˜ The Slayer's Spirit was disoriented; after the vampire called The Master drained its last host he had tried to turn her. There had always been safe guards in both Slayers and Potentials alike, guarding against the intrusion of the spirit that summons the demon. The act though usually leaves Slayer Spirit disjointed, this time was much worse; it was drained, needing a host quickly. It felt one worthy of it approaching quickly; not ideal, but the Slayer Spirit could change that. ˜
Xander could tell that he had been too late the second he saw her body, but he couldn't leave without trying. After giving Angel a crash course on how to be his second, they began the CPR. Just as he had thought, it was a futile attempt. Standing, Xander was surprised by the sudden wave of dizziness that assaulted him. To his surprise Angel grabbed his arm, keeping Xander from hitting the ground.
"Are you ok, you look a bit pale." Angel had to give the young man in front of him the respect he deserved, even if his attempt proved to be useless. The fact that he was the only one to try impressed him.
"Yeah, it's strange I suddenly feel a lot stronger." Xander turned and made his way toward the exit of the cave. The Master had escaped and he knew that they would be needed at the 'Mouth. 'If I'm going to die, it'll be fighting.' Xander promised to himself.
"Xander, I think you should stay here," Angel remarked as he stepped in front of Xander. When Xander pushed past him, sending him crashing into the wall they both stopped.
"No. No, I feel stronger, I feel… different." Xander took off at a full sprint, rubbing the back of his neck. Ever since he had felt dizzy, his neck had been tingling and a strange feeling sat in his groin.
Xander had lived his entire life and knew all the short cuts, within minutes he was at the school. Strangely enough Xander could both feel and hear Angel behind him. What bothered him the most was the certainty of the location of The Master, the unwavering destination of where he needed to go.
When they got to the entrance to the roof, Xander didn't even slow down, he just pushed the door open, ripping it off its hinges. When the unlikely duo got to the roof they saw The Master looking in through the skylight, clapping his hands idly.
"Yes. Come forth, my child. Come into my world."
"I don't think it's yours just yet," Xander commented.
The Master looked over at the young man for a second before dismissing him… until he felt a familiar presence. "It's not possible, the Spirit needs a balance. Yang and Yang would destroy one another," the Master mumbled under his breath. Xander doesn't understand. Angel does, and everything clicks into place for him.
"No matter, I shall destroy this host just as easily," the Master growls and reaches his arm out to try his hypnosis on Xander again. Xander pretends to be under his spell until The Master gets close to him.
"You have fruit punch mouth."
The Master looked startled by this. Ever since he had gained the power of telepathy, only one Slayer had been able to resist it. That Slayer had single-handedly decimated his army, and almost killed him. If she hadn't been worn out by battling his minions, she would have.
Xander swings a wide hard punch to his mouth, and The Master falls like the freaky looking bitch he is. "Save the hypnosis crap for the tourists."
As he gets up, Xander does a swinging roundhouse kick that connects squarely with his face. He swipes at him and Xander jerks back, but The Master manages to slice him with his fingernails across his upper right chest, drawing blood. Xander responds with a devastating punch to the kidney. He punches Xander in the jaw. Xander tries to punch him again, but he blocks it and responds with punches to the face, sending him flying backward into the wall behind him.
The Master is ready to continue fighting. Xander launches himself into a front tuck over his head and lands between him and the skylight. He kicks him in the side with a side snap kick, but he quickly turns around and grabs Xander by the neck
"Where are your jibes now?" Xander looks behind him and sees the upended table through the skylight. "Will you laugh when my Hell is on Earth?" Xander knocks The Master's hand away from his neck and grabs his.
"If you're so amped about hell, go there" He lifts him up and flips him over himself and through the skylight. He falls down and is impaled on the table. He slowly turns to ash until only his skeleton is left. Xander watches from above. He notices Giles standing up below him. The Hellmouth creature quickly disappears back into the floor, and all the vampires have turned to dust.
Cordelia is pushing the last of the junk away from them and pulls the door open for Angel and Xander. They all walk over to the Master. Giles was watching from the side, he noticed the lack of his Slayer immediately.
Nobody said a thing until Xander fell to the ground writhing in pain; he curled into a ball screaming. As everybody rushed towards him, a cocoon of solid light grew out of his now unconscious form, preventing them reaching the young hero.
Even though everybody that had fought earlier that night was dead on their feet, they made a schedule of who would stand vigil over Xander and when. What surprised the gang the most was Cordelia and Angel's insistence that they would get a turn watching over the young man.
By unspoken consent, Will took her turn first; the gang split up, most to research and Giles to call his contacts at Watcher Headquarters. Willow stepped up to the barrier, tears barely being held at bay. When she placed her hands on the cocoon of light she felt the sheer power contained within. Unlike the Hellmouth's dark presence, there was a feral sort of good to this power. Willow could feel the force washing over her, cleansing her; not erasing her pain, just dulling it. "I never thought something like this could happen to us, Xander; this is like Jesse, only you're not here for me. I have to be here for you and I feel so lost without you."
Willow couldn't stop herself any more; she burst into tears, her emotions rolling over her in crashing waves. To Willow it was like her entire world was collapsing, too much had been taken in such a short time; Buffy and now potentially Xander with her. Everything was reminding her of the losses they had experienced over the last year. "You can't leave us Xander; I don't how to live without my rock beside me."
Willow sat in front of cocoon, silently reminiscing about all the experiences they had. From the moment Xander had seen her crying over a broken crayon he had been there for her. Trading crayons, then later taking the blame and her punishment for the small crime. Willow could remember a few times when Xander would stand up to bullies, never of himself and usually for her.
After Willow had spent about an hour with Xander, Giles finished his phone call and walked out of his office. Willow was so engrossed with watching Xander that she barely realized Giles was talking to her from his office door. "I've received distressing news form the Council's researchers, I'll need your help with some translations."
Willow nodded sadly, she wanted to stay but she knew it wasn't fair to those who also wanted time with her best friend. Her logical side also knew that if Giles was asking for help, he needed it, so she docilely made her way to the small conference room in the back of the library. When she got to the back room, she idly noticed the computer had been moved; nodding to Cordelia she sat down at the computer to start working.
