Title: New Things
Author/pseudonym: Voracity
Email address: voracitys@hotmail.com
Rating: NC-17
Pairings: Derek/Philip, Willow/Oz/Xander, Nick/Buffy
Fandom: P:TL/BTVS xover
Status: new; complete
Archive: Sure, if you really want to.
Archive author: Voracity
Archive email address: hcompanion@hotmail.com Or above
Other website: (being worked on)

Disclaimers: Not mine (sigh). I gain nothing but pleasure from writing. No copyright infringment intended. Yes, writing is therapy for me.

Summary: part 18: a new nanny, an introduction into the non-traditional community, and we find some stuff out about the babies. A wolfy problem with a problematic member and the guys work out dominance issues between them.

Warnings: M/M (not that this should have to be a warning)

New Things by Voracity

Oz carried his kids into the store where their favorite aunt worked, letting Precious hold her namesake. "Time for first cool t-shirt," he said, going over to the rack.

The redhead behind the counter smiled. "So, how's the nanny working out?" He growled and frowned at her. "Oh, no, what happened?"

He arched an eyebrow as he came back to the counter, rubbing over their heads. "Xan found him hurting yours and he tried to kill him." She frowned, biting her lip. "He's in jail. Copped a plea for very much time." He reached over to rub the baby Precious' head. "We're just glad he stopped him."

She nodded, cuddling the baby tighter. "At least he stopped him." She looked at Oz. "Are you going to look for another one?" He shrugged, hopping up on the counter. "‘Cause I might know someone. And I know he won't hurt a kid. Ever." She squeezed the baby tighter. "Yeah, we'll get you a good guy this time, sweetness, I promise."

Oz looked out the window, checking his watch. "I put money in the meter. Be right back." He headed out to argue with the cop, putting more money in then waving at it.

Precious and her namesake watched all this with grins, making sure her dad would be all right. The older one turned around at a cleared throat. "Hi," she told her girlfriend. "They're in for their first t-shirts."

The ultra-butch blonde nodded, leaning over the basket. "They doing okay?"

Precious nodded, looking around. "The dark haired one found the former nanny trying to hurt them. He beat him pretty bad."

The blonde snorted. "I'd suspect that from him. He seems pretty capable of protecting them." She smiled as Oz walked in. "If you're looking for another we might know one."

Oz nodded. "Maybe, I'll have to dance around it with Willow." He reached over to tap his daughter on the forehead. "Don't bite people."

"She's fine," Precious said.

Oz shook his head. "Just take my word on this, don't let her bite you." He checked over the other three before going back to the t-shirts.

Precious looked at her girlfriend, asking a silent question. The blonde looked over the child and nodded then looked at the father and frowned. "Didn't know you guys dealt with that stuff, Oz," she said, walking up behind him.

He turned slowly, arching an eyebrow. "What do you think you know?"

"Your girlfriend's Wiccan and has put a blessing on the kids. Little Precious has been touched by the supernatural and so have you." She stepped back, glancing over him. "I'd say changer, but not sure."

He pulled her back to the counter, looking around to make sure they were left alone. "How?" He shook his head. "Never mind. Yeah, and this stays here. I'm a changer, the blonde we hang with is touched too. So's Xan." Precious smiled, holding out a hand. Her girlfriend pulled out her wallet, giving her a dollar. "I can't believe you were *betting* on this."

Precious leaned over, kissing his cheek. "Let's bring your friends to our friends," she whispered. "We're both members of a good group." She stood back up, going over to ring someone up.

The girlfriend smiled, leaning closer to Oz's ear. "The blonde, she the Slayer?" He swallowed but didn't answer. "Thought so." She stepped back to a more comfortable distance. "We're cool with the concept. Tell Willow to come see us and bring the babies and the blonde." She walked back toward the back, bringing the basket with her. "Oh, we'll be doing a reading," she called over her shoulder.

Precious smiled. "Welcome to the community," she said, holding out a hand.

He shook it. "Can't be any worse than Sunnydale." He went back to the t-shirts, finding three he liked immediately. "Hey, Precious, can't find one for her."

The redhead walked out from behind the counter, going to the one she liked. "I was thinking about giving her this one," she said, holding it up.

Oz nodded. "Looks good to me. Go repossess them and we'll go home and send Will down."

***

Willow walked into the clothing store, pushing the stroller.

"Ah," Precious said, "I see you found another convenience." She hopped up to sit on the counter so she could look down at the babies. "Only three?"

"Serena's comfortably napping with Xan in the car." She rolled her eyes. "He wouldn't let me drive ‘cause I was yawning."

"What I'd expect," she said, "with four." She swung her legs over, landing beside them. "Hey guys, back again?" She smiled when she saw they were all wearing their new shirts. "I see he did find you."

"Oh, yeah, and told me all about it. Can you talk?"

She pointed toward the back then waved at the other cashier. "Just give me a sec. Go see Savanna, she did a reading on them earlier." She had a quiet word with the other girl then followed the mom and kids back to the back room. "Hey love," she said, leaning down to kiss her girlfriend. "Willow, this is Savanna, my mate." She sat down between them. "Wiccan?"

"Very." She looked up from feeding her son, grinning. "He's hungry."

"Hey, natural, we don't mind." She watched him, then looked at her girlfriend feeding a bottle to another. "Want to come meet our friends?"

Willow nodded. "That's what I'm here to talk about." She looked around. "I'm not real active right now."

"Hon," Savanna said, laying a hand on the smaller one. "We all know that they deal with the light out there. We don't begrudge them pulling you to them, they could use the help." She smiled, pushing back a lock of blonde hair. "Matter of fact, my group may not know them, but they *know* them." She smiled. "We are only offering a link to the community here."

