Thief in the night
Disclaimer: I don't own anything so there would be very little point in suing me. The marvelous characters in this story are owned by the people who own them and not unfortunately by me. If you don't recognize a character then it's mine, all mine.
Summary: Xander encounters the x-men but that'd just be boring so there's a twist.
Spoilers: Not really but let's say X-men 1 and Buffy season 6 to be safe.
Rating: Let's say pg-13 in case I use a bad word.
Author's note: Big Thanks to everyone who's reading and reviewing or even just reading.
Chapter 5 - You gotta be kidding me!
"You're shitting me!" Xander burst thumping the glass cabinet with a fist a little too hard. His hand disappeared through the hard surface smashing the glass and raining shards down on the cabinet's contents.
" Hey!" The owner of the cabinet yelled out angrily the large man's hand dipping below the display he was standing behind and withdrawing a baseball bat.
" Sorry, don't know my own strength." Xander sputtered hurrying to apologize as he backed slowly towards the door, the man moved quickly out from behind the remaining display cases.
" Don't suppose you could give me the address of the girl you sold that medallion to?" Xander asked the man, who replied by swinging the bat through the air threateningly and screaming.
" Stupid Punk I'm going to knock your head off!"
" I suppose that's a no. " Xander shot back and disappeared out the door breaking into a sprint to avoid the man should he choose the chase him.
He couldn't believe it the medallion had already been sold. Some girl had picked it up as a necklace. His only ticket to normality was now being used as a fashion statement!
Xander turned into an alley off of the main street and stared at the brick wall.
"AGRHHHH!!!!!" He screamed suddenly lashing out at the bricks with his fist ignoring the slight tingle he received for putting a dent in the wall.
" Not fair, no way is this fair!" He yelled kicking at a dumpster before slumping into a crouch with his back against the wall. His thirteen-year- old emotions barely in check.
" I want to go home, " Xander muttered to himself despondently, " I want to go out to coffee with Buf and not have it look like she's babysitting me. I want to get my job back and live in my nice dry apartment and watch my TV. " Xander sighed and cradled his head in his hands for a moment and then looked skywards.
" Come on Will help me out. Do your magic thingy and make this all go away. Please Will. " With his last desperate plea Xander's head returned to his hands and he tried desperately not to cry.
" Something I can help you with?" A now familiar voice asked from nearby and Xander raised his head and looked up at Logan who was standing at the mouth of the alley. The black leather he had been wearing before hand was gone, replaced with a pair of blue jeans a white t-shirt and a black leather biker jacket.
Stupid mutant machiny thing, why couldn't the freaks just leave him alone.
" Actually you can't help me, " Xander replied pushing himself out of his crouch with his legs and staring at Logan with a frown.
" Why don't you try me? You never know I can't help until you tell me what you need help with. " Logan suggested as he pulled a short cigar from his pocket and stuck it in the side of his mouth.
" Fine can you turn back time?" Xander demanded taking a step forward, Logan shook his head.
" Then you can't help. Now go away. " Xander shot back
" I know what it's like to be all by yourself, I know that it sucks. " Logan volunteered and Xander stared impassively at him.
" Yeah? And now that you are staying with the professor your life has meaning and happiness and I should give it a try too?" Xander asked sarcastically and Logan let out a low grumble.
" Knock it off kid, I'm just trying to help. "
" Yeah well go help someone else cause I'm not in the mood, "
Xander moved backwards and leant against the wall and rolled his eyes as a large drop of rain fell from the sky and splattered onto his or should he say Logan's boot. Great just great, that's all he needed, a storm when he was homeless.
" Come on, let's get out of the rain. " Logan suggested and after a few more drops fell Xander let out a sigh and followed the larger man out of the alley.
Half way through his third burger Xander looked up at Logan who was watching him obviously fascinated that Xander could fit so little food in his scrawny little body.
