TITLE: With great power comes great responsibility (Part 1/?)

AUTHOR: Michael Dunbar

RATING: PG14

DISTRIBUTION: If you want it then take it but at least tell me first.

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. Joss owns everything..

FEEDBACK: Please, id like some

SUMMARY: second part of the revamped spidey fic. it might even go somewhere else this time. You never know.. I'm that wacky.

DEDICATION: to. goatboy, I think you wanted this fic most of all.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: () Thoughts "" Speech

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Xander had never liked school and truthfully he probably never would neither. It just wasn't his thing; it was to him just something to do between hanging with his friends and sleeping. Nevertheless he had always got on with the teachers and they had always seemed to accept his less than enthusiastic take on the land of academia.

Always gotten on with the teachers until this year that is.

The previous principal he had even liked. Principal Flutie had taken great pride in the school and the way it looked in most fields, especially the sports. But that was before the hyena's had made a light afternoon snack of him. Xander held down the bile in his stomach at the thought that he could have very well been enjoying pot roasted principal if he wasn't so infatuated with Buffy at the time.

But Snyder, Snyder had no interest in knowing anybody. He hated everybody especially the teenagers who attended the school.

Hell he probably disliked everyone in the entire world.

Despicable hated little rodent, that's what Principal Snyder is and probably always has been his entire life.

"Well. Mr Harris, this must be Christmas and my birthday all rolled into one. I'm waiting for the day that I can expel you to announce my retirement from been the head of such an awful bunch of freaks that this school offers"

Xander could almost feel his hatred for his position at the school coming from Snyder. It wasn't that he didn't like been in charge, on the contrary. He just disliked disorganised teens who do nothing more than make out and eat junk food.

No discipline.

"You've already been tardy 3 times in the last two weeks, this is your fourth tardy and if you get one more we all know what that means"

Unlike normal schools instead of giving a three strike system Sunnydale gave a five strike system and if you reached that fifth strike then you would be suspended for a week and it would be placed on your permanent record.

Not that Xander really cared about his permanent record but his father wouldn't be too pleased.

"Suspension" Xander muttered as he bit back an insult.

He could really do without getting in anymore trouble than he was already in.

Snyder sneered at him "Detention, after school. Although don't turn up on my account, I'm really itching to make a point in this school"

The principal turned on his squeaky shoes and walked off in an actual chipper manner and Xander allowed himself one moment of triumph as he gestured with one finger behind the little mans back.

It had just made his day harder. Not only did he have detention but he also had the photography thing. It would be a tight squeeze to do both but he couldn't let his dad down on either account because if he didn't go to detention then he was sure of a suspension.

Entering English he spotted a seat near the front of the class and took it.

The teacher looked up from the book and shook her head disapprovingly.

"Glad you could make time for class, Mr Harris"

He didn't know how to reply so Xander just nodded and pulled his bag open to grab his book.

Xander knew it wouldn't be long before the little red head at his side decided to explain her actions. He knew her so well that he could tell at this moment that it was eating her alive, Willow was looking jittery and so she should be.

He understood her in a way, she couldn't be seen to choose Xander over Oz in anyway otherwise it wouldn't look like she really wanted them to work. But it never hurts to pick up the phone and tell said person that you wouldn't be walking to school with them the next day.

Its common courtesy.

"Xander."

*Here we go*

Plastering on a smile he turned to his red headed friend "Yea Will.."

"I'm sorry about this morning, Oz just suddenly came and I couldn't turn him down and I rang your place but there was no answer so I sent an email but I know you don't check your email till Fridays and I'm just really really sorry and you should never forgive me but I hope you do and.."

Willow could babble for hours on end if he let her, he knew she was feeling awful about this morning and ten minutes ago he might have let her go on a bit longer but hearing the tone of her voice and knowing she meant no real harm meant he had to put her out of her misery. If not for her sake then for his own ears sake at been chewed off.

