Applying the Problem Be Gone Solution.

Xander closed his eyes as the cold piece of metal entered him, clutching the sides of the table. "Really wish teachers had some decency," he muttered. His doctor laughed. "Oz couldn't get off because he had a test and the teacher didn't think he needed to be here."

"Ah. What about your other lover, Mr. Giles?" he asked, scratching his expanding forehead. "That's odd," he muttered, shifting the camera equipment some. "Take a deep breath please, Mr. Harris, and hold it for as long as you can." When the hole he was working in expanded, he moved the camera further in. "Very odd." He pulled it out, catching the edge of the ultrasound machine and pulling it over. "Just lay still," he said calmly as he plopped some gel onto the younger man's stomach, staring at the screen as he pressed in with the wand. He turned it off, looking at the younger man. "How do you feel?" he asked carefully.

"If you tell me I'm pregnant I'm killing you," Xander said as he sat up. The older man shook his head with a smile. "Think I'm kidding?"

"No, I know that you don't want that, and it doesn't seem like you are, though the scar tissue seems to have melted away." He caught the younger man before he could fall off the table. "Whoa, lay back down," he soothed, making the young man comfortable.

"I...me?" Xander said finally, closing his eyes after seeing the nod. "Why? Or better yet, how?"

"I don't have a clue," the doctor said. "This doesn't happen to normal people." He saw the wince and blushed. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like it sounded. I've never seen a case where scar tissue apparently went away on it's own."

Xander nodded, sitting back up. "So then, it's possible?" The older man looked confused so he gave a meaningful look at his stomach. "It?"

"Ah, that, well, we'll have to see what your hormonal work up says." He grabbed the folder, looking from the sheets to the young man on his table. He finally put it down, getting up and heading for a cabinet. "What sort of birth control would you like to use?" he said as he opened one. "The shot may be the most practical since you had doubts about taking a pill daily."

Xander whimpered, laying back down. "No." He turned his head to look at the older man. "Necessary?"

"I'm afraid so," he said, coming back over with a tray of things. "We have a few things to discuss, young man, like your men." He smiled gently, patting his arm. "It's best to take precautions, it may just be a temporary aberration."

"Or I could *really* be hurting." He closed his eyes. "What about the other side of PMS. Am I worrying here?"

"That's the other reason I wanted to start you on shots, Xander, it's more likely to suppress that if it starts to happen." He got a small nod. "The pill may make it happen and I don't recommend Norplant for your cases. I would recommend Depo for you."

"Don't they use that on sex offenders so they can't get it up?" Xander asked quietly. His doctor nodded. "What about me?"

"It may well do that to you also. No one can really be sure." He took his seat on the little rolling stool again. "We'll do what you feel is best but I don't want to worry you. It's only a *possibility* that you could get pregnant."

"God, I want Giles here," Xander prayed, looking up. "Can...can you call him?"

"Where is he?"

"Work."

The doctor got up, dialing the phone from the number in the folder. "Hello, is Mr. Giles there? Yes, this is Doctor Adam's. No, Mr. Harris would like to talk to him." He shook his head and hung up. "Sorry, he's not there. He had to go meet with Oz over something. He said something about your friend, Willow? Is that Ms. Rosenburg?"

Xander nodded. "She's pregnant, Giles' surrogate. We did the whole turkey baster thing." He rolled onto his side. "What's the best option that won't screw with what I have too much?"

"I'd say, if you're more concerned about the hormonal effects, that you could go with internal means. A contraceptive sponge," he held one up, "or a diaphragm. Condoms of course, but if you're having anal sex you should be using one of those anyway." He sat back down, rolling over so he could look at his patient. "I do think it's a very small probability, but you should think about precautions. Maybe female condoms or something you can use on the spur of the moment when you desire to use that part of you. This isn't as bad as it sounds." Xander nodded. "Should I call someone to get you?"

"Please," Xander whispered. "I'm not in any condition to drive yet." He closed his eyes. "Blair's out of town, Wesley's not in town. Um, call the emergency contact number in LA, ask for Cordelia or see if Wesley's back, please?" He relaxed as he felt the body move away from him. "Thank you."

