Disclaimer: This really gets old after a while.
Author's note: So now Faith is a full-fledged member of the Scoobies. And yes Angel is back. However, I won't make it a major point for the story because, it's not about him or Buffy. However, I will point out how exactly Xander and the others feel. Also, I'm planning to alter a few events after this chapter. Anyone care to guess which ones? And now the story continues.
Nov. 10th, 1998
Sunnydale High School
Library
Xander was sitting in the Library with the others, now including Faith. They had received their SAT scores. Xander himself wasn't surprised with his low score as he felt he wasn't intending to attend college in the future. Though, he felt he wouldn't live long enough for it to matter until nine months ago. The girls were excited about the high scores they received, even Kendra. She and Buffy were excited as they now knew that their lives could change once they graduate. Faith saw the slightly crestfallen look on Xander's face and couldn't help but feel sad for him. Ever since he killed Kakistos and made his declaration of affection for the girls, she had taken every chance she could to hang around the young man. He himself had taken more of a liking to the dark-haired slayer. He even asked her to the Homecoming dance, which she gladly accepted.
That event had its own drawbacks. For one thing, Buffy and Cordelia had both decided to run for Homecoming Queen, which led to both of them going for each others' throats to win. However, the festivities were cut short for everyone when they realized that Buffy and Cordelia were not at the Bronze. Xander used his powers to pick up on them and found them fairly far away from the school. It turned out that a group of humans, who happened to be commandos, were intending to eliminate the slayers but mistakenly captured Cordy. Xander found the men and quickly put them down without killing them. He had found a way to enhance his speed and strength thanks to Whistler's training. He could now fight on equal footing with the slayers, but still had questions about his power.
"Hey X. Cat got your tongue?" Faith whispered to him smiling, hoping to brighten him up.
"Nah. I'm not surprised by these scores. Sometimes it seems like we're doing so much unnecessary stuff just to prove we can. I may not be the brightest bulb in the room, but I'm not stupid," Xander replied.
"Of course you aren't. But what did you have in mind once you're done with this place?" she asked him, curious to what he wanted.
"Can't say I know for sure. Before I got my powers, I wasn't sure I'd see the end of high school. But now, everything's changed," Xander answered her, not knowing the implications of what he just said.
"Hey. Just gotta roll with the punches, dude," she said smiling at him, hoping to change his mood. Her wish came true and Xander smiled at her.
"Thanks. So what's the what for tonight? Anyone?" Xander asked wanting to change the subject.
"How bout we Bronze it up? My mom's been letting me drive some," Buffy responded, which got her worried looks from everyone, even Cordelia and Kendra.
"What?" Buffy asked not understanding the looks.
"No offense Buff. But you behind the wheel of a vehicle is more dangerous than any demon," Xander said seriously.
"How can I not possibly take offense to that," Buffy responded sarcastically.
"Buffy, if you need help learning to drive, I'd be happy to do it," Xander offered. After a second of thinking it over, Buffy nodded her head in agreement.
"You know what, I think maybe I'd like to learn too. Girl's gotta stay mobile, ya know?" Faith threw genuinely, though still hoping to spend time with Xander.
"Sounds good. Let's start later in the week though. Today, we have to avoid the wrath that is Snyder," Xander said causing the others to grimace at the mention of their principal.
The teenagers left the library in separate directions. Xander thought back over the last few days since their run-in with Kakistos. Everything was calm for a while, until word of a wild animal attacking residents. Everyone was at first afraid that Oz may have been responsible. However, the situation was resolved when it was discovered that one their classmates, Pete, had been behind the attacks. What unnerved Xander was that Pete used a chemical formula, turning him into something of a Mr. Hyde, and was willing to hurt his girlfriend, Debbie. Luckily Xander managed to get to them in time before Pete could kill her. However, seeing Pete turn into a monster made Xander think of the possibility of becoming like his father; a thought that haunts him everyday.
Xander had also noticed something strange. He felt a presence in the town that was familiar. However, he was unable to focus leaving him to brush off the concern for another day. As he made his way out to the main hallway, Snyder stopped him and handed him a box of chocolates.
"Oh thank you Principal Snyder," Xander said with a sarcastic grin, knowing that there was more to this.
"This is band candy. The band needs new uniforms. You're going to sell this candy to help them out," Snyder replied with a sneer. Xander took a long at the box and immediately felt that something was wrong. He sensed that the candy was held a powerful aura of magic. He looked up at Snyder before walking off with the box in hand.
