SUNNYDALE, THE SUMMERS HOME, EARLY SEPTEMBER 2002

After cleaning out the batter-encrusted waffle iron and cursing with love the memory of poor Tara for her disastrous attempt at crepes, Joyce offered and Xander accepted. Soon his plate had five huge and perfect waffles stacked up, fuel for his construction work.

"My Mommy really likes me."

Joyce smiled simply to see him eating, there in his true home, with his true family at long last. Everything was perfect again, at least as far as it could be, at least for now.

"What are you doing with those?"

Joyce chuckled to see him place a pat of butter on the bottom of the plate, followed by the heated syrup. With each waffle layer, Xander repeated this ritual til he reached the top. He then looked at the nearly-giggling Joyce.

"Wanna clue me in?"

She pointed at the plate.

"Its just the way you're putting the butter and syrup on, you know?"

"I'm still not getting it."

She shrugged.

"Xander, your father does it the exact same way. He always has. Don't sit there and tell me you don't remember."

Xander, throat muscles shook a bit. He seemed to be repressing both a frown and a gulp, just not very well. Joyce saw this, realized her own words, and looked suddenly very badly lost. She shut the waffle iron off, sat down and almost immediately began to cry.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have...we shouldn't have...we should have..I wanted to...all these years...we didn't stop them."

Xander forgot his meal, and just moved in to hold her, cursing himself inside for not more fully realizing what her secrets must have cost this woman. Had he known when the Harrises were still alive, he would have given Hallifrek a special custom order rigged not to backfire.

But the past was the past, and it was best, he knew, to let it remain the past. So for then and there, he held his mother tightly til her tears gave out.

"Stop. No. You did not fail me..."