Title: Peace, Love, and Harmony

Author: Whiskey Meteor

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Xander's POV. Xander and Andrew figure out what they want and why they want it, with a little help from Harmony.

Disclaimer/Notes: Takes place in Ats season 5. Sort of a rewrite of the first episode Andrew had a cameo in. Carries on from the end of No Harm, No Foul, but this time is from Xander's point of view. And thanks to Karen for the beta!

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I took a big bite of pizza and chewed while I waited for Andrew to bring in some juice.

The house was so quiet, and I couldn't help but think about the last time Andrew and I had been alone like that. I looked over into the dining room and wondered what the table there would say if it could talk. I don't know what I'd say about that night if I could talk about it. I mean, obviously I could talk about it, but you know: trying to maintain the manly carpenter in me didn't mesh well with... with... okay, I'll admit it. It didn't mesh well with having really, really, really enjoyed that night with Andrew on the dining room table.

I hadn't been able to so much as look at Andrew without remembering what happened. In graphic detail. And blushing and giggling loses a guy a whole lot of macho-points. So I'd adopted an avoidance technique that was working pretty well, but it's hard to ignore someone when you're alone in a house with them.

I wondered if Andrew had noticed that I was avoiding him. I hoped he hadn't, and if he had... well, I hoped, at least, that he wasn't offended. It's just, he had this whole new life, new career thing going on, and the last thing he needed was Unemployed Man crushing on him.

And I was. Crushing, that is. I couldn't stop thinking about him. At first, I thought that maybe it was just left over from the love potion or something. But you can only kid yourself for so long. I'd clicked with Andrew since Sunnydale. Of course, it had taken a little while, and a love potion, to figure out exactly what that click actually meant, and then to get over the whole crushing on a guy thing. And a bad guy to boot. God, if Anya could have seen me... She would have kicked my butt. She probably had it all figured out five minutes into the first time Andrew and I were in the same room. And she could have told me if Andrew felt the same way as I did. Maybe it had something to do with her age, or maybe it's just a girl thing, but she could always spot the sparks before anyone had even started thinking about the fire.

But she wasn't there, so as usual, I was in the dark.

Andrew padded softly into the living room and stopped by the couch. "Juice?" he said. I reached up and took one of the glasses. And then I looked up. Red juice. I tried to remember if there'd been any red juice in the kitchen when I left for the airport. I didn't think there was. But then, I'd been sort of distracted. Andrew had been in the kitchen for way longer than he needed for pouring two glasses of juice. I looked up at Andrew, and he looked a little scared. Is Andrew trying to put a spell on me, I thought? Was the juice really another magic potion?

My stomach stood up and did a spontaneous summersault. If Andrew was trying to put a love spell on me, that would mean that he wanted something to happen between us, right? I gave a mental shrug: if we both wanted it, who was I to argue? I took an experimental sip of the red liquid. It tasted like real juice. But then, so had the potion.

I was curious, and I had to say something. "Tastes kinda like... love potion," I ventured.

Andrew gave an uncomfortable and slightly confused laugh, but I was relieved that he didn't seem terribly fazed by my mention of the other night. I took another, larger sip of my drink and tried to focus and remember how long it took for a love potion to start working. I looked over at Andrew, who was sipping his drink gingerly, and wondered if it would be kosher to jump him before the spell officially kicked in.

Andrew glanced up and our eyes met. And then he choked on his pizza. I scooted over next to him and patted his back lightly until he stopped coughing. "You okay?" I asked.

He nodded emphatically, and then made a little noise that fell somewhere between a whine and a sigh. Andrew had a noise for every occasion. "I have to tell you something," he said reluctantly. I nodded, and waited. "When Harmony kidnapped me, I kinda figured something out."

About Harmony, I thought? I moved back on the couch and waited for him to finish, thoroughly expecting him to explain how he'd fallen in love with Harmony and was planning on moving back to L.A. so they could be together.

Andrew took a deep breath, and then let it out. "I'm gay," he said.

