Secrets and Lives.

Xander put down his book, looking at the other two men sitting near him. "Okay, that's it, I'm going to go leap off a park bench and play in the mud." He rubbed down his arms. "Mud would feel better than the slimy feeling I'm getting."

Oz looked up, just staring. "Why?"

"Why am I getting it or why would I prefer mud?"

"Either." He put aside his book, kicking Giles to bring him out of his research trance. "Why mud?"

"Because mud is easier to wash off than slime, which we seem to have a great lot of." Xander tapped the top of his book. "Why are these things always slimy? Why not muddy?"

Giles shook his head. "Because there's not much mud in Hell, Xander. Did you actually find something?"

"Yeah, it has an anesthetic slime. Actually, the females have a poisonous slime during that time of the month, but otherwise it's just like nasty ambesol." He shrugged. "Anything else?"

"Why mud again?" Oz asked.

"Because mud leads to fun things usually. Slime leads to intense showers with hard scrub brushes." He pushed his chair back and stood up. "Need anything else from me tonight?"

"Not particularly. Thank you, that does explain why Buffy's not been able to feel her hand for the last week." Giles gave him a faint smile. "Be safe on your walk home."

"Not going home but okay." Xander shrugged, heading out of the library.

Oz waited until they were alone to say anything else. "I'm wondering where he's going." Giles gave him a bland look. "He doesn't go home. Ever."

"Ah." Giles crossed his hands on the table. "We should find out then, but I doubt it's something harmful. Xander's one of the most careful of you about personal safety when he's out." Oz nodded. "If you want to know that badly, I'd suggest you ask."

"Will, after I find out what to ask." Oz pushed back his chair and walked out of the library also, heading out into the night behind Xander, missing him completely. When he figured out he couldn't find him, he headed back to the school, picking up his van to drive home, doing a small detour through town to make sure everything was still quiet. They were all filling in while Buffy was out with her numbness. He stopped at the stoplight, glancing around, then caught sight of something interesting and parked the van to get out and go investigate the group of people lined up in front of an unmarked door. "Hey," he said to someone that looked familiar, not flinching when he went to game face. "Yay. I'm furry and you're cold. What's going on?"

The vampire shrugged and put away his feeding face. "This is a new place, really hard to get into. We're just hoping for entrance." He looked over Oz's shoulder and backed away, running down the alley.

Someone tapped Oz on the shoulder so he turned. "Yeah?"

"What is one of you doing here?"

Oz shrugged. "Thought it was a new club. Always looking for new stuff." He crossed his arms. "I have the right to check it out, I am touched."

The guard looked him over and nodded. "So we can see but you can't be here." He looked around. "Someone in front recognized you."

"My girlfriend hangs with her, I just use their library," Oz explained. "No harm. Not wanting to hurt others tonight."

The guard shook his head. "Sorry, you're not going to get in. Go home, Slayerette." He turned Oz forcefully and pushed him back down the alleyway. "This isn't your concern."

Oz shrugged and headed back to his van, getting in and heading for his house. He could tell everyone in the morning.

***

Xander walked into the library, ignoring the dirty look Buffy gave him. "How's things? What can I do to help?" he asked as he sat.

"Make the feeling come back in my hand?" Buffy said snarkily.

"Not my job," he said, holding up a finger. "At least I found out it was his slime." They all looked at the door as Giles walked in with Oz. "Hey."

Buffy gave him a hopeful look. "How much longer?"

"About a week more from what Xander found," Giles said as he put his things down on the check out desk. "How is everyone this morning?"

"Fine," they said in unison, except Oz, who nodded.

"Good." He smiled at them. "I do believe we have some new intelligence. Oz, if you wouldn't mind?" He waved at the group, sitting so he could watch him.

"I was heading home and found a new demon club." Buffy sat up straighter. "Just off the stoplight, down the alley?" She shook her head. "Exclusive and they knew me." He sat down.

Xander held up a hand. "So how do you know it was exclusive?"

"Met someone I knew and had a talk with the guard."

"Okay, so it has guards?" Buffy asked, getting a nod in response. "And they were waiting? Peacefully?"

"Not even pushing each other," Oz told her. "Way weird."

"Definitely," Giles said, giving Oz another smile. "How did they know you?"

"Group affiliation." Everyone looked confused. "Slayerette."

"Ah." Giles pushed his glasses back up. "So you tried to get in and they stopped you?" Oz nodded. "The security guard stopped you?" He got another nod. "Was he demonic or vampiric?"

"Not sure. Only got touched once and he was warm. No obvious demon things though."

Giles sighed. "All right, then this could be a problem or it could be just another demon bar, albeit one that's a bit harder to get into." He looked at Buffy. "Do you have any feeling yet?"

"Nope, not a bit. I even hit it against the wall outside and didn't feel anything." She held up the finger she had taped up. "I could try to get in tonight. Maybe just try to sneak in?"

"If there were vamps waiting in line, what makes you think there's a back way?" Xander asked. "They aren't likely to want everyone in there if Oz was right and they were being selective. They would have blocked off all access." Buffy snorted and rolled her eyes. "Whatever," he said, standing up. "Yell if you need me." He walked out of the library, heading to his locker to start his day.

Oz shook his head, standing up. "He's right," he told her, "that's what I would do." He nodded at Giles, heading out after Xander, Willow following him as always.

Giles glared at his charge. "Buffy, you have no need to act like that to him."

"He's breaking up the group."

"No, you are. Your attitude has gotten atrocious this last week." He stood up. "Go to class, I'll see what I can't find out about your hand." He headed into his office, closing the door before she could argue with him.

"Fine," Buffy sighed, pushing herself up and heading off to class. "Whatever."

***

Oz looked over at Angel, who Giles had sent him out with, then checked on Xander, who was looking very nervous. "What?" he asked.

"Many vamps," Xander said softly, pointing. "Let's go." He led the way, subtly catching one of the guard's eyes and giving him a slight head shake. Unfortunately one caught by Angel, who pulled him around and slammed him into the wall. "What?"

"Why'd you do that?" he asked, going to feeding face, ignoring the hand on his arm. "You signaled him. What do you know, Harris?"

"Nothing," Xander said, wiggling free and stepping away from them. "Get off, deadboy." He backed into a solid body and winced, turning around to apologize. "Hey, sorry. He's a bit grumpy today."

The guard that had stopped Oz shook his head. "Can't you guys let us have a neutral place in peace?" He glared at Angel. "And you, traitor, shouldn't even attempt to come back again. My boss said we could beat your ass and kill you for fun if you did." He crossed his arms, glaring at Angel. "Leave, now, and take all your little friends with you."

"I got ordered to the job, it's not like I like it," Angel told him, ducking the swing that was heading for his head. "Hey! That's not very nice."

During this interchange, Xander was working his way through the crowd so he could disappear down the side tunnel to head for the other door. Which opened for him.

Oz walked out of the shadows, frowning, but shook his head, heading to break up the fight between Angel and the guard. "No playing, time to go." He tugged on Angel's arm, leading him back to his van. "Did you see Xander sneak off?"

Angel looked around, then shrugged. "No, did you? I can't believe he'd leave me there."

"He went inside," Oz told him, starting the engine. "The door opened for him without someone on the other side." He pulled away, heading for the school. "We need help."

"No, we need to tie Harris up and torture him."

"Feeling soulless?" Oz asked, giving him a small glance as he turned a corner.

"No, just a little testy." Angel relaxed into his seat, calming himself down again. "We'll figure it out, don't worry."

Giles tossed down his glasses and ran his hands through his hair. "Oz, please restrain Angel. Angel, you cannot have him to torture, no matter how much your soul agrees." Willow snickered. "You, get to work," he said with a glare at the girls. "Both of you."

Buffy flipped through the book as best she could with her left hand, grimacing. "Why would he be in a demon club? I mean, they like him and all, but why is he going in there?"

"Because he wants to?" Willow suggested meanly. "He keeps looking for something special."

"Enough," Giles sighed. "Go home. I'll talk to the boy in the morning."

"Who?" Xander said as he walked in, stopping when everyone looked at him. "What?"

"How'd you get in?" Buffy asked, standing up to walk over and menace him. "You got into a demon club without help and we want to know why."

Xander walked around her. "Some of us still have friends." He tossed something down in front of Giles. "They sent me home with this for you. It's an invitation for *you* to come in. No one else." He ignored the dirty looks. "I'm going home, in case anyone wanted to know." He headed out of the library but Angel ran after him and caught him, bringing him back into the library and sitting him in a chair, hard. "Ow."

"Tough." Angel got down into his face. "How did you get in? Oz said that the door opened by itself."

"Sometimes people open doors from the inside and they aren't ready to leave yet," Xander said in his most condescending tone of voice. "Or didn't they do that in your day?" He ducked Buffy's swat at the back of his head. "Anything else?" he asked as he stood up, only to be pushed back down. He kicked Angel's leg, making him back up so he could stand again. "There, now I'm going home. I've been a good little messenger and I actually made it through the night."

"Wait," Giles called, stopping him. "We need to know what you saw of the interior." He tapped the invitation. "I do anyway."

"It's a club, Giles, just like the Bronze. It's got seats and a bar and a stage." Xander waved and walked out, heading out to his Uncle's car.

"Freeze," Oz called, catching him. "Truth, Xander, I can tell."

Xander sat on his hood, looking Willow's boyfriend over. "Why? It's not like you're going to believe me."

"I would if you told the truth."

"I did, Oz, it's a club."

"With?"

"Huh?"

"With?" Oz repeated. "What sort of club?"

"Just a club with a bunch of horny things." Xander shrugged. "Like Willy's only cleaner and better quality of slime." Xander slid off his hood. "Anything else? I'm tired."

"Why'd it take you three hours to bring that back?" Oz asked him. "You're not demonic."

"Yeah, but they found me and put my butt up in the office until they figured out what to do with me." Xander slid into his seat and stuck the key in the ignition. "Later." He started the convertible and backed out, heading far away from his former friends.

"Truth is a good thing, Xander," Oz told the retreating car, "you ought to try it sometime." He headed back into the school, looking around when it was only he and Giles in the library. "Everyone else?"

"Are heading to the gym to work out." Giles smiled at Oz. "What else did he say?"

"A lot of lies. He knows and isn't telling." Giles nodded. "But he had a definite interest going."

"Interest?" Giles asked. Oz gave him a 'look'. "Oh, *interest*." He nodded then shook his head. "I had hoped all the attraction he had to demons was they to him." He stood up, heading for the cage. "We'll figure this out in the morning. Why don't you join the girls?" He turned to find himself alone. "Or not."

***

Xander woke up, jumping when he saw Oz perched on the end of his bed. "What are you doing here?" he asked as he sat up, making sure his blankets were covering him completely. "How'd you get in?"

"Easily. What's going on?" Xander gave him a confused look. "I know the truth, Xander, try it again."

"I was just held in the office." He watched as Oz took a deep sniff of the air. "Anything else?"

"Xander, truth," Oz said again, shifting closer. "Are you in trouble?"

"Why would I be in trouble?" Xander asked, playing innocent. He shifted until he could grab his robe, slipping it on and getting up. "I'm going to take a shower, don't follow." He headed for his bathroom, locking the door behind him. He opened his robe and took off his shirt, looking at the scratches covering his chest. "Need creamed," he said, opening the cabinet, starting as the tube was handed to him. "OZ!"

"Truth, Xander," Oz repeated, looking at the obvious claw marks. "What are those from?"

"The guy who grabbed me last night." Xander applied some of the cream, rubbing it in with a sigh. "Why do you not believe me? I've apologized for kissing Willow. I've even stayed away from her. What's the big here?"

"You and demons," Oz said softly, getting closer to him. "You playing with them. You smell like them." He looked him over. "You smell like them a lot."

Xander shook his head. "It must have been from last night." He backed away. "Oz, privacy?" he suggested.

"Not until you tell me the truth."

"Out." He opened the door, pushing the slightly older man out and closing the door behind him, leaning against it to make sure Oz couldn't get back in. "Why me?" he asked the ceiling, going to the toilet.

***

Xander finished pulling on his shirt, then grabbed his jacket, heading for his bedroom door. He stopped when he heard the voices outside his door, grimacing. "Fuckers," he muttered, then chuckled. He really didn't want to have to fight with his family again tonight. "At least the job is educational." He snuck over to his window, opening it and climbing out. "It's not like it's not his fault I'm working there." He dropped to the ground, looking around, hand in his pocket over his stake. He did his best to blend into the shadows, moving down the street so no one would see him in the unusual, for him, outfit. He had to stop a little from the corner, tapping his fingers on his thigh when he saw Willow and Buffy standing under a streetlight talking. He turned, heading through a convenient yard, taking an old shortcut toward Willow's house. He ended up on the main street, checking carefully for anyone he knew before he crossed the well-lit street, but he didn't see the van hiding in the alley. He crossed the park, heading for the new club he now worked in.

He tapped on the back door, sliding into the opening and taking off his jacket as he walked down the hall to the room where he worked. "Everything lined up for tonight?" he asked quietly.

"Your friend won't even hear that you're back here," the demon guard told him, patting him hard on the back, making him stumble. "What you do is too important to us that want to live here in peace. We aren't going to ruin a good thing." He waved at the open door. "Yours, I believe."