Cordelia walked slowly out of the back room, when she got to the cocoon she began circling Xander. To those who watched nature shows, she would have looked like a predator stalking its prey. She wasn't though, she was merely considering her extremely mixed feelings about Xander. Underneath her superficial exterior lay a quick mind. Not only did she enjoy the game of intellectual chess they played, she could appreciate the quick mind she knew Xander possessed. The problem was that she had so much invested into 'Queen C' it was all she knew, keeping him down was her way of denying the feelings she was unwilling to acknowledge.
"I know we've never really gotten along, I mean the last time we could stand each other was back before Jesse. As far back as I can remember, there you are; it seems like we've always been fighting, even when we were friends. At times we're too much alike, neither of us willing to back down." Cordelia continued pacing in a circle around Xander; she can't stop because she knows if she does she'll cry. "You can't die, they need you more than they realize. I know I haven't been nice to you in the past, but I swear it'll get better."
That was all Cordelia could handle. With one last look at Xander, she turned away. Even though her shoulder's were shaking, Cordelia walked away with her head held high. Distressed, yet poised and dignified to the end. Seconds later Angel seemed to materialize out of the shadows; he could almost hear the smart mouth comment Xander would surely have.
Angel pulled a chair as close as he could to the globe that encircled Xander, he could feel his demon pulling away from the light, weakening from it. Angel could feel Angelus inside of him, terrified, cowering like the craven worm he was. Angel shook his head; this wasn't about his demon, it was about the hero that was trapped before him. This whole situation bothered Angel a great deal. It was forcing him to reevaluate his place in the good fight. Xander had forced Angel to cede to his will. It hadn't been the cross in his hand, but the inherent belief that what he was doing was right.
Angel sat in silence, brooding over the vast difference between Liam and Xander. The young man had nothing to atone for, yet there he was, jumping into battle after battle. Not because he was chosen, but because he had chosen. "My redemption was never about Buffy, it's about me. Not for the sake of some ethereal promise; but because it's right." With this new epiphany came a strange acceptance, not of what he was, but what he could do. For the first time since his soul's return, he stopped thinking about events he had no control over and focused on the things he could do.
Giles walked into the room, a wide smile on his face, the council had pointed him toward certain rare texts. They had also e-mailed him pertinent quotes from books of demonic prophecies dealing with the slayer line. Willow, Jenny and he had been pillaging not only his library but an online resource that Willow had hacked. They finally had the answers they had been seeking; a particular word had changed the entire meaning of the prophecy. 'Death or life', they hadn't understood what it meant, until they realized it meant *both* death and life… essentially rebirth.
Giles walked toward Xander planning on telling him the good news. The closer he got to light, the odder he felt. He could feel his magic shifting within him, the power of the sphere reaching out to him. Not only interacting with his magic but destroying the stain of dark magic's his days as Ripper had given him. The last thing he felt before losing consciousness was his tattoo burning.
Moments later, two things happened that would affect the course of the Scooby Gang even further. Outside, the council team arrived; they had used a transport helicopter and magically induced winds to get themselves to Sunnydale. The second was the light barrier dissipated, leaving a very naked and very female Xander lying on the library floor.
Buffy didn't know what to expect only that she would find Xander here, she was to find Xander and explain to him what must be done. Which she knew would be hard considering she knew what had to be done, she just didn't fully understand the how or why. Two very important questions that she was sure that Xander would ask, it was strange it took her dying to see Xander.
It took her dying to see the important role that Xander had played in the past year of her life, from day one the young man had been saving her life. The instant of her death she had been brought to this place, not to face final judgment but to see her life. Her last year had been the toughest for her to see, it drove home certain truths that Buffy really didn't want to see, like the fact that it had been Xander to attempt to save her life. Not Angel as she would have expect, Xander that had the guts to stand up not only to Angel but against prophesy itself.
Now it was Xander himself who would pay the price, he was the one the Slayer's Spirit had turned to at its time of troubles. So Buffy found herself going to Xander's place in the afterlife, as brief as a stay it would be for him, the strange part for her was that she was looking at her house. Taking a deep breath she opened her door and went to find the person she was expected to guide through this time, the first thing she noticed was the laughter… her mother's laughter.
Buffy ran through the living room into the kitchen not knowing what to expect, she didn't expect to see Xander in a suit and her mother in a very expensive dress being entertained by Xander. "BUFFY GET OUT OF HER, YOU KNOW IT'S BAD LUCK FOR THE GROOM TO SEE THE BRIDE ON THE WEDDING. DAY." Buffy was so surprised she ran back out into the living room.
Then she looked down at herself, she was shocked to say the least. Not only was she in a wedding dress but it was a very flattering one at that, so this is what Xander's idea of heaven was. It was their wedding day, and he was keeping her mother company until they exchanged their vows. It was gratifying to her ego to know that Xander thought so much of her, and her family. It was just that she had assumed that his fantasies would be bit more, well juvenile.
Buffy mentally shrugged and exerted her will, it may have been his place but this was her body. Seconds later she was wearing a sundress and ready to go back into the breach. When she got into the kitchen for the second time the scene had changed, Xander was dressed in a bath robe and cooking breakfast. When she looked down she was dressed in an almost identical set with 'Mrs. Buffy Harris' as her monogram. "I thought I told you I was going to bring you breakfast in bed?"
Buffy didn't know what to do or say, this entire thing was becoming incredibly surreal. "Listen Xander, we don't have much time. You need to listen to me, it's very important." Xander stopped cooking breakfast and the look on his face made Buffy want to cry, it was almost as though he knew what was about to happen, without knowing the specifics.
Suddenly the scene changed once more, a more drastic change to be sure. Now Buffy found herself in The Master's cave. She was laying face down in the water and Xander was just getting to her. The two of them could see the ethereal Slayer Spirit leaving Buffy and entering Xander.
"This is what we need to talk about Xander, at this very moment your body is going through some drastic changes. The magic responsible for changing you is also changing the people closest to you. Even Angel has been affected, his demon grows weaker and weaker the longer he stands vigil." This little piece of information surprised Xander, he wouldn't have expected Angel to have even cared about what was happening.