"Huh?" Not that I wasn't relieved, happy, thrilled even, but... "How did Harmony kidnapping you help you to figure that out?" I asked carefully. Maybe Harmony had a gay roommate and Andrew had fallen in love and was planning to move back to L.A. to be with him.

"Well," Andrew squirmed. "She kinda... and then there was... and it..." He paused and massaged his temples for a second. "We kinda had this attraction thing going," he said, although it sounded more like a question than a statement. "And then there was a kiss." He looked up to gauge my reaction before going on. "And it was horrible. Like George Clooney as Batman horrible."

I was a little stunned. Andrew and Harmony? It made some kind of bizarre sense, and if my opinion wasn't so biased, I probably would have thought they'd have made a cute couple. Andrew looked me in the eye and bit his lip, and for some reason it struck me as being the sexiest thing I'd ever seen. Maybe it was the love potion talking, but then again, I had experienced those lips in action. And let me tell you, those lips didn't need any potions to work magic.

"You're not mad, are you?" Andrew asked.

"Why would I be mad?" I countered. Andrew shrugged and turned towards me on the couch. We were close enough that our knees brushed against each other. Oh, and did I mention that I was so excited that I could barely breathe? Lately, being near to Andrew had the ability to reduce me to a sweaty-palmed, anxious mess. More rationalization for my avoidance plan.

"Well," he fidgeted, "there's kinda... more."

"More?" I asked, by this point pretty much breathless. I figured the spell must have started working, because Andrew was barely touching me and I was... well, very excited. I just wanted to... well, I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do, but I had more than a few good ideas. They mostly consisted of me and Andrew and a lot less clothing. And maybe a bed. But really, any stable surface would do. Of course, all my plans rested on weather or not Andrew was interested.

"More," Andrew confirmed. "I kinda... want... you."

That clinched it. Potion fully in effect or not, I couldn't wait any longer. In what I must say was a very graceful move for a guy with limited depth perception, I swiveled quickly and pinned Andrew back onto the couch, latching my lips firmly onto his. Oh yeah. I'm smooth.

Andrew gasped as I kissed him, and damn if that didn't feel good. His lips were every inch as soft and--ooh--talented as they had been the last time a spell had its way with us. His tongue tickled against mine, and abruptly we both stalled.

This was a spell. Just like last time. And I honestly thought that wouldn't bother me. But there in the quick of things, whaddo ya know, there it was bothering me. Andrew was sweet, and funny, and understood every word I said no matter how nerdy it was, and I couldn't think of anyone that had felt so damn good touching me. And he'd said that he wanted me with those sweet lips all ready to pout. And I so wanted to believe that it wasn't just the spell talking. I looked down at Andrew, who also looked lost in thought, and I couldn't help but wonder what had him looking so torn.

But Andrew cut my thought off, reaching up and pulling our mouths together again. I shuddered happily and leaned in against him. I couldn't help it. Something about Andrew taking control was... well, drool-worthy. But Andrew didn't seem to mind--he arched back up against me. And he tasted like cranberries--tart and sweet--and it was delicious.

We parted after a moment, short of breath, and let our hands wander while our lips rested. Andrew sighed and rubbed against me, and any thoughts of this not being right because of the spell pretty much flew out the window. I rubbed back, and Andrew's eyes drifted shut. Go ahead and call me Corn Man, but he looked so beautiful, quiet and peaceful like that. It felt so good to have my arms wrapped around a warm, willing body; and it felt so right that the body was Andrew's. I tried not to think about what would happen when the spell wore off, and leaned in for another kiss. Andrew complied, soft lips and nimble tongue greedily playing against my own, and it felt like no time before we were pulling back for breath again.

Andrew's hand ran up my neck and tangled in my hair. "Should we..." he started, glancing toward the hall. "I mean, are people gonna be home soon?"

So modest, I thought with a smile. "Don't worry, we won't get walked in on," I assured him. "A first for our House Of Slayers, I know, but everyone's gone until tomorrow morning."

He smiled back at me shyly. "Could we maybe move anyway?" he asked. "Unless you wanna... you know... here on the couch?"

