Buffy and Willow sought the sanctuary of the library the next day and the wisdom of He-Who-Knows-Everything.
"If anyone can tell us if these Addams' are someone to worry about, Will, it's Giles." Buffy assured her friend. "I mean they don't exactly set off my Slaydar the way a vamp does, but they do give me a wiggy feeling. They're not normal, that's for sure."
"And apparently Xander isn't either." Willow looked confused because nothing about last night fit her idea of Xander. "I thought it was weird when he started dating Cordelia and okay apparently we never noticed he doesn't get hurt, but having a Talent and such a weird one and getting engaged to Cordelia of all people!"
"She seems very at home with them." Buffy observed. "And Faith seems to like them too. Being a Slayer, shouldn't she be wigged by them too?"
"They scare vampires, Buffy and the sheer power I felt in that room, I'm not even sure which of them it was coming from or maybe it's all of them. If Giles says they're okay, I guess we'll just have accept it, but they sure are weird."
"Definitely weird. And what does that say about Xander? He was so comfortable and relaxed with them."
"He never has really fit in here at school, Buffy. I guess it's because he knew he was different. But why didn't we notice it?"
"That's a very good question." Buffy agreed. "Something else we should ask Giles." She decided as the two pushed their way into the library.
"Ask me what?" Giles inquired, having heard the last sentence.
"What the Addams are to start with." Buffy answered. Giles sighed.
"How to explain the Addams' and others like them." He mused. "In this world you have demons, vampires, werewolves and witches. There are also various supernatural beings that are for lack of a better term, neutral, as in neither inherently good or evil, such as humans and souled beings with natural power. And then you have the Addams and others like them. Predominantly human, the males, at least in the Addams family, are born with a natural Talent. Many of them marry natural born witches, not all of them, but many do."
"Natural born witches?" Willow asked. Giles blinked at her and than frowned.
"Willow, I gave you several references on magical theory, natural born witches are mentioned in them. Have you been reading those references? You can't practice Magic without knowing the various theories and applications of Magic. They're among the basic foundations of Magic."
"Giles, those books are boring and I can learn spells faster on my own, I don't need hand holding." Willow protested. Giles slammed a hand angrily down on the table.
"This isn't about whether or not you're capable of learning something, Willow, it's about learning it in the correct order so you don't poison or kill yourself or others. Spells aren't Magic and you'd know that if you'd read those books. Read them, Willow, or I'll make it so you can never do Magic again!" He glared at the girl who blinked back tears and ran from the room.
"Giles, aren't you being a little hard on her?" Buffy asked.
"No and if you knew anything about Magic yourself, you'd know that. It seems I've been focusing too much on you and not enough on the others. Xander being an Addams actually explains a great many things that didn't make sense before. I thought it was the Hellmouth drawing demons to Sunnydale, but the Addams' have a reputation in the supernatural world."
"What kind of reputation?" Buffy asked warily.
"The same kind the Slayer has, as a larger than life and very scary person. If the demons know there's an Addams in Sunnydale, some may want to test themselves against him."
"It goes beyond that, Giles." Buffy informed him. "Apparently Xander's Talent manifests in a way that makes him a demon magnet. It's apparently why he's going to school in Sunnydale as opposed to some place called the Nevermore Academy. Have you ever heard of it?"
"Yes, it's a school for supernatural beings, natural Talents and natural born witches. A place where they can learn to manage their abilities safely."
"And Willow couldn't go there to learn Magic?"
"They don't teach Magic, Buffy, they help students gain control over innate abilities, ones they're born with. Such abilities can be turned on at birth or emerge as they grow up. I wonder when Xander's began to manifest? How long have we been unaware?"
"Xander says he thought we were aware of it. Willow did call him a demon magnet and bug demons have found him and I did comment on that fact when the Tarakans were in town. And than there's the fact that he just doesn't get hurt and we also didn't notice that."
"I rather thought it was because of the various things he's experienced, myself." Giles told her.
"What things and you did notice something but didn't say anything, why?"
"As for the things that may have affected him, the hyena possession made him very strong while he was possessed, such things can leave a permanent mark behind. Than there's the mutatgen he was exposed to while undercover with the swim team. It's effects were started and than halted, something may have stuck with that as well. And as for why I never mentioned it, you never asked. I did start to try to mention possible side effects and you weren't paying attention so I gave up. The aftermath doesn't matter much to you, especially when it doesn't affect you directly. In the case of the hyena possession, everyone just wanted to forget about it anyway, so I let it go."
"Bottom line, Giles, are the Addams' and Xander's Talent something I should be worried about?"
"No, not unless you offend them, then I'd advise you to run very fast and very far, even though they'll eventually catch you. They don't suffer insults lightly."
"What will they do if I do insult them, Giles?"
"They carry a grudge very well, Buffy. If I remember correctly, the Addams family motto is, 'Sic gorgiamus allos subjectatos nunc.' "
"And what does that mean?"
"We would gladly feast on those who would subdue us."
"Oh. So no insulting the people who can scare vampires and demons, gotcha." A wide eyed Buffy left to find Willow.