My name is Alexander Harris, and while some people think that they've had a long day…I've had a long three years crammed into one day. Let me explain, it all started a day or so before Halloween, and I was going to roll over to sleep when I decided to watch television before going to school. Ground Hog Day, that was the movie on that morning. It established the foundation for my lengthy day to come. I'd not been planning to dress up, but when I did…the pre-Halloween Harris Curse kicked in with a vengeance.
The day started out normally, meeting up with the girls, having Buffy scare Larry away from beating me up yet again, and going through the day semi-obliviously. Heading over to the costume shop, I had already decided upon a couple of possibilities, but when I saw the stuffed rodent and a cheap suit, I chose Door Number Two, though I bought the toy gun anyway in case I backslid. I bought a large empty tome with the label My Journal. Inspired, as Rupert would say, I had to add it to the pile. The girls looked strangely at me, as you'd expect, but I refused to let them in on my surprise.
As I sat in the Library at two-thirty, making final additions to my costume and the book, I now know the premonition I felt was just that. I immediately closed my eyes to avoid a feeling of impending vertigo. In retrospect, donning a costume imbued with chaos magic directly over the hellmouth, declaring it a done deal, should clue us all in, but I just had to add to the journal:
My Journal: The Diary of Experiences and Knowledge of Alexander "Kronos" Harris on His Repetition of Time Until He Discovered Himself.
At the time, I thought I was witty, as Phil might have felt a little more connected on his path if he'd had *something* changing with him.
Around three-thirty, I felt another shiver as I passed by the costume shop on the way to Buffy's House. Yeah, I know, why go there only to walk back? At the time, I still couldn't appreciate an intellectual conversation with Rupert, or often enjoy a book without illustration, truth be told.
That afternoon, rodent and book in arm, I knocked on the door of the Summers house. Buffy answered the door, unable to guess what I was. Even Willow took a minute, asking who my rat was. I corrected her mistake, telling her his name is Phil, as is mine. She jumped gleefully as she finally caught on, turning triumphantly to Buffy, "He's Phil the Weatherman from Groundhog Day…you know, the Bill Murray movie he likes."
"Oh," Buffy said, smiling as she remembered the scene where he drives the gopher into the quarry. "The award for most original costume, I guess, goes to Xander."
I know what you're thinking…so far, so good. But once we guided our groups of children trick or treating, we were heading the Library when Ethan's damnable spell took effect, we became our costumes. Yes, that's right…Willow became a ghost of the 'interestingly' clad version of herself Buffy'd tried to debut her as…Buffy became a clueless 1775 young noblewoman…and I became…Phil Connor from Groundhog Day. That's right, as terror began to spread across the city, I became a meteorologist with a groundhog companion.
Unfortunately, I had no clue as to what was going on, and after several hours of dodging monsters and keeping relatively safe, the spell wore off. It was around midnight by the time I got to the Library to find a grieving Willow and Giles. Rupert had not managed to figure out Ethan's participation that go around, and his slayer died at the hands of William the Bloody. Angel had been rendered into dust particles trying to save her. Willow had gone into shock until the spell broke. Cordelia in her cat costume was mauled in a dog attack, and Amy Madison raped by pirates. Hundreds were dead, or badly hurt. My book seemed to stay magicked, and the groundhog remained real. Hmmmm.
That day matched the loss of Jesse when I staked him: it sucked beyond belief. Angel, whom I resented and disliked, had my respect for dying to save Buffy, however it ended. And I vowed, yes, again atop a hellmouth, that I'd not willingly let such happen again. I *meant* to anybody else, but Fate took it literally.
I changed out of my clothes when I snuck into the house, grabbed a duffle of clothes and cached items, then headed over to Angel's with the intention of moving in. I felt that I needed to get out of the hellhole of a home permanently.
I opened my eyes, feeling fully energized, to find myself in costume back in the Library. Unsure, I opened the book to find RESTART preceding my current location in time/space. I'd been sent back twenty-four hours. I had a chance to save Buffy and the others. I quickly changed over into my soldier fatigues, grabbed a pair of sheathed swords, and headed out to Buffy's house as quickly as possible by grabbing Giles' car keys and driving. I left Phil behind for his safety, and put the book in the weapons locker to keep it secure.
At Buffy's house, I was greeted by the slayer. The emotional impact of seeing her alive and well was too much, and I ended up hugging her and crying about her being okay. My display brought Ghost-Willow quickly, and I managed between hugs to explain the last day from my point of view. Needless to say, they doubted, but my hugginess gained me time to prove it. I handed Buffy and 'the hotty' under the sheet a sword each, and taking some stationery from Buffy's phone table, wrote notes to 'my immortal friend Willow Devereaux and Lady Elizabeth, the Slayer' and they back to 'their friend Alexander' as parts of their costume and to me.
Back at the Library, Snyder saddled us up with kids and a route before we could go into the Library and show them my book. This second night was painful, but at least no Scooby died. Buffy ran off Angel first-thing, I got to fire at full automatic into Spike until the sheer lack of a neck dusted him. With Slayer Elizabeth and Willow Devereaux, my presence wasn't necessary, but helped in suppressing the worse acts of piracy and monsters assaulting humans.
The Private Harris memories stayed as well as the weather man knowledge from my time as 'Phil.' Showing the gathered Scoobies the book and Phil the next day, they believed me, and while Giles was looking for research materials, the girls and I talked about how I might better have chosen a costume or persona. I explained the cash situation, and they suggested different kinds of soldiers or such when I…..
…found myself in the Library again on Friday with Giles somewhere in the building. Writing Giles a note to warn/equip Buffy, I looted the office for fines and his money, a total of fifty dollars. Grabbing an acoustic guitar left by a student in case I needed to break it up for emergency vamp stakes, I requisitioned Rupert's car yet again. This time, I decided to play it smart and headed over to Ethan's to add to my costume, arriving barely at three-forty-five.
"Can I help you young man?" Ethan asked, recognizing the slayer's friend in his sad excuse for a costume. "Are you unhappy with your rental?"
"Yeah, I actually have about fifty bucks," Xander said hurriedly, placing fatigues and guitar on the counter. "I'd still like to go as a soldier, but thought perhaps we could add some weapons, and maybe the over-uniform and coat to go with it."
Ethan really wanted the young man out of the shop so he could finish up his preparations. "I suppose we could work something out, even at this date."
"Really," Xander smiled as Ethan grabbed his outfit to take it into the back room, "Thank you very much."
"Ohmigod!" Willow cried out, hearing semi-automatic rifle fire, "I'm a real ghost!"
"Xander?" she calls out to her friend as she runs out into the street and comes up behind him, "Xander!"
Xander, guitar on his back, spins around and points his M-1 at her.
"Xander," the girl cries out, "It's me, Willow!"
"I don't know any Willow," Xander responds, "Though you are kinda cute."
"Xander, quite messing around," she replied, blushing, "This is no time for jokes or southern accents."
"I'm sorry miss," Xander replied, "I don't know what's going on here? A minute ago I was in Germany…"
"You don't know me?" Willow queried, "Who are you then?"
"You really don't know me?" Xander responded, "Private First Class Elvis Presley, Ma'am."
Somehow, I had enough overlapping training and instinct from Private Harris accessible to 'The King' to keep Spike out of the Summers house, and even saved Cordelia. I'd convinced Willow to stay with us, and do the occasional recon outside. We passed the time playing the guitar and singing some of my/Elvis tunes, but mostly gospel and some ballads I/Elvis'd grown up on. And some of the looks I was getting from Ghost-Willow, Lady Buffy and 'Normal' Cordelia…hmmm.
The next day, I recovered again, this time finding I now had ALL of Elvis' memories up until his death, which, being a personal matter, will not be told.
But let me say two things…Controlled Substances for Depression… Bad… Anne-Margaret…Goooood.
However, I'd wondered who else might have been a soldier and real, and considering how I'd be able to keep 'my girls' even safer. Also, the music guy thing wasn't to be scoffed at either. But Willow looking at *me* like that…whoa.
First thing after my commitment to self-improvement…research. Second thing, to get Willow to help me with research. A quick call yielded surprising results, Scooby meeting for two o'clock. This would cut things too close, so I asked her to meet me at ten to work her computer mojo. Uncharacteristically, Willow seemed to be a little shy about being around me…I guess she also had a little memory about my One-Stop Elvis Tour.
"Willow, honey," I intoned in my Elvis voice, "I'll bring the guitar skills if you'll bring the computer skills." She went quiet for a minute, then answered.
"I'll be there in ten minutes," she hurried, "no wait, half an hour, I need to get dressed in something better. Bye." It was only eighty-thirty.
Xander dressed in a tight white t-shirt, tucked in white button-down shirt, and slacks before simply taking the car keys and wallet off the side table near the door. Driving by a pawn shop, he pulled in when he remembered it had a large, fairly cheap selection of guitars and other materials. 'I guess with all the people dying, there's more stuff than people to buy it.'
The door ringing as he walked in, Xander noticed that he would be coming here quite often…guns, archery equipment, old albums, and even more instruments than what was in the two large windows.
"Can I help you young man?" the proprietor asked, an older Jewish man asked. "We have quite a selection, you know."
"Yeah, I'm looking for an electric guitar, a good one," Xander replied, "And don't I know you?"
"Hmmm," the older man asked, putting his glasses on to look closely at Xander, "Ah, yes. You're little Willow's friend, yes? I'm Hiram Goldberg, her mother's eldest brother. She was the youngest of twelve of us, you know."
"Oh, yeah," Xander replied offering his hand to the older gentleman, politely. "I'm El-exander Harris, sir."
"Ah, the Xander I've heard so much of, yes," he nodded with a sly look, "Well, you're *almost* family according to Willow." The man reached into the clear-doored cabinets behind him. "How much are you looking to spend?"
"Um, let me check my wallet," Xander demurred, looking into his father's wallet to find three hundred dollars from his father's cashed payroll check. "I only have three hundred dollars today, sir. What can I get for that?"
"Well, I have some decent enough brand names with an okay amp starting at that…" the old man considered, "What type of music are you going to play?"
"Oh, I'll probably start with Elvis tunes," Xander smiled, "I haven't really any musical knowledge beyond that."
"Well, why don't I sell you one of these," Hiram suggested, "and because you're Willow's Xander you can trade it back toward another at any time at full price. How's that?"
"Thank you, sir," Xander replied, still off-balance about the change in his world view regarding Willow. "Thank you very much."
Xander pulled into the SHS parking lot at exactly nine o'clock, amazed that he's on time, but seeing Willow heading into the Library.
"Hey Wills!" Xander called out as he took the guitar and amp from the passenger seat, not adding a scratch to Giles' Citroen. HE noticed she was in full sundress mode, and smiled that he had an effect upon any one. "Nice dress."
"Xander, thanks!" the girl smiled, blushing, as they entered the library. "I-I just felt happy this morning."
"A happy Willow is the best Willow," Xander replied, then losing his thought, "er, Willow." He set his equipment down on the table as Giles and Buffy came out of the office.
"H-Hello Xander, Willow," the librarian greeted, "Buffy was just filling me in on the events of last night, odd though they were. Other than dancing and costumery of the time period, she retains nothing of note. And the two of you?"
"Nothing but a major scariness about the ghostness, Giles," Willow began, then smiled recalling the best part. "But I remember a certain 'King of Rock and Roll' singing and playing guitar quite well after he wounded Spike so bad he couldn't keep after us."
"Er, uh, Xander," Giles remarked, looking at what the young man had brought in, "I take it you perchance retain more?"
"Now that's right, Brit-Man," Xander replied with a pointing finger in a near-perfect Elvis impersonation considering it came out of the 'Xand-Man,' "And while I'm having Willow look some background info, I thought I'd practice, maybe keep the skills and have a hobby."
"W-well, let's hear what you have then," the Watcher replied, hoping for a 'young Elvis' after listening to Buffy's pop music far too often.
"Well, first I have to introduce you to Phil, the groundhog," Xander said, revealing the retrieved early in the wee hours friend. "Don't worry, Giles, I'll take him with me when I go." Xander smirked at his inside joke.
The next few hours were spent comfortably, Xander playing without too great a difficulty an endless repertoire of pre-1970s music, from country to gospel to blues to amusing Elvis versions of early 1970s hits. Willow turned up a few more soldier-singers and others, and Giles researched the types of magic involved with costumes, changes, possessions. Buffy trained, looked alternatingly awed and bored at Xander's talent, and called for pizzas at one point.
Xander looked at the list and whispered it, knowing it would be in the book next go-around, and wondered if he should be worried yet about the time-looping….
…….when of course he transitioned back to Yesterday half-dressed as the weatherman. Liking the music thing and the soldier skills, he decided he'd have a little fun while becoming a better Xander.
Repeating his grab and drive from before, Xander swung by the liquor store to pick up his Dad' usual case on the way home, where the old bastard had already started after finishing his early shift. Ducking into his room for a few things, including money, Xander grabbed the money out of his father's wallet, throwing it atop the case of booze to distract the man if he even thought of money.
Making his way out of the house unnoticed, Xander headed for Hiram's store, and convinced the man to rent him a much better guitar for a day.
He decided to skip the whole Snyder and school thing, opting to write himself a note and map of Sunnydale and his 'mission.' Pulling up to Ethan's, he walked in, dressed as a soldier and laing the guitar on the counter,
"Can I help you again, young man?" the annoyed chaos mage asked. "I'm just about to close."
"Yeah, man," Xander began, "I'm supposed to go to a costume party later for some boomers trying to relive their youth. I'll be playing some guitar, and thought I should probably make my fatigues and such look more like they would've then. Can you help me out?"
The shopkeeper, grimacing as he heard a car playing loud gangsta rap drive by, winced, then grinned evilly, "I think I have just the changes you need for 'balance,' my boy. Just wait here."
While waiting, he called Amy and asked her to meet him at 7PM, and remind him of the paper in his wallet.
The next morning, the Summers residence was in an uproar, all of which started with Dawn's shrill 13-year-old voice breaking the quiet.
"Mom!" she screamed in horror, "How could you!"
As figures moved freely in the living room, the Slayer jumped up from her bed, still clad in the slightly tattered remains of her costume. She charged into the hall, but her spidey-sense wasn't picking up anything even though Dawn backed away from her mother's bedroom door, slamming it in shock. Buffy charged forward, kneeling down to check on her little sister.
"Dawnie, are you okay?" the slayer asked her sister, "What's wrong?"
"M-Mom has a, a man in there, Buffy," Dawn whispered in horror. "Some one we know." Hearing the door start to open, both girls fled to the safety of downstairs, neither ready to face the sitch. Hurrying down the stairs, they heard guitar music playing, and found the living room turned into a chaos of musicians, instruments, Cordelia and the annoying couple from across the street in tie-dyeds, either sprawled around watching or starting to play again, picking up in volume. Willow and Amy came out of the kitchen, a bunch of waffle sandwiches in hand to feed the crowd.
"Hi guys," Cordelia beamed, still in her now-tailless catsuit, "Can you grab the other drinks from the kitchen? Thanks." The girls numbly nodded and heading back a moment later a disheveled Joyce Summers but still-dressed as a flower child from the party the night before, a relaxed but slightly embarrassed man clad only in faded jeans following down the stairs.
Ending an amazing riff with a nod to Oz to play freely, Xander called out from the 'stage' corner.
"Hey Ripper," the teen shouted, breaking the top of a whiskey bottle clean at the neck into a thoughtfully placed garbage can, the teen throws it with precision the twenty feet to the stairs. "Have another drink, man."
'Ripper' easily catches the bottle and starts to sip when he realizes Buffy and Dawn looking at him in shock, Joyce also.
"Rupert! I'm shocked at you drinking that like that!" Joyce glared at him, "Buffy, get him a glass before he cuts his mouth on that." Buffy faints and Dawn heads into the kitchen experiencing a giggling fit. Amy and the couple from across the street wave Joyce back as they move Buffy to the couch.
"I-I don't exactly know what to say," the librarian says, unsure of the situation. "Would you like some, er, Joyce?"
"I think she already had that, Rupert," Jenny purred laughingly as she came downstairs from the bathroom, neat Bourbon in her hands, "And Joyce, great idea moving the party here after all that craziness last night. And that remark about the glass, right on the target. Men never think."
Jenny headed over toward where Xander had started up again, winking at the teen as she closed her eyes and let the music play. Joyce started filling Giles' glass, looked at his chest, and filled the water glass to the top.
"What is it you British say," she sighed half in shock and half in appreciation, "in for a penny, in for a pound?"
Rupert quickly downed his drink, offered his arm, and they wandered out back of the house to…talk.
Around two o'clock, the police who'd been called around daybreak finally arrived at the Summers house in response to calls about sound. As luck would have it, is was the police chief himself, as the rest of the force was still cleaning up and covering evidence of Rayne's madness. Xander drunkenly but perfectly continued to play, and he remembered the Police Chief's words as he faded into the reset, "I haven't heard real rock guitar like that since I went to a concert in London back in '69. Until now, no one could play like Hendrix."
Well as you can imagine, THAT loop would stay with me a while, and I could have spent a dozen of two loops figuring out things. I mean, even after the spell was over, only the excessive drinking was a problem, and wow, the whole insight into the adults…
I looked in my book and wondered again at what I was missing…and I thought I found in the list Willow helped me with…a man who could help me out with my shooting skills, and maybe help with the confidence. The music in my head was amazing, as songs I'd heard on the radio, country and otherwise were suddenly being recomposed for an Elvis voice and Hendrix guitar. No, soldier-boy skills this time.
I grabbed the keys, money and car, driving immediately home. I snuck through the front door to my room and got the videotaped movie. Stealthily grabbing the money out of Tony's wallet, I hit the road immediately and straight-away made it to Ethan's shop with plenty of time.
"Can I help you again, young man?" the annoyed chaos mage asked. "I'm just about to close."
"Yeah, man," Xander began, "I'm supposed to go to a costume party later with a bunch of soldier-geek friends, and I'm thinking that corporal's uniform over there is what I want." The annoyed look disappeared as fifty dollars hit counter. "And I have a whole bunch of water balloons as grenades, but if you have some that look real…"
"Of course, my boy," the Brit smiled at a larger cash sale. "Just a minute."
One minute he'd dropped a grenade into a machine-gun nest, the next he was clearly in a residential area not known to him. The man of faith prayed for guidance, firing a careful lined-up shot through the heads of two very large demons(?!). 'I'll have to ask the padre 'bout these-uns.' Hearing a woman's voice, 'definitely not a Frenchie,' he turned toward her.
"Xander?" the soft voice called, subdued after the shot.
"Yes, miss," Xander responded to her demands for attention in a soft hill voice, "how's can I hep ya?"
"It's me, Willow!"
"Like the tree, young missy?" Xander smiled politely while continuing to keep alert, "I don't right know any Willow."
Willow was about to yell at him when she noticed he seemed very alert and the look in his eye was one she'd only seen in her Uncle Hiram's eyes when he talked about his experience in Viet Nam.
"You don't know me?" Willow asked, quietly, "Xander, listen to me. I'm on your side, I swear! Something crazy is happening. I was dressed as a ghost for Halloween, a-and now I am a ghost. And you were supposed to be a soldier, and now I, I-I guess you're a real soldier."
"You expect me to believe that?" the man with Xander's faced asked her plainly. "Where am I anyway?"
"You're in Sunnydale, California and—"
A monster appears across the street, growling at them. Xander points his rifle at it. It runs away as Willow jumps in front of him.
"No! No guns! That's still a little kid in there!" she shouted, her attempt to push the gun away ineffective as her hand passes through it.
"What the—" Xander began, unsure of himself, only to have Willow cut him off.
"Ghost costume, now ghost, remember?" she asserted. "We just need to find...Buffy!" She runs across the street over to Buffy, the soldier behind her. "Buffy! Are you okay?"
Xander fires off a couple bursts from his M-16, leaving his familiar carbine slung over his back.
"Nice weapon," Xander approved, "I don't know if it can take the mud of Flanders like my carbine, but I guess I'm convinced for now." Xander lowers his rifle.
"Buffy, are you alright?" Willow asks the blonde Lady, "are you hurt?"
"Buffy?" the Lady asks in confusion, looking at both of them without recognition. "Who's Buffy?"
"She's not Buffy," Willow exhales, thinking. Xander takes Buffy's hand and helps her up.
"Well, how about a safe place for the two of you?" Xander asks. "After that I carry out a recon. You seem to be the only one with an idea of what's going on."
"Who are you?" Buffy asks, concerned and a little suspicious.
"We're friends in Jesus, young lady," Xander interjected. "Miss Willow here is going to guide us to a safe place, and I'll check to make sure everything's okay."
"Okay?" Buffy asks, "Does that word mean well or satisfactory? The term is unfamiliar to me."
"Yes, ma'am," Xander nodded, leading her in Willow's wake, "but we need to hurry afore trouble comes a-lookin," With that they made to 1630 Revello Drive in a few minutes.
Entering the premises, Xander gave it a quick look, then turned to Willow.
"Miss Willow, I need to go out and make sure the demons don't kill people. You stay here until this a-here blows over?"
With that, he was gone.
From down the street they heard a weird whooping noise, then a double-crack of a carbine.
Four vampires coming out of Willy's Alibi Room heard four shots report from across the street. Rear-forward in fifteen seconds, four heads explode, bodies turning into dust.
Two demons stepped out of the Alibi Room. *Crack* was the single noise they heard last in this world.
Four police officers were under attack by a blonde vampire chortling with laughter.
"You shoulda minded your own business like all the others, mate," William the Bloody sneered. He waved his twice-shot minions forward, "bullets don't really hurt us much you see."
*Crack*
*Crack*
*Crack*
"Hey!" a high-pitched voice called out to the shifty Master Vampire.
*Crack*
"Bullets might not hurt ya, but they kill ya with the right power, demon," the doughboy remarked stepping out from behind a tree in the park "Hmmm, look's like the sun's coming up, officers, you best get to helping the hurt folks. I'll check and see if I can add two more to my score. I still have two rounds left, and I lost my fancy rifle and bayonet a bit ago."
A police officer recovering a little more quickly than the others, choked out the two questions burning in his mind, "two hundred whats and who are you, soldier?"
I looked in my book and wondered again at what I was missing…and I thought I found in the list Willow helped me with…a man who could help me out. If not, I was a fan anyway, and one of the few that Willow and I had appreciated rather than me and Jess.
I grabbed the keys, money and car, driving immediately home. I snuck through the front door to my room and got the books. Stealthily grabbing the money out of Tony's wallet, I hit the road immediately and straight-away made it to Ethan's shop with plenty of time.
"Can I help you again, young man?" the annoyed chaos mage asked. "I'm just about to close."
"Yeah, man," Xander began, "I'm supposed to go to a costume party later with a bunch of soldier-geek friends, and wondered if you could make me a WW2 signal corps guy. Oh, and promote me from private to corporal?"
"Well…" the shopkeeper grimaced tiredly, until Xander placed forty dollars on the counter next to his books and such, "I suppose I can find something…"
About fifteen minutes later Xander was leaving the shop, dressed out and equipped as a World War Two soldier, but without all of the insignia he'd wanted. Still, he'd keep the books in his rucksack, maybe they'd be enough, after all one of them was signed. 'Hmmm, and where did this book in my pocket come from?'
Reaching the school with plenty of time, Xander headed into the library to check on Phil again. He was doing fine, though Buffy and Willow were a bit put out with him over not meeting them as planned as he met up with them at kiddy pick up.
"Hey, I needed to improve my costume," Xander replied, coming over to them, as they rolled their eyes, "Now I'm World War Two soldier guy. Look, guns and everything."
He could feel the change. One minute he was laughing with Maria at an annoyed canary. He was on leave in Naples and had met this goddess, delicate as a flower, and as beautiful as June. Eighteen years old with chestnut hair.
'Now I'm wherever I am,' he sighed, gripping his carbine and looks at the unfamiliar piece. 'What is this thing,' he thinks, checking it over and quickly appreciating the differences and ease of use. Looking through his gear, he finds many magazines, a few wooden stakes and bottles marked holy water. 'What the hell…'
"Xander!" a working girl in stunning clothes yelled to him. "What's going on!"
Realizing she was speaking to him, he quickly checked the area for krauts or other American troops, and finding none turned his attention back to the pretty redhead. 'I hope Maria's alright,' he thought, 'and not caught up in this…'
"Yes, miss," Xander responded to her demands for attention in a soft Texan voice, "what's the situation, and how can help?"
"It's me, Willow!"
"Like the tree, young lady?" Xander smiled politely while continuing to keep alert, "I don't know any Willow."
Willow was about to yell at him when she noticed he seemed very alert and the look in his eye was one she'd only seen in her Uncle Hiram's eyes when he talked about his experience in Viet Nam.
"You don't know me?" Willow asked, quietly, "Xander, listen to me. I'm on your side, I swear! Something crazy is happening. I was dressed as a ghost for Halloween, a-and now I am a ghost. And you were supposed to be a soldier, and now I, I-I guess you're a real soldier."
"You expect me to believe that?" the man with Xander's faced asked her plainly. "Where am I anyway?"
"You're in Sunnydale, California and—"
A monster appears across the street, growling at them. Xander points his rifle at it. It runs away as Willow jumps in front of him.
"No! No guns! That's still a little kid in there!" she shouted, her attempt to push the gun away ineffective as her hand passes through it.
"What the—" Xander began, unsure of himself, only to have Willow cut him off.
"Ghost costume, now ghost, remember?" she asserted. "We just need to find...Buffy!" She runs across the street over to Buffy, the soldier behind her. "Buffy! Are you okay?"
Xander fires off a couple bursts from his M-16, leaving his familiar carbine slung over his back.
"Nice weapon," Xander approved, "I don't know if it can take the mud of Southern Italy like my carbine, but nice." Xander lowers his rifle.
"Buffy, are you alright?" Willow asks the blonde Lady, "Are you hurt?"
"Buffy?" the Lady asks in confusion, looking at both of them without recognition. "Who's Buffy?"
"She's not Buffy," Willow exhales, thinking. Xander takes Buffy's hand and helps her up.
"Well, how about a safe place for the two of you?" Xander asks. "After that I carry out a recon. You seem to be the only one with an idea of what's going on."
"Who are you?" Buffy asks, concerned and a little suspicious.
"We're friends…of your family, young lady," Xander interjected. "Miss Willow here is going to guide us to a safe place, and I'll check to make sure everything's okay."
"Okay?" Buffy asks, "Does the mean well or satisfactory? The term is unfamiliar to me."
"Yes, ma'am," Xander nodded, leading her in Willow's wake, "but we need to hurry before trouble finds us." With that they made to 1630 Revello Drive in a few minutes.
Xander entered the Summers home, scouting to secure it before the others gathered in the living room, where Buffy was looking at pictures of 'herself' on the mantel. Xander turned to the redhead.
"Okay, Miss Willow," he softly addressed her with a small smile. "I'm not one much for waiting for trouble to find me, so the best way to keep you safe is for me to go out and keep it away."
"But th-they're little kids and teenagers turned into monsters, Xander," Willow replied forcefully, "you can't kill them."
"What about the people they're hurting?" the soldier asked without rancor, "Should we just let them die?"
"No, but since they're turned into demons, maybe just hurt 'em," she considered, "demons heal really fast and you could still save people."
The soldier looked at her while considering the almost non-answer. Turning to leave, a pounding on the door and muffled shouts lead the corporal to wave Willow to the door as he aimed. Willow opened the door, letting Cordelia and Angel into the house.
"Don't shoot!" Willow ordered, "they're good guys."
"Really?" the soldier asked, looking at Angel after cocking an eyebrow at Cordelia's attire. The cold look in his eyes kept even the May Queen from saying anything as she moved further into the house. "I'm getting the same feeling from him I get before the krauts try something. One I didn't get from the little ones."
"It's okay," Willow replied, "Please, he's a good vam—guy."
"Vam?" the soldier asked, but with a head gesture indicating Angel could enter. "The truth now, Miss Willow, please."
"Vampires are real, and Angel here is the only good one," Willow quickly explained, then realized how to defuse the situation. "So when you're out there and feel the same thing…you can probably shoot. Especially if it's adult sized."
Nodding, but suspicious, Xander left.
He blasted two demons into pieces, back of the head shots at twenty yards under a street light after they'd walked right by his position. The mini-demons with them scattered to all directions, the three young women left alone with only a few bruises and scratches for their ordeal.
Aura watched as a figure briefly moved through the light after another pair of vampires across the street. "Xander?!" she exclaimed, drawing the attention of the other Cordettes, leaving them stunned as to the identity of their rescuer.
Two grenades dropped through the door and against the bar of the Alibi Room, the explosions splintering the bar into hundreds of fair-sized pieces, dusting four vampires, mauling twelve other demons, and leaving six other vampires on the floor in agony, game-faced. A dark-haired soldier burst back through the door and in a minute six more demons were dead from destroyed brains and blood loss from 5.56mm bursts, the vamps were dusted from repetitive use of a sharp stick tied like a bayonet to the end of the assault weapon. Four more demons had fled out the back with serious gunshot wounds, and the soldier raced around the room to finish off any wounded. Looking around and finding no movement, the death-giver grabbed the cash box and continued on his way. 'Krauts are tougher than monsters, I guess. Just don't let either near you.'
There seemed to be a warehouse with about a dozen demons in it, one a really scary female dancing with a doll. 'These things make the Italian Army look like Rommels…' the young corporal thought with disgust.
He'd managed to follow two demons back to the building when they'd fled the bar, and they never noticed him shadowing. Checking his ruck, he stilled had eight grenades, and four magazines for the wonder-gun. 'Okay' he thought, nearing the corner closest the main door. 'Time to show them the Patton treatment, now there was a bastard but at least we didn't have to sit in the mud for months with that one.'
He simply threw a rock over the heads of the demons, and a grenade at them as they turned from his position. Two screams and silence were the quick of it. The corporal's adrenaline finally kicked into high gear as he kicked in the door, fired two bursts into the faces and necks of a pair of vampires at point-blank range. This stopped them in their tracks and sent them to the floor in great pain. Rolling a grenade to the left, then another to the right as he ducked next to the wall, the explosions yielded four more distinct screams. The soldier rolled into the room, eight bursts of three spaced evenly to take the fight of the remaining minions, and leaving him to face across the fifty-foot room the dancing vampires. He dispatched the wounded as she drew near him, all twelve leaving the world. Her vision cleared.
"You're the man of the clock, you are," Drusilla sing-songed, "Miss Edith says you'll keep going 'round and 'round until you accept who you are. You're the man who can deal death again and again but we keep coming back. Miss Edith says you're the one to send Dru away, so she can say that she'll see the day with the real you some day, when you accept it the voices say." Then with a sudden cold look she charges with vampiric speed across the last ten feet as a fresh magazine on automatic empties into her point-blank. You don't need wood if there isn't a heart, neck or half a head to lend cohesion to the corpse…dust covering his body and sweat-drenched face. 'Mud on the face,' the soldier grimaced with a head shake, 'Just as bad as the Vitorno in the rain.'
Eight more vampires and six really big demons were killed before he noticed the red head, Willow, following an Englishman to a closed costume shop. 'I wonder why that's so familiar?' as he heard a scream and ran to assist.
The pirate tearing off the young woman's top was just reaching for her again when the spell broke. The criminal element paused in confusion as a figure familiar to former-pirate and victim alike grabbed him by the collar and hurled him head first into the wall. 'Human or demon,' Xander Harris still strongly adrenalized and drawing on all of his military memories, thought, 'and I'm going make this guy hurt.'
The man, on his hands and knees, provide a perfect target for Xander's full-force kick to the front diaphragm. Larry had time to look in fear at Xander as he passed into unconsciousness.
"Xander?" the girl whimpered, and whispered softly. "Thank you." The young woman looked over his shoulder and down toward the mouth of the alley thirty feet away. Without really detectable motion Xander pulled a grenade and covered the hole with his finger, daring a glance.
"Well, what do we have 'ere, mates?" the blonde vampire smirked slowly swaggering toward them, "After that bloke took out eight of you at the Willy's, she would have to have Peaches protecting 'er. Looks like we'll be able to settle for these two since the slayer wasn't any fun, eh?" The vampire paused too briefly as something flew in the air toward him, the boy knocking the girl behind a dumpster. "Wha—" William the Bloody remarked as he started to move away. The explosion in the dark alley made quite the noise in the narrow space, and Amy screamed as a leather-jacketed arm flew by.
Xander threw his last grenade up and over, only two seconds left, and when a more distant stream of curses resulted, he rolled into the alley with 'his' old carbine and fired instinctively. The thwap was satisfying, but the limping one-armed form of Spike ducked behind the corner and away.
"Let's get you to a safe place, miss," Xander began, "I mean Amy. I think Buffy's house might be best."
Twelve minutes later, as they approached Revello Drive, Amy was feeling a little better in Xander's military jacket as he comfortably kept a very large in her opinion sidearm at the ready. They noticed two laughing vampires bothering a woman and a young girl as they finished fixing a flat tire.
"Xander," Amy whispered, "that's Ms. Summers and Buffy's sister."
"If this doesn't work, grab the girls and run with them to Buffy's Amy," the cold-eyed youth directed as he tore away toward the scene quickly and quietly, firearm and chair leg ready. The two oblivious newbies were just switching into game-face as a very angry Xander Harris struck them feet-first into their adjacent backs, knocking them through the gap between the Summers gals. Still standing and with two vampires under him, Xander fired twice each into their heads, then quickly staked them as his audience looked on in stunned horror, the dust leaving them speechless. Amy showed up, breathless, with something akin to hero-worship in her eyes. Dawn's look mimicked hers as both young women charged forward to tightly hug the exhausted teen.
"Xander?" Joyce Summers asked, "What were those things you saved us from?" Not able to lie to the woman whose minimal contact with him these last few months more than exceeded any memories of love and kindness in his childhood's entirety, answered truthfully, "Vampires, Ma'am. Vampires. They're real, can we talk about it tomorrow, please, I haven't had proper leave since the Sicily landings." Confused, the woman nodded and drove them as far as her house where they found Giles, Willow, Cordelia and Angel departing. Xander asked Giles if he could sleep at the Englishman's house. Looking carefully into the exhausted teen's eyes, the librarian couldn't deny him.
"Of course, my boy," Giles answered, "Of course."
Amy was starting to regale the girls with the tale of two rescues when Joyce Summers called down the walk, and followed the youth to the end of the walk. She gave him a kiss of thanks on his cheek.
"That's for saving me and Dawn, Xander. Tomorrow night, dinner, here. You'll tell me everything," the woman asserted. Xander just nodded as the others came within earshot. "Oh, and Xander? Who'd you dress as tonight?"
"Murphy, Ma'am," the youth smiled slightly, "Corporal Audie Murphy."
The look on Angel's face was priceless.
Let me tell you, I was tired. I don't mean physically tired or lack of sleep tired. I was tired down into my soul. I am Alexander Lavelle Harris, right? One of the few things I remember…as Xander…was that we are the sum of our experiences, I guess memories and scars, the emotional and otherwise. If so, was I still…Xander. I half-hated, half-enjoyed being referred to as a Xander-shaped friend. But isn't that what I've become? The music playing in the background of my mind was settling into the background…when someone else I lost myself in the music. I think I'll go one more time, see if I can get it right this time, and maybe see why Giles was heading into that costume shop. I'll ask in this next Saturday morning.
Repeating my money-accruing method of drive and steal, I decided to see if I could find what I wanted at Hiram's, and I think that my target figure might be able to be smart enough to put things in perspective. Knowing there weren't any cops, I sped like the Master himself was after me.
The door rang brighter than he remembered as he walked in, and Xander walked up to the older gentleman and simply asked what he had in uniforms and badges.
"Can I help you young man?" the proprietor asked, an older Jewish man asked. "We have quite a selection, you know."
"Yeah, I'm looking for a World War Two signal corps uniform, as close to it as you can help me anyway," Xander replied, "And I thought this might be the place to find it."
"Hmmm," the older man pondered, "I believe I have the plain outer jacket of the infantry corporal, plus the hat. But I only have two of the badges. How about an old signal kit? It doesn't really work, but it once really was used for sending messages, coded or otherwise."
"I guess I'll try it," Xander nodded, and being told a price, paid the man. He hurried back to Ethan's. Originally he was going to try that Party Time store, but it was just a little too far and too late.
At four o'clock sharp Xander was leaving the shop, dressed out and equipped as a World War Two soldier, with some of the insignia he'd wanted. Still, he'd keep the books in his rucksack, maybe they'd be enough, after all one of them was signed. He also got rid of everything he thought might have thrown off his purposeful attempt at a possession. 'That just doesn't seem right,' the mentally tired young man sighed. He'd also managed to forget to take out the letters of 'immortal stuff' he'd written before leaving school, but did now so as not to throw off the spell.
Xander headed into the library to check on Phil again. He was still doing fine, though Buffy and Willow were a bit put out with him over not meeting them as planned as he met up with them at kiddy pick up.
"Hey, I needed to improve my costume," Xander replied, coming over to them, as they rolled their eyes, "Now I'm World War Two soldier guy. Look, guns and everything. Hey, I got a funny feeling about tonight. Willow, take this sword and letter, you are now Willow Devereaux, Immortal friend to Lady Elizabeth, the Vampire Slayer of 1775."
He helped them properly affix, meaning he caused Willow to blush as he pulled the sheet away from her and over a wall.
This time, as tired as he'd been, Xander had gotten the kids back to school and his butt in a Library chair with Giles sitting across from him, tome in front of him, when the change occurred.
"Gevalt!" the young man sitting across the table from Rupert Giles called out, knocking over a glass of water.
"Xander," Giles began, perturbed, "I do wish you'd be more careful around the books." The librarian rose to find a towel behind the counter.
"Excuse me, sir," Xander began. "But my name's not Alexander. Though I do apologize for the spill."
Giles blinked for a moment, the distinct speech patterns and inflections of Xander Harris were gone from the person in front of him, as were the mannerisms. Also, the old equipment was now new and apparently ready for utilization, and the uniformed also seemed new and pressed.
"I'm Rupert Giles," the librarian introduced himself, "and while you physically appear to be Alexander Harris, I take it you're not…Mister…"
"Asimov, Doctor Isaac Asimov," Xander replied, "Oh, and a corporal in the Signal Corps. You mean this Alexander and I are doppelgangers?"
"No, I'm afraid that you are currently in control of Alexander's body," Giles grimaced sympathetically, and reaching for one of the many hand mirrors he kept around, handed it over to the confused Doctor Asimov.
"Gevalt!" Xander/Asimov exclaimed, "How can this be?"
"I-I don't really know," the librarian conceded, "but what was the last thing you remember? And what was the, uh, date?"
"What? Oh, February 1st, 1946," Xander/Asimov replied, "and I was serving in the Army."
"Well, the, er, date is October 31st, 1997," Giles pointed out, showing a calendar, and the morning newspaper as evidence. "As to why, perhaps it has something to do with the fact that several hundred feet below you is a dormant dimensional portal leading to places that are very nearly Hell. The raw energies perhaps, altered reality?"
"Hmmm, other dimensions," the physicist pondered "Interesting." The physicist then noticed that the book in front of him was chronicling his current experience, though not in too great a detail.
"Mister Giles, this book seems to be writing itself," Asimov/Xander indicated. Giles looked at it, reading the cover, inside cover and glanced over the entries to date, Asimov looking also.
"Good Lord!" the Watcher exclaimed, "It appears that Alexander is repeating the same day over and over, and as he selects a different costume each time, he takes on the abilities, experiences and memories of the individual. Why on Earth hasn't he brought this to my attention?"
"So, I'm either an amnesiac spirit, or the energies of this dimensional passageway are warping reality to create such spirits retroactively?"
"Exactly, Doctor Asimov," Giles approved at the grasp of detail this individual had, "but at least you will be released within the day."
"Thank God for that," the physicist breathed with relief, "but just what shall I do to pass the time until then?"
"Would you like some tea?" Giles offered, "I have Earl Grey?"
"Excellent, thank you," the young man nodded, then excitedly, "We can then get to researching both this dimensional soft-spot and how it's effecting your young man. Just make sure we read our conclusions and bibliography out loud before time's up for me to go." Giles smiled, then chortled as he prepared tea. 'Xander Harris enthused over research…'
A tired but intellectually energized Rupert Giles, coat off, tie off and shirt open to the chest, continued to postulate and argue with Xander/Asimov over the various attributes of the hellmouth, and the costume spell when Willow and Buffy entered the library using a spare key.
"I tell you, Alexander, that it works the other way," Giles stressed, "It is the combined radiations from the hellmouth that must be affecting some magical spell placed on the costumery, not a tap. That exacts far too great a drain on the caster, whereas passive redirection is the core technique."
"Rupert, I believe absolutely you must be correct in this," a confident, but tired Xander agreed. "Now the question is, who is the caster, and what is the dispersal or focal point for such energies. A lens, a mystical artifact, the ley lines that you say cross Sunnydale?"
Willow and Buffy stared wide-eyed amazement at the intellectual exchange between equals, tea and adult snackage on the table.
"Excuse us, Giles?" Buffy interrupted as she, then Willow dropped their swords on the table. "What are you two doing?"
"W-We're discussing the magical event that affected much of Sunnydale last night," Giles replied, "And the mechanics involved so we can plan accordingly."
"It was the new costume shop," Willow replied, her eyes slightly red from previous crying, "and our possessy people chased the owner out of town."
"Excellent work, both of you," Xander complimented. "Was it his departure that broke the spell?"
"No, Xander," Buffy replied somewhat peevishly, "it was knocking over a two-faced statue thingy that did it. He just ran away after."
"W-well done, Buffy, Willow," the librarian congratulated. "It seems Alexander has been repeating the same twenty-four hour period several times. Hopefully this will set things straight for him."
"Like in the movie, Xander?" Willow asked, shocked. "Is that why you made us take the swords and letters with us?"
"Yeah," Xander said, "I didn't think I'd have time to convince you, but I had to make sure both of you were going to be able to make it through the night while I called in Asimov to help with the research." He then read them Drusilla's forecast, and they tried to make sense of it.
"Hmmm, I don't know, Xan," Buffy said. "Maybe you need to keep trying until you get it right?"
"Or maybe learn to live your life the best you can?" Willow guessed, "But what about that Dru and Edith thing?"
"Maybe I'm supposed to become the best demon fighter guy?" Xander considered. "I mean, I've been doing pretty well, but…"
"I-Indeed you have, Alexander," Giles assured him, "But I'm still curious as to why you waited so long to inform us?" The young tired teen paused to gather his thoughts, making him look older than he was.
"The first time, I couldn't be sure it wasn't just a vivid dream," the thoughtful time-looper began, "Then, of course, I had no real leads at the time, and kinda liked picking up the music…I can feel it and hear it in the background." The young man looked restful, almost nodding off in his chair from multiple lifetimes of fatigue.
Xander woke up at Reset, sighing, but feeling better. He knew he should probably just sit the next few loops out to recover, but what if this were the last, and people died. 'Maybe I do this, break the statue, and then rest?'
A smile came over Xander as he grabbed the keys, fines money, Giles' jacket, sword, business cards and a back up pair of glasses. "I can figure this out by myself. Giles will be so proud of me."
"Hello?" Xander called out as he walked into the costume store, placing items on the counter.
"Yeah, I'm going to one of those roast-things, where you make jokes and tell stories about someone?" Xander explained, "I've managed to a hold of a few of Giles' things and plan on dressing as a younger version of him tonight, and since he's from England…"
"You thought I could help out?" Ethan smiled, hoping for a particular answer to his next question. "Ah, that wouldn't happen to be Rupert Giles would it?"
"You know G-Man?" Xander enthused. Maybe Willow and Buffy'd gotten the wrong guy. "Small world, huh?"
"Yes, indeed," Ethan replied, smiling like a predator, "How about I take those things and bring out a change of clothes like he wore at college? You could always throw the jacket on later. He never actually wore the thing until recently, but it always seemed to represent some responsibility or such." Ethan laughed inside as he technically told the truth.
"Sure, thanks, Brit-Guy," Xander laughed, annoying and indeed goading Ethan toward a much greater effort.
'We'll see who the Brit Guy is in a couple of hours, boy,' Ethan smirked as he went to work in the back room.
Xander arrived too late to link up with any of the gang, but managed to get on the road with the kids any way. He'd left his watch in Giles's car, and could only guess at the time. It was pleasant enough, if boring, watching the kids, better than Flanders or Sicily, and he was surprised to be wearing black leather pants, sporting an earring, carrying cigarettes, with a black leather vest and slinging a tweed coat over his shoulder. Glasses and other Giles-isms were secreted in the pockets. He was heading back to the library when the magic changed him again.
"Bloody Hell! What was that?!" Ripper Giles stormed, "And where AM I?" One minute he was with these two birds in their pad off Finsbury Circus, when he not only wasn't on his back enjoying himself, he was clothed with a detestable Watcher coat over his shoulder. Shivering with disgust and anger, he could almost smell the chaos magic…redirecting powerful black magic that permeated everything around him.
'A beautiful right feelin' though,' he admitted to himself, 'But I'll still have to kick around this town the pillock that did this to me.'
Ripper reached deep within himself, drawing the chaos and the dark within him as he searched his coat for the ingredients that would allow him to focus better, when he noticed his hands. 'What the…' he groused as he inventoried his face and body, 'not even in my own body, but at least that demon's mark is off. I'll just find some place to do a recall spell and find out everything about the lad, but first let's have a bit o' fun.'
Ripper let go at will with short bursts of raw magic at anything coming too close to him, sending a few nothing vampires to a final death and sending a singed close-cropped white-haired right bloke of a vampire away. He decided to follow and see where the pride-deflated individual would lead him.
'The Alibi Room,' Ripper mused, 'A more than passable play on words, especially for a demon bar, especially a yank one.' He went in, sword drawn, and as two vampires got up, he casually waved a backwards 'v' salute at them, "Arsum." The dust hadn't quite settled to the floor as he reached the rearmost booth and thumbed the two occupants out of it. They moved, one elbowing the slower on and whispering 'sorcerer' to it.
The barkeep shuffled over and stood with raised eyebrows as he waited. Ripper/Xander threw down forty dollars on the table.
"Bottle of decent single malt, and a decent beer for the singed vampire glaring at me," he ordered with a smirk.
Activity resumed in the bar as it became clear that ignoring the sorcerer meant being ignored by the sorcerer. Fair enough. Ripper sniffed the bottle and it matched the label, and with a little 'nudge' it was suddenly a hundred years older and at far better quality. He noticed the surprise as the glaring vampire's eyes grew wide as he received a free beer from the saloon keeper. It turned and saluted him with the drink with a half-smirk. Ripper waved him over.
"Thanks for the beer, mate," Spike addressed the apparent-youth as he sat down. "I guess I'll forget about earlier and all. Just help carried over from previous management."
Waving for a second glass for the vampire, Ripper turned to his drinking companion.
"Two things," he pointed at the beer. "By accepting the beer you've activated a spell. If you kill me or harm me on purpose, you'll explode." He watched as the vampire's eyes widen, then continued. "Other than that precaution, mate, drink up."
"I never would have expected one of the Slayer's friends to be a black mage or drink with vampires," Spike mused conversationally. "Do her or her bloody Watcher know?"
"No, they do not," Ripper replied, barely containing the disgust rising from his suspicion that he had something to do with his father's 'business.' "Especially as I'm his brother, not the slayer's friend. I'm checking up on him. I ran off to London a few years back and thought I'd return to the land of dark magic."
"Yeah, Sunnydale, Home Sweet Hellmouth, eh?" the vampire snarked, downing his beer as Willy dropped off a glass.
"So, my brother's a junior Watcher?" Ripper winced, pouring liquor into the other's glass. "What else do I need to know before I take him back home to London with me?"
"Oh, he doesn't have much in the way of fightin' skills, the Slayer's always handlin' that," Spike pointed at him with a full glass before downing it, "that's decent stuff, mate, thanks. Where was I, oh yeah, that is she's fightin' when not getting' some from Angelus."
"Wait, Angelus…" Ripper started, leading in slowly so the impatient vampire would finish for him informatively, "Isn't he…"
"…supposed to be a master vampire, Scourge of Europe and all that? Yeah," he finished the sentence with disgust and took a big sip of whiskey. "I tell ya, he used to have a bit o' crazy fun…village here… abbey of nuns there…bit o' arson thrown in...and now he makes that Watcher look like one of the bleedin' Sex pistols, let me tell ya."
"So which Watcher did they send, a Travers or such?" Giles sighed, sipping his own drink and topping both gasses off.
"Nah, some bloke named Rupert Giles," Spike informed the black mage, who downed his drink and a refill in succession. "Kinda prissy fella, really, never shows up to fight, always hanging around that school library."
"And where might I find this…Giles?" Ripper asked carefully, pushing the rest of the bottle toward the vampire as he got up from the booth. Spike, pouring himself another round, gave him directions.
"Oh, I believe this pencil's yours," Ripper remarked, squatting down and picking it up. Spike looked confused.
"Pencil," Spike asked, "Wha—" and turned to dust as Ripper yanked the writing instrument out of William the Bloody's chest and placed it over his ear. Not happy but needing release, the black mage focused much of his gathered energies, and as the demons in the bar noticed a chill in the air, a wave of his hand and black eyes were all the survivors remembered as they heard "Arsum Magnus" and five booths suddenly went up in flames as he stepped into the night.
Ripper walked down the main business street leading eventually to the high school library where he expected to find the boy in control of his body, then figure out a way to return to himself as he is now. Sirens and gunfire could be heard in the residential neighborhoods close by, but the only others out were a quite-edible red head and an old guy in a suit standing in the shadows near a costume shop.
He continued his approach, swaggering down the road to where they'd kicked in the door of the store. 'Might just be a good diversion before I kick my own arse,' he smirked. Stealthily, he made his way to the door, listening in. Hearing the couple move into a back room, he can just make out the proceedings as he stays just this side of the curtain. He sees a statue of Janus, and can guess the nature of the spell and caster even without the words from that room.
"Janus," Giles lectured Willow, "Roman mythical god."
"What does this mean?" the girl asked.
"Primarily the division of self," the Watcher indicated, "Male and female, light and dark."
"Chunky and creamy," Ethan smirked, entering from a room further back, "Oh, no, sorry, that's peanut butter." Giles stares at Ethan as though he's seen a ghost.
"Willow, get out of here, now," Giles orders.
"But..." Willow starts, hesitating.
"Now!" the man shouts.
She obeys him and goes, stepping through a shocked Ripper/Xander, turning around a moment later to see her friend walk into the confrontation.
"Hello, Ethan," Giles begins, coldly, clenching fists at his sides. Xander/Ripper comes up behind Giles quietly, shaking his head in disgust.
"Hello, Ripper," Ethan smiles, then laughs gleefully, "Rippers…What? No hug? Aren't you pleased to see your old mate, Rupert? Ripper?"
"I thought I'd just sit back and kill the winner myself," Xander/Ripper sneered, taking a seat on the counter and arranging items for a spell. "I've my own plans, Ethan, so I'll let the Old Miss handle his own affairs."
"I'm just surprised I didn't guess it was you sooner," Giles remarked, staring coldly at Rayne. "This Halloween stunt stinks of Ethan Rayne."
"Yes, it does, doesn't it?" the chaos mage smirked, "Don't wish to blow my own trumpet, but it's genius. The very embodiment of 'be careful what you wish for.'"
"It's sick, brutal, and it harms the innocent," Giles replied in disgust. "Break the spell, Ethan. Then leave this place and never come back."
"Why should I?" Ethan replied with a cocked eyebrow. "What's in the bargain for me?"
"You get to live," Giles responded, punching the mage in the gut with a left, making him double over, and follows up with a right to the face.
"Good to see I'm not a total waste in my doddering years," Ripper/Xander remarked, finishing his spell preparations.
"What are you doing there?" Giles asked, while kicking Ethan in the ribs. Willow looked in, Giles taking the moment to order her out again.
"Willow, go take care of Buffy!" Giles roared, "I'll meet the two of you in the Library tomorrow morning." This time the girl fled the scene.
"And you said the Ripper was long gone," Ethan remarked, mock-fondly.
"Tell me how to stop the spell," Giles demanded as they heard a spell being cast by Ripper/Xander. Giles impatiently kicks Ethan hard in the kidney, and he yells out in pain. "Now, tell me how to stop the spell."
"Janus," Ethan moaned, "Break its statue." Giles smashes the statue as Xander/Ripper's spell completes.
The statue broke, and Ripper's memory spell went off. Costumes lost their hold and elsewhere things returned to denial, or rather, normal. But in Ethan's Costume Shoppe the magic of Ripper Giles had brought back all of the memories near-eidetically, and because the spell fed on the back-wash of the Janus magic…a bit more.
Xander Harris remembered his childhood, all of the good and bad, returned fresh in that moment, the anguish and physical manifesting themselves briefly on his body. Phil the Weatherman who had died repeatedly in his own Cycle of Time, re-experienced it all anew, but none of the physical. Private Harris experienced the exhaustion of training and combat, as well as personal woe, while York and Murphy experienced their war-time afflictions. Asimov suffered the least, and only his mind could briefly keep rein on the insanity. Ripper…Oh, Ripper reveled in the moment of pain because he created it and because the boy would know the real experiences beneath the tweed. Emotional and related stress of the musicians bonded into the whole as all became one and would provide an amazing depth of musical composition for a lifetime if Xander (?) escaped the loop.
And the most primal memories of man and beast were brought to the fore…not the Hyena Spirit, but the Hyena Memories…the Hunt, the Pack, the lone times in the brush in drought…the pain and the survival. Hunter and Prey.
Things that didn't fit were thrown off as dross, days of nothingness, the repetition of savannah, leaving the moments of experience, of skill, of actions. The good and the bad, intellectual or stupid, but nothing truly passive. If Asimov was writing on the porch, the writing and content remained in memory, but the sounds of cars driving by, or smells of cooking were irrelevant as mind and magic forced the issues. The magic of chaos, and even of hell, is that of result, not passivity, and that's what Ripper forgot. He didn't turn the boy into Ripper Junior, he became absorbed into him. And with Rupert Giles standing next to him as the statue breaker, Xander received that which had come to be Rupert Giles sense, but not the emotions or the passive memories. The dark lifestyle, the cold and experienced Watcher training aspects but none of the reformed feelings behind the choice. Alexander Harris had skills and abilities, but the lack of context was more like an instruction manual than a real integration…"Behold I am Klutzo…Inadvertent Destroyer of worlds…"
I know what you're thinking…talking in the third person is not a sign of the good. Well, I wasn't in a good place, I wasn't really in any place. I'd thought of Giles as a father-figure, but I'm the one that basically told Ethan to take that away from me. All of Giles' deeds are part of me, more than a Highlander quickening, and I don't really know how to explain the pleasure and agony of that moment of magic.
I needed to think when I came out of the Reset, the memories fresh., Not wanting to leave Phil around that…LIBRARIAN, I ran out of the building with Giles' money and car keys…I needed to shoot things, and I knew just who would set me up.
"I need these items, and a lot of cartridges, maybe a lot of fake gold coins," Xander ordered, and handed him a list, not even allowing Ethan Rayne to speak, dropping forty dollars on the counter. With calculation he softly added as the 'shopkeeper' turned away, "and the mood I'm in right now Giles better hope he doesn't meet up with Manco tonight." He felt rather than saw the positively delighted evil look on Ethan's face as the latter headed into the back room.
With fake stubble, the pancho, boots and spaghetti western attire in full, "Manco" Harris walked down the hallways of Sunnydale High, spurs clicking on the floor. Waiting for the chaos to envelop him and take the edge off his latest…incarnation…Xander oozed nameless quiet power as he moved toward Snyder and the waiting halloweeners. He still didn't understand why he was still going trough these parts of the charade, but maybe, like his life with Tony and Jessica, it provided familiarity and guidelines if not comfort. Also, the Man With No Name might be around to save Willow if they were near each other at transition.
A couple pirates laughed at a joke, and as he moved along the outside corridor toward Willow and Buffy, Larry intercepts Xander with a smug look.
"Where's your bodyguard, Harris?" Larry laughs sneeringly, "Curling her hair?" He jumps at Xander, hoping to make him flinch with a near-miss punch. Instead, students and faculty watch as Xander steps outside of the punch, grabs the bully right hand to left wrist, introducing him to a locker door and pain. Xander walks away, putting an old harmonica to his mouth,
'Wa, Wa, Waaaa' having never said a word.
Willow in ghost costume walks toward Xander as Snyder charges past to get there first. Xander returns the harmonica to his pocket, reaching for matches and a cigarillo as the troll approached him.
"Harris! Fighting in school?" the principal sneered, "that's suspension!"
"Well," Xander loudly whispered, lighting a match off the brick wall and moving it to light his smoke, "You might want to discuss with your lawyers and these witnesses the fact that I never said a word, he attacked me, and has for years." He then stared down coldly into the eyes of the little fraud, as he revealed the two authentic revolvers that accessorized the costume, "You might want to adopt a policy of ignoring me if you know what's good you."
"W-Well, uh," the now-frightened man began, reaching for straws, "No smoking in school!" Xander pointed to the ashtray next to him, and the sign 'Designated Smoking Area' that sits right outside the Faculty Lounge outside door. Snyder gives up in frustration and storms off. Xander turns back toward Willow, and pulls the sheet off her.
"Looking good, Willow," Xander continues in his Eastwood whisper, "Leave the sheet here, and stay close to me tonight. I…have a feeling."
"Xander, what're the two stuffed animals with you poking out from under the pancho?" the red head asks as they gather their candy-seekers and leave.
"This one's Phil, and he's real. Say 'hi' Phil," Xander responds, a touch of the old Xander showing through as he hands the groundhog over to Willow, "And the other thing represents the white horse I'd ride if I were really this character." Willow seemed delighted with Phil, who decided for himself he wanted to stay with Willow.
They were out on the streets still, as Xander felt the familiar sensation of the Change beginning. As he felt himself leaving, with all of his strength he screamed to himself mentally as he focused his sight on her, 'Protect Willow!'
Willow watched as the changes took effect, children becoming their costumes. She felt something tickle in her mind, and turning to make sure everything was okay on Xander's side of the street, she say Xander staring intently at her and a white horse's reins in his hands. He led the horse toward her.
"You Willow?" her friend asked her in near-perfect Eastwood tones, the intensity of that look making her deep feelings for Xander come to the fore, matching her confusion at the question.
"Xander?" she replied, then worriedly asked as a suspicion flared, "D-don't you recognize me?"
"No ma'am, can't rightly say I do," Manco, the Man With No Name responded, "One minute I'm nursing a whiskey in Tucumcari, and now I'm here with the idea I'm supposed to protect you."
"Me?" Willow asked, surprised but delighted, thoughts of a certain variety still-nascent in her mind, "A-and what should I call you?" The man stared at her a minute, clearly appreciative of the task at hand, drawing his gun to ward off a pirate that'd been looking their way.
"Manco," the gunman replied, thinking about getting on the horse, "It's as good as any. Turn your…skirt sideways." Willow cocked an eyebrow, blushing as she complied. He grabbed her hips from behind, an unexpected, scary and yet not, experience for the girl, who *was* surprised to suddenly find herself flying up and atop the horse, Manco sitting close behind her.
"Let's find some place safe, shall we?" he breathed, the cigarillo in his teeth not bothering her under these circumstances.
Starting down the road, Willow noticed a woman in a large dress being chased after by a very large demon and four little demons. Recognizing the human brought her from some *very* happy thoughts.
"Buffy?!" Willow exclaimed, pointing out the chased girl to Manco-Xander, who starts to draw as he veers the horse to intercept the Lady.
"No guns!" Willow cried out, "Those little monsters are Children!"
"What about the big one?" he asks her, mouth breathing in her ear causing her to shiver.
"Shoot that one!" she exclaimed decisively. The revolver booms twice, dropping the demon as the backs of its knees are holed. The mini-demons begin to feed on the fresh meat. Manco guides the horse around to Buffy's location.
"Buffy, are you alright?" Willow asks while being helped down from the horse by Manco, "Are you hurt?"
"Who are you?" the young woman asks.
"She doesn't know who we are," Willow says turning to Manco-Xander. "We need to get to a safe place."
"How about a hotel?" Manco asks, "I can afford it."
"No, too far," Willow declares confidently, "I know, we can go to a friend's house. Get her on the horse."
Grimacing, the gunman moves towards Buffy, who looks indignant. "I'll not have you lay hands on me ruffian, and shall not go anywhere with you and your…harlot." The smug arrogance surges as she grabs the cigarillo from his mouth, "And I'll thank you not to smoke that disgusting devil-weed in my presence, low-born."
Xander looked at Willow, who smiled apologetically, yet waved her hands impatiently. Turning around, he lightly punched the slayer in the face, rendering her unconscious. As she collapsed toward the ground, he caught her, flung her over the neck of the beast, moved up into the saddle and offered Willow stirrup and a hand.
'Wow,' Willow considered the new manly Xander as she accepted his hand up and held snugly to his back, and gave him directions so that he could get them there with a minimum of traffic or fuss. He only shot four vampires of the real variety, and kicked a pirate unconscious who was trying to bother a girl as they rode buy.
'That just felt right some how,' he thought, moving them into a trot until the reached the backyard of the house. Xander opens the kitchen door and
scans the room, Willow then calling out to possible residents as they head into the living room.
"Hello? Mrs. Summers?" Willow shouts, remaining close to Manco as he places the Lady on the couch, "Good, she's still at that gallery party and Dawn's at the kiddy party next to it."
"Where are we?" Buffy asks, coming to, "You hit me!" She glares haughtily at Xander-Manco. "My father will have his men thrash you for this!" He knocks her out again with another light tap.
"What did you do that for?" Willow asked, coming back from closing and re-locking the back door.
"She was annoying," the man said, "Did you really want to listen to her?"
"Well, no…" Willow conceded, "But even if she doesn't remember us, she's a friend." She started looking at him again.
"Then she'll understand I saved her from embarrassment," he responded
as a banging came from the front door. Manco goes to investigate, and Willow groans as yet another interruption of her plans for Manco-Xander takes place. They hear a woman screaming outside. Xander looks out again.
"Damn it!" Willow sighs, frustrated, "Go help!" Manco opens the door and goes out to rescue the person, door closing behind him.
Cordelia screams as she runs from a sasquatch and four laughing vampires following along for the show and possible meal.
"Somebody help me!" Cordelia screams, nearing the Summers residence. She looks back at the monster chasing her and screams again. When she turns back around again she nearly runs into Xander, who draws two revolvers from under his pancho, firing into the legs of the beast, to bring it down, the vampires falling down as they run into it. This causes them to go game-face in frustration.
"Xander!" Cordelia cries as the gunfire starts in earnest, "Help me!"
*Crack-Crack*
*Crack-Crack*
*Crack-Crack*
*Crack-Crack*
Four vampires lose most of their faces at that range, two of them dusting as the lead separates jaw and neckbones from the skull. The other two fall back from shock and pain.
"Get in the house, woman," Manco rasps, "I'll finish off these things." He walks over and shoots the throats out of the wounded vampires, ending them. He grabs the stunned Cordelia by her elbow and leads her into the house, leaving the furry beast to slowly regenerate from its wounds.
"So, what's going on Willow?" Cordelia began, and looking at the red head, "Nice look, only needs a little work."
"Cordelia? Are you okay?" the girl responded. "You know us?"
"Yeah, Lucky me," Cordelia smarted off. "What's going on? I was just attacked by Jo-Jo, the Dog-Faced Boy. Look at my costume! Do you really think that Party Town's gonna give me my deposit back? Not on the likely."
Manco, meanwhile, has removed the pancho and begun reloading his weapons again. Xander offers it to her, flicking it with the toe of his boot into Cordelia's hands.
"Here," he responded, "You'll be warmer and less distracting."
"Thanks," Cordelia replied gratefully, it only now really dawning on her that he'd dusted four vampires and rescued her from the animal thing.
"Okay," Manco says, "Let's all just sit tight and see if this craziness outside goes away. Hey, Red, you have any whiskey around here? I think we could all use a drink."
"I don't think that's a good idea, Xa—Manco," Willow responded, "but I'll check the kitchen for food?" He gives her a small smile and nod that causes her heart to skip as she goes. Manco gets up and forces a chair under the door knob to resist entry, and turns off the living room light, leaving on the porch light to silhouette any that try sneaking up on them.
"Now, Cordelia was it?" Manco asked, and when she turned and before she could respond continued, "Check upstairs. Make sure everything's
locked up, then head back to the dining room. We'll hole up there."
Willow puts a bunch of food possibilities on the dining room table a few minutes later, as Manco come into the room from one direction, and Angel from the kitchen.
"Oh, good! You guys are alright," Angel states, "It's total chaos out there."
Manco reaches for his guns as Willow and, from behind him, Cordelia, call for him to stop.
"No, don't!" they both cry out, causing Angel to halt his entrance and Manco to refrain from firing.
"He doesn't know who he is," Cordelia stated, squeezing Xander's arm possessively, "though he shot up four vampires while rescuing me."
"Bullets don't kill vampires," Angel stated in disbelief. Manco looked at him
"They do if you use lead to remove their heads from their bodies close-up," the gunman half-whispered, holstering his weapons since the women thought this one unthreatening.
"So…where's Buffy," Angel asked, concerned. "I thought she'd be here."
"You mean the loud woman in the big dress?" Manco mentioned, "She's on the parlor divan."
Twenty minutes later, Manco had sized up the other man, a cold calm character, not to be slighted in a fight, even if he wasn't bright enough to carry side arms or even a shot gun. Listening carefully, both men looked at each other as they heard noise coming from the kitchen, then the door crashed in. Angel leapt forward, beating two mini-demons back out the door. Manco followed him out guns ready, and concerned for his horse.
Bursting out the door before anything could get in, Manco quickly sized up the situation, Angel was fighting two mini-demons, with two more knocked down behind them getting back up. He faced the tougher and easier opponents, five adult size bastards switching to demon faces, and a vampire clearly the leader waiting behind them.
Willow cries out to Angel that the monsters are changed children, which slows him down in his efforts.
*Crack-Crack* and two cried out in pain and fright, powder burns
singeing them. *Crack* *Crack-Crack* and the other two trying to push around them take shots in mouth and neck, taking the fight out the two srelatively new minions *Crack-Crack* and the latter two dust as heads remove form bodies, dust rising and mixing together, and *Crack* the leader cries in pain from the shot taken blind as Manco races sideways into the backyard out of the cloud and light to see his target. His horse is trying to bolt, but is too well secured.
Spike and four more minions are all that's left as Manco manages to drop-out his barrels and snap in two more in the ten second lull taking place as the minions were brought to heal by their master, who swaggers forward, wound healed.
"So, you're the man my Dru says is the Man With No Name," Spike smarts off, "Well Ulysses, It's time to die, as I'm *no* Cyclops. Kill him!"
The minions start forward and a black-clad blur tackles the two on the right, upsetting the minions' charge. Four rounds thump into Spike's body, Manco as surprised as the master vampire at the turn of events as one revolver seems to jam up. Manco pauses briefly, and Spike screams out, "Get out of here!" and runs off into the night. The three remaining minions manage to escape into the alley. Manco repreapares his weapons as the others come up to him.
"Will the mouthy one be back?" he asks Angel, "Or will he take a hint?"
"Even if he doesn't come back tonight," Angel sighed, "he'll be determined to go after everyone here and their families."
"Can you protect Willow and the others?" Manco asked, calming his horse.
"You really shouldn't go," Angel answered, "especially alone."
Manco got back up on his horse, Cordelia handing him his pancho. He winked at her, putting it on. Willow's protests were ignored, and as she placed her hand on his knee, he leaned down on impulse and gave her a quick peck on the cheek, a bit of Xander showing through.
For reasons he didn't understand, Manco seemed to have an instinctual knowledge of where the vampires and other demons seemed to be. Between running them down with his horse, and using rifle and occasional revolver shots, he'd dusted twenty of the bastards and a half-dozen things he'd never be able to describe, as he pursued and herded off-path the wounded, recovering, re-wounded and again recovering master vampire, something always stepping in the way of the kill. The horse was killed by a white furry thing an hour before. 'This bastard has my own luck in surviving.'
Finally, the crowds thinned as the night progressed, Manco finally back in revolver range as he ducked into the doorway one shop down from the shop of costumery into which the vampire had darted. Carefully, he followed the vampire into the store, hearing a backdoor being destroyed, he hurried to the back, guns angled to the sides in case of ambush. Seeing none, he continued out the back of Party Town, losing the trail.
Guessing as to the location of the house, he managed to get there at around an hour past midnight, finding it darkened. Angel stepped out of the bushes, clearing his throat to avoid a confrontation.
"Buffy's mother drove the others home," Angel remarked, "Did you…dust Spike?"
"No," Manco replied, "I had to keep taking care of other things as they came along. I've run into the same pirate twice tonight and knocked him in the nose. Annoying."
"So what now?" Angel asked.
"Know where I can find a *good* bottle of whiskey and place to sleep for the night?"
"Yeah, a place called the Alibi Room," Angel smirked. "It'll cost you, but they'll have it. You can sleep on my couch if that's acceptable."
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Manco asked, having spoken more words in this night than in the last two years combined except to order a room, a whiskey, a steak or a senorita. "Do they have food there?"
"There's a diner on the way, we'll eat first. They don't have whiskey," Angel remarked. "But it's on the way to the…saloon. You have any money?"
"Yeah, about twenty of these," Manco responded, sowing him a handful of gold eagles, "This do?"
"Here, give me two of those," Angel looked on, impressed, "and I'll cover this evening, they only use...greenbacks."
So Angel and Manco spent an hour or so at the diner, but you have to remember, that I wasn't exactly myself. Besides, with Cordelia becoming slightly interesting as the Willow-Xander Du Jour possibilities becoming near-time probabilities, the Buffy factor standing been Dead Boy and myself was evaporating steadily on my side of things.
Manco had steak, Angel settled for coffee. The conversation revolved around vampires, Spike, Drusilla and the nightlife in Sunnydale; the professional guide to killing things. They were half-way to Willy's when Xander felt the costume magic drop. Tired, but not overly, Xander decided to keep heading to the Alibi Room with Angel. Surprisingly, it seemed the most normal time he'd had in a while, feeling like furlough after a long stretch at the front. Xander had Angel go game-face as they approached a quad of vamps. They feigned conversation as they drew close, then as Angel leapt forward against a large vampire, Xander cocked his revolvers and shot into the necks of two vamps at close range, dusting one and dropping another to the ground. Angel turned from quickly dusting the first to strike the remaining vamp hard in the head. Xander took a stake from a sheath and quickly staked the two unsteadied undead.
"Not bad, Manco," Angel noted, "we'll make a demon hunter out of you yet."
At Willy's bar, Xander decided for luck he'd take his 'favorite booth', walking over to where a vamp was nursing a mug of blood.
"Angelus and I are sitting there," Xander whispered, gun drawn under the poncho, "It's time for you to move." The vamp looked over to Angelus, then into the human's cold eyes. It got up and left. Xander sat down, facing the door, but turned for a minute to read graffiti on the wall when the dark-clad vampire sat down across from him.
"Thought you could just run ol' Spike outta town, now didja?" the healed vampire sneered. "Now you're the one outnumbered and your poor choice of companions is in a wee bit o' difficulty, eh?" Xander looked to see Dead Boy wincing from a head wound as two burly minions started moving over to the table.
"Now what do you have to say for yourself, now?" the master vampire sneered. "Before I kill you?"
*Crack-Crack* his left revolver under the poncho shot into the knee of one of Angel's captors, as the other round from the revolver Xander'd been adjusting under the table as Spike showed up…plowed into the vampire's soft under the table parts. The master vampire seized up and screamed in surprise and agony as the bullet tore through to lodge in the vampire's spine.
Angel quickly moved against his opponents, Xander simply firing into Spike again before bringing both side-arms above the table. "This isn't Mos Eisley, Spike, but you're just as stupid as that bounty hunter," Xander remarked as he blew a pair of big holes in Spike's neck, removing his head as the lead passed through into the next booth, dusting another to everyone's surprise.
"That'll be a to-go order, Willy," Angel remarked to the bartender, "The atmosphere in here is suddenly less appealing."
We never even broke open the bottle. I was mentally tired, and passed out a few minutes after hitting the couch, and purposely slept as late as possible. With a vampire as my host, I didn't much worry about being bothered by Giles, or forced to get up. I just stayed there resting. I think the vampire could sense the exhaustion and let me be.
The Reset occurred, and I was back to being showered and ready for another round. Still tired, I wanted to slowly get back to myself but didn't really want to be alone in a crowd with my memories until they'd blended more. Fifty-five years of Manco memories helped a lot in that regard to Ripper, though the death toll on my future list of nightmares would be high. But I was reminded that not all evil is demonic.
I headed back into school, my costume putting me in an upbeat mood, and I had a little extra something with me this time for someone else. The bandolier and extra plasma rifle couldn't hurt much on the hell mouth.
Xander had from memory managed to hit the best houses, plus a couple of streets next to the High School, and returned the kids to school with time to spare. Stealing Giles' car again, he headed to where he needed to be to help his friends when suddenly he saw Tucker Wells dressed as a big furry thing. Pulling the car over, he barely missed Cordelia as he called out to the other teen. Xander straightened out the brown vest over white shirt as he walked over to Tucker.
"Hey Tucker," Xander called out, "I need someone to head over to the school for a skit, and you're almost dressed for the part."
"I don't know, Harris," the dog-lover demurred until Xander held up a $20 bill, "Okay. What do I need to do?"
"Put this on," Xander said, noting a minute to go, "the bandolier, yeah. Cool."
"Xander," Cordelia complained, "You almost hit me! Who do you think you are?!" Smirking as he felt the magic roll over them, he retorted.
"I'm Han Solo, and this is Chewbacca."
She watched as Tucker Wells gained slightly in stature, but suddenly became a wookie. This caused her to reevaluate the snappy comeback she'd been ready to unleash as she notice Xander looking around suspiciously.
"Hey, lady," Han Solo addressed her, trying to figure out what was going on, "What's going on here?"
"I'm not sure," Cordelia responded, looking around as former children now ran wild as mini-demons "But we'll find Buffy and she'll know."
After directing them to the car, Cordelia took over the ghastly task of driving Giles' car back toward the school and became quieter as it became clear that Xander *was* Han Solo. After a few minutes, she screamed, braking the car but bumper-punting a small but real demon away from Buffy and Willow to hear a disheartening conversation.
"A DEMON! A DEMON!" Buffy screams pointing at the car, "A DEMON!"
"That's not a demon, Buffy," Willow sighed, "It's a car."
"What does it want?" the Lady nearly cried.
"We'd like to know what's going on?" Cordelia sighed, then addressed Willow, "Is she insane? I have Han Solo and Chew-Toy in the car. What should we do?" Chewie let out an indignant noise at being insulted.
"She thinks she's an 18th Century Lady," Willow sighed again, "Can we cram in and you take us to Giles at the Library?"
"Okay," Cordelia sighed, "Cram in." After five minutes of arguing, with Han shooting two stray vampires before stunning Buffy, and Chewie blasting a Polgara demon trying to get away from a half-dozen mini-demons, they were on their way and shortly arrived back at the school.
None of the Scoobies have their spare keys to the Library, so before anyone can knock he fires his blaster at the lock, Chewie jumping forward to push them open successfully.
Giles had been going through his card cataloging when he'd voices. Moving to investigate, he'd come to a complete stop when the doors flashed with light, then knocked him back and onto the floor
"Ahhh," Giles moaned: "Ow!"
"Hi Giles," Willow greeted the librarian, "We have trouble out there."
"Red, that's putting it mildly," Solo affirmed kicking his feet up on the table, "If half what you say is true, Chewie and I need to get back quick and change some things."
"What are you talking about, Xander?" the Watcher asked, very little sense being made. "Wh—"
"Giles," Cordelia interrupted, "People out there switched places with their costumes and so you have a lot of kids out there as demons now!"
"S-So you're saying Xander and this other person here," Giles gestured, are actually…"
"Han Solo and Chewbacca, Chief," the Republic General affirmed, "and your tough girl is nothing but noise and fluff."
"Dear Lord, what will we do?" Giles worried, "Where to begin our research…Ah, Willow, why didn't you change into whatever you are? Or Miss Chase for that matter?"
"Well, I'm really dressed as a less-repressed version of me, and trust me when I say Xander Solo's looking pretty good about now." Cordelia nodded in agreement. "And other than that we bought at least part of our costumes at a new place. Ethan's."
"Well, that's charming but not goin' do ya a whole lotta good, now is it?" William the Bloody asked as his eight minions followed him into the library and flanked him. "So, the Slayer's all fluff and noise, huh? So why's she asleep?"
"Because she got on my nerves," Solo sighed heavily as Chewie aimed his rifle at one of the nearer vampires. "I take it you're the local vampire guy?"
"Yeah, whelp, that'd be me," he said slipping into game-face and swaggering almost all the way to Buffy, as Han brought up his blaster. "And as all I want is the Slayer, stay where you are or die, unless your toy there can actually do something?" Spike's hand reached for Lady Buffy…
*Chooomp* then 'poof' followed by *Ch-Choooomp* as both energy weapons fired on Spike's nearest minions, dusting three of them as the burns cauterized the holes where their hearts used to be.
*Splash* and a pointed-toe woman's pump into the groin by Cordelia stunned Spike long enough for Solo to turn back to him. *Choomp* *Choomp* and the screams of William the Bloody filed the room as Chewbacc wrestled a vampire to the ground and ripped its head off. Willow and Giles each grabbed Buffy and dragged her behind Solo, and into the office as the fight erupted.
*Choooomp* another minion dusted as the rest broke and ran having suffered some minor singeing. Spike turned to charge his attacker when *Choomp* a throat shot brought an end to William the Dusty.
"You can come out now," Solo called, then turned to Cordelia, "If I wasn't married and expecting twins soon, princess, I wouldn't mind adding you to the crew of the 'Falcon.' I bet you'd make a good tail-gunner."
*Slap*
"What'd I say?" Solo asked, confused at the hit, "What?"
"REEEaaaeeEoorrr," Chewie returned, ""Rouuuuooreee"
"I meant no such thing," the former smuggler said, "I meant Leia would be jealous, and she'd shoot Imperial fighters out of the sky…"
"B-be that as it may, Mr., ah, Solo," Giles responded, "We must go and deal with this Ethan in order to end this spell…and presumably send you home."
"Works for me, " the young smuggler smiled, "Let's just get me back before Luke gets me drafted into another one of his off-the-cuff save the Galaxy schemes again." He rolled his eyes as Chewie laughed.
Ethan Rayne was not expecting a midget-wookie to slam him against a wall, but that cleared up as his old friend's voice cut through the pain.
"How do we end the spell, Ethan," Giles' voice demanded, "or do you want your new friend to eat you?" The wookie slammed Ethan into the wall again, then looked over his shoulder at Giles. The librarian caught the undecipherable look and at the weird roaring responded in the only way possible.
"I *know* he's too skinny and smelly, but it was meant as a threat, not a declaration regarding your diet," the Watcher assured him. At a less angry growling, "Of course you can hit him again, try a leg or other extremity, we need the information." With a placated noise, the wookie turned back to inflict more damage when Ethan realized he couldn't talk his way out of this situation.
"The statue of Janus," the chaos mage called out, "Break the statue."
*Chooomp* crash, and the blaster turned the ceramic into clay dust. Everything turned back to normal. Tucker pulled the costume head off, looking disturbed. Giles was quick on the draw this time.
"Come, lad, the gas leak must have thrown off your senses a bit, let's get you and the others home," the librarian offered, "Oh, and Ethan? I expect you to be out of Sunnydale by tomorrow."
Ethan was about to make a snide comment when Xander stared into his eyes, and whispered, "Be careful of what you wish for, Ethan, or it'll come back to haunt you, like Eyghon." The boy in front of him picked up the cashbox and walked out to find a hotel room and get some sleep.
The Reset occurred, and I was back to being showered and ready for another round. I still wasn't happy, but the rogue smuggler's life of Han Solo held a distraction with great appeal. Other worlds, other experiences, and memories admittedly both good and bad from which I was starting to gain perspective. Sometimes I seemed to pick up some of the personality traits where they overlapped with mine. I wasn't always the happiest Xander, but I was me. I needed to experience more, but for now make sure that each person I chose to 'become' could be considered similar enough or connected to who I am at the end of the previous loop. And once I could put aside my extreme discomfort regarding Giles, I'd try getting out of 'here.'
A smuggler of skill, daring and a teacher limited my choices, but with a comic and science fiction sponge of a mind like I had, my next choice set into motion a far longer and interesting journey than I'd planned. After half an hour of driving around thinking, I pulled up to Ethan's again and headed in.
Xander headed back into school, his costume putting him in a better mood, and he admitted to himself, the skin-tight bodysuit under the long desert cloak did draw the interested attention of the female population in a favorable manner.
"Harris, what are you," Larry snickered, "Some kinda leather pervert?" Xander walked by and smiled.
"A guy dressed like a pirate is looking at another guy's ass, Larry?" Xander replied loudly, "I think you're the one with sex issues."
Larry lunged at the dark teen, and found himself grabbed by the wrist, kneed in the groin, and as he opened his eyes with his back on the floor, found a sword at his throat.
"Don't ever touch me, boy, understand?" Xander quietly and coldly asked, getting a terrified nod form the bully, "And stay away from my girls." Xander walked off and down the hall to where Snyder, Willow and Buffy stared at him in stunned amazement at the speed and controlled violence of their goofball friend. Snyder raised an index finger and was about to tear into Alexander Harris when the bow half-raised his sword in Snyder's direction, giving him the same look he'd given Larry.
"Keep your football players on a leash, and stop singling us out," Xander ordered the suddenly-intimidated school official, "Now, where's the group of kids I'll be escorting?" Snyder simply pointed. As Xander left the trio, he smirked at Willow, "And go I forth as a wild ass into the wilderness…"
Xander's pre-knowledge of the best houses once again led to full bags and a return to school before the spell kicked in, but this time around, Willow and Buffy, concerned over their friend's behavior, guided their respective groups behind his. As the kids removed their masks and waited for the parents to arrive, Xander removed Willow's ghost costume and commented after wolf-whistling at her.
