Furry Thoughts On Life.

Jedi, the fun loving ferret that managed to get anywhere she wanted, looked up and sniffed as her fathers walked into the bedroom. She gladly gave up her position on the pillows to her favorite father, the nice redheaded one, watching as he cuddled her first father, the one who used to bottle feed her. The dark haired one didn't seem right so she walked over her favorite father's shoulder, squeaking at the other daddy.

"I'm fine," Xander told her, reaching up to pet her. "Just a little bit upset." He gave her a smile. "Did you have fun today? I saw your latest kittens playing in the sun."

She sighed mentally. She knew what he was talking about, but she wished he would use the right name for her babies, kits. She sat on the comfy shoulder, telling him all about the latest three, and about how lazy her last male child was. He wouldn't even play and look cute to get head scratches. She nosed him when he started to look sleepy, asking him an important question. Did he want more ferret babies around the house? She loved being a mother, but she had seven left in the house with them. Did he really want more of them when she went into heat in five months? At least that one was going to be going home with her parents soon enough. She liked them, they were nice to her too, and very good to her daughter. Even if they did keep calling her a him, and such a funny name. Didn't they know that ferrets always had 's' names? Their Dessie was really Servartnan the Literary. They really should learn, but they were nice enough to get past that point.

"It's okay," Oz told her, reaching over to give her the scratches she liked. "It'll all be okay soon enough. We'll even get someone to adopt some of the ferret babies." He kissed the other one on the head, making him make sleepy cuddle sounds.

She quickly got out of their way. She'd been trapped under them before and she didn't want to have to watch them procreate again. It was scary. The dark haired one rolled over and pinned her favorite one to the bed, giving him a kiss. Humans were strange, why did they nip each other like that? Ferrets had it much easier than people did. She liked finding her man twice a year and going at it with him for a few hours. Why did humans need it so often? She looked around, wondering where the third one was. He didn't like her very much, but that was okay, she liked to irritate him. Once he was nicer to her, he'd figure out where his favorite neck thingy was. She relaxed on the pillows, watching them mate. It was funny, in a way. They made *noises* and said funny things, and even sometimes used those wonderful playthings that she liked to steal. She and Rocky used them for a different reason, but it was still fun to play with them. Especially the ones that hummed and wiggled. Even the pink cat helped them play with them sometimes; yes, very interesting toys. She waited, wanting to know if they were going to use the playthings again, but this time they just cuddled close and grunted, proper mating behaviors. She settled down for the night, watching over her peoples.

"Love you," Oz whispered, kissing Xander on the back of the neck.

"Love you too," Xander whispered back, patting the arms around his waist. "Can we go look at houses this weekend?"

"Sure, we'll pack up the ferrets and go for a short trip.

Jedi's ears perked up. "Traveling?" she squeaked. "I like to travel. Can we *please* bring Rocky this time?"

Oz looked up at the squealing ferret, giving her a hard look. "What? Don't like that idea? Ray's coming with us." She nipped him on the finger. "Oww!"

"I'm pretty sure she wants to go," Xander said sleepily. "But I think she wants to bring Rocky with us."

"Yes!" Jedi squealed. Her people finally understood her!

"We'll see," Oz said, giving the ferret a funny look. "What are you? You're not a ferret."

"She is so. She's a very good ferret, and a very good mommy," Xander said, giggling when he felt something tickling him from the foot of the bed. "And I think Dessie just decided to come talk to his mother.

"Her," Jedi squeaked.

"Huh," Oz said, looking from the ferret to his husband. "I think she just sassed you."

"She's a good ferret baby," Xander complained. "She wouldn't talk back to me. She'd do that to you."

Oz grunted and put his head back down. "Whatever." He watched as Dessie strolled up out from under the blankets. "Hi, you. Do your fathers know where you are?"

"Is he in there?" Blair called.

"Yes," Oz called back. "Him and Jedi both."

