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Fic: Articulation 12-15/15
I just realized I never finished posting this story here. That total lack of followthrough would be why I haven't posted my older stories on LJ. Oh, well. Here, for your reading pleasure, are the final four chapters of Articulation. There's magic and schmoop and danger and Xander/Harry goodness.
The rest of the fic can be found in Memories here: http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=allyndra&keyword=Articulation+Xander/Harry&filter=all
The rest of the fic can be found in Memories here: http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=allyndra&keyword=Articulation+Xander/Harry&filter=all
Chapter 12
This was the most amazing feeling. Harry was bound to him, and he felt completed in a totally non-Jerry Maguire way. It wasn't just the magical connection that felt so good; that would end when the spell was removed, anyway. It was knowing with absolute certainty how Harry felt about him. Xander practically glowed with the bone-deep knowledge that he was loved. He wondered how Counselor Troi could ever have broken up with Commander Riker once she experienced his love and knew that it was real.
Xander forced himself out of his Star Trek musings and began to analyze the rest of this spellcasting experience. He could feel the girls' shield leaning against him. Willow's magic, bright and warm, made up one side, while Hermione's sharp and clean power made up the other. He heard Giles' speaking Latin in a low voice and braced himself for the impact of the magic wave the Watcher was conjuring.
It didn't help. The wave slammed against the shields, and despite his attempts to support them, the girls went down. He could sense them, locked tight against each other by the force of the impact, struggling to separate. He opened his eyes and was almost surprised to see that their physical bodies were lying on either side of the circle, rather than tangled together. With a wrench that must have hurt, Willow and Hermione separated the two halves of the barrier. Their power was reabsorbed into their bodies, but it wasn't enough to obviate the strain they'd been under. As she slipped into unconsciousness, Willow spoke in Xander's mind, as she'd done only a handful of times since they'd brought Buffy back. "We need better articulation." And then she was out. Xander looked over at Hermione, who also appeared to be unconscious, then at the two other men.
"Well, that was interesting."
***
Harry leaned over Hermione, smoothing her flyaway hair back from her face. As best he could tell, she was merely recovering from shock and magical strain, not actually injured. He told himself that it would take more than one little spell to keep Hermione down for long. She was one of the strongest, most resilient people he knew. Still stroking her hair, he looked over at his lover, who was hovering over his own witch. "Was that Willow's voice I heard, there at the end?"
Giles had been mentally reviewing the spell, trying to deduce what they'd done wrong. Now his head snapped up. "What? When? I didn't hear anything."
"She did her telepathy thing, Giles. I heard her, and I guess Harry got it through the bond." Xander looked sheepish that he hadn't mentioned it immediately. Harry could understand, though. Feeling the shield fail had been a disorienting experience.
"What precisely did she say?" Giles had moved to the desk and waited with his pen poised to make notes.
Harry looked over at Xander for permission to continue. The message had been meant for his mind, after all. The larger man gave him a little smile, so Harry spoke. "She said, 'We need better articulation.' That was all."
Giles took off his glasses and pressed his hands over his eyes. "Articulation. I don't understand. They both spoke extremely clearly; there were no errors in their spells."
"Not that kind of articulation." Xander's eye was bright with realization. "No, like with action figures. A point of articulation is where two parts come together to allow movement. You know, shoulder, hip, neck. The more points of articulation, the more flexible the action figure is. Like Willow's old Barbies didn't have much articulation, so they were really stiff, but the super-poseable Spiderman has so much articulation that you can bend his fingers and feet and - I'll stop talking about toys now and pretend to be a grown up." He flushed and Harry felt his pulse of embarrassment. "Sorry for geeking out."
"No, that makes perfect sense, Xander. Connection and flexibility. It's like an articulated lorry, but I doubt that would have occurred to me had you not spoken up." Xander lowered his eyes in pleasure at Giles' praise. The Watcher continued speaking. "It's possible that the barrier Hermione and Willow constructed was too rigid to be effective against the waves."
"That's what it felt like, sir." Harry said. "It felt like their power stiffened up and locked them in place when the wave hit them." Harry closed his eyes to remember the sensation more clearly. "I think we were picturing the barrier incorrectly. We were going to add spellcasters in layers, thickening the shield, but that won't work. It will create the same kind of rigid shield that just failed. Instead, we need to link them together, like a chain. When the waves press against one part of the barrier, there will be slack somewhere else that can relieve the pressure."
"You realize that this will make your jobs both more important and more difficult. Instead of grounding one block of wizards and one block of Wiccans, you will each be grounding many small segments of the group. You will have to track all of them, and vary the amount of support you are giving as the pressure shifts." Giles looked at the two of them with concern in his eyes.
"Don't worry about it, G-man. You are talking to the man who has held simultaneous conversations with Willow, Dawn, *and* Andrew. This'll be a piece of cake. No, I've made a cake, and that was kinda hard. This'll be a Twinkie," Xander said reassuringly. Harry smiled at the American's metaphor and nodded his agreement. It would be a job of work, but he could handle it.
"Very well, then. Let's begin calling in spellcasters. I'll be bringing in the coven from Devon and calling on some old friends to make up the Wiccans. That should give us about a dozen. Harry, can you locate the same number of trustworthy wizards? I'd rather not deal with the regulations of going through the Ministry."
Harry thought about it. He could generate eight good wizards just by inviting the Weasleys. Adding in Remus and Tonks gave him ten. He looked up at the Watcher. "Will Hermione be recovered enough to help?" he asked.
"She should recover swiftly once she wakes up. It will take a few hours to gather everyone, so I would imagine she will be able to take part." Harry nodded when he heard this, mentally adding Hermione to his tally. He would include Neville to round out his dozen, then. The forgetful young Griffyndor Harry had met eight years ago had grown into a competent and resourceful wizard.
"Twelve trustworthy wizards shouldn't be a problem. I'll go to my flat and call them in the fire."
"Very well. Tell them to be here," Giles paused to check his wristwatch, "at five o'clock. That should give the girls time to recuperate." Harry agreed and, after a quick word with Xander and a slightly more leisurely kiss, headed home.
***
Xander didn't have much to do while he waited, so he moved the girls to more comfortable positions at the other end of the room, with folded coats under their heads. Then he settled in to watch. When Willow began to move, he was by her side in an instant, peering anxiously down at her as she opened bleary eyes.
"Did you get the license number of that elephant?" she groaned. Xander gave her a sympathetic grin.
"Sorry, it got away. How are you feeling? Do you need a drink?" Xander hovered when he was worried. With most people, he would try to back off lest he annoy them. This was Willow, though. She'd dealt with his hovering when she fell off her first bike, she could deal with it now.
"Water would be good." Xander jumped up to fulfill her request. When he came back, he didn't try to hold the cup while she drank, but he did stay nearby in case she needed help.
"Oh, I almost forgot! Harry said to give you chocolate," Xander exclaimed. He had gone down to the snack machine and purchased several candy bars after Harry left. He'd even managed not to eat most of them while he waited. Now he fetched one and unwrapped it for Willow. "He said it was good for magical strain. I wasn't surprised. I mean, I've always known that chocolate has healing powers," he babbled a bit as Willow bit into the candy.
"It's a good thing I'm gay now, or I might be tempted to kiss you," Willow said, closing her eyes as the chocolate melted on her tongue. "How's Hermione?"
Xander looked at the brown haired witch lying a few feet away. She was starting to move and moan a little. "Looks like she's coming around, too. Hang on while I check on her." He went to Hermione's side and repeated the scene he'd just been through with Willow, but with less hovering and no offer of a kiss. By the time Hermione had finished her chocolate, Willow was mobile. She moved closer, and Xander explained what they thought had happened with the spells and the conclusions they'd drawn.
"So everyone should be arriving soon," he concluded.
"Has Harry had any luck getting ahold of everyone?" Hermione asked. She was a bit concerned that he'd been gone so long. Firecalling was a fairly quick method of communication. Of course, if he had to explain the situation to everyone he called, that could take longer.
Xander concentrated for a moment and felt for Harry's emotions through the bond. The only negative emotion he sensed was minor irritation. "He's fine. I think I'd be able to tell if there were any major problems."
"Ooooh, the bond. I'd almost forgotten about that. Tell me exactly what it feels like," Hermione commanded, her face taking on the curious look he'd seen on Willow's face when they dissected dead things in Biology class. She grilled him mercilessly until she was sure she had uncovered every nuance Xander's experience.
Willow listened to the interrogation with a smile on her face. "You know, Hermione," she said, "maybe you should leave the spell on them for a while after we're done with this barrier."
"Why?" The brown eyed witch asked, cocking her head to the side. Xander mimicked the motion and waited for Willow to explain.
"Well," she flashed Xander a wicked look, "you know how you used to tease me and Tara about doing spells? You weren't always wrong. Empathy can be a *lot* of fun in the right circumstances." Hermione flushed bright red when she realized what Willow was talking about. Xander gave his friend a mock glare.
"All this time I thought Anya was indiscrete. But just listen to you. I am shocked, young lady, shocked!"
"Hey, I've got nothing on Anya. She used to describe positions, settings, themes, complete with sound effects. However, if you want me to..." Willow had been watching Hermione's face getting redder and redder as she talked. Finally the American Wicca started snickering at the look on her face. When Xander joined in, the brunette witch buried her head in her hands. Xander patted her on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, Hermione. I've been trying to get Willow to give me a play-by-play for years. I'm sure she's not going to start now." Whatever response Hermione would have made to this was lost in the sound of thirteen people in to the hallway talking all at once. There had been no crack to herald their arrival, so they must not have apparated in. "Sounds like the cavalry's here." Xander scrambled to his feet and held out a hand to each of the women to help them up. Together, they went to greet the new arrivals.
***
Harry had been pleased by everyone's willingness to help, but he was tired to death of repeating himself over and over as they all asked the same questions. Maybe he should have asked Ron and Luna to run up a quick edition of the Quibbler laying out the situation for him. Of course, knowing Luna, she'd have embellished it with descriptions of questionable magical creatures and mythical events. On second thought, it was probably best to just explain it himself.
Arthur Weasley had been the first he'd approached. Though he was fairly high up in the Ministry these days, the man was completely dependable and could be counted upon to keep this out of official channels. Arthur had agreed to help and had arranged for a portkey to bring everyone to the Watcher's Council Headquarters at five. That way they could arrive separately at Harry's flat and then travel together without fear of an apparation accident. Apparating in a group held an inherent danger of splinching, after all.
After Arthur, Harry had run through his list of possible participants. Neville had been touched to be included. Fred and George thought it sounded a right lark and looked forward to meeting Harry's "new lad." This frightened Harry a bit, but he figured anyone who fought beside the Slayer for eight years had to be tough enough to put up with some ribbing from the twins. Bill and Charlie had both agreed to take part. Bill worked for Gringotts bank and realized the financial disaster that would hit the wizarding world if the wards on the vaults failed, and Charlie was concerned about the dangers the magic flood would pose to his dragons. Both had good reasons to join the spellcasting.
Ron had been a given. He'd been backing Harry up since their first year at Hogwarts, and Harry had known he could count on his friend. Ginny had also agreed instantly. While they had fought side by side many times, she never forgot that Harry had rescued her back when she was a first year. She would always be willing to help him out. Remus considered Harry as something like a son, and he would have participated no matter what the cause. Since the prophecy also involved Xander, though, he was even more eager. The young American had made a good impression on the werewolf at their first meeting. Tonks was coming to keep an eye on her husband.