"Despite your difference he always respected you Xander." Buffy said a little irritated. "The two of you never got along because I was in the way. I think you'll get along much better, you just have to give him a chance." Xander nodded, in a way it made sense. Xander was jealous of the attention Angel got whenever he deemed it appropriate to show up. Angel must have hated the fact that he was stuck in the shadows, in the night.
Buffy begins to concentrate, she had been told that she would be able to influence this place. Once again the scene changed, became the high school library . "Xander I was sent here as a balance your spirit. Listen Xander there's not enough time to explain, only time to act. Do you trust me?"
Xander gave her a looked that answered the question, a look that made her feel foolish for asking it in the first place. "Yes, always." Two things happened Buffy jumped into Xander then seconds later they were sucked back into his body.
The Watcher's Council had sent their latest and most advanced helicopter to the Hellmouth, this particular model was still being used by the SAS. The improvements had been suggested by some role playing geeks in the Council's magic department, getting their ideas from paper to working proto-type took longer then expected. The results amazed even those in the magic's department.
A helicopter that could hold up to fifty times it actual size and carrying capacity, the extra-dimensional helicopter was a god-send and the council hoped to get more built. Not only did they improve the carrying capacity but they went so far as tweaking the weaponry, the defense systems, it's fuel systems and the way it could now travel long distances with the same speed as an intercontinental jet. The only thing that remained the same was the frame itself.
So the High Council itself left English soil for the first time in four hundred years, oddly enough for the same reason. To examine and test the second Slayer line, not to try and decide what to do. They already knew that she would be acceptable, no what they wanted was to find her capabilities as compared to the last male the Slayer Spirit had chosen. That and they had had a plan, a plan that just may extend this Slayer's life expectancy.
While the High Council was in session with Giles some of the other Watcher's went to the helicopter with Xander, one of them led her into a large training area inside the helicopter. Hundreds of weapons lined the walls from axes all the way to modern firearms. Xander walked up and down one of the walls, grabbing a weapon here and there testing it in her hands then putting it back. Every time Xander grabbed a weapon she would tilt her head to the side for a second, usually grin then put it back.
The Xander saw a weapon that looked almost like a tiny scythe to her, once again she tilted he head to the side this time she only closed her eyes for a moment. When Xander concentrated on the weapons in her hand she found that suddenly they felt a lot more comfortable in her hands. Xander began twirling them in her hands, as she unconsciously started going through kata she smiled the weapons were perfect.
"I see you've chosen the Kama, an excellent choice. It's both an offensive and defensive weapon." The Watcher said when he noticed Xander practicing with the kamas. "A very dangerous weapon to be sure, in the right hands they can be used to block or even capture and opponents weapons. Offensively even in the hands of a normal human it can be used to slice through an arm or even a persons leg."
Xander took the double mount off the wall and attached it to his lower back, turning he began to walk across the mat to the other wall. That was when the first man jumped in front of Xander, his intention to attack was obvious. He bowed slightly to Xander and went on the offensive, that's when the other Watcher started coming in.
The numbers kept coming and coming, until the room was filled. Immediately Xander's mind began to make calculations on it's own, estimating twenty opponents, calculating attack routes based on size and placement. It was funny, Xander had never thought about what must have gone on in Buffy's mind before a fight. He has always assumed that Buffy simply… fought, That was true of course, just not in a way that Xander had ever expected. The detached calculations were eerier and yet comforting, almost like having a beloved old homicidal Auntie in charge.
The first one moved and no thought was required, the synapses fired before Xander could inhale, and one opponent fell. Xander didn't even know what she had done before she was reacting to the next move, pulling in her attacker with a cross body block and sending him into a group of people in front of her with a palm to the ribcage. The attacks kept coming,, as did the counters. Xander watched from somewhere inside this new body, wondering how anyone could fight with breasts this large.
Somewhere in the midst of this thought though the onslaught had started for real, and suddenly Xander was on her back looking up at the advancing numbers. Pain shot through her left side and looking down to see blood through her tank top. Here was another thing Xander had never stopped to consider. Of course Xander knew that Buffy got injured. He himself had nursed her back to health or been part of the 'get better' watches the Scooby gang had held for Buffy on numerous occasions. As her body rose quickly, it occurred to Xander that wile he had been watching, never thinking that she had no choice whether to fight or not. Why would anyone fight through this much pain? Her body was away again, and now Xander realized there was a new verve in her step. Why? Well, because now Xander was angry, and she paid more attention to what she was doing. Before she was content to let the Spirit do what was needed, now Xander wanted to be at the fore.
An opponent came charging in and Xander went low, scooping up the attacker over her back and tossing him into a crowd advancing behind him. With a sweep Xander took two more down to the floor with her and came up with a spinning backhand, whip lashing the head of a female in front of her. The numbers game was adding up though, and she could only keep them at bay for so long. Not thinking, she looked up at the sound of a yelp in front of her. Without even realizing it Xander had broken the wrist of the last attacker with a particularly vicious block. Eons of births and deaths, centuries of incarnation whispered that this was natural; this was the way of battle. Xander's next jumping kick sent the broken-wristed fighter flying back and the next two blows brought the sound of snapping bones and screams of pain. Admittedly the hordes were slowing…but…
"can't we all just get along"
The pace of fighting never slowed for the quip, it continued on in that eerie silence that never seemed to be there when Buffy fought. Even though Xander had no problems with defenses, there was a self-conscious Alexander Harris in there somewhere who had natural defenses of his own. He had always believed that laughter was the best medicine, and if that was the case then silence, like the silent battle he was trapped in now, was the deadliest poison. Inside a raw part of him began to panic.
"Can you just stop? STOP ALREADY? Do you think I want this?"
