Tiefling Xander

DISCLAIMER: I don't own BTVS or D&D

Author's note: Many thanks to my co-author and beta reader Buggycas. This is an alternate universe and may not follow any time line of any show or comic book.

Chapter One

Cordelia strode into the library one day in the last week of October, "Hey, do demons care about Halloween?"

Giles looked up from his tome, "Actually yes. They all find it terribly gauche and commercial and none of them come out on Halloween night if they can possibly help it."

"Huh," she responded. "Maybe that fits then."

"Might I ask why you wanted to know?" Giles asked.

"All the costume shops in town but one burned down last night," Cordelia said. "I figured it was probably something demonic. I mean all us cheerleaders are now out the money we paid to reserve our costumes. How evil can you get?"

Willow snorted, "Well, it's more likely arson and corporate sabotage, but I guess you never know in Sunnydale."

"Either way, I'll never get my deposit back," Cordelia said. "So it's all the same to me." She huffed in annoyance and left the library.

"Are demons known for arson and corporate sabotage?" Xander asked.

"Arson, yes," Giles replied. "Corporate sabotage? Not unless summoned specifically to do that."

"So, like, either way, it's a human plot, not a demonic one," Buffy said.

Giles nodded, already losing himself in the book, "Yes, quite."

"Well I plan to stay in on Halloween, so I guess it doesn't affect me either way," Buffy said.

"Well I planned to get a costume," Xander said. "I hope the last guy doesn't raise his prices too high."

"If he does," Willow said. "We can split the cost. Maybe a couples costume?"

"Maybe," Xander said.

Then Ms. Calendar came in, "Mr. Giles, you might … oh hello, all. What's going on that you're all here together?"

"No apocalypse," Xander said. "So there's nothing to worry about."

She looked wry, "Well maybe nothing supernatural but ..." She was interrupted by the entry of Principal Snyder.

"Oh, perfect!" the little man said. "We needed a second volunteer chaperon for the Mayor's little project,"

"And what project would that be?" Giles asked.

Snyder handed him the clipboard, "The explanation is on the first page and the sign-up sheet on the second. Sign it and have these delinquents do so as well." He grinned at their exclamations of dismay, "It will keep you out of trouble." Then he turned and left saying, "Drop that off in my office when you're done."

Once he'd gone, Jenny Calendar said, "I was coming in here to warn you. He roped me into it earlier."

"So what is it anyway?" Xander asked.

"According to this apparently it's a child safety program for Halloween," Giles said. "Juniors and seniors will be given groups of young children to escort around town. The adult chaperons will gather the children into groups as the parents drop them off and assign a student to watch over them and bring them back two hours later. We are also supposed to vet your costumes to be sure they are appropriate to be seen by young children."

"So we need costumes?" Buffy asked. "It's mandatory?"

Giles nodded, "Yes." He looked at his book, which was very interesting and which he had to send back to England soon, then back up at the children and Jenny. "Not to worry, I've got a bit of a discretionary fund. We did want to check out this store since all the other costume shops mysteriously burned down." He pulled out his wallet and fished out a credit card as he continued, "And who better to send than an experienced witch, the Slayer, and her two assistants who can distract the owner while you investigate."

Jenny took the card then blinked, "This is a black American Express card Giles. How much of a discretionary fund do they give you?"

Giles winced, that hadn't been the card he meant to pull out, "Well you know my father is on the inner council. Still, try not to get carried away and bring it right back when you're finished."

She gave him a mock salute, "Come on, guys. That book is obviously so good he's willing to fund our shopping trip to get peace and quiet. I'll drive you there then drop you off at home."

"Thanks, Ms. Calendar," Xander said.

Shortly they arrived at Ethan's Costume Emporium. It was jam-packed with students and other young people going in and out. Once inside, they started looking around, and Buffy spotted an old fashioned dress with petticoats.

Xander said, "Isn't that a little too girly for you, Buffy? Besides, I prefer my women in spandex."

"I want to spend a night being girly Xander," Buffy said. "I rarely get the chance."

"And if you're going to try and get me into spandex you can leave right now and find your own costume," Willow said.

Xander sighed, "Well, fine, but if you don't want to be superheroes, what sort of couples costume were you thinking of?"

Willow got a gleam in her eye. Xander was letting her pick couples costumes for both of them! "Well, let me look around, and I'll find the perfect one, or two as the case may be."

Jenny smiled at how oblivious Xander was to Willow's crush and said, "Well, since you guys have yourselves sorted then I will go look for something that will knock Giles off his feet." She wandered off as Willow went looking for a couples costume that didn't show too much of her off.

When they met outside, Jenny asked, "What did you two get Willow?"

Xander answered, "Angel and Demon costumes. Not sure how they are a pair, but they are."

"Male demon and female angel, I assume?" Jenny asked. When Willow nodded, she continued, "I've seen that several times. Remember it was thought up by people not in the know about magic and it makes more sense."