The conversation with Molly Weasley had taken the longest. Not because she needed to be convinced to help, but because she had so many questions. Harry had spent nearly a half an hour describing the prophecy and the spell to her and explaining the part she and the rest of her family would play. Finally, though, he had talked to all of the wizards on his list. They arrived at his flat in ones and twos, and they'd all gathered around the old bicycle tyre that served as the portkey. Harry felt a familiar hooking sensation at his middle and stumbled as they appeared in the corridor of the Watcher's Council. As he steadied himself, he saw the office door open and Xander peek out. Even standing in a group of friends, the sight of the handsome, one-eyed face made him feel less alone. He squared his shoulders and headed for his lover, sure that together, they'd be able to support this spell.
Xander forced himself out of his Star Trek musings and began to analyze the rest of this spellcasting experience. He could feel the girls' shield leaning against him. Willow's magic, bright and warm, made up one side, while Hermione's sharp and clean power made up the other. He heard Giles' speaking Latin in a low voice and braced himself for the impact of the magic wave the Watcher was conjuring.
It didn't help. The wave slammed against the shields, and despite his attempts to support them, the girls went down. He could sense them, locked tight against each other by the force of the impact, struggling to separate. He opened his eyes and was almost surprised to see that their physical bodies were lying on either side of the circle, rather than tangled together. With a wrench that must have hurt, Willow and Hermione separated the two halves of the barrier. Their power was reabsorbed into their bodies, but it wasn't enough to obviate the strain they'd been under. As she slipped into unconsciousness, Willow spoke in Xander's mind, as she'd done only a handful of times since they'd brought Buffy back. "We need better articulation." And then she was out. Xander looked over at Hermione, who also appeared to be unconscious, then at the two other men.
"Well, that was interesting."
***
Harry leaned over Hermione, smoothing her flyaway hair back from her face. As best he could tell, she was merely recovering from shock and magical strain, not actually injured. He told himself that it would take more than one little spell to keep Hermione down for long. She was one of the strongest, most resilient people he knew. Still stroking her hair, he looked over at his lover, who was hovering over his own witch. "Was that Willow's voice I heard, there at the end?"
Giles had been mentally reviewing the spell, trying to deduce what they'd done wrong. Now his head snapped up. "What? When? I didn't hear anything."
"She did her telepathy thing, Giles. I heard her, and I guess Harry got it through the bond." Xander looked sheepish that he hadn't mentioned it immediately. Harry could understand, though. Feeling the shield fail had been a disorienting experience.
"What precisely did she say?" Giles had moved to the desk and waited with his pen poised to make notes.
Harry looked over at Xander for permission to continue. The message had been meant for his mind, after all. The larger man gave him a little smile, so Harry spoke. "She said, 'We need better articulation.' That was all."
Giles took off his glasses and pressed his hands over his eyes. "Articulation. I don't understand. They both spoke extremely clearly; there were no errors in their spells."
"Not that kind of articulation." Xander's eye was bright with realization. "No, like with action figures. A point of articulation is where two parts come together to allow movement. You know, shoulder, hip, neck. The more points of articulation, the more flexible the action figure is. Like Willow's old Barbies didn't have much articulation, so they were really stiff, but the super-poseable Spiderman has so much articulation that you can bend his fingers and feet and - I'll stop talking about toys now and pretend to be a grown up." He flushed and Harry felt his pulse of embarrassment. "Sorry for geeking out."
"No, that makes perfect sense, Xander. Connection and flexibility. It's like an articulated lorry, but I doubt that would have occurred to me had you not spoken up." Xander lowered his eyes in pleasure at Giles' praise. The Watcher continued speaking. "It's possible that the barrier Hermione and Willow constructed was too rigid to be effective against the waves."
"That's what it felt like, sir." Harry said. "It felt like their power stiffened up and locked them in place when the wave hit them." Harry closed his eyes to remember the sensation more clearly. "I think we were picturing the barrier incorrectly. We were going to add spellcasters in layers, thickening the shield, but that won't work. It will create the same kind of rigid shield that just failed. Instead, we need to link them together, like a chain. When the waves press against one part of the barrier, there will be slack somewhere else that can relieve the pressure."
"You realize that this will make your jobs both more important and more difficult. Instead of grounding one block of wizards and one block of Wiccans, you will each be grounding many small segments of the group. You will have to track all of them, and vary the amount of support you are giving as the pressure shifts." Giles looked at the two of them with concern in his eyes.
"Don't worry about it, G-man. You are talking to the man who has held simultaneous conversations with Willow, Dawn, *and* Andrew. This'll be a piece of cake. No, I've made a cake, and that was kinda hard. This'll be a Twinkie," Xander said reassuringly. Harry smiled at the American's metaphor and nodded his agreement. It would be a job of work, but he could handle it.
"Very well, then. Let's begin calling in spellcasters. I'll be bringing in the coven from Devon and calling on some old friends to make up the Wiccans. That should give us about a dozen. Harry, can you locate the same number of trustworthy wizards? I'd rather not deal with the regulations of going through the Ministry."
Harry thought about it. He could generate eight good wizards just by inviting the Weasleys. Adding in Remus and Tonks gave him ten. He looked up at the Watcher. "Will Hermione be recovered enough to help?" he asked.
"She should recover swiftly once she wakes up. It will take a few hours to gather everyone, so I would imagine she will be able to take part." Harry nodded when he heard this, mentally adding Hermione to his tally. He would include Neville to round out his dozen, then. The forgetful young Griffyndor Harry had met eight years ago had grown into a competent and resourceful wizard.
"Twelve trustworthy wizards shouldn't be a problem. I'll go to my flat and call them in the fire."
"Very well. Tell them to be here," Giles paused to check his wristwatch, "at five o'clock. That should give the girls time to recuperate." Harry agreed and, after a quick word with Xander and a slightly more leisurely kiss, headed home.
***
Xander didn't have much to do while he waited, so he moved the girls to more comfortable positions at the other end of the room, with folded coats under their heads. Then he settled in to watch. When Willow began to move, he was by her side in an instant, peering anxiously down at her as she opened bleary eyes.
"Did you get the license number of that elephant?" she groaned. Xander gave her a sympathetic grin.
"Sorry, it got away. How are you feeling? Do you need a drink?" Xander hovered when he was worried. With most people, he would try to back off lest he annoy them. This was Willow, though. She'd dealt with his hovering when she fell off her first bike, she could deal with it now.
"Water would be good." Xander jumped up to fulfill her request. When he came back, he didn't try to hold the cup while she drank, but he did stay nearby in case she needed help.
"Oh, I almost forgot! Harry said to give you chocolate," Xander exclaimed. He had gone down to the snack machine and purchased several candy bars after Harry left. He'd even managed not to eat most of them while he waited. Now he fetched one and unwrapped it for Willow. "He said it was good for magical strain. I wasn't surprised. I mean, I've always known that chocolate has healing powers," he babbled a bit as Willow bit into the candy.
"It's a good thing I'm gay now, or I might be tempted to kiss you," Willow said, closing her eyes as the chocolate melted on her tongue. "How's Hermione?"
Xander looked at the brown haired witch lying a few feet away. She was starting to move and moan a little. "Looks like she's coming around, too. Hang on while I check on her." He went to Hermione's side and repeated the scene he'd just been through with Willow, but with less hovering and no offer of a kiss. By the time Hermione had finished her chocolate, Willow was mobile. She moved closer, and Xander explained what they thought had happened with the spells and the conclusions they'd drawn.
"So everyone should be arriving soon," he concluded.
"Has Harry had any luck getting ahold of everyone?" Hermione asked. She was a bit concerned that he'd been gone so long. Firecalling was a fairly quick method of communication. Of course, if he had to explain the situation to everyone he called, that could take longer.
Xander concentrated for a moment and felt for Harry's emotions through the bond. The only negative emotion he sensed was minor irritation. "He's fine. I think I'd be able to tell if there were any major problems."
"Ooooh, the bond. I'd almost forgotten about that. Tell me exactly what it feels like," Hermione commanded, her face taking on the curious look he'd seen on Willow's face when they dissected dead things in Biology class. She grilled him mercilessly until she was sure she had uncovered every nuance Xander's experience.
Willow listened to the interrogation with a smile on her face. "You know, Hermione," she said, "maybe you should leave the spell on them for a while after we're done with this barrier."
"Why?" The brown eyed witch asked, cocking her head to the side. Xander mimicked the motion and waited for Willow to explain.
"Well," she flashed Xander a wicked look, "you know how you used to tease me and Tara about doing spells? You weren't always wrong. Empathy can be a *lot* of fun in the right circumstances." Hermione flushed bright red when she realized what Willow was talking about. Xander gave his friend a mock glare.
"All this time I thought Anya was indiscrete. But just listen to you. I am shocked, young lady, shocked!"
"Hey, I've got nothing on Anya. She used to describe positions, settings, themes, complete with sound effects. However, if you want me to..." Willow had been watching Hermione's face getting redder and redder as she talked. Finally the American Wicca started snickering at the look on her face. When Xander joined in, the brunette witch buried her head in her hands. Xander patted her on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, Hermione. I've been trying to get Willow to give me a play-by-play for years. I'm sure she's not going to start now." Whatever response Hermione would have made to this was lost in the sound of thirteen people in to the hallway talking all at once. There had been no crack to herald their arrival, so they must not have apparated in. "Sounds like the cavalry's here." Xander scrambled to his feet and held out a hand to each of the women to help them up. Together, they went to greet the new arrivals.
***
Harry had been pleased by everyone's willingness to help, but he was tired to death of repeating himself over and over as they all asked the same questions. Maybe he should have asked Ron and Luna to run up a quick edition of the Quibbler laying out the situation for him. Of course, knowing Luna, she'd have embellished it with descriptions of questionable magical creatures and mythical events. On second thought, it was probably best to just explain it himself.
Arthur Weasley had been the first he'd approached. Though he was fairly high up in the Ministry these days, the man was completely dependable and could be counted upon to keep this out of official channels. Arthur had agreed to help and had arranged for a portkey to bring everyone to the Watcher's Council Headquarters at five. That way they could arrive separately at Harry's flat and then travel together without fear of an apparation accident. Apparating in a group held an inherent danger of splinching, after all.
After Arthur, Harry had run through his list of possible participants. Neville had been touched to be included. Fred and George thought it sounded a right lark and looked forward to meeting Harry's "new lad." This frightened Harry a bit, but he figured anyone who fought beside the Slayer for eight years had to be tough enough to put up with some ribbing from the twins. Bill and Charlie had both agreed to take part. Bill worked for Gringotts bank and realized the financial disaster that would hit the wizarding world if the wards on the vaults failed, and Charlie was concerned about the dangers the magic flood would pose to his dragons. Both had good reasons to join the spellcasting.
Ron had been a given. He'd been backing Harry up since their first year at Hogwarts, and Harry had known he could count on his friend. Ginny had also agreed instantly. While they had fought side by side many times, she never forgot that Harry had rescued her back when she was a first year. She would always be willing to help him out. Remus considered Harry as something like a son, and he would have participated no matter what the cause. Since the prophecy also involved Xander, though, he was even more eager. The young American had made a good impression on the werewolf at their first meeting. Tonks was coming to keep an eye on her husband.
The conversation with Molly Weasley had taken the longest. Not because she needed to be convinced to help, but because she had so many questions. Harry had spent nearly a half an hour describing the prophecy and the spell to her and explaining the part she and the rest of her family would play. Finally, though, he had talked to all of the wizards on his list. They arrived at his flat in ones and twos, and they'd all gathered around the old bicycle tyre that served as the portkey. Harry felt a familiar hooking sensation at his middle and stumbled as they appeared in the corridor of the Watcher's Council. As he steadied himself, he saw the office door open and Xander peek out. Even standing in a group of friends, the sight of the handsome, one-eyed face made him feel less alone. He squared his shoulders and headed for his lover, sure that together, they'd be able to support this spell.
