WARNINGS: Deals with slavery and human trafficking of children and abuse of children. Also deals with self-harm.

NOTES: Many, many thanks to my awesome beta for this story daniomalley22. This was written for the comm hc_bingo prompt: Scars, and stories_a_z prompt S.
BTVS: Canon through the end of the series, but the gang still ends up in Cleveland and have their base of operations there rather then Scotland. AU after that I have not kept up with the comics so none of that is included.
M7: This is the ATF Verse.

-M7/BTVS-

Nathan was laughing so hard he was worried he might break a rib, and he wasn't the only one the entire team was in stitches. Buck's version of the afternoon's sting operation to take down a local arms dealer was a lot funnier in the re-telling than Nathan remembered it actually being in real life. The dealer, a Mr. Lowell ran his operation out of an old, dirty, oil changing station in downtown Denver. The team had raided the shop early in the afternoon and the last of the suspects were being loaded up in the paddy wagon by two when it happened. One of the less intelligent of the criminals decided to make a run for it Nathan still wasn't sure what the man was thinking considering his hands were zip-tied behind his back not to mention the twenty cops, agents, and detectives milling around. But the crook waited until a rookie officer had turned away for a moment and had taken off like a shot he'd managed to make it all the way back into the building before he had slipped on an oil slick and slid another twenty feet taking out one of the team.

"…you should have seen it, our fearless leader rolling ass over teakettle almost taking down another one of our brave fellows," Buck said as he slapped J.D on the back, "only young J.D's quick sidestep saved him from a similar slippery state."

The youngest member of the team was practically in tears he was laughing so hard, Nathan took a quick peek at Chris Larabee and was glad to see the normally stoic man was actually chuckling along with the rest of them. It had been a long hard road to gather enough evidence against Mr. Lowell, but they had persevered over the last six months and many overtime hours.

Buck continued to describe Chris' state as the poor man tried to get off the floor. After several attempts on his own which resulted in Larabee being completely covered in the slick substance, it had taken both Vin and Josiah's physical assistance with Ezra shouting helpful tips (from across the room of course) to get their captain off the oily floor.

Nathan had missed the actual fall as he had needed a couple of stitches for a cut under his eye. One of Mr. Lowell's bodyguards had taken umbrage to being arrested and had tried to resist, but Nathan managed to get him under control. When he had returned to the warehouse he was surprised to see their usually professional-looking captain covered practically head to toe in black oil to the point it was dripping from the man's fingertips. Thankfully no one was physically hurt, just a bit of wounded dignity.

By time Larabee had cleaned up and they had all finished their paperwork it was late, about an hour till midnight, but they all agreed to go to their favorite bar and unwind before they went their separate ways for a long-overdue weekend off. Thanks to the pouring rain the Saloon was pretty deserted for a Friday night, but that was more than okay for the seven as they could just relax without having to yell over a noisy crowd.

Throughout the night they learned of each others plans for the weekend. J.D. was going to hang out with Casey as they hadn't seen much of each other lately. Buck had been bragging about a baseball game he had gotten tickets to and he was taking his favorite barista from the local coffee shop. Josiah was planning on catching up on some volunteer work at the local mission, Vin was joining the older man as he had spent some time there when he was younger and liked to help out when he could. Chris, the woodworker in their midst, was planning on finishing a side table he had started months ago that he'd had to put aside when the Smith case had eaten up all of their free time. Ezra was being coy as to his plans although he did say he planned to "enjoy the quietude and have an abeyance of all activity." Which Buck had said was the fanciest way he'd ever heard of someone saying they were planning to sit around and do nothing. Nathan was unsure of his plans and that felt great, it had been months since he had a whole weekend free. He was tired and worn out, they all were really, and he was glad to hear that the team was planning on relaxing and enjoying the break.