"I don't think an accident would make your men very happy, Mr. Harris, and I doubt you want to explain to the emergency room doctor's what's going on." That got a small, sour laugh. "The LA one, correct?" He saw the small nod so dialed. "Hello, is Wesley there please? No? How about a Cordelia?" He nodded. "No, this is Mr. Harris' doctor and he's had a bit of a shock today. Could you come drive him home? Or at least watch over him until he's able to deal with it?" He smiled and hung up. "She'll be here in a few minutes in a cab. Just relax." He filled up a little bag with some condoms, female condoms, and contraceptive sponges. "I've made you a bag of protection," he said quietly, laying it beside the still body. "Go ahead and get dressed and I'll see you in a few weeks when we draw more blood."

Xander nodded, moving the bag and getting up, heading behind the curtain to get dressed. "Thanks," he called. "Sorry I'm being so weird."

"Mr. Harris, if you weren't shocked, I'd be worried," the doctor said, walking out with a small smile as he made notes in the chart.

Xander waited in the waiting room, jumping up as Cordelia walked in. He remembered his little bag, coming back to get it, then followed her out to his car. "You didn't drive, right?" he asked her, tossing her his keys.

She snorted. "Yeah, sure I did, Xander, I'm going to drive two cars at once." She slid into the car, starting it and turning on the air conditioning before looking at him and the little bag. "So, what's up now? More surgery?"

"No, the scar tissue that was there suddenly left," he told her quietly. She gasped, leaning against the wheel and looking at him. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just a shock." She turned her head to look at him. "Does that mean that you can.... do what Willow is?" He nodded with a frown. "Oh, yeah, a shock all right." She put the car in gear. "I need to get back to work, Angel's awake but not for much longer, so you can hang there until you're ready to go home." She backed out of the parking lot, pulling out onto the street. "Are you?" she asked once they hit the real traffic.

"No!" He shook his head, leaning it back when he started to get dizzy. "No, not me, no sir." He heard the small snicker so looked at her. "What's so funny."

"Xander, you sounded like a woman who just found out that she was and she doesn't want it." She reached over to pat his arm. "Relax, you have responsible guy on your side. I'm sure Giles doesn't want another one."

"No, I think you'll get a call to meet us at the hospital later when I tell him. The man can only take so much shock." She laughed, following the traffic after the red light turned green.

It was Oz who fell over in the faint, not Giles, when he put the bag on the table and dumped out it's contents. They hurried over to his side, picking him up and putting him onto the couch, pampering the man until long after he had finally come back around. "Xander," Oz said, pulling his head down to look at him. "No offense, but I'm not touching you that way again." He got a small nod. "At least until this time is done." That got another nod. "Sorry," he said, letting him go. Oz looked at Giles. "How?"

"It could have been a side-effect of Willow's spell, I'm sure she called on the Goddess to help her be fertile."

Xander sat down on the coffeetable, earning a frown from Giles. "I had a stomach cramp when she was casting," he admitted. Both of his men looked at him. "Sorry, I didn't think it was anything." He got up. "I'm still in shock here too, I don't want that any more than you do." He glared at the door as it started to open. "Having a discussion," he called.

Willow walked in, handing over a sleeping Miri. "Sorry, the park wore her out." She looked at the table then at Xander, her mouth falling open. "Why didn't you tell me!" she asked, starting to sniffle.

Oz hopped up, helping her onto the couch. "He just found out it was slightly more possible today," he told her, "he's denying the existence of it right now." She looked up at him. "He's not going to take your place." She nodded, wiping off her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I'm just really emotional right now." Everyone patted her. "Thanks." She looked at her friend, who was frowning at her. "What?" she asked timidly.

"The scar tissue I had just *melted* away," he told her. "Sometime in the last six weeks."

She swallowed, looking down at herself. "My spell?"

"I felt a stomach cramp," he told her, sitting down beside her. "And no, you're the mommy here, I'm not doing that. No way." He looked up at Giles and frowned. "We have got to fix this somehow. It's not an option in my life, never."

Giles sighed, sitting beside him. "I don't want that for you either, Xander, and you can be sure we'll take as many precautions as we can so it doesn't happen." Oz nodded. "See, neither of us want this for you."

Xander leaned into his side, closing his eyes. "Thank you," he whispered, getting the comfort he needed.

***

Blair looked at the lump of person curled up on the couch in his office. "Even if you don't talk I have to charge you," he reminded him, "and while I admit I'm soothing, I can't help if you don't tell me." A small foil wrapped package came flying at him so he caught it and looked at it. "Uh- huh, a contraceptive sponge, what's going on?"

Xander looked up, frowning. "I got handed a bunch of those." His counselor's face went very pale. "Yeah, that's the problem."

Blair took a centering breath, leaning back in his chair as he looked at the package. "Are you using them?"