~~~
Chapter 13
Xander stood at the door to Giles' office, gazing out at the crowd that had appeared in the hallway. Willow and Hermione peered over either shoulder. A dark head separated from the pack, and Xander felt his heart thump at the sight of his lover. From the huge smile Harry flashed him, the young wizard had felt the surge of emotion through their bond, as well. Most of the time, Xander would have been terrified at having his emotions so exposed. Since the exposure was mutual, though, he shrugged off his fear of ridicule and reveled in the sharing.
Harry came up to Xander and slung an arm loosely around his waist. "Well, that's the lot of them. What do you think?"
"It looks like Willow exploded all over the place." Twin smacks to the back of his head let him know what his female listeners thought of that comment. He turned to glare at the women standing behind him. "Hey! If you give me a concussion, I'm taking my foundation-ness and going home." Brown eyes and hazel eyes met him glare for glare. Frankly, the girls were a lot scarier than he was, so Xander backed down. "Okay, okay. Sorry. I just meant, 'Yipes, that's a lot of redheads!'"
Harry's lips were twitching suspiciously as he watched the other three interact. "That's the Weasleys," he said, as though that were explanation enough.
Willow, for all her head smacking, seemed just as impressed by the sea of red hair, broken only by one brown head, one sandy head, and one bright purple head. "Is that all of them?" she asked.
"Not quite. We don't really have much to do with Percy; he's something of a berk. And Bill and Fleur's baby is too young to be included," Hermione answered. She looked the group over with a proprietary smile. "They're a bit mad, but they're a great bunch."
Just then, Giles came down the hall and stopped dead at the sight of the gathering. "Good lord!" He stared a bit wildly at the milling crowd in front of his office, then collected himself. He raised his voice. "Thank you all for coming on such short notice. I assure you, your participation will not only be instrumental in protecting the world, but also in forging new bonds of magical cooperation." He made his way over to Xander, Harry, Willow, and Hermione. "Xander, you're the most familiar with the building. Could you take everyone down to the main training room? I'll wait here for the coven. They should be arriving soon, and I'd prefer we all gather in a more convenient space."
"Sure thing, Giles." Xander gave Harry a squeeze, then stepped away from him and raised his arms to get everyone's attention. "Wizards, witches, and otherwise magical folk," he said loudly, "I'm Xander Harris, and I'll be your muggle this evening. If you will please follow me, we can adjourn to a place more appropriate for magical mayhem." With that, he led the group down the hallway and down a flight of stairs toward the large training room. He looked back at the crowd trailing behind him and started humming '76 Trombones' as he walked.
Two members of the Weasley clan stepped up to flank him. "So, you're Xander."
"Ronniekins has told us about you."
Xander looked them over, taking in the matching mischievous smiles. "I'm guessing by the way you speak in stereo that you're Fred and George."
"Awww."
"He's been warned."
"Harry already subjected me to some of the pranks he got from you, so yes, I have been warned. I have some ideas I wanted to bounce off you, though."
"We're listening," they said in unison, cautious expressions on their faces.
"Harry slipped me a Canary Creme," the twins smiled, approving their friend's taste in pranks, "and it occurred to me that transforming a person to an animal is pretty powerful magic for a candy. Could you do something similar for the Council, but transform the eater into a cat or something, instead?"
Fred and George looked at one another consideringly. "We could do that, but -"
"- why would you want us to?"
Sometimes a Slayer on her own can't take down the baddies. If she turned into a cat, she would look harmless, but not like prey; her scent would change making her harder to track; and she'd be in an agile form to escape and get backup. It could be a big help."
The twins exchanged a glance and a nod. "Let's talk about some ideas we came up with during the war."
"The ministry wouldn't take us seriously." The tall redheads each put an arm around Xander's shoulders, and they led him away from the group as they entered the training room.
***
Xander was talking to Fred and George. Harry wasn't sure whether to be happy or terrified. On the one hand, the twins were his friends. They had protected him with their wild humor during his second year, when everyone else in school thought Harry was evil, and since he'd given them the money to start their joke shop, they'd become even stauncher in their support. So he really wanted them to like Xander. On the other hand, he knew the kind of trouble they could get up to, and he feared the results of three devious minds working together. Harry shrugged. He was sure they couldn't get into too much trouble at the moment.
He walked over to join Ron, Ginny, and Neville. Harry hadn't spent much time with Ginny or Neville since the final battle, and he'd missed them. The three had a silly conversation, imagining uses for the equipment in the training room. Harry hadn't spent much time in gyms, and the other three hadn't been in many muggle buildings at all, so their guesses were inventive and usually inaccurate. They were laughing at Neville's contention that the punching bag in the corner was a weight to hold the building down when a new group of people arrived.
They were a mixed group. A few wore flowing clothing in earth colors, with crystals on thongs around their necks and beaded bracelets on their wrists and ankles. Two were dressed all in black, their pale faces marked with harsh eyeliner and black lipstick. The rest wore denims and pullovers, looking like anyone you might pass in the park. Giles was right in the middle of the pack, talking animatedly with one of the flowing-skirt women. Willow ran over to greet the newcomers, but the wizarding folk maintained their places, watching warily. Before the tension got uncomfortable, Hermione approached one of the people wearing all black.
"Hullo. I'm Hermione Granger," she said simply, holding out her hand. The young man smiled and shook it. As though that were a signal, the groups of magic users began to mingle together. They hadn't had time for much beyond introductions, though, before Giles was clapping his hands to gain their attention.
"If we can all gather to one side of the room, Willow and Hermione will began laying the circle." Giles herded the wizards and Wiccans together and started explaining the spells they'd be using. Harry started to follow, but he was stopped by a plucking at his elbow.
Hermione's smiling brown eyes stared up at him. "Come demonstrate your usefulness, Boy Who Lived. My back will break if I have to crouch over to draw a circle this big."
"And so you thought of me. I'm touched...in the head for agreeing to do this. You owe me, Granger!" he replied with a warning look. But he still followed her instructions and drew half of the boundary circle, as Willow drew the other half. Standing up, Harry brushed chalk from his hands. Hermione had gone to help Giles with the explanations after she'd abandoned Xander to do her chores. As he watched them, he felt arms sliding around his waist and a warm body pressing against his back. He turned his head to kiss Xander.
"What have you been up to with the terrible twosome?" he asked.
Xander just smiled, "Contingency plans. I'll tell you about it when they're more definite. Looks like this is it," he said, as the group began to break up. He took a deep breath and tightened his grip on Harry before letting him go. Harry could feel the nervousness radiating from his boyfriend, and tried to send a burst of reassurance back through the bond. They stepped into the circle and took their places at the middle. The spellcasters distributed themselves around the edges of the circle, alternating between wizards and Wiccans. It was time to start.
***
It felt distinctly odd to be the focus of attention for so many people. Xander assumed that the wizarding crew were mostly interested in him as Harry's lover. Several of them watched him with neutral expressions, waiting to see if he was worthy of their friend. The Wiccans, though, stared at him with awe. More than one looked away shyly when Xander me their eyes. 'What do ya know? G-man was right; they think I'm some kind of hero.' Xander flushed at that thought and felt a comforting grip on his wrist. He met Harry's concerned green gaze and smiled weakly. He heard Willow and Hermione begin their separate chants, and he opened his mind and heart to Harry as fully as he could. They would need to help one another if they were going to succeed.
The chanting was strangely hypnotic, two spells weaving around each other. He felt the Power of Will rising up from all around the circle, and suddenly he was connected to each of those directing it. The Power of Wands grew steadily, and an almost audible click went through the bond as they linked to Harry. Xander and Harry were now the mystical as well as the physical center of the circle, like a maypole with magical streamers. 'Later,' he thought, 'later I will take the time to laugh at my mental similes.'
Their connections to the foundation laid, the spellcasters began building their barrier. As each person came into the spell, the chain grew longer and more flexible. Finally it was complete, and it was beautiful. Through the earth magic of the Wiccans, Xander could feel the disruption in the magical energy. A wave was approaching - not large enough to cause many problems, but large enough for them to set up the power shunt.
The wave came in and it rolled down the barrier. Xander could feel the spellcasters struggling to stop it, to catch it within their shield. Now he knew why Giles had said this would be a difficult job. It was less like being the rock on which they balanced and more like being a parent helping a baby learn to walk. He had to be there to offer support, ready to back off when they regained their stability. This would have been difficult enough with one Wiccan, but with twelve, it took all of his concentration. He knew he would never have been able to do it on his own, but his bond with Harry gave him an added connection to the world. Xander could sense Harry performing the same tasks for the wizards, and fought down a little glow of pride. He'd been part of a team for years, but Xander had never had a partner before.
***
In the abstract, this spell had seemed fairly simple. Even after the setback when Hermione and Willow's shields had locked up, Harry had never had any real doubt that this would work. But now, he felt the amount of magic in these waves for the first time, and he felt a frisson of fear. He had gone to the seaside with the Weasleys once, and he'd felt even the small waves tugging at his feet, pulling sand out from under him. That should have taught him not to underestimate waves. This wave pushed at their shield, but the spellcasters fought it. Harry did his job, helping them all maintain their balance and connection. Then came a moment of stillness, and he knew they'd stopped the wave.
Harry stiffened as the power shunt was created. For a moment, he was grounding not only a group of magic users, but also a current that felt almost electric. The power rocked through him and left him breathless. For a few more moments, he remained at the center of the power, the lynchpin for the wizarding segments of the barrier. Then, one by one, they slipped away. He felt drained and somewhat lightheaded. Physically and mentally, he leaned against Xander, drawing strength from his tired affection and the solid bulk of his shoulders.
"Well, that was anticlimactic," Ginny said. "No sudden but inevitable betrayal. No stress. It's not right."
Harry heard a smack, and without even opening his eyes, he knew Ginny must be glaring at Ron. "Belt up, Gin. This is just the right type of catastrophe, if you ask me," Ron said.
"He's right," one of the coven members agreed. "Find a prophecy, figure out a solution, solve the problem. It's the paint by numbers way to save the world. I'm in favor of it."
Everyone was slowly rising to their feet, standing and groaning as they stretched out their muscles. Harry didn't want to join them, but when Xander started to get up, he decided he had no choice. He looked around the room. Arthur and Molly Weasley were talking to Giles about exchanging information and assistance if the need should arise in the future. Neville and some of the younger Wiccans were deciding to go out to a hamburger bar. Harry felt a little proud of himself for bringing them together. He smiled at Xander, who looked to be asleep on his feet. He needed to get his man home. Harry found Hermione and made his excuses, and gave a grateful wave to everyone else. He gathered his lover close and apparated them both to Xander's flat. They were asleep in moments.
Harry came up to Xander and slung an arm loosely around his waist. "Well, that's the lot of them. What do you think?"
"It looks like Willow exploded all over the place." Twin smacks to the back of his head let him know what his female listeners thought of that comment. He turned to glare at the women standing behind him. "Hey! If you give me a concussion, I'm taking my foundation-ness and going home." Brown eyes and hazel eyes met him glare for glare. Frankly, the girls were a lot scarier than he was, so Xander backed down. "Okay, okay. Sorry. I just meant, 'Yipes, that's a lot of redheads!'"
Harry's lips were twitching suspiciously as he watched the other three interact. "That's the Weasleys," he said, as though that were explanation enough.
