Title: Halloween, Episode X(ander)
Author: DhampyrX2
Genre: Halloween remix
Rating: PG-13, just to be safe
Summary: Xander wears a different costume, yadda, yadda, yoda.

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. Don't sue me, I'm poor.

******

`Whoo-Khhhhsss" "Whoo-Khhhhsss" "Whoo-Khhhhsss" "Whoo-
Khhhhsss" "Whoo-Khhhhsss"

The inhale/exhale hiss of Lord Vader's respirator was the first
sound to imprint itself on the Sith Lord's consciousness as he
surveyed his surroundings. He appeared to be on some primitive
world just barely out of the stone age in technology. Was this
some sort of test set by his master for his failure? *Strange,* he
thought, *the last thing I remember was finding out that that self
righteous idiot Obi-Wan had hidden my son from me, and that Luke was
responsible for the Death Star.* That thought caused a black rage
to well up inside Lord Vader as he thought of his former master's
treachery. *How dare that old bastard keep that from me. It was
bad enough he hid Padme from me, and denied me a real fight on the
Death Star…but this? I wish I could kill him all over again.
Slowly and Painfully.*, Vader fantasized darkly.

*Will you stop ranting like that? And who the heck is Padme, anyway?
*, A young voice responded in Vader's head, just loud enough to pick
up though the Force.

The sudden intrusion shocked the Sith, as his mental shields were
impregnable to all but the Emperor himself, or so he had
thought. "Identify yourself immediately, or face my wrath!", Vader
snarled aloud, searching through the Force for the source of the
voice.

*Name's Xander Harris. And you're the one invading MY body, as near
as I can tell. Something REALLY Hellmouthy must be going on.
You`re just supposed to be my costume*, the voice replied, obviously
disgruntled, and a little scared.

*You'll pardon me if I find that a little far fetched.*, Vader
replied mentally, as be began to stroll though the town, taking
stock of his surroundings.

*I find you're lack of faith disturbing.*, Xander replied in a
credible imitation of Vader's own timbre. *You're the big bad Dark
Jedi. Search you're feelings and all that. You know it to be true.*

Darth Vader chose to ignore the mocking of him for the time being,
and instead used the Force search out the truth in Xander's words.
A sense of awe filled him as he could detect no falsehood. Instead,
he began to sense several incongruities with where he was, and
reality as he knew it. He couldn't feel his Master, for one. And
his power in the Force felt weaker. It was still strong, perhaps at
Obi-Wan's level, but it no longer eclipsed Yoda. It also seemed to
be growing rapidly, as if returning him to form. As far as Vader
knew midi-chlorian counts couldn't change, but he could feel them
multiplying. Could it be true? There was only one way to confirm
it. Vader found a quiet place, using the Dark Side to
telekinetically toss any creatures that attacked him aside in
annoyance, before finding a quiet enough place to meditate. If
Xander, who had not stopped prattling on in his head, was telling
the truth, then he should be able to reach the boy, and more
importantly, the boy's memories, by searching though his OWN head.

It took several minutes, but finally, Vader made full contact with
Xander Harris. He ignored the boy's protests as they bonded,
seeming to read each other's lives in fast forward. Vader was
impressed with Alexander's resourcefulness and cunning. He was
also most interested in what appeared to be a blue-print for his
future in the form of the movies and novels that Xander had nearly
worshipped as a religion akin to the Force itself as a young child.
The most startling of things for Vader to discover were that Leia
Organa was his child as well, and that he was not beyond
redemption. The first seemed obvious to the Force's Chosen One
now. Leia resembled her mother in so many ways, just as Luke
resembled Anakin Skywalker. Vader marveled as he saw his future
death, and his return to the light. *Even Yoda forgave and accepted
me?*, he marveled, stunned by what was to come if nothing changed in
his life.

Xander, likewise was floored, as he essentially lived first Anakin's
and then Vader's life. The most shocking thing was that there was
little difference between the two. He wasn't a split personality or
anything. He was just very angry, and misguided. Most of that
could be traced back to Palpatine, too. Xander gained a new level
of hatred for the Emperor as a man as he saw Anakin's life
objectively from an outside perspective. Darth Sidious was true
evil on a scale Xander had yet to see from any demon.

Their meditative bond was cut abruptly short as a girl in a cat
costume, Cordelia, was the name Vader pulled from Xander's memories,
ran past them screaming, as she was chased by some kind of hairy
beast man.

*We should probably save her. Buffy and the others would get
cheezed off if we didn't.*, Xander commented, almost regretfully.
It was obvious he was still trying to process all he had become
connected to in Vader.

Darth Vader then did something he had swore he was incapable of, and
reached out fully to the Light Side of the Force, purely by
accidental instinct. *Indeed we should, my Padawan apprentice. I
feel this union will be temporary. I'll have to train you as much
as I can by example before then.*, Vader replied mentally, as he
used the Force to toss the ape-like creature aside. He largely
ignored the still running and screaming Cordelia. He felt no more
real danger toward her or the others tonight. Besides, there was
still much to prepare for, and a finite amount of time to do it in.