See Prologue for disclaimer and details. Hi, and welcome to the latest chapter of the fic! Wow, over 80 reviews and over 10,000 hits; when we started out we weren't really expecting that level of interest for this AU season one tale. So thank you, and please keep the feedback coming, people! Hmm, after one particular PM, it suddenly struck us as odd that we haven't really defined a bad guy for this story. I mean, we've mentioned the Master in passing, but not really focused on him all that much so far. So hopefully this chapter will fix that a bit, and also give you an insight into Xander's mind after all the changes in his life thus far...
Part Nine: What A Nightmare, Charlie Brown
The Master's underground cavern, Sunnydale
Late April, 1997
If there was one thing you could say about life on the Hellmouth, it's that it was almost never boring.
Xander had eventually worked out his issues with Buffy, once Jonathan informed him of certain facts regarding the Hyena spirit possession. And in an attempt to get over Harris once and for all after that agonizing conversation in the Bronze, Willow started engaging in an on-line romance with someone she thought was a boy named Malcolm. Unfortunately for her 'Malcolm' turned out to be a demon named Moloch, who tried to kill the cute redhead after Buffy and Jonathan discovered the truth about what it was; namely, an unleashed demonic presence on the Internet.
Fortunately, Moloch had failed and died after being bound into a robot body by a magic ritual. And the three teens had later moped about their love lives, suspecting that any sort of romance on the Hellmouth was doomed never to end well. Teen angst and hormones aside, though, everyone was safe and well, so things could always be worse.
Which was indeed the case, after Flutie's replacement Principal H.R. Snyder arrived on the scene.
An ill-tempered and balding little man, one could hardly come up with a more implausible candidate for moulding the minds of the next generation into responsible, well-educated adults. But since the Mayor had personally instructed the school board to accept Snyder into his new position, there was nothing anyone could do except grin and bear it.
And the new sheriff at Hellmouth High had certainly wasted no time in demonstrating to everyone who was the boss around here. That was done by putting Giles in charge of the annual school talent-less show, and also forcing Buffy, Willow and Jonathan to take part in the proceedings after catching them mocking the librarian and the school event.
No amount of pleading or bribery could move the new principal into renouncing his edict. To quote the man himself, "my predecessor, Mr. Flutie, may have gone in for all that touchy-feely relating nonsense, but he was eaten. You're in my world now. And Sunnydale has touched and felt for the last time."
And since this was the Hellmouth, things just had to become worse by the appearance of a Brotherhood of Seven demon, and a demon hunter named Sid trapped in the body of a ventriloquist's dummy. There was also the murder of two teens, Emily and Morgan. But in the end the demon was killed, Sid's soul was set free and the three friends gave a rather memorable performance of the play 'Oedipus Tyrannus' up on stage.
But all that was of no interest to the Master. Right now the centuries-old vampire was staring upwards, as the Anointed One received the latest lesson from his mentor. "Fear is a wonderful thing. It is the most powerful force in the human world. Not love, not hate...fear! When you were a mortal boy, what did you fear?" Nest crouched down to face the other undead.
"Monsters," Collin replied truthfully.
"Oooh, interesting. Because we are defined by the things we fear." He got up and faced the large cross that was present in that underground church. "This symbol, these two planks of wood, it confounds me. Suffuses me with mortal dread. But fear is in the mind." The Master put his hand on the cross and held on while it burned him. "Like pain, it can be controlled."
The Master let go and said forcefully, "If I can face my fear, it cannot master me." He then looked back up. "Something is happening above. Something new, powerful, a psychic force perhaps. Do you feel it?"
Collin nodded. "I feel change."
The Master looked positively gleeful. "Change. Yes. For the worse."
Sunnydale High, Sunnydale
The same time
Cordelia Chase had by this time figured out that something was...different...about Sunnydale High these days.