"Wills, you're my best friend, but right now if we were strangers I'd be thinking you, me, champagne and a weekend at the Sheraton," Xander said glibly. Buffy choked on a gasp while a wide-eyed blushing Willow was unable to decide whether she was upset or thrilled at this very un-Xander-like comment coming from her long-time crush.
"Who do you think you are talking to Willow like that?" Buffy finally asked as Xander looked at the clock and felt the magic creep upon them.
"Gurney Halleck, of course," Xander replied with a self-deprecating tone, "Smuggler and troubadour, Lover and Gladiator."
The young woman standing before him reminded him of the some of the impoverished gentrywomen he'd seen desperate to hold onto pre-Harkonnen status on several worlds his Duke, Kwisatz Haderach and Regent-Emperor Paul-Muad-Dib had sent him to reclaim for civilization. The Harkonnen dogs had stripped and enslaved a half-dozen worlds in the last three years without anyone outside the Guild noticing, but with the Fremen establishing Paul's control of The Million Worlds, the conclusions were always foregone. How he'd gotten to this odd place with the disarray that seemed only now to be starting was his current priority.
"Xander?!" a red-headed teenager dressed in the attire of a Caladan tour guide addressed him, "What's happening?!"
"I don't know, young miss," Gurney responded, "But this gentrywoman here is wearing thin on my nerves with her panicky screaming and fluttering about." Lady Buffy was dodging children and parents escaping from apparent mini-demons, and now trying to hide behind Willow and himself.
"Young woman!" Gurney addressed the largely-gowned girl, "Cease and desist right now!" She quieted in fear, frozen to the spot. She pointed at his face, causing him to gesture at Willow, "This young guide will show us to a place of reasonable safety, after which I'll see to this chaos here." He turned to Willow, and placed Buffy's left elbow into her right hand, then drew his weapon and a sword.
"No!" Willow called out, "I think that something has caused the children and others to become transformed into their costumes, these are kids, Xander!" Gurney holstered his sidearm, but kept the sword at the ready.
"What kind of title is 'Xander'?" Gurney asked, "I've not heard it on any of the other planets I've visited." Willow looked at him confused for a moment, noticing his blue-tinged eyes, sighed, then decided to just go with it whatever was happening.
"'Xander' means protector," she said remembering the meaning of Alexander's name. She gestured at Sunnydale High, "And Mr. Giles the Librarian at the school might be able to determine what's going on, here, especially with you being in Xander's body and the…warrior Buffy being so whiny now."
The trio headed into the Library building, Gurney using his lasgun to blast open the door of the structure before he'd have to listen much longer to the gentrywoman.
"Sorry about the door, Scholar Giles," Gurney unsympathetically offered, "But there are things amiss outside that according to the young guide," he gestured at Willow, "need determination of cause so it can be resolved." Gurney then proceeded to close the doors and move the heavy table to bar entry by others. Willow explained things to Giles, as Lady Elizabeth wandered around and looked intimidated by the sheer number of volumes.
"And so, it looks like Buffy and Xander have become their costumes, too," she ended her tale. Sighing, she sat down and to pass the time seemed to look appreciatively at Xander in his tight stilsuit and jubba cloak. Giles paused to consider everything, replaying her words in his mind. He watched the professional soldier that wore Xander's body examining the weapons cage, the defensibility of the Library and his own body.
"S-So, erm, Mr. Halleck," Giles addressed Xander, "I'm wondering if you've swapped bodies, or if you are in possession of it and Xander is still in there with you somehow?" Gurney Halleck looked disturbed at this prospect, but a look into Willow's compact mirror left very little doubt, and the lack of scars on these young, different hands lent further credence to the tale.
"Let me try and contact this Xander of yours," Gurney suggested, sitting on the table and concentrating, meditating, visualizing a Xander inside of himself. 'Xander! Are you in here, lad?' Gurney thought, "Xander!' After a minute or so of trying, finally he got a response.
'Who's calling me?' Xander responded, sounding as though he were coming out of a deep sleep, 'And what do you want?'
"This may be hard to believe, lad, but I'm apparently possessing your body,' Gurney mused at the very teenaged response of an eye roll, even if mental, reminding him of Paul in his playful moments on Caladan.
'It's happened before,' Xander replied, 'Is there anything I can do for you…Gurney Halleck?'
'You know who I am?!' Gurney asked in surprise, 'How?' Xander apologized, but explained the whole chaos-hellmouth thing as he knew it, and that he'd hoped Gurney could keep his loved ones safe and perhaps allow Xander himself time to get over his mental fatigue and anger by learning the methods Gurney used to not simply suicide attack the nearest Harkonnen and be done with life. Gurney and Xander interacted and shared information, Gurney effectively giving up himself but Xander gaining that which is Gurney Halleck in return. The Harkonnen Gladiator would leave a new student on this Earth to face undead opponents equally loathsome. They agreed that Xander would observe, but Gurney would keep control of the body until he left.
"The boy's doing fine," Gurney revealed, "And it is possession, but until this is resolved I will retain control while Xander observes and advises now that he's awake." The others, in slightly different positions, looked at him and nodded. "He also asked me to remind Willow that they all got their costumes from Ethan Rayne's costume shop."
"Damn that Ethan!" Giles swore, "It figures a stunt like this would be his handiwork. I-I must get to this shop and stop him before too many others are killed or hurt." They started to get up, Giles waving Willow to stay with Buffy. "Please stay here where it's safe, I'll take Mr. Halleck with me."
On the way, Xander and Gurney discussed strategies and venues of study. Xander had read all of the Dune series books and gave *his* opinion on the God-Emperor fish-guy scenario, that if it had to happen then Paul should remain to stabilize his children and keep his eyesight, that Alia needed to be better-guided and perhaps a good young man found for her so that she'd be less likely to travel her grandfather's path. In turn, Gurney made no bones about telling Xander to work on his personal combat skills and physique, and to carry himself as the young lord he reminded Gurney so much of.
'Listen, lad,' Gurney instructed the boy, 'As you become more powerful and skilled, use it for the good of those you can guide and help in turn. I think you need to concentrate on body skills, even if you can't do much in this situation. When you feel ready for something else, move slowly from one form to another to keep your balance, your self. You must remain internally balanced or your enemies can hurt and destroy you. When you're ready, be the best you that you can be and get yourself out of here. I also expect you to forgive Mr. Giles indiscretions he's clearly regretted and making amends for.'
They walked into the costume shop, Gurney walking into the back and rendering the chaos mage unconscious by slamming his lasgun stock into Ethan's forehead.
"Mr. Giles, it was informative," the Atreides Armsman said, nodding in salute, "And Alexander has exchanged information with me. I'm expecting him to pull himself up and do his best, as I must in my own world. Good-bye." And repeating that with a mental smile to Xander, he lasgunned the statue into dust and tiny shards.
"A-are you okay, Xander?" Giles asked with concern, the youth looking a little tired as he headed for the cash box, "Perhaps we should head back and see to the safety of the girls." They left quietly, Xander pondering the life of Gurney Halleck and the lessons pointed out he should learn from it.
"An unforeseen event is warping the connections between realities and dimensions near the Hellmouth, Brother," the female Oracle. "What, I cannot see."
"What?!" the Male Oracle exclaimed, actually emoting, "Who can be sent? Who is expendable?"
"None are easily expendable, and it is causality within causality," she responded. "This seems to be the product of Chaos. It must be resolved from within. I sense the Other Side is becoming aware, as are many who are sensitive to such things."
"And if they intervene, so must we…"
"…But any who are sent in, will be trapped and cannot be contacted…"
"…Until the matter is resolved…We should send…"
"…Those foreseen to make appearances at the Mouth of Hell…"
"Hmm," Dawn said, looking around the party, "I was somehow sure Mr. Jensen wasn't going to make it tonight and there he is."
The next day found "Gurney Harris" asleep in the library where he'd decided to bed instead of returning home. He could almost smell the mélange thick in the air as the Fedaykin stormed the final Sardaukar defenses between Paul and Shaddam. The screams, the windstorm, the adrenaline rushing through his veins, the elation as he himself took out two Sardaukar in succession before scything through a plethora of Harkonnen and mercenary auxiliaries. To wake suddenly at that moment was disconcerting, especially as he didn't know whether to draw his colt, roll onto the floor and fire his blaster or order strong coffee after a night of hard drinking in London.
He was Alexander Harris, but he could feel the experience and weight of memories behind him. And he suspected that his last four 'possessors' had had somewhere to return after the spell lifted. "Why was Gurney able to reach me last night?" he asked allowed, 'The mélange?' part of him whispered in the back of his mind. Getting up from the cot, he realized he was still wearing his stilsuit and jubba cloak. The real ones, not the costume pieces.
Xander'd had time to think and the privacy afforded by the Library soothed him. He looked through the cafeteria cupboards and found food for Phil, who still seemed to transition with him every time, and a couple gallons of juice. He thought through the skills, the memories, the experiences, of his possessive entities, and then his own. Using the analytical abilities of Giles, Halleck and Asimov, began to note the gaps and rough edges, where he needed to be able to instinctually act and react, making his new gifts truly his own. He fired up the computer, punched into Willow's search engine the skills he wanted or sought to improve in general terms, and half an hour later he had two historical figures that fit the bill at different levels.
Figuring that he probably had a few hours until Giles, or at least the Scoobies, appeared, he began a series of unarmed combat workouts by accessing his 'Gurney' skills. He practiced until he'd gone through the entire set of routines, then pushed his exhausted body to pick up twin short swords, adding them in and continuing to familiarizing himself, letting the memories and instinct takeover, the hyena energy now his atop a hell mouth in a temporal loop fueling the change. An unknown time later, as he started a whirling charge at an unseen opponent, Buffy leapt in with twin short swords, moving up to Slayer speed as it became apparent that the fully-engaged Xander could move at tremendous speed and with great agility even if rusty with carry-through. After nearly six minutes, Xander finally called a halt as she took a step back before possibly attacking anew.
"Wheeew, thanks Buff," Xander smiled his trademark grin at her, "You jumped in at just the right time for me to get in some real-opponent sparring." He placed his swords on the table and grabbed a couple of towels, offering one to her. She paused a moment then set her swords down and accepted one.
"So what was that all about, Xander?" the slayer asked, "Where'd you learn to fight like that?"
"Gurney Halleck was a 'gladiator' amongst other things in the slave pits of Giedi Prime before escaping to become the weapons master for a planetary ruler," Xander 'reminisced' quietly, "He passed on his knowledge to me before leaving." Xander reached over and poured four large glasses of double-strength orange juice and started in on a few 'cooling off' exercises as the others thought about it all.
"X-Xander," Giles addressed the young man, "I haven't read 'Dune' in over twenty years, but how would this Gurney Halleck understand English?"
"I *don't* really know, Giles," Xander considered, "Proximity to the Hellmouth? Melange in his system warping reality so that he *could* contact me? Believe me, I've given it some thought, and even though his own language is partially derived from our own, that's like saying ours is derived from pre-Classical Greek."
"Well, what about the ROUS, Xander?" Willow asked as she petted a happy groundhog, "I don't remember him from Dune." Xander considered lying, but seeing her and the ROUS, just went truth instead.
"Phil started his current existence as a very successful example of Uncle Rory's taxidermy phase," Xander revealed, "And when I completed my first time loop as the guy from Ground Hog Day, Phil made the rounds as a living animal once again. He's excellent company."
"W-What do you mean?" Giles asked with a touch of confusion, "This is some sort of repeating experience for you?" He began cleaning his glasses.
"Chaos magic that converts you to your costume, atop the Hell Mouth, and your character is caught in a causality loop?" Xander smirked with a tired look, "What are the chances of that, Ripper?" Giles dropped his glasses at the use of his old nickname.
"That's right, I once dressed as a man avoiding tweed," Xander emotionlessly, though with Giles' own accent, "And was with these two birds in their pad off Finsbury Circus when the spell hit Ol' Ripper. And when the spell has broken, Ol' Ripper decided he'd stick around somehow and made it so I'd remember everything from today, but…oops, today for me goes on and on…and I don't feel like talking about it right now." Giles got up when he heard the tea kettle whistle.
"But how are you gonna get out of your time loop thingie if we don't help you?" Buffy pressed, "We're your friends." Xander gave her a small but tired smile.
"I have to figure things out for myself, first, Buff," Xander sighed, "and when I get to that point, or at least to a point where I feel I can really push to end 'today' I'll do what's necessary."
"It just seems weird that the rest of us won't remember this," Willow remarked, "I mean, nothing but you changes at all?"
"Well, Phil stayed a real, living groundhog," Xander replied, "But I really haven't paid too close attention to little details except to pick up a board with nails Mrs. Summers ran over once. I guess I could, though."
"So there's nothing we can do to help, Xan?" Buffy asked again.
"Not unless you want to join me, Willow, champagne and the Sheraton for a few hours."
SMACK. SMACK.
"Ow!"
Xander considered again who he'd 'been' and the words shared with Gurney Halleck. He considered the weapons used against demons were those that had in one way or another been used for millennia, and perhaps going as someone of unquestionable or legendary skill might indeed be the way to go. Most everything he needed was in the weapons cage in the Library. Getting Ethan Rayne to work the mojo on enough stuff would be the key, but as seemed to be the case previously, mentioning Giles' name should be enough to goad him forward.
The Reset occurred, but as he got up from the table, a weapon fell to the ground. 'Looks like the crysknife made it through with me,' Xander thought, doing a quick inventory to see that that was all that had made it with him. 'And I looked so good in the stilsuit,' he sighed.
Patting Phil on the head, and leaving a dish of water, Xander grabbed up the necessary weapons and headed toward Ethan's. Getting there wasn't a problem, and he entered the place with confidence.
"Can I help you young man?" Ethan asked, slightly annoyed, "I was thinking about closing early as business has all but disappeared." He recalled the young man as a low-spender in with the blonde he guessed was the slayer.
"Well, after talking to my friend Giles at the School Library," Xander carefully replied, "I realized that a better costume would be something different, so I'm thinking heroic Roman gladiator-guy? What was his name?"
"Spartacus, I believe," Ethan responded, and couldn't help but ask, "And that wouldn't happen to be Rupert Giles, would it?"
"Oh, yeah, you know the G-Man?" Xander choreographed, "We got him going as a Roman senator, so I thought I'd surprise him by being Spartacus? Think ya can help me out? I have fifty dollars, most of the weapons, but nothing else, and I still need to pick up a few party supplies. Do you think you could put something together for me while I run errands?"
"Oh, my boy, just leave what you have here, and I'm sure you'll do just fine," Ethan replied, laughing, "You'll positively kill our friend Rupert tonight."
Xander walked confidently along the halls of the high school, attired in the sandals, weaponry, shorts and leather cross braces of a minimally-attired gladiator. Twin gladii over his back, daggers strapped in different places and crysknife on his waist, Xander's attire affected a far greater female reaction than occurred in other universes involving a speedo. His accoutrement emphasized what he had and down-played lack of muscular toning. And the increased confidence he felt inside mirrored itself outside.
A couple pirates laughed at a joke, and as he moved along the outside corridor toward Willow and Buffy, Larry made the mistake of intercepting Xander Harris with a smug look.
"Where's your bodyguard, Harris?" Larry laughs sneeringly, "Curling her hair?" Xander ignores him and continues on, angering Larry in front of his friends. He places a hand on Xander, hoping to make him flinch or do something stupid. Instead, students and faculty watch as Xander grabs the hand, twists it and introduces the jock to a locker door and pain. Xander walks away without greater pause.
Willow in ghost costume walks toward Xander as Snyder charges past to get there first. Xander pulls out two daggers as Snyder nears, and holds them up in front of him as Snyder's about to speak.
"Every time Larry attacks me," Xander coldly rages at the troll, "I'll make sure *you* feel his pain, Snyder." The vice principal stepped back, unused to, and a bit afraid of, *this* Xander Harris, "Now, I agreed to lead some kids trick-or-treating…" Snyder pointed to a group of kids and decided to yell at Larry instead. Xander resheathes the cutlery and pulls the sheet off of Willow, deciding on some fun.
"Hey, Willow," Xander smiled at the gawking girl, "Like what you see? I know Lady Buffy does…" He turned to see Buffy's eyes go wide as a dear caught in the headlights. "Oh, and I want you both to take these, just in case something does happen tonight." He handed them each a gladius and one of Buffy's stakes, sheathed in material blending well with their costumes.
"What are these, Xander?" Buffy asked, recovering first as he also provided small pouches of holy water and pretend id.
"Basic slay-kit, Slayer and Enlightenment-Hottie, the Lady Buffius Elizabeth," Xander smirked, "and Immortal Willow Devereux, eternal hottie of Rome and all cities since." 'Boy I'm laying it on thick,' he thought, 'having noticed Willow's interest in me, I'm feeling as bad as Ripper, but it'd be unfair to her if we…' Sighing, he finished making the weapons blend in well enough.
"Okay, beautiful ones," he laid on thickly, "I know which houses to hit for maximum candy, and we'll be back a little early. We'll see what happens then."
Author's Note: [I am saying something in Latin] the [] indicate this.
They had managed to drop off the kids and climb into the Harris car Xander had stolen earlier from his parents while Ethan was casting magic on the costume. Xander fibbed by saying he wanted to swing by and pick up some food before they headed back for Buffy's rendezvous with Angel. They'd gotten over near the mall and newer businesses and offices, and just stepped out from the car when the magic swept over them.
[Is this Tartarus?] Xander asked aloud, [My wounds are gone.] He looked around to where two women were oddly dressed, facing off with each other drawing swords. He stepped forward but not too close, not seeing any Romans, or other threats.
[Women,] he said bluntly, interrupting their wary sizing up of each other, [Before you kill each other, I need to know where I am, and why I am here.]
The red-headed swordswoman glanced over, curious at his speech, then said something to the dark-haired woman, who after a moment nodded and they sheathed their swords together.
[What can I do for you…gladiator?] the red-head asked, sizing him up in more than one way, [I, myself as in…Saguntum when I found myself here.]
[Have you any idea where *here* might be, and are we in the after life?] the gladiator pressed, [I was on a cross a few minutes ago…] The dark-haired girl answered in badly pronounced but still passable Latin.
[I was in Brittania, myself, but I'm guessing two millennia since your time,] Lady Elizabeth replied, [And from the looks of things, beyond my time as well.]
[What were you doing when you…came here,] Willow asked her, [I was in a duel and just barely holding my own, but I fear not for long.]
[Vampires were attacking, and I couldn't fend them off," the Lady admitted, [I've only been a slayer for a couple of months…] At their blank looks, she continued, [Divinely compelled and gifted with speed and strength to fight the evil things of the night.] They nodded noncommittally, then heard a scream from somewhere down the street. Looking at each, the brunette turned to them.
[It might be my duty calling,] she sighed, pulling off her large overskirt. [I have to check it out.] The red-head and gladiator nodded at each other.
[We'll accompany you,] the gladiator declared, and headed after the fast-running 18th century slayer. They neared the entrance to an alley, the red-head catching up gradually in her heeled boots. Six men with weird faces and yellow eyes were laughing and pawing at two terrified young women. The blonde charged in, drawing out a sword and a wooden stick, screaming at the top of her lungs in a language not understood by the gladiator.
The dark-haired girl leapt into the air, kicking and slashing, punching and stabbing. The gladiator smiled as she'd managed to distract all six things from their victims. Drawing his gladii, he charged forward silently, ready to eliminate the things.
Slash/parry-right stab-stab/parry-slash-kick, he struck and wounded three of the six as one exploded into dust, distracting him achieving a beheading. He stabbed another in the chest, while lashing out to keep another thing off of him, when a red blur decapitated one of his opponents, turning it to dust.
[Wood in the heart or decapitation are the only ways to kill them,] the blonde Lady Slayer called out as she kicked one about ten feet down the alley. She turned to the girls, who were screaming in a different language. They ran away as she re-entered the fight.
Red slashed and kicked an undead into a slash by the gladiator, and he turned it into a head-lopping blow. Thus distracted, the other thing managed to break away and run down the alley, leaving two of its fellows to die.
A moment later, only the trio of Latin speakers stood, slightly dusty, in the alley. The gladiator turned to the two young women.
[This is not my original body,] he revealed, [Perhaps I have been reborn?] The red-head took out a mirror and looked at her reflection.
[I, uh, died once before,] she admitted, [But like then I seem to be the same in appearance, but not nearly as fit. Perhaps it is as you say.] The noblewoman took the proffered mirror, and frowned.
[This is indeed me, but I do not know how I could have escaped the vampires I'd been fighting,] she confided uneasily, [And I seem in better condition in this body than before, but am still a Slayer. Perhaps we are here to fulfill a Purpose?]
[That would fit,] the gladiator nodded, [As the first thing after our encounter was to defeat the things that were in this place. But was that it? Should we move through this city and hunt down all such things we find?]
[Knowing that I'm still a Slayer, I must,] the Lady Slayer asserted, [And at least until we know more, I'm willing to accept help. By the way, I am Elizabeth.]
[Willow Devereux,] the redhead offered. They looked to the gladiator.
[I am Spartacus,] the gladiator named himself, [And I think that maybe in the course of our quest, we'll find out why we're here.]
Over the next few hours, the Slayer sensed many strong evils that were familiar to her, and guided them into combat against the monsters. The gladiator acquitted himself quite well in her eyes, his swords wounding or sometimes dusting a number of their foes as the red-headed woman sliced in from the left and the slayer thundered into the right, dust the result of their simple and effective style. The red-head, being more familiar with this time period, let them know they were in a place called California, and the slayer was able to feel no demonic presence in the smaller monsters.
[I think they might be children turned into monsters,] the red head explained, [They must be the victims of whatever magic brought us here to this place, or its enemy]
[Perhaps it is a test,] Spartacus offered, [To see if we can tell true foes from victims, and to only defeat the evil? After all, the blessed one, here, does not sense the wrongness like in the things we've been killing.] The slayer nodded in support.
[Agreed,] the Slayer nodded, [We'll only kill what I sense as demon, and chase off the others.] Willow Devereux nodded as well. They seemed to be near a large school.
[Let's try the school,] she suggested, [Maybe a scholar might have a better idea of what is happening in this place? Or at least food.] The others nodded as she started in that direction, and looked at her watch, 'We've been at this for four hours, and killed about thirty of those vampire things. I'm tired and hungry even if they aren't.'
They approached the complex of buildings, coming to a place labeled 'Library' that had lights on inside. First they'd passed through and broken into the cafeteria, filling up a bag full of fruit and other items, including bottled water.
The exterior grounds showed signs of commotion and a scattering of candy and masks. She pointed out to her companions that her guess might be correct, and to watch out. She tapped on a library door with her sword hilt and looked through the window, finding the doors barred from within. A moment later, she noticed a tired man with glasses come to the door and look out, apparently recognizing her. He unlocked the door for them.
"Willow, did you forget your key again?" the British librarian asked as he held out a cross. Before she cold answer, the slayer moved by her and embraced the man in a crushing hug.
"Uncle Robert!" the slayer gushed, in English, "I hoped we'd find someone to help us…" She squeezed again, cutting off airflow.
[Is he friend or foe, Elizabeth?] Spartacus asked, [If he's a friend, release him before you suffocate him.] He took note of the locking mechanism and sealed the doors again. To Willow, [What is she saying? I do not understand this language?] The slayer released her shocked 'uncle' as she responded.
[He appears to be her uncle, and he recognized me and called my name,] Willow replied, [The language is called 'English' though it contains a few Roman words as well. As to the rest, we must wait and see.] As they watched Giles recover, and a fawning Elizabeth fetch him his tea from the other end of the table from where he'd been sitting, Giles caught his breath, and addressed Willow, the normal-seeming teenager.
"Er, uhm, Willow," Giles began, only to have 'Xander' raise a hand to stop him.
[Do you speak the tongue of the Romans, Scholar?] the gladiator asked, and at Giles nod, continued. [Good, let us use that as it is the only one we know to have in common.] Giles looked confused, but nodded again.
[Yes, uh, Willow, what is going on?] Giles inquired, [And why is Buffy calling me Uncle Robert and treating me well?]
[You know who I am, Scholar?] Willow asked, and at his confused nod, she explained the evening so far from their point of view. Phil showed up half-way through with an empty water dish. Without breaking her story, Willow placed some snack food on the table and poured some bottled water into a dish as Giles' eyebrows rose at the size of the large groundhog. As she finished, Giles nodded in understanding.
[I believe you may be partially right,] Giles offered. [It could be that you are possessing the bodies as a last service before entering the next life. I know all of you…as Buffy Summers, Willow Rosenberg and Alexander Harris, all born in this century and teenaged students at this high school. Buffy is also a slayer, and I am her Watcher, or mentor, to help guide her in her duty.]
[But what do we do now?] Spartacus asked, [And if we are only here until this 'event' is over, what next do we do?] At that moment, a banging on the door occurred, and Giles let in a a badly hurt Cordelia Chase, costume shredded and a multitude of minor lacerations evident. Spartacus carrying her to the table, they all began the process of cleaning and binding her wounds within minutes. The half-crazed girl had by then a blanket around her near-naked form, and sipping water, gathered control of her self.
"Giles," she gasped out, "What's going on out there?" Willow translated for Spartacus.
"It appears that many have been turned into their costumes," Giles explained, "Including Willow, Buffy and Xander. Did you?" She stared at him a moment before answering.
"No, I dressed as a cat, and did *not* turn into a cat," Cordelia replied, regaining her composure, "But I don't shop where they shop, either. That English guy there was very icky."
"Oh, and where did they shop?" Giles asked, sensing a narrowing in their search for answers.
"Ummmm, Eric's? NO, Ethan's," she assured him. He looked shocked and dismayed. He asked for the address and she was able to remember the cross-streets. He searched for his keys but couldn't find them.
"Where are my keys?" he muttered, not finding them. The gladiator turned to the slayer.
[Didn't you get an unusual 'feeling' when we crossed that 'main' street a while ago?] Spartacus asked her, receiving a nod, [Then let us go deal with this ourselves and keep your relative safe.] She nodded and they both started to get up, checking their weapons.
[Where are you going?] Willow asked, noticing them get up, and when they explained, added, [I will accompany you.] They left Giles and a recovering Cordelia in the Library.
Twenty minutes later and a stop at a 'convenience' store had given them the directions needed to reach Ethan's. Emergency vehicles were still heard throughout the night, but with swords and an apparent willingness to use them sufficed to keep demons and mini-demons at bay. They reached the costume store, the slayer nodding that this was the correct place, feeling really odd. Willow carefully opened the door to avoid the ringing of bells, Spartacus and Elizabeth quickly moving into the shop. A glow cold be seen behind curtains into the back, and as they started in, the door rang behind them.
"Well, luv, I guess I found Lady Slayer and her sidekicks, eh?" the vampire known as Spike asked with a smirk as eight vampires headed into the room. The mad vampiress at his side whimpered and began pulling him toward the door, her eyes wide as she Saw the three opponents. Spike shrugged her off and she ran shrieking into the night. Turning to make a to-him witty remark, he felt cold steel pierce his heart as two of his minions dusted with screams.
Lady Elizabeth pressed the sword upward into the mouthy vampire, drawing out a stake. He grabbed her wrist as he writhed on the sword in pain, trying to push her back with the other hand. Spartacus, having quickly beheaded a minion, kicked and kicked, hilt-punched, then throat-stabbed his opponent, second blade and the initial shock of humans attacking keeping the others briefly at bay. Willow Devereux dusted two vampires before the others caught on, she took a stake and treated it as a main-gauche, holding off two vampires to the gladiator's three. The slayer was finally pushed back by the lead vampire, but she riposted with a successful throw to the heart, dusting the thing and allowing her to rush in to aid her recent allies.
Two vampires successfully bolted out the door and into the night, allowing the gladiator the chance to quickly whirl into the thick of it and dust the three remaining as they scrambled against the two young women.
Hands clapping behind them in applause turned their attention back toward their original goal. A thin man with a droll smile on his face was looking at them in glee.
"Excellent show," the man congratulated them, rubbing a mental nerve the wrong way in Spartacus, who threw a dagger into and through the man's kneecap, causing the man to collapse to the floor screaming.
[How do you end this spell?] Spartacus demanded, yanking out the knife as the women came up. They were about to say something when Ethan, meeting the eyes of his attacker, quickly and desperately responded, understanding Latin.
[The statue of Janus! Destroy it!] the man exclaimed in pain. The gladiator saw the glowing-eyed statue in the back room and turned to the women.
[My wife and daughter await me on the other side,] he stated simply, offering a fist over his heart in salute of women who were surprisingly good fighters, [May the gods treat you well.] And with that he picked up the statue and threw it at Ethan Rayne, who barely managed to dodge. The statue shattering, the magic receded.
Grabbing the cashbox in spite of the girls' disapproving looks, Xander noticed a Greek warrior's costume as they left, then stared at both girls again.
"What?" they asked at the same time.
[Oh, nothing,] Xander replied in Thracian-accented Latin, [Just thinking that you two, champagne, me and the Sheraton is still the best idea I've had in a long time.]
SMACK. SMACK.
[Ow!]
{Hittite} language in the curly braces.
The telephone in his room rang, and one of the masseuses working over his body paused to reach over and answer it.
"Mr. Harris' suite, how may I help you?" the young woman asked. Getting an answer, she turned to Xander, "Mr. Harris, a young woman named Willow would like to speak with you." He nodded and reached over without leaving the table.
"Hey, Wills, what's up?" he asked.
"I'm getting a massage."
"You and Elizabeth were both invited."
"I'm not interested in talking to Giles right now, I'm thinking brunch."
"Then I'm going to steam, swim, have a back and skin scrub and oil, and have another massage."
"Just a towel, why?"
"In about half an hour."
"No shop talk. How many?"
"Just you and her? I'll reserve a table. See you then." He handed the phone to the masseuse. I have two guests for the rest of the afternoon, can you have the desk increase accordingly? Thank you."
'Spartacus, you old bastard,' Xander smirked, 'You Romans knew how to relax when you had money.'
After the Reset, Xander decided to try the Greek Warrior costume, and maybe add some other languages on the research side of things. Giles knew Classical Greek, and a few other ancient literacies, but fluency and tonality were lacking. And who knows, maybe one of these times he'd run into an early slayer or watcher and get the 411 on how things got started.
Entering Ethan's store yet again, he held up money before the man could grimace at him.
"I'd like something of a Greek Warrior," Xander explained, and remembered Manco's horse, "A horse-riding guy would be best. Giles seemed to think them under-rated, so I thought I'd surprise him with something more specific."
"Do you have a horse?" Ethan asked pointedly, "And is this an indoor event?"
"No, and it's a patio party," Xander sighed, lying, "With historically dressed professors and such, guys in tweed." Ethan finally made the Giles connection.
"That wouldn't have been Rupert Giles, would it?" the chaos mage enthused, delighted when Xander nodded. "We go way back."
"So, think you could help me out?" Xander asked.
"Yes, indeed, my boy" Ethan replied, "Yes indeed, it's just a matter of…time."
Forty minutes later, Xander left the shop in full attire, more authentic than he'd expected. For some reason, though, Ethan hadn't had the shield to the headdress Xander had spotted on the wall the Reset before. On the way out the door, Jonathan Levinson bumped into him, and headed into the store. He didn't hear Jonathan trying to return the Alexander the Great costume that didn't quite fit.
Alexander strode down the hall, feeling like the king of the world his costume was supposed to suggest. His route differed slightly from normal, so he missed the opportunity to thump Larry again. With ten minutes to spare, he led his group of kids out a little early, running into Jonathan Levinson leading his group of students out at the same time.
"So Xander," the miniatures warfare enthusiast gushed, "Nice Early Bronze Age horseman's costume. What do you think of mine?"
"Nice, what, basically the same?" Xander replied as they guided their trick-or-treaters down the street.
"Yeah, I was going as Alexander the Great," Levinson replied, "but when I tried to exchange it before coming here, he suggested just a few changes and he actually had a real sword." The young man flourished said weapon.
When they'd dropped off the kids after a successful Xander-led candy-looting, Jonathan tagged along with Xander when he suggested getting burgers at the Sunnydale Café. Xander drove, and they'd arrived across
town in a fairly quick amount of time. Xander reached into the vehicle and grabbed the horse statuette, wondering if it would change like before. Jonathan on a whim, thinking of the deposit on his costume, did likewise. They reached for the door when the change hit them. Xander smiled at the thought of Alexander the Great, tough he noticed a flash like static electricity igniting between himself and Levinson.
The man picked himself off the ground, the thundering headache was just like the first he'd felt after meeting on of his kind, but somehow familiar…Caspian? But he'd been sent to that village to exact tribute. It wasn't like his brother to return early. Late from exterminating a nuisance, but never early.
{Caspian, what are you doing…} Xander's possessor asked peevishly, then stopped, looking at 'Caspian' and he strange surrounding, as the different-appearing man stood up and looked him in the eye. The headache cleared. {Who are you, and where's Caspian?} he demanded, drawing his sword.
"I'm Caspian," the possessor of Jonathan Levinson declared, clearing his blade for a fight, then noticed the feel of his body, looking surprised. {What is this magic? Tell me your name and how much did you pay that witch Cassandra to place me in this…soft body?} At this, Caspian's opponent also noticed the changes to his own form.
{Who do I *feel* like to you, Caspian,} the possessor sneered in annoyance, then after a moment, {I'm Kronos, you idiot! I'm in the same situation. At least we have our horses.} Caspian looked at him a moment, and sensing his brother's quickening, sheathed his sword. A car went buy, startling both men.
{It appears wizards and their devices are commonplace wherever we are, brother,} Kronos noted, {Let us cross into that wooded place across this strange road and consider our moves from there.} They mounted their horses and made good time. They made it most of the way across one of Sunnydale's largest cemeteries when eight black-clad swaggerers approached them with the arrogance born of petty thuggery. The horses started stepping back slightly, the two horsemen bringing them into line. Kronos smiled at Caspian, who returned it to the approaching thugs' confusion.
{Just a small pack of demon-corpses,} Kronos laughed, {Not even the challenge of turok-hans. Save one for the chase if you can.} The vampires' eyes yellowed and faces changed, when to their shock, the horsemen charged them swords out and battle-screams rending the night. Hooves of trained horses slammed into the bodies of the demons, swords swinging left and right. Laughter of two human throats clashed with the screams of dismembered vampires, horses guided by voice and knees, as swords in each hand cut their swathe. Six minutes later six were dusted and two wounded vampires were driven back, mauled, into animalistic flight from greater predators.
{Kronos, a challenge!" Caspian called out as he drew up, the love of the fight upon him, {A virgin of beauty or man's weight in copper for every ten we kill tonight, a beef for every armed man that troubles us, and minus fifth-part for each extra kill of anything else!} Kronos nodded, but decided to make Caspian work for a change.
"Demons like those little ones over there only count a third as they're no real kill, minus a fifth-part for stopping to rape something, but double for each shop torched." Caspian rolled his but smiled ferally. Two of the Four Horsemen rode again.
The horsemen galloped after the fleeing demons, through the streets and down an alley and into the back of a building. In followed the charging horsemen, slowing to duck and guide their steeds effectively. A table with six demons and a box of felines was tipped completely over by the desperate undead, the sound of freshly-shod horses in the next room causing the occupants to scurry to their feet. First one horse pushed, not into but through the room and into the tavern proper, Kronos choosing to finish the hunt and leave the room to Caspian.
Caspian slammed the side of his steed into two demons, crushing under-foot another as he cut the trapped and stunned demons heads off in seconds. Of the other three, one made it out the back door to immediate safety as the other two remained transfixed, but only for moments.
Kronos charged hard and fast into what he saw as the main chamber of demons ahead of him. The human caterer-to-demons ducked behind his counter of wood, creating a channel of death. Onward sped Kronos through the bar, his right arm decapitating the three seated there at this early hour (It had opened ten minutes previous), the few other demons scattering into each other as he continued out the door after his original prey.
The demons sighed with relief, the bartender peeking over the counter when a second screaming horsemen charged through, again, wreaking death from the rising demons, three more meeting their end.
Kronos hacked the first of the two down as it ran through a crossing of two roads where vehicles of flashing light milled about over some form of town insanity. Up and over at vampiric speed raced the demon over and atop first one police vehicle, then another. Followed closely by one, and then another horseman, the police ducked low, stared silently at each other, shook their heads and went back to the accident scene they understood. Angel watched as Harris and another school student, guided their horses after a hundred-year-old vampire named Jackson, with a skill and in a manner he'd not seen matched in his two and a half centuries, Harris having easily severed the head from a seventy-year-old butcher of a vampire that followed a real master named Demuerte from Corsica. The sheer blood-joy on both teen's faces caused an actual shivering throughout his form. 'I better get a hold of Buffy and then Giles about this.'
Demuerte lost all cohesive thought as he *ran* screaming form the elementals pursuing him in human form. No one had pursued Demuerte, but the eyes of death promised by the two terrified him, he was running away at forty kilometers per hour, and still they pursued. He ducked through a demon bar, and they pursue. Spike. He'd heard William was in town to kill a slayer. He'd get to Spike. At the least, he'd get away while these Horsemen had to cut through Spike and his minions. Ah, pass the school and the business district, then to the warehouse district. Maybe he could even lose them at the school and find a sewer to hide in.
Kronos laughed, this prey hadn't a clue as from whom it fled, and now it ran into an area of well-gardened manor houses, unlikely to find refuge. He could tell, however, the Caspian grew bored with the occasional mini-demon as he sought to keep up. Finally, Kronos drew out and strung his bow, keeping two arrows at ready.
"Spike!" Demuerte screamed out as he saw the other vampire and his minions approach a house. The vampire burned away even more of its energies in plight to reach the numbers of the Aurelius vampire.
Spike turned in surprise at the sound of his name being screamed this night, seeing Demuerte, a bloody good killer he'd not last seen since the Fall of Poland in '39…and two horsemen riding close behind, hunting the vampire like Sioux after a bison. The tableau froze him in place for a minute, in which he saw an arrow pierce the heart of Demuerte and heard the sound of two minions dusting after the whistling sound of arrows in flight past one's ears. One of the minions sent into the house with the mini-demons had grabbed the slayer from the house and reached the street. The mini-demons now only numbered six.
"Get them!" Spike ordered his six other remaining minions, "Kill them!" The minions charged forward as Spike and the minion raced away in demonic visage, the dark-haired former slayer screaming for help and mercy.
Angel and Cordelia followed a ghostly Willow to the front of the horse, where they briefly paused to see the encounter between Horsemen and demons, Angel charging after the captured and screaming Buffy.
Two minions threw knives and leapt upon the fronts of the charging horses, wounding the animal and seeking to separate rider from horse. Both minions turned to dust, but Kronos' horse suffered a tear to an artery and went down hard, causing Kronos to flip through the air, tumbling through the demons and damaging several until his neck snapped as it hit the mailbox post, with many tears and such across his torso.
Willow and Cordelia both screamed in horror as 'Xander' met his death, and Jonathan rode through the mini-demons, hacking and hoofing them into dust for the next few minutes, reducing the foes to four vampires as Caspian's horse finally gave under the attacks, and the Horsemen landed afoot with blood on his arms and blue lightning sealing his wounds. The four vampires paused, then charged, only to suddenly have Kronos rise up behind them and eliminate all four in the space of seconds. He looked around, then saw the young women. Staring at them and around he spoke.
"Where did the white-haired vampire go, women?" Kronos demanded, "My amusement eludes me." To Caspian, wandering over, "Do you understand this tongue, brother?" Caspian shook his head to indicate he did not understand. {How about now?}
{Yes, I understand,} Caspian responded, {Where is the white-topped vampire}
"Where?!" Kronos demanded, reaching for a knife, "I'll not ask again."
"He's probably going to head straight that way!" Cordelia pointed in the direction of the warehouse section of town, "That's where they always seem to be." Kronos looked her over, making her feel very uncomfortable. He turned to his brother.
{Let's go. That thing cost us two mounts. We may be afoot, but the game is not over.} They turned and left.
Thirty minutes, two minions, six mini-demons and two 'soldiers' later, Kronos was rearmed with modern weaponry and using two AT-4s, blew up the main water tower, flooding the small business along Main Street, and the police station entrance. Caspian laughed wildly as they kept going. They'd spotted a dark figure pursuing their prey, firing into it twice with little effect, and the occasional glimpse of their prey-vampire. They'd managed to use up two magazines as and four arrows to ensure the vampire had a single minion at the end.
The white-haired vampire found himself caught in a space between buildings. No way out, the slayer passed out from hysteria. Angel faced off against the two.
"Just let her go, Spike, and I'll let you walk," Angel told him, It's the only way."
"I kinda find that hard to believe, Angelus," Spike retorted, "and besides, I like the odds right now. "
Two arrows into the face of the minion holding the slayer, caused the undead being to drop her and writhe back in surprise and agony. Another Arrow dusted the minion. Kronos and Caspian walked into the street light of the alley, drawing steel.
"It's time to die, vampire," Kronos stated, "Though I believe the other one your age was a far better entertainment." Turning to Angel, "And you have ten minutes to grab your noisy wench and be off before we start to hunt the both of you." Angel's eyes went wide as he grabbed Buffy and ran.
Angel's vampiric hearing picked up Spike's screams for two minutes and three blocks before he passed out of range.
Half-hour later, Giles received a telephone call as Cordelia and Willow entered the Library. The girls overheard Giles' half of the conversation.
"You're where?!"
"Santa Barbara?"
"Xander and another student did what?"
"Good Lord! Hold on, Willow and Cordelia just came in." The librarian turned to them, "What's going on outside?"
"Everyone's turned into their costumes," Cordelia explained, "Or most of them, anyway? A-And Xander came back to life!"
"He what!" Giles exclaimed, looking at them both in shock, "What did he dress as?"
"I think he was going as a Greek Warrior," Willow said, "But what did the other guy call him?"
"Kronos," Cordelia supplied, "I was so scared when he looked at me it was the only thing I remember except the crazy blue lightning all over him."
"Highlander! Ohmigodthisissobadohmigosohxanderiiii," Willow started to babble in a panic until Cordelia slapped her relatively lightly across the face. "He's War, Giles, and Jonathan's…Caspian, pestilence," Willow panicked.
"Good Lord, are you suggesting they've become two of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse?" the Librarian asked, hearing the phone on the other line drop. He paced with the phone in his hand, "Why didn't you or Corelia change?"
"I didn't get my costume at the same place," Cordelia replied, "Party Town is far more upscale then the new place? What was it called, Willow, Edgar's?"
"Ethan's' the now-recovering red-head corrected, "Some British guy, kinda sleazy."
"Ethan's? Good Lord," Giles responded, then talked into the phone, "Angel, are you still there…did you hear? Stay with Buffy, I'll try handling this myself, good luck."
Most of the older business district was burning, along with four police cars. Mini-demons and bodies of emergency workers littered the streets. Giles made his way afoot to the front of Ethan's shop to find the door ajar. Slowly he crept in as he listened to the screams of his former friend, screams that would make Ripper weep if he were still around.
"How do we keep this spell of yours going, little man?" Kronos demanded, twisting a dagger below the belt and cutting upward slightly.
"The statue…must be kept intact until after dawn," Ethan gasped, "If it breaks before then, the spell is over."
"And there are no other Immortals in this world?" Kronos demanded anew, "Speak!"
"None…" Ethan choked, then died. Giles saw an arm and a foot on the floor, not attached to a body, and nearly missed the next part.
*Swish* "Gaa—"
"Sorry, Brother, there can be only One!" Kronos intoned as the white mist gathered and sparks started flying and four foot wide bolts of lightning lashed out. The building and costumes caught fire. Thinking fast, Giles shot the Janus statue with his crossbow, shattering it. The Quickening that had begun, fizzled and evaporated, Xander collapsing to his knees. Giles grabbed him, and forced a path into the alley of the burning shop, taking the near-catatonic boy to safety. Calling from a pay phone, he contacted Angel and Willow, letting them know he was bringing Xander back to the Library.
Giles met up with Angel and Buffy as he reached school grounds, the skyline of Sunnydale aflame almost as bright as day.
"How is he Giles," Buffy asked quietly, seeing her Xander-shaped friend weep, sob and collapse anew, "We saw a line of demons fleeing town as we came…"
"Only time will tell if he'll keep his sanity," he responded as they entered the Library, and a shrieking blur of red raced to help set him on the table, "A-And my guess is that somehow the demons found out that two of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse were in town."
"How bad would that be?" Buffy asked, unsure.
"They pretty much destroy most of the world the next time they show," Angel stated, "Whenever you hear about Revelations and Judgment Day."
"And Xander and Jonathan went as these guys?" Buffy asked, eyebrows raised, "And where's Jonathan?" Giles displayed a stricken look.
"Not on purpose," Giles replied, "And Mr. Levinson was killed at the costume shop." He explained the situation to them.
"Oh my god," Buffy gasped as she fell back into a chair staring at Xander.
"Pretty close," Willow murmured, but the others heard her, and stared at her for more information, "In Highlander, the light show was impressive, but never as 'thick' as what Giles described. The last Immortal is supposed to maybe become a god, and if it had been Kronos…"
"So a large part of Sunnydale burning in under three hours is actually a good thing?" Buffy asked, failing at a Xander-like attempt at inappropriate humor.
"The world would've burned if Kronos had become a god," Willow responded.
"Wow," Cordelia summarized for them all.
Let me tell you, I was not at my best, those next seventeen or so hours were bad…as much as I tried to shut out the flood of death even as the fires spread throughout Sunnydale and the very dry countryside. Giles at some point strapped me into his little car with his most-prized possessions, and evacuated with the rest of Sunnydale. Listening to the radio or overhearing him as Giles and Angel watched the news reports, by the time of the next Reset, half of Sunnydale and nearly 20,000 acres (8000 hectares?) of surrounding countryside were aflame from the wildfires. Tens of thousands in the coastal areas evacuated with little if any notice, and the National Guard was being sent in to keep the peace and assist in the fire lines.
I remembered everything Kronos had ever done, and suspected that if I ever broke out of this looping, I'd be something more than he was. But what? Everything I'd felt angry with Giles over in his Ripper years paled on almost any given day of the Horseman. I could feel the bottled power inside of him, demanding in its own way to become more. I desperately wanted to forget, but Ripper's spell had meant that wouldn't happen. I'd thought it might've been neat to know of the far past, maybe even learn about slayers and such. Maybe a little one-upmanship of Ripper'd be enough to make him feel better. But in his time and world *this* Kronos had met a dozen slayers and some of them had lasted days…
I have to tell you, the next sixty-five days didn't really have much in the way of entries or fascinating acts. I was absolutely desperate to do something to clear my mind. Six days in a row I basically grabbed Giles keys and a sword, and then drove to Ethan's shop. I simply pushed him aside at sword point and destroyed the statue. He attacked me in a rage each time and I managed to kill him six different ways, each time a darker, longer and more exquisite death that left me worse off than the reset before.
When night fell each time, and no magic swept the town, I did, stealing guns and munitions, and laying waste to every demon-associated establishment in the town. Four times I went home and let my father experience what I did for all those years. And the last two times I shot the bastard in several painful places and left him to die.
Twice I ran into Jonathan in his too-big Alexander the Great costume and lost it, running away sobbing and weeping madly in the streets until police officers tried to intervene. Each time, four officers died and a Xander-shape ended up in the hospital.
Six more times I walked into Ethan's shop and simply blasted the Janus statue, but somehow the bastard must have had a half-dozen of the things on the premises because once the spell swept through, I'd force my way in, kill Ethan and destroy yet another statue. After the twelfth time, simply killing Ethan or even torturing him ceased to provide even a temporary relief to my guilt and anguish. I'd ceased to think of him as human, and I felt I was lessened also.
Eighteen more days I robbed Ethan, shot up a couple of statues and watched cable television…a lot. I ceased to care, but it didn't matter since a Reset was always there to remind me of my true situation. It was interesting for a while, but I decide to snub my nose at whoever might be the force behind this mess, by 'squandering' the gift. I'd rob Ethan, go shopping for supplies and rent a place with a good-enough kitchen, left a note for Giles to open at six o'clock, then let for each of ten days Hiryoku Sakai, Chen Kenichi, Wolgang Puck, Emeril Lagasse, and Prudhomme make up for seventeen years of crappy eating and lack of proper food references. As a result, I now enjoy eating things I'd rather not talk about, and in case the Apocalypse comes down to a cooking contest, I'm the Lobster Slayer, baby. I only cut myself badly a half-dozen times when I practiced the next days, and can now proudly don a tall chef's hat instead of the hairnet.
Ah, cable while depressed. The crap I sat through led to at least one funny encounter with a vampire at the Bronze. About the time I finished my cooking phase, I dressed up as Willy Moscone after dressing up against his long-time nemesis. I know only those of you as old as dirt might remember the name, but come on, I think the story is worth a read.
Willy had realized something was wrong when he didn't remember how he'd ended up practicing on a substandard table in a kid bar. 'What the hell,' he thought, 'I haven't felt this good since I was twenty.' He broke, then proceeded to call out and sequentially place all fifteen balls into pockets with only two no-leaves. He repeated this, and as had been the case many a time, a crowd began to gather. Since Willy wasn't playing for money, but for the fun of it, he began to include trickier shots, more banks and the occasional jump shots.
Eventually someone needed to prove something as he was racking again.
"I'd like a game," a tall pale man stated, placing a hundred dollars on the table.
"I'll need to see four more of those to get me interested," Willy told him as he walked the cue toward the breaker's end. Four bills landed, "your break, friend?" The man accepted.
Four games back and forth, the guy was good, making up in natural grace the slight difference in talent in only thirty minutes. The crowd had gathered and ebbed, the serious aficionados remaining. The pale man was giving off a weird feeling, and on the fifth game, he dropped two thousand on the table.
"Let's play for greater stakes," the man challenged softly, slight French to the accent. Willy checked the wallet and found that amount. The Frenchman stood directly beyond the table, staring at Willy as he was about to break. Willy started to pull back as two things happened: The magic of chaos started to ebb away, and the man spoke again, "By the way, my name's Demuerte," and his eyes flashed vampire yellow.
"I know," Xander Harris replied, slamming the cue ball hard into the racked balls, sending them flying. Demuerte was quietly and briefly stunned that the mortal was not put off by his fool-proof tactic, only to find the cue now hurled successfully through his heart. Demuerte watched as only the eight-ball dropped into a pocket.
"Good shot," the vampire complimented as he exploded into dust. The assembled crowd hushed in awed frozen silence, as Xander calmly picked up all four thousand dollars from the table.
"Not a bad pool player for a vampire," Xander remarked, "Usually they don't have that much patience or love of the game before they cross the bounds of ethical play. Any non-vampires feeling like playing?" Two of twenty let out knowing snickers of appreciation as they and the rest relocated elsewhere.
Xander needed to figure out how to deal with the situation. This was his first clear-thinking moment in many weeks. He sat in the Library and after reviewing show characters, he was back to where he began. There was one man who'd been through what Kronos had, and come out of it a regular-enough person. It involved the possible use of tweed and a blue ink marker, but he could get to Ethan's before he needed to kill the bastard again.
He'd managed to outfit himself properly and even managed to trick Jonathan into redressing as Duncan Macleod to kind of make up for the Caspian thing. When Jonathan turned the corner from where Xander parked, the latter gasped and sobbed for fifteen minutes before getting a hold of himself and back to the school.
Xander dodged Larry, and managed to convince Buffy and Willow to 'follow the master' and get done early. The prospect of early finishing was enough to sway Buffy, and thence Willow. They finished with just a little time to spare by the time they burst into the Library, startling Giles. Xander quickly retrieved Phil and the book, whipped off the sheet from Willow and told them he'd dressed as and would become Adam Pierson in 5-4-3-2-1 and the wave of chaos magic struck again.
"What in bloody hell am I doing holding a large rodent?!" Adam/Methos bitched as he assumed Xander's body. 'And how did my quickening shoot up so drastically,' he thought as what amounted to an internal quickening rendered him unconscious, all the memories *eidetically* assaulting the rider who'd been known as Death.
A half-hour later he'd awoken to the feeling of a familiar Immortal's quickening and accent in the room.
"Macleod," Adam bemoaned, "What's going on? What happened?"
"Apparently, Adam," the slightly different voice replied, "We're in the bodies of two young people in California instead of our own, and we're in a school library."
"Just when the day couldn't get any better," Adam muttered, "Can I get a bloody beer or whiskey? I'm sure there's more to your tale."
"Y-you can have tea," a British accent replied, "And watch your language around the students, please." Adam thumped his head back on the large tome in front of him, 'I knew it would get worse. No alcohol.'
"Thank you, Uncle Robert," a pretentious female voice responded with great smugness, "There'll be no devil's drink in this place."
Adam's head burrowed deeper into the book, his sigh deeper, "Mac, if you're truly my friend you'll take my head now, I'd consider it a favor."
"Sorry, Methos," Duncan/Jonathan chortled, "Just consider it part of your path of redemption."
"Well, that's touching but not goin' do ya a whole lotta good, now is it?" William the Bloody asked as his eight minions followed him into the library and flanked him. "So, the Slayer's all fluff and noise, huh? This ought to go quick."
"Macleod, kill the vampires will you?" Adam/Methos sighed as he sipped his tea. Looking up, Macleod and Spike were just staring at each other, than him. Adam arose from his seat and drew his sword, "I take it you're the local vampire guy?"
"Yeah, whelp, that'd be me," he said slipping into game-face and swaggering almost all the way to Buffy, as Methos drew a revolver from his trench coat and brought it up. "And as all I want is the Slayer, stay where you are or die, unless your gun there can actually do something more than hurt?" Spike's hand reached for Lady Buffy…
*Crack-crack-crack-crack-crack-crack* then 'poof' and three screams, one of them from Spike as a bullet tore at his cheek and through his ear.
Two more swords could be heard clearly sheathes as Methos lunged forward to stab Spike in the left eye, giving the screaming Lady a chance to escape.
"Now, you'll die painfully, Whelp," William the Bloody screamed as he looked at his bloodied hand and lunged at full speed as Giles and Duncan each charged a vampire with ill-intent and Willow secreted Buffy into Giles office.
Methos side-stepped the enrage vampire, choosing to decapitate a minion coming up in support. Turning, Methos smirked at the evermore angry vampire as it prepared to try again, breaking a chair for his own weapon as another minion dusted.
Methos charges, Spike charged, and a holy-water-filled balloon struck Spike in his head, causing him to scream and rope his attention long enough for Methos to drive home his blade into Spike's chest and put a little quickening behind it. The vampire screamed as he ran up the sword and then tried to pull it out. Methos twisted the weapon as first he, then the sword whirled away to meet a minions charging from behind. Methos' parry sliced off his opponents clubbing arm at the elbow, and Methos rolled and slashed back to meet Spike's chair leg.
"You can't beat me, boy!" the vampire screamed, swinging again at full vampiric force and speed. Methos chose to lunge inside and stab upward through the vampire's mouth and brain regardless of the hit. Spike's scream was cut off as the steel sliced into several key arteries within the brain and rendered him unconscious. Methos, slammed hard by a considerable percentage of the force of Spike's last blow, flew back into a wall, taking him briefly out of the fight, as Giles and Duncan shared a dusting and the other minions, left over from before Spike came to town, left their leader in order to survive. Walking over to the prone vampire, Methos drew out his blade and decapitated the vampire, leaving nothing but dust.
"Now, can we bloody straighten things out," Methos declared, exasperated just a bit, "Or do I have to let a little of the Horseman out to get an uninterrupted explanation?"
After that, I felt less-destructive as I had a little more perspective in dealing with such things as nightmares. Instead of Halloween, I decided to switch to bowling, chose a couple of champions to try out, then stuck to myself bowling for beers for the next ten go-arounds. This proved mildly rewarding, since after the disgust Ethan had displayed over my other 'rather domestic' choices in spite of the money, it was now even greater and I was at least able to wallow with mostly non-demonic drunks. It only took a couple of days more to practice my trick shots and regularly bowl a '270' before it lost its appeal. Like vengeance that wouldn't stick, it lacked. A lesson Methos had learned well.
About an hour into his thirteenth bowling for beers, he gave up, got into the car he'd stolen from Giles, and decided to mosey around on his way to the Library. It was fifteen minutes into the spell, and he was depressed, angry and bored.
He found himself driving near Joyce's gallery when he saw Dawn sneaking away from the party she was supposed to be attending. He drove up slowly as she turned the corner away, and as he turned,, he honled the horn twice. She jumped in shock and fear, causing him to exit the vehicle and head toward her.
"Dawnie, I'm sorry," Xander exclaimed, "I didn't think you'd react that badly." She just stared at him in confusion for a moment before speaking.
"Xander, why are you driving on this street tonight, you never have before," she half-confused, half-remembered, "Does that make sense?"
"What do you mean?" Xander responded, "It sounds like you think I shouldn't be driving her right now, tonight."
"I-I now this is going to sound strange," Dawnie replied, "but I feel like I'm just waking from a dream about tonight and that each time the dream changes just a tiny bit for me, and sometimes the things I hear about you. Tonight, I finally said to hell with it, and as soon as I got around the corner, it was like waking up. Then someone had to honk at the just waking up girl."
"So you notice things are…repeating, except for you?" Xander asked intently, amazed. The girl nodded, unsure.
"Except *this* is the first time of breaking out of it," she assured him, "A-and there was kind of a green flashiness to it like I'd passed through… something, and now I feel…normal?"
"Well, Dawn," Xander said with a deep sigh, "I hate to tell you this, but it's Xander-Hog Day, and unless your break-out breaks us out of the loop, you've just joined Mr. Depression on his Road to Nowhere…"
"Well, Dawn," Xander said with a deep sigh, "I hate to tell you this, but it's Xander-Hog Day, and unless your break-out breaks us out of the loop, you've just joined Mr. Depression on his Road to Nowhere…"
"Xan, have you been alternating your Megadeath and Patsy Cline albums again?" Dawn asked, giving him an unreadable look before cracking a smile.
"Ow," Xander grimaced, scored upon, "Nice one, Dawn-Patrol. But no, the fact is I've been reliving the same day for the last few months, and unless you're the sign that that's going to change, you're now stuck here with me." He opened the car door for her.
"So now what?" the girl asked, getting into the car.
"Now, we go shoot a bad man and make sure your sister and Willow remain safe," Xander informed her. Dawn nodded, then jerked up as Xander put the car in gear.
"What?!" Dawn reacted, "Shoot somebody…okay, I guess."
"He's causing people to die, Dawn," Xander replied, "And if this is the last time through for me, I can't let that happen again."
"You promise he's bad, right?" Dawn glared.
"Yup, Kids dying bad," Xander grimly relied.
"Okay, then," Dawn agreed, "Floor this thing."
"This is Giles' car, Dawn," Xander sighed.
"Would leaning forward help?"
"Probably..."
"Should I push?"
"You'd probably break it."
"Why are you driving Giles' car?"
"I stole it?"
…..
…..
"Couldn't you have stolen a real car?"
"I thought I had all the time in the world…"
"And you couldn't find *anything* better to do with your time?"
…..
"Xander!" Dawn complained, "That jogger just passed us!"
"That was a guy turned into his Flash costume…"
"What about the old lady walking?"
""We're at a red light…"
"What if someone sees me in this car?"
"Scrunch down…"
"I *am* scrunched down…"
"Lucky for you we're here," Xander concluded as he pulled up near, but not in front of the costume store. "Now, Dawn, I don't want you to see what I'm going to do. Please stay here. If this loops again…we'll talk about it, okay?" The girl nodded; she realized he wasn't kidding and right now wouldn't be swayed.
"Be careful, Xan," Dawn responded quietly as the young man in a bowling shirt headed toward the store.
Xander walked into the store quietly, not seeing Ethan Rayne in the front area. Xander walked into the back room, careful not to be taken unawares. He lunged for the Janus statue and pushed it to the ground, shattering it. Ethan heard the crash, and warily made his way into the room, surprised that it was the boy who'd bought a 'weatherman' costume.
"If you were unhappy with your purchase, you could simply have returned it," the costume shop owner sourly stated, "Or exchanged it for another."
"True," Xander allowed, making his way to the cashbox, "but you forgot to check and feel for other chaos magic afoot. So I'm here to 'return the favor of spell cancellation' and to 'take pay out of the hide of the person responsible.' Since I'm in a good mood, and your spell would have been fun, my rate is only five hundred. If you wish to somehow try again in, say, an hour's time, feel free." Ethan stood somewhat bewildered that the boy seemed to know and not mind, but was here on a 'tit for tat' job.
"Could you at least tell me the name of my, er, competitor?" Ethan asked tiredly. Xander held up five fingers, and Ethan nodded and handed over the money.
"Rupert Giles," Xander straight-face lied to Rayne, "I think he'd figured a way to twist the hellmouth energies to briefly separate demonic energy from human flesh."
"I thought you helped the slayer?" Ethan asked, almost at a loss for words.
"Yeah, she dusts some vamps and I loot lairs and pocket the proceeds," Xander smiled leaving a grand richer without killing someone.
The little car pulled up to Library after a stop at the store for several bags of quality ingredients and better utensils and cookware, and a call to Joyce letting her know that Dawn was alright, and was with him, and that if she got back no later than ten o'clock, her dinner would be waiting. They'd called Giles and let him know Xander had taken care of a chaos mage and to keep the girls there if they showed up.
Dawn noted the change in Xander's demeanor as he approached the Library doors, and decided *something* had to be done about the bowling shirt.
"Pleas take off the bowling shirt before you go in there," Dawn directed her good friend, "I don't think they could take you seriously if you go in that way." Xander stopped and stared at it, smirked and continued in through the doors.
"Don't say I didn't warn you about the shirt Xander," Dawn winced as Buffy, Willow, Giles and Angel all stared at the shirt.
"This shirt, Dawn," Xander laughed, "Of course it looks weird, it's like in nature, camouflage." He turned to the group, quietly unsnapping the only four fasteners still encumbering the integrity of the shirt. "Camouflage, like when somebody like me in a shirt like this walks into a bar full of demons. The bartender asks, 'what'll you have.' I reply," Xander says using one hand to reach the back of his collar and rip the shirt off in a single motion while drawing a 45 cal he'd gotten from Willow's Uncle Hiram when he purchased the shirt, turned back to the door, "bang-bang-bang-bang-bang-bang-bang" as his weapon actually discharged into the heads, throats and hearts of six of Spike's eight minions that attempted to force their way into the room. Spike experienced a moment of shock and fled with his remaining two minions back out the door.
In five seconds, Buffy and Angel had managed to make it up and around the table as the others remained stationery in amazement as Xander Harris in a wife-beater shirt, twin holstered firearms, a few stakes and a couple of squirt guns prevented Angel and Buffy from dusting the four undusted vampires, holding up a hand and continuing his narrative.
"…and then I walk over and strip the wallets, the leather jackets if not too damaged," he gestured at the two newbie vampiresses and to Dawn and Willow, Dawn nodding, "see if a mere minion has anything else of value…" draws out a stake, "and only then finish the job." He does, then restores the shirt onto his person, "Then I put the camouflage back on, and visit you guys." Xander then guided the Summers girls over to the table, held their chairs out as they dazedly sat down.
"Those were vampires!" Dawn exclaimed, then crowed, "I knew it was something like that! That was *so* cool! Xander teach me, ple-e-e-e-ase."
"It'll take a while and is a lot of work," Xander replied seriously, "But I'll consider it. Now, Giles, what was talked about on the phone? I was distracted…" He smiled slightly and rifled through the belongings.
"Um, something about a chaos mage?" Giles replied, hoping for answers.
"It was *our* old friend Ethan Rayne, Ripper," Xander mischievously answered, then covered the details of his visit including charging Ethan, as Giles gathered himself together. "And now, dinner, at Chez Summers, I will be cooking French and Szechuan styles, and the groceries are in Giles' car. Let's go and as I cook and we dine, I'll even answer questions and be witty in an adult rather than teenage manner."
"H-how did you get in my car, it's locked," Giles asked. Xander threw him the keys.
"And it now has a full tank of gas," Xander responded, retrieving Phil from the weapons cage and handing him to Willow, "Dinner now, answers later, or I'll tell everybody about Ethan's friend Ripper and this time with two birds living just off Finsbury—"
"Stop, let's go," Giles interrupted, "And I hope the story is worth it, as I'm afraid to inquire as to your cooking skills, especially those two cuisines."
"Xander, when did you learn to cook?" Willow asked, happily befriending Phil, "I'd've remembered you learning to cook."
"The exact same way as I learned to destroy more vampires in less time than Buffy ever has with implements carefully hidden under the garish façade of a bowling shirt?" Xander jokingly told the truth as he left the building.
The Summers kitchen found itself turned upside down and the kitchen table briefly turned into extra prep space as all but Xander lined chairs up on the far wall and watched as in about an hour Xander managed to create a Szechuan beef and vegetable dish with a spicy yet mild-hot quality, then a filet of duck breast, cooked in red wine, Angel's a little darker, and a tea-steamed rice with steamed baby vegetables dividing the plates, all served with a dark oolong tea. Joyce entered the house to find more people than expected, but before she could comment, Xander hurried out in a mock-French maitre de manner and shooing all others away, fawned over mademoiselle, took her coat and purse and threw them to 'her ungrateful sisters' (Buffy and Dawn), escorted her in to the table, introduced everyone superciliously, held her chair (slapping Giles hand to overdo it), and explained the menu and beverage selection, begrudgingly allowed the others to seat themselves, and brought out the food really quick with help from Dawn, serving on the good china.
"Now, Joyce," Xander said remaining standing as the others sat, "I'd like to thank you and assure you that cleanup will occur, most of it going with me when I leave tonight. This meal is a thank you to you for showing patience with Buffy with her late-night study sessions, and even if her grades have yet to improve, her commitment is there. She has had us, including Mr. Giles and Mr. Angel her tutors in the social studies mainly. She might not master all the material, but now at least she seems to get to the point quickly. You've had the wait and weight of responsibility on you, and hopefully you now know that you are not unappreciated, and not alone. Everyone: 'The Mom.'"
"The Mom."
"You do realize, Xander," Dawn whispered into his ear during cleanup, "that if we do repeat, you'll *have* to give that speech again…I don't think anyone's done anything or said anything that nice for mom in a long time."
"Hey kiddo," Xander confessed, "There's no way a Xander Harris any where is likely to complain about making your mom happy. Be glad you and Buff won the 'mom lottery.' Oh, and in case I forget, first thing after the reset, call me at the Library and I'll know you made it. Then we'll see if your mom'll let you join my trick-or-treat group and we'll take it from there."
"Cool, you never did answer many questions except about the cooking and the food."
"I know, I figure it can wait. It's not a real priority for me until we break free."
They finished cleaning up dinner and Xander headed off to sleep in the cot at the Library. He was happy enough that nothing particularly bad happened tonight.
(I'm speaking in Classical Greek)
Xander had just provided Phil with a dish of water when the Library telephone rang, which it had not done before. Xander picked up the phone, knowing it would probably be Dawnie.
"Xander speaking…"
"Hey Ms. S, what can I do for you?"
"Sure it's okay, I'll pick her up in a few minutes and she can hang out until the trick-or-treat thing. She'll probably be in my group…why inflict the Fighting Summers Sisters on the kids, huh?"
"There might be a party thing afterwards, but definitely back by nine."
"No problem, if it lets you get business done in LA instead, it works out by me. Hey, if you're going to be late, I might just swing by with Dawn to a burger joint or a café and grab a late dinner, okay?"
"Gee, thanks, but I have money, Ms. Summers, just don't forget me at the next Summers family dinner…"
"Dawn has your number?"
"Great…bye."
Twenty minutes later, after running home to rob his old man and swipe the car, Xander pulled up in front of the middle school to find Dawn waiting. She excitedly jumped into the car, greeting her sister's friend, no…her friend Xander.
"So," Dawn said, beaming, "What are we going as? Bonnie and Clyde? Batman and Bat Girl? What?"
"I'm thinking something a little more traditional, Dawn," the young man considered, "And after our discussion yesterday about you getting involved, even though you're a bit young to be called as a Slayer, how about you go as Buffy, and I go—"
"As Giles?!" Dawn laughed, then caught his strange look "Oh my god, he's a perv?"
"No, Dawnie," Xander sighed, "But I did go as him once and let's say I disagree with a few things he's done and leave it there. He's a good man, now." He sighed again. "I was planning to go as Alexander the Great, but I'm thinking an Alexander the Great that knew about slayers and cleared out every nest on his march through Asia and knows all about the bad things."
"How would we do this?" Dawn asked as the pulled up in front of her house.
"Go grab your sister's basic patrol clothes and diary," he said, then described them, "Hurry, you have ten minutes before they get here. Then, we'll go to Ethan's and pick up enough extras for Ethan to juice up."
"Can I help you again, young man, young lady?" the annoyed chaos mage asked. "I'm just about to close."
"Yes you *can* help us," Xander said as Dawn put the clothes on the counter and Xander dropped forty dollars next to them and pulled out a book entitled Slayer's Handbook, "I'd like to go as Alexander the Great, but the important thing is that we found this old book on the Librarian's desk, and thought it would be cool to have Dawnie dress up as one of these slayer-girls. We think old Giles'll figure it out, but since you're British made you'd know what this myth person is."
"Would that be Rupert Giles by any chance?" Ethan responded, his false smile becoming genuinely feral, "If so we go way back, and I'll be happy to help you. I'll just take these things in back, and see what I can match up. Why don't you look around or grab a soda, it might be twenty or thirty minutes."
"Great, come on Dawn," Xander replied, as they went outside and killed time. A while later, Jonathan came by carrying an Alexander the Great costume.
"Hey, Jonathan," Xander called out, "Returning a costume already?"
"Yeah, it's too long for me," the young man grimaced, "I'm going to see what else they have." Xander and Dawn's eyes met, and they smiled.
"Well, I was looking for an Alexander the Great costume," Xander admitted, "So let me have that and I'll help you cover the cost of yours."
All three left the shop a few minutes later, Xander driving them to the school. Xander cut quite the dashing Alexander the Great figure, if a bit taller than the original, the beweaponed Slayer Dawn with Handbook, Diary and advanced Classical Greek textbook in her book bag, was ready to see what the night would hold. She'd written a note to herself in English that reminded them about Ethan's responsibility, just to be safe. Jonathan accompanied them as a Roman centurion, happy that his runner-up costume did fit. And of course he'd forgotten about Larry.
"Harris, Levinson, what are you," Larry snickered, "Cross-dressers? The little girl seems than man in your group." Xander walked by and smiled.
"A guy dressed like a pirate is looking at two other guys and know what a cross-dresser is, Larry?" Xander replied loudly, "I think you're the one with issues."
Larry lunged at the dark teen, and found himself grabbed by the wrist, kneed in the groin, and as he opened his eyes with his back on the floor, found a sword at his throat. Xander felt momentarily dizzy at the exact moment of déjà vu, and made note to vary his strike next time.
"Don't ever bother us again, Larry, understand?" Xander quietly and coldly asked, getting a terrified nod form the bully, "And stay away from my girls." Xander walked off and down the hall to where Snyder, Willow and Buffy stared at him in stunned amazement at the speed and controlled violence of their goofball friend. Snyder raised an index finger and was about to tear into Alexander Harris when the boy half-raised his sword in Snyder's direction, giving him the same look he'd given Larry.
"Keep your jocks on a leash, and stop singling us out," Xander ordered the suddenly-intimidated school official, "Now, where's the group of kids I'll be escorting?" Snyder simply pointed. As Xander left the trio, he winked at Willow, "And I bet you look yummy under that, Wills…" Underneath the ghost costume, Willow blushed as red as the sheet was white.
Xander's preoccupation with talking to Dawn and writing a note explaining the mini-demons are really children, meant that they did not quite return to school before the spell kicked in, but as Dawnie and Xander were acting strangely to them, Willow and Buffy followed them and Jonathan, not far behind when the spell hit.
(What place is this, it is not Susa,) Xander asked aloud, (My illness is passed.) He looked around to where two people where two women were talking, the body of one next to them. Very confusing. He stepped forward but not too close, not seeing any Macedonians, or other subjects.
(Women,) he said bluntly, interrupting their wary sizing up of each other, (Before you continue, I need to know where I am, and why I am here.)
The red-headed woman glanced over, curious at his speech, then seemed to notice her body on the ground and screamed. Her words were an amazing and horrific babbling in a foreign tongue, but he sensed from her hands moving through the other girl and her own body that she only now realized she was dead. In a panic, she raced away into the night yelling something. He turned to the young, heavily weaponed girl that oozed 'slayer' in his mind.
(I'm guessing you're the Slayer?) the King of the Macedons asked, (I, myself was in…Susa when I found myself here.)
"Xander, why are you talking in Greek," Dawn/Buffy asked, then continued, "Hey! I knew it was Greek!" Xander looked confused and very different to her somehow, very un-Xander-like. (Xander? Is that you? We should--)
(Greetings, I hear you speak Greek) Jonathan interrupted, addressing Xander, (And as you seem of high station--)
(Excuse, Jonathan, *I* was talking--)
(Quiet, woman, I'm addressing his lordship--)
(Who happens to be listening to the Slayer's explanation of what's going on here) Alexander stated, cutting the other man off. To the Slayer, (Please continue, young woman, I wish to know what's going on.)
(So you me know not?) she asked and at his agreement, then to Jonathan, (Or you?) He begrudgingly shook his head. She stared at them both, then pointed at Alexander's shield. (It's about twenty-four hundreds of years since *he* died, guessing I am your spirits are possessing two friends costumed in your honor were.)
(For what purpose would this be so?) the centurion questioned, (I was stationed in a backwater province of no importance.)
(This place located in an area where worlds meet, and the other worlds not good are) she continued, her fluency not very good, but they seemed to understand her. They heard a woman's scream, interrupting their conversation. Looking at each, the brunette turned to them.
(My duty calling,) she sighed, (I have to check it out.) The centurion and general nodded at each other.
(We'll accompany you,) the general declared, and headed after the fast-running slayer. They moved down the street, a terrified young woman was being tackled by six small demons and two larger blue ones. The slayer charged in before the men could intervene, drawing out a sword and a wooden stick, screaming at the top of her lungs in a language not understood by the general.
The dark-haired girl leapt into the air, kicking and slashing, punching and stabbing. The general smiled as she'd managed to distract all six things from their victims, curiously using the flat of her blade to subdue. Pointing to the large ones, he and the soldier charged the two larger things.
Slash/parry-right, stab-stab-stab-stab/parry-slash-kick, he struck and wounded the seven foot tall beast, driving it away from the terrified excessively-clothed woman. The centurion, gaining surprise, had stabbed his opponent twice, but now was hard-pressed to hold his own. Alexander stabbed his opponent in the throat, an admittedly lucky shot, then swung away to half sever the neck and spine of the soldier's opponent. The centurion sensed an opportunity, and slashed away the throat, ending the demon.
As the sixth small demon fell to the ground, three forms leapt out and quickly ended the demon, leaving only the loud woman and the trio of Greek speakers standing, slightly dusty, in the mouth of the alley. The general turned to the slayer.
(Good fight, Slayer, but why did you not kill the small ones,) Alexander asked, (Bounty?) The slayer looked at the man, then shook her head as the centurion attempted to calm the incessant heavily-garbed woman
(No,) the slayer corrected, (I can sense…the difference between demons and humans, and these children…changed by magic, maybe by the same man who brought you into these bodies.)
(This is not my original body,) he conceded, (Perhaps I have been brought here to help restore order with a sword. Until then, I will accept your lead in this matter, since it is your time, place and you are knowledgeable of these things. I am Alexander, Son of Philip, King of the Macedons.)
(Knowing that I'm still a Slayer,) the brunette slayer asserted, (And at least until we know more, I'm willing to accept help. Buffy my name is.)
(Casca Rufio Longinus,) the short centurion offered as he brought over his charge, whose face they finally saw.
"That's *my* face and costume!" the slayer called out, pointing, then at their incomprehension, translated. She took out her compact to find her sister's face staring back at her. She looked at the two men in horror, and pointed at the squawking ditz, (I dressed as a noble woman of centuries past, so I guess…my sister dressed as me to mock me...so I'm actually possessing my sister, strength and all!) NOW, they sorta understood.
(We need to take *me* to the Library to see if Giles can straighten this out,) Buffy directed, (Alexander, could you pick up Willow's body and bring it with us?)
They'd reached the parking lot of the nearby Library, when they encountered Ghost-Willow and Giles. The Lady lunged at Giles.
"Uncle Robert!" she cried, "I was attacked by the demons of Hell and this camp follower and men in skirts defeated them!" He patted her uncomfortably and looked for assistance.
"Uh, erm, Dawn, could you please help me with your sister?" Giles pled, eyes pained, "She seems quite out of it." The slayer moved forward.
"Sure, Giles," the brunette answered, "But since Dawn dressed up as her better-armed and Greek-knowing sister, I'm actually Buffy."
"Good Lord!" the Watcher exclaimed, "A-And what of Xander and the other student?"
(Giles, allow me to present Casca Rufio Longinus and Alexander of Macedon.)
"Good Lord!" he exclaimed again, causing the Conqueror of Asia to interrupt.
(What did he say?) the legend asked, (He seems to repeat himself.)
(Good Lord,) she repeated as she tried not to snicker, as they entered the Library building.
(I try to be,) the general responded. (Does he know where to find the sorcerer behind this trouble?) Giles translated for Willow as they set her body on the weapons cage cot.
(Yes,) Gils answered, Buffy translating, (At a merchant's store, we were going to take my…carriage…but it seems to be gone. We will have to go afoot.)
(I've done a bit of marching in my time,) Alexander the Great responded, (And from the looks of him so has Centurion Longinus.) The man nodded.
As they approached the shop, Buffy sensed a group a real demons coming up behind them.
"Giles, take Lady Whiny inside with you and end this spell," Buffy ordered, then turned to the ancients, (Guys, all these things are demons.) and charged a surprised Spike and his eight minions, impacting thirty seconds later.
"What the—" the vampire leader started, shocked that the sister of the slayer was charging them and just dusted a minion as two guys with swords waded in after her. "Kill them all!"
Buffy in her smaller body still managed to hold off and block the best Spike had to offer, his surprise turning to rage as he recognized one of the swordsmen as Angelus' bait back in September. Two more vampires were dusted as they regrouped and pressed in. a very brief lull occurred in the fight, as both sides assessed the other, when Buffy in only petticoats rushed out the door to join in. Dawn drew out her sword and charged against the minions, strength and speed gone, but some skill and her enemy's expectations working in her favor.
Jonathan managed to hold off his opponent, confused but his subconscious still working on momentum and adrenaline as Xander drew on his Horseman's capabilities and charged back in as Buffy double-kicked Spike in the air.
Slash to the left and right, Xander decapitated two vampires in three seconds, effectively robbing his 'fellow normals' of their opponents. Swearing in Hittite, Latin, and Sumerian, he kicked, laughed, stabbed and generally toyed with the three remaining undead as he drove them into a corner, not noticing that Spike had run off and his friends watched as he carefully and almost-cruelly bested the best the three opponents could attempt. Then, he jumped straight back, causing the three to rally and sequentially charge with the desperation of full vampiric speed.
*Swish* two heads flew off from the force of his full swing into their charge, then he back-kicks the third in the side of the knee, sending it into the wall at full force. Xander walks over to it, smirking.
"And now you know why they called me Death for over a thousand years," he stage-whispered to it, forgetting himself in the victory.
Silence.
"Death?" Giles asked nervously, Buffy back to her self looking worried, "I-I thought you'd dressed as Alexander the Great?" Xander sighed, and hedged.
"I dressed up as Methos, from Highlander," Xander replied, then looked into Giles eyes, "who at one time was Alexander the Great, Ripper." Giles startled as Xander hadn't been in the shop. He looked over to see Xander carefully nod, and nodded back.
"Oh, uh, of course," Giles replied, playing along. The group watched Xander entered the shop, they heard a British whimper of pain, and watched as the young man rejoined them with the cashbox under his arm.
"What? Just the spoils of war," he smirked, then turned to Dawn, "I promised your mom I'd feed you, so let's go for dinner at the café?" The girl nodded, feeling Xander was fully back. "Giles? Ethan's buying and if you say yes I'll tell you where I saw your car."
"As long as Ethan's buying, yes," Rupert sighed, then Ripper snarled, "Lord knows the bloody pillock never bought back in the day." He regained himself to everyone's comfort, "I-I think I'd like that, so let's go get Willow, shall we?"
(I'm speaking in Classical Greek)
As planned between them the night before, Xander picked up Dawn around six-thirty, having already acquired better than average food and beverages on the way over. She wore sweats and brought with her the books of Giles they'd used as part of the spell. She had her hair pulled back into a pony tail, not usual for her, and Xander had noticed.
"Picked up a few Buffyisms, I see," Xander joked, looking at her hair, "Is that your sister's?"
"Oh yeah," Dawn beamed, "I loan her my body, and she doesn't know she loans me hair scrunchies and insight into her psyche."
(Do you remember anything else?) Xander asked her.
(Yeah, I some Greek know) she replied, rolling her eyes, (And I sense things better I think…)
(Cool,) Xander continued, (Let's continue our conversations in the languages needing practice, so that your retention will be higher.)
(You're so starting to sound like Giles,) Dawn remarked in kind, (How much do you remember from your loops?) Xander remained silent for a moment before answering.
(One of my costumes was a dark mage in his youth,) Xander sighed, (And he decided that he wanted to stick around. So his spell caused him and the other memories to be like super highlander quickenings. I get it all, everything during this day.)
(Oh, and since this day ends not,) Dawn realized, (every costume you wear adds more and more.)
(You seem to be handling this pretty well, Dawn,) Xander noted, then joked, (I didn't know your sister would leave you this mature.)
