Set during Gingerbread:

"It was like Nazi Germany!" Xander said pacing back and forth in the small gym. "I mean insane!" Ever since he and Methos had finished training he had been complaining awhile now about the events that had occurred at the high school. "Locker searches! Now time off campus! A change in what they are teaching! I have now got to study a whole new range of stuff that I am just going to forget about later! It's mental!"

"Tell me about it I had four of those pushed through my letter box and two people try to sign me up to join some club," Methos grumbled handing Xander a flier.

Xander's eyes widen as he read it. 'MOO WANTS YOU!' was in big capital letters written across it. "This is it! This is the group behind all of this! Principal Snyder even reckons Buffy's mom is the leader of it all!" Buffy's mother sure had jumped into the deep end on this. Buffy often mentioned about the different clubs her mother joined such as book club or evening art classes but to become leader of something like this?! No doubt Buffy was probably currently giving her mother hell for this!

"Happens all the time," Methos muttered to himself before catching Xander's questioning look. "A cause always pops up becomes popular or fashionable among a particular group or section of society and it becomes a cult. Fear and paranoia moves like wildfire once it gets started. Just wait until they become a mob with burnings and pitchforks and that point, I am out! I have seen enough of them in my many lifetimes." He visibly shivered recalling some of the events relating to mobs.

"A mob?" Xander quizzed. "That's a bit strong don't you think? Okay sure they are maybe a little cultish now but what makes you think they are going to needing pitch forks?"

"Mob mentality," Methos explained. "Also called herd or hive mentality it is the inclination that some humans have to be part of a large group, often neglecting their individual feelings in the process, and adopting the behaviours and actions of the people around them. Once you get hooked on a feeling of being part of something and believing you are doing something important one loses morals and reason… maybe I should get out of town now." He finished trailing off considering his options.

Ignoring Methos's making plans. "But why blindly follow a mob? I mean the average person is smart," Xander questioned.

"A person is smart yes. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it," Methos pointed out causing Xander to sigh. He hated when Methos was right.

"You know if you know so much about mobs and cults why don't you help us with one?" Xander suggested this time causing Methos to sigh. This was not the first time Xander had brought this up.

"Sorry," Methos replied shaking his head. "I gave up my Boy Scout badges a long time ago."

"Yeah! Yeah!" Xander groaned grinding his teeth at his teacher's reluctance. "I know we had a deal! At least you can run off somewhere and avoid all this I got stuck in this town. My parents are so lame no one has even bothered to put a flyer under our door." He threw out the joke about his family which was not the first time he had done so Methos considered. Having seen the issues of growing up and its affect written all over the teenager's face Methos decided to broach the subject.

"Don't think much of your parents, do you?" Methos asked the teenager.

"Which teenager does?" Xander reply but Methos looked at expectedly, so he continued. "I don't think much of them, but they flat out don't think of me." Wanting to end the conversation quickly he turned away and began to gather his things.

"And the hitting," Xander stopped what he was doing and spun around looking at his teacher in anger at the question, so Methos quickly added. "Blame Tibetan monks long ago they taught me how to read people's intentions by the way they carried themselves and to pick a person's tells. "Methos said looking vaguely apologetic before adding, "a word here or there or a look it can tell a whole story."

Xander's empty vacant stare changed the mood. He'd rather no one know about that, or if they did, never speak of it. But a deeper part of him was relieved that someone finally knew about the truth of his situation. "My dad's a drunk," he stated flat out. "He has used his drinking as a crutch. He took out his failures in life on me. He needed me to be a failure so that he wouldn't be alone in the failing. He has never encouraged me a day in his life."

"And you know none of this is your fault, right?" Methos replied in all serious, but Xander didn't reply. "So, your parents are crap life moves on. Give it a hundred years they will be nothing more than worm food and you will be in a very different landscape. Don't let them define who you are now otherwise they will define your future."

"Easier said than done when I live there," Xander barked back. "Look I really didn't need some pep talk from someone who doesn't even remember their parents so about you just stay out of my life okay!"

Methos expected the boy's anger. He suspected that this was a subject the boy did not want to deal with and kept guarded from everyone including the redhead Willow who he said had been his best friend forever. He tell early from meeting Xander that the way he presented himself to everyone was very much in line with the way most people had told him he was or all ever will be. A useless goof. One who would no doubt deny or downplay that any abuse is happening. But why even care? Why did Methos bother about this young man? Guilt was something he gave up a long time ago and while he training and exchanges with Xander was something of a breath of fresh air why change into from just that Methos asked himself. Was it because it is what the boy scout Duncan Macleod would do or was it that Methos actually cared about Xander more than he would admit? He certainly wasn't about to let the great Macleod get one over him but was meant that pride was the only reason being interested in Xander's wellbeing? Who knows but the point is Methos did care about his charge.