No one from the Watcher's Retrieval units paused, but she did. A small whisper had started an avalanche somewhere in the back of Xander's head, and the fight continued as the thoughts poured out. Was Xander unhappy? These people were attacking her, trying to kill her for something that she had no control over, but was Xander unhappy? A seed deep within held more of Buffy then Xander would ever have had access to before. Was this not closer to Buffy Summers then anything? Even now she saw herself, doing things she had seen Buffy doing a hundred times before, but would never see her do again. Pain flared, she had taken a hit to the jaw, payment for the lack of focus. Buffy was gone, and all that was left of her was a fighting spirit trapped somewhere in this body with… Xander. Was he really unhappy? He had won over Angel, in the end Buffy had chosen to stay with him.
New thoughts and new understanding began to overtake the small guilt's and cuts this thought created in Xander. Xander was crushed that she was gone, but if a piece of her came alive when this spirit fought, then by God she'd five it a fight to remember. The panic of silence around him was replaced with a cool looseness of arms and legs. Given free reign, the spirit flourished, even under these impossible conditions. Four people came in from the left, and she blocked one, pushing him into the way of two more. A hard kick took one to the ground and a follow up side poking kick took down the one beside them. Dropping into a low cross stance, Xander knocked another opponent back with a back wrist to the kidneys. Grabbing two incoming punches, she wrapped their arms up and stood, dragging the two men with her. She swung the men around with the arm bar. The bulk of the two was keeping everyone away, but her back was exposed, and Xander knew this couldn't go on forever. She tried on last time.
"You guys wouldn't want to settle this with a game of 'Rock Paper Scissors' would you?"
The silence spans on as they stalk, and so she does the only logical thing her Slayer Spirit presents, she heaves up and snaps the arms of the two men in her possession. Both elbows bend at a ridiculous angle and pointed bulges appear under the skin as the men stagger back. They look at her and she shrugs with an 'I told you so' smile on her face. More rush in, and in one swift movement she unbuckles the weight resting solidly against each of her kidneys and spins her kamas out. The butt of each meets with an opponent on either side of her, snapping a forearm and crushing a jaw. Xander continues to spin, marveling that bone-breaking force is no longer harder then bruising force really. The Slayer Spirit bites a bit at the bridles, as the Kama blades stay safely tucked backward. There isn't a fight inside Xander exactly, more like a crossroads. The Watcher's retrieval unit continues to push through, despite the growing in injury list. Every Slayer is a delicate balance of personal experience and the force of the Slayer Spirit. In young girls, the necessity of killing comes slowly, in an older Slayer the option would come too easily. There was a balance that must be struck, and it was better to lose the one miraculous Slayer the not know where… it… stood in the balance of thins. Would it be able to balance itself? Would it's non-female origins cause it to kill to readily? The blood shed here, no matter who's it was, would decide where the balance stood now, and what it would mean for good and evil alike..
Anyone who thinks a fight is without grace has never seen accomplished fighters. The dance going on in the helicopter now is as good as any Broadway production, as fine and flowing as the best dance recitals. A certain rhythm had been set for the combatant as each tried to gain the upper hand. The outcome should be obvious, 20 to 1 don't get much more predictable, and yet somehow this solitary female is holding on. To the casual observer it would look like something choreographed in Hollywood with wires and stunt doubles. To those involved in the fight it looked like a stalemate. She may seem solitary, but any female imbued with the Slayer Spirit can never be considered alone, and that unseen presence of thousands of dead girls is making all the difference. There are some things that must always be taught anew though, no matter how many times you teach it. These thousands of dead girls had all learned, but this host is not so pliable. His body has been Meta Morphed to meet the needs of the Spirit, and it would be hard to say that a bodiless Spirit harbors a sense of superiority, but this one actually does. It makes the task at hand all the more grueling. There is no independent thought in the spirit per se, but if there were, it would be thinking this…
"Why is this male not breaking?"
and
"Don't you see what's happening? You're changing. You've got powers you've only just begun to tap. Physical and mental prowess you've never dreamed of."
The Spirit had guided countless girls through ever era of humanity's evolution, and none had fought what was necessary as this one did. Now that he was more girl, why was this not going according to plan? So the Spirit bided its time, defending its body until the stubborn soul inside came to grips with reality. This 'Xander' soul wanted to deny the obvious, wanted to ignore that in a room of twenty opponents not one had been crippled badly enough to stopping coming back at them. That was fine, when he finally did see the truth of the matter, it would be a glorious weapon indeed.
Xander was getting tired. An odd thought, since Xander's body was performing just fine. It was the tugging at the leash that was breaking him down. His arm shot out in a blow that he instinctively knew would crush the windpipe of the recipient and with all his will he forced his leopard's paw to uncurl into a jab instead, sending the person back gasping instead of dying. The burn in her muscles wasn't going away now; it was taking its toll every time she had to restrain herself. Despite many broken bones the enemy showed no sign of slowing, and soon the flow and ebb of this battle would move out of her favor. She had intermittently begged, joked, pleaded, threatened, cajoled, screamed and tried to reason with her attackers. Of all the life lost, of all the fight scenes Xander had witnessed this one had to be the most pointless. Xander knew, without a doubt, that she was the superior fighter. Ass twenty to the number already here and they still would take unnecessary losses. They wouldn't acknowledge this though and as time wore on, Xander realized she was losing momentum. A hard slash to the cheek with a knife sent blood flying across her vision, and something stirred, not in the Slayer Spirit, but in Xander.
"How would Buffy have looked with this cut? Would you ever willingly have let her take a cut like this if you could stop it?"
That was it of course, the final straw in the match up. The one thing holding Xander back snapped like a spiders web in a fall breeze. His 'aversion' to violence had been borne from a need to protect Buffy, a need to give her a comfortable, passive retreat. Somewhere in his mind, he had sworn to let her see something else of the world in him. Something soft and peaceful that she would never have to fight. Now that urge was getting the only part left of Buffy killed, and Xander was letting it happen. The Slayer Spirit felt the change and reveled in this understanding, and once again the tides of battle turned.
Those here in the Watcher's Retrieval unit had acknowledged the rhythm of the fight in their own way, never applying deadly force but certainly building to it. The hesitation of their opponent had made them sloppy though, had drawn them into a comfortable loop around her. When the Kamas made their subtle change in direction, blades turning out instead of in, no one could have moved. No on even realized an important change in the fight had occurred until the first victim hit the floor with his throat torn out. Two more fell in a blur of movement, and the battle began in earnest. Xander looked down at the woman in front of her. It's funny, the toffee-like qualities of time. Xander stood staring at the glazed eyes, finding of the first time since Buffy's death.. peace.
