NEW FRIENDS
Halliwell Manor: San Francisco, California
"I'll put him on the couch." Leo picked him up and gently placed him on the couch. With that done he placed his hands over Xander and his hands began to glow. As soon as he began he stopped. With wide eyes he began to shake his head. "Phew" he said.
"What is it?" A look of such extreme concern came over Phoebe's face. "Is something wrong? Can't you heal him?" As she said this tears started to stream down her cheeks.
Leo looked up at her and smiled. "Actually it's quite the opposite. I don't know what it is but there is en energy in him. It might be what we saw earlier, but whatever it is its powerful. I just wasn't expecting it." He replied with a self-deprecating smile "It was almost like a high using both of our energies to heal him. It was almost euphoric. I just wasn't expecting it." Turning back his hands began to glow again and a smile appeared on his face. As soon as his hands started glowing again the bruises basically vanished from his face and chest, his bones knitted and his body was quickly healing itself. In just a matter of moments it was over and Leo stood up with a smile on his face.
"I've never felt anything like that. Whatever it is, it allowed me to heal him much quicker than I've ever been able to heal anyone." Looking down at the man on the couch he continued. "There is one thing though." He looked up at the witched with a pensive expression. "Whatever power lies within him…and I don't think it's whatever we saw earlier…it's the most pure form of energy and power I have ever felt." Leo paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. "It almost felt holy, and in a way it might have been. Whoever he is, he's an important player in the war on darkness. That much I can definitely tell you." Looking at Piper, the woman he loved, he began contemplating her chance meeting with the unconscious man on their couch. 'This can't all just be coincidental.' Looking down at Xander he stated, "I think I'll place him in a room upstairs and Orb up to the other Elders and see what I can find out about him." With that said Leo bent down to pick up a supposedly unconscious Xander, when he suddenly found himself being thrown to the ground and a disoriented Xander on top of him.
Consciousness returned slowly to Xander. He could hear some murmuring in the background…but nothing decipherable. The last thing he remembered was being beaten to a pulp by a lot of vamps. All of his musing was put to a stop as he could feel someone hovering over him and hand was placed on his shoulder. As soon as physical contact was made Xander sprang into action.
"What's going on?" A clearly upset Xander asked. He got a better look at who was holding under him and saw it was the stranger from before. He looked up and saw the shocked expression on the face of what he truly believed to be a goddess. He looked back down and slowly let go of the man's arm and apologized for acting like that. A clearly shaken Leo quickly dismissed it telling him it was fine, nothing to apologize for. He looked back at Phoebe who was now sending a beaming smile in his direction. He was momentarily lost in that smile until he suddenly found himself dizzy. Leo quickly grabbed him by the shoulder and directed him to the couch.
Giving Xander a sympathetic look he spoke quietly. "I'm Leo by the way. Thanks for all the help earlier."
Looking up into Leo's eyes, Xander could feel the concern pouring from him. Smiling shyly he looked down and responded. "No prob Leo, I was just trying to help Piper when that blue freak of a demon through an energy ball at her. From there, well, I just did what came naturally." Looking around at the shocked expressions of the three witches…he gave a self-deprecating smile before continuing. "And well, we all know how the rest went. Come to think of it. I remember getting my ass kicked by a bunch of vamps and being in incredible pain. Why aren't I still in pain now. It couldn't have happened that long ago. I mean Phoebe is still wearing that stunning outfit." He finished of that statement with a smile that grew as he saw Phoebe blush slightly. He looked at Leo expectantly.
Leo looked indecisive for a moment. He looked around the room and saw all three of the sisters nod their head. He already trusted Xander. He had gone out of the way to save the life of his love and her family, his family. But that didn't mean he was going to tell secrets without permission. After seeing them nod he nodded to himself. He looked at Xander and replied, "I healed those wounds as soon as we arrived here." He decided to stay away from the entire 'there is an energy within you' bit. When he heard no comment from Xander he decided to continue. "I'm what's known as a White lighter."
