Disclaimer: Still don't own either.
Author's note: I know a lot of you are probably wondering about how I'm handling the mythology of both shows. All things considered, Charmed has certain supernatural beings listed but are ambiguous about who created them, which isn't bad, but it'd be nice to know. As for the buffyverse, there's just a lot there that needs to be addressed that isn't explained either, as I've mentioned that Whedon seemed to pull plots out of his ass, particularly about Glory's origins and Twilight, and even the fact that Harmony revealing herself as a vampire and suddenly you've got people wanting rights for vampires, not like True Blood where there's vampires who actually prefer not to feed on humans but will kill humans indiscriminately? Meanwhile the world labels ALL slayers bad whereas many of them fight the very vampires who want to kill off the human population? Seriously, he really needed to work on his plots. I've ranted enough.
Also, I want to say that for later sequels, there will a few of THE CRAZIEST CROSSOVERS this site will likely ever have. I've said enough. On with the Story.
Halliwell Manor
San Francisco, California
Xander and Faith sat stunned at the revelation Leo had dropped on everyone. Xander himself wasn't exactly sure what to believe as he was the most shocked. 'What did I do to cause this?' he thought to himself. He looked around to see the ladies and Leo giving him sympathetic expressions. Faith moved over to him, took his hand and smiled at her boyfriend who had likely saved her from a life of evil and being branded forever.
"Xander, you need to know that you didn't exactly do anything wrong. I don't know what the Elders are in such an uproar about. But it's possible they were hiding something from everyone. You said yourself that your guide warned you that the Powers were not to be trusted. Maybe the Elders are just like them. It looks like maybe we owe you," Leo said smiling to the young man.
"Thanks Leo. But I'm not 100% better on this. With everything I've learned just now, it seems like there's not just a fight against evil but an internal struggle as well. Why would the Powers and Elders possibly do this?" Xander asked no one in particular.
"Normally, I'd expect you to have figured that out by now. But no one is ever expected to come up with all the answers," Whistler said teleporting into the mansion in a flash of light.
"Whistler? What are you doing here? And how did you do that? Are you a whitelighter?" Xander asked his mentor, with new curiosity forming in his mind.
"Heh heh. No kid, I'm not a whitelighter. But I've seen many become whitelighters upon their time of passing. Unfortunately, I've seen many become dark-lighters as well. A lot of potential for good gone to waste. But that's besides the point. The Powers and the Elders want power, not just the power they have individually but also control over their servants and the fates of their servants, like your boy here," Whistler said pointing to Leo. The whitelighter looked at the fedora-wearing creature with shock, not only from the statement made but out of familiarity.
"You! I can't believe you're here! Why are you here?" Leo asked Whistler.
"How do you guys know each other?" Faith asked.
"I was there when he was reborn in the higher plane as a whitelighter. It was quite a thing to witness," Whistler explained.
"Reborn?" Piper asked slightly confused.
"Yes. Leo was actually born a human. When he passed, his soul was inspected and there was a lot of potential there for him. So when he reached the higher plane, he was granted a new life as a whitelighter, charged to protect white witches and those who could be future whitelighters," Whistler began explaining.
"So what about these darklighters? What's the deal with them?" Xander asked. Before anyone could answer, another flash of light had shone in the living room. When the light cleared, Ariel was standing before the group.
"Darklighters are the opposite of whitelighters. Essentially, darklighters were lured by the seduction of evil. And when they pass from their lives as humans, the darkness turns them into darklighters," the higher being explained.
"I'm sorry, who are you?" Prue asked not liking the surprise visits they were getting.
"I'm Ariel. Like Whistler, I am a higher being. And no, I'm not working for the Powers or Elders. They're both beneath us anyway. But they're so high-minded about their status and power, that they think they can take over," Ariel explained leaving he entire group shocked.
"That explains why you didn't feel demonic. But why would you call yourself a demon?" Xander asked.
