The world is a very strange place when you look at it; all the comings and goings of the world tell you that there is more than meets the eye to every single thing that goes on. That meeting one single person can change your entire life in the blink of an eye.
It's a stupid idea but an idea that Xander couldn't help but agree with.
2 year's he had known Buffy now and since that fateful day his life had changed in so many different ways. She is a slayer, one girl in all the world destined to fight the vampires.
Xander been Xander he wouldn't exactly stand by and watch as she was wailed on in a fight. In fact the scars on his body show the opposite, that he was stupid enough to jump into a fight with creatures that are four times as strong as him.
He had never been accused of been smart and to be honest he doubted he ever would. Xander knows he has a protective streak a mile wide and that he wouldn't run from one single fight if his friends were in danger.
That had never changed.
When Xander was in junior high he remembered getting pounded on by 3 bullies because he jumped in to save Jesse. Jesse hadn't gotten hit once because Xander took the brunt of the punishment and he'd do it again for any of his friends any day of the week.
Even thinking the name of his long lost friend upset Xander. He still had pictures of them more innocent times when it was just him, Willow and Jesse but them pictures are kept at the bottom of his wardrobe.
Only at really depressing times does he take them out.
The pictures remind him why he does what he does, why he stands in the dark besides Buffy willingly facing whatever comes. Even a guy with a protective streak occasionally needs reminding.
The picture on his wall of Buffy and Willow rattled slightly against the wall as the door was slammed down stairs signaling that Xander's father was home.
His alarm clock beeped on the bedside table signaling it was 11:30.
Home earlier than usual
Xander was proud of his dad for what position he had acquired; he was only 38 and had managed to snap up the job of editor at the Sunnydale Times.
Xander was proud undoubtedly but he also missed the nights with just him and his dad when they would watch a football game with a few cans.
Coke for him of course
The nights were now far and few between, he was a busy man.
The life of Xander Harris had gained in complexity in the last few years he couldn't deny that. Without the slayer, or slayers since Buffy's rebirth, his only thoughts would have been on finding somebody to go to the prom with.
But now his thoughts are more centered on stuff like "I'll have to whittle a few stakes before I go out patrolling for the undead tonight" Xander's life was undoubtedly very strange.
He still had the normal stuff to deal with as well.
Enter the fluke.
You see even Xander helps to stress up his own life its not just the demons that manage it. He's quite skilled at doing it himself.
Before the fluke it was simple.
He was seeing Cordelia, she wasn't the nicest person but she did have a good side to her and everything was right with the world.
So why did Willow have to turn into a woman before him?
Why did they get changed in the same place for the prom?
Why did they kiss?
From then on his life was even worse than usual.
Getting kidnapped by Spike and been saved by there other respective halves while in mid kiss didn't exactly help neither.
Willow managed to get Oz back, but I guess love is love.
Where as Xander and Cordelia were anything but that, he liked her and he liked her lips but he knew she would never be the one for him.
Cordelia knew too somewhere deep down.
That's why Xander was currently home on a Monday night with nothing to do but watch the ceiling in deep thought.
3 hours he'd been doing it.
A knock at the door interrupted Xander's ceiling watching.
"Hello…"
Alex Harris poked his head through the door and smiled at his son "Hey son… Can I come in?"
"Me casa es su casa"
Alex Harris always held himself with a certain dignity around everybody but his son. Ever since Marge had died in child birth it had just been him and the kid and he had tried to be the best father he could. Lately he knew he had been losing that connection with his son that he once held closely to his heart, that they were growing distant from one another.
Thus the plan to enter Xander into his world came into his mind a few days ago.
He didn't look his 38 years, he had graying hair but it seemed like he had always had it. Without it he wouldn't be Alex Harris, it was a part of who he was.
The grey editor they called him, a dig at his hair and his morals. In the newspaper business you had to be tough on everyone including yourself.
"I was wondering.. "
Xander knew his father wanted something, he could always tell.
So could Alex when his son wanted something.
It was a two way system.
Xander decided to get to the point straight away, beating around the bush wasn't Xander's style in any type of conversation "What do you want dad?"
He put a little humor into his voice so his dad knew he wasn't been harsh with him.
"Well since you took that photography class last summer I was wondering if you'd like to take some photographs for the paper. Of course you'll be on the payroll I'm no slouch with the wages"
"Sure.."
Alex wasn't expecting such a quick decision but he dumbly nodded then turned to leave before turning back as he reached the door "Its.. Tomorrow. 7pm at the old College's lecture theatre. Some science thing that would interest a few nerds… Willow would like it."