"Oh, I guess so," Buffy said. "What did you get?"

"I got a Wonder Woman costume," she replied. Then she smirked and pointed to Xander, "And hopefully I'll see that exact look on Giles' face."

Xander blushed, "Sorry."

"No worries, Xander," she said. "Now everyone, get in the car so I can drop you off at your homes." On the way she said, "Now that we're not outside on the street where anyone can hear, did any of you notice anything off about the shop?"

"I met the owner," Buffy said. "He seemed creepy but in an old perv kinda way not a demonic one. He was a little too interested in what I was planning to wear. He even mentioned throwing in era-appropriate underwear that he keeps in the back room."

"Yuck!" Willow said. "But I guess it's better than him being a demon. The cashier I met seemed normal, and I got no wiggins from him. How about you Xander?"

"No wiggins here," he replied.

"I sensed no overt magic," Jenny said. "Nor did I see any magical constructs. I didn't get to check the back room, but I agree with Buffy. The owner is a bit sleazy but not a demon or vamp." She shrugged, "I guess he's not our problem. The program starts at six, should I come to get you all from your houses at 5:30?"

"No reason you should have to go three places Ms. Calendar," Buffy said. "Just drop all of us off at my house, and we can change there."

"That works for me," Jenny said. "See you at five thirty then."

Ethan chuckled to himself as he closed the shop. He had tried to add extra magic to the Slayer's costume and had only accomplished making her think he was a pervert. "Oh well, it should be enough for a lovely night of chaos," he said and went into the back and got ready for the ritual.

When Jenny Calendar came back, they were ready. Willow opened the door in a long white dress with a tinsel halo on top of a headband, "Hi! Thanks for picking us up Ms. Calendar. Xander's ready, but Buffy's taking a little longer. I'll go help her get ready."

Jenny Calendar nodded as she entered, "That's fine, Willow." She found Xander in the living room. He was wearing horns on a headband and a tight red shirt. "You look good, Xander."

"Thanks, Ms. Calendar," Xander said. "You look amazing in that."

"I hope Giles thinks so too," she replied. She sat on the couch and waited until Buffy appeared in her old fashioned gown.

"You look great Buffy!" Xander said.

"Thanks," she replied. "Let's get going before Snyder has a hissy fit."

Jenny drove them to school, and soon they were each escorting a group of younger children around Sunnydale.

When the change happened, Buffy became an eighteenth-century woman and shrieked.

Willow became an angel and flew off to help people.

Xander became a half demon and stepped into a shadow, vanishing from the chaos.

Giles noticed the spell immediately because Jenny suddenly became Wonder Woman in the middle of a dance.

"What just happened?" she asked, looking around.

"I believe you were brought here by magic," Giles said. "If you can find a reflective surface, you will see that you look more like my date rather than your usual self."

Finding a purse on her, she pulled out a compact and verified that the man talking to her was correct, "It seems to be as you say. Do you have any enemies that might do this mage?"

"A few but I didn't think any were in the vicinity," Giles answered. "I shall go scry for the center of the spell then attempt to stop it."

"Will it take long?" she asked. "If not, I shall accompany you. If it might take several hours, then I shall go out and use the time to try and protect innocents."

"I believe I can get it done in an hour," Giles said.

"I shall accompany you then," she replied. Looking around, she added, "With all the hysteria occurring in this place you might need my help to get you back home anyway."

With Wonder Woman guarding him, Giles made it to his apartment with no problems. After a scrying spell, they had an address and went back out into the chaos.

"Ethan's," Giles said as they drove up. "That sodding bastard!"

"You know this wizard then?" Diana asked.

"Yes," he replied. "We used to be friends when younger, but we took different paths upon reaching adulthood."

"I shall go first then," she said. "He might attack you on sight." She broke the door open and entered.

Giles followed behind her, and they moved into the back room where he found Wonder Woman holding Ethan against the wall by his neck.

"He says we can break the spell by breaking the bust yonder," she said. "Does that sound plausible Mage Giles? Or should I chastise him for lying?"

"Well it sounds plausible but let us find out for sure," he said. He lifted the bust and threw it onto the ground. Once it shattered, the spell ended.

Ethan managed to get free in the confusion and escape. Giles and Jenny drove back to his place, and to their surprise, Xander was in the back seat unconscious when they arrived. They carried him inside Giles apartment and called Buffy's house.

Buffy answered, "Giles? What the hell was that? I was a Victorian lady for a while, and Willow was an angel!"

"It was a spell that turned everyone into their costumes," Giles told her. "Are you and Willow okay? Xander is here with us somehow and seems unharmed."

"Yeah," Buffy replied. "We're both here, and we're fine. Meet you at the library tomorrow? We can talk more then. Right now, I just want to sleep."