"I've had to infiltrate the Powers and see what exactly they were doing. Granted most of them can be taken care of but there's one that's particularly pissed about the fates of those you've changed. When I said that you had to keep Angel and Cordelia from leaving, it's because that Power was looking to take over humanity with a lie of kindness. And she was going to use Cordelia to accomplish this," Whistler explained. Xander stopped and thought about the implications.
"What exactly would the Powers have in mind to help stop this?" Xander asked knowing the answer would be even worse.
"Well this Power would turn Cordelia into a half-demon, then lure her into the higher plane. Once she was there, the fallen Power would possess her and proceed with her plan. However, the Powers contingency plan would be to send Cordelia back to Earth with no memory which keeps the fallen power dormant. However, if Angel and Cordelia had been in L.A., then he and his crew would only find a way to bring the girl's memory back. Suffice to say, the Powers really don't give a care about what the consequences of their lame plan would be. It would just endanger more people and they would know what Angel would do," Whistler explained, his voice filled with distaste.
"Damn them," Xander said to himself.
"If that's what the Power's are doing, what the hell are the Elders planning?!" Phoebe asked not liking what she heard. Leo himself looked pale knowing that his superiors could be just as bad if not worse.
"Let's just say that the Elders would allow certain events to happen that wind up with Prue dead, only to reincarnate her somewhere else. If only because she has too much free will. Meanwhile, in the future, they would interfere with your own lives to keep you line. Unfortunately, there's also the fact that Phoebe is capable of turning evil. So is your half-sister," Ariel explained. The last statement caught the sisters off guard as they had never heard of a half-sister.
"What are you talking about?" Prue asked.
"You have a half-sister. She's here in the city working as a social worker. You've met her before Prue. Her name is Paige Matthews," Ariel answered the oldest sister. Prue had a look of understanding and surprise at hearing the name. She remembered when she met the young lady in question how she had a strange resemblance to their mother. Now it made sense.
"Listen, I know this is a lot to take in, but you need to find your sister. When you do, make plans to leave the city. No matter how much change causes a positive reaction, our greatest enemies will be making preparations. You all take care," Ariel said before disappearing in a flash of light.
"Take care kid," Whistler said vanishing in a similar light. Te group sat there for five minutes thinking over everything they learned. Prue finally spoke up.
"I guess we should start searching for her. What will you guys do?" Prue asked looking at Xander.
"We planned on staying for a whole two weeks. We can help you any way we can. Besides, with everything we've learned, we're going to need each other's help. Since we all can defend ourselves, we don't have to worry as much if we some of us didn't have powers. But we need to be careful still," Xander answered.
"Who should find Paige?" Piper asked.
"I think Xander and I should be the ones to track her down. She at least knows me. and we might be able to better defend her from any demons that attack now that the underworld probably knows about her," Prue answered.
"Then you guys go on ahead. No use burning daylight here. And be careful," Faith said. With that the group dispersed. Faith took one last look at Xander and Prue and followed the remaining sisters and Leo to the attic.
Streets of San Francisco
California
Xander and Prue managed to find where exactly Paige worked in the city and headed on their way to find her. They had remained silent during most of the trek as they weren't sure how to approach each other, conversationally. Prue finally decided that someone needed to make the first move.
"So...you and Faith. You guys make an interesting pair," Prue said.
"How do you mean?" Xander asked in return.
"I mean you two seem so different but you just seem to bond so well," Prue replied.
"In truth, we're not as different as you might think," Xander retorted.
"You mean in personality or life experience?" Prue asked.
"Both. Granted, Faith had been worse off than me. She was forced to fend for herself most of her life. I had my parents but they really weren't any better. They some heavy alcoholics/ EVen worse was my dad beat me from time-to-time. Faith is really the only one who knows the entire story. My best friend, Willow, knew to an extent but not everything. But Faith and I have usually taken the laugh-it-off approach to life. Usually keeps people from getting too close if we didn't want them to know. But at the end of the day, we just wanted someone to hold us and tell us everything was okay. And we met and bonded and here we are," Xander explained. Prue listened tentatively to hhis story. She understood exactly how he felt. EVen though she lived a different life, being the oldest sister, especially after learning what they were, wasn't a walk in the park. It was made worse when Andy became involved with their occurrences until his passing. That was another reason why she hadn't gotten any closer to men since. The reminder of what she could lose was damn near unbearable. She continued to hide her feelings even now. But meeting the young man accompanying her was changing her outlook.