"It's okay Will, I forgive you" Xander and Willow had known each other there whole lives, they could have entire conversations with just blinking there eyes and that's why she stopped babbling and actually nodded her head with a smile. She could always tell when he was lying.

Whereas anyone could tell when Willow lied, she always got extremely jittery even more so than when she was guilty about something.

Attention on class once again, not that it excited him any but he liked to imagine things in the quiet of his own mind while class was going on.

It helped class to go quicker.

Xander felt a tug on his shirt from behind and he looked back to see Buffy smiling at him, he gave her a generous smile in return.

"Tardiness Xander." She said with a disapproving wag of her finger "why, I never would have thought"

"Yea I know" He replied "it's so unusual"

------ ******* An hour later ******

The students rushed around the halls like mad people. Escaping to there lockers or wherever else they hung out with there friends for the 15 minutes break they had between first and second period.

For Xander, Willow and Buffy there hangout was the library.

The Scooby gang headquarters

"Wow.." Xander muttered "That was an exciting class if I ever had one!

"Engrossing" Buffy replied sarcastically.

"I loved it" Willow added in her usual chipper manner.

"You would"

The twin doors of the library swung inwards as Xander opened them and they walked into Giles's book palace. The two watchers loved everything about the large book ridden room, loved it with a passion that Xander could never ever understand and he didn't know if he really wanted to.

Giles was sat rubbing his glasses to get them clean looking rather exasperated at the watcher facing him.

Wesley was an amateur trying to do a professionals job. He was called in to be Faith's watcher and ended up been both Buffy's and Faith's watcher after Giles got fired for not fulfilling there orders.

Orders that were immoral to say the least.

Nevertheless the wannabe watcher thought he knew everything about everything and time and time again Giles had to prove him wrong but the arguments they had clearly frustrated Giles into cleaning his glasses.

He always cleaned his glasses when he was frustrated.

"If it isn't the world answer to "what to do when you have no life" "Xander said with an impish grin as he mocked the two Englishmen.

"Hello Xander" Giles mumbled as he placed his glasses back on. .

"G-man" Xander replied using the Moniker he had given to the watcher "Anything new on the demonoscale?"

"Demonoscale?" Giles inquired with an eyebrow raised.

"Let me translate Giles "Willow offered as she took a seat "Xander meant, anything new in the dark dank areas of Sunnydale's underworld?"

"Oh. why didn't you just say that Xander? And the answer is no."

Xander took a seat looking a bit nonplussed "Well I guess the world doesn't need me saving it yet again, all you people do is sit around talking. We all know who the real hero is"

He was slapped on the back of his head by Buffy and he just gave her a smile in return.

"I was wondering Giles." Xander looked over at the watcher sat with his head in a book "Is there possible a spell that could possibly either make me move really quickly. superman like. Or if there was a spell to give me a double for just a few hours..."

"Well." Giles didn't even look up "There is a spell and it's not too difficult to perform all you need is.."

He looked up and narrowed his eyes at Xander.

"Why?"

"I could just do with one is all, for tonight"

"For detention?" Buffy replied as she took a sip of fruit juice from a carton.

"You know me so well"

"I know your ethics are lacking in some areas" She replied.

"What's not ethical about wanting a temp twin? You see I've got to be at the old College lecture theatre, my dad wants me to take some photos for a story the paper's doing."

"Ahh" Buffy replied in understanding "But you still can't do magic, you'd probably end up creating a thousand Xander's"

Timing it just right with Giles taking a sip of tea proved the right thing to do as he almost coughed up a lung after swallowing the liquid down the wrong hole.

A thousand Xander's wasn't a thing to be taken lightly.

"I'd have my own army.. "Xander replied in a happy kind of way "Kill my pretties. Kill Kill"

"You'd call yourself pretties?" Buffy enquired.

"Well, I am kind of pretty but don't worry Giles, there's no chance of a thousand Xanders. I won't do magic, I promise. I'll just have to be quick off the mark tonight is all"

Giles walked off into his office and Wesley was prepared to follow him before the doors opened and in stepped Cordelia. Xander couldn't help but look at his ex; today she was as stunning as she ever was. Dressed in her usual Cordy wear, the wear that had men and even some women drooling. Wesley stood slack jawed as he watched her approach.

