Disclaimer: Don't own either of these respective series.

Author's note: This chapter is about to introduce an idea that is both shocking and yet likely true to a certain group with the way things have changed in this story so far. Now I've already mentioned how things would be different, starting with Gabriel's appearance and Jesse's life being spared. Looking over the event of the tv show's canon, I wonder why Joss Whedon felt it necessary to have characters killed off. Drama can only go so far, and not everyone has to be killed off. I really hated the fact that Jenny was one killed off because what she knew and didn't know had no direct effect of Angel losing his soul. And for that to have been the reason that Buffy suddenly kicks into high gear, is a very irritating fact about his writing when it came to that show. In other words, the show may be called Buffy, but that doesn't mean she's the most important person. So now here's the start of the next story.

Mid January, 1998

Calendar Residence

Sunnydale

It was a Saturday morning as the rays from the morning sun began to filter into the bedroom. The rays of light finally landed on a young man's chest. Next to him was another body of a woman. As he looked around, he looked up at the ceiling and remembered everything about the previous month and a half. Xander thought back to his first time with the beautiful techno-pagan who was wrapped in his arms. When she had offered him a chance to stay with her the night they had killed Spike and converted Drusilla, she had gently kissed him and led him away from the school. He had no idea what would happen the moment they would get to her home.

One month ago...

After stopping by Xander's home to pick up clothes, she had hastily made it back to her home. As the two entered, Xander was surprised when, after hearing the door slam, Jenny had attacked him and captured his lips in a hungry kiss that literally took his breath away. He had a hard time just trying to match her pace, as he wanted her just as much, but was inexperienced in the physical intimacies between a man and woman. However, Jenny had slowed down and finally pulled back, giving Xander a predatory look that made the young man nervous but all the more aroused. The computer teacher led him to her bedroom upstairs where she kissed him much gentler, lightly pushing him back until he fell back on her bed. She moved to straddle him and proceeded to unbutton his shirt while kissing him. His chest exposed, Jenny trailed kisses down his pecks and stopped just above his abs.

Xander slowly removed Jenny's blouse as he wanted to savor the time he would have before everything got hot and heavy for the two. The blouse finally gone, Jenny removed her black bra and Xander was enamored by the sight of her bare breasts. The next thing he knew, Jenny was expertly undoing his pants button and zipper and suddenly, they were gone. Next came to the skirt that Jenny was wearing, revealing black panties, while Xander was left in nothing but his boxers. Jenny leaned over to kiss him further while grinding her crotch with Xander's, making the feeling unbearable before Xander removed the older woman's underwear and switched their positions, leaving him on top, and between her legs as they continued trading kisses.

The rest of that night had proceeded in a feeling of indescribable pleasure and shared love between the young man and the computer teacher. Since that night, Xander and Jenny had made love almost every chance they got and reveled in the feelings that passed between them. However, Xander knew eventually that everything would come to a head as the group would likely see it sooner or later. He wasn't sure how the girls, apart from Amy, would take the idea of him dating the technopagan. He knew for certain Giles would likely tear his head off, or try to. The young man really felt happy just being with Jenny as she didn't see the goofy guy as the others thought. The more he thought on it, the more he figured Buffy would probably come at him about how dangerous it is for him to date a teacher. It would be all the more ironic, and hypocritical, seeing as she's been seeing a vampire who could lose his soul. He knew Angel would continue to see Buffy despite his warning, but Xander realized that relationship was doomed. He felt a stirring as Jenny was finally waking up, lifting her head off his chest. The beautiful Romany woman looked him in his eyes and smiled.

"Good morning handsome," she greeted.

"Good morning beautiful. How'd you sleep?" Xander asked.

"Just as great as the last twelve times we've gone at this. Never knew you could be such an animal, Xander," Jenny replied playfully. Xander tried to hide his face growing red at the underlying praise from the older woman. He thought that she was being too nice in her compliments but the look in her eyes told him otherwise as he saw a gleam every time they made love.

"Well, we better get ready for the school day," Xander said to his lover.

"Which reminds me, what do we do about the others?" Jenny asked.

"For the moment, it's not their business, especially where Buffy is concerned," Xander said almost exasperatingly.

"Did you and Buffy have a fight?" Jenny asked.

"What? No. Why?" Xander asked looking confused.