" Wha? " Xander asked through cheeseburger and Logan shrugged his shoulders.
" Nothing I was just wondering if you had hollowed legs, I mean where is that all going?"
Xander glared at him unable to answer because of the mixture of burger bun, cheese and meat stuffed into his mouth.
" I've got a proposition for you." Logan announced and Xander raised an eyebrow.
" Come back to the school with me, just for a night and see if maybe you want to stay for awhile. No obligation you can leave anytime you want."
" Why would I want to do that?" Xander asked flatly as he stuffed a few more fries into his mouth.
" I don't know, because the school is warm, dry and safe." Logan shot back.
" How do you know that I don't already have somewhere warm, dry and safe to go to?" Xander demanded and Logan raised an eyebrow and let his gaze wander down Xander's body from his unwashed hair to his dirty jeans and too big jacket.
" Yeah, well then we'll talk to your folks and if they give permission you can come out to the school anyway. " Logan replied shrugging.
" I don't understand why are you all so desperate for me to go to this school?" Xander asked suspiciously
" Look kid you've got a lot of power we can all see it and the professor just wants to make sure that you're taught how to use it, how to control it. And the school is the perfect and maybe only place where you can learn that."
" You just want to control my power?" Xander asked outraged and Logan shook his head.
" No. yes but that's not the only reason, look I'm really bad at this."
" What holding a conversation?" Xander deadpanned and Logan shot him a look,
" No being diplomatic if it were up to me you'd just come to the school."
" And how would you do that?" Xander inquired and Logan gave another frustrated growl and shook his head.
" I don't know, are you coming or not?" He demanded and Xander dunked a fry into his milkshake thoughtfully.
" I can leave anytime I want?" Xander clarified and Logan nodded. Xander chewed his lip in thought for a minute.
" Fine. " He stated and Logan nodded.
" You're doing the right thing," He told the boy and Xander shrugged like he didn't care either way and although the movement grated on Logan's nerves he let it go.
Logan and Xander collected Xander's bag from the station and made their way back to the Mansion in Logan's car the trip was made in silence and both occupants of the car seemed to be comfortable with this.
" Looks different in the day. " Xander suggested as the pulled up at the mansion finally and Logan nodded. " Come on let's go talk to the professor, " Xander nodded and followed Logan into the building winding through the elegant passage ways until they reached a closed door at one corner of the house.
" Are you ready?" Logan asked and Xander shrugged, Logan stared at him a beat and then pushed open the door.
The professor was behind his desk scribbling something onto a piece of paper and he looked up as the duo entered the room.
" Dale, good to see you again. " The professor announced smiling and Xander nodded silent until Logan shot him a look.
" Yeah you too, " Xander replied staring at Logan who stared back.
" You want me to go?" Logan asked the professor who immediately shook his head.
" No I don't see any reason why you can't stay. " Logan nodded and Logan took a couple of steps back and sank into an armchair.
The professor pointed to the accompanying chair,
" Please take a seat Dale." Xander sank into the leather-backed armchair casually and looked at the professor.
" I'm sure you have a lot of questions, so I'll try and answer as many of those as possible. " The professor smiled but Xander didn't return the gesture.
" Not really." He shot back instead and the professor's smile faltered for a moment but returned almost immediately.
" All right then let me tell you about our school, we have students here from ages six to about twenty two, they come from all across the country and they are all mutants like you. "
Except I'm not a mutant, Xander thought to himself.
" At the school we teach the basic academic studies but we also train our students in understanding and controlling the gifts they have, and some like the X-men are invited to stay on at the school after they have finished their schooling to remain here as teachers. "
" How do you know that I even have a gift?" Xander asked
" Dale do you know what it means to be telepathic?" Xander nodded, god he hated being treated like a child.
" Well I'm telepathic and I can communicate internally with others by talking to them in their minds, do you understand?" Xander nodded once,
" But I have been trying to make contact with you since you first arrived in the school and have not been able to enter your mind. Were you aware that you were blocking me?"