"Puh-lease," Dawn grimaced, then considered, "Though I guess when you add in just sheer extra experience and all this slayer stuff, maybe a little, though I just don't see it her way."
"How so?" Xander said, also switching to English as they pulled into the SHS parking lot near the library.
"Well, I understand what attracts Buffy to her vampire," Dawn conceded, "Though I consider him boring and stalkerish. He's seemed more… human… since he saved Buffy. Before that he was really yucky, but after his going down into the Master's Lair with y—" Xander halted suddenly and looked at her.
"She thinks *he* saved her?" Xander asked incredulously, "Since when does a vampire learn CPR? And since when does an eighty-year defeatist grow a pair? This stays between us, Dawnie, but *I* forced that bastard at cross-point and then *I* brought her back. I guess the oxygen deprivation of being drowned musta killed of a lot of brain cells." He opened the door and held it for her as they carried stuff in.
"Not nice, Xan, and she thought only a master vampire would be strong enough to force his way down there, Xander," Dawn sighed, "And she did think you were brave to go with him."
"Okay, so what's with her martyr complex?" Xander asked, now that 'taboo' topics were out in the open, and realizing Dawn was not Buffy.
"Confused, wouldn't have chosen if asked," Dawn replied, then softer, "And I think when Merrick…died…her first Watcher, it's carried over. And Dad left. Everybody but me and mom, and since I'm not the slayer she's expecting me to leave too."
"So she feels abandoned deep down, and is…"
"Kind depressed…can you be lightly depressed for a long time?" Dawn replied. "If so, she needs to take fun breaks."
"Yeah, depression doesn't have to be the abyss to get to you Dawn," Xander remarked, "You just have to figure out ways of diverting it so it doesn't consume you. So…why the vampire?"
"Tall, dark, mysterious and she thinks he's powerful enough to stay with her longer than other males have," Dawn responded, "She'd feel really isolated if mom and I weren't here. I'm guessing on a lot of this, since I have memories and such but no real way of sorting it more than that."
"Hmmm, I gotta ask," Xander sighed, "Did she have a clue how she was treating me when she did the dance when she came back this summer?" Dawn stared, trying to remember, then blushed as though it'd been her.
"Oh. No she didn't, she was just in her weird I'm the Lone Slayer but I still want to yank Angel's chain attitude," Dawn considered, "And if she were half as embarrassed as I feel right now, she would. Sorry?"
"Thanks Dawn," Xander replied with a sad smile, "Maybe when we get out of the loop, we'll see about get her some counseling, and maybe some medication for the depression."
"Yeah, but what psychiatrist would *believe* her vampire tales?" Dawn agreed, but shook her head. "Maybe one of these loops you could go as Freud" Xander looked at her as he finished his coffee and croissants like she was crazy.
"Dawn, as stuck as I'd been on your sister before the Resets," Xander said, backing away from that idea, "I'm not going to be ship's counselor on this trip."
"But I don't think that I would be someone she'd listen to," Dawn sighed, "Though on one of our trips I just might go as Troi."
"Cool," Xander smiled, relieved that the Buffy analysis was over, "By the way, how'd you get your mom to agree to you coming out this early?" Dawn winced and was about to say something when the telephone rang. Cocking an eyebrow at her and sighing, he answered it.
"Sunnydale High Library, Harris speaking."
"Hello, Ms Summers, how are you?"
"Yes she is…I'm guessing from your tone she just left you a note?"
"Uh-huh, yeah, I already got a quart of OJ, a couple muffins and a croissant into her just now."
"Homework? I was going to start training her in self-defense and such after that craziness last night, but seeing as we're in a library, by the end of the weekend, she'll be able to teach the class."
"How about I return the little miscreant around 3-ish?"
"Okay, great, bye."
"Hey, Dawn, next time a little warning, please," Xander smirked playfully, "And to keep my promise to your mom, I get to pick out your costumes until you really *can* teach the course." Dawn at first looked horrified, then realized school and maybe college just became very easy.
"What's first, sensei?" Dawn enthused, "Math? Science? Social Studies?"
"Well, since we're on a 'school' kick, maybe we'll both go for a few together?" Xander said, conceding his own need for grade-boosting, "Then we'll figure out a few good costumes to go with my already planned next few."
"Got any ideas?"
"Oh, yeah, now all we have to do later is a little recon to figure out where to get whatever else we need in order to fill in costumes we get from Ethan."
"Can I be smarter than Willow?" Dawn asked, "That way I could talk to her about smart people stuff and not feel slow."
"Okay, now there's a good idea," Xander approved, "I've already been Asimov, so—"
"You were Mister 'I, Robot'?" Dawn gasped in amazement.
"Dawn, if you were five years younger, I'd adopt you," Xander laughed, "or ten years older, and I'd worship you like a Sci-fi goddess." The two friends laughed as he explained his plan.
"Oh for crying out loud!" Angus MacGyver swore as he'd stepped through the far event horizon of the wormhole to find himself…in a suburb? "Now what?!"
"Sir, is that you?" a pretty young brunette girl wielding a P-90 said as she approached him. Her mannerisms reminded him of…
"Carter?" MacGyver, known to many as Colonel Jack O'Neill, queried as he looked at his hands and realizing the twinges in his knees had disappeared, "What's going on?"
"We seem to be in a suburb or small town, sir," Samantha Carter replied, reaching into pockets to find a compact and a wallet. "I seem to be in the body of a girl named Dawn Summers, aged thirteen "she groaned "And I attend Sunnydale High School and Middle School half-time each."
"Aw, so even your new…you…is brainy," Jack smirked, recovering Xander's id and a letter. "I'm guessing I'm Xander Harris, and he left a note. Let's see…Dear possession guy, I foresaw this happening and couldn't find a way to avoid it. I think of the brunette girl as a sister, so don't try anything fly-boy. Vampires in this world are real, as are demons. You now know magic works. If you don't believe me, Angus MacGyver who is Jack O'Neill who flinched when Sam said she'd macgyvered the gate together, go on the assumption. The big vampires, especially an obnoxious British one with the Billy Idol look, are more evil than Apophis. Sam has very bad luck keeping boyfriends alive. Be warned. The 'mini-demons' are children transformed like you and Sam. Do not kill the kids, Jack. On you, you'll find wooden stakes, crosses and holy water, and hopefully your cartridges have converted to blessed-silver-coated wood, some phosphorus rounds and such. Normal bullets don't kill unless there is no heart left or you've decapitated the things. Good luck, and in three hours look for Ethan's shop in the business district, by then he'll be there, and you can destroy the glowy-eyed statue to go home and let me have my body back."
Sam, who'd only halfway paid attention after the 'MacGyver' revelation, fired off a couple of rounds at a charging monster's feet, scaring it off.
"Sir?" Sam gasped in disbelief, "Why do you act so obtuse if you're really MacGyver? We could get so much more done on missions…"
"Carter," Jack interrupted, "Burn-out. I'm Jack O'Neill, normal guy, who also happens to be a genius. And I learned that being Jack is very calming, and it seems to make those around me work harder at what they do instead of one-up or get bogged down. Could you imagine how bad Daniel would be if he knew I know more about North American archaeology and cultures than he does? He'd be too busy discussing rather than rock-hunting. Plus, while I can be language-knowing guy, he *really* is a linguist, better than I am. I'm the overlap and the Authority Guy. So if you have any questions, we'll cover them tonight, otherwise, only in rare situations when we're paired up in the field or captured and held separately from the others."
"Does the General know?" she asked.
"Nope," Jack smiled, "And I don't plan to tell him."
An hour of patrolling later, they'd rescued around two dozen people from mini-demons and had managed to blast away about four hostiles that turned to goo and evaporated, thus proving demons existed in this reality.
Sam had asked *lots* of questions, some of which Jack/Angus answered, and then she moved on to discussing goa'uld technology, possible applications at the SGC, and more. When he broke down and made a couple of corrective comments, she *knew* he was MacGyver since she'd not put a couple of items in her report, and yet he not only understood, but *understood.*
"Carter," Jack asked, relatively relaxed in spite of the alertness, "How about we see if that statue's ready to get knocked over. I'd feel better continuing this at O'Malley's or perhaps on a fishing expedition to Minnesota."
"You mean the fishing thing is for real," she looked at him in stunned amazement.
"It's a zen thing, I like to fish, it lets me do some free-association thinking while keeping my hands busy," he said defensively, "And besides, what's wrong with fishing?"
"Well, Sir," Carter spoke aloud, thirty minutes later, "We're finally here. What now?" She watched as he dusted himself of remaining vampire dust, grimacing.
"Now that I have most of Billy Idol off of me, I guess I'm ready," Jack half-whined, "But did you *have* to shoot him at full-auto while he was twisting me arm?"
"Well, Sir, you did make it an order, 'Damn it Major, just spray the sonofabitchbeforeitils me,'" she quoted, barely suppressing a smile, "So I just followed orders."
"But you got me all dusty," he grimaced, "And I'm *so* ordering you not to tell Daniel about this."
"Fine, Sir, shall we kick in the door and shoot everything, or follow proper entry procedure?" Jack answered, twinkle in eye, by kicking in the door and charging stupidly in, screaming nonsensically. Charging into the store, and finding no one in the room, Jack effectively tackled a man coming out to investigate, winding him. Rolling back to his feet, Jack noticed the statue, lightly rifle-butted Ethan in the head to render him unconscious. He checked the room, as Carter secured the outer areas and met up with him staring at the statue.
"Go ahead, Sir," Carter smiled, "I know you want to…" Jack smiled and blew the statue away at full automatic.
"And then w-we found that Ethan guy all tied up in duct tape and he couldn't move," Willow rambled rather than babbled, "And the money was gone from the shop, so we think robbers just got lucky and stopped the spell."
"Whoa, decaf, Willow," Xander laughed, as he stood up and gestured Dawn to the practice area as Buffy and Giles were discussing if the thieves might be connected to the night life in town. Dawn and Xander began to slowly circle each other, while taunting and commenting in Greek, and gradually caught the attention of the others as Dawn lunged and Xander side stepped lightly.
(Ha, Morning Light," Xander laughed, (You forget that I'm older and have good knees.) he feinted, then grabbed her wrist, rolled behind her, tapped the back of her neck and leapt away. (What would Sam say, slow poke, letting the old man take you down so easy.)
(Okay, Horseman,) Dawn quipped in such a way as to catch his attention, which worked long enough to gain her two minor strikes, (Prepare to meet this apocalypse) only to be floored again, but getting in a side-kick on the way down.
(Oooh, Psych warfare time, huh, Buffy Two?) Xander mocked as he missed the easy grab, but presses her back, (Next go-around, I'm thinking girl-janitor to remind you of this impending humiliation.) She grabs his wrist, thinking a victory within reach, as he falls limply to the ground, pulling her down, she loses her control of the situation to have him pin her under him.
"Okay, you two," Buffy interrupted, Giles and Willow walking just behind her, "What's with the martial arts display?"
"A-and why is your Ancient Greek better than my own?" Giles added, curious.
"Simple, Watcher-Guy," Dawn addressed the question, "We remember *being* our costume characters. As to the specifics, go add Show-Time to your cable service and you'll learn what they know."
"So who'd you go as?" Willow asked.
"Xan was MacGyver, known as Jack O'Neill," Dawn supplied, "And I went as Samantha Carter?"
"So you're both as smart as me now?" Willow asked, amazed.
"Maybe, Wills," Xander replied, smirking, "But it could take weeks to train Dawn to Willow-babble. And nothing says lovable genius like a babbling red-head."
"Darn, tootin' mister…" Willow smiled, then caught the zinger, "Hey!"
"So, Xander?" Dawn asked, noticing the time, "I was thinking…can I get you to do the spell that lets me keep everything?" Xander looked at her, not really showing any emotion. Then he frowned in thought, obviously weighing his decision. Dawn enjoyed watching him think, and wondered how often he'd let anyone else see him so serious.
"Well, Dawn, it would mean some possibly unpleasant moments," Xander spoke carefully, "For instance, if…a man…forced himself on a woman, they'd be your memories as well. If they killed, maimed, were severely injured…you'd feel it all. It might not be as bad as being *two* of the Horsemen, and a good overview of a third, but you're Dawn-patrol."
"But if memories are created out of thin air, I might experience it any way," Dawn replied, and sighed, "And if we're actually surprised one night, I'd at least like to have the skills so I'll *know* I did all I could."
Minutes pass.
'Rule one, I have final veto over any costume," Xander began, already capitulating, "Rule two, no demons or anything that will make you not-Dawn. Rule number three, we have to speak at least one of the same languages. I don't want our costume-spirits to do something bad to the other. Rule four, if we have both want costumes that are in a relationship or enemies with the other, we'll take turns." He paused to think on whether he'd missed anything. "Oh, and rule number five, no one-night stands. I'm not explaining to your mother how I let it happen…and I could always not take you along and you'll be stuck at that party…"
"But Xander," Dawn sighed, "What if we're trapped in here for a couple of years?"
"Then you'd still be only fifteen, and your mom would still kill me?"
"I'm almost fourteen now," the girl tried to weasel out of the proscription, "So if I'm *really* eighteen at some point?"
"Then we explain things to your mother," Xander emphasized, "And let *her* decide."
"So, any other rules?" Dawn asked, stalemated but not defeated.
"Yep. But we'll come up with them as we go along."
The Reset went off as expected, and Xander handled the Joyce-call with the smoothness that comes from practice. He grabbed some Egyptology and Ancient language dictionaries, and headed out the door with Giles' car, fines money and keys.
Swinging by the school to pick up Dawn after swiping his parents' money, Xander hummed away as they drove up to Ethan's. Already knowing where the O'Neill and Carter accessories were located, it took no time to speak of to assemble the costumes of Daniel Jackson and Janet Frasier.
"So what now, Xan?" Dawn asked in her costume, second lunch?"
"While an excellent idea," Xander admitted, "I want to swing by a pawn shop and see if they have any usable medical equipment. Who knows? We might even save a few lives."
"Ooooo-kay," Daniel sighed aloud as he took in his surroundings, "This is clearly not my office in the SGC." It seemed very suburban in nature, though screams from the general vicinity began to erupt as darkness was setting.
"Xander!" a red-headed girl called out in his direction. Daniel turned around expecting to see someone of Greek ethnicity. "Xander!"
"A-are you addressing me," the archaeologist responded uncertainly, "because my name's Daniel." He then noticed some type of creature was about to pounce on a young girl dressed a lot like Doctor Frasier. "Look out!" then he used his sidearm to shoot near the thing.
"Don't kill it!" the red head exclaimed, "There's a little kid in there." The dark-haired teen wandered close to them.
"Thanks, kids," Janet Frasier greeted them, "Whatever that thing was wanted me for dinner. My name's Janet Frasier, by the way." The young man stared at her in amazement.
"Ur, uh, Janet from…Colorado Springs?" the scholar questioned carefully, at which the dark-haired girl nodded half-suspiciously. "Uh, Janet, it's me, Daniel Jackson. You, we, seem to be in the bodies of children." He turned hesitantly toward the red-head, offering his hand, "I'm Daniel…" as his hand passed through hers.
"I dressed as a ghost, Xander, Dawn," she gestured, "And now my body's over there. You two seem to be in possession of the bodies of two friends of mine." Janet interrupted.
"It's only been a few minutes, maybe we can resuscitate you," Janet assured her, and handed Daniel the defibrillator she for some reason was carrying around. She headed in the direction Willow had indicated.
They worked on Willow's body for three minutes, shocking the heart, compressing the chest, and breathing, until finally she miraculously came around.
"Giles in the high school library," Willow gasped, as she faded toward unconsciousness, "He'll know how to get you back."
"We need to get her to a hospital, quick, Daniel," Janet told her colleague, "I don't know how long she'll last out here without proper attention." They lifted her up, and Janet helped Daniel place her into a fireman's carry. Then they heard the scream and a woman in late 18th century attire attempting to elude a bunch of small monsters. Janet took Daniel's gun, and proceeded to shoot around the feet of the monsters, causing them to find easier prey as the 'Lady' managed to collide with a telephone booth and knock her self unconscious. Daniel and Janet stared for a moment before heading over, laughing, to help the poor trick-or-treater.
Forty-five minutes, two *real* vampires auto-fired into dust and two stops to render first aid and recruit helpers later, they and four other carried five hurt individuals into the emergency room. When the ER failed to pay Janet any attention, Daniel closed hi eyes tight and spastically fired his weapon into the ceiling to quiet everybody and accept Doctor Frasier's information before heading into the night. As they moved away, one of the people hurriedly pressed into service, came forward, dressed in a cat costume.
"So when did you two become all 4077?" the tall brunette asked with a confused and tired smile.
"4-0?" the confused rock-hunter asked, his eyes widening and then squinting as he tried to catch the reference.
"MASH, Daniel, television show," Janet helped, shaking her head, then turned to the girl, "So, miss, are you okay? Do you need further treatment?" Cordelia was rather caught off guard by the concern in the eyes of her two acquaintances, realizing something.
"You two aren't Dawn and Xander are you?" she postulated, taking a half-step back.
"I-I'm Doctor Daniel Jackson, a-and this is Doctor Janet Frasier," the young man replied, "the young red-headed girl we carried in thinks we're somehow 'possessing' these two, but we have no idea how."
"Giles would probably know," Cordelia replied, grimacing slightly, "But we'll have to walk."
"S-she mentioned a Giles, at a high school library?" Daniel quietly pressed, "If you could give us directions, we'll go there ourselves."
"No, I'll show you, I owe you two for tonight," Cordelia responded, "And Cordelia Chase doesn't let herself *owe* anybody. Let's go."
Cordelia Chase was one tired young woman when they reached the doors of the Library to find them barred. Between the archaeologist continuously asking questions while firing weapons to scare off possessed children and real monsters, and the doctor insisting on treating the wounded and sending them off in groups where possible, the cheerleader was feeling less than cheery.
"Giles!" she yelled, pounding on the door, "Open the door!" After a minute or so, the door was opened and the trio walked in and the librarian relocked the door behind them. He noted the dirtied and slightly bloodied clothes and flustered slightly.
"A-are you three alright?" Giles asked, as Angel crossed the room, "Shall I fetch the first aid kit?"
"Where's Buffy?" Angel asked, as they indicated they were unhurt, "Is she alright?"
"Her and Willow will be fine," Cordelia assured the two men, then slightly smirking, "Doctors Jackson and Frasier brought Willow back to life, and have been playing combat medic for a couple hours now."
"Doctors? I-I don't understand," Giles replied, "A-and you didn't mention Buffy's condition, Miss Chase."
"Oh, she's Lady Hysterical with minor stuff, but we left her at the hospital where she won't get herself killed," Cordelia responded, shaking her head in remembrance. "Completely useless, and whiny."
"And d-don't forget loud," a frowning Daniel Jackson added, "And kicking." He turned to the librarian, offering his hand, "Mr. Giles, I presume? I'm Daniel Jackson, and this is Doctor Janet Frasier." Curious, Giles greeted them both.
"We seem to be 'possessing' these bodies," Daniel explained, looking embarrassed, "And both 'Willow' and Cordelia thought you might know of a way to get us back to where we belong?"
"Hmmm, perhaps if we understood why Miss Chase and Willow remained themselves, we could determine a starting point?" Giles considered, then turning to Angel. "H-have you heard of anything like this before?"
"I can't say that I have," the vampire frowned, "What did Willow dress as?"
"I believe it was a ghost," Daniel replied, "Her body had a sheet with 'Boo!' on it after she told us where it was." Janet nodded in confirmation. "The lettering looked store-made, though."
"Alright, then, and Cordelia, since you seem unchanged," Giles said, pursuing the Willow aspect of the search first, "Do you know at which store Willow or Buffy might have acquired their costumes?"
"It wasn't Party Time, it's out of their price range," Cordelia assured them, "So they probably went to S-Mart or that new place, Edgar's, Eric's, some icky British guy runs it." Giles gave her a look. "Hey, I didn't say *you* icky British guys. Oh! Ethan's!"
"Ethan's," Giles asked darkly, "Are you sure?"
"Oh, yes, I remember Buffy going on about some Lady dress and the deal she got," Cordelia nodded. "So do you know him?"
"If it's the same person," Giles responded, voice going cold as he prepared to head out, "He's going to regret ever coming to Sunnydale."
"I'm coming with you," Angel asserted, "Just in case you need back up getting there. And I owe him for Buffy, and Willow."
"We might as well all go," Cordelia sighed, "And I'll help these two with anyone injured we come across."
The group reached Ethan's, stopping to interrupt two attacks and lend quick basic first aid to four people before supplies finally ran out. Angel and Giles moved into the store first, the others following behind a moment later. Ethan was about to make a witty (to him) remark, when Angel lifted him by his throat and slammed him into a wall.
"How do we stop the spell, Ethan?" Ripper Giles asked coldly. Ethan choked. "Angel, ease up a little so he can tell us how to stop the spell. Anything else…bite him." Angel released the chaos mage, who was about to make a nasty remark when Angel let his vampiric visage show.
"The bust of Janus," Ethan responded, gesturing to the other room, "Destroy it and the spell ends." Giles was about to head into the room, when Daniel stopped him.
"Before we leave, I'd like to thank both you and Cordelia for your help, Mr. Giles," the archaeologist told him, offering his hand again. Giles shook it and Janet's as well. "Good bye, it would have been a pleasure to discuss various mythos with you."
"A-and thank you both for your help as well," Giles replied. He headed into the back room as he couldn't quite make out a remark made by Ethan at Cordelia's expense. Finding the statue and picking it up he overheard the next couple of remarks as he began to drop the ceramic…
"Hey, Angel?" Cordelia called out.
"Yeah, Cordelia?"
"Clear!" then 'Ka-Chunk' and Ethan screaming for a moment until the magic swept away and the defibrillator ceased to work again.
"Nice work, Cordelia!" Dawn Summers shouted with approval, "High Five!"
Giles reentered the room to find Ethan Rayne on the floor, grabbing his ass, "Figures you couldn't keep your mouth shut. Leave town Ethan or I'll acquire for her a working set tomorrow and let he have at." He looked over to Xander, who had a box in hand. He raised an eyebrow as Angel looked on curiously.
"Ethan volunteered to buy us all dinner and contribute to any hospital expenses for Willow and Buffy," Xander replied with a straight-face, then looked down to a recovering Ethan, who looked up resignedly, and nodded. "Thank you, Ethan." Xander met Angel's eyes, then pointedly looked at Ethan. Angel knocked the chaos mage unconscious.
"So, Angel?" Xander asked, wrapping his arm around the vampire's shoulder in such an exaggerated manner as to annoy, "Can you eat broth, or soup, or those really scary-sounding blood puddings and get anything out of them?"
"Well, I *can* eat," Angel admitted in confusion as the group exited the building, "But it can't really get above a hundred and forty Fahrenheit or what's in the blood portion loses almost *all* I need from it to survive."
"So…a *rare* hamburger or a juicy steak tartar?" Xander mused as they crammed into Giles' car.
"Doable, but I'd have to eat two or three times as much and…" he murmured the rest so no one could hear.
"What was that?" Xander followed up, "I didn't catch the last part."
"I'm not all rose perfume the next day since the body can only really absorb liquids," the vampire admitted. Dawn looked back to Xander, confused.
"Gassy vampire," Xander snickered, then became a little more serious as the others chuckled, "But one who *could* hang around us socially every *other* day since eating *would* be a reassuring sacrifice no *real* master vampire would make." He met Angel's look, and both nodded.
"So, Xan!" Buffy called out as she entered the library with Dawn and Willow following, "Willow tells me you were playing doctor with my sister." She smirked as she walked up to him and gave him a peck on the cheek.
"What was that for, Buff?" he asked, blushing. She smiled and leaned over to whisper in his ear, hand on his shoulder.
"I just wanted to thank you the right way," she said and paused, "For maybe saving my life again." She moved away and poured herself a cup of tea, hint of cream only.
"You're welcome…Lady Tea-Drinker," Xander replied fondly, picking up his own cooling cup, "guess something stuck?"
"Oui," she grinned, "It might be fading, but I still seem to have a little French, a knowledge of Bach and Handel symphonies, and an appreciation of fine china and crystal." She looked under the ornate teapot, then with an embarrassed look, set it down as they looked at her. "Just checking…the a maker's mark."
"S-so you both are feeing better?" Giles asked the hospital-released girls, "No physical side effects?" They both indicated they were fine. Then with a Ripperish grin, Giles continued, "I got off the telephone with Angel a few minutes ago, Xander, and he said he'd meet all of you Sunday night 'for a repeat at the café, and a major patrol to walk it off.'" Dawn and Xander chuckled, while Giles smirked.
"What?" Buffy and Willow asked at the same time, not being around for dinner at the Sunnydale Café the previous night.
"Oh, Buff," Xander laughed, "We just learned the reason how the 'Scourge of Europe' must have really gotten its name."
"How?" Buffy smiled uncertainly, hoping for an answer.
"Well, Angel ate the two Cheeseburger Grandes extra rare and The Roast Beef Raro at the Sunnydale Café last night," Xander said, trying to control himself. The sight of the vampire eating was odd, especially as they'd had to coach him somewhat.
"He ate…he ate *that* much!" Willow asked in shock, and at Buffy's look, "Throw in fries and a shake, and that's what Xander had the last time we went there." Buffy's eyes went big, that had been Slayer-Hungry eating levels and Xander had even suggested pie afterward.
"And he's a guy who hasn't had meat in two hundred years…" Xander hinted, receiving a blank look from the balanced-diet eaters, "Or think of it as a guy with a bad diet who eats a gallon of truck-driver chili, side of beans and drowns it in cheese…" They still looked blank. "Odor de bad gas station men's room. Vampirus Gassius Maximus?"
"Oh!" Willow exclaimed, and explained to Buffy in whispers, both of them grimacing and blushing.
"Why would he agree to that?" Buffy asked.
"Because I told him he'd be *welcome* and not just tolerated…every *other* day, if he's willing to be like the rest of us," Xander said with a small smile, "And trust me, how he feels in the evenings he's not around…proves he's serious. Even if it's not all roses…"
"Thanks, Xander," Buffy replied, and leaned over to give him another peck on the cheek, "You're great…I think."
"I am, just remember, for the love of heaven, don't go to his place on the other nights…"
"Come on, Xander," Dawn whined as he picked her up on the next loop, "Thanks to Carter, I know math and physics, and Frasier covers the biology and chemistry, a-and they both had doctorate degrees. Come o-o-o-n, how about some fun." She attempted puppy eyes.
"Now, Dawn, you need social studies and English to round things out a bit," Xander smirked, "And I think you'll like the choice I've made. We're gonna be archaeologists that know how to use guns."
"Cool, I think," the girl said, noticing the smirk with suspicion, "But what about the spell?"
"We'll have everything we need at Ethan's but will need to get it before the spell ends…"
"But how are our other selves going to know the spell and everything?" Dawn said, frowning as she replayed the sentence in her mind. "Why don't we go get the ingredients somewhere and cast the spell so it does it thing when the spell starts?"
"Hmmm, good thinking, Dawn," Xander conceded, "I think Giles might have what we need, and maybe Ms. Calendar would know where to get anything he doesn't have…Okay, let's get the costumes and see about getting the spell going."
Miracle of miracles, Dawn and I actually found enough of what we needed by raiding Giles' cache of material and Jenny's desk. Ripper's memories allowed us to make use of chamomile in place of another ingredient; I still suspect it was a difference in the smell given off when the spell executes. I cast the spell for Dawn, and we just left the Library to take the kids trick-or-treating as Giles mad a comment about the smell in the air as he entered. I have to admit that Ripper was good at his magic, but sometimes wasn't the best with ancient language word tenses when it came to improvisational magic casting. More on that later.
Dawn and Xander had gotten back to the Library with the kids in record time with record candy achievement. Ten minutes before the spell was due to kick in, the two young people laughingly entered the Library to find Giles begin a round of cataloguing. The man looked up and started, as he for a moment mistook the two for people he'd met previously.
"Sorry Giles," Xander addressed the older man, "Didn't mean to spook ya." No smirk on the youth's face led Giles toward a little forthrightness.
"That's alright, Xander," Giles replied, "For a moment I thought you two were people I knew from back in England."
"Well unless Indian Jones and Lara Croft are based on real people…" Xander smiled, "Probably not." He and Dawn sat down to await the spell, and the young man heard the kettle whistle. "Anybody like tea? I noticed earlier there's a very fresh Djaarling in the office." Dawn smiled and nodded, and a surprised Giles also assented. The young man came out a few moments later, tray in hand, Giles' car keys on the office desk. 'At least I've picked up a few habits that I don't mind.'
"Back to your earlier observation, Xander," Giles said, taking a sip of tea and giving it and Xander an appreciative nod, "There was, indeed a Doctor Henry Jones upon whom the movies were made, I had the pleasure of meeting him during my college days, then just a few years ago, shortly before his passing. And while there *isn't* a huge robot or such nonsense, my third cousin, Lady Croft, is indeed an archaeologist of sorts. Her reputation, unfortunately, does tend to match the reality."
Buffy and Willow entered the Library a moment later, chattering about the Lady dress. Willow had the sheet draped over her shoulders like a big beach towel, covering herself from unwanted attention. They seemed curious as to the tea drinking that was going on as neither Dawn nor Xander drank the beverage.
"Hey guys," Buffy greeted, "Boy, Xan, our groups followed yours and made out like bandits."
"I *am* the master of sugary goodness, Buff," Xander replied as he sipped his tea. Setting the cup down absently, it fell to the floor between him and Dawn, breaking into shards. He and Dawn reached down and bumped heads, smiling until their hands were each cut on pieces of the china cup. Reaching for the same pieces, their slightly wounded hands met as they felt the magic creep up on them.
Xander fell over and writhed, Dawn grasping his hand in reflex in hopes of steadying him as she, too, was then overwhelmed by pain. Willow gasped and collapsed to the floor as the slayer fainted. Giles attempted to get up from his seat, but a green light emanated from the entwined, bloodied hands of Xander and Dawn, enveloping them in a fog of energy that for a few brief seconds arced lightning to the floor where the Hell Mouth had opened the night the Master died, to the lights and to other conductive protrusions. The ground shook as with an earthquake.
Outside, the City of Sunnydale quaked, and to those rare few that'd been caught in the eye of a hurricane, the night lit up and the sheer of the storm's eye became clear and frightening, seeming close and on the horizon at the same time. The lighting, except being green, was as light as noontime, before suddenly turning to gold-tinged white and lapsing back as the Hell Mouth fractured open, then closed. Only a minute had passed, but Giles recovered from his shock to check on his charges, finding first Buffy, then Dawn, then Xander fine, before heading for Willow. Approaching her, he watched as her spirit sat up from the body.
"Good Lord!" Giles exclaimed, taking a step back, "Willow, you're separating from your body. Lay back down while I try to perform CPR on you." The young teen looked confused, then down at herself before looking fearfully at her mentor, then did as he bade. He removed his jacket and began his efforts, pushing aside the sheet out of the way. Three minutes later he began to worry, starting to doubt his procedure when he was tapped on the shoulder.
"Allow me to help you, I've done it a time or two," Xander Harris directed in a flat mid-western accent, fedora tipped up. He began slightly more abrupt compressions then switched to the breathing. He did this a few more times then completely removed the 'ghost' sheet from her arms and a choker the girl wore around her neck. "Now, Rupert, I want you to maintain the compressions while I concentrate on the breathing, got it?" Giles nodded, and a minute later Willow gasped and choked as she revived.
"Xander?" Willow gasped as she fell into unconsciousness. The young-looking man looked to the older-looking man.
"She'll be okay, now, but if there's a hospital nearby, you'll probably want to get your daughter there as soon as possible, just to be on the safe side," the man said, "And you might want to get a hold of this Xander person, might make her waking a bit easier." They were interrupted by a young woman's British-accented voice.
"Cousin Rupert?" the young teen asked, confused, "What happened to my body? Why am I a child again?" The two males looked at her. Giles in obvious confusion as a possibility sank in. 'Xander' stuck out his hand to her.
"Rupert seems a bit off, miss," the apparent teen greeted her with a small smile, "I'm Doctor Henry Jones, but please call me Indiana." The woman grasped his hand, at which time he noticed obvious differences in his own physical status as she replied.
"Lara Croft, Professor Jones," she half-smirked, half-smiled in humor, "And it appears I'm not the only one to…experience whatever has brought us here and in our current predicament. And I'm hoping Rupert here can help us out?" The librarian watched the interplay closely and with increasing amazement.
"C-Certainly, but I need to point out to you t-that you are actually possessing the bodies of two of the students at the school at which I'm Librarian," Giles imparted.
"I'm dead?" Lara asked, surprised, "H-how?"
"N-No! Most certainly not, Lara," Giles assured her, placing a hand on her shoulder, "I've received no such word in the last few weeks since last we'd spoken." The girl sighed in relief, reassured. Giles reached into his office and made a phone call for an ambulance while Jones and Croft made the red-head and a young blonde dressed as an 18th Century noblewoman more comfortable. This caused the latter to stir and regain consciousness.
"W-where am I?" the young woman asked in petulant tone of voice. She looked around to see the commonly clad male and the indecently-clothed girl turning their attention toward her, "You heard me, I demand to know where and by which means came I to be in this…library?"
"You passed out, apparently," Jones answered, "And we were assisting the librarian to help you until we can figure out just what *is* going on." The young woman was about to say something when she noticed the librarian exiting his office and walking back towards them.
"Uncle Robert!" the slayer gushed at the Englishman, "I'd hoped to find someone to help me…" She squeezed again, cutting off airflow. She released him as he sought to recover his equilibrium once more. "Does that disgracefully-dressed girl with the lout mean you're now a Watcher?"
Giles looked over at Jones and Lara, fighting back a pained smile as they looked annoyed, but Giles managed to recover, "They are associates of mine, yes, but *Lady* Croft is helping me train the, er, Slayer, and the 'lout' is actually Professor Jones, who does a lot of field work and thus cannot always dress at his station."
"They seem a bit young, uncle," Lady Elizabeth remarked, "Your usual associates tend to be older than yourself by many years." Giles proceeded to quiz Lady Elizabeth for a few minutes, as the ambulance arrived. Jones and Croft fielded the few questions asked by the ambulance crew, which left shortly. Jones turned to Croft as Giles seemed overly-engrossed in the possessing spirit in his charge.
"Well, Princess," the professor began, sighing, "Any ideas on how to give these kids back their lives? I've dealt with ghosts and such, but no real possessions like these."
"Well, no," Lady Croft admitted, "And don't call me 'Princess' when Lara will do." He smirked, then waved at her to continue. "But it does seem to me unusual that the kids dressed as us and became us."
"So you're saying the costumes might be a focus for the 'magic' involved?" Jones asked, thinking aloud. "Then we need to find the caster, or at least the place the kids found these clothes. I mean, these *are* my clothes, gun and hat."
"And your whip Professor Jones?" the young tomb raider flirted, humor glinting in her eye as her eyebrow raised, "Is there something I need to know?" Unfortunately Giles intruded, preventing it from going further.
"I say, I'm somewhat unsure as to a course of action," the Watcher stated, "But the costumes, as I overheard you postulate a moment ago, are probably the place to start. There can't be that many costume shops in Sunnydale, can there?" He handed a phone book to Lara, and a map to Jones as Lady Elizabeth begrudgingly made tea for the group.
Ten more minutes passed, tea was served properly, and three stores mere mapped out as possibilities as Jones made a directory assistance call as Giles' phone book was, of course, last year's. Giles looked at the map, tracing his finger over Party Town, and the K and Wal-Mart stores. The big stores, dealing mainly with the seasonal kiddie side of things, were unlikely to be the source of the change, and that left Party Town or…
"Ah, there's a more recent addition to our list, G," Jones addressed the Watcher, and looked at the map, "A place about a mile from here, Ethan's."
"Ethan's," Giles stated with surprise, then a flash of anger came over him, "That's the one we'll bloody want to check first." He reached for his coat, and fetched his keys as the two archaeologists checked over their weapons. Lady Elizabeth looked confused.
"What's going on?" she pled with her 'uncle', "Where are we going?"
"We're going to visit the person responsible for this circumstance," Giles told the girl, "That way we can see you properly home. Now I want you to stay here. We'll be back in very little time."
"Well, that's not goin' to happen is it?" William the Bloody asked as his eight minions followed him into the library and flanked him. "So, the Slayer's all fluff and noise, huh? That's *almost* disappointing."
"Just when I thought it was getting easy," Jones sighed heavily, "I take it you're the local vampire guy?"
"Yeah, whelp, that'd be me," he said slipping into game-face and swaggering almost all the way to Buffy, as Jones and Croft drew and fired into the vampires.
"Aim for the faces!" Jones called out as the two archaeologists poured twenty-four rounds into the undead, faces destroyed, and three minions actually dusting before a fast-moving and enraged Spike turned and changed course, tackling the professor as Giles pushed Buffy into the office and drew a wooden stake and cross.
"Wood through the heart, Lara!" Giles called out to the young woman holding the only unaffected minion at bay with a knife and a chair.
"Rupert!" she called back, "Dust the cripples and then help Dr. Jones!" He moved quickly to dust the four wounded minions, glancing to find Jones pressed back against the office door, which gave way under their weight.
Lara, meanwhile, had become hard-pressed, leaping backwards and aside as the undead bastard simply charged and attempted grabs. Finally, she was pushed hard against the weapons cage, unable to move when she heard three screams, one female and two male, one especially bad as it fell outward into the room. The vampire in front of her dusted, Rupert having chosen to come to here immediate aid rather than Jones' and together they watched as William the Bloody grabbed its face, and stumbled back, gasping.
*Snap* shot out in the brief silence as a whip lashed from inside the office, wrapping around the neck of the vampire. Yank! And the surprised corpse jerked forward and down. Croft and Giles slowly started moving as to help when they saw the professor come out of the office charging, and Angel walking through the door with a concerned look on his face.
"Die, vampire!" the archaeologist cried out, Giles' wooden crucifix from the office wall in his hand. He pounded the vampire in the back of the head, paused very briefly in thought, and used the end of the cross to wipe blood off his neck wound. Spike though dazed rolled away, and instead of the heart, Jones scored a deep stomach shot. Spike winced, looked horrified, and very briefly screamed as his demonic essence exploded the corpse into white-sparkling dust. The crazed and whimpering Lady Elizabeth came out of the office and threw herself sobbing at her 'uncle' as Angel and Lara walked over to where the young man dusted himself off and began to recoil his bullwhip.
"How did you do that, Xander?" Angel asked, stunned beyond belief, "And why are you dressed like Indiana Jones?"
"Well, *Irish,*" Jones addressed the vampire, "I'd think someone around as long as you could fill in the blanks. I do because for now I am."
"Jones? It's you?" Angel replied, flabbergasted, "How? And how did a clear miss of the heart kill Spike?" He gestured at the dust pile as the young man sat wearily at the table and poured himself some more tea.
"What effect do you expect when a vampire tries drinking from a man who's supped blessed water from the Grail?" the archaeologist sighed with a very tired smile. Angel's eyes went wide as a cruel chuckle was shared by Giles and Lady Croft. And taking a wooden crucifix with the blessed image of the Lord on it, touched with my blood…"
"And the demon didn't have a chance…" Angel whispered, nodding, "But how are you here? I mean it's a madhouse outside, children and others turned into their costumes…"
"We were just going after the guy who we think is responsible when blondie showed up," Jones replied, getting up. "I guess we should all get over there, Irish."
"Irish?" Lara Croft asked, not hearing an accent from the new arrival. Jones chuckle again.
"Lady Lara Croft, allow me to present to you Mr. Angel," the smirking professor bowed, "Who I first met at the end of the Great War many years ago, and due to a gypsy curse, the only known vampire to have had his body's soul ripped from the beyond and restored to this world. Except for a tendency to only buy the *cheap* French wine and when drunk fall back into his brogue, not a bad person." He turns back to Angel. "Have you at least become a little less… mopey? Maybe taking up the hobby we discussed?" The vampire actually seemed to blush slightly.
"What hobby?" Lara pressed, Giles raising his eyebrows in support.
"I, uh, took up playing the saxophone back in the twenties when Indy and King Oliver and Louis Armstrong were bumming around Chicago and other cities," Angel replied, then looked at 'Xander', "And I've kept in practice with it and the violin ever since…the only things I did except mope…and I recently took up the 'good fight' against vampires and the other demons."
"Well, good for that," Jones smiled, "If he turns out to have *any* talent, I'm expecting you to pass on the skills to the kid I'm…in now. After decades of brooding, you better be able to play blues sax without letting us down, because I *know* there's no way you've learned to sing. "
"I think I can manage that, and my singing isn't that bad," Angel retorted. Jones stared at him. "Okay, not *quite* as bad."
"Raid…on Sietch Tabr…Sardaukar captured…victory total…" the signalman reported. Paul looked at Gurney.
"My son and sister and Sietch Tabr live solely because of you Gurney Halleck," Paul Muad-Dib stated so Stilgar and the other Fedaykin could hear.
"No, Sire," Gurney demurred, sighing in satisfaction at the Sardaukar defeat, "It was only because of that strange night I told you about, and that young man named Alexander who told me what I told you. I remember a green flash, and I'm back earlier than when I'd left."
"We owe him Our Thanks, Gurney, a bond of water…" the young prophet near-whispered. "We'll make our victory absolute, but not allow the things to happen that would have. There must not be a God-Emperor. We'll find a middle path."
[Latin]
"So everybody okay?" Xander asked as the spell broke, "Dawnie?"
"Fine, wow, I remember everything," she exhaled as Buffy hugged Angel, then added in Latin, [And the slayer thing seems to be back, actually.] She watched as Xander repeated his casual robbery of Ethan's shop.
[I know what you mean,] Xander continued, whispering so Giles couldn't hear, gesturing at his body, muscled and toned, without hair or scarring, shirt burst at the seams like the incredible hulk, [I'm exhausted and energized, and feel like I've worked for these muscles, which seem to have settled once the spell lapsed. And you…] She glanced at herself, smiling.
"Seems I get to keep the muscles and…curvy parts," Dawn enthused, her body *very* tight in her tomb raider costume, the proportions of the game character suggesting themselves strongly, though not yet fully due to general age and size.
"What was that Dawn?" Giles asked, turning around as they reached the car. He stared for a moment, as if about to say something else, but didn't.
"Oh, nothing," Dawn replied, "Just wondering if we should go see about Willow?" The librarian nodded and started the car. Angel turned to the group.
"Why don't I walk Buffy home?" the vampire suggested, "That way if they let Willow out, you'll have room." Giles nodded, but Xander replied first.
"Sure thing Irish," the young shirtless man in the fedora responded, "And we'll have to get together soon to work on the sax." He winked as Giles released the brake and pulled away from the curb?
'He can't really remember *that* story, can he?' Angel thought with slight trepidation, 'I was just stuck paying the tab, I had nothing to do with those O'Malley girls…'
Giles entered the library the next morning to hear Queen blaring from the boom-box Buffy used when working out. Willow had turned out to be just fine once the spell ended, and as the hospital had been overrun with people awaiting treatment, had been released in the confusion and taken home. He'd wondered how Dawn Summers and Xander were doing; the special effects of the previous night seemed to go far beyond what should have occurred. He was unlocking the door as the voices of Willow and Buffy coming up behind him broke his concentration.
"Hey Giles," Buffy greeted, with Willow nodding along, "How's everything today?" She seemed to notice the music as 'Princes of the Universe' began to play.
"A-are you both alright?" Giles asked, as he opened the door and entered.
"Y—" Willow began as they stopped and gaped in amazement to see a heavily-and-densely muscled shirtless Xander and a for-her-age nicely-bodacious athletic Dawn going after each other with swords at speeds Buffy herself rarely even used against vampires. The trio watched as the two feinted, parried, slashed, struck out with free hands, climbed atop tables, kicked chairs and shouted at each other in a half-dozen languages. Buffy's slayer sense picked up strange readings from both her sister and best male friend, the latter much like his hyena-ness from Spring, and Dawn as an echo of Buffy herself. Xander's eyes seemed to gleam slightly even from across the room, and Dawn relied much more on raw speed and strength as they progressed. Buffy was about to intervene, when Giles simply sat on the corner of the table and started to watch, rather than worry. And Willow clearly wasn't thinking about injury the way she gawked appreciatively at the young male. The song ended and the two teens suddenly stopped what they were doing, saluted each other with their weapons, then exhaled loudly.
"Not bad, Dawn-Patrol," Xander enthusiastically commented, then picked up a towel and threw it to her, "If you keep the whole package, all we'll need to do is hone your skill at maximum levels until you're really comfortable with the different blade types." He finished wiping himself free of obvious sweat and reached for a cup of tea, looking up to acknowledge the presence of the newcomers as Dawn cut off the next tune.
"Mornin' Giles, ladies," Xander said in a 'Jones' imitation accent, "Just finishing up our morning workout, be out of the way in a minute. Tea? It's the breakfast blend with a bit of the number five in it. Just made it." He gestured to the pot as Dawn finished hers and began pouring.
"X-Xander?" Giles began, nodding thanks as Dawn handed him tea, and smiled at her when it turned out to be good, "I take it you and Dawn retained much more from last night than Buffy or Willow?" The two youths looked at each other, then at Giles. Dawn shrugged, and Xander turned to Willow.
"Groundhog Day, party of two?" Xander joked, gesturing at Dawn and himself. "Could you go get Phil, Dawn?" She smiled and ran over to the weapons cage while Xander continued. "Well, about three months ago yesterday, I was going to go as Phil the Weatherman from the movie Groundhog Day, registered trademark," he smirked at his disclaimer, "And even had one of my uncle's taxidermy collection as the groundhog. Well, being chaos magic, what would the night be if I wasn't actually able to repeat it over and over until I figure out things. Dawn started a few days ago, and we're not sure why, and tonight something happened to where I, we, now seem to physically improve. And we're not sure whether it's a random factor, or whether it was Ripper's memory recollection spell from back in the day I used." At the mention of 'Ripper,' Giles, who'd been taking notes and listening carefully, nearly choked as his eyes widened and he met Xander's gaze. "Who'd a thought dressing as one's mentor could be so…educational." Giles looked horrified as the implications set in. "Luckily the…tattoo didn't stay with me."
Dawn brought over the groundhog, which immediately ran over to Willow, who looked at him and picked him up.
"Every time I've looped around, he's somehow made the trip with me. I guess the fact that he used to be alive, and was restored, is one of those things that can't be undone," Xander remarked.
"Like magic in those Belgarion books I made you read?" Willow asked, "Does that mean you went as a character?"
"No, but who knows," Xander remarked, "Maybe in the next Reset I'll give it a try." Willow and Phil made friends again. Buffy looked less confused as she caught up with things.
"So, how many costumes have you been?" Buffy asked, "And how much of it do you remember? It's already fading for me." Giles gathered himself together and nodded his curiosity as well.
"Well, twenty-eight times, and everything," the youth responded, "I'm one of the world's great chefs, champion billiards player and bowler, I've traveled through space, I speak most western languages and a few major eastern languages of the last five thousand years, I've conquered the Persian Empire, I've been crucified after leading a gladiatorial and slave revolt against Rome, I can play electric guitar backwards and behind my head and I've spent a night in Sunnydale ambushing and hunting hundreds of demons." He inhaled then exhaled, "And then a few nights back, Dawn seemed to join in the fun, and remembers a flash of green when she…came across. I'd debated for a while but finally tied the memory spell to the chaos of Ethan's magic for her casting, to let her remember everything so she'd be better able to fight of bad guys. Unlike the first time, I'm guessing being over the Hell Mouth kinda knocked things up a notch, and this physical change happened. So, that's where we are right now."
"So, Dawnie, what have you dressed as?" Buffy asked, "'Cause those were some serious moves." Dawn blushed.
"Lara Croft, Janet Frasier, Samantha Carter," Dawn replied, then paused, "You."
"Me?!" Buffy exclaimed, "Why?"
"Well, I wanted all my questions answered about the slaying thing and why you don't tell mom," Dawn sighed, "And once I found out your boyfriend's a dead body…ewwwww…I just wanted to know your side without fighting."
"Well?" Buffy asked, angry as well as embarrassed at what Dawn might say.
"Other than the dead guy, yeah I understand," Dawn replied, "But mom needs to know everything. Including the dead boyfriend or I'm telling her."
"Quit calling him dead!" Buffy snapped, "And she's safer not knowing."
"Oh, yeah, does the name Darla ring any bells?" Dawn replied, "Or how about the fact that *she* drove Spike off *you* on Parent Night with an axe? She needs to know, Buffy."
"Perhaps we should discuss this later," Giles suggested, trying to avoid the situation, "We should concentrate on ending this, er, time loop." Dawn allowed herself to calm, sipping her tea.
"Well, truthfully, I'd considered taking off the next few Resets to practice my skills," Xander admitted, "So I guess I could plan my days around research. I have a book you might be interested in taking a look at, Rupert." He proceeded to lead Giles away from the group, "Hey Dawn, grab some cash out of my wallet and take the girls out, will ya? I'm gonna run through a few idea with Giles, and you and I'll cover them next Reset."
"Cool," Dawn replied. She may have the memories of Captain Carter, but spending her time *only* on tech toys when she didn't even have the proper tools or materials…uh-uh. She smiled as she listened to Giles and Xander walk away.
"Rupert, it may be of interest to you that I dressed as a physicist," Xander said, then noticing the disbelief, "His name was Isaac Asimov…"
"Good Lord!" Giles exclaimed, "I've read much of his work, the non-fiction as well, at least anything before 1980. Did you pick him on purpose? If so I'm quite impressed."
"Yes I did," Xander chuckled, "But let me tell you about the experiences before I could get the costume right…"
Xander was only half –surprised when the Reset resulted in his shirt becoming a tight nuisance upon transition. 'A good thing I wore even this shirt a bit loose,' Xander thought. Standing up, he was glad he'd had the jacket off when he'd originally been sitting at the table or he'd really be constricted. He checked on Phil, and making sure he was fine, answered the phone and assured Joyce he'd pick up Dawn and look after her.
"I'm really thinking of staying in after we get the candy thing done tonight Dawn?" Xander asked, "Is there any costume you'd like to go as solo since I can watch out for you?"
"Well, I kinda feel grumpy with Buffy over the fight we had before the Reset thing," Dawn admitted, "She kept going on about how I had no right to dress up as her…blah…blah…blah. And Willow wasn't much better, though she didn't see anything wrong with the imaginary characters…she just asked why I didn't go as mom, or someone else. That just gave me ideas, but I'm *so* not going as the woman who gave birth to me. I mean, ewwww!"
"I understand that," Xander chuckled, pulling the car in front of Ethan's, "So how you wanna do this one?"
"I'm thinking, maybe Dorothy Hamill," Dawn admitted, "Buffy made a comment about my thighs being a little to small, so I thought I'd get even by going as her hero. And I won't admit it to Buffy, but I miss her shrine to ice-skating." They entered the store.
"Well, that gives me an idea, then," Xander smiled, "There's an athlete I always thought was kinda cool, and even as an old guy he managed to win a gold medal…And wearing next to nothing might just make Snyder choke."
"You're into sports, Xander?" Dawn asked, somehow surprised.
"No, but *I* and my new memories have always liked baseball and the idea of going to baseball games," Xander began to enthuse. "I never got to go to any games, but I have some really great memories of some of the greatest baseball ever. English Football and American football before the Age of Astroturf and giant pads, depending on team and years, and I'm embarrassed to say cricket isn't half bad as long as while you're watching it you have access to lots of refreshments, and have friends to carry on conversations with."
"Harris!" Snyder bellowed "Why aren't you wearing a costume?!"
"I am," Xander replied, "Olympic medals, swim trunks? Mark Spitz?" Buffy looked blank, but Snyder begrudgingly walked off. He turned to Willow with eyes pleading for assistance. She pretended to ignore him so he removed the sheet and tried again.
"Greatest Olympic swimmer to date, Buffy, And Jewish-American," Willow remarked, blushing at her outfit under the ghost costume. Noticing Dawn, she asked as a way to turn Xander's appreciative attention away, "Ice skater, Dawn?" It was Buffy's turn to show off knowledge.
"Dorothy Hamill, Will," Buffy began, almost fawning over her sister's costume, "She was my hero when I was growing up. She was the slayer of skating. But, Dawn, why are *you* dressed up like her? I had the ice-crazies, not you." Dawn smiled, enjoying a side of her sister she hadn't seen in years.
"Well, I just thought it would make your day, Buffy," Dawn smiled fondly, 'Boy this extra experience thing really does help with perspective?' Buffy smiled with surprise. "And, I was telling Xander that I missed the old Buffy and her Dorothy shrine." Buffy surprised everyone, especially Dawn, by drawing her sister into a hug.
"Thanks, Dawn," Buffy replied softly, "I guess you're not *always* a pest."
"Hey!"
"Oh, Willow," Xander said, handing Willow an envelope, "If things get weird tonight, open the envelope, but not before, okay?" She gave him an odd look, "Trust me?"
Dorothy had watched the young man claiming to be Mark Spitz swim yet another lap with amazing grace and speed. Since…this weird experience or dream started, she'd had no idea what to do. Twenty minutes ago she'd left the building, and had been forced back to avoid a group of monsters chasing people away.
"Can I stop now?" the dark-haired youth asked her, "I think I've proven my point?" She sighed and nodded, the reflection from the water proving her own appearance to be much different as well. "Okay, now let's find out what we can about where we are. And maybe find me some clothes."
Quietly making their way through "Sunnydale High' buildings, they watched as a man and two girls came toward them, one of the girls in an antiquated dress. The other, a pretty enough red-head, called out to them, somewhat unsure.
"Hello, uh, Mark? Dorothy?" she said, waving to attract their attention. They two looked at each other and shrugged, stepping forward.
"Yeah, that's us," Mark responded, water still dripping from his body, "You'd be?"
"I'm Willow, and this is Giles," Willow introduced, ignoring the sulking blonde as they headed away from the school buildigs and toward some cars, "And weird things are happening. We…received a note saying where you'd be, so we wanted to make sure you're safe before going to find the person responsible for this, uh, weirdness."
"A letter?" Dorothy asked, "And why us?"
"Well, maybe we'll find out when we find the guy?" Willow remarked as they continued to walk toward the parking lot, "Now, it looks like you're in the bodies of two friends of ours, so do you have any car keys on you?" Xander found a set of keys. "Okay, that's probably parked in the lot next to Giles car."
Around nine o'clock, the group left the ice rink, Buffy mostly undressed as the large skirt would have prevented her from skating. Dawn and Xander had both enjoyed the looks of shock when after the spell Dawn had turned to Xander, "Okay, I watched you swim, Xan. Can we go skating now?" and had nearly choked as he walked out with Ethan's cashbox.
The evening had progressed. Giles had been compelled to accompany out of curiosity regarding skill retention and the out of character behavior of the two children. Buffy had nearly turned them down when Xander offered to go fetch 'Dead Boy' and make him go along. The evening had gone well enough from that point on, the night had been enjoyed by everyone, and Xander ice-skating in damp swim trunks had meant a lot of joking at his expense. It made him feel good again, if only for a while.
Everything was going fine until the others overheard Dawn ask him, she thought softly enough, "Can we go dancing next repeat, Xander?" Buffy had turned around and had taken a step toward them.
"Next repeat?" Buffy asked carefully. She turned to the others and repeated Dawn's words as Xander became a bit edgy. "Spill?" Xander looked around and gestured the group toward the door.
"Dawn and I are caught in a time loop," Xander replied tiredly, "By night we become and then retain the memories and skills of the costume, and by day we've started researching ways out of it, including the ravings of a mad vampiress seer." They reached the cars and Xander looked up to see generally disbelieving looks. He held up a finger to indicate they should wait, reached into the front seat, put on the fedora he'd added at Ethan's 'I love that hat.'
"Well, Irish," he addressed Angel in a flat mid-western accent, "Are you gonna to tell 'Ripper' here about Drusilla, or just mope around and not practice the sax like you're supposed to." Both Angel and Giles stepped back with widening eyes. Xander smirked, and opened the door for Dawn, and offered her a hand, "Lady Croft, if you'd do me the honor of chauffeuring you home?" She smiled at her 'cousin' and winked.
"Giles, Angel?" Buffy asked the suddenly reticent men, "What's the what, here?" Both looked at her a moment.
"E-either *Xander* has extremely good intelligence sources…" Giles considered uncomfortably. Angel finished his thought.
"…or he's telling the truth about being in a time loop, in costumes of people who knew us before."
"And," Xander added, smirking at Dawn, "I'll be getting a suite, room service, and maybe a massage tonight, and worrying about this tomorrow. I'll think about a certain blabber-mouth when she's stuck at home with her mom, while I'm soaking in the Jacuzzi and eating brunch."
"Xa-a-a-a-nder," Dawn whined, "Come on, it was an accident, honest." She attempted the puppy dog eyes of doom to no available. He snickered as Buffy and Angel climbed into the car. Then she tried to make the best of it, "And since you're Mister Education, remember, though, I still want to go dancing next go-around. Think of it as…fine arts credit."
"Fine, but I'm still heading for the hotel after dropping you off," Xander agreed. "And you'll have to come up with a place we can safely dance without ridicule or demons bothering us."
Xander came out of the changing room at Ethan's wondering how a thing like dancing could have gone astray. Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly he could understand and feel manly enough since most of his classmates were idiots who'd never seen any of the old movies in which they'd starred. But this…made him glad he was looping.
"Dawn, this suit is going to kill me," Xander said as he started to look up, "And he wasn't the brightest bulb in the disco…" And then he saw Dawn in her outfit and gulped.
"What's the matter, Xan?" Dawn cooed, "Starting to like what you see?"
"It's unexpected, Dawnie, and remember the rules," Xander said, starting to sweat. Ethan grabbed the money from Xander's hand as the two left the store. Dawn insisted on running down the street, buying about two hours worth of cassette tapes that would work in the boom box Buffy used for training or even the secret stereo system Giles kept locked away for his own use since no one knew the library was also a back up media center.
While she was in there, Xander quickly ducked into a beauty salon that looked like it was still stuck in the 70s or 80s, handed the receptionist a twenty, and asked her for just a quick hair blow and hair spray to finish the look and to surprise Dawn.
Finishing fast and amazingly first, the 30-somethings gave him a few pointers on 'the walk' before sending him out the door. Xander found Dawn with a smaller boom box as well as the various tunes.
"Oh! I *love* your hair!" Dawn hugged him, "Thank you!" Xander suddenly beamed back at her as they got into the car.
"Hey, Dawnie," Xander smiled, "I found a place we can go dancing at the university, we'll head over as soon as we're done with the candy brigade."
Sunnydale High was rendered nearly speechless for a variety reasons, some because of the music, some the muscled state of the costume wearer, and some the entire look of Xander Harris as he walked down the halls of the school in full costume…a true Halloween horror as Dawn casually strutted along with the music playing at this side, a sight unto herself.
Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk,
I'm a woman's man: no time to talk.
Music loud and women warm, I've been kicked around
since I was born.
And now it's all right. It's OK.
And you may look the other way.
We can try to understand
the New York Times' effect on man.
"Ladies," Xander winked as he passed by Cordelia and her flock.
Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother,
you're stayin' alive, stayin' alive.
Feel the city breakin' and everybody shakin',
and we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive, stayin' alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive.
Larry leapt out as though to strike Xander, who grabbed a wrist, spun him around almost in a dance move but into the lockers face first as the white-jacketed disco icon moved along without much interruption, 'Thank you, Methos for having survived the 70s for me, and for having used such a move.'
Well now, I get low and I get high,
and if I can't get either, I really try.
Got the wings of heaven on my shoes.
I'm a dancin' man and I just can't lose.
You know it's all right. It's OK.
I'll live to see another day.
We can try to understand
the New York Times' effect on man.
He passed Oz, winked and made a hipster firing of a gun hand gesture at the musician and kept walking.
Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother,
you're stayin' alive, stayin' alive.
Feel the city breakin' and everybody shakin',
and we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive, stayin' alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive.
Life goin' nowhere. Somebody help me.
Somebody help me, yeah.
Life goin' nowhere. Somebody help me.
Somebody help me, yeah. Stayin' alive.
"Principal Snyder, ladies," Xander greeted, taking the troll's hand in a surprise handshake, "Sir, which ones are mine for the evening?"
"Those, uh, there, Harris" the normally shouting or sneering man responded with confusion, the polite disco dancer being something unexpected.
Yeah, I have to admit to you that I'd forgotten to give Willow a head's up even the usual letter or sword form. The smoothness of my disco walk experience without ridicule had left me in such a positive mood that I can't really excuse myself. Dawn and I had a great time as Olivia Newton John and John Travolta. The two of us had driven over to a Dance Club Night over at the University's Fine Arts College and spent the night dancing and waiting for something to clue us (Olivia and John) into what had caused our body swaps. It was rather amazing that once they'd realized they were who they were and now looked like, they'd just gone along with it. Maybe it's an actor thing.
The spell wore off, and when I found the letter for Willow on the floor of the car, we'd mutually revealed that neither of us had prepped our family on the goings-on. It was a little before midnight by the time I got to the Library to find a grieving Willow and Giles. I stared at Dawn and she stared back in horror. Rupert had not managed to figure out Ethan's participation in time that go around, and his slayer died at the hands of William the Bloody. Angel had again been rendered into dust particles trying to save her. Willow, covered with Buffy's blood, had fled in terror, and was went into shock as she wandered back to the library and muttered about it for an hour until Giles finally did piece the fragments of her babbling together. Cordelia in her cat costume was mauled in a dog-thing attack and barely hospitalized in time, and Amy Madison raped by pirates. Hundreds were dead, or badly hurt. Again.
Dawn buried herself into Xander's chest, screaming. Even though they knew they'd be resetting, the tiny little voice in the back of their minds was always there, casting doubt. Dawn vacillated between sorrow and rage, the latter eventually gaining control as Willow and Giles drew near.
"Let's go kill them, Xander," the young girl rasped, "I want them to pay…even if it all Resets I want them *all* to pay."
"I don't think you're balanced enough, Dawn," Xander responded, even as some of her slayer strength tightened her embrace. "I'd lose you, too." She pulled away abruptly and stared into his eyes, her own very red from crying.
"Then kill them all for me," she replied, very voice dead, "And I don't want to do this any more until I see Spike's dust." She turned away and sat down, Giles and Willow looked and listened with confusion. Xander headed for the office, coming out with Rupert's revolver and the keys to the weapons cage.
"X-Xander, what are you planning?" Giles asked with concern showing in his voice, "You're not going after two master vampires are you? You'll d-die…like Buffy."
"Dawn'll explain things to you, Ripper," the young man responded, weapons expertly placed around his body. The white suit was gone, a t-shirt and pair of gym shorts in their place. Giles froze into place at the use of his old nickname, "I'm heading over to Angel's for better clothing, and then I'll be seeing a pair of vamps about a timeshare in a dust buster."
Xander counted eighteen minions, Spike and Drusilla from the two skylights he'd looked through half an hour before. 'Twenty vamps,' he calculated, then smiled ferally, 'Not the best odds. It's a good thing I stopped at Willy's first.' His eyes glinted with cold humor, the bar owner's first clue as to his presence had been when he'd entered from the back room and leapt over the counter, revolver to head.
*Flashback*
"Willy, I'm in need of greater firepower," Xander whispered as some of the demons looked up in curiosity. "I get whatever weaponry you have in this place, and I very possibly pay for it, or you die and after much unnecessary conflict with your patrons, I take it anyhow."
"I-I think we can do business, kid," the bartender choked, and listed off a partial inventory. And Xander actually paid him with money a thoroughly bloodied Ethan Rayne had still had with him when Xander had come calling. Ethan wouldn't need it any more.
*End Flashback*
Xander smiled as he crept up on the two guard vamps at the front door. Now he'd get to see if the weapons he'd acquired would do the job. Two loaded pump shotguns slung low and loose, two 45s looped loosely around his wrists, and two swords over his back, Xander stepped around the corner, a leaking 5 gallon container of gas in one hand, 45 in the other, and two lit cigars dangly from his mouth. He knew it was too unplanned, and he was too poorly armed for this, but he'd promised Dawnie.
The entry was only twenty feet away and the two vamps faced him as he made it to about sixteen feet. He 'aimed' and fired six times, surprising them as the rounds tore into one and then the other, flooring them. Xander hurried toward them and hurled the leaking can the last four feet as they started to pick themselves off the ground, recovering, and noise of response could be heard inside. He reached down with his free hand and dropped the cigars onto the trail of fuel.
*Whoosh* the flame came up. Xander ran back to the corner of the building. Looking back around it as he reached cover, the two minions had regained their footing as six more came out the door and looked at him as the can exploded. Screams were music as he raced around to the back door shotgun at ready. Two minions ran out and at point-blank range he blew their heads off and knocked back a third minion right behind them. Pump and fire in the door and to the left, pump and fire to the right, he stepped in to see they'd been the only vamps sent back. 'Nine and the Demonic Duo, if I'm lucky,' Xander quipped to himself. 'Back and around I guess.'
He was half-way back along the building when four vamps came around the corner, two badly burned. He could faintly hear British swearing from the back door. 'Oh well, these first…' Pump and fire, pump and fire and then he dropped to switch to the other. Three more rounds, remains of the last vamp dusting on him. Sneezing, he turned to see Spike and four minions come around the corner. 'Hmm, not good. Better get the other three before I'm trapped.' He took a step toward the main entrance, when he saw two vamps come around the corner and heard a noise above. Gun already pointing upward, he adjusted and fired, rewarded with a scream, but also the wrenching of his weapon from his hand as the body fell atop his bracing arm. Running toward the other two, running at him, he went with twin 45s firing madly and wildly. He tore into them, dusting them, only to notice that they'd also been recently burned as one sidearm came up empty and steps close behind him caused him to turn as the pain of a knife in the back caused him to lose consciousness
Xander Reset with great shock. And he had a crick in his back…
"I died," Xander said with little discernible emotion, "And my back feels a bit off from…where I was stabbed." He stared into space a couple of minutes, then pushed back from the table, "And a promise to a lady is a promise." He got up, grabbed car keys and fines money, then headed off to grab his parents' money.
Xander headed into the store in fatigues. Dropping sixty dollars on the counter, he explained he wanted to go as Corporal Dwayne Hicks from the Aliens movie, and maybe a lot more weaponry. He lucked out, finding pretty much everything he need, and then added a sword, wooden knives, a bunch of fake gold coins, extra ammo, and an M-16 with lots of extra magazines.
The costume store was the first stop, as the hardware store was next, for silver spray paint, which he applied to all of his fake ammo, and the real stuff. 'Wow,' he thought, 'Only fifteen more minutes before I'm supposed to go trick-or-treating. They'll wait.'
He pulled up into the loading zone in front of La Iglesia de San Marco, and grabbed his gear and ran inside. Approaching the baptismal fount, he attracted the attention of a deacon, who intercepted the strange young man reticently.
"Can I help you?" the deacon asked quietly.
"Yes, I need the blessing of a priest," Xander replied, an when the man raised an eyebrow, Xander continued, "What do you know of what goes on after dark in Sunnydale?" The deacon's eyes grew wide at the question. "Now you know why I need a blessing before I…resolve some issues."
"Harris, you're ten minutes late!" Snyder yelled, "You'll be taking a double group; Summers called in and you're it."
"Why'd she call in?"
"Her sister freaked in school," Snyder grimaced, "Probably drugs. Get going."
"Have you heard from Xander yet, Buffy?" Joyce asked her eldest daughter with concern, "If we could get Dawn to see that he's okay, maybe it would clear up this…hysteria. It sounds *a lot* like what you went through two summers ago." Buffy turned away, refusing to answer that last part, still hurt and pissed over her parents' disbelief in her.
"No Mom, I haven't been able to get a hold of him," she replied, "And his father was quite nasty on the phone when I called."
"Eight minutes to spare!" Xander chortled as he finished hot-wiring Snyder's car and sped quickly toward Spike's warehouse. Speeding through town wasn't normally a good idea, but Xander didn't really think that any of the police would stop him this close to the sun setting. He was right, but still wasn't going to make it in time as he pulled up two blocks down the street. He got out his map and quick mission notes to himself for the purpose of maybe doing more than just killing a few vampires. Last night had shown he need to pull his head out of a dark place and get with it or he'd keep getting himself killed. The magic waved across the town…
They were just coming at him, no chance for survival, when all of a sudden Hicks found himself…here. 'Wherever the f*** here is' he thought. Night was setting on what seemed to be an old-movie-looking town. In his hands he found a map, a list of corresponding targets and a tape recorder giving him instructions on how to fight…vampires and demons.
"Listen up, Corporal," the voice commanded, "It turns out the vamps and demons are E.T. caused. Don't ask how you're here, or anything. Need to know. Just know that you need to wipe out as many 'real' hostiles as you can. We have help coming to quarantine in the morning…and remember, these are the bastards responsible for those big black aliens." The voice went on for another minute covering general tactics, enemy capabilities and weaknesses, and that the mini-demons and such are curable children; so only kill as a last resort. A wacky brunette and a platinum male, both English accented, are primary targets.
"I hate this, I hate this," the marine from an alternate future complained, "So let's kill these black-lovin' bastards." Weapons charged or otherwise prepped, it was killing time.
Two minions watched as the kid walked up to within ten feet. They looked at each other with unoriginal 'delivered food' grins when he opened up on them with a short enough burst of full auto. They shredded to dust, and the door joined them in oblivion. Dwayne Hicks stepped through and noticed another four hostiles in the room that were having second thoughts about engaging the well-armed human. Hicks looked toward the back; two hostiles were trying to drag away a screaming brunette through a small grouping of offices. 'Must be one of the primaries.'
Four short bursts, and Hicks was racing for the door; reaching it, he gauged the walls thin enough to where he could fire through them. Short burst to each left and right of the door resulted in one scream and silence as he kicked in the obstacle and found an empty room. 'Weird the way these hostiles just disintegrate when you off 'em. No wonder the brass call 'em vampires.'
Hicks spent another ten minutes making sure the place was clear of further enemies, then backed out. Pulling out his map, he crossed off the first major target. 'Semper Fi.'
Buffy was bringing tea up, with help from Willow, when the spell changed Buffy. Willow, without the sheet, remained relatively unaffected, though less repressed.
Buffy changed, faltering, and the tea dropped, cup breaking and drawing Joyce's attention, calling out to ask what was happening.
"Buffy just dropped something, it's fine," Willow called out as she then watched a miss-stepping Buffy fall and bump her head on the railing. Joyce came out long enough to check.
"Buffy tripped and fell down," Willow remarked, pulling her friend to the couch and making her more comfortable in unconsciousness. "I think she'll be fine. I guess she's a bit nervy about the whole Dawn and Xander whatever going on." Joyce checked her daughter, noted the easy breathing.
"Do you mind sitting with her while I watch Dawnie?" the Summers matriarch asked, worried for both. Willow nodded.
"Not a problem," Willow assured her, "And I'll try to get a hold of Xander once in a while."
"If…" he shot a short burst into four large hostiles trying to eat a small hostile "I keep…" again into a pair of vampire-like hostiles as he continued to walk along the cemetery-side of the street on the way toward enemy concentration two, "I oughta be able to avoid killing the little monsters," Hicks considered aloud. He was surprised at the number of 'dustables' he'd run into, nearly thirty in eight blocks, and six had gotten away, though mauled.
He neared his destination, noting that no apparent guards were posted as he recalled the notes, 'Human symp running a bar/intel spot for the enemy, due to become a basing point if not eliminated. Easy enough if they're not expecting trouble yet.' Even a brief sketch of the interior. Convenient.
Main weapon slung for easy regripping, the Human killing machine simply walked into the establishment, threw two advanced flash bangs to the far corners of the bar, and started to stagger his burst from left to right as the stunned, then screaming patrons unpleasantly discovered Halloween wasn't the quiet holiday they'd believed. A pair of Fyarls, eight vampires, and six things only a Watcher could identify were shredded within ten seconds, four vampires already burning to dust from the grenades. The human symp, fallen and dying behind the counter was no longer a concern. And four demons raced for and through the back door in spite of the grievous wounds they'd suffered. Alcohol spread all over behind the bar, Hicks lit some bar napkins and began the torching of the joint as he shot through the rear door and pursued demons into the back alley, managing to shred one demon and two drunk vamps into oblivion before he exited into the side street. 'Second objective location neutralized.'
He had made it halfway through a cemetery 'hot zone' when he encountered eight that seemed to be more bloodsuckers. He fired a couple of shots in their direction, causing one of the minions to 'vamp' out in response. Burst-Burst—Burst and five of the things were dust as the three wounded turned and fled. 'The bug stuff is getting' low,' Hicks noticed, 'Better switch to these smaller weapons if I find fewer than four…'
Angel had dodged the mini-demons, soldiers, pirates and other manifestations getting to Buffy's house. He noticed Joyce's car from down the street, and slowed his progress as noticed Drusilla and Spike with eight minions and a dozen mini-demons approaching from the other direction, and a woman fleeing a giant furry thing running toward the Summers house.
Demuerte and Jackson had lost most of their blood evading the gunman. The residential area hopefully would offer them cover as the demon hunter went elsewhere on this weird night. 'To think I was going to find a possible billiards opponent, perhaps find a nubile toy and meal…" Demuerte sighed, forcing down the blood rage. He listened to a few lighter-sounding bursts and screams as he left the cemetery and hurried across the street over to another: Revello Drive.
Angel cut back down the alley, racing to beat Spike and his gang to the house.
Willow answered the banging on the door to find a scraped and bruised Cordelia rushing in.
"Cordelia?!" Willow exclaimed as Joyce came down the stairs.
"It's crazy out there," the cheerleader exhaled, "I was just attacked by Jo-Jo, the Dog-Faced Boy. Look at my costume! Do you really think that
Party Town's gonna give me my deposit back? Not on the likely."
"Are you sure you're okay, dear?" Joyce asked the teen as she joined them. "Would you like some tea to calm down? I'm making some for Dawn, in case she wakes up again." Cordelia thought about it, then nodded. As Joyce headed toward the kitchen, Cordelia noticed a half-costumed Buffy still asleep on the couch.
"What's with her?" Cordelia asked, "Sick?"
"Bumped her head after slipping," Willow said, "But she's not concussiony or anything."
They heard a back door window shattering and Joyce screaming, and raced back to help. Reaching the kitchen, they found a vampire trying to bite Joyce, who'd picked up a pair of meat tongs and was clearly outclassed in the fight. Suddenly, Angel dashed through the back door and grabbed the vampire by its shoulders, giving Joyce a chance to poke the demon in both eyes with a lucky shot to the face. The beast screamed, and Angel was able to throw it out the door and charge after it.
"What was that?" Joyce asked, shocked but recovering fast. She turned on the back yard light to see Angel's back as he finally caused the vamped-out opponent to flee into the night. The girls don't see angel's face change back to normal because they here a crashing form the front room and gunfire form the street.
"Whoa!" Hicks exclaimed, blowing apart two really big demons and car/fuel tank as he turned onto Revello Drive, 'This place is crawling with the things. At least the climate's nice here.' The marine noted he had only a burst left, and shouldered his weapon in favor of the M-16 and bladed weapons. 'Thirty-five confirmable hostiles eliminated in forty minutes. Where the Hell am I?'
Looking down the street, he noticed a large group, turning in toward a house. He stuck to the shadows in pursuit when under a street lamp the hostile he'd tagged as a possible primary grabbed the arm of another and made him turn around and look right at Hicks.
The corporal fired several bursts at the two primaries, causing the white-haired 'male' to scream in pain and drag the other toward the house and shadows. Hicks replaced his knife with a revolver, preferring extra firepower to control as he then switched to full auto.
"My daughters!" Joyce cried out and ran back into the house, the other three behind her. In the living room, four mini-demons had broken down the door and were racing in toward the slayer as Joyce screamed and attacked them with her metal tongs. "Get away from her!" Angle forced himself passed Cordelia and Willow, the latter reaching for the phone as Cordelia grabbed the tea kettle and a knife from the kitchen. Angel tackled and wrestle, a virtual bowling ball scattering and flooring the gang of demons as Joyce dropped the tongs and dragged an awakened and screaming Lady Elizabeth out of the room. Cordelia poured scalding water on the three nearest demons, causing them to rethink things. Meanwhile, Willow had managed to get a hold of Giles and let him know that the Summers house was under a major attack and to hurry.
Demuerte and Jackson leapt out of the foliage, reaching for the gunman as he turned firing. Two of Spike's minions also hoping for a similar coup screamed in pain as the no-longer-silver-painted but magically silvered and truly blessed rounds poured through their bodies, and, just barely those of the masters Demuerte and Jackson. Demuerte sensed a chance to elude his tracker, and raced back into the night, already exhausted and nearly dead. Jackson paused due to the surprise screaming of Spikes minions, and the extra rounds as he nearly touched the muzzle of his enemies weapon ended his best opportunity, but vampiric speed and desperation still resulted in the gunman going down in a tackle.
Hicks struggled as he heard maniacal laughter slowly making its way toward him. Assault rifle knocked out of his hand he pressed the muzzle of the revolver against the head of the body atop him and fired three times, causing enough damage that he could roll away without a struggle, and fired the three last rounds into the slowly recovering minions as he regained his own feet.
"Must say I'm impressed, not bad for a human, mate," Spike said, swaggering up with Drusilla close behind. He stopped at twenty feet. Dwayne grabbed two grenades as he stared at the newcomers, definitely his primary targets.
Six minions shouted from the front porch of the Summers house, throwing things inside as Angel covered a retreating Joyce and Buffy toward the back of the home. They heard steps coming down the stairs, then objects flew across the room in the direction of the door. Two screams and two 'poofing' noises were heard as the recovering mini-demons retreated to the apparent safety of the outside world. Then Dawn, dead-eyed, looked at the rest f them before lethargically sitting on the bottom stair.
Hicks gestured for Spike and Drusilla to step aside as he proceeded to seriously throw a grenade down and into the middle of the street where a badly wounded Demuerte was limping away. As he did so, he lobbed the other into the foliage with the wounded but flanking minions. Spike's curiosity while Drusilla whispered frantically delayed action by his two opponents, the blessed and silver coated grenades shredding their targets into dust. But Spike had inched to within fifteen feet now before speaking again.
"Nicely done, I suppose, but how do you plan to get out of this alive?" William the Bloody asked as some of his minions had retreated out to the sidewalk from the slayer's house down the street.
"I don't have to," Hicks replied, grabbing two of his remaining four grenades, "I'll settle for taking the two of you down with me." He smiled tiredly and a bit too border-insane for Spike's comfort as the vampire recognized him.
"You're one of that slayer-gal's sidekicks, yeah," Spike smirked, "Not bad, whelp, but I'm gonna kill you and your mates."
Hicks thought to himself, 'Must be Ripley, or just trying to mess with me. But he made the mistake of letting me know her and the team are still alive somewhere.' Hicks smiled sadly, "Big mistake, you let me know they're alive. Catch!" He threw the first grenade at the brunette and leapt over a small wall and into a yard, wrenching his shoulder as he tossed the other one to the blonde as he fell.
Two explosions, then two more explosions broke the brief silence of the house, but they heard their attackers race away to deal with it.
"What was that?" Joyce asked. Dawn looked up with the faint stirrings of hope.
"That would be Xander…" Dawn whispered, just loud enough to be heard.
The corporal heard "Dru!" and then two screams accompanying the explosions. He winced from the shoulder pain and what felt like a piece of shrapnel near it. Even in the dim night light, he could see that his vest had stopped about a dozen small pieces, the light highlighting the silver. 'That'll welt tomorrow.'
Hearing whimpering and swearing from nearby, Hicks managed to untangle himself from the sling of the M-16, caught around his leg in the chaos of the moment. Slapping in a full magazine, he rose silently to his knees and fired as a banshee shrieked and threw itself at him. Pulling the trigger of the weapon still set for auto-fire, he fell back to the ground as the body atop him lost much of its integrity, from collar, to neck, to face…the dust causing him to choke and sneeze.
"Dru!" his enemy shrieked as he heard foot steps rapidly approaching. 'One more time,' Hicks mentally sighed, the fight on the planet and now here starting to overwhelm him. He grabbed a grenade form his waist, and lobbed it hard in the direction of his foe's reinforcements. Then, rolling on the ground he grabbed his last explosive as the first detonated amidst a half-dozen screams. 'No injured Dwayne this time, that's a first,' the marine quipped to himself as he tossed his last grenade in the same general direction. More screams, but no sound of running.
Two more explosions went off as Angel handed off an hysterical Buffy to Willow and Cordelia. He pressed carefully outside, and noticed the mini-demons running away from the source of the explosions. Jogging out to the end of the sidewalk, he was forced to step back…
…as Hicks stepped into the street and walked the rest of his clip through the four downed and screaming minions, Spike and two fleeing minions that were only feet away from Angel as the clip winged and then emptied. The minions limped out into the street, one going too far and collided with the front-end of a classic car (okay, Giles' car). The one vampire continued passed the vehicle as Angel jumped out and dusted the grounded vamp as Joyce and Dawn came out onto the porch.
Dwayne's shooting kept the downed vamps grounded as he dropped the '16 in favor of his own weapon. "Just a few rounds left, blondie," he half-smirked at Spike." He angled the burst to fire into William the Dusty's head and that of two more. Hicks drew out the sword he had for some reason and with a great tightening in his legs and in general all over, cut off the heads of the other two hostiles as two men approached. When they came fairly close he called out to them.
"Do you know where I can find either a Mister Giles or a Miss Dawn?" the wounded teen questioned, reaching into a pocket for his map and notes.
"I'm Mister Giles?" the older man responded. He watched as the gunman lowered his weapon and wrote something on some papers, stepped out of the shadows and handed them forward to him. Then they watched as 'Xander' collapsed as his many minor wounds caught up with him.
"Semper Fi."
