Disclaimer: I do not own BtVS and Marvel or the characters in them. Except for the character that I have created.

Timeline: Pre-BtVS and Pre-Spiderman movie

Warning: Minor character death and messing around with timelines

Chapter 1

Sunnydale's children services were finally investigating the reports of abuse from the Harris household.

Maria O'Hara had only been in Sunnydale social services for a few months but the pure level of incompetence astounded her.

'Why this kid hadn't been removed from his parents care was truly mind boggling,' she thought, 'any other city would have moved him by now.'

As Maria went to the house she heard a bottle smash against the wall, 'yeah, this is the place,' she thought.

She knocked on the door only to be answered by a drunken woman.

Jessica Harris looked at the woman in front of her and said, "whatsh you here forr?"

Maria said, "I am here for your son. You and your husband are unfit so the state has decided to remove him from your care."

Jessica narrowed her eyes and said, "No one ish taking my baby away."

"Mrs. Harris, don't make this harder than it already is," Maria said.

"Well, I want to know the chargesh," Jessica sneered.

"I would be glad to list the charges Mrs Harris but, unfortunately, there are only 24 hours in a day," Maria said.

"You bitch," Jessica screamed, "Alexander ish my baby boy and I am not going to loshe him."

Xander walked down holding his teddy bear, looking at his mom arguing with a lady at the front door.

"Mommy," he said, "what's wrong?"

Maria saw a dark haired little boy standing at the foot of the steps looking at her with dark whisky brown eyes and she noted the large black bruise on his face.

"Hello sweetie," Maria said, "my name is Maria and I am taking you away from this place and you will be well taken care of."

"No, I don't want to leave mommy," Xander wailed.

"It's alright," Jessica said, "you have to leave with her but mommy and daddy will get you back soon."

Maria whispered, "God, I pray that doesn't happen."

As Xander and Maria left and went into her car, Jessica watched her son leave, 'we will get him back soon,' she thought.

Maria looked at the little boy sitting next to her, 'he probably only started Kindergarten,' she thought.

"So Alex," Maria said, "are you hungry?"

Xander nodded.

"Oh, a very quiet young man, that's alright," Maria said, "well, I will make sure you get fed."

He looked at her and said in a really quiet voice, "really, I can get food?"

"Yes, I promise you Alex there will be food," Maria said.

He looked at her and said quietly, "Xander, my name is Xander."

Maria smiled, "okay, Xander it is then."

Meanwhile Tony got home and saw his wife sitting down crying.

He looked down at her and said, "What the fuck are you crying for?"

"Children services took Alexander and said we were unfit parents," Jessica said.

Tony sneered and said, "Oh, I thought it was something important."

Jessica's eyes widened and she screamed, "don't you care Tony?!! It's your son they took away."

Tony's sneer just got wider and said, "They will have no choice but to bring him back."

"Why," Jessica asked, "would they bring him back to us?"

"Because," Tony said, "we can just talk to the mayor, he owes me some favours."

Jessica smiled and said, "Perfect, our little boy will be back with us."

The Mayor had just gotten off the phone with Tony Harris and said, "Golly, I believe something will have to be done about getting that poor little boy back home."

A couple of days later Maria was back from visiting Xander in the temporary home when her boss called to see her.

"Ah Miss O'Hara, I came to inform you that Alexander Harris will be sent back to the Harris's house tomorrow."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Maria almost screamed.

"It's obvious that you didn't do any investigation and you just removed him from their care," her boss said.

"But, I got medical reports and other reports from his kindergarten teachers," Maria said desperate to keep him out of the Harris's house.

"Yes, I saw your so-called evidence and found it to be lacking in proof that the boy is being abused," her boss said, "please prepare him to go back to his home tomorrow."

Maria cursed under her breath and said, "Yes sir."

As she drove to where Xander was being taken care of she decided to stop to get a coffee.

Halfrek had been waiting for one child services agent to truly investigate the poor boy and one did, she liked Maria O'Hara.

Maria saw the waitress come up with her order.

"So, what's wrong honey?" Halfrek asked.

"Why do you care?" Maria asked.

"Oh honey, you look like your in pain and it might help if you talk about it," Halfrek said.

"I am in pain," Maria said, "but I am not sure I can just tell about an ongoing investigation to a complete stranger."

"Well honey, I am not a stranger anymore; my name's Hallie," she said.

"I guess I could tell you; a boy I took from his parents is being sent back because my boss is an asshole," Maria said.

"Oh, that is truly awful honey," Halfrek said knowing full well what would happen to Xander when he was sent back.

"I wish," Maria said, "that the boy was sent somewhere other then this god forsaken town with decent parents."

Halfrek smiled and said, "Done."

Maria looked up and said, "What?"

The waitress's face had been replaced by a horribly scarred face and she snapped her fingers.

"What are you?" Maria screamed.

"Oh honey, I wanted someone to make the wish on Xander's behalf and now you did Maria, thank you," Halfrek said.

"Will he be taken care of at least?" Maria asked.

"Honey, he will be loved and taken care of. He will have a great family," Halfrek said.

"Thank god," Maria said, "he deserves some happiness."

"He does, but now Honey; you got to get out of town," Halfrek said, "this place is just naturally evil."