"Xander, you don't say your friend's name like that unless something's wrong. So what happened?" Jenny asked, concern in her voice. Xander sighed, as he thought how best to answer her question.

"Lately, Buffy's attitude about the fighting has been getting on my nerves. I haven't told Jesse but Buffy's been taking this less seriously than she should ever since me and Jesse stopped that business with the Master. Just because we're super-powered doesn't mean any of us gets to relax. We could all go at any time if we're careful. And I can't lose my friends. I can't lose you," Xander said determinedly, looking into his lover's eyes. Jenny felt her breath hitch briefly as his words hit her, making her feel even more loved by the young man.

"It's okay if we can relax a little bit. After all, what do you think we've been doing every night? Aside from the obvious," Jenny said, smirking again at her younger lover. Xander's face turned red at the implication, and shyly looked away.

"Come on sweetheart. We're going to be late if we don't get a move on," Jenny said.

"Right behind ya," Xander said, smirking slightly.

"We'll save that for another time, Xan," Jenny joked as they made their way out of the door.

Sunnydale High School

Jenny had pulled up about two blocks away from the institution atop the hell-mouth as she didn't want Xander to get in trouble for being seen with her in such a manner. On the way, Jenny and Xander had discussed how their relationship had to be kept under wraps so as not to create any drama in the group. Xander had a feeling that if Giles ever found out, everything would blow up to massive proportions, especially when Buffy and Willow have been supporting each other the way they have since the Master was destroyed. Xander figured Jesse would be the only one to see reason and logic as he knows almost every bit of the group's dynamics except for Xander and Jenny's. Besides, he himself was fairly smitten with Willow so what could he really say? Xander made his way inside the school building where he was greeted by a smiling Cordelia.

"Hey. So you going to be ready for the party?" Cordelia asked.

"Party? Oh, Buffy's party. Right. Yeah," Xander caught. With all the craziness and working hard to keep the town safe, and having been busy with Jenny, he had nearly forgotten about the surprise party the group was throwing for Buffy.

"You sounded really convincing. Wanna try with less feeling?" Cordelia said smirking.

"Sorry. I haven't really felt too relaxed since that whole church thing with Spike and Drusilla," Xander admitted, intentionally leaving out any mention of Jenny.

"Xander, it's over. We're good for now. You've got to learn to take a seat back and enjoy the good while it's around," Cordelia said in a rare moment of wisdom.

"Yeah. You're right. So, to the library?" Xander asked, hoping to get his mind right as the group had been able to breathe since the Tarakan assassins had been defeated. As the two teens entered, the noticed the rest of the group minus Buffy and Willow, and began to chat.

Higher Plane

Cornell, Carmilla, and Marie stood around the viewing pool as they each noticed something was wrong.

"Seems chaos will come about very soon for the group," Carmilla noted.

"Yes. The question is how and why?" Cornell added as he was confused himself.

"A dark power will be rising. But something else will arrive to remedy this situation," Marie said, almost in a trance-like voice.

"What do you propose will happen, exactly Marie?" Carmilla asked.

"Whatever is rising on the material plane is powerful. While not as powerful as the Forgotten One, it can prove just as dangerous. But I sense something else coming, not of this world, yet benevolent. I can't say for sure what. But it seems all may not be lost," Marie explained. Cornell and Carmilla looked to each other before all three looked back to the viewing pool.

The next day...

The Bronze

The evening seemed eerily calm as everyone, including Angel, bar Buffy and Jenny had arrived at the club, renting it out for Buffy's surprise birthday party. Amy and Jonathan seemed to be talking quietly amongst themselves, as if they were getting closer. Xander took notice of Jesse looking at the dark brunette who saved her from being shot. He remembered the boy's name being Oz. He had finally seen the last vestiges of Jesse's hope shatter as Willow seemed to be taken in by Oz's attitude and demeanor, or lack thereof for any who didn't know him. Xander approached his brother and laid his left hand on his right shoulder.

"You alright man?" Xander asked. Jesse turned to Xander and saw that the concern and disappointment he felt for him. Jesse merely smirked.

"Yeah, I'll live. Always other fish, right?" Jesse said laughing slightly. Xander smiled back, as he saw that there was still hope for his best friend. They heard sounds outside the building and wondered what could be going on. Xander noticed Jenny rush in and approach him and Jesse with a look of worry.