Willow, for all her head smacking, seemed just as impressed by the sea of red hair, broken only by one brown head, one sandy head, and one bright purple head. "Is that all of them?" she asked.
"Not quite. We don't really have much to do with Percy; he's something of a berk. And Bill and Fleur's baby is too young to be included," Hermione answered. She looked the group over with a proprietary smile. "They're a bit mad, but they're a great bunch."
Just then, Giles came down the hall and stopped dead at the sight of the gathering. "Good lord!" He stared a bit wildly at the milling crowd in front of his office, then collected himself. He raised his voice. "Thank you all for coming on such short notice. I assure you, your participation will not only be instrumental in protecting the world, but also in forging new bonds of magical cooperation." He made his way over to Xander, Harry, Willow, and Hermione. "Xander, you're the most familiar with the building. Could you take everyone down to the main training room? I'll wait here for the coven. They should be arriving soon, and I'd prefer we all gather in a more convenient space."
"Sure thing, Giles." Xander gave Harry a squeeze, then stepped away from him and raised his arms to get everyone's attention. "Wizards, witches, and otherwise magical folk," he said loudly, "I'm Xander Harris, and I'll be your muggle this evening. If you will please follow me, we can adjourn to a place more appropriate for magical mayhem." With that, he led the group down the hallway and down a flight of stairs toward the large training room. He looked back at the crowd trailing behind him and started humming '76 Trombones' as he walked.
Two members of the Weasley clan stepped up to flank him. "So, you're Xander."
"Ronniekins has told us about you."
Xander looked them over, taking in the matching mischievous smiles. "I'm guessing by the way you speak in stereo that you're Fred and George."
"Awww."
"He's been warned."
"Harry already subjected me to some of the pranks he got from you, so yes, I have been warned. I have some ideas I wanted to bounce off you, though."
"We're listening," they said in unison, cautious expressions on their faces.
"Harry slipped me a Canary Creme," the twins smiled, approving their friend's taste in pranks, "and it occurred to me that transforming a person to an animal is pretty powerful magic for a candy. Could you do something similar for the Council, but transform the eater into a cat or something, instead?"
Fred and George looked at one another consideringly. "We could do that, but -"
"- why would you want us to?"
Sometimes a Slayer on her own can't take down the baddies. If she turned into a cat, she would look harmless, but not like prey; her scent would change making her harder to track; and she'd be in an agile form to escape and get backup. It could be a big help."
The twins exchanged a glance and a nod. "Let's talk about some ideas we came up with during the war."
"The ministry wouldn't take us seriously." The tall redheads each put an arm around Xander's shoulders, and they led him away from the group as they entered the training room.
***
Xander was talking to Fred and George. Harry wasn't sure whether to be happy or terrified. On the one hand, the twins were his friends. They had protected him with their wild humor during his second year, when everyone else in school thought Harry was evil, and since he'd given them the money to start their joke shop, they'd become even stauncher in their support. So he really wanted them to like Xander. On the other hand, he knew the kind of trouble they could get up to, and he feared the results of three devious minds working together. Harry shrugged. He was sure they couldn't get into too much trouble at the moment.
He walked over to join Ron, Ginny, and Neville. Harry hadn't spent much time with Ginny or Neville since the final battle, and he'd missed them. The three had a silly conversation, imagining uses for the equipment in the training room. Harry hadn't spent much time in gyms, and the other three hadn't been in many muggle buildings at all, so their guesses were inventive and usually inaccurate. They were laughing at Neville's contention that the punching bag in the corner was a weight to hold the building down when a new group of people arrived.
They were a mixed group. A few wore flowing clothing in earth colors, with crystals on thongs around their necks and beaded bracelets on their wrists and ankles. Two were dressed all in black, their pale faces marked with harsh eyeliner and black lipstick. The rest wore denims and pullovers, looking like anyone you might pass in the park. Giles was right in the middle of the pack, talking animatedly with one of the flowing-skirt women. Willow ran over to greet the newcomers, but the wizarding folk maintained their places, watching warily. Before the tension got uncomfortable, Hermione approached one of the people wearing all black.
"Hullo. I'm Hermione Granger," she said simply, holding out her hand. The young man smiled and shook it. As though that were a signal, the groups of magic users began to mingle together. They hadn't had time for much beyond introductions, though, before Giles was clapping his hands to gain their attention.
"If we can all gather to one side of the room, Willow and Hermione will began laying the circle." Giles herded the wizards and Wiccans together and started explaining the spells they'd be using. Harry started to follow, but he was stopped by a plucking at his elbow.
Hermione's smiling brown eyes stared up at him. "Come demonstrate your usefulness, Boy Who Lived. My back will break if I have to crouch over to draw a circle this big."
"And so you thought of me. I'm touched...in the head for agreeing to do this. You owe me, Granger!" he replied with a warning look. But he still followed her instructions and drew half of the boundary circle, as Willow drew the other half. Standing up, Harry brushed chalk from his hands. Hermione had gone to help Giles with the explanations after she'd abandoned Xander to do her chores. As he watched them, he felt arms sliding around his waist and a warm body pressing against his back. He turned his head to kiss Xander.
"What have you been up to with the terrible twosome?" he asked.
Xander just smiled, "Contingency plans. I'll tell you about it when they're more definite. Looks like this is it," he said, as the group began to break up. He took a deep breath and tightened his grip on Harry before letting him go. Harry could feel the nervousness radiating from his boyfriend, and tried to send a burst of reassurance back through the bond. They stepped into the circle and took their places at the middle. The spellcasters distributed themselves around the edges of the circle, alternating between wizards and Wiccans. It was time to start.
***
It felt distinctly odd to be the focus of attention for so many people. Xander assumed that the wizarding crew were mostly interested in him as Harry's lover. Several of them watched him with neutral expressions, waiting to see if he was worthy of their friend. The Wiccans, though, stared at him with awe. More than one looked away shyly when Xander me their eyes. 'What do ya know? G-man was right; they think I'm some kind of hero.' Xander flushed at that thought and felt a comforting grip on his wrist. He met Harry's concerned green gaze and smiled weakly. He heard Willow and Hermione begin their separate chants, and he opened his mind and heart to Harry as fully as he could. They would need to help one another if they were going to succeed.
The chanting was strangely hypnotic, two spells weaving around each other. He felt the Power of Will rising up from all around the circle, and suddenly he was connected to each of those directing it. The Power of Wands grew steadily, and an almost audible click went through the bond as they linked to Harry. Xander and Harry were now the mystical as well as the physical center of the circle, like a maypole with magical streamers. 'Later,' he thought, 'later I will take the time to laugh at my mental similes.'
Their connections to the foundation laid, the spellcasters began building their barrier. As each person came into the spell, the chain grew longer and more flexible. Finally it was complete, and it was beautiful. Through the earth magic of the Wiccans, Xander could feel the disruption in the magical energy. A wave was approaching - not large enough to cause many problems, but large enough for them to set up the power shunt.
The wave came in and it rolled down the barrier. Xander could feel the spellcasters struggling to stop it, to catch it within their shield. Now he knew why Giles had said this would be a difficult job. It was less like being the rock on which they balanced and more like being a parent helping a baby learn to walk. He had to be there to offer support, ready to back off when they regained their stability. This would have been difficult enough with one Wiccan, but with twelve, it took all of his concentration. He knew he would never have been able to do it on his own, but his bond with Harry gave him an added connection to the world. Xander could sense Harry performing the same tasks for the wizards, and fought down a little glow of pride. He'd been part of a team for years, but Xander had never had a partner before.
***
In the abstract, this spell had seemed fairly simple. Even after the setback when Hermione and Willow's shields had locked up, Harry had never had any real doubt that this would work. But now, he felt the amount of magic in these waves for the first time, and he felt a frisson of fear. He had gone to the seaside with the Weasleys once, and he'd felt even the small waves tugging at his feet, pulling sand out from under him. That should have taught him not to underestimate waves. This wave pushed at their shield, but the spellcasters fought it. Harry did his job, helping them all maintain their balance and connection. Then came a moment of stillness, and he knew they'd stopped the wave.
Harry stiffened as the power shunt was created. For a moment, he was grounding not only a group of magic users, but also a current that felt almost electric. The power rocked through him and left him breathless. For a few more moments, he remained at the center of the power, the lynchpin for the wizarding segments of the barrier. Then, one by one, they slipped away. He felt drained and somewhat lightheaded. Physically and mentally, he leaned against Xander, drawing strength from his tired affection and the solid bulk of his shoulders.
"Well, that was anticlimactic," Ginny said. "No sudden but inevitable betrayal. No stress. It's not right."
Harry heard a smack, and without even opening his eyes, he knew Ginny must be glaring at Ron. "Belt up, Gin. This is just the right type of catastrophe, if you ask me," Ron said.
"He's right," one of the coven members agreed. "Find a prophecy, figure out a solution, solve the problem. It's the paint by numbers way to save the world. I'm in favor of it."
Everyone was slowly rising to their feet, standing and groaning as they stretched out their muscles. Harry didn't want to join them, but when Xander started to get up, he decided he had no choice. He looked around the room. Arthur and Molly Weasley were talking to Giles about exchanging information and assistance if the need should arise in the future. Neville and some of the younger Wiccans were deciding to go out to a hamburger bar. Harry felt a little proud of himself for bringing them together. He smiled at Xander, who looked to be asleep on his feet. He needed to get his man home. Harry found Hermione and made his excuses, and gave a grateful wave to everyone else. He gathered his lover close and apparated them both to Xander's flat. They were asleep in moments.
~~~
Chapter 14
Xander cursed as he burned his finger on the pizza he was pulling from the oven. He deposited the circle of cheesy goodness on the counter before sticking the finger in his mouth and glaring at the oven as though it had betrayed him. He'd never had this trouble with the microwave. Pulling the finger from his mouth, Xander carefully cut and served the pizza, adding a dollop of ranch dressing to his plate for dipping.
"Soup's on," he called to Harry. He carried both plates into the living room and settled on the couch next to his boyfriend. "For your dining pleasure today, our chef has prepared a special dish. Notice the lovely golden color, the firm, crisp base, the handy triangular shape." He handed a plate to Harry.
Harry smiled at him, green eyes lit with amusement. "What did I ever do without you?"
"I don't know, probably cooked your own damn pizza." Xander grinned at him as he leaned forward to catch the cheese oozing over the side of his slice. He loved just spending time with Harry. Aside from the big multi-magic-people spell a week ago, their time together tended to be uncomplicated. And after however many years working with Buffy and the gang, uncomplicated was a thing to be cherished. Which is why he was focusing on the pizza and the cutie beside him rather than thinking about the offer Giles' had made him yesterday.
It had been the end of the day, and Xander had been checking over the work that had been completed. He had been bent over to examine the paint on a baseboard when he jumped as someone behind him clear his throat.
"Geez, G-man! Decided to give me a heart attack and save the bad guys the trouble?" Xander accused as he stood. 'Uh oh!' Xander hadn't even had a chance to be annoying yet, and Giles was already polishing his glasses. Bad sign.
"Yes, well, you seem to have survived, so perhaps cardiac arrest is not the best way to get rid of you." Despite the glasses cleaning, Giles had a small smile on his face as he spoke.
"Have you thought of a better way, then?"
"Actually, yes," Giles replied. "I have a proposition for you."
Xander swallowed, wondering what was coming, but quipped, "Sorry, Giles. You know I'm a one man man." He tried to sound casual, but his body was tense as he waited to hear what Giles had to say.
Giles raised his head arrogantly and said, "Oh, come now. I'm hardly going to battle Harry Potter for your affections." He grinned mischievously. "It wouldn't be fair to the poor boy. Seriously, though, I have an offer for you. The construction and remodeling of the building are all but completed, and you must give some thought to what you'll be doing next."