Willow grinned, almost bouncing. "So cool. When?"

"How about next celebration?" Precious suggested. "There's a wedding tomorrow night."

Willow frowned. "Can't, Oz." She looked around, making sure they were alone. "Any other were's in town?"

Precious nodded, very solemnly. "Yeah, a few. He's one?" She nodded. "Okay. Can Xan watch him?"

Willow rolled her eyes. "He's the only one he doesn't snarl at." She looked at Savanna. "I never woulda pegged you for a participant."

The overly butch woman smiled. "Yeah, I'm not the average member. I just do readings and stuff." She tapped the baby she was holding's head. "Very powerful one. She needs training."

Willow shook her head. "I woulda thought Serena, but she's a changer too." She looked up as someone walked through the curtain, sighing in relief when it was her friend. "Savanna did readings for them this morning."

Xander sat down on the other side of the table. "Yeah, Oz told me." He looked at her. "Morning," he said quietly. "Something bad or good?"

"Depends on who trains her." The blonde smiled. "Your boss would be a good one, he's very powerful himself and seems to be able to handle kiddie fits." She smiled, pulling the bottle away. "I could have a word with him if you want."

Willow grinned, taking Xander's hand. "I'm sure he'd love to hear about it. He's got a pretty open mind."

"And the sight," Savanna said. "Never forget that." She smiled at Xander. "So, who's your others?"

He laughed lightly. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." He reached over to play with little Precious' hair. "But which were you alluding too? The animal or the soldier?"

***

Derek nearly choked on his tea when Savanna picked one kid up and pointed at the lamp, telling her to bring it closer because it wanted to be cuddled. He looked at the lamp, an antique bronze piece, seeing it shake. "Enough," he said. He looked over the woman before him, seeing her as she wanted him to. "Who are you anyway?"

"I'm Precious' mate. The older one." She put the baby back into the stroller. "I do readings and stuff and my mate is in the community." She smiled at him, getting comfortable. "While we don't know you or your group, we trust you with them." She crossed her legs, arranging her long skirt. "Little Precious has a very nice gift, some telekinesis and a touch of the sight. Serena's been touched by the change, Brandon Alexander and," she had to lean down to check his id bracelet, "Timothy Daniel both have some gifts but they won't manifest for a long time if at all."

Derek nodded. "Is this a warning to take care of them or are you claiming training rights?" He leaned forward. "Because I will see to it if you're not."

"That's exactly what I wanted to hear." She bent to pat Precious' head. "Her gift's been started already. She called to Xander the other night and he didn't realize it." She frowned. "We'll send over someone if she wants another helper. We will not allow them to be hurt again." She looked over her shoulder as Alex and Nick walked in, talking. "Ah, I see you do call the good ones to you." She smiled at Alex. "Savanna."

"Alex Moreau." She smiled at her. "We've met. One of my friends married into the community." She moved the basket to sit down next to her. "Social or otherwise?"

"We're offering Willow an entry and I needed to talk to him about training." She smiled at Nick. "Your brother is such an interesting man."

He nodded, sitting on the couch. "I know, how did you?"

"It was in the cards." She turned back to Derek. "Protect them or let us, but we will be sending someone to help with them. We insist."

Derek nodded, calm again. "I understand but she has right of refusal."

"Of course she does." Savanna stood up. "Now then, I believe I should go and leave you to your important work." She walked out, leaving the castle.

Alex looked at the quad then back at her boss. "What was that about?"

"Seems that she does readings. She found out their gifts and offered the services of a community member to help us protect them." He looked at Nick. "She's Precious' girlfriend. I remember meeting her during their stay down in the guest house."

He grinned. "Alienitis, as they call it." He shrugged. "If she agrees, I can run a search on anyone." He tossed over the papers they were carrying. "Still there boss."

Derek frowned down at the picture from the reception two weeks ago, reinstating the rumours of an affair between him and Xander. "I don't believe this," he muttered. "I should sue them just to make them leave us alone."

Alex smiled. "That's one way." She handed over her copy from London. "Found this in my mail."

Derek looked down at the large, bold letters spelling out the message, "Deal with it or I will." He shook his head. "That man," he said, throwing it away. He picked up his phone, looking up a number before dialing. "Hello, is David there?" He leaned back, smiling his nasty little smile. "I want you to sue them. Neither of us need this." His smile got brighter and he hung up. "The paper was delivered today." He looked at Alex. "I'm sure this will be stopped soon."

"Could make it worse," Nick warned, getting up. "Let me take them, I'll go do the water thing with them."

Alex shook her head. "You can't swim with four of them," she said. "Take the happy couple and Buffy with you. They could all use a break." She stood up, handing over the basket. "Have fun." She waited until he was gone. "Did you know one of them was talented?" He shook his head. "Me either. I wonder if Willow did?"

He shrugged. "All I know is that Precious, the little one, had a sudden affinity for my lamp." He pointed at it. "Savanna told her it wanted to cuddle her so she tried to pull it over." He sighed, stretching. "I'll talk to them later." He looked up as someone else walked through the door. "Yes?" he asked the unfamiliar man.

The man dropped his bag, taking off his jacket and hat, showing his shiny black hair and taut body. "I'm the new nanny, where are my charges?" He smiled at Alex. "I know you can't be the mother, you're much too well rested." He looked at Derek. "Same as you're not the father."

Derek reached over to his phone, beeping the control room. "Willow, would you and your family come in here please?" he said once it was answered.