For every self-doubt he had had, for every time he wondered if he should do something more, he felt vindicated. He had been right after all. This was disgusting, a travesty of beauty and splendor that life should be full of. To bring things to this would break the best person in time.. and Xander had been right. He could have never fought Buffy's battles; instead he fueled her desire to stay whole. His constant presence, acting as a reminder that there were people who needed the peace her blood and seat bought for them. Xander had felt weak sometime, his belief in his stance the only thing carrying him forward. Now Xander saw, he had been Buffy's backbone. As long as there were Xander Harris' in the world, gentle people who had no need for violence and power, she wanted this world to live. She had fought to stay whole, in the hopes she could some day live in it too. That life was gone now, she was all but gone.
The thoughts took only moments, as long as it took her first victim to hit the floor. By the time she looked up a spike shot to the temple and a tornado kick had taken out two more. The rest of them sensibly backed up, but with this final barrier broken there was no need for her to hold back. Two came at Xander, one going high with a knife shot, the other sweeping at her legs A double axe handle shot with the Kama to the neck of the knife wielder sent him down in a heap, and Xander leapt, coming straight down on the prone spine of the lowe3r attacker. A dry branch snapping, Xander took no notice of the sound as a spinning high kick cracked the other in the face of another man behind her. She leapt off the limp body under her and dove forward, immersing herself in more on comers. They dove after her, but she flipped onto her back, catching one on her feet and tossing him over her, dragging her Kama across his exposed belly on the way.
Eviscerated guts landed just above her head as the corpse fell above her. She swung out with the Kamas and everyone jumped back.. Kicking up , she used the momentum to send a face crushing head butt into the nearest opponent facing her, leaving them to drown in the blood rushing into their throat from the injury. Leaping up, she kicked off the chest of the off the chest of the almost dead man and swung forward horizontally, taking down a woman in front of her. She chopped the Kama down into the woman's chest, puncturing her heat, and bent back at the hips, laying flat on the woman's legs as a tai chi sword took a decapitating swing at her. Spinning her upper torso to the right she rolled off of the dead woman, bringing a Kama up into the groin of a man above her. He dropped in a fit of screams and was up again, crushing someone's skull at the temples with the butt of the Kamas. The dance continued with the lethal force taking no more effort then the bone crushing force it had taken.
In a few moments it is over, and now the silence is not threatening, it is peaceful. If she had her own Xander, there would be a witty, shaking remark, echoing through the room, but she did nor. What she has is a sense of satisfaction, like a cat by a fire the Slayer Spirit basks in the will and precision of its choice. Xander stared at the carnage and thinks, for the first time… 'I'm going to be ok.' That's when the bodies started to rise….
Giles sighed as he closed the door to the conference room his meeting with the High Council had actually gone quickly and relatively quickly. They had given him the information he had need regarding Xander's new identification, to make things easy her new papers had her as Giles' daughter. Giles found that funny truth be told, nobody would question the fact that Xander didn't have an English accent, stranger things happened on a daily basis on the Hellmouth.
One thing that had surprised Giles was that the High Council asked if he would finish an apprentices' training, they were sending the second Slayer to help guard the Hellmouth and wanted Wesley there to help train Kendra. With two Slayers the High Council had plans to keep one ready to leave and deal with problems else where… after all demons made trouble worldwide.
Wesley would be running the local magic shop for the area, and they would use it as a secondary base. The Watcher's magic teams were going to beef up its defenses to protect it from demonic interference. That way they could keep the truly dangerous book there, it looked as though the High Council was looking at supporting the Slayer more then before. After all the other side had taken liberties by sending a Master after Buffy before she was truly used to being a Slayer.
The one piece of information that bothered Giles the most was Xander's immortality, that could only cause problems for them all. Not even the High Council could keep that piece of information hidden for long, Giles was acting as her Watcher in that regards also, to hopefully shield Xander from that part of her existence. Sooner or later though Xander would have to take her first head.
Xander got into a fighting stance as the corpses slowly began to come alive again, she wasn't sure what she would be able to do if anything… after all they had been fighting for hours and unlike her these people looked like they were refreshed. The only promising thing was the people she had removed limbs from had to find them to heal them on, just when Xander though the fight would begin anew the first man to start fighting her bowed once more and smiled.
"Very good Xander, it seems that we had under estimated you. Most of us thought you would start killing immediately, and that lives would be lost." Xander started backing away, she couldn't feel any demonic energy coming from them at all but it paid to be wary. "We're not what you think we are Xander, we're just as human as the rest of them. Just because it takes more to kill us doesn't make us demons, besides do you feel like a demon?"
Xander stopped and looked at the man with an almost stunned expression on her face. "You didn't wonder why your wounds healed so quickly?" As they were talking the room slowly began to empty out, the rest of the people leaving them in peace, Xander could see one of the people being led away. "He broke the rules, but I'll get to that in a little bit."
"Listen Xander, here is the thing. We've always been here, since the dawn of time we've walked amongst the mortals hidden in society. There is a fire inside of all, the spark of life that keeps us here. We call that the quickening, it's what connects us together, what keep us apart and what drives many of us." Xander looked over at the man, confused. This was even weirder then being turned into a woman, and that was saying a lot. Once again she started backing away, 'what is he deranged or does he think I'm an idiot.'
"I know what you're thinking… I'm not crazy. You say us come back to life, you killed all of us and yet we came back to life in front of your eyes. If we were demons you would have sensed that before the fight. Think about it for a moment, concentrate on me, the Hellmouth interferes with what usually happens when two of us meet. Concentrate on me and you can feel it though." Xander closes his eyes for a moment, concentrating on the man before him. It took a few minutes but there it was in the back of her head, a combination of a burning and a stabbing sensation in the back of her head.