As the school day officially ended, Xander headed over to the library to speak with Giles about what he felt earlier. The magic that coated the candy was strangely dark and it worried Xander. As he entered the library, he noticed the others were already gathered. He spotted the adults of the group already with boxes of candy on the table.
"Uh hey everyone. Guess you got the memo about the candy," he began, fearing what the candy would do.
"Yes. This chocolate is delicious. Forget what that little imp says. You kids should try some," Jenny said catching the kids in the group off guard.
"Ms. Calendar, are you feeling okay?" Willow asked her teacher.
"Oh I feel fine! Never felt better in my life!" the techno-pagan responded with glee.
"Allllright then. As much as I hate to kill the mood, I think something's wrong with the candy," Xander said. This snapped Jenny out of her good mood, while the rest looked on in surprise.
"Xander, what would make you say that?" Zabuto asked the young man.
"Well, when I grabbed the box Snyder gave me, I sensed a powerful dark magic surrounding it. I'm not sure what's going to happen. But we have to be careful with this stuff. Has anyone else eaten the candy?" Xander asked. Everyone raised their hands out of embarrassment.
"Oooookay. Does anyone feel any different?" he asked them all. Only the adults raised their hands as the teenagers stayed silent.
"How much chocolate have you guys had?" Cordelia asked.
"Only a few bars. Shouldn't be too much harm," Zabuto said in response.
"Sir, maybe you should hold off on the chocolate until we know what's going on," Kendra said to her watcher. She had always known him to be a very serious man. TO see him in this laid back manner was shocking.
"If you say so Kendra," Zabuto responded.
"Well, maybe we should just go home and stay as far away from the chocolate as humanly possible," Buffy said to everyone. They all made their way out of the library to their respective homes. Unknown to the teenagers, the adults had snuck back into the high later that night for the rest of the candy.
The next day...
The gang had gone to their classes, waiting for Giles to show up for study hall. However, the watcher had failed to arrive for whatever reason. The students waited patiently for anyone to come in. As Xander looked around the room, he caught Willow trying to discreetly look at him. He knew without a doubt that Willow had some secret attraction to him. He remembered how Cordelia would look at him covertly when they were secretly dating. Xander could only guess at what Willow was really thinking and he didn't like where his guess was going. He was soon brought out of his thoughts when Ms. Barton comes in and gains the class attention. She announced that she was looking after the class and allowed them to do whatever they wanted.
As the school day came to an end, Xander gathered Buffy, Willow, Kendra and Faith and headed over to Giles apartment. Upon arrival, they found the watcher relaxing listening to music.
"Oh. Hello all," he greets the young people at his door.
"Hey G. Whatcha doin' there?" Faith asked just as shocked as the others, knowing Giles was never this relaxed in the time she's come to know him.
"Oh, I decided to give myself a day off. Come on in. Join me," Giles replied.
"Ooookay. So listen, we were kinda worried about you. You were so not-there in study hall. And you're always telling me to take my education seriously and what is my mother doing here?" Buffy asked noticing Joyce sitting in the chair to her left.
"Oh, I invited her over for a little chat. Later, Jenny, Sam, and Diana will be joining us. Adults only though," GIles responded.
"Oh," Willow said. Xander looked at them both and noticed something odd. He began to see energy around the pair of adults and noticed that the energies seemed chaotic for some reason.
"So where does that leave you two?" Kendra asked.
"We're just going to hang out here till later tonight. You kids go out and have fun. Here Buffy, take my keys," Joyce replied. Buffy took the keys from her mother with her eyes bulging form disbelief.
"You're giving me the car?" Buffy asked.
"Yes dear, now go on," Joyce said.
The teens looked at each other for a second before heading out of the door. Xander took the keys from Buffy, earning a glare from the blonde slayer.
"Buff, you know you driving a car is more dangerous than any vampire," Xander told her. As they got into the green jeep, Xander turned the engine and pulled away from the complex. As they made their way to Buffy's house, Xander's mind began wandering about what he saw before they left the two adults. He knew that whatever magic was in the candy was causing them to react very differently. At the moment, he could only hope that they didn't go too far, given how chaotic that energy seemed. THey finally pulled up the Summers' residence.
