I've already finished the final part and like it - a lot. But that may be because I'm not a fan of slash. That's just me, I have nothing against gay sex, (although I couldn't stand the Willow/Kennedy stuff) I just can't bring myself to read fanfic which has characters behaving in what I think of as uncharacteristically.

Having said that, no one in this fic behaves out of character. There was a softer, sympathetic side to Giles, one that he showed very rarely and mostly in his dealings with Buffy. I'm thinking of the few times we saw his 'fatherly' nature - the farewell to his 'girls' at the airport for example and the awkward leave-taking of Xander.

As for Xander himself, you've shown the very essence of a teenage boy (Best thing about staying with Giles was the food) struggling with many problems in his life and coping in the only way he knows how.