Title: Demons & Demigods (2/?)
Author: Cyclone
Feedback: Please be gentle.
Distribution: Gimme credit and a link. Plus, archived at http://fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=62966 or http://fanfiction.net/~cyclone
Rating: I'm gonna go say PG.
Spoilers: Up to season two of Buffy and anything in the Herc/Xenaverse.
Disclaimer: The characters depicted herein belong to other people. I'm just borrowing them for a while.
Summary: What happens when the divine and demonic collide? Sequel to Divine Interruption.
Author's Note: Yeah, I know, it took me long enough to get to this point. But at least I'm working on it.
* * *
"Ahem, let me see if I understand correctly," Giles said, looking at Jonathan. "This past Halloween, you went to Ethan's in search of a costume at the last minute. You took the last prop gun remaining and dressed as a soldier. Subsequently, you turned into a soldier for the night."
Jonathan nodded, "Yeah, and I remember all those soldier skills, so I thought I could, y'know, help. I've been trying to figure out how to offer it without looking, well, crazy." He looked at them and asked, "So, uh, _can_ I help?"
"Depends," Xander said, shooting Buffy a concerned look before looking back at Jonathan. "Got any ideas on how to kill a demon that 'no weapon forged by man' can kill?"
"Um... no?"
Xander sighed, "So that leaves us with just my plan."
Giles blinked at him, "Your plan? And what plan would that be?"
"I believe," came a new voice from the library doors, "that his plan would be me."
Everyone turned and -- except for Xander -- stared. Standing there was one Kevin Sorbo.
Xander rose and greeted him, "How'd you get here so fast?"
"Private jet," the big man replied. "Wealth does have its advantages."
There was also an unexpected benefit. The new arrival broke Buffy out of her funk.
"Xander? You... you... you know Kevin Sorbo?!" she screeched.
"Ah, you didn't tell them?" the actor looked at Xander, who shrugged.
"Not really my place to tell, Herc."
The larger man sighed. "We can't really do this without telling them, Xander."
"I know," Xander shrugged, "but I didn't have a whole lot of choice, and I trust them." He shifted and pointed to each of them in turn, "Buffy over there is the Slayer. Giles is a Watcher. I grew up with Willow and Cordy, and I trust them, and lastly, Miss Calendar and Jonathan here both sorta just saved my life."
Hercules looked at them in turn, his gaze lingering on Willow and Jonathan for a moment. There was something familiar about them...
He shook that off as Xander gestured to him.
"And, guys, this... is Hercules. The real one."
The others stared, transfixed by the bombshell he'd just dropped.
Hercules nodded, "Most of what you saw on the show really did happen back then. Xander knows me because he's Iolaus's reincarnation, and this past Halloween, the spell caused him to regain all his memories, which in turn, set off a spell I'd had watching for things like that."
"That..." Buffy sputtered, "...is insane. You expect us to believe he's really Hercules?"
Xander shot Hercules a look, then looked at Buffy, then said, "Arm wrestle him, then, if you don't believe me, Buff."
* * *
"Oww," Buffy complained as she rubbed her sore arm. "Okay, so he's really Hercules," she pouted.
"Have we wasted enough time yet?" Xander asked, looking around. "We need a fix on the Judge and a line on why Angel's soul went bye bye."
"Who's Angel?" Hercules asked.
Giles sighed, "A vampire. Cursed by the Romany a hundred years ago with a human soul. He's an ally of ours. Or, at least, he was."
"Angel, huh?" Hercules mused.
"Have you met him?" Giles asked. "In his darker days, he went by the name Angelus, the Scourge of Europe."
Hercules shook his head, "I've heard of him, but no, I don't think I've ever met him."
Giles looked around, "You're absolutely sure he lost his soul?"
"Pretty damn obvious, Giles," Xander said. "He was about kill both me and Will when Jono here showed up."
Buffy shook her head, "I should've known. When I saw him at the house, he was different. The things he said..."
"What things?"
"It's private."
"But you didn't know he'd turned bad?" Jenny asked.