Picking up his mug to finish his beer, Nathan listened to the team fight amongst themselves about the tab and was about to join in when a familiar face caught his eye. As laughter and chatting continued around him, Nathan was drawn to a different time and place. The clink of metal and the smell of sulfur mixed with the stink of sweat and fear assaulted him as the memories raced through his head. Shaking his head, Nathan felt his grip on the here and now start to slip away. Sweat beaded on his forehead and he carefully set his mug down, fearful he would drop it. Tearing his gaze he away, Nathan turned his head to the side, clenched his eyes shut and breathed in deeply. Digging his fingernails into his arm and using the pain to ground him, Nathan repeated the mantra that had been taught to him by the very man he had just seen: let go of the past, it can't hurt you in the here and now. Nathan repeated it until his heart slowed and he was once more at the Saloon surrounded by his friends.

Opening his eyes he met the concerned green-eyed gaze of their undercover expert. Nathan quickly glanced around but was relieved to see the others carrying on with their faux argument over the check. Thankfully only Ezra had seen his mini-flashback. Seeing Ez open his mouth, undoubtedly to ask if he was ok, Nathan minutely shook his head and flashed him what he hoped was a reassuring smile before standing up and walking towards the bar.

The man was leaning against the bar talking in quiet urgent tones to the bartender Nathan stopped a few feet from him.

"Xander?" Nathan asked warily, wanting to be sure his eyes were not deceiving him.

Xander slowly turned around, his muscles tense. After the night he'd had he was prepared for anything, from raging vampires to apocalyptic zombies. The trip to Denver had started well enough; he was to go to the mile-high city and see about a new potential slayer that had been reported. Only when he got there he had realized almost a moment too late that it had been a well executed trap. It had been set by the current Big Bad who had thought Buffy herself would come, but had been disappointed when Xander had showed instead. Buffy had been slated to go to Denver but at the last minute had been called away deal with a particularly nasty nest of vamps in an outside suburb of Cleveland. The switcheroo had been what saved his life, the demon that had been summoned had hesitated for the few seconds that Xander needed in order to recognize what species he was dealing with and remember how to kill it. Unfortunately the demon had gotten in a few good hits before Xander had been able to dispatch him.

When he turned around he saw a tall African-American man dressed causally with a side holster on his hip which declared him to be law enforcement. Usually that would cause Xander to worry for a whole different reason, but thankfully the man who was behind him was a welcome sight. With a huge smile spreading across his face in relief, Xander closed the gap between them and enclosed his friend in a hug.

Ezra watched as his friend crossed the room, a worried frown on his face. He had been enjoying the lassitude that had slowly stolen over him as the evening had worn on. He had been undercover for over a three months as Elijah Stanton, burgeoning bank launderer, as he tried to get close to Mr. Lowell, but it was slow going as he kept getting stonewalled by the man's lieutenants.

Until finally he had learned of Mr. Lowell's love of all things Mustang related and had got his hands on a 1967 Mustang fastback, aka "Eleanor." By the end of the week Lowell had been eating out of his hands and soon he was privy to the information they needed to bring the arms dealer down. He was more than happy when the sting had finally been given the green light and they had taken the man and his sleazy business out. He was worn down and needed the next couple of days to readjust to being Ezra Standish, law enforcement officer, rather then Elijah Stanton, shady scumbag.

But now the lethargy that he had been enjoying was banished by what he had just witnessed. When Mr. Jackson had frozen in place and then had turned away he had been marginally concerned but his alarm had grown with the emotions he had watched flash across his teammate's face. Fear… wasn't a strong enough word, more like stark terror followed by panic and dread until surprisingly a look of serenity had come over Nathan's face. When Nathan had opened his eyes and smiled at him he knew the man was trying to be reassuring but Ezra wasn't sure if he was totally buying it. So he was on edge as his friend approached the stranger. Unfortunately he was too far away to hear what was being said but the hug was a good indicator that the unknown man was in good standing with the team's medic.

Ezra saw he wasn't the only one at the table to notice the sudden departure of Mr. Jackson; they were all trying to assess the one eyed man without looking like they were staring.

Nathan hugged Xander back just as tightly until he heard the other man suck in a quick breath as though he was hurting. Drawing back in concern, Nathan looked Xander over he looked exhausted and in pain although the older man tried to mask that fact by pasting a smile on his face. Nathan wasn't fooled, the six men behind him had taught him all too well how to recognize when someone was hurt and trying to hide it. Seeing a darkened spot on Xander's gray jersey shirt just over his heart, Nathan reached out and touched the stain. When he drew back his hand, Nathan saw it was blood that was starting to get tacky.