"Well, we could give the table another run for its money," I suggested dryly. Andrew gave a little frown, and for a moment all my guilt and apprehension came back. If what happened between us the last time had been real, we could have contained ourselves long enough to move to a more comfortable and more romantic setting. Maybe. But now it was happening again, with the same flood of 'oh my god I need to have him right now' feelings and the same big, blue eyes looking up at me with heavy lids trimmed with feathery lashes. And god, I'd wanted him so badly every day for longer than I'd like to admit. So I pushed my guilt and rational thought aside and invited my desire to take control.

"...So are we gonna move, or...? Because I'd really rather not-" I cut Andrew off with a kiss, claiming his half-parted lips roughly. For a moment he was shocked and lay still and rigid against me, but then he warmed and came back to life, eagerly meeting my every move with one of his own. There was a tangle of limbs as we fought to remove our clothes, but Andrew's shirt was buttoned up to his neck, and it snagged resolutely on his chin as I tried to lift it over his head.

I laughed. I couldn't help it. There was smoothly muscled stomach and chest, and then everything above the shoulders was encased in a cotton, button-down trap.

"It's not funny," Andrew proclaimed in a slightly muffled voice. "I'm stuck."

"I'm sorry," I said, as sincerely as I could. "If you could see you, you'd be laughing too."

Andrew struggled, trying ineffectually to reach his fingers to unbutton his shirt. "I really don't think I would," he said, and then let out a long, exasperated sigh. "Xander can you help me out, please?"

I sat back and smiled. "Hm... no."

There was a pause. Then, "No?"

I chuckled. "No."

Another pause. "You know, I think I'd be a lot more fun if I wasn't stuck like this."

I let my eyes roam across Andrew's torso. "I don't know," I said. "I think you can still be fun like this."

If I could have seen Andrew's face, I'm certain there would have been a pout on it. "So you'd rather sit there and laugh at me than... you know... do... other things with me?" I leaned forward and lay my palms against his chest, then gently pushed him back until he was lying flat on the couch. "Xander?"

"Don't worry," I said, "I'm done laughing." I watched his chest rise and fall with each breath he took, and I could feel his heart rate rise under my palms. "And I can think of lots of other things to do to you."

That got a little giggle. And then pleasantly annoyed, "Xander just help me get out of my shirt."

"I already did, dummy," I said, a goofy-lecherous grin on my face. And then I lifted my hands an inch and tickled. My fingertips danced over Andrew's chest, playfully teasing nipples and sensitive, tensed flesh. Andrew made a sound somewhere between a giggle and sigh of relief. He struggled gently, still, to get out of his shirt, but with less effort than before. I stilled my fingers and let my thumbs trace slowly across his skin.

His struggle turned to a lazy squirm and he let out a long breath that carried my name out with it. The hair at the base of my neck prickled and I felt myself flush in anticipation. He finally gave up struggling and relaxed into my touch, and my heart flipped at the thought that he was mine. I could do whatever I wanted to him—with him.

But only right now, I reminded myself. Only for as long as the potion was working. Reluctantly, I pulled back, removing my hands from Andrew's skin. I felt awful. I wanted Andrew for the long haul, not just for a limited period of time. I couldn't do it. I'd have to let him go, fight the spell and save myself the heartache. But I wanted him so badly, I wasn't sure if I could just get up and walk away. After a moment Andrew interrupted my thoughts and said, "Xander?"

I shook my head. "Here," I said, leaning forward and inspecting Andrew's shirt to see if I could remove it, "let me get you out of there."

To my surprise, Andrew pulled back, dodging my hands. "Xander, it's okay," he said. "I trust you."

"We... shouldn't do this."

There was a long pause. Then, his voiced colored with determination and pleading, Andrew said, "Xander." And he arched up against me, pushing our bodies together and assuring me that he had been as aroused as I had. "We need to do this." My resolve was crumbling; why did it have to feel so amazing when our bodies touched?

I set my jaw and turned my head to the side, clearing my view of the one person who seemed able to make me forget my convictions in a heartbeat. And with my head turned to the table, my gaze fell upon our two glasses. Mine was emptied completely. Andrew's couldn't have been missing more than two good sips. I looked back at Andrew and licked my lips thoughtfully. He had said that he'd figured out he wanted this while he was on his trip. And he'd barely had any of the potion. Maybe, I thought, just maybe he really wants this. Maybe I'd be able to have him tonight, and then keep him forever.