Blair snuck in and stole both of the ferrets, taking them back to his room. Jedi looked up at this person, giving him indignant squeaks. He shouldn't carry her like that, she deserved more respect than that. "Quiet," he whispered. "You'll wake Danny up." He laid down, settling the ferrets on top of the blankets between them.

"Jedi too?" Daniel asked, not opening his eyes.

"Yup," Blair said, stealing a kiss. "The guys need to cuddle without furry peoples."

"They're ferrets, not people," Daniel corrected.

"Yes, dear," Blair said, grinning down when one eye opened. "What?"

Daniel shook his head and grabbed his very own GHS cuddle monkey, snuggling in for the night. The ferrets would sort themselves out.

Jedi sat down on the Daniel person's side, getting ready to talk to her daughter about the important things: how to breed, how to pick a mate, not to follow the peoples' example of mating habits because they were just wrong.

***

Jedi quickly ran into the carrier with Rocky. She knew it was time to go if this thing was coming out; she was getting away from her children for a few days at the least. She could even put up with this crate for a few hours if she had to, if only she got away from the kits for a few days. They were driving her nuts! Every few minutes, bringing things back that they had found. She had found them first! And now the fathers were starting to look at her, even when they caught the kits at it. Like it was her fault. She didn't tell them to go find stuff and bring it into the playroom. The parents were being nice though; she was going to get to go visit the new houses and give her approval. That's what they had said last night when they were planning all this. And hey, there was always the chance to explore new places and find new, more interesting things. Maybe she'd even get to compare more human breasts, they fascinated her. She squeaked up as the door was closed, reminding them to give her water and food for the trip. The Oz daddy put on the water bottle and the other daddy put in the bowls of food. She didn't have anything to worry about. Even the cold of the plane would be okay with Rocky to curl up against.

"All set?" Oz asked.

"Check book?"

"Got it," Oz said, patting his suitcase. "Tickets are waiting on us."

"I wish we could carry them on the plane," Xander sighed, picking up the crate and carrying it out to the car. "Or that Ray was coming with us. He promised to go look at houses with me in South Beach."

"He wanted to spend some time planning with Methos. His nerves are getting to him," Oz said quietly, sliding in to drive, watching as Xander clipped in the cage. "Got it?"

"Yup, all secure," Xander said, getting out of the back and sliding into the front seat. "I think they're ready to travel again."

"I don't blame them. If I were Jedi, I'd be really pissed at the babies by now. They won't even let her sleep. Always more interesting things to find and bring to the mommy."

"Hey, one found Ray's nipple ring for him," Xander noted. "That was of the good."

"Very," Oz agreed. "Okay, we're heading to South Beach first, right?" Xander nodded as Oz started the car. "Good. I could use some nice sun and warm beaches."

"I even packed our bathing suits," Xander said, leaning his head on Oz's arm.

Jedi turned to her traveling companion and snorted, silently telling her they'd be spending some time alone in the hotel room if the daddies wanted to go explore like that. Really, they were worse than her babies sometimes. She snuggled in for a long ride. It was a good thing, but it always took so *long* to get anywhere fun.

***

Xander held his ferret up as they looked through the set of joined condos Oz had found, looking down at her. "Well?" he asked her.

Jedi snorted in disgust. It had no place to hide, or to play in. This would not do. She sneezed at the realtor, then squeaked loudly at him to get his attention, telling him off. She needed proper housing, not this little place with no hiding spots.

"Looks like your ferret's not impressed," the realtor said dryly.

"Yeah, no hiding spots," Oz told him. "Was this the one?"

"No, there's a set of townhouses that's nearer to the beach. A little more than you wanted to spend, but I'm sure we can handle the extra somehow. Your finances looked very good to us when we called up a credit report."

Xander snickered. "We don't need a loan," he told the realtor. "We need a place to escape to." He followed him back out to their rental car, letting him drive while they curled up in the back with the animals. The realtor had been nice enough to meet their plane and show them around immediately. Apparently, he worked on commission. "How close is this set of townhouses?"

