Disclaimer: Don't own anything.
Author's note: For anyone that is wondering why Xander continues to help the gang out even though he's split himself away, It's because it's not in Xander's nature to abandon anyone in trouble, or anyone he would know is fighting the same fight as him. One could say that there's a lingering hope from this story's Xander that the gang in his universe can collectively pull their heads out of their butts and not just twiddle on their thumbs waiting for Buffy. Of course Whedon's writing of the show tried to make it where Buffy was the only hope but really, anyone with common sense could've done so. Anyway, a big part of this story is that Xander is taking a look at himself, as well as his friends' (not so much by this point) actions and making them understand that where as they could work as an actual team, they're really just sheep. Also some of their behavior on personal matters has proven more petty and hypocritical than Whedon tries to show his audience. And now, on with the story.
Sunnydale Motor Inn
Sunnydale, California
February 23, 1999
Xander felt off as he stood in the center of the dilapidation of Faith's now former residence with the girl in question. It was odd because he felt as if something had been off for some time ever since he returned from the void. He could feel the chaotic energies of the hellmouth but now there was something accompanying that feeling. It was as if something had changed but he couldn't quite figure out what it was. Faith looked up from gathering the belongings she had and held a concerned expression on her face.
"Something wrong babe?" Faith asked. Xander looked to her wondering how to reply.
"I'm not sure. There's something odd going on. Something's here that shouldn't be. But I can't tell for sure. Having this power made me stronger. And I can do things akin to magic. But I haven't got the new senses down completely. Anyway, whatever it is, we can get to it later," Xander said.
"Whatever you say. So how's Kyra holding up? I can't imagine she's too fond of not only sharing a room, but sharing one with a slayer, and having to hear your parents go at it," Faith said. Xander snorted at the idea as he had noticed that his parents been getting along for the week, which was accompanied by the strange vibes he had been receiving in the house. Of course, the noises of his parents rocking the bed didn't help set his mind at ease. At any rate, he noticed that Kyra had become curious about their behavior when she met the pair a week ago.
"She's certainly taking the observation well enough. Although in her wanting to be human, she's looking more forward to the good parts," Xander said after some thought.
"Okay. How are you feeling about it? I mean, hot demon girl, staying in the same house as you, could possibly jump you and take you at any time, yet she looks like your ex?" Faith said, feeling subtlety rather pointless between the two.
"Well, of course it's weird given her appearance but she is as far from Cordelia in terms of personality. For one thing, Kyra has been true in who she is the entire time she's been here. She may be a pure demon, but no demon without sympathy can act the way she does unless there was something that changed them," Xander said.
"What do you think changed her?" Faith asked.
"Possibly working for her boss, and her being a seer may have something to do with it. With her seeing so many things, she probably saw and felt everything the humans he would attack would feel. I spoke with her about her powers but she's strangely limited to empathic powers, visions, and teleporting herself," Xander said with a confused expression on his face.
"I guess not all angels are the same huh?" Faith said thinking about it.
"Guess not. So off to my place, then the Bronze later?" the young man asked.
"Sure thing. Maybe we could be the first poly-amorous threesome in town," Faith said smiling. Xander only shook his head at her antics before they vacated the room, with the added happiness of Faith never having to return to that place.
The Bronze
Dingoes Ate My Baby had just finished another performance at the town's only club and were unplugging equipment. The werewolf and Gavin had spotted Xander and Faith, and a woman who for all intents and purposes seemed to be Cordelia. However, Oz's senses told him otherwise as her scent was not human. Gavin looked to where his band-mate's attention was focused and smiled.
"Dude. Xander's officially my hero. He got Cordelia back, and he scored that hot brunette," Gavin said happily.
"They should build a statue of him," Oz replied dryly before he moved to where the threesome sat in one of the corner couches. The three brunettes were deep into the conversation when they noticed Oz walk up. Kyra glared at the werwolf with her eyes turning amber, even under the light that shone over the area they were in. Oz, in an odd response, actually held an expression of confusion on his face.
"Why is Cordelia mad at me?" Oz asked. Everyone remained silent but a loud, familiar voice broke in.
"WHAT THE FREAKIN' HELL?!" Cordelia shouted, even with the music booming throughout the club. The four patrons looked at the former Queen of Sunnydale High as she stood confused yet angry altogether.
"So what, you can't get over me but you somehow have me cloned?!" Cordelia asked, jumping to the wildest conclusion in her anger addled mind.
"I'm not you, you stupid little girl," Kyra replied as she stood and walked past Oz towards her look-alike.
