice, but I just danced and my legs feel *nasty*. Is there any way I can get a masseuse to come visit me in my hotel room? Please?" he asked when she got quiet. He glanced at the clock on the built-in VCR, smiling. "Sure, two hours gives me just enough time to soak away most of the sweat with my honey. Room 615 of Sheraton Newton Hotel. Yeah, that's me. I was there this morning. Thank you." He hung up and danced into the bathroom, giving his Oz a hug. "Someone will be here in two hours," he said happily.

"I heard," Oz told him, getting free and sitting on the side of the tub. "We may have to leave early, you know that, right?"

"Oz, no one's going to kidnap me, not here. There's too many of us here for them to try."

"I was talking more along the lines of someone more professional." He held up the listening device he had found while he was searching for their bath salts. "I don't know who put this here, but I really don't want to go up against anyone this week."

"So we won't," Xander said calmly, taking the device to drop it in the sink and run water over it. "I'll go give it to Jack in a while," he told his husband, walking back over to cuddle him. "I promise, no one's taking me this week, Oz. Really. That'd be dumb." He looked at the water, smiling. "Is that really hot?"

"Yup, I have to adjust the temperature," Oz said, getting free to do so. "Go give that to Jack and Danny. I'll wait here."

Xander walked back to the sink and turned off the water, shaking off the bug so he could take it with him and not drip down the halls. He checked the hallway before he walked out, then jogged down the hall to where he knew Blair's room was. He tapped frantically, sliding inside as soon as Jack opened the door, pushing past the Colonel. "Hi. Here." He handed over the bug. "It was in our bathroom."

Jack looked at it. "It's not ours," he said, holding it up to the light. "Any idea why you might be bugged?"

"Xander's got a history of being kidnaped," Daniel said as he walked out of the bathroom. "So, how did it go?"

"Security escorted us up after I danced," Xander said happily. "Oz is now paranoid."

Someone opened the door, making Xander and Jack jump and move into defensive positions until they recognized Blair. "Hey," Blair said, turning around. "Man, you've got to be careful when you go down there." He noticed Xander and glared at him. "They think that you've taught us that."

"I tried to teach Ray, but he never took all the lessons," Xander said with a shrug. "I doubt Oz is going to want to go back downstairs tonight anyway." He pointed at the bug Jack was still holding. "We found that in our bathroom."

"Oh, man," Blair sighed, taking it to look at. "It's commercially available. Rafe had a few of these while we were together." He handed it back. "Any idea who wants you this time?"

"No, but he's listed as one of our civilian consultants," Daniel pointed out. "Xander, you did the right thing bringing this to us. We'll go have a talk with security. You go back to your room."

"I'll escort him," Jack said, tucking the bug into his pants pocket. He walked Xander down the hall, checking each person they came across visually. He delivered Xander to his door, tapping on it for him while the younger man checked his pocket for keys.

Oz threw open the door and sighed in relief. "I thought you had been taken already," he said, pulling Xander inside. "Jack, can you take care of that for us?"

"Sure," he said, waving as the door was shut in his face. "Always ready to be of service." He shrugged it off and went to go find someone on the security team. He rubbed his chest as he got onto the elevator, mentally damning himself for eating that spicy lunch.

***

Oz looked up as he felt someone walking toward them, one eyebrow going up. "Yes?" he asked the woman who sat down across from him. "I'm expecting my husband," he informed her.

"No, you're not." She opened her hand and blew some powder across his face. "Come," she ordered, standing up.

"I don't think so," Ray said from behind her. He had seen the powder trick. She took a swing at him and he backed up, right into her helper's hands. "Get off me!" he yelled, hoping to get some attention their way. "Oz! She did something to you!"

"Oh, really?" Xander said calmly, hands on his hips as he looked these two over. "Over your dead body are you taking my Oz," he said, looking her over again, his voice dripping ice. "Get away from my husband and you won't be dying." The helper took off into the crowd.

A few of the people at nearby tables got up and moved away, one of them saying something about a cat fight.

"I think he wants to come with me," she sneered. "After all, who would want to stay with *you*?"

"He did," Xander told her, moving his hand to show her the knife he had on his side. "Step away from my husband and Ray, and you won't be dying. I saw the powder you blew onto him and, while I don't know what it is, I'm more than ready to do something a little beyond average."

She snorted. "Really?"

"Really," he agreed, waving a hand at her, focusing his will on her. "Cresatas," he muttered as his hand finished the move.

"No," Ray said, getting free and moving Oz out of the way. He watched, but nothing happened. "Huh?" he asked his best friend. He slapped Oz a few times. "Speak up now, Oz, or Xander's gonna go primal on her," he hissed.

"Gee, nice shield," Xander noted, taking a step closer. "But there are still some things stronger than you."

"I haven't found one yet."

"Oh, but I have," Giles said from behind them. "Xander, move," he said calmly. He looked the woman over. "You're nothing but a harlot," he sneered. "A wimpy and pathetic one at that. Xander, go help Oz."

"No, I want her," Xander swore.

"No, come help me," Ray ordered, putting enough worry into his voice to make Xander come help him.

"You're like he is," she said, pointing at Oz. "You'll do just as well."

"No, neither of them will," a male voice said from behind her. She spun around and faced Methos, her eyes going wide. "Get out and I won't let Xander kill you, if you leave now. Otherwise, I'll help him skin you." She swallowed. "Yes, it is me, Tabitha, and you will leave these premises. I don't know what you do with the people you steal every year, but I will not have it anymore."

Her eyes got a little wider and she backed away from him. "This is not over, Adam."

"Addison," he corrected her absently, already turning to help with Oz. "Take him upstairs," he ordered Ray. "Giles, go with them." He watched as they went, then sighed and went to get a drink before anything else happened. His former assistant had gone bad and he had no idea why he hadn't done anything about it before.

***

Oz took a sharp breath as he came back to life. He grabbed the arm nearest him, glaring at the young man he saw. "Who killed me?" he asked Ray.

"It was the only way to clear the powder from your system," Ray said, getting free and handing over a glass of water before sitting beside him on the bed. "Meth's former assistant has been snatching people. She tried for you usin' some sorta mind-control powder. We've been tryin' for the last day and a half to get you out from under it. Meth finally stabbed ya to get ya outta it." He pointed at the knife on the tray beside the bed. "We had ta. Ya kept tryin' ta go to her."

"Thanks, Ray," Oz said, gripping his hand. "Where's Xander?"

"Downstairs with Danny. Jack had to be taken back to the base last night, something ta do with his health. Danny's helping him get back home."

"Good." Oz sat up, grimacing at the texture of his skin. "I need a washcloth."

"We've given ya three baths so far," Ray said, standing up and helping Oz up. "Come on, let's get you into the shower. I'll call down and get Xan back up here." He let Oz lock himself in the bathroom and went to the phone, making sure he kept an eye on the bathroom door. This wasn't the first time this had happened. Last time, Oz had made it all the way down to the lobby. "Hey, this is Ray..." He smiled. "Hey, Xan. He's up again. Nope, washin' off his face, like last time. Good. Yeah, come on up. We'll be here." He hung up and tapped on the bathroom door. "Hey, Oz? You okay in there?"

Inside the bathroom, Oz looked up from checking over the razor blade. "Fine," he called, taking the shiny blade to his arm. "Just fine," he told himself, watching the blood pour out of him. He didn't get to see Ray burst through the door with Xander, he was dead again.

***

Oz woke up again, this time groaning as he felt the ties binding him to the bed. "What's going on?" he sighed, trying all of his limbs. "Is this some sort of kidnapping?"

"We were wondering the same thing," Xander said from the corner. He stood up and walked over, looking down at his husband. "Do you still feel like you want to kill yourself or go running to her?"

Oz thought about the question, and he felt the burning inside him. "Yeah," he admitted. "What is this?"

"The powder she put on you is powerful. The hotel security people had one of the local hospitals check it for them. They said it's a control agent, meant to make you do her bidding."

"Like a fascination spell?"

"Only worse. This is the sixth time you've died and come back." He sat down on the bed beside his husband. "Each time, you're coming back a little more, but we don't want to keep trying to kill you."

"If you have to, do it," Oz told him. "It shouldn't still be working on me."

"It's got magic attached to it," Xander said calmly. "At least that's what Giles thinks." He reached up to touch Oz's hand. "I can't let you go, Oz, I'm sorry."