And I decided that I could live with a maybe.

My hands drifted back up to Andrew's shirt, and I carefully unbuttoned and helped him remove it. When he was free, Andrew looked up at me with uncertain eyes—worried, I think, that I'd decided to call the whole thing off. I couldn't remember either of us hesitating or being uncertain in the least the last time. But then, I thought, neither of us had known what was really going on. I leaned in very slowly and pressed my lips against Andrew's--a long, sweet kiss that felt as real as it gets. And when I finally pulled away, I smiled. "Come on," I said, getting up off the couch and offering my hand to Andrew, "let's do this right."

We did it right--coupled in the warm darkness, hidden under soft sheets. We sighed together at every wonderful moment of passion until, at last, the world fell away leaving us pleasantly exhausted and content to lay beside each other in silence. I closed my eyes and lay there, half-dreaming, until I felt the sun warm on my face as it filtered in through the blinds.

I sat up and glanced over at Andrew beside me. He lay, curled up on his side, fast asleep. His hair was matted with dried sweat and too much handling, but even in his sleep his lips were curled into a faint smile proclaiming that his tousled appearance had been well and happily earned.

Carefully, I crawled out of bed and crossed the room to my computer. I wasn't entirely sure what was going to happen when Andrew woke up, and the thought of never being with him again after that was gnawing at my mind and keeping me awake. I had to do something to pass the time, and I'd stared at Andrew long enough to know that his right ear was a little higher than his left, he had a little mole on his neck by his hairline that kinda looked like an eyeball if you squinted at it right, and... well, you get the picture. I figured I'd crossed the line between gazing adoringly and staring creepily. So I thought I'd check my email.

There was one new message, and for a moment I was excited at the possibility that it was from Andrew. But then I looked back to where he was still sleeping soundly in my bed, exhausted after a healthy helping of man-lovin', and somehow an email just didn't seem as exciting anymore. I opened my inbox and looked at the new message. It was from "Wolfram & Heart?" I wondered to myself. Who had my email address there, and why would they want it in the first place? Overcome by curiosity, I opened the message. It read:

Hi, Xander?

This is Harmony. Okay, I'm not sure if you remember me at all, because we weren't really friends or anything, but we went to high school together. And then I tried to kill you that one time? Remember when I had that totally incompetent gang?

So, anyway, I'm trying out this whole not being evil thing, and it's going really well. I even got a great job at Wolfram & Heart. You know, where Angel works? I'm his assistant now, and I do a pretty kick-ass job. In my opinion anyway. Okay, so here's the thing: you're probably wondering how I got your address and why I'm emailing you, right? Well before you send Buffy off to stake me or something, listen, okay? Because I can totally explain.

Okay, so getting your address was way easy, because when you work for a big, evil law firm, that kind of personal information is really easy to get at a moment's notice. And I'm really sorry to snoop, but I had to write to you, because I have something really important to tell you. I would have just called, because I found your phone number too, but I figured you'd probably just hang up on me, or send someone to kill me, so I thought this way was safer, you know?

So here goes. Andrew's gay. And he's totally into you. See, if I'd called, you would have hung up on me then, right? But I'm not lying. I know I've got this whole bad girl history, what with the being evil, and the trying to kill you, but I'm totally serious about this, okay? And I think that you might be totally into him too, because I saw the lunch you packed for him, and then the whole painted lunch bag thing (which was so cute, btw) and I figure there's got to be something more going on there than you being nice. And I don't know if you're, you know, out, but I remember there was this rumor going around in high school that you were gay, and even though I know you've had at least one girlfriend and I didn't know you that well anyway, I always kinda got this sort of vibe that you weren't totally straight. Plus, Andrew's a total undercover hottie. Just wait 'till you see him naked;)

But I guess what I'm saying is: don't freak out, okay? Eventually, Andrew's gonna figure out what's really going on with him, and he's a really great guy, and if you don't know that already then you're a complete bonehead. So just think about it, okay? I know it might be a little weird, and you're probably freaked out about the whole coming out thing, but you've got really good friends. Like, Buffy? I'm sure if anybody ever gave you trouble about, you know, dating a guy, she'd totally kick their asses.