"I'm sorry you guys had such a rough time. Seems like things are never easy for the good guys, huh?" Prue asked.
"No but the most you can do is fight on. Hm, looks like we're here," Xander said noticing the office building.
The pair walked inside and to the security desk asking for Paige. The attendant directed them to her office. Once they found the door, they saw a woman in her mid-twenties, with pale skin and long dark hair filling out some paperwork on her desk. Prue knocked on the door and was answered when the woman opened it.
"Oh my god. Prue?" the woman asked with surprise.
"Paige. It's good to see you again," Prue answered giving her a hug.
"You too. Who's your friend? He's handsome," Paige said, acknowledging Xander, who blushed from the compliment.
"This is Xander. And don't think about it. He's taken. His girlfriend would gve you a hard time," Prue said half playfully.
"I can see why. Come on in," Paige said ushering them into her office. Everyone sat down with Prue and Xander sitting on the other side of Paige's desk. Paige was finishing a report of a recent case, whens he looked back up at her visitors.
"How have you been Paige?" Prue asked. She didn't want to jump right into the heart of the matter as the news was strange and shocking enough as it was. Paige looked down for a second and let out a sigh.
"It's been interesting. A lot of kids with serious issues fall on my plate. My boss thinks it's because I can relate the most to how they would feel. In a way, I can see why. Some kids rebel and others don't see much choice but to run if they have no one else. One case I just came off of had a young woman who left home without a word. The name I was given is Tara Maclay. I never met her but I met her dad. And he's not exactly Mr. Rogers," Paige began.
"How do you mean?" Xander asked as this explanation sounded familiar to him.
"Well, he came by about a month ago. As I said, Tara had left for some reason unknown to him, so he says. When I talked to him, he talked so much as if he were a parent who loved their child. But there was this look in his eyes that just...he's not only a liar but something in his eyes and his voice said that he couldn't be trusted. AT the moment I can't do anything because I have no clue where Tara would be. But if there's something more going on, I won't let her suffer any more," Paige finished.
"You're a good woman to do that for someone. But it can't be expected she'll just come along quietly. Sometimes people feel so powerless that they feel that they don't deserve it. It's never easy," Xander replied.
"You've had a similar experience huh?" Paige asked. Since she had been a social worker, she could always recognize signs of whether or not a child had been abused and Xander was as clear as day for her.
"Sort of. But I'd rather not talk about it. I've gone far longer not being concerned with them. Besides, there's something else we came here for," Xander started hoping to get this over with.
"Really? And what would that be?" Paige asked in return.
"Paige. There's something you should know. Your parents aren't...they aren't your biological parents," Prue began to say. Paige didn't look so surprised by her visitor's words.
"I know. I figured that somehow, someway they weren't really my parents. But I didn't know for sure until they talked to me a year before their deaths. I just always wondered where I came from. But how exactly would you know?" Paige asked.
"Because I'm your sister. My mother, Patty Halliwell, is your mother. But I don't know who your father is," Prue answered her sister. Paige looked at her sister with wide eyes. As she got a good look at Prue, she noticed a vague resemblance to herself that she could not deny. She remembered feeling a strange connection ever since she met Prue but she couldn't understand why. But now she began to see what it was.
"But how could...how is this possible?" Paige asked. Xander thought that this was normally the time to make one of his jokes to lighten the mood. However, even he had to hold back as this was neither the time nor place. It was something he had learned ever since he had gained his powers and his growing responsibilities had changed him.
"We only found out recently. We could only tell it was you from the power that you have coming off of you. Did anything ever happen that you weren't able to explain?" Prue asked.
"Well...when my parents died in the car accident, I was outside the car. I remember being in the car when it swerved but then I was unconscious and when I woke up I was outside of it. There were no injuries or scars. I was just there," Paige said sadly recalling the tragic incident.
