Chaos Theory : ReKeyed

by PitViper

This is a BtVS, NGE, SG1, SW, ST, LotR, Halo crossover. Based on the Halloween costume episode. Very AU. The Key's spell goes both forwards and backwards in time… what happens when it interacts with Ethan's Halloween?

1. Houston, We Have a Problem

Chaos Theory – Re-keyed. Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Neon Genesis Evangelion/Stargate SG-1/Star Wars/Star Trek/Halo/Lord of the Rings Crossover...

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Title: Chaos Theory: Re-keyed
Rating: PG - Language and Violence.
Genre: Crossover
Author: PitViper
Date (Part One): 2007-03-04
Summary: This is a BtVS/NGE/SG-1/SW/ST/LotR/Halo crossover. Based on the Halloween costume episode. Very AU. The Key's spell goes both forwards and backwards in time… what happens when it interacts with Ethan's Halloween?

Disclaimer: I don't own it, wish I did. I'm not making any money off of it – so please don't sue me. BtVS is the property of Mutant Enemy and 20th Century Fox. Neon Genesis Evangelion is the product of Gainax and ADV Films. Star Wars is owned by George Lucas. Stargate SG-1 belongs to Double Secret Productions and Sci-Fi channel. Lord of the Rings is the property of J.R.R. Tolkien and his family. Halo is owned by Bungie. And Star Trek is the property of Paramount Pictures (Who obviously understand nothing about Gene's vision of the future).

Author's Note:
I swore I wouldn't do this... That I wouldn't start posting until I was done/almost done with this... but since people are concerned about what I'm going to do with the rest of the story... I'll post this part now.

And here I was thinking that last part made for a good cliffhanger. sigh

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Chaos Theory: Re-Keyed
Part One – "Houston, We Have a Problem…"

The first sign that the spell didn't work as advertised was when the newly fleshed Key began to contort and twist with almost excruciating agony. The blood of the Slayer was slightly altered to grant the Key a unique appearance – aged to be a younger sister – so that she could be easily inserted into the Slayer's life before Glorificus could interfere.

Everything was working well – very well in fact. The body had come out perfectly, and the memories being created and collected by the temporal spell were filling the Key's mind and creating the key's past. Then, suddenly, several of the monks monitoring the memory spell shouted "Halloween!" then exploded from within – some energy or power pouring out of the remnants of their bodies. Those who were left intact… well intact was simply the term for their bodies. The vacant, dead stare and copious amounts of blood gushing from their noses and ears showed what can happen when a spell goes wrong.

Now the remaining monks watched as their perfect disguise changed. The Key's hair became longer, and faded to a pale blue. Her eyes changed to a deep, blood red. Her body became slightly more slender, but at the same time, older and more endowed. Four wings erupted from her back… Wings that seemed to be composed of filament tendrils and those tendrils immediately began to wrap themselves around her body. The monks were at a loss, something in time was pulling her back – a form of energy that was itself changing the fabric of reality.

Just before the last threads that held the Key in this reality snapped, the Key awoke and spared a sad glance at her protectors. "Gomen… Nasai…" She managed, before her eyes closed and she winked out of existence in this realm.

Seconds later a gigantic wave of temporal energy washed over the monks – the universe faded to white.

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Xander ambled by Buffy's home. He didn't know what had brought him by this place, but the urge to come here was simply too strong to resist. Soon he'd head home and change into his Spartan suit.

He was giddy with anticipation – and not just a little pride. After all, he was trying to impress the slayer. A generic soldier boy might have helped a little… but the Master Chief… well that was something else entirely. The Chief didn't need to have supernaturally empowered cheerleaders defending him, although he certainly wouldn't turn down the help. He was just hoping that it was the big, strong type that attracted the slayer – Not just the living-challenged.

Suddenly there was a ripple in the air, and a quick flash of some strange type of green energy. After the ripple had past, Dawn Summers looked up at Xander – "Come on, pleeeeeeeeze? You gotta take me. I don't want to go with mom! She'll make me get one of those frilly Tinkerbell costumes!"

Xander blinked. Then he blinked again, as he looked down at the very large bag he'd just set down in front of the Summers' residence. For some reason, he felt he should be changing into his Spartan costume at home, and for a brief moment, realized that something had changed. However, that moment evaporated when he mentally slapped himself in the head for having doubted his memory, and similarly cursing Buffy for having talked him into taking Dawnie to Ethan's. Evidently the elder Summers sister agreed with the younger – another year in a Tinkerbell outfit was not to be in Dawn's future plans.

'Of course, there was nothing wrong with Dawn in a Tinkerbell costume' – Xander mused. After all, it would remind the both of them that she was still very young. And hopefully remind Dawn that she couldn't marry him. The moment they first met, Dawn had staked her claim on him.

Still though, he thought about being fourteen again… and realized that the last thing he'd want to do is dress up as his mom (had she actually cared in the slightest) instructed. "Ok, Dawnmeister, we're going to have to go really quick if we're to catch Ethan's before it closes and still make it back here to change."