"What do you think!" Xander asked, exploding upwards and starting to pace. "I don't want that. I never wanted that, nor will I ever want that. I will *never* want to be pregnant, not in any theory of life that I've ever heard of, Blair. And this caused more problems between us!" He threw up his hands, sitting down again, holding his head. "This has seriously screwed us totally. Oz won't even hug me, just in case."

Blair snorted. "This is just as much a shock for them as it is for you," he reminded him. He put down the sponge, looking at his patient. "Xander, you're worrying too much about this. You said you still need hormones, right?" He didn't get an answer so got up, walking over to sit beside him, giving him a hug. "You still need hormones, right?"

"Doctor Adam's said it was possible but he kept trying to tell me how small of a possibility it was so I'm guessing it's not." He looked at his friend. "Blair, what do I do? I'm going to lose them over this."

"You have a few options here. You can admit the possibility exists and take precautions. You can have it reclosed. Or you could actually sit down and talk with them about it. Are they outside?"

"Giles is, Oz won't sit in the same car with me." He slumped in on himself. "This is bad, worse than the surgery."

Blair got up. "Let me go get Giles. I'll have Sam come in and talk to you for a while." He got a nod so walked out to the reception area. "Sam," he said, knocking on her office door. She opened it. "You busy?" She shook her head. "Xander just found out *it*'s possible." She gave him a look. "That the scar tissue was gone and the hormones...." He trailed off when she gave him an understanding look. "Can you go calm him while I talk to Giles?"

"Sure." She kissed his cheek. "I think this sort of talk should come from a woman anyway." She headed toward his office, closing the door behind her before sitting beside the young man and giving him a hug. "It'll be okay," she soothed.

Blair tapped on the car's window, motioning Giles to get out and follow him. He headed for a little park next to his office, sitting on a bench and waiting for him. "He's not real fine right now," he said carefully, "and he's said that you guys are reacting just as hard. Would you like to talk about it?"

"I think we should. I don't believe Xander would be irresponsible on purpose but the idea that through some accidental contact that he could..." He swallowed. "The very thought is making me quite ill."

"Him too. Sam's sitting with him right now and doing her mother impersonation." He grimaced. "He didn't talk for the first twenty minutes, Rupert, and this is hurting him a lot. We've got to get this worked out between you or he'll never get past it." He touched the twitching hand. "Neither will you."

Giles nodded, relaxing slightly. "This is a bit hard for us. Oz has almost withdrawn himself from us over it." He looked down at his hands. "I think I'd like to work this out with him resting against me," he said finally.

Sam let Xander sit back up, wiping off his face. "Feel better?" she asked. He nodded with a grimace. "Guess that was one reaction you didn't expect, huh?" She gave him a small smile and he snorted.

"No, crying about it wasn't what I expected. Throwing things is usually more my thing. When I'm not throwing a decorating fit." He blew his nose. "They're not even wanting to talk to me, Sam, and this isn't my fault."

"I know," she soothed, "but they're in shock too. I'm sure you went numb for a while."

"It's been two weeks. My last appointment was while you guys were gone. You'd think they'd be over it by now."

"Are you?" He shook his head, giving her a little smile. "See, this is just as bad for them. They never expected something like this to happen when they started to love you, way back when you were still in school. All of this has just been one shock after another and I think they've reached the boundary where the shocks are getting really hard to keep putting off."

"So they'll have to deal or they'll be buried?"

"All of you, Xander. You still haven't totally dealt with having this stuff yet. That's why you can't talk about it in personal terms. That's why you use cute euphemisms and pronouns about that part of your body."

"But it's *hard*!" he complained. "I don't even like to think about it still because it's not normal."

"Normal is relative," she told him, and he shot her a disbelieving look. "Okay, maybe not biologically normal but neither is where you live. You've got to accept that this part of you is real and it's functional before your mind takes a long vacation without you." She played with his hair. "Seeing you talk to walls wouldn't be that fun for anyone."

He snorted, then grinned. "Yeah, I guess I do still need to deal with it. I have a ....a...va... vagina," he got out finally, shuddering, "and it's functional." He looked up at her. "How's that?"

"A good start," she said softly, "but you still have to admit you have the other stuff too."

"Is this like admitting he has a problem?" Blair asked as he walked back in with Giles. "He decided he needed a hug." He smiled at his wife, giving her a kiss. "Thanks."

"No, let her stay," Xander said, grabbing her hand. "She understands about this stuff." He saw the small hurt look Blair gave him so went on quickly. "Blair, I want both of you. You seem to really understand the guy's side but I think we need a mommy touch, and you can't do that."