Okay, I think I'm done. But, just give him a chance, okay? Because you guys would be so great together. Oh, and sorry for trying to kill you that one time. It was just one time, right? Do the times that I was dating Spike and he tried to kill you count too? Well, sorry for trying to kill you, you know, however many times I tried.

Harmony

P.S. Say hi to Andrew for me, and tell him I put his pants in the mail, and he should get them in a couple of days.

I scratched my head. The idea of Harmony trying to do something nice for me--and succeeding--was a little disorienting. I skimmed the message again and a smile spread across my face. So Andrew really had meant it when he said he wanted me. My heart fluttered and I felt like dancing. Andrew wanted me! And not just for one night!

I looked back to my bed, where he was still sleeping soundly. I was contemplating several interesting and x-rated ways to wake him up, when something distracted me. It was the soft click of key being inserted into lock: someone else was home. Andrew stirred, but didn't wake, and suddenly my stomach twisted. What was I going to tell my friends? What would they say? And then the storyline took off in my head. They'd freak. They'd never understand. And then they'd think that I was crazy. No, wait. Not crazy. They'd think that I was under some kind of spell, and then they'd point their shaking fingers at Andrew. And I wasn't sure if I was strong enough, or willing enough to try and convince them otherwise. I shook my head and moved toward the door. If I wanted to break this to them successfully, I'd have to break it gently. Giles and Dawn walking in on a sleeping, naked Andrew in my bed was definitely not the way to go. I grabbed my robe and put it on, and then quietly stepped out into the hall. I took extra care to make sure the door was quietly, but securely, closed behind me.

I walked casually into the living room, where I could hear Dawn arguing gently with Giles. As I joined them, Dawn was saying: "...because they were having a sale!"

"Dawn," Giles said, "the need to shop is not an acceptable excuse for missing classes."

Dawn wilted, pouted, and slumped down onto the couch. "I'm sorry," she offered reluctantly, but somehow still sincerely.

Giles gave his concerned but loving father figure look. "You're a very bright girl, Dawn, and you need to go to school." Dawn looked up and noticed me, and jumped at her chance for an interruption.

"Xander!" she said brightly. "Did you get Andrew back from the airport okay? How was his trip? Did he see Angel? Did he bring me anything?"

"Yes, fine, yes, and not that I know of."

Dawn pouted. "He didn't buy me anything?"

Giles rolled his eyes and, after casting a slightly irritated glance at the empty pizza box that Andrew and I had left on the coffee table, excused himself. My eyes fell on the table as his did, and an idea hit me: I'd had the sense, at some point during the night, to get up and clear away our glasses--and to pour the rest of the love potion down the drain. So, I thought to myself, if no one knew we'd taken the potion, there wouldn't be any finger pointing and blame laying on Andrew. I turned and fixed an inquisitive look on Dawn.

"What?" she asked defensively. "I know he didn't have to bring me something, but it would have been nice of him... and that's not why your glaring at me, is it?"

I shook my head as a thought began to grow in my head. Maybe Andrew wasn't responsible for the potion after all. "I'm not glaring. I'm just wondering."

"Wondering what?"

"Did you make another love potion?"

"Huh?"

"We found another jug of red juice on the counter, just like last time." To my surprise, Dawn looked a little suspicious. "But we didn't drink it," I went on. "We just poured it down the sink. And I thought we made ourselves very clear about how wrong it is to make love potions and leave them sitting around where anyone could-"

"Whoa," Dawn cut in. "You did make yourselves very clear, and that's why I gave up on the whole love potion thing." She shook her head. "So not worth the lectures."

I frowned. So did that mean that it was Andrew's fault? Had it been his plan all along to seduce me with the magic? I wasn't entirely sure how I felt about that. Maybe a little flattered... but also a little used. I mean, he just assumed that--

"Xander?"