"I'll see you tomorrow then," Giles said and hung up. He turned to Jenny, "Not to be inappropriate but I think you should stay here tonight. It's likely to be still dangerous outside, and I daresay we're both exhausted."

Jenny smiled at him, "Oh, I'll happily stay. Are you sure you're all that tired, though?"

When Xander woke up the next morning, he had a shock. His irises, the colored part of the eye, had gone from brown to red. He went to show Giles and said, "What am I going to do?"

"For now wear sunglasses until we get to the library and I can research this spell," Giles said. "We'll be meeting Willow and Buffy there too."

When he went back into Giles' guest room to get his shoes, Xander found a pair of sunglasses and a note. He shouted, "Giles! Come look at this."

After a detection spell found nothing amiss, Xander put on the sunglasses and read the note. "It says, 'Since magic has made you my descendant I felt a little responsible for you. Not enough to help a lot but enough to push you back into your world someplace safe and give you these sunglasses to help hide the mark of your new heritage. Have a good life, grandson.' It's signed Asmodeus, Demon Prince of Lust." He swallowed, "Giles, this does not leave me feeling good."

Jenny smiled and said, "If it helps, I don't feel any more lust for you than I did before Halloween, so I think you just got the eye change."

"We can check on that once we get to the library," Giles said. "Hopefully it will be as Jenny said."

Xander just nodded, and they drove to the school. Willow and Buffy showed up with Cordelia.

"Cordelia gave us a ride in," Buffy said.

Cordelia added, "Yeah, because I want to know what the freak happened to me!" She took off her sunglasses, and her eyes were red from lid to lid. No white or pupil showing.

"Dear Lord!" Giles said. "Well, I have just finished setting up to check on Xander's condition so if you will join him in the circle I can check on you as well."

Cordelia got into the chalked circle with Xander, "What happened to you, loser?"

As Buffy got further into the room, her eyes went to Xander, "Hey, he's setting off my Slaydar. Are you sure he didn't become a vampire?"

"I was out in the sun earlier so I'm not a vampire, but my eyes changed too if not as much as Cordelia's," Xander said to both women. He took off his sunglasses and showed them all his eyes.

"Everyone quiet now while I cast the spell and we'll find out," Giles said. After casting the spell, Giles sighed, "Neither of you are completely human now. Xander is part demonic, and Cordelia is part fire elemental."

Xander groaned and asked, "Am I doomed to become evil now?"

Cordelia shrieked, "What? I knew hanging out with you was a mistake."

Willow said, "Yeah, saving you from vampire Jesse and from those guys who wanted to cut your head off for their bride of Frankenstein project were definitely mistakes in my opinion."

Buffy slammed her hand hard onto the table, making a bang that quieted everyone, "Everyone hold your pissing and moaning until Giles is finished. And even then try and keep it civil."

"Thank you, Buffy," Giles said. "You still have free will, Xander. This situation is not unknown to the council, although it is rare. You will find you are now stronger and harder to injure although by how much I can't say. You should also have a good dose of fire resistance, and you may have one of a short list of other powers. We can figure those out after I have finished telling you both what I have learned so far."

He took a breath and continued, "Cordelia, you are now part fire elemental. This is also rare but not unknown to the council. You will be mostly if not completely immune to fire and also stronger and harder to injure than a normal human. Any other powers you have are likely to be fire based. You will likely find your temper to be shorter now. Please keep that in mind and try not to overreact to things."

"Things like Willow wishing I was dead?" Cordelia asked.

"Just so," Giles agreed. "You know it is simple jealousy and envy."

"Hey!" Willow protested. "I'm not jealous of her! I bet she doesn't have half my GPA."

"I'll have you know I have a B+ average each year despite cheerleading and my other extracurricular activities," Cordelia said.

Willow pouted but said nothing else. Buffy hugged her, feeling sympathetic.

Over the next few weeks, they discovered that Xander could step into a shadow that was at least as long as he was tall and step out of another shadow within 50 feet as long as it was big enough. He was also as strong as a newly risen vampire. Cordelia was strong and tough enough to spar with Xander without worry even though Buffy was still stronger than either. Cordelia could produce fire with a thought which made her excellent at killing vamps and lower level demons. Unfortunately, she also tended to produce fire when she was feeling any strong emotion. That cost her several sets of clothes and kept her from dating until she discovered by accident that Xander was immune to her fire.

Xander discovered he was immune to her fire when they started making out while hiding from an unfortunately fireproof demon and waiting for Buffy to save them. Embarrassingly, their clothes burned off before Buffy rescued them and she found them making out naked. She chewed them out for doing that while there was a demon out to kill them but she had no problem with them dating.

Willow kept her opinions to herself for the sake of her friendship with Xander until she met Tara and decided she had been barking up the wrong tree all along.

Cordelia eventually got full control of her fire abilities, and being half elemental meant she was not suitable as a host for Jasmine. She remained in Sunnydale until it was destroyed and married Xander.