His worry skyrocketed "Xander?!"

Xander grabbed Nathan's hand to hide the blood from anyone who maybe paying attention, "I'm okay. It's not that bad."

"You need to go to a hospital," Nathan whispered urgently, his mind already working out the quickest route to the local one.

Xander shook his head, "I can't…" he said, grabbing Nathan's arm when the lawman started to turn towards his teammates "Nathan," Xander groundout quickly getting his friend's attention and starting again, "I couldn't explain to outsiders how I was injured."

Nathan's gaze met Xander's eye. He held Xander's stare for a heartbeat and then got the message, realizing that whatever the wound was it wasn't manmade. Nathan made a quick decision and squeezed Xander's hand to let him know he understood. "Okay, we'll go back to my place I have some supplies there that may help."

Xander closed his eye in relief. He was thankful that Nathan would give him that level of trust; they had kept in touch over the years but it had been more then ten years since they had actually seen each other face to face. Not since the fall of Sunnydale, when Nathan had met them in Cleveland to help out where he could as a medic and as a friend who was in the know.

"Let me say goodbye to my friends and then we can go." Nathan turned towards his colleagues only to see six well-trained gazes watching them. Plastering a smile on his face Nathan walked towards his friends, trying his best to be casual about it when what he really wanted to do was rush Xander out of there and see how badly his friend was hurt.

"Well guys, I hate to break up the party but I haven't seen my friend in awhile so I think I'm going to take off." Nathan made his voice relaxed and his words unhurried; he felt bad not telling the others what was going on but he didn't have time now to explain that the world was full of supernatural creatures.

It was something he had debated before, wanting to be open about his past but at the same time unless you saw it for yourself it was hard to believe. Also, Denver was a dead zone as far as the supernatural was concerned; no one was sure why but the things that go bump in the night tended to avoid the city. It was another reason the job offered by Larabee had been so tempting considering his past; Nathan did what he could to avoid the supernatural. So Nathan kept his mouth shut as he grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair, shook a few of his teammate's hands and nodded to others.

Meeting Ezra's eyes was the hardest. Ez always had a way of seeing more than Nathan had meant to reveal, thankfully it went both ways as the undercover man had very little success in hiding worries from the medic. This time was no different Ezra held his gaze and Nathan knew he was in trouble when he ended up being the one to look away first. He was sure that Ez knew something was up, but Nathan was just grateful that he didn't say anything right at that moment. Nathan also knew the day of reckoning would come sooner or later and Ezra would want to know what was going on but at that moment he was just glad that when he turned back around Xander was still standing there where he had left him. There had been a part of him that had worried that the one-eyed man would disappear as soon as Nathan had looked away.

Ezra watched Nathan hurry the other man out the door, but not before the dark-haired stranger had met his gaze. Ezra felt a chill go through him as he sat back in chair. There was something about the dark-haired stranger that was setting off alarm bells. Ezra was sure he had never met the man but he did remind him of a group of people that had dealings with his mother. It wasn't anything overt, but it was the only gift he inherited from his mother's people, the ability to see more. Kind of like a sixth sense, he couldn't read minds but he could see the imprints of the past. The past leaves traces on a person's soul Ezra was able to sense those and use them to his advantage. (It was what made him such a good undercover agent his ability to read people and know what they wanted to hear.) And what his sense was saying now was that, the one-eyed man was heavily involved with the supernatural, it fairly rolled off him in waves.

He had met people like him a few times while growing up. Maude had been secretive about who they were and whenever they showed up he was quickly ushered to his room and told not to answer the door until his mother came for him. Once they had left Maude had warned him to never speak of them to anyone especially anyone from her side of the family. It wasn't until much later he learned why it was so important that his maternal grandfather never found out about Maude helping the mysterious strangers. Now he was even more concerned about Nathan's dealings with this man. His friend could be in serious trouble.