***

Willow sat at the table eating her first kid free meal since they'd been born. "I like him," she told Derek. "I don't know why, but I like him. He's very calm, he's got good vibes."

Nick walked in, smiling and putting down the papers he was carrying. "He's clean. So shiny he squeaks." He looked at Willow. "He's a witch too, you were probably picking up on that." He looked around, noticing her unencumbered state. "Where are they?"

"He and Xander are walking them in the garden." She finished off her salad, drinking her milk. "He's okay? We can keep him?"

"If he's the one," Derek said, looking up from the security report. "I don't see a reason to refuse him." He looked at Nick. "Family?"

"Of origin? Not a clue. Of choice? Very good and well respected within the supernatural." He sat down, reaching over to steal a carrot from her plate. "What is with you guys and carrots? They're good for you."

Willow shrugged. "Like mine cooked." She looked at Derek. "Problems?"

He shook his head. "No, not at all. I'll call William in a few minutes with this but I'm sure there won't be a problem."

"Sent them," Nick said, grinning. "He was most pleased that she liked him." He looked out the window. "There goes Oz. Didn't anyone tell him?"

Willow walked outside, going to introduce them. "Oz, wait," she yelled as she walked down the back steps.

Dominick, the butler, walked over to the table, handing Derek the phone before picking up her plate and glass. "Mr. Sloan, sir," he said as he walked away.

Derek sighed but took the call off hold. "William? Why are you calling to bother me now?" He smiled. "Well, I'm sure she'll be happy to hear that. Thank you." Pause. "No, stay in London, we'll send you his forms." He hung up, rolling his eyes. "London must be boring. He's always trying to travel here."

Nick grinned. "No other house has our problems," he said. He stood up, going to look out the window. "He and Oz are hugging, must be okay." He turned to see the smile. "With that, I'm off for the rest of the day. Have fun."

Derek snorted, picking up his paper. "Here?"

***

"Jonathan," Willow yelled. "Are the kids with you?"

He looked out of his room, which used to be Xander's. "Of course." He opened the door fully, showing off his mostly dressed state. "I was showing the guys how to shave." He leaned against the door frame. "Why? You knew they were with me."

She shook her head then shrugged. "Not sure. Just wanted to see them."

Oz walked out. "How long has Serena been turning over?" he asked his mate, kissing her cheek.

Willow beamed. "She flipped over?" She ran for the baby book, hunting around for a pen. "Got to write this down."

Oz handed her a pen as he walked past her, heading for the napping man on the bed. "Nobody naps like him," he muttered, crawling next to him. He shoved at the relaxed shoulder, waking him up. "Hey, your niece just rolled over," he said quietly.

Xander opened an eye, looking up. "What?"

"Serena just flipped over," Willow called happily, going into Jonathan's room. She picked up her daughter, cuddling her. "Oh, you're so good and smart, yeah you are," she cooed.

Xander walked in behind her, plucking the baby from her arms. "Trying to escape already?" he asked her, cuddling her to his chest. "I'm very proud of you, now all you have to do is tell the others to teach them how. Then mommy can gush all over them too."

Willow frowned at him, taking her daughter back. "They'll do it in their own time," she said. She laid her baby down on the bed, watching as she flipped onto her stomach and tried to move, bouncing in place.

"Told ya she was trying to escape." He looked at Jonathan. "How they been doing besides?" He yawned. "Last night was long and I didn't get to check in before heading downstairs."

The nanny smiled, waving at the four of them. "Oh, we're doing fine. Been having long talks about the world and how important being happy and yourself is." He smiled at Willow. "When's the next one coming?"

She blushed. "I'm not pregnant."

"I'd hope not," floated in through the door as Oz walked by, heading downstairs. "Later," he called.

"Seven," Xander reminded him.

"Like he doesn't know," Willow said, hitting his arm.

"Hey," he said, rubbing it. "Gentle. I'm fragile."

Willow reached over, rubbing the spot. "I know," she said quietly, looking into his eyes. "Want to talk?" He shook his head. "For me?" She pouted at him, making him give in by force.

He waved at Jonathan as they walked back to their room, closing the door behind him. "It's nothing, Will. I'm fine."

She snuggled up to his chest. "You're not fine. You haven't kissed either of us for days." She brushed a soft kiss past his lips but he didn't respond. "What?" she asked, pulling back to look at him. "Do you not want to kiss me, us?"

He shook his head, pulling her closer. "No, it's not that. Something just doesn't feel right." He held her tight, worrying that he was going to lose them both. "It's just something in my head I guess."

Willow shook her head from it's protected position on his shoulder. "It's not. Both you and Oz have been avoiding each other, and me, for the last few weeks. Since Jonathan got here," she realized. She pulled back again. "Is it him? Are you feeling some pull from him?"

He frowned. "No." He kissed her forehead. "I don't know what it is, I'm just not in the mood." He laid down on the bed again, curling his throw in his fingers. "Wake me when it's time to go down."

Willow shook her head, laying next to him. "We need to talk about this, not ignore it," she said softly. "What are you afraid of, what's pushing you away?"

He opened an eye, looking at her. "I don't know, I really don't." He ran a hand through her hair. "When I do, I'll tell you." He closed his eye again, falling back into his nap, hand still in her hair.

Willow moved closer to him, moving the hand down to her waist, hissing as she was pulled closer, hardly able to breathe until the arm loosened. "You're still insecure," she whispered, "and there's no reason for it love. We love you, you aren't losing us." She snuggled into his shoulder, wanting to join him in the nap state.