It had been nearly eight months since sophomore year had started, and the number of strange occurrences and unnatural deaths had skyrocketed since Buffy Summers had ridden her unwelcome fanny into town. The Chase girl had a great deal of intelligence, and her ability to repress was steadily eroding. But the problem there was that had led to her so-called faithful followers starting to question Cordelia's fitness to be the queen of the elite.
"Why are you defending Xander so much these days?" Harmony asked out of the blue, while Cordelia was checking her hair and make-up in the girls' bathroom mirror.
"What do you mean?" Queen C demanded at once, turning around and lowering her blush.
Miss Kendall briefly gulped, but nonetheless continued on. "Well, uh, we've all noticed it. Every time any of us – Kate, Gwen, Joy, Aura or even me – if we mention his lameness factor or how Xander's such a complete loser, you glare at us like we're wearing Laura Ashley or something. So I think I speak for everyone when I ask, what's going on?"
"Nothing's going on," Cordelia hissed angrily. "And nothing's changed between Xander and me. Is that clear?"
"Uh, yeah..." Harmony hesitated then quickly blurted out, "So, you're not pregnant with his kid?"
"What?" Cordelia somehow managed not to scream out loud. "Who the hell's been spreading that rumor?"
"No one! I swear," the blonde cheerleader babbled. "It's just, Blayne Mall recently mentioned to me something about Xander threatening to kill him once. Y'know, over some locker room rumor about how easy you are. And I figured, since you guys are more than just friends-"
"Whoa! Back up," Miss Chase cut her off at once. "Who gave you the idea that Xander and I were more than friends?"
"Well, I..." Harmony trailed off. As all that was just her own opinion, after all.
"I thought so. Now listen up because I'm only going to say this once, Harmony. Xander and I aren't together, but even if we were – it'd be none of your business! I do whatever I wanna do, and I date whoever the hell I wanna date. No matter what the opinions of my so-called friends are," Cordelia said forcefully, as she gathered her things and barged out of the restroom.
Harmony stared after her role model, part-confused and part-terrified about being kicked out of the inner circle. And outside, despite outward appearances the other cheerleader was ready to start panicking.
Cordelia knew that her influence over the Cordettes was in grave jeopardy. She also had few illusions about how one of them might seek to overthrow her rule over that mean-spirited and catty bunch at some point in the near future. Even though Xander and Dawn had been living with her family for so long, in the eyes of those snotty rich bitches that particular pair still were and always would be Harris's. And thus, low-born scum. With a worried frown, Cordelia went to her next class wondering what to do.
Not far away, Team Slayer started questioning Wendell Sears, whose worst nightmare regarding spiders had somehow come true yesterday. And perhaps not surprisingly, Xander was included in that interrogation squad.
He had started rebuilding his friendship with Willow and establishing a rapport with Jonathan and Buffy lately. Even though Harris still didn't get along too well with Giles, he had also started hanging out with the gang in the library. It was the place to be, if Xander wanted to keep himself in the loop about what was really happening on the Hellmouth.
"So, about your love of spiders...?" Xander prompted Wendell as he focused on the task at hand.
"I had the best collection in the tri-county area. Browns and tarantulas and black widows...then my folks shipped me off to wilderness camp. All my brother had to do was maintain their habitats. Instead, he left their heat lamp on for a week. When I came home, they were all dead. That's when the nightmares started," the boy confessed.
Willow asked, "The nightmares?"
Wendell nodded. "It's always the same. I'm sitting in the classroom, teacher asks me to read something, I open up my book and then there they are. They're comin' after me. God, can you blame them after what I did?"
Jonathan looked confused. "And that's how it happens? Every time?"
"Yesterday in class, I thought I'd just nodded off again. But then everyone else started screaming too. Talk about weird," Wendell had a strange look on his face as he left the Scoobs.
Everything seemed to very quickly spiral down into the realms of a bad horror movie after that. A girl named Laura was severely beaten by what could only be described as the Ugly Man, and she ended up in hospital, just like the boy known as Billy Palmer who'd been hospitalized the previous week.
