TITLE: Watered Wine
AUTHOR: Gaeriel Mallory
RATING: PG
FANDOM: BTVS/X-men
DISTRIBUTION: The Haven, TTH. Anyone else, just ask.
DISCLAIMER: Buffy and related characters are the property of Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy, Inc. The X-men and related characters are the property of Marvel comics.
CONTINUITY: Buffy - Up to Season six. This story takes place in the year 2005. X-men - comics. It's pretty vague since I don't really remember much of it, so forgive any inconsistencies.
NOTE: Thanks for all the reviews. A few responses:
Orion - Sorry, but no multi-crossover. The story's already done and written and I don't watch enough television to really have a grasp of the shows you were talking about. Actually, I hardly watch any television, LOL.
X-Lander - LOL! The fic doesn't answer all your questions, but it should answer enough. This story isn't as in depth as some of my other ones. It's only scratching the surface of the possibilities. To fill in the missing pieces, I leave to your imagination.
Lisette - If you like this one, I have two other Buffy X-men crosses written. You might like those as well.
Luis - I don't tell anyone when I update. I usually have several fics going on at one time and it's just too complicated to. This story only has one more chapter to go though so it shouldn't be that difficult to keep track of it.
To all the other reviewers - THANK YOU!

"To succeed you must add water to your wine, until there is no more wine." Jules Renard, Journal

Part Three - August 2005

Dawn Summers gathered her notes and left the room on the military base that had been converted into a library. It had previously been an office but Giles' extensive collection of texts he had brought with him from Britain had needed a place to be stored where those requiring the information could easily access them. The former Watcher had limited the number of people who had the right to use the books however to the original Scooby gang as well as a few trusted soldiers who understood the reverence that should be shown to the tomes.

This, of course, had rankled the higher ups to no end.

But that was not Dawn's worry. She had been given the task of trying to find information about a religious sect that was slowly gaining influence in the demon community. In Spike's last report, he had found evidence that the sect was trying to oust the demon Torlin from power. Buffy believed that this could be good. Dissension in the ranks showed that Torlin's hold on power was not as strong as it once was.

Giles, however, disagreed. "I can see your reasoning," he had told Buffy last night, "but this has the potential in bringing the demon community together, even closer than it is now. They would be able to concert their efforts and would also give them some religious backing to why they are doing what they are doing."

"You mean, 'Hey, let's end the world' isn't enough?" Buffy had asked sarcastically.

Giles had frowned at the Slayer. "Look at human history. Humanity has always become its best and its worst when religion comes into play. The same is true of demons. Do not think that nothing will change if this sect gains the upper hand. It could be detrimental to us all."

Dawn hurried to the Giles' living quarters and knocked on the door.

April 2003

Buffy and Magneto stood in front of the President again. After spending almost one month in a maximum-security prison, they had long given up hope that anyone would hear them out. Even Buffy had been unable to escape. Because of who her companion was, she was watched very carefully.

President Ross paced the length of the Oval Office. He glanced over at the two of them. "Okay, how do we fight them?" he asked at last.

"Sir?" Buffy responded in confusion.

"The demons!" he stated. "How do we defeat them?"

Buffy had been given full autonomy within the military. Anything she wanted, she was given. Within hours, she had a cross-country network set up to gather intelligence with contacts either she or one of her friends had within the demon community. Within days, the first assault was launched to take back the city of Sunnydale. When that succeeded, the Hellmouth was made into home base and the exact location of it was closely guarded to prevent any demons from attempting to open it.

Magneto did not fair so well. He was regarded with suspicion and was guarded at all times, forced to wear a collar that prevented the use of his mutant abilities. Eventually, the leader of the mutant group known as the X-men used his influence within Washington to have Magneto released into his custody. Professor Charles Xavier swore that he would look after Erik Lensherr Magnus and would work to rehabilitate him.

The fact that the two were old friends was never mentioned in the dealings.

August 2005

The blond vampire took a long drag from his cigarette. He was standing on top of a building in Miami and had a cell phone to his ear. He tapped his foot impatiently as he listened to the rings.

"The all knowing Willow. What's up?"

"Listen, Red," Spike muttered in his Cockney accent. "I don't think I can stay here much longer. I think my cover's about to be blown."

"All right. Get out of there then." He heard typing and some brief conversations in the background. "Okay. I can get a military transport to Tallahassee by tomorrow night. Think you can make it?"

Spike ground his cigarette underneath his boot heel. "Yeah. I'll make it if I have to travel during the day and risk becoming flame broiled." He looked around the empty rooftop suspiciously. "I found something out. Torlin's stationed somewhere in the Midwest - Topeka, Kansas, I think. I couldn't get any closer than that. If you can take him out fast and quick and then get rid of the Poraxians while you're at it, the war's as good as won."

"Thanks for the info, Spike. I'll pass the info along. You'll be careful, all right?"

"Didn't know you cared, Red," the vampire drawled. "I'll see you in two days then. Keep the blood warm for me." He snapped the phone shut and tucked it back into his black leather duster. "Sod this," he grumbled to himself. "I'm outta here." He leapt off the roof and landed silently on the road. He took off into the night towards Tallahassee.

"What is troubling you, Magnus?"

Magnus turned away from the window and smiled sadly at Xavier. "Just feeling old and useless, Charles."

"Not so old, and not so useless." Xavier settled his hoverchair down onto the ground and looked out the window. "Don't you ever get tired of looking out this window day after day?" he asked. "The view will not change, no matter how many times you see it."

Magnus shook his head. "It relaxes me." He sighed. "How goes the war, Charles?"

"My team has retaken the base at Charleston. They are currently holding it until the military can go relieve them."

"And the young ones? How fare they?"