***

Xander looked up from his playing with the presently fuzzy cub to see who was walking down the stairs. "Kristen?" he asked, having met her earlier that day. He looked at Oz, who had been snarling at everyone tonight, even him. "It's her, isn't it," he said quietly, then got up to stop her from coming closer. "Nope, no closer."

She looked at him. "I just want to examine him. I'm not going to get too close." She tried to walk around him but he wouldn't let her. "Derek told me it was all right."

"Then come back down here with him," he said, pushing her back. He didn't turn as he heard the door rattle harder. "Go, Kristen. He doesn't like you." He pushed her back some more, turning her around. "Leave now."

She got away from him, somehow, and walked over to where the baby was. She bent down to look, wiggling her fingers.

Xander reached around her, grabbing the infant before she could touch her, a very bad feeling flowing over him. "I said no."

She smiled at him. "They're not yours to tell me that." She held out her arms again. "Give me the baby please."

Xander backed toward the cage, knowing Oz wouldn't hurt either of them. "Derek!" he screamed. He heard footsteps coming down the stairs. "Get her out of here, she's upsetting him and want's the baby," he told Nick, the first one down.

The older man pulled his former house mate away from the cage, pushing up toward the stairs. "Go away Kristen, they'll kill you."

She smiled that serene smile again, moving around him like she hadn't heard him. "I just want to pet them," she said softly. Nick tried to grab her but she tossed him out of her way like he was nothing. She continued closer to the cage but before she could step outside of the safe range, Derek grabbed her, pulling her away.

Unfortunately, Oz chose that moment to finally break the cage door. The movement of it made Xander turn and he was hit by it, pushed across the floor by the impact. The baby cried pitifully in his arms, not hurt but very upset.

Derek grabbed the tranq rifle but he wasn't fast enough to save her from the werewolf. Oz had gotten her down and was trying to tear out her throat by the time he'd gotten it up and aimed. The shot echoed around the room, then upstairs, bringing more help.

Nick picked the baby up, making sure she was all right first then pulled Oz off her. He handed the baby back to Derek as he put on the emergency chains, snapping them into the hook on the wall.

Derek bent down in front of Xander, checking him over to make sure he was all right. "Has your head," he said as he stood to look down at Kristen. "Why'd she do it?"

Nick shrugged. "Not a clue. She got this overly serene and calm look at the first howl and started walking down here. I thought she was going for something else but I heard Willow out in the hall so walked out. That's when I heard Xander yell for you." He heard a groan from the younger man so looked over at him. "What'd she want?"

"To pet them," he said, rubbing the side of his head. "She wanted to look at them, pet them. She said examine but I'm not sure." He stood up, bracing himself with the bars. "She living?"

Derek nodded. "Not that bad. No arteries." He looked up. "I'm guessing we should call Marcus to come fix her."

Alex and Willow walked down the stairs and stopped. The older woman ran back up, heading for a phone presumably while Willow looked at the two men. She took her daughter from her Precept's hands, cuddling her to quiet her down. "What happened?" She looked at Xander. "You all right?"

He nodded. "She kept trying to get to them." He shook his head, trying to clear it of the buzzing sound. "How's Oz?" He looked behind him, seeing him gently slumbering still. "How many did you have to fire?" he asked Derek.

"Just the one. That's the new tranquilizer." He looked back at the cage. "He'll be fine." He looked down at the baby, who was sucking her paw again. "She does that as a cub too?"

Willow looked down and made a gross face. "No wonder you poo hairs," she said, removing the paw from the sucking mouth.

Xander held out his arms. "Let me." He went into the cage, sitting down beside Oz. "See, daddy doesn't do that," he said quietly, showing her the animal her father became.

Derek ignored them, looking back down at the young woman at his feet. "What prompted this?" He looked at Nick. "Call Montreal and do a case review. I'm not sure if she was on that last werewolf case we had." He looked at Willow. "Stay down here with them. Monitor Xander for more injuries and watch to make sure Oz won't hurt Serena still. The drugs may affect his judgement and recall." He patted her shoulder. "We'll deal with Kristen, you handle your family." He looked down at where Nick was checking her over. "Still living?" The younger man nodded so he bent to pick up her feet, nodding as Nick picked up her shoulders. "Let's get her to a couch." They carried her up the stairs, heading for somewhere safer.

Willow sat down on the floor outside the cage, using the blankets Xander had down here for these nights. "You really okay?"

He nodded. "Fine, just some buzzing and stuff." He grinned at her. "Normal head injury stuff."

"You'd know," she said, smiling faintly. "Can I come in?" She heard the soft snorting that meant he was trying to wake up. "Or do you think he'll hurt me too?"

Xander walked out, putting the door out of the way after handing her the baby. He measured the chains visually, then made her move back a few inches. "Not sure," he said, kneeling beside her after pulling the blanket back. He looked at the wolf, seeing the yellow eyes open. "He's awake." He stood, still a little wobbly, and walked slowly toward the cage. He heard a soft growl so brought his predator a little more forward. "Hey Oz," he said, sitting down in the doorway of the cage. "You okay in there?" He was tensed, ready to move if he needed to.

The werewolf moved a little closer to him after sniffing at the chains. He sniffed in his direction then snarled more.

"Hey, I'm a pack member, remember?" He held out his arms, inviting him toward his stomach. "See, non-threatening." He tipped his head to the side, something Oz usually responded to as a beta move. "You're the alpha here," he said quietly.

Oz sniffed some more then advanced toward him. He sniffed over the clothes and the face then, in a very sudden move, attacked the shirt.

Willow screeched, standing up and moving back. "Xander," she yelled.