Nathan hustled Xander quickly out of the bar before any of the six could call him back. Once in his car he swiftly drove them to the suburb he called home. Pulling into his driveway, Nathan hurried around the car, opened the door of his Explorer and helped Xander into the house. Nathan noticed his friend was walking more stiffly and keeping his upper body very upright and straight.

Once in the kitchen Nathan pulled out a chair at the dinette table and helped Xander to sit down. Rooting through the hall cabinet he found the first aid kit he kept at the house, it was a little more complete than your standard kit that could be bought at the store. Nathan liked to be prepared for anything; his team was the worst when it came to getting proper medical care and would insist they didn't need to see a doctor, so he would compromise with them that if they let him tend to them at his home so he could at least look them over and from there decide if they needed more.

Xander tried to find a comfortable way to sit that didn't pull at his chest wound. Looking around the kitchen in an attempt to distract himself, Xander was impressed by the retro kitchen and loved how it was in keeping with the age of the house. Nathan came striding back into the room and Xander watched the man as he unpacked a very well stocked first aid kit. Nathan set it down on the table before going over to the sink and thoroughly washing his hands. He hadn't changed much in the ten years since Xander had last seen him. They had kept in touch, so of course he knew about Nathan's time in the military and joining of the Kansas police department before he was invited to join the ATF. Xander was proud of his friend, considering how they met. He knew some would fall under the weight of such a harrowing experience.

-17 Years ago-

He still remembered walking into the warehouse behind Buffy and Willow. Giles had been given a tip that something big was to be going down in the warehouse district. Some sort of business deal of the undead evil kind, something hinky, so Buffy did her thing, i.e. kicked butt and took names. When the last vamp had been dusted, Willow, Xander, and Giles moved in and looked around. Giles had heard that the vampire in charge had a sizeable library and had gone to see if any of the books would be useful, Willow had gone to help Giles and Xander had just tagged along. The office held the books and Willow and Giles had geeked out, although Giles claimed he was only intellectually intrigued.

Xander, feeling nigh onto useless, had decided to look around. Further down the hall had been a room that was padlocked from the outside. Pressing his ear against the door he thought he could hear someone singing soft and low. Quickly getting the others, Buffy kicked in the door ready to dispatch more vamps but instead was confronted by a scrawny fourteen year old holding out a homemade shiv. The boy's leg was chained to a bed that was secured to the wall. It took awhile for Xander to talk the kid down but once he lowered his weapon he told them his name was Nathan.

They later found out that Nathan was part of underground slave ring run by a fairly high level demon contingent. This warehouse was a stopover before he was to be delivered to his new master. It had been a wake up call for Xander that vampires and demons didn't only want to kill you or turn you; they were also more then willing to make a profit off of you.

-M7/BTVS-

Present

Nathan watched Xander struggle with his shirt before he took pity on the man "Here let me help you."

Xander smiled his thanks. Nathan grasped the edge of the shirt and slowly pulled it over his friend's head. Whistling softly at the wound he uncovered, he saw what looked like a set of three claw marks that started under Xander's left arm and went across his chest diagonally ending on the lower right side of his stomach. Although the wound wasn't deep there were places where he would need to stitches. Sighing softly Nathan laid out what he would need to clean the wound and stitch up the deeper sections, "You want to tell me what did this to you?" Already feeling a little warm and not wanting to get blood on his clothes he slipped off his jacket and his flannel, leaving his undershirt on.

"It was a Yegoygas demon," Xander said, watching with trepidation as Nathan put on gloves and threaded a needle. It wouldn't be the first time Xander had gotten stitches outside of a medical facility but it was never any fun.

"Hop up on the table, I'll need you to lie flat," Nathan said.

Xander gingerly sat and then with the medic's help he was able to lie down.

"I am a bit rusty on my demonology, does a Yegoygas demon have any side effects to it that I should worry about?" Once he got his friend settled Nathan rechecked his supplies; once he started he didn't want to have to stop because he had forgotten something in another room.

Xander shook his head at Nathan's question, before expanding on exactly what a Yegoygas demon was; "Thankfully no, they are just really fast with very sharp claws and are popular in the murder for hire business."