Buffy called the rest of the gang, including Jonathan and Amy, over to her house. After some time, Oz, Amy, and Jonathan arrived. Oz joined Willow on the chair across from the couch. Jonathan and Amy sat on the couch, while everyone else either stood or took a seat.
"So what's up? Is this about the adult being all weird?" Oz asked.
"Then you noticed it too?" Buffy replied.
"All three of us have. But Amy and I didn't notice until after our parents ate the...oh no," Jonathan said putting his head in his hands.
"Yeah Jon. I'm afraid the candy is the reason for them being so crazy," Xander replied.
"Then I wasn't imagining it. I sensed dark magic in the candy. I never gave any to my dad but he managed to get his hands on some of it anyway. But what we don't know is why it hasn't affected any of us," Amy explained.
"So it's safe to say that whoever made the stuff is using it to affect only adults. But then why go to that kind of trouble?" Faith asked.
"Who knows. But listen, I gotta head to the Bronze. I know it's crazy but we got a gig. And maybe I might see something there that will help us understand all this," Oz said, making his way out of the house.
"Maybe we should go to the Bronze," Xander said out of nowhere. Everyone agreed and they made their way out of the house and to the club.
Upon arrival, they all noticed that the Bronze was unusually populated by adults. As they went inside, it became worse. The adults were drinking and dancing without care at all. It was a sight to behold for all of the teenagers seeing the adults behave this way. Oz's band was playing and even they were surprised with the turnout of the crowd.
"Anything about this seem strangely familiar?" Willow asked.
"What do you mean Red?" Faith asked.
"Well, they're acting like-" Willow was interrupted.
"They're acting like us. It's too weird," Xander replied. At that moment, one of the older adults grabbed the microphone from Gavin. THree more joined him doing an A-cappella to Richard Berry's Louie Louie. Snyder soon approached the group.
"Hey gang! Man, I am so stoked!" he said, causing the teenagers to look at him in horror.
"There are some foxy ladies here tonight!" the principal said before chasing after them.
"We have to get the hell outta here!" Faith said. A fight started about a minute later causing the teens and Snyder to leave the building.
"We need to find Giles and the others. Maybe they cans till help us," Buffy said as they climbed into the Jeep.
"Shouldn't be too bad. Giles was pretty together when he was young, right?" Oz asked.
"Um...no. Giles was more of the angry-at-the-world, ticking time bomb kind of guy," Buffy replied.
"Um...Buffy. You realize we left him alone with your mother right?" Xander asked. The others realized the same thing and soon the teens departed in separate cars to find Giles.
In another part of town...
Giles was accompanied by Joyce, Jenny, Sam, and Diana. GIles and Joyce were hitting it off well, as were Diana and Sam. Jenny, however, was reluctant to be around the other four, making googly-eyes at each other. She thought back to when the Angelus crisis had ended and she and Xander became intimate with each other. She remembered her words the morning after. Despite that, she wanted more than anything to bed him at the moment. The adults soon made their way over to the factory that made the chocolate bars.
Back in the Jeep...
The teens were making their way around town. Xander noticed the activity as they passed by the adults. However, a thought occurred to him.
"Something's odd about this whole thing," Xander said.
"Xander where have you been all day?" Buffy asked sarcastically.
"That's not what I mean. There's an all you can eat buffet for the vamps in this town. But no one's coming out to eat," he replied.
"For vamps to be in hiding at a time like this, something big must be going down," Faith determined.
"But what could it be? Must be pretty big for it to scare them," Willow said.
"Snyder, where did the candy bars come from?" Xander asked the short man.
"They came from a factory on the other side of town. An order from the school board came in saying we had to sell them," he responded. Xander turned the car to proceed to the factory as Snyder gave directions with Amy and Jonathan still following. About fifteen minutes later, they arrived to see more adults clamoring for candy. As they got out to move for the entrance, Buffy stopped as she noticed two couples making out.
"Mom! Giles!" she shouted.
"Mr. Zabuto?" Kendra yelled.
"D?" Faith said in surprise.
The four adults stopped and looked at the teenagers as if they had been caught by their parents. Jenny came rushing forward, wrapping Xander in a loving embrace and giving him a quick kiss on the lips. This earned him wide-eyed looks from everyone, even the adults under the influence of the candy.
"Uhhhhhh..." Xander could say unable to form any words.
"Xander...what the bloody hell was that?" Giles asked. Xander looked at the older gentleman and noticed the energy surrounding him had changed. It was chaotic earlier but now, it had become dangerous.