He didn't know whether Cordelia was really interested in the watcher or not but he still felt an immense amount of jealousy shoot through him as she looked at the watcher. It was a territory thing mostly, especially since the watcher was in Xander's opinion nothing more than a waste of space been paid to do Giles's job but not actually doing so.

"Wesley?"

"Yes" Wesley replied in a very non male squeaky voice.

"I've got something important to ask you"

"Start calculating those odds"

Xander had to add an insult into the conversation, it was a fault of his he could not seen been rectified anytime soon.

It was just the way he was.

Xander zoned out not particularly caring about the conversation between the may queen and the watcher, he had more exciting things to do with his time than listen to them two flirt there way through a conversation.

The next time Xander looked up the room was empty except for him and Buffy and she looked at him concernedly.

"Are you okay?" She asked

"Fine.. " Xander replied as the bell rang clear, signalling the next class was due to start.

*Saved by the bell*

------- ******* Detention ************

The classes all passed rather quickly after the first one and Xander soon found himself stood outside classroom 1a.

It was the classroom where detention was held everyday, where all the bad kids went.

He entered and took a seat near the front of the class, careful not to look anybody in the eye.

Xander looked at the clock on occasions and to him it seemed to be moving backwards instead of forwards. He was nervous, tonight was the night he would prove his photography classes were not a waste of space and that he Xander Lavelle Harris was actually decent at something and it would get published.

Detention was filled with the scum of the school, the kids who had nothing better to do than just be bad and cause trouble for anybody in the school.

Teachers or pupils

Jack Pitire sat behind Xander. He's half French or something like that. A cocky smile always present on his face. He's the ringleader of whatever trouble happens in school, if something happens you can be sure Jack was behind part of it. Been a bully was all Jack was ever good at; he'd never excelled at anything in his life except for making trouble.

Rumour has it that Jack once killed a man, but the rumour was led back to Jack himself. He was always one to pump up his own reputation if he had the chance.

Charlie Ritter sat at Jack's side. A football player that had repeated the grade so many times he had difficulty counting the exact number. Charlie Ritter was a giant of a man, broad shoulders that had smashed many smaller football players nearly in half in his time on the team. He was as dumb as they come.

George Kailty sat behind them. An half American Indian that was on the football team and always was a first team pick but he also managed to do well in class. George's main problem was that he used his brawn more than he ever used his brains.

Then there was Francis Coppola, one of the most intelligent people in the school. Apparently a genius on the computer. He had cracked the schools system several times reportedly. There was one student in the school better than him on the computer and Xander smiled at the idea of his best friend breaking the law the way Francis did. The first time she had done it to find information it took him a week to calm the redhead down.

That was his Willow alright.

Or Oz's Willow now

The only reason Francis was ever caught was because he took pride in the crimes he had done and posted that it was him on the school staff bulletin board.

They were all sat around him and Xander hated it. These people had been responsible for most of the trouble in his life at one point, before Buffy had come to Sunnydale anyway. They knew not to mess with her and had seen it demonstrated on other people plenty of times before.

Xander still hated them with a passion.

"Hey Harris" Jack said from behind him.

Xander turns enquiringly with an eyebrow raised

"Yea?"

"What you in for?"

Xander nearly laughed at that stupid statement, to them it was like this place was jail and they were talking about the big crimes they had done. For Christ sake it's after school detention, Al Capone style stuff had not been done to achieve their places here.

"Tardy" Xander replied

"Just a tardy"

There were snickers and laughter but he didn't particularly care. Xander just wanted time to pass and for him to be headed towards the old lecture theatre so he could take the pictures and get this awful day over with.

The next time Xander looked at the clock it had hardly moved and he sighed in exasperation, reaching towards his bag he removed a snickers chocolate bar and ripped off the wrapper ready to feast on its innards.