" Really?" Xander asked surprised that he'd been able to do that, on the couple of occasions that Willow had 'talked' to him in his mind it had been like a bullhorn in his ear.
" This is very interesting to me, and it's also an insight into the fact that you may not be aware of the level of your powers yet. The X-men told me about your fight with Bear and the fact that you displayed remarkable strength and sense of mind. " Despite himself Xander felt a slight tinge of heat in his cheeks, he wasn't that used to compliments.
" So how would you find out what 'gifts' I had?" Xander asked ducking his head to avoid the professor seeing his blush.
" When you were shot Dr. Grey took some blood and ran some X-rays she's collating the information now and running some tests on your genetic make up and they might be able to give us an insight into your abilities. "
" I didn't say she could do that. " Xander snapped and the professor looked surprised by the sudden sharp tone Xander was using.
" I apologize but we didn't think that you would mind, "
" Well I do! " Xander shot back in the same sharp tone and he was rewarded with a sharp warning look from Logan. The intensity of the older man's gaze holding him in check from a larger outburst.
" I can assure you that the results will be keep confidential, no-one outside this school will ever find out about the results of the tests. " The professor explained but Xander said nothing.
" Now while we wait for Jean to bring up the results were there any questions you wanted to ask me now?"
Xander shook his head and clenched his hands nervously. He was essentially deep within enemy territory and if the X-men found out that he'd been lying to them, he wasn't sure what they would do, and whether he'd be able to get out of it.
" Deep thoughts, you want to share them?" The Professor asked but Xander's silence was cut off by a knock at the door.
Dr. Grey walked in wearing a white lab coat in her right hand she clenched a file and she was wearing a strange expression on her face.
" You have the results? " Logan asked and Jean nodded,
" Yes, and I must say they certainly are." She seemed to search for the right word. " Surprising " She ended staring at Xander.
AN: Life is getting busier by the second but I'll get right on the next part.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything so there would be very little point in suing me. The marvelous characters in this story are owned by the people who own them and not unfortunately by me. If you don't recognize a character then it's mine, all mine.
Summary: Xander encounters the x-men but that'd just be boring so there's a twist.
Spoilers: Not really but let's say X-men 1 and Buffy season 6 to be safe.
Rating: Let's say pg-13 in case I use a bad word.
Author's note: Big Thanks to everyone who's reading and reviewing or even just reading.
Chapter 5 - You gotta be kidding me!
"You're shitting me!" Xander burst thumping the glass cabinet with a fist a little too hard. His hand disappeared through the hard surface smashing the glass and raining shards down on the cabinet's contents.
" Hey!" The owner of the cabinet yelled out angrily the large man's hand dipping below the display he was standing behind and withdrawing a baseball bat.
" Sorry, don't know my own strength." Xander sputtered hurrying to apologize as he backed slowly towards the door, the man moved quickly out from behind the remaining display cases.
" Don't suppose you could give me the address of the girl you sold that medallion to?" Xander asked the man, who replied by swinging the bat through the air threateningly and screaming.
" Stupid Punk I'm going to knock your head off!"
" I suppose that's a no. " Xander shot back and disappeared out the door breaking into a sprint to avoid the man should he choose the chase him.
He couldn't believe it the medallion had already been sold. Some girl had picked it up as a necklace. His only ticket to normality was now being used as a fashion statement!
Xander turned into an alley off of the main street and stared at the brick wall.
"AGRHHHH!!!!!" He screamed suddenly lashing out at the bricks with his fist ignoring the slight tingle he received for putting a dent in the wall.
" Not fair, no way is this fair!" He yelled kicking at a dumpster before slumping into a crouch with his back against the wall. His thirteen-year- old emotions barely in check.