"To a major shopping area? It's close to the new ethnic market that's starting to get very popular, within walking distance possibly. Maybe a mile from the nearest mall and grocery store." He switched lanes, turning onto another street. "It's also close to a park and a few of the more odd shops in the area."

"All good for us," Oz agreed. "How about spas? Xander likes them."

"There's a good one a few miles up the road," he said, pointing behind them. "Miami's got everything you guys could ever want in that way." He slowed to a stop at a stop light. "So, you're both independently wealthy?"

"I'm a jewelry designer," Xander told him. "Oz markets it and I guard him while he works."

"That's a good arrangement." He started driving again. "Is there going to be a special room needed?"

"Definitely," Oz told him. "We'll have to put in a forge."

"Ah. Then the townhouses might not be the best bet," he said thoughtfully. "They're surrounded by other houses, not a lot of personal space to do things like that."

"But I like the sound of the area," Xander told him.

"I thought you might." The realtor, changed lanes suddenly and headed down a small alleyway, switching onto another main road. "I think I have just the place. It'll have a private beach, still a bit more than you wanted to spend, but it's private. You'll have a fenced in view so the animals can run rampant."

"We have ferrets," Oz said dryly. "They can defeat any fence."

The realtor laughed. "I've heard that. Do you let them run loose in your house?"

"We have a special room for all the animals. Gyms for the cats, comfy spots for the dogs to nap. Lots of tubes and stuff for the ferrets to hide my stuff in," Xander sighed.

"I can tell you really love your other house. How often were you looking to stay away from it?"

"A few years, with frequent trips back," Oz told him. "It's time to start breaking ourselves of that dependancy."

"I like my house," Xander told him.

"We'll still keep it. I like our house too." He held Xander's hand as they drove into the gated community, nodding at the security. "Nice set up," he noted.

"Very good security," Xander agreed.

"This whole settlement is very security conscious. They're talking about setting up a community association."

"Will we bother them?" Oz asked. "I know some people don't like gay couples."

"I'm not sure, but if this sort of house appeals to you, we've got a lot more potential there." He pulled up in front of a house, getting out and letting them out of the back. "Here we are," he said, walking up to the front door. He pulled out his magnetic key and opened the door, letting them go inside first. "This is the show house of the development. Most of them are similar but not identical. I'll have to check to see exactly what's open."

"I like the architectural elements," Xander said, looking up at how the stairs formed a slanted ceiling over the entryway. He headed for the kitchen. "Not enough space in here," he told Oz. He looked down at Jedi, who was hissing at something. "Oh, a mouse," he said.

"I'm sorry about that," the realtor said quickly. "I'll be sure to report that on the way out." He looked around the large open space. "Would you like to look upstairs?"

"Sure," Oz told him. He followed him up, letting Rocky lounge in front of the sliding glass doors. "Xander, small bedrooms," he called down.

Xander turned around slowly in the open area, frowning. "Okay, truth," he told the realtor. "We're going to be living there at least four months out of the year, have another couple that will probably be living with us, and we have a lot of animals between us. Our house at home is a manor house but we don't need something that big. We do need somewhere big enough to hold us all though."

"I think I can do that," the realtor told him. "Does the general size fit you?"

"Four bedrooms?" Oz asked Xander.

"I'd like to have a dressing room if we're not going to have a split-up space," Xander told him. "And a room for the animals."

"That means at least six rooms for the house," the realtor said thoughtfully. "Do you really want beach access?"

"Being close to a beach would be nice," Oz agreed.

"Being closer to that area you described earlier would be nicer," Xander countered. "I can handle public beaches."

"All right," the realtor said. "I do have one that *might* work. It's not exactly what you wanted, it's a loft. A large loft," he said at the frown. "It's the top floors of three buildings, joined together."

"Is it a rental or a buy?" Oz asked, following him out to the car, Rocky on his heels.

"It's a buy, but it's ...." He snapped his fingers. "I do know. One just came up with one of my associates at another office. That'll be what you want." He waved at the car, letting Xander get in first, watching as Rocky was settled then Oz got in. "All set?" he asked as he got in. Everyone grunted. "Good." He started the car and backed out, making the promised stop at the gate to tell them about the mouse.