"White lighter?"
"A White lighter is a guardian for natural born witches, which these three are." He paused seeing all three witches nod along and saw Xander who was now wearing a smile. "What's with the sudden smile?"
"My best friend is Wiccan." With that statement the mood seemed to lighten considerably.
Leo decided to continue "You took quite a beating, and while I was able to heal your wounds you still need to get some rest." Everyone saw Xander about to protest and Piper spoke up.
"Uh-uh, you are getting rest. You are serving bar tonight and will need all the rest you can get. I'm still your boss and if I have to I'll order you sleep." With the look that Xander was giving her she knew she won the argument and had quite a large smile plastered on her face. Then Paige decided to speak up.
"And if there is still a problem getting you into bed, I'm sure Phoebe can find a way to get you in there." Yep, a definite smirk on her face. Looking over at Phoebe he saw that Paige was able to get Phoebe to blush a few shades darker than he had been able to do earlier. 'Well I can't let that stand.'
"Hmm…I think I may have to protest. I'm kind of curious as to how she's going to get me into her bed…I mean bed." He looked in Phoebe's direction and saw her turn quite a few more shades before she decided to breathe. 'Oh yea, I think that puts me a few up on Paige.' Yep he was definitely smirking too. Phoebe saw all this and wasn't about to let this happen to her.
"Oh don't even think it, you need a hell of a lot more energy to get into my bed, I'd probably kill you. And if you're curios I think blunt force trauma and making Leo carry you upstairs would get you into bed…not my bed…bed." Now she was smirking as he looked to the floor. Suddenly he looked up and sighed.
"Ahh but what a way to go." That answer got some good nature groans and a few pillows flung at his head.
"Well, as much fun as this is. I'm going to Orb up to the Elders and find out what's going on." Looking at Piper he added, "I also want to make sure baby Wyatt isn't in any more danger." With that said Leo orbed out of the room. Xander looked to where Leo had been with raised eyebrows.
He pointed to the now empty chair. "Orbed?" seeing them all smile and shake their heads he replied, "Wow, Cool! Um, whose 'baby Wyatt'?"
"That would be mine and Leo's baby" replied Piper. Xander just shook his head while a large smile formed.
"So Phoebe, you were going to show me a bed?" She just smiled, shook her head and led him upstairs.
He awoke about six hours later. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so refreshed. He ventured down the stairs and could smell that someone was cooking a meal that instantly had his stomach growling. It must have been loud enough. Piper turned around from where she was cooking with a smirk on her face.
"Welcome back to the land of the living. You look well rested. Although I think you could do with a shower before tending bar tonight." From the look he was giving her she added, "Hey I have a business to run and if you think I'm going to let someone with bed-head serve and try to flirt with my customers you have another thing coming." He just sighed while shaking his head and promised to shower once he finished eating.
"So, where is everyone?"
"Well, Paige and Phoebe went to a magic shop to pick up some ingredients we ran out of after they made the potion we used last night, well, actually this morning."
"Ah. So when is my next shift?" he asked while taking a large bite out of a stake handed to him. "Mmm, this is the best lunch I've ever had."
"You looked like you could use a good meal. And I think I'll keep you on the night shift."
Shaking his head he replied, "Sounds good. Ahh you think someone could take me pack to my motel suite? I'm not exactly sure where we are and I think I'd prefer to change into some new clothes after a shower. There's quite a bit of Demon blood on this." He looked down in disgust. When he looked up he noticed she was eyeing his clothes in a similar fashion.
"No problem. Eat up and I'll take you back home. But after we close tonight we need to come back here. I think we have a lot to discuss." Xander nodded along with her. There definitely was a lot to discuss.
