Several hours later, after subduing and tying Mather up, making sure Spike was all right, restoring Giles's sight and Riley's heart, and explaining it over and over, Wesley asked, "Now do you believe me, Lindsey?"

"I don't get it," the Prophet answered, standing across the yard from the rest of the group, arms wrapped around himself, one hand still clutching the sword. "I'm not real?"

"No, you are real. You are Lindsey McDonald, Prophet for the Powers that Be, former lawyer for Wolfram and Hart, King Arthur incarnate, and my husband."

"Disgusting pervert."

Angel clocked Mather on the head. "For the last time, shut up!"

"Easy, Deadboy." Xander placed his hand over Angel's. "I get the Grail; I mean, the whole healing thing that Lindsey did with those two was proof enough for me, but what was all that with Azazel?"

Wesley shrugged. "He hired Induna to heal Lindsey. He suspected that Lindsey had the grail power and he wanted the healer to tell him so. I don't think she did, but the very fact that he put Lindsey and my family in jeopardy like that . . .well, let's just say, that settled the matter. I've banished him for the next one hundred years from me. He wanted rules? I gave him some."

"Do you think that's smart? I mean, couldn't he use that time to start building another army or something?"

"No. Not in a hundred years, and even if he does, I'll be able to stop it. I can still sense him through our link and will be able to keep him in line through that." He glanced across the yard to Lindsey, who was pacing agitatedly, Excalibur now being dragged on the ground.

"Are you sure the sword isn't the Grail?"

"Yes, Lindsey, I am sure. It's you."

"How?"

"From what I saw in your vision, the Grail sensed you, reincarnated as King Arthur, being born. All of the knights are in perpetual search of our king. Recognizing that, the Grail energy knew I would find you; this is the only other life Arthur's soul has ever lived. It therefore took refuge in you, waiting for us to find each other. I suspect that it thought I would recognize both you and it's power right away."

"Why didn't you?" Lindsey had stopped pacing and was staring at Wesley with a mixture of uncertainty and confusion.

Wesley rose and began walking slowly towards him. "I did, in a way. Not when I first met you, but when you came to save Angel. I touched you and felt the power. I thought that it was whatever the Powers that Be had done to you to convince you to save Angel. After that, I thought it was a mixture of your own energy and the Prophet connection. I never understood why a prophet would have so much raw power built up in him. Now I realize it was because of the Grail."

"But why haven't I been able to heal things before? Why did I almost die?"

"I found you, but did not recognize you, so the power wasn't activated, so to speak. In disrupting the bond, Azazel also disrupted my sense of purpose. I knew I was missing something, but didn't know what. I didn't know my quest. And, there was the fact that you didn't trust me."

"I did too."

Wesley shook his head. "No, you didn't. You were afraid I would leave you."

Lindsey, visibly upset, shook his head harder. "No. I didn't think I was good enough for you. That's why I thought you would leave."

"Right; you didn't trust me to know my own mind and heart. You didn't trust me to be understanding and to be content with the flawed man that you are. You didn't trust me enough to let me have my own flaws, instead needing me to be perfect. You were afraid I would leave. And because of that fear, it kept us both unworthy of each other, so I could not recognize you."

"I'm sorry," Lindsey whispered.

"Don't be. It's not your fault. It's not anyone's fault; it's just the way things are." Wesley reached out for Lindsey, but the Prophet pulled back.

"I want to go home." He turned and left the yard abruptly.

Wesley turned to face Angel. "This is not going well."

They heard a car start in the front and squeal away.

The vampire winced. "My car."

Cordelia rose. "I think there were two cars in the driveway when we came up. Wesley, you can go home after Lindsey and fix whatever is going on with him. The rest of us can take Mather to the police, then take Megan home."

"I think Dad will probably want to treat you to free drinks and food and stuff, as a thank you," the girl said, sitting next to Riley and Spike.

"Right, so we'll be out late so you can go home and deal with that. Remember, we're a phone call away if you need any help."

Wesley walked over and kissed her on the cheek. "Thank you." Then he sprinted through the house, grabbed Mather's keys, and drove off after Lindsey.