"What if I can help?" Methos suggested causing Xander to frown at him.

"How?" Xander enquired.

Methos gestured around his home. "Live here?" he said simply.

"I don't need charity," Xander muttered darkly.

"It's not charity," Methos replied calmly trying to temper the teenager's anger. "You are here on a daily basis training, I can easily keep track of you and… I would enjoy the company." This was not something easy for him to admit. For to those who knew him would say that Methos keeps everyone at a distance. In reality he is gregarious, and prefers company, even though he knows company can be dangerous.

Xander opened his mouth but then closed it as he seemed to think better of it. "How would it work? Like would we need papers to do it?" he asked the immortal.

XXXX

"Maybe I could get her a little wheel," Willow suggested to Buffy as they walked in the High School. She and her best friend, the slayer were talking about the situation concerning their friend Amy who had transformed herself into a rat when nearly burnt at the stake. Now Amy was a pet in Willow's bedroom. "A nice one for her cage so she exercise. And I can buy her some nice mouse food or maybe she would like regular human food. I guess I should experiment. Do you think she would like one of the balls you put mice in to crawl around on the floor?"

"You do plan on turning back to human?" Buffy enquired amused at her best friend. Her friend's babbling was always a source of enjoyment to her and never failed brighten up her day.

"I will!" Willow said in full defence. "It might just take me awhile that's all! Magic isn't science and I don't want to make it worse for her!"

Buffy chuckled at that before noticing something in the corner of her eye. "Who is that with Xander?" She gestured at their friend who was across the hall from them standing next to a man with similar dark hair.

"You really don't have to do this all this you know!" Xander said looking nervous next to Methos. It was the day after agreeing for Xander to move in with Methos. In order to make it official they were meeting the school officials to have Methos listed as Xander's uncle. Xander himself was convinced that someone would spot a mistake and the whole thing would be over.

"What kind of human would I be if I didn't do it," Methos replied casually waiting for their meeting.

"But what if someone spots an issue or a mistake on the paperwork," Xander hissed at the older immortal.

"Trust me I have learnt to forge all sorts of documents this is nothing," Methos declared. "Doctor, lawyer, Indian chief. I've got the paperwork to cover it all."

"Hey Xander," Buffy said coming up to the two men and startling Xander.

"Hey!" Xander squeaked. "Guys! I mean girls! What's up!?" For months he had managed to keep his life

Xander shifted uneasy. "This is my Adam; I mean my uncle!" Xander corrected himself. "This is my uncle Adam."

"Charmed," Methos stepped forward and shook the two girls hands. "Xander has told me a lot about you." He added with a smirk.

"Not too much," Xander grinned nervously.

"What are you up to?" Willow enquired looking between the two men.

"I'm just doing some paperwork to get everything cleared for Xander to move in with me," Methos explained casually while taking a quick glance at the blond. She was pretty much the smallest slayer he had ever come across but then he was living proof that one cannot judge a book by its cover.

"You're moving out of your parents?" Willow asked surprised. He hadn't mentioned any of this to her. Then again she thought frowning she hadn't actually been hanging around with Xander since they were had been smooching together. But like leaving home this was big news shouldn't he have mentioned something? Or maybe he had mentioned it and she had missed it? Had she been too focused and wrapped up on everything that she had forgotten? Should she get her hearing checked? Was she going deaf?

Sensing she was mentally babbling inside her head Buffy spoke up. "I didn't hear about this. You still sticking in town, right?" she knew Xander's parents weren't the best but that was all about it.

"Yeah, Adam lives over by downtown at Western," Xander explained. "So yeah, that far away." Suddenly he felt like he was the biggest fraud. He had almost convinced himself that despite Methos's deal if the group ever found out even the slightest detail about him being immortal he would instantly spill the beans and confess the world. Instead, he was playing up to the role of liar. All the grief he had given Buffy about keeping Angel secret from them was dancing right in front of his face.

"Anyway, we best be off," Methos suggested monitoring to Xander who nodded and waved to the two girls as they started down the corridor.

Buffy watched them go turning to Willow who had a curious look on her face. "What is it?" She asked her best friend.

Willow frowned watching the two men walk away. "I don't remember Xander mentioning an Uncle Adam. Uncle Rory yes, I've met him several times but never an Adam."