31 Days of Xanderween
Author's notes: Well it seems like I've kicked the flu bug, but it took a lot out of me. I'm also two days behind in my writing. As a result, the chapter will probably be on the short side as I struggle to catch back up to my scheduled deadlines. Sorry once again. However, here are reviewer responses again!
Infin1x: Yes, I didn't mean to fall into a rut there, but it just wound up happening. Fortunately with the help of my reviewers I think that I've managed to mix it up some.
Dargos: No to 1 because it would screw up the Halloween formula as the whole point is it's canon up until this point, and no to 2 because as you said it's already been done. But thanks for the suggestions.
Mountain King: (winces in embarrassment) Sorry, haven't watched Transformers seriously in nearly two decades, I'm a little fuzzy on some details. Plus I only watched the cartoon and the moment they killed off Optimus I was out of there and only came back after his return.
Anonymous Coward: Not familiar enough with X-com to do it justice.
Alaster Unlife: I actually kind of like rambling, so feel free to carry on. I am into Warcraft as well, the problem is I'm not sure whether to use Warcraft or Starcraft for this crossover anymore and now I'm also not sure which character to use. Any suggestions? Oh, and most importantly I found that DMC crossover fic I mentioned; it's called Devil's Dance and can be found on the C2 community Halloween along with this fic and others.
Sean Malloy-1: Harry Potter crossovers are a dime a dozen (besides my favorite HP character, Snape, has already been done), I refuse to touch One Piece ever since those "gentlemen" over at 4Kids got a hold of it, and as for Crying Freeman didn't I do that in the second chapter?
WBH21C: Nick Fury has already been done in an alternate universe fic called "Faith the Vampire Slayer" in which Faith takes Buffy's place in the series.
stickzx: I'm sorry if I let down your expectations, I just really wanted them to be in those costumes as I felt that they suited them nicely plus I'm trying to play around with different styles of YAHF. I can assure you, Xander will be the only one who has a costume change from now on.
The Son of Naruto and Sakura: Predator crosses have been done before and I really don't feel like it plus I'm trying to add in a few more "normal" costumes. As you'll note a few of my costumes have no special powers, they're just regular human beings who just happen to have advanced training or equipment, or in the case of Keiichi Morisato a divine connection. Punisher is nice, but I already have a couple of Marvel characters planned and I just don't feel any sparks flying from this idea; it might happen but it's unlikely. And finally, much like the Predator and Frank I just don't feel any sparks coming from the idea of Ash. Sorry.
Harry2: ALRIGHT MAN! You got it! Yatta! Yep, we're gonna be seein' the fuzzy dude this one.
Disclaimer: I do not own BtVS or any other series I use in this series.
Story 20: Bampf Equals Barf
Xander groaned when he saw the entire toy weapons bin completely cleaned out except for a few plastic fencing swords. Well there went the whole soldier idea. Now he'd have to just buy a more expensive, generic costume. It looked like the superhero section was still pretty well stocked. He could probably find a costume that he wouldn't be totally embarrassed to wear. But which superhero out of the hundreds out there should he go as?
At that moment fate seemed to decide to send Xander Harris a personal calling card as the chain that held his ever present crucifix broke while he was leaning over the mostly empty weapon bin, sending the cross falling down on top of three plastic fencing swords. Looking down at the cross lying amongst the swords then turning back to look at the racks of superhero costumes, the teen grinned. Looks like he had an idea for a costume after all.
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"Wie im Namen des Gottes ist dieser Platz? Was tue ich hier?" What in God's name is this place? What am I doing here? A boy with dark hair looked around in confusion, shirt and jacket whipping about along with his long bangs while light glinted off of a large metallic watch on his wrist. A ragged brown trench coat also hung around his shoulders, and within it's depths one could make out the pommels of several swords. An elaborate rosary, the sort usually only owned by the priesthood was unconsciously clenched in his hand. In his confusion, he reverted to his native German language.
"... Und wer sind ich genau?" "... And who exactly am I?"
Oh, he knew his name. He was Kurt Wagner. The problem was, he didn't know WHICH Kurt Wagner he was. Memories from dozens of extremely similar yet different lives assailed him. Being rescued from the mob in that small German town by a bald headed man in a wheelchair and being asked to join the Professor's X-men. Living quietly in the seclusion of a German monastery until the day three skiers that he would later know as Logan, Gambit, and Rogue, who'd been caught in an avalanche and were brought into the monastery for care and forced him to expose himself to the outside world. Coming to the United States as a teenager to attend Xavier's Institute for Gifted Youngsters and going to Bayville High amongst mountains worth of teenage angst. Becoming ordained as a priest. Founding Excalibur. Marrying Wanda Maximoff, his daughter Talia, and replacing Charles Xavier as leader of the X-men. There were even scattered images of him being mind controlled into trying to kill the president, numerous self-inflicted scars of penance, and helping the X-men save the world from a rogue military commander bent on mutant genocide.
Dozens of different lives, each unique and different. But at the same time, some things remained constant. Xavier's Institute and the X-men. His mother, Mystique. His sister, Rogue. And above all, his faith. More than anything else, in all of the lives that he remembered he always had that to guide him.