Nathan was thankful to hear that so he wouldn't have to worry about poison or Xander turning into some sort of minion. He started off cleaning the wounds. There was some dirt and what he thought was slime, so he made sure to flush out each wound tract so as to not seal in any infection when he stitched Xander up. He stiffened a bit when a thought struck him "So, is Denver no longer a demon free zone?"

Xander looked over at his friend, wincing as Nathan continued to sanitize the wounds, but he saw how tense the man was all of the sudden. Laying a comforting hand on Nathan's shoulder, he said, "No, it is still has the unwelcome mat out. He was brought in special, I think, for the sole reason that we wouldn't expect it and would let down our guard." He cringed a bit when Nate hit a rather deep part.

"Sorry," Nathan said apologetically.

Xander just nodded "Which is exactly what happened. I'm an idiot, I know better."

Finally getting the wound tracts clean to his satisfaction, Nathan picked up the numbing cream that would help somewhat. Unfortunately, Xander would still feel him sewing him up. Nathan decided it was better to keep his friend talking. "Hey now, none of that, we can all have an off day. Have you guys ever figured out why all the paranormal creatures tend to avoid this city?"

Xander made a small gasp of pain as Nate pushed the needle through the layers of skin. Looking at the ceiling so he didn't have to watch Nathan put him back together, he closed his eye tightly shut and answered his voice thick with pain, "No Giles and the Watcher's council have never been able to figure it out. As soon as a demon or the undead get within thirty miles they usually take off. The ones I've talked to say it's like a buzzing in their head that gets louder and more painful the longer they stay. Which explains the Yegoygas' attitude problem; he was really angry by time I got there."

He tried to hold as still as possible but the pain continued to grow the longer Nathan worked on him. Keeping quiet was a bit harder to manage, although he tried his best. He must have made some sort of noise because he felt Nate grab his hand. Opening his eye, Xander looked straight into his friend's very concerned brown eyes.

Nathan knew Xander was in a fair amount of pain; he could see the sheen of tears that his friend was refusing to let fall. Feeling Xander squeeze his hand tightly in return, Nathan enquired, "I am about halfway done, do you want to take a break?"

Xander really really did want a break; the pain was increasing the longer Nathan worked, but he also knew from experience he wouldn't want to get started again if he did, so he just shook his head.

Giving Xander's hand one more squeeze, Nathan got back at it. He was finished with the stitches on his chest; he just needed to finish the ones that ran along his friend's stomach.

Since closing his eye wasn't really helping to block out the pain, Xander tried to keep his eye open, focusing on Nathan instead. He was going to make a smart-ass comment about the need for the man to get a new hair style as he was sporting the same one he had ten years ago, when he saw the scar on his right arm. That shut him up. It was just below the shoulder joint, a flat three inch wide scar that ran to the middle of Nathan's bicep. Xander didn't have to ask what caused it; he had been there when it was made.

-17 years ago-

Closing the refrigerator door, the kitchen was once again thrown into darkness and Xander carried his bounty back to the living room. Placing the glass of milk and cookies on the coffee table, Xander grabbed the remote to change the channel. Giles was loudly snoring in the chair in the corner. The man was worn out as he had been researching most of the night and day since the raid on the warehouse. Giles wanted to make sure that the slave ring was no longer in operation in Sunnydale. Xander then glanced over the couch and saw both Buffy and Willow in their sleeping bags fast asleep. Nathan's bag was empty, the teen having headed off to the bathroom a few minutes ago.

They were all sleeping over at Willow's house as her parents were once again out of town, but it actually worked in their favor this time. It was a good place to stash Nathan until Giles and the Watchers could contact his parents. They even had Deadboy skulking around outside to make sure no one would try to come and collect the teen.

Realizing he had left the chips on the counter, Xander got up with a sigh and headed back into the kitchen. Grabbing the bag, Xander was on his way back to the living room when he looked at the clock over the doorway. It was then that he realized Nathan had been gone a very long time, at least a half an hour. Dropping the bag, he quickly hurried down the hall and upon reaching the bathroom softly knocked on the door.