Xander had to smile at that, she probably would.
"Wear the tux I bought you last year when we went to William Fisk's dinner party, it's a proper do. You'll have to pick the camera up from the paper before you. I'll be in the foyer waiting… don't be late"
Alex closed the door with a smile on his face. He could spend some time with his son and do some work even if it was at a nerds convention outing.
He hadn't taken photos in a while but he was sure he remembered how. It was the first thing that ever came real easy to Xander. He was told by his tutor Mr. Jones that he had a knack for spotting a good opportunity.
That's all Xander had done last summer, just take photographs.
The act of finding beauty in nature and photographing it for the world and history to see somehow managed to keep Xander grounded. That was the summer Buffy had ran off without a moments pause, he was worried for her the entire summer as was everybody.
Photography helped a lot
He could take a few photographs; it would be less hassle than finding something to do. Willow and Oz would be busy, the watchers would be doing watchery things and the slayers would most likely probably be slaying or at least training.
There was the idea of watching the two train but he was sure they would object to it.
*Maybe I could hang out with Angel*
Xander fell off the bed in laughter
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP
BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP
The alarm shrilled at Xander's bedside like some high pitched banshee and Xander silenced it with a well placed hand.
Xander got into his usual routine.
Shower
Dress
Pick up school bag
Grab a twinkie from the fridge on the way out of the front door.
Head to Willow's house
Up the road, across the street and through an alley further and he arrived at the green front door of the Rosenberg's. Gently rapping on the door a noise could be heard on the other side as its pulled open to show Mrs Rosenberg's smiling but confused looking face.
"Hi Xander, How are you?"
"I'm fine Mrs R.. Is Willow there?"
"Well she left a few minutes ago…" Mrs Rosenberg looked puzzled and adds "I thought it was with you as usual"
"Must have been Oz" Xander said and managed to look Mrs Rosenberg in the eyes "It's okay, she probably told me at one point…"
Mrs Rosenberg closed the door leaving Xander stunned on the door step.
*She walked to school without me*
Ever since they were 11 they had walked to school together, it was a daily ritual. He would eat a twinkie and insult her and she would smile and take it.
It always happened, that had never changed.
Somewhere, sometime in the last year it had changed and the world just hadn't told Xander. If there was one thing he wanted to take back in the whole world it was the illicit smoochies that he had with his best friend just so his life could go back to whatever passed for normal in a Scooby's life.
Willow and Xander not walking to school together was in crazy land territory.
Time passed as Xander contemplated a world where Willow and Xander weren't the kind of friends that he thought they were.
It was a world he never wanted to know.
He walked slowly, not really caring about whether he would make it to school on time or not.
Xander was more in shock than anything else; his whole world had turned upside down in less than a few weeks.
He hated Sunnydale.
School loomed before him and he walked slowly up the stairs and into the ugly building that took up most of his time each day.
"Mr HARRIS"
Xander looked up from the floor for one of the first times since he'd left Willow's house and he gulped.
Principal Snyder was stood in front of him.
*The little Nazi*
Xander had never liked school and truthfully he probably never would neither. It just wasn't his thing; it was to him just something to do between hanging with his friends and sleeping. Nevertheless he had always got on with the teachers and they had always seemed to accept his less than enthusiastic take on the land of academia.
Always gotten on with the teachers until this year that is.
The previous principal he had even liked. Principal Flutie had taken great pride in the school and the way it looked in most fields, especially the sports. But that was before the hyena's had made a light afternoon snack of him. Xander held down the bile in his stomach at the thought that he could have very well been enjoying pot roasted principal if he wasn't so infatuated with Buffy at the time.
But Snyder, Snyder had no interest in knowing anybody. He hated everybody especially the teenagers who attended the school.
Hell he probably disliked everyone in the entire world.
Despicable hated little rodent, that's what Principal Snyder is and probably always has been his entire life.
"Well… Mr Harris, this must be Christmas and my birthday all rolled into one. I'm waiting for the day that I can expel you to announce my retirement from been the head of such an awful bunch of freaks that this school offers"
Xander could almost feel his hatred for his position at the school coming from Snyder. It wasn't that he didn't like been in charge, on the contrary. He just disliked disorganised teens who do nothing more than make out and eat junk food.
No discipline.
"You've already been tardy 3 times in the last two weeks, this is your fourth tardy and if you get one more we all know what that means"
Unlike normal schools instead of giving a three strike system Sunnydale gave a five strike system and if you reached that fifth strike then you would be suspended for a week and it would be placed on your permanent record.
Not that Xander really cared about his permanent record but his father wouldn't be too pleased.