"S'okay, I understand that. I wouldn't let me go either. I'm probably violent enough to want to hurt you if you got in my way."

"You've tried that too," Xander said, giving him a weak smile. "But I understood it was the drugs." He stood up. "Let me get you some water." He turned around, going for the pitcher on the dresser. He watched in the mirror as Oz started to struggle against the bonds, and sighed. It wasn't this time either. He turned around with the glass of water and straw. "Stop it or you can't have any," he warned. He leaned against the counter, listening to the inhabitants of the other room, who were trying to sleep so they could do this later. "Stop struggling. You won't get free, and I can't let you go."

"Let me go," Oz hissed.

"Oz," Methos said as he walked into the room, "stop struggling. We need to get this out of your system." He looked at Xander, who looked about ready to cry. "Go curl up next to Giles, let me deal with this," he said, taking the cup and letting Xander get somewhere better for him. He walked over to the bed and sat beside his friend, letting him sip some of the water. "Oz, we can't keep killing you, you've got to fight this."

"It's a burning," he whispered, leaning up. "It won't stop." He bit Methos as soon as he got close enough, licking the blood off his lips when he was pushed away. "You won't win against her."

"Methos!" Giles yelled.

Methos jumped up and ran into the other room but Giles was alone in there. "What happened?"

"Xander, he went after her. He's going to challenge her for Oz."

"Killing her won't make it stop," Methos groaned, rubbing his face. "Try to stop him. I'll try to free Oz from her hold."

"No, let me work with Oz; she's using magic, maybe I can counter it." He climbed up off the floor, and headed into the next room to get this done right.

Methos grabbed his sword and jacket, heading out to go stop Xander. He stopped at the doorman. "Did my friend come by here? Dark hair, grimace?"

The doorman nodded, smiling and tipping his hat to the woman for whom he opened the door. "Got a cab and left. Said something about Bunker Hill and power." He shrugged. "All you guys are strange to me."

"Thank you," Methos said, slipping him a dollar tip before grabbing his own cab out of the waiting line. "Bunker Hill," he said.

"You gonna go meet that one guy?" he asked as he started the engine and pulled away from the curb.

"Yes, did he go somewhere else? It's very important that I stop him. He's quite irrational at the moment."

"Oh, we understand about that," the driver said, holding up his badge. "We're watching the hotel for Vice."

"Yes, well, someone dosed Xander's mate with a mind control agent, and he's gone to take it out on her."

"Ah. That we can stop." He picked up his radio and called in. "This is Barney. Stop the other guy. He's gonna go kill someone. It's *his* man that got the drugs." He put it down after an affirmative answer, going to where the voice on the other end called to say they were. "He really didn't take it?"

"She forced her way to our table and blew it in his face."

"Oh, man," the cabbie sighed. "That really sucks. The doc said that this would be permanent if it made it to his brain. Somethin' about changing chemicals. I don't understand that stuff."

"It appears it might be," Methos said, watching the city. "We haven't been able to stop him from trying to go to her yet."

"It's that strong?"

"Apparently it is. The sample we gave you came off his skin so it might have lost some of it's potency."

"You talk like a doctor. You licensed?"

"No, I did everything but my boards." Methos hopped out of the cab when he saw the other one stopped, running over to pull Xander out. "You can *not* go after her!" he shouted, shaking the younger man.

"She's not taking my Oz!" Xander yelled. "That bitch is gonna die and it's gonna be a horrible death!"

"Then let someone else do it for you," Methos ground out. "You will not go fight her...not when you're like this. You know better than to fight when you're this angry, you'll lose and she'll have you too."

"She didn't want me," Xander reminded him coldly.

"Is this what it's all about? That she tried to take Oz instead of you?" Methos asked, a calculated move to make Xander either break down or to lose it totally. And he got his wish. Xander pulled out his dagger and tried to stab him. "Stop it," he hissed, grabbing the blade before it could do any damage. "These are cops."

"Yay," Xander said. "He's mine! No one touches what's mine!"

"I've heard Oz say the exact same thing," Methos said dryly, pulling Xander in to hold him against his chest, letting him wear out his aggression by struggling to get free. "Let it go, young one; you're not going to be able to kill her."

"Oh, I don't know about that, I fought him and he was quite good," a female voice said from the alleyway.

"Amanda," Methos sighed, nodding her over. "Someone dosed Oz with a mind-control agent which we can't get him free from." He saw her glance at the two cops watching them. "I don't care," he sighed. "We've tried *every* thing to get Oz free."

"Oh." She shrugged. "So, let him go. I'm sure he'll rip her a new one."

"It's like a fascination spell," Xander said, looking defeated. "He's drawn to her. He's even tried to hurt himself over this stuff because he couldn't have her."

"Honey, he'll come back to you once it's cleared out of his system," she reminded him, ruffling his hair.

"It's been nearly three days," Methos told her. "And six times of coming back up only to want to get to her even more. The doctors that looked at it said that it's adjusted his biochemistry somehow."

"I'm still sure he'll come back." She shrugged. "Anyway, I was on my way to meet you at the convention, I wanted to talk to Daniel some more."

"He had to go home. Jack got very ill a few days back," Methos told her.

"You're welcome to come back and help us free Oz," Xander offered, looking desperate.

"Of course I will, sweetie." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "I have nothing but respect for Oz. I'd hate to see you kill him when he goes for her the next time." She looped his arm through hers and winked at Methos. "Come on, I drove." She led him to her car, getting in and turning off the police band scanner. She helped Xander into the back seat, nodding at Methos to get in. "Come on, let's not leave him alone."

"Giles is there," Methos said as he got in. "He thinks that there's magic involved too." He buckled up, very aware that Amanda drove worse than Xander did when he was upset. "Do you know where?"

"Yes, I do, the Sheraton Newton Hotel," she said as she took off, peeling out of the alleyway and past the officers. "Now then, what really happened?"

"She sat down at the table and blew dust on him," Methos explained. "Then Ray tried to help Oz, but he got caught."

"Then I did, but she's got a very strong shield," Xander put in. "Then we took Oz upstairs and the security team came up to check on us, demanding that they take samples. So we let them to figure out what this was. And, after about six hours of Oz not getting better, we learned it was a mind-control agent, a powerful one that Giles said obviously had some magic attached to it."

"All right," Amanda said as she wove through traffic. "I can accept that, for now. Why haven't you tried to resurrect him?"

"We have, six times," Methos told her. "He's taking longer each time to come back."

"And what about sharing quickenings?"

"We're not sure that it won't corrupt the person giving it to him," Methos pointed out. "All we know is that Oz was so desperate to get to her that he slit his wrists one time. He seems to be getting more coherent, but he's also gotten more violent in his desire to get to her."

"Does this 'her' have a name?"

"It's Tabitha; she used to be my assistant with the GHS Council."

"Oh, dear," Amanda said, glancing at him. "Did she recognize you?"

"Yes, it scared her off, but she hasn't removed it from him yet." Methos grabbed the dashboard as she spun into the underground parking garage. Xander waved at the guard when she stopped, pulling out his room key and sticking his head out the window. "We had to go get something for my mate," he told the guy, tossing over a large bill. "For her parking." He slid back into the seat and Amanda took off again. "This'd be a lot more fun in a sports car," he told her.

"Yeah, but they draw attention to themselves." She found an empty spot and pulled in, watching as Xander shoved Methos out of the way to get out and run over to the elevator. "He's really that bad?" she asked the other immortal.

"Killing him hasn't lessened it, it's made him more psychotic to get to her." Methos got out, heading to follow Xander before he could get into more trouble. He found his friend holding a woman he knew all too well against a wall with his arm against her throat. "Ah, good, you found her," he said, pulling Xander off before she died. "We do need to talk to her, you know, to find out how to cure him."

Tabitha laughed. "You can't," she hissed. "The only way around it is death."

"Tried that, it didn't work," Xander told her, reaching down to grab her and tow her toward the elevator. "Coming, Amanda?" he called over his shoulder.

"Yes, wait for me," she called, locking the door she had been leaning against so she could run to ride up with them. "Is this her?" she asked, looking the woman over.

"Yes, and he *will* be mine."

"I say let him kill her," Amanda said with a shrug after looking at the woman. "I'm sure Oz is very distressed by all of this." They got off the elevator, walking past one of the security people, whom Xander waved at.

"You can have her in a few," he called as he dragged Tabitha down to their rooms so she could cure his Oz. Or she could suffer, and then she would cure his Oz. Her choice. He tapped on the door, handing her over to Giles. "Here, deal with the bitch," he said, letting her go so he could go over and look down at Oz. "Again?"

