Miss Enchanted

Xander returned home after a long day at the office and his wife, Tara, greeted him at the door with a smile and a kiss, taking his hat and briefcase. "Hard day at work dear?" she asked.

"Somewhat," he admitted. "Started off rather rocky, but once I hit my groove, the clients were tickled pink. I think I even inspired a couple of new product lines."

"That sounds wonderful!" she told him with a bright smile. "Dinner will be ready in half an hour. Would you like a martini?"

He wrinkled his nose. "Alcohol just doesn't appeal to me right now. Would you like help with dinner?"

"If you like," she replied, leading him to the kitchen.

As the two worked on dinner together, it almost felt like they were newlyweds again, with the way they would take every opportunity to brush against one another or just exchange glances.

"You are very affectionate tonight," she noted with a smile.

Xander wrapped his arms around her from behind and brushed her hair to the side so he could kiss the nape of her neck, causing her to shiver. "I seem to have been bewitched," he teased.

*POOF*

"Which is rather ironic, since you won't let her use magic," an older woman with red hair and a floral Mumu said, as she appeared out of nowhere.

"Mother!" Tara complained.

"Endora, must you pop in and tell us things we already know in the middle of a romantic moment?" Xander demanded.

"What?" Endora asked shocked as the three considered what he'd said.

"Honey?" Tara asked him, concern in her eyes.

"Endora has a point, I've just been too stubborn to admit it," he said, sounding a bit surprised himself. "I didn't fall in love with a mortal woman, I fell in love with a witch."

"So you want me to use magic to do everything from now on?" she asked, concerned.

"I want you to do things whichever way you feel like," he told her. "Mortal, magic, some new way only you know, just as long as you're happy with it."

"In that case," she paused to give him a peck on the lips, "you set the table and I'll be right out with the meat loaf."

"Yes, dear," he said with a smile as he left the kitchen.

Tara turned to her speechless mother with a smug little grin. "You were saying, mother?"

"OK, my judgment of him may have been a bit off," she admitted. Outwardly, Endora smiled while inwardly she worried, because something had changed, and she had no idea what. "It's nice to find he's learned to listen to those older and wiser than himself. Well, I have a canasta game with aunt Eidith, so I'll leave you to it."

*POOF*

Tara twitched her nose, instantly cooling the oven down before she put on a pair of oven mitts. Seeing her husband grow as a person made her want to sing!

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Willow, what did you do?" Buffy demanded.

"I'll tell you what she did, Slayer," Spike growled out, pissed off at finding himself and losing Randy, who'd had a father and a destiny to be proud of. "She wiped our bleedin' minds!" Not that he'd ever admit he had liked having Giles as a father and seeing himself as a vampire who'd overcome his base nature.

"I-I-" Willow stuttered out in shame.

"Why did Xander and Tara vanish?" Dawn demanded, grabbing everyone's attention. "There was a flash of light and they were gone!"

"Tara probably instinctively cast something to protect herself and caught Xander in it, the two were standing right next to one another," Giles said, reluctantly releasing Anya's hand as he realized he was still holding it.

"Didn't you say teleporting on the Hellmouth was bad?" Buffy asked, happy to push aside the conflicting feelings for Spike and anger at Willow, to deal with something (anything!) else.

"Yes, unless proper precautions are taken you could end up…well, almost anywhere," Giles admitted.

"I'm guessing instinctive teleportation doesn't include those," Anya stated bluntly.

"Oh, Goddess!" Willow moaned as the enormity of the situation hit her.

"When you say anywhere…" Buffy trailed off.

"I mean it quite literally," Giles said. "Anywhere, anywhen. A blind teleport on an active Hellmouth has very few limitations, if any."

"Can we find them?" Dawn asked.

"I- I don't know," Giles said quietly.

Typed By: Elrod Albino (Who can't stop picturing Amber Benson in the slave of the lamp outfit.)