"Suspension" Xander muttered as he bit back an insult.
He could really do without getting in anymore trouble than he was already in.
Snyder sneered at him "Detention, after school. Although don't turn up on my account, I'm really itching to make a point in this school"
The principal turned on his squeaky shoes and walked off in an actual chipper manner and Xander allowed himself one moment of triumph as he gestured with one finger behind the little mans back.
It had just made his day harder. Not only did he have detention but he also had the photography thing. It would be a tight squeeze to do both but he couldn't let his dad down on either account because if he didn't go to detention then he was sure of a suspension.
Entering English he spotted a seat near the front of the class and took it.
The teacher looked up from the book and shook her head disapprovingly.
"Glad you could make time for class, Mr Harris"
He didn't know how to reply so Xander just nodded and pulled his bag open to grab his book.
Xander knew it wouldn't be long before the little red head at his side decided to explain her actions. He knew her so well that he could tell at this moment that it was eating her alive, Willow was looking jittery and so she should be.
He understood her in a way, she couldn't be seen to choose Xander over Oz in anyway otherwise it wouldn't look like she really wanted them to work. But it never hurts to pick up the phone and tell said person that you wouldn't be walking to school with them the next day.
Its common courtesy.
"Xander…"
*Here we go*
Plastering on a smile he turned to his red headed friend "Yea Will…."
"I'm sorry about this morning, Oz just suddenly came and I couldn't turn him down and I rang your place but there was no answer so I sent an email but I know you don't check your email till Fridays and I'm just really really sorry and you should never forgive me but I hope you do and…."
Willow could babble for hours on end if he let her, he knew she was feeling awful about this morning and ten minutes ago he might have let her go on a bit longer but hearing the tone of her voice and knowing she meant no real harm meant he had to put her out of her misery. If not for her sake then for his own ears sake at been chewed off.
"It's okay Will, I forgive you" Xander and Willow had known each other there whole lives, they could have entire conversations with just blinking there eyes and that's why she stopped babbling and actually nodded her head with a smile. She could always tell when he was lying.
Whereas anyone could tell when Willow lied, she always got extremely jittery even more so than when she was guilty about something.
Attention on class once again, not that it excited him any but he liked to imagine things in the quiet of his own mind while class was going on.
It helped class to go quicker.
Xander felt a tug on his shirt from behind and he looked back to see Buffy smiling at him, he gave her a generous smile in return.
"Tardiness Xander…" She said with a disapproving wag of her finger "why, I never would have thought"
"Yea I know" He replied "it's so unusual"
The students rushed around the halls like mad people. Escaping to there lockers or wherever else they hung out with there friends for the 15 minutes break they had between first and second period.
For Xander, Willow and Buffy there hangout was the library.
The Scooby gang headquarters
"Wow…." Xander muttered "That was an exciting class if I ever had one!
"Engrossing" Buffy replied sarcastically.
"I loved it" Willow added in her usual chipper manner.
"You would"
The twin doors of the library swung inwards as Xander opened them and they walked into Giles's book palace. The two watchers loved everything about the large book ridden room, loved it with a passion that Xander could never ever understand and he didn't know if he really wanted to.
Giles was sat rubbing his glasses to get them clean looking rather exasperated at the watcher facing him.
Wesley was an amateur trying to do a professionals job. He was called in to be Faith's watcher and ended up been both Buffy's and Faith's watcher after Giles got fired for not fulfilling there orders.
Orders that were immoral to say the least.
Nevertheless the wannabe watcher thought he knew everything about everything and time and time again Giles had to prove him wrong but the arguments they had clearly frustrated Giles into cleaning his glasses.
He always cleaned his glasses when he was frustrated.
"If it isn't the world answer to "what to do when you have no life" "Xander said with an impish grin as he mocked the two Englishmen.
"Hello Xander" Giles mumbled as he placed his glasses back on. .
"G-man" Xander replied using the Moniker he had given to the watcher "Anything new on the demonoscale?"
"Demonoscale?" Giles inquired with an eyebrow raised.
"Let me translate Giles "Willow offered as she took a seat "Xander meant, anything new in the dark dank areas of Sunnydale's underworld?"
"Oh… why didn't you just say that Xander? And the answer is no…"
Xander took a seat looking a bit nonplussed "Well I guess the world doesn't need me saving it yet again, all you people do is sit around talking. We all know who the real hero is"
He was slapped on the back of his head by Buffy and he just gave her a smile in return.
"I was wondering Giles…" Xander looked over at the watcher sat with his head in a book "Is there possible a spell that could possibly either make me move really quickly… superman like. Or if there was a spell to give me a double for just a few hours….."
