"Jesse's parents are Kehrseite." Xander told Giles. "Jesse decided they needed to know after we told Mrs. Summers. They had problems with him hunting vampires, but only because they worry for his safety. Once they knew Uncle Rory was training him and he only hunts with me and I'm a Grimm, they felt better about it. They still worry, but they also decided it's his choice and he wants to help and if they moved somewhere else, he might feel like sneaking out to try to find vampires, just because he wants to help. Uncle Rory explained it to me as, they want him to grow up and be a good person who helps people. Realizing he's already a good person who helps people makes them proud, the way he's helping scares the crap out of them or rather, the things he's dealing with scares the crap out of them."
"Because they love him and want him to be safe." Giles nodded.
"Yeah and Jesse's mom said if it was anyone else but me, she'd be angry and accusing them of dragging Jesse into it. But she knows we're like brothers and we depend on each other and that I need him and he'd be hurt and pissed if I didn't let him help. And then she fussed over us both and made us swear like a thousand times to be careful."
"So you believe they will be helpful with Mia, if she is the Wesen you're looking for?" Giles asked. "What if she relapses, wouldn't they be in danger?"
"Uncle Rory's reference says whether they're in human or Wesen form, they're not much stronger than a human, the human form they have." Xander answered. "Like Cordy's only a little stronger in her Fuchsbau form. Lebensauger use surprise to overcome their prey, combined with their appearance it works."
"So if they're on guard in case she relapses, they should be fine." Giles concluded.
"Whether they agree to let us help her not, that's something that can be decided later." Xander said. "First I need to see her, after that, talk to her and given the reputation of Grimms, she's likely to be scared. So first I talk to Jesse and the McNally's and then I see Mia."
"In the meantime, Uncle Rory is talking to the Wesen Council's representatives here in Sunnydale." Cordelia added. "If we can convince the Lebensauger to become Weider, they'll arrange for a steady supply of donated blood to be delivered. We're doing everything we can to ensure she has all the support she could need."
"And if she rejects your offer or relapses - ."
"I will do my job." Xander answered flatly. "Just like Buffy did when she dusted that vampire child. We're informing you as a courtesy, we don't want your Council hunting Wesen. Vampires are a threat to us all, but for the most part, Wesen aren't. Sharing information means your Council knows to avoid conflict with Wesen and Grimms, hopefully."
"I understand and I thank you." Giles agreed and watched the teens leave, hopeful they'd be successful. Xander really did want to protect, not destroy, Wesen.
He called the McNally's and learned that Jesse and Amy had taken Mia to the Bronze as well. He explained the potential problem with Mia and they agreed to let him come over and wait for her.
"Xander." Margaret McNally, Jesse's mother, said when she saw him. "I hope you're wrong about this. Mia is a sweet girl, she comes across as very sincere and curious."
"Our research indicates a Lebensauger will bury themselves in a human identity, studying it from every angle and learning everything they can to make it work. Being Wesen, being seen in their other form at all, upsets them. As a people they almost universally reject being Wesen. And given how they tend to be treated by Wesen and how afraid a human seeing their true form would be, I can understand why. The Lebensauger needs helps, help we want to try to give them. The Wesen here in Sunnydale already work hard to get past ingrained behaviors and responses, which means she stands a better chance here than she would anywhere else of finding acceptance."
"If she's not the real Mia, that means she killed the real Mia, doesn't it?" Margaret asked. "To be her. There's a mother out there who's going to learn her daughter isn't coming home. She sent her to Sunnydale for a mini-vacation and to expand her horizons a little. We promised to look after her as though she was our own when we signed up for the exchange. We failed before she ever got to us."
"It's not your fault and I don't think blaming the Mia you've been getting to know would do any good. If she is the princess, than she was locked up alive for five centuries. She was likely operating near instinctually when the lock broke and released her. That she hasn't harmed anyone else speaks to her desire not to, at least I hope it does."
"I feel for her." Jesse's father, Matthew said. "We'll help her." He said, after he and Margaret seemed to communicate using their eyes. Xander caught the sound of a car engine and recognized Jesse's car. He kept his back to the door and waited until Jesse and Mia had both entered.
"Mia was attacked again." Jesse announced as they came though the door. "Buffy knocked the guy out. I'd like to know who he is and why he's got a problem with Mia."
Xander turned around and looked at Mia. She blinked at him and then her eyes went wide and terrified as he saw her other face. She opened her mouth and then he was across the room and putting his hand over her mouth.
"It's going to be alright." He told her. "Neither of us are monsters."