Xander regained consciousness and found himself to be in great pain. He barely managed not to let out a whimper as he opened his eyes. He was surprised to that no light came in through the blinds, so it must still be night time. He could hear Giles and Angel talking in the hall, and he couldn't sense the girls any where.
"S-So did you check on the notes and map?" Giles asked the vampire.
"He really seems to have dusted nearly four dozen vampires and demons… he calls them 'hostiles,'" Angel reported, "From what I could gather, he took out Spike, Drusilla, Jackson and Demuerte…four master-level vampires."
Xander looked down and found most of his body wrapped in bandages, and snickered, causing Angel and then Giles to turn and enter the room, Willow and Buffy coming in behind them with coffee as they noticed something amiss.
"W-what's so funny Xander?" Giles asked as he stood by the left side of the young man's bed, "A-and how do you feel?"
"I was looking at myself and wondered if Ampata has a sister?" he smirked, indicating his bandaged state, "And I'll be fine. I take it you found Costume-Guy?"
"Ethan, er yes, but how did you know?" the librarian asked, "We only figured it out…an hour ago?" Xander looked up and saw it was already four in the morning.
"Let's see, I got the costume at the store at three-thirty and the next thing is…Semper Fi Guy," Xander stated as he looked at Giles.
"Hoy do you account for your, your mission brief, mister," Willow asked, resolved as well as worried. She was still dressed in her hottie clothes.
"Hey Wills, two words," Xander smiled devilishly, "Mmmm-mmmm." The girls blushed deeply at the unexpected attention. Xander took pity on her as the mood had lightened slightly, "Okay, the two words are…Groundhog Day. Any more info will have to wait until I get some more rest." He yawned widely as his unwrapped fingers mad a shooing motion toward the door. "Oh, if you see Dawn, let her know it's okay to call or take off a couple of days…she'll understand."
When Xander opened his eyes he'd expected to be coming out of the Reset; instead he was still in the hospital. He looked up and saw the clock; twenty minutes past two. Almost time to go. He looked over and saw Dawnie sitting and reading a magazine. Four empty coffee cups beside her.
"You know, if you can hold in that coffee another ten minutes you won't have to go until next Reset?" Xander joked tiredly, causing an equally lame smile to appear on Dawn's face. She stood and walked over.
"You okay?" she asked softly, almost guiltily.
"I will be…" he replied, "I'm in an unhappy place Dawnie, and I think I'm not exactly going to be good company for a while?"
"Are *we* okay?"
"Yeah, Dawnie, we're okay. If you want I can pick you up and you can try another round of costumes…but I'm…not going to be a good person to be around…I'm going to be picking up skills I need to cleanse this town in case we ever do get out of here. So you'll be wanting to stay away from me."
"No hint?" she asked.
"Just that they're people whose 'mission' is killing."
Frank opened his eyes to see a 'Welcome to Sunnydale' sign. He couldn't remember taking a trip from New York; probably have to kick that web-slinger's prankstering do-gooder ass over this when he got back. He read the letter in his hand, disbelieving most of it but looking over the intel it provided.
Checking over his weapon's load, he seemed to have some of the basics" M-60, plenty of ammo, two 45s with plenty of ammo, knives checked out, combat armor, night goggles, half dozen willy-petes, half-dozen frags, pair of old Am-180s with four customized Box180 magazines each, long sword (?) and bow over his back, 'Hmmmm.'
Frank then looked in the duffle and found the quiver and some stray material; he smiled. He also found a small hand mirror and looked himself over; Frank Castle now believed the intel, and he'd keep an open mind regarding the vampires.
He marched along the road for a few minutes until he found a suitable vehicle; a mid-70s black sedan. Non-descript and if you rammed something, you were steel while the other guy's sheet metal or plastic. Breaking the window and steering column, Frank hot-wired the car into life.
It was a short ten minute drive to his first target: a bar run by organized crime with a demon clientele. He watched the various individuals going into the place. His opinion went from disbelief to indifference. He drove up to the front door of the Alibi Room. He got out of his vehicle, leaving the bow for the moment; time for justice.
He looked just up and across the street noticed a pair of large 'things' get out of a Volkswagen Beetle and attack what appeared to be two leather-clad college girls. Frank moved swiftly across the street and along the sidewalk. One of the girls saw him and cried out for help. Frank pulled out the 180s; he'd not used such weapons for a number of years. Also, any ricochet would tend to have less power behind it. The things looked up at him, and renewed their efforts, but somehow the young ladies were shaking off their attackers. Frank fired a short burst into the back of the VW to scare them away. It worked, and the two attackers raced to get into their car. The girls turned as Frank drew close up; he noticed their deformed faces, fangs and yellow eyes as they cursed at their attackers. One looked at Frank as the VW started pulling away; he watched with wide eyes as her fingernails grew out into thin blades and she charged at him.
Frank fired, starting low and walked it up as he moved closer, and her companion moved closer right behind. The VW u-turned a couple dozen feet up the street.
The American Arms 180 was a mighty little buzz saw of a weapon, and with the rounds Frank used he reenacted the promotional video from the 1970s as the two vampires were split vertically in two and dusted (that part not on the video) because Frank turned as the demons slowed to do a drive by with a pair of handguns. The AM-180s were turned to meet the new threat, an unbelievable number of rounds tearing into the driver's head to the shock of the passenger-shooter as the car stalled and choked to a halt. The pause was enough for Frank to march on the vehicle without let up, carefully buzz-sawed the vehicle from bottom to roof twice, gooing the two and slicing the car in half. Two older vampires had witnessed the situation and walked over to where the two vampiresses had dusted seconds before.
Demuerte turned to Jackson, then to see the two halves of the car separate and clank to the ground. The Punisher turned to look at them, Demuerte giving the man an impressed bow and walking away. The other bloody vampire who'd been considering action watched as the other Master Vampire walked away. Nothing to be gained Jackson also disappeared into the night rather than suffer an unhappy and immediate end.
Frank's feet carried him through the door of the Alibi Room, and before him two frag grenades introduced his presence to the denizens. Screams of pain and a couple shouts in anger greeted him as he slowly opened up with the 'slow' firing of the M60, tearing up the demons and the bar, cowardly bartender already fleeing low through the back door to avoid demise.
Demons shredded and vampires dusted from the sheer mass of the rounds passing through them. 'I guess the questionable intel is confirmable,' Frank noted as he walked toward the back door, careful to eliminate the merely wounded. He fired a couple short bursts to the sides and middle of the door, following through seconds later to find three dead demons and under the middle one the bartender trapped by a demon's sheer mass. Carefully stepping out of view of the bar, Frank looked down at the man.
"Who's the 'kingpin' in this town? Who runs the crime here?" Frank interrogated, "Tell me or I'll start shooting off parts of you." Willy's eyes went wide, but after the carnage he'd just witnessed…
"Th-there are two of them…" Willy choked out, "S-Spike's one of them, and someone in City government is the other." The gun moved closer. "W-What?! I told you!"
"Where do I find Spike and this government official," Frank asked. Willy gave him the general directions to Spike's warehouse, and Willy just repeated that someone at City Hall was the other, maybe even a Warlock. Frank made as if to turn, Willy closed his eyes in relief, heard a loud noise, and then nothing.
The next morning found Xander at the computer in the library, using Willow's custom search engines to investigate the Mayor, Council and Department directors to determine the validity of Willy's statements. The Punisher had cleared out Drusilla and the left-behinds, searched through the building and found a case with nearly twenty thousand dollars in it, and the car keys to a vintage car. It'd given Xander an easier means of getting around without worrying about a car being reported as stolen.
The computer search took nearly the entire day, and only by the end of it was he getting the impression that some one *way* up the ladder *might* be involved like Willy said, but until he had more to go on he'd just remember to do more research later. Though maybe when things settled down and he had more information, he'd go as the 'Warlock,' but magic was something Xander still wasn't sure about getting involved with, since it seemed the Hell Mouth seemed particularly *evil* magic-wise. Petting Phil absently, he continued to stare and think.
'If there wasn't a Slayer or other group of vampire hunters to watch things on the Hell Mouth, who kept the Master's minions in check all those years he was trapped,' Xander sighed mentally, 'Another evil with a different agenda, not involving unleashing of Hell but something else? Let's see, the Master was trapped back in '37? So probably someone from then to now…not necessarily, but we can look into that first…'
The doors opened, and Xander awoke from the nap he'd fallen into. 'I guess I'm starting to fall back into depression again. Why'd I have to forget about warning Buff and Will? Dawnie was actually pulling me out of it when… everybody died again that night.' He looked up to see Giles curiously look at him.
"Hey, Giles," Xander greeted as he fully moved the mental fatigue aside, "How'd last night go for everybody?"
"As well as could be expected," the Watcher replied, checking through the pot and tray before risking Xander-made tea, "Though we were all worried about you. Hmm, excellent tea by the way." He looked questioningly at Xander, "Urm, what are you working on, on that infernal machine?"
"I was wondering who the counter-balance to The Master was for the sixty years before you and Buffy came to town," he truthfully admitted, "And squeezing an unsavory source last night indicated that someone in city government might be involved in the shady side of things, so 'they' might also be involved in what kept things relatively quiet and under wraps." He explained his thinking, and the priority of search parameters to the Watcher, who nodded in surprise and brought up possible holes and alternatives.
"In all, Xander, a-an excellent venue of consideration," Giles approved, nodding, "Perhaps if we *do* have a better background of the town, we can better foresee events more than a week or day before they occur."
I spent an unfortunate amount of time that next 'week' of Halloweens following up my plan from the most rudimentary levels. I researched criminal figures of the last century, mafia or cartelista didn't matter, but I'd also gone through Giles' collection and at times had him seek information on demon criminal leaders. With my increasing general knowledge, I'd pretty much determined that in Sunnydale we had either a 'capo' or a leader on the city council, as Police Chief, or as Mayor. With government pretty much closed up, and the Police not really a good choice of one-day exploration, I decided to costume myself as many of the leading *human* criminal organization figures while Dawnie took a more domestic route I'll tell you about in a bit.
I'd pick up Dawn if the phone rang, and headed out if it didn't. During the basic computer search week, I'd dressed as Major Vic Deakins from that John Travolta movie, Broken Arrow. There was a military sell-out guy who went through life with a major hard-on. Oops, sorry about that, both the possible pun as well as the sexual equipment reference. But those of you who saw the movie saw the attitude and the mindset. Willow had once tried to explain the 'method' style of acting. I always thought if they had any talent they should just act. But with 'Vic' I gave it a try…something, I guess, to put me more in tune with the element I was hunting.
The Punisher, Frank Castle, had been borderline in his psychosis, exacting an illegal and morally ambiguous toll from the murderous criminal populations of his New York City. Methos, and the other Horsemen, clearly were far worse. I'd heard a bit about this and that, and decided to go with three guys either 'in' with the mob at one time, or had come along in their wake and might know things from that angle. So, I started easy, with Frank Sinatra who was friends with a bunch of 'em, Jimmy Hoffa who'd done the pension thing and had been killed by them, and the billionaire who'd almost owned Vegas for a while but kinda just lived by himself and a bunch of 'Mormon Mafia' in his last years. But in succession after that, I was Jake 'Greasy Thumbs' Gusik, money mastermind of the Capone and successor organizations until the mid-50s, Capone himself, Lansky the financial side of the syndicate, Sam Giacano, and the 'Dapper Don.'
You want to know what happened, when and by whom? I know. You want to know the depth and breadth of the Latin American cartels and their partnerships in and regarding the drug business? I added Pablo Escobar, Miguel Rodriguez Orejueda, and Amado Carillo Fuentes and the Jackal.
I had the mindset of these guys down, and it led me further afield, looking at Los Angeles drug connections, the older Latino gangs dating back to the Depression years, and I came up blank. Criminally speaking, who cares about Sunnydale? Nobody. Supernaturally speaking, the demons, the good guys and/or someone in Sunnydale's older families might be interested in Sunnydale. Back to the Mayor and Council. I *did* find out that the Mayor, a couple of Councilmen, and many of the leading criminal figures in Los Angeles used the same legal representation: Wolfram and Hart. The Mayor's family had dealt with them for a couple of generations in fact.
Nine killers in twelve days, then I used the combined knowledge to try my hand at a little bit of mischief. Between the Jackal on the thirteenth Halloween in the set, and ol' Vic, not to mention Methos, computer operations were not as much of the problem they would have been October the 30th.
Eighteen days were spent computer-hunting after the shadows of information and fragments of criminal wealth and records still extant after all of these years. Extant, there's a word I'd never have used, ever, before this nightmare (?) began so long ago. I was able to utilize the school system and connection quite effectively. Knowing from the criminals' perspective where they'd left their private caches of money, records and other…things, I managed to trace out nearly fifty percent of the hidden 'assets.' A fortune in blood money dating back nearly a century, and with Greasy Thumb and Lansky in the back of my mind, I knew where much of it came from. Twelve Saturdays in which I discovered the syndicate involvement or non-involvement in all of the conspiracy theories since the 20s. Twelve days in which I learned the extent of high-level corruption in many governments and law enforcement organizations in the United States and the world. Twelve days in which the hyena side of me bonded the considerations if not the morality of these men into place. The mentality was the same as an alpha or at least a high beta within the pack. The interesting side…I picked up a strong cultural appreciation for the Roman Catholic Church (Latin mass, not that liberal stuff) and for traditional central European operations of the synagogue (Again, not that new Liberal stuff). I now know hymns, responses to masses, Sicilian and Neapolitan Italian, American 'street' Yiddish, and some Hebrew. Oy! And I know how to subvert the legal systems in eight states and countries. With the Asimov experience from before, the Jewish cultural stuff seemed to come to me a little easier.
Sending late-Friday emails to law enforcement agencies around the country and Interpol with the necessary evidence to make trouble for sixty still-living criminals and seventy corrupt officials led to some interesting news developments by the time of each Reset, and had cracked quite a few new accounts as others whose systems I'd infiltrated feared the worse and tried to shift funds on their preemptive way out of the country. And watching as the Feds eventually poured into the Library as the gang and I drove away to a late lunch on Ethan's money.
Other than the costume drive, Dawn'd pretty much stuck with Willow the Immortal and Buffy the 18th Century Slayer the whole time. She'd pressed me a couple of times to tell her who the costumes were, but I wasn't going to get even a *junior* Summers girl lecture.
Dawn had had a very *domestic* time of things while I'd been learning the shadowy side of modern society. Martha Stewart, Julia Childs, Gwen Stefani, Jewel, and Princess Diana, Billiards Champs Loree Jones and Ewa Laurance, and three pop singers, um, Paula Abdul, some kid named Britney Something or other I'd never heard of, and Shania Twain. She said that was as close to Country and Western as she'd ever get. I put my foot down when she wanted to go as Lita Ford or Janet Jackson: the lack of clothing on the first would get me exiled by Joyce for life and there was no way I would let her dress as the sister of that weirdo.
% indicates speaking in French %
"So are you gonna tell me what you're going as this time?" Dawn asked.
"Mm, no," Alexander replied, "I don't know yet; might just grab a bunch of stuff and see what happens.
"Wanna play pool?"
"Maybe tomorrow?"
"Cook?"
"I'm thinking of a word starting with 'n' and ending with an 'o.'"
"How 'bout something where I can hang out with you, it's lonely being with people who won't remember anything. I'll even just reload your guns if you want to go rob banks or something."
"I still want to shake down a few shady characters in town, and don't know if I'm gonna let 'em live afterwards, Dawn."
"Kinda cold, Xan, but I guess it'll help us keep the others safe if we break free…hmm, I think I have a good idea."
Michael had just been talking to Paul and Walter about outfitting for a deep-cover assignment, possibly involving surgical alteration when he suddenly found himself having dinner in an apparently-American diner with a young but confident-looking girl in her early to middle teens. He noticed she had the same brief look of pain and confusion he'd felt, as well as the studied nonchalance of an agent determining a situation.
"Would you…please…pass…the sugar?" he asked extremely softly in French-accented English with near-trademark annoying pauses between words. The young girl smiled slightly and pushed the container over to his side of the table.
"If we're going to be deep undercover in America, Michael," the girl softly mocked, "You need to try either an American or at least Cajun accent or Paul will send you for retraining."
"Nikita?" he responded, not quite able to match the girl with his never-to-be-requited interest, "The clothes are you, but you seem…shorter?"
'I know, but I don't remember anything after you and Paul were discussing a deep cover mission? You?"
"Non, I mean no," he replied, patting down his thin and stylish leather jacket, finding something, "Here are some papers and a map…we are to find and protect a woman dressed and preprogrammed as an eighteenth century noblewoman, and to relocate the body of a red-headed teen and deliver it to… a high school library? Then we have a list of possible intelligence sources to be field-interrogated toward the aim of revealing the criminal and… supernatural hierarchy of this place."
"My documentation identifies several vampires and demons to be eliminated or conscripted as encountered. It even has Paul's underscorings he uses for extra emphasis on unsubstantiated but confident in truth data. I also seem to have the identification of a Dawn Summers, high school student as cover, and my usual 'kit' about my person."
"I have twenty thousand in American money, and the time to get going is now," he said, then grimaced, "And our car is unfortunately in accordance with our apparent status." They left money on the table and departed.
"The French are here, the French will sanction my William…" Drusilla moaned as Spike headed out the door. He picked up his pace. 'The French, I think not…' he grimaced, shaking his head, 'I can't even think of a remark it's so bloody unbelievable. Maybe I should take the car, though, this sanctioning thing doesn't sound like approval to me.'
Ten minutes later, the two Section agents found the body of the girl and loaded it into the car. No sign of the 'noblewoman,' but the night was in chaos of All Hallow's Eve, but the smaller beings seemed real not costumed.
"Michael, do you think we're testing out an extremely advanced virtual reality system," Nikita asked, "It would certainly fit."
"I concur, but I suspect if we die in here, we die."
"Do we need both of us to ferry the body to the Library?"
"Non, you proceed there, then rendezvous at the house indicated in our documentation. I will head in that direction on foot to see if I encounter her."
"Very well, it should only take me about ten or twenty minutes."
Seven minutes passed as Michael rendered several small 'hostiles' unconscious. Two larger creatures he identified as 'vampires' he simply eliminated using a few brief judo moves and three silenced rounds to the back of the head where the spinal columns meets the skull. The dust and poofing noise reaffirmed he and Nikita were in a potentially-deadly virtual reality simulator, perhaps the vanguard of new training methods.
As he neared the 'Summers House' site a dark-clad man with a noticeable forehead was approaching the house and headed toward the rear. He seemed to match up with the description of a possible ally, so Michael followed him stealthily as he topped off his magazine with a few stray rounds, noting to keep them in the weird wood, silver, hollow-point sequencing.
A moment later he approached the open back door and heard a possible struggle inside. Peeking through the door, he saw a 'vampire' engaged with the probable Angel-vampire.
"Get me a stake!" the 'good' vampire shouts to the noblewoman as he wrestles his opponent. Lady Buffy looks around and grabs a knife she sees on the counter.
"Hurry up!" He says, turning to look what's keeping her and has his game face on. Buffy screams at the top of her lungs. She runs for the door, but sees Michael entering the kitchen and flees toward the front of the house.
"Buffy, no!" Angel cries out as Michael soundly smacks the uninvited vampire in the back of its head, rendering it unconscious. They here Buffy open the door and run out. Cordelia quickly makes her way back down the stairs in time to see the panicked noblewoman rush out.
"You're Angel the Vampire, I presume?" Michel asks the now-human-visaged individual before him, "And that was, eh, Boofy Summers?"
"Xander, are you crazy too?" Cordelia asked the youth as Angel looked confused and raced for the door without answering. Michael cocked an eyebrow at the young cat woman and hurriedly silently after the vampire, two weapons drawn. Cordelia inhaled in surprise between her teeth, then followed.
"Well, what do we 'ave 'ere, mates?" a cockney-sounding voice called as he exited a classic car along the curb, "It looks like a Slayer… and a Poof." The eight minions crammed in with him like clowns had already spread out and were herding the terrified young woman back from possible escape, almost surrounding Angel and a Buffy trying to avoid him *and* the newly arrived vampires. Another car pulled up across the street, three people slowly getting out unnoticed by any save Michael, who was calmly walking down the walk toward the impending conflict.
Shoop-shoop-shoop, shoop-shoop-shoop went the silenced gunfire and two vampires dropped in agony and one dusted from head and neck wounds as Michael moved through the direct porchlight, stunning all present.
Shoop-shoop, shoop-shoop, shoop-shoop, and the two downed vampires dusted as two starting to charge Michael suffered nasty temporary wounds thanks to Angel side-kicking to one side and then the other from the walkway. Three minions lunged in directly against Angel as Spike swaggered around to lay hands on a weeping and near-catatonic Buffy.
Shoop-shoop, then poof-poof as the two wounded vampires dusted in the front yard and Michael holstered the twin weapons to pull out a knife and move toward hostile target identifiable as 'Spike.'
Shoop-shoop, shoop-shoop, shoop-shoop and three vampires attacking Angel and overcoming his defenses through sheer numbers suddenly found themselves with blown kneecaps, shattered shoulder or other major distractions in their moment of near-victory as Michael right crescent-kicked a surprised Spike in the head, causing him to drop the Slayer onto the ground as he fell away from the walkway toward a tree.
Shoop-shoop, shoop, shoop, shoop-shoop and the minions were dust in the wind as their master dashed into the street and headed for the side of a neighbor's house. Shoop, scream, Shoop, very bad word, and Spike was around the building. Michael lifted 'Boofy' to her feet as Nikita swapped out magazines in her weapons while ensuring the supposed non-hostiles remained as expected.
"Xander, Dawn!" Cordelia shouted in the night as she came up and Lady Buffy clung to Michael, causing him to grimace as he also sought to exchange out magazines.
%You want to pursue the hostile or head for its reported base?% Nikita asked Michael in French, %These civilians should be able to take care of themselves from this point.%
%Bon, d'accord,% he answered back, ignoring the unsettled look on the faces of those around them, %I will see about the vampire.% He was about to switch languages, when Angel interrupted him in slightly dated but understandable French.
%You two aren't Xander and Dawn are you?% he asked as Michael handed off Buffy to Giles, whom she insisted on calling Uncle Robert or something.
%Non,% Michael responded, %The situation may be unclear, but our mission is not yet fulfilled. We are going to eliminate the base and occupants of this 'Spike' and a 'Drusilla,' and need you ensure the safety of these others, *and* not let anything happen to the body of that…spirit over there. You understand?%
%Oui, I do, but are you sure the two of you are enough to eliminate them?% Angel pressed, %I would think that ending this mess would be a higher priority.%
%Not for us,% Nikita explained, noting that Giles and the ghost both seemed to follow at least the general conversation, %After the elimination of the group of vampires, our next priorities involve intelligence gathering *while* this is going on.%
%We are leaving,% Nikita stated as her and Michael reached the curb and noted the keys in Spike's car, %Perhaps we'll se you again, but you really should consider moving the body to the hospital for revival.%
Twenty minutes later, a just-recovering Spike was carrying a young woman and a pirate over his shoulders as he entered the warehouse.
"Dru, luv, I've brought take out," he joked, "I stopped at Long John Silver's and brought a dessert as well."
Shoop-shoop and Spike felt both knees destroyed as he suddenly collapsed to the ground, loosing his captives and screaming in pain.
Shoop-shoop, shoop-shoop, and Nikita and Michael jointly finished off Spike without a comment.
%You were saying something about money?% Michael asked as he checked on the two captives.
%Yes, twenty thousand American dollars in this satchel,% Nikita replied, %And nothing else of concern to us.%
%In that case, let's move these children to the car and drop them off at the hospital since it's on our way to our next stop, a drug distributor of some variety.%
An hour after they'd left the Summers House, Nikita and Michael had neutralized the drug cadre after obtaining minimal information on others in town, but a fair enough amount regarding the gang's employers and contacts in Southern California. Adding another ten thousand in cash, they drove toward the next stop as they suddenly…reappeared home.
Xander continued driving toward the next target as Dawn began processing what they'd done to the drug gang. After a minute she broke the silence.
"Are we continuing with the mission, Alexandre?" she asked in English.
"Oui, I'd planned to if you're up to it," he replied, glancing over, "We can save it for another time and just go after the three small vampire drug and prostitution leads instead."
"That'd be better," Dawn said, looking a bit pale as she realized the human deaths they'd been responsible for, even if the Reset would undo it.
Three hours later, at around eleven, the two teens pulled up to the Summers House to find a worried Joyce and the full group awaiting their arrival. They handed off a couple of grocery bags to Cordelia and Angel as they entered the home to Joyce's worried exclamations.
"Where have you been?! I was worried!" the woman nearly shouted, "A-And you're out buying groceries." She looked at the clear bags as she followed the half-unconcerned teens toward the kitchen, "And excellent quality ones as well." Xander looked at Rupert and the gang as the groceries were unbagged and the two teens began pulling out better cooking equipment.
"Explain everything to Joyce, or we will without any sugar-coating," Xander directed, Dawn nodding and begin to expertly cut the already rinsed vegetables. They were taken aback as Joyce looked confused as Angel started to protest. "The stories Buffy told that caused you to put her in the psych ward were true, Joyce," Xander started, then threw a cross to Angel, who vamped out, "And Angel is the only non-evil vampire as you can see. Dawn and I will be preparing a number of overlapping French-inspired dishes for a late dinner as the shock of what Rupert will tell should be justly compensated with our culinary excellence. Cordelia, please set the table and set the appertifs and the rest as we're ready…Rupert?"
"O-Oh, yes, um," he bean, then entered into lecture mode, "The World is older than…"
Alexandre woke on a comfortable couch, the silence a comfort to the young man. He'd dreamt the recent life of the Section operative he'd gone as the previous night. In many ways it was insidious, and drew into itself and bonded to him much more effectively than the real criminals. Whereas with real people memories passed to him, for the most part there weren't any personality traits that truly influenced him beyond the general pack mentality and the need to excel. The hyena aspects had finally and truly blurred and blended out of separate existence, but Alexandre realized now that the purely primal animalism had played an important part in countering the animalistic corruption at the core of the evil criminal masterminds he'd absorbed.
Crawling quietly out of bed, the young man made his way into the kitchen in only pants and undershirt, holstered weapons under his arms as he set out the equipment and ingredients for breakfast.
It was a simple matter, preparing the ingredients and a decently-strong coffee, chocolate and, as he looked at his watch, tea while listening to the sounds of movement beginning upstairs, and the coughing of a dying Citroen in the front street. He simply walked to the front door, opened it and waved to those getting out of it before heading back toward the kitchen. Joyce, in very simple around the house attire, had reached the bottom of the stairs, and was looking at the young 'assassin' when he gave the Xander smile and offered the crook of his arm to her.
"Xander, I really am uneasy about guns in the house," she quietly commented as they headed toward the kitchen.
"I know," he responded, "That's why I'm wearing them so no one in the house will be surprised by them lying around, especially Buffy."
"Not Dawn?"
"Dawnie knows that guns are serious, and how to handle them," Xander replied, holding out a chair for her, "Buffy doesn't."
"But isn't she this Slayer person?"
"True, but they seem geared more for speed and strength, and guns don't require either," he said as he set out the beverages as Giles and Willow showed up, Summers girls heard bothering each other coming down the stairs. Xander gestured to seats and poured tea for Giles, then at a nod, Joyce. "Unless, Buffy just has a gun phobia, her *ability* to quickly become proficient in firearms will allow her to get rid of vampires at a distance so she won't risk herself up close."
"I just don't like guns, Xander," Buffy yawned as she came up to the table while he started with the cooking, gesturing for Dawn to help.
"And the Slayer Spirit *wants* to hit things," Dawn added as she got to work, sighing as the completed prepping was the part she liked most, "But she should probably learn, so anything more than a couple can be dusted until she can get it out of her system on the last one." Willow, Giles and Joyce looked uncomfortable as Xander nodded and Buffy looked like she was considering it.
"Especially if she's on the way to a dance or parent-teacher conference," Xander added as he assed crepes over for Dawn to present nicely, "Nothing says fashion failure, Buff, like a white dress with vamp dust on it." Dawn and Buffy both nodded sagely in agreement.
The next four weeks were a different sort of strange, as Xander and Dawn both pretty much decided they were neither in the mood for new costumes, nor wanted to add knowledge without feeling comfortable about skills. The routine of Joyce's call while Xander armed up, picking up Dawn, robbing and neutralizing Ethan Rayne, then heading to clear without warning a different sequence of vampire or human nests for weapons and intel proved quite an interesting way for their knowledge to really take hold and resurge at the best levels of their previous costumes. Ten gangs, demon brothels, nests in eight hours, dusting eighty hostiles and downing twenty human wrongdoers, provided the two with a dark and almost-complete picture of the shady side of Sunnydale and the immediate vicinity, and a few leads in other Southern California locations. But still no fingers pointing at who might be the guiding hand that countered The Master for years.
Two more weeks were spent raiding vampires and a few human criminal nests in Santa Barbara, Ventura, Oxnard and a surprisingly nasty bunch of Fyarls camped out in the hills next to the Reagan Presidential Library over in Simi Valley.
Dawn came up with a solution after three or four common reference points kept overlapping as places likely to give them some insight: road trip.
"Leave the costumes to me, Xander," Dawn smiled, making him raise an eyebrow, "It'll be appropriate for what we're doing, and a good test run for seeing just how far out of town we can go before the spell wears off."
The two teens rolled into their target of Los Angeles looking for the bar a little before the usual 'change' time. They stepped into the place, full of bikers and other tough human characters. A man in his late forties or early fifties looked up from the bar and waved them over.
"I'm sorry, but we don't serve minors in here," he sympathetically informed them, the girl reminding him a lot of Brandi.
"That's fine, because we're not here for booze," the young man told him, "We're actually looking for a decent burger, a couple of cokes and information regarding things that happen between Ventura and Santa Barbara." The man stared back curiously, and on a whim waved them to the corner farthest from the bar. Brandi had told him a few things about her college town and had just gotten back an hour ago herself. Tiny needed to make sure trouble hadn't followed her back.
The two teens headed carefully with their duffle bags toward the indicated table, aware of the scrutiny given them by the older man, but not immediately sure he was readying a gun in case they made trouble. They were sitting down when Xander and a young attractive girl looked at each other in semi-recognition.
"Who's the girl, Xander?" Dawn asked, "Sunnydaler?"
"Not sure, but I'm going to introduce myself, watch my back."
"Always." He could hear the smirk in her voice. He approached the table, an older red-headed woman and weaselly guy arguing about money at her table.
"Excuse me," Xander interrupted, noting that the bartender was approaching with a tray in hand, which was covered by a towel. He mentally swore at Dawn for dressing him in a leather vest and pants, with his weapons back in his bag, "You wouldn't happen to be from Sunnydale would you?" The girl's eyes widen in recognition as the conversation at her table stopped. The bartender was getting closer and with a freehand was reaching to remove the tray from his towel-covered hand. "My name is Alexander Harris and—"
An empty glass hit the barman's shoulder as Xander crescent-kicked a chair into the man's path then threw himself between the people at the table and the possible assassin, the women of the table shifting away from him and grabbing at their belongings as Dawn ran up with a gun pointed at the assailant. The crowd hushed and began reaching their own conclusions as Xander caught a 45 from Dawn only to have two pointed at his own head as Dawn covered the barman who had had a gun in hand.
"Why are you pointing a gun at my head?" Xander asked, "The bar guy was gunning for *you.*" Dawn drew out another piece from somewhere and as a very large biker started over she fired above him, causing a lighting fixture to render him unconscious. Silence returned to the bar as everyone froze.
"I was *not* gunning for them, I was making sure you weren't!" Tiny bit out as guns shifted, "Tell 'im, Dottie." The woman smiled, then sighed.
"Do you usually greet people with guns Mr. Harris?" she asked, causing him to wince at the name.
"I didn't have a gun on me until the waiter-guy started to play movie assassin guy," Xander responded, "I just introduced myself when he was making his move." The women looked at Tiny, who blushed.
"I might have jumped the gun, but when they suggested where they were from…" the man sighed, almost blushing.
"Can we please put our guns away if nobody was really going to shoot anybody?" Dawn asked, rolling her eyes but keeping her weapon drawn.
"More importantly, I think dinner is on the bar guy," Xander suggested, "in more ways than the obvious. I'll put my weapon away first, just to start things." He slowly placed the gun in his rear waistband and moved his hand s slowly to his sides. The women's actions simultaneously disengaged as the man got up.
"Who's gonna pay for the light, not to mention Barry's medical bill?" Tiny asked.
"Let's see, since *I* was unarmed and making friendly, you will cover it since it's your fault this happened," Xander sighed, reaching into his pocket, "But I'll gladly place forty dollars toward the dinners and tabs of the ladies who saved you from a thumping. If they want to tip heavy later…fine." He recognized the girl at last, "Callie, here, should be able to vouch for me, after all I helped pull her out of that fraternity mess with the cultists three weeks ago."
"Ohmigod!" Callie/Brandi said, recognizing the young man from the whole 'Machida' incident, "Mom, this is one of the people that broke into the cultist place and got me out!" She beamed as Tiny now looked more embarrassed and a few of the patrons glared at him.
"I didn't know he saved Brandi, okay?!" the bar owner exclaimed to the clientele who were aware that one of their own had had a narrow escape from weirdoes in Sunnydale. He turned to see Dottie hugging the embarrassed young man and forcing his money back at him while waving Dawn over. The bar got back to normal as a couple guys brought out the well-used medic kit and another started fixing the only-slightly damaged light.
'Mr. Harris, would you and your friend like to join us?" Dottie Thorson asked.
"Xander, ma'am, and she's Dawn," he responded, and Dawn gestured acceptance of the invitation, "Let me get our bags and we'll be right over.
"Notice the time, Xan," Dawn asked, smiling as he realized it was after Ethan's spell was cast. He looked over to her hopefully.
"So I guess we're out of range?" he responded.
"Maybe, but I just substituted clothes I wanted to see you in, no costume," she laughed. Xander sighed as they made their way over for what promised to be an interesting evening. Hopefully they'd be able to pick up some intel.
"An unforeseen event is warping the connections between realities and dimensions near the Hell Mouth, Brother," the Female Oracle. "What, I cannot see."
"What?!" the Male Oracle exclaimed, actually emoting, "Who can be sent? Who is expendable?"
"None are easily expendable, and it is causality within causality," she responded. "This seems to be the product of Chaos. It must be resolved from within. I sense the Other Side is becoming aware, as are many who are sensitive to such things."
"And if they intervene, so must we…"
"…But any who are sent in, will be trapped and cannot be contacted…"
"…Until the matter is resolved…We should send…"
"…Those foreseen to make appearances at the Mouth of Hell…"
"…Even other realities are beginning to be affected by the Changes…"
"…And battles elsewhere are developing sooner than foreseen…"
"Watcher Linda Pryce, Trainee Wesley Wyndham-Price," a voice from all around them spoke, freezing the two in place in the halls of the Watcher's Council, "You are being sent to the Hell Mouth, where this world and those touched by the Chaos and Hell energies are threatened unless Resolution occurs. A temporal loop endlessly repeating itself on a dimensional gateway must stop. If you fail, universes die. You have ten minutes to gather yourselves and belongings for transition."
"Samuel Zabuto, Kendra the Vampire Slayer," a voice from all around them spoke, freezing the two mortals in place, "You are needed in Sunnydale, California, immediately. This world and those touched by Chaos and Hell are threatened unless Resolution occurs. A temporal loop endlessly repeating itself on a dimensional gateway must stop. If you succeed, your reality will be saved. Fail and universes die. You have ten minutes to gather what you will need."
"Allan Francis Doyle," a voice from all around him spoke, freezing the half-demon in place for just a moment, "You are needed in Sunnydale, California, immediately. This world and those touched by Chaos and Hell are threatened unless Resolution occurs. A temporal loop endlessly repeating itself on a dimensional gateway must stop. If you succeed, your reality will be saved and you will be made fully human without visions. Fail and universes die. You have ten minutes to gather what you will need."
"Can I at least show up clean, awake and sober?" the Irishman sighed, grabbing two bottles of 'top shelf' whiskey.
"Granted."
"Faith, Child," a soft voice spoke from around the girl weeping in the alley way behind the bus station she'd been seeking hand-outs rather than head back to the hell in which she found her life, "The Forces of Light are choosing you to help save the world…and heal yourself. You are being sent to Sunnydale, California to do whatever is necessary to stop a temporal loop from occurring."
"Like that Groundhog movie?" Faith asked, the shock wearing off but the suspicion remaining.
"Yes, Child, and We are not allowed to intervene because the Dark would be allowed to intervene. Will you accept your destiny?"
"Yeah, what the hell, huh? It's gotta be better than this."
"Thank you, Child. Is there anything you need?"
"Clean clothes and some food money would be mighty wicked."
"Granted."
"The Senior Partners are strongly concerned as to something at the Hell Mouth threatening their plans in nearly two dozen realities. Lilah, Lindsay, you will take all six teams we have in Los Angeles to Sunnydale and put an end to whatever is putting forth a siren call to every demon in California this last twenty minutes, and make sure the disruption is resolved. Understood? Good."
"Minions!" Glorificus screamed, "Pack my bags! We're heading back to California. I can feel my Key from here."
Xander was mighty glad that a hangover didn't follow him through the Reset. Drinking and fighting with bounty hunters wasn't exactly going to become his new favorite form of entertainment, but at least he and Dawnie managed to get a lot of information in the process. Unfortunately, even with the expanded knowledge of the border-legal establishments and possible contacts, they'd not directly increased their knowledge o Sunnydale's underworld leader.
'I guess it's time for that demon bar that's next on the list.'
After a meaningless Reset in which He and Dawn had processed their new information and driven by some of the places, he shook his head as she'd discovered a karaoke bar that also had a house band in Santa Barbara and made him go as Jim Morrison to her Grace Slick. The place had had a ton of baby boomers in it, and since there was a bar named and themed 'Mannequins' across the street that had many look-alikes, no one had tried to persuade them they weren't who they said they were.
After getting permission from Joyce, they'd made Giles and Jenny accompany them, and left a note with uncovered Willow Devereux to go destroy the statue. It had taken only around a half-hour for her to achieve the goal, but it was enough for the breaking of the chaos spell afflicting the town.
Joyce had decided to sneak in and watch her daughter's 'performance' instead of heading into Los Angeles, running a Santa Barbara delivery a couple days early just and taking the opportunity to meet with a major client. She sat down and watched 'Grace' and 'Jim' perform their last pieces, then watched as Dawn backed up Xander as he briefly shook himself and went into a Hendrix rift, then he her as she got them to play a recent "Jewel' piece. They smiled and after having been encouraged to stay on stage for forty minutes straight as the boomers kept throwing out tunes to be played. After five minutes of explaining how they'd been able to lay and dance together for a couple of months now, a waitress brought over a tray of appetizers and a pitcher of soda.
"Hi, again, everybody," the waitress greeted them anew, "The couple on table five over there are celebrating a thirtieth wedding anniversary and are hoping you'll be able to sing a couple of slow tunes for 'em." Xander looked at the rest of his table, Dawn pushing toward the stool. Getting up, Xander rolled his eyes, then made his way up to general applause as the audience saw the young musical mimic enter the spotlight. He gave the next few songs to the band, who nodded at the classics.
"Okay, we have a thirtieth wedding anniversary to celebrate," he intoned in a passable enough Elvis voice, "And we'll throw in a little Sinatra later.
Playing acoustic guitar, 'The King' played Love Me Tender, Fools Rush In, and a few more before throwing out in Sinatra style a few Italian love songs whose tunes if not lyrics were known. After another twenty minutes he called it a night and headed back for a pleasant evening out with the Sunnydalers.
The next day was back to business, but Dawn had wanted to throw in a a couple more costumes, and after a short Internet search to check it out, Xander gave it the okay, but only for fifteen minutes. After that, he'd left a letter in Giles' possession to have him be at a certain address to destroy a statue of Janus. He'd understand when he encountered the proprietor. They'd managed to bribe Jenny Calendar into going with them on their road trip, and
They'd parked along a curb and in following the directions had come to a vacant lot. Xander took the envelope with the directions on it and read them again, when Dawn with a flash of green disappeared and a moment later reappeared to grab his hand. Pulled inside, his first impression made Dawn laugh since it proved that a little of the 'inner geek' remained.
"Where's Han and Chewie?" he muttered as he saw the various demons not fighting or eating each other or the few humans in the place. 'It's still early, though,' he thought as they sat down at a table and waited for someone to take a drink order.
"Hey kiddies, kinda young and human to be hangin out in a gin joint like mine aren't you?" a frighteningly friendly green disco-favoring demon said to them in greeting.
"We'd like two cokes with a *hint* of vanilla so it smells like a weak mixed drink, whatever Jenny wants and the rundown on how this works," Xander replied, gesturing to the stage, "We're from Sunnydale." Jenny asked for something with an umbrella, the green guy flashed a few hand signals at the bartender and sat down.
"Oh my, the Hell Mouth, I'm Lorne by the way," he introduced, "And it's a matter of you sing, and I read your some of your destiny from your aura."
"Hmmm, that'd be handy for us," Xander sighed, looking over to Dawn, who shrugged, "I guess I'll go first, before it all starts again…"
"What did he mean by that?" Lorne asked as the young man headed up to the stage and made a selection.
"We have a chaos spell following us, maybe we're out of range," Dawn exhaled, "It changes us into whatever we're costumed as, until someone ends the spell. We're hoping you're legit, give us some clues." He could read the concern and psychic fatigue from her.
"Sure thing, sugar plum," he assured her as the music began, "but who are you dressed as?" Dawn could feel the magic actually approaching, however faintly, as Xander's selection began to play and Dawn moved to join him.
"This time, I'm Karla DeVito, and Xander's Marvin Aday."
Two hours later, which was about an hour and twenty minutes after the spell was over, the demon audience finally let Meat Loaf and his tour partner off the stage. The first few songs involved getting the crowd of two dozen normally unimpressed and impassive first-ins riled up by dancing on the chairs and tables and the bar itself, Paradise by the Dashboard Light, Bat of Hell, Bat Two and other songs energizing the entire group, the two young people charging the room with sexual energy, then hammering away with loud hard singing. Spell dropping, the duo switched to Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, and then back to a few more loud energy-driving tunes they knew in common. Jenny Calendar just sat back aghast and amazed as Lorne just sat on overload, drinking sea breezes and enjoying the best show ever in his establishment even if the reading was off the scale.
"Well, that was the most amazing thing to come through my doors, kids," the green demon sighed as he greeted them, "The fact is I think you'll need to come back after your 'loop' is over…I just can't see beyond it, sorry to say, but…" he says, looking toward Jenny, at the next table, "You need to keep the Slayer and the Soulboy from playing patty cakes or he goes all grrr and a whole lot of people will die, including your gypsy friend here."
"So, let me get this straight," Xander sighed, "If Angel and Buffy 'do the deed' then Angel becomes Angelus and a lot of people including Jenny will die."
"That's right, that's the path everyone else seems to be on, but whatever your loop is doing will either destroy the universe or allow you to write your own destinies yourselves. So do us all a favor and figure it out."
"How much do we owe you?" Dawn asked as they got up.
"Nothin' hon, just come back when the looping is over and do it again, okay?"
"Deal."
Lorne spent the next four hours giving the real deal on the demonic political and criminal situations in Southern California as he understood them. Where they hang out, who celebrity-wise was really a demon or part-demon, who needed the most help against the bad ones, and other helpful stuff. Xander and Dawn, with the occasion follow-up by Jenny, resulted in many gaps being filled in, and a couple of vampires let slip for a few rounds of blood (the good stuff) that it was either the Mayor, Deputy Mayor or a City Councilman for sure as the one they were seeking out in the supernatural power structure of the Hell Mouth. Occasionally, for a few repeat songs, more food and drink would show up, including to those willing to provide desired information.
Xander woke the next morning in a very strange place, with a warm female body leaning against him. 'Clothes on me? Check. Clothes on whoever she is? Check. Able to get up and out from around her? Hmmm, check.' Xander smiled as he opened his eyes and slowly shifted out from under Dawn, slipping a large throw pillow under her as a replacement. He remembered they'd called Joyce and told her they would be staying over at Jenny's place, and would come by around mid-morning. Looking at the clock as he entered the kitchen and surveyed the available groceries, he began to cook breakfast, chopping up some of the veggies about to decline, and refigure them as omelet ingredients. The sounds and smells of his efforts drew the attention of the womenfolk a few minutes later, Jenny in a tight black silk knee-length robe, and Dawn in just an oversized t-shirt and shorts borrowed from Jenny. Yawning, they both sat down as the strong coffee finished brewing. Dawn smiled and play-whined.
"I want fancy coffee, Xa-a-ander," she painfully poked at him, "At least foam." He smirked shook his head and came back in a moment, placing plates before them. He proceeded to shake the half and half almost into butter then let the cold froth ooze out of the carton's opening to add 'foam' to their coffees, then reached over and squirted thin lines of chocolate syrup in a swirl atop.
"There, now you can pay me triple for your coffee," he smirked as he sat, "Not including gratuity." Dawn smirked, and a little more awake as she began eating she drew on her experiences to purr.
"You have two young women in almost nothing eating breakfast with you and that's not reward enough," she softly and sultrily stage-whispered. He actually started to blush as the three of them broke out in laughter and dug heartily into their food.
After dropping off Dawn at her mother's house, Jenny and Xander drove over to the Library. They found Giles and Willow talking, and Willow petting Phil the Groundhog. Xander noted anew how attractive she was, needing only to dress with a little more confidence to seal his fate. It was just his luck to be surrounded by attractive young women and to know by picking only one of them, he could hurt the others. And with his feelings for Buffy dimmed for the last several months (you can only deal with 'Lady Buffy' so many times before you want to flee in terror), the more attainable gals were driving him crazy.
"Hello, Rupert," the techno-pagan greeted her almost-boyfriend, "You missed the most amazing thing I've seen in my life, all the Hell Mouth stuff included." She smirked, looking at Xander as she sat down.
"O-Oh, and what could compare to a chaos mage turning everybody into their costumes?" Giles asked, then realized how he'd known to stop Ethan's madness.
"Oh, how about Dawn and Xander as Karla DeVito and Meatloaf in a demon karaoke bar singing Paradise by the Dashboard Light, and Bat Out of Hell before the spell stopped, then going another two hours keeping it up, adding in Hendrix, Grace Slick and more Meatloaf. Fyarl demons and Polgarans joining them atop tables and chairs, and the owner telling them that their decisions will determine if the universe will continue?" Willow and Giles stared wide-eyed at Xander, who smiled without comment.
"I-I suppose you win, but I need to know how Xander a-and I guess Dawn, knew to leave me a letter about when to deal with the owner of the costume shop?"
"I'm seven months into a temporal loop, in which every day starts at two-thirty yesterday and goes until the same time today," Xander replied, "And Dawnie somehow joined the ride a couple months ago."
"I knew I'd regret asking," the librarian sighed, "Have you made any progress on getting yourself out of it?"
"Some, but it was more from a theoretical scientific analysis of the situation, than the supernatural," Xander replied maturely, "And while I know it started because I dressed as a 'day-repeater' I suspect that between the way Phil got out of it and whatever weirdness Drusilla seemed to go on about, we'll be able to fix this."
"Who's Drusilla, Xander?" Willow asked.
"Oh, she's a seer driven mad by Angelus and then turned," Xander replied, "She's mentally broken but still seems to do the seeing thing. Her main voice in the head, Miss Edith, told her that I'll send Dru away and Miss Edith will see the day when I accept things. And I'm not the most-acceptant guy right now, I admit."
"S-So what you're saying is that it will require you to be, be happy with yourself, the whole world or some such and time will cease to loop in on itself?" Giles mused aloud, "But that doesn't really account for Dawn, does it?"
"Maybe she's the key to my accepting the whole thing?" Xander responded, "I was pretty much sipping beer and bowling with demons and bikers when Dawn joined the Resets. I had over ten thousand years of pretty rough memories that weighed me down, and even though we're gathering intel and killing the bad guys now, I'm really running on momentum. Last night was good, if a bit strange."
"Good Lord! How are you coping?" the Watcher asked.
"I'm letting Dawnie have a little lee-way with some of the costumes," he replied with mock-disbelief at himself and rolled his eyes, "And we sometimes take time off to train in the skills we pick up and go kill things."
"Well, I suppose that makes sense, but if you can, please start researching ways of breaking the loop," Rupert directed, "After all, the universe *is* somewhat important."
Xander explained many of the abilities and skills he now possessed, and the small group discussed with surprise honesty on Xander's part, his life and the things he'd need to compensate for inadequacies that *he* perceives in himself. Powers, a background of personal power, training by experts, a life of recognized service, emancipation from his parents were all discussed. Then based on Xander's perceptions of various figures, they discussed possible mental 'fits' with such figures, and Xander soon had a list, in some case even an order of incremental wearing of the costumes to fill things in, while recognizing they'd all need to help him making it all a reality after the Reset was ended. He'd already let Dawn know he was going to emphasize the phase he was entering in, liking their forays into the seediness of the bars and the rough edge that provided a change of pace from the same Helloween they'd gone through.
The Reset went off as usual, Xander finding himself in the Library, but this time he'd felt something 'click' at the edge of his mind. He made his regular strafing of money, car keys and headed out the door. Dawn and he had decided on a couple of loops apart, with her getting in some time with her mom and some of her own friends again to keep grounded. Xander made a quick transfer in funds from an illicit account and then phoned in the purchases of five classic cars he'd noted as being up for sale in Los Angeles. He told them that he'd agree to three hundred-fifty thousand if delivered in two hours to Jenny Calendar at Sunnydale High School. He also made sure to leave money in his account.
Xander left Giles' keys, drove to Ethan's and got down to business.
"Can I help you again, young man?" the annoyed chaos mage asked. "I'm just about to close."
"Yeah, man," Xander began, "I'm supposed to go to a costume party later with a bunch of classic car crazies and a few teachers at school, and I though I'd go as someone from their generation. I got a list here and my friend Giles helped me make sure it was authentic enough."
"Rupert Giles?" the shopkeeper asked, suddenly interested.
"Yeah, and his girlfriend's actually going as Cathy, my character's love interest," Xander smirked, "I figured I'd intellectually tweak the Brit. Oh, I need an extra overcoat and sword, a friend is going as an Immortal. Oh, do you take debit?"
"Well…" the shopkeeper feigned a tired grimace, and handed over the debit unit, "I suppose I can find something…it's a shame you don't have the car."
"Ah, but I do," Xander smirked again, "And I figured I'd be taking her for a good long ride later."
'Maybe not just the car young man,' the shopkeeper smirked as he went in back to juice up the magic on these costumes, 'Ripper might not just be losing a Slayer tonight.'
Fifteen minutes later, with four hundred cash in his wallet and dressed appropriately, Xander smiled as he double-checked to make sure the 'official' paperwork and fake money had been left in the costume as he'd hoped. He headed out to Giles' car and headed down the street to the ATM, stopped at the store for two hundred dollars in candy on his debit card, then drove back to the school by four o'clock.
"Harris!" Snyder screamed out at him, "You're almost late. Here are your kids." Willow and Buffy watched as Xander whispered something into the troll's ear, then shook hands slowly. "I understand, Mr. Harris, schoolwork comes first. And I'll have Mr. Giles take the children out." Xander handed the extra coat and sword to the frustrating man, who left for the Library right away.
"What did you say to him Xander?" Willow, Buffy nodding in confusion.
"I offered him three hundred dollars and told him I wanted to be excused for school reasons or I'd leak his 'extra funding sources' to the press."
"What extra sources?" Buffy asked.
"I'll tell you later, Buff, but right now I have to go see Ms. Calendar about something before she heads home," Xander replied, then quickly removed Willow's sheet, "Willow, I'm not worthy of you, but we'll talk sometime soon, okay? Oh, if something weird happens, Giles is going to be with you so please keep an eye on him alright? And distribute this pile of candy to your kids as starter candy. Oh, and at six o'clock, open this envelope."
Five minutes later, he was walking into Ms. Calendar's room as she was finally getting ready to leave.
"Hey Gypsy Princess, in one hour you'll be in for the ride of your life if you help me out," Xander flirted excessively, letting a bit of the Methos and the Vic Deakins out to play. Dressed in a suit with a camel hair overcoat and old police-issue revolver, he handed her a boxed costume.
"I'm not sure how to respond to that," the hot teacher replied, the gypsy reference countering the overt flirtation in his statement, "And what's this?"
"That is a costume that matches mine, a period piece if you will, and in another forty or fifty minutes I'm having a dream car delivered. You're the only adult I trust to sign for it legally and be willing to go driving in it with me."
"And if I refuse?"
"Why would you refuse?"
"What was the gypsy line about?"
"You mean the allusion to your being here to keep an eye on Angelus?"
"How do you know about that?"
"What part are you talking about?" he replied as he brought up a connection to his bank account.
"The part of my being part of the clan that cursed him?"
"Not the other part?"
"You mean the making sure he remains unhappy to keep the curse in place?"
"You mean the curse I haven't figured out how it gets broken?"
"That one."
"Actually, I wasn't going to say anything to anybody, I was asking you to go driving with me, and Gypsy Princess was meant as a term of endearment."
"And if I refuse to…date you?"
"It isn't a date, and I'm not trying to blackmail you."
"How can I believe you?"
"Because if I wanted to compel you, I would just show you my bank account, and tell you the car is a mint-condition GT500E," he responded, waving at the screen. She clicked the mouse and determined the large balance was legit.
"How?"
"It used to Pablo Escobar's, and it's been forgotten by everybody but me."
"That's dangerous, Alexander."
"It's who I've really become, Janna."
"You seem to be more serious than usual."
"In the last seven months, my life has changed dramatically, I'm a serious guy now, and I wanted to have fun with someone closer to my mental and emotional age."
"Is that flattery?"
"Truth, Janna, truth, all I wanted was to drive through the night, maybe to Vegas or Tijuana, or the Bay Area, then come back tomorrow some time."
"That's all?"
"I was thinking that dinner, breakfast, and the occasional stop for coffee in an all-night diner might break up it up a bit."
"What's with the costumes?"
"Mood."
Mood? I'm almost afraid to ask."
"Ambiance, then. Clothes that fit the car and the driving. Though if you get drunk and *really* think this coat and old suit are sexy then feel free to attack me while we're having pie in San Diego or at Binion's Horseshoe."
"Just a drive?"
"When was the last time you let go and just dropped everything for a while?"
"Years, you?"
"Never, really, that's why I'm asking someone who can appreciate it to go with me?"
"What about Rupert?"
"I paid Snyder to have him take my place with kiddy duty." Jenny laughed at this revelation.
"How much?"
"A couple hundred?"
"A couple hundred just so you could go driving with me?"
"If you put it *that* way I should probably give Snyder a couple thousand since just being with you for a few moment s is worth it?"
"Now you're laying it thick…"
"You better hurry up and say 'yes' to the drive or I'll have to keep it up?"
"I don't think you're capable of it, but I'm so not going to get into it with you young man."
"Then why don't you get ready, the car'll be delivered soon."
Frank and Cathy pulled into the diner at the truck stop.
"Frank?" she said as she took her head off his shoulder.
"Yeah, hon?" the young-looking police lieutenant responded.
"I don't really care all that much if for some reason we end up looking like this, as long as we're together, Mr. Bullitt."
"I feel the same way, Mrs. Bullitt," he responded as they kissed quickly and parted to get out of the car at this truck stop. Holding hands they walked into the eating establishment as the spell wore off and Jenny faltered.
"You okay, hon?" the waitress about to seat them asked, "The freshenin' room is back and to the right if you need it." Jenny nodded and headed that way as Xander sat down in a booth. A few minutes later she came back out, looking disturbed but less pale. A quiet minute after that, the waitress came over to take their orders and left.
"I figure we'll be in Vegas in three or four hours, unless you'd rather go to Laughlin?" he remarked as they sipped their coffees.
"Um, shouldn't we be thinking of heading back to Sunnydale after what happened?"
"Why? Nothing happened. Let's keep driving."
"Did you *know* this would happen?"
"I was hoping it wouldn't, but when it happened I knew nothing, you know, would happen."
"I'm having trust issues here, Frank, I mean Alexander."
"If I wanted more than the drive, we'd have flown to Vegas and you'd be slapping my face right now and screaming."
"Why didn't you tell me about the magic?"
"Like I said, I hoped the magic wouldn't follow us, and you'd've wanted to stay in Sunnydale when I needed to et out."
"And why would that be wrong?"
"Okay, short version is I'm time-looping and have been doing the Sunnydale on Halloween for months now. I've dressed as many different people, some of them real, some of them as characters from well-known movies and television shows. As a result, I'm potentially one of the most dangerous humans you'll ever meet. I really just wanted a relatively normal night away, and what I told you before is the truth. Just the drive and the road trip, hon, nothing but friendship. Though if I ever feel half of what Frank felt for Cathy, I'll count myself lucky and hope it's someone at least half as smart as you."
"Oh, Alexander, I'm sure everything will be fine," she sighed as four men flashing yellow eyes grabbed a young well-dressed couple and put the hurt on two bodyguard types. She looked at Xander, who reached for his gun after tossing cash on the table, "I guess I jinxed us."
Giles, Buffy, Angel, Cordelia and Willow were just entering the Library after an extensive search for Jenny and Xander when the telephone rang.
"Sunnydale High School Library, Rupert Giles speaking."
"Jenny! W-Where are you? Is Xander with you?"
"Las Vegas?!"
"Where?!"
"Good Lord!"
"You're sure you're okay?"
"What happened?!"
"Good Lord!"
"A-are you sure?"
"When does it get in? Eightish? When did Xander get a car?"
"A what?!"
"Good Lord, no wonder you're already there."
"How many police?!"
"And they're releasing you?"
"My Lord."
"Y-Yes, we'll see you at the airport at eight or so."
"Yes, yes, tell Xander we'll go to brunch. Bye."
The others looked up from the table with concern. Buffy was the first to break the silence as Giles frowned in concentration.
"Okay, Giles, spill," the Slayer pressed.
"Apparently Xander and Ms. Calendar are at a wedding chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada, after a very long and dangerous car chase."
"Wedding Chapel? Car Chase? That's only three and a half hours for a six hour drive!" The girls called out in surprise."
"I-I don't think they got married, but apparently some vampires grabbed some people while Jenny and Xander were having dinner in Barstow…"
"Barstow?!"
"Y-yes, apparently their costumes were Frank and Cathy Bullitt from the Steve McQueen movie."
"That would explain the driving, staying alive and the good lords…" Angel interrupted with a small smile.
"Why's that?" Willow asked. The girls all looked confused as the men sighed.
"Don't you watch any movies made before the nineties?" Giles sighed, Angel coming to his rescue.
"Bullitt was a movie that had one of *the* greatest car chases of all time in it…in San Francisco. If Xander dressed up as Frank Bullitt, an Interstate chase would be nothing."
Jenny placed the receiver back on the cradle as she looked up at the sea of flashing lights surrounding her, competing on an equal basis with the casino lights. Xander's hand was being shaken by a well-suited man who'd just gotten out of a helicopter and hugged the girl that had been grabbed along with her fiancée back in Barstow. With two Nevada State Highway patrolmen protecting her as she walked over to the happy group, she found herself introduced to the Governor of Nevada.
"And I want both of you to know I'm extremely grateful for both of you saving my little girl and my future son-in-law," the man emphasized, looking at the Sheriff of Clark County.
"No actual accidents on the highway were attributable to you, and we've talked to the other Sheriff's Departments, so no speeding tickets or charges *this* time," the law enforcement official stressed, "Just…ninety-five verbal warnings from the various jurisdictions to not repeat it." The Sheriff paused, and then asked, "Mr. Harris, after driving at speeds approaching two hundred miles per hour, did you really turn over control of your vehicle, climb out the window and at a speed exceeding eighty miles per hour jump into the back of a 'runaway' convertible and bring it under control?"
"Um, yes?" the youth replied.
"Please don't drive in my county for at least the next few years, okay?'
"I'll try…"
"And then Lady Heather are I are actually sipping our tea when this really short chubby guy in nothing but a hot pink hood and bright orange leather speedo-thing walks by; Xander, who has borrowed one of Gil's Hawaiian shirts with matching shorts with flip-flops on, turns to Grissom and says, 'And they have a problem with *our* wardrobe?'" Jenny says, as the Scooby gang laughs, even Giles, "And we both lost the tea we were drinking right then, barely missing the two of them, and Gil Grissom just turns to Xander. 'It is a dictum that no one has ever broken the façade of Lady Heather so spectacularly. If you ever consider law enforcement as a career let me know, good interrogators are hard to find, especially ones that also scare the uniformed officers.'"
"Any way, that's about all, we then caught a ride to the airport," Xander added, perhaps a little too quickly.
"Oh, no," Jenny interrupted, "There were sheriff's cars from four counties and two states to give us a ride to the airport. They *really* didn't want Xander driving home last night at *any* speed." The young man blushed further as the laughter resumed.
Doyle drove the streets of Sunnydale in the one-day rental that took up pretty much all of his money. The Powers had dropped him off yesterday afternoon in front of a pawn shop. The owner had been a nice Jewish man named Hiram, but as far as Dole could tell, the place had nothing to do with his being in Sunnydale. He'd been told he'd only be getting one more vision as the chaos he was being sent in to help resolve would make it nearly impossible to maintain a link. It had been a whopper…but had only shown him a dark-haired youth and a young brunette girl in a lot of different clothes. Doyle had guessed a costume shop, or second-hand store, but he'd not seen either of them. The weirdness of last night still had him a bit shaken, and the idea of someone turning children into monsters still angered him. Well, sleeping in the car and driving the streets wasn't doing him much good; tomorrow he'd try the other costume store and maybe the High School since there seemed to have been some kind of a big-kid escort thing going on for the little ones last night.
The last Reset had left Xander a little edgier than he cared to admit; maybe to the extent that he *might* just be thinking of Jenny a little *too* much. 'You're still a teenager physically and legally…'
"Well, maybe I'll get someone else to go along this time," he said aloud as he reenacted his previous day of money transfers and car purchase, this time dropping the GT500E and suggesting an extra ten grand if they got to town by four-thirty instead of five o'clock. The phone didn't ring this time, so Xander simply fed Phil, grabbed Giles' keys and headed for Ethan's again.
As Xander pulled up in front of the place, he noticed a man sitting on a bench a little further down the walk from the store that he couldn't remember being their any other time. 'Another one of us repeaters?' he thought as he went into the store, 'I'll have to keep an eye out for him.'
He came up to Xander on the way out, looking uncomfortable as if trying to decide on something. He was a bit surprised when the man finally spoke.
"So, I know this'll sound strange," the man said in an Irish accent, "But do you seem to do this Halloween costume thing often, sometimes with a young brunette girl?"
"One could say that, since for most people Halloween is only once a year."
"But that's assuming it's not Halloween every day?"
"And you would be telling *me* this why?"
"Because I've been sent here to help make sure that at some point *tomorrow* isn't also Halloween." Xander looked at the man, trying to decide if he the odd vibe he picked up was an evil one.
"Are you human?"
"One could say that."
"But would it be true?"
"On my mother's side."
"And the other?"
"Brachen."
"Pacifist?"
"Unless something really pushed their buttons, like some bastard turning children into monsters."
"I like what I'm hearing so far."
"But?"
"I really don't know you. You could be evil."
"But I could be…not evil."
"True. You have a car?"
"No, when I said I've been sent, I mean I suddenly found myself standing in front of Hiram's Pawn Shop wondering what to do next."
"How did you find me?"
"I get visions."
"Visions?"
"Bunch o' flashes of pictures and impressions of them, with the biggest mother-in-law of all migraines to go with 'em."
"Sounds painful and handy."
"Well, they promised if this time loop thing gets fixed I get to be a hundred percent human and no visions. And the last one was of you and a girl a bit younger than yourself in a lot of different clothes, so yesterday I tried a few places, and today, I was trying this store and there you were."
"Lucky for you, I'm guessing."
"Well when you're told that the universe is going to be destroyed as the alternative to finding a solution to whatever time loop thing is goin' on 'ere, the choices are limited. And not bein' part demon anymore kinda gives a carrot instead of a stick." Xander looked at him and then turned and went back into the store, Doyle at his back. Ethan looked tired.
"We need another trench coat, sword, and revolver for an Immortal costume," Xander said, dropping forty dollars on the counter. They left again five minutes later, Doyle somewhat confused.
"What's your name Vision Guy?" Xander asked as he indicated the man should get in the Citroen.
"Doyle."
"As in Popeye?"
"As in Alan. So, what's with the costume?"
"You wear the costume and are possessed by the costume."
"You get to be yourself again?"
"When a statue in back of that costume shop is broken."
"Why don't we just break it now/"
"He has many of them hidden, and I've tried just killing him, but the Resets repeat anyway."
"So why the costumes, then?"
"I have the ability to keep the skills and such, so if I ever break free…"
"You'll be ahead of the game, gotcha."
"And when things get a little depressing, it's like a vacation when you get back."
"So why do I have to play dress up?"
"Show of faith, and to protect my friend while I whisk away another friend for a drive out of town in a Dodge Challenger."
"Lady friend?"
"Yes, but nothing's going to happen that I can't explain after it's all over."
"Oh?"
"It'd be like a date drug, she doesn't remember but I do?"
"Gotcha, fine, what'll I do do?"
"Harris!" Snyder screamed out at him, "You're almost late. Here are your kids. Who's this?!" Willow and Buffy watched as Xander whispered something into the troll's ear, then shook hands slowly. "I understand, Mr. Harris, schoolwork comes first. And I'll have Mr. Giles take the children out. And thank you for having your uncle fill in for Ms. Rosenberg." Xander handed the extra coat and sword to the frustrating man, who left for the Library right away, Doyle right behind him.
"What did you say to him Xander?" Willow, Buffy nodding in confusion.
"I offered him three hundred dollars and told him I wanted to be excused for school reasons or I'd leak his 'extra funding sources' to the press."
"What extra sources?" Buffy asked.
"I'll tell you later, Buff, but right now I have to go see some folks about a car," Xander replied, then quickly removed Willow's sheet, "Willow, I'm not worthy of you, but we're going on a road trip and maybe even talk, okay? So, you're with me and I'll explain things once we're on the road. Oh, Buff, if something weird happens, Giles is going to be with you so please keep an eye on him alright? And distribute this pile of candy to your kids as starter candy. Oh, have Giles open this envelope a little before six."
Kowalski looked confused as he noticed the Bakersfield sign up ahead, and was especially confused to find a beautiful red-head resting comfortably on his shoulder.
'I'm supposed to be getting to San Francisco in fifteen hours,' Kowalski thought, 'But according to my watch I still have three hours to go and am somehow south of where I should be.' He looked at the smiling girl who simply looked at the road up ahead as if nothing was wrong. 'I'll just enjoy this while I can until she says something first.' He accelerated the car to ninety-five, just enough to make sure they'd get there
Turning on the radio left him confused. He finally found an 'oldies' station on FM radio, which was full of stations! And they played tunes he'd never heard by folks he *knew* only had a single or two out. After about an hour he turned to the girl, and started to say something when she stretched and asked, "How much longer until we get to San Francisco?"
"Maybe an hour and a half, why?"
"Mm, getting kind of hungry I guess, maybe grab something soon?" she said, stretching again. Kowalski tried not to look too interested in her youthful body, but she caught a glimpse and smiled as he distractedly accelerated the car another ten miles an hour, "Like what you see?"
"No doubt about that, baby, but I'm hoping to get us to the Bay Area before you give me a heart attack."
"We could have a delay…"
"It'll be bigger and better when the drives over."
"I thought the driving was the best part," she purred. The car was now creeping up to one hundred twenty-five miles an hour.
"I thought you wanted something to eat?"
"But *you* don't have to slow down for me to have a bite," she smiled, unbuckling the seat. The car was now at one hundred forty miles an hour.
"Baby, give me a few minutes and I'll pull the car off if you want."
"Give me a few minutes and it won't be the car that gets off." Her hand brushed his left inner knee as the car increased in speed to one-sixty.
"Maybe I should slow down just a bit so we don't crash and burn."
"Not as much fun without the danger," she said as she nibbled his earlobe and her hand reached mid-thigh and the car remained steady at one-sixty as the magic faded.
Willow's teeth left his ear, her hand quickly left his thigh, and a blushing red-head scooted slowly away as she tried to figure out what had come over her. And that Xander hadn't really put up much resistance. 'Xander didn't fight me off?' she realized and looked over at her smiling and blushing friend.
"XanderwhereareweandIdontknowwhatcameovermeImsoembarrassed."
"Don't be Wills," Xander smiled, still blushing deeply, "It'll be a moment that I'll treasure forever."
"Why can't we forget about it?" she half-whispered.
"Why would we want to do that Willow," he said softly, smiling as the car decelerated to one-thirty, "I didn't expect us to, you know, but wow, ya know?" She blushed deeper and looked around, and then at the dash.
"Xander! You're going way too fast!" she choked.
"A minute ago you seemed to think I was going too slow," he smirked, his earlier blushing starting to fade.
"Xander!"
"Oh come on, Will," he said, "you've been dancing around the topic for a while, and I've been thinking a *lot* about it myself." She stared at him with her mouth wide open in surprise. He wrapped his right arm around her and pulled her close.
"Hey, I've been over Buffy for a while, now, Wills, and being in the body of a hormonally charged teenaged male is killing me. I'm surround by gals who are way better than plain-looking, and because of that I can't settle down right now; I'm afraid of blowing a relationship in a moment of weakness." She laid her head on his shoulder as the car reached one-ten.
"But if you're not interested in Buffy, then who?"
"Well, I didn't say anything made sense, you know me. One gal is too old, but 'wow' and the other one is too young but has grown up way fast in a very short period of time. Then there's you," he said as the car reached ninety-five.
"Me?"
"Yeah, you."
"Who are the others? Not Cordelia?!"
"Hee, hee, no, but she does have more to her than we give her credit for, and it *would* be interesting, I admit…"
"Xander…"
"Promise not to go crazy on me?"
"Um, okay..."
"Jenny Calendar and Dawn Summers," he said as the car leveled off at eighty. He waited a minute as she remained silently pondering his words, "You there, Willow?"
"I can understand Ms. Calendar, she's quite attractive, but Dawn's a little young, Xan."
"Did you see her at Buffy's house this afternoon?"
"No, but…"
"Well, when we get back, take a look and talk to her. I'm not saying I'm feeling anything yet, but she's the one I'm worried about a year or three down the road."
"Really? Why?"
"Let me tell you about something that happen seven months ago Xander-Time…"
The group, including Doyle, were gathered around the table discussing the evening, and how lucky it was that Xander had left them notes about Ethan Rayne and his sick joke when the phone rang. Cordelia of all people grabbed it.
"Hello?! Willow! Where are you?!"
"The St. Francis Hotel? In San Francisco?"
"You're sharing a room with Xander?!"
"Oh. What are you doing now?" she said, waving off Buffy.
"Oh, order the veal, it's wonderful. And have Xander try any of the duck dishes, they're to die for…"
"Uh-huh? Really? Uh-huh, Uh-huh, Okay, bye," She walked over to the table and sat down as the others looked at her, "What? Is something wrong with my hair?"
'N-no, we were rather hoping you could tell us what Xander and Willow are doing?" Giles asked.
"OH, they're staying the night at the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco, and will fly back via Las Vegas tomorrow and get here about eight."
"Why are they in San Francisco?" Giles asked.
"Xander made reservations and they drove there," she replied.
"In only three and a half hours?" Doyle asked.
"She said something about a Barry Newman movie, a Dodge Challenger, a guy named Kowalski," Cordelia said, filing her nails, "after tonight, why look so surprised?"
"It's just that I never thought Xander would have taste enough to stay at the St. Francis, or watch movies that aren't science fiction," Angel replied, "Anything else?"
"Only that they'd explain things when they get back."
"And then we drove over the Golden Gate Bridge, circled back to the Hotel, and called you as we were about to be seated for dinner," Willow told the girls.
"Wow, Will, that's a heck of a time," Buffy said, shaking her head. Jenny had driven her, Willow, Cordelia, and surprisingly to Buffy, Dawn, from the airport back to the library as Doyle, Giles and Xander rode back in a different vehicle.
"So, did he tell you about the Resets," Dawn asked quietly, noting that the subject hadn't really been mentioned in Willow's account of the trip.
Yeah, Dawnie, he did, and I was quiet surprised to see how much you've…grown since I saw you a couple days ago," Willow sighed, answering quietly.
"Did he tell you how hard it's been for him?" the young girl continued, "The killing, the memories, the occasional brutal nightmare?"
"The what, Dawn?!" Buffy interrupted from the front seat in shock, "Who did Xander kill?" Willow also seemed confused and spoke first.
"Xander said he'd dressed p as different costumes and picked up a few skills that'd be helpful later, Dawn," Willow asked, starting to get worried, "Why would he have night mares?"
"You know that Highlander show?" Dawn asked, turning to Buffy, "I'm getting to the point, sis." Willow nodded, as did the other girls in the car, 'Mm, Adrian Paul.'
"Xander was tricked into going as Chronos, who beheaded Jonathan dressed as either Caspian or Silas, then to learn to deal with the guilt he went as Methos," Dawn said matter-of-factly. Willow gasped, but Jenny voiced the realization.
"So Xander was Two Horsemen of the Apocalypse with over ten thousand years of memories?" the teacher stated carefully.
"And he was Spartacus, Alexander the Great and a few others," Dawn replied, "And the spell didn't just make him believe and act like it; due to a spell he remembers everything in their lives, even fictional characters. A man once asked what we are but our memories, I think, and Xander for all intents and purposes *was* each of them." Buffy surprised them by speaking first, and maturely.
"Wow," she responded, "When you guys got off the plane and he gave me a hug he told me he understood the weight of responsibility I carry around. I didn't really get it, but a guy who conquered the world and…" Cordelia, surprisingly, reached out a hand and comfortingly patted Buffy's shoulder as Dawnie quietly hugged a very quiet, pale and teary-eyed Willow before they got out of the car.
"Okay, so after you two put the hurt on the Rayne-Man, anything happen next?" Xander asked as they pulled into the school parking lot.
"Nah, not really, but some of it seems to be stickin 'round if ya know what I mean?" Doyle replied, "I feel I personally know *every* tavern in Western Europe, and need to go find Macleod to go lookin fer the ladies if you know what I mean." Giles nodded begrudgingly as Xander actually chuckled.
"Okay, we're here," Xander said, "And the girls seem sad about something."
"Probably think you should dress as Richard Gere or Tom Cruise instead of manly characters," Doyle guessed, not yet seeing their expressions, "Though I'm kinda surprised that a kid like you would pick an old '71 flick like Vanishing Point. The guy wasn't really heroic, though there's more stuff there than in most of today's car-chase stunt movies. Now, goin as Bullitt and following through just like real-man Steve McQueen? That woulda been sumptin to see…"
Xander turned away from Doyle to find himself group-hugged by the teenage womenfolk as Jenny seemed to whisper the reason to Giles and Doyle. Doyle seemed to straighten up and stare measuringly at the young man.
"Now see what I mean?" Doyle asked Giles, gesturing at Xander, "The lad has already been through the thick of it and is still basically himself, and that's what it'll take to get through this mess. We need the 'Cooler King' not some floofy poofy Top Gun pretty boy mentality."
"W-While I get the reference," Giles remarked, "I don't understand what you're getting at, Mr. Doyle."
"What I mean is, this'll probably take a solid personality, regardless of skill, and that that willingness to take a beating to see something through is what's keeping him sane, and what will carry us out of these time loops."
Doyle watched as Xander pulled up with Dawn in the passenger seat, smiling at them as they reached the sidewalk.
"Xan, Mornin' Light," Doyle greeted them, "What's on the agenda tonight? Another real-man car chase?" Dawn smiled and rolled her eyes at the nickname.
"Nah," Dawn let out, "We'll go for a drive along the coast highway, but just to pick up general skills. I'm going as a Hacker to get computer skills and sharpen up my thinking. We just need to drop off the usual precaution-stuff with the gang."
"Oh, what about me and Xander," the Irishman asked, as they entered the shop. Dawn smirked.
"Well, given Xander's style of dress and the car he's getting us at the dealership, he'll be…"
"MAGNUM!" T.C. yelled as they took the curve in the coastal highway doing thirty over the limit, "Thomas?! What the hell do you think you're doing trying to kill us!" The dark-haired man in the Hawaiian shirt and shorts smiled his trademark grin as he recovered a bit from the sudden vertigo and the turn faster than his helicopter-flying comrade of many years.
"OhmigodwereallgoingtodieXanderpleasestopthecarandnotkillus!" Willow somehow managed to babble and screech at the same time. Thomas Magnum slowed the vehicle and pulled into the Pacific Coast overlook.
"Okay, who are you guys and what are you doing in my Ferrari?" the young man asked, then pointed at the man next to him, "*You* sound like TC, but Red I don't know?"
"That's because I *am* TC, and you look a lot like your cousin Tony from California, and drive like always, Thomas," the man responded as the girl sitting back and between them looked confused. The men looked in the mirrors, as did Willow, who gasped.
"I look like Dawnie! One minute I'm in Sunnydale, and the next minute I'm here! O-okay, we need to call Giles and ask him what's going on!"
Magnum pulled out a cell phone, but it refused to connect to an existing service, so they quietly drove into a café touting its brochures to the nearby Hearst Castle. Willow got out and they attempted several phone calls to no avail.
"Okay, we need to get back to Sunnydale, Xander," Willow said, only to be halted by the young man.
"Why are you calling me Xander?" the former private investigator asked, "The last thing I remember, I'd just taken a drive with TC from my retirement party at Higgin's estate when this happened."
"The body you're in belongs to a friend of mine, and I seem to be in the body of another friend of ours," the red-head declared, starting to hyper-ventilate from near-panic, "So we drive back the way we came, and try to get back to where we belong." The two men looked at each other.
"I ain't got a problem with it, Thomas," the man said, "And I definitely want my in-shape beautiful black body; this guy needs to work out…a lot."
Forty minutes later the spell broke as they sped at high-speed into Santa Barbara city limits. Xander slowed the car down to avoid being ticketed, and turned to the other two.
"You dressed as Willow, Dawn?" Xander asked, slightly confused, "Why?"
"Well, she *is* hacker gal, Xan," Dawn said, "And, I don't know?" Xander sighed and said they'd talk about it later in private.
Dawn thought about it, realizing she might have overstepped some boundaries in her attempt to make herself more attractive to Xander. The young man seemed a bit quiet for the remaining half-hour into Sunnydale and on to the Library. Willow greeted them, especially Dawn, with astonishment.
"You went as me?" Willow asked in confusion, "Why?"
"You're smart hacker girl and contribute to the slaying with research and stuff?" Dawn answered as the others looked uncomfortable about the unknown Doyle being present, "Oh, Doyle's okay, he already knows all about this stuff and just kinda got caught up in the spell like everyone else."
"So why are you mad at me for going as Willow, Xand?" Dawn asked when they finally had their 'talk' the next morning during training and before others came around. Doyle was out getting coffee and food, "You weren't mad when I dressed as Buffy." He gave her a long neutral look before answering.
"Well, you're kind of aware that there could be a relationship between me and Willow when this over right?" he replied neutrally as they continued to spar. Dawn nodded since she couldn't deny it.
"Yeah…but I thought you were starting to show interest in Miss Calendar again?" she averred, "And I did want the Willow boosts…and I don't know?"
"Hmm, and that last part's why I'm uncomfortable about it, Dawn," Xander responded, "Remember the no 'stuff' rule? This comes close to breaking it."
"Please don't be disappointed, Xan," Dawn said, stopping her fighting, and feeling lost about it. Maybe she had gone too far, but she'd started having these *feelings* and, "I-I…"
"It's okay, Dawn, just don't do it again, okay?" he said, putting his arm around her and leading her over to the table for water, "And don't tell me anything, okay?"
"But Xander," she said and continued anyway, "I won't talk about her feelings and such about you, *but* there are some things we might want to help her out with aft we end the Resets." Xander grimaced but nodded as they made their back to the training area.
"What kind of things?" he sighed as they began, "And let's slowly move up as far as we can go speed-wise." She nodded as they began to circle each other.
"Well, she seems both meek and uses it as a control," Dawn commented, "But I'm not sure if she really is aware of it yet." Xander nodded, feinted, then backed away, "She wants recognition without the responsibility, and she wants to be the center of attention but doesn't want to risk losing all attention."
"How's that different from most people?" Xander asked as they charged, struck out, blocked and countered twice."
"Just the degree of it, and the fact that since she's unaware of it, she's not a meddling bitch yet," Dawn remarked, trying to take advantage of her language harshness to gain a few touches as they approached minion levels of speed, "Means that with some training and discipline…she'll turn out alright." Xander hammered the air around her head to see if she'd shift into a follow-up, and when she didn't, barely touched her with a crescent kick on the right.
"So, why the concern?" Xander asked, "Why not just suggest training?"
"I just wanted you to understand that the skills she *really* needs are not the physical ones, Xan," she replied as they hovered at four times human speed in their actions, both noting as the door came open to reveal Doyle being followed by the gang.
"Thanks for the heads-up, Dawn," Xander remarked, temporarily distracted from the Dawn side of the Willow equation, "Just don't do it again."
Xander focused most of his attention on their continued sparring, leaning mostly toward the SGC Spec Ops favored forms, laced with those of Section. But the rest of his attention was used to pick up on maybe two disturbances in his senses. Maneuvering around, he wasn't sure, but he began to get the feeling he was missing something familiar, and it was in his older and deeper Immortal memories and gnawed at this comfort level.
Doyle sipped his coffee and occasionally dipped a donut as he and the others watched the two teens push harder and harder until Xander signaled a breather.
"Excellent, Dawnie," he complimented the girl, "Now if we can get bladed weapons skills, you'll really start to round out. Doyle, how much do you recall of Fitzcairn's sword skills?" The Irishman shrugged as Dawn was verbally ambushed by the Scoobs about her ability.
