Buffy was looking at the table in the middle of the school Library, doing her best to remember how to breathe as she took in the pale, lifeless form of Alexander Harris behind that of Angelus; it appeared as if he had been killed several hours before but it also looked as if he had not been tortured or marred in any way.
Well, Buffy, seeing as you were so kind as to let me out from my prison, I decided that I just had to get you a your friends a thank you gift. Angelus looked at the body of Xander Harris and smiled before looking back at Buffy and the rest of the Scoobies, Personally, Im not sure how he looks so good after the beating I gave him, but no matter. I think he should be put n a place of prominence like over the doorway, perhaps he could be arranged in a position near the computer terminals. Too bad about him, though he could be a really viscous guy if any of you had taken the opportunity to train him. Angelus shrugged and took several steps forwards, but then a sound stopped him and an even shocked them all to their very core.
The body of Xander Harris, which lay upon the table, arched up and took a huge gasp of air before rolling on his side and coughing loudly and muttering several curses about certain pieces of Angelus anatomy and what fate was in store for them when he got his hands upon that individual.
H-how is this possible. I didnt turn you. Angelus, it appeared to Buffy, was as much in the dark about Xanders miraculous resurrection as they were.
No you didnt you stupid git, and had you tried you probably would have done nothing more than to make both Xander and I more pissed off than we are right now. The British-accented voice was loaded with anger and it became apparent that something was amiss with Xander Harris when his body stood and began to speak in the same British-accented voice, Now, I am not sure what exactly you thought you would accomplish with this act of stupidity, but I can definitely assure you that this mistake will undoubtedly be your last. That said, the figure pulled out a sword from underneath the table, where Giles had taken to stashing weapons in case of an attack.
Willow was the first to come out of her shock-induced stupor and mumbled something that only Buffy, Angelus and Oz, who was standing next to her, heard, Adam?
Angelus shook himself out of his stupor and dodged the first strike of Harris, Harris, do you have any idea how bad of an idea taking a sword after me is?
Xanders body stopped and a grin spread across his face that could only be called truly evil, Oh, my dear Angelus, whoever said that I was Alexander Harris? Buffy, Jenny, Willow and Giles were all driven to their knees by a massive out-rushing of power that poured from Xanders body and both Oz and Angelus were fascinated to see that Xanders normally brown eyes were glowing a blue-gray-silver color that seemed to light up the room, Please, call me Methos. That said, he surged forwards and ran Angelus through the center like a shish kabob before ripping his sword out and delivering a killing/dusting stroke that came naturally to Immortals.
NOOOOO! Buffy surged forwards, hoping against all hopes that her eyes were playing a trick on her, but as she got nearer to the body that had once belonged to her undead lover, said body dissolved into a pile of dust, separate from its head as the decapitator wiped his sword blade off with a practiced motion. YOU KILLED HIM!
Actually, Slayer, he was already dead; its somewhat of a prerequisite for becoming a vampire in this day and age. Xander, no, Methos, as he called himself, idly twirled the sword around his body as Buffy sank to the ground, sobbing into the dust that had been Angelus while the others shook themselves out of their shock, Now, would somebody mind telling me just what I am doing back here? I mean, hes a nice enough guy and its good to not have any sinus troubles, but I do not belong in control of his young mans body.
Um, just who are you and what was that energy surge you caused? Giles questions were slightly halting in nature, but Methos got the gist of it.
Well, my name is currently Adam Pierson, but please, call me Methos. He smirked slightly as Giles looked like he was about to have a coronary episode, And as to the energy question, well, that was my Quickening when I dont have it masked. Now, perhaps I can answer my own question as to why I am here. Has he ever been, well, possessed before?
Yeah. Hyena. Came from Oz in his normal tone of voice.
Hmm, that would explain a few things, wouldnt it? In absence of having somebody to take over, it appears that I have been elected for the time being.
What do you mean? Why isnt Xander present? Jenny looked at the young man as he sat down in a chair and put his feet up n the table.
Hmm, I can feel something going on in the back of my mind, or rather, his mind. Did this Hyena possession ever really end? What I mean is, were you and are you sure that you got completely rid of it? Because that would explain why Xander isnt able to take over his body right now hes too busy trying to fight something else that wants said body. He looked around at the book-filled room and then over at Giles, You wouldnt perhaps have a beer around here, would you? Im rather parched at this moment.
While Giles was unable to find a beer, he was able to find a nice single-malt scotch that he kept in his office for when Buffy was being particularly difficult and offered the obviously older man/spirit a drink. Buffy, on the other hand, had since recovered form her bout of hysteria and had twice tried to kill the man in Xanders body, but while she missed the first time with a stake, he had preformed a series of nerve punches that had left the Slayer alive, immobilized temporarily, but alert since that point in time, they had all taken their seats and started to ask questions.
How is it that Alexander is still alive? The first question was from Jenny and one that he was expecting.
Well, I am not sure, but seeing as I am an Immortal and did, in fact, possess his body, it is entirely possible that somehow I made him into a pre-Immortal. At their blank looks he sighed, A pre-Immortal is just like anybody else on this planet until they suffer their first traumatic death, then their body stops aging and after a brief period of inactivity, meaning what you could call death, is reanimated into a being of eternal life from that point on. He winced slightly as he felt the battle in the back of his mind escalate slightly, It is quite possible that seeing as I am a fictional character in this world, Alexander is likely to be the only of his kind here. Methos then chuckled, He is, and I am albeit temporarily, The One.
The One? This question came from Oz; Methos found he quite liked the young musician and, in another time and in another place, could have found time to teach the young man in a the arts that was true rock and roll.
Immortals battle each other to the death in what you could call the ultimate blood sport called The Game; we have rules and regulations, but in the end there can be only one Immortal to have the power of all those who have come before him or her. Methos chuckled again, And to think it only took me switching bodies and dimensions to do what I couldnt do in centuries. HA!
How old are you? This one came from Willow, life-long friend of young Xander and someone who reminded Methos too much of one of his favorite wives back in Mesopotamia.
Five thousand years give or take a few centuries. He winced painfully as the battle in the back of his mind came to a violent finish, Well, he won. I wonder how he will take Immortality? To be in the body of someone who will never look a day past seventeen no wonder Richie was always in such a bad mood. Methos put down his drink and felt his consciousness merging with that of Xanders, TTFN, boys and girls. Its been fun. With that, Methos, in the body of Alexander Harris, was no more and said body slumped back into the chair it had been sitting in.
It was still for a moment, like Buffy was currently still, though her eyes were wide with shock, but then the body surged again, gasping and coughing slightly before its eyes opened and revealed the brown orbs of Alexander Harris, not those of Methos. After a few moments he stood, stretched and yawned, Hey guys, whatd I miss?
Willow promptly fainted.
AN: Okay, this is part two and part three will take a while. There will be a several month jump between the timelines of P2 and P3, but that will be explained eventually.