Title: The Dopplegang Effect
Author: Becka
Chapter 04: Curious Relations
o
Eight months. Xander had been gone for eight bloody months. At one time Spike might have rejoiced. But that was before he'd gotten to know the boy, seen what he did on a daily basis for Slutty and her pack. And seen the way they'd treated him for it.
He hated to admit it, but he had a soft spot in his heart for the whelp. It started when the boy had taken him in; the gang asked (read: informed) Xander to take care of Spike, but the vampire knew that if Xander hadn't wanted to do it, he would have found a way around their pleading. Over the months he and the boy had been roomies, he'd come to respect Xander. The boy had a morbid sense of humor much like Spike's own, and after finding Xander had a love of Passions as well, it was no wonder the two of them had developed an odd sort of friendship. On top of that, Spike had seen the way Xander's father worked him over to the point where he could barely walk, but he'd also seen how the boy had hidden it. Slutty and the group never even noticed that the cuts and bruises the boy had were not from slaying. They probably didn't care enough to look, but Spike knew part of it was simply that the boy had been covering for his father for so long, he was a master at deception. Hell, if he hadn't known about the boy's father, he never would have guessed.
The beautiful part about it was that he'd never heard the boy lie. The kid could twist words though, like a master. And his patented Xander-babble was a beautiful means of misdirection. Even so, it wasn't forgivable that the group never noticed; they were supposed to be his friends.
So when Slutty had told the whelp he wasn't needed he expected at least Red or the Watcher to say _something_. They hadn't. Hadn't even heard, for fucksake. And when Spike had heard the quiet goodbye, the permanency uttered in that single word... he knew Xander was leaving. To this day he cursed himself for not following, for not speaking up and telling Slutty and her groupies what he thought. By the time their little research-fest had been over and he'd headed back to the boy's house, it had been too late.
Xander's room had been in a state of disarray. Not much had been taken, but he knew the boy was gone. There was blood in the air as well, so he figured the boy's father had found him and beaten him one last time. Suffering was like an aphrodisiac to a vampire, but every time he smelled it on the boy, Spike wanted to be sick. He blamed it on the chip, ignoring that Slutty's suffering still did the trick for him.
He'd moved his stuff into a new crypt and waited. Maybe the boy just needed some time to himself or something. That excuse had lasted him about two months. By then, the Lil' Bit had finally convinced the Watcher and Red that Xander was missing, not just avoiding Buffy. When the four month marker passed, he figured maybe the whelp decided to take a road trip. At Red's prompting, Slutty had beaten the crap out of Willy to see if he'd heard anything. He hadn't. By six months, Spike had accepted that the boy was never coming back to this hellhole again. Slutty had deemed Xander MIA, and as such, considered him a coward and a deserter. Red occasionally protested, but the Lil' Bit was the only one who stood up for Xander every chance she got.
As Spike entertained the notion of never seeing Xander again, he got a curious ache in his chest, right about where his heart should be. He ignored it.
So, what then? Good for the whelp! He was out seeing the world, free from his father and his friends. He was probably having the time of his life. But... what if he ran into a pack of vampires or demons, without Spike there to back him up? Well, the boy could run, right? But what if those vampires attacking some poor unfortunate...? The boy had a streak of white knight in him; he'd probably try to defend them and ultimately end up dead. A dead Xander was something Spike couldn't even picture. The boy had too much heart to die.
"Fuck it!" the blonde said aloud. That decided it. No one was going to hurt his Xan. He'd find the boy, knock some sense into him, and make sure that wherever the whelp went, he had Spike to watch his back.
First, though, he had to say goodbye to Dawn. And if he was leaving Sunnydale, he needed to tell Slutty to bugger off one last time as well.
o
"It was pink, Giles! Not green, not yellow, not purple. It was hot _pink_!" Buffy stamped her dainty foot on the ground petulantly.
The watcher pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Yes, I understand that, Buffy, but the creature you described could be one of three, and they respectively have green, yellow, and purple blood. I've never even heard of a demon with hot pink blood."
"Willow?" The slayer turned to her friend with a pout.
"I'm working on it," the witch responded, scanning an online demon database.
Buffy groaned and sank onto the couch. "Where's the bleached wonder when you need him?"
"You rang, luv?" Spike said from the doorway. The wind whipped his duster back and forth angrily, and the expression on his face should have warned the Slayer that something was amiss. As usual, though, the petite blonde took no notice.