The night went along smoothly. After taking a nice long shower and putting on some clean clothes he felt extremely refreshed. He was going to have to ask Leo just what he did. And thank him for it. As he was getting ready he decided to load up on weapons. Along with his stakes, he decided to include a few iron, and silver daggers. The silver daggers he had purchased recently and had decided to get a priest to bless them. It may have gotten him some weird looks, but hey, it was worth it. He hadn't had a chance to use them yet. But with what happened last night, he wasn't taking any chances. He decided to leave his small collection of firearms home. Something told him that Piper and her sisters wouldn't like that very much. So with him being geared up he slipped into the night and made his way to P3 without so much as a problem.
Tonight, like last night, the place was busy from the moment he arrived. He noticed some of the people hanging about were there the night before. Well he remember a few of the women, if the men didn't look dangerous, or set off any warnings they just faded to background. But with so many beautiful women to gain his attention, who could blame him.
As soon as he reached the bar it was overcrowded with women. He never considered himself that great looking, but he knew he wasn't unattractive by any measure. He hoped all of this attention, and the constant flirting wouldn't go to his head, either of them. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the Halliwell family at a table in the corner smiling ruefully, and shaking their heads. He gave them a wink and went back to his bartending duties. Yep, some times, life is Good.
He was doing a damn good job at bartending if he had anything to say about it. He was keeping all of his customers happy and the drinks kept coming. He was quick and he was good. No customer had to wait too long till they got their drink. Well, except maybe that once, but it wasn't really his fault. Who could blame him? Watching Phoebe and Paige dance on the dance floor was a riveting site for any man, or woman, to watch. Paige seemed to sway to the music in her own exotic way. She seemed to be experiencing bliss as she moved. But what really caught his eye was Phoebe. She was pure grace. He saw her fight last night, and that grace was carried on to the dance floor. Like her sister her moves seemed exotic, almost to the point of being erotic. Well to him anyway. He could easily stand there all night and have been transfixed by her beauty. It was the 'polite' cough right in his ear that brought him out of his reverie to see a smirking Piper right next to him. He looked down, sighed, and looked back with a sheepish smile a turned to go back to work, when he heard her snickering behind him. He just ignored it and went back to serving his drinks. Something he thought he could use at the moment.
He was able to make it through the night with only a few more moments of distraction, but he was able to catch himself before he found himself the recipient of another 'polite' cough. When the bar closed the sisters stayed behind to make the clean-up go quicker.
Looking at the now clean bar he heard Paige's voice coming from behind him. "So, you have a car here?"
Turning around to look at her he responded. "No Paige, I walked here. My place isn't that far away." She gave a nod and beckoned him over to her. He made his way over as he noticed Piper and Phoebe already surrounding her. He figured that they were going to cast a spell or something. He wasn't expecting to be taken away in a shower of light.
When they arrived in the manor Xander looked down and started to shake his head. "Whoa, I thought that was something that Leo did. He said he was a White lighter. I've never met a witch who could do that. I know my friend can move at the speed of the wind, but not that. Are you a White lighter too?" He asked while trying to get his breath back. 'That was not fun.'
Paige shook her head. "My mother was a which, and my father was a White lighter, just like baby Wyatt. I have the ability to orb just like Leo, but I can do some other stuff too." She looked around the room to where the sisters had taken a seat. Leo and Chris were on the couch and Leo was holding Wyatt. Leo decided to speak up.
"I think its safe to assume we all have stories to tell. And I think any type of relationship should be built on trust."
While still trying to regain his breath, he looked at Leo and gave him his patented smirk. "Leo, you're an attractive guy, so don't take this the wrong way, but I don't think of you like that." Even with the smirk Xander tried to look innocent, but truth be told he was still feeling dizzy from the trip over here and wasn't pulling it off too well..
Shaking his head Leo spoke up "Cute, but not what I meant." Eyeing the one-eyed man he continued. "I think it's safe to share our stories with you…if you would be willing to share some of yours with us." Seeing that Xander was about to object, Leo continued, "I understand if you have secrets that you can't share, or aren't sure that you can share with us yet. We just want to hear what you can." Xander was taking some deep breaths and gave a nod of acceptance. Leo noticing that he should have recovered from the Orbing by now and looked concern. "Are you ok Xander, you should sit."