"Excuse me?! You should feel honored to look like me, slut-o-rama! It's probably the only way you can ever hook a man," Cordelia snapped back.
"SHUT UP!" Faith yelled at them both. Kyra looked meekly at the dark slayer while Cordelia directed her death-glare, which was useless by this point, at the girl who snagged her ex. Cordelia decided to forgo her anger for the time being.
"Can someone tell me why there's two of me walking around?" Cordelia asked.
"Like I said, I'm not you. My name is Kyra," the seer replied.
"She's not human," Oz openly stated, earning a glare from Xander.
"Oh god, a demon's impersonating me," Cordelia said.
"I chose this form, long before you were even conceived, you petty little waste of space. And I'm not here just to trade barbs with you. I'm actually here for a purpose, to help Alexander and his friend. Helping you and your...friends happens to coincide," Kyra replied.
"Does this have anything to do with why the dweeb's been acting weird?" Cordelia asked.
"Yes it does. And considering how he helped saved your ass after the insults you threw at him, I'd think you'd be more-" Kyra stopped as she noticed Xander's hand on her arm, and the look on his face telling her she was saying too much.
"He saved us? What are you talking about?" Cordelia asked.
"Forget about it. Kyra's here because she's been having some rather odd visions and she's looking for help. But it won't be long before her boss decides to up his game for taking us out," Xander explained.
"So an Old One, who plans on offing us anyway, is going to go psycho just because you ditched Hell?" Cordelia asked sarcastically.
"No. The Devil himself will not only destroy you all, but find a way to make it last and insufferable if he were to be released. The reason he needs me is because as his former seer, I could show him things that his own clairvoyance is limited on. He may have been the favorite among my brothers and sisters, but even his power goes so far," Kyra explained in no uncertain terms. Cordelia could feel the bottom of her stomach drop out from hearing the demon's words.
"You know, considering she's a real live fallen angel, not just some half-human crap we deal with, I see no reason not to believe her," Faith said.
"But Giles said the Old Ones were -" Cordelia was cut off.
"Are you really going to believe some musty old books that only have second-hand accounts of what happened way back when, and only tell us about the half-breeds, when a real fallen angel is standing right in front of you?" Xander asked disbelievingly. Cordelia instantly shut her mouth finding no fault in the logic.
"So why are you here?" Cordelia asked.
"For one thing, I'm here to offer help. And when it's all said and done, I want to become human," Kyra explained.
"I'm afraid we already have one demon filling that spot in this town," Cordelia replied.
"You mean Angelus? I'm aware of his existence. The human soul that's in control, Angel, is only fooling himself into thinking that his fight is for the greater good, especially now," Kyra said.
"What are you talking about? His fight for the greater good?" Cordelia asked.
"As a seer, a lot of things come to me. He's supposedly destined to leave this town in a few months to fight evil. But everything he does is just one big manipulation for helping one of my brothers try to take over this universe. The demon in him is drawn to the Summers' girl who's also being duped. The so-called Powers That Be never intended on making Angel into a human again. There's a prophecy about a vampire with a soul taking part in an apocalypse that would make him human again. However, the prophecy was written by three of my fellow fallen brothers. They don't have the power to take over this dimension by pure force the way many of the others did, so they manipulate and conquer using their servants. But even they fear the arrival of my brother trying to remake the universe in his image," Kyra explained.
"So you're here to save your own ass?" Cordelia asked.
"I'm here because I'm sick and tired of seeing humans suffer, partly because of what my boss, of what my big brother did, because of his jealousy and hubris. And it's seeped out into humans and every one of us is paying. So I'm going to help change it," Kyra replied sternly. The group remained silent as they considered her words. However, it wasn't long before things inside the club erupted. Xander and the others looked to see ten vampires walk in, with what appeared to be Willow in a leather outfit that exposed and hugged her cleavage. Xander took another look and could tell that it wasn't the Willow he knew for sure.
"A vampire. And not from this universe," Kyra added, as if picking up on his thoughts.
"She's from the universe where the Master took over, and Buffy never came to Sunnydale," the young man added. Cordelia and Oz looked at him strangely. The young werewolf cautiously approached as the vampiric redhead began making declarations. Xander followed him as he saw the demon version of his old friend come up behind a honey blonde girl who appeared visibly frightened. As Xander got closer, the vampire stiffened and turned around. She could sense something off about him but jumped and wrapped him in a tight embrace.
"Xander! You're alive!" she said as her hands began roaming down to his backside.
"Hey! Hands in places they shouldn't be!" Xander said. Vampire Willow took another look at Xander, before her face morphed and she let out a roar before charging.