He stripped off the shirt, letting Oz tear it up. The fuzzy being started to sniff at his pants so he stood and stripped, tossing them back toward Willow. "Her scent's on me. She hugged me earlier," he told her. "Rub the baby on your skin and hand her back to me." Willow did as she was told, stripping off her shirt to rub the baby on her chest and stomach, then slowly inched forward to hand him the baby.

Oz didn't growl at her but he did sniff in her direction. When the baby was near enough to him to be smelled, he growled softly and started to wash her, licking it all over, earning baby squeaks.

Xander smiled. "You just didn't like her, huh, Oz?" he asked, resting the baby in his lap. He giggled as the tongue attacked his stomach too, then his chest and his face. "I'm sorry, I don't know why she hugged me." He turned his head, looking at Willow. "Want to try to come back over?" She nodded, moving very slowly and carefully. He smiled some more as the dexterous tongue bathed his ticklish stomach, reaching over to scratch under the wolf's chin, showing his betaness to him. "Yeah," he said when Willow was beside him. "We're fine." He watched as Oz sniffed her, then the baby, then her again. He smiled as the tongue came out again, running over her milk-full breasts.

She giggled, clutching Xander's arm for support. "Stop it Oz, you can scent me later when I'm wearing clothes." She looked down in his lap where the baby was resting. "Is this what you guys do down here?" She batted the snout away from her nipple, frowning at him. "For the baby only."

Xander handed back the baby. "I'd prove it." He looked down at his watch, seeing the teeth chewing on it. "About time for her to be fed anyway." He took off his watch before the teeth could do more than scratch him, tossing it back toward his jeans. "Go ahead, I'm not gonna watch."

Willow punched his arm. "You're allowed to watch." She pulled her bra aside, letting the fuzzy baby attach itself to her nipple, smiling as some of the pressure was relieved. "Good idea, he's watching." She nodded at where her boyfriend was laying, panting and watching them.

Xander leaned closer to her ear. "Be very careful. Are you in heat?" She shook her head. "Good thing. But he still might want to try for you again."

Oz moved over to where Xander was laying, whining slightly, looking up at him from his back.

"You're not saying I'm still the alpha, are you Oz?" The wolf sniffed at the hand that came toward his stomach but let it touch him and rub over the fur. "Hmm, guess so." He looked at Willow. "I'll protect you but I'm don't think we'll be fighting for dominance."

She smiled, switching sides, hearing the upset grunt from the baby. "Is he waiting his turn?"

Xander nodded. "He's just sworn his beta allegiance to me. He expects you to be my mate." He grinned. "Maybe that's what it's been. A silent fight for dominance. I haven't felt like touching you because you were his and he must have been feeling the same way." He leaned over, stealing a soft kiss, noticing the change in feeling. "The sister feeling is gone."

She bopped his arm again. "You felt like you were kissing your sister when you kissed me?" He nodded, looking down at the wolf. "That's gross."

"Not really," Derek said from behind them, averting his gaze when he saw what she was doing. "Packs are usually made up of a family." He looked down at Oz, hearing the quiet growl.

"He won't hurt us, Oz. He's like the old Alpha that we kicked out of the pack. He's too old to fight." He turned his head to look at Derek. "How's she doing?"

"Fine. I'm sure she'll change." He cleared his throat. "How long did it take him?"

Willow shrugged, laying the baby down next to her daddy. "He was bitten between moons," she said, getting onto her stomach to lay next to them, getting just a little lower than him. "His nephew bit him on a trip but it was more than a week before the first day of the full moon." She nuzzled his chest with her nose, earning a quiet growl, so she rolled onto her back, letting him see she was subservient to him at the moment. "We could write something on urban pack behavior," she told her other lover.

Xander nodded. "Yeah, maybe." He looked at Derek, who was now blushing fully. "Maybe you'd be more comfortable upstairs," he suggested, not knowing what was causing it.

"Quite. Tell him I'd like to talk to him in the morning," he said, standing up. He avoided looking at Willow's mostly bare body before he jogged up the stairs.

Xander looked down at them, not seeing anything unusual. "What's up with him?"

Willow shrugged then reached behind her to remove the bra. "Maybe he was embarrassed that I was feeding Serena." She tossed the uncomfortable garment toward the growing pile of clothes. "You really think that he's waiting for his turn to have me?"

"He's the beta," Xander said. "I'm the alpha and all kids would logically come from me." He shrugged. "He's only seen Serena in my arms when they're like this." He moved back some, then looked out the window. "It's only about midnight," he said quietly. "I don't know how to fix this. Most animals, predators especially, would kill any cub not theirs when they become alpha. I can't get him to not be beta without hurting you and her." He reached down to pet the baby, who had rolled back to her stomach and was growling softly. "See?"

"So, we can wait until she's older?"

"If we do that, we'll have to start separating them." He looked disgusted. "We don't want him trying to mate with her once she's hit maturity."

Willow shuddered. "I hadn't even thought of that." She reached down to move her daughter closer, letting her start to suckle again. "At least she doesn't have teeth. This would be impossible otherwise."

"It does seem to confuse him when I feed her," Xander said, grinning. He reached down, petting Oz's stomach again. "I'm guessing here but he can't decided then if I'm male or female. He snarls at me like he does you usually."

"It's the drugs," Willow said, rubbing over Xander's leg. "What do we do to cement the situation?"

"We mate," he said, reaching over to rub her stomach with a grin. "It's the one sign he can't dispute."

She nodded. "Later." She yawned, curling up on her arm. "I need a nap and so does the little fuzzy." She petted her daughter's head, smiling at the happy cub sounds. "We're okay for right now."

