The President smiled warmly as he saw Giles and Xander approaching. The boy looked nervous. Toby, beginning to sound frazzled, was overjoyed at the interruption.
"Ripper, please tell the President about the laws concerning magic use," he said.
"Not strict enough, but that's probably just as well," Giles answered promptly.
The President did not look impressed.
"This isn't Harry Potter, sir," Toby continued. "There is no sure way to monitor magic use. And no organisational structure outside of witches' covens and other fairly informal groups. There are laws and prisons for magic related crimes, but conviction relies on a complaint and direct evidence. Not many people know it's magic, and few of those who do will know who to go to."
"I'm probably guilty of a few magic related crimes," Giles said. "But no who is in a position to complain ever will. I never knew that there was anyone who might be able to do something about it."
"Why not?" the President asked suspiciously.
Xander was wondered for a moment what Giles had done, until he remembered Ethan and that demon that had taken over Jenny. Probably their spell to help Buffy against Adam broke some rule, too.
"They won't complain because they don't believe in magic. And they do believe police reports. Other than that, there are sections of the army who are trained in stuff like this, and they have facilities. But I only discovered that by accident."
He gave Xander a pointed a glare, but Xander merely shrugged. It really was Buffy's fault, but no one was going to bother bringing that up now.
"We actually wanted to ask you something professionally, sir," Xander said.
He didn't like the look the President was giving Giles. There was no way he wanted to bring Riley and the army into any discussion outside of Sunnydale.
The President allowed himself to be distracted. Toby was very glad. Xander wasn't sure he liked having the full attention of the President of the United States turned on him.
"What was that?" Bartlet asked with a smile.
Xander gave to floor back to Giles to explain that wanted him to release a self-confessed murderer out of prison because she had super human strength.
"Do you have a Watcher for her?"
"I don't have anyone lined up," Giles admitted. "But I was hoping maybe Joanna Moray or Win Nasr."
Toby nodded. "Or you could ask Michael Bath."
"Yes," Giles said.
The President took Toby's acceptance as something close to a recommendation. It was certainly something he could have someone do, even if he couldn't do it himself. The thing would getting C.J and Sam to find something to tell the Press. At least they would know why.
"Will she accept?" he asked.
"I don't know," Giles answered. It was always possible that Faith's sense of remorse and redemption was stronger than her self-confidence. But they were also talking about a get out of gaol free card.
"When you arranged a Watcher and Faith has agreed to the arrangements, I will arrange for her release," the President decided.
"Thank you, sir," Giles said.
The President accepted his thanks and decided that that part of their discussion was over.
"Mr Giles, I think, in the given circumstances it would be good of you to impart some of your knowledge as a Watcher to Toby."
Toby blinked at the sentence structure. But he wasn't about to argue with that tone of voice. Giles had the same idea.
"Do you still have your school books?" he asked.
"Only the five, plus the one Roger wrote."
"Bastard," Giles muttered.
"Yes," Toby agreed.
The President lead Xander away from the bickering men. He had no choice but to follow. Faith was, probably, going to come to Sunnydale. Even if she didn't want to, Angel would be able to talk her into it.
"Anya's your girlfriend?" the President was asking.
Xander didn't have time to think about how weird the conversation was.
"Fiancée," he said.
"But you haven't announced it?"
"No."
"Because you worried about the commitment?"
"Yeah," Xander admitted absently. He ran his eyes over the room. Tara and Anya were talking to, or possibly at, Josh. C.J and Sam were talking with a young man who had to be Charlie. Willow, Dawn and Spike were with Buffy. Xander was surprised at how glad he was that Spike was there to keep an eye on Buffy.
"So tell me," the President said. Xander forced himself to concentrate. "She's smarter than you."
"Yeah!"
"And you're sure you're together for the right reasons?"
"I love her," Xander said, watching her. "I can't imagine life without her."
"And her?"
"She'd leave me if she wanted to," he said, with a chuckle. Anya wouldn't stay with him for pity.
"And you like her?"
"Yes," Xander answered, accepting the distinction inherent in the question.
"Then who are you to tell her that you know better than her?"
"It was the right thing to do at the time, although Anya did slap me. I knew that we would win. But I didn't expect Buffy to die, and then I didn't expect to get her back, and then I expected that she'd want to come back. If it's announced then everything is real, and I think it's happening too fast now. And my parents are hardly and advertisement for marriage."
The President chuckled.
"I felt the same way about Abbey. Except for the apocalypse parts. She had me marrying her within a year of us meeting, and I was going to be a priest. My dad wasn't a particularly nice man. He had little respect for my mother, and he never treated me the way you would expect a father would. But Abbey seems to think I've turned out alright."
Xander was able to grin because he hadn't quite processed who he was having this conversation with.
"But the other you have to do is talk to her about your fears. You can postpone the wedding for a couple of years. That's not unreasonable."
"Thanks," Xander said, thinking that idea through.
"Don't give her up, if you can help it. No man is his father."
The President clapped a hand on his shoulder and wandered over to Abbey.
Xander approached Anya nervously. She ginned at him cheekily.
"Hey, can we talk over here?" he asked.
Anya caught his tone and nodded soberly. Josh looked almost relieved as Xander lead Anya away and he turned back to Tara. Xander had finished saying everything that he had to say before the President gathered everyone's attention to announce that dinner was ready.