"He did it this time," Giles told him. "Do clean that up a bit...please? Before security comes to get her." He propped the woman up, looking her over. "You're not much of a sorceress, but you've apparently got some talent. Well, we'll just have to break you then, won't we?" He gave her his best cold, reptilian smile. "I'm sure we can find something to make you change your mind."

She shook her head. "There's no counter. I bought the spell." She licked her lips. "I'll tell you who I bought it from if you'd like, but I can't counter it. I don't know how." She started to cry as Amanda shoved Giles away and helped her into the adjoining room.

"We'll be back in a few," she told everyone. "Girl talk."

Xander looked up from his washing Oz's chest, nodding at her. "Hit her once for me so I don't have to." He gasped as Oz woke up and grabbed him by the throat, slapping at Giles. He didn't want to hurt Oz.

Methos pried Oz's fingers off Xander's throat and retied the limb. "There. Are you all right?" He checked the marks, sure they would bruise. "Go lie on the other bed," he ordered, pointing at it. He looked down at his best friend and shook his head. "We brought her to you," he told Oz. "But you will not be able to go to her yet."

"I ache," Oz hissed between clenched teeth. "I have to have her. I'm going to kill her, but I have to have her."

"In a few moments. She's having a talk with Amanda right now."

"Yes, wherever did you find her this time?"

"She had a scanner. She was coming to talk to Danny," Xander mumbled, curled up around a pillow.

Methos turned Oz's head, making him look at his husband. "This is what it's doing, Oz. You have to fight it a bit harder."

"She's got a chaos friend," Amanda said from the doorway. "She said you'd understand."

"Oh, I do," Giles said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "But then again, so do I." He picked up a phone and dialed a number he had searched out recently. It always paid to keep track of Ethan's whereabouts... just so the sorcerer couldn't surprise them again. "Ethan, it's me," he said, taking the phone into the bathroom to get some privacy. He leaned against the door, holding his forehead. "Someone put a chaos-based spell on Oz, in tandem with a mind-controlling drug. She said it was chaos based. I've tried *everything*, Ethan, and I can't even figure out what the spell is." There was a short pause while he listened. "Yes, well, I'll have plenty of time for that now, and I'll start as soon as we get home, but I don't know what to do about this particular spell. It's calling him to her side. Yes, that's the sort." He laughed. "Because I saved your life the last time," he pointed out. "I've given you a way to earn more power and learn foreign magics that no one down here can conquer or compete against. You do owe me, Ethan, and I'm calling in the marker now." He looked at the wall separating the bathroom from the sleeping area. "Because this is destroying Xander," he said quietly. "Yes, him. He's still fairly fragile and Oz can't help himself. He just tried to kill Xander so he could get free." He shook his head. "She didn't write the spell...she merely cast it. She said she bought it off someone." He sat up straighter. "Really? Will you? I'll buy you the tickets, Ethan, that's not a problem. I'll even get you a room for as long as you need for the spell. There's a few left in the hotel. The Sheraton Newton Hotel. About ten miles from the airport. Yes, a beautiful view, but more suburban than you enjoy." He smiled. "Thank you, Ethan. I'll have someone make the arrangements right now." He hung up and dialed the concierge's desk. "Hello, this is Rupert Giles, and I need to make an airline reservation for the earliest flight from Boulder, Colorado. I'd also like to arrange for our guest to have a room for a few days please?"

Out in the bedroom, Methos couldn't get Xander to uncurl himself so he left him alone, getting up to watch the security personnel take Tabitha away. "Is there any way we can be notified when she's arraigned? We'd like to make sure she doesn't get out on bail," he asked the security officer standing around, the supervisor as it happened.

"Yeah, we'll pass that on to the cops, I know most of them are pretty decent guys." He looked down at Oz. "He okay?"

"He's a heavy sleeper."

Oz chose that moment to come back and start struggling against the bonds. "Let me go!" he screamed. "I need her. I'm going to kill her,... but I need her!"

The Security officer looked at Methos. "There's an excellent hospital in town," he suggested lightly.

"I don't think it'll work. The police officer we ran into while we were looking for her said that it's altered his brain chemicals. There's nothing they can do about that."

"Are you staying?"

"Until a friend of ours comes to help us," Giles agreed as he walked out of the bathroom. "He should be here tonight." He put the phone down and came over to hug Xander. "It'll be fine. Ethan's agreed to come in and help him - mostly so he doesn't owe me any more - but he has agreed to help."

"Let him go, he's *mine*," Oz growled.

Methos steered the security officer from the room. "We're not letting him go yet," he said cheerfully. "And please, remind the officers to call us for her arraignment. We really would like to make sure that she won't hurt anyone else."

The security officer nodded. "Sure. We don't want her kind here. It's odd enough having you guys." He smiled and walked away.

Methos came back into the room and slammed the door. "Oz, shut up," he ordered coldly. "Xander, go rest in the other room." Xander shook his head. "Yes, go in there."

"Have a heart," Amanda said gently, laying a hand on his arm. "He needs to be near Oz, no matter what happens." She smiled at Xander. "Are you okay, honey?"

"I'm fine," he mumbled, rolling away so he didn't have to look at anyone.

Giles stood up and shook his head at Amanda. "I think we've about stretched his trust as far as we can for the day. Can we move Oz?"

"We can easily take his life again," she suggested. "Then move him so we're all safe." She looked in Giles' eyes. "Will whomever Ethan is be able to cure this?"

"He's our best chance," Giles sighed. "He's the strongest chaos person I know. He's also the only one that owes me his life at the moment."

"He's honorable enough to keep his promise?" she asked.

"Yes, he will. He knows I wouldn't call on him about this sort of thing without it being bad." He looked down at Oz, who was panting, trying to control what was left of the wolf. "How did he get infected with lycanthropy? Shouldn't the healing gifts taken care of the virus before we ever had to watch you change?"

"His quickening was too weak," Xander said softly. "He said his last attack had been three years before the bonding spell. He told me about that during that bout with the low quickening after our bonding spell."

"Right about his first senior year," Giles sighed, recognizing the significance. "Is there any way to heal that from him also?"

"Not if it's settled in," Amanda told him. "It's really rare that our quickenings leave us open to things but when it does, it's never fully cured."

"Which is why he doesn't change every month, but he does still have some of the stellar qualities of the wolf," Methos agreed dryly. "Good enough. Xander, are you sure you want to stay in here?"

"Yeah, I'm good," Xander mumbled, still staring at the wall.

"Mine. I want him!" Oz demanded, breaking the silence. "He's mine!"

"You may not hurt him again," Giles scolded. "You've...." He watched as Xander slid onto the bed beside Oz and laid his head on his husband's stomach. "Xander, it's not safe."

"It is. His bonds are tight enough, I'll be fine." He closed his eyes, listening to the heart that used to only beat for him. "Go rest, I can scream if he does anything." He waited until everyone was gone before sitting up and looking down at his mate. "Oz, I want to help. Is there anything you can think of?"

"I need her," Oz whispered, licking his dry lips. "I need her and I want to kill her."

"You can do that after you're better," Xander promised, patting the side of his face. "I love you. Remember that." He laid back down, very aware of the fact that he wasn't getting through to Oz anymore. He had to consider his options now, before they were all taken from him.

***

Ethan was let into the room and looked down at the bed, noticing the bruises on Xander's face. "What happened to him?"

"Oz got free about an hour ago, he did that before we could get in here," Giles told him, closing the door between the rooms. "Xander, you have to move," he said, pulling Xander up and moving him onto the other bed.

"Well, it certainly is bad," Ethan agreed, coming closer to Oz to look him over. "When did this happen?"

"Three days ago. He's died seven times and it's only made him more psychotic."

"I'd guess it would. It's cleared the fog but left the underlying commands." He opened his bag and handed it over. "Prepare a spell of seeing for me. I need to see the exact spell and the way it's mutated because of what he is."

"We've still got the tissue he first wiped his face with," Xander offered, curled up around the helpless pillow again. "It's in a plastic bag in the top right drawer."

Ethan gave him a predatory smile. "Good. What will you do if I fail?"

"Kill you."

"Oh, I see," Ethan said, losing his smile. "Are you sure you want to do that?"

"Oz is my life, Ethan," Xander said, sitting up. "Even more so than Giles is, Oz is my life. He's my anchor to reality. You've got two chances, and that's it."