A scared sounding "Who is it?" was whispered back through the doorway. Xander felt relief rush through him; he had been worried that Nathan had been taken. "It's me, Xander. I was just making sure you were okay."

It was quietly spoken but he heard clearly enough the "I need help," that came from the other side of the door. Xander was worried about exactly what kind of help Nathan may need in the bathroom, but he knew that he needed to buck up and try to be adult about whatever it was. Grabbing the handle he slowly turned the knob and pushed the door open. Sitting on the bathmat was a shirtless Nathan; but it was what surrounded the boy that had Xander covering his mouth with his hand, shock for once leaving him speechless.

There was blood soaking the right side of the mat and a kitchen knife in Nathan's left hand. Xander followed the trail of blood from the mat upwards till he saw the gaping wound on Nathan's right shoulder. It looked as though the kid had hacked into his arm.

Rushing forward Xander grabbed the towel off the sink and kneeling down had pressed it against the boy's shoulder. Seeing him wince, Xander whispered an apology before angrily blurting out, "What did you do?"

Seeing Nathan drop the knife and recoil shamed Xander a bit and tempered his anger. He was only upset because he was scared for the teen; Xander felt responsible for him being the one that found him an all.

Nathan stuttered out a breathy, "I had to get it off."

Xander had seen the 'it' that Nathan was talking about. After they had rescued him and brought him back to Willow's house, Xander had brought Nathan some of his clothes to wear as the ones the teen had been wearing were filthy. Xander had walked in the bedroom without knocking, forgetting the teen was dressing. He had quickly backed out, but not before seeing the scar on Nathan's right shoulder and the stripes of scars along his back. As Xander had walked down the hallway he realized with a growing horror that it wasn't just an old scar on Nathan's arm, it was a brand. He had wondered what it meant but knew better than to ask so Xander had kept his mouth shut not wanting to traumatize the teen anymore then he already was.

Lifting up the towel Xander saw that Nathan's arm was now a bloody mess, but the brand was gone. "Why was it so important that you had to get it off right now?"

At Xander's question Nathan lifted his head and looked directly into Xander's eyes. With tears running down his face he answered defiantly, "It marks me as a slave, as someone's property, and I'm not, I am a person and I belong to no one."

Pressing the towel hard against the wound, Xander sat down next to Nathan, placed his arm around younger man and tried to offer some comfort. He wasn't sure how his side hug would be received as the teen had only spoken a hand full of words and was very closed off with the group, but he was relieved when Nathan leaned against him and laid his head against Xander's shoulder.

He was surprised when the teen spoke again his voice trembling "It's also how they track us. It's magic of some kind. The one time I ran away they were able to find me within hours of escaping."

Xander felt Nathan shudder and gasp a bit before continuing, "They laughed at me, calling me stupid for thinking…for thinking that I could ever escape them. They said they would always find me, that I was theirs until my dying day."

Xander felt tears well up and spill down his face as Nathan spoke of what had happened to him, how he had been punished that day for escaping. How the punishment had been so awful that it had laid him up for a week and had left scars on his body, and made sure he would never wish to try again. Xander listened in silence as a dam seemed to burst forth and Nathan told all of what had occurred in the two years he had been slave. Xander sat stunned as the teen kept talking until he seemed to run out of words. Then the young man held onto Xander tightly and sobbed out his heartbreak and pain of all he had suffered. Xander was fifteen, only a year older than Nathan, and he was way out of his depth. He didn't know what to say or how to help.

What he did know was that after he had accidently killed his best friend Jesse, he had wanted someone to just hold him, not to offer platitudes about how they understood or how it would get better, just for someone to be there. So Xander sat there and held him until Nathan was ready to let go. Then they staggered out of the bathroom and walked side by side, Xander continuing to apply pressure against the wound as they went to wake up Giles.

-M7/BTVS-

Present

"I'm finished," Nathan muttered as he cleaned the area around the stitches.

As Xander thoughts were yanked back into the present his torso felt like it was on fire. Like he had been run over by a team of horses, before they backed up and ran him over again.