"As always," Xander said, slipping into the room, after handing off his jacket. "Just don't let the ambesol slime guy touch it again, it smelled this morning before I had it cleaned." He closed the door, walking over to the pillow on the floor, the lone furniture besides the bed and a single mirror. He sat on the pillow, closing his eyes and calming his mind, bringing himself to a new place, a calm place where he wasn't Xander anymore. He looked up slowly as the doorknob turned, growling at the demon walking in. "You're early," he told him.

The demon smiled, cracking his knuckles. "I'm just anxious." He kicked the door shut, advancing on him.

***

Oz pulled up beside Willow, opening the door so she could get in. "Did you catch his outfit?"

"The jacket was a present from someone, he never said who." She buckled up. "Is Giles going in tonight?"

"Yeah, and he's going to be watching for him." He started the van moving again, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. "I have a bad feeling about this."

"So do we, that's why Buffy followed him," she explained. "It's what we planned and he never noticed it." He nodded. "Don't worry, if we need to, we can bust in there and save him from himself."

"That's not what I was worried about." But he didn't explain it to her, he just parked the van and got out, tucking the keys into his pocket. He nodded at Giles, who was leaning against his car. "He's inside."

"I know. Buffy's gone on patrol. She said she was going to ask some of the people leaving a few questions." He stood up, brushing off his pants. "Wait here but do seem to be doing something else. We don't want what little bit of law enforcement we have to bother you." He headed for the alley, pulling the invitation out to show it off.

***

Xander's head rocked with the blow and he licked off his lip, tasting his blood. "Feel better yet?" he taunted, changing his stance to take advantage of the stunned demon's hesitation. His punch connected but it earned him another series of blows that sent him to his knees. He looked up from his vulnerable position, then back down. "Whatever," he sighed, grunting as he was pulled up by his hair. "How?" He was thrown to the bed on his stomach, his pants being pulled off him abruptly and his whole body arching in pain as he was entered. "At least I was ready for it that time," he muttered, earning another cuff to the back of his head, which made him almost black out this time.

The demon grunted, working himself harder and faster, the sight and smell of the young man's blood thrilling him, making his violent tendencies come out even more. He grabbed the young mortal's shoulders, squeezing hard until he heard something give way, getting off at the scream Xander made. He panted, pulling out just as suddenly as he had pushed himself in, falling to the bed to pant some more. "Why do you do this?" he asked once he was recovered and he could hear the young man moving.

"So you don't kill us all," Xander said softly, pillowing his head on his arms. "If I do this then you don't rampage and don't try to open the Hellmouth. Really simple, in a sick and twisted kind of way. But that's who I am." He rolled himself onto his side, groaning in pain. "Thank God for healing elixir."

"I'll tell them you need the strong stuff," the demon said gently, giving him a light kiss to the cheek and a stroke down his injured back. "We really do appreciate you guys, we don't want to go on rampages and destroy the city either." He got up, gathering his clothes, tossing Xander his pants, and walked out.

Xander managed to roll onto his back, eyes squeezed tightly shut so the little colored lights would go away. He heard a knock and grunted.

"You needed this?" the demon guard said as he waved a bottle in the air above the still body.

"Yeah, but I can't move," he whispered.

"So I can see." The guard pulled him up, pouring some of the foul brew down into the open mouth. "Only three more tonight. Then you can go home." He backed away from the bed at the light growl, his face going from worried to impassive. "Guess you're ready to go."

"Give me twenty," Xander said, pushing himself up painfully, pulling on his pants. "Give the stuff some time to work." He grinned at the guard. "Thanks, man."

"Welcome, kid." He backed out of the room, closing the door behind himself.

Xander shifted until he could get to the floor, sitting on the pillow to recalm his mind, bringing his mind back to the place where he wasn't.

***

Giles nodded at the demon escorting him up to the office, making sure he knew exactly what was around him. He took the seat that was waved to, nodding solemnly. "Why did you invite me?"

"So you could see that we're not planning the town's takeover," the demon growled, his voice sounding naturally rough. "We're really here just to blow off some steam." He waved around the room. "This is supposed to be a soothing place. The entertainments are all arranged to soothe the most savage of us."

Giles shifted. "So I could see downstairs." He looked around the office again. "I really needed to make sure that you weren't someplace like Willie's, where Buffy routinely has to go to stop something in the works." The demon shook his head. "As you're aware, I also have a concern about some of my people. I had wondered what kept Xander so long last night."

"He was detained with questions." The demon looked at the guard, who left. "Listen, we don't want your kind here. We're keeping this to ourselves so we don't have any . . . unfortunate incidents. All we want to do is de-stress in peace. As I'm sure you're used to."

"Well, not anymore," Giles admitted with a small smile, getting one in return. "If I'm correct, we do have a human equivalent in town and I am aware of what goes on in there." The demon nodded slowly. "If that's this sort of place, then I have no qualms about leaving this place alone."

"Yeah, we're exactly like that, only we don't have more than a few people working. We haven't been open that long so we're not up to full staff yet. Does that ease some of your tension?"

"Yes, definitely," Giles said, relaxing. "I've been to the human equivalent and afterwards I had no desire to cause physical harm to anything, much less a person." The demon chuckled. "I see you've taken advantage of it?"

"No, the service is off limits to me, that leads to too much temptation." He waved a hand again. "Everything that goes on in here is consensual."

"Am I correct in assuming that not all of your . . . workers are demonic?" The demon frowned at him. "I'm sorry, but I really am concerned about one of my people."

The demon nodded, sitting up straighter. "I would be too. But he's not here." They shared a look and Giles nodded, lowering his eyes. "Everyone here came of their own free will. They knew it all before they came."

"Then I have no qualms." He stood up, reaching over to shake the demon's hand. "Has that slime demon come in?" he asked as he was led toward the door. "I was wondering how much longer Buffy won't have use of her arm."

"Probably a month total," the manager suggested. "He's not been very active in the past so he's had some potency built up. I'm sure she'll be fine."

Giles nodded, heading for the entrance. "I'm sure also. Thank you." He walked out into the night, watching as a few of the vampires in the line ran from him. "Good," he sighed, "one less worry." He met Oz at the end of the alley, shaking his head. "There's no need for concern here. It's just a place for them to wear out violent tendencies." He headed for his car, getting in and starting the engine, even after Oz climbed in beside him. "Need a ride?" he asked archly.

"Give. What's up with Xander?"

"Oz . . . " He stopped to consider his words. "What have you heard about the place on third street? That house that no one talks about and frankly ignores when they can." Oz moaned, rubbing his forehead. "This is that sort of place for demons."

Oz nodded, leaning back in the chair. "Do we talk to him?"

"He took the job of his own free will, it's none of our business what he does in his free time as long as it doesn't jeopardize us."

Oz nodded. "Can't be good though."

"No, but I doubt that's in his mind." Giles hit his dashboard. "This is just like the boy, taking on the hard task without telling us to spare us the work."

"Maybe we can get information from him," Oz said as he slid out of the seat, heading down the street. "Later," he called.

***

Xander gratefully leaned against the guard's body as he was helped to the shower room, eyes closed as he was walked. "Thanks, man, you're a good mom." He was put against the cold tile wall, and the water started over his body. "Blessed be the Gods of Showers," he complained as he picked up the soap and started to clean off his body, ignoring the pains the water was starting in his battered body. It felt good, but it hurt. "Privacy?"

"Yeah, in a minute," the guard said, tracing down a cut on the young man's back. "That's not healing."

"I don't work for the next two days. It'll be fine." Xander turned, rinsing off his soapy hair. "Better," he sighed, closing his eyes. He opened them to find the demon still standing there. "What's wrong? You're looking concerned."

"I am. No one's lasted this long before."

"Yeah, well, I'm not like others." Xander turned away from him to rinse off his front. "I'm okay, really." He heard the guard leave and leaned against the tiles again, letting the hot water soothe him, letting it rinse away the memories that he had made that night. "I'm fine," he told himself, finishing off his shower. He turned off the water, grabbed the robe that he kept in there and strolled back to his room to put back on his clothes. Once he was done, he tapped on the door, walking out and taking his jacket back with a nod, the old Xander back again. He was walked to the outside door, the guard checking to make sure it was safe before escorting him to a cab. "Warehouse," he told the cabdriver, the only one who ever came to the club. "Please." The driver nodded, pulling away from the back end of the alley, heading for a place only Xander knew he had.

Xander paid his fare, getting out and hurrying inside, keys already in his hand. He knew who his nearest neighbors were and that they wouldn't hesitate to 'request' a freebie from him. He closed and locked the door behind himself, heading across the empty entryway to the inside door, going up to the rooms above. He walked through another empty room, opening the door to his private sanctuary. He put his jacket on the coat rack, patting it with a fond look as he headed for the leather sofa sitting in the middle of the room. He slumped down, letting his mind flow out to play by itself as he checked the room to make sure nothing had changed since he had last been there.

The comfortable leather of the couch cradled him as he watched the gas fire that he kept going, watching the shadows and highlights added to the dark rug that lay between there and the couch. He could have turned his head to look at the mirror on the wall, or even at his desk and the small safe next to it, but he didn't need to, he knew that they hadn't changed since the last time he had been there. When he was ready, he got up, strolling over to the desk so he could sit in the comfortable wooden desk chair, leaning back as he looked over the order of his desk. He pulled the envelope out of his jeans pocket, sliding it unopened into his safe with the others in there. He made a note on a book he pulled down off a shelf, then put the book back and closed the roll top. He checked the fire over his shoulder, nodding when it hadn't grown or went out. He stood up with a grunt, dragging himself into his bedroom upstairs. He stripped as soon as he hit the edge of the rug around his bed, putting his dirty work clothes into the hamper against the wall, going clean to his bed, laying on the simple, soft surface. He pulled the down comforter and cotton sheets over his tired body, falling asleep almost immediately so the healing elixir could work its magic.

***

Xander walked past his father on his way inside his house, heading to his room. "What?" he asked when he was stared at.

"Just wonderin' how you do it," his father said, taking a sip of his beer.

"Easily, just the same way the man you gave me to taught me to." Xander turned on the stairs, facing his father, who was sitting down. "You got the rent?" His father shook his head. "Why not?"

"It's due in three days." He finished off his beer, peeling the label. "What're your friends gonna say when they find out about your little 'hobby', boy?"

"Gee, about the same thing they'll say to you when they find out the reason I'm stuck there is because you *gave* me to someone to pay off a gambling debt," Xander said icily. "The rent had better be on time this month." He finished going up to his room, closing and locking the door behind him and taking off his jacket to put it on its special padded hanger. He turned around from his closet, jumping when he saw Oz there. "What?"

"Need information," Oz said calmly, crossing his feet from his sprawl in Xander's desk chair. "What's going on?" He glanced at the door. "No thems, just between us."

Xander sat on the bed with a sigh, rubbing his face. "What do you really want to know, Oz? And do my parents know you're here?"

"Would that matter?" Xander looked up and nodded. "Sounded like you were in control."

"I am, but he'll throw a fit and I don't want to listen to it." He checked the clock, then leaned back onto his pillows. "What do you want to know?"

"What do you do there? Giles thinks you do things like that house on third does." Xander nodded. "You do?"

"Yeah." He sat up, pulling off his shirt. "Help me pick out clothes, will ya? I have to go back to being normal Xander so Willow doesn't find out." He walked over to the closet, knowing his back was clawed up.

"Looks painful," Oz said, getting up to look at them closer. "Why do you do it?"

"So they don't rampage and kill everyone." Xander turned to look at him. "Oz," he stopped and shook his head. "You'd have to know that level of violence to understand." He turned back to his selection of clothes, pulling out one of his usual outfits. "It's a matter of necessity for some."

"Xander, I know," Oz told him quietly, putting his hand on the thin shoulders. "I have known." Xander turned to face him. "I even understand, I just wanted to know why you did it."

"Because it's a habit now." He looked into the gray eyes, seeing the understanding there. "My father gave me to someone to settle a gambling debt when I was fourteen. He taught me to enjoy it and to see it's usefulness. He taught me to see my usefulness." He shrugged. "When all the demons started to be attracted to me, I had a long think, then the new club came in. I was the only one that came in with references." He walked around his friend's still body to sit on the edge of his bed. "I'm really sorry if this hurts you, Oz, but this is me now. Accept it."

"I will," Oz said with a nod. "Someday." He stopped to tip Xander's head up. "If they find out, it's not me." Xander gave him a begging look. "Buffy went looking for info last night. Giles found out too."

Xander's eyes narrowed. "Oh, I'm so going to kill my boss." He shook himself, looking up again. "Okay, thanks. Should I worry?"

"Maybe. If Buffy found out, it's probably all over the school, you know what a prude she is." Oz stepped back, nodding at him. "Later?"

"Yeah, later." Xander waved him closer, pulling his wallet out of his last pair of jeans. He pulled out a paper, handing it over after writing on the back. "I'm there."

Oz looked at it then back up. "Thanks."

"Welcome." Xander went back to recreating the person everyone thought of as Xander, and when he turned back around, he was alone.

***

Xander tensed as he heard someone walking behind him, moving to the side of the school's hall so they could get past. He was slapped on the back and winced, looking at the jock. "Hey, Terry."

"What's up with your back? I didn't hit you that hard."

Xander considered the man he had been on the swim team with. "I slipped and fell onto some broken glass, have a small cut and it hurts."