Ethan bowed to him. "Agreeable. Did you try to work anything on this chit of a sorceress?"

"She's got massive shields. The curse I tried to lay on her bounced off harmlessly." He looked at his hands. "Not that I'm the greatest, but it's always worked before."

"And I suspect that she's on guard for that sort of thing. Is she injured? I heard someone whispering downstairs about a woman who had been taken away by the police in bad shape."

"Oh, yeah," Xander agreed coldly, looking at Ethan. "She and I had a talk after she and Amanda did."

"The thief? Is she here?"

"In the next room, talking with Methos," Giles told him. "Xander, why don't you go shower? You do need one."

"In a few. I want to know what's going on."

"I won't keep you out of this," Ethan promised him. "You're the one with the most desire to see him cured, you'll end up part of the cure yourself. Do go shower though, it's a social nicety that's followed by most of the world."

Giles waited until Xander had locked the bathroom door before slapping him for the remark. "Leave him alone. He's got enough to think about with all this without you adding more to it."

"I was only suggesting he follow the normal rules of polite company," Ethan defended. "It's not my fault that he's been so wrapped up that he's let the boy harm him." He pointed at Oz. "Truth, what is this, Ripper?" he asked quietly.

"It's so far beyond a fascination spell I can't be sure," Giles sighed, leaning against the dresser. "We know that the drug she combined the spell with changed his brain chemistry. I can tell you that it's made him want her even more as time's gone by, but it's also made him more desirous of killing her at the same time."

"Can he handle that?"

"No, Oz has changed since he was young. He's a berserker, but he's not usually violent. I'm afraid he and Xander are going to have to rebuild some trust. No one's hit Xander that I know of."

"Faith choked him," Oz said, looking at Ethan. "Why is he here?"

"Because I can't cure the spell and it's his area of expertise."

"Very true," Ethan agreed with a smile. "Fucking someone royally is usually my fun, so Giles called upon me to fix you." He leaned down, looking into the bound man's eyes. "You really are down, aren't you?" He moved before the sharp teeth could get him. "None of that now. That's not polite." He took the lit candle from Giles' hand and moved it around Oz's head, starting the spell to contain him and bend him to his will. It wasn't often he got a subject like this, but it was nice not to have to fight the subject too much.

***

Ethan wiped the sweat from his brow, uncasting the circle he and Giles had been working in. "I've done what I can. I've loosened it, but it will be up to him to weaken it permanently." He looked at Xander. "I'm going to retire to my room now, but I'll come back in the morning to check on him." He stood up, bracing himself on a wall until he could feel his feet again, then stumbled from the room, heading down the hall to his own.

Giles looked up from his position on the floor. "Xander, we've done all we can; we need Oz to fight now." He stood up and stretched. "I'm for a shower. You'll talk to him?"

"Sure," Xander said. He waited until Giles was in the bathroom, then cast the locking spell he knew to keep him in there for as long as he needed. "Oz," he whispered, crawling up his husband's body so they were joined at the chest. "I know you can hear me."

"I'm not sane yet," Oz said, not opening his eyes. "Go to the other bed, Xander. The want's still too strong."

"You have to fight it now."

"It's hard," Oz whispered, opening his eyes. "I still want it, *so* much."

"Then let me help you, love," Xander said, pulling out the ceremonial dagger he had made while he had learned magic. "Let me help and we'll work on this together." He made a small slit on his husband's chest, earning a hiss, then one on his own. He joined them together as he leaned down to kiss Oz, using the research he had done on quickenings with Amanda to force everything he had gotten from Oz back to him. He kept their mouths clamped together when Oz tried to scream, muffling it in the passionate kiss. When Oz was down to panting in pain, he pulled back. "I will do anything to see you better," he whispered, his vision starting to blur.

"Giles!" Oz called, struggling with his bonds. "Help." The bathroom door started to rattle, but it wouldn't open until Xander was too weak to hold the spell. "He's sending back the quickenings we've given him," Oz said, trying to dislodge Xander before he sent back too much. "He's getting cold," he said frantically when Giles just watched them. "Get him off!" he ordered. "Methos! Ray!"

Methos ran into the room and immediately pulled Xander off, watching as Oz's chest started to heal but Xander's continued to bleed sluggishly. "Foolish idiot," he swore. "Ray, get my things. Now," he said when Ray didn't move.

"He's not breathin'," Ray pointed out.

"All the more reason for me to have my things," Methos demanded. Ray hurried to get the small medical kit Methos always carried with him, bringing it back and starting to spread stuff out so he could get to them. When it was clear Xander wasn't going to start breathing by himself, he started to do it for him, letting Methos handle the younger man's heart.

"He's done this before," Oz groaned, fighting with the energy that was coursing through his body.

"Did it work?" Giles asked, leaning down to wipe a tear off Oz's cheek. He got a nod and smiled. "Good. He'll want to know that when he wakes up."

"Shit," Methos swore, reaching for the syringe of adrenaline he wasn't supposed to have, injecting it straight into the heart muscle, then starting CPR. "Come on, get on with it already, Xander," he begged, ignoring the tearing feeling going on in his chest. "Please, come back."

"Let me," Oz said, trying to get one arm free. "I can give some of it back. It'll shock him."

"Good point," Ray said, reaching up to free one of Oz's arms. Methos slapped at his hand. "What? He's got extra right now and it should come from him!"

"It should come from both of us," Giles said as he stripped off his shirt. He picked up the knife and made a slit on his chest, moving Methos out of the way to send his quickening into Xander. He looked up at Ray. "Oz too."

"He doesn't have time for this," Methos said, taking the knife. "Just push it toward..."

"I know," Oz interrupted, moving Giles out of the way so he could send Xander's little bit of quickening back to him. He concentrated, sending all his energy back to Xander.

"What if he's still contaminated?" Ray asked Methos.

"Then we'll have to cure Xander as well," Methos sighed, watching it. He took the knife and cut his and Xander's hands, merging the cuts and sending his own quickening into the young man he loved. He frowned when Ray did it too, watching what he was doing. He saw the light blue flames passing between them and smiled. "Thank you, dear." Methos used his free hand to check for a pulse. "His heart's not beating," he announced.

Oz growled and glared down at his mate. "I'll be damned if you're leaving me yet," he hissed, sending his most powerful bolt into Xander, making him seize up. "Come on," he swore when Xander didn't open his eyes, sending another one. He saw his husband's eyes open and sent a third, making him yell. "Wake up!" he ordered. "Stupid, stubborn, pig-headed, sweet, nice, gentle," he sobbed, leaning down to hug him. "Come on, Xander, don't leave me this time. I need you."

Methos and Ray joined hands, completing a circle of energy. After a moment, Giles and Oz completed their own, the center that joined them was Xander's limp body. The two circles joined energies, switching energies between them. The room's lights flickered and went off, and the glow around the group was allowed to shine.

Xander gasped, opening his eyes. The first thing he saw was the glow, then he felt lips on his. The first set of lips were exchanged for another set. Then another set. After everyone had kissed him, he looked around. "Am I okay?" he whispered, not wanting to break this up. "I feel strange."

"You're in deep crap," Oz told him, giving him a smile. He caught sight of the bruises in the pale blue light and winced. "I'm sorry, Xander. I will never hurt you again." The glow flashed then settled down again. "I didn't want to hurt you then," the glow didn't flash, and Oz shook his head, "it wasn't what I really wanted, it was something I wasn't fully in control of. You were in my way and I couldn't stop myself." The glow did flash this time.

"Wow," Ray whispered. "A lie detector."

Methos squeezed Ray's hand. "Quickenings are very odd."

Xander looked up at them. "Hi."

"Hi," Ray said, giving him another kiss. He blinked as he came away. "I heard you that time."

"Of course you did," Methos sighed, letting go of Ray's hand. The glow didn't go away and the circles of energy didn't break.

"Um, Giles?" Ray asked.

"I have no idea," Giles said. "This is new to me."

"Amanda?" Oz called.

"What?" she called back, coming over to the door joining the two rooms. "Whoa," she said, watching the light show. "That's neat. How did we do this?"

"I'm not sure, but, if you come any closer, you'll undoubtedly be drawn into this too," Methos warned her. "Have you ever seen this?"

"I saw something of Darius' that suggested something like this," she admitted, "but personally? No. And I'm not sure I want to remember seeing this." She looked at Oz. "Is he better?"