It was good to hear the concern coming from others without also having that feeling of being useless such as he had in the past. Xander nodded to the man and replied, "I need to get my bearings down first. I think 'Orbing' with only one eye has some serious disadvantages." Leo looked him over. Got up and handed Wyatt over to Piper.
Leo walked over to Xander put a hand on his shoulder getting his attention. "I'm sorry I didn't do this earlier, but perhaps I can help you out with that." Xander looked at him confused and somewhat dazed. "I'm not just a White lighter, but I'm also an Elder. My ability to heal wounds is much stronger than it was when I was just a White lighter. As long as there is a nerve ending, or any muscle left. I can repair your eye." Seeing the sudden hopeful look in Xander's good eye he went on. "It may take a while. And it'll probably hurt some too. But I think I can regenerate your eye. If you want me too." The now extreme wide-eye and hopeful look was all that he needed to know. He looked around the room seeing, with the exception of Chris, smiles on their faces. Chris was simply nodding along, there was a look in his eyes that Leo couldn't place but decided to let it go for now. "Let's go back up to the room you were in earlier." Leo was sure that if Xander weren't in shock right now he would have some sort of smart-ass remark for that, call it a hunch. He led him upstairs and less than two minutes later he walked back down looking contrite and somewhat euphoric like the other day.
Piper stood up, carrying a sleeping Wyatt, and guided Leo back to the couch. "Are you ok?"
"Yea, it was that energy he has in him. That should have taken a while to do, but it was done in a matter of seconds." Casting a glance upstairs he shook his head in wonder. "I was feeling such a high I almost fainted. I came down he was still in the bathroom staring at himself in the mirror with a huge, goofy smile on his face." Leo started to chuckle with that mental image. "I think he'll be down in a few minutes." Seeing the concerned looks he was receiving he took a deep breath and smiled. "I think we should wait until later to tell him about this energy I felt within him. I'm not sure if he knows it exists." The others were just beginning to nod in agreement when Xander came strolling down the stairs with that same goofy smile that Leo was talking about. It made everyone smile too, especially Chris, and the now awake Wyatt to start giggling again. Xander walked up to Leo who was now standing along with everyone else in the room, and pulled him into an embrace. "Hey, Xander I thought you didn't think of me that way." That caused some good nature chuckling and a smiling Xander to say "Thank You" once again.
"It was my pleasure Xander, but I don't want you to think I did this just to gain your trust."
Looking at the man, Xander nodded. "To be completely honest, I felt as though I could trust you last night before we were even introduced. But I think I would still feel more comfortable if you told me your story first." The others smiled and nodded along and began to tell their story. From having their powers bound by their mother and grandmother for their own protection. To their sister Prue, who was no longer alive. They talked about some of the evils they faced. Phoebe talked about Cole, who was also Balthazar, who became the Source of all evil, for a short time. By the time they were done he saw them all in a new light. He was amazed at all they had done. Here he was sitting with the three most powerful Wiccan witches in the known world, sitting next to a child that would one day wield Excalibur and may just be the most powerful being ever known to man. To say he was in awe would be quite an understatement. He was praying that by the end of him telling his tale that they would indeed be the allies he believed them to be.
He started off his tail from the beginning as well. Starting with his introduction to Buffy which had the sisters laughing. To his introduction to the night life. Which involved being the one who put a stake through the heart of his best friend Jesse. His brother in all ways but blood. He may not have lunged at him with the stake, it may have been an accident, to him it didn't matter that he had been pushed into it. Because he was still there to see the look in his brother's eyes as he turned to dust mere inches from his face. Xander's eyes, both of them, still felt the overwhelming sorrow and longing for his one time brother and almost brought tears to the occupants in the room. He went on with his story talking of living on the Hellmouth, which got quite a reaction out of Leo, being one of the few who truly knew what the Hellmouth was. He talked about all of the champions he had met. Some that had passed. The different Apocalypses that had been averted. Still downplaying his role in certain situations.