***

Xander looked around this new house, nodding. "I like it," he told Oz, who was staring out the window. "What?" he asked when he didn't get an answer, walking over to give him a hug. Jedi was still riding on his shoulder and would be willing to hug him too. "You don't like?"

"I like quite a lot," Oz disagreed, turning around to get a hug. "It's a nice neighborhood. It's quiet. It's got another like us here." He nodded outside and watched as his husband waved. "Don't do that, I don't know him."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Xander whispered, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Do you like the house otherwise?"

"I like it a lot," Oz told him. "I like the space, and the work area. It's like it was meant for us."

"It's even got the secondary apartment for Ray and Meth," Xander agreed. "Please?"

"Deal," Oz agreed, looking at the realtor. "How much?"

"About what you were wanting to spend," he admitted. "This one only went on the market three days ago, or I might have shown it to you first. It was listed with someone else in town, but they sent out specs this morning because they didn't think they'd be able to sell it."

"Can I get pictures to send home tonight?" Xander asked. Oz looked at him. "To show Ray?"

"Sure," the realtor said. "Do you want me to put a hold note on this one? Mark it as potentially taken?"

"Please," Oz agreed. "I'd like to get our friends' opinions too."

"They didn't want to come?" the realtor asked, making a note for himself.

"They're planning their wedding," Xander told him.

"And taking care of the rest of the animals," Oz added.

"Oh, how nice. How long have they been together?"

"The guys have been together about...thirteen years?" Xander asked Oz, who nodded. "Thirteen years now. Maybe almost fourteen."

"One's a perpetual college student," Oz told him. "The other's recently retired and figuring out what he wants to do now."

"I see." The realtor looked them over. "You live with another gay couple?"

"They're our best friends," Oz told him. "Hence the secondary apartment idea."

"Ah. All right then." He smiled again. "Let's go back to my office, I've got a tour on CD that you can borrow for the night."

"Sounds good," Xander said, following him out to their rental car. "We still need to check into the hotel," he reminded his mate.

"I called them before he picked us up and told them we were here. Did it over the phone," Oz told him. "That's where I sent our bags and the carrier."

"Okay." Xander leaned his head on his husband's shoulder, and smiled at the sleepy squeaks Jedi was giving them. "I think she approved." He looked over at Rocky, who was napping in the front seat. "Did you like it, girl?"

Rocky gave a half-hearted bark.

"I think she's tired too," Oz told him, squeezing Xander's hand.

"Just give me half an hour, and I'll gladly let you go to your hotel," the realtor told them. "We just need to tie up a few loose ends." He pulled into his office's parking lot and got out, letting Oz follow him while Xander slept.

***

Jedi got up and wandered around the hotel room, investigating it. She found the odd cups and tore into one, giving it up when she got down to the other plastic layer, which did not taste good at all. She huffed and walked back into the main room. This was not up to their usual standards. But it was only for another day or two, she could endure. She found Rocky sleeping in a chair and curled up with her, deciding sleep was the best option, even if the fathers were still talking. Maybe they would do whatever they needed to tomorrow, and she'd be able to get back to a more proper place for her, even if it did have her kits in it.

On the bed, Xander smiled at Oz, listening to him read what he and Ray were chatting about. "Tell him we'll have to paint part of it. It's pink."

"It was peach," Oz corrected, typing in the note. "Methos shuddered and said he'd help us paint. I'm telling him about the immie I saw out the window."

"Don't stress about that. I doubt he's going to attack you."

"Not all of them are nice," Oz reminded him as he typed in Xander's comment. "Methos said that he agreed with me, and that you can never be too careful. I'm supposed to go find him tomorrow and talk to him if I can."

"Both of us," Xander told him.

"Nope, you get to do the stuff with the realtor tomorrow. I don't think the animals like the hotel very much."