I looked back at Dawn, who was watching me curiously. "Um," I said.

"Are you okay?"

And thankfully, I was spared having to come up with an explanation, because at that moment Giles walked back into the living room. "Alright, I demand to know who drank my cranberry juice." His hands were perched on his hips. "Xander?" he asked condescendingly. "Do you know what happened to my juice?"

Dawn smiled wickedly. "He poured it down the sink."

"Down the sink?" Giles looked at me in disbelief. "Xander, why in the world would you pour my juice down the sink?"

I was dumbstruck. I stood staring at Giles with my lower jaw drooping. There hadn't been any potion? So I didn't take advantage of Andrew. And he didn't take advantage of me. We were just two mutually smitten guys looking for a little peace, love, and harmony. I laughed out loud, and then remembered that Giles and Dawn were there with me, and that Giles had just asked me a question. "Huh?" I asked him.

Dawn shook her head and crawled up off the couch. "He thought I was messin' around with the potions again." She raised her eyebrows at Giles expectantly. "I think an apology to me would be an excellent punishment."

Giles frowned, and then gave a mildly irritated smile. "Dawn," he said slowly, "I'm sure that--"

"Xander? Look, I'm sorry about what happened, and what I said, and if you wanna make like it was a temporary technical malfunction and just pretend it never happened I'll totally-" I nearly jumped out of my skin, and all three heads in the room turned to where Andrew had wandered, sleepy eyed and clad a sheet tied toga-style, into the living room. His entrance and his rambling stopped abruptly as he looked up and saw we weren't alone.

Dawn stared blankly for a moment; then gave a little gasp; and then another, more excited little gasp.

I'm not entirely sure, but I think I saw Giles roll his eyes.

While fending off a handful of blurted questions from Dawn, and a few uncomfortable ones from Giles, I shooed Andrew back into my room and shut the door behind us. I sat down on the foot of the bed, and Andrew took the chair by the computer. From our separate posts, we sat and stared across at each other for a moment. We were only a couple of feet away, but somehow the distance seemed much greater than that.

"I'll take the blame," Andrew said abruptly. "Because it's entirely my fault anyway. The juice was a love potion--I guess... Dawn made it?" I opened my mouth to interrupt, but Andrew wouldn't let me get a word in edge-wise. "I thought maybe you wanted me to give it to us... But I knew... I mean, I know that you really don't want this. You know, if it's more than just... that." He paused for a breath, but I remained silent, feeling obliged to let him finish. "I'm sorry, and I'll totally understand if you wanna never talk to me again. I could probably move out, too, and get my own place? You know, if you didn't want to see me either."

"The juice was just juice." Andrew looked at me blankly. "The potion?" He frowned. "I mean, I thought it was potion too, but it was just juice."

"So it wasn't a--wait." He looked at me carefully. "You thought it was a potion, but you drank it anyway?"

I felt my face flush red, and looked down at my knees. "Well, yeah," I said. "I mean, I thought you wanted it. And..." I took a deep breath. "And I wanted it too, because it's all I've been able to think about since... since the first time."

I looked back up at Andrew, who offered me a small smile. "It was pretty great."

"Andrew," I said, "it was amazing." I reached out and tugged gently on Andrew's arm. The chair at my computer was on wheels, and he slid easily across the floor until the chair-back was flush with the foot of the bed. "But it was nothing compared to last night." Andrew looked at me questioningly, waiting for me to go on. "Because last night was real. No magic. No tricks. Just two dumb, scaredy-cat guys who finally went for what they wanted."

Andrew smiled, looked away shyly, and then seemed to regain some measure of confidence. He looked back up at me and gave a real smile--a big, goofy smile that tried to be sexy but didn't quite make it past cute. "I don't know," he said, "it felt pretty magical to me."

I laughed despite the corn, and wrapped my arms around Andrew. We fell back into silence, but this time it wasn't awkward at all. I kissed his neck, pressing my lips lazily against the soft skin there, and all the way down to his shoulder. He tasted faintly salty and felt so comfortable in my arms that I would have been content to never let him go. And then our mouths met and everything else melted away. The kisses were sweet, and made sweeter still by knowing that there would be many more to come. There would be no more pretending. No more wondering what if. No more empty wanting and waiting.