*Chocolatey goodness*

Xander felt a nudge and turned to see Jack, the teen held out his hand with a smile on his face.

"Share the wealth"

He just sighed and handed him the chocolate bar, he was way too uncaring to want to get into a fight over a chocolate bar.

-------------

Continuously thumping your head on the table in desperation didn't do anything besides make you feel dizzy and nauseous.

A fact Xander found out through experimentation.

*Just 10 more minutes*

Detention had seemed to last longer than the rest of the day put together. Xander could be told that he had been there for three weeks and he would most likely believe it. That's how sullen and boring detention was and had been.

The teacher watching over the students just sat reading a magazine till the time was up and they could go home. You couldn't get anymore boring than that.

Xander had realised in the small time he'd been in detention that he didn't think about much really, if there was nothing to entertain him he didn't much like it. So he was never one for deep thoughts, oh he had them on occasions sure but just in general he liked to stay more in the shallow department.

He supposed it helped him get through life the way he had done.

As the comedian

Xander was lying to Willow when he said he had forgiven her, sure he would do eventually but today he had felt so lonely and out of the loop it had hurt. The most terrifying fact was that she didn't know that he was lying when he had forgiven her and that meant that she no longer knew him the way she had done.

They weren't the Willow and Xander of fame anymore, just friends.

He had to live with that.

He then thoughts of Buffy, you could be sure in Xanderland that at least ten minutes a day was dedicated to Buffy longing and this was going over quota. Beautiful now as she ever was and still out of his reach, perhaps she always would be and he just had to move on with his life.

It was difficult when someone had a hold of your heart.

Moving around heartless wasn't a thing he wanted to try. So he'd be Buffy longing for a bit longer, just a few more years and then maybe he'd move on.

*more chance of winning the lottery 5 times in a row then dying of an exotic disease while having sex with a 19 year old supermodel nymphomaniac*

It was very unlikely.

Xander then thought of Cordelia and the way she was flirting with Wesley in front of him and he was sure the main aim was to make him jealous and it did at that too. He just wasn't going to go back there. It wouldn't be fair to neither of them, they weren't meant for each other.

Both of them knew it.

"Class is out"

Xander looked at the clock and bolted for the door.

--------

*I'm going to be on time. I'm going to be on time. I'm going to be on time. I'm going to be on time.*

Xander chanted continuously to himself as he sped down Sunnydale's streets all dolled up in the tux he was told to wear. He had made it home quickly and changed before jumping in the family's second car and was headed to the newspaper.

He needed a camera.

The Sunnydale times building wasn't particularly big but Xander knew it and its position well enough. He'd visited numerous times to see his dad. Xander pulled up to the kerb with a screech and a squeal as he braked. Making it inside in quick time he returned moments later with a camera in his hand then screeched off towards the College.

It wasn't long before he was walking down the stairs of a large lecture theatre that was completely full and now he just had the hard task of finding his dad among the droves of people. He found him and a spare seat in a few minutes, at the front of the theatre.

Xander took a seat and sighed as he positioned the camera for quick shots.

"Sorry I'm late"

"Don't worry about it" His dad replied "It didn't start until five minutes ago."

Xander took numerous pictures during whatever was going on and some he knew would come out good. The lighting wasn't the best in the lecture theatre but he made the most of what he had and was sure he had at least a few decent pictures.

The presentation wasn't something Xander was knowledgeable in. Something about DNA resequencing, it didn't really make much sense to Xander but science never had.

It was nearing the end of the presentation when Xander knew something was wrong. The big machine on stage was starting to smoke and sputter as if something was caught inside it and it wasn't long before the scientist suddenly made an announcement.

"Ladies and Gentleman. Don't be scared but could you quickly make your way to the exits." People didn't have to be told twice were soon scuttling for the exits and so was Xander he heard an explosion behind him and when he looked back he saw a big piece of the machine fall on the scientist trapping him and Xander made a decision.

He turned around.