He talked about the Loss of his surrogate mother, Joyce, dying by natural causes of all things. To bringing Buffy back from the dead twice. Once by his own hand, and the other through magic. He talked about Willow, who gained much interest from the witches and a disturbed look from both Chris and Leo. He talked of Tara, her death by a man and a stray bullet. To Willow going bad. Facing down a Hell-goddess. To the latest and greatest and dealing with the First Evil. The consequential destruction of Sunnydale and the loss of his Ex-fiancé, Anya. He had spared no detail when it pertained to her. He talked of her past, their almost wedding, and how proud he had been of her in the end. By the end of his story he found himself pacing, not sure if they were going to see him at fault for the destruction of an entire town and calling, perhaps even raping, all those innocent girls of their innocence and youth, as they were now being called as slayers. He had left some key details out, such as the current plans of Giles, and Buffy with the New Watchers Council. He also decided to leave out that Dawn was also the Key. He was still waiting for them to digest his story when someone made a move. Quite surprisingly that person was Chris. He walked up to him and pulled him into an embrace of that as a brother.
"I'm sorry for your loss. Both past and present. It's more than anyone should go though. Especially someone at our age." Xander looked at him and could tell that he had an idea of what it was like to loose someone you love. He gave him a nod. Soon he found himself in the embrace of the entire family. He found himself unable to stop the silent tears that were streaming down his face. Some for the past, some from the present, some for himself. He felt cleansed for the first time in far too long. And he quietly thanked them. As they all took their seats Phoebe looked at him.
"What are you planning on doing now?"
"I haven't much thought about it. Back home I used to be the 'Zeppo' the normal guy. I could handle myself against a vamp but still, nothing special." That earned a snort from the three sisters.
"Xander you took on countless vampires and beat the crap out of a Demon. Zeppo you are not." Paige said with sincerity.
"Well. I guess after a while I got used to fighting things that were stronger and faster and was able to compensate. Although I have to admit. The vamps I've been facing here are much easier than the ones back in SunnyD."
Leo commented, "I can't be sure, but it's most likely caused by the closing of the Hellmouth in California. It has been the active one for longer than I can remember in most books, and those span back thousands of years. You may not be aware of it, but there are more then one Hellmouth on this world. Hell, there's more than one in the US." Xander shook his head to that and decided to give some more trust.
"Yea, actually I do. The now active Hellmouth is in Cleveland, its going to be protected but please don't ask me more. There are some secrets that aren't mine to tell." Leo and the rest were nodding along. It didn't take a genius to figure out who would be protecting it but they wouldn't press the issue. Xander decided to continue, "As for taking down all of those vamps and beating that Demon. Those memories are extremely fuzzy to me. I remember getting clobbered by those vamps, then nothing. I'm getting vague memories but nothing I can hold on to."
Leo stared at him for a moment. "I think I can explain. I think your conscious mind either shut down, or gave control to your subconscious." Looking at Xander intently he continued. "You had said that you were possessed twice. Once by a Hyena, and another by a Green Beret. It looked to me…" Leo frowned suddenly but continues, "and I haven no idea how this happened…as I have never heard of this before…but it looked as though those two possessions merged, or were working together." He looked up at Xander to make sure he was following. Seeing him nod along in amazement, he decided to add in his last bit of observation. "It looked like you had the speed and strength of the Hyena and the intellect and fighting skills of the soldier."
Xander was still nodding along, "Come to think of it…I can almost remember feeling a mantra going through my head, and it had an almost animalistic nature to it." Looking up towards the ceiling he tried to recall the experience. "It felt compelled to protect its pack. And I think it saw all of you, all of my friends, as its pack."
