*winces at the job-forced delays* Still, that under all the stress was the worry that Jack had been eaten... Son, right there. *soft smile*

"Sounds like another fun filled Christmas."

"Holiday season," Xander corrected him. Off Jack's inquiring look he added, "Willow's sort of Jewish and sort of pagan."

"That's an interesting combination," said Jack evenly, doing his best not to judge. Xander appreciated it, but it really wasn't necessary. He thought they were mutually exclusive too.

"You should see our decorations," he said dryly. "It's like Santa came in circumcised and decided to follow his wood sprite girlfriend's suggestions." Jack grinned. "I'm serious," Xander went on. "We have Hanukah candles lighting up an Earth shrine with the statue wearing an elf hat."

"But does it look good? That's the true test of a decorating disaster," Jack noted, taking another piece of pizza.

*giggles madly*

“Didn’t you hear me tell you we were leaving in ten minutes?” he asked as they got into the car.

“I live with girls. You say ten minutes, I hear half an hour,” Xander replied easily. “Your CO’s not going to kill us for being late to a party unless he’s an social stickler of the deranged kind.” He paused before adding, “he’s not, is he?”

“No,” Jack answered. “Where do you come up with this stuff?” Xander didn’t deign to answer.

*laughs nervously*

“Well, I’m sure if you chat up Dr. Jackson and Major Carter, you can get some dirt of your own,” George smugly smiled. “And I know a few stories myself.” Jack definitely didn’t like the grin that blossomed on his son’s face.

“You are an evil, evil, man, sir,” Jack told his CO.

“Yes and there’s not a thing you can do about it.”

*cackles*

“Vengeance, as you say,” said Murray solemnly but with a smug little smile that was eerily reminiscent of George’s. Good to know.

*giggles madly* Teal'c is Love.

*reads a little further* ...Teal'c is very definitely love. 'Even if you were Batman'...

*cries* Oh man. The confrontation. Goddess... Too good. Way too good. *sniffles8

Xander decided unequivocally that he hated the holidays. Name any holiday, any holiday at all, and he could tell you ten ways a demon had ruined it. Anything that was a cause for celebration for humans had its equivalent in demon societies. Take Thanksgiving for example. Every family in America sacrificed a turkey for health and good fortune, just like each family of big, fat, and slimy gathered in the old, abandoned YMCA building across the street sacrificed a person to their big, fat, and probably slimy god for the same reason. And he had thought that maybe this year would be different. But no, here he was, two in the afternoon on Thanksgiving Day with his battleaxe and a crossbow waiting with Willow and Giles for Buffy's signal.

*facepalms* Ow.

The Cleveland airport was crowded and noisy on the most traveled holiday of the year, but not nearly so much as it must have been the day before. Still annoyed that he couldn't write off visiting his son as a valid reason for needing an F-18 to get halfway across the country, Jack made his way as quickly as he could away from the family of four who's two-year-old had decided that the plane was the perfect spot for a tantrum. He hated flying commercial, but at least he was on the ground now, and would soon be out of here and heading for food. He was a little nervous about spending his weekend in the company of Xander's surrogate family – he'd have much rather spent it in Colorado in the company of his surrogate family – but his son had already had plans. Hopefully it would go better than the last time he'd been in town. Just think before speaking, he reminded himself. And don't piss off Mr. Giles. Right. No problem.

Ehehehehehe. Yes, no problem whatever... c.c

"You're not going to threaten me too, are you?" he asked warily. "'Cause I think you'll have to get in line. Buffy's already claimed my arms and Mr. Giles hinted they wouldn't be able to find my body."

Faith smiled broadly at this, her entire demeanor relaxing. "Guess I'm covered then," she said. "But if I were you, I'd worry about Willow instead." Jack raised his eyebrows at this mention of Xander's other close friend he had yet to meet. This was new. "She'll toast you like flambé if you hurt him."

"Well, that's comforting," said Jack dryly, which only made Faith grin again.

"Yeah, I can see the family resemblance," she said unexpectedly. Jack felt a jolt of warm surprise shoot through him at this pronouncement from a stranger.

Parent! Right there! Also, hee hee hee.

Turkey problem! *snickers*

I love your conversations between them. They're so very, very natural...

"Just don't be afraid to fight for your food," Xander advised him. "They all like you better now since I like you. And if anyone gives you trouble just remind them that I control the house funds." But Xander didn't expect trouble. Everyone was just happy that he was happy – Dawn was even a little jealous. Besides, Jack could charm the skin off a rattlesnake. A house full of people giving him the benefit of the doubt shouldn't be a problem.

The Englishman raised his glass of wine and looked around the table at everyone before speaking. "I'm thankful – grateful even – that you are all here, safe, alive and well. And I'd like to propose a toast to Diana's parents for such a wonderful tradition, and to all others loved and lost who cannot be here today." Solemnly, they all rose their glasses in a silent tribute. Giles's words touched a place deep inside Jack where memories lived, giving them air for a moment of pure sunlight and tasting bittersweet with the wine as it slid down his throat. Across from him Xander had closed his eye briefly, his mouth twisting into a sad smile when it opened and met Jack's gaze. And when he looked at Buffy to Xander's right and Dawn to his left and the others around the table, Jack felt the undercurrent of shared grief like a gentle wave – and he wondered again about the lives of these kids that had left this kind of mark.