* * *

Lindsey stood in front of the half finished house standing on the far side of the hotel property. He was still clutching Excalibur as if it were the only thing anchoring him to reality. That was how he felt at the moment. All his life he had been a nobody. He had forced himself to be more than his birth, first with Wolfram and Hart and then with Wesley and the Powers that Be. Deep inside, he felt that he had been fighting a losing battle, that no matter how hard he tired, he would never really be good enough. The fact that he had found Wesley and that Wesley had wanted him still seemed to him incomprehensible, but the best gift ever.

And now he found out it wasn't real. It had never been real.

Had it?

"Darling, why are you crying?" Wesley asked, coming up besides him.

Lindsey wiped his eyes violently. "What's this?" He pulled away from Wesley, body stiff.

The sorcerer gazed at him a moment, then walked to the door of the house. Pulling a piece of paper off the door, he read, "Dear Lindsey and Wesley, "Sorry it's not done, but welcome to your new home. We thought you might appreciate the privacy. Now get your junk out of the hotel. Love, Everyone." He turned around looking bemused. "They built us a house."

"Wow." Lindsey's voice was still quavering. "How did they know?"

Wesley shook his head. "I don't know." He bit his lip, than asked, "Do you want to go inside?"

Wesley reached out for Lindsey's hand. The Prophet hesitated a moment before taking it; even if it wasn't real, it still felt like it was and he still loved Wesley.

They went inside, exploring the rooms. There was a library with book shelves built into the walls, a room which Wesley decided must be a music room, judging by the acoustics; a large living room, a kitchen and dining room, a master bedroom with what was set up to be a luxurious bathroom, and two other spare rooms. The rooms flowed together easily, one leading into the next, comfortable, elegant, and homey.

"This is for us." Lindsey's eyes were wide as he gazed around, tears still staining his cheeks.

"Yes. It's wonderful. This must have been what Xander was working on while you were in the hospital. Before he left Sunnydale, he was a construction worker. He must have helped design this." Wesley walked to the fireplace and ran his hand over the mantel. Turning back, he said, "Now the question is: will we live here, or are you going to run away from me?"

The Prophet's face fell. "Do you really love me, or is it just the Grail that you were attracted to?" he asked, tears clogging his throat again.

Wesley smiled and walked to him. He took the sword from Lindsey's hand and wrapped his arms around his love. "You aren't asking me the right question, love. You are assuming you are the Grail, which you are not. The grail chose to reside in you, but you would exist without it. You are a man; the Grail is an energy. I love the man."

"How do you know?"

"Because I do. Because I don't know the Grail, all I know is the man. I've been in love with you for how many years? Five if you want to be sweepingly romantic, three for a more realistic number. I've known the Grail for four hours."

"Thousands of years."

The Sorcerer sighed. "You can't love energy, darling. I was never in love with my shoes as Cinderella, but I am in love with the man I am holding in my arms."

"Azazel gave me this." He pulled something out of his pocket and showed it to Wesley. "He said that I should have it in case the Grail host rejects you. That you can transfer the powers into it so you can just take the Grail."

"Are you rejecting me?

Lindsey leaned his head against Wesley, frustration and anxiety rising in him. "I don't know who I am anymore. I don't know what I am. I hear the words but all I can think is that you sensed the Grail's power in me and that's why you were attracted to me. That's why you fell in love with me. Maybe I'm my own person, but that doesn't mean that you love me, but that you're confused."

Wesley was silent for a moment, kissing Lindsey's forehead softly. Finally, he said, "I can remove the power from you, hold it in this thing that Azazel gave you. I can prove that I love you for you, but . . ."

"What?"

"Darling, I wanted the Grail for you. So you could live a long life with me, for as long as you wanted to be with me. It is in you, activated now that I've seen it. Until you decide otherwise, you are immortal. Not a true Immortal, but partially. It would be silly to take it away, but if that's what you want. . .if that is what you *need * to believe me, then I will." He pulled back and gazed into Lindsey' eyes, tracing his face lovingly. "Do you want to know how I know I love you? All the reasons that I love you, I mean, that prove to me that I love the man and not anything else?"

The Prophet nodded slowly, looking at his partner somberly.