Deciding to get to safety for now and to sort out these memories later, Kurt reached up to his wrist and revealed his true form as a blue furred, slender, demon-like man dressed in what looked very much like a circus acrobat's costume. Leaping to the nearest house, he effortlessly crawled up the side and came to a perch upon the rooftop. Yellow eyes piercing the night even as he blended into the shadows, he finally spotted what looked like a good place to rest and get his thoughts in order. Implanting the image of the place he saw in his mind and focusing on it, he disappeared in a cloud of smoke with the stench of brimstone. Nightcrawler was on the move.
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Jessica Harris blinked herself awake when she heard the soft closing of the kitchen door. She might be a drunk and a poor excuse for a parent, but that didn't mean that she didn't love her son. She'd noticed that Alexander had been gone for the entire night, and even being a lush she'd lived in this town long enough to know that if someone was out all night then they probably wouldn't be seen alive again. So she'd refrained from her morning bottle of Jack and sat in the kitchen while Tony was passed out in the living room. Now it seemed to be a few hours later and she'd probably passed out from the lingering booze that was nearly always in her system, but it seemed like her boy was home. "Alex?"
Silence, then a rough voice that for some reason was flavored by the hint of a German accent but that was still unmistakable as Xander's. "Mutti? I mean, mom? Vhat are you still doing up?"
Xander's mother turned to look at her son. He looked normal enough and didn't seem hurt, but there was some sort of sadness in his eyes that she hadn't seen before last night. "You were gone all night, Alex. In this town? I... Was worried."
Xander smiled, a bitter little grin, before seemingly automatically moving over and giving her a hug. Jessica stiffened somewhat at this unexpected contact; Alex had stopped hugging her after his ninth birthday when Tony beat him for whining about the clowns and she was too drunk to stop it as usual. His voice was thick with emotion now as he spoke. "You know, mother... I vas always embarrassed by you, angry at you. I hate vhen you drink. But last night opened up my eyes a little bit. You're not the vorst mother that I could have, not by a longshot. Despite everything, I forgive you. And more importantly, I love you, mutti."
Placing a tender kiss at a shocked Jessica's temple, Xander ended the embrace then fled upstairs. Finally in the privacy of his room, Xander sighed as he was looking at his reflection in the mirror. Out of the presence of his mother, his accent thickened noticeably. "Vell, zat vas unexpected. I vunder 'ow long it can last, zough?"
Reaching up to his wrist, he pressed a button on the holowatch. Immediately the image of Xander Harris faded away to show the image of a teenage Nightcrawler roughly Xander's age. It was only a matter of time before the watch would break with no way to repair it through current technological means. And when that happened, Jessica Harris would sadly have to lose her son. It was for her own good, right? After all, ignorance is bliss.
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The library doors locked and window blinds drawn, Xander sat amongst his friends in his true form, the holowatch turned off for the moment. It had taken some getting used to, but after a while Buffy no longer had the urge to decapitate him whenever she saw him. Right now, everybody was doing something to better prepare for slaying; Buffy was training, Willow was researching, Giles was doing Watcher things, and Oz was sharpening stakes. As for Xander, he was busy making the sign of the cross in front of a bottle of water, several cases of the stuff next to him. "I hereby bless zee in ze name uf ze Lord. Amen."
It was so helpful that Nightcrawler had been a priest in many of his incarnations; instant living holy water factory baby!
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"No weapon forged can..."
Suddenly there was a loud bampf sound, and Xander was perched on the Judge's back. Instantly his hands and tail, each holding a stake, lashed out and let go at their targets. As Angelus, Dru, and Spike dusted Xander disappeared in another cloud of sulfurous smoke, this time taking the Judge with him. After several teleports across the Californian desert, they were finally at the destination that Xander had spent the better part of two days engraving into his mind; that being twenty feet directly over the melting pool of the Los Angeles Steel Works twenty-nine miles away from Sunnydale. Jumping from the Judge to the nearby rafters, Xander lay down tiredly on them while the demon plummeted into the molten metal. Boy was he ever pooped. Now hopefully he could keep his Twinkies down; bampfing was not kind to the stomach.
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Tara stared in fear at the vampire stalking closer to her. She'd just moved to Sunnydale yesterday, how could something like this happen? Then there was a bampf sound and the stench of brimstone, and the vamp was dust. Standing before her was a blue furred demon, but looking into it's eyes Tara saw nothing but kindness, joy, and mirth with a hint of underlying sadness. She somehow knew that this was a man, not a demon, a man who like her knew what it was like being seen by others as something inhuman or demonic. His aura called to her, drew her in, and she responded.
Grinning playfully, the man-demon bowed theatrically with all the pomp and gusto of a seasoned performer. "Guten Abend, Fräulein. I am Xander Harris, priest, swordsman, circus acrobat, and general clown. Zey know me in ze Munich circus as ze Amasing Nightcrawler... alzough not really. And vat fair damsel 'as zis humble knight had ze honor of rescuing?"
Xander grinned as the gorgeous blond blushed and shyly introduced herself as Tara. Ah yes, even in this life chicks still dug the fuzzy dude!
End Story 20: Bampf Equals Barf
Notes: Crap! This took too long! I'm seriously behind schedule! Stupid flu throwing me off of my game! Gah!
Character: Nightcrawler from the X-men series of comics, cartoons, movies, games, etc. (1975)
Next story: Copycat Xander