"Oh, okay." Terry shook his head. "You're the most awkward person out of the water, but in it, you're just as graceful as a fish." He shrugged and walked on with a wave. "Come to try outs tonight, Harris, we could use you this year."

"Maybe," Xander called back, relaxing. If what he was doing had been spread around, it would have come out then. He continued on his way to the library, hesitating slightly before walking through the door. "Hey, what's up?" he asked, heading for the table.

Buffy frowned at him. "Did you know there were strange rumors about you?" Xander nodded. "You did?"

"Yeah, one of the vamps stopped me to ask me if they were true. One of last year's graduates." He took his place, looking up as Giles walked over to them. "How was your tour?"

"Very enlightening." Giles sat, looking at the teens gathered around the table. "That club is off limits from now on unless something happens. They're going there to wear out their aggression so they don't try to take over the town."

Buffy shrugged. "Whatever. I won't hunt there." She used her good hand to flex the other one's fingers. "Any word on this?"

"Yes, I'm afraid the demon that did that to you has been rather inactive recently so his slime was more potent. The manager suggested it might be up to a month before you get the feeling back."

"Well, guess that means the town can go to hell."

"We'll patrol for you," Willow said quickly. "Or at least go with you." Oz nodded.

Buffy smiled, and looked at Xander. "You too?"

"I'll try to get free of work. My boss is not real thrilled that I have an external life." Giles coughed lightly, and Xander almost glared at him but he kept it to himself. "I have to talk to him tonight anyway so I'll try to arrange for some nights off."

Buffy beamed at him, then looked up as the bell rang. "Oops, gotta go, got a test." She hopped up, dragging Willow with her. At the door, she turned to look at Xander. "Not coming?"

"In a minute, I need to talk to Giles about guy stuff." She nodded and waved, walking out. Xander looked at the older man, giving him a bland look. "Who told you?" he asked quietly. "And what will it cost me to keep it private?"

"Your boss let it slip when I specifically asked about you," Giles admitted, "but I don't work that way. You're entitled to secrets, Xander. Even from the group. As long as it doesn't hurt them."

Xander nodded, standing up. "The world doesn't work that way, Giles," he told him softly as he walked past. "I'd better get to class." He headed after the girls, slipping into his seat just after the late bell had rung.

***

Giles kept Xander from leaving for work by grabbing his arm and pulling him into the office. "I'd like to speak with you," he said once the door was closed. "What are you doing?"

"Why?"

"Because I'd like to see if we couldn't use you to figure out what's going on in town, an extra form of intelligence if possible."

"I won't betray my customers, Giles," Xander told him, relaxing. "I'm never downstairs. I walk in the back door, get taken to the room I work in, get escorted to the showers, back to my room, then I leave. They make very sure I'm never alone once they figured out I was with you guys." He shrugged at the slumping shoulders. "I'm sorry."

"It's all right. I was just wondering if the demon population had grown and if we could ask you to keep an eye on the growth pattern for me."

Xander nodded. "I might be able to do that, but not details." Giles looked up hopefully. "Maybe slip that a new contingent had moved in or something. Nothing more though, I promised that my clients would have anonymity."

"That would be excellent, it would give me some warning and give us a chance to fix things."

"Giles, most of my clients are there to get calm so you never see them."

"Yes, but it's best to be prepared."

"I know." Xander stood up. "And with that warning, let me warn you that I can disappear if I need to." He walked out of the office, heading out into the early night to go to work.

***

The guard knocked on Xander's door as he was getting dressed for the last time that night. "Almost ready," he called, buttoning up his overshirt.

"We got a problem case," the guard said, walking in and leaning against the wall. "The boss wants to know if you can do another one tonight. He's ready to go kill something."

Xander looked down at his body, then at the mirror at his bruised face. "No." He turned back to him, shaking his head. "The elixir won't work again tonight and I'm already too sore to move." He tried to push past him. "I mean it. No."

"Yeah, we know, but he was offering great benefits if you would."

"Yay, does it include hospitalization?" Xander asked snidely. "'Cause that's where I'm headed if I do another."

"This guy's kinda puny and small," the guard said soothingly. "I'll be right outside so you can yell for me to get help."

Xander shook his head. "No." He crossed his arms, looking at the demon. "Why do I think I've just been set up?" The door opened to admit his boss. "No. Not another tonight."

"No, kid, we need you. You're the only one who could handle this guy." His boss shrugged, giving him a slightly panicked look. "We really need you to handle this one. The other guys are all full for the night."

"And I just reached maximum on the healing elixir. If I go again, I'm going to the hospital." His boss winced. "Yeah, and not only that, but now I have to watch out because you told my *other* boss what was going on here." He shook his head, heading for the door. "No way in hell."

"Oh, don't say that," Angel said as he walked in. He looked over Harris. "Give us ten, would ya? I need it bad enough to be quick." He waited until they were alone, forcing Xander to stay. "Please, Harris, it has to be you. You know what I can become."

"Which is another really good reason to not do this."

"Yeah, but you never turn down friends in need," Angel said as he went to game face and punched him. He smirked as Xander went flying, following him to hold him against the floor by his throat. "Oh, this is good," he said, smiling as he leaned down for a kiss. "Very good. Someone trained you very well." He slapped the mortal a few more times then let him up, standing over him as he gasped and choked, pulling out his cock to piss on him. "Ah, much better." He moved backwards, picking Xander up by the leg to drag him over to the bed. "On the bed, bitch. I need to get this over with."

Xander choked and gasped, rubbing his throat. "No," he croaked, backing away from the enraged vamp. "Go take it out on Buffy, man, I don't want it." He fought back, getting a good kick to the vampire's stomach to push him back. "I don't want you here, Angel, out."

"Oh, but that's not your decision," Angel purred, leaping to catch him again, but the kid ducked under his arms, kicking him into the lamp. "Oh, fun. Much better." He rocked as he was hit, backhanding Xander to the bed. "Good, right where I wanted you." He grunted as he was pushed back, simply shrugging, attacking him, punching and biting him until he went still. "Much better." He pulled the clothes off the still living body, sliding into the well-used hole to finish himself off. "Yeah, you'll make a nice present. I've got to get one of you to do this regularly." He grunted as he came, backing away, his cock still dripping come. "Ah, much better." Angel shook his head and his eyes changed, looking at the battered body. "I'm sorry, Harris, I had to tame him for a while more," he said softly, heading for the door. He nodded at the guard. "Done. Tell your boss thanks." He headed for the main stairs.

The guard walked in, staring at the body until he could tell if it was living or not. He shrugged and picked up the body, carrying it into the shower room, he knew how the kid did his nightly routine.

Xander was helped into the cab, the door being closed. He croaked, "Warehouse," and leaned his head back, closing his eyes. He felt the cab moving, but when he opened his eyes, he was staring at a man in a white uniform. "Gee, doesn't look like home to me." He pushed the doctor away, kicking at the nurse who was near his leg. "Get off!" He pushed himself up, looking around. "What's going on? Why am I here?"

"You were brought in by a cabdriver. He thought you were going to die," the man said gently, pushing him back down. "Just relax, we're just trying to figure out how injured you are and why you're healing so quickly."

"'Cause I am," Xander said, sitting back up. "Just tape my ribs and let me go."

"I'm afraid we can't do that," the nurse said. "It's against policy."

Xander glared at her and she backed up. "Yay," he said coldly. "It's not like you're going to do anything else." He looked at the doctor. "I'm going home now, whether or not you tape my ribs." He winced as he lifted his arms. "So please do them."

The doctor nodded. "If you would tell us who did this, we would have them stopped," he offered, picking up the roll of tape that was laying beside the bed. "Social Services and the police have been told. It's a matter of law," he explained quickly as the glare was turned on him. "We have to."

Xander nodded. "Whatever, just tape them so I can go home. You, go get my paperwork so I can leave." The nurse jogged out and Xander relaxed into the cold, competent hands. "What's really going on here?"

"We were wondering that ourselves." The doctor wound the tape around his ribs, pressing lightly to make sure it made contact. "You're very bruised and showing signs of older bruises. Are you having problems at home or in your relationship?" He glanced up to see the head shake. "Would you like to tell me about it? What happened I mean. I could relay something to the police, who would then be satisfied."

"No thanks." Xander grunted as the next round of tape went around him. "I'm fine, it won't happen again." He popped his neck, then winced again. "Ow."

"Yes, it appears you have a nice lump on the back of your head." The doctor reached up to touch the marks on the side of Xander's neck. "I would like to know about those though, just for my own personal edification." He flashed a feeding face with a shrug. "Which one?"

"I work at the club off main," Xander explained quietly. "That was Angelus." The doctor shuddered. "He did it so he wouldn't come back out. Angel's normal. Just don't let it be known, okay?"

"Definitely. I don't want exposed any more than you do." He finished the taping. "You getting out of the business?"

"Yeah, my boss broke my trust twice in a day." Xander slid from the table, pulling on the clothes handed to him. "Thanks."

"No problem, just rest, set your alarm clock to wake you every few hours. I'm sure you know all the precautions."

Xander nodded, heading out to the desk. He looked over the forms the person standing there handed him, handing them back. "Release papers, not commitment papers." Another set were handed to him and he read them carefully, signing at the bottom. "Later." He headed out into the night, choosing to walk so he could think.

***

Xander opened his safe, pulling out all the closed envelopes, slitting them open with the knife sitting on his desk. He frowned when he saw the slips of paper laying in the top four, taking out the rest to open and look. He nodded when he saw most of the rest were empty, smiling grimly. "It's time to put my other skills to use," he told himself simply, getting up to head upstairs. There was time enough to do this when he was healed.

***

Giles walked into the library, flipping on the lights. He winced as he saw the bruises on Xander's face, what he could see through the shadow he was sitting in, hurrying over to the young man to make sure he was all right.

"I'm fine," Xander said softly, stopping him. "But I do have some information." He leaned forward, coming out of the shadows. "Angel's soul isn't quite as stuck as you'd like to think. He was my fifth last night, to keep Angelus inside and quiet for a while longer." He leaned back again. "I'm going to do something tonight, keep Buffy inside." Xander stood up, walking past him. "Later."

"Do you need help?" Giles called but Xander shook his head. "If you do, call on us."

"I'll see you tomorrow," Xander called from the door, continuing out.

"Please be safe," Giles prayed. "Please be safe again. No one deserves that fate."

***

Xander walked into the back door, nodding at his usual guard. "I'm going to talk to the boss, I'm not working tonight." He pushed past him, heading down into the full bar, stopping all conversation. "Anyone of mine? He's been cheating you and I quit. Get over it," he called as he walked up the stairs to the office, pulling one guard off balance and letting him fall down the stairs behind him. The other growled and puffed up but Xander flipped a knife into it's forehead, it's weak point, and watched it fall dispassionately. "Oh, bossman," he said as he walked into the office. "I want my pay. All of it." He laid the sheet down on the table with the accounting of all the times he hadn't been paid. "Do it or I set off the bomb." He put the remote next to the paper. "Decide fast," he said when the demon's mouth opened.

"Harris, you can't do this...."

Xander backhanded him, sending his boss to the floor with a cry of pain. "Can't take it?" he asked snidely. "Gee, guess that's why you had me." He snapped his fingers at the guard still in the room. "Get the safe open! The bomb is nicely placed so the club will explode and nothing else."

The guard hurried to get the safe open, ignoring his boss' orders. "Harris!" his boss said. "You can't do this! Not to me!"

"Then you shouldn't have cheated me," Xander said simply with a shrug. "You should have kept your word and protected me the way I did you." He took the pile of money, heading out into the club. He walked out the front door, stuffing the bills into his pockets, and looked at the crowd. "Anyone going in to see anyone like me? We're all quitting. He tried to cheat us." The demons and vamps started to talk amongst themselves as he walked away. He got into a cab, leaning forward. "Sixth and main. That cheap motel." He leaned back after passing over one of the bills, pulling out the rest to check it over. Then he pulled out a small keychain alarm, pushing the button.

Behind him the club went up in flames.

"Never cheat me," he said softly. The cabdriver looked at him in shock. "There was a revolt, I was just part of it. The boss was cheating us." He slid out as the cab stopped, going into the office, coming out with a key, the beginning of his alibi. He waved at the man behind the desk, heading down the street to his warehouse.

He walked through the bare rooms, heading for the private garage in the back. He unloaded his pockets into the leather backpack sitting on his motorcycle then tied it tightly, getting on the bike to leave his old safe place for his other one, one that no one knew he had. He had time enough to go back to his old life before class tomorrow.

***

Xander opened his front door, squinting at the officer standing there in the bright sunlight. "What?"

"Mr. Harris, I need to ask you some questions," the officer said formally, pushing his way inside. "Were you working at that club that went up last night?" He waited until the door was shut to turn around.

"Was, I quit last night." He shrugged at the stare he got. "They were cheating me out of my pay. I went in to get what I was owed and then I left. As I was being driven away by a cab, the building went up."

"Yes, that's what the cabdriver said," the officer said, pulling out his notebook to flip through it. "He said you said something about being cheated. Was that over your pay?"

"Wasn't just me, but yeah. Like I said, I went in there to get my pay and then I left." He leaned against the wall, relaxing. "Am I actually a suspect?"

"Yes, sir. Everyone there is still a suspect."