"Yes," Oz said. "Xander fed me all of the energy we'd ever given him to break down the rest of the compulsion. Now I only want to kill her." He leaned down and took another kiss, then glared at his husband. "Not gonna happen. If I go near her, it's going to be to wring her neck, not to screw her. I'm not even going there. Not with anyone." He stole another kiss, then smiled. "I felt the same way for a while if you remember." Xander nodded, giving him a hopeful smile. "No, Xander, I'm not leaving you. There's nothing that's going to make me go away and leave you alone. I'll even sit beside you in the hospital this time." He and Giles broke their part of the circle but the energy only dipped a little bit.

Methos leaned over and kissed Oz, licking his lips afterwards. Then he kissed Xander. "Imp, of course I will. But it won't happen. You just heard Oz."

"I think he meant as an 'in case'," Oz clarified. Methos glared at him. "Hey, it could happen, and I would expect you to take care of Xander for me if something happens to me."

"Same as I would expect you to take care of Ray for me," Methos agreed.

"Does this mean we've got a five-way marriage thing goin' now?" Ray asked lightly.

Xander looked up at him and grinned. "If it does, wanna go to Miami with me to look at houses for the honeymoon? Just the two of us?"

"Sure," Ray agreed, leaning down to kiss him. Giles intercepted him first, giving him a kiss and a smile. "Thanks. Like you too, man." He grinned at Giles. "No offense and all, but you've got to loosen up some." He bent down and stole a kiss from Xander. "There, now it's official."

"Not yet," Oz protested, stealing a kiss from Ray. "Now it is."

"Not quite," Giles said, giving him a mock-pout. "I haven't gotten my requisite kisses." He kissed Methos, delicately probing his mouth. They hadn't shared a lot in the past, but, from the kiss he was getting, maybe that would change. Then he shared one with Xander, who bit him on the lip. He smiled down at him before taking one from Oz, plundering his mouth. "There, now I think we've all had one." He stepped back from the bed, trying to break the cycle of energy, but it followed him out there.

"Going to go do something interesting now," Amanda said quickly as she ran from the room before the energy could catch her too.

Xander felt something inside him snap and blinked as the energy lights went away and the sprinklers went on. "I think I'm better," he said, wiping the water out of his eyes.

"I bet," Methos grumped, gathering up his precious equipment before it could get drenched.

Security pounded on the door. "Is everything all right in there?"

"The lights started to smoke," Giles called. "Just a moment." He waited until Methos had removed everything, nodding at Ray to take the forgotten syringe with him, then went to open the door. "We saw a little bit of smoke, then heard a pop, then the water started to come down." He pushed his wet hair back. "I do hope we aren't going to get in trouble for this."

"Not at all," the security officer said, using a special key to turn off the water. He noticed Oz was untied and cuddling with Xander in the middle of the puddle that had been one of the beds. "He okay now?" he asked quietly.

"I'm fine," Oz called out. "The compulsion went away earlier tonight." He nipped Xander on the neck. "I am sorry about coming after you," he whispered. "I never wanted to hurt you; it was the feeling that you were blocking me from going to kill and fuck her."

"I understand," Xander said, patting him on the arm. He looked over as the security officer walked in, giving his bruises a curious look. "Oz broke the compulsion when he got a little violent. I'm fine."

"I'm sure you are," the officer said, trailing down Xander's wet chest to where the cut was healing. "And that?" he asked, noticing that Oz had one that was almost gone in about the same place.

"He was trying to cut me free and the knife slipped," Oz told him. He looked up into the concerned face. "I've never hurt Xander before and, when I hurt him this time, it broke everything that was wrong with me. He's not in any danger."

"All right. I can believe that. Seeing you guys for the last few days made me realize that I missed my ex." He smiled at Xander. "If you need us, call. And we were supposed to remind you five, if we had to come up here, that the banquet and award thing is tomorrow." He smiled at Oz. "You going?"

"I'd better be going, I'm starved," Oz complained.

"Room service is still available," the security officer said, checking his watch, "for about the next ten minutes. I'd call down there now." He waved and left, talking into his microphone as he closed the door.

"You three can come stay with us," Ray called. "Amanda's got her own room now."

"Good," Oz called back. "It's better than the new water bed." He got up, tugging Xander after him so they could go over and sleep in the other room's double bed together.

***

Xander walked into the head of security's office and closed the door behind him. "Hi, you yelled for me to come down and answer questions about the sprinklers?" he asked, doing his best to look innocent, but he couldn't lie that well. He turned as a TV behind him turned on, wincing as he heard the chanting, turning to watch the spell again. "That happened a long time before the sprinklers...." The tape was fast forwarded to when the quickenings got out of hand. He coughed and looked at the security supervisor, giving him a shrug. "The lights went out during that without us touching them, and I did hear a pop from them."

"We checked it while you were gone to breakfast," the security supervisor noted, putting his feet up on his desk. "We realize that the candle went out an hour or so before the sprinklers went off, but I would like to know what the light show was."

"An energy spell to finish healing Oz," Xander said quietly, checking to make sure the door was closed. "What she did to Oz could only be countered that way," he said quietly. "I'm sorry if we caused any damage and we'll gladly pay for it."

The officer waved a hand. "We can't prove what caused them to go off, and I can't show our insurance company that tape." He pushed a button on the remote and the tape popped out. "No more light shows please, Mr. Harris." He waved at the tape. "It's yours."

"Thanks," Xander said, taking the tape and tucking it into his shirt. "Was there anything else?"

"Is he better?"

"Yeah, he is, we all are," Xander said with a goofy grin.

"That's all that really matters then," the officer said, smiling at Xander's back but shaking his head. These strange people were getting stranger every year. Maybe he should recommend that they not be allowed back. "Nah, they're fun, and very hot when you watch the security cameras," he told himself, making notes on the form for the insurance company about the room.

***

Xander sat down when Oz pulled out his seat for him, giving him a brilliant smile. As soon as his husbands had sat down, he kissed them both. "Thanks for bringing me down, guys, I know you didn't want to come."

"Hey, I wanted to come, you're up for an award," Oz reminded him, taking his hand to hold. "And then we're going to go upstairs and do a full physical." He kissed the back of Xander's hand. "Aren't we?"

"Yes, Oz," Xander said, giving him a sideways look under his lashes.

"Don't tease in here," Giles reprimanded gently. "There's enough sexual energy in this room to fuel the East Coast. You're magnifying it." He smiled at Xander's pout. "Dear one, relax. We all know you are the most GHS in this room."

"We'll see," someone said from the next table over. "That is one of the awards being handed out." He looked Xander over. "Don't you have a *job*?"

"Yes, because I get bored," Xander told him, with a slightly chilly smile. "After all, there's only so much stuff a house can hold. So I sew my own clothes." He ran a hand over his silk pants. "And I make all our jewelry." He flashed his rings. "And I write sex manuals in my free time. It keeps him aroused all day. After all, life is meant to be enjoyed... all of it on all levels." He turned away from the keeper and smiled at his Oz. "I never have to worry about being bored with you around."

"That's good to know," Ray said as they sat down across from them. "So, are ya up for anything?"

"Biggest tease," Oz said proudly. "And there's a rumor he's up for GHS of the year."

"Wow." Ray sat down, grinning at Methos as he was pushed in. "Thanks, babe. Sit." He pushed the chair next to him out with his foot. "So, what's up for after this?"

"Full physical exams," Methos said as he sat down. "Then, maybe some fun." He smiled at Xander, still feeling a connection to him. "Then what are you going to do, imp?"

"I'm going to go to see Danny with Ray and hand him the prezzie I made. Henri sent it to me because I forgot it. I'll check on Jack while I'm there." He spread the napkin across his lap. "Then I'm kidnapping Ray and taking him to Miami with me to look at escape places."

"Good," Methos said, nodding. "I approve. Do try to stay out of trouble, the both of you if possible," he said, looking at his own lover. "I don't want a call from the police in the middle of the night asking me to come bail you out."

"Why would they?" Ray asked innocently. Xander mirrored his own innocent look.

The male of the other couple walking over to their table coughed. "Hello," the keeper said, pointing at the chairs. "Are those ours?"

"Yeah, you were separated, but we shifted so ya could be together," Ray said, nodding the young GHS member over. "Ray," he said, shaking her hand.

"Tiffany," she said quietly, not looking at him.

Xander looked at the keeper, one eyebrow going up.