"Well, the reasons why will be even stranger for you. Paige...you're a witch," Prue stated with a fairly straight face.
"A witch?" Paige asked.
"Yes. The women in the Halliwell family are born as white witches, who help people and fight evil," Prue replied.
"Wow. Weird. Wait, how did you guys even know any of this?" Paige asked still feeling confused. She had known that there was something weird about herself since the accident. But this topped anything she could've come up with on her own.
"We just found out from a friend. He is...well. It's best that I just show you. Leo!" Prue called out. A second later, Leo orbed in standing before the three of them.
"Hey Prue. Guess you found her. Hi. My name is Leo. It's nice to meet you," Leo said extending his hand to a shocked Paige.
"Are...are you an angel?" Paige asked.
"Not exactly. I'm what's called a whitelighter. I'm a guardian to white witches and potential whitelighters. Although the angels of destiny and death fit that role better," Leo explained.
"Wait! You mean they really exist and they're not just stories?" Prue asked in shock.
"Well, yeah. But they're just rarely seen. THe only reason I know for sure is because I have to orb to and from the heavens. Plus I actually met the both of them when I became a whitelighter. It was weird but hey," Leo finished.
"Well this day just got even more frustrating. You'd think living on the hellmouth, I'd have seen an angel by now," Xander said sighing.
"Like I said, they're rarely seen. If only because they can't always interfere unless they're charged with directing someone down a certain path," Leo replied. As Xander thought about this, he thought about a certain 'demon' who had helped him since the Angelus crisis. 'I'll just get to that at a later date' Xander thought to himself.
"Okay. So where do we go from here, Leo?" Prue asked the whitelighter.
"Let's take this all back to the mansion," Leo said. Paige checked the time and noted that she would be able to leave in a few seconds. Everyone followed Paige out of the office to the front desk and then out of the building into the alley next to the building. They all held hands and Leo orbed them back to the mansion.
Halliwell Manor
Phoebe, Piper, and Faith sat in the attic with the two sisters reading the Book of Shadows when Leo orbed in with Prue, Xander and a woman they didn't recognize. They immediately figured that she was their half-sister, Paige.
"Hey. Glad you're back. We've been going through the book and it seems that there's nothing that was supposed to tell of Paige coming into her destiny. It seems Leo wasn't kidding about the whole destiny thing with the Elders," Piper said closing the book.
"What do you mean?" Prue replied.
"While we were going through the book, it did something weird. I mean...weird for even the book. While we were trying to find our family line, it flipped to the page we were looking for. Not only that, it showed this weird white line that was linked to Paige for some reason," Phoebe explained.
"So what do you think this means?" Xander asked.
"If we had to guess, us coming here has caused some serious ripples in the pond," Faith said to her boyfriend.
"Actually, it's possible that it may be more than that. When I orbed up to the higher plane, not only were the Elders there, but so were the Powers. And they weren't happy. It seems that someone had interfered with their plans for everyone. Xander apparently was never meant to have his abilities. And Faith is supposed to be a in a coma right now," Leo explained. Everyone looked shocked at the whitelighters words. As Xander thought about Leo's words, he remembered a conversation he and Whistler had about the supposed demon's identity. Since he learned about the existence of angels thanks to Leo, he was certain that Leo wasn't just an ordinary higher being.
"Looks like whatever plans they had to control us just went up in smoke. But what do you think this means for us?" Faith asked looking at her boyfriend.
"I'm not sure. But we'll have to be on guard now that everything has ch-" Xander never finished as a gust of wind had blown inside the mansion, even though the doors and windows were closed. A grey-skinned demon with white hair and grey, tattered robes had gotten inside. He launched a light ball ball of energy at the group. However, Xander was just as quick and launched an energy bolt. The two attacks collided and created a small explosion. The demon had launched himself at the young ma, only for Xander to throw him off. Xander summoned his sword and charged the demon. As Xander swung is sword, the demon defended himself with his own claws as Xander swung his sword. The demon knocked Xander's sword away and charged again. Xander delivered to hooks with each hand, which the demon ducked from. Xander let out a snap kick, landing a direct hit on the demon's chest, sending him flying in the direction of Faith, the sisters and Leo. Faith immediately had the demon in a full nelson to keep him from escaping while the sisters conjured a spell to bind him. When Faith let go, the demon was unable to move from his spot. Xander retrieved his sword and walked to the demon with his blade raised.