Maria sighed, "I just moved here a couple of months ago and now I want to move away, can you at least tell me where Xander is going to go?"

"Anything you want Honey," Halfrek said, "he's going to be living in New York."

"Perfect," Maria said, "looks like I am going to be going to the east coast then."

"Looks like it," Halfrek said.

"Hey, how did you make sure Xander would be sent to where ever he is going to be?" Maria asked.

"Simple honey; I made sure there was a clerical error before the order to return him went through, he was one the plane when your boss came to tell you about returning him home," Halfrek said.

Meanwhile the Mayor had heard about the clerical error and thought to himself as he was strangling the life out of one of his assistant.

"Golly," he said to the man he was strangling, "I thought we had done away with clerical errors that I couldn't control. I mean, we run a respectable office here, aside from the evil I mean."

"Gaaachk!!" the man said.

"Was that a swear word mister? You know I despise crude words," the mayor said.

"Well then, I might as well insure that the Harris's get a new child, after all no man should be without a little boy," he said.

Meanwhile Halfrek watched Maria get out of Sunnydale as fast as she could. She thought, 'run honey, as fast as you can,' when she heard something behind her.

Whistler looked at Halfrek and said, "Do you know what you have done granting that damn wish? THAT boy was needed HERE!!"

Halfrek looked at Whistler and said, "I know what you're talking about and I have nothing but contempt for you and the PTBs, you people care nothing for your so called champions."

"Doesn't really matter right now vengeance demon," Whistler said, "you have to pay for taking a champion out of our control."

Whistler's eyes began to glow; he looked at Halfrek and blasted her with the powers granted to him by the powers that be.

Halfrek screamed in agony but she knew she did the right thing so she wasn't afraid to die.

Whistler looked down at Halfrek's charred body and said, "Next time; you vengeance demons stay away from our champions," and began to walk away.

D'Hoffryn teleported to where he had sensed one of his daughters dying, when he got there he saw Anyanka standing over Halfrek's body.

"Who would have the gall to do this to one of my daughters?" he screamed.

Anyanka said quietly, "it was one of those balance demons; Hallie granted a wish to help a little boy and then the Powers that be sent one of those Balance demons to kill her."

D'Hoffryn narrowed his eyes; the PTBs had just messed with the wrong demonic entity and first to go was the balance demon.

Whistler was walking down a street when he felt a presence behind, him he looked back and saw a very angry looking D'Hoffryn.

"Balance demon, I would like to know your name before I punish you for killing Halfrek, that is," D'Hoffryn said.

"Look; your girl messed with one of our champions and she had to be punished," Whistler said.

"Hahahahaaha, you think you were causing her to suffer? Oh little balance demon, as I have always taught my girls: go for the pain rather then the kill," D'Hoffryn said.

Whistler was backing away; he was scared, "now look," he said, "let's let bygones be bygones."

D'Hoffryn smiled and said, "What part of 'vengeance demons' did you not get? We are vengeful not forgiving."

"Now, what to do to make you suffer for killing my daughter Halfrek?" D'Hoffryn asked.

Anyanka appeared beside D'Hoffryn and said, "Ooohhhh, why don't you make sure the Harrises adopt him, they are going to want a new son, right?"

D'Hoffryn smiled and said, "my dear, that's why I like you; always so creative in your punishments."

Whistler gulped, he was going to be in for a world of hurt.

Meanwhile, Xander was being escorted by a small group of vengeance demons to where he would eventually meet the couple that would adopt him.

They teleported into the agency that would send him to the couple that would adopt him.

"Ah, I was expecting Miss Halfrek to bring the child here," the agency director said, "is she well?"

"We regret to inform you," one of the vengeance demons said, "that Miss Halfrek died recently."

"Oh dear," the director said, "that is a shame, she was a good person."

The demon said, "She was and that's why we want you to take care good care of this boy, as a last request for her."

"Indeed I shall as her last request," the director said, "and I have the perfect couple for him, they applied here for a little boy a little while ago. They had to take in their nephew but I am sure they will take the boy in too."

The demon said, "I am sure they will," as she left.

"Well little guy, I am going to let you rest for the rest of the night," the director said.

"Okay," Xander said wondering where he was.

Later that night Xander was sleeping quietly in his bed when D'Hoffryn teleported into his room.

D'Hoffryn wanted to see the boy who Halfrek had died to make sure he had a good life and he saw what Halfrek saw in him; this kid was a charmer, he would have a good life.

"Hey kiddo," D'Hoffryn said quietly, "Halfrek was my daughter, she saw you almost as a son, so that makes you my grandson. I will be keeping an eye on you."

D'Hoffryn teleported into the file room and saw who was going to adopt Xander, 'hmmm,' he thought, 'May and Ben Parker? You two better take care of him.'

Maria was in L.A when D'Hoffryn teleported to her.

"Hello there, my daughter Halfrek died granting the wish for Xander and I would like you to take her place, if that is alright with you?" he said.

"Will Xander have a good life?" Maria asked.

"Yes he will, the couple that is taking him in will take good care of him I assure you," D'Hoffryn said.

Poll question: Did Whistler get off easy?

TBC

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