"You can feel it now can't you, when the Slayer Spirit killed you to change your body and soul it triggered your Immortality. Now to tell you the truth that is a bit misleading we can heal any wound expect for one done to the neck. If decapitated our life force, our quickening leaps to the person who has killed us. There are Immortals out there that spend all their time hunting, killing, destroying lives in order to gain the experience of other immortals."
"Most Immortals believe that eventually there will only be one of us left, that one will have the quickening of the rest. All the power and experience of all, basically a god among mortals. I know this is a lot to take in Xander but some things need to be said. You have an advantage over anyone who comes after you, only the oldest among us really has a chance to face off against you."
"Well that's enough for now Xander, all that's left is the matter of the man who tried to take your head. We walked into this fight having agreed to not go for head shots, and yet he did. It's up to you Xander, his head is yours." Xander shook his head, when she did the other man smiled. "That's what I thought you would say, very good five hundred thousand dollars has been moved into an account for you. Let's go Xander, Giles is waiting for you."
Everything had finally been sorted out with the Watcher's and the Scoobies, Xander had all her new identification papers and a place to live. Xander found it amazing that it took becoming a Slayer to leave the hell hole that had been life at the Harris residence. Now that she could take care of herself there was no need. The important thing was that there was a safe place for her to go now, no more worrying about going to sleep and waking up to his father getting ready to beat him. Xander looked out the side window of Giles car and sighed, everything was so complicated now.
How much more was Xander expected to take in one day, the shocks were beginning to feel like kicks to the nonexistent nuts. Normal guy turned female Slayer, then on top of it all to find out that there would be people that would be coming to take her head. The whole thing was beyond Xander's experience, beyond anyone's experience truth be told. Xander and Giles were silent the entire trip back to Giles' apartment. When they got there they both just walked inside, more like zombies then living people.
While Giles was making tea and a light snack Xander went and sat in the living room, more then anything else Xander wanted to sleep but she was sure that there were things that Giles wanted to talk about. Xander was right of course, about ten minutes later Giles came out of the kitchen with the tea and food his lecture face on. Xander tried to listen, really she did the problem was Xander started thinking about twinkies, that lead to the other meaning of twinkie.
Xander knew that Giles was still talking because his mouth was moving, she assumed words were coming out. Xander was too busy thinking about her impressive rack to pay attention, in retrospect this isn't a bad thing Giles tends to be boring. Suddenly, a thought occurred to Xander and she took off running towards somewhere a little more… private. Xander ran full tilt to Giles' shower, yelling down at him that she needed to clean off and go to bed.
Not even bothering to wait for an answer, Xander shut the door behind her. Turning on the water, she stripped down while waiting for the temperature to be comfortable. Sticking her hand under the spout, she decided it wasn't hot enough, then turned the hot water knob further. Surprised, she realized that it was already as hot as it gets. "That's odd," she said, "has my skin gotten that tough that I don't feel temperature?" Rubbing her hands over her arms, 'hmm, doesn't feel that tough, in fact, it feels softer than my old skin did. I guess there's something to be said for moisturizers after all.' She stopped, "What the hell? I'm thinking about moisturizers? What is going on here?" she muttered to herself. 'I guess being in a woman's body is messing with my mind.' As she rubbing her arms, enjoying the feeling of softness, her hand brushed one of her nipples. 'yow! What was that? It felt good!' taking her hands from her arms, she slowly moved them to her breasts. 'what the hell are you so nervous about? You're finally gonna get your hands on a pair of real boobs, so what if they're your own!' shaking her head at the lunacy, she rubbed her palms over the nipples, marveling at how soft her hands felt, especially since her old, Xander, hands were callused from years of yard work.
A shiver ran down her spine as the new sensations began to overwhelm her, Xander realized what she was doing but didn't care. Xander cupped her breasts and began to gently massage them, testing their weight. 'Heavy then they look, and they're so incredibly sensitive.' Xander continues gently caressing and fondling her breasts with one hand as the other slowly creeps down her body. 'Oh, god I never imagined that a woman's body could be so exciting, especially my own.'
Xander was almost hesitant in her explorations, taking her time, concentrating on the feelings and pleasure she was getting. The hot water cascading down and around her body only seemed to enhance every thing, as the water soothed and relaxed her body her gentle teasing charged her. The dueling sensations were beginning to drive Xander mad, the whole experience was heightened by the 'Slayer Horniness' factor. Xander found herself drifting off into a pleasant hazy euphoric state. Right hand gentle rubbing over her now, very aroused clit.
Xander could feel her natural juices coating her fingers, thinker then water it seemed to coat her fingers. Gingerly Xander lifted her finger to her mouth and almost hesitantly licked them clean. 'Strange, to think this is me. Interesting taste, I wonder if all women are the same?' Xander reached down once more, cupping her genitals in almost the same way she had her breasts. Gently and slowly Xander began to rub a finger against the entrance of her aroused sex, her breathing had become shallow and urgent by this point a sign of the intense aroused state she was in.
Xander closed her eyes and bathed herself in the new feeling that she was producing in her body, when she accidentally rubbed her clitoris she gave a small yelp of surprise. The 'mistake' had sent an instant shock of pleasure through her body, Xander knew that she was on the brink of orgasm but didn't want to end it just yet. Backing off a bit Xander began to gently insert a finger inside, the sensation and tightness making her tremble with pleasure, bother the heat radiating from inside her body and the tightness shocked her.
She was involuntarily clamping down on her finger, the combination of pain and pleasure was almost too much. So Xander just stopped and left her finger there, not moving it just getting accustomed to the strange feeling of having something inside of her. Not that it was unpleasant… just different. The whole experience was odd, masturbating as a guy was a lot simpler but this seemed a lot better. Once Xander felt she could handle more she began to slowly insert a second finger… when Giles started banging on the door.
"What are you doing in there Xander? It had better be an obsessive need to be clean." Giles voice starts Xander out of the cocoon of pleasure that she had created herself, the tiny world that she had created consisting solely of herself. "Get out of there before you use the last of the hot water, you've been in that shower for almost an hour and I would like my turn." Xander quickly jumped out of the shower and dried herself off, when she was ready she wrapped a towel around herself and grabbed two spares.