"I thought I'd hang out and play matchmaker for the Watchers and Slayers, maybe get back into the researching end of things," Xander replied, fidgeting.
"We have a staff of qualified researchers who are more familiar with the literature than you are, even if they lack your practical experience and propensity for lighting the books on fire."
"Once! Man, I should know better than to commit crimes against books around you. So, you don't want me on your research team. It's like getting picked last for kickball all over again."
"All joking aside, Xander, we really have nothing that requires your talents here. But that doesn't mean we don't have anything that requires your talents."
"Where, then?"
"You know that Willow and Kennedy are seeking out Slayers in South America. I have similar teams working in various parts of the world. I would like you to go to Africa and try to make contact with newly activated Slayers there." Giles was looking at him seriously, waiting for a response.
"I don't get it. How does *Africa* make use of my talents? Do I have some African talents I'm not aware of?" Xander was stunned, talking without really thinking about it.
"Spike and Angel aside, you get along well with people. You have experience with the dangers Slayers face, and with the abilities that Slayers possess. You are resourceful and good with your hands, so you have a better chance of surviving in less populated areas than most Americans or Europeans. You would be a great help to the Council."
"Just...just give me some time to think about it, okay?"
"Certainly. I wouldn't expect an immediate answer. But do think about it." Giles clasped Xander's shoulder briefly before leaving. Xander had stood for a while, staring at the wall before he roused himself to go home.
So now he sat and tried to enjoy the time with Harry. He didn't know what his decision would be yet, but the fact that Giles had made the offer meant that things were changing. And Xander knew that change was not always good.
***
Harry relaxed back against the sofa, thinking there was nowhere he'd rather be than here. Sitting in Xander's flat, his left thigh pressed against Xander's right, Harry felt happy. He turned a bit to smile at his carpenter and felt a flash of concern. That answering grin was not quite right. It looked more like the smile of a man who was determined to enjoy himself than of a man who *was* enjoying himself. Harry put down his plate and laid a hand on his lover's knee.
"Is something wrong?" he asked, letting the concern in his voice show.
"Not wrong. It's just..." Xander scrubbed his hands over his face. "It's something Giles said yesterday."
"What did he say?" Harry didn't think the Watcher would say anything to hurt Xander, he knew the man looked at the young Americans as family.
"He asked me -" Xander cut off with a gasp. He shuddered, then grabbed the thong that hung around his neck and yanked it off. At the end of it, a bead was glowing a fiery red. "Either there is one hell of a memory charm going on, or something is up with the magic," Xander said. Just then the carved runes around the room flared with the same heat. "Guess that answers that." Harry was about to respond when something slammed into his magic. He could feel it trying to blaze out of him, as if he were nothing more than that bead. He fought to maintain control.
"I don't think our spell stopped the waves," he choked out. He shut his eyes and pulled all of his focus inward, concentrating on his own power. He was so focused, he almost didn't hear Xander's vocal and mental shout for Willow. Harry huddled on the couch, fighting to keep his magic from joining the wave that he could now sense washing over him. He was lost in his internal battle until suddenly he wasn't alone in it. Xander was there with him, bonded as they had been the week before. Gratefully, he leaned on Xander's strength, using it to lock down his magic. Able to spare some attention for the outside world, Harry opened his eyes. He saw his lover watching him with fear in his warm brown gaze and Willow standing nearby, so white she practically glowed.
"We need to get outside. I need to touch the earth," she said, her voice oddly hollow and so free of babble as to sound like a different person. Harry gratefully took Xander's hand, and the three of them stumbled out of the flat and down the hall. When they reached a patch of grass that stood between two blocks of flats, Willow stooped and thrust her hands into the earth. She looked at them, her eyes blank. "You are the foundation."
And suddenly the wave of magic was insignificant in comparison to the power Willow shoved through them. She was reaching out, calling all the magic users she could find into their web. At first it was those they knew, the wizards and Wiccans who had participated in last weeks' spell. With each addition, more magic poured in, and soon Willow had all the magic users in Britain tied to them. Harry could feel them all, and knew that Xander could as well. They were frightened, some hurt by the waves, but they were determined to fight. Wordlessly, Harry and Xander assured the magic users that they *were* fighting, were helping to stop the flood.
More and more people were caught up in the protective web now. All of Europe, then Asia. Steadily, Willow reached farther and farther until every magic user in the world was tied to them. The power coming through her was phenomenal, and Harry was awed to be a part of this. Once the connections had been established, he heard Willow's voice in his head again.
"With me," was all she said, but she accompanied that terse message with a burst of information, showing the wizards and Wiccans what to do. Harry absorbed her instructions, but disregarded them. He and Xander were not the spellcasters. They were the net. The spell began and Harry feared his mind would fracture. So many people! He was no longer just a man kneeling in the grass in London; he was everywhere. And Xander was right there with him.
***
'Thank God we did the spell once!' was the last thought through Xander's mind. Even if it had (apparently) not accomplished its goal, it had at least been good practice for this. Still, the difference between supporting a dozen Wiccans and supporting thousands of them was considerable. Once the spell began, he had no time for thought, no time to worry about whether or not they would succeed, no time to fear that the blazing runes in his apartment would blaze for real and start a fire. All he had time for was the people who needed him.
They were all over the globe, but he was somehow right there with them. He reached out dozens, hundreds of tendrils of support and helped the Wiccans find their balance, shifting their strength to be more effective. He felt Harry bolstering him, giving him stability so he could give it to others. It was a little like clasping someone's hands and spinning around in circles. Xander knew that if he let go of Harry or stopped moving, he would fall. If there was a God, a real one, not a Prada-wearing wannabe out there, this was probably what God felt like. Connected to everyone, needed by everyone. But hopefully God didn't feel this nauseous.
It was a shock when the shield spell was completed. It was a global web, trapping and holding the magic waves that shifted over the face of the earth, trying to break free. There was a moment of perfect calm as the Wiccans and wizards (and Xander and Harry) examined their creation and saw that it was good. Then they built the shunt. Larger and stronger than the one they had previously built, they created an opening that rammed right through the world and into the next. The spellcasters forced the power of the flood through their foundation and into the shunt. Xander may have screamed. If supporting the spellcasters had been like being God, this was like burning in hell.
The power ripped through him, scorching as it flowed through the shunt and out of the dimension. Dimly, Xander could feel it lessening, could feel the strength of the torrent pulsing through him fading. For a moment, he was concerned that he would go right along with it, dragged through to some other dimension. Then he had no energy to be concerned about anything. As the last of the power trickled away and the web began to unravel, Xander slipped quietly out of consciousness.
***
The first thing Harry was aware of was a pounding headache. The second thing was the sound of voices nearby. "So I guess that showed us not to ignore the apocalypse-y parts of an apocalypse prophecy, huh?" Willow was saying in a tired voice.
"I daresay you're right. After so many years of averting disaster at the last moment, I was pleased to be beforehand for once. But it appears that we had to rush in at the end, after all." That sounded like Giles. Harry struggled to remember where he was meant to be. Should Giles and Willow be there?
"I, for one, am glad we got the practise in. Otherwise, Willow might not have recognized what was wrong when the wave broke free. Excellent work, by the by, Willow." Hermione? Harry struggled to raise his head and look at his friend. Opening his eyes was a very bad idea, apparently, but his efforts were rewarded by a cool hand across his forehead. "Harry, are you awake? Lie still, and I'll get you a potion for the pain." Hermione was definitely his best friend.
"What happened?" he managed to ask.
"It seems that the barrier and shunt that we put in the first time were not strong enough to handle the full strength of the flood that had built up. The waves broke through and...erm...'enveloped the earth.' Willow used earth magic to connect virtually everyone with any magical power, and this time the barrier should be able to hold anything." Giles spoke quietly out of deference to Harry's headache.
"Where are we?"
"When I heard Xander's call, I told Kennedy where I was going," Willow explained. "She called all the Slayers she could think of to warn them what was going on. Some of them tracked us down and brought us to the Council to sleep it off."
"Better than waking up in gaol for public drunkenness, I suppose." Harry drank the potion Hermione handed him gratefully. "Where's Xander?" This was an important question, and Harry tried to make his body sit up so he could look for his lover.
"He's right here," Willow sounded like she wished she had the energy to be annoyed at him for suggesting she hadn't taken care of her best friend. "Lying down on another couch. He's been moving a little, so he should be waking up soon. You two got hit the hardest, since you were the foundation for the spell and then the funnel for the magic. Everyone else has been up and about for hours." She looked down at her own supine form. "Well, conscious, anyway. I haven't been so much with the up."
"You should rest, Harry. Let the potion work." Hermione brushed the hair back from his face. He lay quietly and tried to rest, as ordered, but Harry was worried about Xander. He couldn't set his mind at ease until he knew for sure the other man was alright.
Then he heard a creaky voice say, "God! That was unpleasantly like being drunk."
"What's so bad about being drunk?" Willow asked in an indulgent voice.
"You ask a glass of water." Xander sounded dreadful, but he was awake and he was joking. Harry slipped off to sleep sure that nothing could be too wrong in the world.
"Soup's on," he called to Harry. He carried both plates into the living room and settled on the couch next to his boyfriend. "For your dining pleasure today, our chef has prepared a special dish. Notice the lovely golden color, the firm, crisp base, the handy triangular shape." He handed a plate to Harry.
Harry smiled at him, green eyes lit with amusement. "What did I ever do without you?"
"I don't know, probably cooked your own damn pizza." Xander grinned at him as he leaned forward to catch the cheese oozing over the side of his slice. He loved just spending time with Harry. Aside from the big multi-magic-people spell a week ago, their time together tended to be uncomplicated. And after however many years working with Buffy and the gang, uncomplicated was a thing to be cherished. Which is why he was focusing on the pizza and the cutie beside him rather than thinking about the offer Giles' had made him yesterday.
It had been the end of the day, and Xander had been checking over the work that had been completed. He had been bent over to examine the paint on a baseboard when he jumped as someone behind him clear his throat.
"Geez, G-man! Decided to give me a heart attack and save the bad guys the trouble?" Xander accused as he stood. 'Uh oh!' Xander hadn't even had a chance to be annoying yet, and Giles was already polishing his glasses. Bad sign.
"Yes, well, you seem to have survived, so perhaps cardiac arrest is not the best way to get rid of you." Despite the glasses cleaning, Giles had a small smile on his face as he spoke.
"Have you thought of a better way, then?"
"Actually, yes," Giles replied. "I have a proposition for you."
Xander swallowed, wondering what was coming, but quipped, "Sorry, Giles. You know I'm a one man man." He tried to sound casual, but his body was tense as he waited to hear what Giles had to say.
Giles raised his head arrogantly and said, "Oh, come now. I'm hardly going to battle Harry Potter for your affections." He grinned mischievously. "It wouldn't be fair to the poor boy. Seriously, though, I have an offer for you. The construction and remodeling of the building are all but completed, and you must give some thought to what you'll be doing next."
"I thought I'd hang out and play matchmaker for the Watchers and Slayers, maybe get back into the researching end of things," Xander replied, fidgeting.
"We have a staff of qualified researchers who are more familiar with the literature than you are, even if they lack your practical experience and propensity for lighting the books on fire."
"Once! Man, I should know better than to commit crimes against books around you. So, you don't want me on your research team. It's like getting picked last for kickball all over again."
"All joking aside, Xander, we really have nothing that requires your talents here. But that doesn't mean we don't have anything that requires your talents."
"Where, then?"