"The hotel doesn't like Jedi very much," Xander countered. "The manager called her a rodent."

"Well, I guess he might be related to one," Oz told him.

"Nah-uh. Ferrets are related to skunks and minks, not rats." Xander rolled onto his stomach. "Tell them I'm not very happy with this place."

"But it was close and animal friendly," Oz reminded him.

"Yeah, but not to ferrets." Xander pouted. "Can we leave tomorrow?"

"Sure." Oz typed in something else. "Meth said I could wait to talk to him, or I could go do that tomorrow and let you handle the realtor like we planned; and then we'll take a late flight instead of waiting for the next day."

"Okay," Xander agreed, somewhat satisfied. "Do you want to take Rocky with you, or do I get both of them?"

"You get both of them in case I end up getting into a fight," Oz told him, turning his head to get a kiss. "I'll do my best to not fight, but I'm not sure how skittish the other guy is."

"If he's that skittish, he might already be packed," Xander suggested. "It depends on how old he is and how confident he is. Steve would be on the next plane out, so would Daniel. Someone like Richie would stay around and try to convince the other guy they didn't have to fight."

"And then there's those of us who live for the fighting," Oz sighed. "I know. I'll go over there right after breakfast and look around the neighborhood. That was too far off the main street to be anything but a resident."

"Can we track him some other way?"

"Not without hacking the Watcher's database."

"Oh." Xander shrugged. "Okay. Good luck and I hope you don't have to fight."

"Thanks." Oz gave him a quick hug and went back to his chatting. "Ray likes the pictures, even the pink, though he agrees with me about it being peach."

"Yay, it's still got to go," Xander said tiredly. He put his head down, going back to listening to his husband's quiet voice and resting.

***

Oz sat down across the immortal in the cafe, waving the waitress over. "Coffee?" He handed over a few dollars. "Hey," he said, holding out a hand. "Oz." It had been too easy to find him, almost like this was a prearranged meeting. Less than five minutes of looking had led him right to this small cafe.

"Theodonius," the other man said formally in greeting.

"If you know that, why don't I know you?"

"Because you wouldn't. I erased our last meeting from the both of you." He smiled. "Are you moving in?"

"Yeah. Can I get your name?"

"I'm most commonly known as 'that too clever bastard that lives on holy ground for eons at a time'," he said dryly. "Back when I first was born, names weren't that important."

"Ah. And now?"

"Now, I'm known as Richard, scholarly teacher of history and mythology to spoiled rich children." He saluted Oz with his coffee cup. "Are you moving in?"

"Me and my teacher both," Oz said. "Where did we meet?"

"Greece. In Athens actually. The first time you'd ever been in the city if I remember right. I did erase it from you."

"Oh. So you're into the *other* side of belief, like our Rupert is?"

"Definitely," he agreed, still smiling. "You have no need to worry about me, even if you do remember what happened back then. I assure you, I was quite sick at the time."

"It was a long time ago," Oz agreed, stopping when the waitress brought his coffee and his change. "Keep it," he told her, giving her a faint smile. He looked at the man across from him again. "Could I ask you a few questions? You're the first old one I've ran into that deals with magic." He took a sip of his coffee. "We've run into some strange anomalies after doing a bonding spell."

Richard put down his cup gently and put both palms on the table. "You bound a mortal to you?"

"My teacher and I both love our husbands too much to let them go. And then Xander accidently bound all five of us together."

"That boy's yours? The one that's driving all the Watcher's batty?"

Oz snickered. "Yup. Xander's all mine. Mega-GHS snuggly babe, animals, and all." He sipped his cup. "Can we ask you some questions?"

"Yes, I might have a few answers." He took a deep breath. "Here?"

"Or a park. We planned on leaving tonight but we'll be back in a few weeks. We're buying that house."

"Good. I heard you've been in the same place for too long."

"We guard a Hellmouth," Oz said quietly. "It's necessary for us to be there."