Slowly opening he door Xander peeked out to see if Giles had left, when she saw the coast was clear she dashed to the spare room. Xander quickly dried herself off and jumped into bed, within minutes she was curled up under the blankets fast asleep.
Almost the instant Xander fell asleep he was dreaming, outside the world saw him as a female but he still saw himself as male. That translated itself into his old body, when Xander thought about the things he had been doing in the shower he began to blush furiously. He knew that if Giles hadn't interrupted him he would still be there. Unfortunately Giles had, and now Xander was feeling twice as horny as before. Xander could her a someone laughing lightly behind him, he instantly recognized the laughter.
After all he had spent the last year studying everything Buffy, when Xander turned around he saw Buffy sitting on a bed. The room itself wasn't one he had seen just a random thought, nothing more. Buffy though was wearing a beautiful dress that when he saw it, had screamed Buffy. "You were right this is the perfect dress for me, if I had of know you had such great taste in women's clothes I would have brought you shopping more often."
Xander smiled his trademark grin and sat on the bed. "To tell you the truth, it was more having you in my fantasies so often that I automatically saw you in the clothes I saw." Buffy smiled they joining was going smoothly, the two of them had access to almost all of the others thoughts and memories. Buffy though had much more time on her hands, not really having much to do besides observe Xander's actions and situations.
She had been spending her time 'looking' over Xander's memories, analyzing and storing them away. Some of the things she saw shocked and disgusted her, Xander's parents for instance. She knew better to bring the subject up at the moment though, that was something best left for another time. What she wanted to know was how Xander could have hidden so much of himself, while showing all that he had.
The two of them stayed looking into each other's eyes for what would have seemed like hours outside, here though time had no true meaning except for what Xander and Buffy assigned to it. Neither one of them were in any hurry to end the moment though, they both knew that they needed to come to grips with what had occurred in the last day or so. Truly though there was no hurry, they had eternity after all.
"We need to talk about this." They both said at the same time, two minds one body and yet so similar it frightened them both. Buffy wanted to know if he would've made the same choice had he been given time to understand. Xander wanted to know if Buffy would have made the same choice had she know what his inner most thoughts were. Both were still just two frightened and confused teenagers that were forced to grow up all too soon.
"Ever since I got here it's always been you Xander, helping me… the first day we met you saved my life. You were always there for me to lean on, and I never saw the things you gave up to make me feel like a normal girl." Xander reaches over and slowly stokes Buffy's cheek, bringing her face gently up so he can look into her eyes. With his thumb he wipes a tear off her face, his smiles speaks volumes to Buffy.
"Buffy, I showed you what you needed to see. I've always kept myself locked away, how can I fault you for not seeing the things I kept hidden away. I love you Buffy, that's as much a fact as life itself to me now. I always help the people I love Buffy, it's who I am." Buffy nodded slowly, not waiting to lose contact with Xander for a second. Now that she had seen him, truly seen Xander she didn't want to let go.
The question that kept running through her head 'How did two assholes manage to create someone so beautiful and rich as you?'. Xander looked down for a moment this time a tear glistened in his eye. "It was Willow really without her I wouldn't have survived. Her friendship has always meant the world to me, everything I am, everything that I do is because she was there for me, and I her."
The two of them began drawing closer, drawing strength from the other. The conversation died off, not because they were done talking, but because talking was truly unnecessary for the two of them. Instead they just let the emotions pour out, communicating much better then words ever could. The kissing began slowly at first, just light pecks… one on the cheek another on the forehead each one expressing more then it seemed.
Laying there in a world built in a dream they stated making out each of them sure they had made the correct choices, outside in the so called real world and here. Here in a world that to both of them seemed more real then anything had ever felt. They hidden kisses and caress slowly stopped until the two of them fell asleep a dream within a dream.
Xander woke up completely refreshed and full of energy, muscles that had been sore and abused the night before felt alive. The enhanced healing had done its job leaving Xander whole and feeling great, starving for food and some exercise and yet feeling more alive then ever before. Xander looked over at the clothes she had used yesterday, dirty and stained with blood, they were fit only for the garbage.
Xander sighed there was only one person what she knew that could handle a job like this. No offence to Willow, but Xander wanted to start off looking good and Sears wouldn't cut it at all. That meant calling… Cordelia, Swallowing her pride Xander dialed the number and waited. "Chase residence, Cordelia speaking. How may I help you?"
Xander looked down at the phone for a second confused, the voice was hers but the attitude seemed missing. "Hey Cordy, I called you because I need to ask you something." Xander could her a typical Cordelia sigh, the one that spoke volumes a cross between fine and what do you want… and there was the attitude.
"Hurry up with it, are you waiting for an invitation or something?" Xander almost laughed, the attitude was there all right but the sharp biting edge was gone. It was almost a relief to Xander, knowing that Cordelia was willing to listen.
"mumble, mumble, mumble"
"Could you speak up Xander I think there's something wrong with the connection." Cordelia had heard and understood. She just wanted to hear it again and louder, after all it was funny.
"I need you help shopping, I don't have anything to wear. I've got money to spend and no idea what to buy, you're the only one I know to call."
"Listen I'll be over in a bit in my car, I'll bring some make-up and an outfit or two you can have." Cordelia didn't give Xander a chance to respond. "I'll bring everything to Giles' house see you in about an hour."
'This is a mistake, one big huge mistake' Every choice that Cordelia was showing Xander seemed to feminine, at this rate she would have all the guys drooling over her. Xander wanted to look stylish not like a tramp, of course Xander had made the mistake of saying that on out loud. First fight of the day, to Xander's surprise she was actually glad to be insulted by Cordelia. She was acting way too nice and that spoke of bad things to come.
"Don't tell me you're rejecting another one, fine I get it you don't want to be hit on. One problem dweeb you're hot, guys will notice you even if you're wearing a paper bag." Xander had to admit… at least to herself that Cordelia was right. It didn't have to mean that she had to like it. Xander walked over and took the outfit and lingerie from Cordelia. To Xander's surprise Cordelia followed her to the change room
"Well, unless you know how to put on stockings and a garter belt then I think you'll need help." Xander stopped for a moment to process these new developments… Cordelia was walking into the changing rooms with the intention of helping her put on lingerie.. and to try some on herself. The thought almost broke Xander, shaking her head she walked into the back trying to hide the fact there was a little part of her doing the Scooby dance.
