Xander woke up with a start, panicked. His heart was beating fast, and the first thing he did was to look to make sure that Graham was still there, and not a pile of dust. He was pretty sure that he'd just had his dusting Jesse nightmare again, even though he couldn't remember it clearly. Or maybe the one about the Incan chosen one, Ampata, turning to dust only minutes after she made it clear that she loved Xander. Or both. But Graham was still there, breathing, the first rays of the morning sun hitting him, and not making him burst into flame.

Xander let loose a small sigh of relief, and lay very still, not wanting to wake him up, yet. Just wanting to lie there and hold him, until it was time to go to work. He closed his eyes, a contented smile on his face.

Xander woke up again, and looked at the clock. "Graham, I gotta go." he whispered, gently shaking him awake. Graham raised his head, and looked at Xander.

"Do you gotta go?"

Xander ran his hands through the guy's hair. "No, course not, I can find another job." Xander grinned, "I'm getting really good at the finding another job thing."

"Shit, Xander, don't make me feel worse. Don?t lose your job." Graham got up and sat on the edge of the bed for a moment and then stood up. He turned around, and took hold of Xander's arms and pulled Xander out of bed, and into his arms.

"Are you OK?" Xander was still concerned about the guy. Graham had been zombie-like at the Espresso Pump, then the nightmare that had him screaming in his sleep, and then that story! Xander still shivered when he thought about sacrifices to Sebancaya. Xander was completely freaked about what had happened between Graham and that guerilla leader guy ? Xander had no clue what to say or do or even think about it.

He had dreamed himself that night, after hearing Graham's story. part of his own primeval nightmare returning to haunt him. Being marched through the jungle and being made to kneel before a very different guerilla leader. But in Xander's dream, he just stood up and walked away. Graham didn't been given that option.

Graham nodded. "Helluva a lot better than I was before. I'll be fine, I promise."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Graham released him, and gently brushed the hair out of Xander's eyes. and didn't say anything, still looking kind of grim.

"You gotta meet me right after I get off work, OK?"

"OK." Graham nodded. "But I pick the place."

"Sure. Where?"

"Espresso Pump." Graham was serious, dead serious.

"You sure??"

Graham faced Xander, hands on hips. He looked down at the floor. "Only way I can handle it. Fall of the horse. Get back on the horse."

"Yeah, OK," noded Xander.

Graham started to undress. 'Very unfair,' thought Xander with an evil grin. 'Spend the night with the guy. There for him all the way, and just when I gotta leave, he takes his clothes off.' He grinned, "Should I check out the world beat section at the music store and see if I can find you a tinku greatest hits CD?"

Graham grinned evilly. "That just might work for you, you know."

Xander brightened, "OK, I'll bop by there on my way to the Espresso Pump."

Graham laughed, and reached over and ran his hand across Xander's shoulder, just wanting to touch him, make contact, remember how Xander felt, warm, smooth, masculine and comforting. "Thanks ? for being there last night."

"No problem." Xander turned to leave.

"Xander?"

"Yeah?" He turned back to face Graham.

"You're a pretty amazing guy."

Xander looked at Graham and slowly shook his head, "You were there for the being captured by drug lords and handed over to revolutionary guerillas and being tied up and marched up mountains and listening to mountain demons and witnessing really creepy rituals and watching baby llama sacrifices and the whole ? tinku thing. Not to mention eating guinea pig ? which of all the things you told me is the one I'm sorriest I remember. You went through all that, all by yourself? "All I did was lie there and listen to ya."

"Yeah," nodded Graham, smiling, "like I said, you're an amazing guy."

Xander ran his hand down the man's torso. "And just what does being an amazing guy get me?" Xander regretted the question immediately, because he knew the answer even before Graham spoke.

"Anything you want." Graham said softly, grinning.

Xander chuckled, patted Graham on the stomach, "OK, if I don't leave *right* now, I will definitely be using my new-job hunting skills."