Sam laughed, squeezing his hand. "Of course I'll stay if you want me. As long as Blair thinks it's all right."

Blair shrugged. "I think it's a good idea, I can understand why he wants to do this." He pulled over the two chairs, waving his wife at one. "So, Xander, you were admitting that you had extra parts. Why don't you tell Giles about them?"

Sam got up, closing the door. "Let's have some privacy. Jim's due in a few minutes." She walked back over, sitting in her chair. She gave her husband a look, knowing that he understood all that she was saying to him. He nodded, no longer hurt by having her in there with him.

Xander looked at his lover. "Giles, I know this is really strange to hear, but I... I have some extra parts, and they work." He got a nod. "And I don't want to use them for anything more than we already do. I never want to deal with them being functional." He got a small smile. "And while the damn things may work, that's as far as it goes. I hate my hormones right now. I don't want to be Willow."

Someone knocked on the door and Oz stuck his head in. "I had to come, can I join?" Xander got up and pulled him inside, hugging him. "I'm sorry," he whispered, "I've been bad and I had to come get this out with you now." He pulled back, looking at the younger man. "Xander, I don't want you to use it, I never wanted children, but I accept this as part of you if you can."

Xander pulled him back over to the couch. "That's what I was just telling Giles. I don't want them to ever work, I don't want the hormones and I don't want to be Willow." He gave him a hug before finishing. "And now I'm seriously thinking harder about getting it closed, just so it can't happen."

"No," Giles said calmly, "that won't help any of this. Xander," he rubbed down his back, "we've all managed to agree that it should stay open, this shouldn't change that decision. We don't want it used for it's biological purpose any more than you do." He glanced at Blair, who nodded. "We think, at least I do, that closing it would only cause you more problems, personally and emotionally. This is a part of you."

"Then I'm going to have to run the risk of using it?"

"Say it," Sam told him firmly. "No more cute terms."

"Getting pregnant," Xander corrected. He looked at Giles, giving him a big-eyed look. "I don't want to be pregnant."

"That's why intelligent people created birth control," Oz told him, hugging him. "And we'll use lots of it." His eyes closed as the hug was returned, the younger man clinging to him again. "Hey, we'll be okay," he whispered, "no more babies for us after Giles'."

"You can't be sure of that," Xander said, sitting back up. "Even with multiple methods there's a chance."

"It's real small, a fraction of a percent," Blair pointed out.

"Hellmouth," Xander told him. "Fertile hermaphrodites are only a fraction of a percent too." He shuddered. "I hate that word."

"We know," Blair said with a calming smile, "but you have to start using it now. I agree with Sam on this, you can't use the cute phrases anymore in here or with your men." All three of them nodded.

"Xander," Sam said quietly, "even if it's possible, it's not probable. Your doctor probably told you it was a slim chance at best, and carrying to term may be impossible."

"He kept saying it was a slim chance too, and if I'm hormonal enough to do it, why couldn't I carry to term?" Xander asked.

"Different hormones," Oz told him. "Basic biology." He kissed the fingers he was holding onto. "We're not going to try for one, right?" Xander shook his head with a frown. "That's what worried Giles and I, that you would want to use it for that."

"Oz, I would never use it for that!" Xander yelled, getting free and standing up to look down at them. "And I wouldn't do that to you guys! You *know* I wouldn't. Or at least you should." He headed for the door.

Oz got up, following him out to the parking lot. "Listen, I know, but I wasn't *sure*," he said, stopping him before he could climb into the car. "This isn't about doubting you, it's about doubting me and how much I trust." Xander shook his head, getting loose. "Xander, you know I trust you not to screw us over."

"Apparently not," he said sadly, climbing into the car and slamming the door.

Oz walked back inside, sitting as far away from Giles as he could. "This is about how much we trust him, isn't it," he asked Blair.

The Counselors both nodded. "This is really about whether or not you know him as well as you thought," Sam said, smoothing a hand down her skirt. "If he's the man you think then he'd never do that to you and you wouldn't doubt, but you're not sure of your trust so you doubt it."

"In other words, this is my problem and not his," Oz finished. He looked at Giles. "You used to be scared that he would use it like this. Is it the same thing?"

"Mostly, but I was more concerned that he would use it to test it, and us, out. I feared that he wouldn't be satisfied with what he could have if he stayed with us and we would lose him because we wouldn't give in to his demands."