Everything was going ok for the first minute or so, until Cordelia turned and started watching Xander strip down. Xander immediately started blushing. "You have nothing to be ashamed of Xander… you have a nice body you just have to keep it looking that way. Don't worry though, I'll teach you all the trick, from moisturizing to taping when you wear a strapless bra."
That's when the real problems began, Cordelia started stripping down… once again Xander knew that Cordelia was talking. It was just… naked female flesh… as more and more Cordy flesh was revealed Xander knew that this would end badly. Exactly the instant Xander was about to turn away, Cordelia noticed the staring, well mostly the drooling.
˜ Slap! ˜ "I can't believe you were staring at me while I was changing Xander, what are you some kind of pervert?" Cordelia started to put her clothes as Xander just stood there stunned, rubbing her cheek.
"Well to be fair Cordy, I think the fact that you started stripping in front of me doesn't make me a pervert. Less then a week ago I would have been making a tent in my pants because of it!" Cordy turned around and left the changing without commenting. After the… changing room incident things seemed to go smoothly.
Xander ended up with clothes for any occasion, Cordelia had convinced Xander that there would be times when it was necessary to wear a dress. Xander convinced Cordelia that she would be better off dressing in more adult style clothes then most people her age, hoping that she could look enough like a teacher to head off most of the guys.
For the past week Xander had been waiting to hear Buffy in his dreams once more, for him it had been way too long since they had seen each other. After seeing her every day for the past year, going a week was entirely too long for the young man. Not that he really had time to pine away for Buffy, Xander had been busy since becoming the Slayer. Becoming accustomed to her new body was taking longer the any of them had expected. While Xander had adapted to being a Slayer rather quickly, being a woman was a lot more difficult.
Xander found it funny that it took him becoming female for Cordelia to start being nice to them, whenever he had free time Cordelia and Willow were teaching him the finer points on being a woman. Who knew it took so much work? Feminine hygiene, make up, bras, lingerie it was enough to drive Xander mad. He realized all of it was necessary though, he just wanted it to be over with, Xander just wanted to get back to the things that he knew.
The problem was, Xander knew that things would never be the same. So he did his best to learn what he needed to know. Xander shook his head and sat down on the bed, seconds later he could feel Buffy's hands on his neck… massaging the tension there. "Forget about all of that, in here it's just you and me. The outside world can't intrude on us, the only things that are welcome here are the things you bring with you."
Xander smiled, closed his eyes and let Buffy's fingers work her magic. "Oh, god this is what I've been needing all week. I've missed you so much…" Xander's voice broke at the end, Buffy could hear/feel the emotions coming off him in waves. She stopped massaging his shoulders and let them drop down to his chest, Buffy cuddled up to Xander's back and rested her head on his shoulder.
"I know I've missed you to, it's so hard seeing without being able to change anything. We both have to remember that we're never truly alone anymore, I'm here Xander and that will never change." The two of them sat for a little while just enjoying the comfort of being close to each other. This was what the two of them had been waiting for since their first dream, when they finally moved it was to lie down beside each other.
Even though the two of them spoke to each other, their communications went further then that. When it's just talking lie could be told, it went deeper then sound, deeper then even reading each others emotions, they were joined at a level very few people had ever been. Buffy's and Xander's had been joined together, in purpose and in form. The two of them shared almost everything the dreams were just one manifestation of this joining, for them it was the most tangible evidence of what they shared.
"Xander we have to talk about what happened…" Xander cut her off not letting Buffy finish what she was saying. "I know, you think it was a mistake and you want to keep this as formal as possible."
Buffy took Xander's face in her hands and forced him to look her in the eyes. "It's not that at all, that was amazing. The things we share mean so much to me, even if I could change what we're becoming I couldn't Xander. Is it so hard to believe that I made a mistake when I turned you down before? Is it so hard to believe that I can see you now, I do you know… I see you in ways I never imagined possible. All I meant is that I think we should take this slowly, I have no idea what is really happening and I don't want to rush."
Xander smiled, he knew that his insecurities were unfounded he could feel what Buffy thought about him. It was just that he had been this way for so long, even knowing the things he knew it was difficult to change. Together they were changing each other, they were slowly changing their relationship and even though the pace was slow it was good. Just when Xander began to relax Buffy jumped up and grinned down at him.
Xander knew the look well, mischievous and playful it fit her perfectly. She was planning something, and Xander didn't want to ruin the surprise by actively searching to find out what it was. "There's so much more to being a Slayer then I knew, I'm just beginning to figure out how deep it goes. You have so much potential Xander that I think you'll soon find out just how powerful you can become."
Xander sat up, this was.. new the Slayer Spirit seemed to be done with Xander. Not gone, just passive at the moment. When Buffy started talking about being a Slayer she seemed to change from the teenager she would always be to the incarnation of the Slayer she was. "There was a time when vampires, and demons in general were a lot more powerful then they are now. A time when vampires didn't need to hide in order to hunt, when man began to change so did vampires, in order to blend in they had to sacrifice pure power for their human guise. Slayers like vampires were also different. They kept themselves separated from most of the population because they didn't fit in, the Spirit changed them until they were barely human anymore."
Buffy started pacing, every once in a while she would stop… as though she was about to continue then she would pace some more. "There were women that were able to handle the Slayer Spirit, like you that weren't corrupted by the power. As the demons lost power though they became farther apart and fewer in number. Hence the 'lose' of power. You though can handle the power, handle the things a Slayer should be able to do. Soon we shall train Xander… for now though just think about what I've said."
Buffy got into bed beside Xander and spooned against him, letting him hold her close. Buffy laid there for a while listening to Xander breath, listening to him slowly fall asleep before she to drifted off.
OOC: This is the end of Xander: TVS look for the furthor adventures of AleXandria in Road Trip... coming soon to a XanderZone near yo!