"What do you need to know?"

"How did you get in? No one saw you walk in the front?"

"The people who worked there used the back door, up on the second floor. I walked in, pushed past one of the guards, and headed through the club to the office."

"Okay, that matches what we've heard." The office closed the notebook. "Do you know who did it? We would like to talk to the person who made the bomb and set it off." He stared into Xander's eyes.

"Gee," he said with a wry smile, "I'm in high school, how would I know how to make a bomb?" He shrugged at the nod. "The only thing I know about bombs is what I've heard on TV. That they can be made of fertilizer, like in Oklahoma City, and sometimes with things like bleach. That's all I know. Well, that and what MacGyver showed." He gave him an innocent look that he had practiced a lot on the Scooby Gang. "And even then, how would I have done that? I don't even have an allowance and I was being shorted cash. I wouldn't know where to go to talk to someone to get instructions so again, I ask you how I could have done it."

The officer nodded. "Okay. It was a professional bomb."

"Would a high school kid have exposure to something like explosives?" he asked.

"No, you're right. I'm sorry to have bothered you. Just stay in town until we're done with all the questioning please." The officer walked past him, going outside.

Xander turned, finding his father peeking around the doorway. "Got the rent?" he asked as he headed up to his room. "If not, I'd have it by the time I get back from class." He wandered up the stairs, heading up to change back into ScoobyXander, the one everyone was used to seeing.

***

Xander walked into the library, frowning at the back of Principal Snyder, then nodding at Giles. Giles walked over, pulling him into the office and shutting the door. "I'm fine," he said again as the older man touched his bruises.

"I'm sure but you don't look it." Giles sat on the edge of his desk. "Xander, was that your doing?" Xander shrugged, giving him the same innocent look. "I see. At least you're safe. If you need something, you could come to me for it," he offered calmly, watching his eyes. "I'm sure I could help you do something less physically harmful."

"Won't happen again," Xander told him, sitting on the couch. "I quit last night." He looked at the door as it opened. "Yeah, what?" he asked, turning surly. "Can't he have a discussion with me about how he's concerned that I have bruises?"

The Principal sneered at him. "What happened, Harris, trip?"

"Nope, got into a fight with someone." He patted his pocket as it started to buzz, pulling out a pager. "Giles, can I use your phone?" He stood up, reaching for it.

"Dial '8' first," he said, walking out. "We'll be talking in a bit."

"If you say so." Xander dialed the number on the phone. "Privacy?" he suggested to Snyder, who was still standing in the door. When the Principal didn't get the hint, he walked over, pushing the door closed and forcing him out. "Hey," he said as it was answered. "You paged?"

//He wants to talk to you,// the male voice on the other side said.

"When and where? But can it be somewhere to eat? I forgot to get groceries." He sat on the edge of the desk, crossing his feet.

//No, he wants to talk to you now.//

Another male voice came across the line. //Xander, what were you thinking?// it asked softly.

"I was thinking that he stiffed me my paycheck and tried to kill me. I was getting what was mine. Just like you told me - never let anyone cheat you and get away with it." He shifted again, his relaxed state fading away. "Do you have a big problem with what I did?"

//No, I don't. I was just surprised. Are you all right? Needing medical attention?//

"No, I have taped ribs, bruised only, and a few other notable bruises. I'll be fine with a few days of healing." He snorted, looking down at his feet. "Thank you for asking though. It means a lot that you did."

//I know. Just as long as you're safe and you got back exactly what was yours.//

"And a little more. The guard was *real* happy when he opened the safe and handed me a stack of back pay." He glanced up, glaring at Snyder, who was pasted to the other side of the door. "Can you do something about civil servants? Specifically ones who are trying to eavesdrop?"

//No, you know better. That brings attention, my boy. Are you sure you're fine? I know what I've heard and I know that you went to the hospital and checked yourself out.// The voice chuckled. //The nurse's reaction was noted too, did you have to scare her so bad?//

"Yup, she wouldn't leave me alone." Xander relaxed. "So you're not mad? I'm not going to get a lecture or something?"

//No, my boy, you did fine. You were discrete and I doubt the police will even question you.//

"They already did, apparently cab drivers do overhear things. Just a note about me being cheated," he clarified at the unpleased grunt. "Sorry."

//No, you did fine. Did they actually think you did it?//

"No, it was more of a 'someone saw you/what were you doing there/do you know who did it' thing. The cop just wanted to know if I knew how it happened. He mentioned bomb and I said fertilizer and bleach. He said professional and I said high school student has access, so we're fine."

//Good, I'm glad. You've done me proud last night, Xander. Very proud. Are you taking off? I know you're working for that Slayer chick.//

"No, I'm working *with* her, not for her. And my extra skills can only come out for certain things. I have to stay, don't worry about me. I'm fine. Very fine." He shifted again. "Thanks, Daddy, you're one of the original good, no matter what anyone says." He hung up at the small laugh, glaring at Snyder who had walked back in. "What? Privacy is a human right." He crossed his arms.

"Daddy?" he sneered. "Your father?"

"No, the man who raised me for a few years. He was actually concerned when he heard the place where I worked went up last night." He walked out into the library, pushing past the irritating little man. "Giles, need me for much?"

"Yes, sit down," he said absently, looking up from his book. "I think we should finish our discussion." He looked at the principal. "Did you need something else or were you not done harassing us?"

"Oh, I'm done. For now." He stared at Xander then left, the door slamming behind him.

Xander sat down at the table, tapping his fingers. "What?" Giles looked at him. "What? You wanted to talk."

Willow walked in, bouncing happily. "I'm a happy girl," she sang, hugging each of them and taking her usual seat. Her smile fell away when she saw his face. "Who beat you up?"

"We had a fight at work last night before I quit." He gave her a wry smile. "It was really explosive and I couldn't take it anymore." She nodded and he snapped his fingers, getting up to grab his pager before he lost it. "Sorry, forgot that," he explained as he slid it into his pocket. "I'll ask him the next time I talk to him if you can have the number," he told Giles softly, so Willow didn't hear.

Giles nodded. "Please, and I would like to do a follow-up on your skills from your possessions." He looked at Willow. "Why were you so happy?"

"Because I just got back a test I thought I had did bad on and I got an A-plus." She smiled again. "I thought I had gotten a 'B'." She bounced a little more, jumping up to talk to Buffy when she walked in.

Buffy walked over, staring at Xander's face, then at his clothes, stopping at the pager. "When did you get one of those?" she asked.

"Long time ago. One of the people who helped me a long time ago gave it to me. He's the only one who has the number. *I'm* not even sure of the number." He tapped the table a few times. "So, anything exciting happen last night?"

"Well, the demon club blew up," Buffy said, sitting down, still staring at his face. "A few of the demons came in here to ask me to find them somewhere safe that they could blow off some steam at." She shrugged, looking away. "They said it was an unfortunate incident but that it had to happen. Something about the boss cheating the workers."

"Gee, didn't hear about that at all. Was anyone hurt?"

"No, only the club. Apparently someone warned them about the bomb and they all got out." She stared at his face again. "What did that to you?"

"One of the guys at work. That's why I quit." He looked at the door as Oz walked in, nodding at him. "How was your night?"

"Fine. Uneventful. You get him back?"

Xander nodded. "Much worse than I got."

Buffy snorted. "No offense, Xander, but I've seen you fight."

Xander nodded. "Maybe." He stood up. "I have to get a pass to not go to gym today. Am I needed?"

"We'll be talking later," Giles said sternly. "Fighting is not the thing to do at work."

"Yes, dad," he sighed, walking out of the library.

Giles looked at the other teens. "Were we ready for the next emergency?"

Buffy nodded. "Definitely. And all those demons decided to go find somewhere else on their own. Whatever suggestion you gave them apparently worked, there wasn't a bit of unrest last night."

"Good."

***

Xander was sitting in the chair in the shadowed corner again when Giles walked into the library that night after his supper break. "Ah, good," Giles sighed, pulling a chair over to sit across from him. "How did you do that?"

"My father once had a lot of gambling debts, Giles," Xander said quietly. "I was used to pay them off. The man who took me in taught me many skills, including the ones I used at work. He let me work for him until I had some money saved up then gave me a reference to a job where I was doing good."

"That house on third?" Giles asked, equally quiet, almost afraid to raise his voice.

"Yes, that place. I was the only person at that club that came in with references. That's why I was hired." Xander leaned forward. "You have access to my skills when you need it, Giles, but no one's going to know. All I want from you is a replication of the healing elixir we were given to help heal us. I could use it sooner instead of later, but I really could use some of it."

Giles nodded. "I'll see what I can't find and make for you. What exactly did you learn?"

Xander gave him a bright smile. "Do you really want to know?" Giles shook his head after a few seconds thought. "Didn't think so. Were you sent the number to my pager?"

"Yes, I found an envelope on my kitchen table when I walked in. In it were instructions to contact a number if you were ever this badly hurt again and to use you sparingly. Something about wanting better for you?"

Xander nodded. "Daddy wants better for me than he and his men had, that's why he taught me the skills but taught me when not to use them." Xander leaned back, crossing his legs. "If you need them, they're here, but no one else is going to know. Oz knows some but not all."

Giles smiled. "That's sensible. I'll keep your secrets, Xander, never fear about that." He relaxed, shifting so he was mirroring the younger man's position. "What would you like to do?"

"I would like to take a few days off to finish healing, my ribs hurt and so does my face, but if you need me I'm here." Giles shook his head. "Good, then I'm going to a safe place, but you won't be finding me while I'm there." He stood up, heading for the door. "Don't use the pager unless it's an emergency. That's what it's for." He walked out the door, nodding at Oz as he walked past him, slipping a slip of paper into his pocket. "I'm going home, my head hurts," he said in a normal voice. He smiled at Willow as she walked up behind them. "Have fun, I'm going to have a tyelnol time." He waved and walked out of the school.

"What was that about?" Willow asked, looking at her boyfriend's rear. "What was he doing with your butt?"

"He was tucking in my wallet, it was falling out." Oz wrapped an arm around her waist, leading her into the library. "Let's work."

***

Xander answered his door, using the remote to turn down the television, nodding Oz inside. "What's up?" he asked, sitting down on his leather sofa again.

"Is this your safe space?"

"Yeah, the other was getting a little too well known." Xander waved at the other end of the couch. "Sit, ask what you want to."

Oz sat, looking at his friend's face, which was less bruised now. "You okay again?"

"Very okay. Giles found me some of the healing elixir I had been using. Even my ribs are fine." He looked over his friend's body. "Are you?"

"Almost. Little miffed." Oz relaxed, looking around the comfortable room. "When did you get this?"

"Few years ago. I needed a place to hide and be myself. And I needed a backup in case I needed to move fast." Xander pulled one foot up under him. "This place actually has a shower and everything so it's a good spot to stay when I don't want to deal with my family."

"What's up with your father anyway? I knocked on the door and he looked really upset."

"The rent was late so I doubled it for the next few months." Xander stayed calm. "How were you sneaking in?"

"Willow's way. She told me how she used to." Oz shifted to face him better. "What now?"

"No more working like that. I'm taking some time off to take some more classes and to do some planning. I have enough money to do that and I could use the classes." He looked him over. "Why? Did you know someone who wanted to offer me a job?"

"No, not really. Though we were all wondering about how the bruises really happened. Buffy said you can't fight."

Xander snorted. "She doesn't know what I can and can't do. But, to answer the real question, Angel needed to keep Angelus inside and calm so my boss forced me to take him on. After I checked myself out of the hospital that night, I came home to find I had been stiffed of my pay. So I fixed it." He saw the small nod. "Don't ask, Oz, unless you really want to know."

"No, but I would like to understand. How you got to here and everything."

"Ah. You want to hear the whole story, huh?" Oz nodded. "Well, I told you about being given, right?" Oz nodded again. "I was given to a very powerful man. One who enjoyed the same games. My father had told him that I would enjoy it too, but the first time he hit me I curled up in a corner to try and protect myself. So he cursed my father, picked me up, and decided I was going to be his son. He taught me everything I know, from fighting to fighting dirty, to work. When I was old enough, and well trained enough, he gave me a reference to a job at the house on third. I had asked for it so he gave it, with a lot of protest. I worked there for almost three years, until the demon club started to hire. I went in there with a lot of references and a long job history, so I got a good job. Or so I thought."

"Healing elixir?"

"Is really important when you do what I was doing each night but it only worked four times a night. If you took it any more times, then it started to reverse it's earlier effects. So I had four clients a night until the night Angel came in so desperate that I had to be forced to help him."

"Considering they hated him and tried to kill him when we went to investigate, can I be shocked?

"I didn't know that," Xander said thoughtfully. "I think I should have a talk with Angel." He turned his attention back to Oz. "Thank you."

"Welcome, just don't break Buffy's heart."

"Oh, I won't." Xander gave him a cold smile. "Don't worry, I'm very good at what I can do." He crossed his hands in his lap. "What else would you like to know?"

"Do you really enjoy it? I could smell the sex on you."

"In some bizarre way, I think I do. I don't get off doing it, but I do enjoy it on some level, otherwise I wouldn't be able to do it at all." He considered him. "Do you enjoy changing?"

"In some ways," Oz admitted. Then he grinned. "Point. Just as painful but as rewarding. Now what?"