The Sorcerer kissed Lindsey's forehead, tightened his grip on him, and rocked him gently. "I love you because ever since I've known you, you've walked through life with brazen confidence. You have this zeal, this light, that affects people. You can speak to thousands of people without appearing even a touch frightened, something I have always wanted to do. I love you because you spend Saturday mornings in bed eating Coca Pebbles and watching cartoons in that Sith Academy shirt you got years ago. I love how every time we wash it, you hold your breath, praying it gets through one more cycle, then put it on proudly, even though it has holes and dried demon blood. I love you because you used to flirt with Cordelia and Anne. I love you because you took an idea of Cordelia's - your not for profit practice- and turned it into something to be proud of. You went from defending demons, to spying, to trying to make the world a better place for children. And you believe in what you do, too. I love you because when we go grocery shopping you actually say, every time, that because you are younger than I, you get to buy candy from those stupid quarter machines. I love you because you let me pick the ice cream and then you throw Xander in the pool when he eats it. I love you because you are a Prophet for the Powers that Be and even though it terrifies me because prophets have a history of ending up dead, you are so good at getting people to listen to you. I love you because you smile at me when I wake up in the mornings. I love you because you have such a positive attitude. I love you because you call me baby even though the first time you did, I asked you not to ever call me that again. I love you because you bought me a $2,000 flute when I was with Angel and, even though you were hurt, gave it to me because you thought I would like it. I love you because you spent three years courting me and never told me, but everything you did made me love you even more. Three years, Lindsey, and I think you had me at 'hello.'"

"Ok, now you're stealing stuff from movies."

"I had to end it with something really romantic," Wesley responded.

Lindsey could feel how warm his cheeks were, his head spinning with happiness. Trying to find his voice, he managed to say, "No one has ever made love to me with words before."

"Perhaps I should do it more often." The Sorcerer looked uncertainly at his love, anxiety written clearly on his face.

The Prophet kissed him, then took a deep breath. "Well, I guess you'll have time."

Wesley's face lit up. "You're not going to leave?"

He shook his head. "No, baby; I'm not going anywhere. I get it. I'm not the Grail, it's just beating inside my chest, so to speak. Sorry to put you through that."

"All is forgiven. Even if you had left, I would have followed you. You are my light, my soul and my joy, you know."

Lindsey smiled softly. "You hold the light of my world in your eyes, baby."

They kissed.

"What made you recognize the Grail? When did you?"

Wesley pulled away and leaned against the wall. "Since we've been together, you've placed me on this pedestal, expecting me to be perfect. Every time I displayed any interest in anyone else, you got jealous. You thought that for some reason I was only with you for a short time or something. And you were afraid of Azazel's attraction. How could you think I would leave you for him?"

The Prophet, his stomach churning, feeling guilty, shrugged. "You're connected to him too. I just thought that . . . well, sooner or later that . . ."

"But it will definitely be later. Why can't the two of you understand that? Right now, my love revolves around you." Wesley cocked his head. "Except you did finally realize that. You finally trusted me, admitted I was human and, as such, subject to human fallacy. And the moment you did, I recognized the Grail. I also recognized your soul."

"King Arthur?"

"Yes. King Arthur. Actually, Azazel basically told me. I don't know when he realized, but he knew. You returned when the world needed you most, you found me, we fell in love, and we saved the world. It also happily coincided when another prophecy about the Grail and a sorcerer."

"So, Azazel was damned from the start."

"Yes, I suppose he was." Wesley offered his hand to Lindsey, who took it.

They walked outside to the porch, sitting down, gazing across the yard to the hotel.

After a few peaceful moments of just being with each other, Lindsey decided to bring up the last issue bothering him. "Baby? I really don't think it was a good idea to banish Azazel. I still think you need to talk to him."

"No. I don't want to. Don't," he interrupted as Lindsey opened his mouth to protest. "I do not want to see him for a long time. I want to enjoy my life with you; we've never just had time to be. That is what I want."

Lindsey studied him a moment, then sighed, relenting. He still didn't agree, but when Wesley put his mind to something, nothing could deter him. Instead, he leaned against his partner. "So, now that we're straightened out, do you think we should join the group?"

"It'd be a shame to waste the solitude." Wesley rubbed his hair against Lindsey's, closing his eyes. "You know, we have the pool to ourselves. And Angel has never expressly said no skinny dipping."

Lindsey glanced at his partner. There was a wicked gleam in his eyes. Leaping to his feet, practically yanking Wesley's arm out of its socket as he dragged him to the pool, he grinned "That sounds like the perfect ending to this day to me."

The answering smile was lustful. "Yes, I quite agree."

~Fin~