"We've got a problem. There were some vampires outside and Buffy is fighting them. I think she needs your help, boys," Jenny quickly explained. Before anyone could do anything else, one of the tinted windows shattered as Buffy and one of the vampires she was fighting tumbled in a big heap. At that same time, an unknown figure had swooped in dragged the vampire up, twisted it around, and then promptly ripped it's head clean off with his bare hands. The figure stepped into the light and visbly shocked everyone.

"Xander?!" Willow yelped loud enough for everyone to hear. However, her comment wasn't directed at the young man she had known. The figure looked exactly like the Xander everyone knew, except he was slightly taller and his face seemed to appear older and his frame more muscular. The most distinguishing feature was the older Xander's left eye, which appeared to have been slashed and burned. As everyone stared in amazement, the older Xander only said one thing.

"Oh shit," he said.

"I second that," the younger Xander said as he looked as his older self.

"Who exactly are you?" Jesse said as he charged energy as charged his energy.

"I'm Xander Harris. But for now you can call me Alex. I'm not from this universe," Alex said as he began explaining.

"Another universe? You must be joking," Giles said, not believing his own eyes.

"No Mr. Giles, he's telling the truth. His aura is different from our Xander," Amy said hoping to convince the Englishman.

"Plus his scent is different. The question is why is here?" Drusilla spoke up, surprising everyone including Alex. The new arrival took a look at Drusilla and realized she was no longer a vampire as she was on his world. She had regained her soul but had become stronger than human.

"Just what the hell happened to you that you came here?" Xander asked his other self.

"It wasn't entirely my choice to come here. But there are some things you guys need to be filled in on," Alex said as he approached the group. He began explaining all of his exploits, from the crisis that was Angelus, to the Mayor's plans. Afterward, he explained how he and Faith had encountered the Charmed Ones and learned of a world that was much greater than they anticipated, including having met Gabriel Belmont, and the battles with Saleos, or Glory as she called herself. He ended his story with how he had wound up here. Everyone had grown shocked and shaken by the story they were told. Since meeting Sachiel, they knew things were much greater than anticipated. But hearing the traveler's tale had proven too much to take all at once. Buffy and Angel looked to each other with deep sadness, knowing that they're time together was officially up. They could never truly be happy as their relationship would prove detrimental to everyone around them.

"We already figured the Mayor was in some deep stuff. But that Adam guy and then Glory? Just how powerful are these guys?" Jesse asked.

"They're almost as powerful as me," came a feminine voice, followed by the appearance of a dark-haired woman in silver robes.

"My name is Ariel. I'm one of Alex's guides. The other you've come to know in this world," the angel said as she approached the group.

"I don't understand. You're from another world but you're telling us stuff about the future. Isn't that bad?" Willow spoke up trying to overcome everything she had heard.

"Normally, it would be a violation of the Temporal Prime Directive. But it seems pretty fruitless to even consider by this point. Think about it. In Alex's world, I had already died the same night we met Buffy, only to be brought back a few years later. But I'm still alive because of the interference from Sachiel and Gabriel. If Alex and Ariel showed up here, then something's going to happen that we need to fix or make sure stays on track so that the future doesn't go wrong," Jesse explained, leaving everyone wide-eyed including Giles.

"Jesse, how on earth did you come across this theory?" Giles asked one of his charges.

"You see this a lot in comic books. And as Ariel has shown, it's more than just some fringe theory. In Alex's world, he was given power so that things could change and he was chosen, likely because he had done something to prove that he could handle the responsibility, and someone up in the sky thought they could point him in the right direction. It happened to me and Jesse in this world except it started just as everything was beginning to pick up. Along with the likelihood of different outcomes, there's always the possibility that the choices and actions we undertake create a ripple affect. By that extension, where Alex made certain choices in his world after gaining his powers, he's had different outcomes. But here, with slightly different variables, whatever Jesse and I have done has caused a different outcome as well," Xander finished for Jesse. Giles was completely flabbergasted that the two young men had turned what he believed to be a silly premise in entertainment into a well-thought-out explanation of how events and realities were affected by choices.

"Er yes...well um, what do you suppose happens now? With Spike gone and Drusilla on ourside, and oddly more human, where does this leave the Judge?" Giles asked, regaining his composure.