Xander caught her with an upper cut followed by two cross hooks. He launched a roundhouse kick, sending her flying into the stage. The other ten vampires jumped into action to attack Xander. However, they didn't count on Faith being there to help him. The other vampires were ready to run until Buffy and the rest of the scoobies came in and starting offing the demons. Willow tried to run to her boyfriend, when she was intercepted by her vampire double. The budding witch was helpless until Buffy came up behind the vampire, with the other vampires being finished off. Buffy grabbed the double and was ready to stake it.
"Buffy no!" Willow yelled. The blonde slayer immediately stopped and pulled back her arm, lowering the stake. Xander took notice and became filled with anger that would've been beyond reason.
"You've got to be fucking kidding!" he said as he swiftly made his way over to the three girls. He snatched the stake from Buffy, and plunged it into the demon's heart.
"Oh f-" the vampire said before disintegrating. He dropped the stake and began walking away when Willow blocked him.
"Why did you do that? If we let her go back to her world, she would've had a chance to do good," Willow said.
"What the hell is the matter with you two?! Have you suddenly turned into being each others sheep?!" he yelled at them. Both girls were shocked at the tone he was taking with them.
"How can you possibly be doing this again?!" Xander asked.
"What are you talking about?" Buffy asked.
"Letting a dangerous, blood sucking, soulless creature go?! Just like you did with Angelus," the young man threw back.
"This is different! I can't believe that you could just kill another version of Willow without giving her a chance!" Buffy tried to reason.
"That bitch was not Willow! It was her corpse being taken over by a demon, just like Angel's corpse was taken by a demon before it was curse to put the soul in control! Remember when the curse on Angel was broken? The soul was gone, and the demon regained control! We all knew what Angelus was and worse! But you let him go, and now you're doing it again! I don't know what the hell is wrong with you two, but this is exactly why Angelus was able to terrorize us for so long. And now you're about to send her back to the universe she came from where she'd continue doing the same thing!" Xander yelled.
"You don't even know that, Xander! You're not even giving her a chance!" Buffy threw back, though she didn't feel too convinced by her own argument.
"She was a demon who didn't give one damn about humanity! She came from a world where the Master was set free because you weren't there! She delighted in torturing and killing as much as Angelus did! Do you honestly think a demon like that would truly change on it's own?! If you do, then you're dumber than anyone would've believed!" Xander said before he stormed out of the club. Faith could only look between the door and the two girls.
"I have to say, X has a point," Faith said.
"What?! You're agreeing with him?!" Buffy said to her sister slayer.
"Because what he said is true. I lost my watcher to a master vampire who didn't give a damn about the human lives he took away. Didn't you ever wonder why when we sense vamps, our senses go crazy? It's because those things are pure demons disguised as humans. I really can't believe I wanted to be like you," Faith said starting to feel disgust, especially knowing Buffy's past with Angel.
"Like you have any room to talk! You've probably slept with any guy who said hello," Willow said, shocking everyone. Faith moved in, ready to pummel the redhead, but was intercepted by Kyra.
"Unbelievable. You two really think you're better than everyone, don't you?" the fallen one asked.
"Excuse me?" Buffy asked with a stern look on her face.
"You heard me. I've seen your exploits since you arrived in this town. Ever since the previous year, you've been behaving as if the world revolves around you. You think because you have power compared to others that things should be your way. Truth is, your power is nothing compared to what's really out there," Kyra said.
"Are you saying the slayer is weak? Buffy has done some incredible things," Willow argued.
"With physical strength and speed? Yes, that's so impressive compared to the witches and warlocks and even the higher beings who keep the universe in working order. You honestly believe that your power is that great? The watcher's council has continually lied to it's employees and their charges. The slayer was never the greatest weapon against the darkness," Kyra stated.
"How could they have lied? Sure the leader is an ass, but not all of them are like that," Buffy said.
"Do you even know where your power comes from?" the fallen asked.
"All my watcher said was that the slayer is chosen when the previous dies," the blonde girl asked.
"It's partially true, but not entirely. Your powers didn't come from the higher realms. But I'll have to save that story for later. Why did you, a vampire slayer, feel the need to let a vampire go? In fact, why did you feel attracted to Angel, even after discovering that he was a vampire?" the seer asked.
"I don't have to explain my relationship to you!" Buffy shot back.