"Finally!" she said. "All right, Spike, there's fifty bucks in this for you if you help us out. I was fighting a demon this morning, all nasty scales and pink blood, with a horn-"
Spike put up a hand and Buffy paused. Giles, Willow, Tara, and Dawn also stopped what they were doing to look at him.
"You know what it is?" The slayer's voice was hopeful.
"Nah," the vampire replied easily. "But I don't really care much, either." Buffy turned a bright, angry shade of red, but before she could interrupt him, he continued. "I'm leavin' town, so I'm just 'ere to tell the Lil' Bit g'bye. The rest o' you lot can fuck off for all it matters ta me."
"You're leaving!" Dawn sprang across Giles' living room in three leaps, her arms moving to circle the vampire's neck.
He hugged her tightly and answered, "Yeah, Bit, I am. But don't you worry, all right? I'm goin' ta find the whelp, and as soon as I do, we'll be back 'ere for a visit."
"You're looking for Xander?" Her delighted voice made him smile.
"I hate to interrupt this touching moment," Buffy crossed her arms and glared at the pair, "but why the hell are you going to do that?"
"'Cause I bloody well feel like it. Y'got a problem with me lookin' for a mate o' mine?" Spike's face shifted to its vampiric form as he growled softly at the Slayer.
"Not at all," Giles cut in smoothly. "I believe what Buffy is trying to ask is why you'd be interested in the boy. Happy meal with legs and all that."
Spike saw Willow reach out to grab Tara's hand. He turned to the watcher and answered, "Lived with 'im for a while, didn't I? And since none o' you lot made an effort to look for 'im, it's up ta me, innit? 'Sides, 'anging out with you lot's made me go soft. May not have my bite, but I still 'ave some respect for m'self. Road trip's just what I need."
"I'll miss you. And when you find Xander, gimme' a call, okay?" Dawn released her hold on Spike.
"You got it, luv." The vampire tousled the girl's hair affectionately.
"Well, I'm off." He glanced at Buffy. "The critter you're lookin' for is a Clanitarin demon. Nasty bloke. Y'prolly won't find too much about 'em, but loppin' off their heads kills 'em the same as the next hellspawn. Take care o' the Lil' Bit while I'm gone."
Willow spoke up softly. "When you find Xander... tell him I miss him. And that I'm sorry, all right?"
Spike gave the witch a sidelong glance. So maybe she was a better friend to Xander than he'd first thought. It didn't mean he forgave her, but he grudgingly nodded his assent.
He nodded to the watcher, smiled at Dawn, and turned to walk out the door. Pausing, he looked over his shoulder. "Oh, an' Slayer?" Spike's grin was like the Cheshire Cat's- all teeth.
"What, Spike?"
"Bugger off."
o
As Xander, Logan, and Jason entered the mansion, Xander was momentarily awed by the sheer size of the place. It looked big from the outside, but inside, the hallways and arches seemed to expand forever. He was afraid to touch anything; some of the pictures on the walls looked ancient, and he was willing to wager more than one of them was priceless.
Some of the children and teenagers who were walking along the corridors stopped to stare at the newcomers, but Logan's scowl sent them running. Most of the kids seemed normal enough, but Xander spotted a very young, very _blue_ boy with a forked tail. Then a girl _literally_ ran through one of the walls, only to disappear through another. Two children holding hands zipped through the air, and a child whose gender he wasn't too sure of bounced a tiny ball of electricity between both hands.
The dark-haired man turned to Logan and asked, "Is everyone here a mutant?"
Logan nodded.
The sound of their voices snapped Jason out of his stupor. His eyes were wide as he blatantly stared at the students who passed. None of the students returned his look, but Xander was fairly sure Logan's presence was the only thing holding them back. "How many... how many students are here?" the teen finally asked.
"'Bout fifty, give or take, plus a couple of teachers and the Professor."
"So many?" Xander replied. "And the teachers... they're mutants too?"
"Yeah." The older man grunted. "The guy who runs this whole getup is-"
"Logan!"
The three of them turned toward the cry. A girl around the same age as Xander bolted down the stairs. She was slender, with pretty green eyes and auburn hair. A shock of white ran through it like a skunk's tail, and the dark-haired man idly wondered if that was part of her mutation or just the fashionable thing to do. She literally leapt off the last step and came to a skidding halt in front of them.
"Rogue." The older man greeted her with a small smile.