"It's based in the same place," Blair told him. "It's all about trust."

"I do trust him, just not myself," Oz said, getting a nod. "And Giles trusts him, just not his ability to please him?" That got another nod. "So how do we work this? Our therapy bills are becoming national debt level."

"Talking together would be a start," Sam said with a small smile. "And we give you three a discount."

Blair snorted. "That we do. I think we've been giving Xander a third of normal price sessions." He looked at his wife. "I think that if they really started trusting each other that they'd be able to go back to long term maintenance." She nodded so he looked back at the men. "If you could work out your trust issues, you could fall back slowly to twice a year if you needed to."

"So we need to learn to trust each other?" Giles asked. "I trust them with my life."

"But not with the rest of you," Xander said from the doorway, leaning against it. "I'm not included in the deep thoughts you have about us or the plans that you hope for. I'm not even included in the money discussions you two were having."

"That was just a check to see how much we had left," Oz said, holding out a hand. "Come here?" he asked when the younger man didn't come to him.

Xander walked over, sitting between them. "Trusting me to not stab you in the back while we fight is one thing, trusting me with your heart is another," he said, touching the area over Giles'. "Allowing me to fall so into you that I can't function without you two is a bad if you guys don't feel the same."

"We want you to be somewhat independent," Giles defended. "I don't think I could handle owning you, which is what you seem to want."

"Giles," Xander said, leaning closer to him, "you couldn't own me if you tried. I'm not ownable. I'm possessable, I'm havable, but I'm not ownable. And you couldn't afford my upkeep." He sat back up. "I'm my own man, I just like to lean on you guys for things. It makes me feel safer."

"It's allowing you to remind yourself that you're in a safe and secure environment," Blair told him. "This is as much about your upbringing as it is about theirs. You don't feel like you can be totally secure unless you know you can lean on them and they'll hold you up."

"Just like my family didn't," Xander added with a smile. "See, this is why I come to him, he understands." He looked at Oz. "I leaned on you for a long time, because it made me feel more secure in our friendship. I'm sorry if this upsets you, but I need to lean. If I'm too on my own, then I don't do well."

"We've noticed," Giles said, giving his youngest lover a hug. "Xander, I don't mind if you lean, and I do trust you. I just have problems giving myself totally to you the way you do us." He pulled back, ruffling his hair. "I have doubts about why you would want to stay with me, and why you do things for me. This isn't about your insecurities, it's about mine. Ours," he said, looking at Oz. "We both doubt your motives because we can't be sure of our own."

"Gee, maybe you guys should come visit them."

Oz snorted, shaking his head, pulling Xander in for a hug. "Maybe we should trust ourselves to not hurt you." He kissed him gently. "I do like you, lots, but my trust won't let me..."

"Won't let you say that other word?" Xander suggested. "Oz, I know you've had it rough with Willow, but I'm not leaving you for Buffy, or for Spike, and I'm pretty sure I'm not leaving you for me either." He gave him a small smile. "I would never intentionally do anything to hurt you or what we have. I'm not like that, am I?"

"No," Oz admitted. "But I didn't think Willow was like that either."

"But I'm not her."

"True, but I can only judge on what I've had."

Xander looked down at himself. "I know I have this habit of running, but that's mostly because I'm not feeling secure or safe. I don't run when I know that I have a safe place, except to that place."

"Then why didn't you run to me in high school?" Giles asked quietly. "You knew I would help you."

"But you were part of the problem," Xander said, turning to look at him. "You were just as much a part of the problem as Buffy and Willow and Oz were. How could I come to you when you had been dismissing me too?" Giles frowned, nodding. "See, I didn't have a safe place anymore. You had pulled your safeness out from under me and I was left hanging. I don't do well on my own."

"But you're not alone," Oz pointed out, making the younger man look at him. "You haven't been since then. We've never left you."

"Emotionally, you did," Xander protested. "I was just as alone after my surgery as I was back in high school. You two had withdrawn from me again and I was feeling lost and hanging again."

"So you got depressed?" Giles asked.

"It wouldn't have done me any good to yell at you," Xander asked. "It's like, if I have to remind you I'm there, then it's not real or worth it. If I have to yell to get your attention, then you don't really want to pay attention to me."

Oz hit himself on the forehead. "It's the same thing as high school." Xander nodded. "If you have to shout then we're not really there for you, we're there for other reasons." He got another nod and a small smile. "You know we can't pay attention to you all the time though."

"Not asking for it," Xander said quickly. "I wouldn't mind my existence being noted though. I don't want to become invisible boy again."