"She's very new to the society. I think we shocked her," her keeper said. "I'm Bill." He pulled out her chair and helped her into it, then sat himself down. "When's dinner? I'm starved," he asked cheerfully.

"As soon as the speeches start," Methos said, making Ray wrinkle his nose. "This way you can ignore them," he explained with a reassuring pat. "So, Bill, how long have you been a member?"

"Just a few months," he said. "You?"

"Years," Methos said, giving him a faint smile. "It seems like I've been here since the organization began."

Oz snorted. "You? You're not *that* old." He looked at Xander. "He's been in now for almost fifteen years," he told Bill. "I've been his keeper for all but six months of it, and his husband for the last thirteen."

Bill smiled. "That's great! I heard that a lot of us ended up getting married to our keepers."

"It's nice to have someone who does the worrying for you," Xander told him. Bill looked at him, looking a little confused. "Most of the keepers here pay attention to the mundane matters, leaving us to explore life at their sides." He squeezed Giles' hand. "Mine have taught me things so I quit being so bored."

"Why were you bored?"

"Because I live in a big house with a lot of animals, and life never seemed to change. It was the same picnic, the same flowers, the same pool. I used to only get out to go shopping. Then Oz showed me I was good at something that I could take sensual pleasure from." He smoothed a hand down Oz's sleeve. "I make all our own clothes now."

"Except our jeans," Oz put in. "We buy those."

"And the leather stuff," Ray added.

"You know each other already?" Bill asked Ray.

"We live together," Methos told him. "Ray and Xander are best friends, as are Oz and I. We're between houses at the moment so we've been staying with them."

"Wow. Must be a big orgy in your house."

"Not with our ferrets," Oz said dryly. Bill looked shocked.

"They like to steal the toys," Xander explained. "We find them in all sorts of places, including in the fridge." He looked at Oz. "Did Henri ever give that one back?"

"No. She kept it to remind us how naughty we are."

"Henri can hold a great many things over your heads," Giles said, giving them a fond smile. "After all, there is the small matter of Xander trying to ambush Oz from under the desk and her coming in almost every time."

Xander grinned. "I know. I even tried to warn her once, but she must have forgotten." He shrugged. "It happens."

"Who's Henri? Another member that lives with you?"

"Our housekeeper," Oz told him. "She's like our grandmother. She's just coming back from a heart attack."

"Oh, is she all right?" Tiffany asked, looking at Oz.

"Very all right," he told her, giving her a smile. "We made sure she had the best care and are being diet nazis for her."

"That's good," Tiffany said, giving Xander a smile. "Aren't you the one who danced?"

"Yup," Xander said. "I learned that as part of my self-defense regimen. It gives me a whole different set of fighting styles to draw from."

"Do you need it?" Bill asked.

"He's been kidnaped," Oz told him. "We insisted he learn how to defend himself in case we weren't close enough to save him."

"I'm very proficient now," Xander told them. "I know how to use a sword too."

"Why?" Tiffany asked.

"Because I like them," Xander told her. "You should always find something that you like to do and enjoy doing it for a long time. That's why I started making jewelry."

"Wow." She looked at his hand. "Do you have any on you?"

He held out his ring hand. "I made the engagement part. All three of ours."

"And ours," Ray said, holding his and Methos' up.

She looked at each of them, tapping on Oz's middle stone. "Wow. You're good," she said, relaxing. "I thought most of us just laid around all day and ate bon-bons."

"Oh, we have days like that too," Giles told her. "But I'm a member and I run a resort, I take my pleasure from making others happy and peaceful." He squeezed Xander's hand. "He takes it from making presents and his writing, for the most part," he temporized when Xander opened his mouth. "He's having fits with one story right now."

"And I'm the keeper for both of them," Oz told Bill. "I got to confiscate the credit cards when the house started to get too full of stuff. I even showed Xander how to sew to give him something to do when he was bored."

"I'm sure that was something very important to him," Bill said. "I had the same idea that Tiffany did, that the most sensual among us didn't have jobs."

"Oh, I don't *need* to work," Xander said with a grin. "But I found something that gives me pleasure. Not only do I get to see the results of what I do, I get to give presents from what I do and make others happy."

"So you found a few levels of happiness that lying around wasn't giving you," Bill said thoughtfully. "I can see how that happens." He looked at Tiffany. "Did you want to explore something like that?"

"I might not mind," she said quietly, not looking at him.

"Hey, there's a *whole* lot of things that you can do and not get sweaty, dirty, or nasty from," Xander told her. "What do you like to do when you relax?"

"I like to read."

"Think about becoming a librarian," Oz told her. "The world could use more of those."

"It's not an easy job, and it has low satisfaction level," Giles told him. "I was one for four years," he sighed. "It was not as rewarding as I thought it might be."

"But she could work with little kids," Xander pointed out. "Lots of big libraries have people who just deal with the kid's section. Do the story hours and stuff."

"Yes, they do, and that would be more rewarding than working in a high school library," Giles agreed after a second's thought. "Tiffany, if you'd like, I can share some stories about my time working in a library."

"That'd be great," she said, giving him a shy smile. "Why do you run a resort now if you used to be a librarian?"

"Because a friend of ours left it to him," Xander said. "She married us, but she thought Giles had the best business sense of anyone she'd met in the last few years."

"I'm sorry," she said, her eyes getting big and watery. "I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."

"Hey, not bad memories," Oz told her, touching her on the hand.

"How long have you been feeling the emotions of others?" Giles asked quietly. Bill gave him a hard look. "I worked in that area my whole life," he told them. "There's a wonderful set of readings I can write out for you to help you learn control and the like; although I figure if you're strong enough a teacher will eventually find you."

"You believe in that stuff?" Bill snorted. "That's a fairy tale."

"No, I've seen fairy tales," Xander told him. "I've also seen someone start to get really bad headaches because of this gift. It about drove them nuts, not being able to distinguish between what they were feeling and what they were sucking in from a crowd." He looked at her. "I'd like you to meet my sister Elizabeth. She's about your age and she's starting college at UNLV this fall."

"Not an Ivy League?"

"She didn't want it," Oz told him dryly. "She's not about money, she's about her friends."

"And she could use some more," Xander told Tiffany. "She's pretty nice, but she's had a very sheltered upbringing by our adoptive family."

"Did you?"

"No, I wasn't raised by them, unfortunately." Bill shook his head. "They adopted me but they never took me from my parents. It's a royal mess," he said lightly.

Oz poked him. "Bad pun."

"Sorry," Xander said, grinning at him.

"You're *royal*?" Bill asked.

"Not quite," Xander corrected. "My adoptive family liked what I could become, which is why they adopted me, but they wanted me to have a normal life." He gave them a gentle smile. "They're minor nobles, not major ones. Elizabeth was raised with them so she's got more of the formal upbringing, but she's been pretty isolated from other girls. I think she and Tiffany would be pretty good friends. If you're heading toward Vegas, call the resort where Giles is and he'll set up a meeting."

"Yes, the girls Elizabeth has been spending time with have not met my standards for friends," Giles complained lightly. "She's actually latched onto a dancer as a friend."

"They're nice people," Xander countered. "I'm not sure about this one. Elizabeth forgot to show up for our lunch, but I'm sure it'll be fine." He looked Bill over. "So, what do you do?"

"She takes care of me financially," Bill said.

"Ah," Oz said, nodding. "I've known some keepers that went that way. Most of them got bored eventually too."

"What do you do?" Bill asked.

"I'm a computer programmer."

"Oh." Bill looked around the room. "I didn't expect people like you here." He looked at Methos and Ray. "What do you two do?"

"I take college classes for fun," Methos said, patting Ray's hand. "He used to be a police officer. He had to quit though, someone's after him."

"Oh." Bill blinked a few times. "I really didn't expect people like you here."

"We're pretty average, except for the matter of having money," Oz told him. "The real GHS all have something that they like and do if they're outside of their twenties. You find out quickly that boredom is fatal to the lifestyle and the pleasure you find in it."

"And occasionally to the member themselves," Giles added. "There have been a number of us who have lost their lives in the pursuit of something to cure their boredom, or the next high as it's often called."

"Naked midnight bunji jumping," Methos agreed. Tiffany stared at him, looking shocked. "A few members about eight years ago started a group that enjoyed that. Within six months of leaving their instructors, one of them forgot her safety precautions and didn't check her rope thoroughly. It snapped." He sighed. "It put a damper on a few of the group, but the core is still doing it. I heard that they lost another member a few years ago from a broken harness."