" I want to go home, " Xander muttered to himself despondently, " I want to go out to coffee with Buf and not have it look like she's babysitting me. I want to get my job back and live in my nice dry apartment and watch my TV. " Xander sighed and cradled his head in his hands for a moment and then looked skywards.
" Come on Will help me out. Do your magic thingy and make this all go away. Please Will. " With his last desperate plea Xander's head returned to his hands and he tried desperately not to cry.
" Something I can help you with?" A now familiar voice asked from nearby and Xander raised his head and looked up at Logan who was standing at the mouth of the alley. The black leather he had been wearing before hand was gone, replaced with a pair of blue jeans a white t-shirt and a black leather biker jacket.
Stupid mutant machiny thing, why couldn't the freaks just leave him alone.
" Actually you can't help me, " Xander replied pushing himself out of his crouch with his legs and staring at Logan with a frown.
" Why don't you try me? You never know I can't help until you tell me what you need help with. " Logan suggested as he pulled a short cigar from his pocket and stuck it in the side of his mouth.
" Fine can you turn back time?" Xander demanded taking a step forward, Logan shook his head.
" Then you can't help. Now go away. " Xander shot back
" I know what it's like to be all by yourself, I know that it sucks. " Logan volunteered and Xander stared impassively at him.
" Yeah? And now that you are staying with the professor your life has meaning and happiness and I should give it a try too?" Xander asked sarcastically and Logan let out a low grumble.
" Knock it off kid, I'm just trying to help. "
" Yeah well go help someone else cause I'm not in the mood, "
Xander moved backwards and leant against the wall and rolled his eyes as a large drop of rain fell from the sky and splattered onto his or should he say Logan's boot. Great just great, that's all he needed, a storm when he was homeless.
" Come on, let's get out of the rain. " Logan suggested and after a few more drops fell Xander let out a sigh and followed the larger man out of the alley.
Half way through his third burger Xander looked up at Logan who was watching him obviously fascinated that Xander could fit so little food in his scrawny little body.
" Wha? " Xander asked through cheeseburger and Logan shrugged his shoulders.
" Nothing I was just wondering if you had hollowed legs, I mean where is that all going?"
Xander glared at him unable to answer because of the mixture of burger bun, cheese and meat stuffed into his mouth.
" I've got a proposition for you." Logan announced and Xander raised an eyebrow.
" Come back to the school with me, just for a night and see if maybe you want to stay for awhile. No obligation you can leave anytime you want."
" Why would I want to do that?" Xander asked flatly as he stuffed a few more fries into his mouth.
" I don't know, because the school is warm, dry and safe." Logan shot back.
" How do you know that I don't already have somewhere warm, dry and safe to go to?" Xander demanded and Logan raised an eyebrow and let his gaze wander down Xander's body from his unwashed hair to his dirty jeans and too big jacket.
" Yeah, well then we'll talk to your folks and if they give permission you can come out to the school anyway. " Logan replied shrugging.
" I don't understand why are you all so desperate for me to go to this school?" Xander asked suspiciously
" Look kid you've got a lot of power we can all see it and the professor just wants to make sure that you're taught how to use it, how to control it. And the school is the perfect and maybe only place where you can learn that."
" You just want to control my power?" Xander asked outraged and Logan shook his head.
" No. yes but that's not the only reason, look I'm really bad at this."
" What holding a conversation?" Xander deadpanned and Logan shot him a look,
" No being diplomatic if it were up to me you'd just come to the school."
" And how would you do that?" Xander inquired and Logan gave another frustrated growl and shook his head.
" I don't know, are you coming or not?" He demanded and Xander dunked a fry into his milkshake thoughtfully.
" I can leave anytime I want?" Xander clarified and Logan nodded. Xander chewed his lip in thought for a minute.
" Fine. " He stated and Logan nodded.
" You're doing the right thing," He told the boy and Xander shrugged like he didn't care either way and although the movement grated on Logan's nerves he let it go.