"How did you?" Willow asked.
"What?"
"Yeah, Miss C," Xander nodded. "You knew. You told us to get away from him."
"Well," she said, "I saw his face."
"If only we knew how it happened," Giles murmured, leaning back.
"What do you mean?" Buffy asked.
"Well," the Watcher elaborated, "something set it off. Some... some, uh, event must've triggered his transformation. Well, if anyone would know, Buffy, it-it should be you."
"I don't."
"Well, did anything happen last night that... that might...""
"Giles, please, I can't..." the Slayer begged before fleeing the library.
Xander sighed and shook his head, "Leave her be, guys. Let's focus on the plan."
"Yes," Giles said, "the plan. The plan you still haven't told us about."
Xander looked at Hercules, who leaned over and said, "It's like this..."
* * *
After the meeting broke up, Hercules walked with Xander. Shooting a look over his shoulder, he said, "Xander, ah, I don't know how to put this, but Willow-..."
"Yeah, I know," Xander interrupted. "She's Gabby. Your sister told me."
"Oh," the demigod nodded. "So you know about them?"
That caused Xander to stumble to a halt, and he looked at his old friend, "'Them'? Who else is there?"
"Jonathan," Hercules replied.
Xander thought about that and smiled, "He's Joxer, isn't he?"
"Uh, no, I don't think so," Herc shook his head. "When I look at him, I don't see Joxer."
"Who do you see, then?" Xander asked.
"Well," Herc shrugged, not understanding it himself, "I see... you, actually."
"Wait, wait, wait," Xander said. "He can't be me. _I'm_ me."
"I know. It doesn't make any-..."
The realization struck them both at the same time.
"Iolaus Two."
"Hold on," Xander said. "How is that possible? Shouldn't he be reincarnated on _his_ world?"
"Why are you asking _me_? You're the one who's done the reincarnation thing, not me. How should _I_ know?"
* * *
Author's Postscript:
Gotcha! Had you thinking Jono was Joxer, didn't I? I've got other plans for him... if I can figure out how to write it in. _
Author: Cyclone
Feedback: Please be gentle.
Distribution: Gimme credit and a link. Plus, archived at http://fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=62966 or http://fanfiction.net/~cyclone
Rating: I'm gonna go say PG.
Spoilers: Up to season two of Buffy and anything in the Herc/Xenaverse.
Disclaimer: The characters depicted herein belong to other people. I'm just borrowing them for a while.
Summary: What happens when the divine and demonic collide? Sequel to Divine Interruption.
Author's Note: Yeah, I know, it took me long enough to get to this point. But at least I'm working on it.
* * *
"Ahem, let me see if I understand correctly," Giles said, looking at Jonathan. "This past Halloween, you went to Ethan's in search of a costume at the last minute. You took the last prop gun remaining and dressed as a soldier. Subsequently, you turned into a soldier for the night."
Jonathan nodded, "Yeah, and I remember all those soldier skills, so I thought I could, y'know, help. I've been trying to figure out how to offer it without looking, well, crazy." He looked at them and asked, "So, uh, _can_ I help?"
"Depends," Xander said, shooting Buffy a concerned look before looking back at Jonathan. "Got any ideas on how to kill a demon that 'no weapon forged by man' can kill?"
"Um... no?"
Xander sighed, "So that leaves us with just my plan."
Giles blinked at him, "Your plan? And what plan would that be?"
"I believe," came a new voice from the library doors, "that his plan would be me."
Everyone turned and -- except for Xander -- stared. Standing there was one Kevin Sorbo.
Xander rose and greeted him, "How'd you get here so fast?"
"Private jet," the big man replied. "Wealth does have its advantages."
There was also an unexpected benefit. The new arrival broke Buffy out of her funk.
"Xander? You... you... you know Kevin Sorbo?!" she screeched.
"Ah, you didn't tell them?" the actor looked at Xander, who shrugged.
"Not really my place to tell, Herc."
The larger man sighed. "We can't really do this without telling them, Xander."