"Intensely more brave than I am," Tiffany noted, smiling at him. "Are you the keeper or the member?"

"We're both members, but I'm also the keeper," Methos told her. "Ray's very good at forgetting to pay the bills so I took over that role in our relationship."

"Are you two married too?" she asked.

"Soon," Ray said, giving her a grin. "A few more weeks and we'll be that way."

"Ray, if you can't say the word," Methos started. Ray smacked him on the arm. "Yes, dear," he said, rolling his eyes.

"He's a sweetie, but he keeps trying to rationalize the marriage away."

"I thought we were already joined that way," Methos argued.

"Now there won't be a doubt," Ray told him.

"Yes, dear, I don't want you to have doubts," Methos said dryly.

"That's the same reason I made Oz marry me," Xander reminded Methos.

"Yes, but hopefully his wedding attire won't be a tease the way yours was," Methos said. "Tiffany, you should have seen it. It was this thin, silk-like material that was *barely* not transparent. There was more discussion about his outfit among his friends than there was about the wedding or what they would do for a honeymoon."

"We'd just gotten off one," Xander said sweetly. "My Oz took me on a trip for eighteen months," he told her. "We tramped all over Europe and parts of India and Japan."

"My, that was a nice trip," Bill said.

"I'd just gotten back from being kidnaped," Xander explained. "Oz was nice enough to take me wherever I wanted to go. It was a great trip. After every country, we ended up back in London to plan our next stop."

"Wow," Tiffany said, glancing at her keeper. "How do you afford that?"

"We all have money," Oz told her. "Xander came into an inheritance and so did I."

"I've got a small one of my own," Methos added. "Xander's by far the most wealthy of the three of us though."

"Yeah, but all mine's tied up into hard investments, things like jewels for my jewelry."

"Good point," Oz agreed. "And I was going to talk to you about that too." Xander looked at him. "You're going to have to sell some of it, Xan. We've got more jewelry around the house than most museums and jewelry stores."

"But..."

"Xander, you have those horrid ruby pieces that you were given," Giles reminded him. "I, for one, would like you to get rid of the reminders that someone else was stalking you."

"Yes, dears," Xander sighed. "We'll go through that when we get home, okay?"

"That would be fine," Oz agreed, leaning over to give him a kiss. "I think we should let Amanda help us."

"Why?" Xander asked.

"Because she's got the best idea who to broker the pieces to," Giles told him. "It is her stock in trade."

"Point," Xander said, then he shook his head. "We'll discuss this later. Table conversations."

"Excuse me," the man up on the podium called, waving for everyone to pay attention. "Hi, it's time for the speeches, and dinner. Our first speaker is our new President, Muliah Stevens." Everyone clapped politely. "We'll turn this over to her now."

"Thank you," she said as she smoothly took his spot.

Xander started to tune her out, but frowned at the reference she was making. "Not all GHS live to lay around," he muttered, digging into the plate of chicken that appeared before him.

"I know," Methos said, reaching over to touch his arm, the only thing he could reach. "She's from the old school - the only real pleasure is the one that you don't have to work for."

Xander grinned at him. "I find that making someone a present gives me a lot more pleasure than a carton of ice cream."

"I like the prezzies too," Ray put in, grinning at Xander. "We've got to work on my wedding outfit."

"I said I'd marry you wearing jeans," Methos said dryly.

"Joke," Ray said, kissing him on the cheek.

"It's nice to see that some couples are very much couples," the woman on the stage said, smiling at them. It started to fall away when she saw who it was. "And it's nice to see that some of the new members are following the traditional paths of our beloved organization." She took another look at Ray and Methos, then quickly focused on some other table in the room. "In my reign, I hope to promote the old ways, the ones which say that manual labor is by far too common for us."

Xander snorted. "Some of us like our jobs, they make us happy," he called out. A murmur of agreement floated across the room.

"And what do you do that's *manual*?" she asked him.

"Well, let's see." He stood up. "I sew almost all of our clothes, giving them away as presents to my friends." He waved a hand at Ray and Methos. "I make our jewelry, by forging, not by bending and tapping, metal into the shape I want it in." He thought. "Oh, yeah, and I wrote the book that was being signed downstairs by my second husband." He smiled at Giles. "We were in a family emergency so I couldn't come down." He looked at her again. "All in all, I get more pleasure from what I give to others than I do sitting around waiting for my next shopping trip. After all, if I did nothing but sit on my butt on the couch, I'd be bored."

"Truly," an older man said, standing up, "most of the older members have found that real pleasure in life comes from finding something you're good at and enjoying the hell outta it, not just outta the rest of life. No matter how pretty a flower is, it's a flower. But something that we've made with our own hands to give to someone that we like and respect, and to give them joy, makes us just as happy as having a good massage."

"Oh, no," Xander countered, "there is nothing better than a *really* good massage. Not even the feeling of finding the *perfect* present for someone, one that'll make them dance around in joy." He smiled at the older man. "Do I know you?"

"Yes, young man, you do." He bowed to him. "I'll talk with you later, in private though." He looked at their president again. "There's more realms of pleasure than just laying there and watching everything, or being pampered and catered to." He sat down.

Xander sat down and gave Oz a kiss. "Want to come to Colorado with me?"

"No, I'm going to go interview the new housekeeper," Oz whispered, his lips still against Xander's. "Tell them I said hi."

"'Kay," Xander said happily. He snuck a kiss in on Giles too, earning a smile. "Thanks for doing the book signing thing for me."

"Anytime, dear one, you know that." He ruffled his lover's hair. "Will you be coming to Las Vegas with me?"

"Nope, we've got a flight tomorrow," Ray told him between bites. "Eat, guys, before the poor lady becomes more flustered. You just burst her happy bubble."

"Anyway," the speaker went on, ignoring the others. Who all ignored her.

Xander smiled at Tiffany. "Really, dear, there's two levels of GHS. There's the ones that enjoy the shallower pleasures, which are great, don't get me wrong, and there are those of us who have found a higher level of pleasure to go along with the great massages and pretty things."

"I'll remember that," she said, starting to eat her own dinner.

Ray and Oz shared a look and smiled at each other. "Ray, I expect you to keep Xander out of trouble," he told their friend. "No kidnaping attempts, no wild parties, and no fights."

"Yes, Oz," Ray said, still smirking. "And no drugs or famous people's parties either."

"Please, none of those either," Giles agreed, smiling at him. "We wouldn't want Xander to start to like the jet set life."

"I thought you three already lived it," Bill said.

"No, our trip to Europe and Asia was about twelve years ago. We take small trips now, a few weeks here, a month there."

"And Oz has agreed that I don't have to spend a vacation alone again," Xander said with a nod. "Last time, everyone decided I got into trouble."

"Only a little, Xander," Giles protested. "Though, it was most interesting seeing you in the paper with the Crown Princess."

"That was *you*?" Tiffany asked, eyes opened wide. "I knew I'd seen you before." She looked at Bill. "He's the one that the papers said was hanging out with Princess Carolyn, the one she couldn't cheer up."

"I was missing my Oz," Xander told her, reaching over to touch Oz's hand. "We were supposed to be taking separate vacations and I was miserable. She did try though, sent me a nice card after I got back and everything."

"Way cool," Tiffany sighed. "True love rears it's head and not even a princess can stand in it's way."

"Oh, she wasn't in the way," Oz told her. "She was thirteen. She just wanted him as a friend." He smiled at Xander. "Eat or no fun later."

"But you promised," Xander pointed out.

"That was contingent on you being a good little boy," Methos told him.

"I am being good," Xander said, turning one of his most powerful pouts on his former teacher.

Ray winced and looked away. "I'm stayin' outta this," he muttered.

Bill looked at Xander's face and started to look like he was going to cry for the boy. "Please, let him have some fun later. He's been mostly good. He even missed the orgy the second night."

"We don't swing," Oz said dryly. "More people don't need to be influenced by my mate's pout." He pinched Xander hard to make him quit picking on Methos. "Be good."

"Yes, dear," Xander sighed, giving Oz the pitiful look. "But he promised."

"You can have some fun later," Methos said begrudgingly. "Never pout at me like that again."

"I'll try," Xander said, going back to his usual impish looks.

Bill looked at Giles, then at Oz. "How do you keep him out of trouble?"

"We don't leave the house much," Giles told him. "It's better that way."

Bill nodded. "I can see that. No wonder he needed hobbies."