"Now, I look into classes with my Daddy, who said he would put me somewhere nice to take lessons in martial arts, and I finish high school, gifting Giles with my skills when he needs them."

"Huh. Coolness. Want helpers?"

"Nope, I work alone." Xander gave him a slight grin. "Don't worry about it, Oz, I'm going to keep being fine, no matter what."

"As long as you stay fine." Oz pulled one leg up to lean on. "What about Willie's?"

"His bar has one person who does the same thing I do, but she's a pampered pet. I've seen her once, from behind. Slightly heavy frame, blonde, is real calm from her walk." Oz nodded. "I don't think Willie's going to share though, she's real picky about her clients."

"Is that all they were to you?"

"It was a job, Oz. Nothing more. All I did was leach some of the violent tendencies from them. Just a really physical job."

"What about Cordy? I noted you're still dating."

"She's not knowing. No one does. Not even Willow, who used to ask me where I had went that fall. Daddy put me back in school about a week late and she wanted to know where I was." He looked at the television. "She didn't ask after a few days, it just slipped her mind because everything was normal in her world again."

Oz grunted. "I realize that now. Her world is real narrow. As long as it's fine, she's okay. Otherwise she's a wreck." He snorted. "I think I'm the biggest shake-up to hit her since Buffy."

"Buffy was a matter of necessity. She had to accept it. You rocked her to the core. Her whole world shifted. But you've been good for her so I'm not upset." He reached over, pinching Oz's arm. "As long as you're good to her, we're fine."

Oz nodded. "I will be. Don't worry about us." He looked over the soft, warm clothes Xander was wearing. "Way different clothes."

"Way different person," Xander corrected. "This Xander is the real me. Not the one I hide behind so Willow doesn't get thrown for a loop and break down. Not the one that everyone sees. I have matured, but if I showed too much of it she'd wonder and worry herself sick so I haven't been." He chuckled. "If she saw me like this, she'd freak and have a break-down."

"Yeah, point," Oz agreed. "Can I know this you?"

"Yeah, you and Giles can both know this me. If Buffy knew, she'd let it slip to Wills so I don't let her see it. Maybe hints now and then but not the full me." He handed over the remote. "Want to watch TV with me?"

"Yeah, I'd like to veg with you." Oz shifted so he was facing the television, turning it back up. "Hey, Baywatch."

"Mild porn?" Xander offered.

"Very mild. Especially against the one that Buffy snuck from Giles' stash. He's someone who might have been a client too."

"Nope, as soon as I realized he was going there, I made sure my boss would hide me from him." Xander stood up. "Want something to drink? I think we have soda." He walked into another room, coming back with a bottle of soda and a glass of beer. "My one indulgence a week," he explained as he sat down. He leaned back, getting comfortable as he sipped.

***

Angel woke to feel someone leaning over him, and he wasn't in his room anymore. He looked up, frowning at Giles. "What?" he asked, trying to sit up, only to figure out he was tied down on the cold stone slab. "What am I doing here?"

"Oh, I think you know," Giles said quietly, walking up to him. "I've had the most distressing news about your other side, Angel, and I thought we should have a talk." He walked around the tense body, patting his chest. "I haven't told her yet, you know. Not a thing about what you did to him."

"Him who?" Angel asked, his whole face trying to stay neutral but his stomach plummeting into his spinal cord as Giles laughed cruelly. "Tell me what I did so I can make up for it?"

"You know what you did," Giles told him. "But I will know who invited you inside to do that to him."

"Him who?"

"Xander," Giles hissed in his ear. "I know *everything* about that night, everything except who invited you to harm him." He stood back up. "I could let him have you, you know. I'm sure he'd like that."

Angel snorted. "The kid isn't that bad, Giles." He looked him over. "Maybe you should try it sometime."

"Oh, I have," Giles said, smiling gently. "A number of times, but that still doesn't get you free, does it." He walked to the foot of the stone and pulled a rope sitting there, revealing a mirror that pointed toward the door of the crypt. "Would you like me to explain what this is for or can you guess?"

"Giles, no," Angel said, fighting the bonds. "You can't do that. Come on, I had to control Angelus somehow. I was offered his services." He managed to snap one bond but found his wrist pinned back down, this time with a knife that was buried into the stone. "Hey! I never asked for him, I just asked for help."

"I don't believe you," Giles told him. He stopped, standing up and looking at the shadows. "Who's there?"

"I am," Xander said, walking out to look down at the vampire. "Oh, fun." He looked up at Giles. "May I?" From the sleeve of his leather jacket, a slim wooden tip appeared. "I'm sure I could get something from him."

Angel looked back and forth between them. "Okay, I was invited to come wear myself out," he said loudly. "Just don't hurt me."

"Oh, pity," Xander said, flicking the wooden blade down into the vampire's thigh. "Oops, I meant to hit in closer." He looked up at Giles. "Are you really having fun doing this?"

"Yes, I am." He looked the young man over. "I'd like to discuss this with you later if I may."

"I told you I'm at your disposal now." He looked down at Angel, giving him a bland look. "Who invited you?"

"Your boss. He said you were being fired that night so he wanted me to be your last." He struggled to get free. "Come on, guys, I won't tell anyone."

"Oh, you won't," Giles said smoothly. "We will make sure of it." He pulled the knife out of the free wrist, walking around to where Xander was. "Shall we go get coffee? I really don't want to be here."

"Sure." They walked to the door together, Xander stopping suddenly and turning, casting another wooden blade at the vampire, hitting him two inches off his heart. "Wow, I still manage to impress myself." He winked at Angel. "Just think if I had been trying," he told him, then waved and walked out after Giles.

Angel whimpered as he pulled the wooden blade out of his chest, looking at it. "What did I do to myself this time?" he asked it, getting up and running out into the night, not even bothering to look for clothes.

***

Giles faced the man on his couch, looking him over. "That other man, your Daddy as you call him, who is he?"

"Why?"

"Because I think I know him. I don't know many that can throw with that accuracy, especially not a wooden knife. I would like to know if it was Ethan."

"Ethan has a cousin, a very nice, older one who is in some more questionable businesses. He took me in. Though I did meet Ethan while I was there. He was the one who taught me that wooden knife trick." He smiled suddenly. "I used to wonder who Ripper was when he'd mutter about me being Ripper Junior."

Giles groaned, rubbing his face. "As he trained me, I'm not surprised he'd say that." He looked him over. "What else can you do?"

"A great number of things, but I only do a few very well," Xander told him gently. "You never have to worry about me unless you try to screw us over." He nodded at the sad look in the older man's eyes. "Good, I see you know that. As for what skills do I have that you could use? You've seen my major two. I have a few other unnotable skills. I'm going to start taking classes to learn more. Once I'm good enough, those are yours too."

"Thank you, Xander, you have no idea what this means to me." He reached over slowly, patting the still hand. "You can consider my home a safe space if you'd like. I'd never hurt you, even before I knew about all this."

Xander nodded. "I know, but that's going to take some self-training. I don't relax anywhere anymore." He shifted slightly, putting his back further into the corner. "So, what else did you want to know?"

"What about your home situation? I've figured out it's not the ideal situation, but are you safe there?"

"Considering my parents are paying me outrageous rent for the privilege of living there? It's fine. My father has to live with the consequences of his actions. He sent me off to be trained, now he has to live with me."

"What about Willow?"

"Have you noticed that Willow tends to get panicky if things aren't normal in her life?" Giles shook his head. "Willow has this need for stability. If she doesn't get it and keep it, she starts to fall apart. I stay her old Xander to keep her balanced. Oz and I talked about this last night. Change is not Willow's friend so we keep it from touching her as much as possible." He smiled slightly. "Now it's your duty too."

"I shall take it as seriously as I do my duty to Buffy and to you," he said solemnly. "What are you going to do if she finds out? Buffy's still trying to get information about the club even though I've told her repeatedly not to."

"Nothing. Unless she comes to me and asks, I'm not doing a thing. Willow has this great 'ignoring anything that doesn't fit' thing going about me. If I slip and act odd for a few hours, she just pushes it aside as a remnant of my possession or something caused by stress. Even if Buffy brought her a tape of me working, she'd deny it until she was forced to deal with it. And then she'd end up broken for a while. It happened before when she realized I was a man now. She went silent for almost a month when she made that realization. It was even worse than when she finished puberty, which her mother almost hospitalized her for. Willow's first period made her go to bed for three weeks, not speaking, having to be forced to drink fluids, just gone mentally." Giles' mouth fell open. "Yeah, change isn't her friend at all. I hate to think what college will do to her."

"But she's looking forward to that."

"Which will make all the difference, until it hits her. Hopefully Buffy will be there for her then to catch her as she falls." He popped his neck. "Sorry, had to. Recent injury, it just feels better when I do that." He sipped his coffee, putting the cup back down. "What else did you need to know?"

"Did you used to work..." He shook his head. "Never mind, it isn't important."

"Yeah, I used to work over there. I had the boss make sure that you never saw me," Xander told him with a slight grin. "I really didn't want to have this talk then."

Giles nodded, then started to laugh. "I'm not sure I'm ready for it now."

"Good, then you're definitely ready for it." Xander reached over, punching him on the arm. "Don't worry about it, Giles, we're okay. We'll stay okay." He stood up, grabbing his jacket, heading for the door. "I'm going to let you think. I'm going to my home." He walked out into the night, closing the door gently behind him.

Giles sighed, relaxing all at once. "I think we will be okay, Xander, I just wanted to make sure." He picked up the coffee cups, bringing them into the kitchen to rinse before heading to his bed.

***

Xander walked outside onto the common area, watching Oz as he paced and Willow as she looked around nervously. He walked over, sitting Willow down with a wink, and walked up to interrupt Oz's circuit. "What's wrong?" he asked quietly. "I heard you and Dev fought but not about what."

Oz growled. "Go away, Xander, I'm not in the mood to deal with you."

Xander nodded. "Then you definitely need me." He stepped back, waving him on. "Come on." Oz frowned at him. "Hey, an expression." He threw a weak punch, which the older teen ducked, but it prompted him to throw one back. They fought back and forth in the small circle that formed around them, Xander letting Oz win on purpose but not pulling his punches anymore. When he connected, Oz grunted and swayed, but the anger was draining out of him.

Finally, Oz stepped back, bending over to pant. "Thanks," he said, glancing up. "Needed that."

Willow ran over, hugging Oz. "Xander, you attacked him!" she shrieked. "Why!"

"Because he needed to get the anger outside of him." He looked at the Principal as he stalked toward them. "We were sparring, not fighting, Willow," he told her, looking into her eyes.

Snyder snarled at the students to get out of his way. "My office, now!" he demanded. "Harris? Fighting?" He looked at Oz. "At least he didn't kill you."

"The whole point of sparring is to get the anger out so he doesn't go ballistic and burn the school down," Xander told him with a smirk. "But I would gladly take a few days of vacation time."

"Wrong, *in*-school suspension." He sneered at Willow. "Get him to the nurse's office."

"No," she said. "Xander was helping him deal with an anger problem. This way he didn't take it out on school property. If ... if you want to be that mean to them, then you're going to have to suspend me too."

Xander shook his head. "Ignore her." He pulled Oz up, getting a small nod. "See, not fighting. It was a mutual expression of rage. Mostly geared toward you." He started for the office. "But like I said, I'll gladly take some vacation days."

Snyder growled, pushing Willow out of the way to get Oz's arm, knocking her onto the ground. The next thing he knew, he had Oz on top of him and he was on his back being choked.

"Oz," Xander said, pulling him off. "It's not worth it. He didn't hurt her. See?" He helped Willow up, pushing her into Oz's arms. "See, she's fine." He turned his back on the couple, looking down at the Principal. "Stupid move, Snyder, he's been in a rage all day over her." He held out a hand but it was batted away. "Whatever. Just think what might have happened if I hadn't let him take some of the rage out earlier." He walked up behind Oz and Willow, tapping her on the shoulder. "Let's get him to the office."

Snyder glared at them. "My office. Now!" Everyone got out of his way but Oz got applause as he walked in with Willow, Xander following.

Xander pulled Oz into the men's bathroom, checking to make sure they were alone. "You okay?"

Oz nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks." He walked over to splash water on his face, watching his friend out of the corner of his eye. "Would you..."

"Not at my house, Oz," Xander told him. "Motel room. Get one and call me." He walked out, heading for the office. "Gee, can I have a week off while you're at it?" he asked saucily as he sat down in front of the desk. "Oz stopped to get a drink, he'll be right in."

Oz walked in, sipping a cold soda, Willow conspicuously absent. "He did what I needed him to do. Otherwise I was going to kill someone." He finished the soda, tossing the can out. "If you want to suspend me, I'm sure I could find more interesting things to be doing."

Snyder scribbled something on some forms. "Two weeks out of school suspension for both of you." He tossed the papers over. "That means no being on school property."

Oz shrugged. "I didn't want to play the dance anyway." He took his slip, standing up. "Anything else?"

"Yes, go take anger management classes or you'll be forced to take them here."

Oz snorted. "I did take them, sometimes it just comes up." He walked out with Xander behind him. "Tonight?"

"If you'd like. Just get a room and we'll talk." He broke off, heading for the library, where Willow was pacing. "Two weeks out of school, and he can't play the dance." He grinned at Giles. "We're suspended. Yell if you need us." He waved and walked back out, heading to his locker, where he met Oz. "Want to go for a ride tomorrow? I need to ride my bike again."