Giles rubbed over his forehead. "I can see both instances that we did draw that far away from you, but you need to tell us when you're feeling that way. Sometimes life does preoccupy us."

"Hey, like I said, I'm not asking for total attention, but showing that you know I'm talking to you is a good. Recognizing that I exist and am in the same room is good too. Maybe even realizing that if I'm drawing away that much that there's a problem. I shouldn't have to remind you that I exist."

"No, you shouldn't," Giles told him with a smile. "You should never have to remind anyone that you exist. Nor should we become so preoccupied that we're the only people we see in the world, but I have been known to reach that state."

"Research is special," Xander told him. "I'm talking about the daily things. Like eating breakfast together and not even getting a grunt in acknowledgment. Or like handing you something and you not realizing that I was the one who did it instead of you picking it up off the counter. Those things hurt, Giles, and I can't deal with those. I can't become invisible."

"Then I shall try harder," Giles said gently, seeing the small signs of panic in the young man's eyes. "I never thought I had ignored you that way, but I can see where you saw it now." He took Oz's hand in his. "We'll both try, but you have to stop us if we start down that path again. We'll try if you yell when we get that forgetful."

"I can handle that," Xander said quietly, "as long as it's not constant. If I have to do it too often, then it becomes unreasonable."

"We'll try not to become that unfocused again," Giles assured him, pulling him in for a hug. "We thank God every day that you do exist, you know. We would be much different people if you didn't."

"True," Oz said, shifting over to hug them both. "Not living would suck." He kissed each of his men. "I'll try not to go that far away again."

"Just give us a clue," Giles added. "We all need hints now and again."

"Giles," Oz said quietly, "think about when Alexi's mom was hurt. The next few nights, we did steal Miri from him and curl up together. It was like he wasn't real to us anymore." The older man nodded so he looked at Xander. "When we do that, you need to yell sometimes too. Not just take off on a sudden vacation and not get depressed. That isn't about you, it's about our minds going numb."

Xander nodded. "Okay, I can yell. Just don't let it become a constant thing." He got stereo nods so hugged his men. "Thanks, Blair," he said quietly.

Sam stood up, pulling her husband with her into the hall to give them some privacy. "They'll be okay now." Blair nodded. "Are you?"

"I'll miss them," he said, hugging her. "I looked forward to seeing Xander weekly. The kid's so much like me it's not funny."

She smiled, rubbing over his back. "I know, but now he's secure now. And you have stability too." He nodded so she kissed the top of his head. "Come on, I think Jim's hiding in my office. Why don't you two go play golf or something."

Blair pulled away from her. "He hates golf." He gave her a little kiss, letting her go. "I'll go placate Jim, you go send those three home to kiss their baby. And make them an appointment in a month." They both turned at the moans from the office, and burst out in laughter. "Better yet, give them a few minutes."

***

Giles scratched the irritating itches on his shoulder and ankle again, growling at them as he did it. Xander walked over, removing the hands to look at them, then looked at his watch, then Oz, who was doing the same behavior. "Giles," he whispered, looking down at him. "You have a scar there." He walked around the couch to touch the red spot on the older man's ankle, sitting on the coffeetable to rub over it for him. "There's a scar here too."

Oz looked up. "Scars?"

"Two little lines. Bigger than scratches would be." Xander looked up at his eldest lover. "I'm sorry, Giles, I really am." He let the ankle go, moving away from him. "We need to get you both upstairs, it's about time." Oz nodded, standing and coming over to look at Giles. "You too," Xander told him quietly, his face showing his sadness. "Don't make me tranq you."

Giles stood, looking down at him. "How? I've not been bit."

"No, but I got out about two months ago," Oz reminded him. "I could have scratched you and then licked up the blood." He held out a hand. "Come on, Xan's right, it's time." He walked them upstairs to his cage and locked them both in, pulling off their clothes and tossing them out through the bars. They shared a small kiss, Oz letting Giles take comfort from him as they started to change together.

Xander stood in the doorway, his heart breaking as he caught sight of the wolf Giles had become, and the connection he and Oz shared now. He shut the door gently, heading over to his apartment to pick up the phone and dial Willow. "Hey. No, he's safely locked away. Both of them are," he whispered, curling up. He watched their daughter play with her blocks, making sure she didn't start to turn furry too. "No, he's actually white, all but a little gray streak down his stomach. Could you? Yeah, thanks." He hung up, pulling the comforter down to wrap around his now cold body.