the beginning of something

Maybe Xander was too tired to sleep. Or maybe it all had to do with Simon's mother, Tessa.

She didn't arrive until late in the night to even see to Simon at the hospital.

"What's going on?" Xander wanted to know. Of course, she told him he was too demanding. She did have her own business to run. She was in to real estate and she was the one who gave him the nail salon when he first came to America. Still, he felt her life was consumed with making money.

Xander was bitter now. He wanted to say some things to her that weren't very nice, but he'd held his tongue, wondering if there was anything else she should be explaining.

Of course, he couldn't find out anything from Simon, even when he wasn't unconscious. Simon never talked about his mom nor dad. And now he was sick, an infection in his lungs and he hadn't been eating, either.

"Don't you care?" Xander snapped, thinking now she didn't even think of Simon..even if she stressed that she did.

Xander knew it was time for him to leave the hospital. Simon was awake and at least eating now.

Xander arrived at Joey and Liv's with some fast food breakfast items. Suddenly, it felt he had all the time in the world. He went to cleaning up the messy kitchen while they ate. Joey promised to get Dakota to school on time.

"Fine." Xander told them he would get the kitchen organized and anything else he could get, too.

Naturally, Liv and Joey looked at him, as if he couldn't be serious, but he felt this was the only thing he could do, than to keep thinking Simon's mother was up to something..with Kevin (his sort of relative).

He didn't want to think the worst, but in his heart he wanted Simon to come live with him. He felt certain he could be more family than Simon's parents.

So he was left with dirty dishes, a messy bathroom and piles of dirty clothes. He got to all of it, before 9 a.m., when Hal showed up with a baby, that wasn't even three months old.

Xander was in a state of shock.

"When did this happen?" Granted, he didn't know Liv's old roommate all that well, but they'd had a few dinners together over the last few months. After all, Hal was like a brother to Liv.

This is when Hal told him about Gun. It was kind of a long story.

1. Gun's wife left him, shortly after their baby was born.
2. Gun couldn't handle all the baby stuff.
3. Hal met Gun right before Christmas. They worked for the same company. Something about making engines for airline planes, but Gun was in the higher up cooperation since his father-in-law owned the company.
4. Hal thought they hit it off. Although, Gun really didn't want anyone thinking the two of them were anymore than friends.
5. Gun upped and left to go back to Seoul
6. Hal was now the baby's guardian, by the (grandfather's) company owner's request.

Xander was stunned to hear the news. But he didn't think Hal wanted to hear that Gun was someone he knew quite well from Seoul.

"If you need any help." Xander started, knowing Ducky would probably give him a HELL NO, about wanting to help with Gun's baby. "I'm here."

As soon as he held the baby, he knew he wanted to be a part of his life. His name was Christian.

Honestly, Xander hadn't felt this kind of happiness in a long time.