"Then maybe you can explain it to the people who's lives were lost because you failed to see the demon as being separate from the human soul. Teresa. Jenny Calendar. Kendra Young. Do those names ring a bell?" Kyra threw back at the blonde slayer. Buffy visibly flinched at the names of some of the people she could've saved. Jenny's name in particular struck a chord as she remembered that she had ostracized her from the group, believing her to be responsible. Even after settling down, she had never forgiven the late technopagan, or apologized to her. The fallen angel left the blonde and redhead to follow her hosts back home.
Outside of the club, as Kyra was catching up, Faith caught up to Xander, who seemed to be in a serious rage as she noticed his aura beginning to flare.
"X! Wait up, will ya? I know Buffy and Willow bug you, but I can't believe it got you that bad," the dark slayer said. Xander stopped walking and turned to face the dark-haired slayer.
"You want to know why they bug me now? It's because those two cling two each other and boost each others ego. Everything they're doing now is only about what they care about and what they want. To hell with everything else. She did good stuff. But what does it matter when she only gets it in gear when things get as bad as they can possibly be? And it's always when she's ordered us around or pushing away anyway who didn't agree with her," Xander said.
"It's true," Kyra said having caught up with them.
"What do you mean?" Faith replied.
"The thing about the slayer is that she can only stay alive when they have someone helping her. That's how the first slayer lived for so long after she had the power forced on her, because there were other warriors with her. But after the Shadow Men formed the Watchers Council, they kept the slayer away from others, supposedly that she didn't need outside influences. But the truth is that they wanted to maintain control over her. That's why as time went on, they take anyone who had the potential to be the slayer away from their families. But it's gotten much more difficult to where now, they can be seen as a massive conglomerate kidnapping and brain-washing young girls. And the same young girls are much harder to control now. But that demonic power only corrupts the girls it gets into. Had the so-called Powers actually cared, they would've smote the Shadow Men and gave her a real power that wouldn't corrupt her," the fallen being explained.
"Well, so much for her then. No use in letting it linger on our minds. Let's get back and get some sleep," Faith said as the three departed.
The next day...
Buffy and Willow sat outside on a bench in the school courtyard as the two thought over the previous nights events. Buffy looked to her budding witch friend and put on a smile that she didn't entirely feel.
"Want to hit the Bronze tonight?" the blonde slayer asked.
"Not really. Not after last night. I don't think I've ever felt as bad as I did, except for when I cheated on Oz with Xander," Willow said.
"But Oz forgave and you got him back. And even though Xander's being ridiculous, he still cares," Buffy tried to reassure her, knowing that Xander and friends no longer seemed to fit their group dynamic.
"Even if he does, it's because he doesn't want to see us die. And with what he said..." Willow trailed off.
"Forget what he said. Who is he to judge us on our decisions? Hell, look at him. Every girl he dated was a monster, except Cordelia but she comes pretty close. He's always getting in the way when we patrol and he gets himself into trouble, and we always have to bail him out," Buffy said.
"No he doesn't," Willow said as she put her head down.
"What?" Buffy asked, feeling as if the rug was just yanked from under her.
"Buffy, you just described Xander as being useless. But he's not. Sure, he may not have fighting skills, but if last night is anything to go by, he has courage. But then who would he learn how to fight from when we're always worried about you?" Willow asked.
"Are you saying I need looking after? I'm the slayer," Buffy shot back, not believing her friend's words.
"No. I'm saying that he spends so much time worrying about watching your back, as we all try to do. But the funny thing is, he's always the one that's there watching our backs one way or another. We've never really taken time to appreciate him much for it. We even let him take all the blame for me and him cheating when I was every bit responsible," Willow lamented. Buffy thought about her words and they resonated with what Xander said the night after the hellmouth opened.
"Funny. He said something similar when we thought he might've died. He even thought the reason we tried to keep him out was so he didn't stop us from getting what we want," Buffy said.
"I don't blame him for feeling that way," Willow said. Buffy snapped her head towards her friend in shock.
"Buffy, we singled him out when most of us as much of a liability. I don't have any fighting skills, and last night was the first time I ever even threw a punch. Oz becomes a werewolf three nights a month. And even outside of that, he doesn't have fighting skills, and he tends to hang back. And Cordelia has no skills either. And while Giles can at least fight and has some magic, he isn't to your fighting level because he's busy training you. And then you're vulnerable to magic. Face it, all of us have weaknesses but we never took the time to really help get over them," Willow said. Buffy couldn't believe her friend's words and shook her head as she let it sink in. But she couldn't because it just seemed impossible.
"I have to go," Buffy said before she got up and left. Willow looked at her friend go and simply sighed as she figured that this was a chance she might not have had to take just yet.