"Ah. This gets stranger and stranger. Come, let's go to a park and talk in the open air." He stood up, putting some bills down on the table. "Did you tour the area yet?" he asked as they walked out of the diner. (Ig)

"Nope. We got in yesterday, did a whirlwind tour with the realtor, and found that house after four tries. Do you like ferrets?" he asked.

"I think they're beautiful, if mischievous, creatures. Why?"

"We've got eight. Our mom's had two litters."

"Oh." He chuckled. "I wouldn't mind meeting with your mate to see if I would qualify to adopt one. I hear he's very fair, but one you don't want to mess with."

"Yeah, that about describes him. Xander's been known to try and go after people who challenge me before. I tried to stop him, but it didn't work."

Richard laughed, brushing some of his dark, coarse hair back off his face and neck. "I've heard. What sort of strange occurrences?"

"Well, when we did Xander, Giles, and my binding ceremony, the energy weaving went out to engulf other immies."

"That was part of the original spell. That and the warning about true love."

"We had that part, but not the warning that it was going to suck in an immie who was sitting on our couch."

"All right. Which one?" he asked, sitting on a bench.

"Connor."

"MacLeod?" Oz nodded. "Really?" Oz nodded again. "I assume that was before he died?"

"Yeah, it was. He was training our third husband at the time he died. We were really lucky it didn't pick up Richie, who was in town."

"I see. Sit, Oz."

"Thanks." He sat down beside him, curling up to sit sideways. "And, even stranger, we've found out a few other things recently. Xander has a soul sword. We've been told he died and took in part of our souls during the spell before he came back."

"Yes, that would be what happened. Can you three share quickenings?"

"Oh, it gets much more complicated than that," Oz told him, searching for the right words to describe what had been going on. "When we first bound to each other, my teacher was in the house also. We were all bound to him. When he bound with his mate, they bound to all of us, including Xander. Matter of fact, Xander and Ray share some sort of strange bond."

"Which might be able to be explained if he does have part of your soul in him," Richard told him. "He reads as a pre-immie?"

"Xander's actually taken a quickening from someone. When ... Jace died, her quickening went into him."

"Because he's the new anchor?" Oz nodded. "That's understandable. Have any other quickenings drawn to him?"

"I try very hard not to fight. I don't think I've let Xander near a fight since then. He's been challenged since then, but I haven't fought. He's even able to feel new immies. And, what is even stranger, he's found a small magical gift in himself for natural works of magic."

"I see," Richard said again. "You didn't answer my last question."

"No, I was leading up to it. See," he said, leaning a little closer, "during the last GHS convention, in Boston, I got drugged and spelled by a woman who wanted to tear me from Xander. Some sort of compulsion spell mixed with mind control agents to get me to go to her." Richard nodded. "We started to break down the spell the normal way, with some help from Ethan Rayne. After they were done, I still had to fight it, so Xander cut us both and forced all the quickening he'd ever picked up off me back into me to break it. It killed him for a few minutes. All of us, including Ray, fed quickening energy back into him to restart his heart and to heal him, but it created some sort of energy bubble."

"And bound you all," Richard finished. Oz nodded. "I've heard of it. There's a reason that spell was hidden, because the foolish that would perform it with every lover they took."

"We've sent it to people who will guard it and follow the warnings. Giles sent it to the other version of the Watcher's Council because a bunch of us have gone through them. He even rewrote the warning on the top, making it cryptic but very clear about the true love requirement."

"Actually, it should read 'wanting them more than life because they will become it'," he clarified. "I'll need to see your Xander and this Ray to make sure, but it seems like you turned them into partial immies."

"Ray does read as a pre-immie," Oz admitted. "Not as strong as Xander."

"He should. The spell was originally created to bind an immortal to the one person he wanted to share his daily danger with." He sighed and rubbed his large forehead. "I have no idea how you managed it with three of you."

"With two other immies being drawn in," Oz said dryly. "And it still almost killed me. I've had these bouts of weak quickenings. The binding ceremony happened during one. Xander decided to be noble and brave and cast something to cure me, which screwed with his heart."