Leo decided to resume the conversation, "I can ask the other Elders if they have ever heard of this occurring, in the meantime, it might benefit you to learn some meditation skills. I could teach you." Looking over at Xander he could see Xander debating the issue, so he decided to press on. "You may be able to learn more that way. Also, I think meditation could be important for you." Looking over at the sisters momentarily, he received nods from all of them, though they knew what he was thinking, he turned back to Xander. "There's something you need to know." Seeing Xander's slightly worried expression he went on. "When I healed you last night and healed your eye today…I could feel a power in you. A strong power, one that was more pure than anything I felt before." A smile formed on his face. "And that is coming from someone who spends their time with the Charmed Ones."
Xander's face became pensive. "Do you think I can do magic, because I have to tell you that I haven't had much luck with it in the past."
"I'm aware of that Xander, I was listening when you told us of the love spell." Xander turned a few shades darker amongst the snickers. "And it may have been this untapped power that did it. I have to admit, it doesn't feel quite as 'magical' so much as it does feel 'pure' you may be able to use it to aid you in magic. But I'm not sure of its source." Leo looked Xander in the eyes trying to express his sincerity in the matter. "But meditation will definitely help you to tap into it, and perhaps control it."
Xander nodded along once again to Leo's like of thinking. "Ok, if you're willing to help guide me, I'm willing to listen. However, and please don't take this the wrong way, I'd prefer it if the other Elder's weren't involved in this. I trust you, but I have a hard time trusting some of the higher powers after the hell they have put most of my friends through."
"I promise you Xander, I won't say a word without your consent. However, if not having that knowledge will result in the loss of life, you have to know where I stand on that." He pierced Xander with a penetrating stare as though he were looking into his soul.
"I understand, and feel the same way. You also have my word that I won't divulge your secrets, or even your identity without your consent. You are my friends, and I can say with complete honesty that I will do all that I can to protect my friends." He looked at all of them. Each giving him a soft smile, he felt with certainty that he needed to bring them together with Buffy, Giles, and the rest. He decided to broach that subject. "I would like to tell my friends about you. Who you are if not some of the stories you told me. If for no other reason that it would be good to start forming allies." He looked at all of them, hoping that he wouldn't see looks of outrage, or betrayal on their faces.
With a smile on her face, Phoebe spoke up. "As far as protecting your friends go, I think you demonstrated that well enough the other night. I can't speak for everyone else, but I'll trust your friends. You have my consent to tell them who I am." The other two sisters nodded there consent as well. "And if you are going to train mentally with Leo, I think you should train physically with me. Unlike my sisters, my powers aren't really active, I've had to learn to fight in lieu of using a power." Looking at him with a sincere look she said, "And since you never talked about training. I think its time you got some."
"Hmm, physical training with a beautiful woman how can I say no?" The smirk on his face dropped once Piper put her two cents in.
"Yea, and while your at it, you should teach him how to dance. He seemed really interested in watching tonight." While the rest of the room was snickering at him he just shook his head then placed in his hands in his hair with a groan. It has definitely been a long night.
"Well, to leave on a high note, its getting kind of late, or early in the morning seeing how it's now 5:45 am. Perhaps someone could bring me back to my suite so I can get some rest, and perhaps some of my dignity back." The rest of the room erupted into laughter.
Leo decided to bail him out. "I can take you back to your suite." Looking intently at Xander he decided to add. "About you exposing us to your friends…like the sisters…I'm fine with you telling them who we are. So long as they can keep our secret. However; I would feel more comfortable if at least one of us was there with you." Xander thought it over for a moment before nodding his consent.
Leo looked up.
"How about I Orb you back. Do you have a car and know how to get here?" To this question Xander nodded in the affirmative. Looking back at the sisters he told them, "I have to go see the other Elders after I drop him off. You should all get some sleep." Looking back at Xander he suggested, "Why not try to make it here around Noon so we can begin your training. Normally I think we should start around 10 am, but being that its now almost 6….well…We'll figure out a schedule tomorrow." Upon agreeing everyone said their goodnight and went their separate ways.