*worships*

There are too many wonderful bits of the willow-evaluation to quote. *.*

But Willow was ginning excitedly and Jack just knew he was about to get a whole lot of childhood dirt. And he was right, starting with how the two kids had met on the first day over spilt milk – Xander's all over Willow. Things quickly deteriorated from there, and Jack had the luxury of listening while he ate to ‘the time when.' He heard about another boy named Jesse who joined them in first grade, and a girl named Cordelia who was rich and the leader of the mean little girls who constantly terrorized the trio. He found out that Xander was a goofy little kid but with a loving heart who had once snuck out of his house and run all the way to Willow's because she had gotten sick and had left school early. As the others were reminded of stories from their own childhoods, they chimed in allowing time for Willow and Xander to eat. And so they worked their way through dinner.

*giggles*

...I love how you convey the great invisible iceberg in conversation that is 'I can't tell you that'... even if it does hurt like the dickens.

“Sorry,” Xander apologized again for being incomprehensible. Jack still looked a little unsure, and Xander desperately racked his brains for something, anything to talk about now that the silence had gone sour. “So,” he looked back out the windshield, “tell me what’s so great about hockey.”

And Jack did. And listening and making snarky comments that Jack returned as good as he got, kept Xander’s mind away from uncomfortable thoughts. As long as they kept talking, he’d get through this.

*nodnods* Cliche but true. SO far's I know.

*sniffles* THe bit with the medals and Charlie...

“How did you get all these?” Xander turned his attention back to the medals. “Did you save the world or something?”

Jack gave him a funny, unreadable look before smiling slightly and saying, “something like that.”

*giggles*

Half an hour later, Jack and Xander were safely ensconced in a booth at Patrick’s Grill, a local steak house from which Jack wasn’t banned.

Ehehehehehehehe...

“Andrew’s like,” Xander paused, searching for words in the crushed ice of his Sprite. “He’s not like a brother or a good friend, though I think I’m past hating him. He’s more like a pain in the ass all the time,” his eye flicked up to meet Jacks. “He’s just *our* pain in the ass.”

“And because of that you’d protect him with your life,” Jack finished. Internally, he shook his head. Sounded a lot like brotherhood, or at least comradery to him.

“More than you know,” Xander half smiled. “So what about you?” he asked, his tone shifting away from contemplation as his eye fixed on Jack. “Do you have annoying friend-like people too?”

Jack smiled at the turn of phrase. “Yeah,” he said. “I have friends. And yeah, they can be annoying,” he added thinking fondly of Daniel. “But I wouldn’t trade them for the world. They’re actually interested in meeting you.”

“Me?” Xander sounded surprised.

“Yes, you,” said Jack impatiently. “What, your friends get to threaten me and my friends don’t get to do the same to you?”

“Betchya my friends are scarier,” Xander suddenly grinned.

Gorgeous. Just *gorgeous*.

“Which is why you have to do what I say,” Jack nodded sagely. And at Jack’s expression of knowing importance as if everything made perfect sense, Xander couldn’t help but laugh. Jack held out a moment longer before he too chuckled at the complete idiocy of the conversation. To Xander it felt wonderful, like the most terrible thing in the world for once was a stupid tomato on the kitchen floor.

*sunshine*

Xander nodded while everyone else was doing the group communication thing. Made sense. Uncle Sam wouldn’t want just anyone to be able to listen in on their top secret conversations. “So what kind of languages do you use?” he asked curiously.

“Oh . . . well, I usually work with the uh, ancient languages,” said Daniel.

“So you know stuff like Latin and Indo-European?”

Xander watched Daniel’s eyes light up in surprised delight as he leaned forward like Giles sometimes did when he was getting into a serious, yet incomprehensible discussion. And he should have known better than to ask about the Indo-Europeans – he’d already had Giles disturb his dreams over them once. Just what had he gotten himself into here?

“You want to talk about horse sex again?”

“No, I’m good,” Xander hastily backpedaled. “So how ‘bout those toothless idiots?”

“Hockey players?” asked Daniel, returning the grin. In the corner, Jack sputtered as Xander had known he would.

“I don’t get why anyone would want to go out on freezing cold ice to beat on each other with sticks. That’s crazy!” He lifted innocent eyes to meet Jack’s outraged ones as the older man tried to form a coherent sentence.

“Yes, Jack. Do tell us what’s going through their heads?” Daniel deadpanned, taking on an air of one truly fascinated by the subject. Jack- baiting was apparently a hobby of his too. He and Xander traded a conspirital look when Jack went off on how he had no friends who understood him. But he seemed pleased nonetheless.