The girl, Rogue, smiled at Logan. Xander could tell by the way she stood, hands shyly behind her back, shifting excitedly from foot to foot, that she was clearly infatuated. "I didn't think you were ever coming back! You've been gone almost a year! But the Professor said you'd be back today, which is kind of funny 'cause all the adults are on a mission, and he wants to see you. He's..." She trailed off as she finally noticed Logan wasn't alone. "Um... you brought friends..."
"Rogue," he pointed to the teen, "Jason."
"Hi!" And Xander could tell by the way Jason's eyes hadn't left Rogue's face and the stupid smile on his own that _he_ was clearly infatuated. The boy stuck out his hand, "Nice to meet you!"
Xander noted the full-fingered gloves that extended underneath the sleeve of her shirt as she took Jason's hand politely.
"An' this is Xander."
Rogue turned those green eyes to him and smiled. Xander through he could see the gears in her head spinning: Who were these people? Logan always travels alone. And if he doesn't, why can't _I_ come with him? He nodded his head and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Where's the Professor?" Logan's voice interrupted Rogue's internal monologue.
"Oh!" She blushed. "Um, he said to meet him in Cerebro."
The older man grunted. He motioned for Xander and Jason to follow him. To Rogue he said, "Thanks, darlin'. I'll see you later."
The girl nodded, looking a little disappointed. Clearly, she had wanted a little time to talk to Logan alone before he saw the Professor. The older man started off in the direction Xander supposed Cerebro (whatever that was) was in. Jason piped up, "Um... I'll see you around, right?"
"Yeah," she replied absentmindedly, her eyes on Logan's back. "See ya."
o
"So, who are all the adults?" Xander asked as they walked through a long corridor. The walls and floor were made of metal, and in stark contrast to the mansion itself, it felt hi-tech, as if he were walking through a government project. "And what's a Cerebro?"
"Y'prolly seen most o' them on T.V. Scott Summers is one o' the head instructors here; his codename is Cyclops." Logan glanced at Xander with a hint of amusement.
The dark-haired man stopped walking. "You mean... this is where the X-men live!"
"Can you think o' anyplace, or anyone, better ta train mutants?"
Xander looked down at Jason, who seemed in his own world. He was probably still thinking about Rogue. "I guess not. Who else is here?" They continued walking.
"Jean... Summers, one-eye's wife. She used ta go by Marvel Girl." Xander heard an old bitterness in those words. "Storm, Ororo Monroe, is the gal you see tossin' lightin' bolts around. Henry McCoy-"
"The doctor?" Xander had seen Willow reading one of the man's many published theses.
"Yeah," Logan grinned. "An' I wonder how people would feel knowin' a mutant came up with a lot o' the treatments bein' used fer cancer." After a pause to let that comment sink in, he continued, "An' then there's Warren Worthington."
"No way." Xander shook his head. "The multimillionaire?"
"An' if yer wonderin' where he gets his attitude, that's ta blame. As fer Cerebro, it's an enhancer; the Professor's a telepath. He's the only one who can use her safely." They came to a halt in front of a large doorway with a giant X carved on its surface and a strange blue light at its center. As Xander wondered how exactly one was supposed to open said door, it split apart and retracted into the walls. Logan stepped inside with Xander and Jason at his heels.
"Welcome home, Logan."
"Professor." The hairy man said respectfully.
Xander had heard so much about the man, what was spoken as well as how it was said, that he didn't quite know what to expect from the Professor. With the way Rogue and Logan had talked about him, he'd pictured a tall, all-powerful god. Upon seeing the man in person, Xander struggled to keep the surprise from reaching his face. He failed.
The man in the wheelchair smiled. "Not up to the standards of a god, perhaps, but hello, Alexander. I'm Professor Charles Xavier. You'll have to forgive me for not standing up. And you must be Jason." Xavier turned to the teen. "I've been expecting you. I was wondering if you might consider becoming a student here? I think you'd get along well with another of my students, Johnny. He can't create fire like you, but he can control it. And you've already met Rogue."
As Xavier spoke to Jason, Xander took a moment to study the room they were in. Save the slender walkway they stood on, it looked like a perfect sphere. Metal panels connected to form an almost smooth surface. At the end of the walkway and roughly the center of the circle, a strange helmet connected to various wires and tubes sat on a metal table. He wondered if that was Cerebro, or if the whole room was a giant machine.
The door opened again and this time two women and a man entered. He recognized the man's visor from television, and guessed that the women were Jean and Ororo.
The man, Scott, if Xander remembered correctly, started unpleasantly when he saw Logan. His mouth pinched tightly around its corners. "You're back," he said flatly.