Xander snapped his fingers. "He must have thought she was another alpha female trying to take over for you." He grinned down at her, seeing her already asleep but the baby still sucking. "Night guys," he said, pulling Serena away to lay her in his lap again. He watched as Oz sniffed at the damp nipple, licking up the dripping milk. "Not yours," he said quietly. The older wolf looked at him and sniffed so he bent over, kissing it. "Not yours," he said again. He ended up on the floor with her, cradling the baby to his chest. Oz curled up around his front, licking his throat and chin before going back to sleep, letting the drugs work through his system.

It was about an hour before dawn when Oz woke them, licking over their exposed skin. He snuffled at the baby then at Xander, then at Willow. She got up, taking the baby over to change her, then came back to sit beside him. "Hey," she said softly. "We did okay last night." She batted away the cold nose trying to get at her chest again. "No, Oz," she said firmly.

Xander watched it, assessing what he was seeing by using his internal predator. "Put the baby on it or put her down," he said quietly. She tried to nurse but Serena wasn't being cooperative, she didn't like mornings and tended not to eat on these especially. "Come here, we need to prove you're mine."

She stood up, undoing her pants and sliding them off, leaving on her panties. She knelt across his legs, doing the same for his boxers, tugging them off him. "Right?" He nodded so she laid down across his body, snuggling down. She laid still as the nose came back to sniff her again. "Now what?"

He made her look at him. "You know what," he said quietly. "But I'll understand if you don't want to and decide to leave."

She smiled, seeing the lack of confidence in his eyes. "I love you," she repeated, same as she did every morning. "You're mine." She kissed him gently, taking control. "Move his head," she said when it started to try and interrupt.

Xander stared at Oz, pushing his nose away. He waited until the eyes looked away then grabbed Willow's head, kissing her like he did Oz, letting his inner predator come back out. He had her on her back in no time, panting and wanting him, almost begging. He ran a hand down her chest, caressing along it then down her stomach, then to where she wanted him. He licked at her neck as he touched her, his predator fully forward now, making sure she understood he was the male and the alpha. When she arched up under him, he took her slowly, watching her eyes for signs of resistence. When she lowered her gaze from his, just like she did with Oz, he howled, and pushed in hard.

"Xander, " she called, scratching his back. She panted, arching up under him. When she heard the quiet growl, she turned her head, letting him do what came naturally. She felt his teeth sink in and moaned but didn't protest. When she came, he grunted, laying across her chest. "Better?" she asked quietly, seeing the animal gone again. "Are you sure?"

He touched the bite mark then moved away from her, sitting in the corner. "Damn," he said, curling up on himself. "I'm sorry Will, I didn't know I'd be violent."

She shook her head, crawling over to him, kneeling in front of him. "I wanted it. Not that hard, but I *did* want it from you." She tapped his forehead. "I started it, remember?" He nodded, still silent. "Xan, there was nothing that I didn't consent too. If I hadn't liked what you were doing, all I had to do was to have Oz stop you." She batted the cold nose away from her rear. "See, he's still not convinced."

Xander uncurled, holding out his arms. She came to sit on his lap. "You're sure?" She nodded. "I didn't hurt you, take you by force, any of that bad stuff?" She leaned over, licking over his neck. "Will, answer me," he pleaded. "I have to know."

She pulled back, looking into his eyes. "You could never hurt me," she said quietly. "I know that and so do you. Now stop feeling guilty, I *liked* it. He never does that to me." She grinned, settling on the firm shoulder. "You're a lot more muscular than I would have imagined."

Xander shook his head. "Go lay down and nap Will. I'll send him to you when he's out of it." She nodded, heading over to the blankets, still not dressing. He picked up Serena from where she was napping, putting her back in the car seat, then walked back to the cage. "Hey, Oz," he said, looking out the window to see how much longer they had. "We've got to get this worked out." He watched as the hair started to recede, the man coming back out for another day. "We've got to talk," he said once human looking intelligence entered the light eyes. "‘Cause I'm not the alpha here, not all the time."

Oz pinned him to the concrete floor, kissing him as the last of the change back happened, slipping out of the handcuffs now that they were too loose. "I saw and I know why you did it." He kissed him deeply. "I'll be the alpha human and you be the alpha animal, how's that?" He looked over at Willow, seeing her cuddling up under the blanket. "But if that's true then you have to submit to me too." He looked down the firm body. "She's right, you are a bit more muscular. Did you change your workout again?"

"Nope, just how I count them." He grinned, taking control of the older man's mouth again. "You sure? I wouldn't mind fighting over alpha rights as a human."

Oz shook his head. "This last week proved that it wasn't the best system." He looked around. "Who's smell is that?"

Xander swallowed. "Remember Kristen, the blonde that showed up early last night?" Oz nodded, very still otherwise. "She came down to pet you and Serena. You mistook her for a female coming in to try to take over and bit her." He stopped him from moving. "You were protecting me and Serena. She's still living."

"But I bit her," he finished. He sat down beside the stretched out body. "So the no clothes thing?"

"I smelled like her and so did Serena for a little while. You attacked my shirt to get the smell and Will took off hers to rescent the baby." He grinned. "You kept trying to breast feed, you naughty wolf you." He reached over, playing with the ginger colored hair. "I like your hair first thing in the mornings. It looks good messed like that."

Oz looked at him. "Did you get hit in the head again." The younger man nodded, pointing at the cage door so he leaned over, taking another kiss. "I'm sorry babe, I didn't mean it."

"Hey, you were trying to fight her and protect us. Perfectly understandable." He grinned. "Now, about this submitting thing."