"As far as we know, he will remain inactive. So you all should be at peace for now," Ariel answered.

Higher Plane

A group of ten divine humanoid beings, with hundreds of others looking on, stood around their own viewing pool, watching the events unfold on the material plane. The faces of each individual were not happy with the developments of the events on earth.

"How could this be happening?! We ensured that our plans for a complete balance would come to fruition!" the leader, with long dark hair and blue eyes, said.

"Calm yourself Sariel. We are still in charge of what happens on earth. They may have proceeded so far, but the hellmouth is still in our jurisdiction," the second, with blonde hair and green eyes replied.

"And what would you suggest we do Kushiel?" Sariel replied to his compatriot.

"The Judge was supposed to be active by the end of this night on earth. Perhaps we can still use this to our advantage," Kushiel replied with a contemplative look.

"You do understand that we risk everything by trying to enact this plan? We were meant to guide-" came the voice of a female, with brown hair and brown eyes, among the ranks.

"But never act. Yes we remember, Gadreel. That is why we find the half breed to do it for us. He will gather some of the local vampires and they will follow him. Now we will be back on track. We are the Powers That Be. Our word is law for the humans," Sariel replied as a grim smile appeared on his face. Unknown to the powers, the Ariel of this universe watched and waited until such a time that she would make her presence known.

Beach House

Sunnydale, California

The current agent of the Powers, Whistler sat on the couch of his living room having a beer. He had gotten back from his round of patrolling parts unknown saving any that he could. He began to feel that his life's mission was becoming pointless. He often wondered why his so-called superiors ever needed him as they employed others to do their bidding. Even stranger was why they chose him of all people to be their messenger. He knew for a fact that he wasn't the only one of his kind yet they rescued him when after he was born. Before he could think any further, his mind was assaulted with visions of a group that he had seen in previous visions, with the addition of three more teenagers who shouldn't be there. He saw the two taller young men use abilities he had heard about and only saw from one group before their destruction. He even saw the man who had used said powers appear with the group. What struck him as odd was another version of one of the empowered young men with a different appearance. When the visions stopped, he opened his eyes and saw Sariel appearing before him in a phantom-like visage.

"What the hell do you want?" Whistler spat at the higher being.

"Calm yourself halfbreed. I wouldn't be bothered to come here unless you were of use to the Powers. And now you have a bigger task set before you," Sariel sneered.

"If it's about those kids, you can forget it. I did my job bringing rat-breath into the fold. Those kids are powerful enough to take care of themselves," whistler said moving past the entity. Sariel quickly intercepted the halfbreed's path.

"Don't forget who I am to you. I saved you when the Old Ones were ready to take your life. We kept your mother alive even when we had every reason to thrown her miserable soul into the pits of the fire. We can still do that if you don't obey us," Sariel said with his eyes flashing brilliantly, yet frighteningly. Whistler, while unafraid, worried for the life of the mother he had never known in the many years he had been in service to the Powers.

"What is thy will, my lord," Whistler asked solemnly. Sariel smirked before he revealed the Powers' plan to Whistler.

Angel's Apartment

The cursed vampire sat in the living room as he contemplated his role in the fight against evil. His mind had constantly replayed Xander's threat to him over and over. He thought about the implications the young man made with his words and realized that there was a hidden truth. Since he met Buffy, he had not done as much as he should've in helping her. Whistler told him she would need help but instead, one of her friends would've been dead if not for that imposter. His train of thought was interrupted by a knock on his door. He got up and went over to answer, finding his recruiter looking disparate.

"Whistler, what's-" Angel never finished saying as the halfbreed knocked him across the room.

"I'm sorry," Whistler said before he vanished in a flash of light. What Angel saw next would've made his heart stop if it were still beating. A large, slightly hulking blue demon wearing armor entered his residence with about ten vampires in his service. He recognize the appearance of that demon and realized that he as well as the Scoobies were in real trouble. As he moved to get up, four of the vampires surrounded him and held him down. The Judge approached and looked at Angel.

"You wreak of humanity. It's time your true self resurfaced," The Judge said as he placed his right hand on Angel's chest. The cursed vampire screamed as his soul began to leave his body. His last thought before the demon in him took over, was wishing that he told Buffy how much he loved her.