"Dunno, really haven't had to use it," the man replied, "I'm willin to give it a try, but not at those speeds." He gestured to where Xander and Dawn had sparred at 'normal' vampire levels. Xander indicated a selection of swords and they slowly began. After a few moments, they broke off.
"Not bad at all Doyle," he complimented, "I'm thinking it'd only take a year to bring you back up in skill to a master's level." He gestured over to Willow.
"Miss Devereux," Xander greeted with a sword salute, "I would be honored if you selected a weapon and engaged me with it." Willow hesitated for a moment, then picked up not only a rapier but main-gauche to complement it. She kicked off her shoes and returned the salute, Buffy and Giles setting aside their interrogation of Dawn as the timid red-head began to move with a bit of grace and her face slowly blanked to give nothing away. For five minutes, Xander slowly brought up the level of speed and difficulty, soon finding Willow to have retained a *lot* of skill and expertise.
"Bien, mademoiselle," Xander complimented her as he trapped her sword onto a table, then gave her a quick peck on the cheek that allowed him to surprise her by rolling behind and dropping his weapon to entrap both her hands and the weapons in them.
"Excellent, Willow," Xander remarked, "Match over, coffee awaits us." With that he let her go, retrieved his sword, and offered her his elbow. Smiling, she shifted weapons into one hand and happily accompanied the young man to snacks.
The morning and afternoon rolled on, the Library group being given the barebones of the situation to keep them occupied. The three Reset participants eventually found themselves alone long enough to discuss a few things.
"Doyle, I think you, and especially Willow, might be becoming pre-Immortals," Xander remarked. Doyle looked blankly at him for a moment.
"So what does that really mean," the former teacher questioned, "And will it go away like the skills are starting to…" Dawn looked interested, and interrupted.
"We could do the spell on him!" she decided, "And he'd be like us when this is over." Doyle looked uncomfortable, and confused, which in Xander's mind seemed to lend credence to Doyle's proclaimed 'good-guy' status. That, and a tendency toward inaction and enjoying life rather than trying to really benefit from things.
"Doyle?" Xander asked, "What would you do if we knew in two weeks we'd simply not have a Reset and just keep going? What would you do?"
"Well, I'd be makin with some serious bettin," the Irishman considered, "And pay off me bills, bar tabs, loans from friends and bookies. And being all-human, then, I'd try to get back with my Harriet again if she'd have me. Buy the house and the whole deal and let her handle the purse strings so I wouldn't get to back-sliding. Though, with my recent experiences, I'd hope to find some fellers first who enjoyed the bettin' and the playing, but didn't have the gamblin addiction. I barely don't, and so far I'm good, but…if the memories and such don't last, eh? Though I guess with the sword thing, maybe I could lend you a hand until I got a job." The candor struck both Xander and Dawn quite solidly, and keeping in mind the need to offset any gambling addiction, both nodded as Xander decided.
"How would you like the memories, good and bad, skills and maybe the physical abilities to stay with you Alan?" the dark-haired man asked seriously, "We may not have really worked on leaving the Resets, but are quite able to take advantage of them. But a warning…I don't really know how to undo it once it's gone. And we have a couple of very simple rules: no sex or bad stuff with anybody we know, and preferably not at all, and try not to do anything to make you nonhuman. No offense"
"None taken, as I am trying to be all human when this is over," the Irishman replied, "I don't want to end up with blue fur or eight arms."
"So Mister Doyle," Xander smiled, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"
"I'm thinking maybe an Immortal Poker Champion?" Doyle responded, "Or maybe one of those Jedi fellas? I could meditate out the gambling bug and just play in the big tournaments. How about the two of you?"
"I don't know that we've given it any specific thought, just adding to what we have and what seems to be needed," Xander admitted, "Maybe we should all take a few days and figure out what'd be good for us individually and then try to synch 'em up."
The man looked around, confused, as one moment he was talking to Socrates in San Francisco, then the next he was here, standing with Comet next to a masked man standing next to his white-colored horse. Before either had time to fully recover from the vertigo, a young woman, very well-muscled and carrying a pair of blacksmithing hammers came between them.
"Mister County," she addressed him uncertainly and in broken English, "Iz dat you?" He nodded, and she continued, "Goot, I am Katrina Schwenke, da Professor's friend, yes?" He looked at her uncertainly, but she did carry herself in much the same manner, "How am I in dis little body?"
"I don't rightly know, Miss Katrina, I—" he began, as a panicking redhead I clothes even more revealing than Dixie's raced up to them.
"Guys!" She gushed, "I'm glad I found you! Everything's gone crazy! The kids have turned into their Halloween costumes. Wow, Xan, you look great." The former-Xander felt somewhat uncomfortable at the way the young woman was suddenly looking at him, glad he was wearing the mask.
"Miss," the older-looking man interrupted, "What do you mean they turned into their costumes?" He stepped forward out into the light, and made no hostile moves, though mindful of the masked man.
"The monsters running around were children, now their demons, Mister?" she asked, not having met the person but briefly at the High School.
"County's fine man," he assured her, "And do you know how this came about?"
"No, just that one minute they were kids and the next, not?" she responded, then noticed that neither Dawn nor Xander seemed to know her, "Uh, guys, maybe we should go find Buffy?" They were about to ask more questions when a scream broke the night and a woman yelling for help ran roughly in their direction.
Brisco and the stranger both drew revolvers and prepared to use them as two tall deformed-face man-sized individuals and four smaller monsters closed on them and the terrorized girl.
"Don't shoot the little ones, I now their kids in there!" Willow shouted. Brisco changed tactics and raced flankingly toward the smaller aggressors as four shots rang out, striking the taller opponents in the upper chest, causing the beings to stop and scream, clutching at their chests. Writhing on the ground, the masked man ran up to them brought the butt of the revolver down twice into their foreheads, rendering them unconscious.
"That ought to keep them until the authorities can be alerted," the Ranger remarked to the amazed redhead. They looked up to see the blonde blacksmith woman thump two monsters in the heads hard enough to knock them out as Brisco County Jr. sent the others into flight from multiple kicks and punches. The shrieking blonde lunged and attached herself clinglingly to the lawman, sobbing and begging to be protected.
The masked man reloaded his revolver from the shining cartridges on his belt as he watched for more troublemakers and made his way over to the others. The blonde shifted behind the lawman, staring at the mask.
"Save me from this masked brigand!" she demanded in a high-pitched voice. County looked at her, then their recent ally, before asking.
"The mask *is* a bit of a question mark, you know," Brisco admitted, "Though I seem to remember something a while back about a 'Ranger' that wore a mask and achieved justice without crossing the line."
"I where this mask to protect my identity so those who know me will be safe," the man conceded, "And a few newspaper reporters have taken to referring to me as the Lone Ranger." Willow gasped as she realized for sure that she was the only unchanged person in the group, and as the conversation continued, wondered what other surprises the night would bring.
"We all need to go see Giles immediately," Willow declared, "He'll figure out what this is all abut if anyone can." They nodded, and began making their way in the direction Willow indicated.
Ten minutes passed, and they heard a scream and some swear words as down the street they watched a seven-foot tall furry thing chasing a girl in questionable attire. The masked man turned to Brisco.
"Take the ladies to this Giles on your horse," he said, "And I'll follow as soon as I get the girl." Brisco nodded, tossing a resistant Buffy onto the horse, mounting, the reaching down to pick up Willow. As they moved down the street, Willow looked back to see Xander, er the Lone Ranger, reach down and flip Cordelia onto the back of the horse, almost hearing the William Tell Overture start to play as she heard him shout, 'Hi Ho Silver…Away' and Cordelia's shriek as they raced to catch up.
"Er, uh, Xander," Giles began as they left Ethan's Shoppe, "How is it that the, er, Ranger's bullets were able to hurt the vampire's you encountered?"
"Not really sure," the young no longer masked man replied, "But it's probably because the silver was taken by shamen from the most sacred of sites in their holy mountain, where they've gone to commune and receiving blessings for centuries, then melted down to help the Ranger in his mission of Justice?"
"Hmm, blessed silver from a site that itself is and has been holy for centuries…" Giles pondered, "That could be why it at least hurt them long enough to render them unconscious. Hmm…I'll have to check my books…"
Xander almost laughed when Giles came back into the diner complaining about a parking ticket he'd received for taking up two spaces.
"There's no other bloody car's in the lot and my rear wheel is only on the line…" the older man complained with an almost-Ripperish look in his eyes, "On a Saturday morning."
"When do you have to make an appearance?" Xander asked out of politeness.
"Any time between now and the fifteenth," Giles grimaced, "A fine of up to two hundred dollars."
"Well, I've paid the bill," Xander replied, "Why don't Doyle and I go with you, and we'll use some of Ethan's money to pay the fine." At the mention of using the chaos mage's funds, Giles mollified a bit.
Judge Harold Stone had thought retiring to Sunnydale and marrying Christine would have been enough for any man, and with the substitute positions for the City and County Circuit Courts, he could even keep busy enough to handle retirement. Just a little before noon, three cases to go, and he'd be done for the weekend.
"All Rise!" the white dog-eared bailiff called out. Like the Judge, he was a substitute, as his terrible skin affliction keeping him out of the normal weekday channels of justice that were usually disturbed at the less than pretty look. Luckily, Judge Harry and a few others thought nothing particularly odd about the well-mannered individual, "The Court is back in Session."
"You may be seated," Harry intoned as he struck the gavel lightly, "And I'd like to here our first case…"
"Your Honor, the District Attorney's Office stresses the need for a change of venue, as many of our potential witnesses seem to have a severe skin allergy to sunlight. Beyond that, the defendant Bo Darville is being charged with reckless driving and felony speeding. The witnesses are to attest to damages caused by the defendant to municipal property."
"What do we have to say Ms. Public Defender?" the Judge prompted.
"Your Honor, Mr. Darville has been held *without* bail for one month, and the damages have been fully repaid as per City ordnance. My client wishes to return home to Texas, feeling he's fulfilled his obligations."
"I've looked over the case, and Mr. Darville has completed five thousand dollars worth of repairs to jail vehicles while in our custody, and so my ruling is two hundred dollars and time served. Next case…"
"Your Honor, my client is a respected veteran and writer that made an honest mistake in his choice of volunteer cooks at the shelter he runs in his retirement years, and is now being singled out as 'an example,'" the attorney explained.
"Your Honor, he's violated the health regulations four times…"
"In four years, with almost straight hundred percents on his inspections; the truth is this is just a ploy by the City to put up low-rent housing up but in fact would displace twice as many people as it claims to serve and wishes to force the man out of his lease of city property."
"How long until the lease is up?"
"May 1999, Your Honor."
"And what is the exact reason for us being here, Mr. Prosecutor?"
"Serving food that had a regrettable effect upon the digestive tracts of forty low or no income individuals, Your Honor," the DA explained, "And two other volunteers had to be hospitalized briefly."
"Why is…Sergeant Becerra here and not the cook?"
"He's the license and permit holder for the premises."
"Are any of the complainants here?"
"No, Your Honor," the Public Defender interjected, "Only the City has a sudden issue, not those fed bad yams."
"Mister Prosecutor, who was the cook?"
"Your wife, Your Honor?"
"And you brought this case into *my* court and didn't move for change of venue?"
"Uh, no, Your Honor."
"Well Sarge, I guess it's a light beating for you this time…and seeing the next case for a Rupert Giles is almost as frivolous, the rulings will be the same…for bad yams and being the target of cranky bureaucrats …One dollar each and time served."
"X-Xander, did you notice that there was a demon serving as bailiff in broad daylight?" Giles asked. Doyle interrupted them with the info.
"Ah, that's just Clem," the Brisco-dressed man told them, "He's a generally nonviolent sort, he's been hanging out Friday nights at the bowling alley or plays poker in Willy's back room."
"He has a mean hook shot, too, and likes Star Trek far too much," Xander added. Giles and Doyle stared at him questioningly, "He actually wears a uniform and everything when watching the marathons; or so he's told me."
"X-Xander, you hang out with demons, now?" Giles asked uncertainly.
"Just recently, and none that come anywhere near what you hung out with in your college days, Ripper, so don't get too Watchery with me," the young man grimaced, "And as you can see he's managed to get a socially acceptable job contributing to the betterment of society, right?"
"Well, er, I suppose so," Giles responded, "Thank you for reminding me things are grayer than I usually let Buffy believe."
"Why is that Mr. Giles?" Doyle asked, "Last night, I know she wasn't at her best, but…"
"Well from past diaries, it seems slayers are geared toward seeing things in black or white, good or evil. It really…frustrates them to not be able to categorize something as friend or foe."
"Hmm, more insight into our favorite slayer," Xander smiled, "Always helpful."
"So Doyle, that loop was short but sweet," Xander asked, "Do we still want to stay on a cowboy theme?"
"At least one more time," the Irishman said, "Brisco sharpened my thinking a bit, and the guns and getting a little more into shape was good. And I can now appreciate you telling me how sometimes the aches follow you as well. Brisco may have been used to horse riding, but my thighs are a bit sore."
"Okay, next round you get your poker player, and Dawn and I'll have fun but remain practical enough. The Lone Ranger was fun, but there's a movie I've watched a few times that nobody seemed to go to when it came out. Maybe that'll do…we'll see.
Xander avoided Larry, not in the mood to smack the jerk around again just yet, and picked up his group of kids. Doyle and Dawn decided to drive around and take notes on the pre-Ethan situation for later reference before planning to rendezvous after parking the car near the costume shop.
"Hey, Mister," one of the kids asked, "you gonna carry around the saddle all night?"
"Well I reckon I might," Xander returned in a passable-enough Tom Selleck imitation, "It's part of the costume." The kids rolled their eyes, but were very attentive when he explained the keys to maximum candy procurement. His candy mission was successful, as he led the kids to skip the crappy houses in favor of the best, they hit a few extra houses and got back ten minutes early.
Going out toward the street to await his two companions, he set the horse statue on the ground, and held the note to himself he'd written earlier, with a bag of fake gold coins, 'Please go to Ethan's costume shop and shoot the statue in the backroom with glowing eyes.' "Well, that and a map *should* be enough to keep it short."
"Well you didn't have to dress up if you didn't want to Xan," Dawn sighed, shaking her head as they and Doyle met up.
"No Dawn, it's just that I have an odd feeling about tonight," Xander replied, "And the last time I felt it was when I went as Audie Murphy and Dru attacked.
"Well, I think we'd better start heading back to the Library first then," Doyle responded, looking at his watch, "It already looks like Ethan's running a few minutes over…" And the magic swept over Sunnydale.
""Well pet, it only cost us four minions," Spike sighed as his Drus went on about her new 'country' clothes for her 'cowboy.' Spike had refused to dress up with her, the embarrassment was already too great as it was, and had ordered his minions to meet him near the slayer's house in an hour, "Now that it's properly dark, we'll leave now and get us a bite to eat. Now why is it we can't kill the shopkeeper?"
"Because the Slayer will be weak tonight if we let him live," she crooned, "And I'll find my 'pardner.'" She did, however, manage to get him to put on a Victorian-era coat and hat such as he'd worn when she'd first met William over a century ago.
'And I'll just take these off slowly over the next few traffic lights…' he smirked to himself.
Their car just made it down the street a couple of blocks as the magic swept over them…
…and the car crashed into a streetlight as the nausea and pain wracked the vampiric bodies, altering and taking control. A few minutes passed, then the woman, wavy hair in her eyes, moaned and woke up, her Texas accent strong and clear as she fell out of the car and into the street. There was a voice shouting in the back of her head, then it was sient as she stumbled down the avenue, "Roy?"
During those same minutes, three folks recovered from whatever it was that brought them…here. Annie looked over at her two apparent companions, both attractive, dark-haired men, one a little older and prettier in his dress to the younger man's stronger and rougher-hewn physique, 'If I get a hold of the bartender that slipped that happy juice…I'll buy the barrel of it off him…' she smiled to herself…from her hands, a much younger self.
"Don't take this the wrong way folks," the better-dressed man asked in a James-Garnerish manner, "But how'd I get here and who are you people."
The other man saddled the large horse next to him as he replied.
"I don't rightly know, mister, I was rather hopin' you or the young lady here might answer those same questions," he replied as he then checked his rifle and holstered it on the saddlery. Placing bridle on the animal, he turned back and continued, "But my name's Quigley, Jonathan Quigley."
"The target-shooting champion from Montana way?" the girl responded, checking him out with her eyes, "I'd wondered if I'd ever run into you. I'm Annie Oakley." They both turned back to the first man expectantly.
"Oh, I'm sorry," he replied with a bit of abashment, "My name is Brett Maverick. I'm not from around here either. I remember heading to sleep in St. Louis, and suddenly I'm here…" The others nodded and grimaced to show similar experience. The man who'd saddled the horse took a look at some papers sticking out of his pocket, and read them aloud.
"And I seem to have a map," he indicated by waving it, "Think maybe we should follow the instructions?"
"Even though it's probably a trap, I guess we should," Maverick replied with a sigh, "Lucklily we all know how to take care of ourselves. Okay, we seem to be near a big school, just like on the map, so we want to head that way first, then take a right." They slowly made their way toward the indicated shop.
Five or so minutes later, they heard a scream, and then watched as a red-head in scanty attire shouted "Buffy" and threw rocks as soime short monstery things. Quigley jumped on his orse and raced over, drawing his weapon to fire when the red-head called out, "No! Their actually children possessed by something!" Sighing, and trusting the girl might actually know what was going on, he simply interposed his horse between the attackers and the two girls and kicked out at the little fiends until Annie and Maverick pulled the two women away from the fight. Firing a shot above the heads of the monsters, Quigley scared them off for now.
"Xander! Dawn! Everybody seems possessed by their costumes!" Willow shouted on the verge of hyperventilation, "And Buffy seems totally out of it." She looked at the three of them, "And I'm guessing you're not my friends any more now either, are you?"
"Sorry, miss, probably not," Maverick smiled, "But we do seem to have been left a note and a map for ending this strangeness, perhaps it make more sense to you?" He gestured for Quigley, who was now dismounting and smiling as Buffy latched herself onto Maverick, to hand her the papers.
Willow read through them, realizing that a spell was the cause, Ethan the caster, and the statue was the means of ending it. Realizing that they were closer to the costume shop than the school at this point, she decided they should try to end it themselves, "Let's go end this before more kids get hurt or killed."
William Ragsdale had a killer headache. Stumbling out of the strange contraption, William sobbed at the dismissal of his love by Cecily, and only gathered some semblance of control as he remembered meeting a pale beauty who seemed genuinely interested in him, but little else. The town he found himself in was unlike any in his short life, though it reflected an orderliness many places lacked. He was tired, and he considered it in his best interest to find a watchman or constable so as best to determine a course of action. 'If only I could remember what happened after Drusilla asked me in…'
"Roy?!" a dark-haired woman cried out as she lunged at Quigley, "You're safe! I knew you'd come back for me. I knew it!" He looked at his companions, shrugged, and turned back to the woman.
"Cora?" he asked, looking at her incredulously, "Is that really you?"
"Yeah, Roy," she replied, "Who else would it be?" He looked at his companions and shrugged again. They continued on their way.
They approached the costume shop, meeting up with a brownish-haired man in an odd clothing combination. He looked at Cora and with recognition addressed her.
"Drusilla, there you are!" William Ragsdale called out, "I thought I was losing my mind when I found myself here, allow me to assure you of that fact." He would have continued, but Willow recognized the man as the vampire named Spike, 'And if he knows her…'
"I don't know who ya are, but I'm here with Roy," Cora/Drusilla explained, "And I'm sure we haven't met." William looked shocked and distraught as the woman he knew dismissed him in almost the same way as had Cecily. He turned and walked off.
Entering the shop, the noblewoman Buffy complained about improper respect for property, and something about the watch getting them for this. Ignoring her, Roy and Brett preceded the others into the store, Annie following at the rear in case of ambush. No one seemed to be in the front room, so they pointed at Willow and Buffy to stay near the door as the three gun-wielders would head into the next room. They drew revolvers and stepped through the curtain, Maverick taking a blow to the head from the proprietor, presumably Ethan, which allowed Quigley to strike the mage in the forehead quite hard with the butt of his revolver, rendering him immediately unconscious and on the floor. Annie simply fired to rounds at the statue, blasting out the glowing eyes an instant before the rest of the Janus totem shattered into pieces. As the spell lifted, a screaming and moaning broke the silence, drawing Dawn and Xander in time to watch Drusilla screamed and writhed on the floor before imploding into dust.
The door to the shop had been left unsecured, and in the doorway collapsed William Ragsdale, his corpse thumping to the ground after he moaned Drusilla's name one last time…
A minute passed. Xander crept over to the body.
"He's dead, but the body is barely warm," Xander said, backing away in confusion, "Somehow the spell brought him back into himself, as himself, and now he's a dead human."
"That's unexpected," Doyle moaned, holding his head as Dawn helped him into the front room, "I wonder if we could call it a night? Maybe get some food somewhere?" He watched as Xander cleared out the register and cashbox. Buffy and Willow were still unsure of what was worse, that the events had unfolded as they had, or that Dawn, Xander and this Doyle guy were taking this in stride as though they did this all the time. Dawn headed it off.
"Let's go tell Giles about the vampires thing," she said, "Then go out to eat, and maybe look up gun ranges for some practice tomorrow."
Well, that was something of an interesting end to a vampire, and it led us into three weeks of research on the physical aspects of vampirism had led the group to no great solution as to why Spike had turned into a recent corpse rather than dust. We captured a few stupid minions and dressed them up, and tested out our theories, but we arrived back at my surmise that Spike had somehow gone as himself, and thus had become the *human* he was before, seemed the only logical possibility. And as the spell ended, the possession by the soul had ended. We speculated on what might happen if *Angel* dressed as his human self, but without knowing the particulars of the curse, it might be too risky. I remember smiling with a sigh to Buffy's annoyance when I commented that I realized it wouldn't necessarily be a good thing to just end Angel, but as I'd seen different aspects of the vampire, Angel wouldn't be removed unless he lost the soul or proved as evil as other vampires. Ooh, Willow and Buffy glares. I'm almost immune, but somehow Dawnie can still manage for her expressions to work. So I stopped too-overtly mocking the slayer's choice in evening company.
Dawn, Doyle and Xander had watched a number of movies, mainly classics of the last couple decades, and Dawn had discovered China Beach and ER marathons that had driven the men elsewhere. Doyle had caught the costume bug, but couldn't decide on any ground-breaking characters, but a few of the war movies and old television had inspired a couple of memorable moments even if only the three of them might be the only ones to appreciate the experience…
Stringfellow Hawke, Caitlin O'Shannessy and Dominic Santini stealing a Black Hawk from the nearby base and after rescuing a pair of eloping kids in Barstow from vampires, they flew around the Sunnydale area as themselves shooting up Willy's, Spike's warehouse and a few other nests before ditching the thing and hiding out for the rest of the Reset with Doyle's quality liquor and Dawn glaring at the two singing heavy metal ballads badly for hours before the Reset mercifully ended…and the next Reset also proved to be a 'keeper' when the two men folk couldn't quite coordinate their actions so…
…Nurse Colleen McMurphy treated the minor abrasions suffered by the crazy girl who thought she was a noblewoman. The China Beach nurse still didn't really accept the explanation given by the minimally dressed redheaded teenager, but couldn't help but comment to her current companion Benjamin Willard.
"I still don't understand what's going on here, Ben, but the calendars and everything else seem too much to be some kind of a test." They were about to continue when they heard a far off series of explosions and over the next couple of minutes the group quietly hunkered down in the house. A man dressed in dark clothing came in from the rear of the house.
"Oh, good! You guys are alright," Angel addressed them, "It's total chaos out there." Buffy, Dawn and Doyle look at him without any recognition.
"Who are you?" all three of them ask as Willow enters the room. They hear the screech of car tires, and some commotion from out in the street.
"Okay, Willow, wanna fill me in?" Angel replies, edging toward the front window.
"They seemed to have turned into their costumes," Willow sighs, "What's going on outside?" They hear a helicopter flying close overhead and a woman screaming outside. Opening the door, Angel and Willow see Cordelia being attacked by a furry dog thing as Spike and eight minions in two cars are getting out to watch the attack. Suddenly, a speaker from the helicopter opens up.
"Willard! This is Bill Kilgore. I want my F^C&!Ng surfboard back now!"
Spike and the minions, and even the attacking dog-thing seemed stunned into inaction by the incongruity of the entire situation of a chopper starting to land but ignoring them over a minor matter. Captain Willard reached for a hand radio and attempted a contact.
"Colonel, my apologies, but the men in leather are…NVA agents on heroin… attacking that girl with a dog," Willard/Doyle indicated, "If you could send them away, you can have it gladly." Before the young officer had even finished, the helicopter had landed, and a dark figure had moved to the side door of the old copter and opened fire into the Desoto and those closest by it. The car exploded with most of the vampires, tracers creating a surreal effect as the neighbor's two trees exploded into and began to burn as Spike and the others unsuccessfully attempted to flee. The dog, however, had whined and raced away from the girl, Colleen racing forward to treat any wounds.
A young man in a crisp uniform of a LT. Colonel marched confidently forward, cigar in hand, sunglasses of all things on and a smile on his face as he reached the crowd.
"I love the smell of vampire dust in the evening, it smells like… victory, 'course napalm is always good when another VC base has been taken over by the bloodsuckers," the man commented with a serene smile, "Now where's my surfboard, Ben? I flew over some nice beach on my way over and if you don't give it back you'll be tiger-bait."
Needless to say, after blowing up Ethan's by air assault, I was able to tell them that my map and note to Kilgore had already led to Willy's and Drusilla's and a few other nests being zapped already. Getting good at the only needing to hide out for less than a day, we ditched the craft in the Pacific and kept a low profile. And Dawn and Doyle had to keep pointing at something and saying, 'Hey Xan, does *this* smell like victory?' at the beach with the gang the next day while surfing took place and answers were gone over, made it almost perfect. I think that while I might have dark moments, the fact that I have two other people to share the experience with has kept me sane enough. Even if they both have become way geekier about Stargate, Highlander and even Star Wars than I had been before the looping.
"So what do you have against the action hero costumes, Doyle?" Xander asked his newest friend, "I'd think the extra skills and such'd be great."
"Hey, Brachen, remember?" Doyle responded, "I don't really have a problem with the whole thumpin' the bad guys, but that's the human side of me. I'd rather be the support guy that guards the rear while others risk losing their parts."
"What parts are those Doyle," Dawn asked cheekily.
"Any, Dawn," the half-human emphasized, "Any, and that's why I'm dressed as the brains this time around, to know what help your costumed time-share partners might require."
The three approached the school, their attire not raising any eyebrows except that they might be said to not be in costume.
"Harris!" the troll of trolls yelled, "Why aren't you in costume?!" Doyle interrupted immediately.
"I'm 'is Uncle Alan, and he's dressed as a police detective, and I'm here to keep him out of trouble," Doyle remarked, getting closer, stage-whispering, "That Summers girl he's hanging around strikes me as no-good if'n you know what I mean, and I don't want Alex to get talked into any 'tricks' tonight."
"Just keep him away from Summers and he'll probably avoid expulsion," the little monster told him, then gestured at a group of kids, "Here they are Harris, stay out of trouble."
Splitting into two smaller groups hitting the best places, the three Resetters returned with their group much earlier than the other groups though well-burdened with candy. Dawn, Doyle and Xander, having left a letter with Giles to open in forty minutes, drove out of town up into the foothills and away from people.
"So, you think this'll work for me, Xan," Dawn asked, "There haven't been any girl ones in the show."
"Dawnie, there's only one in the show," Xander replied, "So what's to say others couldn't exist. Besides, Ethan's jinxing with the costumes should be enough. Besides, what could go wrong?"
"Did you have to say that?" Dawn replied.
"We're not at the Hell Mouth, Dawn," Xander rebutted.
"You're tempting the nearby Hell Mouth, Xander," she continued.
"I'm *not* tempting the Hell Mouth," he exhaled. Dawn looked at Doyle, who like her was moving away from Xander, pretending not to know him.
"Xander," Doyle responded, at last, as the magic reached them, "Quit taunting the Hell Mouth."
Jim and Blair had gone at it again, this time about that idiot Freeman. A road-rager as the just-finished case. 'He stalked me over a traffic incident, what a nut.' Jim looked around as Blair was going on about something, his voice changing in mid-sentence as Jim's senses went on overload. He turned to see a young brunette girl looking at him in the same way, as his mind flashed into sensory overload. Like one of his 'Sentinel dreams' he suddenly found himself in the mindscape, charging her in jaguar form as he did the same. He felt their bodies collide, jaguar visuals but human touch, wrestling and pushing away like cubs playing…or something more. Jim picked himself up from the ground, in dream only, losing real-world contact of his back on the ground as he and the other jaguar transformed into their real forms in the dreamscape. They were joined by two others. The four of them stood for a moment, the older former Special Forces veteran now Police Detective Jim Ellison, a stunning blonde woman clearly a sentinel but of questionable background but strong drives, a young brunette woman who radiated green light and a well-muscled young man who radiated a different animal feeling and matched Jim's own stance.
"Who are all of you?" Jim asked the others, "And why are you two kids here?"
"I'm Xander Harris and this is Dawn Summers, whose physical bodies you two are possessing due to chaos forces," the young man indicated, "And the two of you are…Sentinels. We are accessing your abilities in hopes they wil come out in us as well, to fight things that hunt humans in the night."
"What gave you the right?" the detective continued as the blonde woman slowly tracked inward on the girl, "Why couldn't you ask?"
"We're not from the same world as you, and we expected to be possessed for a while and then wake up with a result," Xander explained, "In our world, there really are vampires, demons and magic as well as apple pie and gun control nuts." Xander looked at the blonde, leapt in front of Dawn, and addressed them while staring at the woman ready to attack, "Just give it a twenty or thirty minutes and it'll be over. Get out of the dream and talk to each other. Maybe you two can meet up after returning to your own lives."
A minute later, Jim Ellison and Alex Barnes woke up next to each other in the bodies of the two dream companions. They found an older dark-haired man looking at them from nearby. Jim hazarded a guess from the academic dishevelment of the clothing.
"Blair, that you?" he asked as he got to his feet and offered a hand to the female sentinel. She took it with a suspicious look.
"Yeah, man, it's me, are we having some kinda trip or what? This is weird! I'm in some other guy's body, and so are you apparently, and 'wow' huh?"
"Yeah, wow," Jim begrudged, "The kids me and…"
"Alex Barnes…" the woman offered.
"…are in now, say this will be over soon enough and maybe we should just figure things out and get together afterward."
"I don't know if that's such a good idea," the woman interjected, "I do not know either of you, and…" pointing at Jim, "I don't know if I want to kill you or something else."
"I know what you mean, but if you're ever up in the Pacific Northwest, a short visit to exchange notes on this whole sentinel thing wouldn't hurt, and Blair's the brainy guy studying it for quite a while now."
She nodded and they verbally exchanged basic information as Blair poured coffee from a thermos. They talked about concentration, opening up to the inputs, closing it out and other stuff as Blair took notes. Almost an hour had passed when the magic stopped and the screaming began from two teens now finding themselves overwhelmed by everything.
Two weeks of desperate Resets later, the two teens had managed to learn enough to shut out the extra input with Doyle's help using his Blair memories to keep them from hospitalization and isolation. The trick had been to separate them enough to not overwhelm each other. Then, working with one, and then the other, Doyle drew on all of his limited experiences and the Blair stuff to 'train' his two friends in controlling their abilities, and they'd even tried two or three rather silly costume choices but that had granted them only limited and temporary relief like going from a Metallica concert in front of the speaker to the easy listening music of Metallica eight rows further back.
Xander had dressed as Batman, Blue Beetle and Daredevil, but the last in particular just added an entire new sensory front instead of temporarily relieving one. Dawnie as the original Black Canary, Bat-Girl and Felicia the Black Cat hadn't been much better. And then they'd sent him out as Nightwing, Green Arrow and Seymour Birkoff from La Femme Nikita. Nothing but trouble, as a bunch of she-demons had chased him for three hours because they thought Nightwing had nice legs, and that Birkoff character's life…no whiskey was hell indeed.
Six weeks since the night in the woods found Doyle and Xander shouting "Jaffa Kree" and other nonsense as they smacked each other around with fake swords during Dawn watching a Stargate episode with Hathor in it.
"So, Dawnie," Xander asked, "What do you want to go as next? We're thinking samurai…"
"Maybe I'll go as a goddess…" Dawn considered, "Might be different." She went back to her show.
"Hey Jim, you're acting kind of funny," Blair suggested, "Is that woman walking over here someone you know?" Jim smiled as he began moving quickly toward the woman entering the squad room.
"You could say that…" the detective replied, then embraced the blonde beauty in a passionate kiss that lasted minutes as fellow police staff smiled and simply walked around the pair, Simon on the phone looking big-eyed as he dealt with whoever was on the line. Breaking the kiss, Jim reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring, darkened silver with a black jaguar pattern with two green jade eyes, "Blair, this is the woman I've been dreaming with and about since the you know, a month ago, Alex Barnes…meet Blair Sandburg…Blair meet in person Alex…" he placed the ring on her finger at her nod, "my fiancé." Blair grinned ear to ear as a nearby Simon dropped the phone and fainted. The Curse of the Ellison Dating had been broken.
"Hello, Frank," the devil-dressed man greeted the black-clad man with a skull on his chest.
"What do you want, Red?"
"Do you remember a Xander Harris?" Daredevil asked, dodging a possible reaction, "Because I do…" Frak Castle turned immediately, a touch of sock on his face for a brief moment.
"What do you know?"
"Same as you, but since it happened to me second, I know a bit about you…"
"And…"
"Try not to *kill* them Frank, and where I can I'll stay out of the way. Also, I have a friend, Matt Murdock, who wants to provide legal help should you ever be caught."
"Why?"
"He was a victim, and now helps other victims…like us, but he does it within the system. If it comes down to it, you can trust him." Daredevil handed Frank a business card, "And you can usually get messages to me through him."
"Why would I do that?"
"If it takes place in Hell's Kitchen, and you need help for…good things…like rescues instead of killings, I might back you up."
"I'll think about it," he replied begrudgingly.
"For what?"
"Not giving me a webslinger lecture."
"Not all of us can be shadows, Punisher, and the press's idiotic negative obsession with someone that is regarded highly by the citizens keeps a lot of attention from what we unfortunately need to get done."
"Hmm…"
The three Time Non-Travelers were about to walk into the store when Dawn slowed down and her face showed her to be thinking.
"You know, guys, I think I'll postpone the goddess thing for a Reset or two…" Dawn said as the others halted, "I feel like letting loose a bit. These extra senses and the kick-ass girl-power of the super heroes still have me feeling pretty up. And after seeing Xander in that red devil costume gave me an idea for merging my costume abilities together. I'm thinking well-educated billionaires with many languages and the martial arts package."
"Ooh, Electra," Xander guessed, nodding, "Excellent choice Dawn-Patrol. Well, if you're going that route, I'm going to reemphasize my own martial arts. Though I'm going to wear shoes as well as loose black pants and six-pack abs. And will contain my resent of a certain Carradine."
"Well," said Doyle if we're going to just call you Bruce, then I think I'm going to fill out my support-guy knowledge. Birkoff gave me the computer skills, but Walter will help me to properly back you up later and keep my mouth shut."
"Hmm, that's as complete change for us," Xander smirked, almost one of his old youthful ones, "But let's go…"
((Shit!)) the young man called out as he lashed out at the four demons attacking the noisy white girl, ((That hurt!))
((Tell me about it!)) an attractive brunette teenager in leather halter top and skin-tight leather pants shouted in agreement, ((What *are* these things and why won't that girl shut up?!)) She right crescent-kicked a short demon into unconsciousness, and turned into time to watch a man with normal clothes, pony tail and bandana shoot two *big* demons repeatedly, knock them down and causing them to scream in pain. ((Nice shooting!))
((Thanks, young lady)) the man responded as they watched the first man render his opponents unconscious. A red-headed girl ran up to them as gun-guy was about to finish off the smaller attackers.
"Stop! They're only kids!" Willow shouted as Lady Buffy attached herself to gun-guy. "Xander, don't hurt them any more!"
"Excuse me, miss," the gun-guy asked, "Who's Xander?" Willow responded by pointing at the other young man, who shook his head.
"Sorry, but my name's not Xander," he asserted, "It's Bruce. Though I don't know any of the rest of you either, I'm glad for the help."
"So Cantonese isn't your only language?" the brunette in leather asked, smiling, causing the young man to almost roll his eyes, "I'm Electra Natchios by the way? Those were excellent moves by the way."
"Thank you, I've been developing them for years," he replied, then turned to the unknowns, expectantly.
"I'm Walter," gun-guy said, not elaborating, but finally separating the clingy young woman from his person.
"And I'm Willow," the red head replied, "And that's Buffy. I know all of you, but it looks like *you* are possessing the bodies of friends of mind."
This caused the three to look at each other using a compact mirror of Willow's, causing much consternation. Walter looked at Buffy, then at Willow.
"What *year is it really, Willow?" Walter asked.
"It's Halloween 1997," Willow replied.
"What!" Bruce said, "It can't be, I'm half-way through filming a movie, how could I have missed so many years?" Walter looked over at the young man.
"Which movie?" the Section specialist asked out of curiosity.
"Enter the Dragon," the man started, only to be interrupted by an enthusiastic Walter.
"You're Bruce Lee!" Walter choked out, then paused, "That's unexpected." Willow impatiently interrupted the groupie session.
"Hey, let's get to Giles and see about setting things straight," Willow directed, pointing in a direction, "You can talk to each other on the way to the Library."
"Okay, that'll work," Walter said, "Okay, Bruce, there's something you should know about what's going to happen on the set of the movie… and Electra, if you're the one I think you are, have you met Matt Murdock yet?"
"We just arrived at a charity event thrown by the mayor when this happened, why?"
"Okay, let me give you guys what I remember, and if we get back to wherever… you can both set some things straight."
"That was *so* cool," Dawn enthused to Xander as she brought tea to the table, "I can't believed you whirled through all four of those vamps with two stakes. I thought Spike was gonna cry."
"Well, that was Bruce's style, not mine Dawn," Xander smiled fondly, "I prefer to use guns or something out of their range first." Willow scooted closer to him under the arm he had behind her. Dawn winked with a smirk and Doyle went to find his whiskey while Giles happily held his fourth cup of tea. Angel and Buffy entered as Giles asked Dawn about the tea.
"Where did you learn to make tea this excellent, Dawn," Giles asked, "I usually stay with two or three blends, but would like to add this one."
"It's Xander's, he just showed me how," Dawn remarked. Giles seemed more shocked by that than by the vampire hunting.
"First you defeat William the Bloody and his minions, then I find you're a tea drinker of some capability."
"Xander fought Spike?" Buffy asked as Angel stopped and stared at the shirtless young man with two gals under his arms.
"And don't forget the last four vamps he killed were as Xander, not as Bruce Lee," Dawn said, "And Spike left with a stake in the rear and another sticking out the back of his head."
"Xander did that?" Angel asked in disbelief, "That many?"
"And Geek-Boy also jumped out of a moving car on the way there and managed to kick Jo-Jo the Dog Boy unconscious before hitting the ground," Cordelia Chase emphasized as she entered the Library, "How do you think I ended up with Buffy-sitting duties?"
"But Dawn said he did this after the spell was over," Angel commented as he sat down, "Are you still Xander?"
"Mm, yes he is," Willow almost purred as her head rested on the young man's shoulder, while petting Phil the groundhog, "Though he's very muscley now." Dawn developed an evil glint in her eye.
"Hey Xander, why don't we show them what we're capable of," Dawn smirked, gesturing at the Slayer and the Vampire.
"How 'bout just the two of us Dawnie," Xander remarked, getting up, "I don't want to cause your sister any grief by hurting her and her boyfriend." The two were just starting to walk away from the table and a gasping about-to-retort Buffy when Spike, Drusilla and seven minions swaggered into the Library doors.
Xander threw Dawn two stakes as he charged forward with two more before Spike could begin to annoy them with a speech. The young man's curled up feet kicked in the chest of the middle of three minions as his airborne assault stunned his foes in place. The vampire flew back in great pain, even as another poofed into dust as the young man passed by. Dawn raced at Slayer speed at the lone flanking minion, choosing a similar tactic of mid-air kicking, but choosing to land atop the vampire, staking as she crouched afterwards.
Dawn and Xander took up semi-defensive stances at the doorway, facing two minions as Spike ordered his other three to 'kill the rest.' As Spike prepared to lunge between his two minions, he was very consternated to find them dusting as he moved forward, thrown stakes eliminating the newbies but halving the weapons available to the apparent teens.
Angel and Buffy only cleared the end of the table as the minions with momentum plowed into them, two on Buffy and one on Angel as Drusilla moved to help her Spike despite a weakened state.
Spike sneered but soon found himself in the dance for his life, facing a Hunter of incredible ability and what seemed to be a second, better-trained slayer. Blows were exchanged, kicks launched, feinted, and sometimes connecting as the three moved at their top speed. A minute, and Xander and Dawn were without stakes as they jointly attacked a Drusilla that tried to move in for a strike. Her scream caused a pause in the fight as Spike stepped back in shock and realized that he was the last soulless vampire in the room. Dawn struck first, followed by Xander as they concentrated on damaging Spike's extremities without taking hits, breaking the occasional foot-bone, lashing out with fists to detract from his ability to resist.
Buffy a moment later was held back from the fight by both Angel and Giles, Cordelia and Willow moving up in awe as the duo slowly whittled at William the Bloody. They watched as Doyle, returning from the bathroom, picked up four stakes and made his way toward the group, careful not to get into the way of the fighting.
"Why'd you stop me, Dawn needs me!" Buffy emphasized.
"Buffy, they're not in any danger…" Angel began, inhaling.
"Because Xander and Dawn are now toying with one of the nastiest master vampires of the last couple of centuries," Giles nearly whispered, "who they tell me has already killed two slayers almost as dismissively as they are treating him now."
"That's about right," Doyle agreed as Dawn executed a graceful back flip as Xander rolled into her spot and slammed his feet at a lunging Spike up and into the diaphragm to send the vampire crashing into the coat rack. Doyle called out to the two, "Stakes incoming!" as he threw two and then two to Dawn, who passed two to Xander. Spike scrambled up, and the audience gasped as three stakes plunged into the upper left chest of the vampire, one of Xander's into the groin.
"Oops," the young man quipped as William the Dusty looked particularly offended as he ceased to exist. The other men in the room winced as the girls started giggling, the seriousness offset with the ludicrous. Willow was running forward to Xander when Dawn turned around and lunged at Xander, surprising him with a passionate kiss. Willow started to say something, only to have Dawn reach out a hand and reel her in to participate. After four seconds, Willow stopped resisting until the hand of a blonde slayer pulled Willow and Dawn off Xander.
"What was that, Dawn?!" Buffy huffed in shock.
"You know how slayers are after a fight, Sis," Dawn smirked, as Buffy dragged her younger sibling through the door to the Library and on their way home, "And I don't see any snacks around…"
"So did any one get a picture of that?" Doyle asked, "Because that was something!" They stared at him funny, "The end of Spike, not the rest."
"Now that was unexpected," Xander sighed, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. He then turned with a smirk to the others, "And so endith the demonstration." Willow looked a little confused.
"Um, ah, Xander," she began, embarrassed and blushing, "What was the green light thing?" He looked at her confused, not expecting that question as he was unsure if he'd seen it himself.
"I'm not entirely sure, Wills," her best friend and now (?) answered her, "But I'm thinking other thoughts right now." She blushed deeper red and buried her face in his chest as he led her back to the group.
"As you may have noticed," Xander smiled a little tiredly, "There've been a few improvements, but I'm hungry. Doyle, you grab the cashbox this time?" The man held it up. "Cool," Xander continued, opening it, handing Cordelia a couple hundred for her costume and stating as much, then to the group as a whole, "Late diner, anyone? Ethan's buying."
"You okay, Xan?" Dawn asked as the three left the costume store for the umpteenth time, "You've been kinda off lately, since the, you know?"
"Hmm, it's not you Dawnie, really," he replied, "I guess I'm just starting to fray around the edges…okay, more than I have, but this is me, not the other memories. I like some of the things we've been doing and learning, but I guess I've finally started feeling trapped, kinda like that bad guy in that Eddings book of yours, where the Troll gods keep him in the same instant forever."
"It's been three weeks since we last went out, and your training's not seemin' to suffer, Xander," Doyle remarked, "Is there anything we can do?"
"I don't know," Xander responded, "Just suddenly not feeling at a hundred percent. So, what do we need now?"
"Oh, I stopped at the fix it shop, and they're going to put up a Thor's Hammer for us." Xander stopped dead in his tracks.
"You *are* obsessive about the show, aren't you?" Xander gaped, "But good thinking if it works."
"Hopefully, it's why I left all that material with Rayne; I'd finally gotten the designs I sprayed on it right, so I'm thinking we all at the first hint of magic stand under the thing."
"Cool," Dawn added, "But how did you pay for it all? We didn't do a money transfer this reset."
"Oh, I just grabbed Ethan's cashbox while you two were talking to him," Doyle responded, "That's why we need to go pay the fix-it guys now. I'll drop you off and handle things.
"Brother, did you feel that?" the female Oracle asked, concern showing.
"Something's shifting…at the Hell Mouth," the male considered, "And some of the other realities are starting to seep over and back. Resolution for better or worse may come sooner than expected.
Doyle put the 'Hammer' in the back of the car; it was nearly time to be in place when he swerved and missed a concerned-looking English couple talking to Mr. Giles. With some time to spare, and because Rupert had never left the Library before, he pulled to the side of the street and called out, remembering that Giles didn't know him yet in this Reset.
"Hello, Mr. Giles is it?" Doyle called out, and the three English looked up at him, questioningly, "I'm Xander's Uncle Doyle, and heading to the Library. Need any help?"
"No, er, thank you though," Giles responded, "We're heading to an early dinner."
"Alright, I'll let him and the other…Scoobies…know," Doyle replied as he drove off.
<<HOW DA-A-RE YOU LAY Hands on…>> the woman next him began, Teal'c believing her at first to be goa'uld before she collapsed. He picked himself up from the ground, and came face to face with another Jaffa.
<<I am Bra-Tac of Chulak, young Jaffa in Tau'ri service,>> the individual addressed him, <<And what do you call yourself.>>
<<I am Teal'c, false one>> the former Prime declared, assuming a defensive posture with his staff, carefully stepping from under the structure, noting its resemblance to Thor's Hammer on Cimmeria. Pausing, he turned fully to the staff-holding man, <<This is a device of the enemies of the Goa'uld. I would aske a few questions, and other answers to yours, as I believe this device might not only have removed the symbiotes from our bodies, but altered us as well. The body I am in feels merely human, not Jaffa, and I have never before been of fair complexion.>>
<<Very well,>> agreed Bra-Tac, also noting the body difference, <<It is interesting to be free of the False Gods, though disconcerting.>> They exchanged questions and answers to the satisfaction of the other, then clasped wrists in satisfied greeting. Teal'c moved to the girl, dressed as a False God but after gently carrying her through the device, postulated she also was free of a parasite. He tapped her face lightly to bring her to consciousness.
<<Where?>> she began, then looked startled at the emblem of Apophis' First Prime on a young man dressed like a Tau'ri, <<Who are you and why are you dressed like Dan'yel?>>
<<Do you speak of DanielJackson of the Tau'ri?>> Teal'c replied, <<I am Teal'c.>>
<<The Sholva,>> she declared, causing him to grimace until he quickly realized it was said in tones of hopefulness, <<How did you free me of the Evil One Amonnet?>>
<<We do not know how we came here, but this device>> Teal'c said while gesturing, <<seems to have removed our larvae as well as your possessor. We are free and apparently healthy, though we also do not seem to be in our original bodies.>>
<<Teal'c my old student,>> the other man broke in, <<Perhaps we should find cover and determine our situation. I'm noticing that down this… road there seems to be either a small riot or other disturbance.>>
<<This seems much like a Tau'ri settlement,>> the younger Jaffa considered, <<Perhaps we should witness and perhaps offer assistance in exchange for information.>>
"Lead on, my friend,>> the 'older' man directed, <<You have more experience with regular humans than I.>>
Two minutes later, the three 'aliens' came upon a disturbance involving two males, three females and a varied group of eight things attacking them. Teal'c and Master Bra-Tac raised their staffs and fired from thirty feet away into the three largest of the aggressors, creating howls of agony from the burning holes that in a moment killed two and scorched the other. Firing again, the beast went down as they charged to the rescue. Two men in black leapt out at Sha're Jackson as she tried to keep up with the Jaffa, causing her to call out.
"Teal'c assist the wife of your ally," the Master cried out as he pushed his new body to incredible maximums, "I'll defeat the others!" Using the two heaped demon bodies as leverage, Master Bra-Tac somersaulted into the air and over the older-seeming people holding their attackers back with sticks of some variety as the red-haired girl whirled a sword against three more to protect a cowering human woman wearing huge mound of cloths.
Swirling staff ends left into the side of a knee, up and right into a jaw, Bra-tac pressed between the two to rap each atop its skull before turning to attack the rear flank of the red-head's three. Striking end into the side of a skull, kick to the back of a knee, two things fell to the ground, tapping them each again in the head, he noted the red-headed human girl had rendered unconscious her opponent as well.
<<Not much of a fight>> Bra-Tac remarked as he saw Teal'c and Sha're walk up, <<Hmm?>>
<<I was forced to use my staff weapon on each, they were quite strong,>> the Jaffa responded, <<And when I did manage solid shots, they turned to dust.>> He turned to the shocked Tau'ri, addressing them in their own language, "I am Teal'c and this is Master Bra-Tac and Sha're Jackson, I hope we did not offend you by offering assistance without entreaty."
"Quite alright, er, yes," Giles began, "It appears that somehow people have, have become their costumes. The larger beings are as they appear, but the smaller ones you rendered merely unconscious are actually children."
"How may we be of assistance to you?" Teal'c asked after a nod from Bra-Tac., "Such a one as to cause this is without honor and must be neutralized."
"Yes, er, perhaps we should try to determine a common denominator," Giles replied.
"Perhaps if you made use of your Yellow Pages you could find a seller of costumes and work out from there?" Teal'C offered, "I have seen you Tau'ri many times make a telephone call to determine such. I believe they call it dictionary assistance."
"Directory assistance, actually, but excellent idea," Giles said, and after handing change to him gestured for Wesley Wyndham-Price to head over to the pay phone as they checked on Buffy and introduced themselves, including Linda Pryce. The young man returned a moment later, a paper in hand.
"If it is indeed a local phenomenon, there are only two current stores that specialize," the Watcher-in-Training informed hem, "A place called Party Town, and another called Ethan's." Giles started and paled slightly before showing anger.
"Ethan's?" the man remarked, shades of Ripper coming out, "If it's bloody Ethan Rayne, as I believe it could be, that's our first stop. Did you get an address?" Wesley nodded, "Let's go, then."
Ten minutes later, the group found itself outside Ethan's shop to find the door open. Bra-Tac and Teal'c entered first, careful of possible attackers or traps, but found none. Pressing into a backroom, they found three people watching what appeared to be a large television of some kind.
"Spike!" Giles gasped as he entered the room, eyes showing fear and resolve, "Ethan!"
"Hello, Rupert," the chaos mage smirked, "Just me and a couple of restored humans watching the fun?"
"Fun?" Giles began to rage, "Children are dying!" Teal'c and Bra-Tac tensed and readied their staff weapons. Ethan's eyes widened as he realized his magic might soon backfire on him…literally.
"And?" Ethan said, "How do you know I'm responsible?" He received many glares, "Alright, it was I." Giles was about to strike the man but a staff weapon end cracking a kneecap floored the mage with a scream. His two guests screamed and ran for the back door. Teal'c ran to intercept, knocking over a glowing icon on his way over. He fired one last shot, grazing the male vampire in the ass, starting a small fire soon put out. Suddenly, with a crash, the magic of transformation went away. Drusilla and Spike ran now at vampiric speed, surprising Teal'c/Doyle enough that he slowed, his staff turned back into a toy.
Xander/Bra-Tac turned to the gathered others, smiled, and headed over to loot Ethan's remaining cash while removing much of his costume's bulkier aspects. He grabbed wood staves from a shelf, tossed one to each person, "In case of more vampires…" The group nodded in acceptance of the statement.
Willow realized that something was *really* off. She'd been talking to the new Watcher people when all of a sudden she not only wasn't in the library, but was at her locker with students running about. Buffy came up to her.
"Hey, Wills," her blonde friend greeted her, "Ready to go?" Willow got a sudden feeling that she was like Xander and his group.
"Um, let's stop by the library for a moment, Buffy," the redhead replied, "I need to check with Xander about something." Her friend smiled and nodded.
A minute later they found Xander almost dressed in his weatherman suit, carrying a water bowl to a large rodent. He started as they came in, making eye contact with Willow for a moment before they shared a small almost-sad smile.
"So you're Reset Girl, huh?" Xander asked as he walked over to the phone, hand hovering over it until it rang. He conducted his usual conversation with Joyce. Buffy watched him suspiciously, especially when he grabbed the fines money and Giles' car keys.
"Xander, how did you know that the phone was going to ring, and why are you stealing from Giles?"
"Well, ya see, Buff, there's a very good explanation for that," her friend replied, gesturing them through the door of the building, "This Halloween is older than you know. Contrary to popular belief, it isn't a quiet single night of the year, but a true Hell Night, repeating itself endlessly until I can find a way to wrest us free from impending destruction of the multiverse. I've made this day my home, my Hell. But in time I lost my purchase on this reality. The way was made for others to somehow join me as things universally have grown worse. All that remains of the Old Xander are the vestiges, certain personality traits, his frighteningly good looks…" They'd reached Giles car and he held the door for them. Buffy interrupted.
"The Giles imitation is funny. So how does this all work?" she asked, "And how long have you been doing this?"
"The Book of Xander in the library tells that the first Xander in this causality loop dressed up as Phil from Groundhog Day, and that the integral part of that movie was for him to endlessly repeat the same twenty-four hour period until everything for him was right. And for the costume to be true, the power of a chaos mage fed upon the power of the endless Hell Mouth and drew forth the power of the Hyena, and so I and now a few others walk the Earth, costuming, eating, experience the lives of the possessors. Waiting until I get around to truly accepting my life and breaking free, perhaps for the Old Xander to return…"
"So it's all about you?" Buffy asked, "So what's so hard to accept about your life that you can't break free?"
"It's not only who I *was* Buffy, but who I am now," Xander responded, as they were drawing up to Dawn's school, "Including two Horsemen of the Apocalypse. I'm almost in a good enough place, but then there's still a it of glumness and a few more skills I need before I'm comfortable enough to really try breaking free." Dawn gets in the car, raises her eyebrows, Xander gestures at Willow, "Two Watchers arrived this last go-around, and they're on research duty on the metaphysical side. Right now, Dawnie and I have the science side of things, my having gone as Asimov and MacGyver, Dawn as Samantha Carter….Hey Dawnie, how's my favorite brunette?"
"I better be your *only* brunette," she said giving him a patented mock glare, "And Willow? When did you notice 'the change.'" The redhead blushed deeply.
"Yesterday, I thought it might have been a dream, with my taking a nap in the afternoon, but since I was talking with Linda and was suddenly in the hall, it was…when I was… withyouandXanderatthelibrarythenightbefore."
Dawn smiled a big beaming smile at the other girl in the back seat of the small car, then looked concerned at Willow as Xander reached his house, tossed Dawn the keys and said, "Drop off Buffy at your house and I'll take Willow to the store and get things rolling. Buff, Wills is with us for a few minutes, but we'll drop her off about half-hour or so and drive you to the school." Xander ran into his house to swipe his father's car and cash. Dawn got up front.
"Dawn, since when can you drive?" Buffy huffed, making a move as though to drive herself.
"Back off, Sis," Dawn said waving back, "I've done a little bit of driving during these loops, and at least have the experience of others to guide me."
Dawn arrived at the store to find Linda and Wesley outside in the Harris car. Waving, she went inside Ethan's and found Dole, Dawn and Xander in Fremen attire, stilsuits and all. 'Xander looks dreamy,' she mentally sighed. Dawn ran up to her and handed her a very nice black outfit.
"Lady Jessica, but before the whole Reverend Mother going-within stuff," Dawn enthused as she motioned Willow toward the changing room, then lowered her voice. "Xander already did the Gurney Halleck thing, but I thought it would be cool for all of us to go. Ever since I sat down and watched the mini-series with you and Xan this summer, I've read all the books and everything. The later ones are a total drag, but the show was good."
"So you have him going as Paul?" Willow asked, continuing to put on the dress, slightly uncomfortable at the presence of the girl close to her.
"Nah, he doesn't want to get stuck with the whole prophet-thing," Dawn responded, helping Willow with the harder to reach places, "So, Duncan Idaho, but he's insisting on a pair of long crysswords crossed over his back."
"And Doyle?" Willow continued, snickering at her Xander.
"As Liet Kynes," Dawn replied, "And I'm Chani, his daughter."
"Ooh, fighter-girl," Willow smiled.
"Hey," Dawn countered, "Lady Jessica was a fighter-girl, too. Bene Gesserit, remember?"
"Oh yeah…"
"We also need to do the remember it all spell on you," Dawn said, and explained a little more about how they'd been doing things.
Duncan whirled around, one minute he was fighting Sardaukar to the death, and the next moment he was…here. A scream broke the night, and he raced in that direction, noting that two others in stilsuits were engaging several…things…in combat, swiftly neutralizing the beings as a ridiculously dressed young woman decapitated one with a sword, causing it to burst into ashes and dust. Duncan approached the others warily, addressing them. While the others in stilsuits understood him and after a few moments resolved they were who they claimed, the other young woman didn't, gestured and bowed herself away, and dashed off sword drawn.
**I believe she may have been a Slayer** Jessica pronounced, **She has the feel, grace and aura of one. Though it's been since before the Butlerian Jihad that one has been needed away from a Hell Mouth.**
**Be that as it may,** Liet replied, **This place is not Arrakis, so do any of you have suggestions as to our course of action?**
**Perhaps we should find a quieter place than this,** Idaho considered, **Exchange information about what we were doing before we came to be in this place so that we have a better chance of returning home.**
Two cemeteries and thirty vampires later, the spell ended, the four having determined several hours differences in their displacement, enough that should they return to the exact same moment, or incrementally further along, Liet and Idaho might avoid the fate waiting them.
**Wow!** Willow exclaimed, **That was amazing! I remember everything! And I think my memories go a little further along…Duncan! Er, Xander, you and Liet survive because we hit the road and don't stop for tea.**
"Yeah, Wills," Xander continued, "And my Gurney memories are changing too. Weird. Why would they do that? He manages to get away to us after just a few months, faking his death."
"And with the two of them to help Paul with his training," Dawn continued, "And with my father to maintain precedence until Usul's assumption of his proper mantle as Lisan al-Gaib, the Fremen are even deadlier."
"I think what it means is that in order for the memories to 'fit' they would have to change," Doyle said, "Remember, they're stories, though in us they're made to be more."
Faith didn't know what she was supposed to do. It had been three days since she had found herself sitting across from a high school. She'd watched for a couple of hours, trying to figure out differences, and whoever sent her here had managed to hook her up; she had around two hundred in tens in her pocket, and had some new alright clothes, tight black jeans and white silk form-fitting blouse, some kick-as if girly boots, her switchblade, and a new version of her backpack with equally new versions of her stuff inside. Considering the way the guys had started to look at her lately at the shelter, and after that run in back in the alley, these Voice Guys were alright in her book.
The previous nights had been something of a mind trip; she could see why the Voices said things were getting out of hand. From what she watched, the people in a lot of the costumes were turning into them, kids into mini-monsters, unimaginative teens and adults into vampires and more traditional, and lame, variations. The number of Rambos, pirates, soldiers, gangster molls, succubi, horny devils and such amongst the older crowd was funny the first time, but kinda pathetic when it happened in alleys every night. And the number of 'Pretty Woman' hookers was still quite amazing.
No, the worst part as she could tell, was the fact that there were a lot of real monsters and vampires running around the place; around South Boston she'd thought she'd seen a few vampires but had never mentioned it to any one. Here, they came out in the open. Faith had managed to dodge the real bad ones by hiding out in the school; there was an attic space up in the band area that looked liked some one had lived there a while back. Going out the next day, she was amazed to here about 'gangs on pcp' and other stories as the explanation for happenings the previous night. 'The people here are clueless, stupid or just lying' the young teen thought to herself, 'And I still don't have any answers for the Voice Guys in case they show up.' That, and the fact that at different times she felt as though some one was watching her.
It was the third day she caught the difference, as a young man pleasing to her eye suddenly had two gals accompany him in one of the crappiest cars she'd seen in some time. Later, when they'd returned in costumes mostly different than the other times, she decided to follow them.
She watched as they changed into their costumes, and repulsed the attack on the demons, as she'd heard somebody call them. The four black-clad Dune types were kick-ass, even better than the ones at the old Bijou dollar theater back in the 'hood that showed rerun movies all day for the price of a new one. That'd been one cold rainy day. The gal in the old clothes who she'd seen whimpering one of the previous nights wielded a mean sword, but ran of into the night after some more of those monsters, so Faith just stuck with the group but from a distance.
Two cemeteries and thirty vampires later were amazing. That guy with the tooth-swords, the older guy and the brunette with their tooth-knives whirled and just swept through their attackers after the redheaded woman did a voice thing that caused the blood-guys to just freeze in place. Whatever it was that changed them stopped at some point, and she could tell a difference in the way all but the younger man acted. And after they'd talked about something, the two girls had looked at each other and then kissed the younger man, deeply. 'Seriously hot,' Faith thought, 'And I'm straight…but for some of him maybe I'd share too.'
Carefully following them back to the school, she listened at the door, then moved to the skylight when others approached. She heard the various explanations, some slight complaints about not sharing information that could be important to the group, but generally it seemed as if everybody, including a prissy English guy, were trying to get along well. Backing away from the skylight a while later, she slowly came down off the building to see a black girl listening in at the door quickly leaving before the blonde girl stuck her head outside, looked around, and went back in.
Faith had learned the hard way on how to avoid people and the vampires she'd seen in Boston. She quietly tracked the other girl a couple of blocks, watching as she tracked and then jumped on a trio of leather-coated guys swaggering down the street. The girl stabbed one in the back, causing it to turn to dust as the others parted and swung around. Faith moved into the bushes and ran as quietly as she could around behind the two vampires. The other girl was holding her own, just, as the two monsters smiled and seemed to play with their new toy.
"Jackson, this Slayer is yours if you can handle her alone," one said to another, "I've got some things I need to do." He laughed as the vampire he addressed grimaced, but wouldn't give in.
"Fine Demuerte," the one addressed as Jackson agreed, jumping a crescent toward his legs while successfully achieving a glancing backhand against the Slayer. Demuerte turned to leave, laughing as Jackson landed a stunning blow to the dark girl's head, when he felt his right eye pierced with a sharp knife. Demuerte screamed in pain, causing Jackson to turn away from the Slayer to see a slight dark-haired girl kicking the other master vampire hard in the groin with a lot of force behind the boot, then tackle him to the ground. He started toward the new fighter when he was struck a hard blow in the back of the head.
Faith fell atop the screaming vampire, tree branch in hand. She stabbed him in the chest three times, the vampire rolling away until she reached out and twisted the knife wedged in his eye socket again. A side-glance showed her that the other girl was back in the fight and bludgeoning her opponent as Faith plunged the branch hard again into one the chest wounds, this time hard enough to finish the job. She dropped a foot or so to the ground, catching her knee on a rock with great pain. A moment later, a poofing noise signaled the other girl's success. Faith looked up to find a hand being offered to her.
"You should not be a-fightin' de vam-pyres," the black girl told her, "That be my job." Faith smiled at her.
"And that's why you needed help, huh?" Faith remarked back with a small smile.
"De was two master vam-pyres," the girl conceded, "Dat I admit I was not expectin' and so…thank you." She smiled with a little embarrassment at Faith as they began walking in a random direction.
"It's five by five, girl," Faith said, "Though I'd like to ask a coupla questions if you don't mind."
"Alright, but I might not answer."
"Fair, enough," Faith answered, "First one is, why were you spyin' on the folks in the library?" The girl looked with widened eyes at Faith as they continued at a solid pace.
"How did you know I was dere?"
"Because when I stopped listening at the skylight and climbed down the wall, I saw you, then followed to make sure you weren't some kind of bad guy."
"I don't tink it is my place to say…"
"Okay for now, but next question? How many times have *you* repeated Halloween so far?" The girl looked at Faith in amazement, so Faith continued, "And did you get some Voice Guys talking to you out of thin air before they sent you here?" The look on her face showed it to be the case. "And what's your name, I'm Faith."
"I am Kendra, de Vam-pyre Slayer, and what you de-scribe is what happened, though my Watcher, Samuel, is not here with me."
"Cool, the Voice Guys gave you that Slayer stuff? 'Cause all I got is some spending money and clean clothes."
"No, I be de Slayer since about May, I remember, but de voices say you go dere, and here I am. Sometin' about tings happenin' de same over and over."
"That's what they said to me, and I've been here for around three days, you?"
"Dis is my tird night, I tink I saw you last night or maybe before…" Kendra added a little embarrassed.
"Ah, I thought someone was watching me, but I couldn't catch 'em. You're good, girl." Kendra blushed slightly.
"Not used to compliments huh?" Faith asked, "Me neither, but you're good at what you do. Just thought I'd help." She saw a diner, the Sunnydale Café up the street a ways. "How 'bout some grub?" she asked, hearing a grumbling belly not her own. Seeing Kendra look very uncomfortable, she added, "Tell ya what? The Voice Guys gave me the money and you the moves, so you start training me while we figure this mess out, and I'll cover the expenses, 'kay?"
"It is a deal," Kendra smiled, maybe finding a friend for just a little while, "But I should warn you, a Slayer eats like there's no tomorrow."
"That's okay, sis, because if we don't help these guys clean up this mess, there won't be one."
"C-can I help you, s-sir?" the blonde asked the man with the Brooklyn accent. He smiled at her.
"Yes you can, Tara Maclay," he replied without looking at her name badge which only had her first name, "There are a lot of unusual things going on after dark, and the Powers want you to be ready to help out with your magic." He paused to let that sink in. She looked trapped, and a bit terrified. Whistler actually felt something strange happening…true remorse, not just the usual kind he felt.
"Hey Frank!" he called out to the owner of the place, waving a fifty at the man, "One usual and I need to talk to your waitress for a few minutes." The man nodded and didn't look angry at Tara, "Hey, I'm not here to hurt you, so please sit down." She did, nervously.
"As I was about to tell you a few things, please don't interrupt until I'm done," he said, and waited for her to nod agreement, "Okay, first is the women in your family, including you are *not* demons. Never were." He waited for that to sink in and continued, "The men-folk in your family *are* complete bastards, some literally, and one of *them* a couple of generations ago, *was* a minor demon of some type, but all that *is* tied to the male chromo-whatevers. Girls, human, boys, part-demon and bastards."
"Second, you gals are natural-born witches, so no bad connotations, got it?" he said, watching her nod again with some tears in her beautiful eyes, "So it's up to you to be good or evil. Though if you decide on some *minor* pain to the bastards, a lot of the upstairs folks would be lookin' the other way for a few minutes if you know what I mean. Also, don't hate all guys for what those…people…did to you. You should decide your own relationships based on what you feel and think. Don't necessarily let your family experience or what others think choose for you. Now, from now on, you'll be looping through from two-thirty Friday until two-thirty Saturday until this is over. Either several universes will end, or the looping will end."
"W-what can I d-do?" Tara asked confusedly, more than a bit overwhelmed as Whistler's food was placed on the table and a fifty handed to Frank.
"Just make nice with the young man coming in to pick up that huge order Frank took over the phone a while ago," Whistler said, indicating Xander, "He's a good guy and this whole mess is centered on him somehow. And I don't mean nice in the guy-girl way." Angel came in a moment later and noticed Whistler and began moving directly toward them, "Or, the two girls coming in just a couple of minutes, again, not in a girl-girl way. But however you decide, you need an escort home tonight, so something that was foreseen as happening to you won't, kid." Angel nodded at Tara as he reached the table.
"Anything I need to be aware of, Whistler?" Angel asked.
"Not here for you this time," the balance demon responded, "Sent in to check some things out and let Tara," he gestured, "know that the men in her family are a lot like your and Xander's fathers were on a very bad day, and that she shouldn't let it ruin her life now that she's gotten away from them." He stood up to leave, turning to Tara, "Just be yourself, kid, and make your own decisions. Oh, and dark and broody here is the *only* vampire not currently evil, that's why his aura is different from the others, he was cursed with his soul by a bunch of too-angry-to-think-straight-gypsies the demon in him ticked off a hundred years or so ago. Bye."
Whistler walked out of the building, passing by a few dark-clothed figures who were on there way in. Tara stared at Angel for a minute.
"D-do you s-still eat people?" she asked, uncomfortable, but not too frightened. Angel actually smiled at her at the question, feeling her emotions but amazed at her inner strength.
"No, but my food is still usually liquid, but I get it from the meat shops," he grimaced, but lightly. He watched as Xander waved at him and headed out the door as a couple of girls came in.
"G-good, because that large group that c-came in behind you after Mr. Whistler took the cross off the door, are v-vampires," she told him, "like the two coming in after the girls." He turned to look in shock, realizing he was outnumbered by the eight vampires in the place, with only the three girls and whoever was in the back kitchen area with the owner. Xander popped his head in again having put the food in the car.
"Hey, Dead-Boy, come on," Xander shouted, causing the two vampires to turn around in game face, believing he referred to them. Angel raced forward at full speed, having stopped by the butcher's earlier for a holiday treat of a liter of AB Negative. The other vampires already seated, laughed, but as their friends attacked a human, decided to start getting up to join in the mayhem.
"Arsum!" a girl's voice cried out behind Angel as he charged, nearly causing him to stop in amazement as the first vampire getting up from the booth burst into flames, "Arsum!" and one in the middle of the others did the same, causing panic amongst the beasts.
Angel hurled himself into the midst of the undead, two stakes whirling, as Xadner quickly recovered and began slashing his two attackers with a white curved knife that sent Tara's senses off like a flashlight to night goggles, keeping her from trying a third tiring spell as she recovered.
Two vampires dusted in front of Xander, though one had managed a hard glancing blow to his right side, causing him to wince in pain before staggering.
Tara watched as the just-seated girls watched the fight, Angel taking out two vampires quickly as two dusted from the fire spell Tara had cast. Xander staggered forth and yelled out as he fired a revolver into the mid-section of the last undead trying to escape. Four shots resulted in two destroyed kneecaps, a painful groin shot and a left elbow shot, folding up the vampire into a heap.
"Angel, let's find out if he's part of a larger nest!" Xander called out, "Fred! Put the cross back up on the door, will ya?" He noticed the two girls watching them and the blonde girl who seemed to be a witch walk up to him nervously.
"Y-you sh-shouldn't torture it," the blonde girl said, "Just finish it off." Xander gave her a lopsided grin and a wink that actually gave her pause in a pleasant way.
"I'll try, okay?" he said smiling softer as he turned back to where Angel held down the bloodsucker. "Okay, Angel, get his coat and empty his wallet, Fred deserves some recompense for his trouble, and these ladies a free meal after what they've had to witness." Angel did as asked, Xander turning to the vampire in question as it mostly healed. "Because the nice lady asked me to end you instead of torturing you…" Xander remarked, the crysknife dusting the vamp.
The wallet contained an address that seemed current, as well as a couple hundred dollars. He snickered as he handed almost everything over to Fred.
"What's so funny, Xander?" Angel asked as they left the restaurant, Xander temporarily moving the very big cross aside for Angel. The young man handed the business card over to the vampire, resulting in a laugh.
"His Red Cross blood donor card?!" Angel choked as he joined in the laughter, "He must be a newbie."
"H-hi, I'm Tara, Can I get you anything?" the nervous waitress asked the two girls who were still amazed. Faith started to laugh, and even Kendra joined a moment later as the return to normality seemed a bit absurd.
"O-kay, I think I'll have the double cheeseburger special with the works, chocolate shake and that'll do me, Kendra?"
"I'll have two of what she had, and maybe a piece o' de apple pie."
"Whoa, girl, you weren't kidding about the food, huh? I'm impressed." Kendra blushed but shrugged.
"Th-that it?" Tara asked, looking at the two of them.
"Yeah, when you get a minute, pull up a chair and tell us about how you went all fire-girl on the vamps?"
"Yeah, us and vamps go waaaaay back," Faith grinned, "For me, about half hour ago and four blocks down the street, huh Ken?" The normally reticent Slayer actually rolled her eyes and nodded for Tara to join them. She turned and handed the order to Fred.
"Sure, Tara," he smiled, "Not a problem, after that performance, you're employee of the month."
"What's that get her?" Faith asked.
"The occasional ability to break for a few minutes without worrying about what the boss thinks for at least a month," he added as his response elicited a laugh.
Meanwhile, a half-block down the street, having watched the outcome of the fight in hopes that it would bring the group together, a certain balance demon ran into a problem of his own.
"Hey! I can't teleport out!"
The next morning, the expanded Scooby gang met in the library, early enough. The 'temporally-impaired' showed up around seven in the morning, while the others at a more sedate ten o'clock. Xander had asked Angel to return to the library with the earlier group to help with sparring and possible leads in research, Xander and Doyle staying a little longer to cover the windows with tarps and such to prevent the souled vampire from 'crispy critter' status. The vampire had also been told to suck down a bunch o' blood since they wanted the real capability of a master, not just his usual performance. Begrudgingly, he'd agreed.
Xander, Dawn, Doyle and now Willow had started slow and easy, increasing in speed and strength, introducing new moves and variations as they sparred. Giles and Angel watched with increasing awe as the normal humans began to sometimes reach vampire and slayer levels of speed. Willow's Bene Gesserit bindu and other trainings gave her a greater flexibility in some of her movements, only stamina eventually causing her to bow out, Doyle a while later even with a wooden sword. The two toweled off and accepted juice and tea as they watched and commented the performances of Dawn and Xander, moving into juiced up Slayer and Hyena levels, Dawn having a speed advantage but Xander apparently holding an amazing skill advantage.
When Dawn and Xander broke apart, Doyle tapped Angel, holding a quarterstaff, "You're on Dawn's side." Angel nodded and got up, moving in to match Xander as the two combatants had switched to staves. Xander, noticing Angel, powered up more, his eyes flashing slightly as he tapped his inner power further. As Angel moved in, Xander used a chair to vault up, over and around a surprised Dawn, the young man using his mass to snap his staff into two equal parts as he suddenly had to confront both. Buffy walked in the door with Wesley and Linda, having given them a daylight tour before heading to the library again. They gaped at Xander using skill and position to so-far hold off or redirect the attacks of his opponents, launching kick and stab attacks and feints to hold them off, taking the occasional glancing blow. Buffy frowned for a moment, then smiled, picking up a staff of her own and headed in to join the fun.
Xander grinned as the Slayer headed in, and powered up to his fullest, knowing he wouldn't last too much longer as Willow and Doyle headed in also. Xander made sure Buffy saw he Hyena flash, and as Doyle moved to stand with Xander, Willow and Buffy and moved to ally with Dawn and Angel.
At full power, Xander suddenly threw a half staff 'slowly' at Angel's chest, then the other at Dawn's face as he front-cart-wheeled follow-up kicks against their chests, his whole force pushing the defending duo back onto their rears as he grabbed Angel's quarterstaff, tapped him directly on the test yelling 'dust' before continuing into a surprised Willow. This left a temporarily out of range Dawn as being intercepted by a defending Doyle as Buffy was behind Willow and thus out of the fight for a moment. Willow's new skills allowed her to bend away and be missed by Xander's kicks and first lashing outs, but a very light quick tap of the rubber-ended staff and the call of 'hit' left her out of the match. Dawn still recovering her rhythm against the now-backpedaling Doyle, was taken by surprise when Xander, who faced a Buffy stepping back to avoid Willow-squashage, suddenly yelled 'duck.'
Doyle dropped fully to the ground and lashed out blindly in Dawn's direction as Xander turned and end-lunged directly into Dawn, who, too busy countering Doyle, took a tap in the left chest, but not before barely glancing the side of Doyle's head enough to call him out as well. Buffy, taking a shot at what she thought was an exposed Xander, found that he was able to reverse thrust his captured staff as they both scored hard 'killing' chest shots, falling back.
"Draw and Time!" Giles shouted out, ending the combat, before the participants could consider continuing. As the group exhaled, laughed and chided each other's shots, the Watcher marveled aloud at their performance, "Amazing. The last segment was like a male slayer and capable hunter fighting four masters or slayers, if no minions were around only the hunter would walk away."
"Nice moves, Xander," Angel complimented, "That throwing was risky but given two more big guns were jumping in fresh, the only thing you could do."
"Yeah, guys," Buffy enthused, the last Xander move surprisingly wowing rather than ticking her off, "Where did you pick that up; it couldn't all be from the Dune guys."
"Well, Willow's was," Xander explained, "But Dawn once went as a Slayer, Doyle as an Immortal and a couple others, and I went as a few guys."
"Y-yes, uh, Xander, could you be more specific," Giles asked, "I know you covered some of the more colorful figures, and some of the knowledge of the Resets, but these abilities are amazing."
"Well, Ripper knew a few spells that you forgot," Xander began with a small smile, "And the Hyena wasn't entirely expelled, but now is merged into me like every person I dress as, including Methos, Kronos, Alexander the Great, Spartacus, Bruce Lee and modern soldiers, so what you see is the end result. I still need to…distill it all into a single body of capability, but the pieces are all there."
"Amazing," Giles repeated.
Kendra and Faith had slinked out of Faith's band attic around ten, avoiding the custodian as well as the Scooby Gang. They walked back toward a place called the Espresso Pump that Tara had told them about. Faith, happy and appreciative of morning coffee and able to afford it for now, happily coaxed Kendra out into the day time world.
"Hey Tara!" Faith greeted, waving to the girl sitting inside but next to the window, "Is this a counter or wait place?"
"B-both," the girl replied, smiling back about a little nervous, "Y-your choice." Faith looked around, shouting to the lone person behind the counter, who looked up, "Another for Tara, pot of breakfast tea with the fixins on the side, and I'll have two triple mochas with extra shots and the works. Oh, and three of whatever roll sandwich things youmight have on special." She sat down and smiled at her gaping, "You girls want anything?" before giving them the 'Faith is playing with you look.'
The girls spent the better part of an hour talking about what little they knew about the loop, and about things in general, Faith insisting that the 'girl team' try to look at things, making it up out of thin air, before approaching the main bunch.
"W-why?" Tara asked, Kendra turning to Faith for a reply.
"If we figure out all sorts of things first, then when we do go to them we might actually have ideas they haven't thought up," the Bostonian said, "And if anybody is actually trying to end the world, they're probably watching them and not us, so we might pick up on them first and get the drop on 'em."
"Dat is good tinkin' Faith," Kendra approved, "But let's not wait too long. Now, where should we start?"
"Hmm, we're dealing with costume changes and just a few people, and from the sounds of it, that Xander guy seems to be in the middle of it, but not necessarily causing it," Faith replied, "And Tara's snazzy dresser friend said his group was a bunch of good guys in the future…"
"A-and both of you said the P-powers sent you here, and that it was like g-groundhog day," Tara added, "So maybe we h-have to get X-Xander to accept himself and h-his l-life."
"Okay, so we have costume thing, and Xander thing," Faith considered, "So how about we go after the costume guy and give him the once over as soon as he closes shop?"
"Y-you mean j-just ask him what's g-going on?" Tara asked.
"Too simple?" Faith asked, looking unsure all of a sudden.
"N-no, it's j-just…m-more peaceful than I-I expected," Tara replied, blushing.
"It could still get hot," Faith replied, "But we have Kendra here as the muscle if we need it, and you could always torch his shop if we have to run away screaming." Kendra and Tara both smiled in agreement.
"I-I will call in sick, a-and pick you up in my car where you said you started," Tara said, "It should only take twenty minutes to reach both of you."
"Cool," Faith replied, as the beverages and food showed up, "I haven't really gotten to go to these fancy girly places before…" she began, but Tara put a hand on her shoulder.
"I-it's o-kay," Tara said with an almost exaggerated look of concern on her face, "I r-ran away a couple of m-months ago and am going to s-start c-college in January, so I know how you feel. You sh-ould enjoy your self if you can."
"So, uh, I've never been to a beach before," Faith responded, slightly tearing up at having a couple of actual friends, "Can we go?" Her friends nodded, and not having anything to do before the next loop, agreed to do that next.
Whistler reached the Post Office building in Los Angeles around eight-thirty after much inconvenience, only to find himself unable to move within a hundred yards of the place. Sitting on the curb, he decided that as he couldn't even think about doing anything until the next go-around, he might as well have some fun. Looking at the electronic route display on the bus stopping in front of him, he decided to board it, 'I never did get a chance to ride the Matterhorn the last time I got a break…back in seventy…' And on that note, the balance demon rode the express bus to Disneyland…
The three girls waited until after Xander Harris and his friends left the costume shop before heading in. The owner had yet to lock the door and sighed heavily as they entered. Kendra wore a cloak borrowed from Tara to hide her stakes as she walked over to the costume weapons, many of which were quite real, as Faith and Tara walked directly up to Ethan.
Yes, can I help you?" Ethan asked, "I was preparing to close."
"Yeah, my friend and I were wondering about how to get in on the whole costume transformation thing," Faith responded, "And how exactly does that work?" The chaos mage stared at her, showing some slight surprise at the directness of the revelation as well as interest rather than the expected condemnation.
"I take it you're not associated with the local do-gooders?" Ethan asked with a smarmy smile.