"Never again," Richard told him, patting him on the shoulder. "You'll never have those again. Your energies evened out among you when the energy bubble, as you called it, was created. All that the mortals could hold they now do. The three immortals in the spell there all evened out among yourselves."

"But Amanda was in the next room and didn't get drawn into the energy ball."

"She wouldn't have. Your quickenings were balanced during it, you didn't need hers. Have you noticed anything peculiar since then?"

"I can feel Ray a little better. My link with Methos is a little stronger, Giles is cheating on us and might have been then, with Amanda. But strange is our life."

"With you being married to an anchor and your other mate exploring his more chaotic side, I'm sure it is," he said with a smile.

"Oh, you don't know the half of it. During a weak quickening time, I got bitten by a werewolf." Richard hissed. "We all worked with a Slayer. Xander is a guardian of the Hellmouth in Sunnydale and is looking for someone to take over for a few months. We're all drawn to our present house. Xander designs jewelry but can't balance a checkbook."

Richard held up a hand. "I get the picture. Your very lives are part of the Chaos theory. How do you intend to deal with this?"

"I was asking if there was something I needed to deal with."

"The last time this spell was done, the mortal went insane after their lover died."

"Xander fights better than I do," Oz told him. "I have this dream that right after someone takes my head, Xander jumps in and takes the guy's head."

"Which might help him, and, granted, the last one didn't have the same sort of support network your Xander has, but...what will you do if it drives him insane when one of you dies?"

"Methos and I have already made a pact. We take over care of the other's mate if it's needed. We expect Xander and Ray to outlive us both, but for it to be a very long time before we have to deal with that issue."

"And what about when life starts to wear on them? Living too long is almost as bad as going insane. When you've lived too long, the world turns sour on you."

"Been there," Oz admitted.

"As have I. What about when your husband goes through it?"

"Then we'll support him any way we can and help him find his joy again. Xander's very GHS and able to live in a very secluded little world. I think we'll be able to get through that."

"Good. Are you prepared to deal with Xander getting tired of you though?"

"We worked out a system of long vacations from each other. We've tried one but Xander didn't want to leave without me. He nearly wasted away." Oz coughed. "Besides, we've spent some time in other realms. About eight hundred years or so."

"Oh, my," Richard said, relaxing a little. "You may have found the perfect person to do the spell on." He shook himself. "As for your questions about why these things were happening, I do have a book that might have an explanation. I'll lend it to you as a housewarming present if you'd like."

"I'd like that a lot," Oz agreed, standing up. "I've got to meet Xander at the realtor's office." He pulled out a card and handed it over. "If you ever need us, that's my cellphone number. I usually have it with me." He bowed to the elder. "I may not remember you, but I realize you're one of the good ones." He turned and jogged away, heading for the rental car so he could go pick up Xander. This was something he wanted to share.

Richard sighed as he got up. "I should go tell her that Methos is in town. She won't be pleased, but it seems like he's really screwed himself this time. She's going to laugh herself sick," he told himself as he walked back to the diner and his car. "A productive morning though. We'll have safety." He got in and started for his house.

***

Oz grabbed the first payphone he could find and dialed home, babbling out the story as fast as he could. He smiled at the disgruntled complaint about it being too early in the morning for this and repeated the story again, faster this time. He laughed when he heard the groan. After a few minutes, he hung up and continued on his way to pick up his husband. They needed to talk.

***

Jedi shifted in the crate, but this time she was warm. The fathers had managed to get them a seat of their own in the airplane this time, and it was really nice. They were getting treats from the nice lady with the drinks. Daddies were talking about the new house and how to decorate it. Rocky was napping and not snoring this time. Everything was about perfect, even if the fathers were giving off mating vibes right then. They were big peoples; they could wait like any good animal. And if they snuck off, at least the nice lady with the drink cart would continue to spoil her.

The pressure was changing. They must be about ready to drive again. Maybe her kits would have missed her and done something unique. One never knew about ferrets.

THE END.