Oz silenced his mouth with a hard kiss. "Yes, that." He stood up, walking over to where Willow was sleeping, crawling in beside her. "Get over here," he said. He waited until the younger man was trying to figure out where. "Behind her." He grabbed the tense hand once it was in the right position. "Now then, you can have her when I say, when she says, or if you ask." The younger man nodded. "Between us, we're going to have a long talk with me later about what you know and don't know how to do and what you're *willing* to do." He nodded again. "Good, now kiss her neck and let's nap."

"Serena could use covering," he murmured, bending down to kiss the bite mark. "I'm still sorry about that Will, I never meant to do that."

"There's another option," Derek said from the stairs where he was sitting. "Sometimes two alphas will agree to form a pack to share hunting and cub raising duties." He stood up, handing over the research. "I don't see either of you as truly alpha or beta except in the animal situation." He smiled at the little girl waving her arms. "Kristen's fine and I'm going to take her to breakfast." He picked up the baby seat, carrying it up the stairs. "We'll talk later, both of you," he called back down from the top.

Oz looked at the first paragraph and snorted. "Could we?"

Xander nodded, smiling slightly. "Yeah, we could. That way I don't end up doing the same thing all the time." He licked over Willow's throat. "I can share."

"So can I," Oz said, tossing down the papers. "This feels much more right to me." He kissed his mate, sliding her top leg over his. "Want you babe," he whispered. He grabbed the younger man's hand. "No, don't go." He looked in his eyes as he leaned down to lick over the soft cheek of his mate. "We can't hide this from each other."

Willow blushed. "I don't know if I could do ... that if someone was watching," she said quietly.

"Not what I was suggesting. All I'm saying is that he doesn't have to leave the bed." She nodded but was still blushing. "Try it for me? See if this works?"

She leaned over, nipping at his chest. "Why don't you?" She licked over a tense nipple. "All you have to do is move a little." Oz shifted down some, entering her gently. "Oh, yeah," she sighed, hugging him tightly. "Just like that," she whispered. "I think I like this idea."

Oz laughed lightly, then rested his head on her shoulder. "You up with this?" he asked. Xander nodded, putting an arm around them both to hold them as they made love.

***

Oz walked into the office, snarling softly as he saw the blonde woman sitting comfortably in a chair. "What were you thinking?" he asked, angrily looming over her. "Were you trying to die or was it just rampant stupidity?" He looked at Derek, who hadn't stopped him yet. "Well?"

"I don't know," Kristen said. "I ...it was like I was possessed. I *had* to be down there, *had* to be bitten." She touched the bandage on her throat. "I'm sorry, I never even realized." She looked up at him, big blue eyes pleading for understanding. "I don't know why I did it."

Nick walked in, tossing down a case file. "You were in our last werewolf case, right?" She nodded. "You were bitten or scratched but not enough to be changed by it."

"So, when she ran into another one, the virus or whatever compelled her to do it?" Oz asked.

Nick sat down in the other chair. "My theory."

"Rocks for me." Oz sat down on the couch, looking at the boss. "So, now what?"

"We may have found a cure, but only for her." He frowned at the book on his desk. "Many months ago, Giles found one for a first time sufferer. It will cure it the first night but not after that."

Oz frowned. "Damn, I'm well past that mark." He leaned back, looking out the window. "But if Nick's theory is right, then it might not work."

"No but we can try it later." He looked at the older man. "Could I get you to agree to tranquilizers tonight? We only have one cage."

"No cage," Oz corrected. "I tore the door off." He shrugged. "As long as Xan's there, shouldn't be a problem. I react pretty favorably around him and Serena." He looked hopefully over.

Derek nodded. "Quite but he found it during that next month."

"Yeah, but Timothy had the antigen too, even if he's not changing yet."

"Then the first time he does, we'll gladly try the spell on him," Derek assured. "But first we have to take care of this problem."

"I wouldn't let her near me if she changes tonight. I'll remember her as that female that tried to take over." He looked over as the door opened. "Hey, Xan."

The younger man frowned at the blonde in the chair but ignored her in favor of Derek. "Montreal just called, there's been an explosion in New York." He took a deep breath and pushed Nick back down. "Nobody was in the house but everything's gone."

The Precept nodded, picking up the phone. "I'll deal with it, thank you." He looked at Xander as he dialed. "I want to talk to you later," he requested, "about tonight."

Xander nodded. "You know where I'll be." He looked at Oz. "Come on, I need a cheerleader."

They walked out together, Nick shifting uncomfortably.

"He's fine," Derek said quietly. "Hi, yes, this is he. What do you need from my house?" He leaned back, silently nodding. "Fine, I can send that and her tonight. Is the jet available or are you going to have it occupied?" He smiled. "Very goot then, I'll send Alex out tonight after dark and you should be getting it by the middle of the night." He hung up. "Explosives." He shook his head. "Montreal said they want Alex to go help and to bring some of our excess or old computer equipment." He quickly wrote out the list and handed it to Nick. "Get it ready to go tonight and tell her." He looked at Kristen. "I've already informed them of what happened to you and they know you'll be home either tonight or the next morning." She nodded, getting up and leaving to help Nick.

Derek sat back in his chair. "Now if everything else we did was that easy."

***

Nick took his break in the pool area, watching his brother swim. "One oh one," Oz shouted as he turned. He turned his head to look at him when he didn't call a new one at the next turn, but at the far wall again. "He's counting like that?" He was really shocked. Xander was doing many more laps than he was if he always did this.