"Nah, we're our own group for right now," Faith continued, hopping up to sit on a table, "Tara's the magic girl and I'm just the one who looks for trouble."
"And your friend handling weapons like an expert," Ethan smirked.
"She's the one who gets us out of trouble we get into," Faith smirked back.
"Hmm, well I suppose it won't hurt," Ethan responded, "But basically whatever costume that was at least twenty percent of it purchased here, or an item into which I put a little more effort, and they *become* the costume."
"H-how do you ener-gize it to last all night," Tara asked, curious, "Y-you'd be completely drained."
"Divine magic my dear, and no I won't tell you which fuel my spell," Ethan responded pointedly, "So I'm still able to view my handiwork on a series of scrying panels that activate at the time of the spell. Anything here is half off as you'll be able to choose what you'd like to be."
"I-is it possession, and can you communicate with your possessor?" Tara asked. Ethan appreciated the technical question.
"I don't really know, but some people that are a close fit to the persona might retain memories and such, at least for a while," Ethan conceded, "But I don't really know. I'm more a watch it happen then scrutinize later sort, really."
"Hmm, nah, think we'll pass on the costumes," Faith said, "But when's it all get started and is there a really good place to view it all in person. We've sat on a roof or two."
"Not really, but if you get terribly bored, and bring lots of snacks and drinks, swing by sometime. Oh, and I do insist that you not tell anyone at least until it's all underway."
"Cool, come on girls," Faith said, and the three girls left the building.
"Th-that went well," Tara said, "Do you think i-it was the truth?"
"Yeah, strange, but yeah," Faith answered, Kendra nodding with her analysis, "If he's what he appears, he's in it to stir up trouble while watching others do it to themselves."
Wh-what should we do?" Tara asked as they got into their car, "Now that he's told us what we thought."
"Don't know really," Faith answered then deferred to the other girl, "What do you think Tara?"
"N-No, I-I think we could try to stop the spell after he starts it," she replied, "b-but he'd probably expect us this time."
"Den what should we do? Should we just go to a different corner each night and watch what happens?" the Slayer asked, "Because dat iz de only ting I can come up wit."
"Th-that might be a good idea," Tara nodded, "That way we know h-how much of this is really him, and h-how much is o-opportunity by the real monsters."
"Go Ken!" Faith exclaimed in support, "Sounds like a plan to me, but maybe we should find some stuff we can use to keep the bad guys away, huh?"
Marcus swung around as he recovered from the vertigo, only to find himself on a street, on a planet, with a general breakdown in order. The few accents he immediately discerned to be North American English, and he lashed out staff high and heel to kneecap low against his vicious, yellow-eyed, attacker. Luckily the bloke didn't seem to expect a double strike, and writhed on the ground clutching his destroyed leg joint. Marcus swung hard and managed to render the being unconscious.
'Must have somehow mistaken me for one of Mr. Garibaldi's associates,' he mentally quipped as he responded to a woman's scream for help. A few short moments later he arrived to find three young Earth Force personnel fight off and further deter attack on a woman dressed in Enlightenment or perhaps Centauri colonial gentry attire.
"Hallo, Earth Force," Marcus greeted them with a mixture of amusement and respect, "Good work against those, why were they attacking you?" He ignored the four weapons turned on him. The redhead spoke first.
"Identify yourself," she ordered bluntly.
"I'm Marcus Cole, lately of Babylon 5," he answered.
"No you're not, try again," the woman asserted, "He's ten years older than you, and even more annoying." Marcus looked hurt at this statement.
"I'll have you know that I *am* Marcus Cole," he reasserted, "And who would the three of you be?" The man in his twenties inserted himself into the escalating situation.
"I'm Dr. Franklin, this is Commander Ivanova, and this is Commander Takashima," the man said with all of the good doctor's intonations and mannerisms, "In spite of different current appearances." Marcus considered this, then in D'Lenn's language repeated a statement he'd made to Susan not too long ago. She smiled and nodded.
"Okay, it's him," Susan smiled as Takashima shot another would-be attacker with little effort or expression, "We should probably take the crazy lady and find shelter somewhere. Preferably a public structure as we're most likely to find information as to location and situation. Marcus, you're in black, please scout ahead for us and we'll follow."
The three girls relocated to another street, closer to the school, making notes on the map regarding numbers of transformed kids, types and other information. Almost two hours had already gone by, and the number of vampires and others remained constant until about then, when they suddenly noticed groups of the undead seeming to drive into town and look befuddled, maybe a few dozen. Kendra, with Tara providing magical actual-fire support, managed to lash out effectively before the vampires could exit their cars, Tara's fireballs in crowded vehicles almost always finishing them all off, but Kendra leaping onto the few escapees successfully.
"F-Faith? How's the driving?" Tara asked the girl learning how to maneuver a vehicle, "Y-you getting it okay?"
"Wicked cool, Tare," Faith responded, finally getting to learn to drive a car, and maneuvering it so the other two could attack the bad guys, "That's what? Six cars? Twenty-two vamps?"
"Twenty-five, Faith," Kendra chimed in, "De must be attracted to de Hell Mouth more dan usual because of de spell. What iz two hours away?"
"LA," Tara nodded, "It would take around that long and i-it's a big city…"
"So maybe we be a-wanting to end dis spell after no more than an hour?" Kendra suggested, "so dat we don't end up wit too many of dem on de last loop." The three girls nodded as they continued their circuit, Faith angling closer to the highway and bus station to keep the number of effective attacks going strong.
"Well, growing up with the Portugese and the Irish and some others back in Boston," Faith began with that 'I'm-about-to tell-you-a-tale look,' "I guess I feel we gotta help keep out these 'foreign' vampires or they'll take away all our local vampire jobs. That darn NAFTA." Tara groaned with a smile at Faith's immigration references and Kendra sharpened Mr. Pointy some more, unable to Slay the attempt at humor.
"Well, this could be worse," Marcus remarked as they fought off a group of about twenty vampires as they entered the business district, "It could have been tax collectors or worse, Vorlons trying to give us street directions." The group snickered or moaned at the sadly-truthful nature of their 'allies.'
Another hour and fourteen vampires later found the girl group putting up in front of the costume chop. Tara was tired and the number of near-misses and such was wearing their small group down. After discussing a plan of entry, they were about to get out of the car when the three Watcher Brits walked by and entered the store. A handful of minutes later, two small demons became two distraught children again. The three young women were out of the car in an instant, asking the kids if they were okay, where they lived and if they knew their phone numbers to call their parents. Tara pulled out her cell phone from her purse, called the parents, and received permission to take them back to the High School, where they were waiting. Ushering the calmer children into the crammed car, Faith drove away before the English left the building.
"So, Dawn, what'd you get out of the Commander Takashima experience?" Xander asked the young woman, whose cheekbones seemed the tiniest bit accentuated since the Reset.
"Perspective, mainly," Dawn replied, "Laurel'd been in Earth Force for quite some time, had made it through the Martian Riots with Jeff and Michael, and was an ambitious officer that gave her all. Her ambition was channeled into excellent work, not politics, and she had balanced self-discipline. I guess I'm glad about this Reset; the others all kinda fit into me better because of it. And I'm glad we've taken off the last few to just relax and maybe kill a couple dozen vamps. So, what's on tonight's schedule when we Reset?"
"I'm thinking of finally giving in to your and Willow's costume list," Xander replied as Doyle and Willow wandered over, "But I'm still thinking we keep with our week of cross-training and integration."
"That's probably for the best, Xan," Doyle remarked, "And I've pretty much read up on the aspects of our situation as we know it, about vampires and what little Rupert has on necromancy, reality warping and even about a group of demons called vengeance demons that grant wishes. So more time to rest and study might not be a bad idea."
"Any leads on what we could dress as to do the rehumanize thing?" Xander asked, "Spike and Drusilla a couple times now have only turned back when the spell was over, one time if you recall, Spike left a body and not dust behind."
"Maybe we need a necromancer to kinda guide everything, a gypsy to do a better version of the curse," Dawn thought out loud, "and an exorcist to chase out the demon."
"Then enough power tapping ability to make it stick," Doyle said, "Kinda like the Ripper spell on us."
"Yeah, but now all we need is a lead on the appropriate people and costumes," Willow added, "Maybe ask Ms. Calendar or even Angel about the name of the curser, or whoever is considered the best in the field."
"Maybe even Willy," Xander considered, "Or that Lorne guy in Los Angeles. I'm thinking field trips after the next few Resets, then see about redressing this last year's losses. Especially if we can figure out a way to ensure they come back healthy and whole."
"Other than, uh, Jesse," Willow softly spoke, "Who would you bring back?"
"Morgan, umm, Dave and Fritz, maybe Ampata," Xander considered, "I don't know who else."
"Morgan I can see, but the others?" Willow asked, Dawn nodding along, "Why them?"
"Dave and Fritz were corrupted by Moloch, Will, just like you nearly were," Xander responded, "And the mummy not only would be a good test case, she deserves at least as much consideration as a vampire. And no, the two girls I'm interested in have nothing to worry about in that regard."
"Hmm, I guess so," Willow replied, head on his shoulder, and if it works, maybe we can use it as a big area spell?"
"Probably not," Dawn considered, "But who knows how much we can eventually figure it. Too bad our costume 'realities' don't always overlap, or we'd be able to draw on some real resources after this is all over."
"Mr. Hughes, Team One is here," the young Mormon secretary informed his reclusive boss, "Shall I send them in."
"Yes, go ahead and let them through," the 'deceased' billionaire-turned-vanquisher-of-evil replied as he ceased his work out. The mohra demon extract seemed to be working as well. As the men entered the room, he greeted them, "Gentlemen, please come in."
"Thank you, Howard," the leader of his very Las Vegas-Southern California demon hunting team responded as he looked over at Bruce, Jim and Jimi, "Thank you very much."
Ammonet felt woozy, for a moment unsure of her situation as she punched in the coordinates given her by her mate, Apophis. 'Soon we will be off this doomed vessel orbiting the Tauri homeworld,' the goa'uld gloated as the three of them raced up into the event horizon. The three Tau'ri officers, O'Neill, Ferretti and Kowalski would pay for their insolence and watch their teams die first by her own hand. She wondered and began to ready a shock to her host, outraged but curious as to the mental laughter it assailed her with until they stepped out before a big stone Asgard artifact. Then a blue beam and…
Marcus, Franklin, Takashima and Ivanova met with Ambassador D'Lenn, Sinclair and Garibaldi in private. They'd explained how after their 'weird' experience, they'd remembered everything but as they'd been slightly out of sync with each other, the universe decided to make sure they were at the same time here, which meant earlier.
"So how long do we have to prevent President Santiago's assassination?" Jeff asked, "Because it seems if we can do that, it will smooth things out for the next couple of years, even if I still have to go back and become D'Lenn's grandpa…" He turned to the Vorlon Ambassador in the room, sitting next to D'Lenn, "So what do you say… friend? You are the Vorlon we can trust, and we want *your* individual support, even if you cannot commit the others. If John Sheridan could use one of these White Stars to really stall the Enemy, maybe we could burn the planet and most of the Shadows and minions before they can get a grip on the Centauri and others this go-around. And if the Vorlons showed up with Minbari ships…we might save Santiago and keep Earth from falling to the Darkness."
The figure loomed in silence, then lowered its head as though to nod, "Yes…….."
Methos looked at his 'brothers' as they sought his answer. He smiled his smile devious smle they'd come to know when he was planning a particularly evil way of achieving their ends.
"Of course, brothers," Methos smiled, watching as they let their guards down slowly, "What're the Horsemen without Death?" Hands in pockets, he pushed the secreted button, causing the area behind them to explode. Picking himself up, he challenged the stunned and mauled men verbally, then lunged to decapitate them in about all of seven seconds. Three massive quickenings began to mist the area, 'This'll hurt…I hope Darius and Tessa have the car ready…'
"Hello, Professor Jones," the Tomb Raider greeted the man, surprised at his apparent youth, looking fortyish but knowing him to be in around ninety if she read correctly, "You're looking…spry for an older man I won't even meet for a couple weeks."
"Well Lara, as out of character as it was for me," Indiana began, "I found myself back in time further than expected, and this time I actually decided to drink from that Fountain before the temple subsided."
"Ponce de Leon's?" she asked, intrigued, "And why this time?"
"Yeah, his," the older archaeologist replied, then blushed slightly, "And because I met some one worth waiting a few decades to meet again."
"You mean?"
"I think so, but no pun intended, I think it's worth exploring."
"Doctor Jones," Lara Croft replied, "If we're to expedite a mounting, or rather mount an expedition, it should wait until we can talk to Rupert in a couple of weeks…But I do seem to have a lead on Opar, taken from the diary of a Watcher, John Clayton, interested?"
"And not just in the expedition leader…"
"Hmm, no one's looking…" Whistler contemplated just after dawn, "Woo Hoo!" as he charged into the surf, wearing stylish black swim trunks as he gripped his board…
A week of training had been good for the group, helped bond them together even tighter than they'd become. Kendra was teaching basic self-defense moves and the use of crossbow pistols (which Faith found at a sporting goods store and had Tara buy each go-around). Tara was teaching the basics of meditation and herbal lore as prerequisites of learning magic. Faith was drawing them both out of their shells and teaching them about normal life, avoiding the wrong types of people and other 'street' skills. Every night they drove around to a different area, and as they suspected, whenever the 'Scoobies' let the spell go on for too long, vampires and other demons seemed to be attracted to the area. Carefully listening in on the Library group had slowly filled them in on many of the details they'd needed to know to get a better picture, but they had neither the experience or the research materials necessary to go much further.
On their forays, however, they'd been able to guess that maybe upwards of three hundred vampires were entering Sunnydale from other places by nine o'clock, of which they at most were only about to ambush fifty or sixty. Kendra had been the most nervous and uncomfortable of the three, the idea of a Slayer encountering that many in a night normally would have meant the calling of a new Slayer. With a pair of friends with their own perspectives and gifts (Tara's fire spells and Faith's idea to ambush them in their vehicles) made a difference, and really committed the three to finding an end to the Resets early enough to prevent the surge of undead, or hold it to survivable levels. Maybe they'd be contacting the main group sooner than expected.
Xander and the group had spent the last week researching for the most part, but also focusing on an aspect of their skills and abilities to draw it out. Xander and Dawn leaned more towards the hunting and destruction of vampires, while Doyle and Willow followed their own tendencies to research, develop an inventory of what they'd need post-Resets, and planning for the future. Focusing as much as possible on his previous encounters with the nightlife, as York, Murphy, Chronos, Hicks, and others, Xander had put together a general route and schedule with his companions' assistance. For weapons, they lacked the firearms necessary to really get the job done, but had a good plan for dealing with the undead when they did. Doyle had scoped out the weapons possibilities for the future. A trip down to Caritas had given them a few leads as to possible necromancers and such, but so far they hadn't moved on the information.
It was costume time again, and the girls had everything planned out, even down to planning get Jonathan, who usually showed up to exchange costumes while they were there, to dress up in their themes for many of the next few Resets. Xander couldn't remember a lot of the details as he'd been focusing on the 'Battle of Sunnydale' planning, but felt certain enough that they wouldn't embarrass him too greatly in the process. He'd also noticed a blonde girl with beautiful eyes driving around town a couple nights, and he thought he'd seen her recently, but couldn't quite place her.
The three girls had noticed that the costume-group had gone into the shop again. They knew from listening in that they seemed somehow to keep the skills and memories of those they'd dressed as. Tempting as it was to try it, Tara had cautioned that until the three of them also could keep the skills and memories, they'd only be leaving themselves open to attack. Instead, they followed the group, and if no knew information came to light in the next week, introductions would be made.
"What up cutting the whole deal short?" Faith asked, "That way they'll keep the memories and such, but we keep the vamps away and kids safer."
"Th-that might be a good idea, Faith," Tara agreed and they both turned to see Kendra deep in thought, "K-Kendra?"
"Dat sounds like a good idea," she began, paused, then continued, "But I'm tinkin dat we meet up wit dem and have dem help us eliminate de spell."
"So, you're thinkin' that a show of good intention will make it easier?" Faith asked, nodding, "But if we do that we'll be talking with them tonight."
"I tink dat since we have been scoutin the town for a while now, we should tell dem dat de vam-pyres are attracted by some-ting in de spell and de Hell Mouth." She looked at her friends, who both nodded.
Aral had just sat down to dinner with his family; Miles had managed to bring home Elena for a visit and Cordelia was glad to converse with a woman with both Barrayaran and Galactic perspectives. However, Aral suddenly found himself, and presumably some of the others based on attire and reaction, in a completely unfamiliar location. It seemed residential by the looks of it, and perhaps a little like some of the housing popular amongst the gentry and successful trades families a generation ago.
"Nothing hurts!" a short young man exclaimed, "And I'm taller! Okay, only up to like four or five more inches, but still…"
"Miles? Is that you?" Aral asked the young man intently.
"Yes it is…" the young man responded, looking at him and the others as they sorted themselves out, "What's happened?"
"I hesitate to speculate, Miles," Aral replied to his apparent son, "Let's determine our situation and that of the others first." They walked up to the others dress in recognizable attire, and after some question and answer sessions, were relatively assured that the group consisted of Aral (Xander), Elena (Dawn), Simon Illyan (Doyle), Cordelia (Willow), and Miles (Jonathan).
"Excuse us," a dark-haired girl called out, "We could use your help in straightening this mess out." The Barrayarans turned as one and gave Faith their full attention.
"If you could explain the situation to us," Aral responded, "We would be more likely to comply." Tara nodded reassuringly to the Boston teen.
"Well, this town is on a…dimensional rift," she explained, "And in *this* dimension magic *does* exist" she gestured to Tara, who fired a fireball of near some demons heading for that annoying Buffy chick "and as a result of a guy tapping the rift for his mojo, he's turned people into their costumes. Kinda like possession, but it's keyed to bring you in from the multi-verse for a while in hopes of providing him with amusement. So when kids and others dress up as monsters…they're made into monsters. We know where this guy is, and since you seem to be good guys according to Tara, we could you your help in ending this before too many kids get hurt. How 'bout it?"
"How do you know of us?" Miles asked, "We just got here."
"I-In our world you're characters in a series of books," Tara explained, "And we're guessing that that gives more focus to drawing you in."
"Is it two way?" Miles pressed.
"W-we don't know of anyone else whose dressed up in the group the same thing, to ask," she replied.
"If we assist you," Aral responded, "Can you explain to us what you know of our 'dimension' so that we can maybe avoid anything particularly bad coming up? I remember meeting with my son after Vervain, but Elena and Miles are talking about a clone-brother, and Cordelia is just remembering Miles' explaining his new Dendarii experiences and the death of Elena's father. And Simon's complaining about the costs of 'Admiral Naismith' and his mercenaries breaking his budget *again.*"
"Uh, um, okay?" Tara and as they walked to Ethan's she explained to Lord and Lady Vorkosigan what she remembered of the books, and suggested that they actually ask Simon since he has the chip in his head.
"So, Tara," Xander slipping into Methos-mode remarked as the statue shattered and Ethan curled in spell-induced sleep at their feet, gabbing her hand gently and guiding her outside as the rest followed, "You come here often?"
"N-No, just recently," she shyly replied but played along, "W-we've been, um, doing this since that night in the diner, w-with that W-Whistler guy."
"That's where I remember you!" he smiled, "I've seen you riding about in a car looking at everything. I'm going to pay for this in the not-too-distant future, but I've been thinking aout how beautiful your eyes are for the last couple of Resets, kinda like Dawn or Buffy's, and with Willow's size all wrapped up into one. And before I get slapped in the back of the head by the two girls who've decided I'm theirs after this mess clears up, I'm just being honest, not making with the moves on you."
"S-so what now?" she replied, suddenly unsure, as the Brits showed up ready to end the spell.
"Well, we go get some take-out," he said, "I hope you like Chinese because it's Chinese night at the library, and we'll swap information. 'Kay?"
"Y-yes," she agreed, smiling at the nice way he spoke to her, 'Not like my family…' Xander caught the brief look of sadness.
"Are you okay," he whispered very softly, surprising her, "I've hidden that look myself more than once." She nodded.
"Yes," she whispered back without stutter or stammer, "Thank you."
The next two weeks passed busily as the girls were integrated into the Reset Group, exchanging information, surveying the differences in vampire numbers and activity and generally trying to come up with a more complete picture. The research re-exhausted itself as everyone reached the same levels of understanding and while they could anecdotally understand what was going on, they'd been so far unable to pin down the immediate causes.
"W-what would it take to make you happy with your life…Xander," Tara asked at one point while the others were training or otherwise occupied, "I-I think you're the key to this."
"You know, Drusilla said something like that, and that I'd be the one to save Miss Edith by sending Drusilla away when I accept things," Xander replied, "But if what I've learned about her from Angel is true, and Miss Edith exists…" He drifted off into deep thought and Tara arrived and vocalized the conclusion.
"Miss Edith is the soul, and Drusilla the demon," they said, drawing the attention of Angel and the two Slayers who'd been coaching the others. Xander turned to Angel.
"Miss Edith is the soul, and because of the broken nature before her turning is still there," Xander explained, "And more importantly, though I believe I been down this road before, I think if I can either affix her soul as in control she'll be like you, but less broody, and if we dress Drusilla as Edith, then it'll be like when Spike left a corpse instead of dust behind."
"You mean?" Angel began.
"S-Spike and D-Drusilla still have souls, trapped inside or merged with them," Tara added. Xander began pacing as he kept going.
"If they have souls affixed, and we link the spell to the end of the chaos spell, maybe we can make them living humans again," he tossed out.
"B-but what happens to the demons?" Tara asked, intrigued at being closer to solutions to two avenues of research.
"An exorcism, maybe?" Angel suggested, beginning to realize the inkling of hope, "To cast out the demons."
"Yeah, but how to ensure that they come back as healthy humans and not just zombies like Daryl Epps?" Xander countered, reminding them of the girl parts event back in September, "We need to ensure it 'sticks' if you know what I mean."
"I-it should," Tara added, gesturing to where Willow was petting Phil the Groundhog, "Phil came back to life."
"Hmm, yeah, but we need to make sure before we make Dead Boy into Live Boy," Xander emphasized.
"How about dressing him up as Connor Macleod," Faith contributed, "They have the same broodiness and foreheads, maybe if we stab him while he's in costume his body'll heal up by the time the spell's ended."
The group stared at her for a moment until Xander smiled and nodded.
"God thinking Faith," the young man said, "And if he comes through partially human, we can dress him up again as a different Immortal until it works."
"B-but what if it doesn't work," Tara questioned, "W-would you try that spell of yours with the memories and stuff?"
"Hmm, I don't know," Xander conceded, "But a necromancer would, and we might want to follow-up on that after all. We wouldn't want to go so far with this we couldn't properly undo it."
"So we're really considering restoring the humanity to two really bad vampires?" Willow asked as the rest of the group finished up and joined the gathering.
"I don't like messing with souls at all," Xander said, "But with them, and Angel, it might be that the souls are here now, in which case we just might be getting rid of the demons and putting things partially right again." This statement garnered nods from the Watchers and Angel.
"W-what about vampires just turned but not eating people yet?" Dawn asked.
"You mean, still corpses, but the demon hasn't had much if any time to move in?" Xander asked, "Hmm."
"W-we could do the curse if we knew it, a-and do the same as with the others," Tara considered, "But will a curse work if they haven't killed anybody?"
"Well, if Jana will call her Uncle Enjos," Xander said, "Maybe she can find out enough about the spell and the spell caster by the next Reset to let us know something."
"Who's Jana?" Buffy asked.
"I am," Jenny Calendar admitted, looking concerned at Xander, "And I guess I'll be making that call now."
Three days of telephone and Internet contacts and research had yielded up many small pieces of information, but this meant that after scoping out Southern California with some direct recon, the Rest folks would soon be making a foray into dark magic wielders and a few follow-ups to help cleanse them of the taint.
Xander told the group tat before they got too far into the actual magic wielding, he'd promised Dawn and Willow four more costumes, and he might as well fulfill that before getting into the unpleasantness. He also didn't tell them that he planned to bring back Jesse, Morgan and Ampata no matter what, though they'd been mentioned in a few previous discussions.
The others would allow the spell only five or ten minutes to take hold, then they would proceed to end it before too many suffered.
The next four Rests proved quite beneficial in the long run, but at the time, only a few highlights survived to make a difference, such as…
Honor Harrington stepped into the street and aimed carefully at the strange people attacking others, firing into a large figure. While it caused little to no effect, the noise of her large side arm and the impact itself were sufficient to drive off the thing. As she did this Nimitz flew forward off her shoulder, racing in to tear apart another such figure, his claws cutting through the neck and causing it to implode into dust.
Tomas Santiago Ramirez fired his service-issue weapon repeatedly into a cluster of the yellow-eyed freaks, some turning to dust from the sheer amount of damage, others fleeing at the sight of mere humans cutting such a sudden swathe into their ranks.
Shannon Foraker and Senior Chief Harkness proceeded to kick and deflect the two opponents facing them, Harkness soon breaking off the head of one at the neck, while Shannon picked up a stick and managed to repeatedly stab her Harkness-punched opponent into unconsciousness until the others came up.
"Oops," Shannon smiled in embarrassment as she the stabbed the thing in the heart to watch it dust, "I kinda forgot from the stories that you stake the vampires, not bludgeon them." The spell lifted, and they noted that Phil was still a Tree-Cat as he walked up to them in confusion.
"Well, Stinker," Willow joked with the changed animal, "My name is actually Willow, and you're Phil, okay?" The intelligent life form looked back at her quizzically, until she held out a few pieces of celery, at which point he lunged at her with wide eyes, embracing and bonding with the human happily.
"Look's like Phil's life had improved," Xander quipped, then noticed his body was a full size bigger, but even more densely muscled, no fat on his already-enhanced frame, "And I seem to be muscle-guy, strong and heavy like Colonel Ramirez."
"Hmm, Xander," Tara pondered, then caught the looks of Kendra and Faith, "I said I was leaning toward girls-only because of my family. I haven't *quite* made up my mind, it's not like there are a lot of nice Xander-like guys out there." They smiled, laughed and nodded, even Dawn and Willow.
The next leap of costume choice landed them in a similar situation, but with Aragorn/Xander, Arwen/Dawn, Elrond/Doyle and Galadriel/Willow at one moment with their companions to see the end of the Fellowship at Orthanc, and the next easily turning back an attack of evil creatures of great speed and strength, only one of them managing to truly raise its hand in effective attack, throwing a knife at an ebony-skinned girl that had been in their accompaniment Gimli? Jonathan, just down the avenue, had cut down two evil figures and ended this last, but not soon enough to save the girl's life. As the spell lifted, Faith screamed and fainted as a white mist flashed from the dead girl to the Bostonian.
All but Dawn and Xander had turned from mourning to shocked amazement as two things happened the next Reset: Kendra, phantom pain in the chest and back where the knife had cut, was back with them, and Faith had started having weird and scary nightmares of the demonic type. When Kendra and the Watchers had asked about them, they'd determined with a couple of tests, that the reason Faith had been sent to Sunnydale by the Voices, was that she'd been an undiscovered potential slayer next in line. Seeing nothing but acceptance and smiles by Tara and Kendra, her 'sisters,' Faith could only respond as she now could offer real assistance in the fight, "Cool."
All but the core Resetters had shied away from dressing up themselves. Even tough Kendra had not been in costume, her 'death' had proved so sudden and unexpected that they threw themselves into Faith's training and acclimation rather than get too close to the costume situation, but Xander, Doyle, Dawn and Willow went ahead with their next costume, as much to add a little light-heartedness to themselves as any other reason. Though the girls really liked the books and the playful superiority of the women-figures in the series.
Belgarion swung hard with his sword, the moment of decision at hand for determining the path of prophecy, wondering why his fight with Torak couldn't have resolved the matter with finality, only to strike the neck of a yellow-eyed evil man-form instead. It turned to dust as his companions used their magic or hid behind the others as the means of dealing with their situation. The young man could feel Aunt Pol and his grandfather behind him as he turned and began to sheathe his sword, the orb glowing at him insistently as Errand came up and placed his hand on it and held it as well as the one already in other hand.
"Prophecy fulfilled, but differently," the young boy began as the orbs merged into one, and the world around the froze as the chaos magic ebbed, "And at least you four must in your future travel to us and to others 'touched' by you in this manner, before destinies can continue." He pulled out a smaller orb from the combined orb, "But as my elevation must occur in my own universe, this small reminder from Aldur will remain with you, along with the sword, until you rejoin us in person. Thank you, friends, and to you, Belexander. Our Blessings to you and the knowledge you're on a path to escaping the circles of time."
"Uh, guys, what just happened?" Jonathan asked as the god-essence disappeared
"Uh, guys, what just happened?" Jonathan asked as the god-essence disappeared. He looked confused for a few more minutes, then stared at Xander, sudden recollection growing, his body altering slightly to match the capabilities of former possessions when around Xander. The exhaustion of being possessed by a god, and the suddenness of the on-set of memories proved too much and he collapsed from sensory overload.
"A-an excellent question, Xander," Giles gently pressed as the group relocated Mr. Levinson to a car, "I'm not familiar with the stories."
"In a nutshell, Giles, Jonathan was briefly possessed by a new god in a universe written about by the Eddingses. Your usual Heir to the West fairy tale with a very nice feel to the whole thing, and the truly evil get what they deserve in the end. Apparently, as with Buffy and the Master, I've managed to resolve Prophecies like Alexander and the Gordian Knot. And so at some point, I and a few others are due to visit the universe of the Belgariad and the Mallorean to help with the completion of destiny that will determine the nature of a god and a universal path. No weight on *these* shoulders. As to Jonathan, he might just have joined the Resets. I noticed a tiny green flash as the god left us."
They took the young man to the hospital, and checking up on him the next day, found him to be sedated, having claimed to have been beheaded by the Leader of the Horsemen, and the slayer of many orcs. Leaving the place, Xander explained the fact that Jonathan had from the beginning been Alexander the Great, Caspian (beheaded by Kronos/Xander), Casca Rufio Longinus, Gimli (Gloin's Son), and now 'Errand' a godling.
"You cut off his head, Xander?" Buffy asked incredulously, "Why?"
"*Kronos* cut off his head, Buff," Xander corrected her, "And he did it after destroying most of Sunnydale and setting most of the *region* afire, Buff. *He* did it to become a *god.*"
"I-If he *does* remember during your, uh, next Reset," Giles asked, "How do you expect to deal with him?"
"Hmm, I'm thinking that until we get the vampires turned into humans, maybe we should tranquilize him, dress him up so that we don't have to immediately worry, and try to discuss it with him while I'm not in the room."
"That, unfortunately, might be your best hope for the next several times," Giles said, "But you will have to address the situation yourself as he calms down."
"I understand, Giles, I do," Xander sighed, "And I think for this next Reset, we'll add a little of the practical to the impractical. We'll corner Jonathan, talk to him, and hopefully find a way to earn his trust. I think we'll have one group grab costumes and come here, the others to make their way here as they can, and just take it from there. A short tranquilizer to initially obtain his presence will hopefully let us help him through the shock of what my body did to him, and to deal with memories from Caspian's atrocities."
Jonathan had come out of the Reset in a near-catatonic state. Luckily, Xander knew from prior contact that Jonathan had been changing clothes in the unoccupied boy's bathroom down the hall from the library at the time of the Reset, having changed out of his Phil attire there a couple of times. Checking that the hall was clear, he'd managed to manhandle the young man into the land of books without anyone really taking note. The group decided to change him into the proposed costume both as a way to buffer the young man's shock and to aid in the furtherance of the plans to humanize the vampires and get out of the loop.
Getting dressed in his martial artist costume, Xander had the feeling of impending doom, or at least discomfort, as both Dawn and Willow didn't exactly make good with the explanations when asked about it all.
"This is some kind of Japanese cartoon thing Dawnie got you hooked on, right Wills?" he pressed, getting a blush and a nervous look before her acquired skills kicked in to provide a nonchalance, 'Good to know their still as susceptible to me as I them…'
"Okay, Xan, it is," Dawn admitted, coming up to him, "But nothing bad, it's just kind of a comedy martial artist thing, extra-impossible moves and such, ya know?"
"And the two of you?" he pressed.
"A different series, about two kick-ass assassins, united against the world," Dawn smirked.
"Then why do I have a silk headband that looks a lot like your scarf?"
"Because it was all I could find for the accessory part," Dawn replied with an at least temporarily inscrutable look.
"Mm, okay, and what about Jonathan?"
"Djinn," Willow responded, taking the pressure off Dawn.
The trio had returned to the Library in plenty of time, stopping at the Espresso Pump for a wide assortment of beverages on the way back. The group pretty much was prepared for anything, or so they thought as Willow accidentally spilled cold water on both Dawn and Xander as the spell swept over Sunnydale with a green flash in the library.
"Where's Kirika?" Mireille/Willow asked as she took up a defensive stance and started to reach for a weapon. At the same time other voices called out, many in alarm…
"Where's Dawn?!"
"What was that green flash?"
"What is your wish, my Master?!" This latter, at great volume, causing everyone to turn in that direction rather than immediately continue their train of thought. They noticed that where a moment before Doyle had had a comforting hand on Jonathan's shoulder, now, a large wispy version of Levinson hovered as he addressed Doyle.
"Ur, um, how many wishes do I get?" the Irishman asked the transformed teen as a large Japanese version of Xander carefully maneuvered to the forefront.
"Just one, and then my service here is over," the djinn responded, interrupted at the end by Wesley's voice over the radio asking about entering the costume shop yet, and Giles telling him five minutes.
"Well, I guess since the questions we want to know are," Doyle asked, "What exactly is going on here" gesturing around him "and with the whole Sunnydale time loop situation, how do resolve our rehumanize the undead effort successfully, what are tomorrow night's lottery numbers and how to get Dawn back with us without any sacrifice on another's part. So the wish is for us to have the answers and capabilities to fulfill the answers to these questions."
"Granted," the Djinn said, and they could see the spirit leaving Levinson's body, and before Giles could direct Wesley, Doyle cried out.
"No Giles! Leave the statue alone for now!" the Irishman ordered, Giles calling Wesley and his group to stay their hands. Turning to those in the room, he explained, "We need to be careful, as it turns out that Ranma Saotome's female half at the moment would be Yuumura Kirika, and we need to cast a spell to remove curse. Since Giles has everything we need in his office, it should only take about fifteen minutes to prepare. Miss Bouquet, as you can tell, magic is real, and" grabbing some very warm water he spilled some on Ranma's feet "the change of Ranma into Kirika is further proof of this."
Kirika, nearly lost in the comparatively huge male martial artist clothes, at lightning speed made her way over to Willow as the latter called out a catchphrase in Corsican. The girls began discussing matters as Doyle continued, gathering the materials as he called out to them, "The vampire plan will wait until the next Resets, and after being dressed as various individuals previously identified, our plans should work out. As for escaping the time loop and saving the multiverse, first the vampire thing, and then we'll get to it. Also, as to what's going on here, there are a few hundred feet under us, beyond a 'Seal' quite a few ancient turok-han vampires entrapped and awaiting battle. Not an immediate problem as they've been there for millenia. Whatever's in charge of them isn't around here, so no info. The Principal here works for the Mayor, and the Police Chief is in the know. What *their* place in things happens to be, wasn't part of the question. Just that as Snyder is the responsible figure for the school, I guess we got that knowledge as part of the package. Now I need to have Yuumura Kirika in the middle of the room. Giles please set up a traditional candle circle. Ms. Bouquet, please take position over to the right as you will anchor the female half of our duo. Mr. Giles please take the apposite position with Xander's sword I front of you when done, but do not touch the orb, to anchor the male half. Everyone else please stand back and remain quiet."
A few moments of shuffling and Doyle prepared and executed a short and simple spell. Suddenly, a green flash and two almost-naked people were before them, Kirika-possessed Dawn in the shirt of the costume, and Ranma-possessed Xander in the pants, both swaying where they sat, the shock of the experience too great to shrug off. Their eyes both flashed slightly green before calming to normal. Doyle signaled to Giles that he should call Wesley to end things now. Everybody was shifting positions as Spike, Drusilla and all of their minions raced through the door, maybe twenty in all. As Doyle heard Giles give the 'end-spell' ordered he watched in amazement as Mireille/Willow drew and fired headshots into the game-faced charging vampires, downing many of them even as Kirika/Dawn and Ranma7Xander charged forward and began exacting a heavy toll. Tara managed to send three fireballs into the charging bunched up vampires as they flooded in, and Faith and Kendra charged as soon as they realized the situation. Within a minute, Faith was severely injured, and Kendra slammed into unconsciousness by a berserk Drusilla and a worked up William the Bloody. Ranma and Kirika watched the Slayers, and altered their tactics to staking or similarly using chair parts to end the undead, Giles finding his crossbow and wounding Drusilla, preventing her from snapping Kendra's neck. His lover's shriek of pain drew back Spike from finishing his third slayer, the shot granting him the lucidity to realize they had only four minions left even if they had hurt every human in the library. Grabbing a faltering Drusilla, he charged out through the doors and into the night as the chaos magic faded and died.
Silence reigned a moment, before Dawn and Xander remarked simultaneously, "That was freaky…hey…stop it…Willow…"
Willow pointed at Dawn, who continued to speak as she treated her Mireille's wounds gently, "It's okay, we're us again, though it's weird knowing guy things."
"Yeah," Xander agreed, as he tended to Jonathan, "The reverse for me, too, and I feel a connection between us. I want it very much to happen as soon as we're out of this looping." The two young women nodded.
"Hey!" Xander cried out as water splashed on him with no effect. He glared at Giles.
"I just wanted to make sure the curse itself was lifted," Giles remarked, "And I guess it did."
Whistler flew out of Sunnydale Airport singing along with the oldies station. 'I've gone through every theme park in Southern California and have spent a week on the beaches of Maui. Bought some new black pinstripe suits. Vegas, here I come…'
"Mireille, where can we get American snack food?" Kirika asked innocently, knowing her companion wouldn't approve.
"No more Kirika!" Mireille complained, "No more twinkie twin packs left at the scene of a job as a 'Noir' signifier! And all the exercise to just keep the weight off! Sacre Bleu!"
They'd spent the rest of the Reset going over the answers Doyle had received. With a necromancer, a gypsy mage, a power source such as a chaos spell feeding off the Hell Mouth, the remains of the targets and the necessary items and materials, Doyle felt confident that they'd have success within the first few tries even if the first try didn't work.
Giles had caught what could have been a fatal or at the very least an embarrassing flaw in the plans: why would the possessors perform the spell, and mightn't such powerful magic users take out their displeasure on all of them?
It was with a sigh of relief that they decided to go for possession and immediate interruption of spell to obtain the particular gypsy and necromantic expertise. They discussed the various capabilities that could affect the magic: Xander having a massive quickening, sentinel senses, the integrated hyena spirit, the blessed blood of Indiana Jones, maximized body, and the inner power of King Elasser of Gondor and Belexander holding the orb as both a possible power source, filter of chaos and Hell Mouth energy and telempathic advisor. Dawn with sentinel capabilities and slayer spirit gifts, the power and capability if not the honed familiarity of skills of Polgara and Arwen Evening Star, Doyle with the power, knowledge and capabilities of Liet, Elrond and Belgarath, though similarly without the honing of usage within his body and without the divine connections the 'Bel' honorific might confer on Xander. Willow while without tremendous power, having available Lady Jessica's background as well as that of Galadriel and X'Nedra's personal links potentially important in a support capacity.
Three days of preparations and dressing Jonathan as Ivan Vorpatril and Commodore Koudelka from the Vorkosigan books, and Yoda for the third night, then tranquilizing him immediately when he became too distraught seemed to help him through the worst of the initial pain and fear of his situation, the surprise beheading not quite as alarming as when first his memories had revealed themselves, while the tendency of the costumes to recognize the authority of Xander's own did serve to counter to a great extent the feelings of betrayal. That and the day of Xander looking sick and depressed like Jonathan himself felt. That, and the annoying way Jonathan found himself speaking in Yoda grammar when tired.
The brief experience of being Necromancer Hainsley filled Xander with revulsion as he recovered from the transformation. That intimacy with the dead, the undead, demons and humans of great evil and taint of corruption made it an impossibility to shrug it off and sleep. Xander and the group immediately set to outlining and explaining to each other what they could do and how it should go.
Immediately after the Reset, Jonathan had immediately fulfilled his word by finding Giles and Ms. Calendar, taking up position in the Library and informing the two of what was going on, and of course to explain Phil the Tree-Cat. Wesley and Linda hailed a cab and proceeded to the magic store for supplies and to pick up a heap of food on the way to the library.
Willow had confused Buffy to no end as they raced to the weapons locker to find Xander already outfitted, several options for each of them readied and on the table, and talking to her mother about Dawn.
"What's with the weapons, Xander?" Buffy asked as she started to arm up, "I thought Halloween was supposed to be quiet night."
"Short version, Buff, is that Willow, Dawn, a few others and myself have done the Groundhog Day thing and are repeating Halloween over and over again," he told her just as Jonathan brought the two teachers into the room, "And we've amassed some power and ability. We're going on a nest raid on Spike's warehouse to capture him and Drusilla his crazy consort as we suspect something weird about the soul thing and Angel, like maybe their souls are trapped within the vampires. While on our way there, a couple of Watchers will help Willow and Dawn cast soul restorations without the happiness clause" Xander looks at Jenny "And then when Ethan Rayne the costume shop owner" looks at Rupert, then Buffy, "activates the spell turning everyone into their costumes, we'll have dressed them as their human selves, at which time I will entrap the demon essences to prevent their later return. If this works, Buffy, not only will we be able to restore them to human, but possibly Angel as well. Now let's go." He left without waiting for response.
An hour later, Spike had finally hit Drusilla hard, knocking her out after she started screaming that 'Clock Man and his Three Slayers were coming to get them.' He didn't want to do it, but what was a bloke to do? He sent his minions back to rest up for tonight when he suddenly felt a great pain in his chest that forced him to his knees. Slowly and excruciatingly, he struggled against whatever it was, something within him, and as he could see, Dru, leaving their bodies. He collapsed in exhaustion and confusion, barely keeping conscious as he felt something forcibly reentering his chest stronger than before, this a prelude to darkness.
The front door of the warehouse burst open, four figures with weapons charging in and surprise the few minions in the front area. Doyle hit the light switch to illuminate the main area, and Tara spelled a few fire spells at the most-threatening targets. Kendra, Buffy and Faith charged at the nearest vampires, sending them into dust as Xander raced over to the prone forms of Drusilla and Spike and rolled them into heavy tarps he'd brought for the purpose. A minute later, the poofing stopped and the girls happily exchange high-fives before helping with the lifting.
The trip to the costume shop was an unusual one to say the least, with only Kendra and Faith accompanying Xander into Ethan's.
"Ethan Rayne?" Xander asked directly as the annoyed proprietor walked up to him, "I need your assistance in a matter that will tremendously annoy Rupert Giles and disturb the Watcher's Council. How do you feel about that?"
"Tell me more," the chaos mage smiled evilly, "But I thought you were the Slayer's friend?"
"Of course I am, and I know about the Cruciamentum," Xander said, pausing to see that Ethan did in fact somehow know of the ceremony, "And as I can feel and almost smell the magic in this shop, I have an idea of what will happen tonight." At Ethan's look of concern, he waved a placating hand and spoke reassuringly. "While I won't let the Slayer her die, it will be funny to mock her for years to come," Xander chuckled as the Slayers unrolled the vampires, "and so we need costumes from 1860 and 1880 if you please, to see if your spell is enough to turn the re-souled William the Bloody and Drusilla into Immortal versions of themselves from that television show. Maybe put extra mojo. We stab them, they heal, and maybe turn them human when this is over."
"How does this upset Rupert?" the mage asked.
"Ripper's little slayer has a thing for a certain souled vampire that used to be Angelus," Xander gloated, "and turning the old boy human would distract her to no end as the vampire was a womanizer and a drunkard. And if this works, then Watcher Boy will have to deal with it. But the best part will be at the Cruciamentum when we just turn every vampire into a human. Or better, every time the Slayer is about to stake a particularly nasty vampire he'll suddenly be human."
"That's not bad, so this is just the beginning of a long series of pranks against those stuffed shirts?" Ethan asked as Xander nodded, "Count me in, that's why I'm doing this after all."
They tranquilized the two vampires before proceeding with the costuming. Both Kendra and Faith were extremely edgy being this close to the undead without ending it, but held up satisfactorily. Once they were done making physical contact, they rolled them back in the rugs.
"Why not just wait and see from here?" Ethan asked, "I'd very much be interested to know how it works out."
"Oh, you will," Xander assured him, a nasty grin forming, "We're going to drop these two off at Rupert's library just before the spell, which you're doing at six-fifteen you said? I already have a video camera planted and hopefully we get some good footage of the Watcher's reactions."
"Send me a copy won't you?" Ethan smiled back ferally, his Halloween getting that much beter.
"You played that pretty nasty Chief," Faith remarked as they loaded up the cars, "You sure you're not in cahoots with him?"
"It's the necromancer after-effects and a bit of Methos shining through," Xander replied with a sick expression, "Once we get back to the library, I'll touch the orblet and feel better."
"Some kind of a charge?" Faith pressed, curious rather than suspicious.
"More like a filter or cleaner," Xander replied, "It's helped me lose some of the evil feeling from Hainsley's memories. I have to stop and get something from home first."
Surprisingly, Dawn with her newer and older appearance had been able to fill in for Xander on candy duty, Buffy shucking her Lady's outfit for normal clothes, claiming to be an undercover cop from twenty-one jumpstreet, and Willow wore her 'loose' clothing but none of the accessories from Ethan's.
The group gathered in the library and prepared their materials and marks for what would come next. Xander over the Hell Mouth, had created a relatively small circle of just over a six-foot diameter, necromantic rune markings surrounding a box placed into a small pool with water, into which he emptied eight bags of O- blood. Xander handed the tranquilizer gun to Giles, asking him to shoot immediately that which results within. Xander began his spell, and even the magically-disinclined could feel the charge in the air as the young man proceeded. Suddenly, Xander reached out and a flash with smoke filled the air in the circle.
"Now, Giles!" Xander called out, "Shoot!" The man did, hearing the dart hit something flesh-like. Xander then turned to a just-arrived Willow and pointed at the orb of Thessala, which she retrieved to find him dragging a naked male body into another prepared circle. Xander began to chant again, and those there recognized the words as those of the soul curse earlier cast. Minutes later, the body stopped twitching and rested again.
"Willow, hand me the clothes in the bag," Xander directed, "And bring over one of the Highlander costume swords with you." As she did, the smoke cleared enough for most including her to see. She dropped everything at Xander's feet as she gasped out in disbelief.
"Jesse?!"
"I told you I'd try it, Wills," Xander asked, "And he'll get the same chance as the other three vampires."
"B-but what if he was in heaven?" Willow whispered loudly as Xander embraced her and held her steady.
"Remember our change to the curse Wills?" Xander asked, "I added 'if the soul be willing…' if you recall."
"Does that mean Spike and Drusilla are willing?" she asked.
"No, we yanked the souls out of the bodies and put them back in again," Xander explained, "So they never went to the afterlife."
"A-Are you going to do this every time we lose someone?" Giles asked, awed by the power shown.
"No, Giles," the youth sighed, "This type of thing requires touching a lot of dark magics and in a couple of hours, chaos magic. Since we're in this loop I have a good chance of remaining 'clean' but repeated use when things get moving again would have nasty repercussions. Part of why we're able to do this is because of the sheer amount of power given off by the loop. The only other way normally involves ten times as much blood, preferably from alive or fresh victims, and really delving into the nasty stuff, and you can't always avoiding bringing something back in a friend's body instead of his soul." He sighed, sat down and rested, sipping tea and waiting for the next stage as the vampires were also moved into the circle with Jesse.
A smoking Angel ran through the library doors at six-ten, looking in bewilderment at such a large crowd. Xander stepped forward and handed him some Highlander-style accoutrements and guided him quickly to the circle with the others, the other magically-capable assuming positions. Xander briefly outlined things as the time grew closer to six-fifteen. Jenny and Giles came forward with the four orbs, not of Thessala, but representing a focus for the exorcism.
Xander began the chanting at six-fourteen, quickly moving along as Giles apologetically tranquilized Angel. Xander paced himself and as the chaos magic could be felt creeping through the room, Xander signaled the others to add their voices and cast holy water into the circle as the chaos magic worked them over physically, and the exorcism forced out the demons into the orbs.
The bodies shook and writhed, and blue electricity covered the minor cuts inflicted on them just before the spell took hold, healing the bodies as quickenings corrected the damage. The orbs burst with dust and flame, briefest of seconds taking the forms of those they'd occupied. Tara declared the demon energies gone.
Xander moved into the circle, stabbing wooden stakes into the exposed chests of Edith, William and Jesse, removing them after a second to allow the healing to really reinforce what the team had already accomplished. Dawn and Doyle moved forward with healing draughts of the elvenkind, designed to purge the body of toxins as it sped up the natural processes. They indicated it would adversely affect unnatural forms of life. Willow checked the vital signs of the circle occupants, careful not to smudge any runes or chalk markings.
After half an hour, the four people in the middle of the circle began to stir, the tranquilizer doses being purged from their bodies. One after another they were compelled to drink the elven tea and then sit up carefully, then allow themselves to be seated at the tables as Tara and the others looked them over physically and supernaturally. Rupert dialed a phone number and three minutes later the chaos departed from the room.
Angel was the first to recover, looking around, and then staring up at Buffy smiling, as the other recent vampires made the same realizations.
"I'm human again, Buffy," he softly declared, then again louder with laughter creeping in, "I'm human!"
"Bro? Wills?" Jesse confusedly asked, "What exactly happened?" Willow lunged at the young man, babbling into his shoulder but no one could make out the words. "Bro? you staked me!" Jesse added in disbelief, causing Xander to step back with some shock.
"You would have hurt Wills, Jes," Xander rasped out, "And it was the demon, any way."
"But I remember it," the young man asserted, "But I also remember not being there."
"I had to bring back your vampire body first, then put your soul into it," Xander replied with the fatigue showing in his speech, "I couldn't let you hurt Willow."
"Okay, man," Jesse replied, "I'm good with that, I guess. Now what?"
"Good question," Xander replied, turning to see Giles and Jenny helping Edith and William with their newly restored humanity, "But I need to take a nap. Sorry." And with that, he put his head down on the table and let himself pass out.
"Well, well, well," Whistler in his black suit approved as he watched from the skylight, "That was interesting, but the Powers are gonna be pissed about Angel being human now. Hmm, truck stop chili sounds good right about now…"
"We need to do something about Janus!" Ares threatened, "Look at what's happening in the Norse Planes! Ragnarok has happened and only a single Odin and a few of the Ancients are left in those! And before we lost contact they were seven Earth years in the future!"
"Calm down, Ares," Zeus commanded, "So far we've only lost the Hades-controlled dimensions to this effect. And if we act precipitously we'll lose the ability to teleport ourselves or control portals."
"And if we do nothing we risk oblivion, Father," the God of War replied to his Anthony Quinn look-alike father, "So from here I can see the Asian pantheons fighting each other to survive, and it also looks like with the pressure of the Demon Lords and Hell Gods are turning on each other."
"So we wait, and if necessary kill our Cousin Janus," Zeus declared, "But I will do it while each of you find your favorite mortal realm as the aftershocks might mean your reductions to demi-god status unless you can slowly recreate your power from worship as of old rather than from magic as we did eventually. It seems to be working for Cousin Odin, and he was trapped in a succession of mortal forms until recently recharged from the magic and pain of the Earth."
"Have we been given the order to reconnaissance the epicenter of the disturbance?" Gabriel asked Michael, "Surely what is going on in the Supernatural Planes is of Importance."
"No," replied Michael, "Free Will such as the Pantheonics receive is being exercised between themselves as well as between the Demonics. Neither the King nor the Rebel have need of restraint as the effects have prevented direct spillover into the mortal realms."
"So this means…" another Archangel voiced.
"A self-downsizing of the corporate infrastructures," Michael responded.
"That's it!" Gabriel shouted in a very Billy Crystal manner, grabbing his superior and 'brother' by the ear, "You are *so* going to watch some mortal television! No more hanging around the late 20th Century Fortune 500 types that sometimes eek through!" He waved his hand and a hundred 60" televisions revealed themselves with different shows. "Not one of these is educational, brother, but if you don't want the Sci-Fi Channel or Showtime, at least watch that new WB network. If you keep paying attention to the merchants, it'll mean remedial courses on 'Why Bright Star Isn't Here Any More' for you and *I'll* have to do your job as well as mine!"
"Can I at least have a lot of sugar with my corn flakes?" the Archangel replied, dead-panned.
"See Mike!" Gabriel responded, "That's more like it."
"Don't call me Mike…"
"We've lost complete contact with half the worlds on which we have a presence," one of the Partners noted, "And our ability to brute-force travel between dimensions has become nearly non-existent since the Januses have been reduced and the other portaling keepers of power have been destroyed in the panic to control them."
"What will happen if Janus is eliminated?" another Partner voiced.
"A return to the beginning for most magics, as the Fates and their counterparts have themselves been forced onto mortal planes," another Partner informed them.
"Mortals and demigods would be mostly free of us unless the obvious centers of old power were used with the proper rituals or the sacrifice of an Old One."
"It is fortunate that all of the Old Ones are in a single repository on a single Earth," the first Partner voiced, "But we would have to resume form like the Anubi in order to retain direct control."
"How many of them are left?" the second Partner voiced.
"A mere forty throughout the nearly two hundred variations where magic and technology co-exist in equal presence, the third Partner informed, "But we would be as the Ancients of those dimensions or the First."
"Can we do anything about that one?" the second Partner asked.
"We could sacrifice half the Old Ones and channel the power into the Stronghold of the First. That would render it corporeal in the worlds it is currently playing, and make it vulnerable for a millennium before it could revive itself."
"To rid ourselves of that enemy is desirable, and should shatter all ties by the pantheons, demonics and ourselves to the mortal realms unless we're in the mortal realms," the third Partner remarked, "It should be considered, as many of the battlefield planes of both sides *might* shatter and dissolve with those therein."
"We shall begin preparation," all three Partners intoned.
"The Other Side is shifting somehow," a Power remarked.
"Yes, they will probably move to sever the ties as they and us would be all that is left." another Power voiced.
"Have the Guardian of the Old Ones turn over a quarter of his charges," another Power directed, "We will tie he release of power into realms in which we are at least barely winning."
"Such power is insufficient to permit direct passage," another Power remarked.
"Unlike the Other Side, we need only Influence, not establish a Presence," another Power, that representing the Ancients responded, "We need only maintain what we have, not establish bases. And we have the Gates in the dimensions in which 'Ancients' lived. With Influence, those and other technologies may be utilized to cross between the mortal realms."
"We are too thin to effect too great a control," another Power suggested.
"Then take Inspiration from Him," the Ancient remarked, "And place some trust in those of the humans and other sentients He created and cares about. We have evolved into our role, let us do what we can to justify it."
"We will do as we think necessary," another Power chided, "We balance the gray so that light may eventually triumph through the efforts of those below us."
"My bloody body hasn't felt this drained since that time I spent four weeks with all twelve of the Vestals under the rubble after that earthquake…" Xander bemoaned as he awoke to sun shining through the window. He smelled the tea being placed next to him even before he heard it.
"I'd be willing to here that story, Alexander," Jenny Calendar's voice purred softly into his ear, causing him to sit immediately upright in his chair.
"Ack," he replied, "No picking on the 'Alexander' before his first coffee or tea, or it could get ugly." He sighed after intaking half the cup. He blearily looked around the library. "You guys couldn't toss me on he cot in the weapons locker?" he continued slightly exasperated.
"Nobody wanted to disturb you, you were so tired," she replied softly while looking around the room.
"Where are they?" Xander asked, pouring another cup for both of them as Giles came out of his office at the sound of their voices.
"Good morning, Xander," Giles greeted him and set down the 'Big Book O' Xander' in front of him, "I haven't made it all of the way through but this is quite fascinating. Do Doyle or the girls know of this?"
"Hmm, Dawn vaguely might remember it from back when," Xander considered, waking up, "What time is it?"
"Ten of twelve, actually," Giles replied, "The others have gone out for food and a walk, they were less tired than you were."
"So how are our 'new humans' today?" Xander queried.
"They seem to be normal humans in excellent health at the age of when they were turned," Giles replied, "They do not seem to have retained any of the vampire qualities in the least."
"Good," Xander replied, earning him curious looks, "I don't really plan to have folks getting themselves turned so that they can become super-humans, because I'm *not* going to be making a habit of this."
"Understood," Giles responded respectfully, making Xander feel directly happy with Giles for the first time in a really long time.
"Now, let's get some lunch and you two can help me plan for the next Reset."
"Oh?" Jenny replied.
"Even if we don't have to do the spells again, a naked Jesse will be falling off my bedroom shelf, and William and Edith will be in the midst of Spike and Drusilla's minions."
Xander outlined the plan once more with everybody present, just in case any of the 'stable' people became Resetters and could help out. The clock struck 2:30 PM…
…And the next cycle began. Xander ran into the office and grabbed Giles' keys and headed for the weapons locker. He grabbed a few stakes and swords, and then noticed that the crysknife had still cycled through as did Phil the Tree-cat.
"Jon, Willow, Buff, I have the weapons ready," Xander said as he attached the crysknife to his belt, "Anybody let Buffy know what's going on?"
"Not really," Willow responded as they headed for the door, "But I'll explain it on the way."
Having pretty much cleared the room, William suddenly felt excruciating pain, but managed to keep conscious by the barest of margins. Looking around, he found it all familiar, but unattached emotionally. He was still dressed in his Spike-way but something was wrong other than the cool temperature of the building. Looking at Dru he was relieved she seemed to have regained some color, and, taking her hand, seemed…to…have a body temperature…and now that he thought about it…and checking…he and she both had heart beats.
Jesse hit the floor with if not for the grace of a pile of dirty clothes, would have been a painful crash. Looking around, he realized he was back amongst the living, though the last day still seemed like a confusing dream…and the memory of Xander's stake piercing the heart still brought the shock of it back to him. Quickly he found the clothes where Xander had told him to look, and then dressed. He heard his friend's parents moving around down the hall, and waiting a moment, rushed down the stairs and out the front door. 'I can't believe the first place I go after I get back from the dead is the high school library,' he grimaced as he made his way down the street.
At 2:30 PM, Angel coughed a little in his sleep, rolled over and began to snore horrendously for the first time in nearly two and a half centuries.
Only fifteen minutes after the Reset, a small car pulled up out front of the warehouse as two running slayers simply crashed through the door with tree branches as weapons.
The dyed-blonde man struggled to carry his girlfriend toward the door, nearly getting there when two young women barged into the place, rousting minions in the next room and that had been sleeping near the doorway. He stopped in surprise and shouted out to everybody.
"Minions, Retreat to the other rooms!" the now-human shouted in bluff, "These two are mine!" He gave it his all and charged the two girls as the not-very-awake vampires scurried to get out of the way. Facing the two young women and nearing them as they lunged with their improvised stakes at two lagging vampires, he added, "Get out of here! These blokes are vampires!"
The black girl stepped forward and grabbed Dru from him, turning to race back out into the sunlight as the gypsy-looking girl seemed to provide cover.
"Come on," William gasped to the girl as he raced pass toward the door, "Something stranger than two teenage girls rushing in to help us is happening."
Lilah and Lindsey were heading to their again-waiting helicopter for their third loop into Sunnydale. So far, they'd managed to determine some type of chaos magic at work that transformed people into the costumes worn, but that was it.
"What is it?" Lilah demanded of the pilot as he reset the helicopter down again without really taking off, "Why aren't we going anywhere?"
"Your orders are changed, ma'am," the man replied, "Report to Mr. Manners immediately, something about the Partners."
Linda and Wesley arrived moments after the warehouse evacuation to find the new humans collapsed and unconscious.
"What happened?" Linda asked as they helped the former vampires into the backseat, "Are they…alright?"
"They seem to be out of it from lack of food and water," Faith reported, "I guess the mojo powered them up last time, but he didn't even seem to recognize us."
"Well then, let's get them to a hospital and take it from there, shall we?" Wesley added as they saw the high schoolers show up in Giles' car.
"W-we'll be there after we tell them w-what's going on," Tara responded, and then check on the other two."
Jonathan, Xander, Willow, Doyle and Dawn crammed into the Libarian's car and they headed to Ethan's. They'd discussed going as Star War characters because of the whole Jedi meditation perspective Jonathan's brief time as Yoda provided him. The others had agreed mainly because the young man had it owed him for their necessary safeguards when he'd become aware of things, but nearly as much because he still hadn't run away when he could have.
He'd made his case, that Xander dress as Yoda in human form or as Qui-Gonn Jinn to give him the meditation, control training and the ability to divert or fend off the dark side influences even in adversity and cited Yoda experience as why he could control much of the confusion and conflicting feelings by force of will. Willow he thought would make a very good Mara Jade Skywalker, the skills would be good, but the trip through darkness to light might provide her with the balance Yoda felt she needed to pursue in the short contact they'd had. Doyle was told he should dress as Anakin Skywalker at the end of 'Jedi' because the grayness of his experience needed to have greater contrast to appreciate the struggle of the others as well as for the skills. Dawn didn't really want to wear pants or such, and opted for the safe Leia Organa-Solo, kidding Xander about how he'd already dressed as her husband Han Solo. Jonathan would go as Obi-Wan Kenobi to humanize his Jedi and other experiences without giving up any of the Jedi meditation memories. The costume shop experience, mentioning Giles in hearing of the proprietor, had assured them fullest mojo being placed on the costumes as they then changed into them and left, Xander not going as Yoda.
The approach to nightfall proved not too problematic, the humanization of the four vampires being shock enough to those not in the Resets. Buffy was handed a generic Jedi Knight costume before she went off with her kids, and those not dressed either on hospital or library duty until the time of the spell. At that point, the library crew of Jenny, Giles, Jesse would deal with the Janus statue. The Jedi would protect and such until rendezvousing afterwards at the library. Willow wrote their costume characters notes and mapped out routes for the Jedi to follow back to the school from wherever they found themselves.
The five Jedi divided themselves into three pairs, Buffy and Dawn together, Jonathan and Xander, Willow and Doyle. Finishing up quickly and returning the kids to the school, the triads headed out to their agreed positions in order to help friends and hopefully exact a preemptive toll on many of the known threats.
The magic swept over Qui-Gonn Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, upsetting their force balance, but quickly recognizing the feel of Master Jedi in each other.
"Who are you, Jedi, and how is it I do not know you?" asked Obi-Wan of the young man next to him, and how is it I am amongst the living once more?"
"To answer your second question first, I do not know as I similarly am unable to account for my being in a different body than I am accustom," the Jedi Master answered, "And to the other question, I'm Qui-Gonn Jinn." To this he received a shocked look and a few direct and piercing questions to which only he and one other person should have an answer.
"Good tidings to you, my former Master," the shorter man then bowed slightly, "I am your former padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and it is with great pleasure I meet with you again."
"Well Obi-Wan, I'm surprised to find us in such strange circumstances, but I suppose not too different form many we'd been sent into," the Jedi Master smiled, "I seem to have in my hand a note of some type, and what appears to be a crude map. Are you able to read this language? The characters are of a different script than any I've studied."
"I'm afraid it looks nearly identical to one I have and also can't read," Obi-Wan conceded, "But perhaps if we compare the scripts on the map to what appear to be street markers over there, we can reach the indicated destination."
The two dear friends in spite of the oddity of their situation, Obi-Wan filling in his former master with regards to the fall of the Republic, the rise of Vader and Anakin's redemption as the New Republic took its first breaths. The outline of events lasted for nearly half an hour, and thrice they drew light sabers and chased off mongrel non-humans before they could cause ill.
Cordelia was running for her life, quickly turning toward Buffy's house. Having heard earlier in the day that Halloween was *suppose* to be quieter, it was Cordelia's hope that she could find refuge there as the thing that used to be Tucker Wells seemed intent on eating her for dinner.
"Help! Help!" Cordelia cried out as she neared the place, hearing what seemed to be a big bug zapper ignite.
*Swick-Zack* came the crackle of a blue light saber on a training setting making contact with the back of the animal's right leg, knocking it painfully to the ground. Doyle/Anakin struck the animal again in the forehead to stun it, then turned to where the rescued girl and Anakin's… companion gathered, the dust of another strange dark-creature poofing onto the sidewalk.
"Is the girl safe?" Anakin Skywalker in his dark robes but without helmet or respirator asked.
"Yes Lord…Skywalker," the former Emperor's Hand responded, her address still that to Vader than to the Jedi she knew him to have reclaimed at the end. That had been a shock, her to find Vader/Anakin and quickly be disarmed by him, then to have him find out she was his daughter-in-law. After quickly dusting several dark-creatures with Force gestures, Anakin had freed Mara, insisting he knew naught of the goings-on, and found her explaining what she knew of his children since his death on the Emperor's Death Star.
"Willow, what are you on? I can't understand most of what you're saying," Cordelia questioned, "And who's the lite-brite guy?"
"You seem…to know the…identity of this body…I find myself in," Mara Jade-Skywalker remarked slowly and deliberately, "But I am not this… Willow, though with concentration I *am* able to understand your words. Now, if…you could tell us…why we might have been…brought here… then maybe we can figure how to return your…friend to you."
Leia and the young Jedi girl had taken a couple of minutes to figure out they were no longer where they'd been before, and managed to quickly thwart several dark-force life forms from eating strangely dressed children and adults. The Ambassador was careful not to allow damage to her precious cargo, choosing mostly to use her blaster for offense and hold the activated light saber to discourage attempts. The young blonde Jedi, however, leapt forward with great enthusiasm, switching settings depending on if the aggressors were dark-force or other. They'd so far managed to save a young woman from a blade-wielding ruffian's unwanted attention, and many groups of frightened towns-dwellers, but still remained unsure of their purpose here.
It had taken awhile for the three on 'Ethan' duty to reach the costume shop, Jesse needing to eat and drink a fair amount before being ready to go along. Giles directed the young man, exhausted from apparent resurrection and the confusion involved with the better part of a year missing form his life, to wait in the car while Jenny assisted in the store effort. Entering the premises, Giles and Jenny both drew revolvers from their jackets, expecting Ethan to make trouble. Carefully moving into the back room, they saw the chaos mage weeping and sobbing, trying to make his way toward the statue of Janus. As Jenny covered the proprietor, Giles walked over to the statue and kicked across the room, shattering it and the spell only a little later than planned.
"R-R-Rupert, Janus…is…dying…" Ethan gasped as he fell into deep unconsciousness.
Willow wasn't feeling very well the next Reset, throwing up in the girl's bathroom within minutes. Buffy looked worried as she watched her friend clean her face.
"You okay, Willow?" Buffy asked, not used to seeing a sick Willow, "Was it something you ate?"
"Uh, no, this hasn't happened before, Buffy," the redhead replied, "Let's go find Xander."
"Okay, but what's Xander got to do with you being sick?" the blonde teen asked.
"I don't know, Buffy," Willow replied, "But he's the one I need to ask."
An hour and a half later, the entire group assembled in the library for the 'short version' of the Reset Tale, ending with Willow's apparent illness.
"We'll go through another couple of Resets," Xander declared, "And I've picked a couple of costume changes I think will draw off enough of the sick memories of Hainsley to where I really will think life is good and I'm ready to move on. Also, I'd like Jesse, Willow and Dawn to think *really* hard as to what they think might make a difference to me."
"But Xan," Jesse said confused, "I haven't been around in a while."
"Yeah, but you still remember the way I was before all this supernatural stuff started to happen," Xander said, "And maybe you'll think of some minor things no one else would, and since you guys'll only tell me, no embarrassment."
"That's very sensible Xander," Giles agreed, nodding, "So what else is on your agenda?"
"Well, if Willow's having trouble, she should probably sit out at least this Reset costume possession," Xander conveyed, "And we'll see if she feels better or worse after the next one."
"So how about Tara wearing my costume," Willow suggested, smiling at the blonde girl, "Let someone else try it."
"But it's Cassandra, Wills," Xander protested, "Her time with the Horsemen was not of the good even if she probably has the skills and training you'd expect."
"Well it's up to her, Xander," Willow replied, "And I was going to ask her if she knew the show and character."
With some Faith-coaxing, the blond girl agreed, inside hers mind figuring that after what she'd gone through before leaving her family, this couldn't be too bad since the worst would have the perspective of three thousand years.
As the group broke up, Jonathan's 'counter bad mojo with good mojo' plan continued with Xander as Galahad, Dawn as Joan d'Arc, Doyle as Lancelot. Jonathan, to gain more Immortal perspective and to counter the general bloodiness of Kaspian and broodiness of Longinus with an Immortal that seemed to enjoy life, chose to dress as Juan Ramirez D' Villalobos, his favorite Highlander movie character. Tara would go as the Immortal Cassandra, the witch that also had learned the hard way about life and its unfortunate moments.
This costume trip was meant to be a short detour, one in which the young people could feel as one that they could fight the Darkness and hold it back, and it was, but as Faith and Kendra broke the spell after only ten minutes, back at the Library, some things remained after the magic had dissipated.
Xander found himself surrounded by many of the lingering follow-ons from the chaos ebbing, Gurney Halleck's crysknife, the Rivan Sword, Galahad's Shield, and Duncan Idaho's two crysswords. Dawn with Chani's crysknife, Doyle with Lancelot's sword and Liet Kyne's crysknife. Jonathan's eyebrows rose as these 'holy' materials seemed to remain, and a few minutes later he reentered the library as the two slayers raced back into the building.
"Hey guys!" Faith addressed the group, "That Ethan guy was nearly dead when we got there. Any idea of how to end this thing before we all get the same? Hey, Jonathan, nice stick."
"It's the Spear of Longinus ," the young man declared, causing the Watchers and Xander to cease conversation and look over at him, "I-I think it's probably been with me since I dressed as him."
"Hold onto that Jonathan," a serious Xander pressed, "If you know how to use it, it's probably one of the holiest relics in existence."
"W-What's the big deal about a spear, Xander," Faith asked, looking at it as Jonathan carefully set it on the table.
"It's the spear used to mercifully shorten His time on the Cross, Faith," Xander softly explained, "So if it is used against a vampire or other evil demon…any hit probably poofs a vampire."
"Whoa…" the nominally-Catholic girl appreciated, stepping back a foot.
"W-why are they still here, Xander?" Willow asked, "And why don't I feel all that great?"
"We must be getting near the end of this, one way or the other," Xander considered thoughtfully, "And I think once I can put aside the remainder of what darkness I'm feeling, I'm ready to move on. And I think we should maybe have a Party next Reset to get us in the mood for the up-coming end to this long journey. I'll want Joyce there, because even if she doesn't remember it, I'd like for it to go into the Book." The library doors opened, allowing the entrance of a large, well-dressed black man in a very nicely tailored tweed suit.
"Greetings, everyone," the man addressed them as Kendra began walking toward him, "Ah, Kendra, I'm glad you are alright." He looked around the room, making eye contact with the three Watchers, "I am Samuel Zabuto, Kendra's Watcher, here to lend a hand in whatever needs to be done."
Giles, followed by Linda and Wesley, moved forward and offered his hand, "I-I'm Rupert Giles, Buffy Summers' Watcher. This is Linda Pryce and Wesley Wyndham-Price, both arrived similar to yourself and assisting with the research and planning aspects of our tasks." Pleasantries were exchanged, and the others in the room introduced, Xander last.
"So Mr. Zabuto," Xander maturely addressed the Watcher in a very slight British upper class accent, as he quietly took the Watcher aside, "I've noted that Kendra's efficiency and kill rate has increased dramatically since her and two friends formed a small triad. Some time loops they've used guile, magic and proper tactics to eliminate four score vampires. As an ally to her group, and that of Mr. Giles, I've begun adding sword and staff training to the Slayer skills to a greater extent, and should you remain in Sunnydale for any length of time, you have my offer to continue with this."
"You seem a little young, Mr. Harris, to make such an offer," Samuel Zabuto responded quietly but in a tone expecting further information.
"As a result of dressing in costumes that possess and leave behind memories including skills," Xander explained, "I have several thousand years of practical experience, and am the one who defied prophecy and caused there to be two Slayers." The Watcher looked at Xander for a moment then nodded.
"Very well, Mr. Harris, unless the Council compels us elsewhere, we accept your offer."
Joyce blinked a third time at the person in front of her and then felt a smile tug at her lips as she bowed, "Hello, Master Caine."
'Master Caine' bowed back to her, "Greetings, fair lady. I am here to see if …Buffy and Willow are prepared for our travels." Xander was in a pair of dark, loose pants, had on a loose shirt of white underneath a dark jacket and wore not only the hat, but the satchel, the necklace / pouch, and had what appeared to be a flute poking out of the satchel.
"She'll be down in a second – do you have them?" He arched an eyebrow at her and pulled up his sleeves to reveal two 'fake' burns – one the inside of each forearm were patches of pink burn-scar tissue in the respective shapes of a tiger and one of a dragon, and they looked totally real from her point of view.
"Neat!"
"I take it you're a fan, then?" She nodded happily, remembering the slight crush she'd had on the actor back in her younger years, and then Xander grinned, "Why Joyce, if I didn't know any better, I'd be forced to say that you were a bit of a Kung Fu geek."
She gave a look, "Xander, we all have a bit of a geek in us, and Kung Fu happened to be mine."
"I'll try and remember that, mom." Joyce turned and saw her daughter, dressed in a fluffy gown and in a dark wig and confusingly a sword, slowly walk down the stairs, and then smiled at her friend, "Greetings, Master Caine."
"Lady Elizabeth." Joyce was happy to see and hear that Xander was completely into his costume even as he removed his hat yet again, "Is Willow ready? I feel that Principal Snyder … would be most … displeased, if we were late."
Joyce went about finding her camera even as she heard Dawn walk down the stairs in a trench coat, took a picture of the kids and sent them off with a smile before getting her own costume ready for the impromptu party her daughter and friends were putting on at the school. It was surprising how her youngest could plead to get her to go. And really, who in their right mind would ever guess that Joyce was not only a Kung Fu fan, but also had a body good enough to pull of Diana Prince, a.k.a. Wonder Woman?
Tara and Buffy had paired off and were in the general vicinity of Ethan's shop when the spell overtook them and others…
Cassandra looked around, reading the auras of those nearby, the young girl picking herself off the ground having the read of a Slayer and an Immortal, a powerful and disconcerting combination. She drew her own sword and stepped back in a defensible position as she built up magic just in case.
"I mean no harm, Slayer," the Immortal Witch declared softly, "Though I very much would like to know how I came here against my will." The young woman looked at her own fight-inappropriate attire, grimaced and then looked over to Cassandra.
"Seeing as I'm attired for one of my uncle's social occasions, I've no trouble in that," the slayer agreed, "I'm Elizabeth Giles of Oxfordshire, and you would be?"
"I'm Cassandra," the woman smiled, "Lately of Genoa. Any idea of where…or even when we are?"
"I fear I have not a proper answer for you, Cassandra," the younger woman admitted, "But if we stay together between us we should have few concerns this night." They both turned and raced toward the screams of frightened children and swords drawn, the slayer stopping to drop her excessive skirt, but soon catching up with the Immortal as they arrived on the scene of a small battle near a large brick building.
HONK-HOOOONK, HONK
The Slayer lashed out, sword blinding the metal beast thundering down on her, ignoring the shrieking noise it made as it slowed to strike. First, she struck and blinded one of its fire-eyes, as it went by slashing off what seemed to be an ear-shaped piece protruding from the side.
"Hey!" screamed a female voice from deep within, causing her to pause as the rectanguloid thing continued on its way.
"Elizabeth!" Cassandra cried out to her, "That's not a demon, it's a carriage propelled by a steam engine!" Blushing, the Slayer headed for the fight to redeem herself somewhat.
Kwai Chang Caine looked around himself and frowned at the sense of imbalance not only in the air, but in those around him … and within himself, "This … is not right."
He closed his eyes for a second and put his Shambala training to good use, centering himself with several cleansing breaths, and then opened them again to see the world as it really was, drawing in a sharp breath as he saw not only the evil chi around him, but also the disruption of Chaos magic, "How very disturbing."
He set off on foot towards the center of the disturbance, absently passing by demon-children that came at him with a move of his hand and the occasional twist of his body, until he came up against a pirate with a very real sword.
"ARRR, it looks like we have ourselves a Chinaman, boys! I say we split him up the middle and read his innards." The lead pirate, also a victim of twisted chi and chaos, charged him, and Caine found himself forced to strike the man, directing him off into a tree and knocking him out, causing the other pirated to flee.
"Odd," he mused as ht began to walk again. "That felt strangely … good."
Diana looked around again as she felt her strength and power return to her weakened body, but then ran her hair through her quickly-darkening shorn locks again – somebody would pay for cutting her hair. She'd bet it had been Kyle or Wally, the Green Lantern or the Flash, as both Batman and Superman knew how … protective … of her hair she was.
Clearing her head with a shake, she heard the screams of terrified children, and she took out her golden lasso and took to the sky – there was evil about, and Wonder Woman was needed.
Master Lo Si looked around, sensing things were not as he perceived them a moment before. A young woman in a very revealing swimsuit was next to him, looking concerned at strange goings-on.
Master Lo Si ventured a guess based on the mixed auras, that the two humans before him were vampires and others nearby were suffering possession by evil entities. To his surprise the woman of uncertain repute picked up a large stick and attempted to protect *him* from the vampires.
It was unfortunate that he did not have ready access to his library and materials, or he'd try restoring them. Alas, knowing he could not help the souls, he waited until he could sense the young woman making a poor response to an attack, and he struck out with two finger-forward hands, splitting the flesh between ribs and destroying the dead hearts within. As the two vampires turned to dust, he turned to the young woman.
*Young One,* he addressed her with a deep nod, *How did an untrained girl know she faced off two of the undead? And this attire at night, are you a model or tavern girl?*
*I-I didn't know, Ancient One,* she responded softly, *What does my profession have to do with trying to save your life?*
*Ah, I meant no disrespect,* the man replied, *It is merely surprising to find a younger person of a trade known for its… ephemeral nature…conduct themselves so well. You have my gratitude for that.* She bowed slightly in acknowledgement. *So what brings you out on a night like this and in such attire?*
*My agent set me up with one last photo shoot before I retire,* she replied with a smile, *something innocent to end a career many of your generation have no favorable opinion regarding.*
*If I may ask,* the old priest presumed, as they turned a corner into the business district, *What was the photo shoot?*
*I do not remember any of it and am now wherever this place is,* she replied as they continued their rather quick stroll, *But I was having pictures taken at a waterslide park by a young photographer named Xander Harris.*
The magic ebbed and disappeared, the various Scoobies making their remaining supply stops before heading back to the Library. The Watcher contingent had noted the extra confusion, especially as there seemed to be dark-clothed teams of special operatives moving through the streets that had not been previously spotted.
Joyce in Dawn's trench coat paced back and forth in the Library, waiting for Buffy and the others to return; they'd left a note saying they just needed to fetch some more supplies and not to worry. Joyce wondered just what in the world was going on – her body wasn't as soft as it once had been, she was stronger than ever and her hair, which had always been a nice amber color, was now as black as a raven's wing, not to mention past her shoulders in length. She now remembered what had just happened this last hour or so, being Diana Prince - Wonder Woman - but outside of that, she didn't have a clue what was going on.
"Calm yourself, Joyce." She spun around and saw Xander standing in the doorway of her office, a serene smile on his lips as he walked in, with bare feet, dressed much the same as he had been the previous night, "I know these new … developments … are shocking, but please, calm yourself and I shall explain as best as I can."
"Xander, what's going on here? I shoved a 700-pound wooden crate out of the way half an hour ago like it was a large cardboard box, my body hasn't been this firm in twenty years and I was flying at one point!"
He nodded and took her by the elbow, leading her over to a small couch off to the side and sitting her down, "Joyce, first of all, you look fabulous – if I were ten years older, Buffy would have a new step-father by the end of the day in that we'd go to Las Vegas and elope." Joyce blushed at that and calmed down, "Secondly, there is much about Sunnydale that you have been kept in the dark about, perhaps wrongly, and I am here to explain a few things."
"Master Caine changed you, didn't he," wasn't so much of a question as it was a statement of fact.
"Yes, he did – not as much as would have been the case a year ago my time - I see the world more clearly now, Joyce, and I think that you shall be the same, once you get your new gifts under control. Now, first off, what was your costume?"
"Wonder Woman," she admitted, opening the coat slightly but in frustration. He stared blankly for a moment, his breathing exercise ensuring enough oxygen to the brain.
"Xander?" Joyce asked with concerned. He arched an eyebrow.
"Linda Carter?" he wistfully smiled, and she nodded and he sighed again, "And you didn't let me see you in the costume yet? Joyce, why do you torture me like that?"
She laughed a little, feeling more at ease as Xander skillfully manipulated her into a calmer frame of mind, "So you're trying to tell me that I have her powers now?"
He shrugged slowly, deliberately, "For now, you ARE Wonder Woman for all intents and purposes, but for how long, I cannot say. Your new gifts may fade over the next few days, weeks, months, even years, but accept them and use them."
She sighed and lay back into the back of the couch, "You are a wise man, Master Harris."
He joined her on the back of the couch, "Perhaps, perhaps now – we shall see. So, Joyce, just how firm is that body of yours?"
She looked at him and arched a now-dark eyebrow, "Do not make insinuations that you're not prepared to keep, Xander."
He gave her a level look, "Joyce, if I wished to ravish you, I would have done so by now – I want to see just how much of Wonder Woman is there, so I am asking you for a spar."
For a second she felt fretful, but then a large swell of pride came to bear as the thought of herself being scared of a MAN, of all things, came to the forefront, "Let's do this."