I pulled Andrew closer, thinking in the back of my mind that it would be very nice if we were both on the bed again, and he seemed to wordlessly agree. But as he leaned into my arms, his balance on the chair shifted, and although he ended up on top of me on the bed, the chair took a noisy trip sideways onto the floor.

My bedroom door burst open, and Dawn, with eyes bulging eagerly, stuck her head in. "Are you okay? Should we leave you alone?" she blurted. "Because we could leave you alone if you..." She tilted her head to the side, absorbing the scene.

Andrew righted the chair, and then sat back down beside me, making sure that his sheet-toga was covering all his important bits. "Hi Dawnie," he offered nonchalantly. "Did you have fun while I was gone?"

"Well, define fun," Dawn suggested. "Because I did have fun. But not--" she gestured at the two of us, "--you know, that kind of fun." At that point, Giles, who had been standing just behind Dawn, pulled her gently out of the way.

"Do you... want me to explain?" I asked. "Or did Little Miss Eavesdropper already fill you in?"

Giles looked at me, and then at Andrew, and then took his glasses off and focused on them. "Thank you," he said, "but I think I've managed to put things together myself. And I think I'd rather like to be spared the details. You're together. If you want them, you have my blessings. Now shall we talk about something else entirely less... well, just something else entirely?" He finished inspecting his glasses and put them back on, then addressed Andrew. "How was your trip, Andrew? Did you have any problems? We were a little worried that you didn't get in touch with us before you came home."

"Well, I would have," Andrew said, "but then there was this whole kidnapping thing, and I sort of lost track of time."

Giles stared at him blankly for a moment. "...Kidnapping thing?"

"Yeah." Andrew nodded and folded his hands neatly on his knees. "Well, it turns out this vampire chick I kinda used to be friends with is working for Angel now. And we sorta hit it off—which obviously didn't pan out. And then there was the kidnapping. And then she was going to eat me. And then it got kinda weird. And then she let me go."

Dawn frowned. "It didn't get weird until mid-kidnapping?"

"Well-"

"And why were you sorta friends with a vampire chick?" Dawn crossed her arms over her chest and raised her eyebrows at Andrew impatiently.

Andrew sighed. "Well, it was more of a business friendship," he offered enigmatically.

"It was Harmony," I chipped in. "And don't worry; she seems to have shifted further over onto the harmless side of evil."

"She's trying really hard to be good now," Andrew said, nodding to himself. "She even lent me her pajama pants when I—uh, when I spilled... something... on my suit pants."

"Oh!" I said, suddenly remembering. "They're in the mail. Your pants, I mean." Andrew looked at me, confused. "Harmony emailed me," I explained.

"I'm not entirely sure I want to know," Giles said, "but exactly why are you corresponding with Harmony?"

"It's not what you think," I said.

Giles wrinkled his nose confusedly. "I'm not entirely sure what I think."

"She was... well, it was just this one time. And she was trying to help," I explained. "Actually, she sorta did help." I smiled to myself. I was gaining a new respect for Andrew. It was because of him that Harmony, someone I'd never thought of as a candidate for redemption, let alone wanting to be a candidate, was actually working to redeem herself. I looked over at Andrew and felt suddenly very lucky to be wanted by such a good, strong man.

Catching my adoring gaze, Dawn cleared her throat. "Well," she said, "I guess we'll leave you two alone." She smiled. "It's good to have you back, Andrew. Even if it is minus your snazzy suit pants."

Andrew nodded. "It's good to be home." He looked back at me and smiled. And then, despite our company, he leaned in and kissed me. Once we'd started there was no turning back, and what began as a sweet kiss quickly degenerated into a noisy, wet one. We melted into each other's touch, tuning everything else out, and in a matter of moments we were lost to the world.

Giles smiled reluctantly and shook his head. "Harmony should have eaten that boy when she had the chance." Dawn giggled and cooed as Giles ushered her away and closed the door.

And then... Well, then we made some more magic.

The end.