"I know," Xander shrugged, "but I didn't have a whole lot of choice, and I trust them." He shifted and pointed to each of them in turn, "Buffy over there is the Slayer. Giles is a Watcher. I grew up with Willow and Cordy, and I trust them, and lastly, Miss Calendar and Jonathan here both sorta just saved my life."
Hercules looked at them in turn, his gaze lingering on Willow and Jonathan for a moment. There was something familiar about them...
He shook that off as Xander gestured to him.
"And, guys, this... is Hercules. The real one."
The others stared, transfixed by the bombshell he'd just dropped.
Hercules nodded, "Most of what you saw on the show really did happen back then. Xander knows me because he's Iolaus's reincarnation, and this past Halloween, the spell caused him to regain all his memories, which in turn, set off a spell I'd had watching for things like that."
"That..." Buffy sputtered, "...is insane. You expect us to believe he's really Hercules?"
Xander shot Hercules a look, then looked at Buffy, then said, "Arm wrestle him, then, if you don't believe me, Buff."
* * *
"Oww," Buffy complained as she rubbed her sore arm. "Okay, so he's really Hercules," she pouted.
"Have we wasted enough time yet?" Xander asked, looking around. "We need a fix on the Judge and a line on why Angel's soul went bye bye."
"Who's Angel?" Hercules asked.
Giles sighed, "A vampire. Cursed by the Romany a hundred years ago with a human soul. He's an ally of ours. Or, at least, he was."
"Angel, huh?" Hercules mused.
"Have you met him?" Giles asked. "In his darker days, he went by the name Angelus, the Scourge of Europe."
Hercules shook his head, "I've heard of him, but no, I don't think I've ever met him."
Giles looked around, "You're absolutely sure he lost his soul?"
"Pretty damn obvious, Giles," Xander said. "He was about kill both me and Will when Jono here showed up."
Buffy shook her head, "I should've known. When I saw him at the house, he was different. The things he said..."
"What things?"
"It's private."
"But you didn't know he'd turned bad?" Jenny asked.
"How did you?" Willow asked.
"What?"
"Yeah, Miss C," Xander nodded. "You knew. You told us to get away from him."
"Well," she said, "I saw his face."
"If only we knew how it happened," Giles murmured, leaning back.
"What do you mean?" Buffy asked.
"Well," the Watcher elaborated, "something set it off. Some... some, uh, event must've triggered his transformation. Well, if anyone would know, Buffy, it-it should be you."
"I don't."
"Well, did anything happen last night that... that might...""
"Giles, please, I can't..." the Slayer begged before fleeing the library.
Xander sighed and shook his head, "Leave her be, guys. Let's focus on the plan."
"Yes," Giles said, "the plan. The plan you still haven't told us about."
Xander looked at Hercules, who leaned over and said, "It's like this..."
* * *
After the meeting broke up, Hercules walked with Xander. Shooting a look over his shoulder, he said, "Xander, ah, I don't know how to put this, but Willow-..."
"Yeah, I know," Xander interrupted. "She's Gabby. Your sister told me."
"Oh," the demigod nodded. "So you know about them?"
That caused Xander to stumble to a halt, and he looked at his old friend, "'Them'? Who else is there?"
"Jonathan," Hercules replied.
Xander thought about that and smiled, "He's Joxer, isn't he?"
"Uh, no, I don't think so," Herc shook his head. "When I look at him, I don't see Joxer."
"Who do you see, then?" Xander asked.
"Well," Herc shrugged, not understanding it himself, "I see... you, actually."
"Wait, wait, wait," Xander said. "He can't be me. _I'm_ me."
"I know. It doesn't make any-..."
The realization struck them both at the same time.
"Iolaus Two."
"Hold on," Xander said. "How is that possible? Shouldn't he be reincarnated on _his_ world?"
"Why are you asking _me_? You're the one who's done the reincarnation thing, not me. How should _I_ know?"
* * *
Author's Postscript:
Gotcha! Had you thinking Jono was Joxer, didn't I? I've got other plans for him... if I can figure out how to write it in. _