Buffy looked at Giles, who, like Willow and Faith, was staring quite dumbfounded at something in front of them, something that she herself could not see, "Guys? What's wrong?" She walked forwards and blinked at the sight as well – Xander Harris, in spite of telling them what he'd gone through, the class clown, goof of all trades, and general smart ass of the first order, sat in the middle of a table, which happened to be covered with rice paper. Now, that in and of itself would not have been news except for that Buffy knew just how brittle the paper was and it also left foot prints when walked on – the paper that Xander sat upon had not a single foot print on it, which begged the question of just how he had gotten up there, "Xand?"
"Greetings, Elizabeth." His voice was a calm as a pond without the slightest hint of a breeze, and when she walked around she could hear that not only was his heart beating at a steady rhythm, albeit a slow one, but she could see that he was completely at peace with himself.
"So, I'm guessing that Master Caine stayed with you, then." She blushed as Willow snickered, remembering when she had screamed at the mere presence of a car, let alone jumping at shadows all night.
"No, he is no longer with me, Elizabeth. Rather, he left me his teachings and has returned to wherever he had previously been." Xander opened his eyes and she could see the vast depths of his knowledge there, but also a bit of a mischievous twinkle, "So, did you really kill a car demon, Buffy?"
Even as Willow's snicker turned into a full-on laugh, Buffy growled – this was now officially a war; the noblewoman may still be within her, but she would NOT run anymore, "How'd you know that?"
"I didn't – you confirmed it for me, though, and I did see the car out in the parking lot," She flushed even more as Giles chuckled at this and then blanched as Xander placed a hand down and vaulted off of the rice paper, allowing her to see the baggy shirt and pants he was it, but the Slayer part of her mind noticed that his hand left no print and his feet made no noise when he landed his large toned heavily and densely muscled body, not to mention the tiger-shaped burn on the inside of his arm – if nothing else, she was going to get him to teach her that.
"I would be honored to teach you, Buffy," Xander said, bowing, but when he came back up, he wore a smile as she idly wondered if he could read her mind. "No, I am not telepathic, but I can read expressions like a champion." She growled as Giles joined Willow in laughter.
"And that is not all, Fair One," Doyle added as he quietly spoke from just behind her, dodging out of the way as in surprise she lashed out.
"I didn't even sense you!" Buffy exclaimed as she embarrassedly ceased her maneuvering, "How did you do that?"
"Who but Master Lo Si do you think helped Master Caine?" Doyle asked, then smiled at Dawn, "Ah, Morning Light, how are you today? Ready to head off with Xander to the waterslide park?"
"Just stop with the Old One routine, Doyle," a suddenly-tired looking Dawn, "You didn't walk in on what I did twenty minutes ago.
"What do you mean Dawn?" Buffy asked as Dawn blushed and relayed her experience.
Dawn followed the sounds coming from the other side of the decorated partition near the office, not sure what to make of them as she got home from school; they were female in nature, and sounded very pleased – but here?!
As she reached the partition, she heard her mother gasp out, "Oh, Xander, that feels *so* good." Dawn's jaw dropped to the ground at her mother's very content purr – Xander? HER Xander? And HER MOTHER? "How did you get this good at such a young age?"
"This is my first time doing this, Joyce." Xander's voice was a little tense, but it was definitely him, "Are you enjoying this?"
"Oh, Gods, yes! If this is the first time you've done this, then I'm going to marry you just to see if you get better."
Dawn drew herself up and saw the world in red colors – Xander was having SEX with her MOTHER! That just didn't compute, so she walked around the partition only to find something she didn't expect – her mother, with a solid, muscular body, in the Wonder Woman costume Dawn had chosen for her, on her stomach on the counter, with Xander next to her, in his Kung Fu costume that revealed that the super-developed body that belonged to Dawn and Willow, massaging shoulders and back. "Huh?"
"Dawn? Dawnie?" Both people at the counter looked up as one and frowned before speaking as one, "What's wrong? Is everything okay?"
"Ah, uh, I'm … not sure. What are you two doing here? Because from out there it sounded like …" She felt her cheeks burning and glowing as she looked down, ashamed that she had thought the worst of them.
"What do you mean that …" Her mother's voice trailed off as a knowing look entered her eyes and she then began to giggle as Xander continued to look a little confused, "You mean, you thought that Xander and I were … that we were …"
Her mother began to laugh very hard as Xander seemed to catch on and choke in laughter himself.
"Well, that's what it sounded like from outside the door!"
"Dawn, trust me, if we WERE doing that, we'd have the common sense to at least get a motel room for a few hours." Xander her mother off the counter and began to clean his hands while her mom sat up, smiling contently, "I felt your mother's distress when I got back to the school and we spoke at length about her new gifts."
"Gifts?" Her mother had not only got a harder body, but had put on about an entire cup size, "It looks like she hit the lottery, Xand."
Her mom smiled, "Don't worry, honey – Xander already told me about the whole Reset and Slayer things and a lot of things since moving here make sense now. I am, however, a little upset at you and your sister for not telling me about all of this."
Dawn glared at Xander, who shrugged deliberately and slowly at her, before looking back at her mother, "So, just to be sure, you and Xander aren't … you know?"
Xander walked forwards was caught in a side-armed grab as her mother pulled him in front of herself and pressed against his back, "I'm not sure, Dawn – for back rubs like that, I'm willing to let almost twenty years of age difference slide."
Dawn gaped silent for a second before Xander and her mom began to chuckle, then she realized that she was being played , "Hey, sharing him with Willow is bad enough when this is all over, but you too? It'd be too freaky."
Dawn blushed as Willow and Buffy laughed this time, as Tara, Kendra and the others entered the library.
"A-and then she nearly killed poor Faith," Tara sighed, "I'm glad about the Resets, I couldn't tell the insurance company that while I was p-possessed, a vampire slayer in a Lady's ball gown took out a sword and hacked my pour little car to pieces." Buffy with Slayer hearing blushed deeply as she looked over to Tara, then away in embarrassment. The generally-repressed Giles finally let loose with a whooping laugh.
Peter looked at his pop as he and the Ancient One, Lo Si, sat quietly on the floor and sipped his tea, "So, pop, do you have an explanation for what happened last night? You just kinda … spaced out … for a while."
His dad smiled a little and laughed, "Yes, Peter, I did, but I also went on a journey that was far more insightful than most. I learned that there are people out there, young people not yet out of school, whom fight against the darkness without anyone else knowing. One of them does so without any powers or training at all, and it was his body that I was in."
"Possessions are very powerful thing, Kwai Chang Caine," Lo Si said with a wise air about him, but also an air of that damned root he always ate, "but also it has unseen consequences."
Peter was shocked when his father nodded, "That it does, Master-Who-Walks-With-Porn Stars – I now find myself oddly fascinated with this thing." Pop held up a clear-plastic wrapped object and turned to him, "Tell me, Peter, what is so good about these …Twinkies?"
As the laughter died down, Buffy apologized to Tara about the car.
"I-it's okay, Buffy," Tara smiled, "At least you and I didn't h-have to be with Faith on her way to the c-costume store." Faith groaned, then reluctantly nodded before giving a hard look at Jesse and Jonathan as they entered the library and had the decency to blush.
"Listen hear, 'Commander Cain,'" the frustrated driver, Faith, retorted, "THIS is *not* a Battlestar, and I'm *not* under your command, and next time roll the window down all the way before firing that ray gun of yours."
"Okay, here's the plan, y-" Faith said to the two Colonials, only to watch them draw their ray guns and charge into the costume shop, "Ahhhhh!"
"So I get in there after they stop shooting every damn costume in the place," Faith shakes her head as she recollects, "And they've hit everything including that Ethan bastard who's on the floor, and the only thing they missed was the statue. So I kick the damn thing over and made Cain and Starbuck there walk back. So sue me. Then there was Buffy the Volkswagen Slayer whacking at the car with *me* in it, and as soon as the spell breaks…Tara reminds me I promised not to use bad language. So yes, I'm just a little tense." Jesse hands her a very strong coffee, extra sugar, no cream. She turns to him after slurping half of it down, "Okay, *you* are off the" looks at Tara "you-know-what list, but Commander 'Window-Melter' better have" a large slice of Halloween-decorated cake and ice cream appears on her other side "and apparently does have enough sense to feed the" takes a bite "hungry Slayer." She drinks more coffee, then looks at Buffy, "And I think Tara could use a little of the cake and coffee treatment too don't you?"
The next morning found Xander and most of the others considering their options on how to make sure they could leave the looping behind them, and what was the deal with the holy objects.
"Well, actually, I think I'm going now, guys, but we might want one last hurrah," Xander emphasized, "And I think I'm going to do something a little drastic to make sure it happens correctly. So I think that whatever costumes you have planned, you should wear as though this is the last Reset coming up. Make up a variation, it doesn't matter but keep in mind the physical considerations if they stick with you."
"So Xan, I guess Quinn and Max are going to give it a try?" Doyle asked when the others left them for a moment, "You and I'll leap out of here, and hopefully be able to leap back?" Xander nodded.
"Yeah, that's the plan, and I also plan to have a few extra timers with us just in case," Xander replied equally quietly, "So we'll want the duffle bag with us when we leave, weapons, cash and a laptop."
"You punch in the codes for the accounts and we'll swing by the bank for cash on the way to Ethan's," Doyle suggested, "And while you do the kiddy escort, I'll get everything ready. Try to get back here as soon as you can, cause I feel that the special forces types the girls saw might be Resetters or working for Resetters, otherwise they wouldn't be in town when they haven't before."
Dawn had apparently been convinced by Jonathan and Jesse to join in the Battlestar Galactica theme of theirs, figuring it wouldn't hurt, and she really didn't feel all that great yesterday in the library. Also, after accidentally letting slip to her mother just before the Reset that she'd dressed as Willow and as Buffy, within Willow's and other's hearing hadn't made things better, so maybe hanging out with Xander's old pals might be a better idea.
At the beginning of the Reset, an hour ago, her mother surprised her by remembering everything from the past loop and keeping the entire Wonder Woman package except for the floating/flying thing, even the costume and accoutrements were lying next to her at the office and apparently real.
Jonathan, Dawn, Jesse, Faith and Kendra went with the Battlestar Galactica theme, while Willow, Tara and Buffy seemed to Dawn to just be going as themselves tonight. Buffy, though, had managed to fit into a tight black dress to catch Angel's eye.
Xander and Doyle had as meticulously as possible really gotten into their costuming and carried twice the normal gear as the characters. Xander and Doyle, in contact with the others by means of cheap walkie-talkies, communicated the fact that at least one group seemed to be combing through Sunnydale looking for someone or something. Hopefully, this jaunt would be over soon, though Doyle had expressed the niggling sensation that something would happen.
"A vision?" Xander asked his friend.
"Nah, just a strong feeling that we're going to be getting out of the Resets soon," Doyle replied, "but I think I'm picking up a vibe of some kind off this whole thing."
"Good, Bad…"
"Just different…"
"Well, it's almost time, 'Professor,'" Xander remarked as they neared the school, "Let's gather our bags before we chicken out."
"Very well, Mr. Mallory," Doyle responded, getting into character, "We must hurry or the others will find out what we're up to."
Four teams from Wolfram and Hart had narrowed their search parameters down to two locations, the high school and a few shops in the business district, as the possible targets. Mr. Manners had been explicit in ordering the capture or elimination of anyone that seemed aware of what was going on, and anything involving portals or large concentrations of magic.
The four Watchers approached the costume shop as the shadows began to darken the streets of Sunnydale, awaiting any indication of magical change before charging in and ending the spell and subduing Ethan Rayne. They were nearly at their destination when Wesley pointed out the darkly-clothed men moving toward the store with barely-concealed weapons.
Dawn and her fellow Colonials had had a good time and were approaching the school with their trick-or-treaters when the magic started to sweep across Sunnydale.
Joyce was sitting in Giles office sipping tea and wearing jeans and a blouse. She shook her head at the costume, lasso and such from the night before when she heard Doyle and Xander enter the library with purpose. She got up and wandered out, overhearing the two discussing their plans and forgetting she might be around.
"Okay, the timer is set for a five-minute countdown?" Doyle asked Xander, who nodded, "And it's started?"
Yeah, now," Xander said, "And here's our gear for the slide. Did you pick up cash for us on the way over?"
"Everything's in the bags, so all we have to do is have it in our hands so our costume guys have the sense to just go with it," Doyle continued, "And if we ever get back home, the world should already have moved on time-wise." Joyce displayed some shock as she came out of the office and into their full view.
"What are you to up to?" Joyce asked forcefully, "And does anyone else know?"
"No, Joyce, they don't," Xander replied, "And don't try to stop us. We think we have an excellent chance of getting this over with and saving everybody. That's what's important."
"What's important Xander?" Dawn asked as she entered the library with her fellow Colonial Warriors and the magic transformed the costumed.
Dawn fell to the ground, closely followed by Willow as Joyce watched the change overcome the other occupants of the library. A loud crash from the back of the library seemed to indicate things or people trying to break into the library, as gunshots seemed to draw nearer from beyond the doors through which the young people had entered. The three dressed as Viper pilots drew their blasters and formed a defensive position, as Quinn and the Professor noticed the countdown nearing its end.
The costume shop was forced open by the unknown group, Giles continuing to drive by and hoping not to be noticed. Half a block down the street, small demons began fighting each other as the magic took hold, the Watchers consulting as to a course of action.
"Do we have firearms other than your revolver, Mr. Giles?" Zabuto asked his fellow Field Watcher, receiving a shake of the head in response.
At the library, Captain Apollo fired several shots into a group of attackers, striking two of the six and causing the others to take cover. He turned to his fellow defenders, noting that a pair of teenagers seemed dressed as Commanders were unconscious on the floor, tended by another so-clad young woman and a civilian. Two young Warriors raced by him with blasters drawn, ready to provide protection from the threat coming from the rear of the building.
The ex-vampires and Buffy/Miss Parker were approaching the library when they saw the attack begin.
"Those kids in there friends of yours?" Miss Parker asked, receiving nods, "Well I seem to owe you for the save from the short uglies, so this'll call it even." She drew out her weapon from her stylish jacket and carefully used the lights of the library to shoot three silhouetted hitters and remove them from the fight. They listened a moment as someone ordered a withdrawal, and as they and their wounded disappeared, Miss Parker moved to th doors and listened.
"Seems that whatever fight's going on, moved to the other side of the building," she remarked to the others, "We'll wait a moment, then go in."
Giles turned the car around and handed the revolver to Zabuto. They drove back, several men coming out of the store with a glowy-eyed statue and Ethan Rayne with them. Zabuto quickly fired at the statue, managing to hit and shatter it enough to break the magic, as well as hitting two of the gunmen. Shots were returned as Giles weaved the car around the corner and down an alley into the next street.
"Mr. Giles, we need to go to the hospital!" Pryce called from the back seat, "They've both been shot badly!" Giles spared a glance, noting they might not make it in time to save Wesley Wyndham-Price and Samuel Zabuto.
Apollo moved quickly to support the other Warriors as he heard some type of relief force exacting a toll from the attackers. He watched as a vortex opened in the library, the older blonde woman calling out to the two men as they seemed about to enter the apparent portal.
"Help us!" Joyce called to the Sliders, "They're unconscious." The other blonde seemed reluctant to leave the two downed young people.
"What do you say, Professor?" Quinn shouted over the sound of the vortex, "Take them with us?"
"Perhaps we must, Mr. Mallory," Maximilian Arturo responded, "Those dastards surrounding the place seem intent on causing them harm."
Nodding, the two helped lift the two girls, noting they both had small abrasions bleeding. Noting a drop on his timer, Quinn quickly put it away. Shouts from in back of the library indicated the three blaster-wielders were not faring well, backing into view.
"Get out of here!" Apollo called out as he shot another foe, "Do whatever you have to!" The backs of the other two were backing also into sight.
"We have no choice but to take you ladies with us," Arturo explained, "We jump between parallel worlds in hope of finding our own, we're going to jump…" Commander Artemis of the Atlantia nodded, and agreed since this place wasn't the bridge of her vessel at the peace conference.
"Let's go!" she directed, the men leaping with the young women, and she grabbed and tossed their baggage through before turning, "Captain hurry!" before leaping with the older woman holding strange clothes, "I wonder why the vortex turned green when they jumped in with the girls?!"
Apollo and Sheba fired and killed the last two attackers, diving for the vortex as it disappeared and the magic stopped. Jesse looked over to Faith and Kendra, who looked equally stricken, as did Buffy as she looked from the door.
The green-tinged vortex opened across the exit of the conference room. The occupants had been gathered to discuss tomorrow's historic Peace Conference to end the thousand-yaren war, and in particular the proper placement of the Battlestars for welcoming the Cylon delegation. Some of the occupants of the room recovered from a momentary lapse in consciousness as the rest of the gathering of Battlestar Commanders faced away from the vortex.
The Council President turned from his explanation of how he felt things would proceed after the Peace was concluded, to see Commanders Artemis and Adama swaying slightly as two relatively young men, a woman of a few years more and three young women dropped from the portal onto the floor, followed by a thin college-aged young man, a girl the same age, an older black man and finally a large bearded Englishman as the color of the portal turned back to blues. The ten flag officers and Baltar rose as a unit, unsure of what was happening.
As the vortex closed, Xander looked around in partial recognition of some of the individuals in the room, and Tara recognized them all from when *she* was Commander Artemis, taken from her bridge as it met its end from suicide Cylon fighter craft.
"You!" she spat in Colonial at Baltar, "Cylon Puppet!" She fired her blaster and even with Xander trying to block her shot managed to exact a hit in the betrayer's right arm. The others in the room froze as Doyle and Xander both then drew swords and crysknives. The four real sliders edged away from the building conflict, backing carefully into a corner. Joyce helped Willow and Dawn to their feet, only to restrain a similar reaction from the two girls, who watched as Tara addressed the most powerful men in the Colonies with the momentum of her last possession.
"Adama, do you remember where you were a few minutes ago?" Tara asked the person that'd possessed Jonathan, "A technologically regressed world called Earth?" Adama and the real Artemis both nodded as many gasped at the mention of the old legend-name of the mythical Thirteenth Colony.
"Yes, and I remember coming into a library to see three colonial warriors failing to jump into the portal after you," Adama replied, "And then I felt my spirit leave that place and I was back here. But what is the basis of your accusation against Baltar?" Tara translated for the others and continued after Xander suggested certain wording, and as he knew the most, had her translate for him in particular.
Alexander Harris was far from the young man from before he had cycled through nearly a year of Halloweens. As he'd chosen to costume himself as men usually in excellent shape, his physique had become more susceptible to changes in overall mass and allocation. The man that the Colonials saw stood a bit over six feet in height, and his densely toned muscles were an impressive three hundred and thirty pounds without fat on him, clearly designed for power, stamina and speed, the look of a runner or swimmer in spite of the mass he bore easily. Even during the Halloweens his Reset companions had slowly grown accustomed to the incremental changes that they themselves were experiencing to different degrees, or his non-costume clothing tended toward the large and comfortable and offset perceptions. But in the comparatively crowded space of the conference room, the President and the Commanders took note of the Warrior in front of them as the blonde woman translated his words.
"The dimension…where we come from…" she conveyed, choosing her words carefully. "The Colonies were exterminated by the Cylons twenty years ago as the Fleet was diverted because of an impending peace negotiated by Baltar. The Traitor Baltar was in the pay of the Cylons and believed himself to become a satrap of humanity under the Cylons. He was wrong. The Cylons hid about a thousand suicide saucers behind a moon or asteroid, I don't remember, with refueling tankers. They wiped out the Fleet except Galactica, while the Cylon Base Stars used nuclear weapons and fighter strikes to savage the Colonies. Within a week, Adama had returned to Caprica, gathered a hundred thousand people and crammed them into a few hundred vessels, and headed out to Kobol and to find Earth, pursued sporadically by the Cylons. Cain and the Pegasus are out near Gamoray fighting a guerilla battle and eventually sacrifice themselves to take out two base stations and force a third to retreat. I suggest you simply allow us to question Baltar, offer him clemency in return for switching back to the human side. Perhaps a strike on the tankers to strand the saucers, then race back and ambush the base stations is your best strategy. One of our fellows had a similar possession of Cain, but I don't know if he'd picked up enough information to know we need him here now, since our being here is the first evidence such a thing has happened."
"Young man, young lady," the Council President addressed Xander, and Tara who translated, "What proof do you offer as to a Cylon Perfidy or Baltar's betrayal? Let alone tales of the Lost Tribe?"
Xander turned to Joyce, and pointed at her lasso, then to the Council President, "Mr. President…the lady will place the lasso…around you. Then we will ask you a few questions, and we want you to try and lie, in order that we can check if it's still working properly, and if it is, then you know Baltar's words to be truth."
"Very well, now that that's done," Xander said as Joyce indicated readiness, "Tell me, Sir, am I your son and heir?"
"Y-y-no," the old man gasped.
"Am I Commander of the Colonial Fleet?"
"Y-no," he gave in more easily, knowing he couldn't get a lie through, then conceded, "Alright, try it on Baltar."
The wound-bound man was sat in a chair and the lasso tied around him, Xander moving close to keep Willow, Dawn and Tara away from him. Through Tara he questioned for half an hour, allowing the Council President and Commanders every opportunity to clarify. It was surprising just how exacting the Council President could be when his dreams of peace were fueled and then betrayed by this Baltar, who agreed to do everything he could to ensure Colonial success before accepting clemency but also public disgrace. It was surprising how much Baltar actually did know, only the end-result being kept from him by the Cylons.
It turned out the real Quinn Mallory had been an old Battlestar Galactica geek as well, and had brought up what he could remember from the novelizations, the pilot episode and the Cylons in general, earning grateful nods as Xander Harris continued directing the initial interrogation before letting the Colonials take over detailed follow-ups.
"So you're the Sliders, huh?" Xander smiled at the astonished four he approached and filled the space in front of them, "I'm Alexander Harris, but please call me Xander. In our home dimension, you're a television series, and a good one. It's a pleasure to meet the four of you in person."
"I'm Quinn Mallory, this is Wade Wells, Professor Arturo and Rembrandt Brown," the young man greeted in return and shook hands with Xander, "So how did we get off-planet and arrive here at the same time as your group?"
"I'm not sure why we're here, though perhaps a link between the possessed and the possessors here had an effect on our travel, and since Doyle and I dressed for Halloween as the Professor and yourself, timers included, we intersected the *real* slide."
"But can we actually slide back and arrive on an Earth instead of the vacuum of space equivalent to this one?" Arturo asked thoughtfully, "And how long until the next slide?" Xander and Quinn both examined their respective timers.
"About two weeks, Professor," the both said, smiling, then Quinn continued, "Perhaps enough time to check out their technology and science a bit?"
"A fine idea Mr. Quinn, and I'm sure Mr. Brown might take in the entertainment offerings," the Professor smiled and rubbed his hands in anticipation, "And Miss Wells the computer capabilities of these Colonials."
"S-so what now, Xander?" Tara asked as the adrenaline and the vestiges of possession wore off, "I-It looks like you've saved the Twelve Colonies."
"*We* may have saved them, Tara of the Wild West," Xander sighed, "Though we still don't know if we'll be seeing the brig or guest quarters after drawing weapons in their chambers."
"You'll be guests…Xander, was it?" Adama addressed in slow and deliberate English, "It seems from what little I remember, this language is part of it. With ten ready Battlestars instead of one just able to escape, I think no matter what the pain, we'll survive."
"That's good, though you might want to start putting together a Battlestar and a well-planned expedition to Earth," Xander speculated, "There are a few places on the way that could be helpful, including one that has a big energy gun that can *kill* Battlestars and Base stars. That would be a nice planetary defense addition. If we're not under arrest, could you render medical examinations of Dawn and Willow, here, they seemed to have been faring poorly the last couple of days…"
"I'll escort you there myself," Commander Artemis interjected, "With the Council meeting on board, the Atlantia currently has a few extra specialists on hand just in case. And you'll be happy to know that Baltar's shuttle pilot has also been secured and offered financial compensation and pardon in exchange for his assistance."
*What about Arturo?* the question came to Xander from nowhere, *Isn't he suffering a malady?*
"Oh, and Professor Arturo as well," Xander added, shrugging off the obvious effects of fatigue and repeating time too many times, "I believe he has some type of…malady" Quinn and Arturo looked up in joint shock. "He's a good man, and deserves any help you can give."
Jonathan slumped against the library door in confusion, his Adama memories fading slightly as he regained control. The mood in the building was a somber one as none knew when their fellows might return. Buffy suddenly was without sister and mother and closest friends, Kendra and Faith hugged each other at the loss of Tara, and the general unreality of the moment befell them. Jonathan turned to the other males.
"Let's deal with the body situation somehow," the young man indicated, "Either dump 'em somewhere or figure out a story for the police."
"I vote for story myself, but we'll need to get Buffy and the non-students out of here," William replied, "Her because of the gun and powder on her hands, the rest of us because we don't have a reason to be here."
"That's probably the best plan," Liam conceded, "But let's double check before making the call."
Three hours later, the Sunnydalers pretty much finished relaying their Battlestar-related recollections to Adama even as the Fleet prepared for desperate battle. Dawn had been bewildered to find out that she'd passed out, but *she'd* dressed up as Commander Artemis. Willow then blushed and explained that because Dawn had gone as *her* she returned the favor.
"My head hurts…I didn't just get you, Dawn," Willow said, "I seemed to get a lot of your costume experiences too."
"Wow, but how did…" Dawn began, then with Willow looked at Tara, who blushed deeply and started to hide behind Xander, "Uh, Tara?"
"I-I dressed a-as Willow," Tara admitted, "Sh-she's so nice and she seemed okay after her costumes, so when F-Faith wanted to dress up…" Willow went over to the nervous girl, giving her an encouraging look, as did Dawn.
"That's okay, then," Willow assured her, "A-and Dawnie and I aren't really ones to get mad and all about costuming as each other, right Dawn?" Dawn nodded in agreement and patted Tara's shoulder.
"Well, if everybody could sit down," the Doctor said, "I can give you your medical status reports, unless you'd each rather do this privately." They all shook their heads and gestured for him to continue, but allowing time for translation to Xander and Doyle, "Alright, my staff and I find you to be in excellent health, and the worries about the two ladies not feeling particularly good the last few days might just be from overdoing things for ladies in their and Miss Tara's condition, though the results were rather surprising."
"Surprising how?" Willow asked.
"Well, the fact that in such a small group, Miss Dawn is carrying twins, yourself and Miss Tara quadruplets, and all at about four weeks along…" the Doctor replied, Dawn rattling on to Xander then with the rest of them suddenly realizing *what* had been said as they sat in silence, "Patriarch Alexander, we'll need your counter-signature affirming the tests, in addition to those of your wives." Adama had translated this for Xander as Dawn had sobered with the rest of them.
"Patriarch?" Xander asked confused, only to be stared at and then glared at by the Amazon Princess.
"Xander…" Joyce began, in the Classical Greek of Princess Diana.
"We *never* Joyce," Xander assured her in the same tongue, "We were waiting until *after* the Resets to even pursue a relationship. This must be because of the possessions, and the relationships to my own. But I…will… assume responsibility. If we get back, there are accounts I can access to provide for them." Realizing she wasn't going to kill him now, he looked to find three young women looking at each other then him. He moved quickly to squat in front of them and speak softly and reassuringly to them.
"Hey, it'll be okay," Xander said, looking each of them in the eyes, repeated what he'd told Joyce, and then added, "And we're not due to slide out of here for another two weeks. We'll stock up on vitamins and other mystery baby stuff, and when we get back, it'll work out. Remember the accounts I have access to? We'll buy a big house, hire some help, whatever it takes, okay?" He gave them each the 'Xander-patented big brown eye' treatment, and they nodded back, a little less afraid.
The Sliders and Sunnydalers began to interact and get to know each other, the oddities experienced by the others fueling conversations at multiple levels. Tech ideas for timers, wormhole travel, stargates and such were battered nearly as much as musical preferences and assertions.
Wade and Remmy were not happy about finding out from a stranger that one of their family had been sick and that Quinn also had kept the secret, however reluctantly. Listening to the Professor's resistance to 'constant poking and prodding' did, however, ease the strain especially as Xander had drawn the sliders into discussing their latest world experiences. The medical staff
Two hours later, before he was due to depart for the Galactica, Adama found himself approached by Xander once again.
"Commander Adama, the sooner you blast those machines and any lingering reptile-brains out of existence, the better I'll feel," Xander exhaled and told the older man who did indeed look a lot like Lorne Greene, "And how about a trade of technologies for goods and services?" The officer raised an eyebrow as he looked expectantly, "Quinn, the Professor and I have the math and the specifications for the device that allowed us to 'slide' through the wormhole that brought us here."
"What would you want in return?" Adama asked, curious at the young man's directness and finding it refreshing after the last few weeks of political maneuvering toward the now-defunct peace conference.
"If we're unable to leave this dimension because we'd end up in the vacuum of space, then a large estate, tax-freedom for a generation, pre-approved entrance and coverage of all expenses of education for us and our children, and each of us here to receive a Commander's retirement pay for subsistence and jobs with the Sliding Program. If there is an expedition to Earth, we get equivalent space and such on the Battlestar assigned."
"That seems a lot," Adama said, "But if we were to find uninhabited worlds like our own, the resources would allow us tremendous capability in our war and peacetime economic efforts. The war has hampered our space freight capability, and that's what's stagnated our ability for nearly a hundred and fifty yarens…and if we could great portals large enough for Battlestars to pass…"
"And if we *are* able to slide," Xander smiled, "It'll be even cheaper for you, since we probably can't take too much with us…maybe gold, technical specs, personal weapons, medkit 'cause of the…babies…"
"I'll relay your proposal to the President later today, Alexander," Commander Adama promised the new patriarch.
Two days later, the Sunnydalers found themselves on the damaged command deck of the Galactica. The Fleet with Baltar's compliance had managed to turn the tables on the Cylons and win a pyrrhic victory over the machines. For six Base Stars and two thousand saucers, four Battlestars had been so badly damaged as to be unserviceable, one eventually self-destructed to eliminate a hundred and fifty saucers flying by it for Scorpio. So far, the enemy had managed several deep raids against primarily military targets once the ambush failed, but eight cities of over ten million each had suffered fiery elimination, underscoring the truth of the Sunnydalers assertions. The Fleet managed to hold off the Base Stars, guiding them back nearly to the Peace Conference location through skillful maneuvering, six Battlestars against nine Base Stars, though the fighter craft forces numbered the same.
The pregnant girls had found themselves immediately under Joyce's tutelage, and they'd begun making plans for sliding, Colonial and return-home possibilities as much as possible. With a return to 'temporal progression' Dawn's physical changes had become evermore noticeable, her face tending toward Elven and Asian qualities around the cheekbones and eyes, and a body that seemed like a 5' 10" Angelina Jolie capable of winning a world body-building championship, but had Dawn's unique facial features. The physique of a young woman that seemed no younger than eighteen to Xander's now-early twenties look.
Joyce was still getting over the huge shocks of her last few days, but her Wonder Woman physique and gifts were still firmly in place without signs of lessening.
Doyle had gained somewhat in height and stature, and as many of his more recent costumes had been in excellent physical condition, so for now was he and trying to maintain it. Like the rest of the Sunnydalers, he'd taken to wearing unadorned and unranked black uniforms as did Commander Adama and much of the command crew.
"Any regrets, about staying with 'em Xander?" Doyle asked quietly as the opposing forces drew almost to within long-range gunnery.
"If the Fleet fails, I don't think we'd survive long enough to make the next slide," Xander replied with a sad smile, "And they're our friends, where else could we be? It's not like they have a Chappa 'ai."
"A Ring of the Gods?" Adama remarked with surprise, "There was one that was found when the Colonies were first discovered, made of an extremely rare metal alloy and matches one mentioned in the texts as being back on Kobol. It's in the main square in Settlement Park on Caprica."
"An outer ring with thirty-nine symbols, and another with…fewer," Xander pressed strongly, "With a smaller unit nearby with a large red stone in the top?"
"The ring is as you describe, but no red stone device, Alexander," Adama replied, "After this battle, I'll make it a priority to get you there."
The battle started as a slugfest, an exchange of long-range fire with the expectation of increased payload and accuracy as time went on, the Colonial Vipers and support craft punching through the enemy fighter screen and concentrating on softening up the lead Base Stars achieving very little but to draw the enemy craft to defender the larger vessels.
"Don't you guys have any old-fashioned nuclear weapons or mines or anything?" Xander asked Adama when the enemy craft pulled away and allowed a lull.
"They're too hard to track and only three of our capital vessels have had them these last few yarens," Adama informed him mildly.
"So if all those vessels were here and you guys were to fake a retreat and dump the stuff in the most likely path of those big Base Stars…and send a remote signal to detonate them all or most at once…"
"Colonel Tigh," Adama addressed his second, "Contact your counterparts and pose the possibility to them, I've been considering a fighting retreat due to our numbers."
The group helped as it could, many choosing to serve as emergency on-site paramedics; as many of the costumed had acquired medical experience, the familiarization with the newer equipment proved a straightforward prospect for the Earthlings.
Four hours later, the Colonials had been able to jam their enemy counterparts' finer sensors, and gained only the tiniest edge before Adama ordered the retreat. First his most damaged vessels, then the others, broke off in a pre-arranged pattern, taking them passed and nearly skipping off of a nearby rogue gas giant's atmosphere. With any luck the damaged vessels would have their systems under control with the greater part of the viper forces rested enough to swing back around and into the flank and rear of the charging Base Stars as the nuclear warheads provided both a distraction and possible serious damage as atmospheric gasses ignited around the Cylons. Only the planet's moon had proved unscannable at this range.
Slowly, then surely, then Base Stars began to pursue their ancient enemy, the unorthodox retreat pattern and the lighter-than-expected viper coverage indicating that fuel and pilots had been severely reduced in the last few days of fighting. The forward two triads were ordered forward at full speed, the damaged triad making best-speed behind them.
The faster-than-expected Cylon pursuit speed had almost upset the plan as the counterattack force would only be a third of the way toward its attack position when the Base Stars reached the 'minefield.' Adama after consultation with the other commanders, ordered everything to proceed as planned.
The detonations completely obliterated the first two Base Stars in the first second, with communications and sensors thoroughly gutted on the Cylon side. Two more Base Stars suffered heavy damage and most of the fully redeployed and advancing saucer craft disintegrated as the Colonials turned and charged.
The Sunnydalers and Sliders watched silently with most of the Galactica command officers as the reports came in, and that the Cylons were still running straight ahead.
"Commander, a large craft has emerged from the moon directly behind and to the right of the Cylon position and moving up fast," Tigh shouted, and it seems to be approaching the slowing rear triad."
"Any idea how that vessel remained hidden?" Adama asked.
"No Sir, but we are getting a message relayed from the first of our own vessels in contact with the enemy," the colonel replied, patching it through the speakers.
"Hey Adama, you old war horse," the voice came through with some interference, "Thought you could have a big fight without us? Hope you don't mind some party crashers. Pegasus out." The cheers were deafening.
Two hours later, only two Cylon Base Stars escaped into space and, heavily damaged, made it away in the direction of the Cylon Empire as the exhausted Colonials, suffering extreme viper and external armor losses, regrouped over the planet then headed for Caprica.
Ten more days of mourning and celebration had passed on the Colonies, the visitors from Earth by their very declination of attention drawing even greater attention and near-adulation, especially from lingering traditionalists that were floored to have one of their greatest myths be shown as truth. A few ceremonies had been pressed on them, but for the most part they settled for efforts to reactivate the Chappa'ai in time for the next slide.
Fortunately, having a Professor Arturo, Quinn Mallory, and based on possessions a MacGyver-O'Neill and three Carters sped up the process of not only determining a manual power and dial sequence, but use of even the somewhat backward Colonial computer systems to program in a dialing system. Doyle without the SG-1 background, but with Professor Arturo and Anakin Skywalker memories, was up to establishing the beginnings of the Colonial Sliding Directorate, concentrating on improvement of computer technology and related systems as a start, suggesting fuel systems and firing systems for greater efficiency, frequency of fire and range.
Wade, Remy and Joyce, as the non-technical members of the team, were left to public relations and team coordination. Joyce was the face much of the Colonies saw on a daily basis, talking about Earth, its history and its culture, and the group's hopes for getting home. Wade and Remy interacted with entertainers and younger people, making friends and actually relaxing for the first time in many slides.
Three days had passed on Caprica before some quiet was seized upon, the chance to stay over at Adama's estate while his family would be at home. Adama's wife Ila greeted the ten Earth inhabitants warmly, especially when she learned that her son Apollo would have flown a patrol right into the suicide saucer forces at Cimtar had the Sliders not transited to the conference room of the Atlantia.
"Thank you all again," Ila repeated again at a full dinner that evening, smiling as Apollo translated, "This time, for actually being able to have my family together in one place."
"We're glad to be of service, madam." Professor Arturo replied graciously, "And truth be told, we're quite happy at being out of the public view for a little while."
"Understandable, Professor," Ila responded via translation, "And if I may ask, how are your treatments going so far?"
"After, the initial 'assault' it turns out I'll only need to take some medications for the next ten days to be whole again," the Professor said with a relieved smile, Wade covering his for a moment in daughterly affection, "So I'll be fully enjoying the interaction with your scientific community.
Meanwhile, Xander and his new extended family were talking with Adama, Zac and Athena on the other side of the table, Athena translating for the youngest of Adama's clan.
"So, is there anything special about the calling Xander a patriarch, Commander?" Wade Wells asked, "Other than being a new daddy?"
"Ah, some of us more traditionally backgrounded families, on Caprica, and especially on Scorpio," Adama began, "The…founder of a new Family is afforded that respect, and the spectacular manner of your arrival, the results of all of you saving our people, and the…large number of expected births by a *triad* of women…has very much led to the popularization of the description."
"So the birth thing is important?" Remmy asked, "The Professor or I wouldn't be referred to as a patriarch?"
"It is the combination of factors on top of the mostly-abandoned familial situation, Mr. Brown," Adama stressed, "And the momentum of public thought. And just how many wives and children *do* you have?"
"So are there any other people called patriarchs, or just Xander?" Doyle asked, happily eating and swapping tales with Starbuck.
"The head of each existing Family is considered a patriarch, though except in rural Scorpion society, it is no longer of more than an historical reference," Adama considered, sipping tea, "The same is true of the few titles extant within our society, they usually refer to very old families that are still heavily-landed and whose ancestors had the foresight to invest in industry."
"So it's really just a courtesy thing," Rembrandt Brown sought to clarify, "There's no real power in it?"
"Not exactly," Adama continued, enjoying discussion in his area of personal interest, "To keep the title, the titleholder *must* fulfill the traditional obligations and duties associated with it, it's just that very few of those things actually impact us any more. For instance, if there had been a groundside incursion and no regular forces available, Lords or Ladies are expected to call up their tenants, armsmen, former service personnel and engage the enemy. A Patriarch is expected to hold off the enemy until his family is safely away, then he is to either move with his eldest sons to join up with the nearest appropriate Lord, or to assume that role until the military arrives to assume such responsibilities."
"Has that ever happened since spaceflight resumed for your people?" Joyce asked, thinking of the Colonies eight thousand yarens of history.
"On the Outer settlements in nearby space, about every twenty or thirty yarens," Adama admitted, "And that's what keeps it alive within the Twelve. The last time a Cylon raid struck a Homeworld, was nearly two hundred yarens ago, a small vessel each landed on Gemini and Sagittarius, and raised havoc and death until a young man of fourteen in both instances managed to blow up the enemy vessel or capture it, then lead an orphanage on one world, and a juvenile rehabilitation center on the other, to overcome with nearly nothing but old antiques and knives, a century of centurions. It was the last time that Secessionists on Scorpio ever put up a fuss up our Union as opposed to complaining about other members."
"Wait a minute, Commander," Remmy interrupted, "Why would Scorpio feel that way about what happened on two other worlds."
"The amusing thing was, as the Member from Scorpio, who also happened to be a real Traditionalist, a Patriarch and a Lord put it," Adama smiled in lecture mode, "If the children of the lowest of the least-traditional of the Colonials still had in the, uh, man-stones to rise up, attack, rally and cast out an enemy of Scorpio of eight hundred yarens duration of war, he'd take his wives and children and disavow his own Colony before allowing such a dishonor and disgrace to be perpetuated with his acquiescence. And as he was the hereditary head of their colony, it carried weight."
"So what happened to the two kids?" Wade asked, being drawn into the story in spite of what she perceived as chauvinistic overtones.
"Sire Sopion, the Councilman, having cowed his own people, sent all fourteen of his daughters, aged thirteen to twenty, and suitable chaperones, guards, military and agronomic trainers, and accountants to the two worlds and the gesture was both shockingly fairy tale as well as old-fashioned generous in an old-fashioned sort of way, that both colonies dusted off the law books, found that the old laws were still in effect, and proceeded to descend on both lads and used them as examples of *egalitarian* potential, made them Patriarchs and Lords, and proceeded to compel all of the old families to assume responsibilities if they wanted to keep their titles and any lands and incomes derived from feudal sources. Except that the titles are passed along by merit, and no one is allowed to defer. And eventually a pair of sisters teamed up against each of the young men and defeated them into marriage and large families most soundly."
"Ha ha! So the rich *have* to fulfill responsibility and not just sit on their butts?" Rembrandt chortled, remembering many a rich brat that had an easy time back in the day even if they did end up in the military, "That's great!"
"Yes, and Traditionalists and Secessionists on Scorpio either considered it divine justice or at the very least a great joke on their lazy counterparts on those two worlds," Adama added, "So on those three worlds especially, Alexander is popularly accepted as a positive symbol of unity, virility, responsibility, and victory against Cylons." Xander blushed deeply in embarrassment and excused himself from the table for a moment.
"Two wives each?!" Wade exhaled in exasperation, only to be interrupted by Athena.
"Those poor boys were *no* womanizers, Wade," the Adama's daughter emphasized, "They managed to throw themselves into their new responsibilities as much as they could, but eventually the *young women* decided they were going to marry these capable young men that didn't consider them property and while they could hold a conversation, ran at the first sign of flirting."
"So you're blaming it on the girls?" Wade asked, watching as Joyce got up to follow Xander toward a balcony overlooking a valley.
"They are one of the many required readings in school," Athena corrected her, "And all of the cultural and personal elements are examined, as well as their memoirs and personal diaries. The two boys had the looks of Starbuck but the lackluster social abilities of Apollo…"
"Hey!" from both males.
"…And eventually the princesses essentially tag-teamed the poor guys and dragged them up into the tower, if you get my meaning," Athena finished as Wade smiled at the realization that the women decided what they wanted. They watched as the three young ladies exchanged a look and slowly made their way toward the balcony as well.
"Hey, Joyce," Xander greeted without turning to face her next to him, choosing to lean over the stone railing as dusk began to set and lights of homes came on, "Just needed a minute to think. You?"
"I wanted to apologize for being a little rough on you these last few days, Alexander," Joyce began slowly, also taking in the magnificent and calming view, "And to let you know that assuming a responsibility that really isn't yours actually goes far beyond what's expected of you."
"When you have the memories and sometimes more of the fathers of those children, at least from what we can tell," Xander began with emphasis, "And that somehow *my* DNA seems to be that of the father, I'm going to make sure those children have a real father in every sense of the word, Joyce."
"I'm glad, but why is it so important to you?" she asked, glancing toward the dinner party, "I'm *not* trying to talk you out of it, it's just that after my divorce, and the general insanity of the last few days for me, I need o know something."
"I want them to have…what I never had," Xander offered slowly.
"Your, uh, family life…wasn't good?"
"Alcohol…lots of yelling…a hospital file at age ten bigger than Buffy will have by age twenty."
"I'm sorry to hear that, but you came through pretty well in spite of it, she slowly responded, "But is that the best reason to help?"
"What? To not be my father?" Xander sighed, "No, it's just the right thing to do, if they'll let me."
"You should let go of your insecurities about yourself, Alexander," she replied, but he interrupted.
"Xander, Joyce," the young man corrected her, "Only my family calls me Alexander."
"You're a good man Alexander," Joyce paused and quietly contemplated her reaction to that. She placed a hand on his shoulder, "And I've watched a few of those shows of the characters you've described as going, and while quieter and obviously much bigger physically, you've kept your self through it all. You have it right when you say only your family calls you Alexander, Alexander. And considering what you've been through, and how you've tried to make sure Dawn and others were safe, I think you are Alexander."
"Why?"
"Xander needed to hide things from his friends, so they wouldn't worry, but Alexander is making sure that 'his girls' are taken care of, Alexander. I can understand not wanting to be called Mr. Harris, but after Willow told me what your name means, I think Alexander's a fitting name for my future son-in-law."
"Alright Joyce, we'll try it," the young man capitulated, realizing that the thousands of years of experiences had given him insight for overcoming his feelings of inadequacy, just as his practice of Master Cain's and Master Qui-Gon's meditative exercises had left him actually at peace inside.
"Now, Alexander," Joyce continued, "I know you'll be a good father, but how do you feel about my daughter, Willow and Tara."
"Oh, the really personal stuff, huh Joyce?" Xander smiled in a Methos way, "Well, before we came to the colonies, you know from reading the Book that Willow, Dawn and I were rapidly starting to head into a relationship. I want to emphasize that no sex was likely to happen, but we were starting to…sow interest."
"How do you feel about them?"
'They were becoming the air I breathed, they were most of why I hadn't given up entirely," he exhaled deeply, then paused, finishing his fourth ambrosia since dinner had started, "And I can't see life having any happiness without them."
"What about Tara? You've only known her for a short time," Joyce broached, looking around and behind Xander slowly, "What are your feelings for her?"
"The princess who single-handedly brought the Traitor Baltar to justice?" he smiled, "The girl who was the blue and the green of Summers eyes, with the effect and largeness of Willow eyes, your and Dawn's apparent temper but general demeanor, Willow-smart even before the costume, a smile that has the ability to either melt my heart or if sad rend it in two?"
"Yeah, that Tara," Joyce smiled with a snicker.
"I've been with her as much as the rest of you these last few days, and if I've not fallen for her already, all she has to do is brush her lips once against mine and I'll be defeated and as utterly smitten as I am with Willow and Dawnie, but I'd *never* press her on it."
"Why not?"
"She seems to have had an experience in her family similar to mine, if not worse being a girl."
"How can you tell?" Joyce asked, the Amazon urge to track down Tara's parents, and father in particular, starting to show through her calm speech.
"Over ten thousand years of memories, Joyce, some of it by those who once delighted in causing that look."
"And now?"
"Tara's men-folk better pray I never find them, because *no one* will ever find them after that for hurting her."
"D-don't, please," a soft voice from just behind them spoke. Xander turned around with some surprise. He'd so focused on what they were discussing that Tara, with Dawn and Willow behind her, had come right behind him, "I-it wouldn't be right."
"But they hurt you…" he replied softly, somewhat embarrassed that she'd overheard, his eyes meeting hers but turning to the floor of the balcony before hers.
"P-Please, A-Alexander," she whispered, hesitantly reaching out to take his hands tentatively in hers, "F-for me?" He looked up, she hesitated again, quickly kissed him, and looked back down, blushing herself. Xander found himself hugged tightly by all three of us girls. 'No, my wives,' he emphasized to himself as he found his opened heart and emotions embraced and accepted.
"Alexander, it is," he whispered, looking up to a happy and teary-eyed Joyce. He reached out and drew her in, "Mom."
Alexander and his new family were very busy in the days that followed, not having much time to talk beyond the technical meetings and the 'how was your day' exchange of information, but when they'd pretty much prepped the gate for final activation through mechanical dialing and applying a massive charge of power until it works, they called for a day of rest. The group went site-seeing, taking in cultural and scenic landmarks, and even taking in a Triad game. Toward the setting of the sun, Dawn took XAner aside.
"Xander," she said reticently, "I don't seem to have my Slayer or most of my Sentinel abilities anymore."
"When did you first notice it?"
I really wasn't paying much attention, but I first noticed it a couple days after landing here on Caprica," she sighed, "But it was probably during the last couple of jumps, when I started to get morning sickness."
"So maybe it's just the, uh, pregnancy that's doing it?" he asked, "Maybe to keep the baby from super-mom overload?"
"I'm hopin' that's all," she exhaled, "'Cause I kinda liked the extra boost I got."
"Have you asked Willow and Tara how they feel?"
"Not yet, I just wanted to say it out loud, and kinda already figured with Willow and Tara being pregnant, they wouldn't really miss the whole power thing."
"Probably right, if they get it at all, since they came into it with you already being, ur, pregnant and all."
"Is it that hard to say?" she asked as she sidled up and sat next to him, leaning in.
'It's so unexpected, Dawn, I guess the amazement factor is still off the charts, and then there's the whole not being killed by your mom."
"Yeah, there is that," she snickered, "I guess for once the craziness worked in our favor, and the fact that the doctors told her that I hadn't shown any of the signs of having had sex didn't hurt our case." Xander blushed slightly at that.
"So, do we know anything else about the little fellows?"
"For boy or girl? Nah, still too soon, but I swear I can sense them a little."
"Sense them how?"
"The Force, I think, but I hadn't really thought about what I was doing until I just told you."
"Maybe meditations would help you, Master Cain and Master Jinn knew many techniques if you need a few more than you have."
"So I guess I have the Jedi twins from the books?"
"According to the doctors, *we* have the twins…" Alexander chided playfully, "You just have all the work to do."
"HA, HA, Mr. Funny Guy, but how do you explain Tara getting pregnant from dressing up as Willow?"
"Well, Willow was feeling sick before you, so I'm guessing that she was pregnant first," Xander contemplated, "So Willow probably ended up with Alia when she dressed for Dune, since with Duncan and Liet around at the same time, she'd have been expecting in the early book. Then, I went as Belgarion to her Ce'Nedra, and so I'm guessin' she's bearing little Geran."
"That's only two, and even then, that'd be only two for Tara also."
"Ah, well, maybe Willow dressing as you means she's also mommy to a pair of Jedi Smuggler Diplomats," he smirked, "And so is Tara now."
Two of the same?"
"Well, from what little the doctors mentioned DNA-wise, I'm guessing they're ours, but imbued with extra abilities and such from their…god parents if you want to think of them that way. And when we've Reset, there have been physical feelings or even if you look at the Mount Xander that I've become, growth."
"So, what now?"
"Well, tomorrow we try to fire up the Chappa 'ai, Dawn, and see if we can at least get to *an* Earth, so we can more safely do this sliding thing. Which reminds me, I have to make a call to the Professor and let him know we've finished drawing up specs for the conversions to 1997 computer tech for Galactica and the Vipers."
"Yeah, the extra space on the Vipers could give them either better sensors, make them real two-seaters and maybe even allow slightly more efficient fuel controls."
"You got it…I, uh, better go…" he said somewhat nervously. He gave her a quick peck on the cheek and almost dashed from the room, leaving a giggling Dawn behind.
With less than 36 hours remaining until the slide, many Council and Fleet figures gathered around the stargate as with safeguards such as the iris in place, they could proceed. Willow snickered and turned to Xander.
"Go ahead, Xander," Willow smiled, "You know you want to be the first to dial out, old guy memories or not." He flushed a little, then his hands pushed buttons that signified the Earth coordinates from the show. The chevrons really were as loud as the show as they clanked into place.
"Unscheduled Off-world Activation," the voice declared over the speakers. SG-1 and Hammond hurried into place with the gate room forces in place. Siler looked up from the console.
"Receiving incoming transmission, General," the capable non-com reported, "In English, shall I put it on, he's repeating every thirty seconds." General Hammond nodded.
"Hello, this is Alexander Harris of Earth speaking, is it safe to transit the Star Gate? There are several of us with a very militarily advanced bunch of fellow humans that want to trade and ally, as well as a few of us just wanting to get home. Please respond, as we just got this gate jury-rigged just a couple steps up from a big battery and almost-manual operation. No red stone thingie. Or, if you feel better, you can dial us and come through."
"So far this is the third time sir, and it's not recorded," Siler contributed. The general nodded, thinking. He reached for the microphone.
"Please consider yourselves invited, no more than six of you," Hammond transmitted.
"How about fourteen of us, sir?" Xander replied, "There are ten of us Earthlings and four representative of the Council of Twelve hoping for first contact, though I guess technically it's a second contact and we already made a good first impression."
"Very well, proceed," Hammond replied, then turned to his officers, "He reminds me of you for some reason Colonel O'Neill." Daniel snickered.
Three minutes later, a troupe of people in the uniforms of Colonial Warriors or Council Members stepped through, but Xander in something similar to a golf cart loaded with baggage. He beeped his little horn at his companions to move out of the way.
"For crying out loud, we were invited," Xander complained, "they're not going to shoot us until we whine about the lack of even basic cable in the guest rooms or cheat on our golf scores."
"The General's right, Jack," Kowalski sighed. Daniel snickered again.
"Indeed."
"'fraid so, Colonel."
"Hey, Kowalski?!" Xander called out, "Are you the Kowalski that possessed a kid that fought vampires in Sunnydale?" The Lt. Colonel's eyes got wide as he and SG-1 suddenly focused hard at the new arrival, "'Cause if you are, thanks for the help, and it's good to see you avoided that nasty snake in the head business. That woulda sucked."
"Definitely an O'Neill somehow," Ferretti contributed, the others nodded except a Jack with a mock-innocent, mock-outraged look on his face.
"Stand down," Hammond ordered, "Please show our guests to the briefing room, please."
Ten minutes later, they gathered in the briefing room, juices and water brought in to offer the visiting dignitaries. General Hammond and SG-1 plus Kowalski on the SGC side of things. Xander was given the nod by Adama.
"Hello everybody, I'm Xander," the young muscleman began, "And with us today are Fleet Commander Adama, Battlestar Commanders Cain and Artemis, and Colonel Apollo, and they represent The Council of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol, and believe that Earth may be the Thirteenth Colony. That aside, these folks with us now speak English, and the worlds they represent have a population of around seventy or so billion. Their main needs are a computer and electronics revolution, raw resources and the feeling that as they are in a war to the death with a machine race, they are not alone. That aside, they are in almost every other way technologically and scientifically advanced, and can offer that as their side of things. Think 1970s science fiction; they have all this cool advanced stuff, but their computers are at that level. For real military transfers, you'll need at least the permanent members of the Security Council made aware of the situation and allowed supervised but equivalent access to the exchange of benefits. They recognized the word Chappa'ai, but in the last eight thousand yarens of history do not know of the Goa'uld. The NID are bad and will not be allowed to monopolize anything, everything must be free and open, even if you choose to wait a little while until revealing the situation to the general populous. And by the way, Caprica and the other worlds aren't really reliant on petrochemicals for anything, they even have a different basis for plastics, so the Middle East-sized oil and gas reserves within five hundred miles of the Gate might be enough to have your government consider revelation of your off-world activity, as most of the old network to within a mile of the Gate is in mothball, maybe just six months from activation."
With that, things settled back into general discussions for a while until Daniel couldn't wait any longer, and approached the Sunnydale contingent.
"Okay, so how did the mind transfer thing work?" the anthropologist asked, "And how is it there are vampires on your world?"
"Magic is real, and it was done on a dimensional rift for want of a better word," Xander considered, "The spell was to convert the people into their costumes, effectively a possession, but with the dimensional weakness and the *way* available energy, we now think it drew on the reality where it existed, and seems to have worked that way. Also, do you have a Sunnydale, California here? If ya do, you probably haven't noticed the shadow world around you."
"Magic, huh?" Samantha Carter asked skeptically, "How exactly does that work?"
"Well, in different realities, it varies, but there seems to be a mental access to the underlying energies of the universe," Xander considered, "Though the energies, I suspect, are really from the… static charge…or frictional differences between the dimensions, or maybe even the remaining primordial chaos…like the stress energies of tectonic plates as they move at different speeds."
"So you're not really sure?" she pressed.
"I really haven't examined that part of creation," Xander admitted, "Though my own experiences are more involved with Sorcery rather than the ritualistic applications."
"Sorcery? What's the difference?" Daniel interjected to keep the conversation from degenerating.
"Sorcery is…almost a Quantum Moment," Xander tried to explain, "Application of Will and its release through a Word or gesture, to change something at a specific moment and way, tapping the underlying universe to achieve this."
"Kinda Zen don't ya think?" O'Neill remarked as he approached. Daniel and Carter looked at him in confusion, so he clarified, "Observed, experienced moment? Never mind. It would require far too much discussion for too little gain. So what's the deal with other magic?"
"Well, *Angus,* it seems to involve certain materials, each of which physically and in some ways metaphysically interacts with the universe around it," Xander tried to simplify, catching Jack's briefly-panicky expression at the use of his other name, "And certain combinations of materials, placed in expected ways, with Application of Will through action if not consciously taps the necessary power. Then the words and such usually involved are the instructions to the 'spell' that on end of saying them, taps the energy for execution. Then there are magics that are similar to this but invoke a deity or powerful entity to provide the empowerment."
The one real advantage to lucking out at least once, means that sometimes people actually forego Prime Directive styles of gift-withholding. The Sliders and Sunnydalers decided to take this to heart. With five men and five women, all capable of handling a decent enough backpack and on-person gear, managed to take with them a lot of information, technical, scientific and historical from the Colonies and the SGC, Dawn's knowledge of Apophis and his force deployments because of her possession by Ammonet proving enough to leverage from the SGC itself weapons, minor niceties of life, a captured ribbon and a captured healing device.
The SGC hadn't wanted to let the last things go, but when Dawn gave them a few sets of coordinates to under-guarded caches, and gave them hints of various aspects of snakehead weaponry, even the just-arrived Maybourne was hard-put to nix that deal. The sliders concentrated on gathering and prepping laptops, software, timer spare parts, high-quality freeze-dried rations and camping equipment. Doyle gathered and secreted weapons and ammunition
"So ya got everything?" Jack asked Xander and Quinn as everyone gathered near Santa Barbara where they'd all relocated in anticipation of the slide. Even members of the Council of Twelve were on hand to watch the send off, having bestowed a few honors, and thanks before letting them activate the timer. Quinn still rubbed the spot where the Colonials had removed the Kromagg tracking device, and worried again about how many worlds had fallen behind him.
"Yeah, Jack, thanks," Quinn answered as they watched Teal'c hand over a staff weapon to Xander and bow, "Hopefully we'll be able to come back someday and visit." The group gathered together at last, words and hugs being completed, Captain Starbuck slipping a couple of ancient bottles of ambrosia to Doyle while the girls were busy.
"You've done a lot for us, son, you have our thanks," General Hammond added paternally as the vortex opened, blue this time, "God speed, ST-1."
The group found themselves in an alley, Xander and Arturo coming through the vortex last on a big air mattress.
"My God, Mr. Harris!" the large Professor crowed with joy, "That is the only decent landing I've experienced in I don't know how long!"
"Mmrph, mmmrph."
"Did you hear something Mister Harris? I mean Alexander," Arturo said getting up.
"No but maybe Remy did," Xander smirked, pointing down under the air mattress they were getting off of.
"Why Mister Brown," the Professor smiled disingenuously, "However did you get under there?"
"Ha. Ha," the musician responded, "I guess the tables are finally turned, huh?"
"I certainly hope so," the academician replied with a superior smile.
Meanwhile, Quinn had managed to land on a couch being carried away by two college-aged men as general chaos seemed to reign in the area.
"Nothing like a little civil unrest to bring out the looters, huh?" Quinn quipped, startling the two into dropping their load and running off. Getting up he rendezvoused with the others for a moment to gain their bearings.
"Well, at least we're all here in one piece," Wade commented, helping the rest of the girls our of a big rubber life raft Xander had appropriated, "And if we can shrink it back up again, this air-landing could be really nice."
"I agree, Miss Wells," Arturo smirked with a twinkle in his eye, "Nothing like a soft landing to improve one's mood." They looked up as a car screeched and crashed nearby, a distraught man getting out and running in their general direction as military vehicles came around the corner from down the other street.
"That's Doctor Jariabek," Arturo declares, moving to help the man as Xander and the others draw zats traded by the SGC and Dawn's ribbon device.
As the military men start aiming weapons, Dawn releases a pulse into the middle of the troop, slamming back several soldiers as Jariabek recognizes Arturo and scrambles over. As the remaining airmen and soldiers attempt to regroup, Xander and Doyle fire zats and stun them, a lithe twenty-something female officer the last to fall.
"Professor, find out what's going on from your friend," Xander directed, "Doyle you cover the girls. Joyce, you and the others help me with our sleeping beauties."
Ten minutes later, the vehicles had been parked, weapons and useable assets stripped and military personnel secured, the tenacious officer slowly coming to as Jariabek reached the point in his explanation that mattered most.
"So as I was saying, this Rickman has purposely not told the president or others that we've reached the testing stages, claiming that sending politicians through would keep everybody worth saving from going," Jariabek continued, "But I think it's just so that he and those *he* chooses will go through to a place of his decision."
"Hmm, but why not simply send out the information on the Internet and have everyone who can get parts assemble one and leave," Wade asked, "That way more will survive this asteroid swarm you're talking about."
"Rickman is unbalanced, that's why I left," the physicist emphasized, "Why else would he have given orders to murder me?"
"Because you're a traitor?" Major Margaret Beckett retorted, "You don't follow orders, and you broke security on a classified project?"
"Then capturing an unarmed man isn't enough?" Quinn interrupted, "And *we* already have sliding technology and *will* make it available to your people." His fellows looked at him questioningly. "Alright, guys?" he added, receiving nods in confirmation. Beckett stared at him with distaste.
"Now, Major," Arturo addressed the woman, "We are going to tell you how our last few weeks have gone, and you will listen. The schematics for sliding will be downloaded, and copies sent to the White House and newspapers while we talk. You may ask questions afterward to fill in gaps we might have missed. But first, your proof." He nodded at Quinn, who took a timer from Xander and activated a wormhole back to the SGC Earth. Xander picked up Beckett and jumped through, the timer set for one hour.
Beckett arrived back in her own world, a bit overwhelmed but recovering, with three working timers Sam had finished putting together over the last day, and one hundred rendezvous points in the US and Canada that could be jumped to without being shot as invaders, pretty much all of them military bases to ensure that the SGC's public learned nothing before resettling folks on Earth, Caprica or with off-world SGC allies.
In the meantime, Rickman had sent out another, larger, force which between zats and blasters had been subdued, unfortunately four airmen wounded, but no fatalities. Beckett called in to the base and explained to Colonel Rickman the situation in full, and he ordered them to come in. As the information was already sent out, and as his e-mail and Steven's have copies, he would let things pass.
Arrival at the base was a very tentative and deliberate experience, the Sliders and Company being escorted to the labs where Beckett's husband Dr. Steven Jensen awaited their arrival with Colonel Rickman, who while displeased and just off the phone with the President himself, was civil.
"The President requests your assistance in working with Dr. Jensen here," Rickman addressed them, "And as possible exchange information so we can transport as many people as possible to your friends' world." And with that he left the room.
The next three days were a whirlwind, as across the country, the population was told that an SDI test of the limited deployed system would be put into effect, that schools, military, defense and police would stage evacuations over a three day period ending by the fourth day, to see just how many *could* be saved in an emergency. Quick military interventions had silenced most of the emails of timers and such sent out by the sliders, and a few key people bought off by being brought in.
The eggheads got together and improved the timers and capabilities, and techs at the various bases were able to get working units by the end of the day as the first vehicle-crammed unknowing refugees with food and clothes began leaving for the SGC world that began to panic at President North's ambitious refugee attempt. Fortunately, the Colony Worlds offered to make room for all who could make it through the Stargate, and even as they mobilized for renewed war with the Cylons, opened themselves to a peaceful invasion by the children of the Thirteenth Colony.
Much of this massive attempt wasn't made known to the Sliders, as they'd grouped together and began exploring in short half-hour increments, other possible worlds in case the numbers became too great for the SGC.
It was after the sixth such world, on the second day, that Xander and Quinn were taken aside by an arrived Jack O'Neill.
"Just how many folks did you say were going to evacuate?" he asked with tired humor, "We've had to move the Gate to the surface, for crying out loud, just to keep up with all the folks driving through."
"What are you talking about Jack?" Quinn asked in confusion, "How many people are relocating?"
"So far it looks like the school systems including colleges, the military, police and defense-related industries." he replied, "probably seventy million if nothing really breaks before this world gets slammed tomorrow."
"Seventy million?!" Arturo choked as he joined them, "How the bloody hell can they jump with that many?"
"Sixty miles per hour and packed tightly in buses, semis, trucks and such into a wormhole," O'Neill grimaced, "at least they're sending the children and the best-skilled, we might just make it, and luckily it's the beginning of planting seasons in the northern hemisphere so we've already put in orders for maximum production."
"Seventy million…" Xander repeated, "And does your public know?"
"Only those who know about the SGC," O'Neill replied, "Everybody else thinks we're experiencing a burst of 'unequaled prosperity brought on by a sudden optimism in the economy' and a few in the petroleum and food industries have been quietly let in on things and are concentrating their distribution networks toward restocking the increased Interstate Highway traffic."
"Uhm, sorry?" Xander embarrassingly responded, "We had no idea…"
"Yeah, well, I was sent here to personally tell you not to do this again, we just aren't able to handle this," Jack sighed, "But on another note, when we revealed it all to Canada and our Security Council counterparts, they seemed to believe our good intentions when their consul officers started following the resettlement convoys to Colorado."
"So it balances out?" Arturo asked.
"Yeah, just…no repeats, it could take a year to resettle them somewhere," O'Neill continued wearily, then smiled, "But on a happy note, Daniel went to Cimmeria and found his wife again. They'll stay there or the Alpha site until we have time to cycle them back. Right now priority is given to deploying more teams into the field in the minute or so gaps we have between sending folks to Caprica. I think the Colonials consider you guys Saints now." Xander rolled his eyes, "So, been anyplace interesting lately?"
"Well, found a dinosaur world with Indian-like guys running around," Xander replied giving Quinn a look.
"What?!" Quinn said, "I *meant* a couple hundred years behind us in development, not hundred thousand. I misspoke."
"Just stick to the physics, Mr. Mallory," Xander replied in a barely passable Arturo imitation, "And leave the messier sciences to the rest of us."
"Anyway Jack," Xander continued, "That was the best so far, but without MALP units and such, who knows what we're dealing with beyond line-of-sight. There was a world that seemed gigantic compared to us; I don't know if we were shrunk somehow in the accessing of that dimension, or what. Also, Quinn might have found his home dimension already, but Major Beckett wasn't able to breathe the atmosphere for some reason, so we're not sure."
"Could it still be your home, Quinn?" the colonel asked.
"Maybe, I just didn't have the time to get to know for sure," the young genius replied.
"I'll miss you guys," Xander told Quinn, "And we just got started."
"You could use our world as a base of operations," Quinn considered, "And if the timer broke or needed resetting, I could help with that."
"Hey, now," Jack interrupted, "I think the SGC would make an even better base, especially if those maggot-guys show up."
"Yeah, but Jack, are you guys willing to set up a base in California?" Xander replied, "After all, that's the only way my group can tell if it's home."
"I'll run it by Hammond," Jack promised, "Having you as a go-between with the Colonials when you're around would help us make sure nobody offends too many of the others."
"Cue-Ball?" Rembrandt asked, "Why didn't we ever build a second timer and do a base thing?"
"The parts for the timer cost about five grand unless you've raided the science labs and old electronics thrown out by stores," Quinn remarked, "And the few times we had the money…were the times we really needed the rest more…"
"Okay," Remy replied, "But it's something to consider. If we do get back home, we should have a timer that lets us escape back to the colonel's world if anything like these asteroids show up."
"That's a good idea, Remmy," Xander added, "And ya know, colonel, if you're NID guys get hold of a couple timers after the evacuations are complete, and assuming the other-coordinates disabling burn-out program we designed into them doesn't work, they could concentrate on raiding the dimensions where Earth is ruled by aliens, techno-demons or whatevers and that way they'd actually be good guys."
"You rigged the designs?" O'Neill asked, "That's…interesting."
"At the time, it didn't seem like a good idea to let people jump all over the dimensions causing trouble," Quinn added, "And it made the chips used just a little simpler."
"Here, Colonel," Xander said, handing over a regular timer, "This one's for the SGC to know about and use but nobody else, okay? When you need to get around a guarded gate, find a world with stargates, jump to the world not expecting you, then use the timer to surprise 'em."
"I see holes in your assumptions," Jack pointed out, "But it might work some times. Do the Colonials having real ones too."
"They're a united people that won't war on each other, Colonel O'Neill," Arturo contributed to the conversation, "And would use it to survive. Can you say the same for the leaders on your planet?"
"We're working on it," Jack replied a little defensively.
"I know, Colonel," Arturo assured him, "We probably wouldn't give it to ours either except in an emergency."
"So, you guys almost done here?" Wade asked as she walked up, "Steven says you're all pretty much done with whatever it is you were doing."
"Yeah, I guess we are, Wade," Quinn replied, nodding at Colonel O'Neill, "Jack, the timer Xander handed you has about a dozen sets of coordinates, not the giant world, so you can tell if the Kromaggs are running around after us."
"Your home on here, too?" O'Neill asked Quinn, 'In case we need help?"
"No, but the piece of paper rubber-banded to it has it on there if you do need to get us," Quinn remarked, "We kept it separate in case the NID got it they wouldn't get us."
The rest of the Slayerettes and Sliders had readied themselves, Arturo smiling with his air mattress in hand.
"I insist, Mr. Brown, after you…"
Once again, the group found themselves in an alley, Xander and Arturo coming through the vortex last on the big air mattress.
"Roll!" yelled Quinn, and the other Sliders managed to avoid being landed on by the two brainiacs. Remy grabbed his air mattress, now a standard item, and tossed it over the three slayerettes as added protection from a flying Arturo.
The beach they landed on was a familiar one to the Sunnydale crowd, the sun just starting to set over the ocean. Xander turned to the Sliders and told them they seemed to be in familiar ground.
"Looks like we're in a world with a Hell Mouth, so everybody be ready?" the young man with older eyes commented.
"How can you tell for certain, Alexander?" Arturo asked, "Is it from the difference in coastline? It does seem slightly different to the Northwest…"
"Yeah, I'm guessing that the bulging peninsula that Sunnydale sits on is a terrane adhering to the others comprising the Pacific Coast, and that the energy has acted almost volcanically to create the land," Xander Harris replied, drawing on his large collection of memories, "So without a Hell Mouth, much of Sunnydale, if not all of it, would be under the ocean."
"Well, that means at the very least we must be on our guard against those vampire fellows you've been dealing with, and to see if this is indeed your own world."
"Yeah, I guess the easiest thing to do would be for us to try our cell phones and call a couple cabs," Rembrandt contributed, "See if the local Slay-Team can put us up if it's not."
Forty minutes later, the ten were dropped off in front of Sunnydale High School near the library, no sign of Halloween insanity or activity. They'd stopped to find a newspaper, and found out the date in this world was August 28, 1998, whereas they'd just left November 18th, 1997. They asked the drivers to wait ten minutes before leaving, while noting that the lights in the structure were on, in case they needed to relocate to a hotel.
Xander and Doyle led the others, Rembrandt and Quinn covering the rear, as their recent standard method of approach. Reaching the door, Xander walked into the library.
Xander, Willow and Oz were quietly preparing for an early patrol of the cemeteries, Giles talking on his office telephone, as they all heard the doors open. The three teens turning in case it was a threat, they were shocked to see the mega-Xander (hereafter Alexander) and another guy enter the room, some familiar faces entering the library behind them.
"Good Lord!" Giles exclaimed as he came out of his office, bringing a smile to Alexander's face and chuckles from the others.
"I've been called worse, G-Man," Alexander teased, receiving a 'Don't call me that' in response, "We're from another dimension, working our way home, and thought we'd drop by to swap stories and maybe bum lodgings off you." Xander walked up to Alexander, awed about his other self.
"How'd you become the Xandernator?" the young teen asked, "Not that I'm complaining about the look mind you."
"I dressed as Phil the Weatherman for Halloween, and looped for quite a while, changing costumes and becoming what I am today, finally escaping by becoming Quinn Mallory, sliding out of the loop, bumped into the real deals," he gestured at his friends, made introductions, then continued, "And are now sliding our way home."
"Wow," Xander replied, "I just dressed as a soldier and thought I did okay…"
"Heh, Private Harris?" Alexander responded, receiving a nod, "Tell ya what, before I slide, if you want I'll recall and merge the possessions into you?"
"Cool," Xander replied, "And yes."
"I-I don't think that's wise…" Giles began, receiving dual glares from the two Alternates.
"I did it to myself, Ripper," Alexander interrupted, "Using one of your old spells from back in the day…"
"That's nice and all," Joyce interjected, "But I'd like to see to a hotel or something first as we have a day until our next slide."
"My parents are out of town," the local Willow offered, receiving a sympathetic smile from sliding-Willow, "So not counting floors, that's six people."
"I-I suppose two could squeeze into my place," Giles offered uncertainly.
"How 'bout Doyle and I stay with Rupert," Alexander suggested, "And everyone else do their best at the Rosenberg residence, taking the cot from the weapon's cage. And Other-Me can stay at Giles also and we can talk."
"Alright, now that that's taken care of, how about we exchange information," Professor Arturo suggested, "Getting the business out of the way before the pleasure, as it were."
An hour later, much of the group had broken off to pick up dinner on the way to their lodgings, the Xanders taking the long way through the cemeteries for a quick patrol, dusting a single vampire with little effort. They talked about Angel, Angelus, relationships, the lack of a Dawn in this universe, Buffy's flight, and other things in ways only they could relate.
"So what do you think of me and Cordy?" Xander asked.
"Well, I think you might want to just let her know how you feel, let her know all of your feelings and worries, then ask her to let you down easily if she decides not to commit to you in public."
"But…"
'I know…but what if you *do* screw up? Hey, this way you both know going in…"
"I don't know that she'll take an ultimatum very well."
"It's not an ultimatum, Xander, you're just putting it all out there, and she'll decide what she wants to do."
"And if she decides to break up, then what? I think I care for her."
"Of course you care for her, but is she willing to look four years into the future and see the two of you together, maybe even married?"
"Hmmm, that's still kinda young…"
"But you know what I mean…"
"Yeah, but what if she decides to break it off?"
"Well, you concentrate on your fighting skills and getting straight A grades this year, study for your SATs and go to college."
"You're kidding about the school right…"
"How do you expect to stay with the rest of the gang if you're not in college, you've seen how the college kids act toward the locals sometimes…and besides, you'll use the soldier-guy memories as your own, and he got an 1120 combined but decided to go into the service so he could pay for college, and he'd taken a bunch of AP courses his senior year. Besides, even sleeping through the classes, you still end up in the same classes as Willow, right?" Dawning realization entered Xander's eyes as he contemplated Alexander's words…he *was* in the same classes as Willow!
"How do I convince the school to let me take those courses? And how will I pay for college anyway?"
"Take your GED exams, and ask for testing to see if they'll let you in…as for the money, here."
"What's this?"
"About ten grand in fifties, I've been letting my fingers freely roam, so don't worry about it. Also, I'm going to talk to Rupert about you moving in with him, there's no way either of us will ever again put up with the crap our dear parents give us."
"Live with G-Man?! That'd be almost as bad as living with Dead Boy…"
"You'd rather live in an abandoned mansion?"
"Well…hmm…"
"Did Angel actually own it, or just move in?"
"You know? I never asked, but I think the crazy vamp might have just moved in."
"So no one's been around to reclaim it?"
"What are we thinking here, me?"
"Tax repossession, me, maybe you and Rupert could buy the back taxes and take it over for yourselves? Nice investment for both of you, and more secure for the books and weapons than the *public* library at the school."
"Cool."
The spell was performed that night, and the rest of the visit went well, the two groups socializing and exchanging views on different matters, the big surprise being the suddenly deepened friendship between Oz and Xander as after a brief circling and face-off, Xander was quietly acknowledged as 'Alpha' but Oz as Willow's mate, and the soldier accepting Giles as an experienced older officer, psychologically speaking. The sliders and slayerettes downloaded useful news and other information for their returns home.
The two Willows smiled and chatted, smiling at their men-folk and causing Alexander and Oz to relocate elsewhere until the group made its way out to the beach again in a pair of old and barely-running pick up trucks they'd procured from a wrecking yard at the last minute. Maybe they'd work, and maybe not, but if it saved worrying about cab fare, it'd be worth it.
The two trucks managed to exit the wormhole without damaging the vehicles any further, or even bothering the passengers sitting on air mattresses. Professor Arturo and Rembrandt Brown smiled at each other, shaking hands as the others laughed.
"Congratulations, Mr. Brown," Arturo smiled, "I do believe that's the first slide wherein we both avoided being the cushion for others."
"I can live with this, Professor," the singer laughed, "It beats our usual landings."
The group looked around, noting the lack of extra land that would indicate a Sunnydale, but also the fact that the highway they were about to drive on seemed to have experienced recent flood damage, as did the vegetation and coastline in general.
"What do you think Professor?" Quinn asked the older man as the two vehicles drew up to each other, "It looks like a really big storm came through here a while ago."
"Indeed, Mr. Mallory, but since the ground is clearly dry and this *is* a major highway I wonder why road crews haven't cleared the debris, and we aren't seeing any traffic."
"Hey, Professor," Rembrandt interjected into the conversation, "We're not picking up any radio stations, and the cell phones aren't connecting."
"Well, then, I propose we drive slowly in the direction of Los Angeles," the older man suggested, "What's the next place on the highway?"
"Ventura or Oxnard depending on how the roads and towns in this Earth are set up," Quinn commented, Alexander nodding along, "And we only have about twenty minutes of daylight left so we better get going."
"Indeed, and take it slow, just in case whatever happened here also washed away a section of road. Let's not find ourselves in the ocean."
Twenty-five minutes later, they'd managed to drive around to the other side of the highway, into what would have been on-coming traffic if even a single vehicle moved. In two places, the highway had been washed away as predicted, but a side road heading inland took them into the ruins of what used to be the older part of Ventura, only a few lights up in the hills and this main street showing up. As they left the highway, they pulled into an abandoned and gutted convenience store to discuss their options.
"Well this old newspaper shows up as April 14th, 1993," Rembrandt said, "And it talks about a large comet that's supposed to just miss the Earth."
"Well, it wasn't Shoemaker-Levy, as even a smaller piece would have just vaporized the atmosphere," Willow offered, "But I guess it didn't miss after all?"
"No, Red," Rembrandt continued, "It was called something Hammer…"
"Don't worry about the name, Mr. Brown," the Professor interrupted, "Our first priority is to see if these people are non-hostile. Now how much time is on the timer?"
"Since we wanted to come start jumping in the mornings from now on," Quinn noted, "Another thirty-five and a half hours."
"Why don't we just park in back of a store and camp," Dawn asked, "We can approach the locals in the morning when it'd be less threatening."
"Hmm, better yet," Wade replied, "Why don't we stay inside after pulling the trucks around, give us a little more shelter in case it rains or something."
"An excellent idea, Miss Wells, and we'll have Joyce and Alexander do a reconnaissance while we set things up for the night," Arturo suggested, "And as we ate before leaving, perhaps this close to the inhabitants we should forego a fire or lights as long as we can."
As hoped the night passed uneventfully, and the quick reconnaissance had revealed that the underpasses had been blockaded with cars and such as to impede easy passage, but that the next one down, Cedar, seemed to have a gate of sorts. After downing juice and some power bars, the group decided that Alexander, Joyce and Doyle should act as initial contacts, taking a walkie-talkie with them to stay in contact. An hour after sunrise, they approached the gate on foot and with backpacks on, Xander using his Sentinel-enhanced hearing to detect two humans drinking coffee and complaining about sentry duty, one commenting it'd been two years since any bandits or pirates had raided.
"Hello the Gate!" Alexander called out, then again a moment later as the two sentries stuck their heads carefully over the top, stunned anyone was there.
"Yeah?" one of them called back, "What do you want?"
"A group of us have just come down the coast," Alexander gestured toward the Northwest, "And are passing through, and when we saw your town lights last night, we thought we'd let you know it so no one would cause trouble."
"Just headin' down the old highway?" one of them asked, "What brings you to the area?"
"Normally we trade, but a landslide dumped our cargo into the ocean a ways back," Doyle chipped in, "We have a rendezvous to meet even if we can't really profit from it any more. Do you have anyone who'd 'ave knowledge of the situation further down the coast?"
"Not much to say in general, just the usual looters and a few communities starting up again, but things open up in about another hour. If you come back then, you'll only be asked to openly display personal weapons and keep stored away anything else so it's not easily reached. Breach of this and you'll end up arrested or worse."
"So come back in an hour and we're good?" Alexander asked, "Thank you, we might just be back instead of continuing on."
They'd walked into town half an hour before, and found all but the diner and a neighborhood grocery closed. A few vehicles, mainly trucks, seemed to be moving around, people and cargo filling them so as not to waste fuel. The town otherwise seemed to be operating at a combination of normal 1990s technology and a lot of earlier stop-gap measures designed to avoid heavy expenditure of crucial parts and fuel. They walked up to a man opening up an electronics/repair store to ask a few questions.
"Excuse me, sir," Doyle asked the balding fortyish man, "We're new around here. Would ya mind us askin a few questions?"
"Sure, go ahead," the man responded, taking in the three people, "I don't get too many people in this early."
"Well, this is going to sound strange," Doyle responded as they followed him into what appeared to be a cross between a new and used store, though a couple years out of date, "But we're been travelin' the worlds and aren't too sure about things such as exchange rates and the like, and what actually happened to California since, uh, you know…"
"Since the Hammer? You must have come from quite a way if you're that out of touch," the electronics man replied, "But after the tidal waves flooded over Los Angeles and over toward the desert, and the Cannibal Army went crazy and cleared out most of the scavengers and hangers-on, folks that'd hidden out in the hills or as far as Nevada and Arizona started trickling back when the Government reestablished itself and got the nuke plants back on line. Only about a fifth of the population managed to avoid the Troubles and eventually move back, but since most of the opportunists and gangs stayed behind, they were taken care of either by the Hammer or when the Cannibals were wiped out up in the middle of the state."