Logan and Xander collected Xander's bag from the station and made their way back to the Mansion in Logan's car the trip was made in silence and both occupants of the car seemed to be comfortable with this.
" Looks different in the day. " Xander suggested as the pulled up at the mansion finally and Logan nodded. " Come on let's go talk to the professor, " Xander nodded and followed Logan into the building winding through the elegant passage ways until they reached a closed door at one corner of the house.
" Are you ready?" Logan asked and Xander shrugged, Logan stared at him a beat and then pushed open the door.
The professor was behind his desk scribbling something onto a piece of paper and he looked up as the duo entered the room.
" Dale, good to see you again. " The professor announced smiling and Xander nodded silent until Logan shot him a look.
" Yeah you too, " Xander replied staring at Logan who stared back.
" You want me to go?" Logan asked the professor who immediately shook his head.
" No I don't see any reason why you can't stay. " Logan nodded and Logan took a couple of steps back and sank into an armchair.
The professor pointed to the accompanying chair,
" Please take a seat Dale." Xander sank into the leather-backed armchair casually and looked at the professor.
" I'm sure you have a lot of questions, so I'll try and answer as many of those as possible. " The professor smiled but Xander didn't return the gesture.
" Not really." He shot back instead and the professor's smile faltered for a moment but returned almost immediately.
" All right then let me tell you about our school, we have students here from ages six to about twenty two, they come from all across the country and they are all mutants like you. "
Except I'm not a mutant, Xander thought to himself.
" At the school we teach the basic academic studies but we also train our students in understanding and controlling the gifts they have, and some like the X-men are invited to stay on at the school after they have finished their schooling to remain here as teachers. "
" How do you know that I even have a gift?" Xander asked
" Dale do you know what it means to be telepathic?" Xander nodded, god he hated being treated like a child.
" Well I'm telepathic and I can communicate internally with others by talking to them in their minds, do you understand?" Xander nodded once,
" But I have been trying to make contact with you since you first arrived in the school and have not been able to enter your mind. Were you aware that you were blocking me?"
" Really?" Xander asked surprised that he'd been able to do that, on the couple of occasions that Willow had 'talked' to him in his mind it had been like a bullhorn in his ear.
" This is very interesting to me, and it's also an insight into the fact that you may not be aware of the level of your powers yet. The X-men told me about your fight with Bear and the fact that you displayed remarkable strength and sense of mind. " Despite himself Xander felt a slight tinge of heat in his cheeks, he wasn't that used to compliments.
" So how would you find out what 'gifts' I had?" Xander asked ducking his head to avoid the professor seeing his blush.
" When you were shot Dr. Grey took some blood and ran some X-rays she's collating the information now and running some tests on your genetic make up and they might be able to give us an insight into your abilities. "
" I didn't say she could do that. " Xander snapped and the professor looked surprised by the sudden sharp tone Xander was using.
" I apologize but we didn't think that you would mind, "
" Well I do! " Xander shot back in the same sharp tone and he was rewarded with a sharp warning look from Logan. The intensity of the older man's gaze holding him in check from a larger outburst.
" I can assure you that the results will be keep confidential, no-one outside this school will ever find out about the results of the tests. " The professor explained but Xander said nothing.
" Now while we wait for Jean to bring up the results were there any questions you wanted to ask me now?"
Xander shook his head and clenched his hands nervously. He was essentially deep within enemy territory and if the X-men found out that he'd been lying to them, he wasn't sure what they would do, and whether he'd be able to get out of it.
" Deep thoughts, you want to share them?" The Professor asked but Xander's silence was cut off by a knock at the door.
Dr. Grey walked in wearing a white lab coat in her right hand she clenched a file and she was wearing a strange expression on her face.
" You have the results? " Logan asked and Jean nodded,
" Yes, and I must say they certainly are." She seemed to search for the right word. " Surprising " She ended staring at Xander.
AN: Life is getting busier by the second but I'll get right on the next part.