Nathan looked over the wounds; it had taken more stitches then he had thought it would, but barring infection it should heal alright. Looking up, he saw that Xander was pale, his eye bright with pain and his hand which rested on his side shook slightly. Nathan knew he needed to get Xander someplace more comfortable so he could rest, and give his body a chance to heal. "Let's get you up."

Placing an arm behind Xander's shoulder, Nathan helped him sit up and then assisted him with his button-up shirt.

Reaching over, Nathan grabbed the medicine he had set aside; it would help with the pain and hopefully keep infection at bay. Handing it to Xander, he then went over and got some water for him. Once that task was completed he knew he needed to get his friend somewhere where he could sleep. "Can you walk?"

Xander was slightly dizzy now that his feet were once again on the floor, but after a moment and leaning on Nathan's arm he took a few shuffling steps forward. "Yes, but don't let go," Xander breathed out with a pained laugh.

"Wasn't planning on it," Nathan assured as he held Xander's arm tightly and helped maneuver the injured man into the guest room.

When they finally made it to the spare room, Xander was sweating and felt like he had run a marathon. He was weak and tired. Nathan sat Xander in a small chair next to a side table, so he can make the bed.

Xander was afraid to move for fear of causing himself more pain. But spying a picture sitting next to him, Xander braved the pain in order to snag it. It was a 5x7 of a group of men at a party, maybe a barbeque as the picture was apparently taken outside.

Finally finished, Nathan turned around and saw Xander examining the picture rather closely before he flipped it around and pointed at it.

Xander asked worried tone, "Do they know?"

Nathan folded his arms across his chest in a defensive manner. "No, I have never figured out a way to tell them."

"Well if you want me to set up a show and tell featuring the undead let me know" Xander said; he knew the only way people would believe was to experience it for themselves.

Nathan wasn't sure how to break it to his friends that there were things that go bump in the night. But to keep that information from them seemed wrong and dangerous. Too exhausted to make a decision Nathan tabled it until later. Walking over, Nathan helped Xander stand up and move over to the bed so he could lie down.

Moving to the bed and lying down was very painful and Xander could only hold onto his friend and curse until he was finally horizontal.

Seeing Xander in so much pain simply from trying to get settled, Nathan couldn't help but ask quietly as he bent over and drew up the covers, "You ever think of finding another line of work? This one gets you hurt a lot."

Xander squinted up at his friend before he reached up lightly touched the stitches under his eye and said, "It seems like your job isn't exactly a walk in the park."

Nathan straightened up and with a soft laugh, "True enough."

Xander continued a bit more seriously, "I've thought about it but I couldn't leave Buffy and everyone else in the lurch, not knowing what I know."

"I know what you mean," Nathan said quietly thinking about the team and how he couldn't think about leaving them. "Are Willow and the others expecting to hear from you?"

"No, I called them before I went into the bar this evening, they aren't expecting me until Monday."

Nathan leaned against the wall, "Let me guess, you didn't tell them you were injured." Seeing his friend's guilty look Nathan just shook his head, "You are too stubborn for your own good. Well you are going to stay here until Monday at the earliest. Will see how your stitches look then."

Xander nodded his head; he could feel his thoughts begin to slow as exhaustion and pain medication started to affect him. He was surprised at how quickly he felt sleep steal over him; he didn't fight it he knew he was safe here with Nathan. So between one breath and the next he was sleeping.

Seeing that Xander was fast asleep Nathan quietly shut the door behind him, leaving it open a crack should his friend need him. Walking into the living room, Nathan sat tiredly down on the couch. He tried to work up the will to go and take and shower and get into bed, but he didn't have the energy. Glancing at the clock he saw it was after two in the morning, so it was no wonder. But knowing that if he fell asleep on the couch his back wouldn't thank him finally got him up on his feet. After double checking the locks and the wards on the house, Nathan turned out the lights and went to bed.

-M7/BTVS-

Notes: Next story in series, Nathan finds out that he is not the only one of the seven who knows and has been hurt by the supernatural. Secrets are revealed and a stronger bond is forged.