"So what's the medium of exchange?" Alexander asked.
"Oh, it's leveled out at about an even hundred times as much of the old money in coins, or the new money they've started to circulate at the hundred to one ratio to convert back to a papered economy," the man offered, "So where've you been that you're so out of touch, Mister…"
"Harris, Alexander Harris," the young man replied, "And this is Doyle and Joyce, and the fact is we're involved with an old project and got sealed in until finally clearing our way through. We had a big opening upwards for sun for the hydroponics, but no way to get out."
"I'm Marc Kizok, by the way," the store owner replied, shaking there hands, "And things have settled down so we're back to about the nineteen fifties without the Cold War, no entertainment industry, and no chemical industry to speak of, but the country's still managed to hold itself together in spite of some folks thinking otherwise, Canada's part of us, and so is the northern two-thirds of Mexico. The Russians and Chinese finally stopped killing each other off, most of the world is dead or reduced back to small villages since the waves were pretty widespread. I think the Turks made a comeback in the middle east, taking over and mixing together the survivors and weapons from the Indus to the middle of Libya…not that much is there anymore. Some of our navy actually survived, including most of the submarine fleet, and we've pretty much drawn a line from middle of Libya to the Adriatic and over to the Baltic States. We made a deal with the Swiss, Austrians, Bavarians and Czechs, and they're now four States. A couple nukes took the fight out of the Serbs, and everybody calmed down. The survivors are digging out over there, and we ferried over about a hundred thousand of our own folks to mix things up and start raising food like crazy. It's about it."
"So has the food situation worked itself out?" Joyce asked, "And what about medicine?"
"We're hanging on well enough," Kizok replied, "The survivors of the wave-swept areas have been given ten-year salvage rights and credits before everybody else moves in, and this has gotten them to really concentrate on the important things. And since most of our elderly population went quickly after the Hammer, we're stretching it out some. So if you have anything in your…bunker you want to trade, I'll give you a very good price, and in exchange for first chance, I won't short you on the trade to the new currency."
"So there is still a central government, but the economy is struggling and the population's about half what it was?" Alexander emphasized to be sure of things, "Is there any real…hope?"
"Sure, believe it or not we're launching rockets and shuttles again starting next month, to try and relocate our efforts into space to produce food and solar-electric at as close to a geometric rate as possible. That's why you'll find a flat ten-percent tax on all transactions, to cover it. If it catches on I'll be called up to move to Colorado Springs or Denver, I was Aerospace before the Hammer."
"Well thank you, Mr. Kizok, we appreciate your time, but what would the exchange rate on gold or silver be?"
"An ounce of coined gold would get you about five hundred in new dollars per ounce, silver about ten, and half that in jewelry or other forms, minus maybe a five percent conversion fee."
"Well, would you be willing to convert an ounce of gold, then?"
After a quick cup of coffee and breakfast at the diner, and finding no one looking at them suspiciously, the rest of the group was called into town and joined them around nine that morning. The groups synchronized its story, and they found an innkeeper friend of Mr. Kizok's willing to let out rooms for the rest of the day and a promised five in the morning wake-up call.
For a few hours, the main concentration of effort was general rest and finding out as much as they could about the recent history of this world, the date of November 18th, 1997, more to the liking of both groups.
With local money in hand, they stimulated the local economy, buying food items and even a few local books and newspapers produced since the world-wide devastation, hoping that maybe the SGC or someone else might be interested in making friendly contact with this world in the future.
The girls strolled and shopped, the men loaded a few handcrafted items into the truck; Joyce chatted up the men that produced the items in hopes they were in the trade back home also.
The next morning, having made arrangements to leave before daybreak with the sentries, the two trucks headed down an alley and opened a portal into the next world.
[Author's Note, this is took place four and a half years after Lucifer's Hammer, in which I also disclaim any interest.]
The two trucks thumped to the ground relatively softly, the passengers suffering no ill effects as they headed out an alley into the morning of a relatively normal Ventura, California. Doyle drove the lead vehicle into the open and active highway convenience store, paying for a newspaper in change and finding out it was November 1997 and things were normal. They purchased a tourist map of California, as well as a real road atlas just to make sure. No Sunnydale in this place either, but the coordinates were familiar to Rembrandt when he checked the timer again.
"Hey Cue-Ball, look at these coordinates and tell me why they're familiar?" the singer called over to his friend, waving at the other Sliders to join him. Quinn's eyes widened and he raced over to a pay phone and dialed a number. The group gathered as they listened to their friend's side of the conversation.
"Um, this Quinn?" the young man spoke into the receiver.
"Uh huh, and yes, I was with a young woman at the hospital, she couldn't breathe." The person on the other side of the conversation said something that caused Quinn to sigh.
"I thought I was only going to be gone for an hour, I'm sorry." He then quickly gave highlights of his pre-Slide life, feeding in more coins, "Have any other…Quinns visited since I left? No? I think I'm home mom, but the others'll have to call their families and friends just to make sure. I'll cal back in an hour to let you know one way or the other…okay, we'll probably come up to visit anyway. Bye."
"Guys, make your calls, I think we're home…"
They'd chosen to drive the distance in a bus rental, stowing their cargo aboard. Quinn had suggested this after Xander used a laptop to download movie and television material, sports almanacs and such from the Internet that the Sliders could go over just to be sure. The trip was uneventful, the Sliders happy to be nearing an end to their journey, the Sunnydalers sad that their new friends might be leaving them so soon, but happy for them. Xander took Joyce and Doyle aside for some planning while the girls slept or talked up near the front of the bus.
"I think we should keep the girls from sliding, Xander," Joyce suggested, "I know they're not fragile, but after that disaster world and without the other four, It wouldn't hurt to have them out of harm's way."
"Well, I know we talked about a base before, and maybe dividing the group to check, so I guess it's a good plan," Xander agreed, "Plus, they'll be able to work on their other skills, and work with the Capricans and SGC. Will you stay with them, or go with us?"
"I'll probably have to stay and keep Dawn out of trouble, Xander," Joyce smirked, "She may be wonder-girl now, but she's still Dawnie."
"Sounds like a plan, then," Doyle agreed, "Xander and I will scout ahead, then report back."
The Sliders reunion was a happy one, it turning out that it was indeed their home, though Quinn's mom had dropped a bombshell by revealing his true heritage to him. He'd taken a few long minutes to think, but couldn't fault her for loving him. The others made him promise to stick around a couple months then maybe head out to find his brother and others. The Sunnydalers told him that if he waited until after they reestablished contact with their own home, they might be able to help out too.
Xander and Doyle had both surreptitiously managed to get a hold of nearly a hundred thousand dollars in Hammer-line money, and comparing it to theirs and that from alternaties recently visited determined that it matched most of the others. Joyce snickered, and came forward with ten thousand of her own, so they bought a moving truck to replace the two old pick ups. Having seen the leanness of the Hammer world, camping and survival equipment, food, supplies and comforts for two months were packed away. They bought a series of aerial photos of where their Sunnydale should be, and the surrounding areas to get a better perspective on where best to slide and expect a relatively untraveled road. Xander and Doyle drove down the coast a little ways from San Francisco itself, pulling into a park established for the last seventy years, and with device aiming better than that of the Sliders…
…found themselves in the last world for which they'd selected coordinates before heading back to SGC-Caprica.
The road was narrower and unmaintained, but looked like with slow driving they'd suffer no il effects. The park was part of encroached wilderness, and there wasn't the least bit of pollution in the air. Xander pulled out a Geiger counter and couldn't pick up any residual radiation, so he radioed to Doyle in the other truck that they'd slowly head for San Francisco.
They topped a hill and looked at the city, abandoned for some time and without an easily recognizable skyline. In fact, it didn't look like anything in the way of a real skyscraper existed on the peninsula, and the ocean showed no ship or boat presence. They tuned their radios in to find nothing being transmitted in their range. They crept further with their vehicles until they were starting to pass vehicles. Xander, with Uncle Rory as a role model of sorts, instantly was able to identify many vehicles, however worn and rusted, from the thirties and forties, and he was barely able to keep on the road once when Willow squealed at the sight of skeletons in an old car accident.
They turned into the city, when a group of six 'rural-looking' young men in their teens and twenties, and one in his early forties, stepped out to make their presence known. The men wore a combination of regular clothing and buckskins, carried modern-enough knives but homemade bows. Xander decided to pull over on the opposite side of the road and alight from the vehicle. He asked Doyle and Joyce to cover him while he greeted the locals on his own.
"Hello," he greeted as he with open hands stopped about ten feet from the older local, "I'm Xander Harris, I hope we're not intruding?"
"Are you an…American?" the man returned in blurred but understandable English.
"Would it be considered a bad thing?" Xander responded, "We mean no harm."
"It would be…a good thing," the man replied, "And we would take you to see Ish and Ezra, the last two Americans of our Tribe." The man paused, then asked, "And you could show us how you make those things move?"
"Well, the main thing is if there are any of the tires…the round black things…that you can use…but yes, we could," Xander replied, then gestured at the broken pavement, "Is there a road to where your… Tribe…is located?" The men conferred for a few seconds, then nodded.
"Xander, I am Jack, and if you follow us, it will take us one part in… six…of the daylight to reach our place."
A cul-de-sac of homes proved to be the center of the 'village' of the Tribe, the engines of the vehicles drawing the attention of maybe a couple hundred bronzed 'anglos.' When the girls got out of the second truck much of the tension in the locals disappeared, as a raiding party wouldn't bring young women into the middle of an enemy. The Elders began to gather as Xander was escorted to a rise where two old men sat looking out over the Bay Area.
"Ish of the Hammer…Ezra of the Lessons…" Jack began nervously, "We brought these…Americans to see you." The two old men didn't respond for a moment, but then their eyes cleared as they recognized younger people in *manufactured* clothing and accoutrements.
'You are young…Americans?" the old man addressed as Ish asked in a quiet but firm enough voice, "Is there and America again? I thought it had died with the rest of the world."
"We're not exactly from *this* Earth, sir," Xander conceded, "We're from an Earth that didn't suffer whatever the disaster was that ended the world here."
"Other Earth?"
"Yeah, if this world and its history were one page of a book, and the next page changed the story part-way through…"
"Hmm, I actually understand…so why are you here? To conquer?"
"Huh? No we're not, we're explorers and not soldiers."
"Can you help our kids reclaim their heritage?"
"Do they want it?"
"The world died of plague back in '48, young man, and twenty years later we knew of villages in Los Angeles and near Albuquerque. The Tribe is still healthy…but if their grandchildren keep marrying cousins…"
"Ah, so what would you want to see happen?"
I want them to get a better deal than the Indians got, I want their children to go to school, and to own the rights to the lands of Northern California, or half-way to the next community you find."
"Will they agree? I won't force anything on them."
"Jack? Call he Elders and bring them here if they're not, this is important, this is the survival of the Tribe."
"They are here, Ish of the Hammer, what is your wisdom?"
"We joined the First Ones and the Others into the Tribe once, so that the Tribe would live, we know what happens to babies of those too close in blood. The Americans can make sure most of our mothers and babies survive the births, that the children will be healthy and strong. It is time to do something difficult for you, but you are brave. You do not realize it, but it is time for you to be Americans. Your children must be able to know the wisdom of those who came before you, be able to make the stories, not just tell of things that happened before the First Ones and Others came together. It will be hard, but I entrust…my hammer to this young man…this American. He has my trust."
"And mine…" Ezra added, looking frailly at the young man from an Earth that didn't suffer the plague. The Elders, especially the women, took to heart the reference to in-breeding and childbirth talk, as it was very slowly starting to become a concern again. They looked at the two Old Ones, and the women nodded at the men. The Elders nodded to Jack.
"It is done," Jack told Xander, "We will honor your advice."
"Uh, well, I hadn't really planned on this happening," Xander replied in some confusion, "But I'll barter with those who can help you and your people."
"That will be all we can expect of you…Xander of the Hammer," the old man known as Ish smiled, "And I for one wish to see how the world would have turned out differently."
Xander finished explaining things to his group, Joyce chuckling.
"What is it with you and strays?" she joked, "At least a few hundred is a better number than seventy million this time."
"And look at it this way, Xander?" Doyle remarked, "They have the gold reserves of Fort Knox to pay for things, if nothing else there's still an old mint around here somewhere isn't there?" Xander looked at Doyle.
"You're right, there's a whole 1948 world that if anything survived it would be more than enough to pay the way of these folks, and then there's the oil and other resources no one's using…I feel like the Indians told me to go *find* that Columbus guy and cut a deal before the conquistadores show up?"
"I think that's what that Ish guy was doin' Xander?" Doyle replied quietly, "And even if you don't get the best deal for them, you'll still make sure that even when they're absorbed by a United States, they'll at least have something to show for it."
"So where do we start?" Joyce asked, frowning slightly in concentration.
"Why don't we drive into town and start with the mint and downtown area, see what's still around?" Xander suggested, "And if we can at least start up a trust fund and set aside lands, then the SGC folks and Colonies can do whatever they want within reason with the rest of the region, and maybe the world…"
"How about a percentage?" Willow suggested, "Say five percent on everything that goes between dimensions, and only allow certain places for transit?"
"A-And land leases f-or only twenty years before it goes back to the Trust," Tara suggested, "Or like o-one of those Alaska Native corporations. O-or hire lawyers to collect a tenth of the Tribe's share, so they'll fight harder for the Tribe."
"Wow, Tara!" Dawn enthused, "I think you solved it. Do we get a percentage since Xander is now Xander of the Hammer?"
"I do not understand," Jack spoke from where he'd quietly listened, "But you are also Tribe, now, so you share as we share, With you six, we now number…" he thought about it… "twelve plus three tens of hands and all are equal…we decided this a few minutes after you gathered yourselves here to talk of your matters. You share equally with us, and this we believe is fair, as you, Xander, should know."
Alexander took this in and walked away from the group for a few minutes, finding himself near the man that had given him the hammer and a lot of responsibility. The man looked up at Xander, and looked out at the hills.
"I've thought this before," Ish said, "And I find with you helping my… children to not lose themselves forever, that brings me comfort: They will commit me to the earth, yet also I commit them to the earth. There is nothing else by which men live. Men come and go but Earth abides."
"Hmm, there's something to be said for that," Alexander replied thoughtfully, "but I think I'll stay more optimistic for now. You know after I settle things for them I'll continue on my journey, don't you?"
"Yes, but by then they'll at least be on their way to…something beyond this fall. They'll have choices. For that you'll have our thanks."
Author's Note and Disclaimer: I decided on this obscure yet quite good 1948 George Stewart book that Carl Sandburg reviewed as most worth reading, Earth Abides, as a crossover after Ed said he had about 7000 in his collection. Was this one of them, Ed?
"Xan, I hurt," Willow said a bit groggily, resting her head on Joyce's shoulder as Doyle drove the truck away from the Bridge in a hurry. When they'd gone into the ruins of San Francisco, the Ishites hadn't reported seeing any other tribes in several years, but there instead had been a group of gun users, and Willow had been grazed across her upper forehead near the hairline, and stung all along her right arm by fragments of brickwork from a ricochet.
"Keep going, Alan," Joyce urged the man driving, "We need to get her somewhere we can treat her.
"I'm going as fast as I can, Joyce, but the timers are with the other vehicle."
"All in one place?!"
"Not the way it was planned."
Xander continued firing into the attackers, finally getting them to retreat. He turned to Dawn, who was patching up her arm as she gripped the timer counting down from ten minutes. Tara pulled up next to them and moved over so they could climb in.
"Let's go," he said, slamming the accelerator down, bullets strafing the large truck from up ahead in the distance, "Dawn get the timer ready, we still need to get ahead of the others, but with all the money and bullion we took out of the mint, we're moving slow."
'The timer reads nine minutes…mark," she said holding it. It was fortunate that the device held in her hand stopped a small round from striking Dawn in the face, and unfortunate in that the timer itself was wrecked.
"Damn!" he shouted in frustration, "Dawnie are you okay!"
Dawn and Tara checked her, the brunette pulling out the other timer that had elapsed, and had been reset for the SGC coordinates. Her hurt hand worked the settings as they caught up with and passed their companion vehicle as a car actually started to work its way behind them down the road, gunmen aboard.
"Dawn, I hate to do the F*845&* sliding thing all over, but we need it now!" the young man cried out, Tara radioing the others what had happened. Tara counted down form thirty as they lined up and headed toward the wharf in front of them.
The wormhole opened, blue as they all hoped, especially Dawn, that they'd get some answers in the next world…as the portal tinged with green.
The suspension bemoaned the punishment as it dropped four feet to the ground, Xander as he swerved to avoid what looked to be a military vehicle as he then plunged through the plastic walls of a hydroponics facility, then through an airlock into a darker building. Doyle managed to avoid the back end of Xander's truck, unfortunately swinging the back end of a truck overloaded with bullion was sufficient to ensure effective application of the truck rear side with the front end of the infantry carrier.
Bodies flew from the rear of the APC, rounds pouring forth from a few weapons that had been brought up in shock at the sudden presence of the two sliding vehicles. The two individuals in the front cab were less fortunate, and not strapped in were slammed around and rendered unconscious, but the fired rounds tore through their own personnel.
Alan and Joyce both recovered quicker than the scattered infantry squad, Doyle alighting from the vehicle and drawing his Colt and advancing on those uniformed liked those who'd shot Willow. Joyce, who'd barely managed to keep the redhead safe from the jolting slide, set Willow's head on the bench seat as (Cue Wonder Woman music) she herself then burst from the vehicle and vaulted with minimal contact up and over the front cab to jaw-punch one and crescent-kick another in the back of the enemy vehicle to prevent them from resisting.
Alan was forced to shoot two unwounded Kromaggs as they got to their knees, Joyce kicking unconscious two more as they overcame opposition. Both grabbed firearms from the enemy, Alan asking Joyce to check on Willow while he covered from here, then maybe 'do a recon.' She'd just gotten back when she heard four evenly spaced shots and threw up, holding the mirror of their truck in realization of what he'd done.
The truck front wedged in tightly but they were able to grab their weapons and make their way forward into a warehouse area. Two Kromagg techs were standing from where they'd had a small crate punted into them by the sudden arrival of the truck; Xander recognized Kromaggs and with two bursts ended immediate threat of revelation. Tara stood in shock, but Dawn placed a comforting hand on the blonde's shoulder, giving her a reassuring nod and whispered, "We do whatever we have to for the babies, Tare, 'kay? Alexander understands this."
He waved them forward, indicating a slow pace as Xander himself sprinted for the far door, drawing a big knife from a leg sheathe. A moment later a klaxon began to sound, Xander kicking through the door firing into targets on the other side. Disappearing inside, the girls catching up heard a couple more bursts, a scream not Xander's, then two longer bursts.
They entered the far area slowly, finding something of an airlock set of doors leading into a darker and higher-tech room on the other side. Perhaps the control room for the logistical aspects of whatever base into which they'd stumbled. Dawn counted eight total dead, five of them soldiers with weapons about them, but no visual of their companion. They followed the sounds of gunfire, now two different varieties, as more screams and shouts resulted. Through five more rooms and corridors they went, finding a greater and greater body count as it seemed Xander had passed through the officer's mess hall and gone all out. On the other side of the carnal scene, Doyle reloaded as Xander dashed through another door and continued firing.
"Doyle!" Dawn shouted, "What's going on?!"
"We've crashed into a Kromagg Outpost pretty girl, and Xander's makin' sure our next few days are spent in freedom, not in a camp. Joyce is back the way I came, takin' care of Dawn. You might want to go fetch 'em and some weapons, then follow us slower to either stay protected or bail us out if these guys get it together soon." He dashed around the corridor after Alexander as they did as he suggested.
Xander meanwhile had tuned into his underlying instincts and just let himself go to town on the opposition threatening his family if he paused for longer than reloading. Grabbing weapons as his fallen opponents were still dying, he finished them off and continued quickly into the next room, four times avoiding death and wounds by sheerest luck over stunned opposition.
'Prison lock, I'll bet,' he thought to himself as he entered a sealed zone of dark rooms. A young human woman of oriental descent stumbled away from him, vaguely familiar in appearance. He shot two guards coming out of a cell block, killing them as he remembered her name.
"Mary!" he called after her, causing her to stop, "We're Quinn's friends here to rescue you and get out of here!" He came up to her, "How many 'Maggs are left in this area?" She shot out a camera.
"Uh, two more," she replied, too stunned to lie and paralyzed with… hope? "They're straight ahead, they were going for the blind man." He nodded and surged by, finding himself faced by the three described. Letting go of the human captive gave Xander the time he needed fire two face-level bursts into the soldiers, causing the prisoner to scream and fall away.
"Bennish!" Xander Harris screamed louder than the crazed prisoner, "Bennish! Shut up! We'll try to get you home, we've already killed maybe half of them." The man surprisingly quieted as Doyle came up
"Mary, help and guide him. Doyle, status."
"Sent the girls to retrieve the others and follow in our rear, so now where do we go?"
"Mary, where's the command center from here?"
"Quite close actually, to the right four corridors and it's to the right. There's a slide platform there and overlooks the hangar for the manta ships."
"Great Mary, just a bit and we might just be able to get everyone out safely," Xander assured her, much of it to assure her loyalty through perceived victory rather than bullshitting, "Wait a minute, then follow me."
Quietly they scurried after Xander, quick bursts of gunfire erupting from the indicated area, then Alexander calling them an all clear. They found two highly ranked Kromagg officers sitting on the floor bleeding as they refused to answer questions.
"Mary, who else is there that wouldn't have been in the officer's mess or here, that could rally the 'Maggs?"
"There's a training exercise about two hours away, live fire, so the other general would be there." Xander smiled at her, shot the groin of the more difficult of the two captives, then the head.
"I *hate* doing this," he whispered to them as much as the remaining general he knelt down next to, "But I have my mates to consider, so unless you cooperate, I'll shoot you a few times, but make you live, then leave notes about how cooperative you were before I tired of keeping you alive." The Kromagg's eyes widened at the disgrace suggested, "But if you cooperate, you can be left alive, having tricked those humans into leaving before finding out anything useful. You can blow up the computer after we download. Your choice." The calculating eyes considered, then the general nodded reluctantly.
"Simple, now I want a copy or the physical core of your system, a manta ship, a pilot for it that you don't mind seeing executed by us when we leave. And whatever prisoners are still in the cell blocks or medical."
Ninety minutes later, after encountering only four cooks, four troopers and two pilots of the Kromaggs, but finding two intact Bennishes, a Logan St. Clair, an Arturo and a Maggie Beckett, all the worse for wear but intact, they managed to load up the truck caches, Kromagg weapons, several timing devices and what seemed to be a prototype manta ship of impressive size, about a hundred feet in diameter and three levels high. The power requirements alone caused half the ship to be devoted to sliding, movement and…cloaking.
Turning to the pilots as they were about to engage sliding, Xander turned to them both.
"You realize that unless you fire into the command compartment, he's going to blame the two of you. Show us how to work everything when we slide, and we hand you a timer to get back…you can push the wreckage off of you as the reinforcements clear the place. Your choice, you two are testers, not officers." Two hands flew out and pushed buttons, one firing and one sliding.
The manta vessel narrowly avoided hitting the Golden Gate Bridge as they transitioned, the pilots swerving left
"Anybody have an idea why the wormhole went green again?" Xander asked, "Even jumping wild shouldn't do that."
"I don't know, Xander," Dawn said, but it's gotta be bad luck that I've been hurt both times we've ended up somewhere weird."
"It's probably not you, Dawnie," Xander assured her, then smiled, "But I think we'll let Tara hold the timer, eh?"
When it was clear they were no longer being chased, they slowed in an area Xander vaguely remembered passing a hospital. They pulled in, everything pretty much non-functional in the city, but the place looked like it had been at least ten years since whatever happened.
"Okay, Doyle, head into the ER and see if it's safe," Xander directed them, "Dawn and Wills both seem okay, but I want to check them over with what we know medicine-wise. And if it is okay start looking for a newspaper machine or something to let us know what's going on. Tara, it looks like Dawnie's fine for now, please get the med kit and look at Wills again, Joyce and I are going to learn these systems as fast as we can and get these guys home."
Two hours and forty minutes later, the group reunited just inside the doors of the ER, having come across the expectation of great comet-watching 'tonight' back in 1985, but nothing after that.
"I'm guessin' somethin' 'bout the comet wiped folks out," Doyle mused, "and since we're didn't set a third timer this run except for going back one slide, it looks like the last wrecked world, it looks like we're going to be winging it fer a while, but with a ship at least in a bit o comfort."
"Well, we can program the last comet-struck world as our temporary last resort, and the timer that got us here seems locked on three days no matter what," Xander offered, "Given time I might be able to extract the other coordinates from the broken timer. No promises, but…"
"That's okay, Xander," Joyce assured him, and the girls, "Dawn is much more important than the timer."
"You bet, Joyce," Doyle agreed, others nodding except a sleeping Willow, "We'll just have a little bit more of an adventure is all. So what do we do for three days?"
"Well first off, is Willow going to be okay?" Dawn asked, Xander nodding in agreed concern.
"Somehow she managed to avoid a real concussion, but I don't know how, but she seems to be sleeping regularly," Joyce assured them after double-checking the first-aid, "And Dawn's hand is cleaned and bandaged so it hopefully will heal properly."
"In that case…since we seem to have the basics down, we can send the Kromaggs off somewhere, then let's find the main library I see on this map you got from the hospital gift shop, and see what we can learn about this world," Xander suggested, "then we'll see about modernizing our supplies, ammo, greenbacks and such."
"Looting again, Xander?" Joyce asked with just a hint of reservation in her voice.
"Only to balance out what we need, and only if there doesn't seem to be an owner that might be around and concerned. Tell ya what, let's held over to The Presidio instead, rest up, and see if there's anything there that'll fill out our reserves without requiring a higher profile, though I'd really like to get as close to Sunnydale as possible before the next slide."
'That sounds better, at least safer, and we should try to get back to Southern California." The girls nodded in agreement.
"Okay, we've set the timer for seven day increments, and are sending you to a world we learned is uninhabited, so we'll be long gone by the time you get back," he told them, handing them a timer, "Here."
"Okay, let's open up the cabins and let our 'guests' out for a better round of introductions, shall we?"
The new additions to the Sunnydale Sliders entered the main control bridge of the vessel, curious as to the turn of fate that awaited, only sure it must be better than the Kromagg cells. A powerfully-built man possibly in his early twenties seemed to occupy the main control console, three young women in late teens or even early twenties seeming to be working out the various controls of their substations. The man and woman that had released and escorted them, stood off to the side at the ready as if epecting trouble from the former prisoners.
Welcome aboard the 'Sunnydale Slider,' everyone," the youngish leader greeted them formally with the slightest British in accent, standing up and walking over to them, "Once we've managed to better understand the Kromagg technology, we hope their databases will inform us as to your homeliness. I recognize all of you, or at least your equivalents, and have discussed things with four mainline sliders, Brown, Mallory, wells and Arturo. Ms. St. Clair, you are mercenary and fiercely competitive, but you do have a great familiarity regarding your world's efforts at developing slider technology. Professor Arturo, depending on how involved you became, you are at least at the education level necessary to pick it up very quickly, and it is fascinating to see theory played out in reality. We have two Conrad Bennish individuals, both geniuses, possibly unstable in an emotional sense but trainable. We also have a Kromagg-tortured Bennish sedated in what passes as an infirmary. If lucky, we can find a world in which his eyes might be restored, along with his sanity."
"My name is Alexander Harris, I am the Commander of this vessel and this group, and here's the deal," Alexander began, looking at each one, "You become crew, learn and share everything, and to *your own world only* you get licensing of this technology, but agree everywhere we go will come under the protection of the Earths with whom my group is allied. We do not pursue conquest so are not a threat. As we get to your homeliness, if we do, you will say nothing of us or the vessel until we depart. We will leave you with coordinates to which your worlds may contact and establish trade and influence agreements. Also, in some worlds vampires and such do exist and are the enemies of humanity, so get used to looking over your shoulder when off-vessel. Questions until I meet with you on the basis of dimensional origin?"
"Yes, uh, Commander Harris," Arturo asked, "How bad is our situation, and do we have established contact with your own people."
"Not bad at all, Professor, but while we're in the process of coordinates reclamation from a damaged timer, we will tend to form my group's practice of a four day visit to each world. With this vessel, we'll see how that effects things. The good news is that we seem to have he ability to attain an altitude of around a hundred thousand feet, or delve to around eight thousand feet underwater, and stay there on current stocks for around three weeks."
"Ah, excellent, that way if the world is inclement, we can ride it out until the slide, good."
"And with full cloak and shields, that drops to about a week, but that's still long enough."
"Excuse me, Commander," Logan St. Clair addressed him, "What do you need us for? You already have the ship?"
"An impolitic question in your situation, but fair," Alexander returned, "We'll master the vessel and *all* tech encountered much faster if more of us exist to pursue it."
"And you'll share all of this with us and our worlds?"
"Maybe not the weapons, unless we find your worlds under attack by the Kromaggs or Aliens."
"Now while I have a good idea of our abilities, I'm going to assign general roles until we have a better feel for each other," Xander continued, "Major Beckett, you, Captain Summers and Captain Doyle will act as our Security Detail, and primarily be responsible for the making sure Ms. St. Clair doesn't make off with the ship or betray us to those we contact. You are also our primary Search and Rescue force. Professor Arturo, you, your Bennish and Ms. St. Clair will act as our non-military Research and Development contingent, working out the vessel and other technologies. Your assistant will wear blue and be called Bennish, while this Mr. Bennish will wear red and be called Conrad. You, Professor are the Head of your team, courtesy rank of Captain."
"Why not a Major?" Beckett asked.
"The Security of this vessel and complement are *the* primary concerns, Major, and the ranking will emphasize this. Thank you for bringing the matter up," Xander said, pausing, "And Conrad will be placed in charge of weapons examination and report to you. He is a lieutenant by courtesy. Ms. Rosenberg is our lieutenant in charge of Computer Technology, Lt. Maclay is our Medical and Life Sciences Officer and Lt. Summers is our Chief Engineering Officer. This is a young-looking crew, but we have years of experience but not with Kromagg technology. Two more things, and they are important: betray us and we'll hunt you down and burn a city around you to ensure your demise; become part of this crew as I've outlined, and follow orders, and even if your own world has been destroyed, you'll have a home here. Remember that, as having a base and support will make anything easier."
Three days passed, the 'Sunnydale Slider' slowly making its way to where Sunnydale would be if it existed in this world. They followed Interstate Five southward, ending up in LA. In spite of the unsure nature of the crew, no incidents had occurred, and the breadth and depth of Slider knowledge had somewhat shocked the new crewmembers.
On the second day south, they'd stumbled across their Goa'uld healing device, and the girls slowly took turns healing themselves, then the sightless Bennish as the other prisoners spent most of the day learning Kromagg and translation technology to speed things up, and occasionally alighting to check for survivors or valuable materials along the way.
In Los Angeles, the group had become a little more comfortable with each other as they began to mesh in conversation and intellectual intercourse. A visit to what use to be an upscale Beverly Hills-area mall led them to the first signs of human presence in this world. They de-cloaked, and the Security Detail was sent to make peaceful contact if possible.
Maggie led Joyce and Doyle toward the main entrance of the mall, where the heat and other sensors had picked up human forms as they flew over early last night. The sun breaking over the horizon, they'd chosen to fly over semi-noisily and land in a parking area.
The trio halted about thirty feet from the main entrance, the Major reaching for a megaphone they'd found in Barstow along with a bunch of law enforcement gear.
"Hello, the mall, we only wish to speak with you about local conditions," she called toward the entry, waiting a moment before repeating, "We will approach and enter unless you tell us not to. Please respond."
"Please identify yourself," returned a man's voice, also over a megaphone, "We've not had contact except by radio in four years."
"Did you notice the vessel in which we came?" Beckett responded, "We're the first-contact team from the 'Sunnydale Slider,' and will be leaving in twenty-three hours."
"Please holster your main weapons, and you may approach," the voice continued. Nodding to the others, she complied and stepped forward first. They came close to a fairly effective barricade, stopping a few feet from it and waited for the inhabitants to respond.
"Most survivors don't go around in space ships," an older but in-shape man smiled as he seemed to suddenly come up beside them, causing them to go into defensive stances but not draw weapons yet, "Or give women positions of importance, so you're tentatively welcome."
"Thank you, Mister …"
"Hooker," the man gestured to himself, then gestured to the barricade, to another older but fit man covering them but not pointing his assault rifle, "And that's Hodges, and we'd very much like to know how anyone is still mobile, let alone with a flying saucer."
They'd briefly outlined to the two men the concept of sliding, the threat of the Kromaggs, and that they would be leaving for a different dimension the next morning. In return, the two men, former police officers, outlined how their small colony was most of what remained in California after the Comet and the Breakdown. Both sides transmitted to their own people so as to not repeat it.
"Well, what can we do for you, Major Beckett," the former Police Academy Instructor and beat cop asked, "We don't match your technology, that's for sure."
"Well, the Commander is all about being the good guys and seeing how everyone can help each other…"
"And you, Major," Hodges, formerly on East LA gang patrol asked with a smile.
"After time in the Kromagg cells, I'm a little leery, but I'm living it a shot."
"Good thinking," the balding man that looked a lot like Robert Duvall said to his partner, who looked a great deal like William Shatner, "Means you'll pull out of it and back to normal enough at some point."
"Well, thanks I guess," she responded warily, to be interrupted by Joyce's hand on her shoulder, and a whisper, "Oh, the Commander's gotten a fair idea from the sensors of how many of you there are, and wants to know if you want to relocate to a more populated world when we get to one?"
"What?" the two men responded to the unexpected offer, "Your ship can handle that many of us? What about livestock and possessions?"
"So you're interested?" Maggie pressed.
"To prevent the third and fourth generations from marrying cousins and sisters, yeah," Hooker smiled with slight sarcasm but real sincerity, "Unless you plan to colonize our world?"
"Maybe eventually, but the way the Commander is handling a similar situation, you'd at least get your twenty bucks for Manhattan?" Doyle quipped, "And as you said, your family tree will otherwise become a stick."
Things had progressed from there, and within a couple of hours, the two groups had met and worked out details, the nine adults and thirty-two children would occupy the Kromagg platoon 'dormitory' and they could bring about two trunks each of possessions without it getting in the way of anything. Jon and Bonnie Baker had pressed for inclusion of the horses, the motorcycles, and a few other things, but in the end four young but trained colts were allowed in a cargo area apposite the dormitory, and six well-maintained CHP Kawasaki 1000s.
Hooker and the Romanos had managed to put together a steamer trunk of cash, gold jewelry and coins and miscellaneous 'trade goods' for starting new lives, while Hector Gomez and his wives made sure the children had only what they needed, were clean, and the 'village records' were secured. Logan grumbled a bit, but the others felt better in that the majority of the new travelers, while temporary, were former police officers and had continued to maintain a solid family framework for the children.
'Hec' came up to Alexander as the last of it was secure, Bob and Stacy Romano right behind.
"Everybody ready for sliding tomorrow," Xander asked the tired yet hopeful trio, receiving nods, "Now do you want one last night in your own beds or just sleep on board tonight?"
"Well, since we're all here, and the kids are accounted for, we should probably just stay aboard and have less of a hassle in the morning," Hec replied, though I'm still thinking of heading back and making sure the livestock are definitely loosed."
"Sounds god, why don't you take Maggie's detail with you, and Ms. Sinclair as well. That way if anything they think is useful is around, they can nab it too. I'm going to head up on the roof and take a look around, get a feel for things before we slide.
"Well, Alexander," Joyce began as they looked over the stricken town as the others helped the last of the families aboard and releasing the livestock, "I'm thinking the road back toward the mountains from Sunnydale might be the best place to slide on land, it seems to be on the maps from the last few slides, and I remember driving up there accidentally when I first got to Sunnydale."
"Breakers Road, yeah, good choice, I was trying to think of someplace a little closer, but none of them really overlapped like the road does."
"Okay, and my second solution is to consider coming in out at sea and just above the water then head in."
"Even better, Joyce, let's go with that," Xander acknowledged, "I'll plot in the course."
"I guess that's our plan, then, I'll tell Major Beckett and the others, let them unwind a little after the moving, then head up there an hour before the slide. Tomorrow, for these folks, the long 'Night of the Comet' will come to a close."
Four disaster worlds had been experienced by the new crew, different variations on cometary damage. In the first they'd found a Greater Los Angeles flooded to the point where buildings in the downtown area were islands, the 1980 Indian Ocean and East China Sea impacts eliminating much of the populations of those bodies of water to a depth of 50-250 miles. Now, the world recovered and was doing quite well, but it was efficiency-obsessed and very document oriented. Given the sheer number of children, the Cometites chose to pass.
The next three worlds were recovering from nuclear winters, all pretty grim, but none quite lived up to the hype of the alarmists, the major cities of the Western Alliance having managed to take out the Nazi and Maoist enemies with them in the early seventies. St. Clair and the police went forth and found a surviving Darpanet node and had gathered information on the nascent North American Federation based in Cheyenne Mountain and Colorado Springs. The second had degenerated into nominal Americas similarly based, but with executive orders that told everybody to just do there best every two years and go through the (nominal) process of elections until tey could be a real country again, and the other two seemed to be scavenging nations based on the various Pacific Islands, Australia, and South Africa, though from radio traffic a bunch of plucky Newfoundlanders and Bermudans were trying to get something going along the Gulf Stream.
None of the worlds had a Sunnydale, but the fifth world seemed promising enough. Well, they'd found Sunnydale, but no one was home it seemed. They found a newspaper at a store and found the date had been December 11, 1996, and the only thing of real note to them was that the World Link was going to be activated that day, about three in the morning California time, a big honkin' system of solar power, microwave beam electrical, full sat-link and dish-download Internet at 50mbps. All the networks and content providers were advertising their own features and encouraging the Two hundred fifty million pre-subscribed households world-wide and two thousand stadium-sized units to tune in, even as the solar reflective components were supposed to light up the nights of major urban areas like it was a morning after daybreak, and Doyle had not been able to find anything on bands from shortwave on up the normal scale. They were alone.
"Looks like something really went wrong," Dawn noted as she finished her paper, 'But I'm going to want all the specs we can find on it before we slide." Willow and Tara both nodded along, appreciating both the upsides and downsides.
"I think you're right, Dawn, and if we can diagnose the difficulties, only then will we present it to the SGC and Capricans for analysis, to avoid whatever caused everybody to disappear."
"Do you think vampires or demons survived?" Joyce asked, watching as Maggie and the male police officers headed into the mall.
"If the masters turned on their minions, maybe for a while, unless they found a way to hibernate," Xander speculated, "But who knows about the others, though I'd expect to have seen some wandering the streets by now."
Arturo and the techies were dropped off at CRD, a much bigger complex in this universe, with the Romanos as security detail, then moved the manta-ship into the main area of town the new best.
Leaving the vessel with Joyce and the girls, Xander and Doyle went on their own 'away mission' to the S-Mart that had opened a month before the disaster, removing usable cash, hunting rifles and camping gear, smaller shotguns, some easily prepared canned food, and a few bottles of hard liquor. Joyce when they got back looked disapproving at the liquor until they set some of it with the weapons, and seemed to be putting some fit with the first-aid. Doyle caught her looking.
"Ah, Molotov cocktails, fire starter that's non-poisonous, a light disinfectant, and of course the better stuff for celebratory libation we're sorta lackin' right now."
The core group talked things over, and decided to check on the Harris and Rosenberg homes, where Willow had found that she'd owned a very nice laptop at least a step above the technology of their own alternate, but that the software was about the same, a case of real hard engineering development outpacing the markets. She found a diary, and it very closely paralleled their own, except that she'd noted that Xander here had developed a real liking for hands-on computer tech work and woodwork of all things. He'd finally asked her on a date, and would be over any minute and they'd go see this big video thing going to happen. That's where the diary ended, the girls in the group getting all teary-eyed and bittersweet that the other Willow and Xander had gotten together, even if tragedy meant they'd died together. Xander and Doyle just looked a bit disturbed at the line of thought and checked magazines, catalogs and such for information.
"So where do you think we should look up such stuff?" the Irishman asked, "I'm thinking the University might have computers or something we could check, and maybe they'd at least have the info on the nearest substation or whatever. That'd be the place with the information."
"You're right, but we should also stop at a computer store and upgrade our capabilities a bit, at least more RAM and bigger drives." The girls came down the stairs and Joyce came in with her M-16 over her shoulder.
"Area seems safe," the modern Wonder Woman remarked, "So if we're careful, we should be able to avoid any demons. Any plans yet?"
"Doyle and I were thinking computer store, University and a substation of this system thing they deployed," Xander presented, "Anybody have anything to add?"
"Yeah, how about the School Library and Giles' house," Willow chimed in, "We might be able to put together our own Watcher's Library and start up our supernatural studies." Tara smiled and nodded thoughtfully.
"H-how about the magic store," the blonde beauty added, showing more confidence now that she considered herself a member of a real family, "They might have materials we could stock up on for practice, a-and maybe books too."
"Cool Tara!" Dawn enthused, realizing that much as Xander had done in the San Francisco alternates, Tara and Willow were in the Sunnydales, making the best of things so that when they made it back, they'd do so ready for almost anything, "And if we have time, maybe we should head to mine and mom's house in LA to double-check our stuff there. Who knows? Maybe my big sis made it, being the Slayer and all?"
"Dawn, good thinking," Joyce hugged her daughter, "An excellent idea if the city hasn't burned from this…lighting thing."
The mall, the business district, the University and some on-the-spot stops had pretty much filled up most of the holds not being set aside for tech, magic or training, including a bunch of Willow and Xander closeted baby stuff when they reached the Sunnydale School Library. Entering the premises, they were almost surprised that nothing had moved in so close to the Hell Mouth, and noticed it looked like Rupert Giles had just shown up at the school the week before and would start after that Winter Break.
They retrieved the Mall group, stowed a few things away, then as the families prepared for a late lunch, set down near the playground before Xander and the two Summers hot-wired a truck and it actually started.
They moved up to Giles apartment with trepidation. Whereas the other places were public or at least 'theirs' by association, they would be entering the premises of some one else.
They approached the door of the place, carefully looking about for ambush, then knocked on the door as pro forma. Dawn rolled her eyes and Willow smiled until they heard faint sounds inside, a surprised shuffling, and then silence. Alexander gestured at his girls to step back as he called into the house from a few steps back. Doyle and Joyce took up positions of support.
"Hello in the apartment!" he called out, "Is anyone alive in there, we heard you!" He paused but continued to hear nothing.
"I am stepping back about three yards from the door, please respond. You don't have to open the door. Are you Rupert Giles of the Watchers Council?"
A moment went by, then they heard the clicks of multiple locks being drawn back. After a moment a voice called back through the door.
"Yes this is Rupert Giles, please identify yourself," the familiar voice responded.
"I am Alexander Harris, of an Alternate Dimension, with others of my family," the young man responded, "A world where this wiping out of people didn't happen. I'm with the Joyce Summers and Dawn Summers of my world, family of Buffy Summers, who might have been Called as Slayer in this world." The door opened slowly, and someone dressed more like an older Ripper greeted them, leaving the door open as he backed into his place.
"Just holster or secure your weapons, and it'll be fine," the man warily but curiously greeted them.
"So, we all knew the Alternate you from our world, Giles, and as it has been weeks since leaving our own world, you'll forgive us if we seem very glad to see a familiar to us face."
"I-I myself have only come across four surviving humans since the Day," Giles demurred, "So while I don't necessarily trust you, I'm prepared to give you the benefit of the doubt. It would put me at ease if you'd tell me your story first, but would anyone like tea, it's been a while since I've had guests." They smiled and accepted
They spent an hour amazing him with an outline of their experiences, and he in turn explained how he'd had the flu and was verging on death in the hospital when he awoke the next morning to find everyone gone.
"I knew those infernal devices needed better testing first," he asserted, then continued. Apparently, after looking about Sunnydale all day, he'd had the sense to head for Los Angeles, maybe an out of the way place, to avoid the vampires and others that might still be around. Four days and nights he listened as demons in LA tore into each other for ascendancy even as they in fact sparked a war amongst surviving beings of power who thought it best to take control of the crumbs. The southern half of Los Angeles ceased to exist within two weeks, and Giles postulated similar experiences elsewhere, vampires suffering from lack of human blood and the presence of the solar reflection light in most major areas.
"I found myself the only human left at that point, and decided to see if the last Slayer, er Buffy Summers, had made it through the troubles. I found her, a young man named Pike, and a woman named Brandi living in Miss Summers house, but planning a road trip of sorts. I told them I was heading here because of the Hell Mouth, to make sure they and any others had a chance to gather and rebuild. Four months later, they showed up for a while, helped destroy the few remaining vampires driven nearly insane due to lack of blood. They come by every three months or so to check on things; I believe there are four or five small villages of people that have come together to survive and regrow. Now that there are very few demons left, except for the occasional stray, they are as few as humans."
"So when was the last time your friends came through..." Joyce asked with concern, speaking p for the first time, "I know she's not *my* Buffy, but I'd like to offer her and the rest of you a chance to come with us."
"I agree," Xander confirmed as the others looked to him, 'Giles, we will be leaving after four days, and we'd like you to come with us. And your friends if you think we can contact them."
"Well, um, I guess I can check with them, they're in Los Angeles, and as it's noon I was about to contact them."
"We were intending to find a substation for that system, in hopes of correcting the problem for others, and then heading into LA. If you hadn't survived, we'd be loading up your books, which we'll do anyway, but with you here, perhaps we could find components and such by the time we rendezvous with your friends in Los Angeles. Oh, and tell them to *pack* their stuff, after which we'll retrieve technical information ad examples for trade back in our own world, magic supplies we'll avoid buying in ours, extra camping gear and food."
"D-do you have a final destination?" Giles asked as he sat in front of his communications center.
"Actually, either back up toward the hills from here, or out at sea, to avoid possible exposure and collisions, that way we'll be able to tell when we get home," Dawn supplied as she watched him ready his gear.
"I-I already have gone through the suppliers, so they'll be no need to head for Los Angeles, and I have a sizable set of resources beyond which you may believe I have."
"Okay, why don't you call 'em up, then we'll get your stuff ready for the move," Joyce suggested, "And I'll call the others and have them prepare the last three rooms for occupation."
"Three rooms?"
"Well, they're more like the double-bunk rooms on submarines with a small desk, built-in drawers and some clothes hooks," Joyce conceded, "And you said it was you and four others, right?"
"That's right, pretty lady," a dark-haired man at the top of the stairs responded, coming down with a shotgun crooked in the arm ending with a prosthetic of some sort, "Name's Ash, by the way, and your story checks out, at least as far as the funny ship goes. What's she called anyway?"
"Well we were going to call her the Sunnydale Slider, but after the girls have started telling a few off-colored jokes when they thought I wasn't listening, I've decided that just before the next slide, we'll have a little christening ceremony and I already have a name in mind."
"What's that?"
"The Capricorn One."
"You and I'll get along just fine, kid."
"That's…Captain Kid to you, Ash-Can."
"Hey!"
"Hey yourself, padawan, you've not yet felt the power of the Xander side of the quip."
"Good Lord, two of them," Giles sighed and shook his head, Joyce patting his shoulder in commiseration.
"So Rupes, you think the kids'll be okay meeting up with the saucer-guys?" Ash asked seriously, "Especially since it'll be a mom and sister."
"Well, perhaps, but I don't remember Beth having a sister in this reality, do you?"
"Can't say that I have, but we never really talk the heart to heart stuff, just stuff."
"Ur, quite, but I'm hopeful that any hope for a real life, even is it means being a slayer again at the same time, will be a positive thing for her and her young man."
"Yeah, she has Pike alright, that ought to balance her, someone there who was there before during and after all this, gives ya perspective."
Buffy, Pike and Brandi watched as the manta ship set down at the substation, wary but hopeful, as Giles had managed to connect with them over the radio a few hours ago. The shock that an alternate of her mom, and a sister she'd never known had thrown her, but still she was hopeful.
The door cleared, and six armed humans stepped out and checked to make sure that the surrounding area held no hostiles, pretty much ignoring them except for the sixth one, dark of hair, in good shape but still Joyce Summers. A young girl also armed followed her a moment later. Joyce smiled at her and walked up to her. They both looked uncomfortable until Joyce simply opened her arms and embraced the hardened but still emotionally vulnerable Slayer.
"Oh my poor baby, are you okay?" the dark-haired version of her mother cried into her hair,, Buffy embracing back, "My god it must have been horrible for you, baby. I know I'm not the same mom, but I'm here now."
Buffy and 'mom' slowly sank to their knees, the girl quietly sobbing 'momma' for what she lost and now might have found anew, the older woman for both the girl she worried about back at home and the new Buffy she now wanted to help as her own.
"I'm Major Beckett," the woman in charge of security introduced to the other two, "And this is Lt. Dawn Summers, sister of your friend in another dimension. Shall we start getting your stuff taken aboard while they get themselves together?" They nodded, and she smiled, "Great, Lieutenant, you're in charge of your family's security while we get his taken care of."
"A new sister…wow," Elizabeth 'Beth' Summers said, shaking her head while looking over at Dawn at the mess table they shared, "I always wondered what it would be like to have a sister…and the way mom looks, I mean your mom…"
"Call her mom, Buffy, I man Beth," Dawn smiled, glad that she was being accepted by this other version of her sister that acted a lot like a more-personable Major Beckett, "If you want to stay with us, you're not a substitute, you're another daughter for her to take care of."
"If?"
"We won't force you to stay, sis, but we'd like you to, even just getting to know you."
"Thanks, I guess."
"Takes a lot to get used to huh?"
"Yeah, there were four of us left in our area after…everything that happened, and suddenly there being more in the world, and that we're going to *another* world, a bit much."
"So what's the deal with you and Pike? Married?"
"Um, all except the ceremony, and then there's, uh…"
"The other wife?" Dawn smiled with understanding, the other girl nodding uncertainly now that there seemed to be 'civilization' again, "Don't worry about, you're in the midst of similar situations… there's Hec and his two wives, and then the Commander and his three fiancées, of which I am one…and expecting."
"But I thought you were only-"
"Stop, we'll explain later how I came to be…older than I really am, and it wasn't like what you're about to think…and mom's accepting the odd situation, and loves Xander as a son, so it's okay, and I'm happy."
The blonde slayer looked at her new 'sister' and then smiled, "So how far along are you? What's it like?"
"Well…"
"Commander Harris, the ship's sealed, sir," Beckett reported in her military way, which Xander returned, knowing it might set a better tone and structure for the loosely-assembled group.
"Thank you, Major," he relpied, then as she turned, held up a hand to remain, "A moment unless business is pressing…Rupert and I were discussing a trip to Europe in this thing to attempt access of some rather important relics. Are you familiar at all with British military protocols and considerations?"
"Well, Sir, this is a different world than my own, but if you need me to 'pinch a lorry' or direct you to the 'loo' I can get by, otherwise from a weapons perspective I haven't seen any difference form what I'm used to."
"Excellent, Major, I'm going to set us a course to New York, then London, so Mr. Giles will provide you with a rough outline of the facility and the dangers there. If, say, in an hour, you might call your Detail together, and please include Beth Summers, Mr. Hodges, Mr. Hooker and Mr. Pike. I'd suggest replacing yourself with Beth and direct both teams, with Mr. Giles and Ms. St.Clair as your specialists. If after your meeting you find this is not a good mix, *your* decision is final."
"If we run into trouble who'll act as SR team?"
I'll bring the Romanos with me if it comes to that."
"That'll work, Sir, shall Mr. Giles and I begin now?"
"Yes, thank you Major, and Major? Thank you for your work so far, it's good to have a professional in charge of security."
By two in the morning they were approaching the Big Apple. Alexander and Tara held bridge duty as the others had been extremely active since arrival in this world. They'd meditated for a couple of hours and were pretty much energized until the next night's sleep cycle.
"S-so are we going to stop in New York?" Tara asked as she looked at the darkened city, "Is there anything there we want?"
"Not that I can think of, Tare," he replied as Hec walked in carrying a tray with tea and condiments.
"I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd make myself useful," the former truck driver demurred.
"Tea's good, thank you, Hector," Xander nodded, "So, how're the kids doing?"
"Well they're kinda confused, but the idea of more kids to play with, and not worrying as much about winds and fires in the city are a plus."
"Yeah, how about you?"
"Well, it'll be a bit strange getting used to the noise and pollution again, but with the money we brought, if it matches, we'll be able to get a good start," the man pondered, "Well, I'm on kid duty tonight, so I'll let you two get back to work." Tara smiles as he left.
"What's with the smile, Tara?" Xander asked.
"Him."
"Oh?"
"H-He seemed to think we might be up to…a little more than work."
"Would that be so bad?" he asked, sitting down next to her at Dawn's usual station in order to fix his tea.
"Um, no," she replied shyly and very quietly, "I-I guess not."
"I'm glad you're comfortable with me, Tara," he added softly, getting a little closer, until he noticed her just starting to tense up, "I-I know this is a it sudden, and we're going to be parents, but, uh, at the first civilized world we find again…would you consider going dinner and dancing with me…please?"
"Y-y-es," she forced out quietly, "That would be nice."
"Tara," her co-parent quietly said, gently placing a hand lightly on her wrist, "I sense something not of the good happened between you and men in your past, I want you to know I'll *never* hurt you." She hesitantly looked up, eyes just a little watery and meeting his, "And besides, with beautiful eyes like yours I'd be too busy feeling important and happy to even be able to think."
"Thank you," she blushed, hesitantly turning her hand over and taking his lightly, "For everything." They shared a quiet smile, then eased apart and sipped tea as they plotted the course for London.
It was a little after noon local time that the Capricorn One (formerly the Sunnydale Slider) reached the Oxford area, Giles then giving them street directions to the Watchers in London from there, finding Giles growing less animate as they closed on their destination. Pretty much most of the adults crowded the back of the bridge, looking out the view screen as they hoped for signs of human recovery. They made their way to the intersection next to the Watchers, noting that a single fireplace vented smoke into the sky.
"Any idea of who might still be around, Rupert?" Commander Harris asked, "I'm a bit reticent about the only people around being supernaturally connected."
"As am I Commander," the Watcher responded, "But the wards on the place, unless changed in the short time since my departure nearly twenty-two months ago, should only affect non-humans seeking uninvited entry."
"Do you think being from other dimensions would affect us?" Xander asked, noting a slight paling by Tara.
"Hmm, I can't see that it would matter, but we'll take it slow, I suppose," the British man responded, "Just in case something major was able to breach them and get inside."
"Very good, Rupert, Major Beckett…"
"Sir…"
"Prepare your teams, and included the crosses, stakes and holy water super soakers."
"Yessir, teams let's move and prepare to alight, Captain Summers designated Beta and Sergeant Hooker designated Delta. Frequency four, please."
"Professor Arturo, would you and the Bennishs mind remaining on he bridge for now on the secondary scanners, just in case."
"Not at all, Commander, not at all," the older and thinner man responded, turning to his two companions, "Conrad at tactical and Bennish at wide area scanners please."
"Ash, I'd like you to arm for vamps, and draw your shotgun from stores," Xander continued, "I want someone covering entry to the ship who's not afraid to fire."
"I think I can manage that Commander…" he smirked, nodded and left.
Beta Team, comprised of Captain Joyce, Captain Doyle and Slayer Beth, took point as they approached the main doors, Delta Team covering the flank away from the nearby ship. Major Beckett, Rupert Giles and Logan St. Clair waited at the steps as Doyle rang the bell several times and then backed up.
Minutes later, after seeing curtains part slightly on each level, an intercom activated next to the door.
"Uh, yes, please identify yourselves," the woman's voice asked, "And state the nature of your business here." Joyce moved up to the intercom.
"We're here from what used to be Los Angeles, and are escorting Watcher Giles and, er, Slayer Summers here," she replied, then stopped when realizing she had nothing to add.
"Is Rupert with you?" the voice asked, "If so have him speak up please."
"This is Rupert Giles," the Watcher addressed through the intercom, having been given the go-ahead from Major Beckett, "To whom am I speaking, if I may." They could hear locks being drawn back as the intercom replied.
"Please point your weapons aside as I *am* allowing entry," the voice replied, "And as to who I am, Rupert," the door opened, revealing a woman in her early forties, "Surely you remember your old friend Deirdre Page?"
"I-is it really you?" Rupert asked in amazement, "But how?"
"A certain demon was in possession of Thomas, and as I was dying, suddenly the demon was gone, and so it seemed most other people."
"And so you're here?"
"Where else to go after something like this, though there've only been two others I've spotted and they've since gone off some where," she added, "Oh, when you come in, be aware that the wards have a large number of demons trapped, for some reason they were able to get part of the way in before being held in place. I've been trying to get around to finishing them off, but I've developed a bit of a phobia about going out, so I don't want to get my clothes ruined from demon blood. If you and your soldiers wouldn't mind…"
"Uh," Rupert began, and turned to the Major, who nodded, "Perhaps that should be our first priority, Deirdre, a-and it's good to see you again." They hugged.
Caught by magics and by traps, the Security Detail eliminated four dozen demons of various types that must have thought the Watchers if anyone would have an answer to the strange departure of man. And with the oozing monsters, doubt about the supernatural it some dimensions. The group after an hour, finally reached Deirdre's apartment on the top floor.
"I-I must say again I'm amazed to find anyone left, Deirdre, though delighted," he said after outlining the ship situation and the plan for fighting a better world in which to live, "And I must compliment you on your ability to hold out."
"Well, if your Commander could make a little room for me?"
"You can share my bed if necessary, I mean I don't think there're any cabins left, but we can take turns, shifts, I-I-"
"I understand Rupert," she smiled back at his embarrassment, "but it *has* been a couple of years and we did do such things twenty-something years ago…"
"I-I-"
"We'll take turns, alright…"
"Er, thank you."
"Now, what do you plan to loot, old man, after all most of the protective wards are in place around the most dangerous things, and probably inside the vaults as well."
"I was thinking some of the more mundane items, actually, amulets warding against magic, reference books, rare diaries, that sort of thing."
"Ah, those are accessible, as my necklace is such, and the *real* library is the next room over. The special weapons are on the opposite side of the floor, as is armor and such. It would be best to grab two or three that seem very close to the sizes you want, and worry about fitting them later."
"Quite, thank you Dee," he said calling her by an old nickname, then noticed that manta ship passing by the large window, "I wonder where they're going…"
"To steal the crown jewels, then hit the Albert and Victoria…" Major Beckett answered his question as she entered the room, "He figured that since no one here is using them, he'd see about converting them over somewhere else."
"Is he planning any other excursions?" Giles asked.
"After he comes back, he plans for us to move the Council stuff on board the ship, then maybe make a pass at Amsterdam and Paris."
"What's there that he wants?" Deirdre asked.
"Tara seems to have a soft spot for the Impressionists and the Dutch Masters, so go figure," the Major smirked, "And figured that this might be the time to fill out his wine cellar."
"If he's turning pirate, why not the bloody Sistine Chapel?" Giles grimaced.
"I'll suggest it to him when he gets back, and since we'll mainly be in America, if there's anything here you want, this would be the time to get it as you're probably the closest thing to owners."
"Hmm, she does have a point, Rupert."
"You hung around Ethan Rayne too much."
"At least in this it comes in handy."
Two hours before they were due to slide out to the next world, the manta ship, heavily packed, cloaked and landed on Catalina Island, deciding to give everybody a breakfast off the ship as they were waking up from a night flight. Xander walked out with Tara to the end of a pier, watching some birds fly by
"Beautiful," he remarked.
"Yes it is," she smiled as she looked away.
"I meant you, but I agree," he smiled with a slight blush, "and you don't have to worry…" He gently held her hand.
"Thank you," she said shyly, then caught his latter words, "Worry aobut what?"
"You're human, the tests on Caprica said you were, tough I suspect a hint of Elvish due to some of Dawn and Willow's costumes."
"How?"
"I noticed on the bridge when we landed in London. I had Giles do a spell in order to reassure you, Tara, and you're fine. Whoever told you different lied to you."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, and it wouldn't matter anyway, we love you the way you are, and it happens you are human." He smiled and gave her a reassuring side-hug she moved into, reveling in the friendly male contact as she contemplated life in general and that her babies weren't going to be cursed as demons."
Dawn and Willow smiled as they looked over and saw Tara accept a Xander hug, Beth Summers watching their reactions.
"Yes!" Dawn squealed, "He's broken through her shell, Willow."
"I know, now I managed to get out of her last night the fact that Xander asked her out to dinner and dancing, and she accepted."
"No way," Dawn smiled, "Cool!"
"Um, guys," Beth began, "Why are you so excited about this, I thought the three of you were already engaged and having babies." They smiled and spent some time explaining a little more about their situation with Xander.
"So you never…"
"Not yet," Willow affirmed, "But soon, and we wanted Tara to feel welcome, not scared, because if we're going to be one big family, we don't want to start off with Tara feeling alone." Buffy stared at them in amazement, and noted Giles and Deirdre walking down the beach tentatively holding hands.
"I think as weird as all of this is, you two are the greatest."
Chapter 60 appears to have gone A.W.O.L.
A search party have been dispatched, but have have yet to report back.
Foul play have not been ruled out.
The short vacation had been good for the entire crew of the Capricorn One, the survivor groups becoming accustomed to different worlds with people, and the others who'd had to deal with Kromaggs and other beasties grateful for less-threatening situations. Even a little vampire hunting and a memory-retrieval spell didn't seem taxing, and the highlight seemed to be the date between Alexander and Tara.
The men-folk had decided to counter the machinations of the female conspiratorial side of things by making sure their representative would not be found wanting. They rented a car, found a tailor and tipped him heavily to finish the work today and on time for the dress clothes they'd made him purchase, including two suits, and in this they decided an upgrade to Armani was in order - why not, it was Alexander's money they were spending, not their own. And when his back was turned they put in an order to be completed for a wardrobe by the time of the next slide.
Alexander arrived back at the Summers house to find Joyce and Joyce in happy conversation as the Buffy and Willow equivalents paired with themselves in getting a nervous Tara ready under the enthusiastic direction of Dawn.
He handed Tara a large bouquet of mixed flowers of many different types, admitting he had no honest idea of which might be her favorite so he went with one he liked and hoped she might also.
"Th-thank you," she blushed, holding them up, and smelling them, conscious of the conspicuously inconspicuous gathering around them, "I-I like them, they're like a meadow."
Dawn offered to take them for her, and the dark-haired girl made a slight leaning-toward-Xander head motion at Tara, who blushed, and gave her date a quick kiss on the cheek.
"I'm glad you like them, Tare," the well-dressed muscled man smiled at her, offering an arm, "Shall we go somewhere public so we can be more alone?"
She laughed, the remark as unexpected as it felt true as a chuckle caused their audience to faux-ignore them and shuffle away, "Okay, let's."
It was a nice evening, and they had a chance to just talk and enjoy each other's company, including the fact that neither wanted to discuss their previous family life situations. They found out likes and dislikes of music, both before and after the Resets, foods they liked that they didn't before, and other little things neither had had much time to consider until now. Xander realized he was quite happy at the moment, just relaxing and not really considering the pressures of getting home.
The next morning saw activity pick up a bit more, the group as a whole throwing themselves into research, relaxation or both.
The 'local' Xander met up with Alexander after school and had the soldier memories restored. It took a bit out of the new soldier, but Buffy had been glad to go on a donut run while he rested. By the third round of sugary fatty goodness the calories were happily reviving energy levels.
"So what now?" Buffy asked.
"Now, you start training with him in guns, small unit tactics, and other soldiery things that'll keep the both of you alive, Buffy," Alexander told her, "And maybe pass on the skills as much as possible to anyone in your group."
"I figured that out, I meant what do we all wanna do now?"
"Ah, maybe a light sparring for the two of you, homework, and maybe we'll meet at the Bronze later on?" Alexander replied, nodded to Giles and left.
The girl grabs him by the neck, pushes him away a bit and elbow jabs him in the face. He staggers back and regains his balance as she jumps onto a crate. She does a jumping roundhouse kick to his face, knocking him to the pavement. Buffy arrives, the others close behind. The girl notices her and approaches, smiling.
"It's okay, I got it. You're, uh, Buffy, right?"
Buffy is taken aback. Just as she's about to answer, the vampire comes up behind the girl and grabs her by the shoulders. She snaps her head back to head butt him in the face and grabs onto his arm. A loud report of a large-caliber handgun stuns all within the alley, and as the head explosively turns to dust, Alexander turns to them.
"She's Faith, from Boston, a vampire slayer," the muscled young man deadpans, "In our dimension, she was quickly becoming a good friend of ours, so in spite of her apparent Slayer-Boost of super-cockiness to the point of obsession, she's a decent person underneath so be sure to become close friends of hers; no one in this…trade…should be alone if it can be helped."
As the others remained passive and quiet from overall shock, Alexander holstered his weapon and headed into the Bronze for one of those big fried onion things they started serving.
"Does he do that all the time?" Faith asked the group.
"Nah," Dawn replied, "He's just hungry and didn't feeling like waiting for everybody to hem and haw about introductions. Welcome to Sunnydale, Faith, don't mind Buffy, sometimes she gets the "I'm the Slayer" bug up her butt, but we ignore it, so don't bother to try it with us. Just be Faith, who happens to be a vampire slayer, and everybody'll be your friend soon enough. Come on, I'm hungry, too, and you know how slayers get…"
"Hungry and horny?" Faith replied, then looked at the Slider Gals, "Hey, it's kinda low-power, ya know? But you all Slayers?"
"Long story best told when Alexander's buying lots of food and sodas," Slider-Willow responded, "But the three of us here are, but we're not from this dimension. Oh, and about the HH? Alexander's ours, Oz is Willow there's, Xander is Buffy's, so anybody else is pretty much up for grabs."
"'s good to know what's the what, ya know?" Faith nodded, "We're cool."
Kakistos and Trick had spent a lot of the old vampire's lucre on hiring the local vampires and a few fyarls as back up; Trick's research showed that a big hunter group had arrived in town and seemed to have hooked up with the Slayer. So now in addition to four demons, they had forty vampires stationed all the way from the Bostonian's motel back to Kakistos' warehouse lair.
Buffy and Faith continued running for their lives, managing to dust two or three overanxious minions before reaching the seeming safety of the building. Buffy had called Giles on the new cell phones the Sliders had insisted upon, and the Gang knew the sitch. And in the distance she heard cracking and deep-thumping noises and hoped it was a good sign and not more hellmouthy trouble.
Maggie Beckett, Logan St. Clair, Beth (alt-Buffy), Pike and Ash smirked as they'd come across the flank of vampires and let a lot of their pent up issues out on the undead, Logan volunteering just to feel free for a moment. Two grenades and a dozen shot-gun shells took down eight, while Beth then lunged in to finish four and the others three amongst themselves.
Looking up in the distance, they could see a group of undead head into a building, but posting a watch in case the Sliders attacked.
"Well, that was fun, much better than Deadites," the former Promised One mused aloud, "But let's get to the main deal, huh?"
Alexander and the fiancées had armed up for an expected easy raid, when the cell call had redirected their efforts. Luckily, they were in the area, called for backup, and chased down a measly six vampires before catching up with Beckett's team.
"How do you want to handle this Commander?" the Major asked, "I'm thinking we head around back and you let us know when to kick in the back door, draw them away so you hit the front hard."
"Okay, Major," he agreed, time being of the essence, "And right now I think Faith and Buffy are the only non-hostiles in the place, we're target-rich."
Meanwhile the local Xander and Scoobs had managed to miss running into any vampires at all, coming from the opposite direction. Pulling up in Alexander's rental car, Xander waited until the others were out and ready, then he speed-dialed his Mega self.
"Hey, that you down the street?" he asked, gunning the engine, but leaving the lights off. Receiving an affirmative, "I'm gonna soften up those four tough-looking guys up front, hurry up now." And he slammed on the accelerator and raced the car toward the door.
The four fyarls didn't care much for being around each other, but the pay was too good to mess it up by attacking each other. They'd heard the gunfire and shrugged it off as no further attack occurred, but they were curious as to what was so important someone was recklessly driving toward the building. Only at the last minute did they realize the vehicle *wasn't* stopping.
CRUNCH*KA-Whack and simultaneous screams and thumps into the doorway were the immediate result, an airbag going off and quickly inflating on the driver's side as many humans arrived and rushed into the building.
Kakistos chortled as his minions engaged the Slayers, darting in and out to land hits, wearing the two girls down as they fought for their lives. The old vampire shouted deprecations on the dark-haired slayer, taunting her with the death of her Watcher, and how this other slayer will be tortured and killed before her own drawn out death.
The gunfire from the back of the warehouse caused Trick and another vampire to look at each other, the situation, and a side exit, the screams of hired minions breaking the 'mood' of the evening.
The two girls had dusted five already, and Kakistos lunged in as not to be denied his vengeance again. Kicking and punching the slayers, the older vampire ordered the minions to deal with the troublemakers, not realizing that he'd sent them to final deaths.
Major Beckett's team after dusting six at the back door, had hesitated on entering the room, but the vampires cam at them and away from the slayers, "Knee-cap 'em with shot!" she shouted, and four shotguns poured destruction without fear of humans being caught in the fire. Six of the eight went down, Beth jumping up and over to kick-down two remaining chargers.
Across the way at the main door, the remaining minions were shocked as two fyarl demons were propelled through the doorway and into their midst, knocking down for of them. Three teens and a Watcher poured through the door, firing burning crossbow bolts into their midst then ducking to the sides. One of the largest humans many had seen came next through the door, one that bristled with muscle as his shotgun pointed low and fired continuously as he sought to neutralize and assess, three young women in swat armor following in with MP5s.
"We need to end this before even the local cops have to show up!" Alexander shouted as they attacked and overcame the stunned defenders.
"I don't think that's going to be a problem!" his Willow called back as the side battles ceased and they watched Faith stab Kakistos through with a broken beam, dusting him. Alexander looked to Giles, and nodded at the dark-haired slayer. The Watcher moved in to help his new charge cope.
"Okay, everyone," Beckett said, "Grab up what we should, then let's get out of here. Now!"
Alexander watched as Xander and Buffy approached, and smirked at his local self, "I guess we'll have to add the automobile to our weapons list from now on."
"Yeah, uh, about that," Xander responded, only to be interrupted again.
"Don't worry about it, I'll leave money to take care of it," Alexander smiled, shaking his head, "Least I'm leaving you to take care of the paperwork."
The next two worlds were extremely painful to witness, the first a world that at some point in the last twenty years had managed to nuke itself back to a few hundred million weary and desperate souls now at the county and township level of organization, but trying to retain vestiges of civilization such as literacy.
In the other, about a year earlier, the land-based nuclear arsenals had launched, and only the fast-thinking of Russian and American sub commanders at a friendship meeting in the Bering Sea and their subsequent 'fire it all up into the intersect paths' had reduced the transcontinental damage to ten percent of the expected devastation, and had pulsed much of the remaining in-range weapons. Two days had gone by, economies reeling and mostly crashing when the Hell Mouth opened and the demons spread across Southern California before the USAF nuked the infestation and pounded Sunnydale for three days before the Hell Mouth finally ceased its active status. A terrorist named Moloch had been blamed for the disaster, but they only had the third-hand account of a young man named Larry that the 'corrupter' had been killed by a few students before the demons were stopped.
The third world seemed normal in almost every way: no SGC, Sunnydale or other threat indicators existed. But after a German Imperial naval victory at Skaggerak, this world's history seemed to slow down in technological pursuits.
"So, Hooker, you guys sure you wanna settle down here?" Alexander asked as the grouped picnicked in the Grand Canyon, "The history is different and all…"
"Well, it might be stuck in the fifties, but there aren't nukes or bio-weapons or anything," the older man replied confidently, "And without the computer and id obsessions of our worlds, we can fit in here, even if Europe still rules most of the world."
"Yeah, that's strange, but after all those Bolshevik guys managed to kill all those industrialists in that big takeover back in the thirties, the Germans seemed to lighten up again once both sides had lost their nastiest leaders and the negotiators stepped in to stop the general strikes."
"Weird, but with the dollars still matching up with theirs, we're going to buy up a bunch of farmland and settle down, maybe I'll run for small-town sheriff or something."
"Okay, you pick a spot yet?" he asked the former police academy instructor, "the world's kinda large…"
"We took a vote, and we figured we'd up near Gilroy and Fresno, tomorrow if possible."
"Good thinking , it'll give you a whole day for us to respond if something comes up."
"And we appreciate all you've done, Alexander," Hodges added, "We've made copies of inventions and other stuff, so after a year or so, we'll start on those, so we can pay for college for all these kids of ours. And your starter money'll get us off well enough. Thanks."
Capricorn One had seemed almost empty without their recent friends, but after hosing out certain cargo areas, the extra space was nice.
Four more normal-enough worlds had been experienced, the Sliders deciding to cut down their exploration times down to a single day. As the entered the fifth, off of Catalina Island, the found themselves listening to a world experiencing an inter-dimensional invasion.
"The Kromaggs seem to be trying to takeover the place," Willow reported from her station, "And the tech of this world seems only to be around the nineteen fifties."
"How're the locals holding out?"
"Pretty well, but unfortunately this seems to be an all-out effort by the Kromaggs."
"Any of them nearby?"
"There are three Kromagg vessels attacking something in the LA area," Tara added, Maggie Beckett looking over her shoulder, "The others seemed to be racing toward San Diego."
"Sir!" Beckett called out, "Four smaller 'magg fighters have just come out of a portal twenty klicks away and are heading toward where Sunnydale would be if it existed."
"Any chance they're looking for us?" Alexander asked, "And have we been spotted?"
"We're still stealthy, but from their comm queries…they *are* looking for us!"
"What should we do Alexander?" Joyce asked, looking at the young commander, "Lay low and hope we slide out unnoticed?"
"Probably the best idea, and the Bennishes are promising me they're nearly done getting the coordinates indexed for a return to the SGC and Caprica, if not to our homes."
"You okay, Xan?" Dawn asked quietly as they transitioned into the next world, having done nothing to help the human population due to the sheer numbers of Kromagg units in the area.
"I will be, I just wish we could have done something for them…"
"I know, but sometimes we can't…"
"Yeah…"
"Yeah…"
"Janus is dead…" the shade of Jasmine gasped as it faded.
"The loop is broken…" the Brother Oracle gasped as it held onto Reality.
"But can only Restart with the Return of the Keys and the Focus…"
Hercules found himself in the ruins of the pantheons, not the façaded gathering points kept hidden from the mortals, but the place in time and space where each mountain seemed to house a convocation of gods and Powers.
"Why am I here?" the strong hero called out to the emptiness.
"To act as our contact with the Focus and the Keys," a chorus of voices whispered as on the wind, forty or fifty Beings gaining sufficient strength to transparently come into his view, another fifty or so Archangels armed and ready nearby.
"I do not understand," the demigod responded.
"We are *all* that remain of the Pantheons, throughout all the realities," the chorus continued, "It will take untold time to resume our previous roles, and Evil, while similarly dispersed, is still strong. But the First Evil has been split into its aspects, none able to blend or effect control of its others, trapped in whichever Reality it had asserted itself."
"So how am I to do this?" he asked, "I'm only one man."
"No, we are communicating with all of your selves in the different realities. Know that the reality to which you are returned, is *your* responsibility. It does not have the same future or non-human races as those with which you are familiar. We will send visions as we have information."
"Oh well, I was wondering how long I could keep my past from the others, but I'd like to bring some one with me if he's willing."
"He is already waiting for you…Now Go."
"Hey Boss! What's this about me being the reincarnation of a friend of yours?"
"Well, Mr. Harper, it starts as story of gods and goddesses…"
"Ah, Commander Harris," Professor Arturo greeted, "I believe we've figured out our various coordinates, except your precise home coordinates, of which there seem to be five possibilities." Alexander looked at the numbers.
"I think those are the worlds just before meeting you, and leaving the SGC," Harris considered, "As well as what we thought might be ours."
"…and so, it looks like if we gave you timers, you could go home," Alexander Harris told the gathered complement, "Though I'd prefer to get us back to the SGC first, that way if they aren't, you could head back and at least be in a world that is already starting to use portal technology. Your choice in this…"
"So, that means we still have to eat more of Doyle's Irish Venison Stew?" Beckett considered, mock-sighing, "I guess we'll manage anyway."
The group considered tings for a few minutes, but in the end only Logan felt like leaving immediately, the others liking the back up in case things didn't work out. Carefully screening what she was taking, she surprised them.
"I know I'm…goal-oriented and out for myself…but thanks for the fairness. And, uh, good luck." And she opened her way home and jumped.
"Now that she's gone, I'd like to ask a favor from you all," Alexander voiced, receiving encouraging noises, "I'd like to head back through these other coordinates and just quietly check up on them before heading to the SGC…"
"Alright, Commander Harris," Conrad Bennish, "You're the dude got us outta the 'magg camp, I don't have a prob with it…I might just stay on at this SGC place if it looks like they fund research."
Checking the status of the worlds in question had uplifted the spirits of the Sunnydalers, and given everybody a chance at learning more about the 'magg technology at their disposal.
The Ishites were still doing well, and the Hammerites making their way through life.
"What are you going to do with this craft, Commander?" Arturo asked as they prepared to transition to the SGC-Caprica line.
"Trade it to the SGC and Colonials for help with the Ishites, and maybe a few of whatever new models they come up with after studying it."
"Timers?"
"Yeah, I think we'll try to establish weekly contacts, Dawn loves Caprica, and I think Tara also likes it a lot. Willow and Joyce really want the security of what they know, so it shouldn't be too hard."
They, like the others, braced themselves as they left one dimension… but seemed to come under fire from a rocket fired upward at near point-blank range. The stabilizers bucked and wavered as they reached the next world, the rough ride a great strain on their nerves and the ship itself as they emerged, not in their planned location, but within yards of a sea cliff.
Quick maneuvering minimized the skidding along the rock to a minimum, quick thinking on everyone's part keeping them alive even if the ship might have difficulty in flying very far in the future. Capricorn One bounced on the ground, tore up a few trees, then half-buried itself in the quiet section of a very large park.
"Everybody okay?" Joyce called out.
"Madam, I believe that isn't quite the word I would use, but we are well enough," Arturo smiled, picking himself up. He looked out the view screen, "We seem to be south of San Francisco, this park is one we used a couple of times sliding."
The group found they had indeed arrived back in the SGC universe, surprising the denizens of the park as the Sliding Slayerettes emerged, and moved to the asphalt. Joyce pulled out a cell phone and called the SGC, explaining the situation to General Hammond and given him their initial address.
"He said he'd send SG-1 back out to us by tomorrow, and he'll check with the White House for treaty negotiations for the Ishites, Xander," Joyce told the others, "Is everything we brought through with us secure Alexander?"
"Seems to be, Joyce," the young man confirmed, "The bullion didn't crush the twinkies or other important supplies."
"So where should we go?" Doyle asked as he came up to the window, "I'm fancying food other than the venison stew we had before we left."
"Hey Wills," Alexander spoke into the walkie-talkie, "Can you hook the pay phone into your laptop and find us an IHOP or something? Thanks."
The day in an undevastated line proved to be a nice change of pace; while time period-wise the group hadn't been away that long, the difference in the way people carried themselves here was much lighter than of those struggling to get on with lives.
Landmarks were visited, rooms rented at the Saint Francis, and a little exploration found only Wade had an alternate self in this world.
Master Bra'tac, Colonel Apollo, Paul Davis and SG-1 met the Slayerette Sliders, who Dawn insisted were the Xanderettes, for breakfast and headed back to the main suite to discuss matters.
"So what's this about giving us a whole other Earth, Al?" Jack asked with a smile.
"Give nothin' old man, you'll pay through the nose this time," Xander Harris returned with a smile of his own, "But seriously, Joyce outlined it for Hammond, are you interested?"
"Let me see…okay?" the colonel smarted back.
"The main concern is that the local inhabitants not be done out of their legacy, even if they don't have a clue…" Xander replied, turning pleasant but serious, "If you weren't so important as a team, I'd suggest that SG-1 be placed in charge, and the Free Jaffa and a few Colonial Warriors be brought in to honorably ensue things went well. Call it a Beta Site in case of Goa'uld or Kromagg attack, the resources are plentiful, and a decrepit but extant set of cities and facilities are in place. A unique fixer-upper."
"You would give the Jaffa a home and entrust the safety of these people to us AlexanderHarris?" Bra'tac asked in quiet disbelief.
"An ultimate refuge from the Goa'uld where your families can grow while you help these other cousins of yours achieve a destiny they have yet to envision?" Xander went on in his self-mocking Methos style, "I can think of few others who epitomize both Capability and Shared Need that will ensure that the Tau'ri of O'Neill's Earth will adhere to agreements"
Bra'tac's eyes widened at the possibility, especially when Alexander continued, "So as we know him, I'll ask that Major Davis become a civilian, and with Bratac and a Colonial nominee, form a three-person governorship for a ten-year tenure. But the…Ishites…should be able to choose two Elders in whatever manner they choose. And should the government not allow it, I think General Hammond himself should be ale to fill in until we can find someone."
"I-I don't' know about *me* being involved," Paul Davis waved off, "I'm fairly happy in my job…"
"Which isn't all that dissimilar except *you* are in charge," Alexander pointed out, "You'll also be able to help support the war against the Goa'uld even if a different administration takes over at some point."
"Um, I suppose…"
"Excellent MajorDavis, you and Hammond of Texas are both choices we understand," Bra'tac smiled, then offered his arm in a warrior's handshake with Xander, "And the Free Jaffa will always remember this chance you've given us, AlexanderHarris, and we shall do what we can to assist those Ishites whose care you've given us."
"The thanks is mine," Harris replied, "I have an immediate and prior responsibility to my family, and am glad you're here to help. And the fact that your people are also starting new should give the Ishites a better chance of keeping who they are."