A punk kid at school was humiliated by his mother's laughter and kisses in front of all his friends.
Giles became illiterate.
Jonathan got his head dunked into the swimming pool by a couple of jocks, precisely when his asthma flared up.
Willow got shoved onto the stage of 'Madame Butterfly' and was expected to sing opera.
Buffy was confronted by her father – who told her that her parents' divorce was all her fault, that she was an incredible disappointment as a daughter, and that there was no point in him coming to visit her anymore.
No doubt about it. Everyone's personal nightmares were coming to life all around them.
Giles, Willow and Jonathan eventually started to figure out how this was Billy Palmer's fault, that the kid was astral-projecting his way out of his coma and inadvertently bringing the nightmare world with him. At the same time, Cordelia opened her locker and looked into the mirror.
( No! No! ) Her hair, her pride and joy, had become totally frizzy, and the girl freaked out. ( This is just a dream. A nightmare! ) She tried to force a comb through it, but to no avail. "This can't be happening! I was just at the salon!" Cordy put her hands on her head in terror, "Oh my God! Somebody, help me!"
That was the worst thing imaginable she could have said. Because a couple of nerds grabbed Miss Chase by the arms, and dragged her away down the corridor. "Hey, stop! What are you two geeks doing?"
Cordelia's eyes went wide as they approached their destination. The Chess Club room. "No! You don't understand! I don't wanna go in there! I'm not even on the chess team! I swear, I'm not!"
"Both of you, let her go! Right the hell now!"
Cordelia's heart soared at the sound of Xander's voice, and the two members of the Chess Club instantly obeyed his orders. Harris glared at the male duo and they left immediately, as Cordy flew into his arms, "What's going on? What's happening to me?" She paused. "And do you have any mousse on you, by any chance?"
Xander shook his head as he stepped away from her. "Cordelia-"
"Cordy!" They turned to face Harmony, who had just joined them in the school hallway. "And Xander. This is perfect! You're both present to hear the big announcement."
"What announcement?" Miss Chase demanded.
"That Xander and I are going to start dating!" the blonde proclaimed happily, before grabbing Harris into a passionate kiss.
"NOOOOOO!" Cordelia screamed, no doubt being heard by over half the school in the process.
It was currently impossible to say just whose nightmare this was; Cordelia's or Harmony's. But either way, after the kiss was over, both cheerleaders fainted; falling face-down onto the floor.
"Okay, wasn't expecting that." Xander wiped his lips in disbelief as he stared at the two unconscious girls. All around him, kids started freaking out as their personal nightmares came to life. Then the young man heard his name being called from the door leading down to the basement. "Xander..."
He went to the door, opened it and started down the stairs. "Xander..." the youth heard again.
( That voice. I know it, don't I? I'm sure I do, I just don't know where from. ) "Hello?"
"Down here."
Xander came all the way down the stairs and flicked on the light. "Who's there?"
And then his own personal nightmare appeared, as the boy saw...himself.
But it wasn't another teenage Xander Harris. This guy looked to be way older than that; in his forties maybe, with a beer gut and stubble from not having shaved for several days. He also reeked of alcohol.
"Hello, Xander. How are you, pal?" the older version of Harris sneered. And suddenly the teenager knew why that voice had sounded so familiar; it was because he heard it every time he opened his own mouth.
"This isn't happening. It's just a nightmare," Young Xander said fervently, lapsing into pre-Buffy habits.
Old Xander lashed out and hit the teen in the face with a backhand blow, exactly like his father used to hit him. "And here I thought Deadboy had cured us of living in denial like that. What's the matter, Xander? Don't you like this little glimpse of your future?"
"I AM NOT YOU!" The male teen tried to deny his nightmare's words.