Dawn shaped one of her thousand-watt smiles, "Don't worry, I know exactly what I'm going to be."

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Jenny Calendar and two young women were waiting patiently in Ethan's. "Carol…"

Carol Williams looked up from where she was admiring the costume she'd picked out, "Come on, Lilly and I all had this planned, ever since Xander snuck us those Japanese Anime tapes. Evangelion is just so cool!" She was holding Major Misato Katsuragi's normal uniform. As a seventeen year-old senior at Sunnydale high, she could just barely fill it out… a bit. She looked at her fourteen year old sister's choice, glad that she wasn't going to be wearing the molded plug-suit herself. "I'm going to be Misato, you'll be Doctor Akagi and Lilly is Asuka. It will be so cool!"

Jenny sighed, "I never thought that I'd meet a fan-girl otaku let alone one who would actually convince me…" Just then Jenny watched as Dawn and Xander approached them.

"Whoa, Miss Calendar? I thought you already had your costume?" Xander asked, wondering why there was such an expression of confusion on the women's' faces. 'You'd think I'd just walked up to them with a total stranger, not Dawn.' He mused silently.

"I did, but Carol here decided to be something so different and if we don't want our group to clash with each other…" Suddenly Jenny seemed to have a very different and strange expression on her face. One that was shared by the two girls standing next to her.

Xander appraised each of the selections. During this time, the expressions of confusion faded from the younger girls, who were now chatting animatedly with Dawn. "Eva?"

Jenny nodded, still slightly confused, while the other three girls seemed to glow with unrestrained glee. Dawn was now arguing the intricacies of being 'Rei' in the group.

Xander sighed, "Why do I get the feeling that I'm going to be blamed for the aftermath of all this?"

Finally the confusion fled as Jenny held back a smirk, "Because, you're male and you're the one who gave them those bloody tapes!"

"Whoa, channeling Giles much?" Xander and Dawn both commented at the same time, which caused Jenny to blush a deep red, and reduced Carol and Lilly to giggling fits.

Jenny recovered quickly, "Go and gather up the things for the others – I still can't believe they trust you to pick their costumes. And you should get your stuff Dawn. You sure you want to go as Rei?"

Dawn nodded and trundled off with the other two girls. Leaving Jenny and Xander alone for a minute.

"So, no dice on getting the G-Man to go to that party with you?" Xander asked; a part of him jealous that the Englishman would be interested in Ms. Calendar, the other almost happy for the tweed-man since he knew that Giles' life was exceedingly lonely.

"He's exhausted, Xander. Doing what he does…" Jenny looked at Xander, "I know he has a lot of extra responsibilities – I just wish he could take at least one night off. Or at least let me in, not that there's been a good time to corner him and tell him what I know. I know I'm new, but I also know what goes on around here at night."

Xander grinned, "Don't worry; we're still trying to get it through Giles' thick British skull that 'more' is merrier in Club Scooby. He's addicted to 'tradition'; and, as you can probably tell, he's still having issues with that river in Egypt."

Jenny smiled at this. Xander was extremely perceptive and intelligent, despite his grades. And that sarcastic humor he brought out in all situations just belied the truth that he was the heart of what was known as the Scooby Gang. Not to mention that Rupert Giles was deep in denial with the Council's way of doing things. Fighting the darkness in the modern day should at least involve iron-age implements, rather than pointy sticks and the occasional crossbow. At least Giles had gotten past the Council attitude of giving the slayer a stick, pointing her in the direction of the bad-guy, and saying "Have a go."

Jenny almost sighed about what she'd observed so far – Giles needed to have a talk with his slayer and soon. There were signs that all was not right with Angelus, and that was tied to his interaction with the slayer. Yes, Giles was in denial about many things. 'Not to mention his denial about us…' Jenny mused, then finally responded with: "In more ways than one, I'd imagine."

Just then Dawn returned with her selections. Xander frowned as he looked at what she had gathered. Rei's plug suit, three pair of yellow-veined cellophane wings, a red plastic lance that twisted into a helix, a blue wig, and finally a headband with Rei's neural clips. "Um… Dawnie…"

She looked up at Xander, "Hey. I just want to be unique this Halloween. Besides the wings will satisfy mom."

"But it's Lil…" Dawn cut him off with the most pitiful looking eyes he'd ever seen. These were even worse than her normal big-doe-eye stare. He shook his head. "'k, but if your mom figures it out, you're on your own, squirt."

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Author's Note:

Short, I know. My apologies. Consider this more of a teaser of things to come. Just to let you know, I've no intentions of rehashing Halloween... again. Obviously I wanted a plausible way to get Dawn into the story. The more I thought about it, the less likely it would be fore me to get her in during the normal timeline, so I decided that if I was screwing with Halloween so much... why not make the spell that was creating Dawn's past backfire in a unique way. The next chapter will pick up where Day Zero left off... I promise. :D

I've got three solid chapters written. I'll post the next part once I have another 10k words written or two chapters, whichever comes first. Hopefully that way I can avoid having more than 2 months between updates.

Later,
PitViper.