"Well…" Giles didn't even look up "There is a spell and it's not too difficult to perform all you need is…."
He looked up and narrowed his eyes at Xander.
"Why?"
"I could just do with one is all, for tonight"
"For detention?" Buffy replied as she took a sip of fruit juice from a carton.
"You know me so well"
"I know your ethics are lacking in some areas" She replied.
"What's not ethical about wanting a temp twin? You see I've got to be at the old College lecture theatre, my dad wants me to take some photos for a story the paper's doing."
"Ahh" Buffy replied in understanding "But you still can't do magic, you'd probably end up creating a thousand Xander's"
Timing it just right with Giles taking a sip of tea proved the right thing to do as he almost coughed up a lung after swallowing the liquid down the wrong hole.
A thousand Xander's wasn't a thing to be taken lightly.
"I'd have my own army…. "Xander replied in a happy kind of way "Kill my pretties… Kill Kill"
"You'd call yourself pretties?" Buffy enquired.
"Well, I am kind of pretty but don't worry Giles, there's no chance of a thousand Xanders. I won't do magic, I promise. I'll just have to be quick off the mark tonight is all"
Giles walked off into his office and Wesley was prepared to follow him before the doors opened and in stepped Cordelia. Xander couldn't help but look at his ex; today she was as stunning as she ever was. Dressed in her usual Cordy wear, the wear that had men and even some women drooling. Wesley stood slack jawed as he watched her approach.
He didn't know whether Cordelia was really interested in the watcher or not but he still felt an immense amount of jealousy shoot through him as she looked at the watcher. It was a territory thing mostly, especially since the watcher was in Xander's opinion nothing more than a waste of space been paid to do Giles's job but not actually doing so.
"Wesley?"
"Yes" Wesley replied in a very non male squeaky voice.
"I've got something important to ask you"
"Start calculating those odds"
Xander had to add an insult into the conversation, it was a fault of his he could not seen been rectified anytime soon.
It was just the way he was.
Xander zoned out not particularly caring about the conversation between the may queen and the watcher, he had more exciting things to do with his time than listen to them two flirt there way through a conversation.
The next time Xander looked up the room was empty except for him and Buffy and she looked at him concernedly.
"Are you okay?" She asked
"Fine.. " Xander replied as the bell rang clear, signalling the next class was due to start.
*Saved by the bell*
The classes all passed rather quickly after the first one and Xander soon found himself stood outside classroom 1a.
It was the classroom where detention was held everyday, where all the bad kids went.
He entered and took a seat near the front of the class, careful not to look anybody in the eye.
Xander looked at the clock on occasions and to him it seemed to be moving backwards instead of forwards. He was nervous, tonight was the night he would prove his photography classes were not a waste of space and that he Xander Lavelle Harris was actually decent at something and it would get published.
Detention was filled with the scum of the school, the kids who had nothing better to do than just be bad and cause trouble for anybody in the school.
Teachers or pupils
Jack Pitire sat behind Xander. He's half French or something like that. A cocky smile always present on his face. He's the ringleader of whatever trouble happens in school, if something happens you can be sure Jack was behind part of it. Been a bully was all Jack was ever good at; he'd never excelled at anything in his life except for making trouble.
Rumour has it that Jack once killed a man, but the rumour was led back to Jack himself. He was always one to pump up his own reputation if he had the chance.
Charlie Ritter sat at Jack's side. A football player that had repeated the grade so many times he had difficulty counting the exact number. Charlie Ritter was a giant of a man, broad shoulders that had smashed many smaller football players nearly in half in his time on the team. He was as dumb as they come.
George Kailty sat behind them. An half American Indian that was on the football team and always was a first team pick but he also managed to do well in class. George's main problem was that he used his brawn more than he ever used his brains.
Then there was Francis Coppola, one of the most intelligent people in the school. Apparently a genius on the computer. He had cracked the schools system several times reportedly. There was one student in the school better than him on the computer and Xander smiled at the idea of his best friend breaking the law the way Francis did. The first time she had done it to find information it took him a week to calm the redhead down.
That was his Willow alright.
Or Oz's Willow now
The only reason Francis was ever caught was because he took pride in the crimes he had done and posted that it was him on the school staff bulletin board.
They were all sat around him and Xander hated it. These people had been responsible for most of the trouble in his life at one point, before Buffy had come to Sunnydale anyway. They knew not to mess with her and had seen it demonstrated on other people plenty of times before.
Xander still hated them with a passion.
"Hey Harris" Jack said from behind him.