Xavier's lips thinned. "Not so well. They are not as experienced as the senior X-men. They just finished their first solo mission today and they returned one short."

Magnus closed his eyes and tried to regain his composure. "I...I am sorry, old friend."

"So am I." Xavier reactivated his chair and made to leave the room. "I received a missive from the Sunnydale base yesterday," he offered. "The Slayer sends her greetings. She said that they're preparing a strike at Torlin for Friday. She also asked for some aid from the X-men."

Magnus turned on his heel and stared at Xavier. "I want to go," he said.

Xavier studied his friend. "You know that in my agreement with the president, I was not to let you leave the grounds."

"Charles! You must let me go." Magnus's eyes burned. "I started this forsaken war. Let me help end it."

The jet landed on the airstrip and rolled to a stop on the Sunnydale military base. Buffy waited for the ramp to lower before picking up her pack and nodding to her group. They marched up the ramp into the plane.

A figure dressed in red armor met them. Buffy raised her eyebrows in surprise. "I thought you were under lock and key."

Magnus removed his helmet, revealing his mane of silver and gray hair. He smiled at the girl. "Charles let me out early for good behavior."

She swung her pack to the ground. "I'm glad. You'll be useful on this trip."

Magnus looked over her group and frowned. "That's it? Only five people?"

Xander placed his pack next to Buffy's. "Hey, we may be small, but we're efficient."

Besides Xander, Willow and Gunn, a friend of Angel's, were with them. A soldier, William Gerring, was the final member of Buffy's handpicked group.

From the cockpit, a familiar voice called out, "Hey, can you all get strapped in so we can get moving?"

Buffy laughed. "Nice to see you too, coz."

A dark-skinned woman with startling white hair pulled back into a ponytail helped them stow away their luggage. After Buffy fastened her safety harness, she studied the mutants that Xavier had sent. Aside from Scott and Magneto, there were three women. The first, the one that had helped with their packs, introduced herself as Storm. The second had brown curly hair with a streak of white and wore a leather bomber jacket over a skintight green and yellow costume. She called herself Rogue.

The third was an enigma. Blue skinned with red hair, she did not seem to be a part of the group and Rogue carefully avoided looking at her. "I'm Mystique," she said. Buffy's eyes were drawn to the belt of skulls around her waist, at odds with her flowing white dress. She did not speak during the journey save for that simple introduction.

Faith, the second Slayer, crept through the ductwork of what was once a business building in downtown Atlanta. It had since been taken over by demons belonging to the Poraxian sect. Behind her, Spike grumbled to himself. "If I had known that Red would have sent me here instead of back to bloody Sunnyhell, I would have stayed undercover. At least I wasn't crawling through vents to take out the entire Poraxian council!"

"Hey, keep it down back there," Faith snapped. "You think I like being here? Let's just go in, do what we have to, and get out."

"And they send a bunch of bleeding children to help us!"

Faith sighed and kicked backwards, catching the vampire with the heel of her boot. "I said quiet." She took a breath and continued making her way down the vent, even though she agreed with the vampire. I don't know what Red was on when she sent them as help. Yeah, I can see how the big blue guy might be useful, but mutants or no, they're still teenagers.

Do not underestimate these teenagers, a voice said softly in her head.

Faith growled. And another thing! I really don't like it when there's someone other than me in my mind. So get out, lady.

Jean Grey seriously freaked her out. Demons, vampires, and apocalypses she could handle. Mind readers were another thing. Faith was too used to her privacy and her secrets to feel anything but annoyance and resentment at anyone who could enter her mind with only a thought.

Faith gritted her teeth and moved on, praying that the mutants would get their end right. She had planned a three-pronged strike. She and Spike would infiltrate the building through the ducts while two teams of Xavier's X-men stormed the building from the roof and the ground. Hopefully, the Poraxians would be too busy with the obvious attacks that they will not look for internal ones.

At least, that was what Faith was counting on.

Faintly, the sounds of fighting reached her ears and she grinned ferally. "Looks like Plan A is working," she told Spike.

He grunted. "And what's Plan B?" he asked. "Just for curiosity's sake, you know, in case everything starts going south."

"Hit hard and kill them before they kill you."

"I was afraid that was it."

Henry McCoy, known to friends as Hank or Beast, charged up the stairs. According to intelligence, the Poraxian High Council was located on the thirteenth floor. He threw any demons he encountered over the railing and kept moving upward.

Behind him, Jubilee struggled up the stairs, panting. "How many more?"

Hank glanced at the girl. "Only three more," he told her.

She groaned and kept climbing.

When the two finally reached the correct floor, they discovered that the team from the roof had beaten them there by the wall of ice that greeted them on the other side. Hank looked at Jubilee. "If you would be so kind?"

The girl flipped her sunglasses down over her eyes and raised her hands, covered in yellow gloves to match her trench coat. Fireworks flew from her fingertips and shattered the ice. The two charged through into an all out fight.

Bobby Drake, the Iceman, had frozen several demons. At his side was a boy that was Jubilee's age, throwing balls of energy at the vampires that circled the room, turning them to piles of dust. At the end of the hallway was a pair of wooden doors, heavily guarded. Behind those doors were the members of the Council.

The three demons that comprised the Poraxian High Council paced nervously in their chamber. "Why did we pick a room with no window?" one wailed. It wrung its taloned hands and scratched nervously at the wall.

"The better to trap you with," Faith answered flippantly as she shot through the air vent placed high on the wall. The vent covering hit the opposite wall with a clang. The Slayer dropped to the ground and plunged a blade into the demon that had spoken. Spike followed in her footsteps. His face distorted and he grinned at the remaining two demons, revealing his fangs. "Evening, gents." He kicked one in the face while Faith took care of the second. Soon, Spike and Faith were the only ones still standing.