Oz nodded. "As long as it's not a ten speed."

"Nope, Harley." Xander pulled his jacket out and turned around, kicking his locker shut, heading for the sunlight. "Later. You have my number."

Oz nodded. "Yeah, I have it," he whispered.

***

Xander knocked on the door of the motel room, walking inside when the door opened. He looked at the other man in the room, then back at Oz. "Partying?"

"Just for a few minutes more." He looked at his band's lead singer. "Dev, got to talk to him. Bitch later." The lead singer got up and left them alone in a huff, slamming the door after himself. "Okay, we're here, now what?"

Xander took off his jacket, putting it carefully into a drawer, then turned to Oz, holding his arms open. "Come on." Oz's mouth opened. "Yes, fight me. Come on." When he was still getting hesitation, he moved closer, blinking at him. "Not in there? Fucking Willow mentally?"

Oz's eyes narrowed and he threw a weak swing at Xander's chest. "No." Xander laughed so he tried to hit him again, and when he danced out of the way, felt the rage come back. He took a swing at Xander's face, which was ducked under. "Start fighting back, Xander, or else."

Xander chuckled and pinned Oz to the floor. "Me?" He danced backwards, throwing the first punch, landing it gently on Oz's abdomen. This time he couldn't dodge the hit to his chin, and his head snapped back with it. That started the real fight, both men silent as they pummeled each other, neither willing to admit defeat until they couldn't stand.

Xander swept Oz's feet out from under him, knocking him back onto the floor and fell across his waist, holding him down. "Better yet?" he asked, blinking the blood from a cut on his forehead out of his eyes. The older teen struggled to get free so he stood up, letting him come at him again. "Got to start working out again," he told himself as he dodged a vicious kick. "Hey, haven't gotten one of those in years. Try this." He kicked Oz in the stomach, spinning around to hit him again with his heel in the same spot. Oz bent over, clutching his abused flesh, and Xander moved closer to see if he had really hurt him.

A big mistake.

Oz unfolded, grabbing Xander, starting to choke him. "Feeling better yet?" he mocked. Xander nodded and Oz let him go, stepping back to pant and look at him. "You are?"

"Yeah, you're back closer to human." Xander panted, laying back on the bed. "This is kind of refreshing. Usually by now I'd be stripped and taken."

Oz's mouth fell open. "That was part of it?"

"Yup," Xander said as he pushed himself back up. "That's half of the tension most people feel when they get into this state. That was all part of the service." He looked at his friend. "Do you need more sparring?"

"No, I'm fine," Oz said, sitting down next to him. "I can't imagine that," he said finally. "In that state, you could really hurt someone."

"Which was the point," Xander pointed out gently. "The healing elixir solved most of the problems I had later that night. You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Oz said softly, looking at him. "You?"

"Very fine. I can still move." He flexed his fingers to prove the point. "Still want to go for a ride tomorrow?"

"Sure. I'll ride behind you and we can go hide in the woods or something." Oz stood up, pulling out the drawer with Xander's jacket in it, handing it back over. "Why don't you wear that other times?"

"It's my mental cue to change to the other Xander. It's like a physical switch to change back to the one who can take this." Xander stood up, giving his friend a hug. "Call on me if you need me again." He walked out into the night, heading for his house. He walked in his front door, finding the cops there. "Yeah?" he asked, glaring at his father.

"Sir, your father thinks you had something to do with the explosion at your former workplace. He gave me permission to search the rest of the house."

Xander shook his head. "He can't do that, *I* own the house." The cop looked at him in surprise. "Yeah, I took it in payment for him giving me to someone to pay off a debt." He took off his jacket, waving a hand around. "Go ahead and look. Would you like the key to my room?"

"Please." It was handed over. "Thank you."

The officer walked up the stairs and Xander turned to look at his father. "You do realize you just screwed yourself badly, right?" His father smirked at him.

The officer walked back down with a sandwich bag of wires and balls of what looked like clay. "Would you like to explain these to me?"

"I would if I knew what they were." Xander took the bag, looking at it. "Huh, not quite sure. Is that even consistent with the bomb?"

"No, unfortunately not." The officer looked at Xander's father, who was sweating. "I do believe someone was trying to set you up." He spun Xander's father around, cuffing him. "He may be home tonight."

Xander waved. "I'm not bailing him out." He closed the door behind them, heading up to his room. He locked himself in, then pulled a box out from under his bed, looking at the contents in awe, fingering a little piece of wire. "I didn't know he even knew about you." He shrugged, packing it into his backpack to take with him tomorrow when he went to get his bike. "He'll get his." He lay down to read for a while, quickly getting lost in the porn story.

***

Xander stopped the motorcycle, looking around the silent clearing. "Here?" he suggested. Oz nodded, sliding off the bike to head over to the biggest tree and sit under it. Xander turned off the bike, putting down the kickstand and taking the pack full of lunch off the back to bring it over. "What's wrong? You're still way quiet."

"I went to get a hug from Willow last night," Oz told him. "I had to lie to her."

"One good thing about fighting with us is never needing an excuse for bruises," Xander quipped as he sat down. "She accept it?"

"Yeah, but she wants to stake the one who did it." Oz looked up at him, blinking at the weak light. "This is a nice place."

"I used to come here to think. Found it by accident one day right after I got my bike." Xander handed over the bag with Oz's lunch. "Eat, it helps." He tucked into his own burger, eating while watching the leaves blow in the light breeze. "You need another go?" he asked finally.

"No, just considering what you told me last night." Oz pushed aside his untouched food, facing his friend. "Xander, how did you learn to like that? The violence."

"I don't *like* it, Oz, I don't get off from it. I get off from different things, that's just a duty to me. I have to do it because not too many others can." He opened his soda, taking a sip after the foam had gone away. "I have a whole different set of triggers for normal sex."

"Like?"

"Well, I'm not into violence during sex. I do like rough and hard, but not like that. I don't want to be beaten during sex." Xander took another bite of his burger. "I can't do bondage, I'd have to trust that person absolutely." He finished off his burger, licking his fingers off. "I have this fantasy that is me on my side with my lover behind me, my hands tied to the headboard as he takes me. I don't see him at all, may not even know who he is, but I trust him."

"So trust is your major consideration?"

"Definitely. If I can't relax enough to enjoy it, why do it?" His head popped up as he heard rustling and giggles. "Who's out there?"

"Brownies."

"Aren't those made of chocolate?"

"Midget girl scouts," Oz corrected. "The little ones in brown." He finished off his own sandwich, putting the wrapper away. "They're picking leaves from what I can hear." He wiped his fingers off on his jeans. "Thanks for bringing me out here, I needed it."

"You and me both, town was getting a little intense." Xander scooted around, leaning against the same tree Oz was, their shoulders touching. "What about you?"

"Me what?"

"What do you like? Turn about's fair play and all."

"Oh. Well, I'm used to being the dominant one. Then Willow came up with spanking."

"Ooh, never tried that." Xander shrugged. "May not ever want to."

"You've never been spanked?"

"Never. Punched, slapped, beaten, but never spanked. My father's thing was to soccer kick me as I walked past, knocking me down so he could beat the crap out of me." He shrugged again. "No big."

"Very big big," Oz corrected, leaning into the warm body. "No one should have to go through that." He patted the firm thigh. "I never noticed how muscular you are."

"I don't show it but I'm pretty strong," Xander admitted with a smirk. "It's a side effect of the job. If you're not, you die." He leaned into Oz's side. "Willow likes spanked?"

"Yup, lots. Likes to have anal play too, but not sex. We're still waiting."

"Frustrated yet?"

"Very." Oz turned his head to look at his friend. "So, which way do you swing?"

"Both, but I prefer to not be the dominant one. I like women like Faith, the ones who just climb on and take over. I like my men to be well built but hairy. Not into bears but like them hairy." He winked at Oz. "Like teddy bears."

"Ha, ha," Oz snorted. "I swear, some days I think your sense of humor needs antibiotics." He patted the firm thigh again. "What else are you into?"

"You sound like you're interviewing me to fix me up."

"Could, I know someone who fits physically, but he's not the dominant one. I could look though."

"No thanks, not ready for a relationship. Have enough of one of those with Cordy, she who blows."

"Heard about that. She did Dev all the time after shows." Oz nudged him. "Brownies are coming closer."

"Want to give them a show?" Xander suggested with a wicked grin.

"No thanks." He rubbed down the younger man's thigh, squeezing the lumps of muscle he could feel. "I feel odd."

"Odd how? Odd like you're in danger or odd like you're outside of your body?"

"Both, but more out of my body. Like I'm going to change because of today." He looked around the clearing. "Honest?" Xander nodded. "I feel like I'm about to make a major change and I don't know why or how."

"Gee, I didn't mean to corrupt you, I'm sorry if I did." Xander grinned as he was punched. "Oz, you can discuss anything with me, no matter how weird or how bad for you it is. Even if you wanted to talk about drugging women and raping them while taping it, it'd be okay."

"Not like that," Oz protested.

"Not saying you were, I was saying that it was okay to talk to me. I know you're not like that, I see you more as a hearts and flowers/long, slow/making love sort of person. I know you're not going to go drugging and raping."

"Thanks. Means a lot to me." Oz nudged him again. "The brownies quit giggling."

"Oh, goody, maybe they want to eavesdrop some more?" he called loudly. The leaves crunching started to head off farther into the woods, farther away from them. "Ah, privacy. Good again."

"Yup, thanks." Oz relaxed. "I'm starting to like the hard stuff and it's getting scary. I reddened Willow last night."

"Huh. She enjoy it?" Oz nodded, his face falling. "Are you bothered because you enjoyed it and she did or just because she did?"

"Because I did. I never used to like being rough with people."

"Yeah, but now you're not just you," Xander pointed out. "Some of that could be the wolf."

"Yeah, point. Never thought about that."

"They tend to bite and things while they mate." He shivered. "Oh, biting. Haven't thought about that in a while."

"You like to be bit?"

"Yup, do. Liked it lots last time it happened." He shifted to look at his friend. "I like to be picked up and tossed onto the bed. I like things like being held down while I'm taken, as long as I trust the person. I even like to be ordered sometimes. But I really used to like being bitten. On the back of my neck, in those neck to shoulder muscles." He shivered again. "My last lover used to do that all the time."

"Who was that?"

"Um, not sharing that." Xander gave him a small smile. "He made me promise not to tell."

"Ah. Okay. It's not Giles, right?"

"Nope, never drained that well. It's an interesting thought. I've heard lots of stuff about him from when I worked at that house on third."

"Did he..." Oz shook his head. "Don't want to know, I'd start to see him differently."

"No, he didn't," Xander said gently, taking his hand to squeeze. "He just needed to vent. Nothing else. People like that weird us out, it's like we don't know what to expect from them and their limits. With what I did, I knew my client's limits and I could feel safe working inside of them. Someone like Giles is scary because sometimes they don't stop. Sometimes the guys had to be taken to the hospital after servicing guys like him because they didn't know when to stop. That sort of thing scares me, a lot. That's one of the biggest risks I ran while I was working, getting my ass killed."

"What about the others?" Oz asked quietly.

"They always stopped the beating when they were ready to move on to the next part. Before they got tired and before I couldn't move. That's why I knew I would be safe."

"Never go back," Oz pleaded, looking into his friend's eyes. "Please. I don't want to come to your funeral."

Xander nodded. "Never again. Not for anyone." He looked back into Oz's eyes. "Anyone."

"Fine. I can go spar with Buffy if I have to, but I won't see you hurt." Oz rubbed down his arm, gently soothing him back into his relaxed state. "You okay?"

"Very. Just thinking about what Angelus did to me." Xander looked down. "That was the first time I was really scared about what someone was going to do. I had no way to predict his next move and no real way to defend myself." He glanced back up. "I would have quit anyway. Even if my boss hadn't betrayed my trust." He shook himself. "You know what I always wondered? How people do food?"

Oz shuddered. "Gross and sick thoughts, man."

"I'm guessin' it's like toys, only crunchy, but why do they use *food*?"

"They really want to eat and won't?" Oz suggested with a smirk.

"Maybe," Xander agreed, "but it's still a strange thing. Guess that's how some people see me too." He shrugged, leaning closer to Oz's warmth. "We needed a blanket, it's chilly."

"We could go back into town. Sit on comfy sofas?"

"Sure. Want to come to my place?"

"Warehouse or house?"

"House. Warehouse is a private place."

"Did my showing up bother you?"

"Nope, I was expecting it." Xander looked up. "Usually I don't give out the address. You're the first actually, except for a cabdriver at the old place. I don't mind if you show up sometimes, just not a constant living there."

"Sure." Oz stood up. "Let's go back. I could use a soda and a couch." He picked up the trash, putting it back in the bag, heading back to the bike to put it into the pack tied to the back.

Xander hopped up, coming over to help him. "Let me, it's got a particular knot." He undid it easily, tossing the trash inside and retying it. He grabbed his helmet, swinging over to straddle the leather seat, waiting for Oz to climb on behind him. "We've got to drop the bike off first, but then we can go to my place. My father should be about ready to pack." He felt the tense arms wrap themselves around his waist. "Relax," he said with a smile as he started the motorcycle. "I'm good at this too." He backed out of the clearing, turning the bike to speed back down the trail.