Xander turns enquiringly with an eyebrow raised
"Yea?"
"What you in for?"
Xander nearly laughed at that stupid statement, to them it was like this place was jail and they were talking about the big crimes they had done. For Christ sake it's after school detention, Al Capone style stuff had not been done to achieve their places here.
"Tardy" Xander replied
"Just a tardy"
There were snickers and laughter but he didn't particularly care. Xander just wanted time to pass and for him to be headed towards the old lecture theatre so he could take the pictures and get this awful day over with.
The next time Xander looked at the clock it had hardly moved and he sighed in exasperation, reaching towards his bag he removed a snickers chocolate bar and ripped off the wrapper ready to feast on its innards.
*Chocolatey goodness*
Xander felt a nudge and turned to see Jack, the teen held out his hand with a smile on his face.
"Share the wealth"
He just sighed and handed him the chocolate bar, he was way too uncaring to want to get into a fight over a chocolate bar.
Continuously thumping your head on the table in desperation didn't do anything besides make you feel dizzy and nauseous.
A fact Xander found out through experimentation.
*Just 10 more minutes*
Detention had seemed to last longer than the rest of the day put together. Xander could be told that he had been there for three weeks and he would most likely believe it. That's how sullen and boring detention was and had been.
The teacher watching over the students just sat reading a magazine till the time was up and they could go home. You couldn't get anymore boring than that.
Xander had realised in the small time he'd been in detention that he didn't think about much really, if there was nothing to entertain him he didn't much like it. So he was never one for deep thoughts, oh he had them on occasions sure but just in general he liked to stay more in the shallow department.
He supposed it helped him get through life the way he had done.
As the comedian
Xander was lying to Willow when he said he had forgiven her, sure he would do eventually but today he had felt so lonely and out of the loop it had hurt. The most terrifying fact was that she didn't know that he was lying when he had forgiven her and that meant that she no longer knew him the way she had done.
They weren't the Willow and Xander of fame anymore, just friends.
He had to live with that.
He then thoughts of Buffy, you could be sure in Xanderland that at least ten minutes a day was dedicated to Buffy longing and this was going over quota. Beautiful now as she ever was and still out of his reach, perhaps she always would be and he just had to move on with his life.
It was difficult when someone had a hold of your heart.
Moving around heartless wasn't a thing he wanted to try. So he'd be Buffy longing for a bit longer, just a few more years and then maybe he'd move on.
*more chance of winning the lottery 5 times in a row then dying of an exotic disease while having sex with a 19 year old supermodel nymphomaniac*
It was very unlikely.
Xander then thought of Cordelia and the way she was flirting with Wesley in front of him and he was sure the main aim was to make him jealous and it did at that too. He just wasn't going to go back there. It wouldn't be fair to neither of them, they weren't meant for each other.
Both of them knew it.
"Class is out"
Xander looked at the clock and bolted for the door.
*I'm going to be on time… I'm going to be on time… I'm going to be on time… I'm going to be on time…*
Xander chanted continuously to himself as he sped down Sunnydale's streets all dolled up in the tux he was told to wear. He had made it home quickly and changed before jumping in the family's second car and was headed to the newspaper.
He needed a camera.
The Sunnydale times building wasn't particularly big but Xander knew it and its position well enough. He'd visited numerous times to see his dad. Xander pulled up to the kerb with a screech and a squeal as he braked. Making it inside in quick time he returned moments later with a camera in his hand then screeched off towards the College.
It wasn't long before he was walking down the stairs of a large lecture theatre that was completely full and now he just had the hard task of finding his dad among the droves of people. He found him and a spare seat in a few minutes, at the front of the theatre.
Xander took a seat and sighed as he positioned the camera for quick shots.
"Sorry I'm late"
"Don't worry about it" His dad replied "It didn't start until five minutes ago…"
Xander took numerous pictures during whatever was going on and some he knew would come out good. The lighting wasn't the best in the lecture theatre but he made the most of what he had and was sure he had at least a few decent pictures.
The presentation wasn't something Xander was knowledgeable in. Something about DNA resequencing, it didn't really make much sense to Xander but science never had.
It was nearing the end of the presentation when Xander knew something was wrong. The big machine on stage was starting to smoke and sputter as if something was caught inside it and it wasn't long before the scientist suddenly made an announcement.
"Ladies and Gentleman… Don't be scared but could you quickly make your way to the exits…"
People didn't have to be told twice were soon scuttling for the exits and so was Xander he heard an explosion behind him and when he looked back he saw a big piece of the machine fall on the scientist trapping him and Xander made a decision.
He turned around.