"God, I cannot believe what a complete and utter idiot you can be! No wonder Buffy prefers her boyfriend to be someone of the room temperature persuasion. You really thought you could compete with Overbite in any way? Guess again. And what in God's name makes you think Cordelia will really ever want to settle for you? You're trash, kid!"
"I AM NOT!" Xander screamed at his doppelganger.
"You're a Harris, and what's more – you are your father's son. Blood will tell," Old Xander seemed to delight in the youngster's distress and pain. "Face it. You're destined to become the next member of a long line of useless drunks. Come on, I've got a six-pack of beer around here somewhere. What say we get started on teaching you how to hold your liquor?"
Young Xander shook his head forcefully, as the middle-aged man grabbed him by the scruff of the neck. "By the way, about Dawn. As soon as you're properly drunk, we'll go find her at Sunnydale Junior High. You remember what your father was planning to do to your sister that night, don't you? So let's show her just what a hot date Xander Harris can be instead!"
That did it.
This nightmare representation of his future self had ventured into a place that no one could go to, and emerge unscathed.
The male teenager instantly erupted with unbridled fury, and the ensuing fight was as brutal as it was ugly. Both versions of Xander Harris battered one another with whatever they could find in the basement, the youth screaming at his opponent all the while. But it soon became obvious that Young Xander had more fitness and stamina, and eventually he found one of the spare pipes used for the boiler and swung it at Old Xander's head.
The drunk went out like a light, but Harris didn't stop there. Xander wound up to swing again at the older version of himself as he hissed, "You aren't going anywhere near Dawn. EVER!"
At that point, the world seemed to stop turning for a timeless moment as the universe itself suddenly held its breath. With all his heart the guardian of the Key wanted to smash the pipe down onto the other Xander's head, to hear the wet crunch of steel penetrating flesh, and forever put an end to that particular threat to his little sister. And yet...
And yet. In Xander's conversations with Angel, the vampire had spoken more than once about his victims. The teenager was familiar with that guy's haunted look from remembering killing people with his own two hands, even if he hadn't exactly been in the driver's seat at the time. So if he did this, Xander instinctively knew he would be crossing a line he could never come back from. He knew there would be no difference between what his father had tried to do to him that night, and what he was about to do now. The only difference was that his mother wasn't here to stop him from becoming a monster. He had to do that all by himself.
All these things went through Xander's mind in less time than the blink of an eye. And then the pipe came down, like a hammer blow from Thor himself.
Just missing Old Xander's right ear. A brief shower of sparks igniting when metal kissed concrete.
Xander, aching and bruised after the battle, dropped the weapon and quickly ran up the stairs. Seeing that Cordelia and Harmony were still unconscious, he quickly dragged them into the relative safety of the Chess Club room and started to look for the others, especially Buffy.
He failed to succeed, though, as the Slayer had become a vampire in a cemetery that had somehow appeared directly across the street. Luckily Buffy still appeared to possess her soul and she, Willow, Jonathan and Giles quickly made their way to the hospital, to wake up Billy in order to banish the nightmare world.
It worked. And so in an instant, everything went back to normal. The future version of Xander disappeared, Cordelia's hair returned to its previous state, Buffy became human again, and Giles could understand words once more.
But somewhat tellingly, Xander's bruises didn't vanish, because that battle had been all too real.
As an aside, Xander later learned Dawn's nightmare was of Anthony Harris showing up at her school and chasing her down the corridor in order to finish what he'd started that night, and that Cassandra's involved total nudity in public. Luckily, those two and practically everyone else in town refused to believe afterwards that such things had ever taken place. It was pure and simple denial. For those people, it had just been a bad dream. Or a brief time of confusion. Or else an elaborate practical joke.
The Mayor's forces had their hands full spinning cover stories for a few uncertain incidents, but they were good at what they did and so by the next day, it had all been firmly repressed by the good citizens of Sunnydale.