***

Willow glared at Buffy as she strolled into her room, tossing a pillow at her. "What? You're interrupting my sulk."

"I just saw Xander and Oz riding double on a Harley," she said, sitting down. Willow shook her head. "Yeah, really. Xander driving."

"Xander can't do that," Willow said, waving it off. "I'd know if he could ride a motorcycle."

"Well, if it wasn't him, it was someone who looked a lot like him. He was at a warehouse in town." Willow frowned at her. "Sorry."

"What would they be doing at a warehouse?"

"Not sure, but the Xander-looking person drove the bike inside then he and Oz came back out, heading for Xander's house, which they went inside of."

Willow bit her lip. "I'm going to go over there. Coming?" she asked as she stood up.

"Not really. Though I want to see this explanation." She stood up, smoothing down her tiny skirt. "Okay, let's go, this'll be entertaining at least."

***

Xander opened his door, frowning at Willow and Buffy, but letting them in. "What's up? Do you need help tonight? I thought your hand was starting to get feeling again."

"I can move it again," Buffy told him, "but no feeling. Just like dead meat." She saw him wince. "Problem with the phraseology?"

"Just a bit." He headed into the living room, followed by the girls. "People," he told Oz, who was napping on the couch. "We were watching TV."

"So we can see."

Willow sat down next to Oz, looking from him to Xander and back. "Buffy said she saw you on a motorcycle." Xander flopped backwards, covering his face. "Is it true? Do you have one?"

"It's a friend's," Xander said quickly, sitting back up. "I'm watching it for him. He taught me how to ride it."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Willow asked, giving him a big eyed look.

Xander got up as someone knocked on the door. "Didn't think you'd be interested." He answered the door, frowning at the officer on the other side. "Yeah?"

"Alexander Harris? You're under arrest for arson." He pulled Xander outside, cuffing him.

"Hey! Proof? Do we actually have any?"

"Yes, we do," the officer said, dragging him to the car and putting him in the back. He got into the front, pulling away from the house.

Oz watched it all from the door, then headed back into the living room, dialing Giles' number. "It's me, Xander was just arrested. They think he blew something up." The phone was snatched from his hand by Xander's father. "What? Don't care that your son was arrested."

"Yay, get out of my house."

"His house," Oz corrected softly. "And we all know it." He nodded Willow and Buffy out. "We're going to Giles'." He walked out, heading for the sidewalk.

"Come back and I'll have you arrested as his accomplis," Xander's father called, right before he slammed the door.

Oz snorted. "Not really." He looked around. "Go to Giles', I'm going to talk to the cops, see if I can't help." He jogged down the street, the opposite way.

"Wow," Buffy said, shaking her head. "Way strange." She looked at Willow. "I was looking for entertainment but that's just weird."

"Very." Willow started the walk to Giles' house. "Come on, we need to talk to him, get a plan going."

***

Oz walked into the police station as Xander was signing some paperwork. "You okay?" he asked.

"Yup, they saw sense. No *high school* student would have access to explosives." He signed the last form and handed it over. "There, better?" he asked snidely. The officer nodded, handing him over a paper. "Good. Oz, let's go evict the liar," he said coldly.

Oz followed Xander out to the van, getting in to drive. "Is this wise?"

"Yeah, very wise. I used my phone call to call for help." Xander picked up his pager as it started to buzz. "Got to call once we're at home." He nodded at the street. "Come on, before he does something stupid, like burn the house down."

Oz started the van, heading out into the street. "Did he set you up before?"

"Yeah, which just lent credence to my story." Xander tapped his fingers on his thigh. "Come on, I really am going to enjoy this." He smiled coldly as they pulled onto his street, looking at the things on the sidewalk. "Up to helping me move back in tonight?"

"Sure." Oz pulled into the driveway as Xander's father walked out with another box. He hopped out, following Xander.

Xander stopped in front of his father, waving the paper. "You're gone," he said softly. He took the box, handing over the paper, heading back inside and up to his room. He stored the box in his empty room, looking around. "Hey, I can clean it now," he quipped, heading back down to find his father on the couch. "That was an immediate removal order. Leave or I get the cops to come help you leave." He nodded up at his room when Oz walked past with more of his stuff. "Thanks, I'll help in a minute."

"You can't do this," Xander's father said softly.

"Oh, I can," he told him, leaning closer. "I can and I did. The way you set me up just proved to them that I didn't do it." He sneered. "Out of my house. I'll even be nice and tell everyone you abandoned it and me."

His father looked up, still in shock. "You can't do this, you were arrested and everything."

"I can and I did. They didn't really want me, they were told by an 'anonymous' tip that it was me. Once we got that straightened out, I swore out that order. Now get out." He sat down in the chair, still smirking. "I'll give you a thousand dollars to go start over somewhere else, as long as it's not in California, and you can go do whatever you want, as long as you leave in the next twenty minutes."

"A thousand isn't much," his father complained.

"Then I'd sell your car." Xander shrugged. "Clock's ticking." He got up, walking out to the pile of his things, going to pick most of it up and carry it back inside. "Eighteen," he reminded.

His father stood up, calmly walking up to his room. He came down a few minutes later with three bags, heading outside after picking up the money lying on the table. He left without another word.

Xander smiled at Oz as they carried the last load inside, kicking the door shut behind himself. "I think we deserve a party for that."

"No party," Oz told him. "Lay low for a while."

"Very good idea." Xander picked up the phone, dialing Giles' house. "It's me, I'm free and free of the anchor. He left. No, I made him leave, kicked him out." He nodded and hung up. "Giles will be over later." He dialed the number on his pager, nodding Oz out of the room. "Yeah?"

//Xander,// his Daddy said, sighing, //that was stupid. Now everyone knows.//

"No, I told them that I paid off his debts to get the deed to the house back, not how. No one even asked."

//That's because they assumed.//

"Which can be a good thing. It means I get the sympathy vote. Oh, did you hear? He turned me in as the bomber."

//Yes, I had heard, same as I heard about you swearing out that eviction notice. Explain that to me. Everyone will know you were the power person in the house.//

"The cops have known for a while now. They knew he had given me away a few times in the past, they were actually watching him when he gave me to you." He chuckled tonelessly. "They were going to arrest him for pimping me out."

//Ah. I guess that's fine. Just lay low for a while. No massive redecorations, no parties, no more visits by the law, my boy.//

"I won't, Daddy. No more visits by the law. And if things get too bad, I always have the other option."

//I trust you'll use that as a last resort?//

"Very last one, Daddy, don't worry about it. You raised me right and I'm not careless. You don't have to worry about me. Things are going to be different now." He smiled at the laugh. "Was that a good sound?"

//That was for your confidence that he won't be back. Did you pay him off?//

"A grand to leave for somewhere out of state. Oh, and the cops now think that one of the patrons did it. Most of the other workers agreed with that part."

//Good,// his Daddy purred, //very good, my boy. You'll call on me if you need me?//

"Every time. Oh, and I told Giles, I knew you wouldn't mind since you sent him the number."

//No, I didn't mind. Was he amused?//

"Very, especially when I told him about what Uncle Ethan used to call me." Oz choked in the kitchen.

//Who's in the house with you, my boy?//

"Oz, one of the guys I hang with. He knows *some* of it. Just enough to protect me." He looked up as Oz walked in. "I helped him the other day."

//I know of him. He's a good choice. Just not that blonde chit. Be safe, my boy, I'll be around for a while longer if you need me. When I'm not here, you know what to do?//

"Yeah, I know what to do," Xander said, his face falling. "Are you that sick?"

//It's getting worse, the doctors keep saying a few more months every time I see them. Make sure you talk to your Uncle this week, I'm sure he'd like to hear from you. Be safe and well, my boy, I love you.// He hung up.

Xander hung up, leaning against Oz's side. "He's not getting better anymore," he said softly.

"If you need me, I'm here," Oz reminded him gently. "For whatever." He looked up as Giles walked in, followed by Willow. "The person on the other end of his pager is sick," he explained.

"I know," Giles said, leaning down to hug Xander. "I don't know what I could do to help him, Xander, he's much sicker than most anyone else whose ever gotten it." He stood back up, sitting down on the couch. "Why did they let you go?"

"My father called to tell them it was me. Everyone else agreed it was a club patron. My father's gone by the way. Of the never coming back sort."

Willow patted his hand. "I'm sure you'll be happier that way." She smiled at Buffy as she walked in. "He got free."

"Yeah, I heard," she said, sitting down across from him. "Who burned the club?"

"Everyone agreed it was a patron from what they said," Xander told her.

"How would you know about the patrons?" Buffy asked, arching one eyebrow. Everyone glared at her. "Hey, we have unanswered questions and he was the only one in there besides Giles."

"And..." Oz squeezed Xander's shoulder, making him stop.

"No, he wasn't," Oz said. "I was allowed in the door when Giles went in. There were some humans."

Buffy nodded. "Whatever. Now what?"

"Now I settle in to being a bachelor, with no parties," he said as he looked up at Oz, "and I finish school. After that, who knows."

Giles cleared his throat. "I got the most interesting call a bit ago. Your uncle wants you to call him later tonight." He handed over a slip of paper. "He's on the coast."

"Coolness, I haven't seen him in a few years. We didn't get a chance to talk the last few times he was in town." He looked up and grinned. "You just kept me far away and busy."

"Yes, well, I thought I had good reason at the time." Giles frowned. "What about work? You'll have to support yourself somehow."

"I will. I'm going to start the crappy job cycle sooner instead of later this year. It'll be cool, don't worry so much. If I have problems, I'll tell you." He winked and turned his customary innocent look on Willow. "How was your day at school? Oz and I went to scare some brownies in the woods."

"Fine, we had a quiz in history but nothing that you can't make up." She smiled at Oz. "I got your homework so you could catch up sometime."

"Thanks," he said, sitting on the arm of Xander's chair, careful not to make it look like they were cuddling. "We had lunch in the woods and talked. It was nice and relaxing."

"Until we scared the brownies," Xander amended. "That was just funny."

"I bet," Buffy said dryly. "I was one of those, we don't scare easy."

"We were talking and they were listening." Xander frowned as someone knocked on the door, getting up to get it. "Yeah?" he asked his neighbor, taking the bag she handed him. "What's this?"

"Your father handed it to me on his way out. He said it was yours but that he'd never step foot in this house again."

"Yeah, he up and left." Xander grimaced. "I kicked him out and he decided to leave the state."

She nodded. "We've known for a while that you owned the house, you know the gossip in this town, and I'm glad you finally got rid of him. You don't need influences like him in your life. Would you like to come to church with me this Sunday?"

"No thanks, I think I'm going to go back to my old life and live simply." He waved as she walked away. "Thanks." Xander leaned against the closed door, looking down in the bag, smirking when he saw the dead animal in there. "Wow, not nice at all." He headed for the back porch, putting the bag outside the door. He walked back in to find Oz had stolen his seat, so sat beside the chair. "Going away present from him."

"A bad one?" Willow asked hesitantly. "Do you need some help getting stuff settled?"

"I need to clean my room since my father was kind enough to clean it out for me. I need to go grocery shopping, and I need to check the old bills to see how far behind he was. Other than that, I was going to veg tonight. Oz suggested we do a movie night thing."

"Oh, I have a great new one," Willow said. "It's all cartoons and stuff. Heavy Metal?"

Oz closed his eyes. "Willow, that's not Peanut's, it's graphic cartoons to music."

"But you made it sound cool so I want to watch it."

"Okay," Xander agreed. "I've seen it and liked it so that's a good one. Any you want, bring over," he told the rest of the group. "Bring munchies too, I doubt I'm getting everyone's favorites."

"Cool," Willow said, hopping up. "Let's go shopping, Buffy."

Buffy got up, following her out. "Okay." She looked down at Xander. "Call if you need me."

"Will. Don't worry about it." He waved as they left. "Phew," he said, wiping off his forehead. "That was close."

"Very close. But she's happy that everything's been pigeon-holed," Oz noted as he sat back. "Going to have to do something about this situation."

"I know, but I have to call my Uncle tonight too. I'll sneak off while you're watching the movies and do it upstairs. Maybe I'll even figure out what I want to burn." He looked at Giles, who was still sitting there. "You okay?"

"Yes, much better actually. Now that we don't have anymore secrets from each other, I'm very impressed with the way you've managed to hide yourself for so long." Xander beamed at him. "Not only that, but I think that you show a great deal of maturity in how you've been handling the various challenges of the past few days. I'm sure your Daddy would be proud of you."

"Oh, I know he is, he told me he is." Xander smiled at them. "I'm going to go start the pile of burnables. Yell when the girls get back." He stood smoothly and walked up the stairs, heading up to his father's room.

***

Buffy frowned at the back door as a scratching started, making Willow stop the tape. "I don't feel something normal out there," she said darkly. "This is so unfair, my first night off and we get things." She stood up, heading out to look out the window. "Gee, Giles, are bags of dead animals supposed to move?" He was almost instantly at her back, looking over her shoulder. "What do we have in the way of weapons and how do I kill it?"

"We cut off it's head, same as we would all other zombies," he lectured reproachfully. "I'd think by now that you'd remember that part as well as you do staking."

"Yeah, well, zombies are like a special occasion for me." She looked over her shoulder at Xander. "Got a blade?"