At the door, Xander turned and looked at Graham and heaved a huge sigh of regret, just for effect, then headed out the door.

Graham watched him leave and then got ready for a run. He heaved his own sigh. Mainly one of relief. Also of some disbelief. That was one story he never thought he'd ever tell anyone, ever, and he had the feeling that the nightmares were over, which was a really good feeling. He smiled, and started to stretch in preparation for his run.

-------------------

Graham was sitting in the Espresso Pump, facing the door, cup in front of him, when Xander came in. Graham's whole face lit up when he saw Xander. He watched Xander stroll in, giving Graham a very friendly nod, go over and lean over the counter and make his order, then grab the latte. Graham studied the guy's body as he leaned. He liked that body, the way it moved.. Xand had a kind of grace, a way he walked that was sure and manly, but not in the least swaggering or put-on macho. Damn close to perfect. Xander came over and put his cup on the table and dropped into the chair opposite the commando guy, his back to the door.

"How was work?"

"Extremely work-like. How come I've been on time every day this week? Boss noticed."

"Cause I kick you out at 8:00 am so I can get some sleep."

Xander grinned, "Jerk! Well, they were fresh out of tinku CDs at the music store. Must have been a rush on them lately."

"Yeah the tinku dance craze has really gotten out of hand."

"Yeah, especially since that all-tinku episode of Ally McBeal."

"Yeah, that tinku march out of the bathroom and into the courtroom really made the episode click. Lucky thing the judge was originally from Peru."

Both guys were chuckling at the sheer inanity of the conversation, both of them were loving it. They grinned at each other. Tinku jokes were gonna be their jokes. And Xander was really relieved that Graham could laugh about it.

"You OK?"

"Yeah. Still mildly wigged."

Xander shook his head, " 'still got some minor wiggins', " he corrected. "Gotta get with the hep talk, cool cat."

"OK, daddy-o." Graham looked at him for a sec and just broke into a huge grin.

"What's that for?"

"You. This." Graham spread his hands

"The Espresso Pump?"

"No, moron, being at a place with a guy and just, ya know, talking."

"You've been at a place with guys before. I know, I've seen you."

Graham grinned at him, "Not with the right guy."

"You keep doing that and I'm gonna start falling for ya."

"That's the plan."

"Plan's workin'."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Graham, half slouched back in the chair, gave Xander this half-smile as he nodded solemnly, "Good, cause if you hadn't started to fall for me after the 50th or 60th time we slept together, I was gonna start worrying.

"Might take 70. I don't fall easily."

"I can wait it out." They both just give each other these silly grins.

Xander looks at Graham. "Tell me something."

"Shoot."

"Before tinku-guerilla guy, did you ever?"

"He was my first, I told ya."

"Naw, I mean with, ya know, girls."

"Sure, well yeah. High School, y'know."

"I cannot stress how much I *don't* know."

"Well, I was a starter on the football team all four years, so y'know?"

"OK, very impressed and feeling very inadequate now."

"Never played sports? Cause, y'know I've seen that body."

"Lots of running from vampires and demons. I *was* on the swim team, oh for about 2 weeks, then the rest of the team ate the coach."

"Huh?"

"Coach went a little too heavy on the dna and steroid therapy. Turned the team into really fast swimmers, but kind of on the scale-y and fin-y with the voracious appetite side."

Graham nodded, "Life on the hellmouth."

"Yeah, it's just one crazy party after another."

Graham gave him this big grin and leer.

"What?"

"Just picturing you in speedos."

Xander blushed. Then it hit him. "Hey! You changed the subject!"

"Ya noticed, huh?" A devilish grin. Xander liked that one.

"OK, smart guy. Final answer, please."

"Yeah, sure. The cheerleader thing."

"Well, we actually have that in common. Except for the actual sex part."

"It was just y'know at parties, you'd have a few beers and then everybody'd pair off and y'know?"