"You know that Willow and Kennedy are seeking out Slayers in South America. I have similar teams working in various parts of the world. I would like you to go to Africa and try to make contact with newly activated Slayers there." Giles was looking at him seriously, waiting for a response.
"I don't get it. How does *Africa* make use of my talents? Do I have some African talents I'm not aware of?" Xander was stunned, talking without really thinking about it.
"Spike and Angel aside, you get along well with people. You have experience with the dangers Slayers face, and with the abilities that Slayers possess. You are resourceful and good with your hands, so you have a better chance of surviving in less populated areas than most Americans or Europeans. You would be a great help to the Council."
"Just...just give me some time to think about it, okay?"
"Certainly. I wouldn't expect an immediate answer. But do think about it." Giles clasped Xander's shoulder briefly before leaving. Xander had stood for a while, staring at the wall before he roused himself to go home.
So now he sat and tried to enjoy the time with Harry. He didn't know what his decision would be yet, but the fact that Giles had made the offer meant that things were changing. And Xander knew that change was not always good.
***
Harry relaxed back against the sofa, thinking there was nowhere he'd rather be than here. Sitting in Xander's flat, his left thigh pressed against Xander's right, Harry felt happy. He turned a bit to smile at his carpenter and felt a flash of concern. That answering grin was not quite right. It looked more like the smile of a man who was determined to enjoy himself than of a man who *was* enjoying himself. Harry put down his plate and laid a hand on his lover's knee.
"Is something wrong?" he asked, letting the concern in his voice show.
"Not wrong. It's just..." Xander scrubbed his hands over his face. "It's something Giles said yesterday."
"What did he say?" Harry didn't think the Watcher would say anything to hurt Xander, he knew the man looked at the young Americans as family.
"He asked me -" Xander cut off with a gasp. He shuddered, then grabbed the thong that hung around his neck and yanked it off. At the end of it, a bead was glowing a fiery red. "Either there is one hell of a memory charm going on, or something is up with the magic," Xander said. Just then the carved runes around the room flared with the same heat. "Guess that answers that." Harry was about to respond when something slammed into his magic. He could feel it trying to blaze out of him, as if he were nothing more than that bead. He fought to maintain control.
"I don't think our spell stopped the waves," he choked out. He shut his eyes and pulled all of his focus inward, concentrating on his own power. He was so focused, he almost didn't hear Xander's vocal and mental shout for Willow. Harry huddled on the couch, fighting to keep his magic from joining the wave that he could now sense washing over him. He was lost in his internal battle until suddenly he wasn't alone in it. Xander was there with him, bonded as they had been the week before. Gratefully, he leaned on Xander's strength, using it to lock down his magic. Able to spare some attention for the outside world, Harry opened his eyes. He saw his lover watching him with fear in his warm brown gaze and Willow standing nearby, so white she practically glowed.
"We need to get outside. I need to touch the earth," she said, her voice oddly hollow and so free of babble as to sound like a different person. Harry gratefully took Xander's hand, and the three of them stumbled out of the flat and down the hall. When they reached a patch of grass that stood between two blocks of flats, Willow stooped and thrust her hands into the earth. She looked at them, her eyes blank. "You are the foundation."
And suddenly the wave of magic was insignificant in comparison to the power Willow shoved through them. She was reaching out, calling all the magic users she could find into their web. At first it was those they knew, the wizards and Wiccans who had participated in last weeks' spell. With each addition, more magic poured in, and soon Willow had all the magic users in Britain tied to them. Harry could feel them all, and knew that Xander could as well. They were frightened, some hurt by the waves, but they were determined to fight. Wordlessly, Harry and Xander assured the magic users that they *were* fighting, were helping to stop the flood.
More and more people were caught up in the protective web now. All of Europe, then Asia. Steadily, Willow reached farther and farther until every magic user in the world was tied to them. The power coming through her was phenomenal, and Harry was awed to be a part of this. Once the connections had been established, he heard Willow's voice in his head again.
"With me," was all she said, but she accompanied that terse message with a burst of information, showing the wizards and Wiccans what to do. Harry absorbed her instructions, but disregarded them. He and Xander were not the spellcasters. They were the net. The spell began and Harry feared his mind would fracture. So many people! He was no longer just a man kneeling in the grass in London; he was everywhere. And Xander was right there with him.
***
'Thank God we did the spell once!' was the last thought through Xander's mind. Even if it had (apparently) not accomplished its goal, it had at least been good practice for this. Still, the difference between supporting a dozen Wiccans and supporting thousands of them was considerable. Once the spell began, he had no time for thought, no time to worry about whether or not they would succeed, no time to fear that the blazing runes in his apartment would blaze for real and start a fire. All he had time for was the people who needed him.
They were all over the globe, but he was somehow right there with them. He reached out dozens, hundreds of tendrils of support and helped the Wiccans find their balance, shifting their strength to be more effective. He felt Harry bolstering him, giving him stability so he could give it to others. It was a little like clasping someone's hands and spinning around in circles. Xander knew that if he let go of Harry or stopped moving, he would fall. If there was a God, a real one, not a Prada-wearing wannabe out there, this was probably what God felt like. Connected to everyone, needed by everyone. But hopefully God didn't feel this nauseous.
It was a shock when the shield spell was completed. It was a global web, trapping and holding the magic waves that shifted over the face of the earth, trying to break free. There was a moment of perfect calm as the Wiccans and wizards (and Xander and Harry) examined their creation and saw that it was good. Then they built the shunt. Larger and stronger than the one they had previously built, they created an opening that rammed right through the world and into the next. The spellcasters forced the power of the flood through their foundation and into the shunt. Xander may have screamed. If supporting the spellcasters had been like being God, this was like burning in hell.
The power ripped through him, scorching as it flowed through the shunt and out of the dimension. Dimly, Xander could feel it lessening, could feel the strength of the torrent pulsing through him fading. For a moment, he was concerned that he would go right along with it, dragged through to some other dimension. Then he had no energy to be concerned about anything. As the last of the power trickled away and the web began to unravel, Xander slipped quietly out of consciousness.
***
The first thing Harry was aware of was a pounding headache. The second thing was the sound of voices nearby. "So I guess that showed us not to ignore the apocalypse-y parts of an apocalypse prophecy, huh?" Willow was saying in a tired voice.
"I daresay you're right. After so many years of averting disaster at the last moment, I was pleased to be beforehand for once. But it appears that we had to rush in at the end, after all." That sounded like Giles. Harry struggled to remember where he was meant to be. Should Giles and Willow be there?
"I, for one, am glad we got the practise in. Otherwise, Willow might not have recognized what was wrong when the wave broke free. Excellent work, by the by, Willow." Hermione? Harry struggled to raise his head and look at his friend. Opening his eyes was a very bad idea, apparently, but his efforts were rewarded by a cool hand across his forehead. "Harry, are you awake? Lie still, and I'll get you a potion for the pain." Hermione was definitely his best friend.
"What happened?" he managed to ask.
"It seems that the barrier and shunt that we put in the first time were not strong enough to handle the full strength of the flood that had built up. The waves broke through and...erm...'enveloped the earth.' Willow used earth magic to connect virtually everyone with any magical power, and this time the barrier should be able to hold anything." Giles spoke quietly out of deference to Harry's headache.
"Where are we?"
"When I heard Xander's call, I told Kennedy where I was going," Willow explained. "She called all the Slayers she could think of to warn them what was going on. Some of them tracked us down and brought us to the Council to sleep it off."
"Better than waking up in gaol for public drunkenness, I suppose." Harry drank the potion Hermione handed him gratefully. "Where's Xander?" This was an important question, and Harry tried to make his body sit up so he could look for his lover.
"He's right here," Willow sounded like she wished she had the energy to be annoyed at him for suggesting she hadn't taken care of her best friend. "Lying down on another couch. He's been moving a little, so he should be waking up soon. You two got hit the hardest, since you were the foundation for the spell and then the funnel for the magic. Everyone else has been up and about for hours." She looked down at her own supine form. "Well, conscious, anyway. I haven't been so much with the up."
"You should rest, Harry. Let the potion work." Hermione brushed the hair back from his face. He lay quietly and tried to rest, as ordered, but Harry was worried about Xander. He couldn't set his mind at ease until he knew for sure the other man was alright.
Then he heard a creaky voice say, "God! That was unpleasantly like being drunk."
"What's so bad about being drunk?" Willow asked in an indulgent voice.
"You ask a glass of water." Xander sounded dreadful, but he was awake and he was joking. Harry slipped off to sleep sure that nothing could be too wrong in the world.
~~~
Chapter 15
Both Xander and Harry slept a whole 24 hours after their first brief awakening. The day after that Xander spent in going over damage reports with Willow and Giles. Several low-level magical items, like Xander's rosemary crystal, had been destroyed outright, and there were a few incidents of Wiccans falling down stairs or wrecking their cars when the waves had hit. On the whole, they had gotten off easy, and they all knew it. Once Willow had recovered, she'd been dispatched to help rebuild as many of the fallen shields and minor magics as possible. She had started by giving Xander a new bead.
Xander had looked at Willow questioningly when she came to stand beside him and slipped the bead into his hand. "I thought maybe you didn't need a safety net anymore. Y'know, now that you turn all glowy and can change the world."
She hadn't answered immediately, instead leaning against him and laying her head on his shoulder. "It's scary. Having this much power is scary. And just because I'm using it for good instead of doing badness with it doesn't mean I'll never be tempted. What if I thought I was doing the right thing sometime but I was really turning into Hitler? Or one of the Bushes?" She lifted her head to look at him and twined her fingers in his, holding the crystal between them. "It's not much, but I feel better knowing that you have this protection against me. Because I trust my bestest Xander-friend to stop me if he has to."
She'd looked so serious. "Wait, you have other Xander-friends? It's good to know that I'm the best, but I'd like to scope out the competition." Willow's intent face was washed away by an amused smile, and Xander mentally patted himself on the back. A lifetime ago she'd blushed and told him Oz said she had a sweet smile. Xander had to agree, and he thanked the Powers that he could still make it appear after all they'd been through. He tightened his grip on her hand. "You know I love you, right Will?"
"I love you, too, Xander," she said with a tender smile. Then her grin grew impish and her green eyes danced as she added, "We're so cute together! It's too bad we're so gay, or we could have beautiful children."
Xander grinned, "We should have them anyway, just so we can make Buffy babysit!" After that, the conversation had deteriorated into sheer silliness, as they planned baby names and argued over what religion their imaginary children should be raised in. It was absurd and ridiculous and utterly necessary; the two friends needed time to reconnect after the near disaster of the power flood.
Willow had left on her trouble-shooting expedition not long after that, and Xander had returned to work. After hours of studying reports, he was thrilled to return home. He rubbed his tired eye as he stepped in the door, and had barely closed it when he found himself pinned against the wall by 5'10'' of anxious wizard. He slid his hands around Harry's waist and drew him closer, returning the hard kiss. With the wall at his back and arms on either side of him, Xander didn't have any room to move, but he felt safe with Harry and gave himself up to the fierce embrace. Finally the younger man pulled back, breathing hard and still clutching Xander tightly.
"Hi," Xander said.
***
Harry had gone to the ministry after he'd recovered from the effects of the spell. There he'd been pressed into meeting after meeting, explaining what had occured. Thank Merlin for Hermione, or he'd have gone nuts halfway through the day. As it was, he'd had to restrain himself from attacking Scrimgoeur more than once. He almost wished he had gone mad just so he would have an excuse to hex the Minister. The man kept insinuating that he should have been consulted, making it sound as though Harry had created the problem rather than merely helping to solve it.