"Yeah, we all needed hobbies," Oz agreed. He dug into his second course, mumbling something around a bite of pasta, but his face made his meaning clear.

"Nasty?" Xander asked quietly.

"Tasteless," Oz grumbled, pushing his plate away. "No spices." Giles delicately took a bite of his own pasta and made the same face. "Yes, that was not what was billed as garlic pasta."

"They forgot the garlic?" Ray asked before taking a bite. He grabbed his water and swallowed most of the glass in one gulp. "Not in mine," he gasped.

Methos ate a bite of Ray's dish, then a bite off of Giles'. "They didn't stir the pot very well." He took a bite of his own and grabbed for his glass. "Hot peppers," he gasped.

Oz switched his and Methos' plate. "Thanks," he said before taking a bite, saluting him with the fork.

Ray switched off with Xander, and gratefully accepted the weaker flavor of the other man's pasta.

Giles smiled at them and picked up the salt shaker. It was enough of a spice for him.

Bill and Tiffany shook their heads and started to eat their pasta dishes. They too switched after a few moments, searching for flavor.

Xander relaxed as the awards were handed out. He had been told he was up for three categories. The first was about to come up but he wasn't nervous. That wasn't why he was clutching Oz's hand with his sweaty one.

"And now," the announcer said, smiling at the gathered people, "we present the first award. This one is for the most outrageous performance during the convention." A canned drum roll started as he opened the envelope. "And it's our naughty little dancer," he called, pointing at Xander. "Come on up, Harris," he said when Xander didn't jump up immediately.

"He's in shock," Oz yelled, nudging Xander to get him moving.

Xander hopped up and jogged up to the stage, hugging the announcer. "Thank you! I never won anything before." He waved the certificate.

"Hey, you deserved it," the announcer said, patting him on the back. "No one else started off an impromptu orgy, and nearly a riot." He patted Xander again, watching as he walked back to his table. He looked down at Oz and Giles. "Does he give lessons?" he joked.

"Only if you're flexible enough to bend over like he can," Ray sent back. The crowd laughed.

The announcer moved on to the next award, the winner of the annual pouting contest that Xander had missed.

Oz leaned over to lick Xander's cheek. "Good thing you missed some of the events; people would get mad if you won too many of them."

Xander chuckled. "I would have demanded that I be in my own class and that another winner be named," he whispered, stealing a kiss. "Oh, here comes another one I'm up for," he said happily.

Tiffany watched them with a dreamy look on her face. "I want what they have," she told Ray, having switched seats with Bill so she could talk with him.

"Yeah, but what they have is hard to maintain," Ray warned her. "It's a lot of talking and telling everyone that you're not feeling right about something." He patted her on the shoulder. "But I hope ya find it."

"Oh," Xander said, blinking as another award was handed out. "I thought I was up for that one."

"That one was from a contest," Ray told him. "The next one's the freeform contest, which you qualify for. You should be listenin', not necking."

Xander stuck his tongue out at Ray, and just then a spotlight hit them. "I won?" he asked the silent room.

"Yup, you won again. No one else could write something that made everyone so hot."

Xander jumped up and went to get his award, hugging the guy this time and then going back to sit in Oz's lap and gloat.

Ray shook his head. "Don't encourage him," he called out, aware that everyone was now watching Oz and Xander kiss. "He doesn't need more material for the next book."

The announcer tugged on his collar. "I bet," he said, picking up the next envelope so he could move on. He waved at the spotlight person, catching his attention and getting the spotlight off the couple.

Methos came back from the bathroom and shook his head at the floor show. "Boys," he sighed as he sat down. "Everyone's watching and, while that might not bother you, it's setting a bad precedent for next year's convention. Someone will have to top this."

Giles patted Methos on the arm. "It won't work, they're too involved in what they're doing. I can never get those two apart when I need one of them for something."

Ray picked up his glass and wet his fingers, then reached over and stuck them in Xander's ear.

"Hey!" Xander complained, batting the hand. "I'm being happy and good."

"And putting on a floor show," Methos pointed out.

"Quiet," Oz groaned, pulling Xander's head back down. Within a few minutes, his groaning picked up and he came with a very loud groan, one that interrupted the announcement of another award.

The crowd clapped.

"Wow, just from kissing?" Tiffany asked. She pouted at Bill. "When do I get to learn that?"

"Hey, if you can get him to teach you," Bill told her, "go for it." He nodded as Oz pulled away, panting. "Very nice technique. You give lessons?"

"Nope, it's all in the next book," Xander told him, giving him a grin as he laid his head on Oz's shoulder. "Oz, finish it?" he whispered. "Before you suffer later?"

"Oh, I plan on suffering later," Oz told him, gripping the firm cheeks tightly. "I plan on using your stamina against you. That was just foreplay, babe."

Xander kissed the side of Oz's neck. "Good." He grinned at Ray, who was watching the stage instead of them. "What?" he asked.

"You're an exhibitionist. If I was still workin', I'd have to arrest ya and then keep everyone in the cells off you two."

"Putting them together would probably be a very bad idea," Giles told him.

"I know. It woulda been a bitch of a job."

Xander's head came up as he heard the award that was coming up, the last one of the evening. The GHS of the year. "I might be up for that," he whispered.

"Then we'll celebrate if you win it. And we'll boo if you don't," Oz told him, stealing another kiss. "I'm messy."

"Good," Xander said, giving him a naughty grin. "I like you messy." He turned around, letting Oz wrap his arms around his waist. "I like this. You're a comfy chair."

"Let me up and you can have the chair while I get cleaned up," Oz offered.

"Nope, I'm comfy."

"Oh, you're gonna suffer tonight," Ray hissed, grinning at Oz. "He's got it in for you now."

"I know," Oz sighed, stroking over Xander's stomach. "I've lived through it before, I will this time. Even if you guys don't get any sleep tonight."

Methos snorted. "We brought a white-noise generator. We'll sleep just fine. I'll even be nice and let you nap on the plane ride tomorrow." He turned his attention toward the stage as the drumroll started.

"As GHS of the year, it will be the winner's duty," the announcer said, "to put forward a good image of what it means to be GHS. Including the ability to be pampered to distraction." He glanced at Xander. "And the ability to be the most pampered pet of your keeper."

Xander sighed. "I didn't win."

"It's okay. You're one of the best GHS in here," Giles told him. "You just proved it."

"Yeah, I guess I did," Xander said happily, clapping for the man who won the award. He even whistled when the man picked up the announcer and twirled him around. "I'm happy for him," he told Oz, giving him one last kiss. "Now you can escape," he said with a grin as he got up and let his husband go clean himself up, after a second following him to help.

Giles shook his head, picking up his champagne glass to propose a toast. "To Xander, may he never change."

"Here, here," Methos agreed.

"Not that it's likely," Ray agreed, finishing and taking the first sip. "Eww." He put his glass down. "Cheap and warm."

Methos took a delicate sip. "I agree," he sighed. He checked his watch. "Shall we run out and see if any of the local shops are open?"

"Sure," Ray agreed, standing up and grabbing his jacket, checking his wallet. "Coming, Giles?"

"Yes, I do anticipate doing that later," he joked as he followed them out of the ballroom, taking Xander's awards with him.

Tiffany sighed, giving her keeper a 'help me' look. "Can we go do that too?"

"Sure," he agreed happily. After all, this was why he was a keeper. He hurried her out of the ballroom and up to their room.

Xander and Oz came back together and looked around the table. "We've been deserted," he whined.

"So? That means I get first taste of you in the room," Oz told him, taking his husband's hand so he could tow him upstairs. Not that Xander was unwilling, but it felt good to be the dominant one for a few minutes.

Table of Contents

Portals, Part Deux.

Homely Contentment. 2

Friends in Low Places. 14

Oz's Bad Day. 35

Spoiling Space. 46

Weddings Do Make You Feel Like a Queen. 59

Bombs Away! 85

Hunting. 99

Confusing Family Situations. 124

New Trigger Trips. 138

You F***ed Up! 162

One of *Those* Days. 179

Asking For Help. 194

Meeting the Family. 213

Coming Home to Problems. 232

Odd Helpers Helping To Fix The Problems. 247

After The Honeymoon Is Long Gone. 252

Out and About. 275

Portals, Part Deux. 300

It Itches!! 340

Back to Work. 368

Screw the Rules, I'm Going! 384

An Unhappy Xander 414

Confusing The Naughties. 442

This Was Supposed To Be Fun?. 471