Harmony Kendall, who had almost up-chucked upon finding herself within the domain of the Chess Club later that day, had to work hard to repress the memory of what had happened. Even Cordelia, who refused to think what Harmony kissing Xander might mean with regard to her own feelings, didn't want any part of that nightmare and firmly indulged in the town's denial syndrome.
Folsom State Prison, Represa
The next day
Xander sat in the visitor's area, staring through the thick glass window at his father. There were a lot of bad feelings associated with finally facing this man, but he'd somehow managed to put all that aside for now. The male teenager just silently picked up the connecting telephone to talk. Then Xander straightened up a little, determined to show no sign of weakness.
Anthony Harris, dressed in his orange prison uniform, briefly glanced at his son's injuries before he picked up the phone. "What the hell happened to you?"
Xander hadn't really expected a hello, but the lack of greeting still stung a little. He also didn't see the need to mention the cover story he had sold to David and Julia. He said, "I met someone yesterday. We, uh, we exchanged words. And as a result of that conversation, I realized that I had to talk to you."
"Why?" Anthony narrowed his eyes. And somewhat tellingly, there was no mention of his dead wife. "I mean you never call, you never write. Neither does your sister."
"That's because these days Dawn prefers to think that you don't exist. That she was the product of an immaculate conception or something. And I'm not sure if you know, but the Chase's are going to be adopting her soon, with my blessing. After what happened that night, Dawnie wants nothing to do with you or your name anymore."
( Gold-digging little bitch obviously hasn't changed a bit. ) "And you?" the prisoner asked his male offspring.
"Like I said to Mrs. Chase a while ago, I don't want to forget where I came from. But I realized something yesterday: I may be a Harris, but I'm not you. And I'll never be you. I just wanted to tell you that I'm sixteen years old, I have a chance for a decent life and I intend to keep my little sister safe from anyone that ever tries to hurt her. Even though that should have been your job."
"I remember when that guy David Chase came by here that one time," Anthony said reflectively, ignoring the slur against him. "You sure he'll never try for some teenage pussy one day when you're not around? That he's not trying to do Dawn right now, while you're here yapping away at me?"
"For your information, Dawn is outside the jail in my car right now, waiting for me along with Cassandra and Cordelia. And as for the other part...for over a year, I was afraid of something exactly along those lines. But then I finally realized Mr. Chase isn't like that," Xander replied calmly.
Anthony was getting frustrated with not being able to get a rise out of the damned punk. "You've got a good thing going then. So what's the plan, kid? You gonna marry into the Chase family one day? That older daughter of his, she was quite a piece of jailbait if I remember right. You could do a lot worse than her."
"And she could do a lot better than me," Xander said softly. "You know, Dad, I'm honestly not sure what I'm going to do about Cordy. See, I know damn well that I have more than friendly feelings for her, but at the same time I think of Cassandra as being like my little sister; almost the same way that Dawn is. So basically, it's complicated."
The prison convict laughed out loud, genuinely amused by the confession. "Sounds like it, yeah. Xander, good luck trying to figure out what to do. Hey, next time you come by I'm expecting to hear how all that works out for you. Especially if what's under the hood is even better than the chassis up top."
"I don't think I'll be back," Xander replied, ignoring the insulting remark towards Cordelia. "And when you get out, assuming you survive in here that long, I kinda doubt we'll have anything more to say to one another. So don't bother trying to look me or Dawn up."
The middle-aged man raised his eyebrows. "Well? Isn't this the point where you threaten to kill me one day? Especially after what I did to you."
The teenager just placed his phone back on the hook, ignoring the look on the inmate's face as he got up and headed for the door. There was nothing left to say, and besides it was a Saturday. Cordelia wanted to take him, Dawn and Cassandra back to the Chase stables and maybe ride her horse Keanu for a while. She'd been gifted with the palomino recently and wanted to try him out. While they were there, Cordy had said, maybe she and Cassandra could get someone to teach Dawn and Xander how to ride as well.
And in Xander's opinion, that surely beat hanging out with his father any day of the week.
TBC...