The worst part of the day, though, had been listening to Hermione's analysis of the threat and the spell. Harry hadn't really participated in the early calculations of the waves, and he hadn't had time to think about the danger posed by the containment spell. Now he had to sit and listen, over and over, while Hermione explained how much peril they had been in, how great the threat had been to the wizarding world, and, worst of all, how dangerous the spell had been to those serving as its foundation. As the meetings dragged on, Harry found himself picturing scenarios in which the spell had gone awry and Xander had been hurt. He imagined ways in which his own loss of control could have led his lover to his death, or burnt out his mind and left him a husk.
"Harry?" A hand on his shoulder drew his attention back to the real world. Hermione was standing next to his chair, a concerned frown on her face.
"Lord, Hermione. I could have killed him." Harry ran his hands through his hair. "I can't bear putting someone I love in danger again."
"You didn't. Haven't you listened to his stories? He's put himself in danger, all on his own. And this time there was a prophecy pulling him in. It wasn't you."
"But what if I lost him?" Harry hated the way his voice sounded, needy and fearful. It was bloody pathetic, but he couldn't help it.
Hermione merely patted him on the shoulder. "You didn't," she said simply. And Harry had to content himself with that. It didn't stop him from picturing those horrid might-have-beens, though, and by the time he heard Xander's key in the door of the flat, he'd worked himself into a terrible state of retroactive worry. He launched himself at the American as soon as he cleared the doorway, desperately needing to feel him and reassure himself that Xander was fine.
He pressed against Xander's firm body, rejoicing in his sold bulk. He sought out the open mouth and kissed it, hot and wet and alive and *there*. He felt Xander responding to him, and he began to feel a little more in control. He realized they both needed to breathe, and managed to pull away. He looked at his lover's face, flushed and dazed from his greeting, and felt a little guilty for being so forceful. He waited to hear the confused questioning, and tried to formulate an explanation for his behavior. Xander opened his mouth.
"Hi."
The soft greeting crumbled his defenses, and Harry pressed his face against Xander's collarbone. "Did you know we could have died?" he asked against the cotton shirt.
"I figured it out." Xander's hand was in Harry's hair now, fingers carding through the messy locks. It felt wonderful, and it did as much to sooth the young wizard as the sound of Xander's heartbeat. "We're okay, though."
"I know. Sorry. Delayed reaction, I suppose."
"It's okay." They stood for a few more minutes, holding each other tight. Xander's fingers never stopped stroking through Harry's hair. "Hey, Harry? You wanna go to the bedroom and verify that we're still alive and fully functional?"
"God, yes! I knew you were brilliant." Harry stepped out of Xander's embrace but grabbed onto his hand. Pulling him along, Harry led the way to the bedroom.
***
Xander was no stranger to 'Thank God we survived' sex. The fear and adrenaline of a dangerous situation often led to both lust and a need for reassurance. Harry appeared to be suffering from both right now, and Xander had no problem satisfying them. He allowed himself to be guided to the bedroom. Harry stopped when they were standing near the bed and kissed him again. Their earlier kiss had been intense and a little desperate, but this one was slower and sweeter. It was as though Harry were trying to relearn him, exploring his mouth and gliding his hands carefully over his body. Xander raised his hands to unbutton his shirt and found them slapped away. Harry broke the kiss and began reverently undressing Xander, taking time to kiss and stroke his chest as it was revealed.
Once the shirt was thrown to the floor, Harry started on the pants. They were quickly unfastened, but the Englishman lowered them and the underwear bit by bit, gliding his mouth over Xander's hips and down his long legs. When he got to the feet, he had to stop and take off the shoes and socks before allowing Xander to step out of his pants and boxers. Finally, Harry stood and gazed at the man before him. Xander felt a little self conscious, standing there hard and naked while a fully clothed Harry stared at him, but the desire in those green eyes made him feel better. Still, he shivered. Being the only one naked made him feel even naked-er. Downright nekkid.
"You have too many clothes on," he said. He tried not to whine, and almost succeeded. He reached out to help Harry out of them, but was once again slapped away. Harry shucked off his clothes quickly, and returned to studying Xander. Xander shivered again; he could almost feel Harry's eyes moving over him. He closed his eyes as a long, pale finger trailed down his chest.
"Come to the bed," Harry ordered. Xander willingly obeyed.
***
Harry watched as Xander lay down on the bed, his muscular body stretched out like an offering. He wanted to touch every single part of it. So he did. Harry crawled up the carpenter's body, caressing the arches of his feet, the muscles of his calves. At the knees, he paused and spread Xander's legs apart so he could lick and nip at the delicate skin behind them. He continued up, tracing patterns on strong thighs. He shifted to his left, sucking at the hollow of Xander's right hip, then moved on to the stomach. Still, he took his time, pressing kisses along the paler stomach and up his ribs. When he got to Xander's neck, Harry sucked hard, placing a lovebite where it would be visible above his shirt collar. Then he lifted his head. Holding himself up with both arms, Harry hovered over the face he loved, kissing along Xander's jaw line. He placed tiny, fluttering kisses across Xander's full lower lip. Putting all his weight on one arm, Harry tugged off Xander's eye patch. Satisfied that the other man was now completely naked, he gently kissed both eyelids.
***
This was torture. Really fabulous, happy-making torture, but torture nonetheless. Xander forced himself to lie still as Harry made his way up his body. It was hard (no pun intended) not to touch back, but Harry seemed to need to be in charge right now, so Xander let him. The careful way Harry was touching him made him feel special...loved. When Harry reached for the eyepatch, Xander almost protested. He hated the way his face looked without it. But he trusted Harry not to be disgusted by him, so he let himself be exposed, when he felt Harry kissing the ruined flesh of his left eyelid, Xander let out a shuddering breath. Suddenly he had to kiss his boyfriend.
Xander ran his hands along Harry's smooth back - up to the strong shoulders, down to the tight ass. He lifted his chin and claimed Harry's mouth for a kiss. Like the one before it, this one started out slow and gentle, but Xander deepened it, trying to show Harry how much he loved him and wanted him. Harry responded, pressing his hips down against Xander's. The smaller man dropped from his hands to his elbows, still supporting most of his own weight, but now much closer to Xander. The carpenter moaned encouragingly.
***
Harry had been trying to restrain himself and go slow, but he didn't think he could keep it up with this kind of encouragement. He dragged his mouth away from Xander's. "I want you," he gasped out.
All Xander said was, "Yes," but the way he scrambled to find the lube and condoms spoke of an answering need. Harry took them and sat back on his haunches. He tore open the condom wrapper and set it aside, then slicked the fingers of his right hand. Settling between Xander's thighs, Harry stroked a slippery finger over his opening. Gently, he pressed it inside. He looked up from what he was doing to admire his lover. Xander had his eyes closed and his mouth open, and Harry was amazed at his beauty. He let his eyes trail down Xander's body to the hard cock that lay against his stomach. Leaning forward, he licked delicately at it as his fingers continued thrusting in and out of his arse. Xander gasped, and Harry smiled before grasping the base of the older man's cock with his left hand and beginning to suck it in earnest.
***
Having Harry Potter give you a blow job while preparing to fuck you is possibly the best feeling in the universe. Xander was only glad more people didn't know this, or there would probably be a line of people waiting their turn. And Xander didn't want to share. He was so caught up in the sensation of Harry's mouth on him that he almost didn't notice when the fingers pressing into him were withdrawn. Then the mouth was gone, and, before he could do more that groan, Xander felt his legs being lifted and Harry's cock gliding into him. He started to pant and babble as he was slowly filled by the man he loved.
"You feel so good...God, you're beautiful...Don't stop...don't stop..." and then moans and gasps that didn't really count as words. Xander let his legs slip down Harry's body to curl around his waist. He felt a warm hand close over his cock and let himself go, lost in the pleasure of the moment. He felt his orgasm rising within him and didn't try to fight it. He thrust up into Harry's fist and came with a low cry. His ass clenched around Harry, and the younger man thrust hard a few more times before shuddering out his own orgasm.
***
Harry collapsed forward onto Xander. He gently withdrew from the other man's body and threw away the condom, then snuggled back into the carpenter's embrace. He lay there, contentedly running his hand up and down Xander's arm, occasionally pressing kisses against his neck. Xander's hands lay lightly on Harry's shoulder and hip. It was warm and comfortable.
Xander's grip tightened and he cleared his throat. "I was talking to Giles a while ago, and he asked me to go to Africa." Harry's hand stopped its motion on Xander's arm.
"Africa?" he squeaked out. He tried again. "Africa? For how long?"
"Probably two years."
Harry felt like his heart had stopped. "Two years?!" He was starting to feel like a parrot. A parrot whose heart had stopped. An ex-parrot.
"Yeah, that's about how long most of the Slayer-finding contracts are. I would be traveling around trying to locate Slayers, doing the first contact thing."
"What did you say?" Harry wasn't a religious man, but he was silently praying that Xander had said no. That Xander had chosen to stay with his man. That Xander had chosen him.
"I haven't given him an answer yet. I think...I think I'd like to go." Harry shut his eyes tightly as he listened to Xander speak. "Giles told me they don't have any real work for me here, and I *need* to be useful. To fight the good fight, you know? The problem is..." The hand on Harry's shoulder moved up into his hair. "The problem is that I don't want to do the long distance thing - going weeks without seeing you, only having phone calls and letters. So I'm not sure what to do. I want to go to Africa and be Watcher-man, but I want to stay with you."
Harry wanted to tell Xander not to leave him. He almost opened his mouth to pressure the American to stay in London. But he heard the yearning to be useful in Xander's voice and stopped himself. "We could...erm..I could apparate to visit you. And I could make you a big lot of portkeys so you could come here to visit me. You could go, and we could still see each other all the time."
"Would you be willing to do that for two whole years? That's a long time to keep running off to another continent just to see your boyfriend," Xander said, his voice soft.
"You're worth it," Harry said firmly. In his mind, he was already making plans. He could draft Hermione and Ron into helping him make the portkeys. He wondered if he could find a way to attach a campfire to the Floo network. As he pondered this, Harry's hand started stroking Xander's arm again. One thing was sure: he wasn't letting this go. He felt connected to Xander in a way he hadn't thought possibly. There was no way a little thing like distance was going to keep them apart. He repeated, "You're worth it." That's really all there was to say.
Xander had looked at Willow questioningly when she came to stand beside him and slipped the bead into his hand. "I thought maybe you didn't need a safety net anymore. Y'know, now that you turn all glowy and can change the world."
She hadn't answered immediately, instead leaning against him and laying her head on his shoulder. "It's scary. Having this much power is scary. And just because I'm using it for good instead of doing badness with it doesn't mean I'll never be tempted. What if I thought I was doing the right thing sometime but I was really turning into Hitler? Or one of the Bushes?" She lifted her head to look at him and twined her fingers in his, holding the crystal between them. "It's not much, but I feel better knowing that you have this protection against me. Because I trust my bestest Xander-friend to stop me if he has to."
She'd looked so serious. "Wait, you have other Xander-friends? It's good to know that I'm the best, but I'd like to scope out the competition." Willow's intent face was washed away by an amused smile, and Xander mentally patted himself on the back. A lifetime ago she'd blushed and told him Oz said she had a sweet smile. Xander had to agree, and he thanked the Powers that he could still make it appear after all they'd been through. He tightened his grip on her hand. "You know I love you, right Will?"
"I love you, too, Xander," she said with a tender smile. Then her grin grew impish and her green eyes danced as she added, "We're so cute together! It's too bad we're so gay, or we could have beautiful children."