*DIES* I love you.

“Listen,” Xander broke the silence. “I’ve got to go. Dinner’s soon. But thanks for calling.” And he did seem glad which just made Jack grin again. His cheeks were starting to get sore.

*grins herself, though she's getting all misty-eyed again*

“I hope it works out,” said Willow a little hesitantly. “I mean, if you want it to,” she added hastily. “Cause if you don’t, I’m all for the hating.”

I love Wills. I do. *.*

He hung up. Parking tickets, he shook his head. But now he knew where Xander had met Mr. Giles – the high school library. Xander who was a carpenter that had never gone to college was still friends with him. Once again Jack wondered just what had his son’s home life been like.

Giles the responsible-adult-who-is-also-the-only-grownup-on-your-side. Mister Harris, if I'm reading this correctly-should be glad he's dead, 'cos otherwise Jack would've had to do something.

“Nothing,” said Jack lightly. “I just thought I’d call, see how you were doing.”

Xander felt warm suddenly and a little surprised. “I’m good,” he repeated, not sure what to add. “How are you?”

PARENT! RIGHT THERE! *beams*

He looked up at the older man and suddenly wondered if Jack would ever measure up to him. “I don’t know,” said Xander, the indifferent façade slipping. “It’s all just so . . .”

“Hellmouthy?” Dawn finished as he struggled for words.

“Yeah, but also in a big kinda not way.”

“You mean it is so un-hellmouth-like that it must be hellmouthy?” asked Giles who then frowned to himself, both trying to understand his own sentence and appalled that he had said ‘hellmouthy.’

Poor Giles. You knew they'd get to you eventually.

“So when do you find out?” asked Daniel.

“Find out what?”

“The results of the paternity test.” Oh. That.

“Friday or thereabouts.” But he had already decided that it didn’t matter. Jessica said Xander was his, so Xander was his as far as he was concerned, and he wasn’t going to back out of it. “It was more for their peace of mind.”

“I know,” said Daniel quietly, a million reassurances in those soft words. The little doubts that had popped up their ugly heads every so often shuffled away.

I love Jack. GORILLA! RIGHT THERE! ...well, 'true parent', or at least one determined to be so, anyway. Also, Danny. Danny danny danny danny.

.Jack caught his breath. He must have heard wrong. “Did you just threaten me?” he asked, eyebrows lifted at the audacity. Mr. Giles continued to calmly stare him down.

“I’ll leave the threats to the girls. They have a much more colorful way of putting things,” said Mr. Giles, and Jack knew he wasn’t talking about the girls he’d met yesterday. “But let me make one thing perfectly clear: neither your rank nor your government will be able to protect you from me if you have one ill thought toward Xander.” Now Jack was used to being threatened, in fact he often felt that in his old age he was getting rather immune to it. But at the moment he got the feeling that he was treading on very thin ice. Mr. Giles’s tone was clear, crisp, and deadly, his accent only chilling Jack more as eyes full of mortal promise bored into him.

Whatever he had thought before about Mr. Giles being mild mannered when right out the window. “You have my word,” Jack murmured seriously.

“Good.” And like that, the spell was broken so quickly Jack wondered if it had really happened. “Then you can stay for supper.” Mr. Giles smiled at him with only a hint of his earlier menace and took a sip of his tea. “So, Colonel, how do you like Cleveland?”

You see, gentlemen, both of you actually believe in the exact same thing here-you want Xander's well-being. It's like watching superheroes clash, isn't it...

Maybe he’d get a Christmas card like Buffy used to get from her dad. Whatever. It didn’t matter.

*starts to cry* It *will* matter. It will. And Jack-somehow, I don't think he'll forget... not after-after Charlie...

*grins* Love the translation from Buffy-speak. Complete with deep personal pain. And, Jack-that wasn't a joking threat. *veg*

“Dismemberment?” asked Xander surprised by the comment.

“She loves you enough to threaten me. Mr. Giles too.”

I love you, Author-san. This is what it means to be a Scooby.

Immediate reaction? Good. REALLY good. When I got to 'why was [his son] wearing an eyepatch?' I thought I was going to cry. I've been kind of teetering on it since the clerk's call, which is *exactly right* for this kind of stuff.

Awesome story! )

Just wanted to say "..but hung up disappointed when the dull tone of the busy signal washed back across the country." was an incredibly cool line.

Great story,

keep upp the good work.

Added author/story to my Alert list.

Opinions are like assholes.

Everyone has one - but some just smell worse than others.

I was just rereading this, and what struck me the most was how RIGHT the relationship between Jack and Xander is. It's exactly what both of them needed, and the fact that you managed to make is so obvious is amazing. Thank you so much for writing this, and for allowing me to read it. I really do appreciate it.

That was a lovely story. Thank you.

sweet write more please

hey, this story was great! i loved it, even though there were a couple parts that i almost stopped reading at. I'm glad i didn't, though because it was so worth it!

shinigami-chan

Eh, that was an excellent story, but could you post new stories ?