Oz nodded, patting the water as the younger man came closer, a signal that he wanted to talk to him. "Yeah, since I've been counting for him." He looked over his shoulder. "Don't you?"

Nick shook his head, waiting for Xander to come back. "You lost two."

"One." He waited until he'd touched again. "One oh four," he yelled. "Break." He got flipped off. "Wonder how he does that, I'm not that coordinated." He looked at his watch then at Nick. "Give him ten or twenty more and he'll be done."

Nick sipped his coffee, waiting on his little brother to give up for the day. "No wonder you cramp if you're calling them that way," he said quietly, handing over his towel. "I only count going one way."

Xander shrugged as he tipped his head to shake the water out of an ear. "Not a big. I changed a few months back and worked my way up by twenties."

Nick shook his head. "Very much one." He looked over the toned body. "You don't eat enough to sustain that level." He nodded at Oz to leave for a minute but he didn't. "Oz," he said quietly. He watched as the older man handed the younger his robe, a silent talk going on between them. Nick got up to help him into his robe, pushing him down onto the bench. "You're doing too many, Xan, you're gonna wear yourself out."

"Hey, I'm fine and I feel good. Except for the occasional cramp, everything's peachy." He grinned. "Why are you ‘dad'ing me again?"

Nick tapped him on the forehead. "Because that's what big brothers do," he said quietly. "What... Why are you doing so many?"

"Because the water feels good." He wiped over his hair. "It's not that hard on me."

"Is it to take the place of going out?"

"Some. I do tend to pick up the pace when I'm stressed, but otherwise I'm just doing it for the exercise. Why do you do twenty miles?" He raised an eyebrow. "Same thing, different sport."

"Yeah, maybe, but I was worked up to it. When you came, not even a year ago, you were only doing twenty, counting it each way. Now you're doing three hundred counting the same way. I worry that something's not right here."

Xander shook his head. "I'm fine, everything's peachy and you worry too much." He stood up, showing off his solidness by not wobbling. "See? Perfect balance and form." He grinned. "Now, I gotta go eat and you gotta go nark so I'll see you at supper."

Nick watched the younger man walk out, seeing the careful way he stepped, the way his legs shook, the way he had to shake his arms out to get the feeling back in them. "Yeah, narking could be a good thing." He stood up, bringing his cup with him, and headed for the office.

***

"He's doing how many?" Derek asked, turning his chair back around to look at Nick.

"One fifty, counting a complete lap as one." He frowned out the windows. "Then he compared it to me doing twenty miles a morning."

Derek nodded. "Is he trying to live up to a Seal's ideal?" Nick shook his head. "Are you sure?"

"No," he admitted, "but I would think it was more the soldier in him that was doing it. He was army, and a private, so no clue." He shrugged. "It seems like something some private would be doing to keep in shape or even make it into special forces." He looked at the door but whoever didn't come in. "What do you want me to do?"

"Nothing for now. I'll have Dominick monitoring his diet and we'll go on that. He has lost some weight, or so it seemed to me."

"He's well defined," Nick pointed out. "Muscular without being built." He shook his head, letting whoever was outside in. "Hey Will, what's up?" He pulled her into the office.

"Xan and Oz said that you were concerned about him but that's my job so..." She looked at Nick. "What now? His head from last night?"

Derek spit his coffee across the desk. "He's been doing it with a head injury?"

Nick nodded. "Today, I caught him earlier, watched him do his last fifty in under thirty minutes." He pulled her over to the couch. "He's working himself way too hard for the job and we're concerned that there's a reason behind it."

"Like a death wish," Derek muttered. "Have you noticed him having any problems?"

She shook her head. "No, not really." She closed her eyes to think. "He's been doing this since before the formal, right?" Nick nodded. "Then he's not really been hurt or upset since then." She scrunched up her face. "When did it start?"

"All he said was a few months back and that he started lower and worked up by twenties."

"Probably one group a week," Derek said. He got comfortable. "Have you three been having any problems?"

She shook her head. "You know what's been going on," she said, blushing. She cleared her throat. "I don't have any idea, but it was probably right after the aliens were cured. He's been more diligent about swimming since then."

Derek nodded. "Goot. And your relationship started around the same time."

Nick shrugged. "That sort of insecurity wouldn't make him go work out. That's more of a frustration and stuff thing." He looked at Willow. "Is he having problems with the kids?"

She shook her head. "They love him. He's an alternate dad." She grinned. "Serena will only go to sleep if she's seen him, gotten a kiss, and heard his voice."

Derek looked thoughtful. "When did you tell him that? The added sense of responsibility would make him work harder to be better able to protect them."

"Right after his first episode of cramps." She grinned. "Same day as the pictures." She looked around and pouted. "You don't have one down here?" He turned to so she could see it. "Oh, okay, that's good then." She grinned. "Oh, and I have a check up tomorrow so I need some time off."

He nodded. "Are you pregnant again?" She frowned at him.

Nick laughed. "Hey, it's always a consideration." He patted her shoulder. "Buffy wasn't feeling well the other day and he asked her the same thing. He just wants a few of his own."

Willow grinned. "I'm sure he can find his own woman to surrogate. He doesn't need to live vicariously through us." She stood up. "So, no concerns except why he was doing so many?" Both men shook their heads. "Okay." She walked out of the office, happy again.

"Bet me ten bucks," Nick said.

Derek shook his head. "No, I'm not for betting against sure things." He frowned. "This time we'll make sure to get a correct estimate of how far along she is. I don't want a repeat of the last time."

"But she liked the tub Derek," he said. He ducked out before the frown killed him.

TO BE CONTINUED.