"Who the hell are you?" Xander asked.
"Hm hm hm hm. Wouldn't you like to know? It doesn't matter. My name is Shax. I work for those in the basement below," the demon answered.
"Shax?! What would you be doing here now?" Leo asked knowing fully well the demon before them.
"Leo who is he?" Piper asked.
"Shax is a demonic hitman working for the Source," Leo answered.
"When you say the source...do you mean..." Faith trailed off waiting for the answer.
"Of evil? Yes. But why on earth would he make such a bold move now?" Leo asked.
"Ha! You think he ordered me to come here? No. I'm here under the First's bidding. I grew tired of waiting for the Source to tell me when I could go and kill. When the First saw a chance put a halt into the do-gooders attempts here, she sent me. But it was worth it. Now we know never to underestimate you humans," Shax replied with a sneer.
"Good. Now your masters will understand that we don't mess around," Xander said, plunging his sword into Shax's chest. The demon let out a cry before his body turned why and disintegrated into dust.
"Well, this is great. Not only do the Powers and Elders want us under their thumbs, now we've got demons like him to deal with," Prue said feeling irritated.
"Which makes it all the more important that you four leave this city. As crazy as it sounds, you'd be safer with us and our friends in Sunnydale. We have plenty of spellcasters and experienced fighters in the group. The only real warning is that the energies of the hellmouth might have you feeling weird. but other than that, you should be fine," Xander said to the sisters. Prue gathered her sisters and Leo in the kitchen to discuss matters and properly plan. After about five minutes, they returned tot he living area with smiles.
"Alright Xander. We're going to be in Sunnydale with you guys. It'll take time, but it looks like it's for the best. And if not for you, we'd all likely be dead. We owe you," Phoebe said.
"Hey, it's what we do. Well, me and Faith can leave you to the planning. We're going to go rest. If you need any help, just have Leo orb us in," Xander said as he and Faith headed to the door.
"He's one interesting young man," Prue said, smiling to herself.
"Too bad he's taken, huh Prue?" Phoebe asked, taking a jibe at her sister.
"Still, he seems like a great guy. And it looks like he's got a great woman by his-ngh!" Phoebe said as she clutched her head. The vision she had was one of great pain. It showed an older looking Xander and Faith fighting something evil that was almost as old as the universe itself.
"Phoebe, what's wrong?" Piper said keeping her younger sister steady.
"I had a vision of something horrible. I saw Xander and Faith fighting. But this thing was so horrible, I couldn't even look at it. I tell you, it's a good thing we are leaving. I don't think they could handle it on their own," Phoebe said as Prue and Piper looked at her with worry on their faces. Leo had not thought that things would get any worse. But now the interference of a higher being and one teenage boy was setting the stage for something bigger than even the Elders could possibly handle.
Lower Realms
"So you sought to defy my orders to wait until the time was right, just to satisfy your ego!" the Source bellowed throughout the caverns of his lair. He had seen what the First was planning and was not pleased one bit.
"Please master, that was not my intention! I just thought it was a chance to remove them and weaken the forces of light! I was only looking out for your best intentions!" the First cried out knowing the pain it would receive for the treachery committed.
"Do not lie to me! I gave you your power when you were forsaken! I can just as easily take them away and have you tortured for the rest of eternity if I wanted to! But I won't. Instead, I'll send you away to another one of the portals leading to earth. It is located in the middle of a cemetery in what is now southern Wyoming. Wait there, until you are freed. Then you make sure that I will be freed as well," the Source shouted.
"Yes master! Thank you for sparing me! I am not deserving of your mercy!" the First said.
"GO!" the Source shouted. As the First's presence disappeared, the Source smiled wickedly at what it was thinking.
"If she only knew..."