"Where *were* these parties when I was in high school?"

Graham chuckled at Xander's joke, then said softly, with a more serious look, "It was just part of the jock thing, attendance compulsory. I'm not real proud of it."

"So, in high school, you knew?"

"That I liked guys?"

Xander nods.

"Yeah. Pretty much always."

"So what you're telling me is that you had more sex with girls in high school as a gay guy than I did as a straight guy?"

Graham grinned. He thought for a second about mentioning that at least straight-boy Xander had gotten some guy action in High School. But he wasn't sure if Xander could take a joke about Jesse, so he let it slide.

Graham asked in a deadpan, "You ready to tell Willow about us?"

"Haven't thought about it, Not yet, if that's OK. Why?"

"Cause she's on her way over."

Willow and Tara had just been walking by. Willow looked in, "Ooh there's Graham," then explaining to Tara, "? friend of Riley's and fellow commando guy."

Tara checked the guy out. He looked like a nice guy, and from his body language, very interested in whoever this guy with his back to her was. Tara grinned evilly to herself and thought 'looks like Graham drives stick.'

"Come on, let's say 'hi!'"

Tara smiled, and nodded. And they entered.

"Hey, Graham!"

"Willow." He grinned at seeing Willow with Tara. Maximally clueless Riley had once suggested fixing up Graham with Buffy's best friend, Willow. In some alternative universe, maybe.

"Hey, Willow!" Xander jumped up and gave her the hug. "And Tara!" And Tara got the hug too. Which was just as well, because it covered her shock at seeing that Xander was the guy she figured Graham was lusting after. Tara had to confess that Xander would not have been high on her list of guys she would have expected to see Graham lusting after. But then, Tara never did get the whole guy thing.

Willow was pleased. Xander had been a little slow to take a shine to her and Tara's coupledom.

"Graham, you know these two loveb? OW!" He looked incredulously at Willow, who was smiling at him innocently as though she just hadn't kicked him in the shin.

"Know Willow." Graham stood and shook Tara's hand. "Graham Miller. You gotta be Tara."

She nodded.

"Xander's talked about you. All nice things, promise."

Tara smiled. And wondered whether Xander knew he was the object of someone's affection. Although, by Xander's smile and general good mood, she suspected maybe that mutual feelings were being exchanged between the boys. Tara grinned.

She looked Graham over. Their eyes met. Graham smiled a little sheepishly, a bit embarrassed, as he sat back down again. Wondering if this women-loving woman had that gaydar thing going on.

Willow sat next to Xander. "Haven't seen you around much for the last week or so."

"Yeah, well." Xander shrugged. "Ya know, job number 18."

Tara noticed how Graham kept glancing at Xander when he thought no one was looking. Tara watched untill she caught Graham doing it. He met her gaze and tried hard not to blush. Tara nodded once, slightly, eyebrows raised, a wry smile on her lips. She was pretty sure that she had Graham pegged correctly as playing for her team.

'Busted!' Graham thought to himself, smiling sheepishly. And for the first time in his life, he didn't mind that someone might have caught on that he was into the men. He didn't mind at all.

Graham still smiling sheepishly, nodded back once, equally slightly, answering her unspoken question in the affirmative, confirming her suspicion. His eyes twinkled mischievously. So the girls *do* have the gaydar thing going on.

Tara beamed at him. She pointed her chin at Willow, and raised a questioning eyebrow. Graham shook his head quickly. "Not yet," he mouthed. Tara nodded, understanding completely. It was Graham and maybe, just maybe, Xander's place to tell Willow, not hers. Tara looked at Graham and gave the new teammate a welcoming smile.

Graham stood up. "Coffee, ladies?"

"Yes, mochas please." Willow said brightly, and Tara nodded, still grinning at him.

Tara then turned and smiled at Xander, putting her elbows on the table and leaning in, "So, tell us all about job number 18."

*****