"Um...uh...I-" Xander was interrupted by Jenny.
"Xander and I slept together months ago, Ripper. You and I had been broken up for a long time afterward. So it really shouldn't matter. Besides, I initiated myself. So if you want to be angry at someone, be angry at me," Jenny responded with look at Giles, daring him to challenge her. Giles could only back down while everyone else was either surprised or impressed with the young man. Faith had walked over to Xander and Jenny not sure what to say.
"Oh Faith. Aren't you looking fine tonight! I have an idea! Me, you, and Xander all head back to my place and have a night of 'fun'?" Jenny asked the dark-haired slayer. Faith blushed at this comment as she had never had an offer like that from a woman. She looked over at Xander and began sputtering. Bedding Xander was something she wanted since she met him. But she wasn't ready to reveal her feelings just yet.
"You know what. Let's just get inside this place and find out who's behind the craziness," Xander said dissolving the awkward situation.
The entire Scooby gang made their way past the other adults and into the factory. Once inside, they found the factor empty. Save for one person. This man was someone that Giles knew only too well.
"Ethan! What the bloody hell are you doing here?" Giles asked.
"Whoa Ripper! I'm just doing a job. Getting paid pretty well," Rayne said to his old friend.
"And what exactly is that?" Buffy asked.
"Can't say," Ethan said before he found himself being knocked to the ground. He looked up to find Xander standing over him.
"You really don't want us to ask this again," Xander said. Ethan looked at everyone and could tell he wouldn't get out of this unscathed.
"Alright. I was hired by a vampire to create this spell that would send all the adults back into their younger years. This would distract you all while he gets what he needs for a sacrifice for a demon. A demon named Lurconis," Ethan explained, causing Giles, Zabuto and Diana to look at him in shock.
"Where are they now?" GIles demanded.
"In the sewers," Ethan explained.
"Amy, Jonathan, Sam, and Diana, you guys should stay here. You too Giles. If this prick gets away, no telling what he'll do next," Xander said as he and the slayers ade their way below the town.
"Xander. Be careful. Lurconis is a pure demon. He's very big and will be very hard to kill," Giles said before he let them go.
As the four super-powered teens made their way around the sewers, they could hear chanting. Xander knew they were getting closer. As the reached the end of the tunnel, they saw four vampires in robes and Mr. Trick overseeing the ritual. Xander charged energy into his hand before releasing it, aiming for the four vampires. They were turned to dust in an instant while Trick looked at them with an angry yet cocky sneer.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't Mr. X-Man himself," Trick said snickering at his joke.
"You really couldn't think of anything clever, could you?" Xander replied.
"What can I say? It suits you. But I'm afraid I won't be able to play with you guys tonight," Trick said. A huge rumbling was felt around the sewers. A shadow was slinking from the tunnel next to the pool of water. Xander looked down and saw four babies laying in a crevice of a table. He realized that they were the sacrifices. He looked back up and could see a giant green snake overlooking them. He looked up and saw a pipe and began to form an idea.
"Faith, Kendra, get the babies away from the pool! Buffy dislodge that pipe!" Xander shouted. Faith and Kendra rolled the four infants from Lurconis while Buffy jumped and grabbed onto the pipe. As she dislodged it, she could hear the sound of gas coming out of the pipe. She aimed it over one of the sconces and towards the demon. Xander charged as much energy as he could and fired at Lurconis. This lethal combination incinerated the demon and killed him.
"Wow. It worked," Xander said feeling a bit tired.
"So what do we do about the rugrats?" Faith asked.
"Get them back to the hospital," Kendra said to her sister slayer.
Harris Residence
After returning the infants to the hospital, Xander split from the group and made his way back home. He felt really drained from the experience and just wanted to sleep. But a familiar presence prevented that from happening.
"What is it now?" Xander asked Whistler.
"Just wanted to say great work out there," the balance demon replied.
"Oh. Thanks. Any idea why Trick went to so much trouble?" Xander asked Whistler.
"It wasn't Trick's idea. Let's just say it was someone from higher up in this town," Whistler replied.
"What does that mean?" Xander asked.
"You can worry about that later. You've got other stuff to worry about," the fedora wearing demon told the young man.
"Like what?" Xander replied.
"The end of the world," Whistler said before he disappeared out of Xander's room.
" Again?"