"I noticed," Logan responded in much the same tone.
"Hello, Logan," the red-haired woman said with a tiny smile.
"Jean," he greeted her pleasantly.
Xander's nose twitched. He glanced at the woman, then back at Logan. There seemed to be a lot of infatuation running around today. Maybe it was something in the water.
"Storm," Xavier addressed the white-haired woman, effectively silencing the three adults, "Jason is going to be joining our school. Would you get him settled in a room and show him around? I'd recommend moving him in with Johnny, perhaps."
Ororo nodded, "Of course, Professor." She smiled benignly at Jason who shyly returned the look with a nervous grin. The two left quietly.
"Hey, Professor?" Xander's voice cut through the air like a fart in church. Both Jean and Scott turned to stare at him as if noticing him for the first time.
"Yes, Alexander?"
The dark-haired man flushed a little. He didn't like being called by his full name; only his father ever used it. Clearing his throat he asked, "What's up with the codenames? I mean, it's not as through the X-men are a secret organization or anything..."
"It's a concept an old friend of mine and I came up with." Xavier smiled and Xander caught a faint hint of sadness in the air. "The idea was a simple one, to call mutants by a name that describes their power and their personality. It seemed a good way to put focus on oneself rather than one's ancestors."
"Huh." The dark-haired man cocked his head to one side and asked, "Then why don't you have one?"
Scott seemed to take offense to that comment and stepped forward angrily, but paused when the Professor threw back his head and laughed.
"A very good point," Xavier said when his mirth died down. "One that no one has ever made to me before. What should I call myself, then?"
"Can I have a few days to think about it?" Xander asked seriously.
The Professor laughed again. "Of course. Now," he paused and Xander watched in fascination as his entire demeanor changed, "Shall we get down to business?" Xavier gestured to the two X-men in uniform. "Meet Scott and Jean Summers, though I believe you've already figured that out. Both are like my children; they've been invaluable to me. Scott, Jean, this is Alexander."
"Call me Xander," the dark-haired man cut in smoothly as he extended his hand to the pair.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Xander," Jean said as she shook his hand, and he felt a tiny tickle at the back of his mind. He focused on the unfamiliar sensation and pushed it away. The tickle disappeared and Jean stepped back, looking as though he'd slapped her.
Scott nodded to him, but Xander noted he didn't take his eyes, well, visor off Logan.
The Professor cleared his throat and continued, "Xander has only recently come into his powers, and I thought, since Logan was so kind as to bring you to us, perhaps you might stay for awhile."
"Well, I don't..." Xander began.
"Please," Xavier said, "Stay with us for one week. My school is open to everyone, and I'd like a chance to talk with you a little more. Besides, you've been traveling for quite some time. Surely you could use a rest." It was his voice that persuaded Xander; the man sounded truly sincere.
With a defeated smile, the dark-haired man answered. "All right. But just a week."
"What exactly can you do?" Jean blurted out suddenly.
Xander glanced at her. "Um... well..." He looked at Logan and Scott who were still glaring at one another, then continued, "I'm not exactly sure. I mean, I think I'm like a sponge or something. I can pick up whatever mutant powers I'm around."
The redhead stared at him. He'd seen Willow give much the same look to a particularly confusing specimen in science class.
"Is it permanent or does it fade with time? And how long does it take you to learn a power?" she finally asked.
He answered her honestly only because he sensed the Professor was interested in his reply. "I'm not sure how long it lasts or if it's permanent or anything. And I don't know how long it takes me to learn. I was around Logan for months before I noticed any change, but I picked up Jason's power in a little under two weeks. I... think it's getting stronger."
"Hm." Jean stared at him and he felt the tickling in his mind again. This time he was certain the redhead was responsible. He pushed it away. It took a little more concentration, but he was able to do it. Jean cleared her throat and said, "We'll have to get you down to the lab. Maybe Henry can figure out how long these effects might last."
"Maybe," he responded noncommittally. He didn't want to be poked and prodded like some kind of freak.
Xander looked at Logan and Scott again. With his heightened senses, he heard a tiny growl at the back of the older man's throat. Before the two men resorted to pissing on the walls to prove who had the bigger set, the dark-haired man asked Logan, "So, who do I have to kill to get something to eat around here?"
The older man spared him a glance and Xander waggled his eyebrows charmingly.
With a snort, Logan turned away from Scott and said, "C'mon, kid, I'll show you around."
As they left, Xander could feel three sets of eyes on them. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end. Two of them felt hostile.
o