"A few," he called, getting off the couch and heading for the closet. He came back with a short sword, handing it over. "Have fun. We'll wait to restart it for you." He let them out, watching as Buffy poked the bag with the point of the blade. "Eww," he muttered as the animal came out of the bag dragging it's guts. "Eviscerated."

Willow hopped up and joined him at the window. "Cool!" she said in appreciation. "We don't see many of those." She headed out to help Buffy and Giles.

Oz sighed, following her out, shaking his head. "Not cool," he told his girlfriend.

The animal looked around and leaped for Buffy's throat, biting her and latching on no matter how much she beat and pulled at it. Giles tried to beat it off her, then when that didn't work, he grabbed it by the jaws, trying to pull it free with even less success than Buffy was having. Willow started a chant but the animal looked at her and growled around Buffy's windpipe, making her freeze. Oz tried to grab it, but it snapped at him, making him withdraw but not with enough time to free Buffy, whom it had managed to knock down and was now trying to feed off of her.

Xander sighed, going to make sure that he had everything ready, putting the piece of paper with his Uncle's number in his pocket as he walked back to the back door. He flung it open, growling something in a different language, making the zombie burst into flame. He growled something else as he walked toward the front of the house, disappearing from his friends' view as he grabbed his backpack and jacket and walked out.

Oz hurried into the house, looking around in confusion. "Damn," he muttered, going back outside to tap Giles on the shoulder. "Gone."

"Of course," Giles sighed. "He did tell me he could disappear without a trace." He helped Willow pick Buffy up, carrying her into the house and settling her on the couch. "Call someone to come get her, Oz, this is much worse than I can handle."

Oz turned, grabbing the phone and dialing it.

***

Xander packed the last thing he would need, picking up his phone as he walked toward his bike, dialing the number from the paper in his pocket. "Hey, Uncle Ethan. No, bad news. Gotta disappear. No, my father sent me a zombie cat which attacked the Slayer. Well, I couldn't let her die, I'm supposed to be her friend. No, disappearing." He smiled. "Sure." He stopped cold at the quiet words, slumping in on himself. "But I just talked to him today. Are you sure?" He closed his eyes, rubbing them, phone cradled between his ear and shoulder. "Okay. Do I need to head over there?" He shook his head. "I'll meet you at the cemetery for the internment. I know he was burned, it was the only way to make sure the demon's curse wouldn't hit someone else, but we're still putting up a stone marker. Ethan! I don't care!" he said harshly. "The man deserves a marker, even if we can't inter him into the ground. Get over it. I'll pay for it if I have to." He climbed on his bike, nodding. "Fine. I'll be there in two days. No, I have to do something about my appearance first. No, you'll still see me." He hung up, flinging the phone away.

"And away we go," he whispered. "Off into the wild blue yonder."

***

Oz looked up as he heard a motorcycle engine, his newest hobby since Xander had left. He stared at the rider as he moved past, visually measuring it against the lithe body in his memories. He shook his head at the large man, going back to his book. When the next one went by, he almost stood up, and would have if Willow hadn't been sitting beside him. He didn't want to draw attention to the man stopped across the street staring at him, but he felt his stomach lurch.

Xander.

A very different Xander, one with white hair that had red streaks the same color as his own hair. A very relaxed and confident Xander who was starting to move again. He followed the bike visually, watching as a flier was tossed into his van as a paper airplane. He looked over at Willow, making sure his expression was neutral. "I'm going to skip. Have fun in Chemistry." He stood up, giving her a kiss and a hug, heading for his van.

Willow watched him go with a frown, but shrugged and went back to her book.

Oz climbed into his van, grabbing the paper airplane to unfold, reading the address on it. He balled it up again, pulling out his keys to leave the school. He started the van, tugging on his door, and pulled out. He headed in the direction the paper had said, heading for a clearing he had been shown a year earlier.

***

Xander was leaning against his bike when Oz pulled in, tossing his bottle of soda away as the van stopped. He waved Oz over, patting the ground beside him. "Had to."

"I realize that," Oz said as he sat. "Hurt but I understand that you needed to go. You okay?"

"Very," Xander said with a small smile. "Had fun traveling with Ethan." Oz nodded, snuggling in closer since it was starting to get breezy. "Got kicked out of every bar in Germany and all the demon bars in Europe but three. Two of those have a credit slip with my name on it though." He nudged Oz's shoulder. "How're you?"

"Fine, bored but fine. Still furry, about to become bored with Willow." Oz looked at the bike. "What did you do? Besides drink?"

"Ethan took me to a few other sorcerers to learn from them, hence my time in Germany. Then I went to a small school of sorcerers and proved that I was better than they thought, earning a lot of respect. Now, though, I'm back in the states traveling around. I'm taking care of problems and Uncle Ethan's not real fond of that profession so he's gone back to causing trouble without me." He handed over a small envelope. "Open ended, man." He stood up, looking down at his friend. "Did Buffy live? I've heard yes and no on the subject."

"She's living, but she's been barred from the Watcher's help. The zombie did some things to her that they don't like but they can't kill her. Something about their village going up in flames one night but at dawn it was normal?" Xander tried to hide his smirk but failed. "Ah. Giles thought that was hilarious."

"Ethan did too," Xander smirked. "Any time you need me, my pager is at your disposal. May take me a while to answer, I seem to have gotten arrested a lot recently for fighting in bars." He frowned but shrugged it off. "Anyway, I need companionship and someone who understands. No strings like sex, just an offer to get out of Sunnyhell."

Oz looked at the envelope. "Taking the bike?"

"Well, I do have a base camp and a very nice van of my own." He grinned. "A very nice one. Ethan got it for me once I created more chaos than he did. He was *so* proud of me that night." His grin got brighter. "The demons just overran the bar that night, all very harmless. Until one of the demons outed one of the men in there as his willing consort."

Oz snorted. "Didn't go over well?"

"Not in Arkansas." Xander nodded Oz away from the bike. "Got to get going before I'm found. Call when you're ready."

"I'm ready," Oz decided. "Just have to do something. Two days to get the paperwork in order?"

"Paperwork?" Xander said, raising a brow.

"College drop-out forms and stuff. Let the landlord know and get my deposit back. Two days?"

"Meet me in LA at the demon bar on twelfth. Nine p.m." He started the bike, looking Oz over. "I wanted it to be you, man, don't stress. I'm going to go pop in on Giles."

"Watch out. Buffy's been camping on his couch again."

"Well, I think I could give her a good enough reason to leave for a bit." He winked and left the clearing, speeding down the small road.

Oz nodded. "I'm sure you can." He headed for his van, precious envelope clutched in his fingers.

***

Xander waited until he had seen Buffy run out to walk through the open door, looking around. "Gee, no books?" he asked, startling Giles, who jumped. "Sorry, Ethan liked it when I snuck up on him." He gave Giles an innocent look.

"Xander," Giles sighed, coming over to give him a hug. "Are you fine? Did you have any trouble with Ethan? And why were you kicked out of every bar in Germany?" He frowned. "That's a dangerous habit, young man."

"I know," he smirked, "but I was bored." He waved at the couch, sitting beside the older man, mirroring the last time he had been in the apartment. "I'm fine but I guess Ethan's been smirking again."

"Very loudly, at least about you." He smiled gently. "I think you deserve it though. From what I've heard you were spectacular when you went to the school to gain recognition. And that trick you played on the Watcher's village, I don't think I stopped laughing for a week. That served them right for snubbing Buffy that way over something she had no control over." He reached over, stroking down the side of Xander's face. "I've heard what you've done, my boy, and I am very proud of you for most of it." That got a wry smile. "For what you've been doing since getting out of Ethan's influence I am greatly proud of you and I would gloat if I knew you wouldn't mind."

"Yeah, I think I'd mind. I'd rather be a ghost now." He looked down at his hands. "I'm about to break your heart again, and Willow's. I'm taking Oz with me." He looked up to see the understanding. "You don't mind?"

"Your chosen job of fixing problems leaves you no companionship and you were always the most social of all you young ones. I figured you'd come for him sooner or later, Xander, and I made plans for this moment." He stood up, heading for the trunk under the breakfast bar, pulling out a wrapped bundle. "This is for you, for when you're ready to start training him in the magics you use." He smiled slightly. "This is what Ethan gave me when he started to train me and now I pass it onto my favorite student." He smiled brighter at the blush. "You are. You're the strongest of all of you. Willow's had a hard year adjusting to you being gone and Buffy's changed drastically since that night. Not only physically but in temperament. You were the one who was holding the group together and I believe now that everyone misses you terribly." He grabbed Xander in a hug, squeezing him hard. "My boy, I will miss you when you go this time, but I do wish you would drop me a letter sometimes."

"I'll try," Xander promised, taking the package delicately in his arms, holding it to his chest. "I'll take good care of this and Oz. We'll be back through to check on you, make sure you're not going downhill without us." He gave him a small smile and turned, walking out. "Later, Giles. We'll be around. I'm always available for my fathers."

Giles smiled as he sat down, watching the door. "I'll be waiting," he promised quietly.

***

Xander handed Oz a beer as he walked up to him, nodding at the table next to the wall. "Come on." He walked over, sitting down against the wall, taking a sip. "Eww, seriously watered."

"Still drinking?" Oz asked as he sipped his own beer. "No worse than other bars."

"Bet me." Xander leaned closer. "Oz, trust me, I'm not overdrinking. Bars are just the best place to hunt. Ease a little worry?" Oz nodded, taking another sip. "We'll leave tonight before anyone catches wind of us." He looked up as a shadow crossed their table, frowning at the demon walking up to them. "What?"

The demon sat down, looking Xander over with a sneer. "We used to wonder what happened to you after you torched the place," he said, glancing at Oz, then giving Xander's body another long look. "You workin' here in town?"

"Nope, I'm doing something different now." Xander nodded his head but the demon grabbed his arm. "Big mistake, critter."

The demon laughed, tightening his fist. "I don't think so."

Xander shook his head and rolled his eyes. He popped the demon on the forehead, sending him crashing backwards as he got his wrist free. "Not going to happen," he sneered. "You're not *man* enough to do that." He put his hands on his leather-covered hips, tapping his fingers. "Anyone else? I haven't been in a fight in months." Every other demon looked away. "Good." He sat back down, taking his beer back from Oz. "Sorry about that, some things never learned manners." He took one last sip and put the glass aside. "You ready to join me? Said all your goodbyes?"

"To everyone. Left Willow crying on Buffy's shoulder but Giles nodded and gave me something he forgot to give you." He handed over a small present, watching as it was opened. "He hates pagers."

Xander smiled at the cellphone, tucking it into his pocket with the note to call him by a new name now. "Okay. He gave me books to teach you with." He smirked at the shocked look. "Of course, you don't *have* to learn from me but if you want to, I'm so there." He stood up, holding out a hand. "Into the shadows?"

"Into the night," Oz agreed, taking the hand and walking out with Xander.

EPILOGUE:

Xander tested the bonds tying him to the bed, giving up fairly quickly as Oz's fingers entered him to carefully prepare him. It had been a hard night and Xander needed the comfort that only Oz could give him. He winced as he felt the big cock enter him fast and hard, but he knew Oz was fully in control and trusted him to do this right. He shifted to get more comfortable as his legs were spread across Oz's invading thighs, thankful that this was someone that he trusted with all of him. He groaned into his leather hood as Oz started moving in him, trying hard to be good and not push back, but he couldn't last for long. He pushed back against the hand that had just spanked him, moaning quietly for more.

"Just wait," Oz promised softly. "You'll get it all." He spanked him again, smirking at the jump the body around him made. "So bad," he told Xander, working him harder, knowing the younger man liked it hard and rough, tugging on the leather ties holding his hands to taunt him. "I've got you and you can't leave me, ever," he told him. Then he did something he thought he'd never do, he bit Xander on the back of the neck, just grabbing on with his teeth and shaking.

"OZ!" Xander yelled, coming hard, going limp for his Master. "Yes, thank you."

"Welcome," Oz told him, taking the leather hood off to look into the bruised face. "You okay?"

"Now," Xander agreed, untying his hands with his teeth. "Now that we got the thing that got Willow." He waited until he was given permission then rolled over to cuddle on Oz's chest, snuggling in. "I'm sorry we were too late."

"So am I," Oz said softly. "So very sorry we couldn't save her, but that's the way life works. She's happily munching on people she never liked before." He squeezed Xander's shoulders lightly. "I think you have another job left to do," he said, pointing at his still-hard cock. "Now, Xander, or else."

Xander sat up, pulling himself up until he was over Oz's cock, pushing it back into himself, letting his body be used for his Master's delight. He smiled when his lover got off, lying down to hold him. "We'll be okay. Willow as a vengeance demon isn't a bad thing. Her as a vengeance demon is actually pretty cool. And she gave Giles immortality first thing, which was pretty cool."

"Yes, it was," Giles said from the doorway, his new, bulkier body highlighted by the nightlight in the hall. He walked in and shut the door. "You two have the worst habit of waking one up I'm afraid." He sat on the foot of the bed, watching as Xander was released. "Good boy," he told Oz, picking Xander up to hug. "She'll be fine, my boy. Trust me."

"I do, Daddy Giles," Xander said, snuggling into his warm body. "Forever and always."

THE END