Xander grinned, "We should have them anyway, just so we can make Buffy babysit!" After that, the conversation had deteriorated into sheer silliness, as they planned baby names and argued over what religion their imaginary children should be raised in. It was absurd and ridiculous and utterly necessary; the two friends needed time to reconnect after the near disaster of the power flood.
Willow had left on her trouble-shooting expedition not long after that, and Xander had returned to work. After hours of studying reports, he was thrilled to return home. He rubbed his tired eye as he stepped in the door, and had barely closed it when he found himself pinned against the wall by 5'10'' of anxious wizard. He slid his hands around Harry's waist and drew him closer, returning the hard kiss. With the wall at his back and arms on either side of him, Xander didn't have any room to move, but he felt safe with Harry and gave himself up to the fierce embrace. Finally the younger man pulled back, breathing hard and still clutching Xander tightly.
"Hi," Xander said.
***
Harry had gone to the ministry after he'd recovered from the effects of the spell. There he'd been pressed into meeting after meeting, explaining what had occured. Thank Merlin for Hermione, or he'd have gone nuts halfway through the day. As it was, he'd had to restrain himself from attacking Scrimgoeur more than once. He almost wished he had gone mad just so he would have an excuse to hex the Minister. The man kept insinuating that he should have been consulted, making it sound as though Harry had created the problem rather than merely helping to solve it.
The worst part of the day, though, had been listening to Hermione's analysis of the threat and the spell. Harry hadn't really participated in the early calculations of the waves, and he hadn't had time to think about the danger posed by the containment spell. Now he had to sit and listen, over and over, while Hermione explained how much peril they had been in, how great the threat had been to the wizarding world, and, worst of all, how dangerous the spell had been to those serving as its foundation. As the meetings dragged on, Harry found himself picturing scenarios in which the spell had gone awry and Xander had been hurt. He imagined ways in which his own loss of control could have led his lover to his death, or burnt out his mind and left him a husk.
"Harry?" A hand on his shoulder drew his attention back to the real world. Hermione was standing next to his chair, a concerned frown on her face.
"Lord, Hermione. I could have killed him." Harry ran his hands through his hair. "I can't bear putting someone I love in danger again."
"You didn't. Haven't you listened to his stories? He's put himself in danger, all on his own. And this time there was a prophecy pulling him in. It wasn't you."
"But what if I lost him?" Harry hated the way his voice sounded, needy and fearful. It was bloody pathetic, but he couldn't help it.
Hermione merely patted him on the shoulder. "You didn't," she said simply. And Harry had to content himself with that. It didn't stop him from picturing those horrid might-have-beens, though, and by the time he heard Xander's key in the door of the flat, he'd worked himself into a terrible state of retroactive worry. He launched himself at the American as soon as he cleared the doorway, desperately needing to feel him and reassure himself that Xander was fine.
He pressed against Xander's firm body, rejoicing in his sold bulk. He sought out the open mouth and kissed it, hot and wet and alive and *there*. He felt Xander responding to him, and he began to feel a little more in control. He realized they both needed to breathe, and managed to pull away. He looked at his lover's face, flushed and dazed from his greeting, and felt a little guilty for being so forceful. He waited to hear the confused questioning, and tried to formulate an explanation for his behavior. Xander opened his mouth.
"Hi."
The soft greeting crumbled his defenses, and Harry pressed his face against Xander's collarbone. "Did you know we could have died?" he asked against the cotton shirt.
"I figured it out." Xander's hand was in Harry's hair now, fingers carding through the messy locks. It felt wonderful, and it did as much to sooth the young wizard as the sound of Xander's heartbeat. "We're okay, though."
"I know. Sorry. Delayed reaction, I suppose."
"It's okay." They stood for a few more minutes, holding each other tight. Xander's fingers never stopped stroking through Harry's hair. "Hey, Harry? You wanna go to the bedroom and verify that we're still alive and fully functional?"
"God, yes! I knew you were brilliant." Harry stepped out of Xander's embrace but grabbed onto his hand. Pulling him along, Harry led the way to the bedroom.
***
Xander was no stranger to 'Thank God we survived' sex. The fear and adrenaline of a dangerous situation often led to both lust and a need for reassurance. Harry appeared to be suffering from both right now, and Xander had no problem satisfying them. He allowed himself to be guided to the bedroom. Harry stopped when they were standing near the bed and kissed him again. Their earlier kiss had been intense and a little desperate, but this one was slower and sweeter. It was as though Harry were trying to relearn him, exploring his mouth and gliding his hands carefully over his body. Xander raised his hands to unbutton his shirt and found them slapped away. Harry broke the kiss and began reverently undressing Xander, taking time to kiss and stroke his chest as it was revealed.
Once the shirt was thrown to the floor, Harry started on the pants. They were quickly unfastened, but the Englishman lowered them and the underwear bit by bit, gliding his mouth over Xander's hips and down his long legs. When he got to the feet, he had to stop and take off the shoes and socks before allowing Xander to step out of his pants and boxers. Finally, Harry stood and gazed at the man before him. Xander felt a little self conscious, standing there hard and naked while a fully clothed Harry stared at him, but the desire in those green eyes made him feel better. Still, he shivered. Being the only one naked made him feel even naked-er. Downright nekkid.
"You have too many clothes on," he said. He tried not to whine, and almost succeeded. He reached out to help Harry out of them, but was once again slapped away. Harry shucked off his clothes quickly, and returned to studying Xander. Xander shivered again; he could almost feel Harry's eyes moving over him. He closed his eyes as a long, pale finger trailed down his chest.
"Come to the bed," Harry ordered. Xander willingly obeyed.
***
Harry watched as Xander lay down on the bed, his muscular body stretched out like an offering. He wanted to touch every single part of it. So he did. Harry crawled up the carpenter's body, caressing the arches of his feet, the muscles of his calves. At the knees, he paused and spread Xander's legs apart so he could lick and nip at the delicate skin behind them. He continued up, tracing patterns on strong thighs. He shifted to his left, sucking at the hollow of Xander's right hip, then moved on to the stomach. Still, he took his time, pressing kisses along the paler stomach and up his ribs. When he got to Xander's neck, Harry sucked hard, placing a lovebite where it would be visible above his shirt collar. Then he lifted his head. Holding himself up with both arms, Harry hovered over the face he loved, kissing along Xander's jaw line. He placed tiny, fluttering kisses across Xander's full lower lip. Putting all his weight on one arm, Harry tugged off Xander's eye patch. Satisfied that the other man was now completely naked, he gently kissed both eyelids.
***
This was torture. Really fabulous, happy-making torture, but torture nonetheless. Xander forced himself to lie still as Harry made his way up his body. It was hard (no pun intended) not to touch back, but Harry seemed to need to be in charge right now, so Xander let him. The careful way Harry was touching him made him feel special...loved. When Harry reached for the eyepatch, Xander almost protested. He hated the way his face looked without it. But he trusted Harry not to be disgusted by him, so he let himself be exposed, when he felt Harry kissing the ruined flesh of his left eyelid, Xander let out a shuddering breath. Suddenly he had to kiss his boyfriend.
Xander ran his hands along Harry's smooth back - up to the strong shoulders, down to the tight ass. He lifted his chin and claimed Harry's mouth for a kiss. Like the one before it, this one started out slow and gentle, but Xander deepened it, trying to show Harry how much he loved him and wanted him. Harry responded, pressing his hips down against Xander's. The smaller man dropped from his hands to his elbows, still supporting most of his own weight, but now much closer to Xander. The carpenter moaned encouragingly.
***
Harry had been trying to restrain himself and go slow, but he didn't think he could keep it up with this kind of encouragement. He dragged his mouth away from Xander's. "I want you," he gasped out.
All Xander said was, "Yes," but the way he scrambled to find the lube and condoms spoke of an answering need. Harry took them and sat back on his haunches. He tore open the condom wrapper and set it aside, then slicked the fingers of his right hand. Settling between Xander's thighs, Harry stroked a slippery finger over his opening. Gently, he pressed it inside. He looked up from what he was doing to admire his lover. Xander had his eyes closed and his mouth open, and Harry was amazed at his beauty. He let his eyes trail down Xander's body to the hard cock that lay against his stomach. Leaning forward, he licked delicately at it as his fingers continued thrusting in and out of his arse. Xander gasped, and Harry smiled before grasping the base of the older man's cock with his left hand and beginning to suck it in earnest.
***
Having Harry Potter give you a blow job while preparing to fuck you is possibly the best feeling in the universe. Xander was only glad more people didn't know this, or there would probably be a line of people waiting their turn. And Xander didn't want to share. He was so caught up in the sensation of Harry's mouth on him that he almost didn't notice when the fingers pressing into him were withdrawn. Then the mouth was gone, and, before he could do more that groan, Xander felt his legs being lifted and Harry's cock gliding into him. He started to pant and babble as he was slowly filled by the man he loved.
"You feel so good...God, you're beautiful...Don't stop...don't stop..." and then moans and gasps that didn't really count as words. Xander let his legs slip down Harry's body to curl around his waist. He felt a warm hand close over his cock and let himself go, lost in the pleasure of the moment. He felt his orgasm rising within him and didn't try to fight it. He thrust up into Harry's fist and came with a low cry. His ass clenched around Harry, and the younger man thrust hard a few more times before shuddering out his own orgasm.
***
Harry collapsed forward onto Xander. He gently withdrew from the other man's body and threw away the condom, then snuggled back into the carpenter's embrace. He lay there, contentedly running his hand up and down Xander's arm, occasionally pressing kisses against his neck. Xander's hands lay lightly on Harry's shoulder and hip. It was warm and comfortable.
Xander's grip tightened and he cleared his throat. "I was talking to Giles a while ago, and he asked me to go to Africa." Harry's hand stopped its motion on Xander's arm.
"Africa?" he squeaked out. He tried again. "Africa? For how long?"
"Probably two years."
Harry felt like his heart had stopped. "Two years?!" He was starting to feel like a parrot. A parrot whose heart had stopped. An ex-parrot.
"Yeah, that's about how long most of the Slayer-finding contracts are. I would be traveling around trying to locate Slayers, doing the first contact thing."
"What did you say?" Harry wasn't a religious man, but he was silently praying that Xander had said no. That Xander had chosen to stay with his man. That Xander had chosen him.
"I haven't given him an answer yet. I think...I think I'd like to go." Harry shut his eyes tightly as he listened to Xander speak. "Giles told me they don't have any real work for me here, and I *need* to be useful. To fight the good fight, you know? The problem is..." The hand on Harry's shoulder moved up into his hair. "The problem is that I don't want to do the long distance thing - going weeks without seeing you, only having phone calls and letters. So I'm not sure what to do. I want to go to Africa and be Watcher-man, but I want to stay with you."
Harry wanted to tell Xander not to leave him. He almost opened his mouth to pressure the American to stay in London. But he heard the yearning to be useful in Xander's voice and stopped himself. "We could...erm..I could apparate to visit you. And I could make you a big lot of portkeys so you could come here to visit me. You could go, and we could still see each other all the time."
"Would you be willing to do that for two whole years? That's a long time to keep running off to another continent just to see your boyfriend," Xander said, his voice soft.
"You're worth it," Harry said firmly. In his mind, he was already making plans. He could draft Hermione and Ron into helping him make the portkeys. He wondered if he could find a way to attach a campfire to the Floo network. As he pondered this, Harry's hand started stroking Xander's arm again. One thing was sure: he wasn't letting this go. He felt connected to Xander in a way he hadn't thought possibly. There was no way a little thing like distance was going to keep them apart. He repeated, "You're worth it." That's really all there was to say.
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